Nancy Lightaul's Page

That would be great, Nancy.  I can be contacted at dorcasaunger@gmail.com.

Nancy,

I have pictures of Margery and Josephs graves and of Margery's daughter, Mary Jane if you are interested.

Hello again, Nancy.  

It would appear that your husband and I are 5th cousins.  Our common ancestors would be Henry Stanbury and Mary Soper, who were Margery Stanbury's grandparents.  Henry Stanbury married twice.  The first time to Mary Parks on 3 Oct. 1771.  They had two children, John and Henry.  I have no data on whether John married, but Henry married and had three sons and a daughter, for whom I have more data on the first son, Samuel.  Then Henry married again to Mary Soper, on 26 Apr. 1780 in the Parish of St. Giles on the Heath, Devonshire, England.  They had five children:  William, Jane, Edward, Peter, and Elizabeth.  William was the father of Margery.  I don't know the name of her birth mother, who died giving birth to Margery.  There is a family story that eventually William married again but I have not been able to prove that.  It is also a family story that William was a sea captain, and could not take an infant to sea so gave Margery to his brother to raise.

Margery was born 18 Apr 1824 in Devonshire, England, and died 11 July 1900 in Blairton, Belmont Twp., Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada.  She is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, Havelock, Peterborough Co., Ontario.  She was baptized 25 May 1824.  Her baptism was a non-conformist ceremony, performed by Benjamin Frankland, on the Methodist Baptism Circuit of St. Austell and Camelford, in the church at St. Breward, Cornwall.  At the time of her birth, her parents lived near Brownwilly (a hill), in St. Breward Parish, Cornwall.  The Stanburys immigrated to Canada in 1832 or 1833, when Margery was about 9 or 10 years old.  There is conflicting information in the records.

 On 23 May 1843 at Newcastle, Ontario, Margery married Joseph T. Merriam, son of James Johnson Merriam and Sarah Youmans.  On the marriage record, his surname is spelled Meriam, and witnesses were James Merim and Mary Stanbury.  Joseph was born 13 Jun 1813 in Percy Twp., Northumberland Co., Upper Canada. He died 30 May 1867 and was buried in Centre Cemetery, Northumberland County, Canada West, Canada.

Joseph and Margery had seven children:  Mary Jane who married as the second wife of John Laskey Aunger and had 5 children, Robert Edward who married Jane Rosann Colville and had 8 children, Sarah Helena who married Thomas Huff and had 3 children, Elizabeth Annie who married George Fuller Fralick and had two children then second married William Webb Cross, Permille Minnie married Mr. Pierce and had 1 son, Emma Hester Betheda married Alexander M. Hunter and had 6 children, and Charles Alfred who married Florence Shillington and had 5 children.

At the time of the 1851 Canadian Census, Margery (age 29), Joseph (age 40), and children Mary (age 7), Robert (age 5), and Catherine (age 1), were living outsite the town limits in Seymour Twp., Northumberland County, Canada West.  Joseph was listed as a farmer, and the family as Wesleyan Methodist.  Margery is listed as born in England, the rest in Canada.

At the time of the 1861 Canadian Census, Margery (age 27), , Joseph (age 49), Mary J (age 16)., Robert (age 14), Elizabeth (age 10), Sarah (age 7), Massandia (age 4), and Emma (age 2) are residing in Seymour Twp.  Joseph is a farmer.  Margery is shown as born in England, all others in Canada.  The family is Wesleyan Methodist.  They lived in a log house.  Mary Jane, Robert, Elizabeth, and Sarah attended school during the year. [ The child listed as Massandiia should have been Permille.  Margery's name is given as Margaret.  Perhaps the census taker was hard of hearing.]

At the time of the 1871 Canadian Cenus, Margery was living in Seymour Twp., Northumerland East.  Her religion is given as Wesleyan Methodist.  This is in Division 3, microfilm roll C-9966, page 3.

After Joseph died, Marjorie married William Atwell on 15 Nov. 1873 in Cambellford, Northumberland Co., Ontario, and was known as Mary Atwell.