Ontario Genealogy Facebook group member “JM” asked for help deciphering the maiden name of the groom’s mother on a wedding certificate, the groom being one George Edward Frank SPEERS. On further inspection, it turns out the certificate had been incorrectly filled out with the bride’s mother’s name in the place of the groom’s mother’s name and then crossed out. The groom’s mother’s name was then written above as “Mary Ann ?“, indicating the groom did not know his mother’s maiden name, or perhaps that his mother was unmarried and his father’s name was made up. Further reading of the replies to the post indicated the groom’s surname of SPEERS may have originally been WIDLEY, but no further information was known. Both SPEERS and WIDLEY are fairly uncommon spellings. Speers is Irish in origin.
George Edward Frank SPEERS married Ellen Isabel ROWLINSON on 24 March 1924 in Thessalon, Algoma, Ontario, Canada (where they were both living).
- Name: George Edward Frank SPEERS
- Occupation: Cook
- Condition: Bachelor
- Age: 23 [c.1901]
- Denomination: Anglican
- Place of Birth: London, England
- Father: Robert Henry SPEERS
- Mother: Mary Ann ?
- Birthplace of Father: London, England
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- Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 675
In the 1921 census for Canada, there was a George SPEERS lodging in Parkdale, Toronto, Ontario, about 360 miles from Thessalon. He was age 26 (born c.1896), arrived in Canada in 1911 aged about 16, was unmarried and working as a cook. He also stated that he was English with English parents. The marriage certificate for George above also had his occupation as a cook, although his age was slightly younger than the one in the census. Ellen was only 17 when she married George and required her mother’s permission to do so, so perhaps George wanted to appear younger than his true age of 29, or was incorrectly recorded as older in the 1921 census. If census George were actually born around 1901, then he would have only been 10 when he arrived in Canada. If he came with family, then where are they? If he came on his own on an assisted ticket, then perhaps he been orphaned or from a poor background, which may account for a change of surname.
If George did indeed arrive in Canada during 1911 and left after April, then he would have been recorded in the 1911 census for England. If he arrived in Canada before June, then he would have also been recorded in the 1911 census for Canada. As it is, there is no matching George SPEERS in either census (using various spellings). There are no birth or baptism records for George SPEERS born between 1890 and 1905 in England, nor any census or travel records.
By 1931, George “Spears”, Ellen and their five children were living in Hawkins, Blind River, Algoma, Ontario, where he continued to work as a cook (up to at least 1940). The census this time recorded George’s birthplace as Canada in 1899, and that his parents were also born in Canada. By 1945, George was working as a labourer, and in 1949, he was a steelworker and residing at Tarentorus, Algoma, Ontario. George died on 9 August 1981 in Sault Sainte Marie, Algoma, Ontario, Canada. His headstone gives his year of birth as 1900.
So, what of George WIDLEY?
The 1921 census for Canada records a George WIDLEY lodging in Guelph, Wellington, Ontario (roughly 55 miles from George SPEERS and 400 miles from Thessalon. This George was age 20 (b.1901), so of a similar age as George SPEERS, unmarried and working as a shoemaker. He stated to be English with English parents, but no immigration or naturalisation year was added. This George can be traced back to England. His full name was George Edward WIDLEY and was actually slightly older than stated in the 1921 census, being born 22 November 1896 in Chelsea, Middlesex, England. His father was Robert WIDLEY, a bootmaker born 1860 in Kensington, and his mother was Mary Ann HEMMENS born 1860 in Dorking, Surrey.
In 1908, George W was recorded being discharged from the workhouse into the Branch School at Hammersmith, and in the 1911 census, he was living at home and working as an office boy, aged 14. George W’s parents were in and out of the workhouse many times between 1908 and 1912, the year his mother died. This likey prompted his move to Canada.
George W enlisted as a private in the 71st Battalion on 1 October 1915. He measured 5ft 3in, and confirmed his date and place of birth, plus next of kin. On 23 February 1916, George W was discharged as medically unfit, being described as “underdeveloped.” He enlisted again on 22 May 1917 into the 64th Battalion as a gunner, but was again discharged as medically unfit on 26 October 1918 (now measuring 5ft 6in). Further reading of George’s medical history described him as poorly nourished and suffering from giddy spells, having dull and stupid facial expressions, as well as being inert and listless. His records also state his mother suffered from fits, and one of his sisters also had giddy spells. The conclusion added was “condition apparently one of mental defect. Grade moron – with auto-suggested or artificial symptoms.” After being discharged for the second time and receiving various treatments, George returned to his trade of shoemaker in Guelph, where he was still living in 1921. George was recorded as age 20 (four years younger than he actually was), unmarried, and lodging with the Williams family.
George’s brother, Harry WIDLEY, enlisted with the Royal Fusiliers on 10 October 1913, but was discharged two months later as “not likely to become an efficient soldier.” George was listed as one of his next of kin, living at 33 Kings’ [unreadable], Walworth Road. Harry had been in trouble with the law as a boy, a trend which continued into adulthood. He reenlisted on 26 July 1915 as a private with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, absconding from Woolwich eight days later. Less than two weeks after this event, records show Harry disembarked in France and served until 18 November 1919.
There are no online records for George WIDLEY after the 1921 Canada census.
CONCLUSION
Several researchers have merged George Edward WIDLEY, the shoemaker, with George Edward Frank SPEERS, but records clearly show they are not the same man. This does not, of course, mean that George SPEERS didn’t have a different name before arriving in Canada in c.1911, just that he isn’t George WIDLEY the bootmaker.
A good way forward would be a DNA test to help create family groups with a hope to identify George SPEERS’ parents, whatever their surname may be.