| Family
immigrates to Canada
1880 |
 Francis,
Mary and their five remaining children left Ireland and settled
in Holland Landing, York County in July 1880. They were accompanied by
two nephews, son's of Mary's sister Martha; John
(b.c. 1865) and Michael Elliott (b.c. 1869)  .
According to Nancy, Francis's brother George, the Bradford physician, was
instrumental in the family's immigration.
Francis was a yeoman and a farmer, and the family settled on Woodmount
Farm in Holland Landing -- the farm owned by George since 1860 plus the
lot of the late Captain Laughton transferred to Cornie in 1868.
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| George born
1881 |
The ocean transit was completed in July 1880,
and Mary was then 3 months pregnant with her first Canadian born son, George.
George was baptized in Christ Church Holland Landing in mid June by J.H.
Hodge. Mortons were very fond of naming children after previous generations,
and his full name, George Dean Laughton, indicates how significant were
the roles of Dr. George Dean Morton, uncle and godfather, and the late
Captain William Laughton, Dr. George's father-in-law.
The family moved into the house that was once Capt. Laughton's -- the one with the "big thing" on top, as Nancy recalled, a half-story observation room on top of the house where Francis could look north and watch boats travel down the Holland River and into Lake Simcoe, just as Capt. Laughton would have watched his own paddle boats finish the trip from Toronto to Barrie before the railway arrived a generation ago. Aunt Nancy says sometime later the farm house burned nearly to the ground leaving only the back part, where the family stayed until a newer home could be built. It's not known exactly when this happened, but Mary was never satisfied with the smaller house, and "never had nice things again." (9) You can imagine the tea service we still have today being saved from the fire, but doubtless many other heirlooms from Ireland, especially photographs, were destroyed. Historical summaries: 1880's |
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| Tragedies
strike
1881 |
A second tragedy struck the family when, in the spring after their
arrival, eldest son Michael became so sick with diphtheria that he had
to move in with his physician Uncle George in Bradford. Michael was 15
and attending model school then. He died in late May and was buried in
Dr. Morton's vault at Christ Church, Holland Landing.
In April, 1884, Mary's next child was born: Mary Francis. Nancy, who was 7½ at the time, remembers her Irish cousin Johnny walking with Mary up and down the long verandah surrounding the farm house when little baby Mary died. She was aged 5 months and 15 days, also buried at Christ Church. Nancy said her mother always had a weak heart. She may have been describing more than a physical weakness. Now that three of her children had died in their youth, Mary likely had a broken heart. |
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| Edward (Ned) born 1885 | The last of Francis and Mary's children was Edward James Morton,
or as Nancy called him, Ned. Nancy reports his namesake was his mother's
brother Edward James Elliott (1848-1877), a lawyer like their father. He
died of diphtheria in Ireland, and could be seen wearing his Freemason's
apron in a photograph that once hung in
the Bradford house.
See Edward James Elliott's photograph
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| Ned completed the Morton's family of six surviving
children. By 1889, Ned was about four and was old enough to sleep with
his eldest brother Willie, aged 23. Eliza was 18 and helping her mother
in the house. Martha was 16 and finishing up her schooling. Nancy was almost
13, baby-sitting for cousin Johnny Elliott who lived and worked at the
Standard Bank in Bradford after marrying Eva Speight.
Nancy remembered Ned riding on Willie's back, coming down for breakfast, and how she would take the youngest boys Ned, 4, and George, 8, out to the end of the lane and across the road to pick flowers. Of the little she recorded in her The Morton Family (1968), these are my favourite passages: "Then there were acacia trees up the lane and huge pines, a very long lane. There was a pond just before you got out of the gate, I went sliding on it lots of times.Historical summaries: 1890's Willie would often drive a team into Newmarket on Saturday nights; took Nancy once and bought her a white sailor hat with daisies. He was very shy and didn't go out with any girls until he met Minnie Wood. The Woods lived north of Bradford on a farm in the 10th concession of West Gwillimbury on Barrie street (now Highway 11). |
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| Family
moves off farm
1895 |
Upon their marriage, it is said that Francis gave Woodmount farm to
William
and Minnie  .
Francis, who was around 65, moved his family to a four-room wooden house
in Holland Landing where he could retire. In March 1895, a month after
Uncle George Dean Morton died, his will states that the farm properties
at Yonge and Hospital Road (now Doan's Rd.) were to go to William E.D.B..
This was Woodmount Farm, as it is the only property cited in William's
estate ten years later. |
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| Death
of Mary Elliott
1895 |
Around the same time, Mary fell ill with further heart problems and
died 24th October, 1895. As her wishes were to not rest in the vault, the
family bought a plot in front and on the right-front of Christ Church,
Holland Landing, and buried her there. This plot serves as the final resting
place of four Morton generations.
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| Martha
& George leave home
1897 |
George eventually left home to work
in Bradford at Elliot's Dry Goods Store (no relation to the Elliott cousins),
and to live in a local hotel.
After completing school, Nancy and Eliza stayed home with their father. Martha left for nursing school |
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Francis, Eliza, Nancy and Ned
lived in the Holland Landing house through the turn of the century. |
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