Post by Steve on Apr 2, 2011 23:08:13 GMT -5
This thread is dedicated to research and discussion of the descendants of Elijah John Henry Loxton b. 1841 Bristol, England - d. 1931 Petrolia in Lambton County and vicinity.
What follows is a summary of my (Steve Loxton) paternal ancestors, with my great-great grandfather, Elijah John Henry Loxton as its focus. I now have the Loxton family tree traced back to before 1727 in England. However, I focus on Elijah because he was the first Loxton in my line to come to Canada in the late 1860s and eventually, to Lambton County in the 1870s. Therefore, he was the patriarch of a large and growing family spreading across Canada and the U. S.
Also, when I first began seriously researching my tree in 1999, Elijah was the earliest ancestor I knew about. I have to thank my cousin, Marcia Loxton Worley, across the river in Smith Falls, MI (near Port Huron), for sharing her research and spurring my interest in genealogy. Since that time, I've managed to push the roots of my tree back four more generations.
Please enjoy this summary of a family, now five generation in Canada. If you are a Loxton or related, or you recognize any of the other surnames in our family, please feel free to contact me at sluggo7@hotmail.com
Thanks!
[Note: the numerals before the male progenitor's name indicate the number of generations from the earliest ancestor currently known.]
5. Elijah John Henry Loxton was born in 1841 in the port city of Bristol, England and died in 1933 in Petrolia.
Elijah's Ancestors
4. George Loxton and Charlotte Pike. George was born in the small village of Oakhill, Somerset about 20 miles south of Bristol in the year 1813. In parish records and later census returns, his profession is listed as 'blacksmith'. George and Charlotte appear to have left Oakhill for Bristol at least partly due to the fact that Charlotte had become pregnant out of wedlock. They married in Bristol shortly before she gave birth to a baby boy, James. But records show that he survived only 3 weeks and was taken back to Oakhill for burial. Despite this tragedy, they chose to remain in Bristol where they had 4 more children. Only 2 of their 5 children would survive into adulthood; Elijah and his older brother, George. George Sr.'s parents were:
3. James Loxton and Fanny Maggs married in 1805 in Ashwick, near Oakhill. James was born in 1771 in Oakhill and he and Fanny had several children. James was variously recorded as a labourer and a brewer. Oakhill was home to a noted brewery at this time. James' parents were:
2. Ellicksander "Sans" Loxton and Betty Emery. Sans was baptised in 1727 in Emborough parish, adjacent to Oakhill. He and Betty married about 1754 in nearby Kilmersdon and had several children baptised in Ashwick parish. Ellicksander's parents were:
1. John Loxston [sic] and Susanna (unknown)
1727 is as far back as I've been able to get with certainty. The Emborough parish records go back all the way to the late 16th century and there are Loxtons throughout, with the earliest Loxton record on the parish register's first page being for a marriage between John Lockston and Dorothy Cheesman on May 26, 1594. But, with many duplicate given names (multiple John, James, William and Thomas during this period), it's impossible be sure of lineage before the above mentioned John Loxston...
Elijah Comes to Canada
In the last UK census (1861) before emigrating, George Sr. and his sons, George and Elijah are all listed as "blacksmiths". About 1869, the brothers set off with their wives and young families for Canada, leaving their father (their mother, Charlotte had already passed away) forever. Upon arriving in Canada, their first address (1871 census) is on Front St. in downtown Toronto (right about where the Hockey Hall of Fame is now located). They both worked for the railway (which was expanding rapidly at this time). In Bristol, their last address was within walking distance of a large railway carriage factory. It's easy to imagine that they may have worked there and so, might have been aware - through the business orders of the factory - that there was a railway boom going on in Canada and thus, been tempted to emigrate.
In this 1871 census, Elijah already has a new son, William Henry, the first Loxton of my line born in Canada and my great grandfather. Over the next few years, the brothers would move from Toronto, following railway work; Elijah to Stratford and George to Orangeville. George Loxton would eventually be granted land near Powassan, south of North Bay and fathered a large branch of Loxtons in northern Ontario that was extremely prolific and thrives to this day.
Elijah in Petrolia
Meanwhile, Elijah must have gotten wind of the oil boom under way in Petrolia, because by 1877 we find a newspaper article in the Petrolia Advertiser about a fire in the residence of an Elijah Loxton, with no one hurt. However, Elijah must have come ahead of his family to find work and get established, as we have one of of his children being born in Stratford somewhat after this news.
When Elijah arrived in Petrolia, the town would have still been a clapboard shanty town in the midst of an oil boom. Oil wells were being drilled in the hundreds and refineries being constructed. Imagine living in Petrolia at this time! The very first brick dwellings and industries were just starting to replace the wooden ones. The town was undergoing tremendous growth that would continue right up to the turn of the century. It would have been an amazing thing to have witnessed and been a part of!
Elijah went to work in William Stevenson's boiler shop on Robert St. It burned and was reopened on Centre St. Elijah had a long relationship with Stevenson's, eventually purchasing property on Centre St. owned by Stevenson and directly across the street from the new boiler works. He built a home here in 1881 and lived there for the rest of his life. This house is still there; the only vintage home still standing on north Centre St. (currently owned by Dave Bell).
Stevenson's Boiler & Engine Works was one of the largest industries in Petrolia during this time. They helped build the score of Petrolia refineries that would continuously expand and be rebuilt when fires took them, or the technology of oil refining advanced. Eventually, these plants would be bought up and consolidated into just a few, with the largest being Imperial Oil, who's massive works were immediately north of Elijah's property.
So, not only did Elijah help build the Petrolia refinery district around Centre St., he lived right in the midst of it! Imperial Oil was formed the year he built his house and by the time he died in 1933, at the age of 93, Imperial Oil had moved to Sarnia, Stevenson's had gone bankrupt and the boom was long over. But, Elijah and his sons continued on at his own boiler shop on his property.
Elijah's Descendants - (spouses' surnames are listed in parenthesis)
Elijah and Eliza would raise 9 children in Petrolia. These children were:
6. William Henry Loxton was my great grandfather. He was born in Toronto in 1870 shortly after his family arrived in Canada. The family eventually settled in Petrolia when William was still a boy. He married Rachel Galloway in Petrolia in 1891. They had 6 children, all born in Petrolia:
7. William Henry Loxton Jr. was my grandfather. He was born in 1893 in Petrolia. He and his family moved to Port Huron about 1914, where 'Bill' married Pearl Bundy (later Evoy) of Port Huron in 1914. They had one child, then returned to Petrolia sometime between 1916 and 1919. Here he owned an auto repair and battery shop until about 1946, when he moved to Sarnia and operated a shop at his residence on Exmouth St. He and Pearl had four boys:
8. Ronald Hugh Bruce Loxton is my father. He was born in Petrolia in 1937. He worked in the auto body shop of his older brother, George before opening his own shop in Wyoming, Ontario in 1966. In 1963, he married Diane Catton and they had two children:
9. Steven Matthew Loxton is me. I was born in 1966 in Petrolia and moved with my parents to Wyoming about 1969. I believe that I was the last Loxton to live in Petrolia, when I moved back there for a couple of years about 1993. In 2008, I married Tina Highfield and we currently live in Sarnia.
So, that takes care of nine generations of my direct paternal ancestors. However, there are at least two, or three, more younger generations, in other branches.
If you have, or would like, information or photos on any of the branches of the Loxton families listed above, feel free to contact me, or post information below...
What follows is a summary of my (Steve Loxton) paternal ancestors, with my great-great grandfather, Elijah John Henry Loxton as its focus. I now have the Loxton family tree traced back to before 1727 in England. However, I focus on Elijah because he was the first Loxton in my line to come to Canada in the late 1860s and eventually, to Lambton County in the 1870s. Therefore, he was the patriarch of a large and growing family spreading across Canada and the U. S.
Also, when I first began seriously researching my tree in 1999, Elijah was the earliest ancestor I knew about. I have to thank my cousin, Marcia Loxton Worley, across the river in Smith Falls, MI (near Port Huron), for sharing her research and spurring my interest in genealogy. Since that time, I've managed to push the roots of my tree back four more generations.
Please enjoy this summary of a family, now five generation in Canada. If you are a Loxton or related, or you recognize any of the other surnames in our family, please feel free to contact me at sluggo7@hotmail.com
Thanks!
[Note: the numerals before the male progenitor's name indicate the number of generations from the earliest ancestor currently known.]
5. Elijah John Henry Loxton was born in 1841 in the port city of Bristol, England and died in 1933 in Petrolia.
Elijah's Ancestors
4. George Loxton and Charlotte Pike. George was born in the small village of Oakhill, Somerset about 20 miles south of Bristol in the year 1813. In parish records and later census returns, his profession is listed as 'blacksmith'. George and Charlotte appear to have left Oakhill for Bristol at least partly due to the fact that Charlotte had become pregnant out of wedlock. They married in Bristol shortly before she gave birth to a baby boy, James. But records show that he survived only 3 weeks and was taken back to Oakhill for burial. Despite this tragedy, they chose to remain in Bristol where they had 4 more children. Only 2 of their 5 children would survive into adulthood; Elijah and his older brother, George. George Sr.'s parents were:
3. James Loxton and Fanny Maggs married in 1805 in Ashwick, near Oakhill. James was born in 1771 in Oakhill and he and Fanny had several children. James was variously recorded as a labourer and a brewer. Oakhill was home to a noted brewery at this time. James' parents were:
2. Ellicksander "Sans" Loxton and Betty Emery. Sans was baptised in 1727 in Emborough parish, adjacent to Oakhill. He and Betty married about 1754 in nearby Kilmersdon and had several children baptised in Ashwick parish. Ellicksander's parents were:
1. John Loxston [sic] and Susanna (unknown)
1727 is as far back as I've been able to get with certainty. The Emborough parish records go back all the way to the late 16th century and there are Loxtons throughout, with the earliest Loxton record on the parish register's first page being for a marriage between John Lockston and Dorothy Cheesman on May 26, 1594. But, with many duplicate given names (multiple John, James, William and Thomas during this period), it's impossible be sure of lineage before the above mentioned John Loxston...
Elijah Comes to Canada
In the last UK census (1861) before emigrating, George Sr. and his sons, George and Elijah are all listed as "blacksmiths". About 1869, the brothers set off with their wives and young families for Canada, leaving their father (their mother, Charlotte had already passed away) forever. Upon arriving in Canada, their first address (1871 census) is on Front St. in downtown Toronto (right about where the Hockey Hall of Fame is now located). They both worked for the railway (which was expanding rapidly at this time). In Bristol, their last address was within walking distance of a large railway carriage factory. It's easy to imagine that they may have worked there and so, might have been aware - through the business orders of the factory - that there was a railway boom going on in Canada and thus, been tempted to emigrate.
In this 1871 census, Elijah already has a new son, William Henry, the first Loxton of my line born in Canada and my great grandfather. Over the next few years, the brothers would move from Toronto, following railway work; Elijah to Stratford and George to Orangeville. George Loxton would eventually be granted land near Powassan, south of North Bay and fathered a large branch of Loxtons in northern Ontario that was extremely prolific and thrives to this day.
Elijah in Petrolia
Meanwhile, Elijah must have gotten wind of the oil boom under way in Petrolia, because by 1877 we find a newspaper article in the Petrolia Advertiser about a fire in the residence of an Elijah Loxton, with no one hurt. However, Elijah must have come ahead of his family to find work and get established, as we have one of of his children being born in Stratford somewhat after this news.
When Elijah arrived in Petrolia, the town would have still been a clapboard shanty town in the midst of an oil boom. Oil wells were being drilled in the hundreds and refineries being constructed. Imagine living in Petrolia at this time! The very first brick dwellings and industries were just starting to replace the wooden ones. The town was undergoing tremendous growth that would continue right up to the turn of the century. It would have been an amazing thing to have witnessed and been a part of!
Elijah went to work in William Stevenson's boiler shop on Robert St. It burned and was reopened on Centre St. Elijah had a long relationship with Stevenson's, eventually purchasing property on Centre St. owned by Stevenson and directly across the street from the new boiler works. He built a home here in 1881 and lived there for the rest of his life. This house is still there; the only vintage home still standing on north Centre St. (currently owned by Dave Bell).
Stevenson's Boiler & Engine Works was one of the largest industries in Petrolia during this time. They helped build the score of Petrolia refineries that would continuously expand and be rebuilt when fires took them, or the technology of oil refining advanced. Eventually, these plants would be bought up and consolidated into just a few, with the largest being Imperial Oil, who's massive works were immediately north of Elijah's property.
So, not only did Elijah help build the Petrolia refinery district around Centre St., he lived right in the midst of it! Imperial Oil was formed the year he built his house and by the time he died in 1933, at the age of 93, Imperial Oil had moved to Sarnia, Stevenson's had gone bankrupt and the boom was long over. But, Elijah and his sons continued on at his own boiler shop on his property.
Elijah's Descendants - (spouses' surnames are listed in parenthesis)
Elijah and Eliza would raise 9 children in Petrolia. These children were:
- Eliza Charlotte Loxton (Ennis, Mitchell) 1862 England - 1949 Petrolia - Descendant surnames: Avers, Tracey, Nordhouse, Kelly...
- George Alfred John Loxton (Clifford) 1864 England - 1904 Chicago - I believe his wife brought some of the family back to Canada after his death. Descendant surnames: Tomlinson, Campbell, Weintraub, Boden...
- Elijah John Henry Loxton II (McCarthy) 1866 England - 1935 Chicago - Father of a large line in still in Minnesota, Wisconsin and beyond.
- 6. William Henry Loxton (Galloway, Hawkins) 1870 Toronto - 1952 Port Huron - 1st Loxton born in Canada. Founder of a large line around Port Huron, with branches (including mine) in Lambton and southwestern Ontario. My great grandfather.
- Sarah Anne Loxton 1873 Stratford - 1880 Petrolia - Died in childhood.
- James Henry Loxton (Muxlow) 1876 Stratford - 1971 Petrolia - Descendants still in Lambton. Descendant surnames: Charlton...
- Thomas Edward Loxton (Forsyth) 1879 Petrolia - 1952 Petrolia - Ancestor of many of the Loxtons in Sarnia and elsewhere in SW Ontario, including Chatham, Amhersburg, etc. Descendant surnames: Bowles, Green, Whitlock, Lumley...
- Mary Ann Loxton (Maitland) 1881 Petrolia - 1977 Petrolia - Descendant surnames: Thorner, Williams, Guilliland...
- Charles Loxton 1884 Petrolia - 1970 Sarnia - Charles was married 3 times, but had no children.
6. William Henry Loxton was my great grandfather. He was born in Toronto in 1870 shortly after his family arrived in Canada. The family eventually settled in Petrolia when William was still a boy. He married Rachel Galloway in Petrolia in 1891. They had 6 children, all born in Petrolia:
- 7. William Henry Loxton Jr. (Bundy) 1892 Petrolia - 1971 Sarnia - My grandfather.
- Bertha Jane Loxton (McCoomber) 1895 Petrolia - 1944 Detroit
- Thomas Lorne Loxton (Leathorne, Hawley) 1897 Petrolia - 1951 Port Huron
- Lloyd Vaughn Edward Loxton (Harris, Thomas) 1899 Petrolia - 1981 Port Huron
- Roy Loxton (Werner, McClemons) 1903 Petrolia - 1966 Port Huron
- Hazel Mae Loxton (Wirtz,) 1906 Petrolia - 1989 Port Huron
7. William Henry Loxton Jr. was my grandfather. He was born in 1893 in Petrolia. He and his family moved to Port Huron about 1914, where 'Bill' married Pearl Bundy (later Evoy) of Port Huron in 1914. They had one child, then returned to Petrolia sometime between 1916 and 1919. Here he owned an auto repair and battery shop until about 1946, when he moved to Sarnia and operated a shop at his residence on Exmouth St. He and Pearl had four boys:
- Wesley Louis Loxton (Douglas, Esson)1915 Port Huron - 1978 Sarnia - Descendant surnames: Hasson...
- George Loxton (Witson, Morningstar) 1919 Petrolia - 1991 Petrolia - Descendant surnames: Waller, Duncan, Boyd
- Edward Harrison 'Ted' Loxton (Walker) 1924 Petrolia - 1961 Petrolia - Descendant surnames: Blundy, Acton...
- 8. Ronald Hugh Bruce Loxton (Catton) 1937 - living - My father. Descendant surnames: Burgess
8. Ronald Hugh Bruce Loxton is my father. He was born in Petrolia in 1937. He worked in the auto body shop of his older brother, George before opening his own shop in Wyoming, Ontario in 1966. In 1963, he married Diane Catton and they had two children:
- 9. Steven Matthew Loxton (Highfield) 1966 Petrolia - living - This is me!
- Pamela May Loxton (Burgess) 1969 Petrolia - living
9. Steven Matthew Loxton is me. I was born in 1966 in Petrolia and moved with my parents to Wyoming about 1969. I believe that I was the last Loxton to live in Petrolia, when I moved back there for a couple of years about 1993. In 2008, I married Tina Highfield and we currently live in Sarnia.
So, that takes care of nine generations of my direct paternal ancestors. However, there are at least two, or three, more younger generations, in other branches.
If you have, or would like, information or photos on any of the branches of the Loxton families listed above, feel free to contact me, or post information below...
