Major Family of Chulmleigh, Devon, and Agincourt, Ontario

MAJOR FAMILY
OF
CHULMLEIGH
AND
AGINCOURT
1
Thomas Major Family of Chulmleigh
Notes:
- The following uses Family Tree Maker Register Report format, copied into Word
and illustrations added.
- It is divided into sections by generation number and their children. Move onto
the next section/generation for the next level. (See contents below.)
- As the prime focus is to assist interested parties in tracing their ancestors and
relatives up to about the middle of the 20th century, this only documents up to the
6th generation, including names of children if known. Information about most of
the later individuals living (or potentially so) noted here, aside from names, births
and marriages (where known) is generally omitted.
- For security reasons, birth day and months for individuals believed to be living
are omitted.
Acknowledgements:
Several individuals assisted in providing the information and illustrations included
in this summary, most especially to Bernard M. J. Major and Doris Western, and
also to Chris Harris, Marjorie Hueston, Frank Hueston, George Everett Mayne, Jack
and Verlin Mayne, Dorothy Cuthbertson, Gwen James and others (apologies for
any other names omitted). Bernard Major provided a very substantial part of this
family history, notably the Devon Major ancestry of John Major (1835-92), the
whole of the Welsh branch, a substantial part of the interviews and information on
both Jack and Leslie Major and the various reports contained in the appendices
(including the research and authorship of the biography of Leslie Major which was
published in Devon Birds’ 70th Anniversary issue) and the introductory comments
to Leslie’s only known published book of poetry. Trevor Western provided the
photos and article on Exeter’s Western Bakery.
Additions and Amendments:

Comments and corrections can be sent to bemayne@gmail.com
(Further pre-1950 contributions of information, photos and other illustrations
would be welcomed and reviewed for potential inclusion. There is no copyright on
this, so anyone wishing to use it to build later and/or further in any way is free to
do so.)
2
Thomas Major Family of Chulmleigh
Contents
Thomas Major Family of Chulmleigh .......................................................................................... 2
Notes: ............................................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements: ...................................................................................................................... 2
Additions and Amendments: ....................................................................................................... 2
Thomas Major Family of Chulmleigh .......................................................................................... 3
Generation 1 – Beginning with Thomas Major of Chulmleigh born abt 1748 ...................... 4
Chulmleigh from Hoskin’s Devon, 1972 ..................................................................................... 9
Major Tree - Simplified Version Showing Devon and Welsh Branches .............................. 10
Generation 2 – Beginning with Mary Major born 1771 ........................................................... 11
Generation 3 – Beginning with William Major – born about 1811 ........................................ 15
Generation 4 – Beginning with John Major born 1834........................................................... 19
Generation 5 – Beginning with William Major born 1858 ...................................................... 23
Generation 6 – Beginning with Northam ‘Dodd’ Major born 1897 ....................................... 57
Appendix on William Major (born ca. 1811) - Coach Robbery and Trial ............................. 68
Appendix on Harriet Major ......................................................................................................... 76
Appendix: News reports on Death of John ‘Jack’ Major ....................................................... 80
Appendix on Leslie Major ........................................................................................................... 81
3
Generation 1 – Beginning with Thomas Major of Chulmleigh born abt 1748
1. Thomas Major-1 was born in Devon. He died on 18 Oct 1821.
Notes for Thomas Major: General Notes:

Below are notes received from Bernard M. J. Major in 1997:
The International Genealogical Index shows some forty different parishes with
christenings of Majors before 1740 in Devon. Most of these are in the south of the
county.
One of the myths about life in England in the eighteenth century is that people were born,
married, had children and died in the same parish - or very near. One aspect of the Major
family history is how much they have moved. The evidence for this is the record of where
the children were born. Before the railways the distances they traveled were
considerable. As they could not write, once they moved keeping in touch with their
families was impossible. A move to a distant town meant that part of the family was often
lost forever.
In the nineteenth century the beginnings of national state records would have meant that
it was easier to keep track of a family. This was not the case with the Majors. The ten
years over which the census took place found a family moving time and again. Many of
the family appear to have just disappeared, being found on neither births, marriages nor
deaths indexes. This seems to suggest that many - perhaps the vast majority of the
family - must have emigrated to the USA primarily, then perhaps Australia or New
Zealand.
Thomas Major and Grace Dunn were probably born sometime during the 1740s,
probably in the North Devon area. The parish registers in the area around Chulmleigh
have been searched for Thomas's christening, but it has not been found, which might
indicate he was born outside the area. Dunn is such a common name in the area that a
search has not been made for her christening.
There is no record of what Thomas and Grace's early life was like. Who their parents
were, their grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters can only be guessed.
Despite the hardship of the times, there must have been many people around them. If
this family could be found, the family tree would be even bigger than it presently is.
Thomas Major was born about 1748. Occupation: Agricultural Labourer.
Thomas and Grace were married by Chulmleigh curate William Nichols. Both made their
marks. Thomas made a large T and Grace a D - doubtless having had to practise doing
this especially for the wedding. Both witnesses could sign their names. One was a John
and the other a Thomas (both surnames difficult to read).
There is usually some evidence left from the past of families who were either very well off
or at least had some money which required a will, or so poor as to come under the Poor
Law Act. Thomas and Grace were very poor. It is most probable that difficulty in finding
work and the poverty that resulted meant that at some time in 1778 Thomas Major was a
substitute in the militia. This meant that Thomas went instead of another person who paid
4
for him to volunteer. This then meant that the Parish supported the family. The period of
service was normally three years. The following is a transcript of a section of the Poor
Law Accounts from Chulmleigh:
Thomas Major's wife and three children (militia substitute)three shillings
1778 weekly
April Paid for two yards shroud cloth for
2 Major's child one shilling and eight pence
May Thomas Major's wife and
2 boy one shilling and two pence
May Thomas Major's family in one
7 necessity shilling
another three shillings for
May Majors
June gave Tom Major's wife in two
3 childbed shillings
July Gave Tom Major's wife in
31 sickness one shilling and six pence
Gave Thos Major's wife in
August 21 child sickness one shilling
Septembe Gave Thos Major's wife by order for
r her family one shilling
Septe
mber Gave Thos Major's family in
16 sickness one shilling
Septe
mber
28 Gave Thos Major's wife three shillings by order of Mr Shopland
1778 A pair of shoes for five
Thos Major shillings
1779
8
Januar
y Pay for Thomas Major three pounds and fifteen shillings
Januar Journey to Justice to answer complaint of Grace Major and Joan
y 13 Collings
one shilling
Januar Gave Eliz Gitson and Grace Stevens one shilling and six
y1 pence to journey to
South Molton to answer the Complaint of Grace Major
Gave Major by order of Justice
Bowden one shilling
Februa pair of shoes for Thos Major's
ry 21 child three shillings
1779
May to Thos Major - money paid to family monthly as Militia
December Man's substitute
three shillings
5
Paid Mary Leach for making a charge for
July 15 Major's child three pence
Something of the harshness of the Major's lives comes through these accounts,
especially the reference to the one shilling and eight pence for two yards of shroud cloth.
There is also the reference to Grace Major going to the Justice at South Molton with a
complaint against Joan Collings. Unfortunately, there is no record of this matter or how it
turned out.
The growing conflict in Europe at the time explains why Thomas was in the militia for the
two years 1778 and 1779. The accounts above show how little they lived on even then.
According to RE Scouller in The Armies of Queen Anne (Oxford 1966), three shillings a
week was the subsistence pay for a private soldier, although they were supposed to
receive 8d a day. The arrears would then be paid, in theory, at the end of the campaign.
From the 1730s to the 1780s, wages for agricultural labourers were a shilling a day.
Rates for those 'living in' were about half as much, but as the cost of living trebled, those
living in were better off. They would not have been 'stood off' in the winter of bad
weather. Some unemployed agricultural labourers worked on the roads in winter for ten
pence a day.
Labourers generally found it difficult to support a family on a man's wage. Parish relief
and corn at reduced prices had to be relied upon. The Speenhamland system meant that
wages were supplemented by the rates which meant cheap labour for farmers. It also
meant that the apprenticeship of children as young as eight would have been a
necessity, and apprenticed Major
children were:
1
7
8 Thomas Major to
1 Coombe H. Venn
1
7
8 J Bullers John Major to
3 Garland Roger Ball
1
7
8 Cutland Cutland Richard Major to
9 John Webber
Most of these farms and the other farms that apprenticed the Majors are still in existence
and can be found on maps of the area.
Thomas and Grace's eleventh and last child was Grace, born in 1792 (though clearly
several did not survive - this is the third Grace they had). How much a strain this put on
the family accounts can only be guessed at. What the average family survived on and ate
can be seen in the following family
budget and prices
for 1795:
6
s d
Bread and
flour 6 0
Yeast and
salt 2
Bacon and
other meat 8
Tea, sugar, butter,
cream 10
Cheese 3
Beer 2
Soap, starch,
blue 1
Candles 2½
Thread ¾
Potatoes and
barley 2
Total: eight shillings, seven pence and one farthing.
At regular intervals, the Major children were apprenticed out to local farmers. What their
experiences were can only be guessed at. It may have been similar to Oliver in Oliver
Twist, poor boy from the parish, being apprenticed to Sowerberry the undertaker.
There were three more of the Major children who were apprenticed:
1
7
9 Higher David Major to Robert
2 Haynes Norrish
1
7
9 Higher William Major to John
6 Sheepsbyre Cooley
1
7
9
7 Dany Major
-from Chulmleigh Poor Law Accounts and Apprentices
Thomas's son Richard Major and his line of descendants is a simplified tree provided by
Bernard M. J. Major in 1999 (see illustration at the end of this generation).
Grace Dunn was born in Devon. She died on 12 Jun 1814 in Bideford.
Notes for Grace Dunn:

General Notes:
Born about 1748 in Devon.
Thomas Major and Grace Dunn were married on 05 Oct 1769 in Chulmleigh, Devon,
7
England. They had the following children:
2. i. Mary Major was born in 1771 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.
ii. Thomas Major was born in 1773.

christened 28 July 1773
3. iii. John Major was born on 17 Mar 1775 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England. He married
Mary Brookland in Parish church of Stoke Damerel.
iv. Grace Major was born in 1776.
Notes for Grace Major: General Notes:

christened 18 August 1776
v. William Major was born in 1778. He died in 1782.
Notes for William Major: General Notes:

christened 7 June 1778 and buried in 1782
4. vi. David Major was born on 02 Feb 1781 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England. He married
Mary Ann Cawsey on 27 Sep 1810 in Plymouth, Devon, England. He died on 22 Dec
1843.
vii. William Major was born in 1783.

christened March 1783
viii. Grace Major was born in 1784. She died in 1784.

christened 23 April 1784, buried 10 July 1784
ix. Daniel Major was born in 1786.
Notes for Daniel Major: General Notes:

christened 7 May 1786
5. x. Richard Major was born in 1788. He married Ann Hill on 24 Jan 1813 in Stoke
Damerel, Plymouth, Devon.
xi. Grace Major was born in 1792.
8
Chulmleigh from Hoskin’s Devon, 1972
9
Major Tree - Simplified Version Showing Devon and Welsh Branches
10
Generation 2 – Beginning with Mary Major born 1771
2. Mary Major-2 (Thomas-1) was born in 1771 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.
Notes for Mary Major: General Notes:

Christened in Chulmleigh 25 July 1771
Mary Major and unknown spouse married. They had the following children:
i. Elizabeth Major was born in 1793.
Notes for Elizabeth Major: General Notes:

Christened 28 July 1793
3. John Major-2 (Thomas-1) was born on 17 Mar 1775 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.
Mary Brookland.
Notes for Mary Brookland:

General Notes:
Mary had died by the time her 2 sons were sentenced n 1833.
John Major and Mary Brookland were married in Parish church of Stoke Damerel. They
had the following children:
i. John Major.
Notes for John Major: General Notes:

Sentenced for robbery of a coach in Exeter in 1833. Age 24 in 1833, so born about 1809.
6. ii. William Major. He married Harriet ? in Parish church of Stoke Damerel.
7. iii. Thomas Major.
4. David Major-2 (Thomas-1) was born on 02 Feb 1781 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England. He
died on 22 Dec 1843.
Notes for David Major: General Notes:

Born about 15/2/1781 in Chulmleigh. Occupation husbandman.
David Major and his brother Richard moved from the South Molton area to the Plymouth
area, which in the days before railways was a very long journey, probably making use of
the new turnpike roads. Further Enclosure Acts had meant that there were very few
11
smallholdings, and labourers were forced to work for very low wages. Plymouth was very
attractive, as there was a great deal of work in and around the dockyard and the
surrounding area as a result of the Napoleonic War.
At the end of the Napoleonic wars, work was scarce, and both Richard and David
returned to Chulmleigh. They had not found their fame and fortune, but had found
families to support. They had to be apprenticed once again.
18 Cockrams David Major to Mr
18 Bealy Court Cobley
18 Richard Major to Mr
21 Spittle Elworthy
(NOTE: Bealy Court is a small manor house on the eastern boundary of the parish. The
name dates from Saxon times, but is first mentioned in a document in 1242. The main
house was built in 1830-40, but with some of the 17th century fabric retained. Property
currently used as a rural retreat with high quality self-catering holiday cottages for hire.
From The Chulmleigh Book, 1997)
Mary Ann Cawsey.
Notes for Mary Ann Cawsey:

General Notes:
Born about 1786 and died about 10/8/1870
David Major and Mary Ann Cawsey were married on 27 Sep 1810 in Plymouth, Devon,
8. i. Richard Major. He died on 04 Jan 1884 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.
ii. David Major.
Notes for David Major: General Notes:

BMJ Major shows as in Chulmleigh in 1841 census.
5. Richard Major-2 (Thomas-1) was born in 1788.
Notes for Richard Major: General Notes:

Christened 11 May 1788 in South Molton. Born about 11/5/1781 in South Molton.
David Major and his brother Richard moved from the South Molton area to the Plymouth
area, which in the days before railways was a very long journey, probably making use of
the new turnpike roads. Further Enclosure Acts had meant that there were very few
smallholdings, and labourers were forced to work for very low wages. Plymouth was very
attractive, as there was a great deal of work in and around the dockyard and the
surrounding area as a result of the Napoleonic War.
Occupation for marriage record 1813: Household Servant. In this record, he made his
mark, but Ann was able to sign her name. One of the witnesses made their mark ?
12
Sandus, and the other witness signed her name: one Ann Major, which was the married
name Mary Ann Cawsey (Richard's sister-in-law) was known by.
At the end of the Napoleonic wars, work was scarce, and both Richard and David
returned to Chulmleigh. They had not found their fame and fortune, but had found
families to support. They had to be apprenticed once again.
1
8
1 Cockrams David Major to Mr
8 Bealy Court Cobley
1
8
2 Richard Major to Mr
1 Spittle Elworthy
The address for all of the children christened in Barnstaple was Backlane, and Richard's
occupation was given as labourer.
Buried 9 March 1834, aged about 45.
Ann Hill.
Notes for Ann Hill:

General Notes:
Born about 30/11/1788 in Exeter. Died about 24/1/1836.
Richard Major and Ann Hill were married on 24 Jan 1813 in Stoke Damerel, Plymouth,
Devon. They had the following children:
9. i. Mary Ann Major was born in 1815 in Stoke Damerel, Plymouth, Devon. She married
John Heard on 27 Mar 1836 in Barnstaple, Devon, England.
ii. Grace Major was born in 1818.

christened 11 March 1818 in Barnstaple
iii. Richard Major was born in 1820.

iv. George Major was born in 1824. He died in 1834.
Notes for George Major: General Notes:

Christened 28 January 1824. Buried 13 July 1834.
v. Phillip Hill Major was born in 1826.

13
Notes for Phillip Hill Major: General Notes:
christened 5 February 1826
10. vi. Charles Major was born in 1830 in Barnstaple, Devon, England. He died on 20 Apr
1864.
14
Generation 3 – Beginning with William Major – born about 1811
6. William Major-3 (John-2, Thomas-1).

Sentenced for robbery of a coach in Exeter in 1833. Age 22 in 1833, so born about 1811.
Married about 4 years before, so in about 1829. See Appendix on William Major.
Harriet ?.
Notes for Harriet ?: General Notes:

When her husband was sentenced for the coach robbery, Harriet and her infant son
William were given to the Overseers of the Poor for Chulmleigh to be looked after.
In 1842 Harriet was in the workhouse again, this time in Exeter with her son William. She
was to die in 1843 in Exeter as the following records show:
Medical Certificate
I, John Tucker Surgeon, appointed to attend the SICK POOR of the City and County of
Exeter, - Do hereby certify, the Harriet Major, a Pauper now residing in the Workhouse of
the City and County of the City of Exeter is so sick and ill that she cannot be removed
therefrom without great danger to her life.
John Tucker, Surgeon, Dated this 13th Day of December 1842
There are further douments concerning this, the last of which is dated 17 March 1843
declaring the Pauper Harriet Major is dead and her son William may be removed. These
documents, which shed further light on the administrative practices of the time, can be
seen in an Appendix on Harriet Major.
William Major and Harriet ? were married in Parish church of Stoke Damerel. They had
the following children:
i. William Major was born in 1832.

aged seven months in March 1833 when his father was sentenced for coach robbery.
Moved from workhouse in Exeter when his mother died in 1843.
Apprenticed to William Bond who was a yeoman of North Parks, very near Chulmleigh.
There was no William at Chulmleigh in the 1851 census, nor anywhere in Devon with his
age and date of birth. His grandfather, John, was to die in Plymouth in 1843, no doubt
part worn out by his travels and grief at what had happened.
ii. Thomas Major.
15
Younger son on Harriet shown to be living with David Major (born 1781) at Bull Hill in
Chulmleigh.
7. Thomas Major-3 (John-2, Thomas-1).

Thomas was an ostler, so in the same line of horse keeping business as his father and
brother William. He was living at Southgate in Launceston, coping with rearing his 8
children on his own, as his wife, Sarah, had died just before the census was taken.
The register of deaths shows that 3 of these 8 children had died within the next 2 years.
Thomas Major died in the September quarter of 1847. It is not clear if that is this Thomas
or his son (born 1829), but none of the family were to be found on the 1851 census
anywhere in either Cornwall or Devon.
Thomas Major and unknown spouse married. They had the following children:
i. John Major was born in 1826.
ii. Harriet Major was born in 1827.
iii. Thomas Major was born in 1829.
iv. Mary Major was born in 1830. She died in 1842.
v. Betsy Ann Major was born in 1833. She died in 1842.
vi. Jane Major was born in 1835. She died in 1843.
vii. Ann Major was born in 1836.
viii. Thirza (same as Fanny?) Major was born in 1838 – married James Hulland.
8. Richard Major-3 (David-2, Thomas-1). He died on 04 Jan 1884 in Chulmleigh, Devon,

England.

Born about 1813 in Plymouth (probably based on baptism record - however, gravestone
data indicates birth more likely in 1810).
The good years of the war boom had faded and poor people found it difficult to survive
on artificially inflated grain prices. The 1830s was not a good time for the Major family.
Richard's first cousins, John and William, sons of Richard's uncle John, found
themselves in trouble. The matter first appeared in the local newspaper and created quite
a stir. The news reports are covered in an Appendix.
16
The 1841 census shows Richard and his brother David and their father, David, living in
Chulmleigh with their families.
Chulmleigh gravestone reads: "In memory of Ann
The beloved wife of Richard Major
Of this parish
who died on 28 October 1870 aged 55 years
Tender wife and mother dear A faithful friend is sleeping here
Her life is asked, but God thought best To take her body here to rest
Also of Richard Major
who died January 4 1884 aged 73"
Above from BMJ Major, who comments about this John and Richard's graves: "These
graves are found side by side in the centre of the old graveyard behind the row of trees
at the back of the church to shield it from houses built in the Nineteenth Century in New
Street. This part of the graveyard is very overgrown. There are quite few spaces in this
part of the old churchyard which are probably those of unmarked graves. A new
churchyard now begun this century over the other side of the street known as Shippens."
(from 1997 email)
Ann Harris daughter of Elizabeth ? was born in George Nympton, Devon, England. She
died on 28 Oct 1870 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.
Notes for Ann Harris:

General Notes:
Born about 1814
Richard Major and Ann Harris married. They had the following children:
11. i. John Major was born in 1834. He died on 16 May 1892.
9. Mary Ann Major-3 (Richard-2, Thomas-1) was born in 1815 in Stoke Damerel, Plymouth,
Devon.
Notes for Mary Ann Major: General Notes:

christened 1 January 1815
John Heard.
John Heard and Mary Ann Major were married on 27 Mar 1836 in Barnstaple, Devon,
i. Ann Major was born in 1835.
Notes for Ann Major: General Notes:

christened 4 March 1835
17
10. Charles Major-3 (Richard-2, Thomas-1) was born in 1830 in Barnstaple, Devon, England.
He died on
20 Apr 1864.
Notes for Charles Major: General Notes:

Christened 21 April 1830 in Barnstaple. His father died when he was 4 and his mother
when he was 6, making him an orphan. Occupation in 1851: Agricultural Labourer.
Mary Ann Edwards was born on 12 Feb 1836 in St. Mary's.
Notes for Mary Ann Edwards:

General Notes:
Occupation in 1871: Seamstress. Died about 28/8/1901.
Charles Major and Mary Ann Edwards married. They had the following children:
12. i. William James Major was born on 25 Dec 1859 in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales. He
died on 15 Sep 1935.
18
Generation 4 – Beginning with John Major born 1834
11. John Major-4 (Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born in 1834. He died on 16 May
1892.
Notes for John Major:
General Notes:
Birth year was 1833-4, as was 58 when died 16 May 1892.
John (1833/4-1892) was first found to be a husbandman of East Street, Chulmleigh,

Devon (1856) and then of Little Bunson, Chulmleigh (1858). Later, in 1863, he was a
labourer of the same town and then, afterward, worked at South Brook Farm,
Chulmleigh.
Gravestone in Chulmleigh churchyard reads: "Sacred to the memory of

Ann Major
who died 16 June 1891 aged 57
also of John Major husband of the above who died May 16 1892 aged 58
also of
John, Thomas, Eliza, and Ann Children of the above Resting in Jesus"
(slightly puzzling, as Thomas is buried in Exeter)
Ann Joslin daughter of James Joslin and Jane ? was born in 1834. She died on 16 Jun
1891.
Notes for Ann Joslin: General Notes:

Birth year used (1834) based on age 57 when died 16 June 1891.
19
Ann was the informant for the registration of the birth of her daughter Thirza in the South
Molton, Devon District when the birth was registered on the tenth of May, 1870. In the
signature box she has put an 'X' with which is written, "the mark of Mrs Major Mother
Chulmleigh", indicating she could not sign her own name.
Through a member's query placed in the April 1981 issue of the Devon Family Historian,
a response was received from an individual, who had researched the Joslin families in
this area, advising that an Ann Joslin was shown as baptised [born?] in the Ashreigney
parish register on March 29, 1835, to John and Jane Joslin. Ashreigney is about 4 miles
from Chulmleigh. This seems likely the same Ann as ours and would imply that the age
at death is either a slight error, could mean she died in her 57th year (age 56) or was
born in 1834, but not baptised until the 1835 date. This same James and Jane had at
least two other children; Harriet born 1833 in Ashreigney and William born 1837 in
Ashreigney. James is listed as a labourer of Ashreigney village in the registry entries for
the baptisms of his children Harriet, Ann and William.
We also know that our Ann had a sister, Eliza, born about 1838, who married Robert
Lovell (1830-1914). (This information was received from Mrs. Wallace Frank Lovell of
Exeter). Eliza and Robert had 9 children (the two youngest of whom were still toddlers
when their mother died at age 45 (1883?).
- Elizabeth, who married ___? Lewis and had 3 children; Winnie (who married Percy
Anning), Bert and Frank.
- Emily Joanna (1865-1947), who married Frederick Elliot, a shoe repairer of South Street,
Exeter, who had 1 child, Vera Irene (who married Donald Burleton 1900-1966) and one
grandchild, Irene Joy (who married her second cousin, Wallace Frank Lovell of Exeter in
1966.
- Edith, who married George Mitchell (?-1943) and had 2 children; Roy and Pearl (who
married E. Furneaux and has two children; Peter and Alison.
- Robert John, who married Sarah (1870-1921) and had one child, Claude Robert.
- Eliza Ann, who married Leonard Spratt (?-1940?).
- Anna, who died an infant.
- Anna Louisa (1876-1945)
- Maude Charlotte, who married George Morgan (1881-1954).
20
- Frank Francis who married Minnie Skrone (1882-1959) and had 1 child, Wallace Frank
of Exeter (who married his second cousin, Irene Joy Burleton in 1968).
John Major and Ann Joslin married. They had the following children:
i. Ann Major was born in 1856 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.
Notes for Ann Major: General Notes:

Baptised 4 October 1856 and died in infancy.
13. ii. William Major was born in 1858 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England. He died on 27 Jun
1927 in Hamshill, Coaley, Gloucester.
14. iii. James Major was born in 1863.
15. iv. Richard Major was born in 1863.
16. v. Thirza Major was born on 13 Apr 1870 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England. She married
William Richard Harris on 19 Apr 1893 in Kings Nymton, Devon, England. She died on
06 Jul 1949 in Agincourt, Ontario, Canada.
17. vi. Thomas Major was born in 1876 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England. He died on 09 Dec
1936 in Exeter, Devon, England.
18. vii. Jane Major born about 1862 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England
19. viii. John "Jack" Major was born in Chulmleigh, Devon, England. He died on 27 Aug
1947 in Lifton, Devon, England.
20. ix. Elizabeth Major. She married John "Jack" Harris in 1903 in Kings Nympton, South
Molton District, Devon, England. She died in 1936 in Agincourt, Ontario, Canada.
12.William James Major-4 (Charles-3, Richard-2, Thomas-1) was born on 25 Dec 1859 in
Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales. He died on 15 Sep 1935.
Notes for William James Major: General Notes:

Occupation 1891: Spelter Furnaceman.
Rachel Protheroe was born in Mar 1859 in Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. She
died in Dec 1889.
William James Major married Rachel Protheroe. They had four children. It appears that
Rachel died of puerperal fever with the birth of her last child. (BMJ Major)
Annie Maria Allsopp was born on 19 Nov 1867 in Pontypool, Monmouthshire, Wales.
She died on 26 Apr 1942.
21
Notes for Annie Maria Allsopp: General Notes:
Occupation in 1881: Domestic Servant.
William James Major and Annie Maria Allsopp married. They had the following children:
21. i. William James Major was born on 25 Oct 1891 in Morriston, Swansea, Wales. He
died on
26 Dec 1939.
22
Generation 5 – Beginning with William Major born 1858
13.William Major-5 (John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born in 1858 in Chulmleigh,
Devon, England. He died on 27 Jun 1927 in Hamshill, Coaley, Gloucester.

Birth year based on baptised 6 August 1858, Chulmleigh.
William became a carpenter and wheelwright of Coaley, Gloucester. He held various

offices at the Coaley Wesleyan Chapel, was Chapel Steward for over 30 years, a
member of the Coaley parish Council for many years and a Manager of Church of
England Schools.
William died on June 9, aged 68, at his residence Hamshill, Coaley. His son Dodd
succeeded him in his business.
Olivia Griffin was born in 1852.
William Major and Olivia Griffin married. They had the following children:
i. William Thomas Major was born in Coaley, Gloucestershire, England. He died on 25

Oct 1918 in France.
Notes for William Thomas Major: General Notes:

William was born about 1891. He never married. He played the organ at church. William
died in action in France during the First World War.
“WILLAM THOMAS MAJOR: Driver 178433 B Battalion 107 Brigade Royal Field Artillery
died 25/10/1918 age 27. Son of William and Olivia Major Trenley House, Coaley, Glos,
Plot 2 Row C Grave 23 Delsaux Farm Cemetery, Beugny, Pas De Calais. 19 km sw
Cambrai on the Bapaume to Cambrai Road (the N30).”
23. ii. Northam "Dodd" Major was born in 1897.
24. iii. Thomas Major.
14.James Major-5 (John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born in 1863.

Notes for James Major:
General Notes:
Twin to Richard and baptised 7 February 1863. Immigrated to Canada.
James Major and unknown spouse married. They had the following children:
i. William Major.
24. ii. Ann Major.
23
25. iii. James Major.
26. iv. Norman Major.
27. v. Isabel May Major.
vi. Ethel Major.
15.Richard Major-5 (John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born in 1863.

Richard was a twin with James. They were baptised 7 February 1863. Richard ran a
greengrocers and grocery store on Roberts Road, Exeter.
Louisa Maria ?.
Notes for Louisa Maria ?:

General Notes:
An account of Louisa's funeral in a local paper begins: "The Late Mrs. Louisa M. Major
at Exeter
The funeral took place this afternoon at the Higher Cemetery, Exeter, of Mrs. Louisa
Maria Major, who died at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital on Tuesday 10th March,
after a very short illness. Mrs. Major, who was 65 years old, had been in business with
her husband at 67, Roberts Road, Exeter for the last twenty-four years, and during that
period she had become known to a wide circle of friends, both in her business capacity
and in her activities connected with the church. She was a very active member of the
Mothers' Union, and did good work in this respect.
The funeral service was held at St. Leonard's Church where the Rev. Smart deputised
for the Rector [Rev. F. A. Lucey], who was unable to attend owing to illness.
The immediate family mourners were Mr. Richard Major (husband), Willie John, Arthur
Thomas, Albert Edward and Sidney George (sons), Louisa Maria and Hilda May
(daughters), Mrs. T. Youldon and Mrs. J. H. Joslin (sisters), Mrs. Willie Major and Mrs. S.
G. Major (daughters-in-law), Mr. A. T. Pine (son-in-law), Eileen Mary Goss
(granddaughter), Mr. and Mrs. T. Major, Mr. J. H. Joslin, Mr. T, Youldon, Mrs. J. Bird, Mr.
J. Major (brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law), Mrs. L. Goss and Mrs. W. Haywood
(nieces)..."
Richard Major and Louisa Maria ? married. They had the following children:
28. i. Walter Major.
29. ii. Louisa "Louie" Maria Major.
30. iii. Hilda May Major.
iv. William John Major.
24
Notes for William John Major: General Notes:
Worked as an accountant for Heavitree Brewery, and also did the books for Tom Major's
Major Coach Works. William and Tot lived in Teighmouth. After his death Tot moved to
Oxford.
v. Arthur Thomas Major.
Notes for Arthur Thomas Major: General Notes:

Arthur Thomas was married and worked as a dental mechanic.
vi. Albert Edward Major.
Notes for Albert Edward Major: General Notes:

Albert Edward married and moved away from the Exeter area.
vii. Sidney George Major.
Notes for Sidney George Major: General Notes:

As a young man, Sidney used to take his first cousin Doris Major for rides on his
motorcycle until his mother thought the two were becoming too close and put an end to
that pastime.
Sidney and Minnie had no children. He continued running his father's grocery shop on
Roberts Road, Exeter into his 80s (at which point very little continued to be stocked and
most of the shelves were empty).
S. G. Major, Grocer & Greengrocer, 67 Roberts Road, Exeter (1985)
25
16.Thirza Major-5 (John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born on 13 Apr 1870 in
Chulmleigh, Devon, England. She died on 06 Jul 1949 in Agincourt, Ontario, Canada.
Notes for Thirza Major: General Notes:

According to son Christopher, both Thirza and her husband were educated to less than
we would consider to be an eighth grade level.
Thirza was living in Kings Nympton in 1893 when she married William. The early deaths
of her parents in the previous two years probably made her departure from Devon easier.
Thirza made at least one trip back to Devon ca. 1930, where she stayed with her brother
Thomas in Exeter and was remember by Tom's daughter Doris for her dark complexion.
Thirza Major Birth Certificate
William Richard Harris son of Robert Harris and Ann Bowden was born on 28 Feb 1869
in Kings Nympton, South Molton District, Devon, England. He died on 28 Jul 1944 in
Agincourt, Ontario, Canada.
Notes for William Richard Harris: General Notes:

William Richard Harris and his wife were probably educated to less than what we
would consider to be an eighth grade level when growing up in Devon. He immigrated to
Ontario ca. 1892, but returned to Kings Nympton, Devon, to marry Thirza Major (sister to
Elizabeth, who married his brother Jack). Although Thirza had been born in Chulmleigh,
she was living in nearby Kings Nympton at the time of her marriage.
William returned to Ontario with his wife and infant daughter Florence. They
settled in or near Agincourt where William worked first as a Section Man and then as a
Pump Man with the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1908 they were living at O'Sullivan
Corner (now Victoria Park and Sheppard, Toronto), where their youngest child
Christopher was born. Later they rented a farm at Ellesmere (which much later became
site of the Bick's Pickle plant).
26
William and Thirza (Major) Harris
From 1916 to 1929 they lived in Agincourt before moving further west on
Sheppard Avenue. It was in their Agincourt home that they took in lodgers from the CPR,
who later became husbands for most of their daughters. One son-in-law, G. E. Mayne,
has recounted how he began a life-long smoking habit from the ever-present box of
cigarettes which was on the coffee table while he was a lodger there.
Son Christopher Harris, in a letter dated 7 December 1980, said of his father's
death, "The pump house was a short distance north-east of where we were then living.
Some time after he had retired from that (when they had installed automatic pumps), he
was taken back on as a relief man to man the old gasoline pump when the electric pump
failed for any reason. It was here that he met his death. He had to start the pump by
turning the flywheel by hand with the aid of his foot on the stroke of the flywheel. His foot
must have slipped through as the engine started,, throwing him back and fracturing his
skull." The death occurred on 28 July 1944, when William was 75 years old.
William and Thirza had two sons and six daughters.
William Richard Harris and Thirza Major were married on 19 Apr 1893 in Kings Nympton,
Devon, England. They had the following children:
31. i. Florence Ann Harris was born on 27 Dec 1893 in Kings Nympton, South Molton
District, Devon, England. She married William A. Britton on 25 Mar 1920 in Agincourt,
Ontario, Canada. She died on 24 Jul 1979 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
27
Florence Harris Wedding
Florence (Harris) Britton death notice
32. ii. Elizabeth Harris was born on 04 Aug 1895. She married Ben Jones, who had
immigrated to Canada from Wales.
28
Elizabeth Harris and Ben Jones
33. iii. Eva Jane Harris was born on 26 Feb 1899 in Agincourt, Ontario, Canada. She married
George Everett Mayne on 12 Jun 1923 in Agincourt, Ontario, Canada. She died on 23
Oct 1951 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Wedding of George Everett Mayne and Eva Jane Harris, 1923. L of groom and
bride are Minister Scoville and Laura Harris; R of them are Garfield Mayne,
Marjorie Harris and flower girls Peggy Pannel and Peggy Jones.
29
Eva and G. E. Mayne Fort William
Laura Harris was born on 13 Jun 1901.
Laura Harris wedding day

with parents and husband Ernest Moore
She died on 09 Apr 1983 in Scarborough General Hospital, Ontario.
Notes for Laura Harris: General Notes:

As a young lady, Laura worked for Timothy Eaton Department store in Toronto. She
was a store detective, but dressed as if she were a normal customer, so she could
keep a look out for shoplifters. She married Ernest Moore who was from England
(probably Devon area, as he visited there latterly). Ernest had worked as a farm hand
for Laura’s uncle Jack Major on his farm in what is now Greater Toronto, where he
would be paid his salary once a year. Later, Ernest worked for the big hardware
store in Agincourt. This is when he became a lodger at Laura’s parents’ boarding
30
house.
Notice of death:
"MOORE, Laura (Pass Matron Scarborough Chapter O.E.S) At the Scarborough General
Hospital on Saturday, April 9, 1983. Laura Moore, beloved wife of the late Ernest Moore.
Loving sister of Marjorie (Mrs. A. Hueston), Dorothy (Mrs. G. Cuthbertson) and
Christopher Harris. Predeceased by Florence (Mrs. Wm. Britton), Elizabeth (Mrs. B.
Jones), Eva (Mrs. E. Mayne). Resting at the Ogden Funeral Home, 4164 Sheppard Ave.
E., Agincourt (E. of Kennedy Rd.). Funeral service from St. Timothy`s Anglican Church,
Sheppard Ave. E. Tuesday 2 p.m. Interment St. Paul`s Cemetery, L`Àmoreaux.``
34. v. Marjorie Irene Harris was born on 03 Sep 1903. She married Alexander Hueston on
01 Jan 1927. She died on 19 Apr 1987 in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada.
Marjorie and Alex Hueston Wedding
vi. Dorothy Harris was born on 08 Aug 1906.
35. vii. Christopher Harris was born on 25 Dec 1908.
Chris Harris and Dorothy (Harris) Cutherbertson in 1989,

Kings Nympton cottage used by their parents in 1893
31
viii. Norman Harris.
Notes for Norman Harris: General Notes:

Norman died in infancy.
17.Thomas Major-5 (John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born in 1876 in

Chulmleigh, Devon, England. He died on 09 Dec 1936 in Exeter, Devon, England.
Thomas Major 21st birthday

Thomas was born about 1876-7. He went to Coaley, Gloucester, to train to be a
wheelwright with his elder brother William, where he married Eva Cooper. They moved to
St. Thomas, a suburb of Exeter, where he founded the Major Coach Works in which he
latterly employed up to a dozen men. In the early days the main customers were horse
drawn carts and the standard products were wooden spoked wheels with metal rims. The
firm continued in business with the same name for many decades under its railway arch
at Okehampton Place.
It is understood that Tom’s company made the wheels and probably the vehicle bodies
for the delivery wagons used by Exeter’s Western Bakery Company.
32
33
Express and Echo photos and article on Exeter’s Western Bakery (from Trevor Western)
34
In their later years Tom and Eva made their home at Penhill Bungalow, Haldon Estate,
Kenn. Tom made one trip to Canada with his brother Jack in about 1934. He had wanted
to emigrate to Canada, but his wife Eva did not want to be so far from family.
Thomas Major – passport photo for Canada trip

Tom would admonish his daughter, Doris, to get out of bed in the morning, because
'people die there'. He didn't approve of people reading books when there were more
useful things to be doing. Doris had to deliver his business accounts before going on to
school.
Tom used to shoot seasonally and had a tradition of firing a revolver at the stroke of
midnight on New Year's Eve. One of his shooting party was Charlie Western's father of
Western Bakeries (Major Coach Works did all the work for the Western Bakery delivery
lorries). Tom is reported to have made a version of sloe gin, which he used to treat
shooting partners with after a day out. He also grew grapes in a greenhouse and made
his own wine from them.
Tom liked a fried breakfast and, perhaps partly because of this, suffered from heart
trouble. He moved to Penhill Bungalow, Haldon Estate, Kenn (or Kennford) in about 1925
with his family. Doris was 22 at the time and gave music lessons there until her marriage.
Tom retired in 1929, turning his business over to his son-in-law, Charlie Western. Tom
still kept busy with farming in Kenn, and had chickens, sheep and pigs. When his health
deteriorated further, he and Eva moved in with daughter Doris at her home in Exeter,
where they stayed for 18 months until a house nearby, known as 'Franklin Rise', at 2
Broadway, Parkway, Exeter was found for them. Doris helped look after her father until
his death at the age of 59 in about 1935.
Death Notice on Thomas Major

35
A local news report: "DEATH OF RETIRED EXETER WHEELWRIGHT
Mr. Thomas Major, aged 59, retired wheelwright and coachbuilder, died at his
residence, 2, Parkway, Broadway, Exeter, last evening.
Deceased, who was well known to the agricultural community of the surrounding
district, carried on his business a Okehampton Place for many years, and retired in 1929.
He had formerly carried on business in Alphington Street, but removed because of street
alterations. The business is now carried on under the same name by Mr. Western,
husband of deceased's only daughter.
Deceased was a staunch member of the Conservative Club. Much sympathy will be
extended to his widow."
Tom was interred at the Exwick Road Cemetery in Exeter.
Thomas had done well as a businessman, and left an estate of over £4,000 (about
£250,000, or over $400,000US in 2012 money) which was largely left for the care of his
wife and then to be passed on to their daughter Doris.
Eva lived on until after the Second World War at their home on Broadway. She spent her
last month at her daughter's home and died at the age of 78 in about 1953.
Eva Jane Cooper. She died on 27 Aug 1953 in Exeter, Devon, England.
Tom and Eva Major’s gravestone, Exwick Road Cemetery, Exeter
Thomas Major and Eva Jane Cooper married. They had the following children:
36
Left: Thomas Major and Doris ca. 1914(In front of their home. He is dressed for
work. His company is next door to the right.)
Right: Charlie Western and Doris coming out of the church after their wedding,
Kenn, nr. Exeter, 1932. Best man Northam ‘Dodd’ Major behind Charlie.
i. Doris Eva Major was born on 04 Dec 1903. She married Percy Charles "Charlie"
Western (b 1908 Exeter) of the Devonshire Western Bakery family in 1932 in Kenn,
Devon. She died on 02 Aug 1985 at home in Exmouth, Devon.
Notes for Doris Eva Major: General Notes:

Doris, as a young woman, played and gave piano lessons. Her husband Charlie took
over the Major Coach Works business founded by her father. He expanded its scope and
was instrumental in converting it from what had started as a wheelwright's shop into a
builder and repairer of automated vehicles.
37
Doris Major and Charlie Western wedding reports, 1932
Although Charlie and Doris had no children of their own, in the early stages of the
38
Second World War, they took in children evacuated from London.
Being thorough and practical, Charlie built one of Exeter's few air raid shelters as a
protective measure against German bombing. One night in May, 1942, during the tragic
retaliatory bombing of Exeter, a bomb did hit his house while he was away on Special
Constabulary duties. The blast blew out all of the windows of the house. It also blew in
one door of the air raid shelter and out of the other one which Charlie had fortunately
added to the opposite end. There were thirteen people, including Doris, in it at the time.
No one was hurt, but the fright was such that Doris lost her power of speech for a week.
To avoid the effects of any further raids on Exeter, Doris and Charlie temporarily
arranged to sleep on mattresses on the floor of an isolated farmhouse in nearby Tedburn
St. Mary. Doris tried to find something more permanent, but the pubs and houses in the
village were already crowded. Finally, in one house, a woman let her have a room, taking
pity on Doris's squeak of a voice, which still hadn't recovered from the bombing of her
home.
After the war, Charlie was a Councillor of Exeter for six years and was involved at a high
level in the planning and rebuilding of the city. Charlie sang in the choir in Exeter
Cathedral, and his library included a complete score of The Messiah.
Around 1951 Doris and Charlie moved to Exmouth from where Charlie commuted to the
Coach Works in Exeter.
Doris and Charlie Ruby Wedding anniversary 1972
On his retirement, and supplemented with instructions in his will, he arranged a sale of
the business to a long-time employee who was already managing the business, with the
benefits coming to his wife Doris. Charlie's estate amounted to over £42,000 (equating
to about £450,000 or $750,000US in 2012 money), which, after a few small bequests,
was left to Doris, or to benefit local charities in the event of her predeceasing him.
39
Charlie retired about 1972, but died very shortly thereafter in 1973, aged 65, of cancer.
A local newspaper reported his death:

"FORMER CITY COUNCILLOR DIES
A former member of the Exeter City Council, Mr. Percy Western, has died at an Exeter
nursing home, aged 65.
Mr. Western, of 3 Drake's Avenue, Exmouth, was the proprietor of the Major Coach
Works, Okehampton Place, Exeter, before he retired last September.
He was one of the Trustees of the Devon and Exeter Deaf Charity. was a past governor
of the St. George's Lodge of the Loyal Order of the Moose, and a member of the Exeter
Rotary Club.
A keen gardener and amateur photographer, Mr. Western leaves a widow."
He was cremated. Doris presented a memorial bench with his name on a plaque on it for
use in the pathway grounds of Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth.
Doris Western, Exmouth, early 1980s

Doris continued to live on in Exmouth with her African Gray parrot, Tiny, which she had
kept for 40 years by the time she died. A previous parrot, which she had had for twenty
years, died of heart attacks suffered during the blitz.
Doris passed away in bed at home on 2 August 1985. Her next door neighbour had been
looking in to help and care. Funeral Service was at Devon and Exeter Crematorium on 9
August 1985. Brian Mayne, as a relative, said some words. Doris's cousin Sydney Major
and his wife were also in attendance.
After a few small bequests, and as she and Charlie had previously agreed, Doris left her
estate to charities for the benefit of people and animals in their area of Devon.
40
Major Coachworks, under the railway arches, Okehampton Place, Exeter (1985)
41
18.Jane Major-5 (John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).
Notes for Jane Major: General Notes:

Born 11 March 1861 (per the 1939 Register) in Chulmleigh. She is shown as 1 month old
and the daughter of John and Ann Medger in the 1861 census. In the 1881 census, Jane
is shown as 20 and a labourer’s daughter living at home, Laytown Cottage, Chulmleigh,
with her parents and some siblings. Elder sister Ann has left home, but in the 1891
census the 2 sisters, Ann and Jane are shown as sharing a home at 149 West Street
Exeter, with Jane as the head of the household. Jane’s employment is cookshop and
dairy, while elder sister Ann is a servant.
Jane’s mother, Ann, died in April 1891, aged 52, and her father, John died in May 1892,
aged 57. Her elder sister Ann died, still a spinster in April 1893, aged 36. The death was
registered in South Molton (which includes Chulmleigh and Kings Nympton - sister Thirza
and her husband William Harris married in Kings Nympton in the same month as Ann’s
death. Another sister, Elizabeth, later married John Jack Harris, William’s brother, in
Kings Nympton).
Jane, aged 30, married in October of 1891. Her husband William Bird was 44 years older
than Jane and is reported (by Doris Western) to have been a farmer in the Chulmleigh
area. He predeceased Jane. In the 1901 census, Jane is shown as 39 and her husband
William is shown as 83 and a labourer born in Beaford, Devon (near Chulmleigh). They
are living at 104 Cowick Road, St. Thomas, Exeter, Devon. In the same census their two
children, William Henry and Elsie Jane are shown as being 8 and 6 and Jane’s brother,
Thomas Major, aged 22 is shown as a boarder with them with the occupation of
wheelwright. Both of Thomas’s parents had died by the time he was 15 and he must
have then lived with siblings, including his apprenticeship as a wheelwright with older
brother William in Coaley, Gloucestershire.
In the 1911 census Jane is shown as a widow, aged 49, working as a charwoman and
head of the home at 3 Landhayes Rd, St. Thomas, Exeter. Her husband William had died
in 1910. Her sixteen-year old daughter, Elsie Jane, is living at home and working as a
lace repairer. Staying with her is a 48-year old cousin named James Hulland, a married
blacksmith, and 25-year old Robert Charles Pearse, a wheelwright (perhaps Robert
worked for Jane’s nephew, Thomas Major?). A further boarder with Jane is 5-year old
Percy James Court, born in Exminster, Devon.
Jane visited relatives in Canada at different times, going across the Atlantic by boat
between the wars. She worked for a while in Toronto as a cook and domestic for a furrier
before returning to Devon.
42
Jack Major and Jane (Major) Bird
In the 1939 Register, Jane Bird, a widow is shown as living at 70 Wonford Street, Exeter.
Her occupation is ‘Unpaid Domestic Duties’. Jane spent her last days in a bedsit room in
Exeter. Her niece, Doris Western, stopped in to look after her. According to Doris, when
she was nearing the age of ninety, Jane fell and broke her hip while putting up blackout
curtains. She went to hospital in Exeter where she later died. A Jane Bird, aged 89, is
registered as having died in Exeter in March 1951. (Another Major family tree notes Jane
died in Exeter in 1942, but a supporting document for this has not been found.)
Jane’s 1923 Arrival record indicates her home in Toronto was at 1357 Kingston Road:
Name: Jane Bird
Gender: Female
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1862
Birth Place: Devon, England
Age: 61
Date of Arrival: 13 Mar 1923
Port of Arrival: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Port of Departure: Exeter, England
Ship Name: Andania
43
44
William Bird.
William Bird and Jane Major married. They had the following children:
i. Elsie Jane Bird.
Notes for Elsie Bird: General Notes:

Born 26 Aug., 1894
Married William Frank Haywood in the July/August/September quarter of 1917. St.
Thomas, Volume 5b, Page 57. Source: England & Wales Marriage Index
Residence
1939 • Taunton, Somerset, England
Address: "Clovelly," Cheddon Road. Occupants: William F. Haywood, born 16 April 1895,
Great Western Railway signalman; Elsie J. Haywood, born 26 August 1894; Walter
Sweetland, born 14 May 1881, garage foreman. Source: 1939 England & Wales Register
Elsie and husband William were Mayor and Mayoress of Taunton, Somerset, for 2 years
in the late 1940s/early 50s.
They had no children and Elsie died 18 Dec., 1977. Her address then was Clovelly, 200
Cheddon Rd., Taunton..
Death
18 December 1977 • Taunton, Somerset, England
Died in the October/November/December quarter of 1977, aged 83. Taunton, Volume 23,
Page 1310. Sources: England & Wales Death Index; England & Wales, National Probate
Calendar (Index of Wills & Administrations) Probate shows estate of £1652.
William remarried Amy ___? and lived on at Cheddon Road in Taunton before moving to
1 Shackleton Close, Exmouth. He died in 1982 and probate shows estate of not more
than £25000.
45
Elsie (Bird) and husband William F Haywood
as Mayoress and Mayor of Taunton, 1950-51
37. ii. William Henry Bird 6 (Jane-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1). William
emigrated to Agincourt, Ontario. A William Bird, born 1893, is shown in the 1911 census
in Agincourt Ontario as working for John ‘Jack’ Harris, whose wife Elizabeth Major was
aunt to William. William married Rose Etches in York, Ontario, Canada in 1915. Rose
had been born in Brighton, England in about 1897 and gone to Canada as a child in
1908. William H. Bird-
Notes for William H. Bird: General Notes:
He was a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows and enlisted in the 19th
Canadian Battalion as Private No. 765127 in the First World War.
William was on duty in the front line trench when he was seriously wounded by a large
enemy trench mortar bomb and succumbed to his wounds afterward on 17 January
1917. He was laid to rest in a cemetery just behind the front line in the presence of some
of his officers and comrades. [He was buried in the British Extension of the Bully-Grenay
Communal Cemetery at Bully-les-Mines, Department du Pas-de-Calais. Nord Pas-de-
Calais, France.]
46
The above details appeared in a letter to Mrs. Bird informing her of her husband's death
published in a Toronto or Agincourt newspaper. It was from H.D. Freeman, Major
commanding 19th Canadian Battalion. The letter adds, "...a cross bearing his number,
rank, name and date of decease will be erected over his grave. ...During the period your
husband was in my battalion, he had proved himself a good soldier, winning the respect
and esteem of his officers and comrades alike, and his loss is greatly deplored by all."
There is a note under the letter saying that William was a member of the Agincourt Order
of O.F. in which society he carried $1,000 protection for his family.
After her son William’s death, mother Jane Bird sailed to Canada to be with and help her
widowed daughter-in-law Rose, and her grandchildren, only to find on arrival that Rose
had remarried (or was in a new relationship?) and had not let her know. Jane later
worked her passage back to England.
William and Rose had a daughter named Elsie Jane Bird born in Agincourt who, when
aged 18 on 3 Dec. 1933 married 18-year old Glen Beatty in Toronto, York.
The 1921 census shows Rose had two other children – William Bird, a year younger than
Elsie, born about 1917, and Betty Bird who was just 9 months old. (Betty would have had
a different father to her siblings.) Rose is shown as ‘daughter’, living with 53-year old
Henry G Cornick, a newspaper journalist born in England who emigrated to Canada in
1900 (perhaps Cornick was a stepfather or foster father?).
There is a record of the widow Rose (who was Church of England) marrying William
Martin Devitt (an American born Roman Catholic) in Toronto in 1925. They are both 27
and their married address is shown as 2342 and 1/2 Queen Street East, Toronto.
19.John "Jack" Major-5 (John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born in Chulmleigh,
Devon, England. He died on 27 Aug 1947 in Lifton, Devon, England.
Notes for John "Jack" Major: General Notes:

Jack was born about 1873. He moved to Lifton, Devon, in the Tamar Valley (near
Launceston, Cornwall), where he had a bakery. In 1906 Kelly's Directory for Devon Lifton
Village, a John Major is given as a baker. He was a successful businessman and
branched out to own and run a flour mill in the same town. A long standing employee of
the Major family, George Treglown, had heard that Jack used to drive a Foden solid
wheel lorry with flour to Dartmoor prison where trustee inmates would unload it. Dartmoor
Prison is about 18 miles from Lifton. This must have been a dangerous journey if Jack
was driving, as niece Doris recalled (in April, 1983) that he was of an age when cars
came in that he never handled them well. He drove erratically through stop signs and
sometimes accelerated when he meant to brake.
47
Jack Major
The National Archives has a lease showing the following: [no title] 3045/6 1913
Contents:
Lease and counterpart lease for 14 years
1 Agnes and Anna Bayly of Seven Trees, Plymouth, spinsters and John Frederick Carl
Daman of Wallingford, Berkshire, esq
2 John Major of Mayfield, Lifton, Devon, gent
Flour Mill called Spry Mills in the parish of Lifton and three cottages in the parish of
Stowford together with the use of a stable (part of the buildings and yard adjoining the
farmhouse) together with a right of way over the road leading from Spry Farm to the
parish road
Rent: £100 pa for the first 3 years, then £110 pa for the remainder of the term With plan
and schedule http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=028-3045&cid=-
1#-1
A one-time resident of Lifton remembered Jack: "The John Major that I knew as a child
(up to 1938) would have been between 55 and 65 years of age. I should think that he
was a magistrate at the time of my grandfather's death in 1936. At that time he was
running small market garden on the same side of the road and in front of the Ambrosia
factory. There were several large glass houses and I especially remember the beautiful
cucumbers, which he grew trained up on wires across the inside of the roofing. I think
sweet peas were another of his successes. ...There were two [corn mills] - one on the
same side of the road as Ambrosia and the other on the opposite side of the road, near
the side road, which led to the railway level crossing. The Major family may have lived in
a slate hung large house always known as The White House in my time. He was always
referred to in my time as "Johnny Major". I seem to remember him as medium height - a
bit tubby and with a moustache. He had a bulldog Cora, and also kept ferrets which he
took on rabbit shooting parties." - Thelma Grunnell nee Ball (courtesy of BMJ Major)
48
Jack made several trips to visit relatives in Canada, and latterly he made one each year.
Niece Doris Western (L) and daughter-in-law Frances Major (R)

Seeing Jack Major (centre) off to Canada on the Queen Mary
Jack and his wife were strict Methodists, abstaining from both drinking alcohol and
smoking.
In his later years he is said to have become depressed after the death of his wife Ann
and the break-up of his only son's first marriage. During this time he stayed with his niece
Doris Western off and on, and made arrangements for his Canadian niece Vera Harris to
come and stay with him. However, before this could happen he was found dead in the
stream which fed the mill pond servicing his flour mill. For further details see Appendix:
News reports on Death of John ‘Jack’ Major.
From The Cornish and Devon Post and Launceston Weekly News, Saturday 6
September 1947: LIFTON MR. MAJOR's FUNERAL
The Reverend G N Stephens assisted by the Reverend G F Newman, officiated at
the funeral of Mr. John Major, of Mayfield, on Saturday.
The service was at Tinhay Methodist Chapel and Mr Stephens spoke of Mr
Major's long connection with the chapel, where he was a prominent figure, devoted to his
duties.
Mr Major was well-known as a magistrate, and was chairman of the bench at
Lifton Petty Sessions, where tribute was paid to him yesterday (Thursday). His
connection with Tinhay Chapel covered a period of more than thirty years, and he was
the managing director of the Lifton Milling Company.
Recently he had flown to Canada where he had visited relatives.
The grave had been lined with moss and ferns by his own workmen from the mill.
The mourners were: Mr and Mrs L Major, son and daughter-in-law; Mrs Bird, Mr D
Major, Mr and Mrs C Western, Mrs Pine, and Messrs F and N King, Mr and Mrs E
Toulson, Mr T Curtis, nephews and nieces; Mrs Morgan, cousin, Miss A Tamblin, Mrs J
Willcock, Miss Joan Rooke, friends.
A large number of Mr Major's immediate relatives are in Canada, and therefore were
unable to attend.
The bearers were: Messrs W Chapman, S Marks, L Solly, J Adams (Lifton Milling
Company), F Worden, T Furse (Polapit Tamar). ?? [Enormous list follows of non-family
49
mourners, names only.] Wreaths were: In loving memory from Dot and Leslie; With
Deepest Sympathy, sister Thirza and family in Toronto, Loving Memory from [should be
to?] brother Jack and family."
In his will, Jack left the bulk of his estate to his son Leslie, but also remembered a
number of relatives and friends (including Leslie's first wife), as well as several charities,
among which was the local Methodist chapel he had been so devoted to. Jack had been
involved in many charities and other good works in Lifton. His estate was valued at
£17,000, which would approximate £550,000 or about $900,000US in 2012 money).
Soon after Jack's death, Leslie converted the mill to an agricultural one producing animal
feed (George Treglown). The edifice of Jack's mill was still standing in the early 1980s,
with his house across the way from it, but it is now thought to be carrying on business as
the Ambrosia Milk Company.
Ann ?. She died on 15 Mar 1947.
John "Jack" Major and Ann ? married. They had the following children:
i. Leslie Major was born on 23 Dec 1901 in Looe, Cornwall, England. He died on 30 Sep
1971.
Notes for Leslie Major: General Notes:

Leslie was a man of many interests and talents. He started out running his own poultry
farm, was both an amateur boxer and a racing driver. Leslie loved birds and flowers and
was a founding member of the Devon Bird Watching and Preservation Society and a
judge for many years at the famous annual Chelsea Flower Show in London.
In a special 70th anniversary edition of its magazine, Devon Birds produced a write-up on
its founding members, and the one on Leslie, published with one of his poems, can be
seen in the Appendix on Leslie Major. This Appendix also includes a few news articles
on him and note of daffodils he was the originator of.
50
Polapit Tamar, Leslie Major’s mansion
He bought Polapit Tamar, a substantial country house built in stone in 1866, which had
an oak-paneled ballroom with elaborate marble fireplaces added in 1902 as a twenty-first
birthday present for the then owner's daughter. Here Leslie entertained and, on some of
the 120 acres that came with the mansion, raised prize daffodils (some of which were his
own new varieties) and other flowers and farmed poultry. With his interest in nature, he
also wrote nature notes for the Western Morning News.
Leslie drove an expensive car which was festooned with metal decals (probably from
racing meetings). This car aroused the suspicion of customs officers in Southampton in
1934 or 5, when Leslie had gone there to collect his father and Uncle Thomas on their
return from a trip to Canada. Both passengers' luggage was thoroughly searched.
Long-time Major employee George Treglown says about Leslie: "he was very well known
in the district through playing snooker in the village hall [and] through his association with
the Tamar Valley Flower Show and Falmouth Flower show. These flowers were
produced at Polapit Tamar where he had a poultry and bulb farm. This was once a
gentleman's estate which Leslie bought in 1938 and was let out at the outbreak of war to
Stubbington School from Southampton."
51
Leslie showing some of his daffodils at Polapit Tamar to a gardening group.
(Photograph courtesy of Joan Rendell)
Miss Joan Rendell, a well known and published local Launceston area historian, wrote in
a letter dated 7 December 1996: "I did not know Mr. Jack Major, only Mr. Leslie and his
wife. They were both very generous supporters of the parish when they were at Polapit,
always giving willingly of gifts, donations or time to Parish events. Mrs. Major was a
charming lady and I was very fond of her."
Leslie Major (B&W photos colored by computer)
Another employee was Tom Furse, whose widow Win said that Leslie and his wife were
52
very good people to work for. Win "assisted in the flower fields (along with the wives of
other employees) when at planting time a machine made holes across the field and Mrs.
F. and the other women followed, dropping one bulb in each hole!" (Joan Rendell letter,
22 January 1997)
Although he lived in a large manor house in the Tamar Valley, Leslie had little interest in
carrying on his father's milling business; though, had he done so, he could have become
quite wealthy. Leslie went to London frequently, where he joined a gentleman's club.
Leslie's business ventures did not produce enough to keep up with his expenses and
lifestyle. Three companies he was Chairman of (all bakery related, so they were likely
connected to his inheritance from his father) were liquidated at the end of 1962.
Leslie Major Company Liquidations 31 December 1962
It seems Leslie continued at Polapit Tamar for a few more years before that, too, had to
be relinquished, at which point he and Dot were obliged to move in with his sister-in-law
Ann, who had previously been Leslie’s secretary at the mill.
In August 1998 Bernard Major visited Polapit Tamar and wrote the following about the
grounds and house: "Leslie apparently left about thirty years ago. According to the
person we spoke to, it broke his heart to see that the farmer had done to his gardens - he
obviously let them go to wrack and ruin, and extended the area for grazing cattle up as
far as he could to the ornamental garden, in so doing ruining part of the rest of the
gardens. To the right of the house is a stream which feeds several ponds. One has been
partially cleared. The other is choked with pond weeds and water lilies gone wild. Both
53
are still badly silted up. The second pond feeds a small grotto, which is just being brought
back to some of its former glory. It has ivy around the walls, which has been trained there
through using 'chicken wire'. There are also holes in the stone roof at regular intervals, so
it looks as if the roof was planted as well. The grotto is about six foot in diameter. There
are large white quartz rocks marking the edge of the watercourse, one imagines, as it is
very overgrown; there is a stand of larger sized bamboo, and then further off, in what in
what is now a field used for grazing cattle, there is a stand of miniature bamboo. This
presumably was the route of some kind of Japanese water garden which has long since
been destroyed.
"The house is presently subdivided into different sections... [A] present tenant has
managed to grow some seeds from Indian Silk Tree that was in the grounds... The house
is very interesting: it has several ghosts. There is a maid that is seen in the kitchen, a
little girl in white of eleven year old who hangs around, and father and daughter who
have heated rows! ...[A] present tenant is putting on a story telling evening. You bring
along a pound, a cushion and a log and sit around a log fire having stories told, then
feast on cream tea... The house is a listed building and it looks like it might be up for sale
soon. The person who is renting says she would buy it without hesitation - if she won the
lottery! "We met one of the owners, the farmer lives in one part, and also a rock band that
we heard practising. This is a regular occurrence every afternoon. It has not done a great
for them and it looks like there may be a great deal more practice ahead! The outside of
the house is structurally sound, although it is badly in need of redecoration. The person
who showed us around said that the daffodils were particularly splendid this last spring. It
has a gate keepers lodge and a drive in and out. There must have been quite a staff
employed there in its heyday.
"We also visited Leslie's last residence: Trelawne in Lifton Down. It is a small, probably
two-bedroomed, bungalow with a small front and back garden, all of which would
probably fit into the ballroom of his previous home."
In his later years Leslie suffered from ill health. He continued with his writing, much of it
at the Thorverton cottage of his cousin Doris Western (who was worried to see him
swallowing his evening pills with neat whiskey). Much, if not all of those writings were
almost certainly his manuscript on daffodil cultivation in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
He had earlier privately published a book called West Country Poems and others
under the pseudonym "Lachlan". (See Appendix on Leslie for a link to these known
poems.)
Leslie predeceased Dot in 1971. The Western Morning News, on Saturday 2 October
1971:
DEATHS
Major - On September 30, in hospital, Leslie, beloved husband of Dot (Doris), of
Trelawne, Lifton Down. Funeral private. Family flowers only.
Dot was Leslie's sole beneficiary in his will. He left very little - well under £1,000 - small
change to him in his former days, which would equate to under £10,000UK or less than
$15,000US in 2012 money. However, he left a far richer heritage in the memories of his
employees, friends and family, his services to the horticultural field, including the
development of new varieties of daffodils, his part in the founding of the Devon
Birdwatching and Preservation Society - still going strong and known today more
54
popularly as Devon Birds - and in his poetry.
Dot died five years after Leslie, in 1976, in Guildford, Surrey, where she was staying with
another sister.
20. Elizabeth Major-5 (John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1). She died in 1936 in
Major sibling reunion in Agincourt, ca. 1934

Standing L to R: William Richard Harris, Thirza (Major) Harris, John ‘Jack’ Harris,
Elizabeth (Major) Harris, James Major, unknown (Mrs. James Major?)
Sitting (Visitors from Devon): Thomas Major and John ‘Jack’ Major
John "Jack" Harris was born in 1867. He died in 1968.
John ‘Jack’ Harris, 100th birthday
John "Jack" Harris and Elizabeth Major were married in 1903 in Kings Nympton, South
55
Molton District, Devon, England. They had the following children:
i. Hazel Harris.
ii. Vera Helen Harris.

Notice of death:
``HARRIS, Vera Helen - At Shepherd Lodge on Friday, September 18, 1992. Vera,
loved daughter of the late John and Elizabeth Harris. Beloved sister of Nellie (Mrs.
Alvin Klinck) and the late Hazel and Eleanor Harris. Resting at the Ogden Funeral
Home, 4164 Sheppard Ave. East, Agincourt (East of Kennedy Rd.) Sunday ... Funeral
service at St. Timothy`s Anglican Church, 4125 Sheppard Ave. E. on Monday ...
Interment Knox United Church Cemetery (Midland Ave. at Sheppard Ave.,
Agincourt).``
iii. Nellie Harris.
iv. Eleanor Harris. Eleanor was born in 1915. She died on 26 May 1919, aged 4 years, in
Vera, Nellie and Hazel Harris
21. William James Major-5 (William James-4, Charles-3, Richard-2, Thomas-1) was born on
25 Oct 1891 in Morriston, Swansea, Wales. He died on 26 Dec 1939.
Muriel Maude Kent was born on 24 Jun 1902 in Blaengawr, Bridgend, Wales. She died
on 06 Jun 1972.
William James Major and Muriel Maude Kent married. They had the following children:
i. Bernard Major was born on 20 Mar 1926.
56
Generation 6 – Beginning with Northam ‘Dodd’ Major born 1897
22. Northam "Dodd" Major-6 (William-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was
born in 1897.
Notes for Northam "Dodd" Major: General Notes:

Dodd played the organ at church. He trained to be a carpenter with his uncle Tom Major
at the Major Coach Works in Exeter, and was later best man at the wedding of Tom's
only daughter Doris.
Doris (‘Dot’) Major, Vera Harris, Leslie Major, Hazel Harris
and Northam ‘Dodd’ Major
Dodd worked for Listers and, together with his brother Thomas, carried on with his
father's business. One of their duties included being undertakers for Coaley.
"Ambleside", which became Edith's home, had been converted from the workshop these
two brothers ran.
Edith ?.
Notes for Edith ?:

General Notes:
Edith was from Tewkesbury, Gloucester.
Northam "Dodd" Major and Edith ? married. They had the following children:
37. i. Denise Major.
57
Doris Western and Edith Major (early 1980s)
23.Thomas Major-6 (William-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).

Thomas was a carpenter who carried on his father's business with his brother Dodd.
Amy ?.
Notes for Amy ?: General Notes:

Latterly (1980s) lived at Lower Cam, near Burley, Gloucester. Thomas Major and Amy ?
married. They had the following children:
38. i. Ron Major.
39. ii. Hazel Major.
40. iii. Sylvia Major.
24.Ann Major-6 (James-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).
Willis Cecil Conner.
Willis Cecil Conner and Ann Major married. They had the following children:
i. Gordon Cecil Conner.
ii. Donna Conner.
iii. Linda Conner.
41. iv. Ruth Conner.
58
25.James Major-6 (James-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).
Gladys May Pearson.
James Major and Gladys May Pearson married. They had the following children:
i. Arthur Major.
26.Norman Major-6 (James-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).
Mima Isabel Mae Curd.
Norman Major and Mima Isabel Mae Curd married. They had the following children:
42. i. Ruth Louise Major.
43. ii. Norma Ellen Major.
44. iii. William Frederick James Major.
iv. Margaret Lorraine Major.
45. v. Donald Benjamin Major.
vi. Elizabeth Ann Major.
27.Isabel May Major-6 (James-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).
Notes for Isabel May Major: General Notes:

In the late 60s Isabel and her husband were living on Dundas Street East, Toronto.
William Henry "Harry" Parnell.
William Henry "Harry" Parnell and Isabel May Major married. They had the following
children:
46. i. Frederick Major Parnell.
ii. Kenneth Roger Parnell.
28.Walter Major-6 (Richard-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).
Notes for Walter Major: General Notes:

Walter immigrated to Canada and had three sons, one of whom became a minister who
returned to visit his uncle Sydney in Exeter.
Violet ?.
59
Walter Major and Violet ? married. They had the following children:
i. Walter Major.
ii. Ray Major.
iii. Kenneth? Major.
29.Louisa "Louie" Maria Major-6 (Richard-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).
? Goss.
? Goss and Louisa "Louie" Maria Major married. They had the following children:
i. Mary Goss.
Notes for Mary Goss: General Notes:

Mary and Frank lived on Roberts Road, Exeter.
30.Hilda May Major-6 (Richard-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1).
Notes for Hilda May Major: General Notes:

Hilda and her husband lived in Exwick until his death, when she moved to her daughter's
home, where she later died.
A. T. Pine.
Notes for A. T. Pine: General Notes:

Worked s chauffeur to a Doctor.
A. T. Pine and Hilda May Major married. They had the following children:
47. i. Hilda Pine.
31.Florence Ann Harris-6 (Thirza-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born on 27
Dec 1893 in Kings Nympton, South Molton District, Devon, England. She died on 24 Jul
1979 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
Notes for Florence Ann Harris: General Notes:

Born in Kings Nympton, Devon.
Following Florence's marriage to WIlliam Britton in Agincourt, they lived on a farm at
Bellamy and Ellesmere Road, Toronto, before moving into their parents ex-home on
Sheppard Avenue in 1929. They lived in this house until 1974.
Florence died at Scarborough General Hospital 24 July 1979.
60
William A. Britton.
William A. Britton and Florence Ann Harris were married on 25 Mar 1920 in Agincourt,
Ontario, Canada. They had the following children:
48. i. Oscar Britton was born in 1921.
49. ii. Evelyn Britton was born in 1923.
50. iii. Lloyd Britton was born in 1924.
51. iv. William "Bill" John Britton was born in 1927. He died on 07 Jun 1992 in Markham
Stouffville Hospital, Ontario.
32.Elizabeth Harris-6 (Thirza-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born on 04 Aug
1895.
Notes for Elizabeth Harris: General Notes:

Elizabeth's husband, Ben, was Welsh. They lived latterly at Claremont, Ontario, just
northeast of Toronto, where Ben worked for the CPR.
Ben Jones was born on 03 Jul.
Ben Jones and Elizabeth Harris married. They had the following children:
52. i. Margaret 'Peggy" Jones was born in 1920.
33.Eva Jane Harris-6 (Thirza-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born on 26 Feb
1899 in Agincourt, Ontario, Canada. She died on 23 Oct 1951 in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada. She married George Everett Mayne.
Notes for Eva Jane Harris: General Notes:

Son Jack shares some memories of the Agincourt Inn his mother Eva ran during some of
the Depression years:
We moved there just before World War 2 started... I think it was 1937. It was still
depression times and I thought that my parents were biting off more than they could
chew. But, like the Britton family who started the dairy earlier; they thought they could
make a go of it. My mom Eva was mostly running the place and doing the work as
Everett had landed a job in Toronto selling to retail for a meat company. He was home
each night though. I would have been 13 years of age.
I think the hotel had about 7 rooms for rent and there was a soda fountain in the front. I
was frequently in charge of handling this. I remember Bill Britton Jr. used to come and
spend time with me there and of course we would have a chocolate milkshake. The hotel
was next door to the Agincourt rink. The clientele was largely travelling salesmen who
stayed there on a regular basis; although the Anglican minister (Rev. Kipplewhite) took
61
up regular residence there for about one year.
My Mom was a good cook and of course meals were included in those days. For some
reason the Bell Telephone Linemen found out about her cooking and during the week
along with any hotel guests there were at least 8 linemen there for dinner every day. She
also catered to skating parties at the rink and these were a big deal where all hands
pitched in.
One of my jobs was to make sure the cistern did not go empty. There was no city water
and the only water was collected from the eave troughs to the cistern. To supplement this
I pumped water from the well into the cistern each night and that is how I developed big
shoulders and muscles in my arms.
(Try it sometime.)
I know that while we were there the War started and I can remember being a member of
the Home Guard and practicing marching behind the rink using broom sticks as guns.
I cannot remember how long we lived there. My guess is about 4 years. By then my
father Everett was back on the railroad after a long six or seven year lay-off. The
depression was over. We moved to a rented home on Church Street in Agincourt.
My Mom Eva worked at the DON AVON food market on Danforth Ave. in Toronto before
the Agincourt Inn era. I don't know how many years, but, I have the feeling she had
worked there while single as well as later. They were friendly with the owners and I
worked there on Saturdays on the meat counter for at least a year. I do not know the
terms of leaving the Inn. I suppose the lease ran out and they did not want to renew
because Dad was back on the Railroad and had an income. I know another family took
over the Inn and immediately put an electric pump on the well to eliminate the hand
pumping that I used to do. Mom took the Linemen with her after the move and served
them dinner five days a week in our house on Church Street for some time. She also
boarded two teachers from the high school, much to my chagrin. We lived at Church St
at least until I finished second year University and then they moved to Meadowvale Drive
in Toronto, where they bought a house next door to Marj and Alec [Eva's sister and
brother-in-law]. I had boarded in Toronto my second year at the U; but, when they moved
to TO, I lived at home until I graduated and took a job in Sarnia. At all times until I went to
University; I spent the summers at the farm. ( I think that my family secretly would have
been happy if I had become a farmer because farmers suffered least of all during the
depression years; and the terrible years of the depression took a toll on everyone, as
there was no way to make a living. There was no money anywhere for the average
worker.) I was happy on the farm, but my life took a different turn!! ..... Jack
62
Eva Jane Harris, Calgary, 1951 George Everett Mayne
George Everett Mayne son of George Washington Mayne and Edith Maria Gray was
born on 22 Oct 1901 in Actinolite, Ontario, Canada. He died on 08 Jan 1975 in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada.
Notes for George Everett Mayne: General Notes:

G. E. Mayne started as Assistant Agent at Sulphide (a station which no longer exists -
even the tracks to and from it are no longer there). A local who knew him at the time said
his duties included sweeping the platform and lighting the gas lamps on them. His
beginning salary in June 1918 (when he was still 16) was $45 a month, which works out
to an annual salary of $540 (assuming paid holidays and sick days).
He was transferred to Agincourt in March 1919 (age 18), still as Assistant Agent, but with
a big hike in pay to $87.50 a month ($1050/year). However, in this year and early in 1920
he was off either on sickness or leave of absence for well over 3 months in total, all with
no pay. He had contracted the dreaded pandemic Spanish flu and returned home to
convalesce. According to Wikipedia: Between 50 and 130 million died of it, making it one
of the deadliest natural disasters in human history. Even using the lower estimate of 50
million people, 3% of the world's population (which was 1.86 billion at the time) died of
the disease. Some 500 million, or 27%, were infected.
Although G.E. went on to Trenton and even back to Sulphide in the next year or so and
learned Morse code to work the telegraph machines as part of his duties, he returned to
Agincourt in 1921, but was soon off to other stations. However, it was at his lodging
house in Agincourt he met Eva Jane Harris who was to become his wife. The wedding
announcement:
York Co., 1923, part 2
25460-23 George Everett MAYNE, 23, telegrapher, Ontario, Havelock, s/o George
63
MAYNE (b. Ont) & Edith GRAY, married Eva Jane HARRIS, 24, Ontario, Agincourt, d/o
William HARRIS (b. England) & Thurza MAJOR, witn: William Garfeld MAYNE of Picton
& Majorie HARRIS of Agincourt, 12 June 1923 at St. Timothys Church, Agincourt
Source: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~maryc/york1923p2.htm
G. E. (and Eva) transferred to Peterborough in 1924, where son Jack and daughter
Gwen were born.
For the five years from 1928 on he was posted to other stations, notably London, where
he had graduated to Ticket Clerk at a salary of $100/month, before being laid off in the
Great Depression in 1933. It is noted while laid off he is available at all times to be called
back. As noted in the cover letter to his CPR employment record, for some of this period
he worked as a salesman for a meat packer named George Fuller in Toronto.
He finally returned to the CPR in December 1939, the year WWII started and continued
with many promotions and transfers. In 1944 he was a despatcher in Toronto at a salary
of $277.43/month ($3330/year), before promotion to Assistant Superintendent Bruce
Division, at which point, CPR Pensions and Staff Records department blanked out any
further salary entries in the copy they provided.
Eva died in 1951. Several years later, in the late 1950s, G. E. married his second wife,
Swea.
G. E. went on to become a Regional Vice President of the Prairie and then Eastern
Regions for the CPR before being pensioned on October 1 1963. Including the lay off
period during the Depression, G. E.'s career with CPR had spanned just over 45 years.
Death notices for Eva (1951) and G. E. Mayne (1975)
64
G. E. Was interred at the Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto with his first wife, Eva.
George Everett Mayne and Eva Jane Harris were married on 12 Jun 1923 in Agincourt,
Ontario, Canada. They had the following children:
53. i. Jack Everett Mayne was born in 1924 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He married
Verlin Evelyn Bruner in 1947 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
Jack Mayne and Verlin Bruner wedding 1947
54. ii. Gwendolyn Thurza Mayne was born in 1927. She married Eben James in 1957 in
65
Eben James and Gwen Mayne wedding 1957
34.Marjorie Irene Harris-6 (Thirza-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born on 03
Sep 1903. She died on 19 Apr 1987 in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada.
Notes for Marjorie Irene Harris: General Notes:

Notice of Death:
`HUESTON, Marjorie Irene - At Port Hope, on Sunday, April 19, 1987, Marjorie Irene
Harris, in her 84th year, beloved wife of the late Alexander Hueston. Loving mother of
Frank and his wife Lois of Port Hope. Dear grandmother of Sandra, James and Scott.
Sister of Dorothy Cuthbertson of Bradford and Christopher Harris of Toronto and the late
Florence, Elizabeth, Eva and Laura. Service at All Saints Anglican Church, Kingsway
(Bloor and Prince Edward), Wednesday, April 22 ... Interment Park Lawn Cemetery.
Friends may call at the Butler Funeral Home, 4933 Dundas Street West, at Islington,
Tuesday ... In Memoriam, gifts to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.``
Alexander Hueston.
Notes for Alexander Hueston:

General Notes:
Worked as a conductor on the CPR.
Alexander Hueston and Marjorie Irene Harris were married on 01 Jan 1927. They had
the following children:
66
55. i. Frank Hueston.
Frank Hueston and Lois Wilson wedding
July 30, 1930 - November 11, 2013
Hueston, Frank Harris Passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Extendicare Nursing
Home, Port Hope on Monday November 11, 2013, Frank Hueston in his 84th year, beloved
husband of Lois Wilson. Loving father of Sandra, Jim (Michelle) and Scott (Jennifer Tanaka).
Also survived by grandchildren Olivia, Naomi, Alec and Anderson (AJ). Friends will be received at
the Allison Funeral Home, 103 Mill Street North, Port Hope, Wednesday 7-9 pm and Thursday
from 10 am until time of Funeral Service at 11 am at St. John’s Anglican Church, 33 Pine Street
North, Port Hope. Entombment, Port Hope Union Cemetery, Columbarium Thursday 2:30 pm.
Ontario Lodge #26 A.F. & A.M. and visiting brethren Masonic Service at the Funeral Home,
Wednesday 6:30 pm. If desired, memorial contributions may be made by cheque to St. John’s
Anglican Church or C.N.I.B. www.allisonfuneralhome.com
35.Christopher Harris-6 (Thirza-5, John-4, Richard-3, David-2, Thomas-1) was born on 25

Dec 1908.
Vera McMurray.
Christopher Harris and Vera McMurray married. They had the following children:
i. Paul Harris.
67
Appendix on William Major (born ca. 1811) - Coach Robbery and Trial
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
Appendix on Harriet Major
76
77
78
79
Appendix: News reports on Death of John ‘Jack’ Major
80
Appendix on Leslie Major
News Articles
Below from the Devon Birds’ 70 Anniversary edition magazine, 1998
81
82
83
84
A copy of West Country Poems and others with a new introduction can be seen online at
http://www.scribd.com/doc/110646147/West-Country-Poems-and-Others-by-Lachlan-Leslie-Major.
85
“L. Major of Polapit north of Launceston was a keen collector of daffodils at about the same time [1949 – 1972]. He
raised and exhibited a few seedlings and registered two of them.”
Daffodils from Cornwall by F.W. Shepherd and R.A. Scamp, p. 100
American Daffodil Society Journal, Dec. 1987
In the Royal Horticultural Society’s International Daffodil Register,

L. Major is shown as originator and registrant for two daffodils; Goonhilly and Telstar.
- Goonhilly, registered in 1962 is a Division 2 daffodil and is described as “Perianth segments pure white; corona deep
saffron yellow, with a paler tone at rim. Resembles a stronger `Blarney's Daughter'”
- Telstar, also registered in 1962 is a Division 1 daffodil and described as “Fl. milk white, of strong and almost waxy
substance. Mid-season. Resembles `Trousseau'”
L. Major also registered 7 other daffodils, of which G.L.Wilson was the originator. (Guy L Wilson -1885-1962 - was a
famous daffodil breeder based in County Antrim.)
Photos of Goonhilly and Telstar not readily available, but the ones they resemble can be seen below.
Blarney’s Daughter:
Trousseau:
86

Major Family of Chulmleigh, Devon, and Agincourt, Ontario

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Major Family of Chulmleigh, Devon, and Agincourt, Ontario

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MAJOR FAMILY

Additions and Amendments:

Additions and Amendments: ....................................................................................................... 2

Thomas Major Family of Chulmleigh .......................................................................................... 3

Chulmleigh from Hoskin’s Devon, 1972 ..................................................................................... 9

Generation 2 – Beginning with Mary Major born 1771 ........................................................... 11

Generation 3 – Beginning with William Major – born about 1811 ........................................ 15

Generation 4 – Beginning with John Major born 1834........................................................... 19

Generation 5 – Beginning with William Major born 1858 ...................................................... 23

Generation 6 – Beginning with Northam ‘Dodd’ Major born 1897 ....................................... 57

Appendix on Harriet Major ......................................................................................................... 76

Appendix: News reports on Death of John ‘Jack’ Major ....................................................... 80

Appendix on Leslie Major ........................................................................................................... 81

Notes for Thomas Major: General Notes:

Notes for Grace Dunn:

2. i. Mary Major was born in 1771 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.

ii. Thomas Major was born in 1773.

Notes for Thomas Major: General Notes:

iv. Grace Major was born in 1776.

Notes for Grace Major: General Notes:

v. William Major was born in 1778. He died in 1782.

Notes for William Major: General Notes:

vii. William Major was born in 1783.

Notes for William Major: General Notes:

viii. Grace Major was born in 1784. She died in 1784.

Notes for Grace Major: General Notes:

ix. Daniel Major was born in 1786.

Notes for Daniel Major: General Notes:

xi. Grace Major was born in 1792.

Chulmleigh from Hoskin’s Devon, 1972

2. Mary Major-2 (Thomas-1) was born in 1771 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.

Notes for Mary Major: General Notes:

i. Elizabeth Major was born in 1793.

Notes for Elizabeth Major: General Notes:

Notes for Mary Brookland:

Notes for John Major: General Notes:

6. ii. William Major. He married Harriet ? in Parish church of Stoke Damerel.

7. iii. Thomas Major.

Notes for David Major: General Notes:

Mary Ann Cawsey.

Notes for Mary Ann Cawsey:

8. i. Richard Major. He died on 04 Jan 1884 in Chulmleigh, Devon, England.

ii. David Major.

Notes for David Major: General Notes:

5. Richard Major-2 (Thomas-1) was born in 1788.

Notes for Richard Major: General Notes:

Buried 9 March 1834, aged about 45.

Notes for Ann Hill:

Notes for Grace Major: General Notes:

iii. Richard Major was born in 1820.

Notes for Richard Major: General Notes:

iv. George Major was born in 1824. He died in 1834.

Notes for George Major: General Notes:

v. Phillip Hill Major was born in 1826.

Notes for William Major: General Notes:

Notes for Harriet ?: General Notes:

i. William Major was born in 1832.

Notes for William Major: General Notes:

Moved from workhouse in Exeter when his mother died in 1843.

ii. Thomas Major.

7. Thomas Major-3 (John-2, Thomas-1).

Notes for Thomas Major: General Notes:

i. John Major was born in 1826.

ii. Harriet Major was born in 1827.