Christina, the wife of Joseph Hambley

Research Note by Wesley Johnston, begun 20 Sep 2015, last updated 20 Sep 2015

Context

The census records of the family of Joseph and Christina HAMBLEY contain information that leaves some important questions about Christina. This research note brings together the information about her, in order to reach conclusions -- or at least evidence-based hypotheses. We know from her death record that her maiden name was MALTMAN, daughter of Joseph MALTMAN.

1871 Census (Whitby East, Ontario County)

The image of the family in the 1871 Census is at http://interactive.ancestry.com/1578/4396344_00628/1182960

The family is on lines 10-15 of page 18. They are all Wesleyan Methodist. Joseph is shown as a farmer born in Ontario. Christina (spelled Christia) is shown as born in Scotland. The enumerator, John SMITH, used ditto marks for the children, so that they appear all born in Scotland. Similarly he recorded Joseph's Origin as Ontario (which is crossed out) and Christina's as "Scotch" with ditto marks for all the children to show them all apparently Scotch.

The family consisted of:

• Joseph, age 27 (thus born c 1844)
• Christia, 33 (c 1838)
• Josiah, 15 (c 1856 when Joseph would have been 12 and Christina 18)
• Thomas H., 13 (c 1858 - Joseph 14, Christina 20)
• Elizabeth E., 4 (c 1867 - Joseph 23, Christina 29)
• Frances A., 2 (c 1869 - Joseph 25, Christina 31)

This family has the clear markers of a widow, who remarried about 1866 with a younger man. There is a gap of 9 years between the ages of the children. And Joseph was too young to be the father of the two oldest children. Thus, it seems most likely that the surnames of Josiah and Thomas were not HAMBLEY but rather the surname of their natural father.

1881 Census (Hibbert, Perth County)

Some of Mary Keam BUTSON's siblings moved to the Huron Tract, settling in Hibbert Township in Perth County. So it appears that her son Joseph HAMBLEY followed his cousins there.

The image of the family in the 1881 Census is at http://interactive.ancestry.com/1577/31229_C_13270-00777/397469

The family are shown on lines 17-21 of page 61, the only family on the page without Presbyterian Scottish-born heads of households. So it seems likely that Christina made have had kin in the area as well, thus explaining how they came to settle among Scots and not with Joseph's Cornish BUTSON cousins, although Robert BUTSON's family is only 2 pages later, on page 63.

The family are all Canadian Methodist. Joseph, now a Labourer, is born in Ontario of English origin. Christina (now spelled Christenia) is born in Scotland of "Scotch" origin. The oldest child is explicitly shown born in Ontario of English origin, with dittos repeating these facts for all of the other children.

The family consisted of:

• Joseph, age 39 (c 1842)
• Christenia, 48 (c 1833)
• Elizabeth E., 14 (c 1867 - Joseph 25, Christina 34)
• Frances A., 12 (c 1869 - Joseph 27, Christina 36)
• Charles F., 10 (c 1871 - Joseph 29, Christina 38)
• Christenia G., 7 (c 1874 - Joseph 32, Christina 41)

 Christina's children from her first marriage have probably married and have their own homes. The gap between Joseph's and Christina's ages is now 8 years, versus 6 in the 1871 census. In fact, her earlier estimated birth year allows for the possibility that she had actually had more children older than Josiah in her first marriage, since her 1833 estimated birth year would have made her about 23 when Josiah was born.

1891 Census (Hibbert, Perth County)

The image of the family in the 1891 Census is at http://interactive.ancestry.com/1274/30953_148164-00804/2648065

The family are shown on lines 12-17 of page 17. They have new neighbors, none of whom are Scotland-born. So it appears that they had moved from the location where they resided in the 1881 Census. They are all Methodist. AS with the 1881 Census, Joseph (who is once again a farmer) and all the children are show born in Ontario, while Christina (this time spelled Cristena) is born in Scotland. This is the first census that shows parents' birthplaces. Joseph's father and mother were born in England, Christina's in Scotland. The children are all shown with an Ontario father and Scotland mother. Sons Francis (that spelling) and Charles are old enough to have their own professions: Blacksmith and Farmer, respectively.

The family consisted of:

• Joseph, age 48 (c 1843)
• Cristena, 50 (c 1841)
• Elizabeth, 22 (c 1869 - Joseph 26, Christina 28)
• Francis, 21 (c 1870 - Joseph 27, Christina 29)
• Charles, 20 (c 1871 - Joseph 28, Christina 30)
• Cristena, 16 (c 1875 - Joseph 32, Christena 34)

So Christina aged only 2 years in the decade from 1881 to 1891. Clearly one or both of the parents were innumerate and possibly illiterate. Nevertheless, the children's ages are consistent across the censuses, so that their education seems to have led to correct ages for them. The biggest change is that the age diifference between Joseph and Christina has now dropped to 2 years (versus 6 and 8 in the earlier censuses).

1901 Census (Hibbert, Perth County)

The image of the family in the 1901 Census is at http://interactive.ancestry.com/8826/z000095299/6547663

They are on lines 36-38 of page 13. A margin note says "Village of Dublin excepting Lines 34 35". Dublin is about 5 miles NE from Staffa and NW from Mitchell, where Joseph's Butson cousin lived -- and were buried in the Staffa Cemetery. The family remained Methodist, with Joseph (again a Laborer) and daughter Christina G born Ontario of English origin and mother Christina (this time as Christine) born Scoland of "Scotch" origin.

The family consisted of:

• Joseph, age 56, born 14 April 1844
• Christine, 58, born 29 Dec 1842 - immigrated to Canada 1850
• Christina G, 27, born 9 Jan 1873

 1911 Census (McKillop Township, Huron County)

The image of the family in the 1911 Census is at http://interactive.ancestry.com/8947/e080_e001994253/4903738

The apparently widowed Christina (spelled that way) is living in the home of her daughter Elizabeth (HAMBLEY) CAMPBELL. They are all Methodist and all of Scottish origin. Lizzie and her husband were born in Ontario. Chrstina was born in Scotland. Lizzie's husband James CAMPBELL is a farmer. James and Lizzie, through dubious dittos, are shown not able to read and write while Christina is able to read and write.

The family consists of:

• James CAMPBELL, age 48, born August 1863
• Lizzie CAMPBELL, 42, born April 1861 (sic)
• Christina HAMBLY, 82, born Dec 1829 - immigrated to Canada 1850

Christina has aged 24 years in the past decade. I suspect that this date and age are closer to the truth than the prior two censuses. It does appear that her birthday was 29 December, possibly in 1829, based on the 1901 and 1911 censuses. I suspect that the year was 1829-1833. This would have made her about 17-21 years of age when she arrived in Canada in 1850 and about 34-38 when she married Joseph HAMBLEY about 1867.

Christina's Death Record (McKillop Township, Huron County)

The image of the record is at http://interactive.ancestry.com/8946/ONMS935_171-0472/1212184

Christina R MALTMAN HAMBLY died 20 Dec 1911, a widow. She was born 29 Dec 1828 in Scotland, according to her son Francis (as F. A.) HAMBLY of Staffa, who was the informant. She was 83 years old. Her father was Joseph MALTMAN. She was attended from 31 Jul 1909 to 20 Dec 1922, last seen 22 Nov 1911, by G? MacKay, M.D., of Seaforth. (She went with a Scot to the last.) The immediate cause was Asthma. The primary cause, of about 2 years duration, was "several slight attacks of apoplexy caused by asthma result of old age".

This further confirms that she was on the order of 13 or 14 years older than her husband, which is very much in conformance with the ages in the 1871 census of her children from her first marriage -- and with the probability that she had more children in her first marriage.

MORE TO COME ... NEED TO FIND HER FIRST MARRIAGE FAMILY IN THE 1861 CENSUS (POSSIBLY MARRIED JOSEPH MAY IN 1851).