The Family of Daniel KEITHThomas Fergusson BLACKWOOD (1833-1896) oldest son of John BLACKWOOD and Mary KEITHThomas Ferguson BLACKWOOD was the oldest child of Mary KEITH and John BLACKWOOD. Mary already had a daughter (Jane) from her brief marriage to William PORTER see Mary's story here).
Birth in MontrealThomas Ferguson was born 27 December 1833 in Montreal, Canada and baptised at the Protestant St. Gabriel Church in Montreal on 6 March 1834. The witnesses to the baptism were Thomas BLACKWOOD (Junior), Mary KEITH, Thomas BLACKWOOD, James BLACKWOOD and Margaret BLACKWOOD.
Thomas grew up in Montreal. His father died in 1854. In the 1863 directory he was living with his mother at 6 St Georges Place, 40 Cathcart St (near the Christ Church Cathedral in central Montreal) and was working for Elliot & Co. who I think were dry goods store.
Marriage to Eliza Sarah MUSSENThomas married Eliza Sarah MUSSEN on 10 May 1865 at Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal. Sarah had been born in Montreal on 14 July 1838 and baptised on 10 December 1838 to Thomas MUSSEN and Eliza Sara (FRASER). Thomas was a shop owner selling haberdashery and dry goods.
Work RecordsShortly after their marriage Thomas and Eliza moved to Toronto, living in Jarvis St. In 1874 they were living at William St, Yorkville, Toronto and Thomas was working as a manager for J. MacNab & Co (dry goods merchant). In 1878 he was now a "broker" living at 16 Front St East. The census records for 1871 tell us Thomas worked as a bookkeeper, but on 1 July 1881 he joined the Civil Service as a Customs Appraiser on a salary of $CAD1500 per year. By 1895 his salary had risen to $1800 (about $CAD50,000 today. Note that on the list Mr Charles Baker had been in the job for 9 years longer than Thomas but his rise was only $100.
Thomas was highly regarded as a customs appraiser, as this news article shows.
ChildrenIn Toronto Thomas and Sarah first lived in Jarvis St, then 61 William St, Yorkville. In 1886 they were at 93 Yorkville Ave and by 1895 they were living at 6 Dunbar St. Thomas and Mary had four children.
The Masonic Lodge and other activitiesThomas joined the Masons in Toronto on 27 December 1859 and was instrumental in established a new Lodge in Yorkville, later to be named the Blackwood Lodge No. 311. They met initially in the rooms above the hardware store in Woodbridge. This building is now preserved in the Black Creek Pioneer Village in Woodbridge.
Thomas was also a member of a La Crosse team:
Census recordsThe census records for Canada are unusual in that they did not record residential addresses until 1911.
Death of Thomas BLACKWOODThomas died on 25 May 1896 of "increasing debility", although the newspapers reported the cause of death was "cancer". He had travelled to Montreal for medical treatment but died there. His body was transported back to Toronto for the funeral and he was buried in the Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, plot F15/18.
Later life of Eliza Sarah BLACKWOODAfter Thomas died Eliza remained in Toronto with the children. In 1892 the family was living at 6 Dunbar Rd, where son Arthur was a shipper with HW Petrie and Charles was a clerk with AR WIlliams, but in 1895, just before Thomas died, both were "students" at the same address.
By the time of the 1901 census Arthur and Thomas had left home.
Eliza Sarah died on 22 August 1915 at her family home of 96 South Drive, Toronto. She may have been buried in the Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, but her death is recorded on the MUSSEN family tomb in the Cimitiere Mont-Royal in Montreal. Her Will was proved in Toronto. It proved to be of considerable interest to the local paper, no doubr because Eliza BLACKWOOD and her daughters were well known in Toronto society.
Eliza was survived by her four children: Florence Maude (who had married Adam Anderson about 6 weeks prior), Arthur Ernest (now resident in New York), Charles Keith (living in Chicago) and Ada Beatrice (living in Toronto). Settling her Will would have presented difficulties if the paperwork created by her ownership of 20 shares in the Chicago and 10 shares in the Great Northern railroads was a guide. Her estate was estimated at $164,463.20. The four children were assessed for Inheritance tax in Wisconsin and had to pay $6.88 each but this was discounted by 5% to $6.54 after the examination of Special Administrator J.C. Harper.
The Children of Thomas BLACKWOOD and Eliza Sarah MUSSENFlorence Maude BLACKWOOD (1867-1943)Florence Maude was born 23 June 1867 according to the census returns, although the 1901 census gives the year as 1872, which is wrong. She was living with her parents at the time of the 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911. Florence eventually married Adam Clarke ANDERSON in Toronto on 23 June 1915. This was her 48th birthday and about 6 weeks before her mother died. Adam was aged 60 and divorced. The couple did not have any children.
Adam was the son of William ANDERSON and Margaret (LANGRALL). He was born 13 February 1853 and baptised 28 April 1863 in the Wesleyan Baptist Chapel, Toronto. Adam died in Toronto on 18 September 1933, aged 78. He was buried in the Mt Pleasant Cemetery in north Toronto in the family mausoluem Row 61 level D. After Adam died, Florence went to live with her sister Ada Beatrice in the family home at 96 South Drive. Florence died at 96 South Drive on 20 February 1943 and was also buried in the Mt Pleasant Cemetery, alongside other BLACKWOOD graves and near the grave of William McMASTER.
Arthur Ernest BLACKWOODArthur was born in Toronto on 8 August 1868. He is recorded in the 1871 and 1881 censuses with his parents. In 1891 Arthur and his brother Charles are living with Robert Montgomery and family in York East. Robert was a bank manager. Arthur was a "Wholesale hardware merchant" and Charles a "Machinery Broker".
In the 1895 Toronto City Directory, Arthur, Charles and their father Thomas were living at 6 Dunbar Rd. Arthur married Elma May WALTON in Toronto on 5 October 1898.
Shortly after marriage the couple moved to New York where their son Thomas Makepeace was born on 12 July 1899. The family are in the 1900 US census living in Tenafly Road, Englewood, New York. Young Thomas was 10 months old and the family employed a servant Margaret Rynn aged 19 and from Ireland.
Shortly after the 1920 census Arthur and Elma moved to Evanston, Illinois. They are in the 1922 directory living at 682 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, Illinois, which is where they lived for the rest of their lives. Arthur became a naturalized American citizen on 12 January 1926. In the 1935 directory, Arthur is listed as the Vice-President of Sullivan Machinery Co, and his son Thomas, also living at 682 Lincoln Ave, was the manager. In fact Arthur had been appointed the President (i.e. CEO) of the Sullivan Machinery Company in January 1929 upon the sudden death (on 10 November 1928 from peritonitis) of the president Frederick K. Copeland.
Arthur died on 23 March 1942 and was buried 2 days later. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Michigan City, Indiana rather
than in Evanston or Chicago. It would appear that his son Thomas Makepeace lived in Michigan City at the time.
Charles Keith BLACKWOODCharles Keith was born 27 March 1870 in Toronto, the third child of Thomas and Eliza. Charles became an accountant and joined the Sullivan Machinery Company with his father. He married Euretta T HOLMES in Detroit on 12 June 1901. HIs age was given as 39 and hers as 38. There is some discrepencies in her year of birth. The records range from 1859 to 1864, with the 1870 and 1880 census giving her age as 10 and 20 respectively, consistent with another record giving her date of birth as 8 August 1859.
It would appear that Charles and Euretta did not have any children. He became a naturalised US citizen in 1902. He applied for a US passport in 1904 and again in 1917. Charles and Euretta travelled to Britain in 1914. They returned from Liverpool to New York on the Mauretania, departing 16 May and arriving on 22 May. Note that war was declared on 4 August 1914.
Charles Keith died on 14 December 1919 at Kenilworth, Cook County, Illinois.
After Charles died Euretta contined to live in Detroit. At some stage around 1923 she moved to Pasadena in California. She is listed in the City Directory for 1923 through to 1939 living at 196 Bellefontaine St, Pasadena. She also travelled extensively, with shipping records for various overseas trips. In the 1930 census her details are overwritten with "travelling in Europe".
Euretta Blackwood died in Pasadena, California on 20 October 1947. It is not clear from the records where she was buried, but there is a memorial to her in the family plot at Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit.
Ada Beatrice BLACKWOODAda was born at William St, Yorkville in Toronto on 2 May 1872. She is recorded in the 1891, 1901 and 1911 Canadian censuses with her parents. In 1911 they wre living at 96 South Drive, Toronto. She is alone in the 1921 census at 96 South Dr and is shown as the owner. Ada lived here nearly all of her life. She appears to have inherited the house from her mother when she died in 1915. Ada, as with her mother, was a member of the Torontonian Society, a grouping of the older families in Toronto. She is recorded in their "Blue Book":
She is recorded in the electoral rolls through the 1930s to 1950s. She is in the 1958 roll (Rosedale Polling Division 96) at 96 South Drive but in the 1962 roll that address has new occupants.
Death of Ada Beatrice BLACKWOODAda Beatrice died at 96 South Drive, Toronto on 6 November 1958. Her body was interred at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto. She left a legacy of nearly $140,000, that went to various charities and to her grand-niece Amy Makepeace BLACKWOOD (later HALBERT) and gran-nephew Bruce Walton BLACKWOOD.
Return to the Keith Family index Page Last updated: 24 March 2024 |
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