Peter James Uttley – 1875-1944
Catherine Oberer – 1883-1935

This is the information that we have learned about Peter James, the eldest son in Nathan's second family with his wife Mary Ann:

From the Ontario Vital Statistics, Births of 1875, reference #021-737: Name: Peter When: 17 July 1875 Where: Woolwich Township Sex: M Father: Nathan Uttley Mother: Mary D. Samburn Informant: Nathan Uttley, Fireman, Woolwich When Reg: 14 Aug 1875 Accoucheur: Dr. Leitz The S of Samburn has the appearance of a scripted L, in the fashion of the day. In any case the mother was Mary [Ann] Delena S..... {one of those variations of Saunburn}.

The Census of 1881 lists Peter, age 5, with the rest of Nathan's family. At age 16 in the 1891 Census Peter is working with occupation Falln'g which had to have been some occupation at the woolen mills in Waterloo. Two years later the Waterloo Directory for 1893 tells us that Peter is living at home and working as a finisher at The Waterloo Woolen Co.

Next from the Ontario Vital Statistics of 1898, reference #014-577, Peter gets married:

     Groom:     Peter J. Uttley
     Age:       25
     Residence: Berlin, Ont
     Born:      Elmira, Ont
                bachelor
     Occ:       Baker
     Parents:   Nathan Uttley, Marie Bingham
     Religion:  Presbyterian

     Bride:     Katie Oberer
     Age:       22
     Residence: Berlin
     Born:      Berlin, Ont
                spinster
     Parents:   L. Christian Oberer, Lydia Gildner
     Religion:  Lutheran

     Witnesses: Herman Oberer, Berlin, Ont,
                Mary       , Berlin, Ont  [no last name entered]
     When:      Sept 29, 1898, Berlin
     By:        Rev. R. Von Pirch[, St Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church]

• Another example of the many variations for Mary Ann's name. It is almost as if she wants to remain anonymous.
• Peter's wife was known as Catharine (with an A), Catherine (with an E) or as Kate. The "Catharine" spelling reflects her German origins but it became anglicized to "Catherine" which was passed down to two granddaughters.
• I wonder how a baker at age 25 ends up as an engineer in a rubber factory? I suppose you could knead bread dough, and lots of it, in one of those monster Banbury machines in a rubber plant.

The 1901 Census has Peter and Catie with a son Clarence age 1, born on July 28, 1899. Peter's occupation was fireman and he lived on Moore Ave in Waterloo.

92 Wilmot Ave (now Victoria St S), Kitchener -- in 1998

In the 1907-1908 Vernon Directory for Berlin, Peter is listed as an engineer, a householder living at 92 Wilmot in Berlin. He is still there one year later, but by 1921 he has moved nearby to 285 Joseph Street and he is working as an engineer at the Ames-Holden Tire Co. Wilmot Street today is Victoria Street South in Kitchener, close to where 285 Joseph Street would have been. I don't know where the Ames-Holden Tire Co. was located, but it was almost certainly in the same area where King Street West crosses Victoria. The 1911 Census shows Peter and Kate with three children living on Joseph Street in Berlin and Peter working as an engineer.

Peter's wife Catherine dies in 1935. On March 14, 1935, pg 15, the K-W Record printed in the DEATHS column:

UTTLEY, Mrs. Peter J., 285 Joseph street, March 14, 58 years.

along with an obituary that read:

---------------   The Departed MRS. PETER J. UTTLEY   The death of Mrs. Peter J. Uttley, 285 Joseph street, occurred at the K-W hospital at 10 30 o'clock this morning after a lengthy illness.   The deceased was born in this city and was in her 59th year. She was a member of St. Peter's Lutheran church. She is survived by her husband, two sons and one daughter, Clarence Uttley of Cleveland, Ohio, Laurier Uttley of Detroit, Mich., and Miss Alide Uttley at home. Two sons and one daughter predeceased her. Also surviving are one grandchild, three brothers, Henry Oberer of this city, Jacob of Detroit, Mich., and Herman of Niagara Falls, N.Y., and three sisters, Mrs. Leo Kabel, Detroit, Mich., Mrs. Levi Melitzer, Bridgeport and Mrs. Fred Kliminski of this city.   The funeral will take place on Saturday afternoon at 2 30 o'clock from the Ratz-Bechtel funeral home. Interment will be made in Mount Hope cemetery. Rev. Dr. H. A. Sperling, the pastor of the church will have charge of the service.

And on the next day appeared:

MRS. P. J. UTTLEY The name of one sister, Mrs. Eli Ciceri of Guelph, was omitted in the list of survivors of the late Mrs. Peter J. Uttley in Thursday's issue.

• As was often the custom of the day for married women, the woman that died doesn't even have a given name!!

The records at Mount Hope Cemetery, the Kitchener side, show that Catharine Uttley was buried there on March 16, 1935. The spelling Catharine (with an 'A') is substantiated on the headstone she shares with her husband Peter. Their headstone contains:

Peter J. Uttley born July 17, 1875 died Feb. 4, 1944 --------- Catharine W. Oberer his wife born Nov. 5, 1876 died Mar. 14, 1935 Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener

• which confirms Peter's birth date, gives Katie a middle initial and tells us when she was born.

Peter died nine years later. In the K-W Record for Friday Feb 4, 1944, pg 15 we read:

UTTLEY, Peter Jr. 285 Joseph   Street, Feb. 4, 68 years.

• The 'Jr.' was a typo on the part of the Record and it should have read 'Peter J.'.

The obituary follows on the same page:

PETER J. UTTLEY   A native of Elmira, Peter J. Uttley, 68 died at his late residence, 285 Joseph Street, today, following an illness of three months. He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Uttley. A former engineer at the Goodrich Rubber Company for many years, he had of late been employed in the textile division at the Dominion Rubber Company. His wife, Catherine Oberer, died in 1935.   Surviving are two sons, Laurier and Clarence, both of Detroit; one daughter, Mrs. Eli Britnell, Kitchener; three brothers, Abraham, Kitchener, Jack of Waterloo and John R. of Copper Cliff, Ont.; and three sisters, Mrs. Caroline Kalbfleisch, Toronto, Miss Dianna Uttley, New Dundee, and Mrs. Bella Hohner of Stratford. Three grandchildren also survive.   Funeral service will be held Sunday at two o'clock at the Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home, with Rev. A. W. Lotz, pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church officiating. Interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery. The remains are resting at the funeral home.

• Here we have some minor inconsistencies:
  • Peter's younger brother Jonathan is referred to as 'Jack', a nickname that neither my uncle Doug or I am familiar with. Jonathan lived with Peter and Catherine for years as a border which may explain why these two brothers had a special relationship. In his mother's obit in the Daily Telegraph on Feb 18, 1920 it was Jack that lived in Port Huron and it had to refer to John R. as it was listed with Nathan's first family children.
• Joseph Street in Kitchener is near the downtown area and its west end was close to the main CNR line where the rubber factories once stood. The location is a municipal works yard today.

The Family of Peter and Catharine Left to Right: Clarence, Catharine Oberer Uttley, Eleada Marie, Peter James Uttley and Laurier

Family of Peter J. Uttley and Catherine Oberer

There was a reference to three children that predeceased Catherine. Beside the parents' headstone is a small black granite stone. The front of the stone reads:

Mary Ann dau of Peter & Catherine Uttley died Nov 9, 1903 aged 11 days Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener

This can be substantiated from deaths in the Ontario Vital Statistics for 1903, reference #026-992:

     Name:      Mary Ann M. Uttley
     When:      Nov 10, 1903, Berlin
     Age:       10 days
     Residence: Berlin
     Occupation: Infant
     Born:      Berlin
     Cause:     Meningitis, 1 day
     Religion:  Lutheran
     Doctor:    Dr. Armitage

• Perhaps the Mary Ann M. is "Mary Ann Maud" like her grandmother, or maybe the extra M. is a transcription error.
• The cemetery records of Kitchener's Mount Hope Cemetery have recorded this name as Mary Anne. Just an extra 'e' and no 'M.'.

And on the back of the same black granite stone you can read:

Robert I. son of Peter & Catherine Uttley died Feb 23, 1907 aged 1 yr 7 mo 21 d Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener

which cross checks with a death in the Ontario Vital Statistics for 1907, reference #030-191:

     Name:     Robert I. Uttley
     When:     Feb 23, 1907, Berlin
     Age:      1 yr 7 mo 21 days
     Res:      Berlin
     Occupation: child
     Born:     Berlin
     Cause:    Bronchitis, 6 days
     Doctor:   Dr. Armitage
     Religion: Lutheran

• The fonts and layout on the front and back of the headstone are a match.

The third child that predeceased Catharine was their son Howard who was born in Berlin in 1910 and died in Blyth on December 10th, 1914. There is no known marker for child. Some details are found in the Ontario Vital Statistics for 1914, reference #015-852:

     Name:       Howard Uttley
     Sex:        M
     Age:        5 years
     Date:       December 10th 1914
     Born:       Berlin, Ont
     Place:      Blyth
     Occupation: Infant
                 Single
     Father:     Peter Uttley
     Mother:     Catherine Oberer
     Cause:      Acute Pneumonia
     Physician:  Dr. W.J. Milne
     Informant:  Peter Uttley,
                 Blyth, Ont
     Registered: Dec 10th 1914

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Most recent revision September 2008