The Hayward family of Eastwood, Ontario and their origins in Essex County, England

Origins of the Hayward family in Essex County, England

Charles Hayward is the earliest identified ancestor of the Hayward family of Great Bardfield and the ancestor of the Haywards of Oxford county, Ontario, Canada. He and his children and grandchildren are all well documented in the church records of Great Bardfield, Essex and the surrounding area. Charles Hayward also left a detailed will allowing corroborating evidence that the baptism records are indeed indication of one family. Charles' own baptism record has not been found in Great Bardfield and it is believed he came to this community sometime around 1781, when his second child Ann is baptized. Church records in Great Bardfield suggest that Charles came from outside the area, since there is a gap of around 80 years between the last Hayward family record and the baptism of Charles' children. George and Isaac Hayward (also found as Harwood) baptized their children in Great Bardfield between 1672 and 1695. George was buried in 1701 and Isaac in 1705, leaving no obvious connection to Charles.

Charles Hayward was born around 1741; his burial record in 1818 lists him as age seventy-seven. He is believed to be the same man who married Ann Stubbings on the 16th of November 1775 in Hempsted, Essex, since a Thomas Stubbing Sr. and Elizabeth Stubbings sign as witnesses to Charles Hayward's will. Charles' will, listing his children and stating his place of residency as Great Bardfield. Ann, also found as Mary, is believed to be the child of Robert and Ann (Pumfreet) Stubbings who is baptized in 1754 in Hempsted, Essex. The child's name on the baptism records is difficult to read; however, the identification of Ann is made based on both location and the appearance of a "Thomas" in both the Robert Stubbings family and as a witness to Charles Hayward's will. Robert Stubbings and Ann Pumfreet were married on the 03rd of October 1734 at Hempsted. By evidence of the parish register, Robert and Ann Stubbings had issue: Robert (baptized 11 Apr 1736); Thomas (baptized 26 Nov 1738); Mary (baptized 07 Aug 1743); Samuel (baptized 29 Sep 1751) & Ann (baptized 1754). It is believed that there is no will for Robert Stubbings.

Church records show that Charles died in 1818 and was buried in Great Bardfield on the 12th of October 1818. His will was proved on the 07th of January 1819 by the oaths of his sons Theophilus and Thomas Hayward. Charles' will provides information on his wealth holdings. He left to his four surviving sons, each Ł100 and mentions 100 acres in Little (Bardfield) Saling and Stebbing, which are villages just south-east of Great Bardfield. The will also mentions a cottage in Great Bardfield which had been sub-divided into two tenements. The will notes that his son Theophius resides on the family farm and orders that the cottage and the farm be sold and divided equally among all his children. Theophilus' will does not name a widow, indicating that Ann died before 1818. Church burial records in Great Bardfield show that Ann was buried on the 28th of March 1805. By evidence of his will and baptism records in Great Bardfield the following children have been identified for Charles: Ester Hayward (married 1st Joseph Smith in 1796, 2nd Theophilus Rivers in 1812); Ann Hayward (baptized 1781; Gt. Bardfield; died by 1818); Theophilus Hayward (c1783-1867, married Mary Ann Thorp, emigrated to Ontario, Canada); Elizabeth Hayward (married William Willet in 1823); Thomas Hayward (baptized 1786, Gt. Bardfield); Charles Hayward (baptized 1789, Gt. Bardfield); William Hayward (c1791-1874, married Emily Rider, emigrated to Ontario, Canada); Mary Ann Hayward (baptized 1793, married Benjamin Rider in 1813, may have emigrated to Canada).

CLICK HERE FOR FAMILY GROUP SHEET. Theophilus Hayward William Hayward John Hayward Ambrose Hayward

Theophilus Hayward

Church records in Little (Bardfield) Saling indicate that Theophilus is the ancestor to several of the Haywards in Oxford county, Ontario, Canada and son of Charles & Ann (Stubbings) Hayward. There does not seem to be any real family oral history on Theophilus or his arrival in America, as there is among the descendants of his brother William.

Baptism record for children of Theophilus and his wife are found in Greater Bardfield. However, no marriage record is found for Theophilus in Essex. Since it was traditional for the wedding to be held in the bride's home parish the IGI was searched for an 1811 marriage for Theophilus, which located his marriage to Mary Ann Thorp the town of Chesterton, Cambridge. Presumably Theophilus brought his bride to Greater Bardfield where he either farmed with his father or rented land. With baptisms for children in 1812 and 1814 the Essex records end for Theophilus. Turning again to the IGI, a Theophilus Hayward is found in Croydon Cum Clayton in Cambridgeshire between 1820 and 1826 having baptized five children. These children later turn up in Ontario, Canada helping to link Theophilus to these various places. It does appear highly likely that Theophilus Hayward was born in Great Bardfield, married in Chesterton, lived for a time in the Great Bardfield area and later settling in the Cambridgeshire village of Croyton Cum Clayton before emigration to Canada where he died in Woodstock.

In Great Bardfield, Essex there is a baptism for a Theophilus Hayward on the 04th of May 1783, naming him as the child of Charles and Mary Hayward. Theophilus Hayward wedded Mary Ann Thorp on the 01st of August 1811. The original marriage record confirms Theophilus' identity by listing him as "of Great Bardfield, Essex."

Mary Ann Thorp's ancestry has been less easily traced. A search of the IGI does not provide a baptism record for Mary Ann Thorp in Chesterton and preliminary searches conducted by Dr. Joanna Martin, a local historian, could not find a likely candidate among the Cambridge baptism records for Mary Ann, since Thorpe is such a common name. The best clue found for Mary Ann is in her marriage record, which is witnessed by William Thorp. On the 28th of August of 1811 at St. Benedict's Church in Cambridgeshire; a William Thorp and Elizabeth Willows were married, suggesting he may be a closes kin of Mary Ann's perhaps her brother. Research into Thorpe baptism records indicates several families in the Cambridgeshire area, but no definitive conclusion can be made at this time as to Mary Ann's family.

Three baptisms for Theophilus' children are found in the Great Bardfield area, first Charles in Great Bardfield and then Anna Maria and John in Bardfield Saling a nearby village. Again the IGI assists in locating Theophilus' movement with the listing of five children of Theophilus and Mary Ann Hayward being baptized the in the town of Croyton Cum Clayton in Cambridgeshire. The actual baptism records place Thephilus' residency in Croydon Wilds and records him as a farmer.

Canadian Census records list Theophilus in 1851. Unfortunately, the census lists him only as "Theophilus" and only the next person in the household is listed as "M.A. Hayward", which is the only indication that Theophilus' surname is actually Hayward. Neighboring him is John Hayward, Theophilus' son, which helps further identify Theophilus in this census record. Though Theophilus died in 1867, he has not yet been located on the 1861 Census.

Anglican records in Ontario name Theophilus Hayward age 84 as a resident of Woodstock in 1867; the record notes he was buried on the 18th of January of that same year [re: Burial Entries Parish Register 109 1855-1907]. An age of 84, Theophilus' birth is placed in 1783, which matches the year of baptism for the son of Charles Hayward of Great Bardfield. The fate of Mary Ann Thorp is unknown.

From various Oxford, Ontario records the following children have been pieced together as a potential list of children for Theophilus Hayward.

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William Hayward

William is the son of Charles and Ann (Stubbings) Hayward of Great Bardfield, Essex, England. He is well established as the patriarch of the Hayward family in Eastwood, Ontario where he is remembered and often mis-identified as the father of his nephew John Hayward who married his daughter Mary Ann Hayward. William married Emily Ryder. In Essex county, we find their marriage recorded in Saffron Walden dated the 31 March 1820. William Hayward is listed "of Greater Bardfield" and Emily is a resident of Saffron Walden. In Saffron Walden, there is a baptism for Emily Ryder, daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Chapman) Rider dated 1799 in Saffron Walden [re: D/P192/1/6]. Thomas Rider of Saffron Walden and Hannah Chapman of Hadstock were married on the 10 July 1777 at St. Botolph's Church in Hadstock [re: D/P 17/1/4]. They were married by D. Longmire, minister and witnessed by William Wright and Mary Swan. There were other Rider-Hayward marriages when Emily's brother Benjamin took for his second wife William's sister. The 1906 Beer's & Co.'s publication contains a biographical sketch of Joseph Hayward, son of William & Emily (Rider) Hayward in their book, "The Biographical Record of Early Settlers (County of Lambton)". This biographical sketch provides the only known published history of the William Hayward family and is transcribed here in full due to its detail in the family's history. Though in general it is probably correct, the identification of the year of emigration as 1837 appears to b wrong, since William's daughter is baptized in Greater Bardfield in 1839, but no doubt William emigrated soon after the birth of this child and earlier emigration may have occurred with other Haywards that William may have followed:

In order to better his [William Hayward] condition and to provide a brighter future for the family of children growing up around him, Mr. Hayward resolved to seek new opportunities across the Atlantic under the same flag beneath which he was born and always desired to live.
In 1837, with his wife and children, he took passage in a sailing vessel for New York and reached the port after 10 weeks and 3 days on the water. From that great city they ;made their way up the Hudson River to Albany, thence to Buffalo by way of the canal, and then, after crossing Lake Erie, reached the Dominion of Canada.
Mr. Hayward located on a tract of 160 acres of land in East Oxford Township, County of Oxford, and with the help of his growing sons, succeeded in clearing this land and placing it under cultivation. Later, he kept a kind of Inn or Half-way House and thus added to his income. He lived to the age of eighty years and died on his own farm and was laid to rest in the little cemetery at Eastwood. His wife also lived to be eighty years, and she was buried in the same place.
They were members of the Church of England. Although a strong Conservative in his political views, Mr. Hayward never wanted office. He was a man known for his blunt honesty.

William is found on the 1851, 1861 and 1871 Census records of Oxford, Ontario and appears to have lived in East Oxford township. His farm is identified today as bordering south of Highway 2, which divides the Blandford and East Oxford townships, just east of Eastwood. In 1851, William Hayward was living in a log house in Blandford [re: 1851-2 Census, pg. 41]. By 1861, the family had built a brick house and included in their household is Jane Frazer and her son Philip, Jane's husband had gone West to California. The 1871 Census is interesting, since originally his occupation was put down as 'gentleman', but the surviving text shows this crossed out.

Emily, his wife, is named as widow in the St. John's Parish records by 1874. Both William and Emily are buried at St. John's in the Church cemetery and though their tombstones survive, they are in very poor condition and difficult to read. No death certificate or obituary has been found for either William or Emily to clearly establish the date of death or to corroborate their birth dates, as suggested by Essex County, England baptism records. There is a letter written by William's granddaughter, Ester Smith Washburn, to her half-brother Henry Balls, which list the birth and death dates for Emily and William [re: 1995 interview, Marvin Balls, Eastwood, Ont]. These dates may be from a Bible, but are more likely to have been taken from the tombs at a time when they were legible. Today, Emily's tomb appears to read that she died at age 84 or 88, placing her birth between 1796 and 1799. Nadine Schueler transcribes the stone as, "Emily died ... March 9 188 ... Age ... 8[4/8] yrs, 11 mons, 21 days." From Ester Smith Washburn's letter she writes that Emily Ryder Hayward was born March 17, 1799 and died March 9, 1884 [re: interview Dec 1995, Melvin Balls]. The later would have made Emily 84 years old 11 months and eight days old. Fortunately, there is a third source for Emily's death date and that is the Anglican Parish Register which confirms the Washburn letter with the note that Mrs. William Hayward age 84 was buried on the 11th of March 1884 and died the 09th of March [re: Register 103 1874-1906].

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John & Mary Ann (Hayward) Hayward

John and Mary Ann (Hayward) Hayward are cousins, born in Essex County, England their families probably emigrated together and at lease settled together in the Eastwood community of Oxford county, Ontario. John and Mary Ann raised a large family in Eastwood and though some oral history remains among the remaining families of the area there has been little formal work done as far as tracing and recording the family's genealogy.

Oral family history tells us that John arrived in Eastwood in the late 1830s from England, the place of his birth. There are no traditions to where in England he was born. His parentage is often confused among his descendants, placing him as the eldest child of William and Emily (Ryder) Hayward; however, Essex County records have proved this to be untrue and establish William Haywards as John's uncle and father-in-law. John is the son of Theophilus and Mary Ann (Thorp) Hayward who are enumerated in the 1851 Census in the household adjoining John's in Oxford, Ontario. The baptism registry in Great Bardfield, Essex, England records John son of Theophilus Hayward born April 23rd and baptized the 22nd of August 1816.

Local Hayward families believe the first Hayward arrived in Canada, as a foreman for Admiral Henry Vansittart, an early landowner originally from Ireland, who was developed the township of Eastwood and Woodstock [re: Hayward, William, interview]. This has not been substantiated. Instead it is believed that the Haywards came a little later than the Vansittart family and though they were neighbors, the relationship between the families is unknown.

Mary Anne Hayward is the eldest child of William and Emily (Ryder) Hayward; emigrants from Essex, England. Mary Ann is often found in records as "Hannah", which was also the name of her maternal grandmother. Her baptism in Great Bardfield, Essex lists her name as "Mary Anna". From family oral history, it is said that William Hayward is said to have come to Ontario through the port of New York about 1834. However baptism records in Great Bardfield, Essex suggest a slightly later date, since William's daughter Jane was baptized on the 31st of January 1836. The Haywards were in Ontario by 1839 when there twin sons were born in Eastwood and baptized at St. John's Anglican Church. All the information relating to the early Hayward arrival and origins comes from the sketch of Joseph Hayward, a son of William and Emily, as recorded in the J.H. Beers & Co's County of Lambton Biographical Record of Early Settlers (1906). A similar story of origins in Essex is also found in the obituary of Mary Anne's brother Alfred. According to strong family oral history John Hayward married a first cousin, Mary Anne "Hannah" Hayward. This tradition appears to be confirmed by the records found in Great Bardfield, Essex. The will of Charles Hayward mentions his two sons Theophilus and William; the fathers of John and Mary Ann. The marriage certificate of John Hayward and Mary Ann Hayward dates their wedding to the 10th of February of 1841; both are listed as residents of Blandford [re: marriage record & Herbert Batho (interview 1994)]. The marriage was performed at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Woodstock

John and Mary Hayward are buried at St. John's Anglican Church in Eastwood, along with many of their children, Mary Ann's siblings and Mary Ann's parents. Mary Ann's death is marked by an obituary found among an index of obituaries of the local papers, but a copy of the actual obituary has not yet been located. St. John's cemetery provides the vital statistics for John, Mary Anne, and many of their children; most of these dates are confirmed by the Hayward family Bible, which is now owned by Keith Hayward of Embro, Ontario. This Bible appears to have belonged to John A. Hayward, son of John Sr., who married Jemima Gibson. In this Bible are the recorded dates of the births of Mary & John Hayward's children, which appears to be a copy of the original Bible entries, since the handwriting is all the same and was probably copied down all at once from the older original family Bible. John died on the 16th of May 1896. In addition to John's tombstone there exists a death certificate, filled out by Alfred Hayward which corroborates the information found on John's tombstone. The certificate also states the cause of death, as heart disease [re: certificate # 014968]. Mary Ann's death certificate has not been located.

Church records and tombstones at St. John's Anglican church, in Eastwood, show that the Haywards were one of the earliest members of that church. St. John's was established in 1839 by Admiral Henry Vansittart, a prominent landowner in the community who was responsible for the early settlement of the Eastwood area and said to be an employer of John Hayward. St. John's was first a crude wooden building, but about 1858 a white framed building was raised and then a brick building was erected in 1893. John Hayward was included in a 1858 list of persons entitled to vote at the election of lay representatives to the synod, this list also included was William Hayward, John's father-in-law/uncle. John's eldest son Frederick is included in the first confirmation class of 1858 and John's daughter Alice was one of the early organists for the church. Most of the family is buried in the churchyard.

John and Mary Ann appear on the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 Census, all in East Oxford Township. Keith Hayward, whose father and uncle inherited the John Hayward farm, recalls the Eastwood land as being the original family farm. Keith Hayward describes this farm as a 100 acre plot of land, which his father and uncle sold due to the poor quality of the soil. To his knowledge, most of the farming had been mixed and in earlier times was mainly to provide food for the family. Herbert Batho is has also proved to be a good source for family history concerning John Hayward. Mr. Batho believes that John owned between 200 and 300 acres in the Eastwood area and identifies John's home farm, as a tract of land south of Highway 2 just east of the town of Eastwood. The farm extended to the railroad tracts placing it in Norwich (East Oxford) township. John had 70 acres north of the train tracts and 70 acres south. In addition to this land he owned several farms further north in Blandford where several of his children settled. Many of John's children found livelihoods in Woodstock, as businessmen. John is listed as a farmer in 1851, living in a log house. In 1861, he is also listed as a farmer, but has built a two story frame house. By 1871, John's occupation is listed as a "tavern keeper". On the East Oxford section of the "1876 Atlas", John Hayward is listed as a hotel owner. He built a hotel in Eastwood and the building has since been moved across the road and is used for a barn. There is also another structure said to have been built by John Hayward and called the "Inn", which remains little changed. In 1881, John is again listed as a farmer with only two children Philip and Alice at home [re: pg. 37; 196/196]. The four Census records clearly list John and Mary Ann's nine children:

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Ambrose & Priscilla (Hooper) Hayward

Ambrose and Priscilla (Hooper) Hayward are children of English emigrants who settled in Ontario, Canada in the first half of the 19th century. For reasons not yet clear, Ambrose moved his family from the farming community of Woodstock, Ontario to Chicago, Illinois. My branch of this family moved further West to Portland, Oregon. Little in the way of family oral history remains concerning Ambrose and his children; however, photographs of both Ambrose and Priscilla survive.

Ambrose, also called "Bose", is first found on census records as, a farmer in Eastwood. It is said that he took-up a fifty acre lot located across from this parent's farm. Parish records for St. John's in Eastwood indicate that Ambrose was living on Concession Two in Blandford in 1873, which neighbored John Hayward's farm on Concession One. According to Herbert Batho, Ambrose's house was torn down and used to build the house that the Batho family now lives in on Concession One. Ambrose later moved first to Woodstock, where he owned a hotel and in the 1890s and then moved to Chicago, Illinois where city directories show him with several professions, including a bicycle maker/manufacturer, a coal merchant, and an express.

Ambrose's birth and death dates are recorded in the John Hayward family Bible. According to the Bible, Ambrose was born on the 30th of September 1844 and died on the 21st of April 1907. This Bible published in the United States and dated 1855 indicate the entry could not have taken place at the time of John's birth; however, census records and his death certificate corroborate they year of his birth. A death certificate for Ambrose has not been located in Chicago, Illinois, but he is named in Oakwood Cemetery records as Ambrose Haywood age 62 years old who died on the 21st of April, buried the 23rd of April 1907 [re: Section O, Division 5, Plot 214].

Priscilla's vital statistics are based on her death certificate, which is the best source found to date. Priscilla's death certificate was filled out by her daughter-in-law Annie Hayward who lists Priscilla as having been born in Niagara Town on the 25th of January 1845. Annie names Priscilla's parents, as William Hooper and Augusta Lancaster. Priscilla's marriage record in the Anglican archives confirm that her maiden name is Hooper, but lists her father as "Richard". Priscilla appears in Canadian Census records as the middle child of the large family of Richard and Augusta Hooper of Blandford, thus both her maiden name as Hooper and her father's name as Richard are established. Priscilla's death certificate lists her mother as Augusta Lancaster a native of England; however, Priscilla's marriage certificate gives Augusta's maiden name as "Brown". The death certificate states that Priscilla died on the 5th of August 1910 at Englewood Hospital where she had been admitted with bronchial pneumonia [re: death certificate #20422]. Priscilla was buried at Oakwood on the 08th of August 1910 in section O, division 5, plot 214 near her husband.

The earliest public record relating to Ambrose and Priscilla, as a couple, is their marriage record. Their marriage certificate is found among the Church of England's records in Oxford County, dating Ambrose and Priscilla's marriage as the 06th of April 1866; the presiding minister was T. Barres. The marriage record lists Ambrose as a twenty-one year old Eastwood resident, the son of John and Mary Ann Hayward. Priscilla is also shown as being twenty-one years old and a resident of Blandford Township, the daughter of Richard and Augusta Brown.

Ambrose and Priscilla (Hooper) Hayward are found listed on the 1871 Ontario Census in North Oxford county in an area called Blandford. Towards the turn of the century, Ambrose and Priscilla make significant changes in their residency and occupation. The 1891 Census shows Ambrose, his wife, and their three children living in Woodstock, where Ambrose's occupation is still listed as hotel keeper; he probably maintained a small farm, as well. The death certificate of Priscilla Hayward indicates that she arrived in the United States and in Chicago thirteen years before her death, placing the families arrival in 1897. This is confirmed by the 1897 Chicago City Directory, in which, Ambrose's name first appears, living at a residence on 5900 S. Halsted Avenue; his occupation is listed as machinist. Today, at that Halsted address, is situated a store with an upstairs apartment. In the following year his occupation is listed as bicyclemaker. Ambrose is not listed in 1899, but is found in 1900 as still residing at 5900 S. Halsted and as a coal merchant. In the 1900 Census, Ambrose is enumerated with his wife, son Albert and a border named Brooklyn Perry who is shown as a twenty-two year old Canadian native [re: Cook Co., vol. 63, e.d. 936, sheet 1, line 4]. From the 1900 Census the months and years of Ambrose and Priscilla's births are documented and corroborates the other records found documenting the couple's birth years. Between 1901 and 1906, Ambrose is found listed with the occupation of "express" in the city directory. Express appears to be a reference to some type of transportation/cargo service. It is not clear if he worked for a company or owned an express company. Whether his move to the US and the changes in his occupation represent hard times is unclear; however, it is assumed that they moved to Chicago to give their children better chances to make a living. The house on South Halsted indicates that they lived near in an area between Washington Park and the stockyards. Not enough is known by myself of Chicago, during that time period, which would indicate that a residency in that area might imply any economic/class status.

Through Census records it is known that the couple had the following children, whose full names are found in St. John's parish records:

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