Her first husband, Emile Regimbal was a Pilot Instructor with the RCAF and was killed during a training flight in 1941 shortly after their marriage. There were no children in the first marriage but reportedly two sons in the second marriage. No further details available.
He preferred, and was known by his second name Henry, although his full given name was George Henry Fogal as noted on his marriage registration. (The marriage took place in front of both sets of parents who were recorded as witnesses). Conversely, his tombstone carries the designation "Henry G Fogal". Under either name, Henry certainly enjoyed married life as he made three trips to the alter -- the last time when he was 72. His first wife Sarah Ann Shaver, died of peritonitis only a few months into their marriage. His second wife was Anne (Annie) Ross, who had been widowed at age 22 with one child. This second marriage reportedly produced nine children, with 6 alive and living at home at the time of the 1901 census. Robert, Archie, Irene, Ross, Flora Adelia, *Elizabeth* C. (known as Bessie),twins Morris and a second *Elizabeth*, (see NOTE below), just six months old at the time of the 1891 census, and Rosetta. Rosetta is said to have died about age four after reportedly pulling boiling water over herself from a stove. Henry's last marriage was to Mabel Ada Hodges and produced two sons Frederick, and Leslie, both known to the author. Henry was buried in Elma Centre Cemetery, Elma Twp., Ontario, with his second wife Anne Ross.
CENSUS NOTE:
*The 1891 Elma Township census taken at the family farm lists 7 children of which two were
listed as *Elizabeth*. No second names are shown although the census clearly lists a "C" after
the name of the first Elizabeth. (Irene and Rosetta were born after this census). The 1901 census
taken in Huron East, Grey County, lists 7 children then at home, including John (McPherson) Fogal
from Annie's first marriage.
Anne had a son John McPherson in a first marriage to William McPherson. She was known and buried as "Annie" in Elma Centre Cemetery, Elma Twp., Ontario, with her second husband Henry. However, both the civil registration for her marriage and the 1891 census list her name as "ANNE". She shows on the 1911 census as "Anna", so some doubt still remains as to the actual spelling of her given name. Birth record LDS #C110821 lists the name as "Anne".
Elizabeth acquired the nickname "Bessie" which is just as well since the 1891 census taken at the family farm in Elma Township listed two Elizabeth's. (Bessie was the oldest born about 1879 - her census age was given as 12 - while the second Elizabeth was listed with her twin brother Morris and born just months before the 1891 census was taken). Bessie married William Bell and they had children Robert and Clarinda.
Rosetta is reported to have died about age four after pulling over a pot of boiling water from the stove. Birth record: LDS C017810.
Alexander apprenticed as a blacksmith in Atwood, Ontario and later moved to the New Hamburg/Shakespeare area where he met his wife Mabel. They moved to and established a homestead farm north of Melaval SK in 1912. After leaving the farm in 1924, they located in the Lafleche area where he operated the first blacksmith shop and also became the first Senior Trustee of the Castlemore School which his children attended. He remained active all his life and was still blacksmithing when he died at age 84 of an apparent heart attack while he was arching truck springs in a lumber camp in B.C. A 1/2 brother to John, on his mother's side, and to Frederick, Leslie and others on his father's side not listed here. Archie and Mabel and the two sons then in the family are picked up on the 1911 census taken at New Hamburg.
At one time Ralph taught figure skating in Oshawa, Ontario. He later moved west to the Lethbridge, Alberta area.
Beverley reportedly worked for Eaton's in Sudbury around 1949. He is said to have married sometime after that date and reportedly has at least one son. No other information available.
Marion reportedly married a Carl Heuchert - no other information available.
Cliff worked as a welder in the construction trades in various locations across Canada before settling and retiring in the Vancouver area. During the last few years of his life he had been in poor health and he died in a nursing home in Vancouver.
Pearl worked as a Registered Nurse in various parts of Canada. Before retirement in the Vancouver area she was the supervisor of long-term care facilities at a Port Alberni, BC, hospital.
Joan has apparently been married twice. No reported family.
Arthur's first marriage was to Eliza Alexander and they had a daughter Eleanor. After the death of Eliza, Arthur later married Irene Fogal, and had a son Harry.
A 1/2 sister to John, on her mother's side and a 1/2 sister to Frederick and Leslie on her father's side. After the death of her husband, Irene continued the family farm with her son Harry and her step-daughter Eleanor. In my early teen-age years I spent much of my summer holidays on their farm near Atwood, Ontario and knew the family well.
A 1/2 brother of Eleanor. Harry farmed in the Atwood area before later establishing and operating his own seed cleaning and farm implement business in Listowel. He sold the business and retired in 1971 and in later years he shared ownership of a Christmas Tree farm with three others where they had a small cabin. He maintained a life-long interest in hunting and fishing.
Mina worked for the town newspaper the "Listowel Banner" for a number of years. Later she moved to the local office of Ontario Hydro (then the Provincial Power Authority), and was the Office Supervisor at the time of her retirement.
Anne had a son John McPherson in a first marriage to William McPherson. She was known and buried as "Annie" in Elma Centre Cemetery, Elma Twp., Ontario, with her second husband Henry. However, both the civil registration for her marriage and the 1891 census list her name as "ANNE". She shows on the 1911 census as "Anna", so some doubt still remains as to the actual spelling of her given name. Birth record LDS #C110821 lists the name as "Anne".
A 1/2 brother to Alexander, Irene, Robert , Elizabeth, Flora and others not currently documented in this summary. While he was born as a "McPherson", John is listed at age 24 with the Fogal family on the 1901 census under the name of John M Fogal. So it appears he may been then adopted and using Fogal as his surname.
Ella is the granddaughter of John Harding and was a major contributor of data for this section of the Harding line. She was born on the family farm, as were most family members, with the births registered in the nearby town of Lafleche. Ella joined the Canadian Army in 1942 and served as a transport driver. With the impending arrival of her first child, she was honourably discharged in 1944. At last report, she lived in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Although he was always known as "Frank", his full given name was "Franklin" according to the 1901 Canadian census taken at the family farm in Adamsville, Quebec. At that time, all the children with the exception of the oldest daughter Ethel, were at home and listed on the census. (Ethel had married Harry Hitz from a neighbouring farm and the census lists her as living with her husbands' family). The same census also confirms 1892 as the year the Harding family immigrated to Canada from England. Frank farmed in Quebec for a while, then like his older brother, he headed west to try his hand at homesteading. He is picked up on the 1911 census near Yorkton, Sask., and sometime afterwards he established his own homestead. In 1936 when my mother and I made the rounds to visit relatives, I'm sure we visited Frank and Alice at that time but I've no recollection of meeting them. Death Reg. Number: 1962-09-013763.
Alice is a sister of Harry Hitz as detailed elsewhere in this journal.
Some reports claim his name was Harry and some Henry with a reported birth date of 22 Oct 1877 -- in either London or Wales. However, no birth record for a either a "Harry" or "Henry" Hitz has been found to support either name with that birth date, but as explained later, there IS documentary evidence showing he was born as "Harry Smith" on that date in London.
It is important to note that NO Hitz family members have been found -- on any
census records -- in either England or Wales up to and including the 1881 census.There is however, a birth record for a "Harry Smith" born to Sarah and her first husband Robert Smith in London in 1877. There is also a record showing Robert died in 1878 shortly after his son Harry's birth. In 1882, there is also a record of a "Henry Hitz" marrying the widow Sarah, inferring this Henry then apparently adopted Robert and Sarah's son "Harry" -- either formerly or informerly -- and gave him the Hitz surname at that time.
"Henry" next shows up as "Harry" on the 1901 Canadian census at East Farnham Twp, Brome County, Quebec where the record claims his birth place was "Quebec" -- and that he was of "Welsh racial origin". It HAS been established "Harry" and Ethel Harding were married at that time and living with Harry's parents when this census was taken. But it is NOT known who supplied the information of the reported birth "location" information for the census.
The fact is, given the documented birth and marriage records referred to in
the opening paragraph above, Harry's reported birth "location" information on
the 1901 census, simply cannot be true.The later 1911 census, taken when Harry and Ethel then resided on Wolf Ave in Moose Jaw, confirms the earlier documented evidence of his birth location as London, England. This census information for 1911 would have been supplied by either Harry or his wife Ethel and appears to indicate they were aware of his actual birth circumstances. His death registration in 1965 in Vancouver listed him as "Henry Hitz".
It is known Harry was the first-born in his family and an older brother of Alice (who was later married to his wife's brother Frank Harding). Between the 1901 and 1911 census, Harry and Ethel were very mobile. Family oral history reports they moved west and farmed at Caron, Saskatchewan for several years before re-locating to Vancouver where Harry took employment with the B.C. Sugar Refinery. From here, the family went back to farming in the Rainy River district of Ontario before moving to Moose Jaw where Harry worked as an engineer with the Robin Hood Flour Mill and where the family was listed on the 1911 census. It was during their time in Moose Jaw that Ethel took sick and died from pneumonia in 1925 at the young age of 45. Sometime after this, and with his three oldest daughters already on their own, Harry, with his son Melvin and youngest daughter Mildred, now set out for the Peace River district of Northern Alberta to take up homesteading. (Mildred didn't stay and moved on to be with her other sisters in Vancouver while Harry and Melvin made this their final stop). In 1928 as partners, Harry and Melvin bought a bush lot near present-day Dixonville and over the years developed it into the farm still occupied by their descendents today.
Ethel is shown on the 1881 census for London, Middlesex (age 10 months) with her father and mother. At the time of the 1901 Canadian census, Ethyl was not listed with the rest of the Harding family as she was then married and living with Harry Hitz on a neighbouring farm. They later moved west and after several stops, eventually settled in Moose Jaw, Sask., where Ethel took sick with pneumonia and died at age 45. Marriage398.
I vaguely recall Elsie visiting my parents in Toronto, sometime in the late 1940's. She was passing through after a visit with relatives in Quebec. Elsie never married.