Original letter from Jeanne Vance <[email protected]> ATTWOOD, James (born 1819 in England) and his wife Jane Ann (nee MESSENGER, also born in England) arrived in Canada in 1853. ALLAN, James (born1834 in England) married Eliza Ann (nee DRURY, born 1834 in England). My great, great aunt says the men worked for the railroad. Also that the Drury family came to Canada when Eliza Ann was only three years old. If anyone out there thinks they might be connected, I will send more information about the children from these marriages that I have collected from census records and family interviews. ====================================== Pat Albright <[email protected]> responded that her Atwoods were: 1871 Census Minto Township, Wellington County, Ontario NAME-SEX-AGE-BIRTHPLACE-RELIGION-ORIGIN-OCCUPATION ================================================== Atwood, James-M-51-England-Ch of England-English-farmer Atwood, Jane-F-48-England-Ch of England-English Atwood, Pricilla-F-23-England-Ch of England-English Atwood, Emily-F-20-England-Ch of England-English Atwood, Henry-M-16-England-Ch of England-English-farmer Atwood, Jane-F-14-Ontario-Ch of England-English Atwood, George-M-12-Ontario-Ch of England-English Atwood, Albert-M-10-Ontario-Ch of England-English Atwood, Mary-F-8-Ontario-Ch of England-English Atwood, Harriet-F-5-Ontario-Ch of England-English 1881 Census Minto Township, Wellington County, Ontario NAME-SEX-AGE-BIRTHPLACE-RELIGION-ORIGIN-OCCUPATION ================================================== Atwood, James-M-62-England-Ch of England-English-farmer Atwood, Jane-F-58-England-Ch of England-English Atwood, George-M-22-Ontario-P Meth-English Atwood, Albert-M-20-Ontario-Ch of England-English Atwood, Mary-F-18-Ontario-P Meth-English Atwood, Harriet-F-15-Ontario-P Meth-English Atwood, Marrine-M-4-Ontario-Ch of England-English (1) You're spelling the last name with a double tt, ATTwood, and I have one t, ATwood. (2) You have the family's arrival in Canada as 1853, whereas the 1871 records indicate they came to Canada between the births of Henry and Jane. After doing the math, I figure their arrival was between 1855 and 1857. I have no other verification of this. (3) James ATWOOD of the census was a farmer, and you indicate that your ancestor worked for the railroad. I am interested in knowing: (1) What is your source for saying that James and Jane ATTWOOD came to Canada in 1853? (2) The IGI has a record of a marriage between James ATWOOD and Jane MESSENGER, 26 Nov 1840 in Minety, Wiltshire, England. Although I see this couple as possibly the same one as my family in the census, I have no verification of this. What is your source for MESSENGER as the maiden name of James ATTWOOD's wife? If your James ATTWOOD and my James ATWOOD are not the same, I may be able to eliminate Jane MESSENGER as the wife of mine. Mary Jane ATWOOD, the daughter of James and Jane ATWOOD who was 8 years old in the 1871 census, married John Thomas COOK on 18 Oct 1882 in Clifford,Ontario. They had three children: Rosa, born in 1883 in Harriston, Wellington Co.; William, born in 1885 in Clifford; Adaline, born in 1887 in New Hamburg, Waterloo Co. Rosa is my grandmother. In 1892, the COOKs moved to New York State and are found in the 1900 U.S. Census for Rochester, Monroe County, NY. John Thomas COOK has been listed as either a laborer or a quarryman in all the records I've found. Because of the records I have, I am positive that the James and Jane ATWOOD of the 1871 and 1881 Ontario Census are my grandmother's grandparents. Although I don't want to leap to any conclusions, it seems possible that your James and Jane ATTWOOD are the same as my James and Jane ATWOOD. Please let me know what you think. ==================================== and Jeanne Vance <[email protected]> responded: We are researching the same James and Jane Attwood. My information comes from the son of Henry Attwood, who was contacted by my grandmother in the 1950's. Josh was quite old at the time and I have further verified and corrected that information through the 1861 and 1871 Census, Minto, Wellington, Ontario. I put their arrival in Canada in 1853. According to his son, Henry Attwood was born at sea on the Nicholas Middleton and was named for the ship and the captain, Henry. This would have been 1853-54 depending on the date of the 1861 Census. His full name was Henry Nicholas Middleton Messenger Attwood. Josh and my grandmother say Jane Attwood's maiden name was Messenger and that she and James were married in England when James was working on the railroad from London the Wales. Because of this we researched in England and found the marriage record for a James Attwood and Jane Messenger in 1840 in Minety, Wiltshire, England. It was my sister who submitted these to the IGI. Family stories say that James Attwood was brought across to work as a foreman on the railway in Upper Canada. I have not verified this. By 1871 he was farming in Wellington County, first in Minto and later in Harriston. My grandmother, Ada Victoria Gertrude Attwood MacPhee always spelled her name as Attwood and so that is the spelling I have chosen to use. The 1861 Census spells it as Atwood. The family did not have much formal schooling so the name spelling could have changed as was common at that time. Our family information shows additional children Mary Jane, Maurice or Morris, and Harriet. The dates of their births are not clear but I notice Mary Jane and Harriot show up on the 1871 Census. There is also a Marrine which could have been misread and be Maurice or Morris. I will have to check this. I have more complete names for these individuals from Joshua Attwood and my grandmother. Anne was Annie Priscilla, and the younger James, my great grandfather was James Francis Attwood, and A.E. Atwood was Albert Ernest Attwood. Mary Jane in my family information was said to have moved and died in Rochester, NY. I have a picture my grandmother says is of siblings Mary Jane, Maurice and his wife, and Harriot Attwood O'Grady. My aunt tried to gather further information on descendants of the above and was successful in gathering much but nothing on Mary Jane so I am excited to get your information about her descendants. __________________________________________________ FREE voicemail, email, and fax...all in one place. Sign Up Now! http://www.onebox.com