Margaret Russell
ID # 1723, (1805-1882)
| Father | George Washington Russell |
| Mother | Rachel Vrooman (1781-) |
| Birth | Margaret Russell was born in 1805 at Queenston, Niagara Township. |
| Marriage | She married John Tucker. |
| Marriage | She married Richard Henley. |
| Death | She died on 26 July 1882 at Niagara Falls Village, Ontario. |
| Burial | She was buried on 28 July 1882 at Drummond Hill Cemetery. |
| Note | The 1949 Vrooman Family history, page 107, informs us of Margaret and shows her as the child of George Washington Russell. That she was the daughter of Rachel Vrooman we may say with confidence; that she was the daughter of George Washington Russell is at first glance questionable, but may be the case. We have reasonable confirmation from land transactions that Solomon Skinner, Rachel's first husband, was living at least as late as 1825 and apparently until 1831. Given the era, a divorce between Rachel and Solomon seems unlikely. Was Margaret born a Skinner? Information for Margaret's paternity is to be found in the death registration in 1915 of Margaret's son, John Edwin Tucker. In this registration, the informant of which was the undertaker, John Tucker's mother's name is given as Margaret Russell. That the undertaker spoke with a family member this researcher does not doubt. It is now found that the family member dealing with Morse Funeral Home was John Edwin's daughter, Elizabeth Ann, who by this time was Mrs. Zybach. Death registrations are frequently in error, or at least partially so. Given Margaret Margaret's approximate year of birth being 1805 and that we may reasonably show Rachel and Solomon as being together in 1802, it's tempting to believe Margaret was a Skinner. Mrs. Zybach, however, performed other family duties in later years and seems to have had a head for business. This is no guarantee, but, it does strengthen the narrative that Margaret was indeed born a Russell. Page 107 of the 1949 Vrooman Family history informs us that Margaret married a Henley. It is now possible to confirm that this is correct, but, along with the death registration of John Edwin Tucker in Niagara Falls in 1915, two other sources of information are available which tell of a previous marriage. The first is Dr. W.G. Reive Collection: Cemeteries and Graves in Niagara by Douglas A. Robbins, 1991, and Burial Records and Notations of William Dalton, 1845-1916, by Douglas A. Robbins, 1991. William Dalton was the sexton at Drummond Hill Cemetery. The 1851 census at Stamford shows Richard Henley, age 45, druggist, and his wife Margaret, age 45. With them are Edwin Tucker, age 15, and Wm. Henley, age 6. John Edwin Tucker has not been found again until his death registration in Niagara Falls Village in 1915. The registration states that his parents were John E. Tucker and Margaret Russell. That Margaret was his mother we have no doubt, but Dalton, along with providing the copy of an obituary, also provides his own notes in his log which is dated June 21, 1915, the day of John Edwin Tucker's burial. He states that John's mother married twice. First, she married Isaac Tucker who ran a tavern known as the Grove House Inn. After his death, she married Richard Henley. Dalton describes Henley as a druggist, but also as the clerk of the village of 'Old Drummondville.' Dalton's log for the burial of Mrs. Richard Henly is also informative. He dates this July 28th, 1882. Dalton states that her son Wm. Henley buried her. He also says that she died at the home of her daughter Mrs. E. 'Coles'. The 1881 census shows Margaret Henley in Stamford Township in the home of Edwin and Margaret Cole. Margaret Henley's given name is badly written, but still identifiably 'Margaret' and her last name is shown as Henly. She is shown as age 76. Margaret died the following year and her age is given in her death registration as 77. As can be seen, above, we have two given names for Margaret's first husband. Son John's death registration in 1915 names him as John; Dalton calls him Isaac. Based on John Tucker's Letters of Administration with Margaret as the administrator, we may now say that his correct given name was John. Margaret is buried in Drummond Hill Cemetery with her second husband Richard Henley. A City of Niagara Falls cemetery website shows a photo of the impressive piller stone. The photo of the inscription is not entirely readable, but Reive provides a transcription: Henley: Richard 1805-1869 (wife) Margaret 1805-1882. Margaret's dates of birth and death roughly coincide with the information in her death registration. Death reg. 013457-82 Niagara Falls Village, Welland County Margaret Henly died 26 July, 1882. Age 77. Born Queenston, Ontario. Informant Wm. Henley, hotel clerk, Niagara Falls, N.Y. Date of registration 28 July, 1882. Margaret is described as a Canada Methodist. The birth years for Margaret's two Tucker children are spread far apart. Margaret was born approximately 1828 and John around 1837. It is possible that there were other children for whom we have no record. The 1851 census shows Richard and Margaret Henley in Stamford Township and they are both said to be 45. William Henley, age 6, is with them (as well as John Tucker, age 15). It seems unlikely that Richard and Margaret had later children and it seems unlikely that there were earlier Henley children unless their lives were of brief duration. No graves for earlier children have been found. |
Children of Margaret Russell and John Tucker |
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Child of Margaret Russell and Richard Henley |
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| Last Edited | 14 Oct 2018 |