William Buchanan
ID # 5002, (1865-1872)
| Father | George Buchanan (1838-1927) |
| Mother | Eliza (--?--) (1842-1910) |
| Birth | William Buchanan was born on 29 August 1865 at Beverly Township, Wentworth Co., Canada West. |
| Death | He died on 14 May 1872 at Branchton, North Dumfries, Waterloo County, Ontario, at age 6. |
| Burial | He was buried at St. George United Church Cemetery. |
| Note | There are for William two death registrations and three dates of death that are of slight variation. First: Death reg. 026767-72 North Dumfries, Waterloo Co. William Buchanan died 12th May 1872. Age 6 yrs., 8 mos., 15 dys. Farmer's son. Cause of death, none returned; physician, none returned. Born Ont. Canada. Informant father Geo. Buchanan, Branchton. Presbyterian. Filed May 29th, 1872. Second: Death reg. 020412-72 South Dumfries, Brant County William Buchanan died May 13th, 1872. Age 5 years. Born Beverly. Father's son. Cause of death embolism, four days. Physician and informant N. E. Mainwarring, M. D. Registration filed June 10th. And third: The Brant County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has transcribed the cemetery at St. George and they show the date of death as it is inscribed on William's gravestone as 14th May, 1872. As with his first death registration, this states his age at time of death as 6 years, 8 months, and 15 days. Probably, William's date of death as inscribed on the stone is correct and we calculate his date of birth from his age as shown. Needless to say, this is probably approximate. The North Dumfries death registration shows William as a Presbyterian; the South Dumfries death registration in place of religious affiliation simply and sensibly shows William as an infant. (On some documentation the term 'infant' simply means 'minor' and can be found used to describe children in their late teens!) That the family was Presbyterian at the time of William's death, we may almost certainly dismiss. George is with his parents in the 1861 census and the household is Baptist; in 1871, George is in North Dumfries and married and the two known children, Randilla and William, are present (Randilla is shown as 'Ronald' - an almost certain error). George is evidently on his father's farm for his household is the one shown immediately previous to that of his parents, and, again, he and his family are shown as Baptists. In 1881, and still in North Dumfries, George and his wife are present and they are shown as Methodists. George's mother Jane is still living and she is with them and shown as a Baptist. North Dumfries Presbyterian families usually attended First Church in Galt, but no records for George and family appear in First Church records. There was a Baptist cemetery in South Dumfries, but no member of George's family or of his parents' family appears to be buried there. Two of George's infant siblings are buried in Sheffield Cemetery. The Sheffield and Troy areas of Beverly Township are not far from Branchton in North Dumfries and St. George in South Dumfries, which brings us back to Dr. Mainwarring who filed the South Dumfries death registration. William was born in 1865 and birth and death registrations did not become a requirement until July of 1869. Dr. Mainwarring may have filed the death registration showing William's place of birth as Beverly simply on the basis of second hand information. It is also possible that at the time he was George's family's doctor and he may have delivered William. This of course we cannot know for certain, but it is entirely possible that William's place of birth was first hand information so far as Dr. Mainwarring was concerned. |
| Last Edited | 5 Dec 2017 |