Notes:

Thomas was born in Hogg's Hollow, a valley in the North York area of old Toronto. He marrie d Rachel Gerow in Flesherton, Artemesia Township, Grey County, in 1876. Their first child, S arah Gertrude died in infancy and was buried in Flesherton Cemetery. Altogether they had twel ve children, four of whom died in infancy and three others who died in their early twenties . The five surviving children went on to marry and have families of their own.

Tom's young family started out, however, from Owen Sound, where they boarded a boat for Thes salon. They almost perished when the boat became overloaded with a thick coating of ice an d almost sank to the bottom of Georgian Bay.. They stopped at Manitoulin Island, where bab y Nell was born...in an Indian viillage called Assiginack.
They resided in Assiginack for at least one year, as is indicated by the 1881 census. At th e time of the census Maud (3) and Thomas (1) were with them. Rachel's sister, Mary Ellen (1 9) stayed with the household until she married J Jamieson.
Tom and family eventually arrived in Thessalon where he opened a Singer Sewing Machine dealer ship in 1881. He was a jack-of-all-trades, including barrel maker and stone mason.
He became Reeve of Algoma about 1900 and the family thrived, residing in a beautiful house i n Little Rapids.

In 1910, however, he decided to move the family to the Porcupine gold camp, where he would la y bricks at the MacIntyre mine...He also built several of the town buildings, his own hoime a t 22 Bruce Ave, as well as several other houses along the Bruce Avenue strip, including th e 10 Bruce Avenue house where Rachel and Tom's daughter, Eva, lived with her husband, Arthu r "Ewie', and their brood.

In 1911 the great fire wiped out the town and surrounding district, killing their son, Merv , when a tank car on the railroad siding blew up, with a ton of TNT on board. The 'tidal wave ' that was generated swamped the boat that Merve was in, drowning him and several others. Th e rest of the family managed to survive the blast and ensuing flood.

They lived the rest of their lives realtively peacefully, with the exception of the untimel y deaths of young Ethel, who died of peritonitis, when her appendix burst, and Tom Jr, who, a fter surviving horrendous injuries during action in WW1, drowned in Pearl Lake while rescuin g a girl who had fallen through the ice.
Tom and Rachel are buried in Tisdale Cemetery, South Porcupine.



The children who died are buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Little Rapids, and Thomas and Rach el are in Tisdale Cemetery

Thomas married Rachel Gerow, Genoe on 30 May 1876 in Flesherton, Grey Co Ont. Rachel (daughter of William Genoe, Gerow and Ellen Mary (Maria) Christmas) was born in Feb 1857 in Flesherton, Grey Co., Ontario; died on 9 Jun 1937 in South Porcupine, Ontario; was buried in South Porcupine, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Edna Strain
2. Mary Ellen Strain was born in 1878; died in 1878.
3. Thomas E. Strain was born on 29 Oct 1879 in Markdale, Grey Co, Ontario; died in 1923 in Thessalon, Ontaio; was buried in 1923 in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Thessalon, Ont.
4. Ida Maud Strain was born in 1880.
5. Margaret Ellen 'Nell' Strain was born on 30 Sep 1881 in Assiginac, Manitoulin Island, Ont; died on 13 Sep 1970 in Winnipeg, Man; was buried on 16 Sep 1970 in Brookside Cemetery, sec 27 plot 740.
6. Sarah Gertrude Strain was born in 1883; died in 1884.
7. Almeda A. Strain was born in 1887; died in 1887.
8. Frederick Mervin Strain was born in 1891; died in 1911.
9. Bert Strain was born in 1893 in Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario; died in North Bay; was buried in North Bay.
10. Nora Ethel Strain was born about 1898 in Thessalon, Ont; died on 20 Nov 1919 in Thessalon; was buried on 23 Nov 1919 in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Thessalon.
11. Louis Russell Strain was born in 1899; died in 1899.
12. Eva Gladys Strain was born on 4 Feb 1900 in Thessalon, Algoma District, ON, CAN; died on 24 Jan 1953 in South Porcupine, Tisdale, ON, CaN; was buried in South Porcupine.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: 1850, Coal merchant in Dublin, IRL
• Residence: 1850, 1 Hardwicke Street, Dublin,IRL
• Residence: Aft 1850, Hogg's Hollow, Toronto, ON, CAN
• Residence: Aft 1850, Thessalon, Algoma District, ON, CA

Notes:

William Wright was born in Ireland, some say Dublin, others say Monaghan. He did live for a w hile in Dublin, where he earned his living as a coal merchant. He emigrated to Canada and spe nt some time in the Grey Co area of Upper Canada, before marrying a girl called Margaret Susa n Bray , from Pickering. They settled in an area of Toronto called Hogg's Hollow. Their son , Thomas Amaziah, was born in 1854. There were two other brothers, George and William John an d a girl, Sarah, born to the couple..
William and Margaret eventually made their way to the Thessalon area and both died in 1902 . They are buried in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Little Rapids, Ontario.

William married Margaret Susan Bray about 1850. Margaret (daughter of Thomas Bray and Margaret's Mom Bray) was born in 1829 in Pickering, ON, CAN; died on 13 Nov 1902 in Kirkwood Twp.; was buried in Little Rapids, Algoma District, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Father married Mother of William and Joseph Strain about 1828 in Co Monaghan, NIR. Mother was born about 1765 in Co Monaghan, NIR. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married Margaret's Mom Bray about 1828 in England. Margaret's was born about 1765 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]