George Girling – 1814-1892 and
Susanna Howlett – 1817-1899

Birth

George Girling and his twin brother James were born on September 19, 1814 in Mendham, Suffolk, sons of William Girling and Mary Cattermole. The twins were christened two days later, also in Mendham. His older sister Ann Girling was the second wife of William Uttley and mother of our three adventurers, Jonathan, Nathan, and Samuel Uttley.

Susanna Howlett was born in Suffolk, England on November 11, 1817. From her obituary, Susanna came to Canada in 1832 when she was just 15. Nothing further is known about where she was born or her family at this time.

Marriage

Their first child John was born in Canada in 1838, so they would have been married by then. Just when George came to Canada and when and where they married is not known.

It would have been through letters of encouragement from Uncle George that Jonathan, Nathan and Samuel Uttley made that same journey in the 1850's. It is comforting to know that when they arrived, they had family members waiting to welcome them.

In 1843 the family lived in Bloomingdale, Waterloo County. George settled east of Elmira, Waterloo County in 1845 on Lot 81 according to a history of Woolwich in the Gazeteer and Directory of 1884-85. From the 1851 census for Woolwich Twp, Waterloo Co, George Girling was born in England, was a Methodist and he lived in a log house on Concession D, Lot 81.

Susanna Girling nee Howlett 1817-1899 in Elmira. Those standing are presumed to be children and their spouses. The picture was taken at the Girling home in Elmira. From the Woolwich Historical Foundation collection, formerly in Bloomingdale, ON

Deaths The Ontario Vital Statistics, #018-077 for 1892, reports only basic information on the death of George Girling: Name: George Girling Date: Oct 1st, 1892 Sex: Male Age: 77 years Born: England Cause: Chronic Cystitis, four years Physician: L.F. Cline M.D., Elmira, Ont. He was laid to rest on land severed from his farm in 1863 to create the original Elmira Union Burying Ground.

George Girling died Oct. 6, 1892 aged 78 yrs, & 1 mon St James Cemetery, Elmira

A death notice and obituary for Susannah Girling was printed in the Elmira Advertiser on Thursday April 27, 1899, pages 1 and 8.

DIED. GIRLING. -- In Elmira, April 22nd, Susannah Girling, relict of the late Geo. Girling, aged 81 years, 5 mos., 11 da.

OBITUARY. Another of the aged residents of our village passed away on Saturday in the person of Mrs. Girling, relict of the late George Girling. She came to this country at the age of 15, and lived in or near Elmira most of her life. Any one who has lived in Elmira at any time during the last forty years, will remember Mrs. Girling. In her younger years she experienced to the full the hardships of life in the wilderness, and in late years she has suffered much from sickness, so that death came as a relief at last. Her early remains were laid to rest in the old Elmira cemetery on Tuesday afternoon.

In memory of Susanna Howlett wife of Geo. Girling died April 22, 1899, aged 81 yrs, 5 ms, & 11 days. St James Cemetery, Elmira

The OVS for 1899, #025-945, tells us little on the death of Susanna Girling: Name: Girling, Susannah Sex: F Date: Apr 22, 1899 Age: 87 - 5 - 11 [y-m-d] Residence: Mill St, [Elmira] Occupation: widow Born: England Cause: Heart Failure, 1 yr Physician: N.R. Hay MD Religion: Presby Informant: James Nicol Registered: April 28/99 She was buried in St James Cemetery beside her husband.

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The 1861 Tremaine's Map of the County of Waterloo shows the streets of the village of Elmira and the farm of Geo Gerland to the east. No farmhouse is marked on George's land as it is on the neighbours' farms. The map is rotated as the concession roads are not aligned with the compass [which may explain why the streets in town were and are based on two different grids].

The 1851 Agricultural Census says that the farm is 111 acres in size with 20 acres under cultivation (crops 15, pasture 2 and orchard 2) and 91 acres still wild. This included 12 acres planted in wheat that produced 346 bushels the previous year.

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Girling Cemetery - St. James Cemetery

A history of the old church cemetery was written by Harry Soehner and published in the March 1997 newsletter of St. James Church in Elmira. The original Girling farm is owned by the Stroh family today, their ancestors Christof and Anne Maria Weidenhammer having purchased the farm from George Girling and his wife Susanna Girling nee Howlett in 1868. It continues:

Indenture number 1986, November 6th, 1863
    In 1863 yeoman George Girling and Susanna Girling separated 1/2 acre of land more or less from the north west corner of the farm and this parcel of land was registered as the Elmira Union Burying Ground.
    Yeomen George Girling, Jonathan Uttley, Samuel Fear and Charles Fear of the Township of Woolwich were named as Trustees for the Burial Ground. The Burial Ground became commonly known as the English Cemetery. The purchase price for the parcel of land was two dollars and fifty cents of lawful Canadian currency.
    The St. James Evangelical Lutheran Congregation was organized in 1850. The first church was a log structure erected communally by members of the Congregation at the present site on the corner of Arthur and Water Street. A brick church was built in 1869 replacing the log structure. The back yard of the church served as the Burial Ground for the Congregation.

• The graves behind the original church were relocated to this new burying ground.
• In 1957 the right of way for Provincial Highway 86 was increased from 66 feet to 100 feet. The headstones for Jonathan Uttley and family, and William V. "Ben" and family are closest to the road. The extra right of way was never purchased at the cemetery and the relocation project was not started in 1957 and not again in 1987 when government grants would have paid to relocate the affected graves.

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Most recent revision February 2007