Waterman

(submitted by Jean Muma, 10 February 2015)

Showler Waterman (Showler was his mother’s last name) and his wife Sophia emigrated to Canada, specifically to Warwick Twp. in 1871 with three small children and a twins pregnancy (Showler picture below). They emigrated from Lincolnshire, England.

[Insert Image: WT4BWaterman001p]

According to my mother as told to me the family came to a home (likely a log cabin) on Hwy 79 approx ¼ mi south of Birnam Line or the 4^th line north. No evidence of said residence is or has been known that I can find out. Perhaps someone else has this information. No doubt twins were born there.

No time line is known as to when the family moved to a cabin at the S.E. corner of 4^th line (Birnam Line) and 6 sideroad (pictured here).

[Insert Image: WT4BWaterman002p]

After some interval (1906) and 3 more children the family moved into Arkona to a little white cottage on Forest-Arkona Rd. Showler’s wife died in 1903 presumably at the log cabin. Showler himself was a rheumatoid arthritic & walked with a cane passing on his affliction to some of his children who seem to have the propensity to arthritis. He was a millwright by occupation, bringing a large trunk of tools of various sizes with him from England, some of which the family still have.

The children were:

Joseph died at 6 years

Elizabeth married William Williamson of Watford. He was a coal and lumber dealer. They had 3 children who all died at birth. She told the story that the boat had a fence around it when they sailed. [She was referring to the railing on the boat.]

Mary (Jean’s mother) died in 1962. She married Ben Muma. They lived on a Warwick Twp farm. They had 5 children but there are no descendants.

These three [Joseph, Elizabeth and Mary] were born in England.

Katie died at birth.

Lenora married John Hall of Sarnia. They adopted a daughter. There are no descendants.

Katie & Lenora were twins smuggled into Canada in utero.

Susanah*** died in 1953. She married Sanford Lucas of Alvinston (Brooke Twp.). They had 2 children.

Edith Sophia died in 1942. She was a single seamstress with many customers in the area, going to their homes to work on their orders.

Lucy Selena married Fred Sercombe. They lived on a Bosanquet Twp. farm.

Susan & Lucy worked at Brown Bros. store in Arkona. Susie had exquisite penmanship and was the bookkeeper for 15years. Lucy was a seamstress.

***The only descendants of this family are those of Susan & Sanford Lucas.

• Helen Lucas Sercombe has 5 children twins James and Susan, Margaret who died in an accident, Mary who has 2 children and Catherine who has 1 natural and 1 adopted child.
• Douglas Lucas has 4 children: Randy who has 2; Ronnie who has none; Downa Dobson of Thedford with 2 and Sanford who died, no children.

No descendants remain in Warwick.

Mrs. [Sophia] Waterman was a sister of John Stephenson west of Arkona.

Chapter 24 of 25 - Waterman Family

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