Cornelius Porteous

Cornelius Porteous Introduction Several years ago, I came across an online reference for a Cornelius Porteous through a search at www.ingeneas.com. I subsequently ordered the relevant document from the National Archives of Canada. The name 'Cornelius' is relatively rare, and certainly more so in conjunction with the 'Porteous' surname. What tweaked my interest is that the document showed that Cornelius was from Yorkshire and I already knew of a Cornelius Porteous of Dunnington, Yorkshire, the same village where I believe my ggg-grandfather, George Porteous, was born. There is a good possibility that George and Cornelius were brothers. There is some chance that the Cornelius Porteous who was born 4-Mar-1811 in Osbaldwick (see below) did not emigrate with his family to Canada. There are two marriages of a Cornelius Porteous that I am following up on, and I have also located a death index entry on FreeBMD that may be for him. I'm also repeating a birth entry for Cornelius here: • Conelius Porteus, Male, Christening, 4-Mar-1811, Osbaldwick, Yorkshire, England, Parents are Cornelius Porteus and Elless • Cornelius Porteaus, 22 MAY 1837 Whitgift, Yorkshire, England (to Maria Parkin) • Cornelius Porteous, 12 FEB 1854 Saint Leonards, Shoreditch, London, England (to Ann Kendon) • Deaths, Sep 1876. Porteous, Cornelius, 55, Leek, 6b, 163 (this suggests a DOB of 1821, but I suspect a mistake was made in his age at the time of his death) This article, in three parts, discusses what I have been able to learn thus far. Go to Cornelius Porteous Part 2 or Cornelius Porteous Part 3 of this article. The National Archives document is summarized as follows: Year 1832 Record Source Montreal Emigrant Society Passage Book Reel H-962 Volume 46 Item 241 Comments Sent to Prescott Prescott, Ontario is directly across the St. Lawrence River from Ogdensburg, New York: Here is an image of the National Archives document: Cornelius' Birth and Marriage I reviewed the International Genealogical Index at www.familysearch.org and found the following entries for a Cornelius Porteous and his family: Cornelius PORTAS M C 1-Feb-1778 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Cornelius PORTAS M C 24-Oct-1784 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS   Cornelius PORTEOUS M M 11-Dec-1808 Dunnington Near York Helen BROWN   Christmas PORTEOUS M C 7-Jan-1809 Langtoft With Cottam Cornelius PORTEOUS, Alice Conelius PORTEUS M C 4-Mar-1811 Osbaldwick, Yorkshire Cornelius PORTEUS, Elless... Robert PORTEOUS M C 3-Jul-1813 Catton Near York Cornelius PORTEOUS, Ellen Thomas Pearcy PORTAS M C 22-Feb-1818 Catton Near York Cornelious PORTAS, Ellen Elles_ Theodosia PORTEUS F C 8-Nov-1820 Catton Near York Cornelious PORTEUS, Elles... Charlotte Margaret PORTEUS F C 29-Dec-1822 Wilberfoss Cornelius PORTEUS, Ellen Joseph Brown PORTEUS M C 10-Jul-1825 Dunnington Near York Cornelius PORTEUS, Ellin Harriet Amelia PORTEUS F C 9-Apr-1830 Dunnington Near York Cornelius PORTEUS, Alice I believe we can conclude the following from the above table: Cornelius had an older brother with the same name who was christened in 1778 and who died before Cornelius was born in Dunnington, Yorkshire (near York) in 1784. Cornelius' father was William Portas, and Portas is yet another variation on our surname. Cornelius appears to have lived in a variety of places in Yorkshire. He married "Helen" (or possibly Ellen or Alice) Brown in Dunnington in 1808, but the first of his 8 known children was born some 30 miles away in Langtoft With Cottam, Yorkshire. He appears to have returned to the village of Dunnington no later than the summer of 1825. Cornelius' Siblings Let's look back to see who Cornelius' siblings might have been: Name Sex Event Date Place Father Anne PORTAS F C 28-Oct-1766 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Dinah PORTAS F C 10-Jul-1768 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Sybel PORTAS F C 7-Jan-1770 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS George PORTAS M C 26-Aug-1770 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS William PORTAS M C 10-Nov-1771 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Ann PORTAS F C 6-Sep-1773 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Jane PORTAS F C 2-Apr-1775 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Cornelius PORTAS M C 1-Feb-1778 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS John PORTAS M C 27-Jan-1780 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Joseph PORTAS M C 28-Jul-1782 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Cornelius PORTAS M C 24-Oct-1784 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS George PORTASS M C 3-Dec-1789 Dunnington Near York William PORTASS There are numerous children born to a William Portas (and variations) in Dunnington near York, including a good number before Anne in 1766. The last recorded christening prior to 1766 was in 1757, nearly 10 years earlier, so it is likely that the 1757 child (also named Anne) was fathered by another William Portas (possibly Cornelius' grandfather). It is also possible that George Porteous, who was born in 1789 - 5 years after Cornelius - may be the son of Cornelius' brother, William, who was born in 1771, and therefore a nephew of Cornelius', not a brother. Further research is required to determine just how many William Porteouses there may have been in Dunnington or the area (we need to look at all marriages of Williams in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and possibly elsewhere as well). There is also some possibility that William's first wife died and that he remarried. The IGI has a marriage as follows: William PORTAS to Mary HARTON 07-Nov-1769 Saint Savior, York, Yorkshire Note: I believe that George Porteous (b. 1789) is my ggg-grandfather. It is likely that he is the same person who married Ann Simpson in Dunnington in April, 1809. My research indicates that George and Ann later moved to Elvington, Yorkshire where my gg-grandfather, also named George, was born in 1818. The younger George may be the same person who emigrated to what is now Ontario no later than 1845. The evidence suggests that George may have lived in Markham Township, York County (not far from Toronto) for a short period of time, but later moved to Reach Township (near present-day Port Perry). Marriages The document excerpt below is from a parish register of Dunnington, Yorkshire. It shows the marriages of both Cornelius (to Helen Brown) and George (to Ann Simpson): In any event, the Cornelius Porteous who was born in Dunnington, just outside of York in 1784 is most likely the same person whose 1832 passage to Canada was assisted by the Montreal Emigrant Society. The New World The next step will be to see what happened to Cornelius' and his various siblings. It is possible that his daughter, Elles Theodosia, may in fact be the Ellen Porteous who married a James Rogers in the Toronto area in the early 1840s. Both the bride and groom were identified as residents of Scarboro (Scarborough, a municipality recently amalgamated into the city of Toronto). St. Lawrence County, New York I have come across at least one researcher with an interest in this county. A quick review of a map shows that Prescott, Ontario (where Cornelius Porteous and other people assisted by the Montreal Emigrant Society) is across the river from Ogdensburg, New York. Could it be that there is a connection between Cornelius and the Porteous families in St. Lawrence County? A Michigan Connection It may be that some of Cornelius' 8 children died relatively young. I also have a suspicion, based on scraps of information, that at least one descendant ended up in Michigan. That descendant would have been Robert. In fact, research following the writing of this paragraph provides extremely strong evidence of this conclusion. I know that there was a Marsden Portus living in Reach Township ca. 1832 who later moved to Biddulph Township in western Ontario, and who then migrated to Michigan. I believe that Marsden Portus came from Lastingham, Yorkshire, and is somehow distantly related to us (some of my "evidence" is simply the extremely close resemblance one of his descendants in Osceola County, Michigan bears to my brother). My connection to Cornelius, his son Robert, and his grandson, Cornelius, on the other hand, may be much closer. Update: The brother of the person who bore a strong resemblance to my dad and uncles is related to me based on a DNA match. 1870 Census The 1870 Michigan census (Saginaw, 12 Jul 1870) contains an entry for a 29 year-old brickyard worker named Cornelius Porteous who was born in Canada. This indicates that at least one of Cornelius' (b. 1784) children may have married and had children in Canada in the late 1830s or early 1840s. If so, the father would have been one of "Christmas" (possibly Christian), Cornelius, Robert, Thomas or Joseph. Browns' Toronto General Directory of 1856 shows an entry for a "Miss M.L.A. Porteous" who was living on the south side of Queen Street West at the time. The directory for 1861 shows a Thomas H. Portas, auctioneer, at 120 King Street East (north side). Might Miss Porteous have been Thomas' daughter, and Thomas in turn one of Cornelius' sons? It's hard to know whether the "H." in Portas is a transcription error (the city directories contained plenty of such errors) or whether we should rule out Thomas as a potential family member based on the initial. [Update: the obituary for the Canadian-born Cornelius indicates that he was born in Toronto!] If we look at another 1870 Michigan census entry, again for Saginaw, we see an entry for a 57 year-old Robert Porteous, born in England with a 31 year-old son named Cornelius, who, coincidentally, also worked in a brickyard. I believe we can safely conclude that the two Cornelius entries are for the same person and that Robert is the same Robert who was born in Catton, Yorkshire in 1813. Incidentally, if my theories about our Dunnington and Elvington origins are correct, then my gg-grandfather's older brother William lived in Low Catton for many years. Here is the relevant Michigan census excerpt: Here is my transcript of the above entries (all individuals were identified as "white"); I've added an estimated year of birth: Surname Given Age Sex Occupation Birth Place Estimated DOB   Porteous Robert 57 M Lumberman England 1813     Mary Ann 55 F Keeping House England 1815     Alice 30 F At Home Canada 1840 Died in 1884   Cornelius 31 M Works in Brick Yard Canada 1839 Died in 1932   Harriet 17 F At Home Canada 1853 Died in 1873   Charity 15 F At Home Canada 1855     Margret 13 F Attends School Canada 1857 Died in 1873   Charles 11 M Attends School Canada 1859   The conclusions I have drawn from the 1870 census are as follows: The children were born somewhere in Canada, most likely Ontario, between approximately 1839 and 1859. There is a considerable age gap between Alice and the next younger child: 13 years. This might mean that Robert was widowed and remarried circa 1852, or that records do not exist, or that they did not have children during that period, or, lastly, that any children born during that period died before the census. On June 6, 2004, I did another search of the 1870 census index and was able to find another of Robert's children, Joseph, together with Joseph's wife and son. The index gave Joseph's surname as "Porcheous": Here is my transcription of the above census page image: Name Age Sex Color Profession Birthplace PORCHEOUS, Joseph 30 M W Works in Saw Mill Canada PORCHEOUS, Sarah 30 F W Keeping House Ireland PORCHEOUS, Fredrick 2 M W Michigan 1880 Census More useful information came from the 1880 census at www.familysearch.org, first for Cornelius: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Bplc Mother's Bplc John MC QUIGGIN Self M Male W 32 CAN Laborer IRE NEW BRUNSWICK Alice MC QUIGGIN Wife M Female W 42 CAN Keeping House ENG ENG Eugene MC QUIGGIN Son S Male W 3 MI CAN CAN Henry BURTCH SonL S Male W 14 CAN Laborer CAN CAN Cornelius PORTIONS BroL W Male W 40 CAN Laborer ENG ENG The above indicates that Cornelius is living with his sister, Alice, and her husband. ...and then for Robert (Cornelius' father) and his wife, Mary: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Bplc Mother's Bplc Robert PORTOUS Self M Male W 65 ENG Farmer ENG ENG Mary A. PORTOUS Wife M Female W 64 ENG Keeping House ENG ENG Jennie BIRCH GDau S Female W 12 CAN At School CAN CAN My initial assumption is that two of Robert and Mary Ann's daughters lived long enough to marry, and that at least one daughter had a child named Jennie. It appears that one daughter married a McQuiggan (or possibly McDuggan) and the other a Birch (spellings vary). A review of the death record database at http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/gendisx/search2.htm suggests that Robert's daughter Alice married a McDuggan. I was able to find an entry for Joseph Porteous at www.familysearch.org: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Joseph PORTEOUS Self M Male W 29 CAN Laborer Sarah PORTEOUS Wife M Female W 38 IRE Keeping House Fred PORTEOUS Son S Male W 13 CAN At Home Information on the 1870 census (see above) tends to indicate that Joseph's age on the 1880 census should be 39, and not 29. Saginaw Finally, I also have the following 1890 and 1891 Saginaw, Michigan city directory excerpts: Name Occupation Location Cornelius Porteous laborer boards 809 S Webster Frederick Porteous laborer boards 706 N Webster Joseph Porteous laborer 706 N Webster Robert J Porteous laborer 809 S Webster   Cornelius Porteous laborer boards 809 S Webster, w s Frederick Porteous laborer boards 706 N Webster, w s Joseph Porteous laborer 706 N Webster, w s Robert J Porteous laborer 809 S Webster, w s Additional Information A search of the resources of the Saginaw Public Library resulted in some interesting information that I will eventually confirm by ordering the relevant documents: Obituary Record   Index SAGINAW DAILY NEWS Tuesday, January 12, 1932 (14) Name PORTEOUS, CORNELIUS Age 93 Place of Birth TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA Date of Death 01/00/1932 Miscellaneous Cemetery OAKWOOD Also: Index: SAGINAW DAILY NEWS Sunday, January 1, 1928 ("DEATHS OF 1927") Name: PORTEOUS, JOSEPH Date of Birth: 00/ 00/1841 Date of Death: Monday, December 26, 1927 Yet another Porteous entry taken from the Saginaw Library's name index: Note: A search of the UK 1881 census shows a number of qualifying individuals (by the name of Joseph Porteous, and who were born shortly before the census was taken) with the following places of birth: • Camberwell, Surrey, England • Earsdon, Northumberland, England • Liverpool, Lancashire, England Index: SAGINAW NEWS   Wednesday, February 12, 1969 (F6)   Name: PORTEOUS, JAMES A. Spouse's Name: MAUDE CHAMBERS     Spouse's Death:   Age: 87 Date of Birth: Wednesday, March 16, 1881 Place of Birth: ENGLAND Date of Death: Tuesday, February 11, 1969 Place of Death: BRIDGEPORT, MI Miscellaneous   Year moved to US/Saginaw: SAGINAW 1921 Misc: MARRIED IN ENGLAND/RETIRED GREY IRON Church: ST. JOHN EPISC. Funeral Home: CASE Other information includes death details regarding Harriet and Margery or Margaret (two of Robert Porteous' children): Name Harriet Margery or Margaret: Date of death 25-Oct-1873 25-Mar-1873 Ledger Page 66 66 Record Number 2893 2892 Place of death Saginaw City Saginaw City County of Death Saginaw Saginaw Sex Female Female Race White White Marital Status Single Single Age 21 years 16 years Cause of Death Consumption Spinal Disease Birthplace Canada Canada Occupation Father's Name Porteous, Robert J Porteous, Robert J Father's Residence Saginaw City Saginaw City Mother's Name Porteous, Mary Porteous, Mary Mother's Residence Date of record 1-Jul-1874 1-Jul-1874 Finally, here is yet another extraordinary find... an excerpt from Polk's 1923 Saginaw directory! Next Steps Did Robert and Mary Ann's sons Cornelius and Charles marry and have children? If not, then we will have hit a dead end, at least in terms of research, since the task of tracking down their daughters will be considerably more difficult. Knowing where in Canada the children were born would also be very useful. The Saginaw information uncovered above may prove helpful in this regard, particularly if an obituary for Cornelius Porteous can be obtained. What additional resources might we consult to unravel this mystery and which might even lead us to present-day descendants? Update: April 4, 2004 I received a number of very useful documents from the Saginaw Library in today's mail. It will take some time to transcribe and decipher them and weed out any inconsistencies. I'll present the obituaries in order by date. The first pertains to Robert J. Porteous, son of the Cornelius Porteous who emigrated to Canada from Yorkshire in 1832: From the Saginaw Evening News, Tuesday, 17 October 1893 Had Lived Here Many Years. Robert J. Porteous, who died at his home, 809 South Webster street, yesterday was 70 years old. His death was not unexpected, as he had been ill for some time. Mr. Porteous was born in Yorkshire, England, June 30, 1823. He had resided in Saginaw for thirty years. He leaves a wife, three sons, Joseph and Cornelius, of this city, and Charles, of Paine, St. Ignace and three daughters, Mrs. Robert Nethercott and Mrs. John Gregg, of this city, and Mrs. W.H. Wright, of Freeland. He leaves one brother, Charles Porteous, of Milwaukee, Wis. I found a reference to a Charles Porteous of Milwaukee, Wisconsin at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org as follows: Porteus, Charles R. (1868 - 1943) from Wisconsin Necrology, vol. 48, page(s) 252. Perhaps Charles was a nephew of Robert J. Porteous. On Tuesday, June 20, 2006, I stumbled across marriage transcription which places Robert J. Porteous and his family in at least two Ontario, Canada locations (the marriage transcription that follows the one below contains far less detail): Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1857-1922 Mary Ann Porteous Name: Mary Ann Porteous Birth Place: Oakville Residence: Vienna Age: 19 Father Name: Robert Mother Name: Mary Ann Estimated Birth Year: 1843 Spouse Name: Robert Nethercott Spouse's Age: 20 Spouse Birth Place: Kingston Spouse Residence: Vienna Spouse Estimated Birth Year: 1842 Spouse Father Name: Joseph Spouse Mother Name : Elizabeth Marriage Date: 28 Apr 1862 Marriage County: Elgin Family History Library Microfilm: 1030055 and 1030056 Source: Indexed by: Genealogical Research Library From the above, it seems that Mary Ann's parents, Robert and Mary Ann Porteous, were living in the Oakville area in 1842-1843 and in Vienna, Elgin Township, Ontario in 1862 at the time of the marriage. Comments Based on the 1870 and 1880 censuses, when his age is given as 57 and 65, respectively, I still believe that Robert was born in Yorkshire in 1813. As Robert was christened July 3, 1813, a birth of June 30 with a christening a few days later seems reasonable. The Nethercott name is unusual enough to facilitate a search. Here is what I found at www.familysearch.org (1880 US census): Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace Robert NETHERCUT Self M Male W 36 CAN Laborer ENG ENG Mary NETHERCUT Wife M Female W 34 CAN Keeps House ENG ENG Frank NETHERCUT Son S Male W 17 CAN Laborer CAN CAN Carrie NETHERCUT Dau S Female W 15 CAN At School CAN CAN Benjamin NETHERCUT Son S Male W 12 CAN At School CAN CAN and a potential marriage record: ROBERT NETHERCOTT Marriages: Spouse: MARY ANN PORTEOUS Marriage: 28 APR 1862 Elgin, Ontario &nsbp; Source Information Batch No. Dates Source Call No. Type Printout Call No. M541772 1858 - 1862 1030055 V. 7 Film NONE Which "Elgin" might this have been. There is a town in Eastern Ontario by this name, but I believe it is more likely that the marriage took place in Elgin Township. Here, from an 1871 Ontario census index, is where I found heads of household named Nethercott: Area 1 (north-east of Toronto)         * Ashburnham, Peterborough East, Ontario         * Monahan South, Peterborough West, Ontario Area 2 (south-western Ontario) • Bayham, Elgin East, Ontario • Elma, Perth North, Ontario • Fullarton, Perth South, Ontario • Logan, Perth North, Ontario • Melancthon, Grey East, Ontario • Mosa, Middlesex East, Ontario • St Thomas, Elgin East, Ontario Area 3 Toronto, York, Ontario From the Saginaw Courier Herald, Friday, 24 March 1905 Porteous--Mary Ann, widow of the late Robert Porteous, died at the home of her son, Cornelius Porteous at an early hour yesterday morning after a brief illness. A short time ago she contracted a severe cold which was the immediate cause of death. Mrs. Porteous was born in England May 3, 1837. When she was yet a child, her parents removed to Canada. At the age of 18 she was united in marriage with the late Robert Porteous at Ogdensburg. The family came to Saginaw in 1868, and this city has since been their home. Mr. Porteous died in 1894. Mrs. Porteous was essentially a home woman, and devoted her life to her family. She was the mother of 13 children, six of whom survive. They are Cornelius, Joseph and Charles Porteous of this city: Mrs. Robert Nethercott, Mrs. Mary Gregg of this city, and Mrs. Chrissy Wright of Freeland. There are nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren living. The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock from St. John's church, of which the deceased was a member. The interment will be in Oakwood. Comments I believe that some if not all of the dates above may be incorrect. In the 1870 census, Mary Ann gave her age as 55, and in the 1880 census, as 64. The ages on these censuses seem to be more accurate, particularly with respect to the ages of Mary Ann's children. On the basis of the 1870 census, Mary Ann Porteous would have to have been born circa 1815. Further, this would mean that she would have married her husband Robert around 1833 (assuming the stated age of 18 at the time of her marriage is "correct"). Note: this might be St. John's church: St. John's Episcopal Church 123 North Michigan Ave. Saginaw, Michigan 48602 From the Saginaw Evening News, Saturday, 25 March 1905 The funeral of Mrs. Mary Porteous took place Saturday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock from St. John's church, Rev. Emil Montanus officiating, a brief service having been held a half hour previous at the home of her son, Cornelius, 224 South Hamilton street. The attendance was large and the pallbearers were all grandchildren of the deceased, Fred Porteous, George Wright, Claud Gregg, Cleve Gregg, Grover Porteous and Frank Nethercott. The interment was in Oakwood cemetery. From the Saginaw Daily News, Tuesday 12 January 1932 PORTEOUS - Cornelius Porteous, 93, a former resident of Saginaw, died Monday at the home of his niece, Mrs. Victor J. Gorzycki, [?]7197 Ward Street, Detroit. He was born April illegible, 1839 at Toronto, Ont. Surviving is a sister, Mrs. Christine Davis, Lansing. The funeral will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Case Chapel, Rev. Emil Montanus will officiate and burial will be at Oakwood. A descendancy chart that summarizes the family of Cornelius Porteous as I know it: Level Name DOB Died 1 Cornelius PORTAS c. 24 Oct 1784           + Helen BROWN            2 Charles PORTEOUS            2 Christmas PORTAS b. 7 Jan 1809          2 Cornelius PORTAS b. 4 Mar 1811          2 Robert PORTEOUS b. 3 Jul 1813 d. 16 Oct 1893       + Mary Ann b. Abt 1815 d. 23 Mar 1905          3 Joseph PORTEOUS                 + Sarah                     4 Frederick PORTEOUS b. Abt 1868                   4 Violet PORTEOUS b. 20 Feb 1888 Speculative Entry          3 Charles PORTEOUS                3 Mary PORTEOUS             + John GREGG                3 Chrissy PORTEOUS             W.H. WRIGHT                3 Mary Ann PORTEOUS             + Robert NETHERCOTT                3 Alice PORTEOUS b. 12 Jan 1837 d. 14 Jan 1884       + John H. MCDUGGAN b. Abt 1848              3 Cornelius PORTEOUS b. Abt 1839 d. 11 Jan 1932          3 Harriet PORTEOUS b. Abt 1852 d. 25 Oct 1873          3 Margaret PORTEOUS b. Abt 1857 d. 25 Mar 1873      2 Thomas Pearcy PORTAS c. 22 Feb 1818          2 Elles Theodosia PORTAS c. 8 Nov 1820          2 Charlotte Margaret PORTAS c. 29 Dec 1822          2 Joseph Brown PORTAS c. 10 Jul 1825          2 Harriet Amelia PORTAS c. 9 Apr 1830

Introduction Several years ago, I came across an online reference for a Cornelius Porteous through a search at www.ingeneas.com. I subsequently ordered the relevant document from the National Archives of Canada. The name 'Cornelius' is relatively rare, and certainly more so in conjunction with the 'Porteous' surname. What tweaked my interest is that the document showed that Cornelius was from Yorkshire and I already knew of a Cornelius Porteous of Dunnington, Yorkshire, the same village where I believe my ggg-grandfather, George Porteous, was born. There is a good possibility that George and Cornelius were brothers. There is some chance that the Cornelius Porteous who was born 4-Mar-1811 in Osbaldwick (see below) did not emigrate with his family to Canada. There are two marriages of a Cornelius Porteous that I am following up on, and I have also located a death index entry on FreeBMD that may be for him. I'm also repeating a birth entry for Cornelius here: • Conelius Porteus, Male, Christening, 4-Mar-1811, Osbaldwick, Yorkshire, England, Parents are Cornelius Porteus and Elless • Cornelius Porteaus, 22 MAY 1837 Whitgift, Yorkshire, England (to Maria Parkin) • Cornelius Porteous, 12 FEB 1854 Saint Leonards, Shoreditch, London, England (to Ann Kendon) • Deaths, Sep 1876. Porteous, Cornelius, 55, Leek, 6b, 163 (this suggests a DOB of 1821, but I suspect a mistake was made in his age at the time of his death) This article, in three parts, discusses what I have been able to learn thus far. Go to Cornelius Porteous Part 2 or Cornelius Porteous Part 3 of this article. The National Archives document is summarized as follows: Year 1832 Record Source Montreal Emigrant Society Passage Book Reel H-962 Volume 46 Item 241 Comments Sent to Prescott Prescott, Ontario is directly across the St. Lawrence River from Ogdensburg, New York: Here is an image of the National Archives document: Cornelius' Birth and Marriage I reviewed the International Genealogical Index at www.familysearch.org and found the following entries for a Cornelius Porteous and his family: Cornelius PORTAS M C 1-Feb-1778 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Cornelius PORTAS M C 24-Oct-1784 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS   Cornelius PORTEOUS M M 11-Dec-1808 Dunnington Near York Helen BROWN   Christmas PORTEOUS M C 7-Jan-1809 Langtoft With Cottam Cornelius PORTEOUS, Alice Conelius PORTEUS M C 4-Mar-1811 Osbaldwick, Yorkshire Cornelius PORTEUS, Elless... Robert PORTEOUS M C 3-Jul-1813 Catton Near York Cornelius PORTEOUS, Ellen Thomas Pearcy PORTAS M C 22-Feb-1818 Catton Near York Cornelious PORTAS, Ellen Elles_ Theodosia PORTEUS F C 8-Nov-1820 Catton Near York Cornelious PORTEUS, Elles... Charlotte Margaret PORTEUS F C 29-Dec-1822 Wilberfoss Cornelius PORTEUS, Ellen Joseph Brown PORTEUS M C 10-Jul-1825 Dunnington Near York Cornelius PORTEUS, Ellin Harriet Amelia PORTEUS F C 9-Apr-1830 Dunnington Near York Cornelius PORTEUS, Alice I believe we can conclude the following from the above table: Cornelius had an older brother with the same name who was christened in 1778 and who died before Cornelius was born in Dunnington, Yorkshire (near York) in 1784. Cornelius' father was William Portas, and Portas is yet another variation on our surname. Cornelius appears to have lived in a variety of places in Yorkshire. He married "Helen" (or possibly Ellen or Alice) Brown in Dunnington in 1808, but the first of his 8 known children was born some 30 miles away in Langtoft With Cottam, Yorkshire. He appears to have returned to the village of Dunnington no later than the summer of 1825. Cornelius' Siblings Let's look back to see who Cornelius' siblings might have been: Name Sex Event Date Place Father Anne PORTAS F C 28-Oct-1766 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Dinah PORTAS F C 10-Jul-1768 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Sybel PORTAS F C 7-Jan-1770 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS George PORTAS M C 26-Aug-1770 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS William PORTAS M C 10-Nov-1771 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Ann PORTAS F C 6-Sep-1773 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Jane PORTAS F C 2-Apr-1775 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Cornelius PORTAS M C 1-Feb-1778 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS John PORTAS M C 27-Jan-1780 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Joseph PORTAS M C 28-Jul-1782 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS Cornelius PORTAS M C 24-Oct-1784 Dunnington Near York William PORTAS George PORTASS M C 3-Dec-1789 Dunnington Near York William PORTASS There are numerous children born to a William Portas (and variations) in Dunnington near York, including a good number before Anne in 1766. The last recorded christening prior to 1766 was in 1757, nearly 10 years earlier, so it is likely that the 1757 child (also named Anne) was fathered by another William Portas (possibly Cornelius' grandfather). It is also possible that George Porteous, who was born in 1789 - 5 years after Cornelius - may be the son of Cornelius' brother, William, who was born in 1771, and therefore a nephew of Cornelius', not a brother. Further research is required to determine just how many William Porteouses there may have been in Dunnington or the area (we need to look at all marriages of Williams in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and possibly elsewhere as well). There is also some possibility that William's first wife died and that he remarried. The IGI has a marriage as follows: William PORTAS to Mary HARTON 07-Nov-1769 Saint Savior, York, Yorkshire Note: I believe that George Porteous (b. 1789) is my ggg-grandfather. It is likely that he is the same person who married Ann Simpson in Dunnington in April, 1809. My research indicates that George and Ann later moved to Elvington, Yorkshire where my gg-grandfather, also named George, was born in 1818. The younger George may be the same person who emigrated to what is now Ontario no later than 1845. The evidence suggests that George may have lived in Markham Township, York County (not far from Toronto) for a short period of time, but later moved to Reach Township (near present-day Port Perry). Marriages The document excerpt below is from a parish register of Dunnington, Yorkshire. It shows the marriages of both Cornelius (to Helen Brown) and George (to Ann Simpson): In any event, the Cornelius Porteous who was born in Dunnington, just outside of York in 1784 is most likely the same person whose 1832 passage to Canada was assisted by the Montreal Emigrant Society. The New World The next step will be to see what happened to Cornelius' and his various siblings. It is possible that his daughter, Elles Theodosia, may in fact be the Ellen Porteous who married a James Rogers in the Toronto area in the early 1840s. Both the bride and groom were identified as residents of Scarboro (Scarborough, a municipality recently amalgamated into the city of Toronto). St. Lawrence County, New York I have come across at least one researcher with an interest in this county. A quick review of a map shows that Prescott, Ontario (where Cornelius Porteous and other people assisted by the Montreal Emigrant Society) is across the river from Ogdensburg, New York. Could it be that there is a connection between Cornelius and the Porteous families in St. Lawrence County? A Michigan Connection It may be that some of Cornelius' 8 children died relatively young. I also have a suspicion, based on scraps of information, that at least one descendant ended up in Michigan. That descendant would have been Robert. In fact, research following the writing of this paragraph provides extremely strong evidence of this conclusion. I know that there was a Marsden Portus living in Reach Township ca. 1832 who later moved to Biddulph Township in western Ontario, and who then migrated to Michigan. I believe that Marsden Portus came from Lastingham, Yorkshire, and is somehow distantly related to us (some of my "evidence" is simply the extremely close resemblance one of his descendants in Osceola County, Michigan bears to my brother). UPDATE: I have heard from one of the people in Osceola County: we have a DNA match. My connection to Cornelius, his son Robert, and his grandson, Cornelius, on the other hand, may be much closer. 1870 Census The 1870 Michigan census (Saginaw, 12 Jul 1870) contains an entry for a 29 year-old brickyard worker named Cornelius Porteous who was born in Canada. This indicates that at least one of Cornelius' (b. 1784) children may have married and had children in Canada in the late 1830s or early 1840s. If so, the father would have been one of "Christmas" (possibly Christian), Cornelius, Robert, Thomas or Joseph. Browns' Toronto General Directory of 1856 shows an entry for a "Miss M.L.A. Porteous" who was living on the south side of Queen Street West at the time. The directory for 1861 shows a Thomas H. Portas, auctioneer, at 120 King Street East (north side). Might Miss Porteous have been Thomas' daughter, and Thomas in turn one of Cornelius' sons? It's hard to know whether the "H." in Portas is a transcription error (the city directories contained plenty of such errors) or whether we should rule out Thomas as a potential family member based on the initial. [Update: the obituary for the Canadian-born Cornelius indicates that he was born in Toronto!] If we look at another 1870 Michigan census entry, again for Saginaw, we see an entry for a 57 year-old Robert Porteous, born in England with a 31 year-old son named Cornelius, who, coincidentally, also worked in a brickyard. I believe we can safely conclude that the two Cornelius entries are for the same person and that Robert is the same Robert who was born in Catton, Yorkshire in 1813. Incidentally, if my theories about our Dunnington and Elvington origins are correct, then my gg-grandfather's older brother William lived in Low Catton for many years. Here is the relevant Michigan census excerpt: Here is my transcript of the above entries (all individuals were identified as "white"); I've added an estimated year of birth: Surname Given Age Sex Occupation Birth Place Estimated DOB   Porteous Robert 57 M Lumberman England 1813     Mary Ann 55 F Keeping House England 1815     Alice 30 F At Home Canada 1840 Died in 1884   Cornelius 31 M Works in Brick Yard Canada 1839 Died in 1932   Harriet 17 F At Home Canada 1853 Died in 1873   Charity 15 F At Home Canada 1855     Margret 13 F Attends School Canada 1857 Died in 1873   Charles 11 M Attends School Canada 1859   The conclusions I have drawn from the 1870 census are as follows: The children were born somewhere in Canada, most likely Ontario, between approximately 1839 and 1859. There is a considerable age gap between Alice and the next younger child: 13 years. This might mean that Robert was widowed and remarried circa 1852, or that records do not exist, or that they did not have children during that period, or, lastly, that any children born during that period died before the census. On June 6, 2004, I did another search of the 1870 census index and was able to find another of Robert's children, Joseph, together with Joseph's wife and son. The index gave Joseph's surname as "Porcheous": Here is my transcription of the above census page image: Name Age Sex Color Profession Birthplace PORCHEOUS, Joseph 30 M W Works in Saw Mill Canada PORCHEOUS, Sarah 30 F W Keeping House Ireland PORCHEOUS, Fredrick 2 M W Michigan 1880 Census More useful information came from the 1880 census at www.familysearch.org, first for Cornelius: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Bplc Mother's Bplc John MC QUIGGIN Self M Male W 32 CAN Laborer IRE NEW BRUNSWICK Alice MC QUIGGIN Wife M Female W 42 CAN Keeping House ENG ENG Eugene MC QUIGGIN Son S Male W 3 MI CAN CAN Henry BURTCH SonL S Male W 14 CAN Laborer CAN CAN Cornelius PORTIONS BroL W Male W 40 CAN Laborer ENG ENG The above indicates that Cornelius is living with his sister, Alice, and her husband. ...and then for Robert (Cornelius' father) and his wife, Mary: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Bplc Mother's Bplc Robert PORTOUS Self M Male W 65 ENG Farmer ENG ENG Mary A. PORTOUS Wife M Female W 64 ENG Keeping House ENG ENG Jennie BIRCH GDau S Female W 12 CAN At School CAN CAN My initial assumption is that two of Robert and Mary Ann's daughters lived long enough to marry, and that at least one daughter had a child named Jennie. It appears that one daughter married a McQuiggan (or possibly McDuggan) and the other a Birch (spellings vary). A review of the death record database at http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/gendisx/search2.htm suggests that Robert's daughter Alice married a McDuggan. I was able to find an entry for Joseph Porteous at www.familysearch.org: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Joseph PORTEOUS Self M Male W 29 CAN Laborer Sarah PORTEOUS Wife M Female W 38 IRE Keeping House Fred PORTEOUS Son S Male W 13 CAN At Home Information on the 1870 census (see above) tends to indicate that Joseph's age on the 1880 census should be 39, and not 29. This article is continued in: • Part 2 (Cornelius Porteous Part 2) and • Part 3 (Cornelius Porteous Part 3) Attached files: img_1870MI_JosephPorteous.jpg  img_1870MI_RobertPorteous.jpg  img_CorneliusPorteous.jpg  img_Prescott-Ogdensburg.jpg  img_YorkshireMarriages.jpg