Finding William Harrison - 2013 attempt - now proved incorrect by Y DNA

Research done by previous researchers, including the late Harrison brothers (Father Basil, Oswald, Francis and Edwin); and the huge contribution of Hearts of Oak by the late Leslie O'Connor; had pegged the William Harrison who married Mary Hutchinson in Egton in 1804 (my great great great grandparents) as the son of William Harrison and Elizabeth Allen.   

However, in 2012 a transcript of the prayer book of Elizabeth Underwood (nee Harrison), daughter of William Harrison and Elizabeth Allen came to light which listed her brother William Harrison as dying in England in 1848.  This provided convincing proof that my William Harrison was not the son of William Harrison and Elizabeth Allen as my William Harrison had died in Toronto Gore Township, Peel County, Upper Canada in May 1836.  I thus began the search for my William Harrison in the extended family tree of Catholic Harrisons from the Egton area of North Yorkshire.  As it turned out the key was the connection between my William Harrison and the Readman family.  

It began with the fact that a Joseph Readman was the best man at William Harrison's wedding to Mary Hutchinson in Egton in 1804 instead of a brother.   Further work on the Readman family determined that this Joseph Readman (there were three around at the same time) was the son of Joseph Readman (1740-? ) and Mary Wedgewood (1744-?).  

William Harrison and Joseph Readman obviously had a close relationship and were best friends.  Therefore there had to be a close link between the Readman and Harrison families.  

Reviewing the marriages in the Anglican Parish Records of the area indicated that there was really only one possible marriage - that of Joseph Harrison to Mary Readman in Egton in 1770.  
It then all began to fall into place.

Hearts of Oak provided the information on the family of Joseph Harrison and Mary Readman (in the chapter on the Ward Papers), including the fact that William Harrison had no brothers that lived past infancy and only two sisters that survived childhood.  

That this was the right family was further confirmed by the marriage of Hannah Harrison and Isaac Linton in Egton in 1829. Both William Harrison and Joseph Readman were witnesses (though I believe this Joseph Readman was the son of John Readman and Sarah Dowson - this Joseph Readman marked his signature with an X - the Joseph Readman who married Elizabeth Smallwood could write.).  This was therefore William's sister Ann (Hannah) as outlined in Hearts of Oak. 

Mary Readman was, I believe, the daughter of William Readman (1713 - ) and Ann White (1716 - 1777). (William is a descendant of John Readman and Alice Walker married in Whitby in 1630 - an online tree focuses on the Egton branch of the family).     

There were other Mary Readmans around at the same time but this Mary Readman is the closest in relationship to the Joseph Readman that was the best man at William Harrison's wedding and she would have been an aunt of Joseph Readman making William Harrison and Joseph Readman first cousins.  I see proof of this relationship due to the fact that Joseph Harrison (William's father) was the best man at the wedding of Joseph Readman (1740-? ) and Mary Wedgewood (1744-?) in Egton in 1778 (8 years after his wedding to Mary Readman).  The Joseph Readman who would be the best man at William Harrison's wedding in 1804 was their son.  The online Readman family tree has this Mary Readman married to Thomas Rhea but having looked at this marriage I don't see any proof of what Mary Readman this is (none of the witnesses are Readmans) and the Rhea family appears to have been Anglican and not Catholic. 

Thus, William Harrison was the son of Joseph Harrison and Mary Readman and the first cousin of the Joseph Readman who was the best man at his wedding (as the son of Mary Readman's brother Joseph Readman and his wife Mary Wedgewood).

As such, Leslie O'Connor was pretty close in his analysis of the parentage of William Harrison in his work Hearts of Oak.  William was just the son of Joseph Harrison and not Joseph's brother William.  

This was an understandable mistake as with so few siblings (no brothers), and an obviously close relationship with the family of William Harrison and Elizabeth Allen - since he grew up in a cottage on the same farm with them -  William's first cousins were often the sponsors at the baptisms of his children at the Roman Catholic Chapel in Egton Bridge.  

Leslie O'Connor naturally took the sponsors of William Harrison's children to be his brothers and sisters.  All in all, pretty good research, and an indication of how valuable this work remains today for those researching their Catholic roots in the Esk River valley communities.

The Mystery of the Two Matthew Harrisons

As part of my family history research I have been dealing with the mystery of two Matthew Harrisons buried at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Wildfield for over 20 years.  

One is my great great grandfather Matthew Harrison born in 1821 in Egton Township, North Yorkshire and baptized at the Roman Catholic Chapel in Egton Bridge.  He died on his farm at Castlemore (Lot 9, Concession 10), Toronto Gore Township, Peel County on January 6, 1887 and was buried in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Wildfield, Peel County.  Mysteriously there is no death registration for him even though his nephew Nicholas Harrison was the township clerk and the local registrar.  Nor has an obituary been found in any local Brampton papers.

Death entry for Matthew Harrison - Jan 6, 1887

Death Register St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Wildfield, 

There is however another Matthew Harrison, a mysterious fellow who also appears in the spotty burial records for St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church listed as dying in September 1884 at the age of 89 years.  Did he sign a petition in Toronto Gore in 1834?  The other Matthew Harrison would only have been a teenager of the age of 13.  The signature on the 1834 petition is different than the one on the will of Matthew Harrison who died in 1887 but could it be a juvenile signature that he changed in later life?   

No obituary has been found in any of the local papers for the Matthew Harrison who died in 1884.  If he was indeed 89 years old when he died in 1884 he would be born circa 1795.   Also of note is that there is no death registration for him either!  

Death entry for Matthew Harrison September 1884

St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church Parish Records

Could this Matthew Harrison have been an uncle of the Matthew Harrison who died in 1887, and a younger brother to William Harrison (1780-1836)?  Seems unlikely given that Mary Dale William's mother would have been 58 years old in 1795!  So they must be cousins?  

He likely came to Canada in the early 1830s, possibly with William Harrison and his family in 1831 or a bit later.  He was certainly here by 1834 if that is his signature on the petition.  

However, this older Matthew Harrison appears to be the one that purchased a 50 acre lot composed of the SE ¼ of Lot 11, Con 9, Gore of Toronto (at the north west corner of The Gore Road and Castlemore Side Road) on Feb 19, 1845 for £200. One of the witnesses on the indenture was William Harrison (Jr who died in 1849).  This Matthew was listed as living on this lot in the 1850 Directory.  However does not appear in the 1852 census records nor in any subsequent census records.

One of the obvious answers would be to check the tombstones in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery for any other details. Unfortunately the cemetery was essentially cleared (vandalized in my opinion) in the late 1960s by the parish priest and while some of the early tombstones were placed in a cairn on the site (including many of my family), many of the later ones were simply moved to the bottom of the hill and covered in soil where they remain today.

Does the answer to this mystery lie buried beneath the ground on a tombstone?

Any help solving this mystery would be greatly appreciated.  You can contact me at kikoamoki [at] yahoo [dot] ca.