Russell Heath Boulton (1884-1918)

  

A tour through the Brandon General Museum and  Archives this summer led to the discovery of a Boulton who had lost his life in WW1.  Although I can't find any connection between his family and ours, it makes a story that I will tell nevertheless.  The online Canadian Virtual War Memorial was the source for the photo above and much of the factual information that follows.  His service file is digitized online at Library and Archives Canada.  The link is here and it is a big file, 53 pages of various papers and pay information in a PDF format. 

Russell Health Boulton was born in Russell, Manitoba on February 24, 1884, one of seven children of Charles Akroll Boulton and Augusta Latter.  Augusta, or Gussie, has a most interesting biography online at the Manitoba Historical Society.  Their original home still stands as Boulton Manor, at one time a Bed & Breakfast in Russell, now a private home.

Charles Akroll Boulton (1841-1899)

Charles was a farmer and is also well known for his rivalry with Louis Riel in the 1880's. He was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel D'Arcy Boulton and Emily Heath. In the spring of 1880 he headed west to Manitoba and took up land along the proposed railway, settling in Section 5, Twp 23, Range 27, in the present day Boulton Municipality. In the fall, Boulton met his family in Winnipeg and travelling by wagon with a yoke of oxen and horses, led his family to their new farm. The following spring, they moved some 15 miles away where Boulton laid the groundwork for the town of Russell.  In 1885 he organized and led a Corps known as "Boulton's Scouts" who fought at Fish Creek and Batoche during the Northwest Rebellion and was eventually appointed as a Senator.  Today a monument stands in the town of Russell dedicated to the men of Boulton's Scouts. Three sons of Charles and Augusta served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WW1: Major Lawrence Boulton, Major Darcy Boulton along with Lieutenant Russell Heath Boulton.

Russell  became a Barrister and Solicitor, practicing in Brandon, Manitoba. He married Edna Mary Lee in the town of Russell on December 2, 1914.  On January 10, 1916,  he made the decision to join the 200th Canadian Battalion, part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a lieutenant.  

Russell went overseas under Lieut-Col Angus Bonnycastle (the husband of his sister Ellen Mary) and upon arrival in France on September 5, 1917 he was transferred to the 3rd Canadian Engineers. A stay in hospital is reported on October 18,1917 when he contracted German Measles. His record shows from January 26 - February 16, 1918 he was granted 14 days leave to the U.K.  It all came to an end for Russell on August 14, 1918 and to quote his casualty report:

This officer was in charge of his Battalion's Machine Gun Anti-Aircraft  Defenses during the attack near Beaucourt Wood.  He was walking alone between the machine gun positions when an enemy aircraft dropped a large bomb which exploded within fifty feet of him, wounding him in the abdomen, left leg and left hand.  He was immediately attended to and carried to Battalion Headquarters where his wounds were dressed by another officer.  He was fully conscious and suffering very little.  Later he was evacuated to No. 49 Casualty Clearing Station, where he succumbed to his wounds.  

Casualty Report for Russell Heath Boulton 08/14/1918

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website gives details of the burial Place of Russell Boulton.  He is laid to rest along with 13 other Canadians who died in the same few days. He is buried in Boves West Communal Cemetery in Somme, France. Boves has two communal cemeteries, on either side of the river. The 49th Casualty Clearing Station was at Boves to the end of August 1918. This website also says his stone is inscribed with:

Be Thou Faithful Unto Death and I will Give Thee a Crown of Life

The following clipping announced his death in the Toronto Star in September of 1918.

The seven Books of Remembrance lie in the Memorial Chamber in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. When the Peace Tower was first created, the intention was that all names of Canadians who died during the battles of the First World War would be engraved on the walls of the Memorial Chamber. However, it was soon realized that there would not be enough space on the walls to contain the more than 66,000 names of those who died. Instead, the books were created and they commemorate the lives of more than 118,000 Canadians who, since Confederation, have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country in uniform. Each day, during a ceremony, the page is turned and the one bearing Russell's name is displayed annually on August 13, the day before his death. This page is pictured below.

George Boulton (1740 - 1794)

George Boulton - Third Great Grandfather

George is the shared ancestor of both of Randy's great grandparents, Benajmin and Ann. He is also the reason that my children could apply to have the U.E. designation put after their names as they are descended from United Empire Loyalists. Here is his story, as found in various online sources.

George Boulton was born in the County of Wexford in Ireland in about 1740.  His parents lived in the Ballinvally area of Ireland.  His father was Abraham (1723 - 1753) and his mother was Anne Eyres (1725 - 1772).  I have seen him called George Belton Bolton in some sources too but I am guessing that Belton was likely a spelling variation, not a middle name.

In 1761, George married Nancy Bickford in Ireland.  George and Nancy immigrated to the Philadelphia, PA area between 1765 and 1770 with their first son, Abraham.

He joined the Loyalists in 1777.  George Boulton - along with George Belton (Boulton?)- are named on the Old United Empire Loyalist List, which means he probably arrived in Canada after 1776.  After the war, he immigrated to the Niagra region.  It is said that the rattlesnakes on the land were so bad that they left and walked to York (now Toronto) where they were able to take a boat to Elizabethtown Township.

When they arrived there were no European settlements in the area.  The men blazed trails into the wilderness.  Upon their way, passing through the United States, a boy William was born.  A daughter Alice and 6 sons were born in Canada.  It is said that all these children lived to  ripe old ages. An online source said the George and Nancy Boulton family lived at New Dublin, near Brockville at Concession 6/Lot 24 in 1795.

I have read online that the 1776 Leeds Census has the name spelled Boolton, 1802, 1808 spelled Boulton, 1810 Bolton, 1812, 1819 and 1821 Boulton.  From 1839 forward it was spelled Bolton.  Throughout the census records the brothers change and interchange the spelling of their last name.  These older census records are not yet online but would be neat to see someday!

Children of George and Nancy. 

• Abraham (1762 - 1859) married Mary Elliott (1771 - 1866) in 1792; was a part of the Grenville Militia in 1803 and in the War of 1812.  Buried in McTaggart Cemetery, Huron County
• Alice Eleanor (1764 - ?) married Ephrain Curry
• Thomas (1774 - 1855) married Susannah Hoover/Handstock first and then Ann (Nancy) Higginson.  Their daughter is Ann Henrietta Boulton
• William (1776 - 1859) married Martha Elliott (sister to Mary) in 1805.  Their son John is the father of Benjamin Boulton
• Benjamin
• Henry John (1780 - ?)
• Hugh (1789 - ?)
• Samuel (1789 - ?)

George and (presumably) Nancy are buried in Bolton Cemetery near Lyn, Ontario

Thanks to online sources, Carol Lackey, and here also, and the Weekes Family Site. 

Thomas Boulton (1774 - 1855)

Thomas Boulton - Second Great Grandfather

Thomas  was born on April 9, 1774  and died October 23, 1855.  His gravestone, pictured above, is in New Dublin Cemetery #1.  He was the son of Irish immigrants and United Empire Loyalists, George Boulton and Nancy Bickford.  Thomas married Susannah Hoover (aka Handstock) first and had 3 children -  Mary, Thomas and William.  He then married Ann (Nancy) Higginson in 1832 . One of their four offspring is Ann Henrietta Boulton.  The other were Benjamin, Thomas, and Abigail.

I have found online that more on Thomas can be found in a book called U.E. Loyalist Links Vol V - Leeds Grenville Co. by Russ Waller.  I would like to find out what it says someday!

On November 9, 1789 in Quebec, the "Order In Council" was ordered.  Land Boards were to provide 200 acres of land to each child of American Loyalists. To sons, as soon as they reached the age of 21 years, and to daughters at age 21 years or at marriage some times only 100 acres. This was called the "Order In Council", commonly seen as "OC" and "O.I.C."  Thomas Boulton's land was granted by a OC - Order of Council in 1812 as the son of a Loyalist.

In the 1851 Canadian Census, Thomas can be found living in Leeds County near Elizabethtown. This is near Lamb's Pond in Southern Ontario, a place that is on my list of places to visit there someday! On the same page of the census are many other Boultons including his brother William and Martha, their son William and Ann, his nephew John and Alice and their families.  Thomas' daughter Ann Henrietta is 7 years old and her future husband, John and Alice's son Benjamin is 16.  

Thomas died at age 81 in 1855 and is buried in the New Dublin Cemetery #1 in Ontario.  

William Boulton (1776 - 1859)

William Boulton - Third Great Grandfather

William was born in 1776 near Elizabethtown in Leeds County, Ontario. This was during the years of the American Revolution and his father George fought for the British during that time.  George and his wife Nancy Bickford had immigrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania but moved to Canada in support of the British Empire.  William married Martha Elliott in 1805.  Martha was a sister to Mary Elliott who had previously married William's older brother Abraham.  Matrtha and Mary's father was David Elliott who was born in Dutchess, New York and was also a Loyalist.

William and Martha's eldest son John is the father of Benjamin Boulton.  William had another brother named Thomas who was the father of Ann Henrietta Boulton who married that Benjamin. Are you confused yet?  I certainly was when researching this tree and can blame all my errors on the repeating names in every generation!!

Children of William and Martha

• Nancy
• John (1806 - 1902) married Alice Colbourne January 24, 1837
• Rebecca (1807 - ?)
• Sarah (1807 - ?)
• Thomas (1810 - ?)
• Benjamin (1812 - 1865)
• William (1817 - 1902) married Anoran "Ann Nora" Colborne (sister to Alice)

William died at age 83 on July 13,1859 and his wife Martha Jane died 20 years later at age 100. They certainly must have been doing something right to live such long lives in those days. I have not been able to find their burial spots online so will put that on my "to do list" for a future visit to the area.