William married Elizabeth FLOYDE on 16 Jan 1733 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England. Elizabeth was born on 2 Sep 1712; died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Thomas Downing has hitherto been assumed to be born to William Downing and Elizabeth Floyde in Buckland Brewer in 1748 [there was indeed such a birth of a Thomas Downing to William and Elizabeth]. However, Thomas's burial record, in 15 March, 1837, states his age as 84. This means that he was born in 1752 or 1753. There was a Thomas Downing baptized to James Downing and Elizabeth Braund in East Putford (a chapel connected to the Buckland Brewer church) in 1752. James Downing and Elizabeth Braund had been married in Buckland Brewer in 1748.

The 1780 and 1800 Parkham Land Tax records [at http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Parkham/ParkhamLandTax1780.html and at http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Parkham/ParkhamLandTax1800.html], show Mr. Thomas Downing as the proprietor and occupier of West Goldworthy.

Thomas Downing's will, written in 1823, and in the Devon Heritage Centre, Exeter, shows the executors as Thomas's nephews, William Cleverdon and James Vanstone. Thomas's sister, Joanna Cleverdon was to inherit 5 pounds, Ten pounds was a donation to the poor of Parkham Parish. The executors were to hold the leased (from Richard Pine Coffin) dwelling and fields in Parkham in trust for Thomas's wife and sons as follows:
1/4 to son Henry Downing
1/4 to son Charles Downing
1/4 to son James Downing
1/4 to wife Joanna
The rents, interest, dividends and annual produce was bequeathed to Thomas's daughter Maria Passmore.

Thomas married Joanna FORTESCUE on 19 Oct 1780 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England. Joanna (daughter of George FORTESCUE and Elizabeth NORTHCOTT) was born on 25 Aug 1757 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England; died on 23 Sep 1813 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In the 1841 census, Henry was living at West Goldsworthy Farm in Parkham Parish with his brother James and his sister in law Elizabeth and their children - Harriot, Thomas, Henry, Lucey, James, Eliza, Charles, Sarah, Eliza 2 and Charlotte. In the 1842 Tithe Map of Parkham, Henry Downing was shown as leasing part of Nicholls' Ash farm from the Rt. Honourable Lord John Rolle. He sub-leased the property to tenant farmers.

There is a 1847 will of a Henry Downing of Parkham proved in the Court of the Archdeaconry of Barnstable and indexed at http://www.origins.net/NationalWills/Search/devon/showrecordsdevonwills.aspx. A copy of the will in the Devon Heritage Centre, Exeter [1078/IRW/D/508] showed that half the estate, including Henry's inheritance from his father, and all the plate and silver, was bequeathed to Henry's niece, Harriott Fortescue Downing, daughter of his brother James. The residue was to be divided among James Fortescue Downing, Thomas Fortescue Downing, Henry Fortescue Downing, Lucy Fortescue Downing, and two others whose names were illegible. However all these latter names were crossed out.

Notes:

Information passed down through the Passmore family was that Charlotte married a man named Roberts and died on June 7, 1821 at age 37 . Our family has a memorial ring from her burial, with its date engraved inside.

Charlotte married John ROBERTS on 11 Sep 1811 in Holy Trinity, Exeter, England. John died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Our family has a sampler made in 1798 by "Lucy Downing, aged 9".

Notes:

Following her husband's 1828 death, Maria and her children moved back to Devon. Maria inherited the rents, interest, dividends and annual produce from her father's West Goldworthy property in Parkham. The 1842 tithe map of Parkham Parish shows Maria Passmore leasing properties called Whitefields Broad Parkham and Short's Cottage from Mr. Samuel Kekewich Trehawke Esq. She sub-rented the properties to tenant farmers, Thomas Lemon and John Lang, respectively.

Two mortgage indentures [B127/4/33/7&8] in the North Devon Record Office show Maria lending a total of 230 pounds in the form of a mortgage, to James Chappell for properties he was occupying in Northam Parish and Appledore. The first mortgage document was in 1844 and the second was in July, 1845, and also involved other people: two Prusts, a Norrice, a Pyke, and Richard Buse. Worries about complications in these mortgage transactions were mentioned in the May and June, 1845 letters from the ship and Canada to Maria from her son Frederick .

The letters of Maria's son Frederick to her and her daughters in 1845 were addressed to Plymouth, Devon. In the 1841 census, Maria and her four children were living on Providence Row in the Parish of Bideford, Devon. All four children were shown as being born outside of Devon. Under "profession, trade, employment or independent means", Maria was listed as "independent".

In the 1866 Mitchell and Co. Toronto Directory, Maria is listed as the widow of Peter Passmore, and occupying a house at 222 Church Street.

In the 1871 census [Toronto St. James Ward, District 47, Sub-district B, Division 4, page 40] she is listed as age 74, born in England, Church of England, head of household, and living with her daughters Maria Louisa, age 45, Mary Ann, age 35, and Harriet, age 35.

Death certificate information: age about 82 years. Died of paralysis and old age.

Maria's will and codicil,made in 1871, leaves the bulk of her estate to her son Frederic and all his children, however precluding any of said children are "other than dutiful, obedient and respectful to my said son (of which conduct he is to be the sole judge)". The will specifically excludes Frederic's present wife [Isabella] or any of her relatives from appointment to or rearrangement of administration of the will if her son resigns from that responsibility. If Frederic dies intestate, or without having appointed a new trustee during the childrens' minority, then Maria's daughters are named as the childrens' trustees, with the hope that the children will be obedient and respectful towards them.

The property left to Frederic in trust for the benefit of his children:
-Money on deposit at Canada Permanent Building and Savings Society
- Lot #1 on north side of Sydenham st. in the Village of Yorkville, York County, with dwelling houses and appurtenances thereto belonging which said property was conveyed to Maria by General Warren johnston by deed dated Oct. 9, 1861.
-Lots #37 and #38 fronting on Edinburgh St. and Merion St. according to the subdivision of Lots 5 and 6 of Division "A" now in the Town of Guelph in Wellington County, which lots were conveyed to Maria by William haskins by deed dated Dec. 20, 1860.
- Lot #276 in first concession northeast of the Toronto and Sydenham road in the Township of Melancthon in Grey County, which property was conveyed to Maria by way of mortgage by Edward Harrison by indenture dated Jan. 21, 1860.
-West half of Lot #11 in fifth concession in Tay Township, Simcoe County.
-West half of Lot #11 in seventh concession in Tay Township, Simcoe County, conveyed to Maria by way of mortgage by William Johston Evans and his wife on June 1, 1869.
- Peter's gold watch chain and seals and his masonic medals.
- A gold ring presented to Maria by her brother-in-law the late John Roberts.

Property left to Maria's daughters, Maria Louisa, Mary Anne and Harriet:
- Household furniture, books, pictures, plate, jewellery, china, bed and table linen
- Inasmuch as Mary Anne never had a conveyance of certain property a part of which is situated on Lot #11 Section G of the Military Reserve in the City of Toronto, it was Maria's desire that Mary Anne will bring such property into the General Fund and thereafter participate in equal shares with her sisters and brother. Should she be unwilling to comply with this request, then the Executor [Frederic] has power to take the conveyance of such real and personal property into his consideration and by a true appraisement of the value thereof by some competent person, so distribute the remainder of Maria's property as in his judgement shall be considered four equal shares.
- It was Maria's desire that her son should have his fourth share from the personal estate only, and should not have any claim on the landed property or house property.

The will specifically states that her son's present wife [Isabella] shall have no right, claim or interest by any law of succesion or inheritance of any of the above property.

The will goes on to say that at the time of creation of the will, Maria is planning to have a house erected on a lot on the south side of William St. purchased on May 30, 1870, and to which is added lots #7 and #9 on the west side of Bellaire St. This house is intended to be a "homestead" for her daughters, and it may also be a home for her son and his three children (but not his present wife).

Our family has a book published in 1696, "Mystery of the Skill of Physic Made Easy", by Nicholas Culpepper. It is inscribed in several places with "Mrs. Passmore, Maryport, Cumberland, A.D. 1820" and "Maria passmore her book 1832". Other signatures in the book include James Fortescue, Joanna Downing, Joanna Fortescue, Henry Downing and James Downing.

Maria married Peter PASSMORE on 19 Apr 1819 in Chester, Cheshire, England (St. John the Baptist Parish). Peter (son of Peter PASMORE and Mary BEST) was born on 23 Jun 1784 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England; died on 9 Jun 1828 in Maryport, Cumberland, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In the baptismal records of the Parish of Parkham, James was listed as a yeoman, living with his wife Elizabeth, in Goldsworthy. The Parkham Parish baptismal registers show the children being born in Goldsworthy.

In 1841 census, James and his family were living at West Goldsworthy Farm in Parkham, Devon. The 1842 tithe map of Parkham shows James leasing Goldworthy Barton, Bartons Goldworthy and Hunger Road farms from Rev. John Thomas Pine Coffin. James and his family lived and farmed on part of Goldworthy Barton, and sub-leased the rest of it and the other properties to tenant farmers. In the 1851 census his acreage was 150. In the 1861 census he was living at Thortridge in Buckland Brewer, Devonshire. His wife was on the neighbouring property with their son and a very large family. [Colleen Evans [[email protected]], Downing family tree.]

James married Elizabeth ASHTON about 1822 in Parkham, Devonshire, England. Elizabeth (daughter of John ASHTON and Sarah CLEMENTS) was born about 1802 in Parkham, Devonshire, England; died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

There is also a 24 May, 1820 baptismal record, in Bideford, Devon, of a Frederick Fortescue Passmore, born to Peter Passmore, Officer of the Customs (no mother's name is given). Evidently this first-born Frederick Fortescue died in infancy, before 1824, when his brother, with the same name, was born.

Notes:

In the 1901 Canada census, Ward 3 of Toronto Centre, Maria is listed as the head of a household consisting of her sister Mary Ann and her nephew Frederic Forneri.

Death certificate information: age 80 years, 6 months.
Address: 47 Alexander St., Toronto
Cause of death: general debility + old age.

Her will leaves her estate, valued at $350, to her nephew, Alfred Clarence Passmore.

Notes:

Frederick's middle name, Fortescue, reflects the fact that his mother's mother was Joanna Fortescue, who was descended from John Fortescue of Shebbear. Shebbear is a parish south of Buckland Brewer, and close to the Parish of Buckland-Filleigh, where a major branch of the Fortescue family owned the Manor of Buckland-Filleigh. The Fortescue family was a noble family, with many illustrious members. The main branch of the Fortescue family is traced back to the birth of Richard le Fort in 1015. He was a commander in the army of William the Conqueror, who saved William's life during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Evidently the Downings (who also included the Fortescue name in several succeeding generations) and the Passmores were very anxious to preserve and commemorate their connections to the noble Fortescue family. [Reference: "A History of the Family of Fortescue in all its Branches" http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=%2FFH23&CISOPT R=73354&REC=4&CISOBOX=Joanna+Fortescue]. Another reference on the Parish of Buckland Filleigh and the Fortescues who owned its manor from 1472 to 1834 is in the book "Buckland Fileigh - A Continuous Thread", by Jane Taylor.

Frederick Fortescue Passmore's father died when he was only four, and the family suffered financially. Frederick decided that emigration to Canada would be the best course of action, after which he could bring his mother and sisters over as well (which he did, returning to England and bringing them back with him to Canada in 1847). In one of his letters to his family in England, Frederick mentioned that the Passmores possessed about 1200 pounds in capital investments. Frederick supported his mother and sisters for the rest of his life.

After a short career at sea in the Navy, Frederick Fortescue Passmore emigrated alone from England to Canada West on 11 April, 1845, arriving in Quebec late May, 1845. He settled in Toronto, and apprenticed to John G. Howard, a prominent local surveyor, architect and engineer. His voyage to Canada and his first few years in Toronto are chronicled in the letters he wrote home to his mother and sisters in Devon, England between 1845 and 1847. These letters have been preserved in the family, and have been transcribed. Much information about Frederick's successful career as a surveyor is contained in the 1994 Bachelor of Arts thesis at of his great-great granddaughter, Sarah Dewar, at Acadia University, "Labouring for the Whole Hive".

According to the Find A Grave site http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=PAS&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GScntry=10&GSsr=401&GRid=28495524&, a third cousin once removed, Thomas Passmore emigrated from England to Quebec on the same dates as Frederick. Frederick and Thomas perhaps came on the same ship, although Frederick does not mention Thomas in his letters to his family.

Passmore was licensed as a Provincial Land Surveyor (PLS) in 1846. In addition to his important survey work in Toronto and other parts of Ontario, Frederick Passmore did much to advance his profession, helping its transition from an entirely government-run enterprise to an independent self-regulated association of professionals. In 1852 he was appointed Secretary of the Board of Examiners for Surveying in Canada West. In 1879 he was appointed its Chair. During his career, Frederick surveyed in many parts of Ontario, including Toronto and Scarborough, Grantham, Etobicoke, Arthur, Trafalgar, Barton, Burlington Bay, Goderich, Oil Springs, Dover Township, Fort Erie and Dundas. He produced the lines for the Hamilton Incline Railway and for the Toronto City Hall foundation. For 12 years he was Deputy Registrar in the Toronto Registry Office.

"The History of the Royal Grenadiers" contains Frederick's militia career in that regiment in Toronto, starting in 1861, when tension began with the United States during its Civil War, and the "Trent Affair" [when the US Navy stopped and boarded the British mail steamer "Trent", taking prisoner two Confederate politicians it found on board]. Frederick was appointed a lieutenant, and his friend Sandford Fleming a captain 10th Batallion, Volunteer Rifles, later called 10 Batallion, Volunteer Militia (Infantry). The unit's uniform was scarlet. One of the people in the photo of Frederick's 1864 Scarborough survey camp was wearing the uniform of the unit. The Toronto Globe newspaper of 6 Jan. 1862 lists Frederick as being nominated a lieutenant in the Engineers' and Mechanics' Battalion. The militia unit was later re-named the 10th Royal Regiment, Toronto Volunteers, and saw service against the Fenian threat in 1865 and 1866. It is not known whether Frederick was still with the unit at that time.

In his younger days, Frederick was an enthusiastic yachtsman an interest that he passed on to his sons Alfred and Forneri.

In 1849-50, Frederick, civil engineer Sandford A. Fleming (later the originator of standardized time zones) and several others decided to set up an institute to advance the professional concerns of surveyors, engineers and architects. At an initial meeting in February, 1850, only Passmore and Fleming showed up. Sandford Fleming's comment in his diary: ".."a Chuzzlewit affair. Truly a Canadian Institute." Undaunted, they proceeded to form the Canadian Institute, and elected each other, Fleming as Secretary and and Passmore as Chairman. The Institute (later known as the Royal Canadian Institute) has existed since then, promoting science, engineering and architectural endeavours by public lectures and other means. Passmore presented several lectures, such as "Upon the Ameliorating Influences of the Climate of Canada"; geological changes in the earth;

Passmore was a close associate of Sandford Fleming over the years, according to "Sir Sandford Fleming - His Early Diaries 1845-1853", edited by Jean Murray Cole [Natural Heritage Books, Toronto, 2009]. As well as being among the founders of the Canadian Institute, they worked together on surveys and architectural projects, socialized with each other and with other friends (skating, playing chess, dinners, borrowed money and gave each other gifts, went on canoe camping/surveying trips in the Peterborough area etc.) On 24th April 1852, Fleming was in court as a witness for Passmore. He also secured at least one piece of land through Passmore.

In 1859, Frederick married Isabella Rankin. Their marriage produced three children, according to Frederick, and four, according to Isabella. Their marriage was a stormy one, probably not least because of enmity between Isabella and Frederick's widowed mother and his three unmarried sisters.

A set of over 100 notes and letters by Frederick and Isabella and others during the years 1859 - 1871 partially document their turbulent marriage, and are in the City of Toronto Archives ["Frederick F. Passmore Separation papers", File #180984 Series 347], among a larger set of documents which are Frederick's surveying notes. Since the Separation Papers are among Frederick's surveying papers, we can assume that it was he who preserved them. We can only speculate that his purpose was to strengthen his eventual legal case for a marital separation. The adverb "partially" is used, since some of the letters mention events with which both sender and receiver are familiar, and which are therefore only superficially described. Besides letters, there are short notes, many undated, written by Frederick on tiny scraps of paper. They betray what can only be described as an obsessed and vindictive state of mind. The letters from Isabella are very hard to read: her handwriting is hard to decypher; she tends to neglect punctuation, capitalization and paragraph separation; some of the ink is faint; and some of her letters are written in two crossing perpendicular directions on the same page. Accordingly, we get a somewhat sharper view of Frederick's view than of his wife's.

The letters introduce us to others connected to the Passmore's marital drama, including Dr. Alexander Johnson Williamson (ca. 1796-1870), for whom Isabella was a live-in servant before her marriage. Dr. Williamson, in the 1857-1870 period, was apparently a non-practicing medical doctor, who worked as a clerk of correspondence for the Board of Education. From the 1837 Toronto Directory, we learn that Dr. Williamson had been a published poet: one of his books, "Devotional Poems", published in 1840, is accessible on the Internet. One of the letters in the Separation papers file informs us that Isabella had entered his house as a servant at age 12, and that Dr. Williamson undertook to educate her, effectively becoming her guardian.

The letters and notes may be roughly divided into two main phases: 1859-1862, in which Frederick accuses Isabella and Dr. Williamson of "trapping" him into marriage; and 1866-1871, in which Frederick accuses Isabella of infidelity with a young male boarder and tries to effect a legal separation. There is no written material from the 1862-1866 period, within which the couple's second and third children were born, so that must have been a period of relative calm.

From the birth of the Passmore's first child, on 6 April, 1860, we surmise that Isabella was pregnant when she and Frederick married on 4 Aug., 1859. The wedding itself was a small private affair, in Williamson's house, with a clergyman and a couple of witnesses. In an undated note written about 1866, Frederick claimed he "did not dream of such an event [their marriage] taking place until one week before it happened." Williamson, in a letter of 8 April, 1860, reminded Frederick that the couple had been acquainted for about 18 months before the marriage. The marriage turned sour within a few weeks. Williamson upbraided Frederick for publicly insulting Isabella. Frederick complained of Isabella's flirtations with other men and reported hearing rumours of Isabella's previous employment in taverns, during which she was said to have "shared a bed with a negro woman". He accused Isabella and Dr. Williamson of conspiring to trap him into marriage, although he never strongly denied that he was responsible for Isabella's pregnancy. Isabella protested Frederick's treatment, refused to sign over her dowry, and at one point told her husband that she no longer wished to be supported by him. The couple separated soon after the wedding, with Isabella boarding with a Mrs. Sparrow, while awaiting the birth of her child. She wrote many impassioned notes to Frederick, denying the rumours about her past and imploring him for reconciliation and continued support. It is clear from the letters and notes that Frederick's mother and sisters were instrumental in tearing the couple apart.

On 6 April, 1860, Alfred Clarence Passmore was born, 8 months after his parents' wedding. Frederick seemed indifferent to his new son, but became furious when Dr. Williamson placed a birth announcement in the Globe newspaper. Notes and letters between the two men indicated that they almost came to blows. Frederick forbade Isabella to have any further dealings with Williamson. For some part of the next six or seven years, Isabella and young Alfred lived separately, but close, to Frederick and his mother and sisters. Frederick continued to support his wife and son. There was certainly some contact among all the parties involved (except Dr. Williamson), since Frederick and Isabella had two more children, Forneri Frederick on 29 Oct., 1862 and Isabella Mary Eugenie on 14 Nov., 1864. During most of this period, and for several years after, Isabella managed boarding houses that were likely owned or leased by her husband.

Matters came to a head again on 28 April, 1867, when Frederick and Isabella and their three children were living in a boarding house managed by Isabella. Late that evening Frederick tiptoed downstairs to listen to Isabella conversing behind a closed door with a young male boarder named Lowe. Opening the door suddenly, he imagined that Isabella had risen from Lowe's lap and was running across the room. Based on this one incident, Frederick constructed a story of heinous adultery on the part of his wife, in numerous notes to himself. These notes, mostly undated, and written on tiny scraps of paper, are among the archived Separation Papers, There are also letters to and from lawyers representing Frederick and Isabella, as Frederick was apparently attempting to effect a legal separation from his wife, that might cut off his support for her and gain him custody of the children. There are also documents reporting Frederick's assets and income, and receipts for expenses incurred by Isabella.

There is also in the file a clipping from the Globe newspaper which reported the arrest of Frederick, in October, 1867, "at the instance of his wife, whom he has frequently mistreated in a variety of ways, occasionally winding up the proceedings by locking her out in the cold." Another Globe article, in October, 1868, reports a court proceeding involving an assault by Frederick on Isabella.

It should be mentioned that in 19th century Canada, divorce was essentially unavailable; the alternative was legal separation, in which the disposition of assets and children was decided, but the parties remained legally married. Child custody could be awarded to the mother, if the child was under 12, the mother was not guilty of adultery, and "if the court saw fit". Otherwise, the father usually gained child custody.

An April 19, 1871 invoice to Frederick from Isabella's lawyer (who was evidently paid by Frederick) detailed the legal preparations and expenses, including drafting of a Deed of Separation, which, it was noted, was not agreed to by Frederick and his lawyer. No record has been found of the actual separation court proceeding, apart from a pencilled note by Frederick on an envelope: "Suit tried Aug. 15 1871. Verdict for McDonald [this was Isabella's lawyer] $2.00. Costs $5.60. Paid Div. Court Aug. 19/71 $7.61." From this we infer that Frederick did not succeed in freeing himself from financially supporting Isabella. The immediate custody of the children is uncertain, but subsequent census and directory entries indicate that they lived with their father, aunts and grandmother for most of the following years.

Another bizarre element in this rather sordid drama is that Isabella had a fourth child, named Blanche Ellen, in or about 1871. She appeared in the 1871 census (which was collected on 2 April, 1871) under the name "Nelly", age 5 [probably meaning 5 months]. Isabella claimed she was Frederick's child; Frederick claimed she was not.

In the 1850 Toronto Directory, Frederick Passmore is listed at 226 Yonge St.
In the 1853 Toronto tax assessment rolls, F.F. Passmore is listed as an architect on King St. W. in St. George's Ward, and Fred'k Passmore is listed as a clerk on Church St. W. in St. James Ward.
In the 1856 Toronto Directory he is listed as architect and surveyor, residing on James St. in Yorkville
1866 Mitchell and Co. Directory of Toronto: Frederick is listed as a civil engineer and provincial land surveyor, at 141 Church St. W.

1861 census listing forToronto St. James Ward District 3:
Maria Passmore, age 63 b. Parkham England, C. of E.
M.L. Passmore, age 38, b. Selby, England, C. of E.
H.F. Passmore, age age 32, b. Maryport, England, C. of E.
M.A. Passmore, age 34, b. Cumberland, England, C. of E.
Fred F. Passmore, land surveyor, age 36, b. England, P.M.
I.H. Passmore, age 28, b. Ireland, P.M.
A.C. Passmore, age 1, b. Canada West, -

1871 census listing forDistrict 47 (Toronto East, St. James ward), Sub-district B, Division page 3:
F.F. Passmore, age 40, religion CE, occupation: Depy. register; Div. 3, P. 40
Alfred Passmore, age 11, going to school
Forneri Passmore, age 7, going to school
Isabella Passmore, age 6
Maria Passmore, age 42, born in England, married (not clear who this is, perhaps a servant, with her family name incorrectly listed)
Note that Frederick's wife Isabella is listed at a different address, as are his mother and sisters.

In the 1870 to 1872 Directories, Frederick is at 196 Church St., while his sisters and mother occupy 222 Church St. In 1872-73, Isabella has moved to 222 Church St. In the 1873-74 Directory, Frederick, his mother and sisters are at 58 Wood St., while Isabella is at 228 Church St. Isabella has apparently left the family, as she is listed in the same directory as the "widow of Frederick". In the 1874 Fisher and Taylor's Toronto Directory, he is listed as a provincial land surveyor at 58 Wood St. in St. James Ward, near the intersection with Church St. He is also listed as Deputy Registrar in the City Registry Office. In the 1881 Canada census, [St. Thomas Ward in Toronto, District 134, sub-district C, division 2, page 31], Frederick is listed as a land surveyor and head of a household consisting of his sons Alfred and Frederick Forneri (listed as a clerk) and a female servant, Jane Drummond. His and his sons' religion is Methodist. He and his sisters are still at 58 Wood St. in 1885, but Isabella is now listed at 91 Wilton Ave. In the 1890 Directory, Frederick is listed as a "clerk" at 47 Alexander St., along with his son Forneri F. Passmore, who is listed as a "surveyer", and his sisters Maria and Mary. Isabella is now listed at 209 Jarvis St.

Frederick Passmore's life is described in the "Commemorative Biographical record of the County of York, Ontario", published in 1907, and available at http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=78246,1 as follows:

"Frederick F. Passmore C.E. (deceased) was for many years a well-known civil engineer in Toronto, in which city he died in 1892. He was born in Devonshire [sic], England in 1823, son of Frederick [sic] and Maria Passmore.
Mr. Passmore grew to manhood in his native country, and there received both his literary and professional education. When a young man he came to Toronto, and shortly thereafter formed a paartnership with a Mr. Tully, under the firm name of Tully and Passmore, civil engineers and government surveyers. In this, his professional work, continued for a number of years. He then received the appointment to the registry office of the City of Toronto, and served in that capacity until his death.
Mr. Passmore married Miss Isabella Rankin, who belongs to a family long identified with County York, being a daughter of William and Mary (Mahoffey) Rankin, natives of Ireland, who came to Toronto at an early date, settling on Yonge Street, where Mr. Rankin owned a tract of land, and where both he and Mrs. Rankin died. Of their thirteen children, Mrs. Passmore and her sister Mrs. Cunningham, and one brother, Abraham Rankin, are the only survivors.
To Mr. and Mrs. Passmore were born four children: Alfred C., Frederick F., Isobel (deceased) and Blanche Ellen, the last named the wife of Robert McKay, a well-known barrister of Toronto. Mr. Passmore was a member of the Church of England, to the faith of which his widow also adheres".

The above biography was almost certainly written by Frederick's widow Isabella, before she died in 1906, since it has so much detail about her family and about Blanche Ellen (whose paternity was always denied by Frederick and his other children).

Obituary in the Toronto Globe and Mail, Jan. 13 and 14, 1892: "On Sunday, Jan. 10, at 47 Alexander St., Toronto, Ont., Frederick Fortescue Passmore P.L.S., native of Selby, Yorkshire, aged 68 years."

There are several records from the Court of Chancery in the Ontario Archives of lawsuits, mostly about unpaid debts and mortgages by F.F. Passmore on others, or by others on him:
RG22-409 bar code B110117 Passmore vs. Gray 1871
RG22-409 bar code B103546 Passmore vs. Scovell 1877
RG22-409 bar code B111823 Read vs. Passmore 1871

In his will, which was composed and witnessed in 1879 by Provincial land Surveyor, George Layburn, Frederick leaves to "..the woman I was fool enough to marry [Isabella] - the sum of five shillings and no more - being the utmost value of any claim or demand that she has on me - and to the child who is now living with her - or under her care whose name I do not know - and whom to my knowledge I have never seen, the sum of five shillings only and no more - each of such sums to be paid only on the said devisees' own personal application therefor and not otherwise." The remainder of his estate, amounting to $4950, was left to his sister Maria Louisa, in trust for his children Alfred, Forneri and Mary Eugenie (who was deceased at the time of Frederick's death).

It is thus quite clear that Frederick did not acknowledge Blanche Ellen Passmore as his child, and that he assumed she was the result of an extramarital affair by his wife Isabella.

Frederick, his mother Maria, his sisters Harriet, Louisa and Mary Ann, his daughter Bella Mary and his son Forneri Frederick are all buried in the Toronto Necropolis in P-36b (east side).

Frederick married Isabella Henrietta RANKIN on 4 Aug 1859 in Toronto, Ontario. Isabella (daughter of William RANKIN and Mary MAHOFFEY) was born about 1833 in County Antrim, Ireland; died on 14 Aug 1906 in Toronto; was buried in St. James Cemetery, Toronto, Section Eps, 58th grave s. off Parliament. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mary Ann and her sister Harriet, both born in Maryport, Cumberland, were baptized on 28 September 1832 in Parkham, Devonshire. In their baptismal records, their father, Peter, was listed as "Controller, late of Mary Port, Collector of Customs."

Toronto city directories showed that Mary Ann Passmore occupied 83 Brunswick Avenue in Toronto, from 1913 to at least 1920. From about 1916 until her death in 1923, Her nephew Alfred Clarence and his family lived with her, and continued living there until 1934.

Notes:

Harriet and her sister Mary Ann, both born in Maryport, Cumberland, were baptized on 28 September 1832 in Parkham, Devonshire. In their baptismal records, their father, Peter, was listed as "Controller, late of Mary Port, Collector of Customs."

Our family has a sampler made in 1837, by "H.F. Passmore, aged 9 years".

Death certificate information:
Spinster, age 54 years
Cause of death: nervous debility, 6 months.

Notes:

Listed in 1861 census as living in Paddington, London, 34 years old, a widow, and general dealer, living with her daughter Mary and a boarder.

Harriet married William CLEMENTS on 10 Jun 1849 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England. William died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In 1861 census Thomas and his family are in Ford Farm in Buckland Brewer, with 140 acres. In 1881 census he is a dairyman, living on Dunsford Rd. in Exeter, Devon with his family. In the 1891 and 1901 censuses he is a merchant's clerk living at Wisteria Cottage in Exeter. [Colleen Evans [[email protected]], Downing family tree.]

Lola Passmore Falconer noted that her father, Alfred Passmore, recalled a visit to his family in Toronto by a Tom Downing, who was called "Cousin Tom" by Alfred's aunt, Mary Ann Passmore. This was almost certainly Thomas Fortescue Downing, and the visit must have occurred between about 1865 and 1890. Cousin Tom was described by the young Alf Passmore as being "like John Ridd from 'Lorna Doone', because he was tall and broad, and he seemed to fill a door-way."

Thomas married Jane MOASE on 22 Dec 1847 in Parkham, Devonshire, England. Jane was born in 1827 in Morwenstow, Cornwall, England; died in 1893 in St. Thomas, Devon, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In his Parkham parish baptismal record, "Downing" is transcribed as "Donning".

Per Colleen Evans [[email protected]], Downing family tree, Henry was living with his parents at West Goldsworthy Farm in the 1841 and 1851 censuses. He and his family emigrated to Dereham, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada in 1857, and is listed there as a farmer in the 1871 Canada census. The 1871 census shows the family's religion as Methodist New Connexion. The children are listed as: Fred, 19; Frank, 17; Charley, 15; Lucy, 10; William, 8; Mary, 6; Thirza, 4; and Louis, 1.

In the 1881 census, his wife Mary is listed as a widow, living on the Dereham farm with her children and a servant.

Henry married Mary Elizabeth BATE in Jun 1851 in East Stonehouse, Devonshire, England. Mary was born in 1829; died on 4 Apr 1900 in Dereham, Oxford County, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sarah married Henry VAGGERS in 1872 in Bideford, Devon, England. Henry was born on Yes, date unknown; died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Most of the information about Eliza and her descendants comes from Graham Tithecott.

Eliza was born on Goldworthy Farm In Parkham Parish, Devon. She was baptized in St. James Church, Parkham on 27 Oct 1839. She was listed in the 1861 census in London, in service with a Dalgety family in Paddington. Her descendant Graham Tithecott believes that Mr. Dalgety was a friend of the Downing family.

The head of the Dalgety household was Frederick Gonnerman Dalgety. His wife was Blanche E.T. Dalgety. Their marriage was registered in 1855 in Kingsbridge, Devon. Quebec baptismal records show that Frederick had been born in Montreal, Lower Canada in December, 1817, the son of Alexander Dalgety, a lieutenant in H.M 89th Regiment, and Eliza Doidge. Witnesses to his baptism included a Frederick Gonnerman.

Australian electoral and land transfer records show that Frederick Gonnerman Dalgety was a prosperous merchant in Port Philip (now Melbourne) and in Sydney in the 1840s and 1850s.

The 1861 Dalgety household in London, included aunts, cousins and a brother, as well as 11 servants, including Eliza Downing. Frederick's 1894 will showed that he left a huge estate.

Eliza Downing, while still a servant to the Dalgetys, married William Shelton, a grocer's assistant, in 1865 in Kensington, Middlesex County, England. The 1871 census showed them living, with two young daughters, in Paddington, London. Also in the household were Eliza's mother, Elizabeth Downing, and a servant, Mary Thompson. The 1891 census showed William and Eliza living in the Kensington District in London.

Eliza died of liver cancer and exhaustion on 7 April 1895. Her address at the time was 14 Craven Terrace, Lancaster Gate, London.

Family/Spouse: James ACKLAND. James was born about 1840 in Parkham, Devon, England; died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Eliza married William SHELTON in 1865 in Kensington, Middlesex, England. William was born about 1840 in Ashfordby, Leicestershire, England; died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]