A Foster Child in Nova Scotia

[carricknew]

I'm not sure if anyone can help me with this ancestor of mine - It's one I've been struggling with for some time.

The person in question is my great great grandfather James Brown (b: abt 1861 in Sand Point Nova Scotia d: 1925 Sand Point, Nova Scotia)

I can't find Jame's birth certificate anywhere. I have found evidence of his marriage to Ada Carter in 1884 but on the marriage record he has left his parent's names blank.

I have also found his death certificate where his parents are listed as George Martin and Mary Ann Sullivan, but the word 'foster' is written in brackets beside George Martin's name.

I don't know a lot about James, other than that he was a fisherman - none of my family knew he had lived with a foster family and I have no idea how to trace his real parents. I have been unable to find him on a census with them.

James seems to have a fairly unusual middle name. On one of his son's marriage certificates James' middle name looks like Granquist but one of James' children is named James Cranswick (so maybe Cranswick was mis-heard as Granquist, or vice versa).

I have found him on the 1881 census living with his foster family as James Martin, of Irish origin and working as a fisherman.

Does anyone have any ideas on where to go next?

[aghadowey]

Have you tried tracing the Brown family to see if any descendants can shed light on James?

George F. Martin, age 74, died 1 May 1912 Sand Point, Guysborough Co., fisherman, married, tuberculosis/heart failure (9 months), Church of England, buried Oyster ?, informant- James Brown.

The 1901 census gives James Brown born 26 June 1861 N.S. of English descent (Milford sub-district, Guysborough Co.).

Have you ruled out James Brown born c1861, son of Frank Brown & Pantha Myers?

[carricknew]

Hi Aghadowey,

I have tried other ways around trying to find his parents - even trying Martin and Sullivan genealogy to see if anyone knew where he came from.

Where have you found James son of Frank and Pantha?
I haven't come across them before

[cosmac]

1881 Melford Guysbrough Nova Scotia George Martin (43) with wife Mary Ann (41) and children James (20) and Alvaretta (16).  I'm assuming this is the correct family.

1871 Melford Guysbrough Nova Scotia George Martin (33) with wife Mary Ann (31) and James C. (9)

If these are the correct people Frank and Pantha could be eliminated as possible parents as their James F. (11) is with them on the 1871 Manchester Guysbrough census.

[aghadowey]

It's a bit outside my area of N.S. but lots of people from Guysborough county moved to the States (via Boston) and settled in Gloucester, Mass. (My grandmother's family in Queens County used to go 'shopping' in Boston and the ladies thought nothing of getting on the train to the boat for Boston).

So, the following information is only a suggestion to follow up if you wish...

1871 census- Manchester, Guysborough, N.S.: Frances? Brown (42), Pantha Brown (38), Ithat Brown (17) [male], Sarah J. Brown (15), Lidia A. Brown (13). James F. Brown (11), Margaret Brown (age 8 ), Pantha Brown (5), Loisa? Brown (3), William Brown (3 months). Next household is Lothrop Myers who is probably a relation to Pantha Brown.

Female born 5 Oct.1873 Gloucester- parents Frank Brown (cooper) & Pantha Myers
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FX4H-5VP

1880 census- Gloucester, Essex, Mass.: Frank Brown (53), Pantha Brown (47), James F. Brown (20), Pantha A. Brown (14), Louisa V. Brown (12), William F. Brown (10).
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MH6Z-82B

Cosmac's just posted more likely James so will leave this to the side for now 

[cosmac]

Have you tried following the Cranswick name in Guysborough?  There is some relationship to the Horton surname but I'm not sure where that leads.  There are certainly a number of Horton's throughout the years in Guysborough.

Edwad Francis Cranswick Horton b. 1835 d. 1916 Halifax married 1870 to Mary Ann Kaiser.  Edward was s/o George Washington Horton and Elizabeth Digdon.  All this from a family tree on ancestry but it might be verifiable through Nova Scotia site.

Marshall Cranswick b. 1873 Salmon River Guysborough s/o Alexander Horton and Ellen Morgan.
George Archibald Horton married 1873 to Ellen Maloney and a child was born to them in 1873 at Sany Cove.

IGI reference to a William Cranswick Horton b. 1839 Guysborough, s/o Charles S. Horton and Eliza Henline.

[carricknew]

Thanks Aghadowey and Cosmac,

Cosmac, you have the correct family there - so I will probably leave Pantha and Frank out for now.

I will start looking at the Hortons. I think it might be difficult to find his parents without his birth certificate though.
But it's a start

[valeriec]

www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/
Nova Scotia Archives

The records of Saint James Anglican Church, Melford, Guysborough County are held at the archives.

There are four reels of records (11673/11674/22798/22780) including
Baptisms 1854-1989
Marriages 1855-1988
Burials 1854-1924

These include records from surrounding areas including Red Head, Oyster Pond and Sand Point. Other areas as well. It appears from what I have seen on the replies this is the church that George Martin went to and also a good possiblity that James Brown's info if it exists would be in these reels. His birth was before registration came into effect and he is not listed under the delayed registration of births so this is your only avenue to perhaps find a baptism.
If his birth certificate existed it would be on file at the Vital Statistics site. www.novascotiagenealogy.com
These records can only be viewed at the archives so you would have to make a trip or else hire a researcher.

Hope this helps in some way, Val

[carricknew]

Thanks Valeriec,

I suppose this is the only way forward. I will have to take a trip there next time I am home I think