John Jewitt 1815 was born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, England, the fifth child of eight children born to John Jewitt 1781 and Jane Smith 1768. His birth date is not known for certain, but he was christened 29 Oct 1815 in Bridlington, Yorkshire. #1. John Jewitt was an early settler arriving in Kinloss in 1845 according to information in ‘Kith and Kin of Kinloss’. He set about clearing land and building a log house near Lake Purves.

There was a John Jewitt listed on the 1881 Census described as a Merchant living in the village of Lucknow with an Eligh Jewitt 20 and a John Jewitt 13. Since this information did not fit the profile of the unmarried John Jewitt, no further attention was paid to this particular family.

That is until Anne Goeden of the Bruce and Grey Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society provided assistance in the form of an eight page estate file for John Jewitt. This file revealed that John Smith Jewitt died 25 November 1883 in Lucknow, Ontario after a short illness from inflammation of the lungs. Most importantly, the last page of the Surrogate Court of Bruce County estate document provided a major discovery and is quoted in part as follows: "That the said deceased (a bachelor died leaving your petitioner (Benjamin Jewitt) his brother and Elijah Jewitt, John Jewitt Reso, Helen Jewitt, Elizabeth Pye, Mary Eliza Ascough, Jane Ann Ascough as c**** of c**** of John Beebe, Elijah Beebe, Thomas Beebe and Mary Elizabeth Beebe his k***and ***) without having left any Will, Codicil or Testamentary Paper".

Research showed a family of Ascough's and Beebe's living together on the 1861 UK Census as children of Hannah Haller (Jewitt) Ascough and Mary Eliza (Jewitt) Beebe, daughters of a Benjamin Jewitt 1784, hitherto unknown. Elijah Jewitt 1855 turned out to be the son of Enoch Jewitt 1823, a son of Benjamin Jewitt 1784. John Jewitt 1815 would not have known of these family members since he emigrated from England to Canada in 1845. So the information had to have come from his two nephews Elijah and John William Jewitt. So it came to pass that two brothers John Jewitt 1781 and Benjamin Jewitt 1784 both born in Thorner, Yorkshire were discovered to be brothers by connecting their descendants in John Jewitt’s Canadian estate document.

The fourth epidemic of Asiatic cholera to strike Great Britain in 1865-1866 chose a new port of entry: Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire. It was brought in by immigrants from Europe who passed through Hull on their way to America. Mary (Blanchard) Jewitt died 21 Sep 1866 in Doncaster of cholera lasting eight hours. Her seven year old daughter Jane Ann Jewitt died 27 Sep 1866 in Withernsea of cholera. Her husband Enoch Jewitt 1823 died in a temporary Cholera Hospital at Kingston Street, Hull on 3 Oct 1866 of cholera. Asiatic cholera devastated this family but the tragedy was not yet over. The 1871 UK Census shows eight year old Rose Helen Jewitt 1861, the daughter of Enoch Jewitt, suddenly and tragically confined as a pauper inmate to the Patrington Workhouse with her younger brother John William Jewitt 1865. Boys and girls were routinely separated. Gruel was a mainstay food. Workhouse inmates were hired out as farm labor. Her older brother Elijah Jewitt 1855 fled to avoid confinement and made his way to Canada. Elijah Jewitt boarded the Steamship India either in Germany, Scotland or Ireland and arrived in the United States 17 Nov 1871 headed north to find his great uncle John Jewitt in Ontario, Canada.

It was Elijah Jewitt who was found on the 1881 Canada Census with his brother John William Jewitt 1865 living with their great uncle John Jewitt 1815, the Lucknow village blacksmith. Again, Elijah and John William were found on the 1891 Canada Census living as lodgers in the household of James and Annie Bowman in Lucknow, Ontario. Then again, Elijah Jewitt is found returning from England on the steamship Etruria departing Liverpool and arriving at the Port of New York 21 Dec 1891, destination Wisconsin, USA. Elijah Jewitt and his brother John William Jewitt are not found thereafter.

Mary Elizabeth Ascough was the daughter of Hannah Haller Jewitt and George Ascough. Mary Elizabeth (Ascough) Pye was most likely responsible for the rescue and release of her two cousins Rose Helen Jewitt and John William Jewitt from the Patrington Workhouse.

Rose Helen Jewitt is found on the 1881 UK Census living with her first cousin Mary Elizabeth Pye in Hull, Yorkshirre. Her benefactor did much more than befriend Rose Helen, she accepted her into the Pye family for more than 30 years. John William Jewitt is found on the 1881 Canada Census living with his brother Elijah and his great uncle John Jewitt in Lucknow.

John Jewitt was a pioneer, farmer, beekeeper and blacksmith. John Jewitt’s estate file showed in detail the nature and value of his estate. Robert Purves and Malcolm Campbell purchased the estate and personal property of John Jewitt for $4000 dollars. According to the Bruce and Grey Branch of the OGS, as verified by the Huron Branch of the OGS, and as reported in the 30 Nov 1883 Lucknow Sentinel, John Jewitt was buried in St. Helen’s Cemetery, Concession 12, Lot 19, West Wawanosh Township. His monument reads:

“In memory of
JOHN JEWITT
who died Nov 25 1883
Aged 72 years & 9 months
A native of Yorkshire, England.”

Without the valuable service provided by Anne Goeden of the Bruce and Grey County OGS, this tribute to the life of John Jewitt would not have been possible. Every potential source of information is important and should be pursued, especially information to be found in land records and estate files. Leave no stone unturned in a search for family history!

1. (LDS IGI/British Isles C105871).

Regards,
Joe Jewett
o Christopher,