(left to right: Daniel Howell, Hannah (Vansickle) Howell, Elizabeth (Herriman) Vansickle, Edwin Vansickle)
Here is a photograph of my second great-grandparents Edwin and Elizabeth (Herriman) Vansickle with his sister Hannah and her husband Daniel Howell.
Edwin Vansickle was born in the early 1860s in Brantford East Township, son of Morris Vansickle and Phoebe Weaver. Elizabeth Herriman was the daughter of James Herriman and Miriam Vansickle. They were married on 29 June 1885 in Waterford, Norfolk County, Ontario.
The Howells lived in Michigan. Perhaps, this photo was taken during a visit?
Elizabeth died in 1934 and Edwin in 1945. Both are buried at the Vansickle Cemetery in Jerseyville, Ontario.
This morning, i got a notification from FamilySearch, a great free genealogy site that has a collaborative tree as well as tons of birth, marriage, and death records. It turns out today is Phoebe Weaver’s (my third great grandmother) birthday. So, I spent some time learning a little about her.
Phoebe Weaver was born 18 February 1840 in Ancaster Township in present-day Ontario. She was the daughter of John Weaver and Mary Misner. I can’t find a birth registration; I’m not sure one exists. Her birth information is gathered from her death registration as well as census data.
Some researchers have her mother Mary as being married to a Richard Dell after John Weaver. This is also reflected on FamilySearch. I’ll have to do some more digging because some of the dates don’t line up.
A Pheby Dell, aged 11, does appear in the 1851 census living in the household of Richard and Mary Dell.
In March 1860, she married Morris Vansickle. They lived on a farm in Townsend Township in nearby Norfolk County and had six children: Edwin (my 2nd great grandfather), Hannah, Harvey, Austin, Arthur, and Abram.
Phoebe Vansickle died on 30 August 1920 at her son Arthur’s house in Brantford. The cause of death is listed as “senile decay” on her death registration. She is buried at Bloomsburg Baptist Church Cemetery in Norfolk County.
Source: Mrs Morris Vansickle obituary, The Brantford Expositor, Brantford, Ontario, 4 May 1920, page 13.Source: “Canada, Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1307826: accessed 18 February 2023), death registration 9702, Phoebe Vansickle, died at Brant County, 30 Apr 1920; citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto.
This photo was uploaded to Wikitree by Christine Maier, a distant cousin. The couple celebrating their 60th anniversary are Charles and Susannah Reed. I haven’t done much research on the Reed family, but it appears that my 4th great-grandfather Henry Reed was Charles’ uncle. Henry has his own story worthy of a separate post.
The Reeds came to Canada from Suffolk, England. They settled in Nassagaweya Township, Halton County. Nassagaweya was amalgamated into the Town of Milton in 1974.
What also piqued my interest is that this photo was taken in 1917 at Burlington Beach, Hamilton, Ontario. Of course, that is the Beach Strip where I grew up. I can’t quite place the house, though.
Thanks Christine for letting me share this picture. It’s a great photo.
