John's parents: Charles Davis (1802-1880) / Eliza Unknown (1814-1837)
Source1: County Marriage Registers of Ontario 1858 - 1869, Vol 15, Toronto City lists Charles as John's father.
Source2: Vital Statistics marriage registration record lists Charles and Eliza Davis
Birth and death dates provided by Carolyn Dyk
John was born c. 1834 in Oakville, Ontario
Source1: Birth place Ontario, year derived from (age 36) in the (April 2) 1871 Ontario census
Source2: Vital Statistics marriage registration record gives age as 24 on March 3, 1860, birthplace Oakville
Source3: Carolyn Dyk derives a possible earlier birth year of 1832 from an obituary with death date May 3, 1916, age 84.
John moved from Oakville to Toronto at some point in his life. He was a well known musician and wrote many songs. He taught dancing and opened the first dance hall in Toronto, on Spadina.
Source1: Carolyn Dyk
Source2: Occupation is listed as Dancing Master in the 1881 Ontario census
Ruth Ann's parents: Thomas Cunneyworth / Ann Reynard
Source1: County Marriage Registers of Ontario 1858 - 1869, Vol 15, Toronto City lists "Thos" as Ruth Ann's father.
Source2: Vital Statistics marriage registration record lists "Thos" and Ann "Cunnyworth"
Ruth Ann was born c. 1840 in Toronto, the sixth child of Thomas and Ann.
Source1: Birth year derived from age 29 in the (April 2) 1871 Ontario census
Source2: Vital Statistics marriage registration record gives age as 21 on March 3, 1860
Note: Mike Wright's information indicates a birth year c. 1840.
According to census records, the family was living in Kitley Township, Leeds County, when Ruth Ann was born.
Connie Spencer originally informed me by email of the Leeds and Grenville Genealogy Society index for the 1841 Ontario census for Kitley township which includes the following information for a Thomas Conyworth: 1 male adult, 1 female adult, 3 male children and 3 female children. Sometime later I confirmed this 1841 listing myself in the Ontario Genealogical Society, Leeds & Grenville Branch, Census Records for the Township of Kitley publication. Ruth Ann would have been the youngest child among the six reported in this census, born c. 1840.
I was unable to locate the 1841 census in a subsequent visit to the Ontario Archives. I did confirm, however, that in the 1842 Kitley census, a Thomas "Cunyworth", nonproprietor of real estate (i.e. a tenant), farmer, was the head of a family in one inhabited household, with 3 natives of England, 5 natives of Canada of British origin, and had resided in the province for 10 (or 11?) years. The household included 1 male and 1 female aged 5 or under, 2 males and 2 females older than 5 but younger than 14, 2 married males aged between "30 and not 60" and 2 married females between "14 and not 45". An "8" appears (erroneously) in the column for "Number of lunatic [females] above five and under 14 years of age", next to the column titled (more reasonably) "Number of persons in each family belonging to the Church of England".
This implies that Thomas and Ann had 6 children (3 girls and 3 boys) in 1842 and shared the house with another couple, who were not members of the same church. One girl (Ruth Ann) and one boy were born c. 1837 - 1841 (since the same number of children were reported in the 1841 census), and the remaining 2 girls and 2 boys were born c. 1829 - 1836, all but one in Canada. Other evidence (Catherine's 1881 Ontario census record) suggests that their first two children were born outside Canada, however. Both married couples and one child (John) were born in England.
Ontario Genealogical Society, Leeds & Grenville Branch, Census Records for the Township of Kitley in 1844 lists a Thomas "Canningworth" as head of a household consisting of 1 male and 1 female adult with 4 male children and 3 female children. This information correlates well with our Thomas and Ann. The fourth male child in this census would have been Ruth Ann's brother Richard, born c. 1843.
Two years prior to their own marriage, Ruth Ann's and John Freeman's signatures appear as witnesses on the marriage registration record for "Susanna Cuneyworth" and William Ingledew, Dec 29, 1857, in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto.
Ruth Ann and John were married c. Mar 3, 1860.
Both were residents of Toronto at the time. Witness: "Wm. Cunnyworth", marriage solemnized by Rev. George Douglas in Toronto City West Circuit.
Source1: County Marriage Registers of Ontario 1858 - 1869, Vol 15, Toronto City, page 33, shows only the year of the marriage.
Source2: Vital Statistics marriage registration record
Source3: inGeneas Database
Source4: A FamilyTreeMaker Index CD confirms the above year of marriage for Ruth A. "Cunnyworth" and (erroneously) quotes the source of this information as: History of Blandford Township 1867 - 1967, by George Oliver, published by A. Ayr News Ltd., 1996, Vol 1, page 85.
Daughter Laura died c. Nov 2, 1865 at the age of 14 months.
Source1: Carolyn Dyk
Source2: Laura is not listed in the 1881 Ontario census with the rest of the family.
According to the 1871 Ontario census, John F. Davis, fruit dealer, and family lived in St. John's Ward, the same neighbourhood as Ruth Ann's mother.
Note: Names of children appear as: Emily, "Chal" F., Herbert C. and ? "Geo"?
Ruth Ann died of diphtheria before Nov 16, 1874.
She is buried in Necropolis cemetery, Toronto in the Davis plot.
John remarried Oct 4, 1876, to Sarah Keys, and had 3 more children.
Source1: Carolyn Dyk
Source2: Sarah appears in the 1881 Ontario census
According to Davis descendant, Loraine Ertelt, John Freeman and Sarah Keys had a son, Oscar Rose Davis, per Ontario Birth registration #039988. Oscar was born 29 Feb 1880 in Toronto York Co. Loraine found this birth registration at ancestry.com and was able to view the actual image.
Source: Loraine Ertelt
In the 1881 Ontario census John is listed as age 46, occupation: Dancing Master.
Charles Freeman Davis, age 18, is not listed with the rest of the family, so he may have left home by then. (Carolyn Dyk states that he was married and describes him as "a story in itself!")
This census lists John and Sarah with two additional children, Elsie (age 4) and Oscar (age 1), along with (Sarah's younger sister?) Susan Keys.
Ruth and John's son Charles married Eliza Rose (last name Rose).
Source: Loraine Ertelt
John died c. May 3, 1916.
Source: Carolyn Dyk reference to an obituary with age listed as 84.
Children:
- Emily Davis
- Charles Freeman Davis / Eliza Rose
- Laura J. Davis
- Herbert Charles Davis
- Walter Robert Davis
- Celia "Dora" Davis