L to R. Clifford Brayshaw Thornton
and Thomas Schofield Thornton (I think) |
Thornton Family Tree
November 1999
I asked Grandpa (Clifford) Thornton years ago and he gave me some tidbits of information which I had the good sense to write down.
Later when Rose and I travelled to England we did the most basic of research. We obtained a birth certificate which appears to fit Grandpa's description. I will try and scan it for you tomorrow if I go into school. I am almost positive that this is our great-grandfather. Grandpa did see the certificate and oddly I can't recall but he probably told me that the info on the certificate was accurate or I wouldn't have kept it.
IT STATES AS FOLLOWS:
1868. Birth in the Sub-district of Cleckheaton (Grandpa knew the name of the town although wasn't sure before I obtained this certificate whether it was Click.... or Cleck.....) in the county of York (I think modern name may be Yorkshire or shire may simply be our equivalent of county). |
Born September 24th, 1868 at Cemetery Road, Cleckheaton (the woman told me we were lucky to have an address as normally you wouldn't find one.) His father was Hardwick Thornton and the mother was Rosanna Thornton formerly Powell. Harkwick was a mule spinner at a woollen mill as Grandpa had thought. Uncle Erle talks about Thorntons coming to set up a factory but I'm not so sure (Everyone likes to think their ancestors were successful). Uncle Erle also gave me a sheet with family tree information.
I met a British woman living in Canada who told me that she had spent many a sunny afternoon watching the young men play cricket in Cleckheaton and that the British considered it the most typical of small English villages (I seem to recall some other Brit agreeing with that).
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Now here is some info from Grandpa as I wrote it down. (It is probably not completely accurate)
* as a intro to this....it becomes most interesting when you start asking Grandparents for family tree information. He didn't know his parents middle names...said in those days you wouldn't dare ask such a "personal" question.
Okay here is some info.
(Lots of photographs scanned by Cliff Thornton) Joseph Thornton(great-grandfather) born approximately (I changed to 1868 and his date was within a year or two--he wasn't certain). Parents probably born in same location. He worked in woollen mills and decided to come to Canada. Oh yes, Grandpa wasn't sure if the name was Clickheaton or Cleckheaton. In fact that's how it all started with me. I asked who else knew this and he said nobody knew as nobody had asked. I took pen and pencil in hand and wrote.
Joseph appears to have had musical talent. He played in the Grand Opera House on Adelaide Street in Toronto. He played (clarinet) with his son (sax) Thomas (Tim) and grandson Clifford James in the 48th Highlanders. (Approx. 1937-1940). Grandpa remarked on how strange it was that nobody ever thought to take a picture of them together.
Employed at a rattan factory in Toronto. In Toronto he raised his family. He died in the Toronto General Hospital around 1954 at about 86. He had his leg amputated due to diabetes but did not survive (I think he only had diabetes much later in life).
Joseph had two brothers, Nash and William both of whom were married but had no children. Nash also displayed musical talent and was a bandmaster at Aurora. William (Bill) was a fruit farmer at Winnowna (spelling?????). Joseph's two sisters, Clara and Rose (now I wrote originally never married but for some reason stroked out the never. Maybe Uncle Erle told me that one or both of them had married. Anyway to continue.....They too displayed some musical ability. Clara played piano while rose played piano and sang opera. (From material I have read ...totally unrelated to family tree....most middle class homes that could afford it, owned a piano....so may be talented in today's terms but not so much then...who knows.)
Joespeh's wife, Hanna Jane Webster was born in Parry Sound (approx. March 28th, 1870). She attended the Anglican Church and was married to Joseph in St. John's Garrison Anglican Church on Portland Street in Toronto. They lived in Toronto on Robinson Street near Bathhurst. Hanna's parents, Alice Yates (Yates has different spellings but I believe this is the one Grandpa gave me) and Jim Webster returned for some time with Hanna to Liverpool. She died in about 1960 at the approximate age of 90.
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Other tidbits.
Clifford Brayshaw Thornton (our grandfather) was born at 93 Bellwood Avenue in Toronto on March 26, 1900. Years later I had Grandpa drive me by the house for a second time. He mentioned that our father, Clifford James, had been born there. I told him (hmmm) that he was mistaken and that it was him that had been born there. He asked me if perhaps he did in fact know where his own son had been born. I then figured that he had lived there for awhile, probably due to money problems or whatever and that consequently our father was born there.
More...
Grandma...Lil Spinks....had problems with her mother-in-law ( Erle and Evelyn refer to her as very much an English Lady) and Grandma obviously not into formalities....apparently found it difficult).
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Oddities about Morans.
I seem to recall that all our aunts and uncles (Morans) had two given names and used the second rather than the first in almost all cases. Now Uncle Curtis was James Curtis and other than his wife Aunt Ann, he was called by Curtis. I also seem to recall that your info or Sharon's had one of the Blackhead family names as Curtis, hence his name. Our Tony for example incorporates his mother's maiden name into his given names, Tony Francesco Grieco Thornton....Grieco being Rose's maiden name. ( I realize you know some of this basic info already but providing here in case some youngster is reading this.)
Grandpa Thornton's Siblings:
James Hardwick
Joe Clarence
Thomas (Tim)Schofield (sounds like a family name)
Beatrice Maude
Clifford Brayshaw (our grandfather & baby of the family--something he mentioned to me only once)
Grandma Thornton (nee Spinks, Lillian May)who was born at Toronto on August 30th, 1904 at Manning Avenue Boulevard.
Lillian May Spink's Siblings
Mabel (Hamilton) (b. 1900?
Lillian May (b. 1904-
Myrtle Margarite (Gadd) (b. 1906-
Hilda (MacDonald) (b. 1912-
Charles (Chuck) Edward
Mildred (Millie) Muriel (Lloyd)
Johnny Howard (b. 1918-1945?) Killed overseas in WWII
Wesley Howard (b. 1921
Shirley (Tilbey) (b. 1925- Seems right as I recall that she was our Dad's aunt even though she was younger.)
*Please remember that dates above are estimates from Grandma...not verified but probably close if not exact.
Now hang on here because things get fuzzy about Grandma's family..
Lillian May Spink's
Father: John Arthur (Edward is stroked out and replaced with Arthur and Doddy is in brackets--but Doddy might just be Daddy or their nickname for Grandpa) and he was born around 1876? at Dennison Avenue in Weston.
Mother: Mary Jane(Smith) was born on Ossington Avenue around 1874. Her father in turn may have been a Smith from Smith's Coalyard on Dupont Street. Her mother might have been a Cartier (I have Jaques Cartier--England written but that does sound a little suspicious). However, the mother died when Mary Jane was born.
*Again the information was given to me verbally by Grandma (Lillian May Thornton nee: Spinks)
Now here is some information about Moran side.
Do you remember what I said earlier about second given names?
Here is the Moran family:
Mary Elizabeth (Betty)
James Curtis
Kenneth Ronald
Mertie Rosetta Dorothy
Eileen Eloise
Ida Ruth
Sara Marilyn
In every case the first name was not used...odd...wonder why?
Sharon has the quite extensive family tree book published on the Moorehouse (Nana...Mertie Moran) family.