Hewgill Family History

Welcome to the Hugill/Hewgill Family History blog.

I am indebted to the late Ruby (Lois) Knight (nee Nielsen), daughter of Ruby Pearl Victoria Hewgill (daughter of Daniel Hewgill and Julia Ward) and Albert Nielsen, who researched the Hewgills for many years for the majority of this information.  All of her research, including her extensive collection of photographs is now in the Region of Peel Archives in Brampton.  Should you wish to view the material I suggest that you call them first to confirm that it is accessible.

The following is my family history down to my great great grandparents:

1. Richard HUGILL
m. ?
lived Hasty Bank Farm, Ingleby Greenhow, North Yorkshire
• Thomas (?)

2. Thomas HUGILL m. Catherine THOMPSON January 14, 1667 at Ingleby Greenhow, North Yorkshire
Lived Hasty Bank Farm, Ingleby Greenhow, North Yorkshire
• Stephen (?)
• Henry (?)
• Daniel (1684-?) m. 1. Maria, 2. Elicia TAYLOR, November 24, 1715
• Isaac (1687-?)
• Thomas

3. Daniel HUGILL ( 1684-?)
m. 1 Maria (Mary) (c 1684- d. January 6, 1714 buried Danby)
• Daniel (1709-?) m. Jane ELLERBY
• Thomas (1714-?) m. Elizabeth JACKSON on May 20, 1740
m. 2 Elicia TAYLOR, November 24, 1715 in Danby, North Yorkshire.
• Timothy (1716-1718)
• Alice (1719-1719)
• Catherine (1723-?) m. Thomas COVERDALE in 1748
• William (1726-?) m. Barbara NICHOLSON on December 25, 1749
• John (1730-?)
• Isaac (1735-1783) m. 1. Elizabeth JACKSON (1735-1773) in 1756 in Danby, m. 2. Eleanor TRINDALE (?-1802) in 1782
Elicia Hewgill was buried at Danby on Jan 16, 1765
 
4. Daniel HUGILL (1709-?)
m. Jane ELLERBY on June 14, 1744 in Danby, North Yorkshire
• Daniel (1751-1824) m. Ann May WATSON on May 17, 1778
• William (1756-?) . Jane SANDERSON on October 22, 1792

5. Daniel HUGILL (1751-1824)
m. Ann May WATSON on May 17, 1778 in Danby, North Yorkshire
• Ann (1780-1851) m. Ralph WILLEY on January 17, 1809 in Danby, North Yorkshire
• Jane (1781-1809), m. Tom ALLISON on November 24, 1806 at Scalby Near Scarborough, North Yorkshire
• William (1783-1873) m. Alice SLEIGHTHOLM on December 8, 1817
• Mary (1786-1847)
• Hannah (1790-1853) m. Edward KNAGGS on June 13, 1821 in Lythe, North Yorkshire
According to the parish records of the Chapelry of Glaisdale, Danby Parish, Daniel Hugill was a weaver from Fryup.  The baptisms of his daughters Ann in 1780 and Jane in 1781 list the family as being of "Fryup".  His son William indicated in his notebook that he was born in 1783 in Glaisdale so the family must have moved there sometime after 1781.  Daniel does not appear in the 1798 Land Tax Redemption Records for Glaisdale Township (or Danby either).  However if he had a small cottage and little land he would have been exempt from this tax; or he may have been subleasing a small cottage from a leaseholder in which case the leaseholder would be responsible for paying the tax.  Perhaps he was living with his family at Readman House?  I am not sure what type of weaving Daniel was involved in but the weaving of linen was an important industry in the the Esk River valley during the 18th and 19th centuries.  It was however fraught with potential problems due to fluctuations in the market.  Later in the 19th century with the onset of mechanization and the influx of cheap cotton materials the industry went into a steep decline.  Daniel Hugill of "Glaisdale" died and was buried at St. Thomas's Churchyard, Glaisdale on April 14, 1824, aged 72.  No will has been found.

6. William Hewgill (1783-1873)
m. Alice SLEIGHTHOLME of Goathland on December 8, 1817 in Danby, North Yorkshire.
• Elizabeth (1818 - 1840)
• William (1821- 1896) m. Jane Foster December 24, 1844 later moved to Grey County
• Daniel (1824 - 1895) m. Isabella Sanderson September 1857
• Ann (1829-1869) m. Matthew HARRISON
According to the baptismal record of their first child Elizabeth in 1818, William and Alice lived in Readman House located in the Township of Glaisdale, Danby Parish.  The barn still stands on the property but the house has been demolished.  Remnants of the house foundation still exist on the property today.  In the Egton Anglican Parish records William is described as a weaver.  William immigrated to Canada with his family in April 1832 aboard the Columbus from Whitby, North Yorkshire to Quebec.  Alice Sleightholme was the daughter of Leonard Sleightholme and Elizabeth Smallwood (1721-1817) (daughter of James Smallwood).  Alice Sleightholme's sister Elizabeth (1774-1840) married John James Middleton.  They were the parents of James Middleton who married Jane Harrison, Matthew Harrison's sister.

7.  Ann HEWGILL (August 9, 1829-July 17, 1869) (converted to Catholicism June 17, 1869)
m.  Matthew HARRISON (1822-January 5, 1887) on May 29, 1849 in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Wildfield, Peel County. They were married a second time by a Wesleyan Minister on July 1, 1849 no doubt at the insistence of her father who was a Methodist lay preacher.  Ann Hewgill died from tuberculosis and was buried on the Harrison farm on Lot 9, Concession 10, Toronto Gore Township along with one child. The cemetery has been protected and preserved as part of the residential development of the property. It is a bit of a  mystery why she was buried here but I speculate that there was a tug-of-war over her body after her death. Given that she only converted to Catholicism one month before her death I am guessing that Matthew Harrison wanted her buried at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Wildfield and her father William Hewgill wanted her buried at the Hilltop Gore Methodist Cemetery. Burial on the farm seems to have been a compromise for all concerned. The cemetery can be viewed here. Ann Hewgill's white marble tombstone lying flat on the ground can be easily seen under the tree in the centre - part of the original apple orchard.  The cemetery has been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.  The report can be downloaded here.

• Mary Elizabeth (1850-1904) m. Martin BRYNE, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Wildfield, Peel County, Canada - 11 children
• William (1854-1923)
• John Francis (1857-1858)
• Anne Jane (1860-1943) m. Thomas O’BRIEN, February 6, 1883, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Wildfield, Peel County, Canada - 6 children
• Unnamed child (1869-1869), buried on Lot 9, Concession 10, Toronto Gore Township with Ann HEWGILL

Matthew HARRISON m. 2 Winnifred BULGER, Nov 7, 1869
in St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Wildfield, Peel County
• Alice Josephine (1870-1937) m. John James KEHOE, February 29, 1892, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Wildfield, Canada - 7 children (including 2 priests and1 nun)
• Theresa (1872-?) m. William DAVIS, January 31, 1894, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Wildfield, Peel County, Canada - 6 children by 1911 Census
• Agnes Loretto (1873-1963) - never married
• John Francis (1875-1954) m. Mary ROBINSON, May 6, 1895, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Wildfield, Peel County, Canada - 7 children
• Charles Augustus (1878-1898) - never married
• Emanuel (1879-?) m. Mary HORAN, St. John’s Roman Catholic Church, Albion Township, Peel County, Canada ? - ?
• Mary Helena (1882-?) m. Bernard CAMPBELL, January 16, 1907, - ?
• still born male child - twin of Mary Helena (1882-1882)

I would be interested in hearing from anyone researching my family. Please contact me at kikoamoki at yahoo.ca

All information and photographs on this site are copyrighted and may not be used without my permission. No use for commercial purposes is permitted. Use for personal research is permitted. © Copyright Michael Harrison 2009.  All rights reserved.