Monday, September 27, 2010

Adam Thompson

I have heard stories from various relatives that one of my Great Grandfather's brother went home to Ireland.
Unfortunately this wasn't the case.
Adam Thompson was born in 1862 to Nancy Agnes Andrew and Thomas Thompson. 
He was the 6th of 9 children born to the family.
Thomas and some of his children came to Canada in May of 1885 from their home in Northern Ireland.

Adam was a bit of a mystery to me.  He wasn't actually on my family tree until about a year ago when I stumbled on a passanger list with the family listed.  From there I found a baptism, and a family bible with his name written in the front cover.  He seemed to vanish after his arrival here in Ontario, his family was already settled in my home township of Carling on the 1891 Census.  He was nowhere to be found.

This past weekend I started going through what I knew about Adam and what I didn't.  With the 1901 and 1911 Ireland Census available online I did some digging in Ireland.  None of the Adam's seemed to fit mine.  I checked available marriage records and death records.  I combed through UK incoming passanger lists until my eyes went cross eyed.

A fellow researcher suggested I try looking within Canada, just to make sure I hadn't missed anything.  I'm glad she recommended it because in a matter of hours I found him!

First I found a death record, with Adam listed as being born in Carling Township, Parry Sound.  Then I found the 1891, 1901 and 1911 Census records.  Pieces were starting to fit together, and it was all starting to make sense.

Sometime between 1885 and 1891, Adam went to Ontario Hospital (also known as Hamilton Asylum) in Barton, Wentworth Township (East Flamborough).  He was listed as a "Lodger" on the census, with an 'unsound mind'.  1901 and 1911 he is listed as an 'inmate' at the same facility.  He was there until his death in 1928.  He is buried in Woodland Cemetery in Burlington, Ontario.

More questions seem to come to mind.... Why was he there?  Why so long?  Did his family know where he was?  Did anyone visit him?  Did any of the family attend his funeral?

I'm hoping that his patient file from the asylum will answer those questions.

2 comments:

  1. Love your blog Ais!! Very interesting!

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  2. Very cool and creepy at the same time. :) Did you ever find the answers to those questions?

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