There are a lot of unfinished or, rather, undiscovered bits of history on Mabel Burrow’s side.  I would appreciate any historians to contact me if you have more information.  I have connected with second cousin, Barry Burrows, on this line but we have been unsuccessful, so far, in filling in these gaps.  One thing is for certain, on her paternal side, her history is deeply steeped in Eye, Suffolk, England.  What is not so clear are the connections on her maternal side.

Part of that confusion lies in the spelling of her name, like other English names that had variants, in this case, Carver on some documentation and Calver on others.  Also, there are problems with Thomasina’s parent’s surnames.  I did, however, locate documentation that Caroline (Thomasina’s mother) also had a possible sister or neice for Thomasina, her name being Sansapareil Carver, born in 1847.  She is lost in this narrative.

‘Thomaseen’ is found, at the age of two on the 1851 census, in Eye, Suffolk, with her mother, Caroline.  Caroline Calver is a lace weaver and ironically, although I don’t want to read too much into this, her neighbours are the Burrows family, also living on Church Street.  I think that it’s a pretty cool thing, coming from a woolen mill history, that we have a lace weaver on the family line.

I’ve made some conclusions from various searches.  I believe that Thomasina’s grandfather was a John Calver. On the 1841 Suffolk census, I find John and (transcription error) Emeler living with Charles 20, Edgar 15 and Caroline 13, substantiation enough that Caroline is John’s daughter. While his wife, Amelia, was living still in 1851, they are found caring for a wee 3 year old, Sanspareil Calver, a grand daughter.  Ten years later, on the 1861 census and at the age of 81, John is found in the Thingoe Union Workhouse, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, a widow.  The conditions of this existence would comprise an entire blog post on its own.  It is during this course, that we lose Sanspareil who may have been a child born out of wedlock to Charles, Edgar or Caroline.  The main industry of the Suffolk region is the business of textiles…again, an irony, given my family’s connections with wool.

 Barely legible, I find her parents on the 1881 Perth South, St. Mary’s, Ontario census, so Thomasine/Thomasina has arrived, somehow, safely in Canada.

 But then, I’m getting side-tracked, am I not?  I guess I just wished to explain that I’m busy investigating Mabel’s maternal side and that nothing is for certain there as yet.  Back to Mabel!  Mabel is born to Charles Burrows and ‘Thomasine’ Carver on August 24, 1881. Charles is listed as a baker on this record.

 From here, marriage registration and census records confirm Mabel’s journey, as those of her husband, George Elliott.  They married on the 30th of June in 1900.  Mabel has as her birth place, St. Mary’s.

 I have recently contact St. Mary’s to conduct a search of their archives where this part of my family is concerned.  Here is the 1891 Census,  Peel District.

 George Edward Elliott, Mabel’s future husband, is living in Lindsay at the age of 24, with his parents and siblings.  This is confirmed on the 1901 census.  I find Mabel at the age of 19, living with her family on the 1901 Victoria, Lindsay Census, but her name is now Elliott. Included on this census are John Elliot 14, Charles E Elliot 10 and Charles E. Elliott 10 months.

 Here is the 1911 Census: Victoria, Lindsay, Ontario.

This is the only photograph we have of George and Mabel Elliott.  My father remembers his grandmother Elliott as being very gentle and loving…a kind soul.  He also remembers that her legs were swollen a lot and that she never seemed to be really healthy.

May Mabel rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon her.  I’m grateful for whatever I might be able to learn of our family on the Burrows and Elliott lines.  Please be in touch.