Sophia McBride
ID # 9085, (1853-1936)
| Father | Robert McBride (1812-1872) |
| Mother | Sophia Dale (1815-1895) |
| Birth | Sophia McBride was born on 24 April 1853 at Quebec City. |
| Baptism | She was baptized on 30 June 1853 at Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Quebec City. |
| Marriage | She married David Rome. |
| Death | She died on 27 September 1936 at Toronto, York Co., at age 83. |
| Burial | She was buried on 29 September 1936 at St. James Anglican Cemetery, Toronto.. |
| Note | The record of baptism for Sophia McBride, daughter of Robert McBride and Sophia Dale, is to be found on the 23rd leaf of the 1853 record book for Chalmers Presbyterian Church in Quebec City. This is to be found in the Drouin Collection, though is presented by Ancestry. It reads: Sophia daughter of Robert McBride joiner and Sophia Dale was born the twenty fourth of April eighteen hundred and fifty three and baptised the thirtieth of June eighteen hundred and fifty three. William B. Clark minister Robert McBride Sophia Dale X her mark and two others names not clearly legible. The first census wherein we find Sophia is that of 1861. Her name is slightly smudged on the page. She is with her parents and siblings in Toronto's St. John's Ward. The 1871 shows her as age 17. She is with her parents and younger sister Agnes in West Toronto. By the time of the 1881 census, her father, Robert, is dead, and it is safe to say that she has married, though a marriage registration for her has not been found. Her husband was David Rome. They appear in St. John's Ward, three doors away from Sophia's mother, Sophia McBride (widowed), and her younger sister Agnes. Sophia Rome's age is shown as 28. David and Sophia have with them a son, John C. Rome. We may intuit from this that they were probably married in approximately 1878 or 1879. (If any of this is correct, it's safe to say that the McBride's knew David Rome for some years for he is the one witness listed for the marriage of Alonzo Matthews and Mary McBride, Sophia's sister, in 1874.) (The available image on Ancestry for the 1881 census page upon which the Rome family appears is faded. A better and much more readable copy may be found on the website for Library & Archives Canada.) How do we know that Sophia, the daughter of Robert and Sophia, was the wife of David Rome? A search for Sophia's death registration helps to sort this out. It identifies her fairly well, though it does name her father as Samuel McBride. This is an error. Sophia's baptism record dates her birth to 24 April, 1853, in Quebec City. Her death registration dates her birth to 24 March, 1853, in Quebec. Yes, there are errors, but this does tell us that her married name was Rome. The 1891 census shows Sophia in St. John's Ward of Toronto with her husband David. They have with them three children: John 11, Robert 8, and Agnes 5. The 1901 census is confusing and there must be an error, for David Rome's wife is shown as Barber, born 28 March, 1858, in Quebec. The 1911 census once again shows David's wife as Sophia, birth in 1853 in Quebec. The 1921 census shows David and Sophia in East Toronto. David died in Toronto in 1923. Sophia died in Toronto in 1936. They are both buried in St James Anglican Cemetery, Toronto. Which brings us to Sophia's death registration, which has problems. Death reg. 006532-36 Toronto, York Co. Sophia McBride Rome died Sept. 27th, 1935, at her residence 434 Parliament Street. Widowed. Born Quebec on March 24, 1853. Age 88 yrs. Parents Samuel McBride and Sophia Agnew, both born Ireland. Physician Dr. R. D. Fisher. Informant not named. Burial at St. James Cemetery on Sept. 29th. The first problem with the above death registration is Sophia's date of birth. Quite conceivably, it could be correct, but her baptism record in Quebec City dates her birth to 24 April, 1853. The above dates her birth to one month later. One way or another, there is an error, but her date of birth as shown on her baptism record is recorded in this tree. Samuel McBride was not her father. There might be some room for confusion here, except that Sophia's brother Samuel was 14 when Sophia was born. Had he been older there might have been pause for reconsideration, but Sophia's baptism record makes it plain enough who her parents were. Sophia's death notice appears in the September 29th, 1936, edition of the Toronto Star. It names her as the mother of Robert J. Rome and Mrs. E. D. (Agnes) Harper. It repeats the above that she is to be buried in St. James Cemetery. |
| Last Edited | 14 Mar 2022 |