James Turner Rutherford
ID # 8558, (1841-1908)
| Father | Thomas Rutherford (1816-) |
| Mother | Agnes Turner (1821-) |
| Birth | James Turner Rutherford was born on 10 July 1841 at Scotland. |
| Baptism | He was baptized on 8 August 1841 at Girthon, Kirkcudbright, Scotland. |
| Marriage | He married Rhoda House, daughter of Orange Lawrence House and Mary File, on 24 October 1869 at Brant County. Mrge reg. Brant County James Turner Rutherford, 29, bachelor, blacksmith, Wesleyan Methodist. Born Scotland, residing Ononadaga (Township). Parents Thomas and Agnes Rutherford. Rhoda House, age not given, spinster, Wesleyan Methodist. Born and residing Ancaster. Parents Orange L. and Mary House. Witnesses John Henderson of Onondaga and Albert House of Ancaster. On 24 October, 1869, location not given. Clergyman J. C. Wilmot, M.A. The old county marriage registers were, mainly, discontinued as of July 1st, 1869, and new forms provided. Initially, the marriage reports were sent to the county level, though by 1871 they were being sent to the town or township level. There are three marriages listed on the page of the form that lists James and Rhoda, two of them by J. C. Wilmot, but the place of marriage for James and Rhoda is not provided. Since Rhoda's brother was a witness at the marriage it does appear that this was not an elopement. John C. Wilmot was a Wesleyan Methodist minister. Per the 1871 census, he was age 35 and married and located in Brantford East Township. |
| Marriage | He married Mary Jane Hartley, daughter of John Hartley and Elizabeth Field, on 25 November 1871 at Onondaga, Brant County, Ontario. Mrge reg. Onondaga Twp., Brant Co. Jas. Turner Rutherford, 29, widower, blacksmith, Wesleyan Methodist. Born Scotland, residing Onondaga. Parents Thomas Rutherford and Agnes Turner Rutherford. Mary Jane Hartley, 19, spinster, Baptist. Born and residing Onondaga. Parents John Hartley and Elizabeth Field. Witnesses Alfred Hartley of Onondaga Township, and Annie Rutherford of Brantford Township. On 25 Nov 1871 at Onondaga, Ont., by Rev. J. C. Katch. |
| Death | He died on 18 January 1908 at Charlotteville Twp., Norfolk Co., at age 66. |
| Burial | He was buried on 23 January 1908 at Walsh United Church Cemetery, Charlotteville Twp., Norfolk Co.. |
| Note | Ancestry presents database Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. This reads: James Rutherford born 10 July, 1841. Baptism date 08 Aug, 1841 Baptism place Girthon, Kirkcudbright, Scotland Parents Thomas Rutherford and Agnes Turner. FHL Film Number:1067974 Reference ID:2:1653JG1 Source Information Ancestry.com. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. It is safe to say that James' date of birth was indeed 10 July, 1841, for he was still living as of the 1901 census in Charlotteville Township, Norfolk County, and this shows his birth date to be 10 July, 1841. The 1901 census also shows that he came to Canada in 1842. Ship's passenger lists for this era have yet to be found so it isn't yet possible to reasonably confirm this year. If it isn't accurate, it's probably close. To take it in some order: The 1851 Canada West census (begun 12 January, 1852) shows James, age 12 (as of his next birthday) with his parents, Thomas and Agnes, in Brantford Township. They are all born in Scotland and his father is shown as a laborer. Portions of the 1861 census are missing from Ancestry's presentation of the images. Fortunately, the Brant County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society transcribed the pages for Brant County from the reels of Library and Archives Canada. The dating of the transcription is not given, but will be at least some 20 years ago, perhaps closer to 30. With this to work from, we take from the transcription's page 123, the following: This shows James Rutherford, blacksmith, born Scotland, age 19. He is shown as UP (Presbyterian). This covers page 111, line 18, of the 1861 census for Brantford Township. James' place on the page indicates that he is working with a Stow family, carriage makers. He could be quite independent, though at age 19, probably not. What makes this a bit stronger is that the Stow family were Wesleyan Methodists, per the census, and in later years, such information that we have indicates that James was a Wesleyan Methodist and remained of that persuasian for the rest of his life. Page 129 of the same transcription and also for Brantford Township, see page 116 of the census, lines 47 and 48, Thomas and Agnes Rutherford, James' parents. Thomas is a laborer, he and Agnes both born Scotland, both age 43, both UP (Presbyterian). They are listed immediately below the family of James and May Rutherford, almost certainly Thomas' brother. The Rutherford household in Onondaga in 1871 is enumerated immediately following the household of John Henderson, carriage maker. This was almost certainly the John Henderson in the Stow household in 1861 in Brantford Township and with James. They may be in a sort of partnership, or perhaps James is working for John Henderson. In any event, when James married Rhoda House in 1869, John Henderson was a witness. As of the 1871 census, James, age 28, born Scotland, black smith and Wesleyan Methodist, is shown as a widower in Onondaga Township. His parents, Thomas and Agnes Rutherford, are with him in the same household and they are shown as Presbyterians. This is the last record thus far found of James' mother Agnes. In November of 1871, James married Mary Jane Hartley in Onondaga Township of Brant County. As of the 1881 census, James and Mary Jane are in Onondaga with James' father, Thomas, who, age 64, is shown as a widower. James and Mary have with them two sons. Rather unusually, all the children of James and Mary thus far found have birth registrations. Available indexing would suggest that there were not more, perhaps one or two dying in infancy. That this might have happened, however, remains a possibility. James' mother Agnes does not appear in the 1881 census, and since Thomas is shown as a widower, we must believe her to be deceased. The best we may say for the moment is that she died between 1871 and 1881. No burial record for her has been found. Here, we could pass to the 1891 census which shows James and Mary in Charlotteville Township in Norfolk County, but it would leave out something of their travels. James was a blacksmith in earlier years, but later records have him as a farmer. It is not clear if the family owned property at some point, though the movement of the family in earlier years suggest that they may have leased. What follows is something of their movements which might best be told by the birth years and locations of their children: Rhoda was born in Onondaga in 1872 and she died there in 1874 Charles was born in Brantford Twp in 1874 Theodore was born in Brantford Twp in 1876 Elizabeth was born in Onondaga in 1881 John was born in Onondaga in 1883 Wallace was born in Brantford Twp in 1885 Melbourne was born in Brantford Twp in 1887 Edith was born in Charlotteville in 1889 Olive was born in Charlotteville in 1892 Ina Marie was born in Charlotteville in 1897 Death reg. 020244-08 Charlotteville Twp., Norfolk Co. James Turner Rutherford died Jany 18, 1908. Age not given. Residence Lot 13, Concession 4. Farmer. Married. Methodist. Born Scotland. Physician and informant W. J. McInnes, M.D. James is buried in Walsh United Church Cemetery. The United Church of Canada did not come into existence until years later. This was almost certainly a Methodist cemetery at time time, probably Wesleyan. The Norfolk County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society has transcribed this cemetery and shows his footstone to read J. T. Rutherford, 1842-1908. We may safely say that James was born in 1841. See above notes. For what follows, please refer to the website of Mr. John Cardiff: http://www.nornet.on.ca/~jcardiff/index1.html The referred to obituary here for James as well as the obituary for his daughter Ina Marie, which is referred to under her name, are thanks to Mr. Cardiff's efforts. The locating of these obituaries are his work and the interested reader should refer to his website to find them, but we may say something of James' obituary as follows: The obituary tells something of his death, his burial, and his service to his church. Of some historical interest is that he is said to have 'recently' received a patent of land in 'New Ontario'. From your researcher's own memories, this lies well north of North Bay and Canadian Shield country and is remarkable farm land that looks very much like farm land in Southern Ontario. Very generally, it runs from the Temiskaming Shores to the Englehart area. After driving through the granite outcrops of the Shield, it startling to look at. Where James' patent might have been is not known to me. Of rather more historical interest, the obituary tells that he received this patent for services during the Fenian raids, which would cast back in time to the 1860s. At a guess, this involved service in the militia, though a record of this has yet to be found. The obituary tells of his remaining family as being his wife and nine children. The locations of the nine children are given and will be mentioned in their histories. |
Children of James Turner Rutherford and Mary Jane Hartley |
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| Last Edited | 28 Apr 2021 |