LOCKHART and grasping at straws

[heiserca]

ELLEN LOCKHART married JAMES CLEZIE on 11 June 1840 at Troy, New York.  Both of them were transplanted Scots. 

James Clezie was b. 11 Jan 1816 at Edrom, Berwickshire, moved with his parents to Edinburgh about 1820, then the whole family emigrated to Canada in 1832.

Ellen Lockhart is an almost total blank.  Several censuses tell us she was born in Scotland, 1816 or 1817.  But give no indication about where in Scotland, or names of her parents.

Ellen & James had 7 children:
James, b. 1841
George Aexander, b. 1843
Margaret Jane, b. 1845
Mary, b. 1847
Helen Orr, b. 1849 (was it Eleanor?)
William James, b. 1852
Ellenor, b. 1856 (another Eleanor?)

The Clezie family left Edinburgh in spring, 1832, for the New World.  Have not found what ship they were on, but do have them on a river boat, "John Molson", going up the St. Lawrence River, from Quebec to Montreal, 26 July 1832.  Their family moved to Toronto before 1839.

Lockharts are a total mystery!  And no idea why both Ellen and James were at Troy, New York in 1840.  Troy and Albany formed a transportation hub, where the Hudson River meets the Erie Canal, the shortest route to the Great Lakes and the interior of the continent, Toronto, Buffalo, Cleveland, etc., so maybe they were both passing through, going somewhere else, when Cupid shot his arrow?

All attempts to find Ellen's origin have been fruitless.  We are stuck!  Suggestions welcome.

[sancti]

What were the names of James Clezie's parents?

[heiserca]

James Clezie's parents were George Clezie & Jean Lockie.  Their whole family left Scotland in 1832, thought to have lived at Montreal from 1832-38, then moved to Toronto about 1838 or '39.

George and James were cabinetmakers. 

George is listed in Toronto directories:
Yonge Street, 1839-42
Newgate Street, 1843-44
4 Adelaide Street, 1846-50
186 Queen Street West, 1851-55
161 Queen Street West, 1856-57
283 Queen Street West, 1858-62

James is separately listed starting in 1844:
Sarah Street, 1844-46
18 Richmond Street West, 1846-48
James Street, 1848-49
137 Yonge Street, 1849-53

Are those addresses close to King Street?  1837 directory showed a James Lockhart working at the Commercial Bank on King Street, and I suspect he might be the father of Ellen Lockhart.  So far, just a hunch, looking for evidence.

Thanks!

Rick

 

[sancti]

Unfortunately they don't appear to have used the Scottish naming tradition so it is going to be very difficult to trace further back

Any passenger records for the Lockharts?

[heiserca]

They sort of followed the Scottish naming pattern, with variations.

1st son after father’s father:  their first son, James, was born at Troy, New York, May1841, and died July 1841.  He might have been named after the father, James Clezie, or after James Lockhart, if he was indeed the father of Ellen Lockhart.

1st daughter after mother’s mother:  we don’t know the name of Ellen’s mother; this couple named their first daughter Margaret Jane, with the Jane perhaps coming from James's mother, Jean Lockie, who was alternately called Jean and Jane.  Maybe Ellen’s mother was a Margaret?  Don’t know.

2nd son after mother’s father:  their second son was named George Alexander, with the George presumably coming from the father of James; a departure from the naming pattern.

2nd daughter after father’s mother: Jane had already been used, above.  The second daughter was named Mary - no idea where that originates.

I have not yet found any Lockhart passenger records.  Still searching.


 

[sancti]

1st son should have been named George

Was the marriage announcement in the newspaper? Perhaps parents would have been mentioned

[heiserca]

Marriage announcement in the newspaper... in Troy, New York?  Never occurred to me to look there.  I wonder what newspapers existed at Troy in 1840?

Or newspaper in Toronto?  If James & Ellen eloped, the parents back in Toronto might not have known the details for a while.  In "Toronto the Good" did anyone talk about such events, let alone advise?  James seemingly returned to Toronto before the 1844 directory came out.  What Toronto newspapers were published between 1840-44?  Are they indexed somewhere?

[Gali]

I've been reading a few of your other posts Heiserca - you have been so thorough!

My only idea would be to look sideways, into other Lockharts in and around Troy/Rensselaer at the time of the Clezie/Lockhart marriage ...  

1) Only other entry for surname 'Lo*art' in Second Street Presbyterian, Troy, Rensselaer is the 1852 marriage of Margaret Lockhart and Samuel Thompson

plus there is

2) 1850 US Census shows John Lockhart, Ropemaker, aged 30, born Scotland, wife (another) Ellen, daughter Margaret, aged 2 and William aged 0 - living in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11599-131268-53?cc=1401638
They had subsequent children, all baptised First Presbyterian Church, Lansingburgh, Rensselaer:
Margaret Henderson, b. 1851, Elizabeth Faulkner, b. 1852, Ellen Robina, b. 1854

John Lockhart, Ropemaker died Chicago, 1893, aged 81, widower, resident Illinois 35 years.  

It would be a long shot of course but if you have the time could be worthy of investigation ... and you did say you were grasping at straws 

[heiserca]

Thank you, Gali.  Good suggestions, although the Troy library tells me, there are no Lockharts in Troy directories, 1838-41.  Lockharts arrived at Troy only later.

What about in Albany?  Any Lockharts there?  James Clezie is himself listed in the 1840 Albany directory, at 31 Liberty Street.  No idea whether Ellen was with him. 

James Clezie first arrived in Toronto with his parents about 1838-39.  My guess is that Ellen Lockhart also lived in Toronto, they met, and eloped to Troy.  The church record showed James was from Albany and Ellen from Troy.  But was that said for the minister's benefit, so he wasn't scandalized at the idea of them living together before marriage?

They had a child, called James, born at Troy in May, 1841, and died there in July.  They returned to Toronto about 1843 - James was listed in 1844 Toronto directory.  James, Ellen and their children moved to Cleveland about 1852-53.  These people seem rootless!  Edinburgh - Montreal - Toronto - Troy - Toronto again - Cleveland, back and forth across borders.

Ellen might have been pregnant in 1840, we don't know.  Maybe they just needed time away from families.  Toronto in the 19th century was a prudish place, jokingly called “Toronto the Good”.  I think maybe James & Ellen were both from Toronto, they eloped to be married at Troy.  Just a theory, looking for evidence.

Latest suggestion is, to review 1840-43 newspapers, Troy and Toronto, for wedding announcements.  Can anyone tell me what newspapers existed in Troy? Are they available online?