(One minute thumbnail sketch of Jane Whitfield.)
It's natural to have high hopes for our children, especially our eldest
child. JANE WHITFIELD, was the eldest of nine children. Her father was
a leadminer in Northumberland, England. Beautiful Northumberland--up
in the high hills of England. The Whitfields had been miners for at least 4 generations. Jane's father wanted a better life, so at age 39 he took his family and emigrated to Canada. 1831. Jane was 13 .. got off the boat wearing wooden shoes.
Leaving England was hard. Leaving their friends and family and
beautiful little church they had helped build. Church of England. The trip across the water was hard....sometimes took 4 months with very little food. When they got to Canada they had little more than a log shanty to live in for several years. And to change from mining to farming must have been a big change for the father...BIG changes for the whole family.
They must have endured a lot of suffering. But the longest shadow may have been when Jane, 17 year old Jane, went off and married ASAHEL DEXTER, a neighboring farmer...25 years old...and somewhat established....but a Baptist! And that's not all, the word got around....Asahels father had been hung in nearby Toronto at a very public gathering 20 years before.
Hung! And a Baptist.!
Read on and find the rest of the story.
(author was trying to see Jane through eyes of her parents.)
Birth & Place: "Jane, High Green, Sept 24, 1817."
Family Tree of Teasdel Whitfield b1792, and Sarah plus 9 Children.
Source: Letter, of 9 Mar 1965 in E. Dexter Ntbk, (p118), quoting Ltr. of Mable Rutherford, gdau of Eliz. W. Sisson (#2 ch. of Teasdale and Mary)
WHI0135.
BIRTH: "Jane, b Sept 24, 1817."
Hazel English's (g dau of John, son of Sarah and Teasdale Whitfield)
record: "Family Register of Teasdel and Sarah Whitfield" as seen by E.
Dexter, Aug 1965., p. 206, E. Dexter Notebook. WHI0146
BAPTISM: "5 Oct 1817 Jane daughter of Teasdale and Sarah Whitfield of
High Greenlye Cleugh, Miner. Robt Mesinger, Curate."
Lila Xeroxed this page of baptisms from chapelry of Ninebanks, in the
county of Northumberland 1813-1959. Third item on film. Page 39 (page
20 on register.) Film #252526 at S.L., filed in WHIO159.
BAPTISM: "OCT 5, 1817, JANE ,dau of Teasdale/ Sarah Whitfield, High
Greenly Cleugh, Miner." Copied fr. original Allendale Parish Records,
Chapelry AT Ninebanks, by submitter, 23 Sep 1987. I saw the original
Parish records of Ninebanks Chapelry in West Allendale, Northumberland,
England and copied the baptisms of Teasdale and Sarah Whitfield's first
six children from that original copy.
Miriam Dexter told Carol Minson, July 1990, that Edna Brandyberry,
granddaughter of Mary Dexter Richardson (granddaughter of Teasdale
Whitfield & Sarah Bell), had a picture of "? 1885 - Grandmother Dexter,
hood - black tie." Edna sent the photo album (? or just the names?) with this picture to Miriam. copy in my possession
RED HAIR! Was it Jane or her mother SARAh Bell that had red hair. Myrtle Hendricks said her mother, was a strawberry blond and that she, Myrtle, had one sister, three brothers, and a dau and grand-nephew with red hair!
Jane's eldest child, Maria Dexter Garnett, died Feb 23 l858, at age 22,
and was buried in Fraserville Cemetery near Cavan.
"John Dexter Died Apr 25th 1861." Family Bible of Asahel and Jane
Dexter. He died at age 17, just two days before his 18th birthday.
Asahel and Jane Dexter left Cavan, Durham Co. in 1870 and moved to
Kansas.
Read the biography of Asahel and Jane Dexter from the "Pioneers of the
Blue Stem Prairie," Riley Co. Gen Soc, 1976, pg 127-8-9, Dexter article
by Miriam Dexter. It is also in Asahel Dexter's notes.
Then in 1885, Jane went back to Canada to care for her daughter,
Margaret A. Dexter Parker who had cancer. Margaret died May 11th l885
and was also buried at Fraserville Cemetery, Durham, Ontario, Canada.
Margaret gave birth to a baby girl, Martha Eugenia, 29 Sep 1884. The
Infant died at the age of six months. Six weeks later her mother died!
Burial: IN MEMORY OF/ MARGARET ANN DEXTER/ wife of/ Wm. M.
PARKER/DIED MAY 11 1885/ 3YRS & 9 M'S. /
(also)
"MARTHA EUGENIA/, dau of above (Margaret Ann Parker)/ died Mar. 20.
1885/ aged 6 mo's. 3 wks."
So now, of her 13 children, in 1885, three are gone: Maria at 22, John at 17, and Margaret at 36.
_________________________________________________________
I've thought about this family a good deal and pictured in my mind, our
"Dexter" ancestors who came from Canada to Kansas in l870. Take a
look at that beautiful home Asahel and Jane built in 1871. (picture in
possession of submitter.)
Jane and Asahel were not young when they came to Kansas. Jane was in
her mid-50's and Asahel was 62 years old in 1871 when they built that
house. I marvel at how they were able to uproot, transfer and put-down
again.
______________
(I wrote the following for myself last May.)
"As I think about Jane and her 13 children, I ache for her. She lost her
first, her eldest daughter at age 22, newly married (in childbirth? where did I get that?). Then Jane's #5 child, a son, died 2 days before he
turned 18. That must have been tragic for her. And then, her daughter
Margaret had a 6 month old baby die, followed by Margaret's own death
six weeks later. Margaret was 36 when she died on 11 May 1885, of
cancer.
"Sixty-eight year-old Jane, was in Canada, helping Margaret during this
traumatic time.
Jan 1997: I have records of abt 180 descendants of Jane Whitfield.
I, Carol Dexter Minson, have 7 children plus 34 g children.
