Matilda Bonner and David Ross-Part II

I will continue with information about the children of Matilda Bonner and David Ross.
Isabella J. Ross was born in 1860 in New Brunswick.  She appears on the 1861 New Brunswick census and on the 1871 Nova Scotia census.  Beyond the two census records, I have found nothing more about Isabella.

The next child of Matilda and David Ross is Margaret Ross who was born in 1864 in New Brunswick.  Margaret appears on the 1871 Nova Scotia census and on the 1880 Portland ME census.  Maggie Ross is noted to be the daughter of Matilda and David Ross on the 1889 marriage record in Chelsea MA.  Maggie married Charles T. Clark on 23 Nov 1889.  His full name was Charles Tupper Clark.  He was born in 1865 and was the son of Arthur W. Clark and Sarah.  Maggie Ross and Charles Clark had three children that I have identified.  Nellie Clark was born 17 Aug 1890, Charles Arthur Clark was born 26 Feb 1893 and Baby Girl Clark was born 25 Dec 1898.


In 1865 twin boys Albert and Alfred Ross were born in Nova Scotia.  Their birth record indicates clearly that they were twins.  Albert appears on the 1871 Nova Scotia census, but there is no listing for Alfred.  I have found nothing more for Albert Ross except that 1871 census.  I did locate a death record for Alfred Ross.  I wonder if the name on the 1871 census should have been Alfred rather than Albert.  Alfred Ross died 25 Feb 1903 in Boston.  Cause of death was a skull fracture acquired after falling down stairs.  He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett MA.  That is the same cemetery where James T. Ross is buried.

George H. Ross was born in 1874 in Maine.  He appears on the 1880 census in Portland ME.  George married Margaret Finlayson on 22 Sept 1890 in Massachusetts.  Margaret was born in 1872 and the daughter of John Finlayson and Adaline Cothran.  The marriage record indicates that George was a machinist.  I identified two children of George and Margaret Ross.  Adeline M. Ross was born 20 Nov 1893 and Madge G. Ross was born in December 1896 in Everett MA.  Sadly, George died on 17 Dec 1898.  He committed suicide with a pistol.  George is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett MA.  His wife Margaret appears on the 1900 and 1910 census in Boston living with her mother Adaline and her young daughter Maggie Ross. In 1920 and 1930 Margaret and Madge are living with Margaret's brother Richard Finlayson.  Margaret is noted to be widowed.  The child, Adeline M. Ross does not appear on these census. On the 1930 censes, Madge G. Ross is noted to be a teacher.  I came across a list of graduates of the Boston State Teachers College in 1938.  In that list Madge G. Ross was awarded a Masters Degree in Education.  A Massachusetts Death record shows that Madge died 20 Sept 1988.

Throughout my review of census records I have been confused by the children Ann and Alma.  On the 1880 Portland ME census, what is transcribed as Ann Ross appears to be Ada when you look at the original document.  She would be Ada M. Ross born in 1872.  The Mary A. Ross who appears on the 1900 census in Chelsea MA is Alma. who was born in  1877 or 1879.  By tracing Mary A. Ross' marriage records, I found her known as Alma Ross on the record of one of her children.

Ada M. Ross who was born in 1872 married John B. Austin on 11 Sept 1894 in Boston.  She was 22 years old.  They had 7 children:  Ethel M. Austin born in 1895, Albert Frederick Austin born in 1900, John A. Austin born in 1901, George Irving Austin born in 1903, unnamed Austin born in 1905, Francis Dale Austin born in 1906 and Frank D. Austin born in 1907.  Frank Austin died 19 Aug 1907.  Young John A. Austin died 10 Nov 1908.  His death record indicates that he fell from a street car.

Ada M. Ross Austin died 04 April 1912.  The cause of death was Phthisis Pulmonales, which in today's terms was tuberculosis.  She was only 36 years old and left five children and her husband John.  Ada is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, MA.

Mary A. Ross is also known as Alma Ross was born in either 1877 or 1879 in Maine.  Alma married John W. Arnault on 03 Jan 1902 in Boston.  They had three children: Ella Mary Arnault born in 1905, Lottie E. Arnault who was born and died in 1908, and Alma Arnault who was born in 1912.  Mary A. Ross' name appears as Amy on the 1910 and 1920 census and it appears as Amy Alma Ross on Ella's birth record in 1905.

Charles G. Ross was born in 1875 in Maine.  He appears on the 1880 and 1900 census in the family home.  In a 1912 Directory of Chelsea MA he is named as is Matilda Ross.  Matilda was noted to be the widow of David.  On his 1917 draft record, Charles indicates that Mary O'Brien would know his whereabouts.  In 1920, Charles is a boarder of Ms. O'Brien's.

I did find a death record for David C. Ross which indicated he died in 1908 of "old age" and was buried
at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett MA.  I do not have a death date for Matilda.  On several records, including the Pension File of Matilda's brother, Thomas Henry Bonner, it was indicated that the family lived at 58 Blossom Street, Chelsea MA.  I was able to find a current photo of 58 Blossom St and a description. It was built in 1900, was a duplex with a total of both sides that included 10 rooms, 6 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  Here is a current photo of 58 Blossom St.

As you can see this home has been well kept all these many years.  All of the Ross family is gone, but their home remains.  This will end my discussion of the family of Matilda Bonner and David Ross.  If anyone who might read this has any additional information, please contact me.

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.