Sunday, 22 March 2015

Andrew Wallace Caswell 1851 - 1917



ANDREW WALLACE CASWELL


     Andrew Wallace Caswell Jr., the ninth child of Andrew and Mary Jane Caswell was born on 24 May 1851 in Darlington, Ontario.  He died on 12 Jan 1917 in Neepawa, Manitoba.  He married Susannah Moore (born on 30 Nov 1863 in Ontario). She died on 27 Sep 1918 in Neepawa, Manitoba.

Children of Andrew Wallace Caswell and Susannah Moore:
-William Henry Caswell, B: 23 Nov 1890 in Neepawa, Manitoba, D: 23 Aug 1891 in Neepawa, Manitoba.
-Baby Caswell, B: 23 May 1892 in Neepawa, Manitoba, D: Neepawa, Manitoba.
-Roy Caswell, B: Neepawa, Manitoba, D: Neepawa, Manitoba.
-Grace Channon, B: 10 Oct 1893 in Manitoba; adopted, M: Roy Richard Conn, 12 Sep 1925 in York, Ontario.
    
     Andrew appears to one of the lesser wanderers of the Caswell clan. Single in 1881, he applied for a homestead near Neepawa, Manitoba. On the application he listed his date of homestead entry as July 19, 1881 and house built in the spring of 1882.  The patent was denied on April 3, 1889 – or perhaps he allowed it to lapse.  A year later, on March 3, 1890, he purchased the adjoining quarter-section, the NE quarter of section 36, township 13, range 17.
     When not living on his homestead he was either in Winnipeg or Portage Le Prairie.  I suspect that the absences from his land would be to ply his trade as a carpenter in order to gain a little cash.  Note in brother Roberts diary “Before leaving Andrews, we arranged for him to come to Winnipeg to work and bring my tools, as soon as he has his crop in.”
     “When Andrew arrived, I quit the railroad and we worked together for the summer and in the fall Andrew went back to his farm in Neepewa.”

An article in the Winnipeg Daily Times April 16, 1881 (probably our Andrew):
        From Thunder Bay
Duluth: A party consisting of Engineer Middleton of the Canadian Pacific Railway, DA Stewart and Andrew Caswell arrived here with a dog train from the lines of the road via Prince Arthur’s Landing.  From the latter point they came all the way to Duluth, 250 miles by ice, except one stretch of 8 miles on this side of the Grand Marais.  Here they found clear water for that distance and was as far as they could see. They followed a trail on the land to get by this water and then went back to the ice which was solid all the rest of the way to Duluth.  Caswell started back with the six dogs this morning, but Middleton and Stewart went east.

Information from Andrew Jr’s Application for Land Patent, Homestead & Preemption Claim entered 19 July 1881:
-Applied for E1/2, Sec. 36, Twp 13, Range 17 or W 1st Meridian
-Homestead SE ¼, preemption NE ¼  
        -Name:  Andrew Caswell; 35 years old
        -Post Office:  Glendal
        -British subject by birth
        -Carpenter
-Obtained entry for homestead, 19th July 1881; built house spring of 1882
-Perfected entry by taking personal possession of the land and beginning continuous residence, April 1882
-What part of the year have you resided there?  About 14 April 82 till about 20 July 82; 19th January 83 till (illegible); 5th November 83 till sometime in October 84; middle January 85 to
6 Oct 86
-When absent from your homestead where have you resided, and what has been your occupation?
Previous to April 82 I was taking out logs for a house & living on adjoining section and other times at Winnipeg & Portage
-Of whom does your family consist?  Myself only
In my former application for patent it is represented that I resided on my homestead continuously.  I did not intend it to be continuous residence.
Application signed and witnessed at Neepawa on 1 October 1888
Crown Lands Registry System:  Land ownership report shows date of patent 3 April 1889

        By the 1901 census Andrew and Susie had adopted Grace Channon.  She became a school teacher and married Roy Richard Conn in Ontario in 1925.

At the time of his death, Andrew was still in Neepawa. 
Cemetery records show:
Andrew Caswell died 12 January 1917, aged 68 years
Susie (Moore) Caswell born 30 November 1863, died September 3, 1918.

There were three children listed on the tombstone – Harry, baby & Roy, but no dates given.

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