Robert Wiggins
ID # 7960, (1819-)
| Birth | Robert Wiggins was born in 1819 at Ireland. |
| Marriage | He married Martha Maria Merigold, daughter of Amos Merigold and Nancy Cody, on 29 September 1844 at Gore District. MS248 reel 1, Vol. 4, page 28, Gore District Marriage Register Extracted from a list of marriages solemnized by Rev. George Pool, A Wesleyan Methodist Minister, Brantford and Montreal. Robert Wiggins and Martha Marigold married Sept. 29, 1844, by license. Witnesses Amos Marigold and John Nelson Freeland. This date of marriage for Robert and Martha is also shown on page 32 of the 1954 Cody Family book. See notes for mother Nancy. It's difficult to escape the conclusion that the father of the bride, Amos, was one of the witnesses. The other witness, John Nelson Freeland, was a resident of Burford. He resided with his parents and siblings in Burford Township and it's interesting that his father, Daniel Freeland, was born in New Brunswick. Looking over the 1851 census for Burford there are several families that would have been neighbours of Amos and Nancy that were from New Brunswick or had roots there. Some of them may have been kin. A point to consider here is that while the marriage was registered in the Gore District, probably by Rev. Pool in Brantford, he may in fact have held the marriage at the residence of the bride's parents, a not uncommon practice. In such an event, legal niceties would have dictated that the marriage be reported to the clerk of the district where the marriage was held, which if in Burford Township, would have meant the Brock District which was headquartered in Woodstock. If this was the case (I'm guessing, after all) then Rev. Pool wouldn't have been the only clergyman to report his marriages in the district that was his residence. Only a newspaper notice might tell the tale. |
| Note | Mostly, see notes for wife Martha. It must be said, however, that Robert Wiggins was apparently dead prior to the 1871 census, for his wife Martha is shown as a widow by that time. The Cody book (see notes for Martha's mother) tells that Robert died at 'Kenora, Ontario', and was buried there. Considering the birth years of his children, he was probably dead by the late 1860s. This was well before death registrations came along in July of 1869 in Southern Ontario and it was much later when they became available in the Kenora District. Robert's name and date of death may yet surface in a cemetery transcription. Northern Ontario transcriptions seem to be coming more and more available. |
Children of Robert Wiggins and Martha Maria Merigold |
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| Last Edited | 5 May 2025 |