Halifax in Ontario? port for sailings WW1

[1000xlch]

Hi All

Have searched the net re various places in Canada.  A bit confused with all the designations.  My question is this.  Had a WW1 person who signed up ito the CEF in Uxbridge and Toronto, came to Britain and fought in France.  Wounded in the war and sent back to Britain for rehab, was discharged in 1918 on medical grounds and requested transfer back to Toronto, Canada.  When he came here it was from Halifax to Liverpool and the same going back.  Which Halifax did he sail from and to?  Was it Nova Scotia or somewhere near Toronto.  Any help would be appreciated! 

Thanks

John Rowley

[loo]

It would definitely be Nova Scotia.  At that time, there was no sea access to Ontario.

Uxbridge is near Toronto, if that's any help; it's a rural village, and was very small then;  I have some roots in that area myself.  He may have signed up at an office in Uxbridge, probably close to home.

[1000xlch]

Thanks Loo

RE the Uxbridge twp, his occupation was a farmer, and his pay was sent to a person that was not his parents as surname different so must have been a female relative.  When he married in England obviously the money went to her.  What is interesting is that he went back to Canada via Halifax and ended up in Toronto, then onto Windsor in Essex county in Ontario.  He then resigned up in WW2 for about nine months as he was discharged in WW1 medically unfit due to gunshot wound and fractured clavicle.  Was passed fit in WW2 then discharged within the year.  I presume then that transport was via road from Halifax.

Thanks

John Rowley

[Josephine]

John,

My grandfather enlisted for service in the Second World War in Ontario, Canada.  He served in the Navy off the east coast; his ship was based in Halifax.  He was on leave at home in Ontario when the war was declared to be over.  He had to return to his base in Halifax to be discharged.

Regards,
Josephine

[loo]

I would have been surprised if he was anything BUT a farmer!

It was likely by rail from Halifax.  The major rail routes were completed in the 19th century, I believe, as that was one of the rallying cries for uniting the country into one nation in the 1860s.  Driving would have been more difficult and unlikely, with lots of winding roads and villages along the way where no one spoke English,not to mention weather.  Train would have gone straight through to at least Montreal, overnight probably, probably then to Toronto with a changeover, and then on to Windsor, although I am not certain if the Toronto-Windsor corridor was in operation at that time;  it is not part of the trans-canada line as it must terminate in Windsor at the US border.  You can probably find more info on railway construction somewhere, as it has been a major issue of national identity in Canada, historically.

What was the surname, if you don't mind my asking?  (My father has a remarkable memory for the old farm family names in that area, particularly the Scottish ones.)  I will be doing a cemetery visit in the area in the Spring/Summer, if there's anything you want.  West Brock cemetery (St. James Anglican) is the one of primary interest to me, but I could look at another if needed.  I also go to McNeil cemetery (Wick), Presbyterian.

[1000xlch]

Hi Loo

The name of the person was Edward HUNT who signed up in Dec 1st 1915 at Uxbridge, Ont.  He was born in England in 1896, so he was aged 19, single and occupation was a farmer.  When he gets paid by the army it is sent to a Mrs J Morston at Siloam, Uxbridge, Ont.  I can only assume she must be some relation and am currently checking out the Canada 1911 census online to find the household.  When he came back in 1918 via Halifax, his intended address was East Toronto, I know he then went to Windsor by 1919 as birth of second son was there.  Also in 1940 when he signed up again he was living in Windsor.  I assume he died in Windsor.  His religion was Church of England.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Thanks

John Rowley

[loo]

I think Siloam is or was a hamlet near Uxbridge, probably nothing more than an intersection now, but it rings a bell.  It sounds like he was a hired hand, as we call it here, rather than someone who had his own farm;  I'm guessing he worked on Mrs. Morston's farm maybe, and, yes, she could very well have been a relative, or perhaps a friend of the family. She might also have been the proprietress of the General Store in Siloam or had the Post Office concession;  every little place had one in those days.   That name doesn't ring any bells (Morston), but I can ask my dad at Christmas - he's both sharp and old - can remember a lot of things from the 19th century, when he wasn't even born yet!  There was a family named Morrison, but that's the only one I can remember that sounds vaguely similar, and they were Presbyterians.
 
I paused and got out my cemetery map.  If you click on http://www.rootsweb.com/~onwob22/cemeteries/durhamap.htm ,
then click on Uxbridge Twp, you will see that one of the red dots is for the Siloam United Church cemetery;  that's probably where the hamlet was and is likely all that's left of Siloam nowadays.  It's about 6 miles or so from where my family farmed.  At the bottom of the larger map is Lake Ontario;  if you follow the edge of the lake approx 25 miles to the west, you will come to Toronto.

He went to East Toronto, did he?  - that's where I was born, and now live.  A lot of people migrated along that pathway from farms to city, as did my dad.   
The librarians at the Windsor Public Library are helpful.  They are in the process of amassing an obituaries index from the local newspaper, The Windsor Star, and will search it for you if you email them, and they will give you a date for the obit if one was printed.  I can't remember which dates they cover, but it's a work in progress.   I got several dates from them, as I too have relatives who settled there from England.  The earliest one I got from them was 1955 and the latest was 2002.  So, I suggest you email and ask them for an obit date for him in the Windsor Star;  then, if you get one, give me the info, I will get the obit for you at the Toronto Public Library Reference Library, where the newspaper is on microfilm, next time I'm there - I think it unlikely you'll find that in Britain, as Windsor isn't one of our big cities.
Cheers!

[1000xlch]

Thanks for the info Loo

AS a matter of interest the intended address was 93 Pickering Street, East Toronto.  Not sure if that exists anymore.  It is interesting as his mother is living in England and his wifes parents were also English around College Town Camberley in Surrey.  I wonder why he chose to go back to Canada to Toronto unless he had relatives there.  Would there be any public directories listing people who could vote (like in the UK Electoral Roll) for 1918, as it might explain why he went to that address rather than Uxbridge.

Thanks

John Rowley

[loo]

Pickering St. still exists.  It's in exactly the area I thought he might have gone to, by your story. It's just a couple of miles from where I live, so it's an area I'm familiar with.  I would guess that the houses there were built just after WW1, although some are older, especially the few that are former farmhouses.  The area would, broadly speaking, be called "the beach" nowadays, not too far from Lake Ontario, Victoria Park and Gerrard area.  At that time, it was settled primarily by British stock, probably working class, although I will have to take a look at that particular street as there are a few streets not far from there that are quite luxurious.  There were a lot of fish and chips shops in the area!  within my memory, the last two of them have closed.  It's very likely the same house is still there.  I will go take a look after Christmas.

I don't know anything much about directories and electoral roles here, as I have never had to use them.  I am the first person in my family born in Toronto, so I've had no need to dig any deeper.  However, the site for the Toronto Public Library is www.tpl.toronto.on.ca  Their reference library has excellent resources and a strong local history collection.  They will answer inquiries by email.  If you look into it and find out exactly what you want me to check (preferably with a call number), I will go and get what you need.  It probably won't be until after the holiday, as I was just there today.
It's hard to know exactly why he came here, but, as I said above, there was quite a contingent who settled in that part of Toronto at that time.  If he didn't own land, he would have had much better opportunities in the city than working on a farm or in a small village.  My lot had been on their farm since about 1830, and they were typical.  He would not have been able to afford to buy a farm at that point.
There used to be a small Hunt's Bakery chain in Toronto, long since absorbed into some conglomerate no doubt, but they were around when I was growing up.
I don't think we have ever had (until very recently) a standing electoral roll.  There was an enumeration for every election.