Wednesday, October 20, 2021

On This Day: Frederick Dixon Foreman Was Born In 1880

I thought a lot about my husband's great grandfather Frederick Dixon Foreman (1880-1951) this month. F.D. Foreman was born on this day the 20th of October 1880 in Wellington, Ontario the first-born son of blacksmith William H. Foreman and his wife Martha (Moore).

The Foreman Family: Great-grandfather Fredrick Dixon, great-grandmother Hannah (Hegna), and four of their six children. Left Geraldine, Lola, Shirley and Don (Grandfather Donald Jennings Foreman) (Photo Source: With permission from Susan Morris granddaughter of Geraldine Foreman (1908-1974))

Also in the month of October 2021, I visited the Wellington County Museum and Archives to research my husband's 3rd great grandfather William Foreman (1820-1900) and to visit his final resting place in Drayton, Ontario's Victoria Cemetery. I will report on my findings in a separate blog post ( I am awaiting permissions to post photos).

Wellington County Museum and Archives, in Fergus, Ontario, Canada.  RR#1 Fergus, ON N1M 2W3 0536 County Road 18 (GFDL/CC-by-SA 3.0)

The Foreman family story in Canada began in England. As I drove to the archives in October, I marveled at the fact that the Foreman family settled in Wellington county, Ontario. It was a lengthy commute by car and I can only imagine William making his way there in the 1830s by horse and cart from the port of Toronto on the poor roads that existed in those days. "Why did they choose Wellington County?", I wondered.

All six of William and Mary (McCauley) Foreman's children were born in Wellington County, Ontario and all would remain there except one. 

William Sr.'s son and namesake, William H. Foreman (1853-1919) took up the blacksmith trade and moved on to Erin township, then Sault Ste Marie Michigan and eventually Leslieville Alberta where he homesteaded with his son Frederick Dixon Foreman.

Son Frederick Dixon Foreman (1880-1951)

My husband's great grandfather Frederick Dixon Foreman was born on the 20th of October 1880. A birth registration has not been located and the date is taken from supplemental records (his headstone, census records, etc.)

Without a birth registration, the exact location of his birth in Ontario is not known. His parents William H. and Martha Anne (Moore) Foreman were married in Peel Township, Ontario on the 29th of September 1879 son Frederick Dixon was born the following October and in 1881, the family is on the Wellington South census in Erin township.

Frederick's father William H was a blacksmith. The Wellington Archives mentions the blacksmith shop and a brief period of time where William H was there.

Source: Wellington Co Museum and Archives

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (1880s - 1900s)

Frederick's brother Victor Roy Foreman was born on the 8th of April 1882 in Woodstock, Oxford, Ontario. 

Later, on the 1900 US Federal census for Sault Ste Marie Ward 2, Chippewa, Michigan, the family indicated that they had immigrated to the US in 1882 where William H. Foreman set up shop as a blacksmith. The family was living at 308 Easterday Avenue, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.

In the two decades between 1880 and 1900 in Michigan, the Foreman children received their formal education and trained in their respective skilled trades such as carpentry (Frederick) and photography (Victor Roy). In 1900, eldest daughter Grace married Wilfred Wellington Whiteside ("who once held the world's championship in the one-third mile track race") in Chippewa Michigan. The couple later moved to Spokane Washington (where Frederick would meet his future bride).

 


 Alberta, Canada (1900s - 1920s)

When the family left Michigan they headed west to homestead in Alberta. Both Frederick and his father William H. owned property (beside each other) in Leslieville Alberta.

Below is picture of the house in Alberta where the Foremans lived.

The Foreman Homestead, Alberta, Canada (Photo Source: With permission from Susan Morris granddaughter of Geraldine Foreman (1908-1974))

1907 Marriage to Anna Otilia Hegna

Frederick Dixon Foreman likely went to Spokane, Washington, to visit his sister Grace (Foreman) Whiteside (1884-1955). Grace and her husband Wilfred had moved to Spokane in 1901 where he entered into real estate and the contracting business

It was in Spikane, Washington that Fredrick met and married his Norwegian bride Anna Otilia Hegna.

There were plenty of announcements in the Spokane newspapers about the wedding.

F.D. and Miss Hannah "were married Wednesday evening". After the ceremony "a reception was held at the home of the bride's parents Mr. and Mrs. O.O. Hegna." "About 90 guests were witnesses" to the wedding and the couple left a few days later "for the Alberta country where the  groom owns considerable town and farm property."

Source: Ancestry: Washington, Marriage Records, 1865-2004

F.D.'s occupation is listed as "carpenter" and Hannah's occupation is listed as "dressmaker". They both signed the marriage certificate indicating that they had both been educated and could read and write.

Source: Ancestry: Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington

 CLIPPED FROM  Spokane Chronicle   Spokane, Washington  17 Apr 1907, Wed  •  Page 12

Life In Alberta

The F.D. Foreman family lived in Alberta for several years and F.D. engaged in several businesses. Additional Alberta research is needed to determine the details, however, the Foreman family was associated with a blacksmith shop, a livery stable and a Temperance Hotel.

A Foreman descendant, Pat Nielson (1943-2013) visited Leslieville many times to research the Foreman family history. Thanks to her son, we know that,

"One day back in the early 80s Pat went for a drive out to Leslieville to check out Williams grave" and "she decided to ask around town if anyone knew the Foremans. She was sent to a little old lady that remembered them well ...."

"The Lady told mom that William was a big strong man. White hair and mustache  and that he arrived there in either 1906 or 1907. She said that he was a blacksmith by trade but also had a farm 1 1/2 mile NE of Leslieville.  She said that the oldest son Fred came and brought Anna in about 1908. She said that she thought he had kids with him but remember the oldest was a girl. She also said that Will and Martha also had a rooming house and hotel .."

Above: Various news clippings about the Foreman family in Leslieville, Red Deer ... Alberta

 

Photo taken in Alberta:William H. Foreman (far left) next to daughter Beatrice
and wife Martha (Moore) Foreman in the middle with dark hair. (Photo source: Paul (Greg) Keffer who wrote: "as family lore goes, a traveling saleman's car broke down infront of the Foreman farm house  and they used this as a picture opportunity")

In Alberta, four of six Foreman children were born and it is thought that it was in Alberta that the only known Foreman Family photo (below) was taken.

The Foreman Family: Fredrick Dixon, Hannah (Hegna), Geraldine, Lola, Shirley and Donald. (Photo Source: With permission from Susan Morris granddaughter of Geraldine Foreman (1908-1974))

There is no way of knowing what motivated the F.D. Foreman family to eventually leave Alberta and return to Ontario.

A World War was raging overseas, Fredrick's brother Oscar Foreman (1893-1921) was serving there as a as a Lieutenant in the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps. and F.D.'s father William H. died in 1919.

Back To Ontario (1920s to 1960s)

In 1919, F.D. and Anna's fifth child was born Kenneth Gordon Foreman (born 16 Sep 1919 in Beamsville, Ontario) followed by a sixth child Ingrid Patricia Foreman (born 17 July 1922).

On the 1921 census, F.D. and Anna and five children (Patricia was born in 1922) are living in a rented home in Beamsville, Ontario. (It is interesting to note that Frederick's income is recorded as $2000 which is notably high in comparison to other carpenters of the day.)

Between 1920 and 1940, more research is needed. The Foremans eventually moved to Newtonbrook (North York) and were living with their son Donald and his wife Margaret (Conlon) Foreman.


In 1945, F.D. and Anna were living with Patricia on Eglinton Avenue. Hannah was a dressmaker and F.D. continued to work as a carpenter at sixty-five years of age.

In 1949 Frederick and Hannah were living at 138 Florence Ave., North York with their daughter Patricia (Foreman) Sutton and her husband. Fred was still working as a carpenter.
 
Last known photo of F.D. Foreman. Front (left to right): Frederick D Foreman (1880-1951); Tom Whitehorn (1908-1972); Archie Roland (1886-1975); Back (left to right): Anna (Hegna) Foreman (1885-1965); "Gerry" Geraldine (Foreman) Whitehorn (1908-1974); and Beatrice (Foreman) Roland (1886-1975) (Photo Source: With permission from Susan Morris granddaughter of Geraldine Foreman (1908-1974))

 
F.D. died on April 21, 1951 at 70 years of age and he is buried at the York Cemetery, (Section 6, Lot 99)

 

Anna Otilia (Helga) Foreman

Anna lived for fifteen more years following her husbands death. She remained very close to her children (four daughters and two sons) and adored her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
 
Grandma Anna (Hegna) Foreman in front. Left to Right: Geraldine (Foreman) Whitehorn, Lola (Foreman) Lees; and Shirley (Foreman) Kent. (Photo Source: With permission from Susan Morris granddaughter of Geraldine Foreman (1908-1974))

Anna (Hegna) Foreman with (assumed) great grandchildren. (Photo Source: With permission from Susan Morris granddaughter of Geraldine Foreman (1908-1974))

Anna (Hegna) Foreman died in a tragic automobile accident on the Burlington Skyway Bridge (Ontario)  December 15, 1965



Anna is pictured (far right) with her daughter Geraldine (Foreman) Whitehorn (1909-1974) at the wedding of her granddaughter Carlie Whitehorn in 1950. (Photo used with permission from Susan Morris) 


Conclusions

Despite the challenges of researching ancestors in multiple locations, I find this branch of the Foreman family tree incredibly fascinating and will continue to try and locate more details of their lives and hopefully connect with more descendants who have stories and photos they would like to share.

My trip to the Wellington County Museum and Archives resulted in lots of new information on Foreman ancestors like, where did  "Dixon" in Frederick Dixon Foreman come from? And what exactly were Primitive Methodists?

That and more in my next Wellington County Foreman genealogy blog post.

Links to My Previous Foreman Blog Posts

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