The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
I have searched through every data base containing census and vital stats that seemed to be available. There are still some family members and 'archives' to look through. Anyone researching the same lineage who wants to exchange information please email me. My great grandmother, Mary Ann Collier Reid(1884-1977) Left Codroy around 1900 for North Syney. Noone seems to know who her mother was. I know that her mother died when Mary Ann was very young. There are conflicting stories within the family. The confusion comes over the fact that her father John Henry Collier(April 1851-May 1942) was married 3 times. I don't know the names of his wives. The name Susan Kendal keeps coming up and she did supposedly die at 28 during child birth and this is consistent with Mary Ann losing her mother at a young age.....i could go on...i hope this catches someone's eye....one more thing....the name Nancy MacNeil is another wild card I have been told that she was Mary Ann's mother and that she was her grandmother. Also been told the mother is a Mcginnis.
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
Hi I am a resident of Codroy and have been collecting family trees in hope of putting together a website for the families of Codroy. I am related to the line of Colliers that you seek but I have no records of a Mary Ann born in 1884. She would have been 6 yrs. old at the time of her move to North Sydney. I wasn't aware that John Henry left Codroy. Do you have any info on the time they spent there? Did she marry a Reid from Codroy? I am also related to the Reids of Codroy. If you are willing to share your family info, I would be happy to incorporate it to the info already collected. If I can help in any way please give us a shout. Here is some info I have, maybe it can help clear up the confusion:-) John Henry Collier born abt 1851 in Codroy to Thomas and Elizabeth ?. Thomas married Nancy MacNeil 12 Feb 1859. He is listed as a widow. I have no date of death for Elizabeth. John Henry's first wife was Susannah Kendell, daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann ?. They were married 23 Sep 1873. These are the children I have for them. Mary Elizabeth baptised 6 May 1875 John Thomas baptised 26 Nov 1876 Catherine baptised 20 Oct 1878 William Joseph born 4 May 1882; baptised 18 Jun 1882 I have no record of Susannah's death but John Henry's next marriage is recorded as 19 June 1892 to a Mary Ann Burt, a widow. Her father is listed as Thomas White. He is 42 she is 48. She died 12 Jan 1905 of Cancer. John Henry married Susannah Edwards a widow, no father listed on 30 Nov 1907. He is 56, she is 59. Susannah died 1 Oct 1926 of Old Age. John Henry died 26 May 1942 at the age of 91. Brenda Janes Codroy
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
Hi Brenda. I certainly appreciate your response and wealth of information. You are correct John Henry did not leave Codroy to my knowledge. Mary Ann(1884-1978) did leave for North Sydney on her own when she was 16 (1900). Her husband was William Joseph Reid(1876-1956). He came to North Sydney from Belisle Newfoundland in1898. I do not know what year they were married off hand but they had the first of their eight children in 1905. Her name was Leah. I spoke to her 20 yrs ago when I was 16. She was the one who told me that Mary Ann's father was John Henry Collier and that her mother was Susan Kendall(sp?). She also told me that Susan died young during child birth when Mary Ann was a small child. She also told me that John Henry had three wives.....this is common knowledge in the family...but noone else but Leah seemed to have a clue who Mary Ann's mother was. I can't find any records relating Mary to Codroy either but her siblings.......Carrie Collier(b.1896) married Walter Fifield and moved to Humbermouth ,Nfld. Carrie Collier is listed in the Bay of Islands District/Humbermouth 1921 Census under Fifield with her husband Walter. Her birth place is listed as Codroy. I can't find any other reference to her. Mary Ann's Brother Henry Collier is in the 1921 Codroy Census as follows:Henry Collier b1889 Codroy Wife Annie ? b. 1892 O'Reagan's Nfld Children:James W b1911 Codroy Thomas b1915 Charles b1918 Lizzie b1920 Minnie b1913***my grandmother tells me she is still living..i can talk to her. I am confused by John Henry Collier. You listed four children with supporting documentation. Could there have been another John Henry living in Codroy at the same time married to another Susan Kendall then to go on and have 3 more wives? It sounds like alot of coincidence. Did he have seven children. Why no record of the other three? Maybe he did spend time out of Codroy. The woman who I said is still living is Minie Collier Cogan. She would be John Henry's Grand daughter. She may be able to help out. I am told their is alot of Collier information in the family I will see what I can get at.
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
According to the inscription on from the grave Caroline Francis Collier was born in 1886 not 1896. Also in the 1921 census she is listed as age 25 born in Aug which also makes her born in 1896.
Carrie is my wife's great grandmother and that is as far back as I have got. From your message I assume that John Henry Collier is her father and Mary Ann her sister and Henry Collier her brother.
regards
Gordon
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
Hi Gordon. Thank you for your response. The census must be inaccurate. According to the census Walter and Carrie's oldest child(Emma) was born in 1905 which would make Carrie 9 years old at the time of birth. I think a birth year of 1886 makes more sense for Carrie. Your wife is my third cousin :) as Mary Ann is my Great grandmother. Your wife could solve a real mystery for me if she knows the name of Carrie's mother. If she doesn't I will find out eventually and I will share that information with her. Thank you Brian
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
Regarding John Henry Collier b1851 d1942. He had three wives(Susan Kendall, Mary Ann White And Elizabeth Edwards) and I have had people report to me that he had children in the 1870s. Are there no birth records available for the 1880s in Codroy? There are three other children I have mentioned one of whom was Mary Ann('Min') Reid Collier. I was told that her mother was JH's first wife. Caroline Frances(Carrie),another daughter was born 1886 and Henry(Harry), a son was born 1889. I noticed in the 1935 Codroy census the household headed Henry(Harry Collier) b1889.Henry is listed as head and at the bottom is listed John Henry- father and widow age 84. This is how old John Henry would be in 1935 and being born in 1851. I have spoken to older living relatives. I am glad they are still around. JH's great granddaughter told me she used to go to Codroy in the 1930s to visit 'grampa collier' She offered to send a photograph of Mary Ann and John Henry if she can find it and she is speaking to other family members for more info. I can't find any records to tie these 3 siblings born in the 1880s to JH Collier(1851-1942) but I do believe he my gr gr grandfather. Brian
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
Hi All... I was following the above messages with interest, as my wife is a descendent of Jasper Collier b 1788 in Southern England, was married to Jane "unknown" b 1798, abt 1816 in Fortune, on the Burin Peninsula, just across the Bay from Port aux Basques and the Codroy River Valley. What caught my eye was the same family name, and have wondered for some time now if there was a family connection between these two lines. Are any of you aware of such a connection? I have several generations following the Jasper of 1788 and would be interested in discovering how wide this line has dispersed since those early years.
George.
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
At this point i couldn't even guess but if the name Jasper surfaces at any point I will tell you. Brian
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
I spent some time with the Parish of Channel microfilm and am in the process of trancribing the records. They begin @1853 until I have all up to @1911. I went back over the handwritten copies over the last few days and can say with certainty that if the missing Colliers were baptised in Codroy the minister forgot to record it! I wonder if they have lived somewhere else and moved back to Codroy after his first wife died as there is no record of her death here either. Besides the children I noted in my first reply there are two more that I forgot to include. James born May 1881 married Lavina DALTON 7 Sep 1907 I don't have any info on their deaths. Henry Emanuel "Harry" (1887-1977) married Annie SMITH (1894-1997) 17 Sep 1911 They had 13 or 14 children. I have no record of Carrie at all although I have seen the name before. I shall continue digging too and we'll see what we can find out. If you should get that photo you spoke of, I would love to have a copy. Brenda
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Re: The Colliers of Codroy,Nfld.
Hi Brenda. I truly appreciate you taking the time to look into this. I am surprised That you found yet another Collier sibling born inth 1880s(James). I was aware of Henry Collier. The baptismal record shows a birthdate of 1887 and the 1921 census shows a birthdate of oct. 1889. I suppose inconsistencies are to be expected. Here is the household headed by Henry(Harry) Collier in the 1935 Census. It is interesting: Collier Henry Head age -- Collier Annie wife age -- Collier Jim son age -- Collier Thomas son age -- Collier Charles son age -- Collier Joe son age-- Collier Clifford son age-- Collier Lizzie dau age -- Collier Pearl dau age 11 Collier Alma dau age 3 Collier Vivian dau age 3 Collier Susie dau age 5 Collier John H father/widow age 84
The John Henry with the three wives that you gave me info on was b.1851. He would have been 84 in 1935.I believe this is the same one. would have been 84 in 1935. Henry Collier's Daughter Minnie b.1913 is not listed(she is on the 1921 census) she married a Cogan and had likely left home by 1935. She is still alive and may be able to tell us if her Grandfather JH spent time outside Codroy(I couldn't find a record of Susan Kendal's death either but i am limited to records available online). Now as for the other sibling, Caroline Frances(Carrie), I was told that she married a Walter Fifield who was a warden on the Humber River in Nfld. I have the following from the 1921 Humbermouth Census(Carrie's year is shown as 1896 in the census but Tammy Hammond tells me this is an error and her actual birth year is 1886 which makes more sense):
Fifield,Walter Head b.sept 1883 Trinity Fifield,Carrie Wife b.aug 1886 Codroy Fifield,Emma,S dau b.Aug 1905 North Sydney Fifield,Ethel Blanche dau b. Aug 1909 Belle Isle Fidield William son b. sept.1911 Belle Isle Fifield Walter son b. sept.1913 Humbermouth Fifield Ida Doris dau b.dec 1917 Humbermouth It makes sense that Carrie's first child was born in North Sydney.Carrie was away from family in Humbermouth and and her sister Mary Ann lived in North Sydney.Both sisters had their first child that year. It is interesting what you can gather from looking at a census and dates and where people were at a given time. One more thing. Carrie is listed on that Census as being born in Codroy. When I gave you that name I didn't know that her name was Caroline Francis(Frances?). Tammy Hammond gave me that information.I was also told that Mary Ann never went by that name she was always Minnie or Min.......and,,,if I do get that picture and my fingers are ALL crossed I will have a copy made and I will be only to happy to send it to you. Regards Brian
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