JOHNSTON, Henry William ¹

  General Notes:

Excerpt from "A History of the Branches of My Family" by Cecil Herbert Edward Johnston and edited by Stephen Robert Johnston:

He left Ontario on foot at age 13. He worked at many things, including helping build the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1879, he took out a homestead in what would shortly become the Rural Municipality of Elton, Manitoba, SE 24-11-18 and a preemption on NE 24-11-18. He was married June 22, 1882 at Brandon, Manitoba to Barbara Ann Nelson. They are my grandparents. She had come to Manitoba with her family in 1880. Her father had come in 1879 and taken out a homestead on SW 24-11-18. William and Barbara Ann, born June 10, 1863, had eight children. One lived only five days. All of the others attended Clinton School, which was built in 1883. They attended the Chater Methodist Church. Barbara died April 12, 1911. About two months earlier, she had been in Edmonton, Alberta (then called Strathcona) to be with her daughter Maggie during the birth of Aunt Maggie's son William John Geary. Grandma was in serious need of a hysterectomy and was hemorrhaging. She was rushed to the hospital in Brandon. Ice was packed around her to slow the bleeding, but she died the next morning. Her death was a serious shock to the family, especially the two youngest girls. It was one of six deaths of close relatives in six months.

William married again July 17, 1912 to Edith Maude Tricker who was born April 4, 1884 in Hengrave, Suffolk, England, daughter of Steward Tricker and Mary Ann Fitch. She came to Manitoba with her brother, Frank Reginald Tricker, in April 1910. Her brother, Fred, and sister, Annie Mabel, had been in Manitoba for at least a couple of years prior to this. Annie was married at Winnipeg September 6, 1909. Edith became a naturalized American citizen March 19, 1928 at Osceola County, Florida.

They moved to Shingle Creek, near Kissimmee, Florida. There he became part of the citrus industry. They had no children. He died on his farm November 12, 1943 at age 86. Edith died in Osceola Hospital in Kissimmee June 3, 1956. William and Barbara Ann are buried at the Sparling Cemetery in Elton Municipality, Manitoba. Edith was the first burial in the family plot at the Shingle Creek Methodist Church. She is buried next to my parents. <I only barely remember her. Mom and Dad both said that she was a wonderful, Christian, lady. Ed remembers her cookies>. ³

  Facts and details for Henry William Johnston:

• He worked as a Citrus Farmer in Kissimmee, Osceola, Florida, United States. ¹

• He lived at log shanty in Hungerford Township, Hastings, Ontario, Canada in 1861. ⁴

• He lived in Hungerford Township, Hastings, Ontario, Canada in 1871. ⁵

• Alternate Marriage: 22 Jun 1882, Brandon, Westman, Manitoba, Canada. ²

• He lived in Shingle Creek, Osceola, Florida, USA in 1930.

• He was buried at the Sparling Cemetery in Elton, Westman, Manitoba, Canada in 1943. ⁶

Henry married Barbara Ann NELSON, daughter of William NELSON and Deborah SHILLINGTON, on 22 Jun 1882 in Elton, Westman, Manitoba, Canada.^{1 2} (Barbara Ann NELSON was born on 10 Jun 1863 in Russell, Russell County, Ontario, Canada,¹ died on 12 Apr 1911 in Brandon, Westman, Manitoba, Canada ^{1 7} and was buried in 1911 in Elton, Westman, Manitoba, Canada ¹.)

Henry next married Edith Maud TRICKER on 17 Jul 1912.¹ (Edith Maud TRICKER was born on 4 Apr 1884 in , , , England, United Kingdom,¹ died on 3 Jun 1956 in Kissimmee, Osceola, Florida, United States ¹ and was buried in Kissimmee, Osceola, Florida, United States ¹.)