A Canadian Connection : Isaac Warcup (1837-1924)

[1a] 1854 - Immigration Landing Record of Isaac in US (New York)

An entry has been found in the online Passenger List Records.

"New York Passenger Lists 1851-1891"

This gives an entry showing :

Isaac Warcup, male, age 17, sailed from Liverpool, on ship called "Progress", landed New York 19^th May 1854.

[1b] 1865 - Earliest reference of Isaac in Canada

An entry has been found in the online Canadian Directories.

"Mitchell & Co's Canada Classified Directory for 1865-66"

This gives an entry on page 258, under the heading of "FLOUR AND GRIST MILLS" we have:

Milton, Halton

{ Plewes, David

{ Warcup, Isaac

This is the earliest entry we can find for the Miller Isaac Warcup who left Hornsea sometime after 1851. It looks like Isaac, who was a Miller back in Hornsea, carried on with the milling in Canada.

[2] 1866 - Additional Business Directory Entries

An entry has been found in the online Canadian Business Directory Records

"Fuller's Counties of Peel and Halton Directory for 1866 and 1867" published by the Blackburn's City Steam Press.

This gives an entry on page 69:

Isaac Warcup, Milton, of Plews and Warcup, Mill Street.

[3] 1881 - Census - Confirmation we have the correct Warcup

Isaac was listed in the 1841 census as living with the Batty family in Skirlaugh aged 4, from this he was obviously born in 1837.

He was listed in the 1851 census as living with his parents (Isaac and Mary) in Hornsea, working as a Miller's apprentice. (Isaac senior was listed as a Miller at that time).

The 1881 Canadian Census entry taken from the online database of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" shows the following entry:

Census Place : Oakville, Halton, Ontario

Family History Library Film : 1375893

NA Film Number : C-13257

District : 150

Sub-district : D

Page Number : 24

Household Number : 126

This entry reveals the following information :

Since 'our' Isaac disappeared sometime after the 1851 census, and before the 1861 census, this is the correct one. He was English, born in the right year, and his occupation was 'Miller'. The 'WA...P' indicates that the transcriber was unable to read the surname which would have been Warcup.

[4] 1870 - Isaac buys a Mill

The following infromation is taken from the online Oakville Historical 'Milling and Distribution' information pages.

In the winter of 1827-28, William Chisholm planned to build a water-powered sawmill and a gristmill on the head of the navigation on the Sixteen river. It opened in 1833, and was prosperous until the 1850's when there was a drop in the water level of the river. He closed the sawmill, but kept the gristmill going, building a new dam. It was fully opened after the alterations on 2-Apr-1856. The newly refurbished mill can be seen below:

However, there was a decline in agriculture which made the mill less profitable.

In 1870, William Chisholm's sons sold the mill to Isaac. The mill remained in Isaac's hands until he sold it in 1890 to Mr Foulds and Mr Shaw, who intended to create a large mill elsewhere.

Two more photos of the mill are available before the mill burned down in 1930 :

[5] 1872 - Application to join the Toronto Corn Exchange

This was actually an entry available only in French, but this is the approximate transcribed version from the online Colonial Government Journals of Ottawa 1872 :

"Considering that the people enumerated below have, by their petition, asked to be included as well as others still under the name of 'Associated Corn Exchange of Toronto', and to exert certain capacities mentioned below, and that it is expedient to their request : With these causes Her Majesty, by and of the opinions and the assent of Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, issues what follows;

.. .. Simon Plewes, .. .. Isaac Warcup .. .. "

Simon is presumably a relation of David who was Isaac's original partner, and the two of them are applying to become members of Toronto's Corn Exchange.

Justus Williams, a community leader and activist in Oakville became the leader in establishing a Methodist Chapel in Oakville, Ontario, personally financing the cost. It opened in 1840, but was sold to the Anglicans. In 1852, a new Methodist church was opened. In 1870, the old wooden frame was replaced by a brick church . The Rev. T. S. Howard led the Sheridan Wesleyan Methodists in building the new church. The 'outstanding Trustees' are listed, and among them is none other than

[7] 1879 - Witness at a marriage

From the rootsweb-online "Transcribed Halton County Marriages 1879" we have the following entry :

03505-79 (Halton) Joel McKinder, 27, farmer, Canada, Trafalgar, Ont, s/o Joseph & Mary McKinder, married Emma Ian, 22, Canada, Oakville, adopted d/o John & Mary Ian, witn : Isaac Warcup and William Whittaker, both of Oakville, 18 Jul 1879 at Oakville.

This may just have been a friend of the family Isaac was witnessing the marriage of. There is no evidence, as yet, that he was related to an 'Ian' family.

From the rootsweb-online "Transcribed Brant County Marriages 1885" we have the following entry :

001390-85 (Grant Co.) William George H McAlister, 27, Minister, Canada, Melbourne, s/o James & Martha Ann Jane, married Charlotte Plewes, 27, Canada, Brantford, d/o David & Nancy, witn : Isaac Warcup of Oakville & Mary Plewes of Brantford, 5 Aug 1885 at Brantford.

Isaac was a witness of (presumably) his business partner David Plewes's daughter Mary.

The online (automated genealogy ) 1901 census of Canada shows the following entry:

Province : ON (Ontario)

District : Halton

Sub-district : Oakville (Town/Ville)

Sub-district no : H-3

Page: 7

Line : 13

Schedule : 77

This entry reveal the following information for his household:

For Isaac in particular, it also stated:

Racial : English

Nationality : Canadian

Religion : methodist

Profession : R. Miller

Mother tongue : English

Living on own means, can read, can write, can speak English

We now know his date of birth, his wife's name, and the year they emmigrated. However, this was not an accurate date as we have subsequently found the actual passenger lists (see 1854 entry above).

It also states that Marion and Charlot are nieces, so it looks like Charlot was also a Plewes, presumably related to David and.or Simon.

[10] 1921 - 60^th Wedding Anniversary

From the online Halton Local Historical Databases, we have an entry in the

"Canadian Champion" of 24-Feb-1921, page 3, column 4 which gives:

(60) Isaac Warcup Wedding Anniversary

From this, we know he got married in 1860. Since he emmigrated in 1857, he must have married in Canada.

[11] 1924 - 63^rd Wedding Anniversary

From the online Halton Local Historical Databases, we have an entry in the

"Canadian Champion" of 14-Feb-1921, page 3, column 4 which gives:

(63) Isaac Warcup Wedding Anniversary

From the online Halton Local Historical Databases, we have an entry for a Death Notice of Isaac Warcup in

the "Canadian Champion" of 10-Apr-1924, page 6, column 1

and the "Acton Free Press" of 10-Apr-1924, page 2, column 1

and the "Brantford Expositor" of 08-Apr-1924, page 8 column 6

so we know he died on or before the 8^th April 1924.