Andrew Colvin
ID # 4235, (1800-1881)
| Birth | Andrew Colvin was born in November 1800 at Scotland. |
| Marriage | He married Agnes Law, daughter of James Law and Agnes (--?--), on 2 June 1825 at Melrose, Roxburgh, Scotland. Per a transcription showing source Scotland-ODM, film nbr. 844776, a marriage is shown for Andrew 'Colvil' and Agnes Law on 2 June 1825 at Melrose, Roxburgh, Scotland. |
| Death | He died on 16 May 1881 at North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Co., at age 80. |
| Burial | He was buried at Maus Cemetery, South Dumfries Township. |
| Note | Death reg. 018728-81 North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Co. Andrew Colvin died May 16, 1881, age 80 years, 7 months. Blacksmith. Presbyterian. Born Scotland. Cause of death 'diebetus'. Physician and informant Dr. Lovett, Ayr. Birth years for children Andrew, Rebecca and Margaret, living with their parents, are calculated from the 1851 census taken at South Dumfries and will be approximate. Children William, James and Jenet are living in a separate household and present a different problem. We know of William. He married Margaret Fleming and they and their infant children are buried in Glen Morris Cemetery. At the time of the 1851 census, also taken in South Dumfries, we find William, a blacksmith, age 24; Jenet age 16; James, a blacksmith, age 19. Considering that the 1851 census was not taken until very late in 1851 or very early in 1852 and was supposed to reflect the age of people as of their next birthday, this places William's birth year as 1828. He is also said to have been born in Scotland. This agrees with available information. James, age 19, would have been born in approximately 1833 and is said to have been born in Ontario. Jenet, age 16, would have been born about 1836 and is said to be born in Ontario. Since their parents didn't purchase land in Dumfries Township until 1835, this would indicate that the Colvins were in Canada at least two years earlier than their land purchase, but we do not know where they were. It is possible that at least some of the children enumerated represent some form of extended family, but we have no information to suggest that and, given their ages and places of birth, that they were children of Andrew and Agnes seems reasonable. (Recently found is a death registration for James Colvin who died in Vergennes Township, Kent County, Michigan, in 1903. His place of birth is given as Canada and his father's name is given as Andrew Colvin, born Scotland. This would appear to conclusively tie the 1851 household of William, Jenet and James, to Andrew and Agnes.) Microfilm GSA170361 is a collection of Abstract Indexes for land ownership and transactions in South Dumfries. The abstract index for this concession and lot shows Andrew Colvin on concession 3, lot 29. The agricultural pages of the 1851 census for South Dumfries confirm this to be the case. Andrew purchased 23 acres (a fraction of the full 200 acres lot) on March 26, 1835. The last entry on the page shows the sale of one acre by Andrew and Agnes on December 1871. There is a reference to another page, but the collection of pages is in confused condition with no relationship between the various transactions that follow. When they sold the bulk of their land is unknown. Since Andrew's will shows him to be a blacksmith, it would seem that any farming that the family did on 23 acres was marginal, perhaps growing sufficient crops for their own use and the pasturing of some livestock. It is known that prior to Andrew's death the couple moved to North Dumfries. Andrew's death registration is recorded for North Dumfries. The informing doctor, however, resided in Ayr. Andrew's will (Waterloo Co. Surrogate Court, GS1 reel 387, nbr. D 1361 leaves his estate to Agnes, without reference to other family members. Agnes's will is discussed under her name, but it should be pointed out that, though she was living in her last years with her son Andrew in Delaware Twp., Middlesex Co., she owned real estate in Jedburgh, North Dumfries. Originally, there were three small communities close to hand: Jedburgh, Nithvale and Mudge's Mill. In 1840, a Robert Wyllie established a post office at Mudge's Mill called Ayr. Incorporation of the village was presented in the Ontario Legislature in 1857, but since consensus was lacking among the residents, Ayr's incorporation as a village was delayed until 1884. (A legislature responsive to the wishes of the citizenry - imagine that!) How long Andrew and Agnes were living in North Dumfries prior to Andrew's death isn't known, but, at a guess, they were living in Jedburgh (Ayr). Andrew and Agnes are buried with at least two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, who died very young. They are buried together at Maus Cemetery in South Dumfries. This transcription is little more than an index with dates; whether more information exists on the stones is unknown. Interestingly, this transcription also shows a Helen Colvin in the same lot. Her dates are given as 1800-1817. It may be that the stone is worn and that the dates have been mistranscribed. It's interesting to contemplate other possibilities, but probably not useful. Andrew's son William was born in Scotland in 1828; Andrew and Agnes are recorded as purchasing land in Dumfries in 1835. If they were in the township prior to 1835, no record has been found. Logically, Helen was a daughter and her dates of birth and death as transcribed are wrong. There is the possibility that a family member, Helen, died in Scotland long before the family left and was being commemorated on the Maus Cemetery stone. This is far from unheard of. Given Andrew's age and supposed date of birth Helen could possibly have been a twin. In the end, however, we simply do not know and Helen's story seems to be lost to us. Further regarding Helen Colvin: Some advice has been received that suggests a transcription problem with her stone. Her birth year is unknown, but her death seems to have been in 1847 and she is being entered in the tree as a child of Andrew and Agnes. Since two other children of Andrew and Agnes died in 1847, it may be that there was some sort of epidemic. |
Children of Andrew Colvin and Agnes Law |
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| Last Edited | 10 Feb 2019 |