Sears, William

• Individual
• Ancestors
• Descendants
• Relationship
• Timeline
• Family
• GEDCOM
• Suggest

INTRO: Battersea Brides: Sears & Lake & Emma-widow (STRAY Branch)

These notes are a few early assumptions and sources found for these families - gathered from the family trees online at the NAVVF, or from personal family records supplied to us, and backed by records wherever possible. We recognize that the information may be incorrect or incomplete, but present it here as a starting point for discussion and welcome your feedback.

 
================================================

INTRO: Battersea Brides: Sears & Lake & "Emma" (STRAY Branch)

================================================

Note from Admin:  These notes are a few early assumptions and sources found for these families - gathered from the family trees online at the NAVVF, or from personal family records supplied to us, and backed by records wherever possible.  We recognize that the information may be incorrect or incomplete, but present it here as a starting point for discussion and welcome your feedback.

 "Battersea Bride" #1: Lavina Lorine VV m. Hezekiah Sears [see tree]

 

 "Battersea Bride" #2: Julia Ann VV or Follick m. Nathan Lake [see tree]

  "Battersea Bride" #3:  "Emma" m. Allan VV [see tree]

These families are not yet connected to the official genealogy of the VanValkenburg family on the NAVVF site.  

In coming months we will be adding photos and scans of original documents directly to individuals in each tree. (We welcome your help with this and you may use this form to contact us or to join this collaborative project as a Contributor).

Two women with VV surnames who first appear in the Battersea area of Frontenac Co. but, so far, can only be connected by coincidence / proximity to other identified VV families in the area. As the descendants of each woman removed to the States, few clues are immediately available as to their connections to known Canadian VV lines.  *Although included in a single family tree, we do not assume the three individuals are related to each other.*

#1 Lavina/Lorine VV's surname is supported by a marriage record of her son John.  She and husband Hezekiah Sears/Cyr lived along the north shore of Loughborough Lake, approximately 7 km (4.5 miles) west of the Battersea-Milburn area VV family: David VV m. Lucy Miller (see map showing proximity).  An older gentleman - John VV - was living with Lavina and Hezekiah at the 1851 and 1861 census and is of similar age, although his relationship to them is not stated. He may be the same John VV who was an "uncle" living with one of the Milburn-Battersea VVs in 1871 and at his 1879 death.  If this were the case, then Lavina VV-Sears might be a sister/cousin of the Milburn VV's.

Another family that may be related, is the John VV m. Hannah Patterson line of Ernesttown in Lennox-Addington Co.  This family named children similarly.  Another possible factor connecting these families, is that the progenitors had all been been born in Quebec along the Vermont border (Lake Champlain, Missisquoi Bay, etc.)  Lavina's husband Hezekiah Cyr/Sears also came from this area.

#2 Julia Ann VV's surname is supported by a death record of her daughter Adeline Lake-Landgraf but her surname is alternately said to be "Follick" on her son David's 2nd marriage record.  Julia married Nathan Lake and lived just east of the Battersea-Milburn area VV family: David VV m. Lucy Miller (see map showing proximity).

The 1851 census establishes the family's exact location and happens to be at Cranberry Lake (see map).  Evidently, descendants of Julia and Nathan, have records that support this location at Cranberry Lake; would guess this is a death record of one of the children.  

Family lore has been that Julia was adopted or raised by a Keeler family.  The surname Follick is actually a common Old Dutch version of the VanValkenburg name, therefore lending more credibility to Julia's family of origin being VV, not Keeler.  

#3 An unknown Emma, widow of an Allan VV, is in the same Storrington Twp. area.  Land records show her to be temporarily living in the city of Kingston as she sells and purchases land lots in Storrington Twp. in the 1850's.   An 1844 assessment record shows an Allan VV in Storrington Twp. (at that time it was under Pittsburgh Twp.) 

The land records name the widow as Emma VV but sometimes she is indexed as "Eliza".  An 1845 baptismal record for a Martha VV, Pittsburgh Twp. shows parents as Allan and Eliza.  In a  later record, Martha's birthplace is specifically named as Brewer's Mills in Pittsburgh Twp. (east side of Cranberry Lake, not shown on the map).

[Much thanks to Sears descendant Diane S.B. who provided information on the Allan-Emma VV family!]

Research continues.  Perhaps the key to these potential family connections will be found in Quebec.

===============================