FREEMAN Gerald Frances

Notes:

3. Gerald Frances, born 04 October 1891 in Prescott. He married
Mary Catherine McCarney. Mary
Catherine was born about 1894 and died in Prescott about 1974.
Gerald went overseas in W.W.1 as a Sergeant with the 156th Leeds and
Grenville Battalion and was badly wounded at Passendale, France,
from Mustard Gas. After his return, Gerald worked in Montreal and
later in Prescott with his Uncle Robert George Freeman, in the
Insurance Business.

In the "History of Prescott" by John Morris, Gerald is in a
picture of the 156th from Prescott, during W.W.1 and on page 224,
he is listed as a Member of the Separate School Board, January 1956,
in Prescott.

Gerald died in 1977 and he and his wife, Mary Catherine, are
buried in St. Marks R.C. Cemetery, Prescott, in the Freeman-
Fitzgerald plot. They had 1 daughter:
1. Mary Catherine McCarney,

Family/Spouse: MCCARNEY Mary Catherine. Mary was born about 1894. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. MCCARNEY Mary Catherine

Notes:

3. William Henry, born 14 October 1862 in Hemmingford, Huntingdon
County, Quebec. He was baptized on 16 September 1865 in the Wes.
Methodist Church, Hemmingford. William married Mary Catherine
Fitzgerald on 16 June 1884 in St.Marks Roman Catholic Church,
Prescott, Grenville County, Ontario. Kate, her nickname, was born
on 18 January 1862 in Prescott, the daughter of Irish immigrants,
Michael Fitzgerald and his wife Mary (Shea). He worked as a
brewmaster for Labatts Brewery, Prescott. William worked with his
brothers, Richard and Robert George Freeman, in the " Freeman
Brothers Furniture Store" on King Street, Prescott. William Henry
lived on Park Street as a tenant on the 1895 Voters List for
Prescott.

In the book, "History of Prescott" 1810-1967, by John Morris, on
page 197,
"W. H. Freeman, Park Street, had Prescott's first residential
telephone, ordered in March 1885."

In the "Prescott Journal Newspaper", dated Thursday September 16,
1897, under personal,
"Mr. Will Freeman of Montreal spent Sunday in Town".

William Henry moved his family to Montreal, Quebec where he
worked as a Forman Shipper for CPR Railways and lived in Verdun on
#10 Champlain Ave. This is from the Montreal Street Directories for
1897-1907. William Henry and his wife Kate became very ill. William
Henry died 06 June 1907 and Kate died 08 August 1907, 4 weeks later.
William Henry and Kate were returned to Prescott and buried in St
Marks Cemetery.

The children of William Henry and Mary Catherine (Fitzgerald)
Freeman spent their early years in the quiet town of Prescott,
surrounded by family and friends. As the economical situation
changed in Prescott, in the late 1890's, the Freeman's looked to
the large city of Montreal, Quebec, for a better life for their
children.

Montreal, Quebec sits on a foot shaped island in the St.
Lawrence River, in southern Quebec. It is one of North America's
largest inland ports. In its earlier days, Montreal was an
important fur trading center. With the building of Railways across
Canada, Montreal became more of a transportation center. During the
1890's, gas replaced coal for cooking and heating, electricity for
lights. There was an economic boom in Montreal from 1896 to 1914,
and a new middle class emerged of Clerical workers. The boom brought
stores like "Morgan, Ogilvy and Birks". There was an electric
street car for transportation within the city and Westmount and
Outemount became the homes of businessmen and merchants in lovely
brownstone houses.

Life grew easier and more comfortable for many Montrealers.
Soon cars were bumping their way over city streets and muddy graveled
roads. Between 1901 and 1911, Montreal almost doubled in population,
reaching close to half a million people.

More About WILLIAM HENRY FREEMAN:
Fact 1: September 16, 1865, bapt. Hemmingford Wes.Methodist,
Huntingdon Co., Quebec
Fact 2: June 15, 1884, bapt. Roman Catholic, St Mark's, Prescott,
Grenville Co., Ontario.

William married FITZGERALD Mary Catherine on 16 Jun 1884 in Prescott, Grenville Co., Ontario. Mary (daughter of FITZGERALD Michael and SHEA Mary) died on 08 Aug 1907. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

AKA: Kate

The children of William Henry and Mary Catherine (Fitzgerald)
Freeman spent their early years in the quiet town of Prescott,
surrounded by family and friends. As the economical situation
changed in Prescott, in the late 1890's, the Freeman's looked to
the large city of Montreal, Quebec, for a better life for their
children.

Montreal, Quebec sits on a foot shaped island in the St.
Lawrence River, in southern Quebec. It is one of North America's
largest inland ports. In its earlier days, Montreal was an
important fur trading center. With the building of Railways across
Canada, Montreal became more of a transportation center. During the
1890's, gas replaced coal for cooking and heating, electricity for
lights. There was an economic boom in Montreal from 1896 to 1914,
and a new middle class emerged of Clerical workers. The boom brought
stores like "Morgan, Ogilvy and Birks". There was an electric
street car for transportation within the city and Westmount and
Outemount became the homes of businessmen and merchants in lovely
brownstone houses.

Life grew easier and more comfortable for many Montrealers.
Soon cars were bumping their way over city streets and muddy graveled
roads. Between 1901 and 1911, Montreal almost doubled in population,
reaching close to half a million people.

More About MARY CATHERINE FITZGERALD:
Burial: ST Marks Cemetery, Prescott, Grenville Co., Ontario
Cause of Death: 1907 Typhoid Epidemic Montreal, Quebec

Notes:

Notes for WILLIAM FREEMAN:
William was a Conductor on the Canadian Pacific Railroad when he died
in 1899.

William Freeman Sr., moved his family from Hemmingford,
Huntingdon County, Quebec to Prescott, Grenville County, Ontario
around 1880. He was a conductor on the CPR railways. Prescott is a
small town located on the St. Lawrence River between Brockville and
Cornwall. It is situated at the head of the rapids and the lowest
point that large ships could safely unload cargo, in the 1800's.
The stage coach followed the river shore between Montreal and
Prescott, which made Prescott a transportation point for embarking
larger lake ships, to Toronto. Prosperity came to Prescott during
the Railroad times. The Prescott-Byway Railway necessitated the
building of large storage yards at the waterfront in Prescott, to
connect the Railway by ferry to the Champlain Railway from
Ogdensburg, New York to Boston, MASS. but gradually, Prescott
became only a intermediate point on this transportation system.

The Grand Trunk Railway pushed west from Montreal, Quebec to
Toronto, Ontario. In 1889 Prescott had electric street lights
although private homes used kerosene lamps until the early 1900's.
In 1899 a water tank was erected and Prescott homes had a water and
sewage system!

William and Fanny were listed on the 1880 census for Prescott,
William was 50 years old and working as a Railway Conductor for CPR.,
Richard was 20 years old and working as a Commercial Traveler.
William Henry was 17 years old and working as a clerk in a store.
Robert George was 15 years old and attending school. Adelaide was
listed as 21 years old and living at home. The Freeman family had a
maid who was Josephine Hornby, 20 years old, born in Ontario,
Anglican of Irish origins.

William Freeman Sr.'s Will dated 1898, he was living on lot
#15, now number 235 Dibble Street, Prescott, on the south side of
the street. He was a Public School Trustee in Prescott. The family
attended St. Paul's Wes. Methodist Church, in Prescott. William
Freeman Sr.'s wife, Fanny McGrath, died in Prescott on the 07
February 1897, from Congestion of the brain for 4 days. She was
buried in Sandy Hill Cemetery, Prescott. William Freeman Sr.
remarried on 09 July 1898, Ella Etta Wilson, Fanny's nurse, at St.
James Methodist Church, St. Catherines Street, Montreal, Quebec.
Ella was born in Messina, New York on 27 June 1865, she was 31
years younger than William Sr.

William Freeman Sr., died 08 October 1899 in Prescott from
gangrene. He was buried with his first wife, Fanny McGrath in Sandy
Hill Cemetery, Prescott. In his Will, which is at the County
Clerks Office in Prescott, he left his entire estate to Ella Etta
(Wilson) Freeman, valued at $2,487.00.

William married MCGRATH Frances (Fanny) about 1859. Frances was born about 1836 in Ireland; died on 07 Feb 1897 in Prescott, Grenville Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Michael married SHEA Mary. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

our line, born about 1815 Mooers, Clinton Co., New York, died
after 1871, married about 1833 Elizabeth Starr, the daughter of
Thomas Starr and his wife Sarah. Elizabeth Starr was born about 1807
in Northern Ireland, she died 31 May 1880 Hemmingford, Huntingdon
Co., Quebec and buried in Hemmingford Cemetery 02 June 1880 where
her stone still stands today.

Notes for CHARLES MADISON FREEMAN:
Charles was listed on the baptism of his children as a farmer and on
the 1850, 1860, 1870 census as a labourer. I haven't found a death
certificate for him. The family was originally E.Anglican but
between 1857-1861 they joined the Wes.Methodist Church in
Hemmingford. All church records for the family, are at the Archives
in Montreal, Quebec.
_____________
_____________________________________________________________ ____

Making Canadian Roots


Hemmingford, Huntingdon County, Quebec is a small eastern
township village. Originally settled by American Loyalists after the
American Revolution in 1792. In time, a number of non-Loyalist
Americans settled into the Roxham and Hemmingford area, in search for
better land. Apple growing became one of the main crops in the area,
which continues up until today. Our line by Charles Madison Freeman
was a non-Loyalist in seach for a better living conditions, nearby
his father's land just 2 miles away, across the American/Canadian
border.

Charles Madison and Elizabeth Freeman:


Charles Madison Freeman was born about 1815 in Mooers, Clinton
County, New York, U.S.A..

On the 1850 census for Hemmingford, Huntingdon County, Quebec,
Charles was listed of Irish origins (sic.), living on lot #1, Con.
#1, living in a 1 story log cabin on 1 acre of land. The family were
E. Anglican.

During the 1830's, Hemmingford area Anglicans were given
services by Rev. William Dawes, a travelling minister, who
conducted services in homes of the settlers. This minister's records
are at the Archives in Montreal, Quebec.

Sometime between 1857 and 1861, Charles and his family left the
Anglican church and joined the Wesley Methodist Church of
Hemmingford. This church was built in 1834 on the site of the present
day St. Andrew United Church, of Hemmingford. Methodism was a faith
of converstion and perhaps this applies to Charles and his family.

During the period of 1834 to 1871 Charles Freeman's occupation
was listed on the baptisms of his children as a farmer. On the 1851,
1861, 1871 census, he was listed as a labourer.

Charles married STARR Elizabeth about 1833. Elizabeth (daughter of STARR Thomas and (Starr) Sarah) was born about 1807 in Northern Ireland; died on 31 May 1880 in Hemmingford Co., Quebec, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From the Methodist Church Records, Hemmingford, Quebec:

"Elizabeth (Eliza Starr) Freeman, wife of Charles Madison
Freeman, of Hemmingford, Quebec, a native of Ireland, died at
hemmingford on 31 May 1880, 73 years old, and was interned on 02
June 1880 in the County of Hemmingford, Quebec by S.J.Huges. The
witnesses were Asa Freeman and Mrs. Brown."


Elizabeth (Starr) Freeman's gravestone is still standing today,
surounded by a number of unmarked graves. I haven't found a death of
Charles Madison Freeman.

Charles and Elizabeth had 10 children, all born in Hemmingford,
Huntingdon Co., Quebec: