Matilda Bonnar and David Ross, New Brunswick Canada

As I begin to describe what I know about the siblings of great grandfather Thomas Bonner, I will start with his sister, Matilda Bonnar. Matilda was born in Ireland or perhaps on the voyage from Ireland to New Brunswick. The record from the New Brunswick Genealogical Society's First Families, indicates she was born in 1835. It also indicates that her parents, James and Margaret Bonner arrived in New Brunswick in 1835. Other records where her birth is recorded, such as census records, show her born in 1834 in Ireland and one record indicated Scotland. I have found nothing to suggest she was not born in Ireland or Scotland.

On September 19, 1854, Matilda Bonnar married David C. Ross in New Brunswick. David was born in 1836 in Scotland as indicated on his census records. After their marriage, Matilda and David remained in New Brunswick until about 1865. They appear on the 1861 New Brunswick Census. Three of their children, William, Edward and Margaret Ross, were born in New Brunswick. After leaving New Brunswick, they moved to Nova Scotia where their next four children were born. On the web site of Nova Scotia Vital Records, I found birth records for two of their children. George Henry Ross was born November 17, 1867 in Kemptown, Colchester County, NS. Then on September 7, 1869 a daughter, Matilda Ross was born in Kemptown. I found no birth records for the next two daughters, Ann and Alma Ross, who both appear on future census as having been born in Nova Scotia. The last child for whom I found a birth record was Charles G. Ross who was born August 11, 1874 in Portland, Maine.

On the 1880 Portland, Maine census David and Matilda are living on Clark Street with their children: Edward, Margaret, George, Ann, Alma, and Charles. William, who was born in 1858, may have remained in Nova Scotia and Matilda who was born in 1869 may have died as a young girl. David's occupation is working in a carriage factory.

In 1900 David and Matilda and two children are living in Chelsea, MA. The two children are Mary A. (Ann) age 23 and Charles age 20. The dates don't quite seem to fit the two children. They are living on Ellsworth Street and David is a wheelwright. I have not been able to find a 1910 census for any of the Ross family. However, I came across a 1912 Directory of Chelsea MA that listed "Matilda Ross, widow of David" and also listed Charles G. Ross. Both Matilda and Charles were living at 59 Blossom Street in Chelsea, MA. The Blossom Street address is consistent with Thomas Bonner's Pension File as recorded in 1904 by the examiner who went to Chelsea to interview Matilda Ross. The examiner listed her address as 58 Blossom Street.

Two other official records that I located were for Charles G. Ross. The first one was his World War I Draft Registration in 1917. His name is listed as Charles Grom Ross and his date of birth is August 11, 1874. He lists his next of kin as Mrs. O'Brien, which seemed interesting. Then on the 1920 census in Suffolk, MA, Charles Ross age 45 is a boarder in the home of Mary O'Brien, age 40. Mary was born in Ireland. I tried searching for Mary O'Brien on prior census records and found hundreds of Mary's, all born in Ireland. The 1920 census for Charles Ross is the last record I have been able to locate for any of this Ross family.

The interview of Matilda Ross that was conducted in 1904 by a US Pension Examiner showed a straight forward, clear spoken woman. The examiner asked her many questions about Thomas and his past. Matilda was 11 years older than Thomas. She clearly stated that Thomas ran away from home in 1862 and enlisted in the US Army. She said he was a "wild kind of guy". She told the examiner that she did not see him when he was discharged from the Army in 1865 because she was living in Nova Scotia. She learned about Thomas' whereabouts from her brother Edward Bonnar who lived in Danforth, ME. He gave her Thomas' address in Texas and she wrote him. Edward also told her that Thomas married in 1867 to Georgianna Phillips in Augusta ME. He said Georgianna died in 1868 and never joined Thomas in Texas. Matilda told the examiner that after she wrote to Thomas, he came to visit her around 1900 and he stayed for two weeks. She said Thomas told her he was living in Louisiana and had a wife and small children, but she didn't know any more than that. She also said Thomas had never been in touch with any of his family in New Brunswick, and according to brother Edward he had inquired twice over the years about the welfare of his mother. She had learned about the death of Thomas because his wife Edna Bonner had written to her after he died in 1903. Matilda said that Edna told her she was very poor and had 5 small children. Edna asked Matilda if she could help her. Matilda told her she could not help her.

I will continue to look for more information about the family of Matilda Bonnar and David Ross. I have probably not looked in all the right places for Massachusetts information.