Is This Old Lady Crane?

Can anyone help Sandra Sales identify the woman in these photographs?  

"These are photos of a woman that our family lore says is “Old Lady Crane” - or Mary (Willson) Crane. Mary Crane was the daughter of Captain Gilman Willson of Port Talbot, who was a captain alongside Leslie Patterson in the War of 1812. Mary Willson was married to Peter Crane, the son of Thomas Talbot’s helper, George Crane, and his wife Isabella Finlay. Mary (Willson) Crane lived from April 14, 1814 to March 23, 1892. She is buried in the Tyrconnell United Church Cemetery.

The woman in this photo is dressed in the traditional mourning garb of the late 1870s and 1880s and wears a wedding ring. Mary Crane’s husband, Peter, died in 1882. Mary spent her final years in the house she and her husband built in 1861 on Concession 9, Lot 6, south half. Her son Benjamin Crane had taken over the farm by the time she died.

Because only family lore identifies this woman, I would like to see if there is any other labelled copies of this photo around. Or I would like to get the photo out to people who might be interested in this family.  

Sandra Sales"

Comments and photos can be sent to info@backuspagehouse.ca and I will forward on to Sandra.

Family History Friday - Stevenson Part 2

Since we featured a picture of John Edwin Stevenson's family band a couple weeks ago, Sandra Sales mentioned we could post a picture of Robert Stevenson's family orchestra from the book the "Wallacetown United Church" by Margaret Welch.  If anyone has a copy of this book we'd be happy to accept one as a donation to add to our resource library here at Backus-Page House Museum.  

Family History Friday - Stevenson

Thanks to Sandra Sales for providing these photographs because she read a past blog post about the Stevenson family bible from July, 2014 donated to the museum by Jennifer (Stevenson) Worth.  Click here for that post.  If you have local family photos from West Elgin, Southwold, Aldborough and Dunwich townships we'd love to feature your family on the blog.  Just contact Angela at 519-762-3072 or email info@backuspagehouse.ca   Corrections on final photograph added January 9, 2019.

1. Likely Eliza (Williams) Stevenson wife of James Stevenson, b. circa Mar. 12, 1825 Watson’s Corners (near Burwell’s Corners), Gravestone inscription In memory of/Eliza/wife of/James Stevenson/died/March28, 1877 AE 52 y’s/& 16 d’s/Blessed are the dead/that die in the Lord. Fingal cemetery.

1. Four generations - Myrtle May Waite b 1895, d. 1975, James Stevenson b. 1814 Stirlingshire, Scotland, m. 1842 Eliza Williams of Watson’s Corners, d. 1906 Watson’s Corners, Annie (Stevenson) Waite, Robert Stevenson.

1. Robert Stevenson family – Back row: Ida Stevenson b. circa 1874, m. Radebaugh (a confectioner in Dutton), d. Aug. 1962 California, James P. (Jim) Stevenson b. circa 1874, d. June 28, 1945, Annie Stevenson, Maggie Stevenson, Henry (Harry) Albert Stevenson b. Feb. 8, 1877, m. Lois Bedford, daughter of preacher John Bedford Tyrconnell, d. Jan. 26, 1960. Front Row: Robert Stevenson b. 1843, d. Mar 9, 1919, Elizabeth Sarah (Lizzie) Stevenson b. 1882, m. Phil Bedford, d. 1978, Sarah (Crane) Stevenson b. Dec 17, 1844 Port Talbot, d. Dec 1925 Tyrconnell. This family had their own orchestra and entertained locally.

1. Sylvia Ann (Annie) Stevenson b. 1870, m. Richard Waite 1895, d. Oct. 7, 1948 and Margaret (Maggie) E. Stevenson b. circa 1868, m. William Brush, d. Apr. 3, 1947 – daughters of Robert Stevenson – mentioned in the Patterson diary at Backus-Page House.

1. Likely Sarah (Crane) Stevenson wife of Robert Stevenson, daughter of Peter and Mary (Willson) Crane Tyrconnell, granddaughter of George and Isabella (Findlay) Crane (who were Thomas Talbot’s first settlers 1806 Plum Point Dunwich), b. Dec. 14, 1844 Port Talbot, d. Dec. 1925 Tyrconnell.

1. Stevenson reunion 1944 to celebrate Annie and Richard Waite’s 50^th anniversary. Standing: George Waite, Allan Waite, Maggie Waite, Richard Waite, Annie (Stevenson) Waite, Earl Stevenson, (?), Jim Stevenson, John Robb, Maggie (Stevenson) Brush, Lois (Bedford) Stevenson, Henry (Harry) Stevenson. Kneeling: (?) (?) possibly Jim Stevenson’s two daughters, Dorothy (Stidwell) Stevenson and Wayne, Marion McFarlane (my mother), Neil McFarlane.

1. A Crane family picnic on Aug. 22, 1901 at Tyrconnell Ontario. Children and their spouses of Peter and Mary (Willson) Crane of Coyne Road Tyrconnell. Back row: John E. Crane, Will Crane, Robert Stevenson, Ben Crane. Front row: Sarah Catherine (Mitchell) Crane, Sarah Jane (Austerhout) Crane, Sarah (Crane Stevenson, Belle (Crane) Haycroft, Emma Maria (Crane) Cole, Hattie (Morrish) Crane. 

1. Annie Waite and Jim Stevenson with 100 year old Maria (pronounced Mariah) Burwell Johnson of Watson's Corners. Her father was first cousin of Mahlon Burwell and she was the first cousin of Robert Stevenson. http://dorothystewart.net/2017/01/05/maria-burwell-johnson-1835-1938/