The Hemsley's

Gordon's grandfather Robert McEwan married Harriotte Hemsley a young woman whose family lived around the corner and down the road from the McEwan home in Downie Township. Harriotte was the daughter of Thomas and Harriotte Hemsley.  I have two  pictures of Harriotte's parents. But, aside from the pictures and the dates of births, deaths and other factual material that found its way into census and church records, I know almost nothing about who they were. What I do know is that Thomas Hemsley and Harriotte Patching were born in the early 1800's in Sussex County, England. They grew up in neighbouring villages a few miles north of the English Channel. They were married in 1831 (Remember that date. It is essential to one of the few stories I know about them) when he was 29 and she was 23. Sometime between then and 1845 they emigrated to Canada either following (or with) Thomas' younger brother William. It was William who first leased the land in 1842, and later purchased the deed to the farm which was located on the first concession of  Downie Township.  Now for my three stories:   Story 1.  From what we know Thomas and Harriotte had been childless from the time of their marriage in 1831 until they arrived in Canada.  And then it happened: Daughter #1 was born in 1845, followed by daughter # 2 in 1847, daughter #3 in 1848, and finally daughter # 4 in 1851. This story of the sudden fecundity has been told enough times in the family that I have made notes of it on at least two occasions.  When Gordon recorded the story in his reminiscences he suggested that it was something in the "Canadian clime" which allowed them to be blessed with four daughters.  Well, that is one possible explanation.   Now, to story 2: This story was told by Gordon's grandmother Harriotte about her father.  The family grew turnips on their land and it was the job of the girls and their father to hoe the turnips.  I am sure that it was a hot, dirty and tiring job.  Thomas, the father, would tell the girls that they only had to hoe until they found the magic turnip and that would be the signal to quit work for the day.  When questioned further about how they would know when they had found the magic turnip the father always reassured them that they would know when it was found. Of course, it was always he who found the magic turnip and it was always just about the time when the evening meal would be ready back at home. I am sure that no one was fooled. Story 3. This comes from Annie Warden a granddaughter of the Hemsley's.