When compiling information about a person from the past, you sometimes get overwhelmed with all the dates that may or may not be important to telling their story. I am consistently finding dates that fit into the biographies of the people associated with Backus-Page House Museum and surrounding area. I've found it helpful to open up a Word document and start a timeline for each of them.
I thought I'd share with you the current timeline for Andrew Backus. There will be many duplicates between Andrew and his wife, Mary Jane's, timelines since they share children, family, and residence. Her timeline was posted last week. If you have information that can be added please post a comment or send me an email at info@backuspagehouse.ca
Happy History!
Angela Bobier
Cultural Manager
Biography of Andrew Backus
1812 January 1 in Dunwich Twp. Lot 13 Concession 10
1814 Log house of Stephen and Anne (Storey)
Backus was looted during War of 1812.
1814 Brother Joseph Backus born
1816 September 28 Brother Thomas Backus born
1816 The Year Without Summer (weather anomaly due
to volcano eruption)
1818 June 28
Sister Mary backus born
1820 April 16 Thomas BACKUS, born Sept. 28, 1816,
bap Apr. 16, 1820, son of Stephen & Anne; sponsors Leslie PATTERSON, John
PEARCE, Elizabeth & Sarah STEWART Baptisms by Rectors of the
Anglican Church in St. Thomas
1820
April 18 Mary BACKUS, born June
28, 1818, bap Apr. 18, 1820, dau of Stephen & Anne; sponsors Leslie
PATTERSON, John PEARCE, Elizabeth & Sarah STEWART Baptisms
by Rectors of the Anglican Church in St. Thomas
1821
May 22 Sister
Olivia Backus born
1822 The
first school was held in the home of John Pearce in 1822 – The first teacher
was Thomas Gardener.
1822 June 26 Olivia BACKUS, born May 22, 1821,
bap. June 26, 1822; dau of Stephen & Anne; sponsors Walter STORY, Mary
STEWART & Elizabeth STEWART Baptisms
by Rectors of the Anglican Church in St. Thomas
1823 Sister Sarah Anne Backus born
1823 September 8 Sarah Ann
BACKUS, bap Sept. 8, 1824, dau of Stephen & Anne; sponsors William PEARCE,
Frances PEARCE & Catherine PEARCE Baptisms by Rectors of the Anglican Church in St.
Thomas
1824 John Miles Farlane kept school in a house on
Lot 11 Concession 11, this was located on one side of the settlement and the
people felt that the school should be more centralized and so erected a school
on the corner of the Backus land.
1825 Brother Stephen Jr. Backus born
1825 June 21 Stephen BACKUS,
bap June 21, 1825, son of Stephen & Anne; sponsors Walter STORY, Leslie
PEARCE, Elizabeth & Sarah STEWART Baptisms by Rectors of the Anglican Church in St.
Thomas
1825 Stephen and Anne (Storey) Backus built west
section of house.
1827 Brother Robert Backus born
1827 August 21 Robert BACKUS, bap Aug. 21, 1827, son of Stephen &
Anne Baptisms
by Rectors of the Anglican Church in St. Thomas
1827 August 21 Andrew Backus confirmed by Lord
Bishop of Quebec in Dunwich Twp
1829 Brother Henry Backus born
1831 January 19 Sister Hannah Backus born
1831 January 30 Hannah BACKUS, born Jan. 19, 1831, bap Jan. 30, 1831,
dau of Stephen & Anne; sponsors Walter PATTERSON, Hannah PATTERSON and Mary
Anne PEARCE [note - surname is incorrectly spelled "BECKIS" in
register] Baptisms by Rectors of the Anglican Church in St. Thomas
1832 October 29
Brother Walter Backus born
1832 November 18
Walter BACKUS, born Oct. 29, 1832, bap Nov. 18, 1832, son of Stephen
& Anne, sponsors John PEARCE, William PEARCE, Frances PEARCE Baptisms by Rectors of the Anglican Church in
St. Thomas
1833 The school on the Backus land fell into decay
and seeing the need for a new school, the settlers got together in 1833,
organized a bee and a log schoolhouse was erected on land donated by James
Conn. The schoolhouse was completed in 1835. The older children and youths went
to St. Thomas to further their education.
1838 Andrew was
given his grandmother’s property; he would eventually build the Backus-Page
House here
1839 May 2 Married to Mary Jane Hamilton in Dunwich Twp
Andrew aged 27 Mary Jane 23
1839 Stephen Backus, Andrew’s father, gave him 125 acres of land
1840 November 5 Daughter Eliza
Ann Backus
1842 February 2 Son Walter
Backus Born
1842 March 20
Walter BACKUS, born Feb. 2, 1842, bap Mar. 20, 1842, son of Andrew &
Mary, sponsors Joseph BACKUS, Sally BACKUS & Stephen BACKUS Baptisms by Rectors of the Anglican Church in
St. Thomas
1842 Grandmother Mary Storey died
1843 March 4 Daughter Mary Jane Born
1843 April 9
Mary Jane BACKUS, born Mar. 4, 1843, bap Apr. 9, 1843, dau of Andrew
& Mary Jane; sponsors William PEARCE, Olivia BACKUS & Mary MOREHOUSE Baptisms by Rectors of the Anglican Church in
St. Thomas
1844 February 15 Brother Henry Storey Backus Died
1844 February 23 and 25 Eliza Ann and Walter Died
1844 December Son Stephen Alexander Backus Born
1846 Son William Henry Backus Born
1848 Son Andrew Storey Backus Born
1848 Robert Morris was hired to build the east
section of the Stephen Backus House
1850 June Daughter Sarah Ann Backus Born
1850 Andrew employs Robert Morris to help him
built the house
1851 June
13 Family eat their first meal in house.
Wills of Elgin County
1846-1852 Estate of John Pearce – Andrew
Backus was one of 3 witnesses.
1852 August late Son Robert John Backus Born
1852 September 10 Robert John Backus Died
1853 The Tyrconnell Wharf and Harbour Company
began. Andrew and his family did not invest
1854 Daughter Katherine Elizabeth Born
1857 April
Anne Storey, Andrew’s mother Died
1858 Amelia Olivia Victoria Born
1859 Infant daughter born
1859 Infant daughter died
1860 Sister Olivia Died
1860 Brother Walter Died
1861 April
Andrew bought shares in the Dunwich Pier Company for $20 a share
1862 Elizabeth Hamilton, Mary Jane’s mother, died
1862 Son Arthur Edmond Backus Born
1862 Arthur Edmond Backus Died at 10 days old
1864 Sister Hannah Died
1865 November
Stephen Backus, Andrew’s father, died
1871 Sarah Ann Backus married Thomas Leslie Pearce
1874 Mary Jane Backus married John R. Gow
1877 March 1
William Henry Backus married Euphemia Buchanan at St. Thomas
1878 Stephen Alexander Backus married Francis
Morrish
1879 Amelia Olivia Victoria Backus married Thomas
C. Humphries
1880 Andrew Storey Backus, a local farmer,
married Eliza Ann Potticary
1883 Alexander Hamilton, Mary Jane’s father, died
1884 Sister Sarah Anne Died
1885 March 22 Andrew Backus died and left the farm
to his son, Andrew Storey Backus.