 |
| Bromley Griffin |
When
James (Bromley) Griffin was born on September 15, 1867, in Kingston Seymour, Somerset, England, his father,
Samuel Bird Griffin, was 33 and his mother,
Jane (nee Wallis) (1835-1909), was 32. He had
nine brothers and two sisters.
 |
| Emma Toop |
Bromley married
Elizabeth Emma Toop (
Emma) on April 26, 1892, in at the Church of St Quiricus and Julietta in Tickenham, Somerset, England. The
Banns were read three times in Tickenham Parish and in Bromley's home parish in Backwell, England. At the time of the marriage,
Bromley was a farmer.
 |
| Marriage Registration, Tickenham Parish (image via Ancestry.com) |
When
Elizabeth Emma Toop was born on June 8, 1868, in Yatton, Somerset, England, her father,
Thomas Toop (1845-1915), a beer retailer, was 23, and her mother,
Elizabeth (nee Parker) (1837-1907)
, was 31.
They had five children during their marriage:
- James Victor Griffin (1893-?)
- Edward Raymond Griffin (1894-1972) married Louise Parschauer (1902-1982)
- Thomas Hubert Griffin (1896-1958)
- Elizabeth Beryl Louise Griffin (1898-1985) married George Hugh Dash (1896-1983)
- Edna May Griffin (1901-1984)
James Victor (who named for his father, but goes by his middle name) is the name of the couple's first born son on February 8, 1893. The child is
baptized on March 26th in the couple's home parish, St. Andrew's in Backwell.
 |
| Baptismal Register, St. Andrew's Backwell (image via Ancestry.com) |
In short order, a second son,
Edward Raymond is born in 1894. The child also goes by his middle name.
Raymond is
baptized on December 30th at the same parish church.
 |
| Baptismal Register, St. Andrew's Backwell (image via Ancestry.com) |
 |
| Baptismal Register, St. Andrew's Backwell (image via Ancestry.com) |
After three sons, the couple welcomes their first daughter on June 5, 1898, and the child is named for her mother and maternal grandmother,
Elizabeth Beryl Louise Griffin (
Beryl). The child is
baptized on July 27th.
 |
| Baptismal Register, St. Andrew's Backwell (image via Ancestry.com) |
The couple's last child is also a daughter,
Edna May Griffin born March 11, 1901, and
baptized on May 5th. The family photo below was likely taken in honour of that occasion.
 |
| Baptismal Register, St. Andrew's Backwell (image via Ancestry.com) |
 |
The Griffin Family c 1901
Top from left: Bromley, Victor, Emma
Bottom: Hubert, Raymond, Beryl and Edna |
In 1901, we find the family
on the census living in Backwell on "Baptist Chapel Road" (now
Chapel Hill). Also living in the home is
Emma's aunt Emma Parker, a visitor and a boarder.
Bromley is (as we know) a farmer, and while some of the older boys should be in school, it is not noted on the census.
On June 23, 1910,
James Bromley boarded the
Royal Canadian Northern Steamship Royal George from Bristol, headed to Quebec, Canada. From Quebec, he headed to the Middle Lakes region of Saskatchewan to prepare a new family homestead in Canada.
I haven't identified Bromley on the 1911 Canadian Census, but on the 1911 England Census, Emma is home alone with the children, still in Backwell. The address on the census suggests they live on "Hunts Farm" which exists on modern maps in Backwell on Chapel Hill. Victor is no longer living in the home. Raymond's occupation is "Baker's Assistant," and Hubert is working on the farm. Beryl and May are in school and Emma's aunt Emma Parker is still living with the family.
Emma died suddenly of a heart attack on December 27, 1912, in Nailsea, Somerset, England, at the age of 44. The location of her burial (if there is one) is unknown.
Bromley returned to England, and just over a year after Emma's death, on daughter Edna's birthday, he took the younger children to Canada. A
passenger list for the vessel Lake Manitoba shows his return on March 28, 1913, to Newfoundland with
Raymond,
Hubert,
Beryl, and
Edna. The document lists him as a jouneyman farmer,
Raymond is a baker's assistant and
Hubert and
Beryl are grocer's assistants.
Son
Victor also ends up in Saskatchewan, but it is unknown whether he precedes or follows the family, as I've been unable to identify a crossing. The entire family is however in Canada on the eve of World War I. Both
Victor and
Hubert enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces, and both (thankfully) survive the war.
By 1921,
Bromley is 53 and all of the children with the exception of
Edna have flown the proverbial nest.
Bromley and
Edna are living together in Three Lakes, Saskatchewan.
Bromley's occupation on the
1921 Census is "farmer," and
Edna is not employed.
At some point after the 1921 Census,
Bromley finds love again and marries a woman named
Gertrude. Her birth name/location is unknown, but Gertrude was a year younger than
Bromley, born in 1869. A specific record of the marriage hasn't been found, but a photograph of
Bromley and his new wife is sent in correspondence to
Bromley's nephew
Arthur Bird Griffin, who also lives in Canada.
 |
Back of photo signed from Uncle Brom.
Says photo was taken about ten years prior and is himself, and “the wife” and her grandchild. |
Bromley died in 1944 in Saskatchewan, Canada, at the age of 77. He is buried with Gertrude in
Humboldt Public Cemetery. His obituary suggests that all of his children survived him.
 |
| The Leader Post, January 14, 1944 |
Are you related to this family? Do you have photos or stories you'd be willing to share? Please contact me using the comment form below or find me on
Facebook! Want to know where Bromley fits in my tree?
Check out the Index!
Comments
Post a Comment
Are we related? Tell me how!!