Horace Gross
ID # 9051, (1821-1901)
| Birth | Horace Gross was born on 8 October 1821 at Carrying Place, Midland District, Upper Canada. |
| Marriage | He married Aurelia Smith on 16 November 1843 at Smithfield, Newcastle District. MS248 reel 3, Vol. 17, page 44 Newcastle District Marriage Register, 1839-1851 Extracted from a list of marriages solemnized by John Sanderson, a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Canada in the Newcastle District. Horace Gross to Aurilla Smith, residence Murray (Township) (apparently the residence of both) on November 4th, 1843. By Licence. Witnesses Edward Henry Smith and William Bates. We may add that the marriage was held at Smithfield. See notes for Horace. A transcription of the above is also to be found in The Marriage Registers of Upper Canada/Canada West, Vol. 7, part 1, Newcastle District, 1810-1848, compiled by Dan Walker and Fawne Stratford-Devai, Global Heritage Press, Milton (now of Ottawa). The original image, which may be found on Familysearch has a readability problem and the transcription shows Horace's surname as Groce. This is not a bad transcription, though neither is Gross. Also, the bride's name Aurilla is rather otherwise interpreted later. She is shown as Aurelia in this tree. Again, see notes for Horace. |
| Marriage | He married Jane Cochrane on 2 January 1862 at Northumberland County. MS248 reel 11, Vol. 39, pages 19 & 20 Northumberland County, 1859-1869 Extracted from a list of marriages as solemnized by unknown minister of unknown church. Horace Gross, 41, born Carrying Place, residing Brighton. Parents Pitkin and Rebecca. Jane Cochrane 37, born Belfast, Ireland, residing Quebec. Parents George and Jane. Witnesses John Bowles and James Gross, both of Brighton. On January 2, 1862. The pages which through these records range have their problems. It is quite unclear as to who submitted the records of these marriages. The county marriage records make no mention as to whether the contracting couples were previously single or widowed. We do not know if Jane was previously married. The dates of marriages range all over the calendar and are not presented in order. It is possible that they represent marriage registrations as submitted by diverse clergy. |
| Marriage | He married Ann Dorsey, daughter of Benjamin Dorsey and Hannah Kidd, on 23 May 1888 at St. Mary's, Perth Co., Ontario. Mrge reg. 009831-88 St. Marys, Perth Co. Horace Gross, 61, widower, agent, Methodist. Born Carrying Place, residing Toronto. Parents Pitkin Gross and Rebecca Coy. Annie Dorsey, 44, spinster, Methodist. Born Islington, residing St. Marys, Ontario. Parents Benjamin and Annie Dorsey. Witnesses Thomas G. Smith and Martha Smith, both of St. Marys. On May 23rd, 1888, at St. Marys, by A. M. Phillips. The witness, Martha Smith, had the name of Martha Dorsey. She was Annie's sister. Yes, Horace's first wife, Aurelia, was a Smith, but there is no evidence so far found to relate Thomas to Aurelia. |
| Death | He died on 24 January 1901 at Toronto, York Co., at age 79. |
| Burial | He was buried on 29 January 1901 at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Plot L, Sec. 18, Lot 18, Toronto. |
| Note | Some discussion might be entered into with regard to Horace Gross's place of birth. Marriage registrations, for example, locate his birth in Carrying Place. It is possible that rather more accurately it could be said that he was born 'near' Carrying Place, however... His gravestone in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, locates his place of birth to Carrying Place, Prince Edward County. What became Prince Edward County was a part of the Midland District as of 1821 when Horace was born. It did not become the Prince Edward District until 1831. (The Prince Edward District was not actually proclaimed until 6th February, 1834.) In 1849 it became Prince Edward County. Here, we show his place of birth as Carrying Place in the Midland District. Having said that, it is in a real sense correct to say that he was born in Prince Edward County. There were such things as counties in Upper Canada back in the District days, but they were not administrative. Rather, they might be electoral or militia entities. Horace's father, Pitkin Gross, was surgeon in the 2nd Prince Edward Militia in 1828, or thereabouts, with his date of service casting back to 1822, though just where this service might have begun is not stated. For something of Pitkin's service in this matter see Men of Upper Canada, Militia Nominal Rolls, 1828-1829, Toronto Ontario Genealogical Society, 1995, page 188. This includes a list of townships from which the 2nd Prince Edward Militia drew its recruits. These townships included Ameliasburg, Hillier, and parts of Hallowell and Sophiasburg, all in what later became Prince Edward County. (See https://maps.library.utoronto.ca/hgis/countymaps/princeedward/Prince_Edward_1863-01.jpg This is taken from the Tremaine map of Prince Edward County dated 1863. Carrying place is shown as being on the border of Ameliasburg Township in Prince Edward County and Murray Township which is in Northumberland County. The available images of these maps are not extensive for Eastern Ontario, but do include Prince Edward County.) Beyond this, we have to hand a transcription of Mount Hope Cemetery in Brighton, Northumberland County, Ontario. Horace's parents are buried in Mount Hope. Also recorded is the ownership of a grave that was purchased by Horace Gross according to a transcription of the cemetery as done by Brian Tackaberry in 1984 and updated a time or two. Tackaberry states that he was able to record some few stones based on a transcription done in the '30s and '40s by W. R. Freeman and available via the H. C. Burleigh collection available at Queens University archives. These are digitized and downloadable and have been searched, but little has been found with reference to Mount Hope Cemetery and, in any event, include no reference to Gross family graves. Another source and one to a degree more helpful is that of a book written by Harriet C. Dickinson in 1914 and published in New York by Tobias A. Wright and entitled Some Chronicles of the Cory Family. (This may be downloaded from Google Books in PDF format.) Horace Gross's mother was a Cory and there appears some basic information for the Gross family that is an improvement over the little found elsewhere. This tells that Horace was born on October 8, 1821, at Carrying Place and that his first marriage was to Aurelia Smith on November 16, 1843, at Smithfield, which is in Brighton Township. This also tells that Aurelia died on June 17, 1859. (It seems that some township borders were in flux in early days. Apologies to the reader if dates and villages and presumed township borders don't always coincide in this discussion.) According to the Mount Hope Cemetery transcription there is a grave plot purchased by Horace (date not given). The stone was said to be broken and this must be from the earliest transcription available. We cannot say for sure, but this may well be Aurelia's place of burial. Ms. Dickinson does mention Horace's second marriage, but refers to the bride as Irene Cochrane. Available information tells us that her given name was Jane and we may find the date of their marriage in collections of county marriage registrations from the era. Ms. Dickinson also mentions and dates the 3rd marriage of Horace and Annie Dorsey, but we may find extensive information to do with Annie elsewhere. Ms. Dickson names three children of Horace and Aurelia, their dates of birth as well as their dates of marriage and the names of their spouses with the names of some of the grandchildren of Horace and Aurelia. The childrens' names agree with their names as they appear in the 1851 census at Brighton. It is safe to say, however, that, after the 1851 census, Aurelia and Horace had two more children. See 1871 census information, below. The 1851 census shows Horace Gross, age 32, in Brighton Township, Northumberland County. He is a lumber merchant and a Wesleyan Methodist. With him is his wife 'Orilla' (Aurelia), age 30. Also with them are their known first three children, Eliza J. 7, Ida 4, and Robert John 2. As of this census at least, the names of the three children recorded agrees with the list of children for the couple as it appears in the Harriet Dickinson's 1914 Cory Family book. (For more, see 1871 census, below.) The 1861 census has Horace Gross in Brighton Village with his parents as well as his son Robert. While the census page does not say so, our best information is that Aurelia died in 1859 and he did not marry Jane Cochrane until 1862. Where daughters Eliza or Julia are residing has not been found. Daughter Ida, is shown as age 12 and residing with the family of John Gray in Darlington Township of Durham County. Son Samuel has not been found in this census. Horace and his second wife Jane are in Ekfrid Township of Middlesex County as of the 1871 census. With them is Jennie, probably Eliza Jane, age 25. Also present is son Robert, age 20. Also present are two children, shown as being with the surname Gross. They are Julia 15 and Samuel 18. Since daughter Julia has been located in Fredonia, New York, with her brother Robert in the U.S. 1900 census, and since this census describes her as Robert's sister, then it is reasonable to believe that Samuel, as he appears with the family in the 1871 census, is as well the son of Horace and Aurelia. What became of Samuel after the one record that we have of him in the 1871 census, is for the moment unknown. The 1881 census shows Horace and Jane by themselves in Dunwich Township of Elgin County. This census shows Horace as a farmer. Horace has not been found in the 1891 census, nor has his wife, Annie. We have, however, to at least some degree a substitute in the form of Might's Toronto Directories. These are digitized and available from the City of Toronto library and, certainly for the earlier years, emminently downloadable. One difficulty with the enumerations for these directories is that they mostly list the so-called head of the household or another member of the household should they be employed Horace is first found in Toronto in Might's in the 1888 diectory. He is shown as a traveller and that he boards at 132 Peter Street in Toronto. The street listings show a James Horley as the resident at 132 Peter Street and he is no apparent connection to Horace. Horace has not been found in the 1889 directory, but does appear in the 1890 directory at 23 Woolsley. He is still at this address in the 1891 directory, though, as said, he does not appear in the census. (The 1891 census has been checked for Woolsley neighbours' names, but any pages wherein they appear do not include Horace.) Horace appears in the 1892 directory at 80 Gladstone Avenue and he is shown as a grocer and he still appears at this address as of the 1899 and 1900 Might's directories. The 1901 directory has him rooming at 24 Clarence Square. His death registration also has him at 24 Clarence Square. The street number is rather faded on the 1901 death registration and the address might be taken for 34 Clarence Square. A close examination of the handwriting shows that 24 Clarence Square is what was intended. Death reg. 001288-01 Toronto, York Co. Horace Gross died Jan. 24, 1901, age 79. Residence 24 Clarence Sq. Gentleman (retired), married. Born Brighton (probably not correct.) Methodist. Physician and informant Dr. Kemp. By the time Might's 1901 directory was distributed, Horace was probably dead. Also available is an image available from the 1901 burial book of Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. This is provided by cooperation between Familysearch and the Toronto branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. This is indexed. Not all years are for the present available (For example Annie died in 1935 and the burial page for this year is not available.) The Mt. Pleasant burial book does tell us that, as with his death registration, he died on January 24, 1901. His remains were placed in the cemetery's vault on January 26, which, for the season, often meant that actual burial would not take place until spring. In the event, the page dates his burial to January 29. He was placed in Plot L, Section 18, lot 18. The purchaser of the lot was Horace's son, R. J. Gross. As mentioned, the burial book images for 1935 are not yet available, but Annie Dorsey's name appears on the stone as being buried there. (See Find-a-Grave for a photo of the stone.) As well, Mt. Pleasant has an online index to burials and this certainly shows Annie Dorsey as being buried in the same plot, section and lot. |
Children of Horace Gross and Aurelia Smith |
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| Last Edited | 12 Feb 2022 |