 |
© 1997 - 2005, THE LANARK COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY This Website Is Sponsored By GLOBAL GENEALOGY SUPPLY |
Submitted by Joan Troemner
See The Family Story of Joseph Jensen which starts
below these photos.
 |
| James F. Robertson and family about 1888. Taken at Townend Photographer, Almonte, Ontario. |
| Names are left to right in picture, back row then front row. |
| Ada James F. Margaret (Watchorn) John(Jack) |
| Margaret Mark Henry(Harry) |
 |
| James F. Robertson and Margaret Watchorn, taken on their wedding day, July 5, 1877, in Almonte, Ontario. |
 |
| Margaret, Mary Ellen, and Ada Robertson (left to right) daughters of James F. Robertson and Margaret Watchorn. Photo taken on Mary Ellen's 13th birthday on February 2, 1904. |
 |
 |
| Henry Watchorn, born 1821, Carlow County, Ireland, died 28 October 1894, in Lanark County, Ontario, and Nancy Taylor, born 1827, in Taylor Lake, Armagh County, Ireland, died 22 March 1898, in Clayton, Lanark County, Ontario. | John Robertson in 1890s, husband of Margaret Rodger, came from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Middleville, Lanark County, Ontario. Born 16 December 1811, in Anstruther, Fife, Scotland. Died 4 June 1898, in Darling, Lanark County, Ontario. Father of 11 children. |
Joseph Jensen,
son of Jorgen Peter Jensen and Ane Elisabeth Christensen, husband
of Mary Ellen Robertson, 17 years old (about 1904-1905).
Joseph was born October 5, 1887 (see the Jensen Bible) in the Pakenham District in Ontario. There he spent his early years and received his public school education. Joseph went to high school in Almonte and then to model school in Perth. After graduating from there, he qualified for a teaching certificate for three years. He taught at Halls Mills for this time plus at least one more year because of the shortage of teachers. In the year 1909, he graduated from the Winnipeg Normal School. After receiving his teacher's certificate he came west to Alberta. The first place he taught school was north of Cochrane at Jumping Pound and Brushy Ridge schools. He moved north of Cochrane to teach at Summit Hill, Cochrane Lakes for three years, starting in 1914.
In the meantime, his mother came from Ontario to make her home with
him.
Early in 1918, he went back to Ontario and was married to Mary
Ellen Robertson of Halls Mills, Lanark County. When the newlyweds
came back to Alberta, they decided to try farming in the Bottrel
area. The summers of 1918-1919 were very hot and dry, and as a
result the crops were light. Joe supplemented their income by
teaching. After two crop failures, they decided to try their luck
in another part of Alberta. Joe had an offer of a teaching
position in the Gadsby district.
By this time their family had increased with the arrival of twins,
Norma and Donald. Joe's mother, who continued to make her home
with them, was very excited at becoming the grandmother of twins.
She telephoned a neighbour, and instead of acknowledging when they
said "Hello", kept shouting, "It's two! It's two!", until she hung
up, out of breath.
In 1919, the family moved to Gadsby. Joe taught at the same school
near Gadsby for six years. His mother continued to live with Joe
and his family until her passing some twenty years after she had
first come to Alberta. She died August 12, 1938 and is buried in
the Union Cemetery, Lanark County, Ontario. Another son Merrill
was born at Gadsby. Joe continued to farm until his eyesight began
to fail. Then they moved to Stettler to make their home.
The last few years of Joe's life were spent in total blindness. He
never was depressed, never complained, was always cheerful and
enjoyed life.
Joe passed away September 25, 1958 shortly after he and his wife celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary. This is the story of Joseph Jensen, my grandfather.
From the May 1998 LCGS Newsletter.
|John Robertson Joseph Jensen | |Margaret Rodger Mary Ellen Robertson ----| | |James F. Robertson---| | |Margaret Watchorn----| | |Henry Watchorn | |Nancy TaylorTOP OF PAGE