Thomas Humberstone and Ann Harrison
2. Thomas
HUMBERSTONE (7)(8)
(9) was born about 1776 probably
in Philadelphia, Penn.,(10)
although he may actually have been born on board the ship carrying
his family from England to the American colonies (his daughter
Catherine, in the 1880 US census, states that her father was born
on the Atlantic Ocean). He accompanied his parents as they
moved, first in 1783 to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, then to Montréal,
and then in 1795 to Augusta Township, Canada West (Ontario).
In 1796, when he turned 20, he petitioned the governor for a grant
of land, to which he, as the son of a United Empire Loyalist (that
is, someone who, during the American Revolution, remained loyal
to the British crown), was entitled. He was granted land
in York, and reportedly went on foot from Augusta to his newly-acquired
land. In York he opened a pottery, drawing on the skills
he'd learned as the son of a potter.
He served in 1812 in the York Militia, York (now Toronto),
Ontario, in the war of 1812.(11) (12)(13)
"For his services in the War of 1812, he drew a pension,
a captain's half-pay, also five hundred acres of land in Tecumseth,
when Sir Peregine Maitland, K.C.B., was Lieutenant-Governor of
Upper Canada (what is now Ontario), and he also received a medal
in memory of the capture of Detroit. He belonged to the Third
Regiment of Incorporated Militia, and was taken prisoner of war
by the Americans and sent to Greenbush, October 11, 1813, where
he was let out on parole until exchanged after being kept as hostage.
He served under General Brock, and when the latter fell mortally
wounded at the Battle of Queenston Heights, he helped to carry
him off the battlefield, and the General's words to the others
were, 'If I die, remember Humberstone, remember Humberstone'."
He appeared on the census in 1837 in York (Toronto), Upper
Canada. (14) Two Thomas
Humberstones are listed, probably father and son. Information
for the first: concession #1, lot #24, York township, under remark:
"West of Yonge St." For the second: concession #1, lot
#11, York township, under remark: "Yonge St. Road from Montgomery's
Tavern to the end of the township."
A book on Yonge Street, talking about the problems tradesmen
had in getting their customers to pay debts, noted that "With
such reluctance to pay for what were necessary services, it must
have been a considerably risky undertaking for Thomas Humberstone,
from Staffordshire in England, to start a pottery on his farm
at Lot 14, on the west side of Yonge Street [in Toronto]."
Thomas is mentioned in a couple of books on the history of Toronto:
"A Yonge Street settler who landed inadvertently in the
States at this time was Thomas Humberstone the Potter from Lot
14 west. He was an officer in the York Militia but the business
of weapons was alien to him. A local story relates that an old
musket dug up on his farm on Yonge Street was for long used to
poke and stir the logs in his fireplace; one day while his daughter
was doing this the musket, which must have been loaded all that
time, blew up and killed the unfortunate girl. One of Thomas's
duties during the war was to take a group of American prisoners
by batteau to Kingston for confinement. Thomas's control of the
situation seems to have been somewhat shaky because in the course
of the journey, the Americans took over his batteau, made him
their prisoner, and put in to the American shore; there he remained
until the end of the war." [Berchem]
"Beyond [Hogg's] Hollow [along Yonge Street in Toronto],
Mr. Humberstone's was passed on the west side, another manufacturer
of useful pottery ware. A curious incident used to be narrated
as having occurred in this house. The barrel of an old Indian
fowling-piece [gun] turned up by the plough in one of the fields,
and made to do duty in the management of unwieldy back logs in
the great fire-place, suddenly proved itself to have been charged
all the while, by exploding one day in the hands of Mr. Humberstone's
daughter while being put to its customary use, and killing her
on the spot. ... Mr. Humberstone saw active service as a lieutenant
in the incorporated militia in 1812. He was put in charge of some
prisoners captured by Colonel Fitzgibbon, at the Beaver Dams,
and when now nearing his destination, Kingston, with his prisoners
in a large batteau, he ... was made a prisoner of himself by the
men whom he had in custody, and was adroitly rowed over by them
to the United States shore, where being landed he was swiftly
locked up in jail, and thence only delivered when peace was restored."
[Scadding]
And this, from his grandson Edward L. McConaughy, based on
reminiscenses of his grandfather and Thomas H.'s son-in-law Edward
Gardhouse: "E.G. showed me the house [where Priscilla Humberstone
was born] and told me about his father-in-law, Thomas Humberstone,
who had a wooden leg. ... I will say that he (T.H.) was wounded
at a battle in the 1812 War, while fighting for the English, near
Niagara Falls. It seems that he (T.H.) was an orderly for General
Brock, the British Commander, who was mortally wounded at the
same time that he (T.H.) was wounded and lost a leg. It also is
told that the good General was offered a drink, but told his staff
to not mind him, but to look after Humberstone. Anyway grandfather
(E.G.) with mischief in his eye said that sometimes to tease the
old soldier, they would murmur something not flattering about
the War and then the old soldier, T.H. would reach over with his
wooden walking stick and gently prod the speaker and tell him
that that was enough.."
He signed a will on 12 Nov 1847 in York, Ontario. (15) He named his son Thomas and
his wife Ann executors. He gave to his son-in-law Leonard Morgan
use of two acres of land, 8 rods by 40 rods, in the northwest
part of lot number 24 in the first concession West of Yonge Street,
on which Morgan and his family was then living. Upon Morgan's
death the land was to be sold and the proceeds divided equally
among Morgan's four children. He left to his wife Ann the use
of all of his other lands, 38 acres in the west part of lot number
24 in the first concession West of Yonge St. Upon Ann's death
the land was to be sold and divided equally among their seven
children. He also left to Ann all his remaining possessions. The
will was proved 14 June 1850. He died on 17 Oct 1849 in Newton
Brook, Ontario. (16) He
was buried after 17 Oct 1849 in St. John's Church, Toronto, Ontario.(3) His gravestone is on the east
side just south of the 401 highway; at the time this church was
located in York Mills. He was a potter in Toronto, Ontario.(17)
He was married to Ann (Nancy)
HARRISON (daughter of Christopher
HARRISON and Priscilla PEDDLE) on 15
Jun 1800 in York, Ontario. (18)
They were married by justice of the peace John Willion of the
town of York because "there [was] no minister of the Church
of England living within eighteen miles of them."
Ann (Nancy) HARRISON was born in 1783 in Nova Scotia.
(3)(19) She died on 18 May 1857
in Newton Brook, Ontario.(3)
Thomas HUMBERSTONE and Ann (Nancy) HARRISON had the following
children:
+3 i. Ann HUMBERSTONE.
+4 ii. Mary
HUMBERSTONE.
+5 iii. Sarah
Ann HUMBERSTONE.
6 iv. Elizabeth
HUMBERSTONE was born about 1807. She died on 22 Feb 1822 in
York, Ontario.(20) The
newspaper account of her death noted that she died "from
the effects of a mortal wound received by using an old gun-barrel
to turn the back-log in the house of her uncle, Francis Lee, at
Talbot Settlement in the Township of Oxford."
+7 v. Samuel
HUMBERSTONE.
+8 vi. Thomas
HUMBERSTONE.
+9 vii. Amelia
HUMBERSTONE.
+10 viii. Catherine HUMBERSTONE.
+11 ix. William
Ashford HUMBERSTONE.
+12 x. Priscilla
Elizabeth HUMBERSTONE.
Return
to the Humberstone Table of Contents
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of Contents
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Contents
Last revised 28 May 2000