John Robert Uttley -- 1860-1950

John Robert Uttley was born in Elmira, Ontario on May 18, 1860. He was the second of seven children and the second son of Nathan and Lucinda (nee Randall).

The date comes from several sources. The Births page of the Family Bible reads "John Robert Uttley may the 18 1860", the 1901 Census gives the same date, as does his obituary.

Census Records

The Census of 1861 lists John R. Otley, age 1 in Woolwich Township of Canada West. In the 1871 Census John Otley is still there although now it is called Ontario and in the 1881 Census J. Robert Uttley has the occupation of Fireman at age 21.

Marriage Record

John Robert marries in 1888. The Ontario Marriage Archive for 1882 (microfilm 1882 #011656) shows:

   His name:     John Uttley
   Age:          22
   Residence:    Elmira, Ont
   Born:         Elmira
                 Bachelor
   Parents:      Nathan Uttley, mother dead
   Her name:     Catherine Birmingham
   Age:          21
   Residence:    Elmira
   Born:         Wellesley Twp
                 Spinster
   Parents:      Wm. Birmingham, Caroline Sauburn [no typo - Sauburn]
   Witness:      Robert & Sarah Cook of Elmira Ont
   Date:         20 April 1882, Elmira Ont
   Groom:        Presbyterian
   Bride:        Roman Catholic
   By:           Rev. A. R. Schalz

• Sarah Cook, the witness, was John's younger sister Sarah Ann Uttley
• The marriage took place at St. James Evangelical Lutheran church in Elmira. It is unlikely that the bride, a Roman Catholic from Wellesley, would have had connections with this church. The Uttleys were not members of this church, so why was this wedding held there?
• John's stepmother, Mary Ann, was listed as Mary A. Birmingham, daughter of William and Caroline Birmingham in the 1851 census and both Mary A. and Catherine are listed in the 1871 census. That makes Mary Ann the sister and the stepmother-in-law of Catherine.

His wife Catherine Elizabeth dies in 1899 at age 39.

1901 Census Records

The 1901 Census lists John Robert with a housekeeper (Martha J. Gooding) and seven children:

The Vernon Directory For Berlin and Waterloo

The 1901-1903 Vernon Directory for Berlin and Waterloo lists John Uttley as a householder on Weber [Street] working at the Woolen Mills [in Waterloo]. His son Wellington also works at the Woolen Mills and lives on Weber.

The 1907-1908 directory has John R. Uttley as a fireman who lives on King [Street] in Waterloo.

The 1908-1909 Vernon's Directory does not contain any members from this family. But his sons do reappear:

• Robert Gordon
  • boiler maker in Toronto, from his marriage to Alvens Mathilda Schultz on Feb 25, 1907 in Berlin.
  • [now just Gordon] - boilermaker, Canadian Blower and Forge, householder 91 St. George, [Kitchener] 1921 Vernon Directory.
• Russell
  • boiler maker in Waterloo, from his marriage record to Ida Meyers (Nov 29, 1909, New Hamburg).
  • teamster, householder at 24 Courtland Ave [Berlin] in the 1911-1912 Vernon Directory.
  • works at J.M. Schneider (meatpackers), householder 425 Mill, [Kitchener] in 1921 Vernon Directory.
• Wellington
  • farmer in Crosshill when he marries Caroline Mary Playford on Oct 25, 1911 in Crosshill
• William
  • There is no record in Vernon's Directory, so presumably he went to Copper Cliff and was still there when his father died.

John Robert Uttley left Waterloo County for Copper Cliff, near Sudbury in Northern Ontario.

Death Records

John Robert Uttley died Nov 7, 1950. The death notice in the K-W Record on Wednesday November 8, 1950, page 5, read:

UTTLEY, John R., Copper Cliff,
Ont., at Fesserton, Ont., Nov. 7,
90 years.

and this is the obituary from the same page:

John R. Uttley, 90, Copper Cliff,Ont., died at the home of his granddaughter, Mrs. R. N. Tucker at Fesserton, Ont., yesterday following a three-month illness.

He was born in Waterloo Township May 18, 1860, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Uttley. He married Catherine Birmingham, who predeceased him 51 years ago.

He is survived by four sons, Wellington, Flint, Mich.; William, Copper Cliff; Gordon and Russell, Kitchener; two daughters, Mrs. Henry (Mary) Bassett, Coniston,Ont.; Mrs. Cecil (Hilda) Bone, Port Hope; two brothers, A. S. and Jonathan, Kitchener, and two sisters, Miss Dianne Uttley, Kitchener, and Mrs. Isabella Hohner, Stratford.

The funeral will be held Friday at 2 p.m. from the Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home. Rev. Derwyn Jones will conduct the services.

Interment will take place at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Waterloo. The body is resting at the funeral home.

Notes

• Does anybody know where Fesserton is? I've not heard of it in Waterloo County and it is not near Copper Cliff on my Ontario roadmap.
• John was not born in Waterloo Township, but in Elmira by his marriage record which is in Woolwich Township, Waterloo County.
• The four siblings mentioned concur with our known facts. It is interesting that there was no distinction among the first family, a stepchild in the second family and the second family.

Cemetery Records

From information at the Waterloo section of Mt. Hope Cemetery, Mr. John R. Uttley, P.O. Box 180, Copper Cliff, Ontario is still the owner of record for lot number 497 in the "Old Section". His wife Catherine Birmingham is buried in the first plot, Nathan R. Uttley in the second, an 'Unknown' next and John Uttley is buried in the fourth with an interment date of Nov 10, 1950. So John Robert is buried near his wife without a marker.

It also would seem likely that the 'Unknown' in the third plot is his daughter Harriet (born Nov 22 1891, named Harriett) as she is the only child listed in the 1901 Census that the obituary does not mention.

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Copyright © 1998 Dorothy Gwynn
Most recent revision June 19, 1998