In the Courts

 

This week I am writing about the court case of my grandfather, Robert Woodman, in 1937 the year my mother was born. This is a recent discovery that I stumbled into on Newspapers.com. I had been working on my Gran’s ancestors, specifically her father Archibald Wood. Newspapers.com is a new resource for me and now as I’m working on an ancestor, I check it out. So, I did a search for Archibald Wood and got nothing. Then I remembered that he was usually referred to as Arch. I did a search for Arch Wood and BINGO a hit!

His name appeared twice at the bottom of page 3 in the Kingston Whig-Standard, Monday, November 8, 1937. From the preview I could also see the word Northbrook which was where he lived. I opened the link feeling that there was a good chance that this was referring to my great grandfather. The paragraph was reporting on the testimony of Mrs. Ezra Wood describing where she lived and that “Arch Wood lives near there.”  Further along she spoke of being at his house and seeing Robert Woodman there on an afternoon in February. Hmmm, I thought… what is going on here?

Have you ever started a small fix-it job that snowballed into something big?  This article was about to snowball. I scrolled to the top of page 3 and the headline read “Trial of Woodman is Resumed at Napanee.” I read on. The article started with the “Trial of Robert Woodman of Flinton, charged with the murder of…” and I thought “Oh no, not again.”  If you’ve followed my posts, you might recall my dad’s father being involved in a trial in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. I haven’t found the outcome of that but have two cousins, Donald, and Joanne, who are working on it.

I continued to read this article that outlined witnesses called by the Crown to tell of their acquaintance with both grandpa and the victim and the last time they had seen the deceased. A part of what Mrs. Ezra Wood (who is Arch’s sister-in-law), said was that on February 13 she had taken Mrs. Woodman up to Northbrook to get her husband who was in the beer parlour, and they had taken him home.  This gobsmacked me. My mother was born February 20, 1937. I thought about my poor gran, pregnant with her first child and dealing with that.

I found several articles from May 3, 1937, to November 10, 1937, about the trial. I saved and sorted them chronologically for reading and got to it. 

It was quite a sensational trial for the area and the time. Provincial police investigators were brought in to assist local authorities and forensic sciences were used to test clothing and other items in evidence. A “government medico-legal” expert testified that the bones found were human bones of what he believed to be an adult male. The authorities believed them to be a missing man who was a friend of my grandfather. Several articles mention the “considerable interest in the trial” and “a packed courthouse.”

Grandpa plead “not guilty” to the murder charge he was facing. He is described in the first article of the trial as “a young man of 23 years of age and is dressed in a blue suit, white shirt and dark tie, and wears glasses. He has dark brown hair.” 

Grandpa, unsure of age, but appears to be in his 20's or 30's

I read the graphic details of the state the body was found in and how it was found. As well as all the testimonies from individuals who knew of them and the police who conducted the investigation. I am not a legal expert, but as I was reading testimonies and details of the investigation, I remember having thoughts of “that's strange" popping into my head. I wondered why neighbours were imposing themselves into the police investigation.  Hanging around and involving themselves when inspectors were at a crime scene. Also, why things people claimed about my grandpa were taken as factual evidence. I’ve watched enough CSI to know that you don’t contaminate a crime scene and you need more than circumstantial evidence to convict someone.

On Jun 14^th, Inspector Gurnett was on the stand and stated that two inspectors (Gardiner and Barrett) were sifting through some ashes while he took a dog owned by Inspector Gardiner and accompanied Lessard (a neighbour) to do some investigation. He had taken Officer Gardiner’s dog and accompanied by one Lessard, made an investigation. He said that he found a bone and “I called the dog and the latter got busy and soon we discovered a part of an arm.”  The judge later questioned Inspector Gardiner about the dog, remarking that he knew something about dogs. Gardiner told him it was an Irish setter and the judge said he never heard of an Irish setter or any other setter picking up a cold trail like that when it was so wet. Stating, “were it a hound, it might.”

There seemed to be a lot of focus on the victim having large amounts of cash on him all the time. Witnesses said it was common for him to have $400-$500 on his person. The defense council cross-examined witnesses about his work and earnings. The cash he was alleged to have couldn’t be matched to his earnings as a trapper. It does make me wonder (pure speculation) if he might have been involved in something nefarious that led to his death. That might even explain some of the unusual and changing witness testimony including the individuals who found the burned body contacting his mother instead of police.

Clip from Newspapers.com 

On November 9th, the Defense Attorney stated that they would not call any witnesses. According to the news article, “it created one of the rare situations in the history of Canadian murder trials.” They had summoned 11 witnesses, but Mr. Simpson (his attorney) felt that it was unnecessary in view of the evidence presented by the Crown. Apparently, the last afternoon of the trial was a parade of Crown witnesses, and several were let pass without any cross-examination by defense counsel. Grandpa’s sister Daisy was one of them and when she failed to answer the Crown’s questions with any degree of certainty, she had been warned by the judge that she would be declared a hostile witness if she didn’t cooperate.

In one of Daisy’s responses I found what I consider a sad reference to my mom’s birth when she said she did not know when the baby was born to her brother’s wife. 

Archie Wood said that grandpa was building a log cabin on his property. I suspect that was because he now had a family to provide for.

Many crown witnesses “circumstantial evidence” was that grandpa had been spending a lot of money. A local storekeeper was cross-examined and said he had not seen any large sums of money spent in his store by my grandfather.

On November 10, 1937, the verdict of “Not Guilty” was given and grandpa was discharged. The jury left to consider the case at 10:59 and returned at 1:20. Justice McFarland accepted the verdict and said that the jury were quite justified in their action. He spoke to grandpa and said the police had been within their rights to arrest and hold him, but that he concurred in the verdict which the jury returned. In his charge to the jury, Mr. Justice McFarland said, “I give it as my opinion, that the body found in the fire was the body of [the victim]. This case is either murder or not. Manslaughter does not enter, and the jury must find the accused guilty or not guilty of murder. In this case the evidence is circumstantial or presumption because no one saw the actual act. Circumstances can’t lie but witnesses can lie about circumstances.”

Clip from Newspapers.com 

Grandpa was taken into custody May 2^nd on a charge of vagrancy and was held in Napanee until the trial was over. My Mom was born on February 20, 1937, she was only 10 weeks. She was almost 9 months old when he was discharged.

 Granny and mom, 1938

Landed - From US War Veteran to Canadian Farmer

Photo shared by user on Ancesry.ca

Nancy Jane (Andress) and Ira Mallory Wood

My 3 times great-grandfather, Ira Mallory Wood, was a veteran of the U.S. Civil War, who landed in Canada in 1866 and stayed until his death in 1922.

Ira was born in Morristown, St. Lawrence County, New York, USA on October 29, 1839. Morristown is a small town sitting on the St. Lawrence River almost directly across from the city of Brockville in Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1821 and many of its earliest settlers came from New Jersey and Vermont. These facts became important to me when trying to identify how he came to marry Nancy Jane Andress who was born on January 16, 1840, in Mallorytown, Leeds, Ontario, Canada. Mallorytown is about 14 miles south west of Brockville and Nancy’s great-grandfather hailed from Vermont. I believe the families were familiar with each other and will continue to research the connection.

Ira and Nancy were married in 1862 or 1863. There first son, my 2 times great-grandfather Ira David Wood was born November 24, 1863, in Lyons Falls, Lewis County, New York, USA. In total they had 10 children. The first four are listed in the 1871 Census of Canada where they are living in South Leeds, the Township of Front of Escott. Ira’s profession is given as Blacksmith. The four children are Ira D, age 7 and Charles H, age 4, both “going to school”. George E, age 3 and Hannah E, age 1.

Sometime between the 1871 Census and the 1881 Census they moved to Addington district, sub-district Clarendon and Miller. Ira’s occupation is now Farmer. Living with him are nine of the 10 children. I suspect Nancy was pregnant at the time of the census because their 10^th child, William, was born in September of that year.

In addition to Ira D, Charles, George, and Hannah are now Emma, Steven, Loretta, Geraldine, and Mary. All the children except for the eldest, Ira and youngest, Mary are “going to school.”

I know that Ira and Nancy settled in Plevna Village which is noted in later census information as well as several Canada, City and Area Directories. In an 1884 directory, the concession of their property is listed as swr, which means southwest rear, and the lot number is 40. It also indicates freehold, which tells me he is the owner of the land and immovable structures attached to it.

In the 1891 Census of Canada their son Ira is no longer living with them. He was married in 1883 to Margaret Jane Brown. The remaining children still live with Ira and Nancy in Clarendon & Miller.

The 1901 Census of Canada is interesting because it gives more detail on Citizenship, Nationality and Religion as well as information about Earnings. It indicates Ira’s “Year of Naturalization” as 1865 and he is of English origin and his religion is Methodist. Ira is still farming and working on his own account. The earnings are 120. The census doesn’t indicate what period this represents. I’ve searched and found both monthly and annual as the general opinion, so I cannot confirm. I lean toward monthly because the preceding columns ask about how many months employed before it asks for the earnings. In 1901, their children Loretta, Mary and William still live with them.

The 1921 Census of Canada is the last census Ira is found. The “Place of Abode” is Plevna Village, and he owns his home. The home is a single house constructed of wood and has 5 rooms. It indicates his year of immigration was 1866 and naturalization 1868. He is now a Retired Farmer, and his “Nature of Work” is War Pension, with income given as 600.

This was the first I had seen any indication that Ira had a military background. I began searching and discovered that he had served in the U.S. Civil war from 1863 to 1865. I started looking on Fold 3 and discovered several documents for Ira M Wood. One of the pension documents assured me I had my Ira because it listed his widow as Nancy J Wood and the address in Plevna, Ontario, Canada.

I found his Muster Roll Abstract and discovered that Ira had enlisted for duty in August 1863, and he was discharged July 31, 1865. This explains the years between his two eldest children’s births (Ira David 1863, and Charles Henry 1867)

Ira was in the 20^th New York Cavalry, company “B”. He originally enlisted August 27, 1863, at Lafargeville, NY and was mustered in on September 1^st, grade: Private.

On December 29, 1863, he enlisted again in Orleans, NY with the grade Farrier in the same company. He was mustered out January 5, 1864, near Manchester, Va, with his company.

Remarks at the bottom of the muster roll provide more information about Ira.

• Recruit bred to 20^th Dist
• Born in Morristown, St. Lawrence Co., NY   Occupation blacksmith 
• Grey Blue eyes, light auburn hair, light complex 5 ft. 4 in. high

I consider it lucky when I can find descriptions of how my ancestor looked. It seems to help me feel a little more connection to them.

A Farrier was a blacksmith that specialized in shoeing horses and was assigned to each company. It was a vital role in the war to keep the horses healthy and available for whatever duty was required of them. The Farriers were kept busy because horses were used heavily and needed to be reshod often.

Muster Roll Abstract from Fold 3

Ira died on November 5, 1922, at the age 83. He died at Plevna, survived by his wife Nancy who died in 1928. The Medical Certificate states he had been attended to by a physician on October 26^th and his primary cause of death was Asthma with a contributory factor of Emphysema of the Lungs. He is buried in the Grindstone, Cemetery, Ompah, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada.

Headstone of Ira Mallory Wood

Grindstone Cemetery, Ompah 

on Find A Grave website

Ira David Wood, son of Ira Mallory, is the father of my great-grandmother Clara Patience Wood from his 1st marriage to Margaret Jane Brown.

Our Dream Trip

First stop... London, England.

Dean and I have always talked of a dream trip to the United Kingdom. It calls to us like no other place outside of our home country Canada. I suppose it comes as no surprise that we both have deep roots there and perhaps some of that longing is in our DNA.

In researching my WOODMAN ancestors, I discovered long roots in the counties of Surrey and Middlesex near London, England. I’ve been researching historic maps and have learned that these two counties are adjacent, and both are in the greater London area.

Maps from 1836 for Surrey (top) and Middlesex (bottom)

The parish of Lambeth in the county of Surrey is found as the birth, marriage, death and census place for most of the Woodman family since my 4x great grandfather William Kennedy Woodman. His son Matthew married Charlotte Susan Ann Primett in 1849 at St. John’s Waterloo, Surrey.

Marriage record of Matthew Woodman and Charlotte Primett. Source: London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 Publisher Ancestry.com

Matthew was born in Middlesex County on June 11, 1830, to William Kennedy Woodman and his wife Mary Ann Ansell. William and Mary Ann were married in the Parish of St. Mary le Strand in the County of Middlesex in the Year 1816.

Marriage record of William Kennedy Woodman and Mary Ann Ansell. Source: London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 Publisher Ancestry.com

The branch, starting with my great-grandfather who was born in Lambeth, back to my 4th great grandparents:

My great-grandfather Albert came to Canada in 1908 but several of his siblings stayed in England. In recent years I have connected with a cousin, Robert, who lives there still.

Lambeth is an inner borough of London in the county of Surrey. It extends south from the River Thames. I have seen several of the current day districts throughout the Woodman research. Along with Lambeth, there is family history in Vauxhall, Brixton, and Clapham.

Because of Lambeth’s proximity to central London, the northern area became an important manufacturing centre in the 18th century. Glass and pottery works were established in the area. On Albert’s birth and baptism records his father, Matthew William Woodman’s occupation is given as Potter. On the 1871 England Census, at the age of 14, Matthew already has the occupation of “Potters Laborer”.

The parish church, St. Mary’s, where Matthew William was baptized, lies alongside Lambeth Palace which is the London residence of the archbishop of Canterbury. This is still a working parish and a family home so it isn’t open to the public but when we visit, we will do one of the guided tours on one of the open days.

Modern day Lambeth Palace.    Photo: The Archbishop of Canterbury web site.

Modern day St. Mary's 2013.    Photo: Find-a-Grave website.

There are lots of things to see and do while walking the streets where our ancestors lived. Lambeth is directly across the Thames from Parliament and the City of Westminster. It has several museums, theatres, and the London Aquarium is there. And despite my fear of heights, while in Lambeth, we will have to ride the London Eye to get a bird’s eye view of London!

 

Lambeth; Thames, River. Encyclopaedia Britannica Website. https://www.britannica.com/place/Lambeth

 

 

Photo of the London Eye. Encyclopaedia Britannica Website. https://www.britannica.com/place/London-Eye

 

 

 

 

 

Acadian, René LeBlanq

My husband Dean and I have family that came from, or still live, in Nova Scotia, Canada. Several years ago, we moved to New Brunswick and while there, I took the opportunity to use the local resources to 'branch out' and research the Leblanc (LeBlanq/LeBlanc) family history. I was able to trace back to the earliest settlers, who it has been said established one of the largest family lineages in all of Acadia, in both Canada and the United States.

In my ‘branching out’ post for #52ancestors I’ve decided to write about Dean’s 5-times great-grandfather, René LeBlanq, one of the most well-known of the LeBlanq ancestors.

René was born in 1682, in Port Royal, Nova Scotia. At the time, the area was a focal point for France and Britain’s rivalry for control of it. This ended in 1713 when England was granted control of mainland Nova Scotia and France retained Cape Breton Island. But hostilities didn’t end completely, and the position of Acadians in Nova Scotia became increasingly precarious.

René was married twice. His first wife was Elisabeth (Isabelle) Melanson. They married in 1709 and had several children before her death December 12, 1718.

The union of René and his second wife, Marguerite Thébeau (Thibault), is the branch that Dean descends from.

Marguerite and René were married on November 26, 1720, in Port Royal. The marriage was very fruitful and between 1721 and 1748 they had 17 children – 5 sons and 12 daughters. This is an amazing fact by itself, but what I found fascinating about it is that Marie had several multiple births. Of their 17 children they had a set of triplets and three sets of twins!

~   Triplets - Marie, Marguerite and Anne born on July 25, 1721. I believe Anne was stillborn.

~   They had another daughter on September 29, 1724, who they also named Anne.

~   In early 1726, they had twin daughters, Blanche and Marie.

~   A daughter, Madeleine, was born on November 19, 1727.

~   Twin sons René and Simon were born November 10, 1731.

~   Three more daughters Francoise, May 1, 1734; Ursule, December 17, 1735; and Josephe-Marie, May 20, 1738.

~   Twins in early 1740. A son, Pierre-Benjamin, and daughter, Esther.

~   Two sons followed: Paul-Marie on May 2, 1742, and Jean-Baptiste-Marie June 25, 1744.

~   Their youngest daughter, Marie-Jeanne, was born April 5, 1748.

 

To support his large family, René practiced law and was named a Royal Notary. It was in this capacity that he was immortalized in the epic poem, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is a story of loss and devotion set against the deportation of the Acadian people in 1755. The notary in the poem is our ancestor René Leblanq.

Which brings me back to the precarious state for Acadian’s of the time. During the great deportation in 1755, René, Marguerite, and their sons, Pierre-Benjaman and Jean-Baptiste were deported. As I prepared this blog, I realized that I have not yet discovered what happened to their youngest daughter, Marie-Jeanne, and son Pierre-Marie at that time.  Another item for my parking lot to branch out to discover their fates.

René took ill while banished and died in Philadelphia in 1758. He is buried in Philadelphia in a potter’s field that is now known as Washington Square. In the square there is an epitaph for those who are buried there.  Below is a transcription of the text in the first section:

“Until the 19^th Century, this was often a sorrowful place. Many people knew it as a potters field, a “publick burying place for all strangers,” for soldiers, sailors, convicts, and the “destitute whose remains are walked over.” A lonely Acadian refugee found eternal rest hear, along with epidemic victims, Catholics, and African Americans.”

Photo from Find-A-Grave

At the time of his death René had 21 children and almost 150 grandchildren. 

For more information on the Great Deportation follow the link below to watch a Heritage Minutes video on the Historics Canada website.

Heritage Minutes: Acadian Deportation