The Doidges & the Veales: From Devon to Lakefield & Beyond
The Veale Family: A Partial Geneology
Prologue
This story of the Doidges of Lakefield Ontario and Saginaw Michigan is a work in progress. Marion Doidge provided much of the information for this web page. Additional information came from Roy Harper, Beatrice Doidge, the late Mary Margaret Doidge, the late David Doidge, and Mary Sarle. Sources includ census and other records on Ancestry Canada, Ontario birth and marriage indices, and the Saginaw Library Obituary Index.
Ernest (Ernie) Doidge, father of Katherine Doidge (Picard) and my maternal grandfather was born in Lakefield Ontario on February 3, 1878 in Lakefield,Peterborough, Ontario Canada. His parents were Mary Maria Veale and William Doidge.
The Doidge and the Veales were a typical, non-conformist Methodist family from the West of England, in all but one way. William and Maria had their first child out of ‘wedlock.” The Veale family was dominant in the relationship with the Doidges so we start there.
Mary Maria Veale was born on the 18th of February 1848 in Ashwater, Devon, in the Western part of the U.K. Maria married William Doidge Her English occupation was listed as milliner. She married William Doidge c872, in Plymouth, England, William Doidge was born 18 December, 1848. His occupation was listed as laborer. Mary died 1934, Lakefield, Ontario, Canada.
Mary’s father was William Veale who was baptized on Mary 11, 1819 in St. Peter, Atwater, Devon, England. He was a Navy man, His occupation is listed as Bandsman in the Royal Navy. He died in 1862 and is buried in Devon. He lived part of his life in Plymouth and served in the second China war on the HMS Sans Pareil. Mary’s mother was Sophia Braund.
The Veale Grand Parents
John Veale, William’s father, was born Broadwoodwidger, Devon, England and was baptised on 28 December 1796, at St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, England. His occupation is listed as farmer 230 Acres..Yeoman, married Maria Brown. John died 1867. He lived at Hole farm. He married Maria Brown.
The great grandparents were William Veale and Mary Palmer. William Veale was baptised on the 26th of Dec,ember 1776, at St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, England and he married Mary Palmer on 8 August, 1796, in St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, England.
Great Great Grand Parents were John Veale who was baptised 14th September 1748, in St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, Eng., and Susanna Walter who he married 30th June 1774, in Sutcombe Devon England , Susanna Walter, was baptized in 1751.
The Ancestors
The 3rd Great Grand Parents were OLLIVER VEALEw who as baptized on May 2,1704, Ashwater, Devon, England He married Mary Davey.
The 4th Great Grand Parents were John Veale and Edith Stephens. John Veale was baptized on 2 Mar 1644, in St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, England married. He married Edith who was baptized on 19 March 1666, St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, England .
The 5th Great Grand Parents were Richard Veale born before 1621 and Temerence Aish. Richard and Temerance married on June 14, 1638 in St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, England ., Temerence, was baptized 20 Feb 1613, St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, Eng. Temerence AISH was baptised 20 Feb 1613, St Peter, Ashwater, Devon.
Anthony Stephens, the father of Edith, was baptzed on 3 May 1629 at St. Peter, Ashwater, Devon, He married Alice Warmington (who was born before 1650) on 12 June 1666, in St Peter, Ashwater, Devon, Eng.,
The sixth generation maternal great grandparents were Robert Aish born before 1592 and Elizabeth Hall born before 1594. They were married January 28, 1610 in St Peter, Ashwater, Devon.
The Lakefield Doidges
Why William Doidge and Mary Maria Veale came to Ontario?
Note. Comments the Doidge Family on the move of William Doidge and Mary Veale to Peterboro, Ontario were provided by the late Marion Doidge . She notes.
“I sent my comments to David Doidge for his input. He mentioned the fact that William and Mary were married by a magistrate and that no church record for the marriage has been found. I have added that detail in my comments and also added that William and Mary Maria likely came on the ship the Empress of Scotland on May 20, of 1872.”
William and Mary Maria, according to Marion Doidge, were married on 02 May 1872 and landed in Canada on 20 May 1872. They did not exactly rush to get married earlier. Was William going to come to Ontario alone, and then they decided to marry? But could they get passage on ship and documentation organized that quickly? David Doidge has seen the marriage record so we know that date is accurate. I could have found a different William and Mary Maria on the passenger list, but names do match as does year 1872. Will be interested in seeing what you put together.
Both Doidge and Veale sources in the U.S., Canada and in England have suggested that the Veales, as land owners, were considered to be of a higher social class than the Doidges and they were not happy when their daughter married William and no doubt much less happy at the fact that they had to get married. William, a farm laborer in the UK, perhaps working for the Veales, probably realized that he could never be a land owner in England, but he could be in Canada. Most likely, they did not want to be near her disapproving family.
The story, reconstructed from Marion Doidge and sources, is that William and Mary Doidge were married on May 2,1872 in Devon, England. Their first born, Mary Evelyn Doidge, was born in Oct 1872. They were married by a magistrate. No church record has ever been found. No doubt the non-church wedding had something to do with the fact that the bride was pregnant at the time they were married..
Another Mary Doidge had married a John Northcott (and there is some evidence to suggest that Mary Doidge and William Doidge were cousins). According to the 1871 UK census, their son William was born in England and was 11 months old on 02 Apr 1871, census day. Both families lived on Chippewa Street or Avenue in Lakefield not too many houses apart. The Northcotts died in 1919 and 1927 respectively a bit before William and Mary Maria. The two families appear to be close. Provided support for each other. This may be why why both settled in Lakefield.
The two families both came to Lakefield in 1872 ( not on the same ship). Both families lived on Chippewa Street or Avenue in Lakefield, not too many houses apart. The Northcotts died in 1919 and 1927, a bit before William and Mary Maria. I cannot find when the Northcotts came, but according to the 1871 UK census, their son William was born in England and was 11 months old on 02 Apr 1871, census day. Have you heard of these Northcotts? I had the feeling the two families were “close” and were good support for each other. Not sure who followed who…if they did.”
According to Marion, the Doidge family has always assumed that William and Mary’s “delicate condition” had to do with their move to Ontario. They arrived in Canada on 20 May 1872, so the move must have been in the planning phase prior to their marriage as one does not just get on a ship. They arrived in Canada on 20 May 1872 on the “Empress of Scotland” so the move must have been in the plans as one does not just get on a ship.
Maria apparently returned to England once about 1903 when she inherited some Veale money or property, but William did not go. Perhaps he did not feel wanted or welcome? That was the only time she returned to England.The family became strongly Anglo-Canadian in the twentieth century.
William and Mary were Methodists and teetotalers and were so listed in the Lakefield temperance poll books of the 1870s. William voted dry in three plebiscites in that decade. These were registered and not private votes. The family were essentially dry through the end of the 1950s. 1.
The Veales, as land owners, were of a higher social class than the Doidges and they were not happy when their daughter married William, an employee on the Veale farm. William, a farm laborer in the UK, possibly realized that he would not be a land owner in England, but he could be in Canada. Perhaps they did not want to be near her disapproving family.
1. The Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley vol. 12, no. 4 (February 2007), pp. 31-33.
The Doidge Family in Lakefield
Mary Evaline Doidge was the first born on October 5, 1872 in Lakefield, Douro Township. Her father was William Doidge of Peterboro County. Her mother was Mary Mariah Veale. Her father is listed as a laborer.
William Albert Doidge (Uncle Albert) was born on April 25, 1874 in Lakefield of William and Mary Doidge. Mary J.F. Doidge was his wife, and born on February 18, 1848.
Ernest Herbert Doidge was born February 3, 1878 in Lakefield.
George A. M. Doidge was born on April 29, 1980 in Lakefield.
Alice F. Doidge (daughter) was born on July 24 1882
Clara F. Doidge (Aunt Bugs) was born on October 3, 1884.
1906: Posted Announcement
“Ernest Herbert Doidge, 29, of Lakefield, Peterborough, Ontario (draughtsman), son of William DOIDGE and Mary Maria VEALE, married Maude DETCHER, 30 of Peterborough, same, daughter of William DETCHER and Margaret VILLIE, by license. Witnesses were G. A. DOIDGE of Lakefield and Ella G. DETCHER of Peterborough, Oct. 16, 1906 in Peterborough, Ontario Canada”.
Ernest Herbert Doidge was the second son and third child of William Doidge and Mary Maria Veale. He was born on 3 Feb 1878 in Lakefield, ON. He attended school in Lakefield and was a student at the University of Toronto majoring in Engineering graduating as a draftsman. In 1909 Ernest(Senior) moved to Saginaw, Michigan USA where he worked as a draftsman for Wicks Company.
1906
On 26 Oct 1906 Ernest was married to Maude Detcher who was born in Peterborough in 1878. Their first child, a girl born Aug 1907 died in infancy. Maude and their son Ernest Harold, who was born in Peterborough district, arrived to join Ernest in April 1909. On 04 Aug 1909 little Harold died. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Saginaw.
Four more children were born to Ernest and Maude Doidge in Saginaw. They were: William Alan (born March 24 1910 in Saginaw and died August 21, 1973 in Midland, Michigan); Mary Margaret (January 23, 1912 and died on May 12 2006) She lived her whole life in Saginaw); Ernest “Ernie” Herbert Jr (August 17 1913 Saginaw and died on July 15, 2007 Saginaw, MI).
When Katherine Maude Doidge was born on June 5, 1916, in Michigan, her father, Ernest, was 38 and her mother, Maude, was 40. She married A. Vincent “Alexander” Picard on November 20, 1941, in Saginaw, Michigan. They had three children during their marriage. She died on February 6, 2002, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at the age of 85.
Maude died 30 July 1916. It had been a very hot summer and she apparently died of heat exhaustion perhaps exacerbated by weakness from child birth. After her death, Ernest married Jennie Violet Stingel Doidge. She died of apoplexy on November 30, 1919 and he was left a widower again. Widower Ernest then had to hire housekeepers to help with the children. He registered for WWI in 1918. In the 1920 census he was listed as a widower with four young children.
On 20 Aug 1925 Ernest married Joanna B Schweizer (born January 6, St. Charles, Michigan). Joanna taught in the Saginaw Public Schools from 1916- 1925. She died on November 16 1962, at the age 69 in Saginaw.
1936
Margaret Doidge was the Women’s Basketball Coach at Arthur Hill High School. She was a pioneer in the field of girls’ and women’s sports especially basketball and tennis. She was also an enthusiastic golfer.
2006
Obituary: May 12, 2006:
A Long time Arthur Hill teacher and counselor, Mary Margaret Doidge was born January 23. 1912, the daughter of Ernest H. and Maude (Detcher) Doidge and was a life long resident of Saginaw. She was retired in 1965. She received her B.A. from Michigan State University and a Masters in Education from the University of Michigan. She also did post graduate work at the University of Wisconsin and Central Michigan University. She was a life long member of Ames Methodist Church, where she was active in the choir, the Sunday school, the Epworth League and in girls’ basketball. She was a pioneer in the field of girls’ and women’s sports in Saginaw, especially basketball and tennis.
Her nickname among some of her students was “Marm.” She taught girl’s gym at Arthur Hill High School for many years. She was a member of the Michigan teacher unions. She traveled extensively internationally in her retirement. She was preceded in death by a sister, Katherine M. Picard, and a brother Al Doidge. She is survived by her brother, Ernest, and six nieces and nephews.
Ernest Herbert Doidge Jr died February 4, 2008.