Showing 650 results

Henry Corry Rowley Becher immigrated to London in 1835. The Becher family was prominent in the legal profession, political and community activities, and military service. Henry C.R. Becher was a prominent attorney and active in politics. Henry Becher was a lawyer and active in London politics. Katharine Becher was active in community affairs. Henry Campbell Becher was a lawyer and stockbroker who served in World War I. Archibald Valancey Becher, a physician, also served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Thornwood, the Becher family home, was designated as a heritage building by the City of London in 1992.

The Becker family were farmers in Walsingham Township, Norfolk County, Ontario during the nineteenth century.

The Beer family was established in Ontario by Christopher Beer, a retired commander in the British navy, who was granted several hundred acres of land in Metcalfe Township in the early 1800's. In the early 1900's, Jacob Beer, a descendent of Christopher Beer, lived in Strathroy, Ontario, and had five children: Christopher, Joan, Walter, Vivien and Winlow. Private Walter Beer was a soldier with the 48th Regiment (Highlanders) during World War I and was killed in action in France. Vivien Beer was engaged to Captain James R. Allan, who was also killed in action in France in 1916.

The Benson family lived in Port Hope and Peterborough, Ontario, and were involved in businesses such as a general store and railways, and in the administration of law during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Benson family played a particularly prominent role at the local and provincial levels during the nineteenth an early twentieth centuries in both business and law. The head of the Benson family was businessman Thomas Benson (1804-1857), originally from Ireland. Of his twelve children, Thomas Moore (T.M.) Benson gained the greatest prominence, as both a lawyer and a judge. T.M. Benson's younger brother, Frederick Albert Benson (184[3]-1918) also practised law. Among T.M. Benson's children, Clara Cynthia Benson (1875-1964) is best known as a pioneering Canadian woman in the sciences. Many other members of the Benson family continued the family interest in law and business, as well as cultivating an appreciation of their own family history.

The Bertram family was established in Canada by John Bertram (1829 - 1906) and his wife Elizabeth Bennet (1831 - 1904). Together they had six children: Alexander (1853 - 1926), Henry (1856 - 1945), Jessie (1861 - 1913), George (1858 - 1863), Thomas Aimers (1864 - 1951), and James Bennet (1868 - 1947). Alexander Bertram (Sir. Alexander Bertram, Alex) married Eliza Millichamp Smith (1859 - 1934) no May 16, 1877. Together they had four children: John Hugh (1878 - ?), Florence (Flossie) Millie (1879 -?), Harry Alexander (1881 - ?), and Thomas Stirling (1883 -?). John Hugh Bertram married Ruby Delphine Smith on November 3, 1904. Together they had four children: Alexander John (1906), George Donald Bertram (1911), Alexander John (1911 - ?), and Richard Edgar Bertram (1912 - 1942). Florence Millie Bertram married Frederick James Sharp on October 23, 1912. Harry Alexander Bertram was married and had two children but little is known of this family. Thomas Stirling Bertram is known to have been married but not have had any children. Henry Bertram married Jennie Graham (1858 - 1939) on October 26, 1881. Together they had seven children: Louise Winifred (1882 - 1891), Jennie Kirkhope (1884 - 1965), Henry Graham (1886 -1956), Stirling Aimers (1888 - 1917), Lennard (Leonard) Halliday (1893 - 1964), Elizabeth (Bessie) Bennet (1894 - 1975), and Andrew Alexander (Tim) (1900 - 1958). Jennie Kirkhope Bertram married Alexander Fraser Pirie on February 6, 1907. Together they had five children: Jean Margaret Pirie (1908 - 1987), Alexander Bertram (Bert) Pirie (1909 - 1946), Mary Isobel Pirie (1910 - 1972), Marion Lennard Pirie (1915 - 1990), and Aimers Alexander (Alex) (1917 - 1962). Henry Graham (Graham) Bertram married Mabel Ford Richardson (1890 - 1952) on April 14, 1921. Together Henry Graham and Mabel had four children: Alice Winifred (1922 - 1975), Barbra (1925 - 1937), Eva Richardson (1928 - ), and Jean Elizabeth (1930 - 1967). Alice Winifred married Walter Mar Riemann on October 4, 1971. Eva Richardson Bertram married Robert Cole (1926 - 1953) on September 15, 1953. Together they had five children: Barbra Janice (1954 -), Christine Anne (1956 -), Susan Elizabeth (1957 -), Richard Norman (1961 - ), and Michael James (1965 - ). Jean Elizabeth Bertram married John Eldred Chester (1929 - 1976) on December 4, 1949. Together they had four children Paul Graham (1956 - ), David Allen (1959 - ), Kathleen (1961 - ), and Jenny Elizabeth (1962 - 1982). Elizabeth (Bessie) Bennet Bertram married Clive Harcourt Carruthers (1891 - 1980) on September 18, 1920. Together they had four children: John Radcliffe (1921 - 1998), Graham Robertson (1926 - ), Kenneth David Bertram (1928 -). Andrew Alexander (Tim) Bertram married Jessie Margaret McEligott (1900 - 1990) on November 18, 1936. Together Andrew Alexander and Jessie Margaret had four children: Patricia (1929 - 1998), Barbra Jane (1938 - ), Elizabeth Alexander (1941 - ), and Margaret Graham (1943 - ). Lennard Halliday Bertram married Edith Sims (1892 - 1984) on December 4, 1916. Together Lennard and Edith had three children: Mary Winnifred Bertram (1919 - 1997), John Henry Bertram (1921 - ), and Elizabeth Janet (1931 - ). Mary Winnifred married Thomas Dale Brydon (1919 - 1961) on March 6, 1948, together they had four children: Mary Jane (Jane) (1949), Thomas Bertram (1950 - ), William Lennard (Len) (1952), and Edith Anne (Anne) (1956). John Henry Bertram married Mildred Helga (1921 - ) on July 7, 1945, together they had four children: Andrew John (1946 - ), James Richard (1947 - ), Christine Elizabeth (1949 - ), and Christine Janet (1955 - ). Elizabeth Janet (Janet) married Warren Stewart Brown (1931 - ) on My 28, 1955, together they had two children: Nancy Elizabeth (1958 - ) and Carolyn Janet (1961 - ). Jessie Bertram married James Alexander Stirling (1856 - 1919) on March 1, 1888. Together they had two children John Bertram Stirling (1888 - 1988) and Robert Mar Stirling (1890 - 1917). John Bertram Stirling married Edith Carey Goodwin (1920) and had two children together Edith Bertram Stirling (1918 - 1934-37) and Jessie Mar Stirling (1920 - ). Edith Carey Goodwin died in 1920 and John Bertram Stirling Married Emily (Emmy) Parker Sturdee (died 1987) in 1928. Thomas Aimers Bertram (T.A.) married Jean Bertram Knowles (Bert) on November 2, 1888. Together they had one son James Knowles Bertram (1889 - 1916) who was killed in the battle of the Somme. James Bennet Bertram married Mary Bain (1875 - 1964) on February 20, 1907; they had no children. George Bertram died at the age of five on Christmas Day 1863. The Bertram family established itself in Canada when John Bertram (1829 - 1906) and his wife Elizabeth Bennet (1831 - 1904) moved from Peeblesshire, Scotland to Canada in 1852. Research into the Bertram family history has shown that the family originated in what is modern day France and entered into England at the time of William the Conquer, through one of his knights known as Sir. Richard Bertram. The family then remained in Northumberland and southern Scotland until John Bertram moving to Canada. Arriving in Canada, John and Elizabeth were to stay in Montreal but due to fires that year were forced to move on to Toronto. During the voyage to Toronto, John made a chance acquaintance who suggested John find employment in Dundas. Following a downturn in the economy, John Bertram moved his family to Kent County for five years during which time they lived on a hundred acre bush farm. In 1862, the Bertram family moved back to Dundas and after several successful years in the engineering business was able to construct a family home known as Glenholme. This was the prime residence for John Bertram and his family. The Bertram family lived primarily in Dundas until the mid twentieth century when the family moved across the country and with several members of the family living in the United States, Costa Rica, and Australia. The Bertram family was primarily tied to the business established by John Bertram in Dundas. The John Bertram & Sons Company employed several members of the Bertram family including John's sons Alexander, Henry, and James Bennet. Henry Bertram's son Graham would also eventually serve as the last president of John Bertram & Sons Co. before its sale to Russell Industries. Several of the Bertram family members have had other prominent roles including: Alexander Bertram became a Brigadier General in the Canadian military and head of the Shell Committee of 1915 -1916; T.A. Bertram who was a physician and the Medical Health Officer for Dundas; Alexander's son Richard Edgar Bertram would become a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air force; Jessie Bertram's son John Bertram Stirling became Chancellor of Queen's University in 1960.

Besly Family includes John Besly, Barton Hope Besly, and Maria Besly.

The Bidwell family were involved in law and politics in the United States and Upper Canada during the eighteenth and nineteenth century.

The Birchard family were Quakers in Uxbridge, East Gwillimbury, York County, Ontario during the nineteenth century.

The Birdsall family were immigrants from Yorkshire, England who settled in Peel and Peterborough counties, Ontario during the early nineteenth century. William Birdsall (1798-1876) settled in Meadowvale, Peel County, Ontario where he became a farmer, Justice of the Peace, and officer of the York militia. Richard Birdsall (1799-1852) emigrated to Asphodel Township, Peterborough County, Ontario in 1817 and was a land surveyor and agent for the Canada Company and the Upper Canada government.

The Blackstock, Gibbs and Gooderham families were prominent early settlers to Upper Canada during the 19th century. Of British and Irish descent they played an important role in the development and growth of industry, in particular with mills, distilleries, banking, mining, and railways.

The Blackstock, Gibbs and Gooderham families were prominent early settlers to Upper Canada, who played an important role in the development and growth of industry, in particular with mills, distilleries, banking, mining, and railways.

Of British and Irish descent, the three families migrated to Upper Canada in the first half of the nineteenth century. Here, they established themselves in industry and through marriage became intertwined.

The Gooderham family began their immigration to Upper Canada in 1831 when William Gooderham Sr. (1790-1881), along with his brother-in-law James Worts, began a large scale migration of their two families, settling near York. Gooderham invested in Worts' already established milling business and the two years later added a distillery.

William Gooderham Sr. rose to prominence through his milling and distillery business, also adding to his influence through railways and banking (he was president of the Bank of Toronto from 1864 until his death). He married Harriet Tovell Herring and had eight sons and five daughters. His eldest son, William Junior, refused the family business and moved to New York to establish himself. His other son George (1830-1905) took over a large part of the family business; he became president of the Bank of Toronto.

George Gooderham also established himself in other industries, notably in mining. He invested in the War Eagle and Centre Star mines in Kootenay, British Columbia. George greatly expanded on his father's wealth, but avoided the public eye and remained relatively obscure in Toronto society. He married Harriet Dean and had a great passion for yachting. He entertained various guests and distinguished visitors on 'The Oriole', including the governor-general and prime minister.

Rev. William Schenck Blackstock (1824-1905) was born in Black Rock, New York (his father having arrived in New York from Ireland in 1816). In 1827, at the age of 3, he travelled from Queenston to York with his family, settling in the township of Cavan, within what later became Durham Region. He became a Wesleyan Methodist Minister. In 1850 he married Mary Hodge Gibbs, daughter of Thomas Gibbs and Caroline Tate. Mary and William had five children: Thomas Gibbs (1851-1906), Amelia Eliza (Millie) (1854-1936?), George Tate (1856-1921), Caroline Jane (Carrie) (1860-1919) and Mary Elizabeth (May) (1863-1924).

Thomas Gibbs Blackstock married Harriet Victoria Gooderham, daughter of George Gooderham and Harriet Dean. He played a large role in the business dealings of his father-in-law, becoming his business manager, as well as co-investor in the Kootenay mines. He also trained as a lawyer. His yacht 'Cleopatra' once entertained the prime minister and other distinguished visitors.

George Tate also studied law and rose to prominence as a lawyer and orator. Known for his loyalist and conservative values he was often asked to speak at lectures and other events both in Upper Canada and in Britain. He married Emiline Moulton Fraser, although their marriage ended in divorce, not long after his diagnosis as a hypochondriac.

For further information on the Blackstock, Gibbs, Gooderham and Tate families, please refer to the book “All the Journey Through” by C.M. Blackstock (University of Toronto Press, 1997). The book is available from the Archives of Ontario Library.

The Blake family came to Upper Canada in the early nineteenth century, where William Blake (1809-1870) and son Edward (1833-1912) became distinguished in law and the administrative affairs of Canada.

Gerald Blake served with the London Rifle Brigade, British Expeditionary Force during the First World War.

Harry Bliss (1882-1931) was born in Russia and immigrated to Canada around 1909. He lived at 442 Ontario Street, in Toronto, from 1916 until his death and was employed as a vest-maker and an insurance agent. He had three sons: Barney, Henry and Johnny. Their mother, whose name may have been Tobby, remarried after Harry’s death, to a Mr. Raymond.
Dorothy Bliss (née Levine) (1909-1992) was the daughter of Moses and Sarah Levine. She was married to Barney A. Bliss (d.1985) and they had one daughter, Helen Woolven (née Bliss) (b.1938) who worked as a medical secretary. She married Ed Woolven and they lived in Ottawa. They had two children: Stephen (b.1962) and Linda (b.1965).
Henry Bliss (d.1992), Barney’s brother, married Ida Bliss, and they had three children: Harvey and Eileen Bliss and Barbara (m.Gastman).

The son of James M. and Mariah (need Glidden) Bodwell, Captain James W. Bodwell Jr. was born in Maine, New England on December 28, 1795. In 1819, he married Abigail Eason Smith Vining (1799-1883) in Sweden, New York. They moved to West Nissouri Township, Middlesex, County, in 1821 and belonged to the West Nissouri Baptist Church. By 1837, the family had relocated to Dereham Township where he served as Township Clerk from 1981-1842. In 1848, he built the impressive Bodwell home in Mt. Elgin called Elgin Hall. There the family were active members in the Mt. Elgin Baptist Church. James Bodwell Jr. passed away at Mt. Elgin, Ontario on December 4, 1874.

His son, James Vining Bodwell was born in Aroostook, Maine in October1819. He married Mary Ann Sinclair (1825-1894), in the Township of Nissouri, District of Brock, on October 28, 1848, and eventually settled on Lot 11, Concession 5, Dereham Township. The couple would go on to have five children: Hiram Alphonso (1849-1913) Hason Fletcher Sinclair (1852-1932), Ralph W. (1856-1921), Sarah Abigial (1857-1931), and James Vining Jr. (1866-1909). In July 1850, he was appointed Lieutenant & Adjutant in the Sixth Battalion of the Oxford Militia by the Right Honour James, Earl of Elgin and Kincardine. A dairyman and farmer, for many years he served as the Superintendent of Schools for Dereham Township. He died on August 9, 1891, in Mt. Elgin, Ontario.

His younger brother, Ebenezer Vining Bodwell was born on April 30, 1827, in Nissouri Township, Middlesex County and later moved to a farm in Dereham Township with his family. He studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A general merchant in Mt. Elgin, he also served as Clerk and Treasurer for the Township of Dereham. In addition, he served as a member of the Township Council, Dereham was elected Township Reeve and eventually elected Warden for Oxford County, in 1863.

He married Esther Dillingham Crandon in Brantford Ontario on June 6, 1854, and the couple would go on to have seven children: James Cowland Ebenezer (1855-1858), Ernest Victor Dillingham (1856-1918), Fredwald Hiram Gordon (1857-1907), Jame Marie Esther (1860-1945), Frank Vining Fyfe (1863-1926), Anna Eason Lillie (1870-1921), and Agnes Ruth (1874-1958).

After the death of George Skeffington Connor in 1863, Bodwell ran in the by-election for the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada but was defeated by George Brown. In the 1867 Canadian federal election, he was elected to the House of Commons of the 1st Canadian Parliament from the South Riding of Oxford. In 1875, Bodwell was appointed superintendent for the Welland Canal and served until 1879, when he was named government accountant for the Canadian Pacific Railway and sent to British Columbia. In 1887, he moved to Vancouver where he would serve as the second president of the Vancouver Board of Trade.

Ebenezer Vining Bodwell died on October 18, 1889, at Morley, Alberta and is buried in Vancouver. His great-grandson, Garth Turner, also served as a Member of Parliament and a former cabinet minster.

R. Boehmer & Co. was a fuel business in Berlin (now Kitchener, Ontario) founded by Reinhardt Boehmer, who originally began selling limestone to the building trades in 1875 and later sold coal, wood, and other fuels and equipment. The Boehmer family remained in ownership of the company until 1965. In 1973 the business was sold to the St. Lawrence Cement Co. (Source: Clarke, Mavis M. "Kitchener's century firms honored," Waterloo Historical Society 75 (1988): 35-46.)

The Bogart family lived in Belleville, Ontario, from 1821.