Maria Thomas
ID # 2813
| Marriage | Maria Thomas married Lawrence Purvis Lawrason, son of Miller Lawrason and Elizabeth Purvis, on 2 November 1829 at Mohawk Chapel, Brantford. The marriage of Lawrence and Maria is recorded in the Records of the Mohawk Chapel, Grace Anglican Church, Brantford, and reads: Lawrence P. Lawrason, to Maria Thomas, both of Dumfries. 2 Nov. 1829, Brantford, by banns. Wit. Wm. S. Curtis and Joseph Keifer. The marriage was performed by Rev'd. R. Lugger The above is to be found recorded in two publications. The first is Vital Records of Upper Canada/Canada West, Volume 2, Part 2, Gore District, 1824-1869, Dan Walker & Fawne Stratford-Devai, Global Heritage Press/Global Genealogy, 2013, and Brant County 1827-1835, Marriages, Grace Anglican Church, Brant County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, Brantford, Publication 87, Vol. 1. The first publication places the marriage in the Chapel of the Mohawk; the second at Grace Anglican. The Walker & Stratford-Devai publication makes it clear that the two were related. There is probably more to the history. |
| Note | For the moment, we have nothing direct to tell us of Maria Thomas herself or of her background. There are clues, though little else. The marriage record of Lawrence and Maria places both of them in Dumfries Township. The 1832 census of Dumfries Township east of the Grand River (see Ms700 reel 1) has listed, on what we might describe as image 5, a Jonathan Thomas on lot 12 of the 1st concession of Dumfries. He has four daughters and three sons under 16. There are other Thomas households shown, none of which have a readable lot or concession number. However, again, image 5, has a Widow Thomas. She has no males in her household, but three females under 16 and 2 (this will include herself) over 16. A Richard Thomas household also appears as being on this image. This household shows 2 females and 1 male under 16 and 3 males and 2 females over 16. The lot number is unreadable, but looks to be on the 6th concession. This probably locates the household closer to Branchton rather than to St. George. Image 6 shows a William H. Thomas on what might (or might not) be lot 19 on the 2nd concession, but which, for some abject departure from reason, shows only one male under 16 attached to the property. This is a very unlikely situation. We may note that Lawce. Lawrason appears on image 8, contiguous to the household of James Lawrason, and a household count is shown, but this is not very readable. The concession number, if originally written, fails completely on the scanned image. (Looking it over, it just may be on concession 4 on lot 3 - this is a guess). Millar and Robert Lawrason as well as Elisha Babcock are on the same page. There are difficulties with land records for what became South Dumfries such as are available at the Archives of Ontario. The 1832 census so far as concession and lot numbers are concerned does not always agree with what can be found on land records - which admittedly isn't much. Beyond the above, we may fall back on Men of Upper Canada, Militia Nominal Rolls, 1828-1829, by Elliott, Walker and Stratford-Devai, The Ontario Genealogical Society, 1995. Men who were resident in Dumfries township (along with Beverly, Waterloo and Wilmot) were typically enlisted in the 4th Regiment of Gore Militia. A Jonathan Thomas does appear there. He is not shown associated with Lawrason family members, or anyone else recognizable - there is some suggestion that enlistment may have occurred in groups as they showed up on the specified day. About the best we can say is that Jonathan appears to be listed on the roll with others from Dumfries Township. The 1822 Dumfries map shows a John Thomas on what is apparently lot 20 of the 1st concession and Jonathan Thomas on lot 13 of the 1st. It's possible that they are brothers, what with the similarity of their given names. A much later index (see the McGill Digital Map project) to a map from 1875 does show a Sidney Thomas on lot 13 of the 1st concession, and, for this at least, we may discern some family continuity. In 1883, Warner & Beers of Toronto published A History of the County of Brant. On page 187 we find the following information: About the year 1815 Jonathan Thomas came to Canada from Rutland, Vermont, and in 1818 settled in the Township of South Dumfries. He purchased land from the Hon. William Dickson, who owned the greater part of the township at that time, and commenced his career as a farmer in this county. His son Sidney Thomas now resides on the same farm. He died in April of 1869. Mrs. Thomas was a native of the State of New York. Unquote A David and William Thomas appear in the rolls of the 1st Gore Regiment of Militia. The 1st Gore was recruited from Ancaster worthies, but since the family was in Ancaster for some years, including around the time that Lawrence was born, they are least possible family connections. All of which is little help, but is a beginning in the search for Maria's family. |
Children of Maria Thomas and Lawrence Purvis Lawrason |
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| Last Edited | 11 Jan 2019 |