Chapter 4: William Ross and Isabella Murray in Canada
Isabella Murray Ross arrived at Quebec City on the S/S Waldensian on June 22,
1874, after a crossing that took 13 days. She was 36 years old, and she was
accompanied by her 5 youngest children, who were ages 14, 11, 7, 5, and 2. There
were only two classes of travel on the Waldensian, First Class, which was
reasonably comfortable, and Third Class, which was not. The Ross family
travelled in Third Class.
We assume Isabella proceeded by train to Toronto, where she was reunited with her husband William Ross and perhaps with her two oldest sons. William2 and Donald Ross would have been 17 and 16 respectively, and they may have already left home and struck out on their own.
The first official record we have in Canada is the registration of the birth of John Ross in May 1875, at 37 Gloucester Street in Toronto. William gave his occupation as engineer. From other records, we know that William Ross worked as a stationary engineer when he lived in Toronto.
The comment ‘They surely moved around a lot, did they not?’ also applies to the story of the Ross family in Canada.
In January 1877, they still lived at 37 Gloucester Street. This is from the birth registration of their daughter Elizabeth Ross.
In 1879, William Ross, engineer, lived at 85 Davenport Road in Toronto.
In 1880, William Ross, engineer, lived at 74 Beverley Street in Toronto.
In January 1881, they lived at 20 Leonard Avenue in Toronto. This is from the birth registration of their last child, David Murray Ross.
Beginning in 1890, and until the death of William Ross in 1896, they lived at 35 Wickson Avenue in Toronto.
In 1897, Mrs. William Ross continued to live at 35 Wickson Avenue.
In 1901, Isabella Ross (Widow of Wm) lived at 25 Westmoreland Avenue in Toronto.
1881 Census of Canada:
By 1881, the Ross family was well established in Toronto, and they should have been enumerated in the 1881 Census. This Census is one of the easiest to search, since it has been transcribed, indexed, and made available on line by the Mormon Church (LDS). But, for some reason, we have not been able to find William and Isabella Ross and their family. They may have been missed, or perhaps an error was made during recording or transcription.
1891 Census of Canada:
One of the most important discoveries we made, early in the family history research, was finding the entire Ross family in the 1891 Census of Canada. By 1891, many of the older children would have left home. We were very lucky that whoever spoke to the census taker gave the names and ages of all living family members, not just the ones who were still living at 35 Wickson Avenue on April 6, 1891. This provided us with the basic information we needed to start searching in the Scottish records and in other Canadian records. We knew who to look for.
The key information from the 1891 Census is summarized in the table below, along with the corrected age for each family member:
1901 Census of Canada
By 1901, the Ross family appears in the Census in scattered fragments, and we have only found a few members. Isabella Ross and her daughter Margaret were enumerated living together at 25 Westmoreland Avenue in Toronto. Her daughter Isabella was married and living with her family in Ridgetown, Ontario. Her son David was now a marble cutter, age 20, living as a lodger in London, Ontario. We have not found the other family members.
The rest of this book will tell the stories of William2 Ross, the Black Sheep, his wife Annie Lewis, and their descendants. For the sake of completeness, brief stories about William2’s ten brothers and sisters will be included here, in sequence by age.
Donald Ross:
The only evidence we have about Donald comes from the 1871 Census of Scotland and the 1891 Census of Canada. We have not found any birth, marriage, or death records. In 1891 he was a bricklayer, age 33. Apparently he was not married, but this may be just an error in the census. My guess is that he had left home at an early age. By 1891 he may not have been living in Canada. His brother, William2, was living in South Africa.
Joseph Ross:
The only evidence about Joseph is the Census information, plus his birth registration in Scotland. In 1891 he was a blacksmith, age 31. He had probably also left home at an early age.
Thomas Ross:
Thomas died as an infant in Scotland. We have found his birth registration and his death registration.
James Ross:
The only evidence about James is the Census information, plus his birth registration in Scotland. In 1891 he was a machinist, age 26. He had probably left home at an early age.
Mary Ann Ross:
The 1891 Census records Mary as a widow, age 24. This led to the discovery of marriage and death registrations in Ontario.
‘Joseph Henry ETHIER, 30, Paris France, Toronto, widower, hair dresser, s/o Caesar & Celenia ETHIER, married Mary ROSS, 20, Hutchinson Town Glasgow Scotland, Toronto, s, d/o William & Isabella ROSS, witn Joseph CONROY, Ruth S. HARRIS, both Toronto, married 4 October 1887, Toronto.’
Joseph Ethier died on December 16, 1889, at age 32, in Toronto General Hospital. Mary may have been living back at home with her parents in 1891, but she may not. We have found no further records for Mary Ethier.
Margaret Ross:
Margaret probably was living at home with her parents in 1891. She was the only child still living with her mother 10 years later when the 1901 Census was taken. There is evidence that Margaret suffered from mental illness. She died on November 30, 1927, at the age of 58, in the Ontario Hospital, Whitby. She had lived in the Ontario Hospital for almost 8 years.
Margaret is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, beside her father William, who had died in 1896. She was buried by her twice-widowed mother, now age 90, who gave her name as Isabella Murray when she reported her daughter’s death.
Isabella Ross:
Isabella was only 19 when the 1891 Census was taken, but she had already been married for almost 3 years, and was almost certainly not living with her parents. On September 26, 1888, Isabella married Walter Mills, who was a law student and a member of a distinguished family from southwestern Ontario.
‘The early education of Walter Mills, the eldest son of Hon. David Mills, was acquired in the Orford schools, and later he became a student at St. Thomas College and the Woodstock high school. His first business efforts were in the printing office, the contributions from his able pen appearing in the papers in Woodstock, the Review of Ontario, and the Detroit Tribune, but later he resigned journalism to begin, in the fall of 1885, the serious study of law, in Osgoode Hall, Toronto. After finishing his studies, he practiced his profession in the County of Northumberland until 1893, when he came to Ridgetown. In September, 1888, Mr. Mills was married to Miss Isabella Ross, of Toronto, a daughter of William Ross, who came from Glasgow, where Mrs. Mills was born in October, 1871. She was educated in Toronto, and is a lady possessed of many graces.’
When the 1911 Census was taken, Isabella and Walter Mills were living in Ridgetown with their 4 surviving children. Two other children had died as infants. Sometime after 1911, Isabella and Walter were divorced, and Walter later remarried.
We know that Isabella moved to California and that her daughter, Margaret also moved to California but we don’t know who moved first or if they moved together. Isabella died in 1946, at the age of 75, in Beverly Hills.
John Ross:
John was the first child born in Canada, and he was 15 at the time of the 1891 Census. His occupation is recorded as Clerk. We don’t know whether or not John was still living at home in 1891, and we have not found any other information about him.
Elizabeth Ross:
Lizzie was 14 when the 1891 Census was taken, and she was probably still living at home.
On April 26, 1899 Elizabeth married Charles David McKendry, who was a widower age 40 with 2 children, age 10 and 8. They lived in Toronto, and together they had 4 more children. Charles died in 1921, and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery by Elizabeth.
Elizabeth also buried her mother Isabella and her brother David in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in 1928 and 1932 respectively. However, she is not buried there herself. She died sometime after 1942. We don’t know where she died.
David Murray Ross:
David was 10 when the 1891 Census was taken, and was undoubtedly still living at home. By the time of the 1901 Census, David is recorded as a marble cutter, age 20, living as a lodger at 411 King Street in London, Ontario.
On September 30, 1901 David Ross was a witness at the wedding of his mother Isabella Ross, who had been a widow for 5 years. Isabella married John Robert Peel, who was a well-known sculptor who owned a Marble and Monument business in London, Ontario. We can speculate that David worked for John Robert Peel in London, but we don’t have any evidence to support this.
One of the other lodgers at 411 King Street in London was a bookkeeper, named Annie Hammond. She is recorded as age 23, but her correct age was 26. Five years later, on July 7, 1906, David Ross and Laura Anne Hammond were married in Winnipeg.
David volunteered for military service in World War 1. He signed his Attestation Papers in Victoria, B.C. on September 3, 1915, at the age of 34. David and Laura had been married for 9 years and had been living in Vancouver for 8 years in 1915. They had no children.
Two weeks later, while David was taking military training in Victoria, B.C., Laura died as a result of a fire in her home. Her father took her home to Aylmer, Ontario for burial. The news was reported in the Aylmer Times:
‘On Saturday a telegram reached Aylmer announcing the sad news that Mrs. D. M. Ross, formerly Miss Laura Hammond had succumbed to the injuries received when her clothing took fire on the 9th inst., at her home in Vancouver. Besides her husband who at the time of the fatal accident was in training at Victoria as a member of the 67th Highlanders, the deceased leaves her father and one sister.
Mrs. Ross has for years been an ardent poultry enthusiast, and was recognized as a leading authority of several breeds. One of her fowls had died, and as is the custom among poultry fanciers, she was using an incinerator to destroy it, in order that no contagion might get among her flock. As she raised the cover, the draught caused the flames to issue from the lower door or flue, which caught her light clothing, and in an instant her garments were in flames.’
David Ross died in Toronto, on June 28, 1932, at the age of 51. He was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery with his parents and his sister Margaret.
Isabella Murray Ross Peel:
It is fitting to tell the rest of Isabella’s story before we conclude this chapter. She packed a lot of living into her 90 years, and was a central figure in many of the family stories.
By the time she immigrated to Canada in 1874, at age 36, she had already had 8 children in Scotland, one of whom died in infancy.
By the time she wrote the inscription in the Family Bible in 1882, at age 44, she had 3 more children born in Canada, and at least 2 grandchildren who were the children of her oldest son William2. We don’t think she ever saw these grandchildren, as will unfold in later chapters.
Her first husband, William Ross, died in 1896 when Isabella was 58. By this time, in addition to immigrating to Canada, she and William had moved at least 8 times in Scotland and at least 5 times in Canada. She did not make life easy for future family historians.
Five years later, when Isabella was 63, she married John Robert Peel in London, Ontario. He was a widower, age 71, and was a prominent member of the community in London. We have a brief chronology of his life:
‘1830 John Robert Peel born in London, England on September 24th, the son of John Peel
1847 Apprenticed for three years on August 20th to Henry Daniels, a mason of Norwood.
1849 Married Amelia Margaret Hall (1833-1890) on September 30th.
1850 Birth of daughter, Amelia Mary Peel (1850-1851), in London, England on December 11th
1851 Emigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Daughter, Amelia Mary, died on December 16th “at sea” during family trip to America.
1852 Birth of son, John Robert Peel (1852-1900), on January 6th probably at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Emigrated with family to London, Canada West. Started the firm of Lucas and Company with R.M. Lucas, an accountant at the local Gore Bank.
1854 Birth of son, Francis Lillian Peel (1856-1903), on November 7th probably at London, Canada West.
1856 Birth of daughter, Mildred Amelia Margaret Peel (1856-1920), on October 25th probably at London, Canada West.
1858 Started Peel & Powell Marble Works in partnership with George Powell. The partnership dissolved about 1866 and the firm was later renamed London Marble & Granite Company. Birth of twins, a son: Frederick Augustus Peel (1858-1937) and a daughter: Clara Peel (1858-1859), on October 19th at London, Canada West
1860 Birth of a son, Paul Peel (1860-1892), on November 7th at London, Canada West.
1862 Birth of twins, a daughter: Clara Louisa Peel (1862-1938) and a son: Frank Peel (1862-1862) on November 17th at London, Canada West.
1864 Began to teach mechanical drawing at the local Mechanics Institute including George F. Durand (1850-1889) who became one of the province’s leading architects. Birth of twins, a son: Alfred John Peel (1864-1937) and a daughter: Esther Peel (1864-1865) on December 16th at London, Canada West.
1867 Birth of a daughter, Emma Eliza Daisy Peel (1867-1947) on August 15th at London, Ontario.
1869 Birth of a daughter, Mary Peel (1869-1869) at London, Ontario.
1870 Started the Western School of Art at London, Ontario with James Griffith (1814-1896) and his brother, John H. Griffith (1826-1898). Taught sculpture, painting and mechanical drawing. About this period, probably began teaching his various children (John, Frank, Paul, Mildred and Clara) and others art in classes held above the marble works. Several of his children: John, Mildred and Paul, assisted at his firm.
1871 Elected alderman for the City of London and served until 1879.
1879 Employed as a drawing master at the Western School of Art and Design and continued until 1900.
1882 Involved in the founding of the Western Art League, London, Ontario. Returned to school to upgrade his qualifications to obtain both a Grade A and B teaching certificate.
1886 Visited son, Paul Peel, in Paris, France in August.
1888 Probably visited son, Paul Peel, in Paris, France in October.
1890 Death of wife, Amelia Margaret Peel, on October 4th at London, Ontario. On November 2nd, accompanied his daughter and son, Mildred and Paul, and Florence Carlyle (1864-1923) to France.
1892 Visited England but unable to travel to Paris, France because of a cholera outbreak. Son, Paul, died in Paris several weeks later from tuberculosis.
1900 Continued to teach privately after the closure of the Western School of Art and Design.
1901 Married second wife, Isabella Ross, on September 30th.
1904 Died at his London, Ontario home on July 9th and buried in family plot at Woodland Cemetery, London, Ontario. Marble and monument business sold to David Wilkie.’
Isabella was widowed for a second time in 1904, after less than 3 years of marriage to John Robert Peel. We know very little about the rest of her life, because the existence of the Toronto Ross family was a ‘forbidden subject’ as will be described later.
We assume Isabella proceeded by train to Toronto, where she was reunited with her husband William Ross and perhaps with her two oldest sons. William2 and Donald Ross would have been 17 and 16 respectively, and they may have already left home and struck out on their own.
The first official record we have in Canada is the registration of the birth of John Ross in May 1875, at 37 Gloucester Street in Toronto. William gave his occupation as engineer. From other records, we know that William Ross worked as a stationary engineer when he lived in Toronto.
The comment ‘They surely moved around a lot, did they not?’ also applies to the story of the Ross family in Canada.
In January 1877, they still lived at 37 Gloucester Street. This is from the birth registration of their daughter Elizabeth Ross.
In 1879, William Ross, engineer, lived at 85 Davenport Road in Toronto.
In 1880, William Ross, engineer, lived at 74 Beverley Street in Toronto.
In January 1881, they lived at 20 Leonard Avenue in Toronto. This is from the birth registration of their last child, David Murray Ross.
Beginning in 1890, and until the death of William Ross in 1896, they lived at 35 Wickson Avenue in Toronto.
In 1897, Mrs. William Ross continued to live at 35 Wickson Avenue.
In 1901, Isabella Ross (Widow of Wm) lived at 25 Westmoreland Avenue in Toronto.
1881 Census of Canada:
By 1881, the Ross family was well established in Toronto, and they should have been enumerated in the 1881 Census. This Census is one of the easiest to search, since it has been transcribed, indexed, and made available on line by the Mormon Church (LDS). But, for some reason, we have not been able to find William and Isabella Ross and their family. They may have been missed, or perhaps an error was made during recording or transcription.
1891 Census of Canada:
One of the most important discoveries we made, early in the family history research, was finding the entire Ross family in the 1891 Census of Canada. By 1891, many of the older children would have left home. We were very lucky that whoever spoke to the census taker gave the names and ages of all living family members, not just the ones who were still living at 35 Wickson Avenue on April 6, 1891. This provided us with the basic information we needed to start searching in the Scottish records and in other Canadian records. We knew who to look for.
The key information from the 1891 Census is summarized in the table below, along with the corrected age for each family member:
| Name | Sex | Age | Married or Widowed | Occupation | Corrected Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William | M | 55 | M | Engineer, Stationary | 55 |
| Bella | F | 53 | M | 53 | |
| William | M | 30 | Bricklayer | 34 | |
| Donald | M | 29 | Bricklayer | 33 est. | |
| Joseph | M | 28 | Blacksmith | 31 | |
| James | M | 26 | Machinist | 26 | |
| Mary | F | 24 | W | 24 | |
| Margaret | F | 22 | 22 | ||
| Isabella | F | 19 | M | 19 | |
| John | M | 16 | Clerk | 15 | |
| Lizzie | F | 13 | 14 | ||
| David | M | 10 | 10 |
1901 Census of Canada
By 1901, the Ross family appears in the Census in scattered fragments, and we have only found a few members. Isabella Ross and her daughter Margaret were enumerated living together at 25 Westmoreland Avenue in Toronto. Her daughter Isabella was married and living with her family in Ridgetown, Ontario. Her son David was now a marble cutter, age 20, living as a lodger in London, Ontario. We have not found the other family members.
The rest of this book will tell the stories of William2 Ross, the Black Sheep, his wife Annie Lewis, and their descendants. For the sake of completeness, brief stories about William2’s ten brothers and sisters will be included here, in sequence by age.
Donald Ross:
The only evidence we have about Donald comes from the 1871 Census of Scotland and the 1891 Census of Canada. We have not found any birth, marriage, or death records. In 1891 he was a bricklayer, age 33. Apparently he was not married, but this may be just an error in the census. My guess is that he had left home at an early age. By 1891 he may not have been living in Canada. His brother, William2, was living in South Africa.
Joseph Ross:
The only evidence about Joseph is the Census information, plus his birth registration in Scotland. In 1891 he was a blacksmith, age 31. He had probably also left home at an early age.
Thomas Ross:
Thomas died as an infant in Scotland. We have found his birth registration and his death registration.
James Ross:
The only evidence about James is the Census information, plus his birth registration in Scotland. In 1891 he was a machinist, age 26. He had probably left home at an early age.
Mary Ann Ross:
The 1891 Census records Mary as a widow, age 24. This led to the discovery of marriage and death registrations in Ontario.
‘Joseph Henry ETHIER, 30, Paris France, Toronto, widower, hair dresser, s/o Caesar & Celenia ETHIER, married Mary ROSS, 20, Hutchinson Town Glasgow Scotland, Toronto, s, d/o William & Isabella ROSS, witn Joseph CONROY, Ruth S. HARRIS, both Toronto, married 4 October 1887, Toronto.’
Joseph Ethier died on December 16, 1889, at age 32, in Toronto General Hospital. Mary may have been living back at home with her parents in 1891, but she may not. We have found no further records for Mary Ethier.
Margaret Ross:
Margaret probably was living at home with her parents in 1891. She was the only child still living with her mother 10 years later when the 1901 Census was taken. There is evidence that Margaret suffered from mental illness. She died on November 30, 1927, at the age of 58, in the Ontario Hospital, Whitby. She had lived in the Ontario Hospital for almost 8 years.
Margaret is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, beside her father William, who had died in 1896. She was buried by her twice-widowed mother, now age 90, who gave her name as Isabella Murray when she reported her daughter’s death.
Isabella Ross:
Isabella was only 19 when the 1891 Census was taken, but she had already been married for almost 3 years, and was almost certainly not living with her parents. On September 26, 1888, Isabella married Walter Mills, who was a law student and a member of a distinguished family from southwestern Ontario.
‘The early education of Walter Mills, the eldest son of Hon. David Mills, was acquired in the Orford schools, and later he became a student at St. Thomas College and the Woodstock high school. His first business efforts were in the printing office, the contributions from his able pen appearing in the papers in Woodstock, the Review of Ontario, and the Detroit Tribune, but later he resigned journalism to begin, in the fall of 1885, the serious study of law, in Osgoode Hall, Toronto. After finishing his studies, he practiced his profession in the County of Northumberland until 1893, when he came to Ridgetown. In September, 1888, Mr. Mills was married to Miss Isabella Ross, of Toronto, a daughter of William Ross, who came from Glasgow, where Mrs. Mills was born in October, 1871. She was educated in Toronto, and is a lady possessed of many graces.’
When the 1911 Census was taken, Isabella and Walter Mills were living in Ridgetown with their 4 surviving children. Two other children had died as infants. Sometime after 1911, Isabella and Walter were divorced, and Walter later remarried.
We know that Isabella moved to California and that her daughter, Margaret also moved to California but we don’t know who moved first or if they moved together. Isabella died in 1946, at the age of 75, in Beverly Hills.
John Ross:
John was the first child born in Canada, and he was 15 at the time of the 1891 Census. His occupation is recorded as Clerk. We don’t know whether or not John was still living at home in 1891, and we have not found any other information about him.
Elizabeth Ross:
Lizzie was 14 when the 1891 Census was taken, and she was probably still living at home.
On April 26, 1899 Elizabeth married Charles David McKendry, who was a widower age 40 with 2 children, age 10 and 8. They lived in Toronto, and together they had 4 more children. Charles died in 1921, and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery by Elizabeth.
Elizabeth also buried her mother Isabella and her brother David in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in 1928 and 1932 respectively. However, she is not buried there herself. She died sometime after 1942. We don’t know where she died.
David Murray Ross:
David was 10 when the 1891 Census was taken, and was undoubtedly still living at home. By the time of the 1901 Census, David is recorded as a marble cutter, age 20, living as a lodger at 411 King Street in London, Ontario.
On September 30, 1901 David Ross was a witness at the wedding of his mother Isabella Ross, who had been a widow for 5 years. Isabella married John Robert Peel, who was a well-known sculptor who owned a Marble and Monument business in London, Ontario. We can speculate that David worked for John Robert Peel in London, but we don’t have any evidence to support this.
One of the other lodgers at 411 King Street in London was a bookkeeper, named Annie Hammond. She is recorded as age 23, but her correct age was 26. Five years later, on July 7, 1906, David Ross and Laura Anne Hammond were married in Winnipeg.
David volunteered for military service in World War 1. He signed his Attestation Papers in Victoria, B.C. on September 3, 1915, at the age of 34. David and Laura had been married for 9 years and had been living in Vancouver for 8 years in 1915. They had no children.
Two weeks later, while David was taking military training in Victoria, B.C., Laura died as a result of a fire in her home. Her father took her home to Aylmer, Ontario for burial. The news was reported in the Aylmer Times:
‘On Saturday a telegram reached Aylmer announcing the sad news that Mrs. D. M. Ross, formerly Miss Laura Hammond had succumbed to the injuries received when her clothing took fire on the 9th inst., at her home in Vancouver. Besides her husband who at the time of the fatal accident was in training at Victoria as a member of the 67th Highlanders, the deceased leaves her father and one sister.
Mrs. Ross has for years been an ardent poultry enthusiast, and was recognized as a leading authority of several breeds. One of her fowls had died, and as is the custom among poultry fanciers, she was using an incinerator to destroy it, in order that no contagion might get among her flock. As she raised the cover, the draught caused the flames to issue from the lower door or flue, which caught her light clothing, and in an instant her garments were in flames.’
David Ross died in Toronto, on June 28, 1932, at the age of 51. He was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery with his parents and his sister Margaret.
Isabella Murray Ross Peel:
It is fitting to tell the rest of Isabella’s story before we conclude this chapter. She packed a lot of living into her 90 years, and was a central figure in many of the family stories.
By the time she immigrated to Canada in 1874, at age 36, she had already had 8 children in Scotland, one of whom died in infancy.
By the time she wrote the inscription in the Family Bible in 1882, at age 44, she had 3 more children born in Canada, and at least 2 grandchildren who were the children of her oldest son William2. We don’t think she ever saw these grandchildren, as will unfold in later chapters.
Her first husband, William Ross, died in 1896 when Isabella was 58. By this time, in addition to immigrating to Canada, she and William had moved at least 8 times in Scotland and at least 5 times in Canada. She did not make life easy for future family historians.
Five years later, when Isabella was 63, she married John Robert Peel in London, Ontario. He was a widower, age 71, and was a prominent member of the community in London. We have a brief chronology of his life:
‘1830 John Robert Peel born in London, England on September 24th, the son of John Peel
1847 Apprenticed for three years on August 20th to Henry Daniels, a mason of Norwood.
1849 Married Amelia Margaret Hall (1833-1890) on September 30th.
1850 Birth of daughter, Amelia Mary Peel (1850-1851), in London, England on December 11th
1851 Emigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Daughter, Amelia Mary, died on December 16th “at sea” during family trip to America.
1852 Birth of son, John Robert Peel (1852-1900), on January 6th probably at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Emigrated with family to London, Canada West. Started the firm of Lucas and Company with R.M. Lucas, an accountant at the local Gore Bank.
1854 Birth of son, Francis Lillian Peel (1856-1903), on November 7th probably at London, Canada West.
1856 Birth of daughter, Mildred Amelia Margaret Peel (1856-1920), on October 25th probably at London, Canada West.
1858 Started Peel & Powell Marble Works in partnership with George Powell. The partnership dissolved about 1866 and the firm was later renamed London Marble & Granite Company. Birth of twins, a son: Frederick Augustus Peel (1858-1937) and a daughter: Clara Peel (1858-1859), on October 19th at London, Canada West
1860 Birth of a son, Paul Peel (1860-1892), on November 7th at London, Canada West.
1862 Birth of twins, a daughter: Clara Louisa Peel (1862-1938) and a son: Frank Peel (1862-1862) on November 17th at London, Canada West.
1864 Began to teach mechanical drawing at the local Mechanics Institute including George F. Durand (1850-1889) who became one of the province’s leading architects. Birth of twins, a son: Alfred John Peel (1864-1937) and a daughter: Esther Peel (1864-1865) on December 16th at London, Canada West.
1867 Birth of a daughter, Emma Eliza Daisy Peel (1867-1947) on August 15th at London, Ontario.
1869 Birth of a daughter, Mary Peel (1869-1869) at London, Ontario.
1870 Started the Western School of Art at London, Ontario with James Griffith (1814-1896) and his brother, John H. Griffith (1826-1898). Taught sculpture, painting and mechanical drawing. About this period, probably began teaching his various children (John, Frank, Paul, Mildred and Clara) and others art in classes held above the marble works. Several of his children: John, Mildred and Paul, assisted at his firm.
1871 Elected alderman for the City of London and served until 1879.
1879 Employed as a drawing master at the Western School of Art and Design and continued until 1900.
1882 Involved in the founding of the Western Art League, London, Ontario. Returned to school to upgrade his qualifications to obtain both a Grade A and B teaching certificate.
1886 Visited son, Paul Peel, in Paris, France in August.
1888 Probably visited son, Paul Peel, in Paris, France in October.
1890 Death of wife, Amelia Margaret Peel, on October 4th at London, Ontario. On November 2nd, accompanied his daughter and son, Mildred and Paul, and Florence Carlyle (1864-1923) to France.
1892 Visited England but unable to travel to Paris, France because of a cholera outbreak. Son, Paul, died in Paris several weeks later from tuberculosis.
1900 Continued to teach privately after the closure of the Western School of Art and Design.
1901 Married second wife, Isabella Ross, on September 30th.
1904 Died at his London, Ontario home on July 9th and buried in family plot at Woodland Cemetery, London, Ontario. Marble and monument business sold to David Wilkie.’
Isabella was widowed for a second time in 1904, after less than 3 years of marriage to John Robert Peel. We know very little about the rest of her life, because the existence of the Toronto Ross family was a ‘forbidden subject’ as will be described later.
PLEASE CLICK ANYWHERE ON IMAGE TO MAGNIFY
David Murray Ross Grave Marker
When Isabella Murray Ross died in 1928, my aunt Eila Ross Lawson was almost 16 and my father Bruce Ross was 14. Isabella was their great-grandmother, and she lived 125 miles away, in Toronto. Neither one of them had ever heard of her, or knew that she had died. They only learned of her existence later in life, when the secrecy surrounding the forbidden subject eased to some degree.
Paul Peel:
Paul Peel is a well-known Canadian Painter. One of his most famous paintings is ‘After the Bath’, which hangs in the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Paul Peel died in 1892, nine years before his father married Isabella Murray Ross, so there is no direct connection to this story. However, in 2004 I visited my aunt Eila Ross Lawson, who was then age 92, to talk about family history and particularly about the forbidden subject. As we talked, I looked up and saw a small copy of ‘After the Bath’ hanging on her living room wall. It had been a wedding present from someone, and she told me she had always thought there might have been some distant connection to the family.
We can also speculate about how Isabella Murray Ross came to meet John Robert Peel. It was almost certainly through her daughter Isabella, who had married Walter Mills. The Mills family and the Peel family were both prominent families in London, Ontario at that time. My aunt Eila Ross Lawson confirmed that this was how she thought they had met. It is not too much of a stretch to imagine that this is also how David Ross came to be living in London and working there as a marble cutter.
However, the main theme of this book relates to William2 Ross, and how he married a girl from Park Head named Annie Lewis, and became known as ‘The Black Sheep’. We will record the background stories about the Lewis family in the next chapter.
Paul Peel is a well-known Canadian Painter. One of his most famous paintings is ‘After the Bath’, which hangs in the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Paul Peel died in 1892, nine years before his father married Isabella Murray Ross, so there is no direct connection to this story. However, in 2004 I visited my aunt Eila Ross Lawson, who was then age 92, to talk about family history and particularly about the forbidden subject. As we talked, I looked up and saw a small copy of ‘After the Bath’ hanging on her living room wall. It had been a wedding present from someone, and she told me she had always thought there might have been some distant connection to the family.
We can also speculate about how Isabella Murray Ross came to meet John Robert Peel. It was almost certainly through her daughter Isabella, who had married Walter Mills. The Mills family and the Peel family were both prominent families in London, Ontario at that time. My aunt Eila Ross Lawson confirmed that this was how she thought they had met. It is not too much of a stretch to imagine that this is also how David Ross came to be living in London and working there as a marble cutter.
However, the main theme of this book relates to William2 Ross, and how he married a girl from Park Head named Annie Lewis, and became known as ‘The Black Sheep’. We will record the background stories about the Lewis family in the next chapter.
Descendants of William Ross and Isabella Murray