In Register #15 for Pakenham-Huntley (for the diocese of Ottawa, Anglican church of Canada), her godparents are listed as Thomas and Ellen Green, with J.A Morris as the officiant.
In 1891 census, she is living with her widowed father, although it lists her age as 24. They are neighboring Charles Boyle and his wife Lottie (her brother), Henry and Parker.
There is a picture of her (with two of her sisters-Josephine and Janet) and her father, that shows her having a possible engagement/wedding ring. Her father passed away in 1895, so if it is an engagement/wedding ring, she must have been married before that.
Joe Lankin (sometimes called Larkin) apparently split on Nell at some point. As of the 1901 census, Ellen (shown as Helen Jane), was living with her brother Parker. There immediate neighborhood also had Henry Boyle’s family and Robert Hunt’s family. She is shown as being born June 30 1863, and being single. It should be noted, that there is no ditto marks for her last name (under Boyle); hers is the ONLY entry like this on that census page.
I can’t find her (under Lankin or Boyle) in the 1906 prairie provinces census.
In the William Boyle Sr. family bible, she is listed as Lankin as of the date of her death. So, I am guessing the marriage was between 1901 and 1921 (when she died).
She lived in Winnipeg, working as a nurse, later in life. The 1915 Winnipeg Henderson Directory shows her as Ellen Lankin, widowed (Joseph), residing at 591 Mulvey in Winnipeg. So, perhaps he did not “split” on her, after all?Or is that a way of covering up? It should be noted that the resident at 591 Mulvey in the 1914 Henderson Directory is “Edw Storey, mach CNR”, whom I believe is her cousin, George Edwin Storey. It should also be noted that no Lankin appears in the 1914 directory.
The 1918 Winnipeg Henderson Directory shows her as “Helen Lankin”, nurse, living at 240 Simcoe, in Winnipeg.
The 1919 and 1920 Winnipeg Henderson Directories shows her as “Mrs. Nellie Lankin”, still living at 240 Simcoe, in Winnipeg.
The Manitoba Vital statistics record shows her passing away Feb. 8, 1921, and her last name in that case was spelled “Laukin”.
Her original tombstone is very hard to read and cracked, when I was there around 2005. It does seem to say both Boyle and Lankin on it. The new one does not mention Lankin at all.
She is also known as “Nellie” (including on her signing James Boyle & Mary Jane Storey’s marriage certificate as one of the witnesses).
Parker was in the Manitou/Thornhill area when she passed away at her brother Thomas’ place. Charles, another brother, was also in town from Boissevain for the funeral.
The Darlingford newspaper has a “From our Files” column, and in February 2011, from “90 years ago”, was the following reprint:”Mrs. Ellen J. Lankin, 59, of Darlingford, died at the home of her brother Thos. Boyle.”
Her obituary from the February 10, 1921 edition of the Manitou Western Canadian newspaper:”Death of Mrs. Lankin. - After an illness of six weeks, there died at the home of her brother, Thos. Boyle of Darlingford, Mrs. Ellen J. Lankin aged 59 years. Deceased was well known in the Darlingford and Thornhill districts where several brothers and sisters reside. Of late years Mrs. Lankin has been engaged as a nurse in Winnipeg. The funeral was held on Wednesday, Rev. Matthew, Baptist minister of Winnipeg, officated at the services held at the residence and graveside. Internment was made at Knightcote’s cemetery, Thornhill. Charles Boyle of Manitou is a brother.”