Descendants of John Irving

John married Margaret ERRINGTON Irving from 1780 to 1790 in Longtown, Northumbria, UK.

Second Generation

James married Elizabeth WATTERS Irving on 5 Jan 1820 in Longtown, Northumbria, UK.

Third Generation

General Notes: William I was a small farmer who married Catherine Robson 16 April 1843 in the Parish Church of Kirk Andrews on Esk. At some point, possibly during the Industrial Revolution, Great Grandfather William I left the farm, moving his family to the Newcastle on Tyne area to Longtown, which is a very small town right on the border between England and Scotland, on the River Esk. The family lived at 75 Albert Street, Longtown. William Sr was a railway worker. At the time of William Jr's (second) marriage in 1883 (to Ann) his father was listed on their marriage certificate as a Signalman.

William married Catherine ROBSON on 16 Apr 1843 in Parish Church Of Kirk Andrews On Esk. Catherine was born in 1825.

Marriage Notes: The witnesses to the marriage were James Blake and Margaret Irving. William's father James was listed as a farmer and Catherine's father James Robson, was a laborer.

+ 10 M i. William IRVING II was born on 26 Jun 1855 in Longtown, Northumbria, UK.

Fourth Generation

General Notes: William Irving II was born June 26, 1855 in Longtown, which is a very small town right on the border between England and Scotland, on the River Esk. The family lived at 75 Albert Street, Longtown. He worked in the mines in the Newcastle area. On a tape Aunt Betty Rathbun has of Aunt Margaret Elliott telling her recollection of her father, she states that as a boy he (Grandfather William II) worked as a "pit boy" in a mine in the Durham-Newcastle area. After leaving the mine, Grandfather Irving became a fireman on the railway. He worked with a fellow named Jack Forrest who was the Engineer for whom he fired the boiler. Jack Forrest was married to Annie Carr Harrison, child of Grandmother Ann Smith from her first marriage to a William Harrison. Grandfather Irving was married twice, as was Grandmother Ann. He first married at age twenty-one a Jane Lamb of Wickham Dec 4, 1875. Jane died within a few days of the birth of their first child, Catherine, at the village of Usworth Colliery Nov 30, 1876.

Grandfather Irving and Anne had both been born into the "Established" Church of England, namely the Anglican Church. At some time before he left England, perhaps during his late thirties, he became a convert to Wesleyan Methodism. He did mission work as a lay preacher. Aunt Jennie told me that she remembers going with him on his journeys to these lay mission churches. When the family moved to Canada, they joined the Methodist Church in Allandale. In his later years he left the church. Grandmother did not attend regularly, but she always saw that her children attended. Aunt Margaret remembers that two women who belonged to the church used to call on her mother and thus keep in touch with the family, that her mother always gave an offering, even though she had little extra money. She said that her mother was a very shy, quiet personthat her favorite hymn was "Love Lifted Me".

When Jack Forrest came to Canada he settled in Allendale, which is close to Barrie Ontario and found work on one of the Canadian Railways. He sent for his wife as soon as he could, they were childless at this time, having lost both their children in a diptheria epidemic in England. Jack then persuaded Grandfather Irving to emigrate to Canada. They sold all of the household things and boarded the steamer Praetorious at the port of Glasgow. Aunt Margaret has a tin type of this ship, she says it was a small ship compared to those of today. They came third class, and all the family came at once. The sailing date was Aug 4, 1904. Aunt Margaret was 8 years old at the time they emigrated. Uncle Bob was fourteen. Aunt Margaret spoke of the limited amount of schooling their father had, but says he was self educated by being a voracious reader. He spoke with a Scottish accent, natural as they lived so close to the border with Scotland. When they arrived in Allendale, he would have been forty-nine years old. Why he did not secure work on the railway I do not know. Perhaps her was considered too old. The only job Aunt Margaret remembers that he had was a night watchman in a factory where carriages and buggies were built. He took out papers qualifying him as a fourth class engineer. Aunt Margaret recalls that she often went with her mother to carry his supper to him. She remembers a big wheel in the engine room she said "it shone so big and bright" and kept the machinery going. It was because of having to tend this wheel that he needed an engineers certificate. When they tool his supper down, often they would go with him on his rounds as he checked the building an punched each clock proving he had found all to be in order. She recalls that his son Robert was also employed in this carriage factory.

William married Jane E. LAMB on 4 Dec 1875 in Wickham Parish. Jane was born in 1856 in Wickham Parish and died on 30 Nov 1876 at age 20.

General Notes: Jane E. Lamb of Wickham was Grandfather William Irvings's first wife. They married Dec 4, 1875. Jane died within a few days of the birth of their first child, Catherine, at the village of Usworth Colliery Nov 30, 1876.

William next married Ann Anderson Smith Harrison IRVING, daughter of Joseph ANDERSON and Mary SMITH, in May 1883 in St Hilda's Church, South Shields County Durham UK. Ann was born on 9 Sep 1855 in Pittington, County Durham, UK, was christened in May 1856 in Usworth, County Durham, and died on 15 Nov 1912 at age 57.

General Notes: There is somewhat of a mystery surrounding Grandmother Ann Irving. She was born to a Mary Smith possibly out of wedlock. In the Irving family bible Ann's birth date is listed as Sept 9, 1855 and her name as Ann Anderson Smith. When she married William she gave her birth date as Sep 10, 1856. The baptismal certificate found in the parish record of Usworth Village shows as child named Ann baptized in May 1856. The mother was named Ann Smith, unmarried. In the Archer family, Mary Smith was never called Ann, yet is seems possible that Mary and Ann are the same person and she wished to keep a secret of the child's birth. It would be of interest to get the birth and baptismal certificate of Mary Smith. She was born in Pittington, County Durham. The church may have been Hallgarth. None of the Archer family had any knowledge of this mystery. They all supposed Ann was born an Archer, but one puzzled over the fact that she was never called the eldest in the family, and she was much older than the rest of the children. However, because she gave her father's name as Joseph Anderson upon her marriage to William Irving, we can assume that her mother, Mary Smith, had made known to her that she was not the daughter of William Archer. Despite this fact Grandmother Ann kept in touch with her Archer family in England. This enabled Aunt Betty Rathbun to make contact with a cousin Mary Archer and gather some information on the Archers.

Grandmother Ann had been married at age twenty one to William Smith Harrison, in the Parish Church of Hetton le-Hole, County Durham. They had two daughters, Annie Carr and Mary Ellen. These two girls were brought up and treated the same as the four children born to Grandmother and Grandfather Irving. William Harrison was killed in a railway accident. The daughter Annie Carr and her husband Jack Forrest, left England for Canada around 1904. They had seven children. The first two, Annie Carr and William had died in England of diptheria. The others are Winnifred Mary, Robert William, George Henry, Edith Annie, and Ethel May. They settled in the Saskatoon area of Saskatchewan. Four are still alive. George Henry died. The sister Mary Ellen stayed in England. What became of her I do not know.

Grandmother Ann kept in touch with her Archer family in England over the years. This enabled Auny Betty Rathbun to contact her mother's first cousin Mary Archer who provided details of the Archers.

+ 17 F i. Florence IRVING Hunt was born on 2 Mar 1884 in Harton, England, died on 2 Jul 1920 in Mimico, ON at age 36, and was buried parklawn Cemetary in Toronto, ON.

19 M iii. William IRVING III was born on 18 Dec 1888 in Harton, England and died on 7 Sep 1889.

20 M iv. Robert William IRVING was born on 6 Jun 1890 in Westoe, Durham County, England.

21 F v. Margaret IRVING Elliot was born on 12 Jun 1896 in Westoe, Durham County, England.

Fifth Generation

17. Florence IRVING Hunt was born on 2 Mar 1884 in Harton, England, died on 2 Jul 1920 in Mimico, ON at age 36, and was buried parklawn Cemetary in Toronto, ON.

General Notes: Florence Irving married John Hunt who was born in Salford Lancashire, England. He was the first of his family to leave England. After my mother died, he sent for his sister Bertha to help us, but she did not stay long, housekeeping not to her liking. They had five children. Florence died July 2,1920 of Pneumonia and tuberculosis. John Hunt died Sept 25, 1925 of congestive heart failure. Both Florence Irving and John Hunt are buried in Parklawn Cemetery in Toronto.

Florence married John HUNT, son of John Henry HUNT and Sarah Jane SEDDON, on 20 Mar 1907 in Berton St Methodist Church, (Now United Church) Allandale, Ont. John was born on 23 Apr 1885 in Salford, Lancashire, England, died on 25 Sep 1925 in Mimico, ON at age 40, and was buried parklawn Cemetary in Toronto, ON.

General Notes: (Information from Aunt Betty Rathbun January 1988)

John Hunt had several brothers and sisters. They were James, Thomas, Dinah, Richard and Bertha. Dinah and Bertha are the only members of the earlier generation that Betty and Al had the opportunity to meet. In 1959 when Aunt Betty made her first trip to England she visited with John Rayomnd. He had married and had one son, Raymond Jr. He later divorced and married an Ivy and they had a daughter Sandra. John Raymond died of a heart attack in 1984 or 1985.

John Hunt emigrated to Canada inthe early 1900s. He told Aunt Betty that he had left his home in England at age 14, to go out to work, because" the house was too crowded". His father had died and his mother had married again to a Mr Cookson, a widower who had brought his children into the small house (possibly the one at 35 Rosamond St.) Al once told Aunt Betty that their father John had worked his passage in the ship that had brought him from England. When he first arrived in Canada he worked in a lumber camp in Parry Sound. Later he would tell Al and Betty of the extreme cold of the winters and that he saw many wild animals.

John Hunt married Florence Irving of Harton England. She was born March 2, 1884. They were married in Berton St Methodist Church, Allandale, near Barrie on 20 March 1907. The family lived in Barrie (probably Allandale) for several years and then moved to Mimico. At first they lived on Manchester St, north of the railway lines and opposite the old Windsor Hotel. Later they moved to Harold Street, sharing a house, a duplex, with a family named O'Donnell. From there John bought a lot on MacDonald Street #28, where he built a small cottage which the family lived in until about 1924.
Florence died July 2, 1920. After Florence died John paid for Bertha's passage to Canada around 1921 so that she could keep house for the family. John did not realize that she had no experience at housework because she had worked in a cotton mill. Things didn't work out so Bertha left to take a job as a domestic servant where the lady of the house taught her how to cook, etc. Bertha joined the Salvation Army and entered their training school for practical nurses.

In 1924 John built a two storey house on McDonald Street, doing much of the work himself. John worked for the Grand Trunk, part of Canadian Railway system. When he first started with the railway he had an inside job in the "Round House" where he fixed air brakes. After his health started to fail, he was moved to another inside job on the "repair track" which was a 10 to 15 minute walk from the house on MacDonald St. John died Sept 25, 1925 of congestive heart failure. He did not leave a will and Bertha was the only relative living in Canada she became the legal guardian of the family. He is buried in Parklawn Cemetary, as is his wife Florence. After John died the family stayed in the home on McDonald Street with Al the eldest, the head of the family.

+ 22 M i. Albert HUNT was born on 10 Oct 1907 in Allandale, ON and died on 27 Aug 1983 in Toronto, ON at age 75.

24 M iii. Robert William HUNT was born on 16 Apr 1910 in Allandale, ON and died on 27 Apr 1976 in Toronto, ON at age 66.

General Notes: Jane Alice (Aunt Jennie) married Fred Shannon. They farmed near Barrie, Ontario until moving to Mimico where they lived on Simon Street. They had two children, Norman and Catherine. During the early twenties, they moved to Humber Bay. As a child and a young girl, I loved to visit them. Aunt Jennie was a wonderful cook and baker and Uncle Fred a teller of tall tales.

Sixth Generation

22. Albert HUNT was born on 10 Oct 1907 in Allandale, ON and died on 27 Aug 1983 in Toronto, ON at age 75.

General Notes: Al was born in Allandale, Ontario, on the south side of Barrie. He grew up in Mimico, first on Manchester Street and then on McDonald Street. He was an avid sportsman and played lacrosse growing up. One of his favorite stories was of trying to hitch-hike to a game somewhere on the Lake Shore in he early 1920s. A big car pulled over and offered him a lift. He got in the back and one of the men in the car started to strike up a conversation. The man asked him his name. When he replied Al Hunt, the man said "why that's my name too,... Al... Al Capone." He was riding in the car of one of the most notorious gangsters of the day. It was the days of Prohibition in the US and Al Capone and his friends had come up to Canada looking to buy some liquor. Al knew of a few local bootleggers and gave them directions.

Al was 18 when his father died in 1925. He and Edna Hennings were married in 1928. They lived in Long Branch on Elder Avenue. He worked at Anaconda for a while but times were tough and jobs were scarce in the 1930s. He sold screen doors in the summer and Christmas trees in the winter to make ends meet. Al continued to be active in lacrosse on the Lakeshore as a coach and team manager and league organizer of youth lacrosse. He had many friends through lacrosse and loved to talk about those he knew who had gone on to fame and fortune in other endeavours, such as the Mohawk Indian Jay Silverheels who played Tonto in the Lone Ranger and Bob Pulford a Leafs star of the 1960s. In those days Al would take me to the Lacrosse games in Long Branch at the lacrosse box behind the Bapco Paint plant on the Lakeshore. After the game we would carry on to his evening work as a cleaner at Wylie's Press and several other industrial plants in the area. In his later years Al drove a delivery truck for an auto parts firm in Toronto. He drove all over the city for years until his eyesight began to fail. He began to have difficulty with his kidneys and went on dialysis treatments. He was finally hospitalized because of his kidney failure and died shortly after.

Albert married Edna Olive HENNINGS Hunt, daughter of Edwin Robert HENNINGS and Ethel Arthurs HENNINGS, on 21 Jul 1928 in Dartmouth Cres, Mimico, Ont. Edna was born on 18 Apr 1909 in Toronto, ON.

Marriage Notes: Edna and Al were married at the home of Mr and Mrs Edward Motton, in Mimico Ontario. Edna Motton was the twin sister of Grandmother Ethel Hennings.

Gloria married Herbert Thomas ADDISON, son of Herbert James ADDISON and May PAXTON Addison, on 9 Apr 1949 in Dunn Memorial Presbyterian Church, 26Th Street, Long Branch, ON. Herbert was born on 21 Apr 1928 in Toronto, ON and died on 6 Aug 2002 in Sidney, BC at age 74. The cause of his death was Cancer (Metastising Melanoma complicated by Lymphocetic Leukemia).

Marriage Notes: Description: The reception took place at HMCS York in Toronto.
Surety:0

General Notes: Herbert Thomas Addison was born in east end Toronto but grew up in Long Branch. His family moved to 31 Elder Avenue when he was about 6 or 7 and he went to Daisy Avenue School where he first met Gloria. She was a year younger than he and a best friend of his younger sister Pat. As a youngster Herb loved sports and played lacrosse, hockey and golf. In 1945-46 he attended the University of Toronto and studied actuarial science. He used to visit his Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Ida Paxton while he was in the city for classes. The travel back and forth on the street car made for long days though and after one year he decided to join the RCN. In April '46 Herb left home for Esquimalt, then known as HMCS NADEN for his first 2 months of training as an Ordinary Seaman. After a month Herb was selected for officers' training. He and his mates George Schober, Stan Mahan, John Chekan, Ron Dobney and Red Bowen were assigned to HMCS UGANDA, a former RN cruiser from the RN's Pacific Fleet, where they met and Bill Brown and several other officer candidates in training who soon became life long friends. Their first taste of life at sea was a cruise up the coast to Prince Rupert and Dutch Harbour, then south to the Panama Canal where the WARRIOR joined them after transiting the canal from Halifax. At Christmas time in '46 Herb, Red Bowen and Ron Dobney (who was from Owen Sound) returned home to Toronto from Victoria by train. On 30 May 1947 Herb and his mates were promoted to Midshipman and told that they would be sent to the UK to do 3 years of naval officer training. They first went to STADACONA in Halifax for some basic navigation training. Then in July '47 they transited the Atlantic in HMCS WARRIOR, Canada's first aircraft carrier. WARRIOR was being used as a troop ship and was taking a number of Boy Scouts to a Jamboree in Grenoch, Scotland. Once in the UK in the summer of '47 Herb and his mates were billeted in the famous RN cruiser RENOWN in the stream in Devenport, across from Portsmouth.
After a time they started their training on the Junior Officers War Course in Grenwich, the RN's Naval College. Later that year the group of Canadians was split up. Stan Mahan went to the frigate LOCH VIETY, George and Snuffy (John Chekan) went to frigates, Red Bowen went to the CRISPIN, and Herb joined the County Class Cruiser NORFOLK, the Flagship of C in C East India (Trincomalee). At some point in '47 Herb took leave and visited his mother May's family in Ireland. He took the boat and then the Belfast County Down Railway to Newcastle and stayed with Uncle John Paxton (a shoemaker) and his wife Rebecca and their daughters Mona and Emma who lived on Railway Street near the Slieve Donerd Hotel. He spent Christmas 1947 in Trincomali, Celylon. 30 Sep 1948 Herb was promoted to Acting Sub-Lieutenant and continued his training in the UK, at RNC Greenwich where most junior officer training was done.

Herb returned home in 1949 to marry Gloria and she went to the UK with him while he finished his training with the RN. They returned to Newcastle in May 1949 to visit Uncle John and Rebecca. Herb was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant 30 May 1949. He left Gloria in Newcastle for three months while he went to Londonderry to do Sub-Lieutenant summer training on board HMS CREOLE, a Crescent Class Destroyer in the 3rd Training Flotilla. He then went on to complete his Subs courses in Portsmouth before returning with Gloria to Canada in July 1950.

Herb and Gloria got a flat on Bayers Road in Halifax in 1950. Their first child Janette, was born in Toronto in September 1950 while Herb was at sea in HURON doing his Bridge watchkeeping training. From January until November 1951 Herb served in HMCS HURON during her employment in Korea as CAYUGAs replacement. On 30 April 1951 he was promoted Lieutenant, RCN. He then joined the QUEBEC (formerly called UGANDA) in December '51 and sailed with her through the Panama Canal in early 1952 to Halifax. From March to June 1952 he attended the RN P and R T Course. Christmas 1952 was spent back at home in Toronto on 35th Street with family. Then in January '53 he and Gloria rode the train across Canada to Victoria. They lived a short time on Hambly Street and then moved to 1626 Ross Street where they were living in August '54 when their second child, Timothy, was born. By then Herb was the Officer in Charge of the Pand RT School in NADEN. In September '54 Herb was posted back to sea in HMCS ONTARIO on the training staff. In 1955 he made a round the world cruise in ONTARIO with stops in Australia and Europe. On his return home to Victoria he was posted to the Naval College, HMCS ROYAL ROADS in Colwood, BC where he was the Director Athletics and Squadron Commander for two years.

Following ROYAL ROADS Herb was posted to Halifax where he served first at STADACONA as the P and RT officer and then at sea as the senior Watchkeeper in the aircraft carrier, HMCS BONAVENTURE. On 30 April 1959 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander. In August 1960 the Addisons moved again, this time to Deep Brook, NS, where Herb continued as the Officer in Charge of the P and RT School at the Navy's main recruiting and training base, HMCS CORNWALLIS until 1963. Another move across the country took place in 1963 when the Addisons returned to Victoria and Herb assumed duties as Exectutive Officer in the training squadron frigates, JONQUIERRE and NEW GLASGOW. In 1965 Herb joined MARPAC Personnel for a short stint before being posted to NDHQ to DPER 4 in 1966. In March 1967 Herb joined the D INT Foreign Liaison Office in the old A building. After 3 years with the FLO in 1970 another move took the Addisons to the USA where Herb took up a position in Current Naval Intelligence in SACLANT Headquarters, Norfolk, VA. His final posting in August 1973 was back to the west coast as Senior Staff Officer, Intelligence to the Commander Maritime Forces Pacific in Victoria, BC. He retired from the Canadian Forces 21 April 1975.

After his naval career, Herb worked for ten years with Canada Trust doing income taxes and securities as a portfolio manager. He then took a turn at local politics as an Alderman in Sidney BC. He was on Sidney Town Council 1986-90 and was instrumental in establishing the Sidney Whale Museum. He was also Sannich Water Board chair in 1991. Always a keen golfer, his final career move at age 65 was to become a professional golf caddy. He toured Canada and the US, caddying and selling yardage books at Canadian Professional Golf Association tournaments and other major golf events. At 71 he decided to stay home in Sidney, BC to work on his own game. He passed away 6 August 2002 at home, 9342 Webster Place, Sidney.

29 M ii. Ernest Warren HUNT was born on 20 Oct 1930 in 57 Elder Ave, Longbranch , ON.

Ernest married Margaret Rose (Margie) SUTHERLAND Hunt on 23 Jun 1956 in Queensway United Church, Long Branch, ON. Margaret was born in 1930 in Toronto, ON.

30 F iii. Ruth Elaine HUNT Paterson was born on 13 Apr 1935 in 51 Elder Ave, Longbranch, ON.

Ruth married David Walter ATKINSON in Feb 1957 in St James Esquimalt Garrison Church, Esquimalt, BC.

General Notes: (From Aunt Betty) Lillian was born March 22, 1911. She married Norman Nixon of Lakeview, Ont. Their children were Norma Doreen born Jan 4, 1934. Donald Roy , born Feb 8 1938, John born Feb 5, 1946.

Margaret married Thomas Nelson CURRAH in Jun 1938 in Century United Church, New Toronto, ON.

Elizabeth married Lewis Standish RATHBUN on 14 Sep 1940 in Phelps Presbyterian Church.

General Notes: Lewis graduated from Hamilton College in 1934 and Harvard Medical School in 1939.

35 F i. Alexandra (Lexie) Margaret RATHBUN was born on 31 Oct 1944 in Strong Memorial, Rochester NY.

36 F ii. Linda Kathleen RATHBUN was born on 25 May 1946 in Strong Memorial, Rochester NY.

37 F iii. Laurel Ellen RATHBUN was born on 4 Nov 1947 in Norburn Hospital, Asheville NC.

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