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Note: Notes from The Wakelin Family Tree, by Howard O. Wakelin We have a record of date of birth for Darah. Census records indicate the years of birth. The 1852 Census Record (Sittingbourne library) shows James as being 47 years of age, born in Rainham, Kent, and Sarah as 43 years of age, born in Hartlip, Kent. John Wellington Wakelin informed me in the late 1950's that he remembered his grandfather, James Wakelin. He could remember his using a cane and that when James died, they took the body away in a wagon for burial. John W. and I went out to the Cannington cemetery and he showed me where he thought they had buried his Grandfather, at the edge of the ravine which runs along the north-west boundary of the cemetery, near the west cemetery line. There is no record of this in the cemetery plat map. He said that he was six years old when this occursed, but James Wakelin is recorded in the 1881 census, when John W. was 10 years old. James Wakelin and his wife, Sarah, with their children, came to Canada in 1852 or shortly thereafter. A Wakelin Family history prepared by Pearl Samis and Florence McNabb, in the "Cannington Gleaner", July 5, 1978, states, "It was in the year 1852 that the Wakelin ancestors set sail from Folkestone, England, to make their new home in Canada." I have the date of marriage for Sarah Wakelin (Daughter of James) and Fred S. French which is December 6, 1852. Record from St. Catherine's House, London, show the marriage of Sarah Wakelin as "DEC QTR 1852", which coincides with the above date. This would indicate that the family could not have left England before December, 1852. Lila Hodgson, has the following statement: "The Wakelin family originated in Kent County, England. They emigrated to Canada about 1854. They were brick manufactures and carried on their trade in Canada." Mrs. Vina McGinnis, has the following statement concerning her grandfather: "James Wakelin was born at Sittingbourne, County Kent, England, on Feb 24, 1930. He married Emma Rose, who was born July 17, 1834. The family came to Canda in 1856 and lived in Bowmanville for a short while." St Catherine's House London birth records show that the first two children of James and Emma were born in Kent County, England, in 1852 and 1854, so the 1856 emigration date for James and Emma is probably right. A search concerning the birth date of John Francis Wakelin lends further light. Family record indicates John Francis' birth date as 2/22/1842. However, St. Catherine's House, London, birth record show John Fancis as born in the March quarter, 1841 and the first census take in England in 1841 records John Francis as being 3 month of age. This indicates clearly that the date for John Francis' birth is 2/22/1841. A continuation of Cina McGinnis' historical statement states, "John Francis Wakelin came to Canada at the age of 12 years with his parent." If this is correct, then the time of arrival in Canada must have been after Feb. 22, 1853. Taking the 1842 birth date, it would be after Feb 22, 1854. The family first settles at Bowmanville, Ontario, but they remained there only briefly. In an archives search Rob Wakelin has discovered that John F. Wakelin. when he built his house and barn, bought the land from Joe Hubbard, who married Elizah Wakelin, daughter of James and Sarah. Joe Hubbard bought the land in 1872, and sold the land on the east side of the road to John in 1873, and the land on the west side of the road in 1876. John wanted this land because it consisted of good clay sail, suitable for making brick. There they settled, setting up a brickyard just north of Cannington, on the 13 concession. James Wakelin and I visited the site in August, 1978. He indicated that the brickyard was located on th south side of the property, east of the road. North of the brickyard were located for log houses where lived the families of John Francis Wakelin, James Wakelin, Billie Givens, north of James W. and Joe Hubbard, north of Hillie Givens James informed me that he had torn down the last remaining log house upon the insistence of his sister Sarah Keeler, who was ashamed to admit to her friends that she had been born in that log house. The barn was located across the road (west) from the log houses. Part of the stone foundation of the barn can still be seen there, first pointed out to me by Charles Wakelin when I first visited Cannington with my father in the late 1950's. Ths brickyard was in continuous operation until 1916. operated by John Francis Wakelin and six of his sons, all except Fred. Some of the bricks bore the initials "J.W.", some of which were discovered when a brick structure in Cannington was torn down in 1977. I have one of these bricks. Lila Hodgson told me that James A. Wakelin said that the brick were heavy, weighing five pounds apiece. A farmer with a good team of horses would come and load on a thousand brick, but the team would not be able to move the load. My brick weighs in at exactly five pounds.
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