DEATH: 17 MAR 1945 • Oregon City, Clackamas, Oregon
MARRIED: 1880 • James Wilson Hunter
Isabella was born on June 7, 1856 in the village of Ayr, Ontario, the 5th child of James West Auld and Isabella Currie, both immigrants from Scotland. Troubles back in Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries generated a steady flow of emigrants to Canada West. Some sought political and religious asylum, others came as a result of famine.
In 1846, potato crops were blighted by the same fungal disease responsible for the Great Irish Famine, and most Highlanders were dependent on potatoes as a source of food. Canada had plenty of land, jobs and new opportunities, which created a pull factor. The government made certain potential immigrants knew of the advantages, sending agents to recruit Irish and Scottish emigrants. This method is likely how James West Auld was recruited to Canada West. Once there, he met and married Isabella Currie. James and Isabella Currie married in the Gore District of Ontario on 23 Feb 1844.
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| Township where Isabella was born |
The Village of Ayr had its beginnings in 1824 when a sawmill was erected at the junction of Smith and Cedar Creek. Originally there were two small settlements, Jedburgh and Nithvale, and the two constantly competed for dominance over the other. This ended in 1840 when a post office was established at the mill and renamed the two settlements ‘Ayr’. The name was likely due to the large number of Ayrshire, Scotland immigrants, who were drawn to Canada by promises of inexpensive, fertile land, made by the major landholder of the district, William Dickson.
By the 1861 Canada Census, the growing Auld family was recorded as living in North Dumfries, Waterloo, Canada West. The family included:
Life in mid 19th century Canada West was harsh. As expected for the time, gender roles were traditional with women responsible for domestic chores and men responsible for outside tasks. Everyone, including children, helped with big jobs. Most children were expected to do chores by the age of 5. Girls learned to spin, knit, sew, cook, work in the garden, milk the cows and care for the younger children. Young boys helped feed livestock and gather firewood; older boys cleared fields, built fences and harvested crops. There was no electricity and no running water. Heat came from a wood stove, which had to be cut and hauled daily. A wood stove was also used for heating water and cooking. Light came from candles or lamps. Water was pumped from a well or creek.
In 1843 the first School Act came into effect, and this divided the townships and areas into school districts, trustees were elected, school houses were built and teachers had to be examined and licensed.
In the 1860s most children stayed home to help with family chores and work. School sessions were held in private homes, meeting houses or abandoned buildings but only during the winter months, when the children were not needed on the farms. Religious organizations offered schooling but charged money, and most people could not afford it.
By the 1871 Canada Census, Isabella was 15 and the Auld family was living in East Wawanosh, a farming community in Huron County. Three more children had joined the family, for total of nine Auld children:
According to oral family history, Isabella was a school teacher before marrying in 1880. Candidates for teacher training had to be at least 16 and had to produce a certificate of good moral character signed by a clergyman. It would have been expected of her to contribute to the family expenses. Acceptable ways to earn money for single women were teaching, nursing, clerical work, domestic service and factory work. The average salary for a teacher was about $250 a year, depending on experience and position in the school. Class sizes were large, in some cases as many as 95 students per teacher. Because of this, teachers were trained to institute harsh punishments to keep the classroom under control. The physical environment in which teachers worked was fairly primitive. In 1875 Ontario, there were over 1,000 log schoolhouses, so it's likely that Isabella taught in one of them.
James Wilson Hunter
James Wilson Hunter was born in York, Ontario on May 22, 1837, to Rachel and James Hunter, immigrants from Ireland. Wilson Hunter’s parents migrated to Canada from Ireland through Nova Scotia then to New Brunswick and on to Ontario where Wilson was born. He had 5 sisters, Mary, Elizabeth, Rachel, Mariah, and Martha and 1 brother, Jeremiah.
Wilson Hunter and his first wife Ada had 4 sons and 1 daughter before she passed away in the winter of 1878. Their farm was adjacent to the Auld farm in Wawanosh East. The 1871 Canada Census record for James Wilson Hunter and family:
Isabella and James Wilson Hunter were married March 10, 1880 in Clinton, Huron County, Ontario. It's possible their match was a romantic one, but a practical one as well. At 24, Isabella was considered beyond the usual age of marriage. A marriage to a newly widowed neighbor with a ready-made family was a bold choice for her. Her rugged upbringing, work ethic, and teacher training likely helped to prepare her for the next chapter of her new life. As we will learn, she was up for the challenge.
Hunter Family in the 1881 Canada Census:
Next: The Hunter family immigrates to Dakota Territory
By the 1861 Canada Census, the growing Auld family was recorded as living in North Dumfries, Waterloo, Canada West. The family included:
- Father James – Occupation: General Merchant
- Mother Isabella
- Margaret b. 1843
- Marion b. 1845
- Jessie b. 1848
- James b. 1852
- Isabella b. 1855
- Andrew b. 1858
Life in mid 19th century Canada West was harsh. As expected for the time, gender roles were traditional with women responsible for domestic chores and men responsible for outside tasks. Everyone, including children, helped with big jobs. Most children were expected to do chores by the age of 5. Girls learned to spin, knit, sew, cook, work in the garden, milk the cows and care for the younger children. Young boys helped feed livestock and gather firewood; older boys cleared fields, built fences and harvested crops. There was no electricity and no running water. Heat came from a wood stove, which had to be cut and hauled daily. A wood stove was also used for heating water and cooking. Light came from candles or lamps. Water was pumped from a well or creek.
In 1843 the first School Act came into effect, and this divided the townships and areas into school districts, trustees were elected, school houses were built and teachers had to be examined and licensed.
In the 1860s most children stayed home to help with family chores and work. School sessions were held in private homes, meeting houses or abandoned buildings but only during the winter months, when the children were not needed on the farms. Religious organizations offered schooling but charged money, and most people could not afford it.
By the 1871 Canada Census, Isabella was 15 and the Auld family was living in East Wawanosh, a farming community in Huron County. Three more children had joined the family, for total of nine Auld children:
- Robert b.1862
- Walter b.1865
- Mary Jane b. 1867
According to oral family history, Isabella was a school teacher before marrying in 1880. Candidates for teacher training had to be at least 16 and had to produce a certificate of good moral character signed by a clergyman. It would have been expected of her to contribute to the family expenses. Acceptable ways to earn money for single women were teaching, nursing, clerical work, domestic service and factory work. The average salary for a teacher was about $250 a year, depending on experience and position in the school. Class sizes were large, in some cases as many as 95 students per teacher. Because of this, teachers were trained to institute harsh punishments to keep the classroom under control. The physical environment in which teachers worked was fairly primitive. In 1875 Ontario, there were over 1,000 log schoolhouses, so it's likely that Isabella taught in one of them.
James Wilson Hunter
James Wilson Hunter was born in York, Ontario on May 22, 1837, to Rachel and James Hunter, immigrants from Ireland. Wilson Hunter’s parents migrated to Canada from Ireland through Nova Scotia then to New Brunswick and on to Ontario where Wilson was born. He had 5 sisters, Mary, Elizabeth, Rachel, Mariah, and Martha and 1 brother, Jeremiah.
Wilson Hunter and his first wife Ada had 4 sons and 1 daughter before she passed away in the winter of 1878. Their farm was adjacent to the Auld farm in Wawanosh East. The 1871 Canada Census record for James Wilson Hunter and family:
- J Wilson Hunter - 30
- Edah (Ada) Hunter - 32
- George Hunter - 9
- William Hunter - 8
- Wilson Hunter - 6
- Ann Hunter - 4
- James Hunter 6/12
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| Adjacent farms of the Auld & Hunter families in East Wawanosh, Ontario |
Hunter Family in the 1881 Canada Census:
- Wilson – 41 - Occupation: Farmer
- Isabella - 24
- George - 21
- William - 18
- Wilson - 16
- Annie - 14
- James - 10
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| Voter list 1880- James West Auld, her father |
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| Voter List 1880 Wilson Hunter, her husband |
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| Map of Upper Canada |
Next: The Hunter family immigrates to Dakota Territory