Thomas Boyle Family tree - and side branches

Notes for Louisa Victoria FOOTE


Her birth in Marylbone (part of London) appears in the birth registration index for April through June 1878. Haven’t found a specific date yet.

In the 1901 census, there is a Louisa Foote (born March 5, 1886 in England, who immigrated around 1896) who is listed as a domestic servant to the Wright family in Toronto Township (now Mississauga), Ontario, that quite likely is her. Louisa’s daughter Edna’s middle name was Wright, and Edna herself had said that her middle name was from a family that Louisa knew. The Wright family were of Irish descent, but all born in Ontario. Not sure about the age difference; either a mistake in the census, or I have the wrong Louisa Foote back in England. If this is the correct family, the father was Wesley Wright, a reeve for Toronto Township for several years, and his second wife, and kids that were still at home.

As for when Louisa immigrated to Canada, a possible candidate is the ship Sardinian, which left Liverpool, England on July 29, 1886, arriving in Quebec on August 7. It was part of the Maria Rye Homes group, heading for Niagara-On-The-Lake, with 109 children. There is a Louisa Foot, age (so, born around 1877) on that boat. This is fairly close to matching her marriage record’s age.

Another possible candidate: There is a record for ‘Louisa Fot’ (with a note saying that the child’s surname was illegible or difficult to decipher) recorded on the ship Scotsman, which left Liverpool, England on October 8, 1896, and landed in Montreal, Quebec, on Oct 17, 1896. It was part of Dr. Barnardo’s party, and the 180 children on this ship were destined for Toronto. If this is the correct one, then she was born around 1883. If you look the image on the goverment website for it, she is on page 2, the 26th line, listed as a servant. This more closely matches her age from the 1901 census.

Peel County marriage register has Louisa and Isaac getting married on February 19, 1903. Isaac is listed as 27, living in Toronto Township, Peel County (now Mississauga), being a farm laborer born in Artemesia. He had not been married before, and it also listed his parents. Louise V. Foote was 24, also living in Toronto Township (Peel County), not employed, nor previously married, and is shown as being born in London,England. Her parents are listed as Charles Foote and Catholine Turner. Witnesses were William Robbins of Britannia (western Ottawa), and Edna Holley of Artemesia (Isaac’s younger sister). They were married by License by A.B. Hames, and it was registered February 20, 1903. The age for Louisa does not match the other records I have for her, but if this was her, she would have only been 17 at the time, and they may have fudged her age to make the marriage easier to arrange.

Ike, Louisa and Edna also appear in the 1906 census in Saskatchewan, although the scan on the Canadian archive site is very hard to read. The census was taken July 27, 1906, which would have been shortly after then moved there. In this census, her nation of origin was left blank.

She is buried on a hill near her land (the Lintlaw cemetery wasn’t going yet, and she died during one of the worst winters, according to the Lintlaw History book. The Doctor from Wadena couldn’t make it out to her after she gave birth to Violetta), just northeast of Lintlaw, SK. There is a tree planted at the foot of her grave that marks it, as well as her tombstone (erected later). She died from complications during childbirth of her 2nd daughter, Violetta “Etta”. Her headstone has no birthdate; it shows her as “Louisa V. Holley Died April 15 1910”.

The story is that Louisa (or her family) were from upper class England, but were somewhat disowned from a marriage beneath their stature. Specifically, her grandmother was ‘a lady’s daughter’ (a family with high ranking), but she ran away and married a butcher and so was disowned by the family (from Violetta’s recollection).

The Saskatchewan Government Health Vital Statistics site shows her name as Louise Victoria Holley, and her death date as April 28, 1910. It is possible this is when her death was registered.



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Tuesday, March 28, 2023