Bain / Thornton Genealogy

Eleanor May Thornton was born August 13, 1904 in Toronto Ontario. She was the daughter of Walter Thornton and Elizabeth Tye. On April 21,1925 she married John (Jack) Bai n The couple had seven children.  Frances, John, James, Robert, David and Jacqueline. The couple had a daughter in 1925 named May who died in infancy.  Jack Bain and May Thornton Bain 1962

We recently had a family get-together for my grandmother's (Frances Bain) birthday. It turned into a bit of a Bain reunion :)

June 26th Update : I have started a page for photos and documents relating to the homes our families have lived in. I have started an interactive map of where our ancestor's have lived over the years in Toronto. This is what I have so far below. I am hoping to find some photos of some of these places in Toronto archives to add to the map but if anyone has any pics of home in Toronto I would love a copy. This map will update automatically as I add to it so save the link to this post.

I have yet to find an "official" document confirming the death of Charles Tye. He shows up in the 1885 Toronto directory but not 1886. In the 1886 publication  The Dominion Annual Register and Review there is a reference to a bricklayer named Charles Tye being killed by a train in Oct 1885. This afternoon I was browsing old Toronto newspapers for an unrelated project and came across an Oct 12, 1885. issue of The Toronto World.( a newspaper that ran from 1880-1920). On the very first page I found a news story that I think is Charles. Charles wife Julia Higgs remarried in 1886 and was listed as a widow so I am quite sure these stories refer to our Charles Tye. 

Robert Martin Thornton was born on Aug 10,1850 in Dundee, Scotland ( Could be  Monifieth, Angus, Scotland) The son of Peter Simpson Thornton and Mary Swaddell. He had eleven siblings, John Swaddel, Lydia, David, William, Peter Simpson, James Easson, Etthal Aison (Easson), Peter, Mary Jane, Samuel, and Janet Eason "Jessie". He arrived in Canada about 1857 He married Ellen ( Helen ) Smith,daughter of Richard Smith and Grace Smith, Feb 20,1871 in York, York, Ontario, Canada. Robert Martin Thornton and Ellen ( Helen ) Smith had the following children: Walter Scott Thornton was born on 15 Jan 1878 in Ontario.   Peter Thornton was born on 02 Jan 1872 in Ontario Grace Thornton was born on 29 Jul 1874 in Toronto,   David Thornton was born in Dec 1879 in Toronto Ontario (about). I believe Ellen died in early 1880. Iam trying to confirm if she died during childbirth or shortly after. Robert married Phoebe Edwards about 1880 in Toronto.  ...

 George John Bain was born Feb 29,1876. I have been unsuccessful so far in finding his birth record. I was unsure of where he was born until recently. I was told many things. The first version I was told about 20 years ago is that he came to Canada as a toddler from Ireland, landed in Griffintown (Montreal)  *Griffintown was the name given to the SW part of downtown Montreal. From the 1820s to 1960's it was mainly populated by Irish immigrants and their descendants. Fun fact. Also known as "The Griff, The area is said to be haunted. More info here. One early census had him registered as being born in Ontario, his marriage record said Quebec. I always thought he might have been born on the ship? The 1921 census says he was born in Quebec and seeing that is the most recent official document, I am going with Quebec.  I am currently search Griffintown birth records but they are not easy to read. I have yet to find any info on his parents. The 1921 census says his fat...