Henry Edward Townsend (3B05)
| Date of Birth: | 12 May 1836 |
|---|---|
| Date of Death: | 4 February 1924 |
| Generation: | 8th |
| Residence: | Gorrie, Ontario Canada. |
| Father: | Richard Townsend [335] |
| Mother: | Wilkinson, Maria Susannah |
| Spouse: |
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| Issue: | |
| See Also: | Table IIIB ; Scrapbook ; Lineage ; Ancestors' Tree ; Descendents' Tree |
Notes for Henry Edward Townsend
Henry was born at Castletownshend, Skibbereen, Co Cork.
Following the death of his parents from typhoid shortly after they arrived in Canada from Ireland in 1847, Henry, along with his siblings, was placed with guardians appointed by the authorities in Ontario.
There is an oral tradition in the family that Henry was raised in strict Anglican tradition and earned his keep from age eight by cutting wood for fuel. This in part must be wrong as Henry was aged 11 when his parents died. In her research on the family deriving from Richard Townsend [335], Gracie Townsend [3B27] (1) found among the papers left by Henry a letter from Ireland postmarked 1849 and addressed to John Townsend (2), Henry's brother, in the care of the "Rev. Thomas Hickie [sic]." The Rev. Thomas Hickey was the resident pastor of St James Church, St Mary's, Ontario 1843-1851 and services were held at the Shakespeare Inn (hotel) until Mrs Sargent, wife of the innkeeper (William Sargent), raised the money to build the first church in 1849 (3). Gracie speculated that the Rev. Hickey may be the man who originally fostered Henry and Mr and Mrs Sargent housed him in the Shakespeare Inn.
Married Elizabeth Ann Cook (4) on 9 June 1873 in St James’ Church, St Mary's, daughter of James Cook and Sydney Wasley.
Nothing is known of Henry except that he farmed at Howick Township, (Huron County) Gorrie, Ontario.
There is no mention of Henry in the 1852 Canadian Census.
Henry died in Gorrie.
(1) Between 1992 and 1997, Gracie extensively researched members of the family descended from Richard Townsend [335]. This work has been invaluable in compiling the records of those concerned.
(2) John Townsend [3B02] would have been aged 17 at the time and probably not in foster care.
(3) This contradicts the origins of the church as given in the website links above.
(4) Elizabeth Anne Cook was born on 13 March 1847 in Dereham Township and died on 18 April 1909 at Howick, Huron County, Gorrie. The Cook family trace themselves back to 1620 when the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Plantation.