Tips for Solving a Challenging Genealogy Puzzle

My finding of military records for Samuel Jemmett

The following query was recently posted on Facebook: 

I have tried looking for naturalization records and immigration travel for a relative who was born in Ireland and married in Canada. Any where else I should be looking? The time frame would have been between 1873- 1895
Elizabeth Jemmet was born in Ireland 1873, (I have a birth index on her) her parents Margaret and Samuel Jemmet. Elizabeth was married in Toronto in 1893. So between that time she crossed from Ireland to Canada?
She moved to Erie New York in 1893/1894

The challenge intrigued Olive Tree Genealogy so I began looking around and here is what I found:

First I explained to KM that From 1763 to 1947, people born in the provinces and colonies of British North America were all British subjects. Taking the oath of allegiance meant becoming a British subject. Thus immigrants from Great Britain and the Commonwealth (England, Ireland, Wales or Scotland) did not have to be naturalized. See http://naturalizationrecords.com/canada/ for more info and naturalization databases

Next I made two suggestions: 

1.  There are ships passenger lists to Canada from 1869 on so you should be able to find your Elizabeth. Don't forget though that she could have come in via USA and 

2. You can narrow that date of arrival by searching for her in the 1881 and 1891 Canadian census records.

Then I started searching and that proved to be an interesting research saga! I am going to outline everything I found, and where I found it, because I think it will help others to realize that you need to keep an open mind and you need to search in more than one place.

1. Elizabeth is in the 1891 census for Toronto - badly misindexed as Elizabeth Jenmidt on Ancestry.com . Her father's name is misindexed too - as James. But a look at the image shows you it is really Samuel. He is a labourer born England and is 53 years old. Wildcards are your friend. I searched for J*m*t as the surname. Now you know she arrived before 1891.

Marriage Record Samuel & Margaret

2. I am pretty sure I've found  Samuel arriving in USA in 1881.  He is travelling alone, and is listed as a labourer born in England. As well, Margaret states in the 1915 NY Census that she arrived 1888.  Take that with a grain of salt as the immigration year is among the most mis-remembered year of any. It's wise to add a year or two on either side. See http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/ for help with passenger lists 

3.  Here's a potential candidate for Samuel - Samuel Jemmett born in Henley Oxfordshire England, enlisted in the military in 1857 at age of 19.  Started as a driver then was a gunner. He was discharged from D BATTERY 2ND BDE REGT OF ARTILLERY as a gunner. Samuel was in the mlitary 22 years, 247 days, served in Canada and India for combined total 13 years 30 days. He was in Montreal in 1866 and later. Was transferred in 1859 to 4th brigade then later to 2nd. Landed in India 1875. Discharged in 1879. Source: FindMyPast

4. Birth of Elizabeth is found registered on March 13, 1873 to Samuel and Margaret Jemmett in the Artillary Barracks Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland. Her actual date of birth was 17 February 1873 and the family is Methodist. Source: www.rootsireland.ie

5. Here's more evidence to support the Samuel I found who was a Gunner. in the 2nd Brigade His marriage to Margaret Tremble in Montreal Quebec in 1868 is mis-indexed on Ancestry as Samuel Jemmett Lunna but a look at the image shows the record to be "Samuel Jemmet Gunner in the Royal Artillery..." Source: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968. This marriage is also found in the Register of Marriages and Baptisms, 4 Brigade Royal Artillery at the
National Archives UK website at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11665166  and a copy can be ordered.

6. I found the man I believe to be Samuel in the following Census records on FamilySearch, FindMyPast and Ancestry.com :
* 1851 Henley Oxfordshire England with parents Samuel and Elizabeth and siblings Richard and Edward. He is 13 years old, an errand boy
* 1861 Woolwich, London Kent England. He is a driver for the Royal Artillery, unmarried, age 22
* 1871 not yet found
* 1881 Reading St Mary, Reading, Berkshire, England with his brother Richard. He is listed as age 45, a labourer and married, but there is no wife or daughter with him
* 1891 Toronto Ontario with wife Margaret and daughter Elizabeth
* 1901 Maidenhead, Berkshire England living alone. Listed as married, age 63, a bricklayer's labourer

7. I place Samuel on this suggested timeline:

1838: birth of Samuel
1841: 
1851: Samuel in Henley Oxfordshire with parents and siblings Richard and Edward
1857: Samuel enlists in Royal Artillery
1861: Driver for R.A. in Woolwich England
1868: Samuel in Montreal Canada married Margaret Tremble while in R.A.
1871:?
1873: Samuel in Ireland still in R.A. Daughter Ellzabeth born
1879: Discharge from R.A.
1881: Samuel with brother in Berkshire England then on ship to New York
1891: in Toronto Ontario with wife and daughter
1893: his daughter Elizabeth marries in Toronto Ontario
1900: Margaret, his wife, age 52 alone in Buffalo New York. Says she is married but no husband with her 

Reading Mercury - Saturday 13 January 1900

1900: Mention of Samuel living in Berkshire England and receiving his military medals
1901: Samuel In Berkshire England alone
1915: New York State census finds Margaret, 68 living with her married daughter and family. 

I am not done searching as this was a fun challenge to work on! There are lots of unanswered questions:

Did Samuel and Margaret separate, he going back to England, she to New York with their daughter? My own great-grandfather and great-grandmother did that so it is not that unusual. 

When did Margaret and Elizabeth leave Ireland?

Women's History Month: Irene Parlby One of the Famous Five

The Famous Five were 5 Canadian women who created a petition  in 1927 they sent to the Supreme Court of Canada to ask if women were "persons" under the law. In 1928 it was unanimously decided by the Court that the answer was "no" but in October 1929 the decision was overturned and for the first time women were legally considered "persons". 

It totally blows my mind to put this in context - my mother was 13 years old before she was considered a person. My grandmother was 35. I cannot imagine not being considered a "person". 

One of the group of Famous Five was Irene Parlby. I wanted to know more about Irene - who was she and what kind of upbringing did she have that contributed to her determination to make changes for women.  

Unforunately I've never had the opportunity to see the movie The Relunctant Politician about Irene's contributions to the women's movement.   

There are a few brief biographies of Irene online but they don't have the kind of meat I was looking for. Who were her parents? Where did she live? What was her life like?

Baptism Elizabeth Lynch in Bombay India 1845. FindMyPast.co.uk

My research found that Irene was born Mary Irene Marryat in London England in 1868 to parents Ernest Lindsay Marryat and Elizabeth Lynch. Her father was a British Army Colonel and was stationed in India for part of his military career. Irene's mother Elizabeth was born in Bombay India in 1845 to Edward Patrick Lynch, a well-known Lt.-General in the English Army. Edward Lynch entered the India army in 1826 and was stationed in India, Persia and Afghanistan. 

Marriage Marryat-Lynch in Bombay India 1866. FindMyPast.co.uk

Elizabeth lynch was a widow when she and Ernest married in Bombay India in 1866. She had married Maxwell Graham in India 3 years previously. Her first husband died of cholera one year later in March 1864 at the age of 25. Maxwell was also in the Army. Elizabeth was 20 years old when she was widowed. At the time of their marriage, Ernest Marryat was  a Lieutenant in the Royal Bombay Engineers. 

There was a strong military presence in Irene's family with her father, maternal grandfather and maternal great-grandfather highly placed army officers. Being raised in a military family no doubt meant a strong emphasis on routine, discipline, accountability and duty. 

The Lynch family had long standing ties in the military. Irene's great-grandfather Henry Blosse Lynch had a varied career - as a mountaineer, volunteer in the Indian Navy, Persian Gulf surveyor, explorer, interpretor who was fluent in Arabic and Persian. and many other accomplishments. 

Irene's father Edward Patrick Lynch was born in Mayo Ireland. He enlisted in the Indian Army in 1825 and did not marry until 1843 when he wed Louisa Stirton in Bombay.  Louisa died in October 1846 on board a ship sailing to England [Gentleman's Magazine. Jan. 1847. p. 110. http://search.fibis.org/frontis/bin/aps_detail.php?id=1162466 On her passage to England, Louisa, wife of Major E.P. Lynch, K.L.S., Bombay Army]. In 1848 Edward married her younger sister Emily Elizabeth.

The Stirton sisters were the daughters of Andrew and Sarah Stirton and were born in London England. Andrew was born circa 1784 in London England and in the 1851 census he is listed as a Marine Fund Holder. 1851 was a rough year for the Lynch family. On January 1 of that year, Edward and Elizabeth Lynch's 16 year old servant Sarah Shuaghnessey died of Cholera and the next day their only son, 1 year old Edward Bloss Stirton Lynch, also passed away. By the time of that 1851 census the two older sisters, 6 year old Elizabeth and 7 year old Sarah were living with their Stirton Grandparents, Andrew and Sarah, in England. The girls were most likely sent away after their younger half-brother died.

The 1871 census for London England finds Mary Irene as a 3 year old living with her mother Elizabeth age 25 and younger brother Ernest Patrick Lynch Marryat age 1. 

By 1896 Mary Irene had left England for Alberta Canada where she met and married Walter Parlby. It was then that Irene began taking an active role in women's issues. She became President of the United Farm Women of Alberta and was later elected the first female cabinet minister in Alberta. Irene's focus was on improving the lives of rural women and children but her social activism had far-reaching effects for all women once she became involved in the petition to have women recognized as people. The decision that women were persons eligible to be named to the Senate of Canada was handed down on October 18, 1929.

Her only child Humphrey Parlby was born in 1899 in Alberta. Irene retired from politics in 1935 but continued to speak passionately about women's rights. She died at the age of 97 in Alberta.

Notes: Other information and material about Irene Parlby is available at the Glenbow Archives, Alberta