Welcome to the Watling portion of my site! I descend from Jubal Watling and Suasn Leech of Suffolk, England, who immigrated to Canada from England in June 1830. For decades, some family lore has recorded that they settled first in Prince Edward Island. There are records of a Jubal Watling marrying a Louisa ? in 1831 in Charlottetown and having a family. We now believe that this may be our Jubal. Aunt Bess Fowlie, who was very knowledgeable about the familiy's history, did support the legend that the family settled on the Island. In research, Janet found listings for a Jubal Watling family in PEI in 1841. However, the census records ages and other genealogical data that do not match with Parish records in Syleham, Suffolk, England, where the children were baptized. Two members of the household are even claimed as being natives of PEI, although all the recorded issue we know of were baptized in England. These people born in PEI could have been the children of Jubal's second marriage. More research is currently being carried out on this subject.
Jubal and Susan married 10 November 1814 at Metfield, Suffolk, England, in the church of St. John the Baptist. The couple apparently moved to Syleham, where their children are registered. Jubal was himself a native of Brockdish, Norfolk County.
According to church records found in St. Margaret's Parish, Syleham, Suffolk, England, Jubal Sr. and his wife, Susan, had eight children. Emily (baptized 2 July 1815) was the eldest but died in 1816. Mary Ann was the next child, born 4 May 1816. Mary Ann went on to marry William Maxwell in Canada, but they had no further issue.
Twins were born 14 June 1819; William, who married Mary MacNaughton of Black River Bridge, and Emily, who married William Eddy and lived in Bathurst. The latter had no children, but adopted a boy, Amos Eddy.
The next child was Susannah, baptized either the 1 or 21 May 1823, who died later that year. Following Susannah is John, born in 1823 and who died in 1824. Jubal Jr. came next, baptized 17 August 1823, and John, baptized 6 March 1825. We believe that John Watling is the same John who married Jessie Carruthers of Napan, NB, and had a family there. He seems to have only immigrated in 1845. Perhaps he stayed on in England or even on PEI. George is the last child, baptized in Syleham 9 April 1826. George married, moved to the United States, and had two daughters.
Jubal Jr. and William Watling both came to the Miramichi and settled and died there. I descend from Jubal Jr. (1821-1900), and his wife, Christina MacNaughton (1822-1901). Both Jubal and Christina are buried in the Black River Community Cemetery, attached to St. Stephen's United Church.
Donald and Barbara (Dick) Watling
Jubal's son, Donald MacNaughton Watling, married, on 21 September 1875, Barbara Macbeath Dick, the daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (MacNaughton) Dick of Black River. Mr. and Mrs. Watling settled first just below Mrs. Watling's homestead, and later on the property now occupied by Donald and Vera Watling further down from the Richibucto Highway. They had nine children:
1. Susan Agnes Watling
b. Dec. 27, 1876 d. May 3, 1908
Married Donald Coll MacNaughton
2. Bessie Laura Mae Watling
b. May 19, 1879 d. Feb. 15, 1977
Married Frederick Archibald Fowlie
3. Christina Janet Watling
b. May 6, 1881 d. Apr. 9, 1950
Married Frederick William MacDougall
4. Catherine Stuart Watling
b. Nov. 27, 1882 d. Apr. 3, 1971
Married John Everard MacLean
5. Mary MacNaughton Watling
b. Jan. 5, 1885 d. Feb. 13, 1902
Unmarried ~ Died young.
6. Alexander Dick Watling
b. Jan. 20, 1887 d. Jan. 19, 1970
Married Lilly Towers Edge
7. Jubal Clifford Watling
b. Dec. 12, 1888 d. Sept. 19, 1962
Married (1st) Grace Leach MacNaughton and (2nd) Evelyn Gladys Findlay
8. James Towers Dick Watling
b. Jan. 12, 1891 d. Jan. 26, 1972
Married Marjorie Ruth Ullock
9. Emily Wilmina Eddy Watling
b. Apr. 6, 1894 d. Jan. 26, 1966
Married Peter Paul MacDougall
My grandmother, Lorna (Watling) MacKenzie, was born 9 October 1923, the eldest daughter of James Towers Dick and Ruth (Ullock) Watling. She was one of ten children. On 28 June 1945, Lorna married Byron Robert MacKenzie, the son of Will and Elmira (Loggie) MacKenzie of Centre Napan, and settled there.
