Sarah Jeffrey's Family Story

Though not their first child, Sarah Jeffrey was the eldest daughter of the fourteen children born to Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey. Her father, Richard Jeffrey, was born 29 August 1814 in Middlebie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, a son of John and Sarah (Steel) Jeffrey. Richard’s wife, Hannah Warwick, was born 19 July 1818 in Broomieknow, Cononbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Her parents were John and Mary Warwick. Richard and Hannah were married in Scotland around 1837 or 1838. Their first child, a son they named John, was born there.  

In the year 1842, Richard and Hannah immigrated to Canada West. They settled in Dorchester Township, Middlesex County. Here, in 1843, another son was born to them. This child was named George. In 1847, a daughter, Sarah was born. In 1849, William was born, he being followed in 1859 by Robert; then in 1851 by Christopher; in 1853, Mary and in 1854, Jane. Born in 1856 was Hannah; in 1857 Barbara; then in 1859 Thomas was born followed in 1861, by Andrew. In 1863 Janet was born and in 1867, the youngest child, Margaret was born. In all, Richard and Hannah had fourteen children.

Richard Jeffrey died 29 August 1871, leaving Hannah with ten of their children to finish raising by herself. Richard’s remains were interred in the Pond Mills Cemetery, in London, Ontario.

At home still in 1871, with their mother, were: Sarah, aged 22 years; Robert, aged 20; Christopher age 19; Mary, aged 17 years; Jane, age 15; Ann, age 13; Barbara age 12; Thomas aged 11; Andrew aged 10 years and Janet aged 8 years.

Jeffrey Family Headstone

Jeffrey Family Headstone in Pond Mills Cemetery, London, Ontario
Source: Find A Grave website

When Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey died on 9 November 1903, she was laid to rest beside her husband in Pond Mills Cemetery.

View of Pond Mills Cemetery

Landscape view of Pond Mills Cemetery, London, Ontario
Source: Google Maps, September 2018 view

John, son of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, came to Canada West as a boy of three or four years, when his parents left their home in Scotland. He remained at home into the 1860s. Thereafter, nothing more has been discovered thus far, about the life of John.

George, son of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, married Melissa Bullard on 14 July 1866 in Middlesex County, Ontario. Melissa was born in Canada about 1847, a daughter of Ephriam and Sarah Bullard. They had two children, William Edward, born in 1867 and Thomas Larn, born in 1884.

Sarah Jeffrey

Sarah, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born 25 June 1847 in Middlesex County. Sarah never married. In the latter 1870s, she went to live in Elmsley Township in Leeds & Grenville County. She resided in the home of her maternal grandmother, Mary Warwick who was then 89 years old. Also in the household were Sarah’s uncles, Duncan and Andrew Warwick, born of whom were in their mid forties by this date. Near the close of January 1884, Mary Warwick died at her home in Elmsley Township. Her husband John Warwick had predeceased her by a number of years.

Sarah continued to reside in Leeds & Grenville County. In 1891, at the age of 40 years, she was living in her own home. By 1901, Sarah was living in the household of Peter and Margaret Thom. This couple was not of any known connection to the family of Sarah Jeffrey. On 1 April 1901, at Smiths Falls, in Lanark County, Sarah Jeffrey died of heart disease at the young age of 53 years and 9 months.

William, son of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born in 1849. He died on 14 September 1863, at the age of fourteen years.

Robert, son of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born in 1850. Robert married Ellen Kernahan, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Russell) Kernahan). They lived in Elgin County in 1891, later moving to Mosa Township in Middlesex County. Later again the moved to Euphemia Township in Lambton County. Robert and Ellen had two children: Janet born in 1877 and William Russel Jeffrey, born in 1885. Robert Jeffrey died on 27 July 1910 in Euphemia Township, Lambton County. His wife, Ellen (Kernahan) Jeffrey died at their home, Lot 19 Concession 9 in Euphemia Township, on 17 September 1915.

Christopher, son of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born in 1851 in Dorchester Township.  Christopher married twice. By his first wife a son, Richard, was born in 1878. Christopher’s second wife was Sarah Jane Herron. They had a son John born in 1879 and a daughter, Hanna Margaret was born in 1892. Christopher died on 3 October 1919 in Aldborough Township, Elgin County. His wife, Sarah (Herron) Jeffrey, died in 1922

Mary, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born in 1853. On 23 December 1885, she married John Patterson. They had two children, Ethel Clarissa born in 1888 and Francis in 1890.  The photograph shown here is of Mary (left), her son Frank and daughter Ethel.

Mary (Jeffrey) Patterson died on 17 May 1916 at Smiths Falls, Lanark County. Her husband had died some time earlier.

Left to Right: Mary (Jeffrey) Patterson with her children, Frank and Ethel

The second photograph for this family is of Frank Patterson as a young man. Frank married Edna McGrath at East Corners, Wolford Township, Grenville County, Ontario. Edna, born about 1887, was a daughter of Sydney and Johanna (Ferguson) McGrath. Their wedding took place on 1 October 1913.

Jane, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born 14 September 1854 in Dorchester Township. Jane married Charles Murray Farquhar. Charles was born 20 October 1853 in the village of Gladstone, Middlesex County. They had a family of six children. Laura was born in 1878. Maud Beatrice was born in 1881. Frank was born in 1885, Claude was born in 1887, William in 1889 and John, the youngest child, was born in 1893. Charles Farquhar died 1 June 1910. Jane (Jeffrey) Farquhar died 16 June 1911 in Middlesex County.

Claude and Will Farquhar

To the right is a photograph of the family of Ollie and Maud (Farquhar) Manning. Left to right: Charlie, Maud & Ollie, with Lindsay standing in front of his mother. The photograph is dated 1929.

Four of the six Farquhar children married. Claude Farquhar married Harriet Margaret Taylor. They had three sons.  William Farquhar married Mary Elizabeth McPherson. They had one daughter and one son. John Farquhar married Marguerite Soole. Maud Beatrice Farquhar married Oliver Dumaw Manning on 25 September 1907 at St. Thomas, Elgin County, Ontario. They had a daughter, Dorothy Jean, born in 1908 and two sons. The sons were Charles Oliver Manning, born in 1913 and Lindsay Manning born in 1918.

Hannah, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born in 1856. She married Henry James Lane on 31 January 1906 in the city of London, Ontario. Hannah (Jeffrey) Lane died in 1940.

Barbara, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born 27 September 1857 in Dorchester Township. She married Charles R. Dibb on 12 September 1883. Barbara and Charles had four children: William born in 1884; Myrtle born in 1885; Milton born in 1888 and Violet born in 1891. Barbara (Jeffrey) Dibb died 3 January 1944 at Detroit, Michigan, United States. Her husband had died in 1931.

Thomas, son of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born in 1859. The photo shown at right is of Tom Jeffrey, as a young man.

He married Amanda Hanna on 14 April 1886 in West Lorne, Aldborough Township, Elgin County, Ontario. Amanda was born in 1868 in Huron County, Ontario. She was a daughter of Robert and Wilhelmina (Combs) Hanna. Thomas and Amanda had four children. Harvey was born in 1887. Isabella was born in 1889 while her younger brother, Roy Alvin, was born in 1893 and younger sister, Hannah Edna Wilhelmina, was born in 1897. 

Thomas Jeffrey died 30 March 1919.

In the 1929 photo included here of two young men sitting on the running board of a late model sedan, are Harvey and Roy Jeffrey.

Andrew, son of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born in 1861. He did not marry.

In the photograph shown here, Thomas is on the left. On the backside of the photograph he wrote “To Ethel, from Uncle Andrew and his friend, Mr. Sam Allen, with complements. Jarvis, Ontario February 20, 1907” .

It was this photograph that connected the family of Tom’s sister, Mary, into the family story. Further research turned up that Mary had married and in fact, had a daughter named Ethel.

Janet, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was born in 1863. She married John P. Beattie on 31 March 1886, in Dorchester Township. John was born in 1861 in Ontario, a son of Edward and Jane Beattie. Janet (Jeffrey) Beattie died of heart disease, at her home in Middlesex County on 11 January 1897. For a time following her death, Janet’s sister, Hannah and her mother,  Hannah, lived in the household of John Beattie.

Margaret, daughter of Richard and Hannah (Warwick) Jeffrey, was the youngest of Richard and Hannah’s fourteen children. Margaret was born in 1867 and died at the very young age of three years, on 2 August 1870.

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