Albert L. Cutten - Killed in the Halifax Explosion

Albert Little Cutten was born in 1880 in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.  His parents were John R. Cutten and Martha Teed (the granddaughter of both our loyalist ancestors, Daniel Teed and Alexander Peers). He was my 2nd cousin, twice removed and was youngest boy of 10 children. In his early years learned the machinist's trade on the railway.  

  

Hillis & Sons Stove Factory

Shortly after the Explosion

Albert Cutten had left his home at 1376 Barrington Street in Halifax early on the morning of December 6, 1917. The 36 year old machinist made his way to the cast iron stove factory of Hillis & Sons and began his day's work.  About the same time the Norwegian supply ship, the Imo set off into Halifax harbour bound for New York to pick up relief supplies headed for Belgium.  The port was busy with wartime shipping,   Convoys of ships loaded with war supplies of food, munitions and troops gathered in Bedford Basin ready for the voyage to Europe with heavily-armed warships as escorts. Neutral vessels anchored in the harbour, their crews forbidden to land for fear any might supply information to the enemy.

Just outside the mouth of the harbour, the French ship Mont Blanc, prepared to join a convoy.  She was loaded with 2,300 tons of wet and dry picric acid, 200 tons of TNT, 10 tons of gun cotton and 35 tons of benzol: a highly explosive mixture.

Official Death Record for Albert L. Cutten

After a series of ill-conceived maneuvers, at 9:05 am the Imo struck the Mont Blanc resulting in a massive explosion that destroyed the Halifax Harbour front and much of the town.   Over 12,000 homes were levelled and a complete pane of glass would have been hard to find in the ruble. 

Coffins awaiting removal from Halifax Mortuary

At the Hillis & Sons stove factory 47 of the 53 workers were killed immediately, including our cousin Albert Cutten.  In total nearly 2,000 people died as a result of the explosion and a further 6,000 were injured - many blinded by flying glass.

Albert was buried in the Cemetery at Parrsboro.

Entry in the Book of Remembrance Halifax Explosion - Albert L. Cutten

Dr Edith Caroline Hudgell

Harley Street, London England - 1927

In researching the Bragg Family history, I've unearthed (so to speak) many interesting characters and among them I found Aunt Edith.  A pioneer in medicine and an influential Harley Street physician, she was noted for her probing and insightful papers on the pathology of the criminal mind.  Here's her story:

Dr. Edith Caroline Hudgell became a notable Doctor of Psychiatry and was at one time working at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (first English women to practice as a doctor) Hospital for Women in London.

She was born in River Philip, Nova Scotia Canada in 1891.  Her mother was Mary Jane Carter, daughter of Amy Ann Bragg and Theodore Harding Carter.  Her maternal grandparents were John and Jane Bragg, the originators of the Bragg Family of Nova Scotia.  Edith's father was a minister and the family travelled extensively with his missionary work.

On 29 August 1903 at the age of 11  Edith Hudgell travelled with her father Robert William Hudgell on the ship Philadelphia to Boston departing from Southampton England. The journey took 7 days.

At the age of 18 years and 8 months she applied to be a student of the London (Royal Free Hospital) School of Medicine for Women (University of London) in Brunswick Square London in the winter session 1910-11, at the time she was living at Leamington Park Acton London, with her parents. Her education was given as American schools: Kelland College, Leicester, Wandsworth Technical Institute, secondary School, Paddington County secondary school.

   Her qualifications gained were London Matriculation (School Leaving) and Oxford Senior Local (Third Class Honours) July 1909 and she was applying to the Royal Free to study for her London M.B.,B.S.

Appointments:

• 1917 House Physician, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter
• 1918 Medical Officer, No.5 Section, V.A.D. Hospital, Exeter
• 1919 Medical Officer, Home Office, Holloway Prison

Holloway Prison

Holloway Prison

 • 1920                 Acting Medical Officer, HM Prison, Holloway
 • 1921                 Medical Officer, HM Prison, Holloway
 • 1923-1933          Assistant Medical Officer Venereal Disease Dept, Royal Northern Hospital                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
 • 1936-1941          Harley Street London and Royal Northern Hospital
 • 1945-1959          Psychiatric Dept., St Georges Hospital, London SW1
 • 1959-1965          Duncanson House, Bromley Kent
 •  1965                        Retired from practice Harley Street London

John Bragg, of Collingwood  fondly remembers the regular visits Edith made to Nova Scotia to connect with her Canadian Family.  She passed away in 1974 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England - another fascinating leaf on the Bragg Family Tree.

Christmas at Windham Hill

The year is 1880 and my name is Lucy Jane Bragg Taylor. I live with my husband Andrew in Williamsdale, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.  I'm 35 years old, having just had a birthday on December 19th.  Andrew and I have been married for 7 years and this year, we are going to spend Christmas at my old family home at Windham Hill - about 14 kilometres from here.  We're taking the children, Rose, Elizabeth Ann and John Woodland who will enjoy playing with all their Bragg cousins.


My father, John Bragg is a farmer but he also acts as Justice of the Peace in River Philip.  He was appointed by Sir Charles Tupper, one of the Fathers of Confederation and a distant relative.  He presides over the monthly "sessions" that settle civil disputes and petty crimes.  Father came from Somerset, England and still has an English accent.  He was an apprentice blacksmith in his homeland and was taught to read and write by his Master in the dust on the shop's anvil.  When he was about 20, he found a job aboard a ship bound for Canada.  On arriving at Pugwash, he left the ship and followed the River Philip, through the woods and up to Windham Hill.  He cleared the land to make a large farm and his buildings were among the best in the area.  Father was a strong supporter of education, so when we were children, he hired a teacher who lived with us and gave us our lessons.   A few years after arriving here, my father met my mother who was visiting her sister - a neighbour of his.

My mother was born Jane Rogers in Lutes Mountain, near Moncton.  Her sister, Sarah had married Thomas Dobson Taylor who lived at Windham Hill.  Sarah is my Andrew's mother which makes us first cousins.  Mother and Father married in 1838 and went on to have 7 children, Lizzie, Amy Ann, Charlie, Robert, Willie and me.  


Lizzie died about 10 years ago from consumption, and her little boy followed her soon after.  


Amy married Harding Carter and they had six children but has lost three of them, John Bragg, aged 3; Ada Belle, aged 17 and Arthur, aged 23. 


 Charlie married Matilda Swallow Vincent, a widow with a daughter Eldora.  Matilda came from an old Loyalist family in Wentworth and they have 6 children.  Matilda is expecting next month and they are hoping for a boy who will be named John Thomas, after Father.  Charlie runs a general store in Collingwood Corner and also sells lumber.


Robert is not married but is seeing Angelina Ryan, so I'm sure there will be another family wedding soon.  


Willie is married to Mary Crossman and they live in Shepody, New Brunswick. 


 John is married to Cecelia King and they are planning to move to Duchess County in New York to open a bakery.  


So there will be a lot of us up on Windham Hill for Christmas.  Father and the boys will go out into the woodlot to pick the very best tree while Mother and us girls will pop popcorn to string.  There will be berries and crab apples and nuts to string, too.  We have dozens of little white candles to mount on the branches and we are making little snow balls from lamb's wool.

Tomorrow morning we will all pile into our sleighs for the trip to church.  The little church at Oxford Junction.  The church was built by my brother-in-law, Harding Carter in time for his wedding to Amy Ann 13 years ago. The lumber came from Father's woodlot.   


I can picture it now - lit by hundreds of candles and smelling of pine boughs.  There will be singing of carols and a spot of warm apple cider spiced with cinnamon before we start our trek home.


The children will play with their new toys from Father Christmas while we prepare the goose and trimmings for the family dinner later in the afternoon.  The table will be laid with Mother's best linens and overflowing with delicious delicacies.  Father will tell stories of his young life in Chaffacombe, Somerset and the boys spar over clever wordplay - a long running Bragg family trait.  The ladies will catch up on all the family news and we will all go to bed fat, happy and full of gratitude for the wonderful Christmas at Windham Hill.


(Author's note:  All the people and events in this story are real but I've used my imagination to fill out some of the details.  To all my family Bragg or otherwise - I hope your Christmas will be just as nice as the one I've imagined for our ancestors)

Let Us Remember

Cenotaph at Malagash, Nova Scotia

The Keeper

by Marilyn Bragg

The old man stands there wizened and bent

And watchs through tears as they play the lament.

I am the keeper, he says in his mind.

I am the one he left behind.

I am the keeper of memories

When others seem to forget.

I am the one who remembers

As though he were living yet.

I see his face and remember his jokes.

I see the tears as he spoke of the folks.

I see the fear in a best pal's eye.

I hear him hide in the dark and cry.

I see him die in the blood and the gore.

I see him fall to fight no more.

I stand at his grave in the cold smoky air.

And promise I'd always be there.

We were merely boys back then

And ready for a laugh.

Now I'm keeper who stands alone

And weeps at the Cenotaph.

Lest we forget.

This poem is dedicated to the Keepers in my family, Pvt. Vernon Treen, P/O John Edwin Bragg, Red Cross Nurse Florence Laughlin Bragg, Pvt. Leonard Treen, Pvt. Leo Dowd, Sgt. Joe Harrigan and S/L Rusty Bragg.



And to family members who paid the ultimate price in war:  Sgt. Beldon Treen - killed at Vimy Ridge; Lance Corporal Burton Treen - gassed at Hill 70; Pvt. Stanley Treen - killed at Amiens; and P/O Douglas W. Peers - killed in action over Germany 1944. F/O Donald Nelson, killed in Korea,  Second Lieutenant Samuel Tilley Harrison - killed in action September 29, 1918 in France.

Rogers, Johnson and Bragg - More Branches Entwined

Researching the Bragg Family Tree is a bit like playing a game of Clue.  You get a piece of information and then another and suddenly the whole picture falls into place.

"How", I asked myself, "Could a young woman in the 1780s from Truro, Nova Scotia meet and marry a man from Shepody, New Brunswick?"  Bit by bit, details came together and yesterday the whole story was revealed.  Here it is:

The Hopewell

In 1760, Alexander McNutt, a land agent, travelled to Londonderry, Northern Ireland to recruit potential settlers for the area along the Bay of Fundy from which the Acadiens had been expelled six years earlier.  That year, he also visited Londonderry, New Hampshire for the same purpose.  In Ireland, he met John Rogers and convinced him that the Cobiquid would offer him free land and a fresh start.  Similarly, in New Hampshire, he met brothers, James and John Johnson.  In 1761, the Rogers arrived aboard the ship Hopewell and settled at Londonderry and the Johnsons settled at Truro.  Being part of the McNutt group, the families knew each other and did business back and forth in the early years in Nova Scotia.

Grave of James Rogers

John Rogers was born in 1733 in Northern Ireland and at the age of 20, married Elizabeth Spencer who was only 12 at the time.  They had six children, the eldest being James Rogers.  After many years in Nova Scotia,  James and three of his brothers applied for and got a land grant in Shepody in the area that later became New Brunswick.

James Johnson was born in 1719 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland and married Elizabeth Patterson in 1744 in New Hampshire.  They had eleven children, the youngest being Rachel who was born in 1768 in Castleton, Vermont.

Home of John Bragg and Jane Rogers
at Windham Hill

James Rogers visited his family in the Cobiquid in 1788 and met Rachel Johnson.  The two were married the same year in Shepody and went on to have six children.  Jane, their youngest was born in 1809 and during a visit with her sister, Sarah Rogers Taylor at Windham Hill, Nova Scotia,  met and fell in love with John Bragg, a neighbour. And thus, the Braggs, the Johnsons and the Rogers branches of the family joined, connecting us to this history of courage, adventure and longevity.

Grave of William Woodland Bragg
and Mary Crossman

In 1875, William Woodland Bragg, son of John Bragg and Jane Rogers, met and married Mary Crossman, the daughter of Howard Crossman and Rosannah Rogers, the granddaughter of James Rogers and Rachel Johnson and the niece of Jane Rogers Bragg.

This year celebrates the 250th arrival in Nova Scotia of the Rogers, Johnsons and their neighbours who were called the Cobiquid Planters.  Our roots, however entwined, are deep and lasting.

The Bragg Family Tree - Branches Entwined

Last resting place of William, Catherine and their children

 I guess it stands to reason that over the years various branches of our Bragg family would come together. Nova Scotia, after all is a small place and the population in the mid 19th Century was still under 200,000 souls. One such example is William McKim Peers and Catherine Johnson.

Pedigree of William McKim Peers

William was the grandson of Alexander Peers and May Bolding our United Empire Loyalist ancestors who came to the Remsheg (Wallace Bay) in 1783 after the American Revolution.  His parents were the infamous Ephraim Peers the Justice of the Peace and Patience Horton, daughter of another prominent UEL family.  William was born in 1831 and in his12th year lost his father when Ephraim dropped dead suddenly on the steps of the courthouse.  Along with his eight brothers and sisters, the family kept their farm running and in later years, young William would take it over.  William is directly connected to us through Matilda Swallow, mother of our grandfather, John Thomas Bragg.  He was my 1st cousin, 4 times removed.

Pedigree of Catherine Johnson

In 1859 he met and married Catherine A. Johnson in Truro.  Catherine's parents were 2nd cousins, Robert and Rachel Johnson which made her a double descendant of James and John Johnson, founders of the town of Truro and known as the Cobiquid Planters.  The Planters came to Nova Scotia in 1761 from New Hampshire and 2011 was the 250th anniversary of their arrival.  Catherine was born on July 1, 1839 in Truro but after their marriage, she and William lived on the Peers farm at Wallace Bay.  Catherine is directly connected to us through Jane Rogers, wife of John Bragg, Esq. our great great grandfather.  She was my 2nd cousin, 3 times removed.

Over the years, William and Catherine had fifteen children; Isabel, Margaret, Ephraim, an infant daughter, Mary Netta, an infant daughter, Catherine, an infant daughter, Lillian, Nina, Harriet, Annie, Charles Creed, Campbell Wentworth and Gordon.  Three of their little girls were stillborn and of the others, Mary Netta died at 23, Lillian died at age 9, Nina died at age 7, and Charles died at age 2.

Wallace Bay Cemetery

William died in 1897 at Wallace Bay at the age of 66 and was buried at the Wallace Bay Cemetery.  Catherine lived until 1907 and died at the age of 68.  She was buried at Wallace Bay with William and their young children.

And so, this is how these two families, each with their rich and interesting histories - the Peers with their Revolutionary War adventures and the Johnsons with their pioneering spirit - came together.

Daniel Starritt Gamble - Johnny Appleseed was a Gamble?

Daniel Starritt Gamble was my 1st cousin, 3 times removed.  He was the son of my grandmother, Julia Gamble's uncle Robert.


Exerpt from an article in the Brewster Washington News - 1908 

Daniel Starritt Gamble and grandson, Dan
Gebbers

Daniel Starritt Gamble was born in Castlereagh, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, on February 16, 1867, the son of Robert and Deborah (Reid) Gamble, natives of the same place, and where they still live, aged seventy-four and sixty-eight respectively. They were the parents of seven children: Mrs. Malinda Muhe, deceased; Daniel S., our subject; John, deceased; Martha, deceased: Joseph; Charles; Chesley R. All of those living are in Nova Scotia, except our subject. From the common schools of his home place Mr. Gamble received his education and learned the trade of carpenter and builder during his youth. In 1885 he came to Lansing, Michigan, whence one year later he went to Oakland, California, and labored in the bridge construction department of the Southern Pacific for five years. In the spring of 1890 he accepted a position with the San Francisco Bridge Company, and later came to this state. Here he did contracting and building. He put in the Ferry at Virginia City and Chelan Falls and operated the Virginia City ferry, just below Bridgeport. He also bought and sold horses. In 1898, as stated above, Mr. Gamble entered the hotel business and has made good success of it since that time.

On February 18, 1896, Mr. Gamble married Miss Cora May, daughter of Stephen C. and Ursula Munson, natives of Maine and pioneers to California in the early fifties. In 1885 the family came to Okanogan county, where Mr. and Mrs. Munson both died. Mrs. Gamble was born in California on October 7, 1877, and has two sisters, Mrs. Joseph Hilton and Mrs. Annie L. Walton. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gamble, Martha U., aged four and Cyril H., aged two. Mr. Gamble was one of the first to settle where Brewster now is and has ever been active in building up the town and for the general welfare of the county.

In 1885 Dan Gamble arrived with his backpack to the Harts Pass area in Washington State having walked from Nova Scotia for the beginning of the upper Methow gold rush. Later, he chased the silver boom at Ruby in the Okanogan valley. He first established a saw mill in the mouth of Cactus Canyon near Brewster in 1894 where he caught and milled drift wood out of the river. He followed up this venture with the establishment of the Gamble Hotel and steamboat landing on the banks of the Columbia River.

Dan Gamble's Hotel in Brewster, Washington

Daniel Starritt Gamble, who is proprieter of the Hotel Gamble at Brewster, is one of the leading business men of the Okanogan county and is well known in this portion of Washington. He is proprietor of one of the finest hotels in this part of the state and has labored steadily and with telling results in building up Brewster and the surrounding country. In 1898 Mr. Gamble was engaged in the hotel business at Brewster, beginning business in a small house, which was enlarged from time to time until he now has an elegant three story structure eighty feet deep, with a frontage of seventy-six feet. It has forty sleeping apartments, in addition to a spacious dining room, sample room, office, kitchen and so forth. The rooms are large and light and the building is handled in a first-class manner. Mr. Gamble has supplied his hotel with a private water system that gives an abundance of water to all parts of the house. As a host he is affable and genial and a favorite with the traveling public.

Dan Gebbers, grandson of Daniel Gamble
was the model for the family run
apple business advertising

He planted his first apple orchard in Brewster in 1910. He incorporated Gamble Lumber Company and a second saw mill located on Paradise Hill in 1910, with a large part of the production being wooden apple boxes. He built his first apple packing shed in Brewster in 1918.

Daniel died in Brewster in 1939 at the age of 72.

Adam Johnson - Patriot

Our family is justly proud of our United Empire Loyalist Heritage.  Many of our ancestors gave up everything they owned and put themselves in grave danger in order to uphold their beliefs.  But not all sided with the British during the revolutionary war.  Adam Johnson was one such man.

Adam Johnson, my 3rd Great Uncle was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire in the year 1745.  His parents were James Johnson and Elizabeth who came to Truro, Nova Scotia in 1761.  They were part of a group called the Cobiquid Planters, gathered by Alexander McNutt to settle the land around the Bay of Fundy.   This land had belonged to the Acadiens who had been expelled 6 years earlier by the British Government.


Adam was one of the Grantees of the Township of Truro.  He received a share of 500 acres.  He is recorded in his own household for the census taken in January 1771 as Adam Johnson Jr, He was called Junior to differentiate him from his cousin of the same name who was the son of Lieutenant John Johnson and Sarah Hogg - this Adam was also a Truro Grantee)    This census records that his is alone in his household and was born in America"   His land usage is recorded as 3 acres of arable land, 8 acres of mowing land and 489 acres of wooded land.

In the year 1772 Adam and John Archibald are recorded in the township as being "Constables"for the township.  His name is mentioned next when in the year 1777 he is recorded as being the "Fence Viewer" for the following term.  It was likely about this time or soon afterward he left Truro and returned to New England where he took up arms against Britain in the Revolutionary War.  Adam eventually was to settle on a farm near Castleton, Rutland County,, Vermont.  Shortly before his death he had been granted 400 acres of land by the US Congress for his services during the War.  This grant included the site of the present day of Columbus, Capital of Ohio.  Adam died before he had a chance to move to this new property.


In the book ""History of Branch County, Michigan" it records the following when referring to Adam's grandson, James O. Johnson - Adam Johnson, the grandfather of our subject was born in 1750 and when a very young man, at the commencement of the war between the Colonies and the British, became a refugee from Nova Scotia.  He escaped from the British authorities, joined the patriot forces and fought all through that great struggle.  At the close of the war he was married and became the father of five children.  He died in 1804, at fifty -five years of age.  His son James was born Oct 14, 1790 was reared a farmer and on the 22 day of Nov 1815, married Sarah Ashley of Fair Haven VT  They emigrated form Vermont to Ohio in 1825 and in 1841 they came to Michigan and settled on a farm in the township of Matteson  Afterward, he moved into the village of Union, where in 1865, he died at the age of seventy five.  His wife died the same year at the Age of seventy one.

Matilda Swallow 1839 - 1896

Relationship to me:

1. Matilda Swallow & Charles Bragg
     2. John Thomas Bragg & Julia West Gamble
          3. Russell Mackie Bragg & Dorothy Madeleine Harrigan
                4. Me

Swallow Home 1880s

Matilda Swallow was born on the 17th of April 1839 in Wentworth, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia to Thomas Swallow and Hannah Teed Swallow.  She was the second youngest of 11 children who grew up on the Swallow Farm at Swallow Hill on Swallow Road.  Their home was small and originally made of logs which were plastered over many years later.

Thomas Swallow came from Yorkshire, England and Hannah Teed was the granddaughter of our Loyalist Ancestors, Alexander Peers and Mary Bolding and the daughter of Daniel Teed and Jerusha Peers.

On her 20th birthday, Matilda married George Vincent, son of another prominent Loyalist family.  Just over a year later the couple had an infant daughter, Eldora.   The following year George died after a long illness (consumption) at the age of 24,  leaving her in embarrassed circumstances and with an infant daughter.  In the binder labeled "Peers"at the North Cumberland Historical Society in Pugwash,  is a copy of a letter from Matilda petitioning the probate Judge to let her to keep a cow which was a wedding gift from her family and two sheep and one lamb to allow her to provide for her child.

The infant daughter, Eldora appears on some Nova Scotia Census' living with the Bragg Family in Collingwood - but not all.  There is an indication she may have spent time living with her Vincent grandparents, Joshua Vincent and Hannah Treen in Wallace.  In 1878, she married Walter Trescott in Massachusetts and the two settled in Attleboro.  They had three children and Eldora died between 1910 and 1920.

After 3 years on her own, Matilda married Charles Bragg of Collingwood on th 15th of July 1864 at River Philip.  The couple had 8 children,  Harvey Woodland, Albert Warren, William Ellis, Walter Leslie, Mary Jane, Charles Edward, John Thomas and Flora Mabel.

My sense is that Matilda's life was not always a happy one.  Being widowed at 22 with an infant to care for must have been difficult in those days.  After George's death, there was a documented family battle over settling his debts and paying for Matilda's board and room at the home of Amos Purdy in Wallace River.  Joshua Vincent, George's father charged the 180 pound estate 120 pounds belonging to her for his time and labour in putting in a crop at their New Annan Road farm and 45 pounds for the time and materials required to build a barn - leaving her with next to nothing.

Grave of Matilda Swallow Vincent Bragg

Our family lore suggests that Charles Bragg was not an easy man to live with.  The fact that Matilda's daughter practically disappears from family documents; the fact that most of Charles and Matilda's children left home at a very early age and the fact that Charles remarried within months of Matilda's death support this possibility.

In 1875, Charles and Matilda's only daughter, Mary Jane, died at the age of 8 and their son, William Ellis died in 1876 at the age of 6.  That must have been a horrible blow and Matilda, herself died in 1896.  She is buried in the little cemetery at Oxford Junction.

She was just one tiny woman but when she came to the Bragg family, she brought with her a colourful array of Loyalist ancestors, the Peers, the Teeds, the Vincents, the Treens and many others.  She is our sole link to this amazing history and we are forever grateful.

James F. Dowd 1791 - 1861

Descendants of James F. DOWD

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First Generation

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Chatsworth Business Directory

1. James F. DOWD was born in 1791 in Ireland and died in 1861 in King Township, York, Ontario, Canada aged 70. 

James married Ann. 

Children from this marriage were:

+ 2 M    i. Martin DOWD was born in 1815 in Ireland and died on 17 April 1905 aged 90.

+ 3 M    ii. Cornelius DOWD was born in 1823 in Ireland.

+ 4 M    iii. Jarvis DOWD was born in 1832 in Killaminder, Near Belfast, Ireland, died on 3 March 1893 in Little Rapids, Near Thessalon, Algoma, Canada aged 61, and was buried in Little Rapids, Near Thessalon, Algoma, Canada.

+ 5 F    iv. Sarah DOWD was born in 1834.

+ 6 M    v. Thomas DOWD was born in 1840.

Second Generation (Children)

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2. Martin DOWD (James F.¹) was born in 1815 in Ireland and died on 17 April 1905 aged 90. 

Martin married Brigit DUFFY. Brigit was born in 1811 in Ireland and died on 25 May 1897 in Wentworth, Stormelton, Ontario aged 86. 

Children from this marriage were:

+ 7 F    i. Helen DOWD was born in 1847 and died in 1940 aged 93.

+ 8 F    ii. Catherine DOWD was born in 1849 and died in 1920 aged 71.

+ 9 F    iii. Mary Ann DOWD was born on 8 December 1850 in Ontario, Canada and died on 31 October 1934 in Euphiasia, Grey County, Ontario aged 83.

+ 10 M    iv. John Joseph DOWD was born on 2 June 1849 in Gwillimbury West Twp., Simcoe Co. and died in Gravenhurst, Ont (Muskoka District).

+ 11 M    v. Thomas DOWD was born on 17 September 1855 in Holland, Grey County, Ontario and died on 7 December 1930 in Barton, Wentworth, Ontario aged 75.

+ 12 F    vi. Margerit DOWD was born in 1858 in Bradford, Ontario and died in 1942 aged 84.

+ 13 M    vii. James DOWD was born in 1860 in Bradford, Ontario and died on 13 February 1936 aged 76.

3. Cornelius DOWD (James F.¹) was born in 1823 in Ireland. 

Cornelius married Iramia.

4. Jarvis DOWD (James F.¹) was born in 1832 in Killaminder, Near Belfast, Ireland, died on 3 March 1893 in Little Rapids, Near Thessalon, Algoma, Canada aged 61, and was buried in Little Rapids, Near Thessalon, Algoma, Canada. 

Jarvis married Elizabeth ATCHESON. Elizabeth was born in 1836 in Ireland. 

The child from this marriage was:

+ 14 M    i. Elizabeth Jane DOWD was born 22 1854 in Chatsworth, Sullivan Twp, Grey, Ontario and died on 7 April 1912 in Chatsworth, Sullivan Twp, Grey, Ontario.

5. Sarah DOWD (James F.¹) was born in 1834. 

Sarah married David John FOUNTAIN in 1853 in Toronto, ON. David was born in 1830.

6. Thomas DOWD (James F.¹) was born in 1840.

Third Generation (Grandchildren)

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7. Helen DOWD (Martin², James F.¹) was born in 1847 and died in 1940 aged 93.

8. Catherine DOWD (Martin², James F.¹) was born in 1849 and died in 1920 aged 71.

9. Mary Ann DOWD (Martin², James F.¹) was born on 8 December 1850 in Ontario, Canada and died on 31 October 1934 in Euphiasia, Grey County, Ontario aged 83.

10. John Joseph DOWD (Martin², James F.¹) was born on 2 June 1849 in Gwillimbury West Twp., Simcoe Co. and died in Gravenhurst, Ont (Muskoka District). 

John married Mary Florence McCARTHY, daughter of Unknown and Unknown. Mary was born on 1 January 1850, died on 23 December 1917 in Calgary, Alberta aged 67, and was buried in St. Mary's Cemetary, Calgary. 

Children from this marriage were:

+ 15 F    i. Madeleine DOWD was born on 5 August 1876 and died in Toronto.

+ 16 F    ii. Florence Mary DOWD was born on 22 November 1879 in Bradford, Ontario, died on 9 October 1966 in Calgary, Alberta aged 86, and was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery Calgary.

+ 17 M    iii. Frank DOWD was born on 1 November 1881.

+ 18 M    iv. Leo DOWD was born on 19 June 1892.

11. Thomas DOWD (Martin², James F.¹) was born on 17 September 1855 in Holland, Grey County, Ontario and died on 7 December 1930 in Barton, Wentworth, Ontario aged 75.

12. Margerit DOWD (Martin², James F.¹) was born in 1858 in Bradford, Ontario and died in 1942 aged 84.

13. James DOWD (Martin², James F.¹) was born in 1860 in Bradford, Ontario and died on 13 February 1936 aged 76.

14. Elizabeth Jane DOWD (Jarvis², James F.¹) was born 22 1854 in Chatsworth, Sullivan Twp, Grey, Ontario and died on 7 April 1912 in Chatsworth, Sullivan Twp, Grey, Ontario.

Fourth Generation (Great-Grandchildren)

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Mae Dowd & Mike Clancy

15. Madeleine DOWD (John Joseph³, Martin², James F.¹) was born on 5 August 1876 and died in Toronto. 

Madeleine married Michael CLANCY. 

Children from this marriage were:

   19 F    i. Jimmy CLANCY . 

   20 F    ii. Helen CLANCY died VANCOUVER, BC. 

Helen married Frank ABLE. Frank died in Vancouver, BC. 

16. Florence Mary DOWD (John Joseph³, Martin², James F.¹) was born on 22 November 1879 in Bradford, Ontario, died on 9 October 1966 in Calgary, Alberta aged 86, and was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery Calgary. The cause of her death was Breast Cancer.

Florence Mary Dowd
Harrigan & Baby Joseph
David Adrian Harrigan

Florence married Daniel Peter HARRIGAN, son of David Paul HARRIGAN and Catherine Mary KENNEDY, on 23 September 1902 in Gravenhurst, Ont (Muskoka District). Daniel was born on 1 July 1867 in Kinkora, Ellice, Perth, Ontario, died on 14 January 1944 in Calgary, Alberta aged 76, and was buried in St. Mary's Calgary. 

Children from this marriage were:

   21 F    i. Mary HARRIGAN was born in 1903 in Kinkora, Ellice, Perth, Ontario, died in 1903 in Kinkora, Ellice, Perth, Ontario, and was buried in Kinkora, Ellice, Perth, Ontario. 

   22 M    ii. Joseph David Adrian HARRIGAN was born on 25 December 1904 in Kinkora, Ellice, Perth, Ontario, died on 26 September 1905 in Kinkora, Ellice, Perth, Ontario, and was buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Kinkora. 

   23 M    iii. Vincent David Leo HARRIGAN was born on 13 August 1906 in Calgary, Alberta and died on 28 December 1988 in White Rock, BC aged 82. 

Vincent married Isobel HARE, daughter of William Campbell HARE and Jane Barron HARE, on 30 August 1937 in Calgary, Alberta. Isobel was born on 21 September 1903 in Glasgow, Scotland.

   24 F    iv. Eileen Catherine HARRIGAN was born on 1 April 1908 in Calgary, Alberta, died on 1 February 1981 in White Rock, BC aged 72, and was buried in White Rock, BC. 

Eileen married Lloyd RIDDELL on 20 January 1940 in Banff. Lloyd was born on 28 May 1907 in Moose Jaw, Sask, died on 15 May 1978 in White Rock, BC aged 70, and was buried in White Rock, BC.

   25 F    v. Catherine HARRIGAN was born in 1911 in Calgary, Alberta and died in 1911 in Calgary, Alberta.

Florence Alberta Harrigan Curtis

   26 F    vi. Florence Alberta HARRIGAN was born on 14 July 1912 in Calgary, Alberta, died on 3 September 1973 in Calgary, Alberta aged 61, and was buried in St. Marys Calgary. 

Florence married Harold CURTIS, son of Patrick CURTIS and Catherine POWER, on 25 September 1940 in Calgary, Alberta. Harold was born on 1 July 1915 in Calgary, Alberta. 

   27 F    vii. Dorothy Madeline HARRIGAN R.N. was born on 9 April 1915 in Calgary, Alberta, died on 12 March 1967 in Calgary, Alberta aged 51, and was buried in St Mary's-Calgary. The cause of her death was Breast Cancer.

Dorothy married S/L Russell (Rusty) Mackie BRAGG MBE, son of John Thomas BRAGG and Julia West GAMBLE Twin, on 13 January 1940 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Russell was born on 14 September 1914 in Gleichen, Alberta, died on 5 January 1969 in Calgary, Alberta aged 54, and was buried on 9 January 1969 in Calgary - St. Mary's Cemetary. The cause of his death was Meningitis.

Noted events in his life were:

• He was honoured for MBE - Member of the British Empire in 1942 at Buckingham Palace, London England.

WWI Attestation Papers for
Leo Dowd

17. Frank DOWD (John Joseph³, Martin², James F.¹) was born on 1 November 1881.

18. Leo DOWD (John Joseph³, Martin², James F.¹) was born on 19 June 1892. 

A Visit to Old Castlereagh

Falls near Gamble Lake

It is easy to see why Robert Gamble and his neighbours decided in 1819 to settle at Castlereagh, Nova Scotia.  High on the mountain, overlooking the Bay of Fundy, it provided them with all they needed to live a happy and prosperous life.  Away from the bustling coastal villages of Portapique, Economy, Bass River and Great Village, it was peaceful - a prefect place for the clan to thrive.  Although it was quite unusual, there is a lovely lake, Gamble Lake on Robert's Grant - blue, clear and still teeming with fish.

The original families of Castlereagh were the Robert Gamble family, the Samuel Beattie Family (Samuel was Martha Gamble's brother), the John Crawford Family and the Robert Starritt family.  While all the men farmed their land grants, each also brought other skills to the community.  The Gambles were barrel makers and also took part in the Shad fishery down on the Bay.  There were boot makers, carpenters, stone masons among the men and the women were all adept in keeping their vegetable gardens and caring for their livestock.

John William's Barrel Factory

If we were to visit John William Gamble's (My great grandfather)  home, you would see a small 2 story home attached to a long shed where the barrels were made.  These barrels were used for packing fish and potatoes for market and for storing their own produce such as apples.  With 10 children, including the three sets of twins, it was a busy place.

Next we'd see Albert Gamble's home where the Post Office was located.  It was 16 miles to Portapique and Albert's Uncle Robert was paid $99.56 a year to ride the mail back and forth twice a week.

Robert Gamble's home would be next and it was presided over by Aunt Debbie (Deborah Reid) Gamble, who appears to have been the queen bee of the community.  She was the Church Lady and there was always a basket by her door with the makings of socks for the missions.  She was the Sunday School Teacher and leader of the Women's Mission Band.

Before the Presbyterian Church was built at Castlereagh, Great Aunt Hattie Gamble says, "The women up the mountain would walk to Portapique with their babies in their arms and carrying their shoes to save the leather."

Known far and wide for their grand picnics, the Gamble Family entertained such notables as Joseph Howe, - Father of Confederation in the grove behind great great grandfather, Robert Gamble's home..

Susan Belle and Julia West Gamble
Frank and Hattie Gamble

The trip to Castlereagh wouldn't be complete without a stop at Harvey Gambles'.  The people of the village were known for their hospitality and this home was no different.  There was always a warm reception and the young people had parties and dances there.  Harvey's daughter, Myrtle Gamble Richards was a well known fiddler.

Over the next two hundred years, the village of Castlereagh blossomed, boomed at the opening of the local Silica Mine and then declined into a ghost town in the mid 1900s.  Many in the family kept their land and would spend summer holidays up on the mountain.  Helen Gamble tells of leaving town to move to Bass River.  There was one old hen they could not catch and there was a barrel of buckwheat for which there was no room.  Next summer when they went up to open the house, they found all the buckwheat gone and the barrel was full of eggs.

In the old cemetery rests Robert Gamble (my great great great grandfather), his son, John Gamble (my great great grandfather) , his son, John William (my great grandfather) and their families.

What a testament to the Gamble family, when, after almost 200 years they still are remembered for their humour and hospitality!

My thanks for these anecdotes to my Great Aunt Hattie Gamble, Helen Abbott Gamble and Margaret Gamble Grue.

A - Gamble Lake