52 Ancestors: Thomas Montgomery Taken Prisoner War of 1812

Amy Johnson Crow has a new challenge for geneabloggers called Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Amy challenges genealogists to write about one ancestor once a week.

One of my ancestors had a spot of tough luck during the War of 1812. Thomas Montgomery and his wife Mary Johnston with sons William, Thomas, Johnston, James,Frederick,and John and possibly Ann left Warrenpoint Ireland around 1810 in An American vessel headed for the United States to join their son Robert in New York State. They were apprehended by a British Man of War off the coast of Newfoundland and taken prisoners. They were kept in Newfoundland for a period of time before being sent on the Quebec†City. After the end of the war in 1814 they went on to† Toronto leaving William in Quebec. Johnston had already singed up with General Caldwell and fought in Upper Canada.Thomas Jr, stayed in Toronto and built Montgomery, Inn. The rest later went on the Bennington New York.

From  "History of Wyoming County" 

"James MONTGOMERY was born near Petico, County Donegal, Ireland, in 1800. In 1824 he married Betsey PAGE of Herkimer County, NY, who died in 1879. He has served as overseer of the poor. His father, Thomas MONTGOMERY, was born near Enneskillen, Ireland, about 1769, and married Miss Mary Johnson of his native place. In 1812 the family took passage on an American vessel bound for New York, at Warring's Point, [Warren's Point, Co. Down?] in the north of Ireland. After a voyage of four weeks the vessel reached the coast of Newfoundland, where it was taken in charge by a British man-of-war, and all on board were made prisoners of war and taken to St. Johns, where they were detained four weeks 

Upon their release the MONTGOMERY's were obliged to make their way to Quebec, British subjects not being allowed to land on American soil during the continuance of the war; and until 1816 they remained in Canada, but came to New York State in the latter year, locating in Westmoreland, Oneida County, and removing from there to Bennington, Wyoming County two years later, when Mr. MONTGOMERY purchased one hundred and twenty five acres of lot 9, section 8, where he died in 1830, at the age of seventy three, and his wife in 1831, aged seventy one."

Thomas and Mary are buried in  Summit View Cemetery, Town of Bennington, Wyoming Co., New York

"Mary MONTGOMERY, d. 01/25/1831, Age 71y, Wife of Thomas MONTGOMERY and a native of Ireland

'Happy soul thy days are ended,  All thy mourning days below,  Go by angel guards attended,  To the sight of Jesus go"

Thomas MONTGOMERY, d. 03/10/1830, Age 73y, A native of Ireland, emigrated in 1812 'Although I sleep in dust, Beneath this silent clod, Ere long I hope to rise and smile,  And see my saviours God"

52 Ancestors: Jonathan Butler, A Black Man from Pennsylvania

Upper Canada Land Petition
Jonathan Butler
envelope

Amy Johnson Crow has a new challenge for geneabloggers called Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Amy challenges genealogists to write about one ancestor once a week. I'm having fun with this and I hope you are too!

Since February is Black History Month I've decided to talk about my black ancestor, Jonathan Butler. It's been a challenging search for Jonathan. Here is what Lorine McGinnis Schulze of Olive Tree Genealogy blog and I have been able to discover:

ca 1808 Jonathan arrives in Upper Canada (present day Ontario), possibly coming directly from Pennsylvania (as per his land petition) Whether he came as an adult or a child with parents is not known.

March 1816. Jonathan is found in Etobicoke (just west of the city of Toronto), possibly leasing land from Col. Samuel Smith (as per Character Certificate). Jonathan was almost probably at least 21 years of age at this time, thus a very rough estimate of his year of birth would be 1795 or earlier.

March 1819. Jonathan is a farmer with 50 acres in Toronto Township (as per his land petition). Toronto Township has the Etobicoke River on its eastern boundary. I believe this is possibly land he leased from Col. Smith.

April 1819. Jonathan is granted 100 acres of land in the Wilberforce Settlement (black settlement area) in Oro Township. (as per Land books) It does not appear he actually settled there (as per Gary French)

ca 1822-1838. 2 sons and 3 daughters are born in this time period. Names are not known (as per Assessment records)

1824. A son Allen is born in Toronto Township to Jonathan and wife Elizabeth Jenkins or Ginkins (as per 1851 adult baptism in Waterloo)

ca 1829 A son Harry aka Henry is born, location unknown

1832. A son George is born in Toronto Township. 

1834, 1837, 1838, 1839, 1840: Jonathan is found with 100 acres in Woolwich Township, Gore District which was part of the Queen's Bush settlement area for blacks. He lives "west of the Grand River" and may be on Lot 88 (as per Assessment Records)

Miscellaneous Details

We find no trace of Jonathan after 1840. It is not known when his wife Elizabeth died and the only record of her is the mention in the 1851 baptism of their son Allen. 

Searching for My Black Ancestor Jonathan Butler

 The Challenge of Finding Our Black Ancestor's Origins

Francis X. Schumacher & Mary Butler

This is a photo of my  2nd great-grand-aunt Mary Schumacher nee Butler (1852-1924) and her husband.

Mary was the sister of my great-great-grandfather Joseph Butler (1856-between 1911-1918).

Mary and Joseph were the grandchildren of Jonathan Butler, a black man living in the Queen's Bush in what was then called Upper Canada (now the province of Ontario)

A Challenging Black Ancestor

It has been a challenge to research Jonathan Butler and his family.  Early 1800s Ontario records are sparse. We know that Jonathan was born somewhere in the USA circa 1790.  No specific location in the United States is known. There are no census records where his origins are noted.

We know he was black. He is listed on various tax, census and assessment records as "Negro" and "African"  We know his wife's name (Elizabeth Ginkins as seen in the adult baptism of his son Allen, my 3rd great-grandfather) but do not know her origins.

The earliest record for Jonathan is an 1834 Assessment record where he is recorded as "Negro Butler".
The last record of Jonathan is an 1840 "Census" which is really a tax and assessment record. He has not been found after that date - no death records, no burial records, no 1851 census record (although many of the 1851 census for Ontario are missing). We have found no record of his wife Elizabeth in any records of any year.

Jonathan Butler's Children

Jonathan's children are found in census records recorded as "African", "Mulatto" and in later years "White". We know from tax records that Jonathan had at least 5 sons and 3 daughters but we only know the names of two with certainty - Allen and George. Both married German women in the Waterloo area.

* George Butler (1832-1902) married Catherine Krump and had 11 children known.

* Allen Butler (1824-1872) married Caroline (Carrie) Weiss and had 8 children known.

* It is believed that Henry (Harry) Butler (ca 1829-between 1861-1871) who married a German woman named Sarah Susannah Foerch is another son

My 3rd great-grandfather Joanes Alexander Alan (called Allen) Butler was baptized into the Catholic Church January 26,1851 at St Agatha, Wilmot Twp, Waterloo Co. He was recorded as the son of Jonathan Butler and Elizabetha Ginkens. In his marriage record that same year (February 1851) he stated he was born in Toronto. 

Allen's son Joseph, my great-grandfather, is another mystery. He disappears after the 1901 census where he is found with his wife and children living in Seaforth, Huron County Ontario. His estranged wife Caroline (Carrie) left Ontario for Detroit Michigan circa 1909. Family lore said that she left Joseph after some kind of scandal was discovered and that he "went out west". He was never heard from again although our research indicates he may have settled in Manitoba near the border of North Dakota.  If his wife can be believed, he was deceased by May 1918.

The Genealogy Challenges & Unanswered Questions

We have many challenges and puzzles regarding the Butler family and my black heritage.

1. How do we find our Jonathan Butler's origins in the United States? There are so few records for pre 1851 in Ontario and we have not been able to find what happened to him after that 1840 assessment record or where he was before the 1834 one. So we only have records of him for a six year time frame. We know he was in Toronto circa 1824 when Allen was born. But where was he before 1824 and where was he from 1824 to 1834 when he acquired land in the Queen's Bush? 

2.  Where was Joseph Butler from 1901 to 1918? Was he in Manitoba? He had a brother Jacob Butler in Pembina North Dakota but we've not found any record of Joseph there. However this brother Jacob lived for several years in Montcalm, Pembina Valley Region, Manitoba. Did Jacob head there after leaving his family (or being kicked out as family lore states)? We are hoping his death record might have information on the birth place of his father Jonathan or mother Elizabeth.

If you have any suggestions or ideas for us in our search, please post them in the Comment section of this blog post. We definitely need advice on where to look next!