The Family of Daniel KEITHMary KEITH (1796-1874) - second child of Daniel KEITH and Jane McPHERSONMary KEITH was the second child of Daniel KEITH and Jane McPHERSON (see Daniel's story here). Mary was probably born in Canada around 1798 but we do not have a birth or baptism record for her.
Mary was born around 1798, almost certainly in Canada. There are no records of her baptism at the Protestant Church at Trois Rivière in Quebec, or in other Protestant churches in the Quebec area, but she could have been baptised elsewhere in Canada or privately (or not at all). The only evidence to hand that shows she was actually born in Canada is the entry in the 1871 census for Canada which gives her place of birth as Quebec (see below). From Canada to Somerset and back to CanadaMary was probably only a few months old when Daniel moved his family from Canada to Somerset in England. Her older sister Isabella would have been under two years old. In January 1811 Isabella and brother James died. A week later Daniel also died, apparently of Scarlet Fever. They were all buried at Hammersmith in London. Mary was probably aged 13 years when her father died and was now the oldest sibling. She would likely have helped her mother Jane with the younger children. Jane took the family back to Canada in 1816. There is a note in the Quebec Gazette for 30 May 1816 recording the arrival of "Mrs Keith and family", departed London on 3 April and arried in Quebec on 29 May. Assuming this is the correct family Mary would have been about 17 or 18 years old.
Marriage to William McNish PORTERThe next record we have is for Mary being married to William MacNish PORTER on 26 June 1819 at the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal. We do not know Mary's exact age but she was probably about 20 by this time. (Note that the gossip columnist Mrs Crawford claimed Mary was only sixteen when she married but although her account of events accord with the records her dates and ages are wildly askew.)
At some time between 1819 and 1823 Mary and William PORTER crossed the Atlantic to Bristol. Mrs Crawford tells us the young couple accompanied Jane KEITH and her family when she returned to St George's, Bristol. The only indication of approximate time are two newspaper reports for 1822. In June 1822 Edward Joseph KEITH was appointed as a lawyer in Montreal and on 12 November 1822 he was recorded as being counsel for George Schiller, accused of highway robbery. This is the last newspaper appearance for Edward in Canada. Assuming Edward accompanied his mother and family back to England, this suggests the family left Montreal in late 1822. On 19 June 1823 Mary had her daughter Jane PORTER baptised at St George's Church Bristol. Her place of residence was noted as "late of Montreal, Canada but now of Upper Easton" suggesting she was a recent arrival. We do not know for certain where Jane was born, whether in Montreal, on the ship, or after arrival in Bristol but the 1901 census for Canada gives her date of birth as 3 April 1830 (sic) and birth place being England. If the birth date is correct (other than the year which is clearly in error) this would agree with their travel from Montreal to Bristol in late 1822 or early 1823. (But it does raise the question of why the family would travel across the Atlantic in mid-Winter and when Mary was about 6 months pregnant.)
Death of William McNish PORTERMrs Crawford tells us that soon after their arrival in Bristol William McNish Porter travelled to Liverpool "for the purpose ... of arranging some business, and receiving a sum of money". Soon after his arrival in Liverpool William PORTER died and was was buried on 6 April 1823 in St Thomas Churchyard, Liverpool. Mrs Crawford tells us he was staying at an inn and the burial record tells us it was in Castle St. If the birth date for Jane of 3 April is correct her father William would never have known he had a daughter.
Mary returns to CanadaWe do not know how long Mary remained in England, presumably with her mother and three younger sisters (Susan, Frances and Jessica) in Bristol. But her mother died within a year on 26 March 1824. I think Mary stayed a while longer to look after the family. We do know that a year later, on 25 April 1825 Susan, Frances and Jessica joined their brother Edward Joseph and his new wife Ann McPHERSON on the ship "Mountaineer" bound for Sydney, Australia. For some reason Mary, now a widow with a two year old daughter, did not accompany them to Australia. Instead she returned to Canada. The entry in the 1901 Census for her daughter Jane gives the date for return as 1832 but this is unlikely to be correct as Mary remarried in 1831 in Canada. The entry shows Jane was two years old on entry to Canada and this is more likely, coinciding with the departure of Edward, Frances and Jessica for Australia. Marriage to John BlackwoodThe next entry for Mary is for her marriage to John BLACKWOOD on 19 March 1831 again at the Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal. She is described as the widow of the late William NcNish Porter.
As far as the records tell, Mary and John had three children.
Death of Mary KEITHMary KEITH died in Montreal on 10 March 1874. Present at her burial at Mont-Royal Cemetery were her son Thomas Ferguson Blackwood and her son-in-law Rev. Thomas Godden.
The Child of Mary KEITH and William MacNish PORTERJane PORTER (1823-1906)Jane was born prior to 19 June 1823, as she was baptised at St George, Bristol on this date. We do not know when or where she was born. Jane accompanied her mother Mary when she returned to Canada around 1825, after Mary's mother Jane KEITH had died in Bristol in 1824. Back in Canada, Jane's mother Mary married John BLACKWOOD in Montreal on 19 March 1831. John and Mary had three children who became Jane's half-siblings. The older daughter, named Mary Sophia BLACKWOOD, was about 8 years younger than Jane, but they became inseparable. Both were music teachers, living together for the rest of their lives. There is more about the life of Jane PORTER hereThe Children of Mary KEITH and and John BLACKWOODThomas Ferguson BLACKWOODThomas was born 27 Dec 1833 and baptised 6 March 1834 at the Presbyterian St Gabriel in Montreal. He married Eliza MUSSEN on 10 May 1865 at Christ Church Montreal. They had one child, John Keith GODDEN, born 2 Oct 1866.
There is more detail on Thomas's family hereMary Sophia BLACKWOODMary was baptised 4 April 1840 in Montreal, the second child of Mary (KEITH) and John BLACKWOOD. She did not marry, but lived with her mother and half-sister Jane PORTER. Mary and Jane worked as music teachers, later establishing a school for "young ladies and little boys" first in Montreal and later in Toronto. She is recorded in the various census records. In 1871 she is living with Mary her mother and her half-sister Jane Porter. In later censuses and the Toronto Directory for 1889 she is living with Jane, both working as music teachers.
Mary died 13 September 1903, at 110 Borden St, Toronto, Canada.
Margaret Henrietta BLACKWOODMargaret was born about 1842. She married the Rev. Thomas Godden on 22 October 1863 in Montreal. They had at least two sons, Edward and Clarence, as they are listed as living with their Aunt Mary in the 1881 and 1891 censuses. Margaret died in Belleville Ontario on 29 December 1897.
There is more detail on Margaret's family hereReturn to the Benton Family Index Page Last updated: 23 March 2024 |
