Chapter 8: Annie Lewis Ross and Jim Longmire
Sometime after she had been abandoned in Deadwood, Annie Lewis Ross brought her two sons back to the Lewis homestead
on Concession 5 in Park Head. Our best information is that this happened in the summer of 1881, after the 1881 Census
had been taken in Canada. By this time Annie was age 23, Willy was 4, and Harry was 18 months. My father often
marvelled at how she could have made this trip on her own. Conditions in The Dakota Territory were still primitive.
The first part of the trip was 400 miles to Yankton by stagecoach. It must have been quite a ride.
It also must have been quite a reunion when she arrived home. According to the 1881 Census of Canada, there were already 6 people living on the Lewis homestead. It may have been time to add another room to the log cabin.
1881 Census of Canada - Enumerated 4 Apr 1881
We think that Annie stayed at the Lewis homestead for about 10 years. During this time Willy and Harry grew up, partly under the supervision of their uncles, Wellington, John and Walter Lewis.
In her recollections about her father Eila Ross Lawson wrote: ‘He was brought up on the Lewis farm, and taught to chew tobacco by Uncle Wellington before he was ten. At 10 years he could spit quite a distance.’ These skills would be demonstrated quite frequently in later life.
It also must have been quite a reunion when she arrived home. According to the 1881 Census of Canada, there were already 6 people living on the Lewis homestead. It may have been time to add another room to the log cabin.
1881 Census of Canada - Enumerated 4 Apr 1881
| Name | Sex | Age | Married or Widowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry | M | 58 | M |
| Elizabeth | F | 57 | M |
| Frances | F | 37 | |
| Wellington | M | 18 | |
| John | M | 16 | |
| Walter | M | 13 |
We think that Annie stayed at the Lewis homestead for about 10 years. During this time Willy and Harry grew up, partly under the supervision of their uncles, Wellington, John and Walter Lewis.
In her recollections about her father Eila Ross Lawson wrote: ‘He was brought up on the Lewis farm, and taught to chew tobacco by Uncle Wellington before he was ten. At 10 years he could spit quite a distance.’ These skills would be demonstrated quite frequently in later life.
We don’t know much about the interval on the Lewis homestead. Annie undoubtedly helped on the farm, and she may also
have taken jobs off the farm from time to time to accumulate a little money. Both Willy and Harry would have attended
school, but not for very long. I don’t know when Willy quit school, but Harry Ross told me on several occasions that
he had quit school at the age of nine, to help on the farm. This was always told to me as part of a conversation
urging me to stay in school and get a good education.
Annie Lewis Ross was still living on the Lewis homestead when the 1891 Census was taken.
1891 Census of Canada – Enumerated 6 Apr 1891
There are some surprises here. Who is Alfred Lewis? Where is Willy Ross? How did Annie get to be 39? And, most surprisingly, who is Annie Ross age 7?
Genealogists soon learn that census information is notoriously inaccurate. It is recorded by a census taker, who may or may not know the family being enumerated. The questions are answered by whichever family member happens to be home at the time. Sometimes people make jokes, tell lies, get careless, or are difficult to understand. It all gets written down.
‘Alfred’ Lewis is actually Walter Lewis. This looks like a simple mistake, caused by not hearing the name properly. Willy Ross is not living on the Lewis farm, at least temporarily. He is age 13, and is enumerated on another page as a farm labourer living on a nearby farm with the family of Annie’s sister Mary Jane Walker. Annie is actually only 33 years old, so we can assume that some other family member provided the information.
How do we explain Annie Ross, age 7, granddaughter, born in the U.S.? Could Annie Lewis Ross have stayed in Deadwood longer that we thought, and had a daughter? We are quite sure the answer is no. This looks like another census mistake. Perhaps there was a visitor at the farm when the enumerator arrived, and somebody thought it would be funny to count her too. We have learned enough about Annie Lewis and her family to know that there was not a daughter born in the U.S.
Two other Lewis families (Chapter 5) were also enumerated in the immediate neighbourhood in 1891. John and Jessie Lewis and 2 children are listed on the same census page above Henry Sr. and family, and Henry Jr. and Eliza Lewis and 3 children are listed below them. The GMGS notes tell us that Lot 5 Concession 5 had been split, and the west half belonged to John Lewis. The Lewis log cabin was on the east half of Lot 5, and there was no house on the west half. It is not clear where the John Lewis family or the Henry Jr. Lewis family were living, but there were a large number of Lewis family members living in a very small area. Perhaps they rented houses nearby.
Shortly after the 1891 Census was taken, Annie Lewis Ross decided to try to ‘go it alone’ with her two sons. Annie rented a farm about five miles west of the Lewis farm, in a community known as French Bay. The farm was on Lot 22 Concession D, in an area that includes a number of marginal farms with poor soil. It was not an easy place to make a living, and it would have been even harder without a husband. Willy had experience as a farm labourer, but he was only 14 and Harry was only 11.
However, Annie had some good neighbours, and they undoubtedly provided help when needed. Her sister Mary Jane had married John Walker and they had a farm nearby, where Willy had been working. Other neighbours were the Shannon family (Chapter 13) and the Longmire family, who lived next door on Lot 21 Concession D.
These farms are all marked on the Amabel Map in Chapter 5. The Annie Ross farm is ‘A’, the Longmire farm is ‘B’, the John Walker farm is ‘C’, and the Henry Shannon farm is ‘D’.
In the 1891 Census, Jim Longmire is recorded as age 21 and living on the family farm at French Bay with his parents, 3 brothers, and 3 sisters. It is easy to guess that members of the Longmire family would have helped Annie Ross and her two boys as they began working the farm on their own. There was surplus manpower on the Longmire farm, and a shortage on the Ross farm. Annie probably hired her neighbours to help with the farm work at busy times.
Annie Lewis Ross was still living on the Lewis homestead when the 1891 Census was taken.
1891 Census of Canada – Enumerated 6 Apr 1891
| Name | Sex | Age | Married or Widowed |
Relationship | Place of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis, Henry Sr. | M | 68 | M | Head | England |
| Lewis, Elizabeth | F | 66 | M | Wife | England |
| Lewis, Alfred | M | 23 | S | Son | Ontario |
| Ross, Annie | F | 39 | W | Daughter | Ontario |
| Ross, Henry | M | 11 | S | Grandson | U.S. |
| Ross, Annie | F | 7 | S | Granddaughter | U.S. |
There are some surprises here. Who is Alfred Lewis? Where is Willy Ross? How did Annie get to be 39? And, most surprisingly, who is Annie Ross age 7?
Genealogists soon learn that census information is notoriously inaccurate. It is recorded by a census taker, who may or may not know the family being enumerated. The questions are answered by whichever family member happens to be home at the time. Sometimes people make jokes, tell lies, get careless, or are difficult to understand. It all gets written down.
‘Alfred’ Lewis is actually Walter Lewis. This looks like a simple mistake, caused by not hearing the name properly. Willy Ross is not living on the Lewis farm, at least temporarily. He is age 13, and is enumerated on another page as a farm labourer living on a nearby farm with the family of Annie’s sister Mary Jane Walker. Annie is actually only 33 years old, so we can assume that some other family member provided the information.
How do we explain Annie Ross, age 7, granddaughter, born in the U.S.? Could Annie Lewis Ross have stayed in Deadwood longer that we thought, and had a daughter? We are quite sure the answer is no. This looks like another census mistake. Perhaps there was a visitor at the farm when the enumerator arrived, and somebody thought it would be funny to count her too. We have learned enough about Annie Lewis and her family to know that there was not a daughter born in the U.S.
Two other Lewis families (Chapter 5) were also enumerated in the immediate neighbourhood in 1891. John and Jessie Lewis and 2 children are listed on the same census page above Henry Sr. and family, and Henry Jr. and Eliza Lewis and 3 children are listed below them. The GMGS notes tell us that Lot 5 Concession 5 had been split, and the west half belonged to John Lewis. The Lewis log cabin was on the east half of Lot 5, and there was no house on the west half. It is not clear where the John Lewis family or the Henry Jr. Lewis family were living, but there were a large number of Lewis family members living in a very small area. Perhaps they rented houses nearby.
Shortly after the 1891 Census was taken, Annie Lewis Ross decided to try to ‘go it alone’ with her two sons. Annie rented a farm about five miles west of the Lewis farm, in a community known as French Bay. The farm was on Lot 22 Concession D, in an area that includes a number of marginal farms with poor soil. It was not an easy place to make a living, and it would have been even harder without a husband. Willy had experience as a farm labourer, but he was only 14 and Harry was only 11.
However, Annie had some good neighbours, and they undoubtedly provided help when needed. Her sister Mary Jane had married John Walker and they had a farm nearby, where Willy had been working. Other neighbours were the Shannon family (Chapter 13) and the Longmire family, who lived next door on Lot 21 Concession D.
These farms are all marked on the Amabel Map in Chapter 5. The Annie Ross farm is ‘A’, the Longmire farm is ‘B’, the John Walker farm is ‘C’, and the Henry Shannon farm is ‘D’.
In the 1891 Census, Jim Longmire is recorded as age 21 and living on the family farm at French Bay with his parents, 3 brothers, and 3 sisters. It is easy to guess that members of the Longmire family would have helped Annie Ross and her two boys as they began working the farm on their own. There was surplus manpower on the Longmire farm, and a shortage on the Ross farm. Annie probably hired her neighbours to help with the farm work at busy times.
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1894 Marriage Registration
The most interesting information on the marriage registration appears beside the question `Spinster or Widow?’. The answer is “W”, clearly in quotation marks. I believe this was how, and when, William2 Ross was declared legally dead. He had deserted Annie 14 years earlier, and he had been in South Africa for 7 years. I don’t know whether or not there had been any contact during these years, but I think Annie knew he was alive. The quotation marks imply that this was a declaration rather than a statement of fact.
Willy Ross was age 16 and Harry Ross was 14. We don’t know whether or not they attended the wedding, or how well they accepted Jim Longmire initially. Shortly thereafter they both left home, but that was normal in those times. Later in life Harry Ross and Jim Longmire got along together extremely well. They lived together after they both became widowers.
For the rest of this book we use the name Annie Longmire instead of Annie Lewis or Annie Ross. Annie was
married to Jim Longmire for 59 years. She was called Granny Longmire by everyone in the family and Annie
Longmire by everyone else in Park Head.
For the next few years, Annie and Jim Longmire continued to live on the farm on Lot 22 Concession D. I believe Willy and Harry both struck out on their own at about the time their mother remarried. Neither one of them liked farming, and there were opportunities in lumbering on the Bruce Peninsula and in northern Michigan.
On November 21, 1895 Annie and Jim Longmire had their first and only child. Sadly, James Harold Longmire died when he was only 3 days old. No cause of death was given on the death registration.
On December 6, 1897 Annie Longmire purchased the farm on Lot 22 Concession D. We believe she had been renting the property for about 6 years. The previous owner failed to make his mortgage payments, and had been foreclosed. Annie was able to buy the 133 acre farm for $212.50.
We don’t know exactly what Willy was doing during this time. My guess is that he went back and forth between lumbering in the winters and helping on the farm in the summers. The Eila Ross notes say that he worked in lumbering around Georgian Bay, White Cloud Island and Cockburn Island. When Willy married Georgina Dobson on July 2, 1901 he recorded his occupation as labourer on the marriage registration (Chapter 9).
We have a little more information about what Harry Ross was doing. Bruce Ross recalls in his notes: ‘When my father was 14, 15, or 16 years old he worked for the sawmills on the Bruce Peninsula. One of them was called McVickers. There’s still a place on the Bruce Peninsula called McVickers Corners. One winter when he was I believe 18 or 19 years old he went to the state of Michigan where he worked again in lumberyards, where they were making ties for the railroad industry.’
From the Eila Ross notes we know that Harry left home at 14 and worked in lumberyards on the Bruce Peninsula. On one occasion he walked 85 miles non-stop from Tobermory to Southampton, and when he arrived he had worn out a pair of shoes and his feet were bleeding. This may have been an indication of things to come. In later life Harry had a reputation for prodigious amounts of hard work.
From the Harry Ross tape we know that Harry first worked for his uncle Walter Lewis who owned a sawmill at Hope Bay. The next year he went further up the peninsula to McVickers, which was a larger mill. He also worked in Michigan over the winter that included his 19th birthday on November 6, 1898. The following summer he worked for Henry Lewis on the Lewis farm, and that fall he left for South Africa (Chapter 10).
It would also have been during this time that William2 Ross made his first visit back to Canada (Chapter 7), in about 1897. ‘He said that he went up to Park Head where he found that Annie was married to Jim Longmire. He added that he had looked through the window and observed a happy domestic scene, so left without revealing his presence.’ We believe some version of this family myth is a fact, but if he looked through the window he would have had to go to French Bay to do it. This would have involved getting directions, walking 6 miles each way or getting a ride, etc. It is difficult to believe it would have gone unnoticed. If it was noticed, word would have spread quickly, and created a very awkward situation for Annie and Jim.
The 1901 Census provides us with a snapshot at a point in time, but it again raises some minor questions.
1901 Census of Canada - Enumerated 31 Mar 1901
All of the ages are correct except for Jim Longmire, who was actually only 32. Over the years Annie and Jim tried to minimize their age difference, because this was a subject of gossip among the neighbours.
Harry Ross was enumerated on the farm even though he had been in South Africa for about 16 months, and would not be returning for another 8 years. They may have been expecting him to return sooner than he did. Willy Ross and Georgina Dobson were not actually married until July 2, 1901. Perhaps they were already living together when the census was taken, but I think this would have been very unusual at the time. It could be that Annie provided the information to the enumerator, and she was anticipating the future in her replies. If Willy was still working in lumbering in 1901, he would have been away from home when the census was taken in March.
The same 1901 Census also provides us with a snapshot at the Lewis farm on Lot 5 Concession 5 in Park Head. Many of the Lewis family members had left since the previous Census in 1891. Both the John Lewis family and the Henry Lewis Jr. family had moved to Emo Township near Rainy River to begin homesteading again. John Lewis had sold the west half of Lot 5 in 1897. For an interval of 11 years the Lewis family only owned the east half of Lot 5, which included the original log cabin. Wellington Lewis was living there with his aging parents. Henry Lewis was 78 and Elizabeth was 76.
A terrible family tragedy occurred in the fall of 1906. Sometime after 1901, Willy Ross had decided to become a sailor rather than continue working at lumbering or on the farm. He and Georgina had moved to Wiarton, where Willy worked for the Crawford Tug Company on the steamer J.H. JONES. On November 22, 1906 the J.H. JONES was lost on Georgian Bay, with no survivors (Chapter 9).
Annie and Jim Longmire were still living on the farm when Willy was lost on Georgian Bay. On July 15, 1907 they sold the farm at French Bay and moved to Wiarton. This probably occurred as a result Willy’s death, so they could help Georgina and her three children. Annie and Jim continued to live in Wiarton until 1912, when they moved back to Park Head. We don’t know what Jim did or very much else about this interval. It would have been a very difficult time for the family, and no one talked about it in later life.
Harry Ross was in South Africa when this occurred, as was Willy’s father William2 Ross. Harry sent a very sad letter and included some money. We don’t know what William2 did. My personal speculation (Chapter 7) is that he made a second trip back to Canada in about 1908 and visited Wiarton, where the mysterious photo was taken. If this took place, he would certainly have had contact with Annie and Jim, and it would not have been very pleasant.
For the next few years, Annie and Jim Longmire continued to live on the farm on Lot 22 Concession D. I believe Willy and Harry both struck out on their own at about the time their mother remarried. Neither one of them liked farming, and there were opportunities in lumbering on the Bruce Peninsula and in northern Michigan.
On November 21, 1895 Annie and Jim Longmire had their first and only child. Sadly, James Harold Longmire died when he was only 3 days old. No cause of death was given on the death registration.
On December 6, 1897 Annie Longmire purchased the farm on Lot 22 Concession D. We believe she had been renting the property for about 6 years. The previous owner failed to make his mortgage payments, and had been foreclosed. Annie was able to buy the 133 acre farm for $212.50.
We don’t know exactly what Willy was doing during this time. My guess is that he went back and forth between lumbering in the winters and helping on the farm in the summers. The Eila Ross notes say that he worked in lumbering around Georgian Bay, White Cloud Island and Cockburn Island. When Willy married Georgina Dobson on July 2, 1901 he recorded his occupation as labourer on the marriage registration (Chapter 9).
We have a little more information about what Harry Ross was doing. Bruce Ross recalls in his notes: ‘When my father was 14, 15, or 16 years old he worked for the sawmills on the Bruce Peninsula. One of them was called McVickers. There’s still a place on the Bruce Peninsula called McVickers Corners. One winter when he was I believe 18 or 19 years old he went to the state of Michigan where he worked again in lumberyards, where they were making ties for the railroad industry.’
From the Eila Ross notes we know that Harry left home at 14 and worked in lumberyards on the Bruce Peninsula. On one occasion he walked 85 miles non-stop from Tobermory to Southampton, and when he arrived he had worn out a pair of shoes and his feet were bleeding. This may have been an indication of things to come. In later life Harry had a reputation for prodigious amounts of hard work.
From the Harry Ross tape we know that Harry first worked for his uncle Walter Lewis who owned a sawmill at Hope Bay. The next year he went further up the peninsula to McVickers, which was a larger mill. He also worked in Michigan over the winter that included his 19th birthday on November 6, 1898. The following summer he worked for Henry Lewis on the Lewis farm, and that fall he left for South Africa (Chapter 10).
It would also have been during this time that William2 Ross made his first visit back to Canada (Chapter 7), in about 1897. ‘He said that he went up to Park Head where he found that Annie was married to Jim Longmire. He added that he had looked through the window and observed a happy domestic scene, so left without revealing his presence.’ We believe some version of this family myth is a fact, but if he looked through the window he would have had to go to French Bay to do it. This would have involved getting directions, walking 6 miles each way or getting a ride, etc. It is difficult to believe it would have gone unnoticed. If it was noticed, word would have spread quickly, and created a very awkward situation for Annie and Jim.
The 1901 Census provides us with a snapshot at a point in time, but it again raises some minor questions.
1901 Census of Canada - Enumerated 31 Mar 1901
| Name | Sex | Age | Married or Widowed | Relationship | Place of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longmire, James | M | 38 | M | Head | Ontario |
| Longmire, Annie E. | F | 44 | M | Wife | Ontario |
| Ross, Henry | M | 21 | S | Step Son | Ontario |
| Ross, William L. | M | 23 | M | Step Son | Ontario |
| Ross, Georgina L. | F | 21 | M | Daughter-in-law | Ontario |
All of the ages are correct except for Jim Longmire, who was actually only 32. Over the years Annie and Jim tried to minimize their age difference, because this was a subject of gossip among the neighbours.
Harry Ross was enumerated on the farm even though he had been in South Africa for about 16 months, and would not be returning for another 8 years. They may have been expecting him to return sooner than he did. Willy Ross and Georgina Dobson were not actually married until July 2, 1901. Perhaps they were already living together when the census was taken, but I think this would have been very unusual at the time. It could be that Annie provided the information to the enumerator, and she was anticipating the future in her replies. If Willy was still working in lumbering in 1901, he would have been away from home when the census was taken in March.
The same 1901 Census also provides us with a snapshot at the Lewis farm on Lot 5 Concession 5 in Park Head. Many of the Lewis family members had left since the previous Census in 1891. Both the John Lewis family and the Henry Lewis Jr. family had moved to Emo Township near Rainy River to begin homesteading again. John Lewis had sold the west half of Lot 5 in 1897. For an interval of 11 years the Lewis family only owned the east half of Lot 5, which included the original log cabin. Wellington Lewis was living there with his aging parents. Henry Lewis was 78 and Elizabeth was 76.
A terrible family tragedy occurred in the fall of 1906. Sometime after 1901, Willy Ross had decided to become a sailor rather than continue working at lumbering or on the farm. He and Georgina had moved to Wiarton, where Willy worked for the Crawford Tug Company on the steamer J.H. JONES. On November 22, 1906 the J.H. JONES was lost on Georgian Bay, with no survivors (Chapter 9).
Annie and Jim Longmire were still living on the farm when Willy was lost on Georgian Bay. On July 15, 1907 they sold the farm at French Bay and moved to Wiarton. This probably occurred as a result Willy’s death, so they could help Georgina and her three children. Annie and Jim continued to live in Wiarton until 1912, when they moved back to Park Head. We don’t know what Jim did or very much else about this interval. It would have been a very difficult time for the family, and no one talked about it in later life.
Harry Ross was in South Africa when this occurred, as was Willy’s father William2 Ross. Harry sent a very sad letter and included some money. We don’t know what William2 did. My personal speculation (Chapter 7) is that he made a second trip back to Canada in about 1908 and visited Wiarton, where the mysterious photo was taken. If this took place, he would certainly have had contact with Annie and Jim, and it would not have been very pleasant.
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Jim and Annie Longmire in 1909
In 1912 Jim Longmire got a job on the railway section crew and Jim and Annie moved back to Park Head, where they bought a house in the village. In 1917 they moved to the house next door, where they lived for the rest of their lives. The Eila Ross notes tell us ‘they had a railway pass that would have taken them anywhere in Canada, but I believe they never went any farther than Wiarton, Owen Sound and perhaps Palmerston.’ Perhaps Annie felt she had moved around enough. It was time to settle down in Park Head.
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1935 CNR Railway Pass
This was a CNR railway pass, but the phrase Grand Trunk Railway System was also still used. It is the same railway that William2 Ross had helped build in 1875. The Grand Trunk Railway was amalgamated with the Canadian National Railway in 1923. Jim Longmire worked for CNR until he retired, which would have been about the time this pass was issued. In 1935, Jim was age 66 and Annie was age 78.
As far as we know, Annie Longmire never had a high income or much money, but she must have been very good at managing the money she had. Eila Ross recalls ‘When I took my Home Economics course at Macdonald Institute, Granny Longmire lent me the money for tuition and board, for which I am forever grateful. I was faithful in repaying her and had the debt settled within two years of graduation.’ Over the years, Annie also loaned money to her son Harry and to other grandchildren.
Their small house in Park Head was a big improvement over the log cabin on the Lewis homestead, but it did not have indoor plumbing. I remember that there was a Model T Ford parked in the shed, but I never saw it driven. Don Mitchell (Chapter 9), who is four years older than I am, remembers Jim and Annie going for drives. Late in life Jim was deaf and Annie was almost blind. They used to drive as a team. Jim would drive the Model T and watch the road, and Annie would ride beside him and listen for trains.
My most vivid memory of Annie Longmire is that she ate green onions for breakfast when she was over 90 years old. For the last years of her life her eyesight was very poor, and she spent a great deal of time sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. We still have the rocking chair, but it is no longer used because it doesn’t rock properly. Annie wore the rockers flat.
Annie Longmire died on October 25, 1953, when she was almost 96. She had been married to Jim for 59 years. Jim Longmire died on January 10, 1961, at the age of 91. Annie and Jim Longmire are buried in Zion Cemetery. Their grave is beside the Lewis family gravesite.
| Photos courtesy of Laverne Stevenson and Ann Reeves | PLEASE CLICK ANYWHERE ON IMAGE TO MAGNIFY |
Jim Longmire and Annie Lewis