The Gratrix/Greatrix Story

Index for The Gratrix/Greatrix History (Story)

5/1/2015

Click on the story you want to read below, it is a link that will take you there:

Greatrix/Gratrix Family Photo Gallery - Published March 3, 2016
JOHN GREATRIX (son of James G.) and his son, AARON (ORAN) GREATRIX
Origins for The Gratrix/Greatrix History (Story) Jan 9, 2015
Researching the UK Gratrix/Greatrix family Feb 1, 2015
The Greatrix/Kleinsteuber Connection: Amanda's Story Jan 9, 2015
The Samuel Greatrix (1829 - 1911) History (Story) Jan 16, 2015

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JOHN GREATRIX (son of James G.) and his son, AARON (ORAN) GREATRIX

2/17/2015

Author: Melanie Shana Greatrix, in collaboration with Keith Millard

I started to research further into the Greatrix family in the 1990’s and thought I would take down notes from the aunts and uncles left at that point to be able to put the family tree together and pass on to others in the family. It became an interesting journey for me as I had no children of my own, not even any nieces or nephews although I have a sister and a brother. Nevertheless, I found some wonderful stories in the family who have lived and left legacies for the rest of us with the family values they imparted, the laughter of gatherings for picnic reunions at the Sandbanks Park in Prince Edward County or at the Picton Legion later, as well as the special events such as anniversaries and celebrations of life.

My experience was a positive one for the time I had with all of the extended family until my father, Victor G. died when I was 12. Our family had also moved away from the benefits of an extended family when I was 5 to the Haldimand-Norfolk area, 225 miles away, because Dad had received a promotion in the army as firefighter-lieutenant. However, I took the effort to visit almost every summer in the County and meet up with the family still remaining because it gave me back something that I had lost, the connection to my father. As you can imagine, it was a scanty beginning with just some stories here and there as no one had written it all down before this.

The oldest picture I had is one we called the 4 generations. This spanned the life of the earliest known Greatrix who had come to Canada as a young man, John G. with his son Aaron G., with his son Herbert G. with his son Oran G. (brother of my Dad). I shall try to refer to the elder Oran as Aaron which became shortened to Oran. (The unusual marking on the nose of John is because his nose was cut off from a skin cancer that developed from many years in the fields farming during the hot summers.)

Click on photo(s) to enlarge or cursor over for caption:

Four generations of Greatrix men

James Greatrix

So just who was John Greatrix who came as a young man to Canada in 1846 with his parents James and Mary Goodacre from England? (And later as we found out he actually came with his older brother Samuel as the parents got situated in Hastings County of Upper Canada earlier.)

Descendants of James Greatrix from Buckminster, Leicestershire

James Gratrix was born 1791 in England, and died May 14, 1869 in Ontario, Canada. He married (1) Mary Goodacre. They immigrated to Canada in 1843 leaving some of their children behind most followed later. In the next year August 27, 1844 Mary died and he married (2) Margaret. She was born between 1809 - 1810 in Ontario. In the 1851 Hasting County Census we find Charlotte and Elizabeth in other homes. And unable to find James listed but he did have land at Concession V and Lot 3 in Elzevir Township. He remarried Margaret shortly after his wife’s death. James died May 14, 1869 in Ontario, Canada.

Children of James Gratrix and Mary Goodacre are:
- William Gratrix, born 1823 in England; died 1894 in Vassey, Ontario. He married Lady Agnes Nevell Harris, Oct 2, 1847 in England.
- Thomas Gratrix, born between October 7 - 24, 1824 in England, died August 6, 1889 in Actinolite, Ontario, Canada. Married Elizabeth Palmer.
- Samuel Gratrix, born December 27, 1825 in England, died Aug 31, 1826 in England.
- James Alexander Gratrix, born December 25, 1826 in England, died June 25, 1878 Ontario, Canada. Married Sarah.
- Rueben Gratrix, born January 9, 1828 in England.
- Lena Gratrix, born April 17, 1829 in England.
- Samuel Gratrix born 1829 in England, died January 16, 1911 in Elgin, Ontario, Canada. Married Laura Davis in Canada.
- Elizabeth Gratrix, born March 24, 1830 in England.
- Susanah Mary Gratrix, born November 25, 1831 in Buckminster, Leicestershire, England. She married John Robert Harris 1850 in Buckminster, Leicestershire, England.
- Jane Ann Gratrix, born January 18, 1833 in England.
- John Gratrix, born October 29, 1834 in England; died December 6, 1919 in Tweed, Ontario, Canada. He married Mary Jane Potter July 18, 1859, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.
- Robert Gratrix, born June 21, 1836 in England; died September 13, 1874. He married Harriet A. Potter August 4, 1867 in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.
- Charlot Gratrix, born February 21, 1838 in England.
- Elizabeth Gratrix, born December 10, 1839 in England. She married Alexander Young August 7, 1865 in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.
- Joseph Gratrix, born November 6, 1840 in England. He married Sarah J. Campbell December 25, 1867 in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.
- Catherine Gratrix, born about 1842 in England. She married Samuel C. Hoover December 12, 1863 in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.

Children of James Gratrix and Margaret are:
- Agnes Greatrix, born between. 1843 - 1844 in Belleville TWP, Hasting County, Ontario. She married Alexander Laundry September 23, 1865 in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.
- Fanny Greatrix, born between 1846 - 1847.
- Elijah Greatrix, born June 14, 1849 in Elzevir TWP, Hastings County, Ontario; died 1929 in Hastings county, Ontario. He married Mary E. Maines November 17, 1874 in Bridgewater, Ontario, Canada.
- Jeany Greatrix, born unknown.

John Greatrix

From a huge family with lots of extended family connections John Greatrix came to Canada in 1846 and in 1859 married a young woman who was a daughter of United Empire Loyalists from the area, Mary Jane Potter. John now started a family of his own to seed more generations of the Greatrix family in this new world.

Children of JOHN GREATRIX and MARY POTTER are:

ELIZABETH GREATRIX, b. 1862; m. BENSON D. MOLYNEUX39, January 24, 1882, Elzevir TWP, Hastings County, Ontario; b. 1860. More About BENSON D. MOLYNEAUX-Occupation: Farmer
ORAN GREATRIX, b. 1864, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. 1937, Actinolite, Hastings County, Ontario.
MARY SUSAN GREATRIX, b. 1866, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d.1950
SARAH GREATRIX. B. 1867, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada
JEMIMA GREATRIX, b. 1871, Hastings County, Ontario
LAURA GREATRIX , b. 1874, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. 1935
SAMUEL GREATRIX, b. January 20, 1876; d. April 7, 1913, Hastings County, Ontario More About SAMUEL GREATRIX-Occupation: Farmer. Married Mathilda (Tilley) Way in 1910. Burial: April 10, 1913, Victoria & St James Cemeteries, Tweed, Hastings County, Ontario Religion: Methodist
THOMAS GREATRIX, b. April 30, 1878, Elzevir Twp. Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. 1953, Prince Edward County, Hallowell Twp, Ontario, Canada.

Aaron (also known as Oran Greatrix)

John and Mary enjoyed their many grandchildren also and were very happy to receive the birth of the first of the grandchildren after the marriage of their son Aaron G. in 1882 to Amanda Kleinsteuber (born Aug. 23rd, 1864), daughter of John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber and Annie Youmans who lived nearby. This made a new alliance with their new neighbours coming from Germany.

Aaron became a merchant with a shop in Actinolite where he provided General Store goods and probably many canned goods from the local produce that people had grown. Canning was something still common in the family for many years later, even canning cooked venison from the hunts which was sent over to the families in Great Britain of the new wives who had married Greatrix sons, Oran and Victor, during the Second World War. There were many children for the couple also and there had to be much discipline for the kids with the store right in the town attached to the house and business going on.

Children of Aaron Greatrix and Amanda Kleinsteuber are:
1. MARY ELIZABETH GREATRIX, b. Bet. 1883 - 1884, Actinolite, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. Bet. 1937 - 1965; m. WILLIAM EMBELTON, Unknown; b. Unknown.
2. HENRY ALBERT GREATRIX, b. Bet. 1885 - 1886, Actinolite, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. Bet. 1937
3. HERBERT JAMES GREATRIX, b. 1887, Actinolite, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. 1960, Cherry Valley, Ontario, Canada.
4. FRED GREATRIX, b. Bet. 1889 - 1890, Actinolite, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. Bet. 1937 - 1965
5. NETTIE M. GREATRIX, b. Actinolite, Hastings County, July 13, 1892.

At some point after Nettie was born Amanda suffered from an illness we believe was German measles. She never fully recovered and a domestic helper, Martha Minnie, was brought into the house to care for the children, the home and Amanda while Aaron managed the store. It must have been difficult for everyone in the house during this time. Amanda had suffered memory loss and was in a constant depression, unable to perform her duties as a mother and caretaker of the home. A love bond developed between Aaron and Martha and it appeared the marriage could not go on any longer. An arrangement was made for Amanda to return to her brother Julius’ home with the daughters to help Julius Kleinsteuber and Amanda was also pregnant. Joseph, the new baby, was raised by Julius Kleinsteuber’s family and Joe’s sisters, Mary and Nettie Greatrix. Aaron gave Joe his family name. The boys of Aaron and Amanda remained with the father and the new family born to Aaron and Martha.

6. JOSEPH GREATRIX, b. January 2, 1898, Elzevir Twp. Hastings County, Ontario; Baptism: April 23, 1901, Elzevir Twp. Hastings County, Ontario

Children of Aaron Greatrix and Martha Minnie are:

7. LILLIE MAY GREATRIX, b. 1900, Actinolite, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. December 9, 1984, Belleville, Ontario, Canada.
8. CHARLES GREATRIX, b. 1898, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; d. May 1, 1976, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada.

Click on photo(s) to enlarge or cursor over for caption:

Aaron with second wife, Martha Minnie, and sons, Henry, Charlie and Herbert.

Other Notes for AARON (Oran) GREATRIX from his Obituary:
Oran Greatrix, a life-long resident of Actinolite, passed away in that community on Thursday last following an illness of two months. The late Mr. Greatrix who was seventy-three years of age, was born in Hastings county, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Greatrix. The deceased was a member of the Pentecostal Church and a staunch Conseravtive. Surviving are his wife who was formerly Amanda Kleinsteuber and the following children: Fred and Herbert Greatrix, Picton; Henry, Niagara Falls; Charles Greatrix, Belleville; Mrs. W. H. Credicott, Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Mrs. Nettie Jackson, Picton and Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Embelton, Hamilton.

The funeral was held from his late home at Actinolite on Saturday afternoon with interment in the cemetery at that place. Pastors W. Tindell and Kleinsteuber, Belleville, had charge of the services. The bearers were: Henry, Herbert, Fred, Thomas and Arthur Greatrix, David Jackson and James Molyneux.

Notes for AMANDA KLEINSTEUBER from her obituary:
Rev. J. Payton conducted the service. The bearers were Arthur Robinson, Russell James, Harry Wright, Oran Greatrix and Foster Jackson, the last three being grandsons of the deceased. The body was placed in St. James Vault until spring, when interment will take place in Actinolite Cemetery. Mrs Greatrix was a member of the United Church. She was the last surviving member of her family.

Inscription on tomb: Amanda Kleinsteuber, Beloved Wife of Oran Greatrix 1864-1965

Tweed News Obit. Wed 10 Mar 1965:

In her 101st year Mrs. Oran Greatrix died in the BGH Feb 24, 1965. The former Amanda Kleinsteuber, she was born at Bridgewater, ON. in 1864 the daughter of John E. Kleinsteuber Annie Youmans. Husband died 28 yrs ago.

The former Amanda Kleinsteuber, Mrs. Greatrix was born at Bridgewater, Ontario, now Actinolite, in 1864. She was the daughter of John Kleinsteuber and his wife, Annie Youmans, and was the last surviving member of her family. She was predeceased by three brothers, Charles, Julius and John Kleinsteuber, and one sister, (Mary) Mrs. Henry Rutter. Her husband died 28 years ago.

Tweed Historical Society Obituary Book:

In her 101st year, Mrs. Oran Greatrix of Belleville passed away in the Belleville General Hospital on February 24th, 1965, following an illness of four weeks.

Mr. and Mrs. Greatrix had six children. (Nettie) Mrs. David Jackson, R.R. No. 1, Picton, and Joseph Greatrix, Toronto. Three sons, Henry, Herbert and Fred Greatrix and one daughter, (Mary E.), Mrs. Wm. Embelton, predeceased their mother.

The funeral was held at 2 pm on February 16th, from the W. M. Bush Funeral Home, Tweed, with the Rev. J. Payton conducting the service. The bearers were Arthur Tobinson, Russell James, Harry Wright, Oran Greatrix and Foster Jackson, the last three being grandsons of the deceased. The body was placed in St. James vault until spring, when internment will take place in Actinolite Cemetery.

Mrs. Greatrix was a member of the United Church.

Click on photo(s) to enlarge or cursor over for caption:

Amanda Kleinsteuber circa 1907

Amanda Kleinsteuber circa 1960

Herbert Greatrix

My grandfather Herbert continued the Greatrix family tradition with his Scottish wife, Jessie Ness, whom he had met in Niagara Falls while working as a milkman delivering to a family estate where a lovely lass from Edinburgh, Scotland was working as a governess. There are some wonderful pictures of the wedding in the romance capital of Niagara Falls in 1914 shown attached. Soon after the marriage Jessie and Herb moved to Prince Edward County to start a farm and have a family of 9 children, two of whom died very young and are buried on West Lake behind his brother Fred’s home. Herbert had the resourcefulness of that pioneer period to farm in Prince Edward County with a large family and he attended the many celebrations of picnics with both the Greatrix and Kleinsteuber families. I loved staying with my grandfather as a child as he was so interesting and inventive. I learned how to keep life simple and always remember family no matter what happens.

Click on photo(s) to enlarge or cursor over for caption:

The wedding of Herbert Greatrix to Jessie Ness in 1914:

Jessie and the children in the 1920’s:

Herbert and Jessie Greatrix and family living in Salmon Point of Prince Edward County around 1930.

Herbert and Jessie Greatrix son Victor Greatrix on the farm as a young man entering his teen years

Fred Greatrix: 1890 - 1960

Fred served in World War I and his war record is preserved online. Click on War Record

Life in Prince Edward County

Many others in the family had moved from Hastings County to Prince Edward County including Herb’s sister Nettie Greatrix who married Dave Jackson and his brother Fred Greatrix who married Cora Rodgers along with many cousins from the Kleinsteuber family tree. Great uncle Fred was a wonderful family man and a good farmer. Unfortunately, he never had any children. His brother Herb had many and Herb gave him one of his sons, Freddie his namesake, to work the farm all week but he had to return on Sundays to the family at Salmon Point. It made life difficult for young Freddie also as he felt apart from his siblings. Young Freddie never had children but became a hunting and fishing tour guide for many years in Prince Edward County. He was also the maintenance man at the post office in Picton, where he also lived on the top floor with his wife Marion Gow from Burlington whom he had met when he had signed up with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders out of Hamilton during World War II. However, he contracted tuberculosis and was placed in the Hamilton sanatorium through that time. His sister Noreen also contracted the disease and was placed there. Meanwhile the other brothers went to war.

At this same time Herb and Jessie were starting to be grandparents. Helen, was the eldest and the first to marry Frank Pearsall and had a son Doug. They were still living in Picton helping out on the farm at Warings Corners initially and then went to Brighton where Frank started a gas station which became the business of Pearsall Motors, a Ford dealership. Kathleen married Clarence Brummell and together they started a dairy farm outside of Cherry Valley. Marguerite married a returned veteran, Ralph Learmonth and they moved to Colborne also going into the car business which became another Ford dealership. Noreen married a returned veteran, Gerry Miles, who had been one of the youngest soldiers to go to war.

In the picures below Victor Greatrix is seen with his uncle Fred and Cora leaving to join the Ordinance Corps as a mechanic. Oran Greatrix lost an eye in an attack at Assoro, Italy fighting for the Hastings Prince Edward County unit. Oran is mentioned in Farley Mowat’s book, The Regiment. The Hasty Ps were surrounded by Germans and cut off from rations. Oran did not like canned kippers or sardines and had kept a stack of cans in his pack to trade for other things no doubt. He saved the day and produced a fish for each soldier.

Click on photo(s) to enlarge or cursor over for caption:

Aunt Helen, Uncle Frank & Dougie

Fred & Noreen Greatrix at the hospital in Belleville

Victor Greatrix is seen with his uncle Fred and Cora leaving to join the Ordinance Corps as a mechanic

Oran with a fellow veteran from Italy named Scotty Wilson

Life After World War II

When the boys came home there were a number of celebrations of weddings and new families. Herb and Jessie had retired to a small cottage on the edge of Picton where they had many visits and the aid of their children to assist them in retirement. The baby boom started and many siblings and cousins were added to the family tree for Herb and Jessie.

Great uncle Fred Greatrix had purchased a hunting lodge around Bancroft in Hastings County where he took his brothers and nephews to bring back game venison to feed the family. He also had bought them each an 1894 Winchester Rifle.

Click on photo(s) to enlarge or cursor over for caption:

Mamas Papas & babies

Hunters from the County

Fall hunt for venison

The 1950’s

The good times returned for all in the 1950’s with all our memories of picnics and fun at the Sandbanks Provincial Park for a new generation. There were many grandchildren for Herb and Jessie as well as great-grandchildren for Aaron Greatrix who had passed on prior to the war in 1937 and Amanda Kleinsteuber Greatrix who lived in a seniors home until 1965 when she died. My fondest memories of my childhood were staying with Herb and Jessie in the little cottage on the edge of Picton. I would pick raspberries so that Grandma Greatrix would make a pie. She had to pump her own water in the little kitchen sink and she cooked on a wood-burning stove. They also heated their water for my bath in an aluminum tub in front of a wood stove heater. Grandad made little puzzles out of coat hangers for me to break apart or he would get me to make his cigarettes with my tiny fingers working on a machine he had. Sometimes he sat and played the Jew’s harp. There was a tiny bedroom and they pulled a curtain to separate me on a cot from their bed, but I was amused watching them take out their false teeth and I could hear them giggling. I remember thinking to myself that getting old isn’t so bad if you have someone to giggle with.

Click on photo(s) to enlarge or cursor over for caption:

Fun at the Sandbanks around 1957 with cousins John Greatrix, Isobel Greatrix, Mary Brummell, Shana Greatrix with baby brother Michael Greatrix:

Picnics

Here is a picture of Herbert and Jessie with their grandchildren in the mid 1950’s (still to be born: Michael Greatrix, son of Victor, Stevie Miles, son of Noreen, Kim and Patti Learmonth, daughters of Marguerite) for a total of 16 grandchildren.

A Reunion much later at the Picton Legion in the 1980’s:

The Greatrix Family, 1846-2015 in Canada

The legacy of the Canadian Greatrix family, started in Hastings County through James Greatrix, has now spread throughout Canada to the west and far from the first Canadian home. The stories of John and Aaron Greatrix are part of my history and many others with the large families they had. Aaron never divorced Amanda and he is buried next to her in the Actinolite Cemetery.

Of Aaron’s and Amanda’s children carrying on the family name through male heirs perhaps the only son is Joseph through his children in the near future. Joseph was raised by the daughters of Aaron, Mary Elizabeth and Nettie, in the home of Julius Kleinsteuber because of the tragedy that befell upon Amanda. She did live over 100 years and my father, Victor and grandfather, Herb Greatrix always visited her till they passed away.

Herb died in 1960 and my father in 1963. Amanda passed away February 24th, 1965 in the Belleville Nursing Home. Her husband, Aaron Greatrix had died in 1937, but still rests by her side. Through the challenges and tragedies of the family’s journey we can be proud of the heritage passed on to us from the strong characters they had and the love of family.

-Shana Greatrix, born in Picton in 1951

Researching the UK Gratrix/Greatrix family

1/28/2015

Author: Lee Gratrix in collaboration with Keith Millard

Researching the Gratrix/Greatrix family only came about after my dad died in 2004 aged 71yrs. As I got older I started to think about my past family more and realised that I never really knew them.

We as a family did not seem to show much affection to each other despite always being there, and I think that with the few remaining family I have left we all don’t strive to see each other regularly. The Greatrix family I have left are still relatively local to Boston Lincolnshire with the odd exception, so it is nice to know that we are continuing.

After looking into our history, mainly through my work of memorial masonry, and the fact I spend a lot of time in church yards and meeting with clerks and vicars of parishes, I managed to find pieces of information and began to put a complicated map together. Despite this there are still many blank spaces, because once again the Gratrix tended to move slightly away from family as though they just enjoyed their own company. This is evident with the many generations I have managed to find and also to reiterate how I feel about our family today. We have not been academic in any way, but it is just as important being vocational. The lack of schooling has enabled us to be knowledgeable about life affairs, which I believe has helped us to still exist as a family which unfortunately is gradually getting smaller.

It is very easy to get side tracked and go off on a tangent because of interesting information which is always coming to light, but I will try and give you the most relevant information I can.

I will start with the earliest Gratrix I found buried in Grantham St Wulfram church Lincolnshire and that is for JOSEPH GRATRIX born 1703 and died 22nd November 1773 aged 70yrs, I will attach the will for Joseph that is very interesting and shows how he was a wealthy land owner or tenant and possibly farmed cattle for his business of Glove Maker around what is called Spittlegate on the East side of Grantham. Another reason for implying he was wealthy is that he had a slate hand carved headstone very close to the main church door. Elizabeth Osbourne was the wife of Joseph born 1706 and died June 15th 1781 in Grantham aged 75yrs.

WILLIAM GRATRIX son of Joseph and Elizabeth was born Grantham St Wulfram May 7th 1729 and married Elizabeth Perryman who was born North Stoke also known as Stoke Rochford, approx 5miles south of Grantham 1734 and died March 14th 1776 North Stoke. Unfortunately I am unable to find anything for William. I do know from searching parish records for Grantham that William had quite a few siblings;
John born 22nd may 1727 died Dec 26th 1776
Joseph born 9th June 1731
Elizabeth born feb22nd 1732, married Willliam Jarvis of Leasingham Sleaford Lincolnshire
Mary born 24th April 1735 died June 20th 1735
Abraham born June 8th 1736
Ann born 9th oct 1738 died Nov 1811
Mary born May 30th 1740
George born 6th April 1743 died 1808 65yrs in Fulbeck Sleaford, who was married to Mary and had children John, Elizabeth, Elanor, Mary and Sophia.
Note: If you look at the will for Joseph, George was executor.

SAMUEL GRATRIX son of William and Elizabeth born 1751 East Stoke married Francis Page (father Robert) born 1755 at North Stoke 14th April 1775. Francis possibly died Newton By Folkingham, East of Grantham in her 80th year. I know Samuel had been married twice but I am trying to keep this side fairly simple. The Geni site goes into greater detail. I lost track of Samuel and do not know when or where he died but I have the death certificate for his son SAMUEL GRATRIX, who we come to now, he was born July 5th 1776 of Easton Lincolnshire, North of Grantham but moved to the very fertile silt soil of the reclaimed land known as the Wash area of Lincolnshire as it is called. Samuel was a farm worker and married Elizabeth Hobley, May 14th 1806 in Benington, near to Boston, and this is where my family settled and stay to this day. Death/Birth/Marriage certificates are now much easier to obtain so greater accuracy on dates is better.

Samuel died at Benington 23rd Dec 1841 aged 65yrs of Tuberculosis but had children with Elizabeth;
John born 1820
Elizabeth born Aug 22nd 1819 died April 1st 1820
Joseph born 1816 died May 1903
James born 13th June 1813
Samuel born 13th Aug 1810 died 24th Jan 1858
William born 10th Feb 1807 died Jan 6th 1831.

JAMES GRATRIX is the son of Samuel and Elizabeth I have followed, with him being my direct ancestor. He was born in Benington 13th June 1813 and married Susanah Marrat at Benington 14th May 1839. Their children were;
Susanah born May 31st 1840 Sibsey near Benington
Sarah Ann born March 5th 1843
William born Dec 30th 1841 died June 11th 1842 6months
Samuel born Feb 1847
Note: Samuel moved around the country, and went from being a Bakers Boy, a Public Inn owner, asingle father after his wife abandoned him and their children (for a travelling musician in 1887 and eloped with Thomas Bentham Inglis). Samuel lost his business after his wife left, and the pub lost its licence because of an unenviable reputation. Samuel was fined for not having his children inoculated against disease and he moved to Stratford on Haven for a new start running a general shop. His son died aged 12yrs in 1891 and Samuel himself passed away 10th Jan 1908 aged 61yrs.

Going back to JAMES GRATRIX his wife Susanah died Jan-March 1848 aged 33yrs, but JAMES remarried Mary Ann Smith born 1829 at Gunby, 20miles North of Benington Dec 21st 1848.

James and Mary had children;
Joseph born 9th March 1851 died Sept 2nd 1936 85yrs
James born Aug 7th 1853 died 11th Nov 1858 aged only 5yrs (with cause of death on certificate burnt)
William born March 21st 1855 died March 13th 1936 82yrs.

JAMES died 4th Feb 1856 aged 42 yrs of Typhus Fever also known locally as poor mans disease, because of bad conditions such as sanitation.

Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption, or click on Download File to Open the Family Wills file:

Grantham church - St Wulfram

1756 - Elizabeth, wife of John of Grantham

1781 Joseph and Elizabeth of Grantham

Joseph of Grantham

gratrix_family__wills_in_lincolnshire2.pdf
File Size:	60 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Fortunately my family gained employment on farms and even become farm small holders, this enabled them to have some form of wealth which in turn allows them to send their children to school, and with the introduction of reading and writing the GRATRIX name circa 1851-1870 gained the ‘E’ through no reason except because of how the name sounds when spoken.

With the outbreak of the First World War my grandfather Herbert James Greatix and brothers William and Samuel were called upon to do their part, so ultimately the farm business began to suffer and eventually land and equipment was sold off. After war and including the Second World War the brothers came home married and settled down.

There are many more details that I have found out about us, all of which is mostly sad! It seems for every step we went forward we went two steps back. I hold high regard for my family and having this knowledge of them makes me proud. I wish I could have been closer to my father and grandfather and in hindsight I should have talked to them more while they were here, but that is life!

Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over for caption:

World War I Newspaper report - Greatrix Brothers - Grandfather Herbert and his brothers Samuel and William

Herbert, Samuel, and William Greatrix - photo taken at Freiston circa 1910

Grandfather Herbert James front center, brothers William back row 1st in from the right with Samuel next to him. My Great Grandfather James back row with cap on and his wife below him Rhoda Jane, also possibly their only daughter Alice back row 2nd from left. Only speculating now but the older man back row with his wife sat below him may be Great Great Grandfather and James dad Joseph and wife Mary nee Bolland all of Freiston. And possibly man back row 1st left is Alice's Fiancee. The date falls around 1918-1919.

Lee Greatrix & children Emily Mary May Greatrix and Jack James Edward Greatrix

The William Kent showroom and because of its age there is a preservation order on it.

William Kent Memorials - since 1810

Lee Gratrix on left with a colleague renovating a war memorial at Carrington near Boston.

An aerial pic of Boston, Lincolnshire.

Origins for The Gratrix/Greatrix History (Story)

1/27/2015

Author: Keith Millard, in collaboration with Shana Greatrix

What does lead have to do with it?

Lead has been mined in the limestone areas of the Peak District near Carsington, Derbyshire since at least Roman times and continued until the last mine, Magpie mine, shut down in the 1950s. It was easily mined and malleable for making lead pipes for carrying water, etc. In fact, the Latin word for lead was "plumbum", the root for our English word "plumbing". The lead ore formations mostly took the form of 'rakes', a vertical vein often several feet or yards across which ran across the countryside, often for miles.

The Peak District is in the English midland region and from a place formerly known as "Great Rakes". The meaning of the name is very rare, it is, in fact, a lead mining term and translates as "The Great Vein of Ore". There were a number of former mines in the Derbyshire Peak District which at one time or another carried this name, although all are now long gone.

By the Middle Ages in England, lead was widely used to make water pipes and water containers, to form sheets or plates as a covering for roofs, and it was also popular as an instrument of torture in its molten form.

Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over to see caption.

Map of Derbyshire England showing where the Great Rakes min was located.

A typical English old church lead roof that has been repaired, inset shows why it needed to be repaired.

High Peaks old mining site in Derbyshire.

Old lead mine are, High Peaks, Derbyshire.

Entrance to an old lead mine in Derbyshire, closed in the 1950s.

How did people become named Gratrix/Greatrix?

In England there was no need for a surname before the 1300s, and a person would be known by their location or their profession. Thus we would see John the Baker, or Robert the Smith, or John of Highstead, or more to the point, we could have seen William of Great Rakes.

In the 14th Century, the Government of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, son of Edward III, uncle of Richard II, father of Henry IV, and the richest and most hated man in the kingdom, introduced a poll tax on every citizen, and a surname was required to identify each person. Thus, John the Baker became John Baker, and William of Great Rakes became William Greatrakes. Almost everyone was still illiterate, and name spellings were totally at the whim of the clerk or parish priest, either of whom were often only semi-literate themselves!

Most research sources agree that an example of this naming phenomena was at the Great Rakes lead mine at Carsington in Derbyshire, and this is believed to be the source of many surnames in the spelling of Greatrex, Greatrix, Gratrix or Greatorex. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Greatrix, which was dated 5th July 1571, St. Dunstans in the East, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and perhaps followed by the funeral of William Greatrakes in Ireland and which included his official Coat of Arms;

FAMILY - Greatorex
MOTTO - Vivat Greatrakes, semper virescat
Let Greatorex live and always flourish
BLAZONA - Leopard's Head Erased Or, Pelettée.
SOURCE - Fairbairn's Book of Crests, 1905 ed.

Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

We note that an alternative theory for the name has been advanced, that Getorix originates in Normandy, France as a name. There is a statue of Saint Getorix (Vercingetorix from Roman times who was known as the king of the Gauls). Some think there is a connection with the Norman invasion into England. The name was changed to Gayteric in England and names often changed from the -ix or -rix to -ick or -rick in England. The new DNA testing is proving the connection to a different kind of Celtic tribe in Great Britain that actually came from the mainland of Europe. "Normans" got the name from "Norsemen" or people from the north, but the DNA is showing they were the same family group as the Celts or Gauls in Europe.

Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over to see caption.

1742 William Gretorix marriage to Elizabeth Perryman

The official Coat of Arms for William Greatrakes, shown in his funeral documents in Ireland.

Our Gratrix/Greatrix Genealogy Overview:

Although Gretorix genealogy goes back to the 1500s, our Geni family tree begins with William Gretorix born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in 1729 and his son, Samuel Gratrix who was born in 1751. Samuel Gratrix married Ruth Dinnis in 1789, and it was two of their sons, James and John, who immigrated to Ontario, Canada.

In our Geni family tree we currently show 793 descendants for Samuel Gratrix.

World Names FPM (Family names Per Million) for both Gratrix and for Greatrix show about 4.6 persons with those names in the United Kingdom. The Gratrix name is most predominate in the family's origins of Derbyshire.

The Greatrix name is much more predominate in Ontario, and clustered in Prince Edward, Hastings, and Peterborough Counties, and with a FPM of 31 persons per million population. The Gratrix name is more predominate in the US than in Canada, and particularly in the states of Washington and Alaska.

Click on photos to enlarge, cursor over to see caption. Click on pdf file to see the Descendants Fan Chart in the browser window, Ctrl and + to increase the size to be able to read it all..

1789 marriage of Samuel Gratrix and Ruth Dinnis

Nine generations of descendants for Samuel Gratrix

Density of Gratrix family names in the UK today.

Density of the Greatrix name in Ontario today.

1751_-_samuel_gratrix_-_9_generations_descendants_fan_chart.pdf
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The James Gratrix History (Story)

1/23/2015

The John Greatrix History (Story)

1/20/2015

The Oran (Aaron) Greatrix History (Story)

1/10/2015

The Joseph Henry Greatrix Family History (Story)

1/5/2015

Author: Keith Millard, in collaboration with Shana Greatrix

Joseph's Childhood:

Joseph was born on January 2, 3, or 10 in either 1897 or 1898 depending on the record one looks at; his birth registration shows January 10, 1898, the 1901 Census shows January 2, 1897, and his 1915 military Attestation shows January 3, 1897.

In 1891 his mother and her husband Oran (or Aron) Greatrix were living next door to the German Settlement, located 4 kilometres to the east of the remnants of the village of Bridgewater (which had been mostly destroyed by fire in 1889). Joseph may have been born in this house, and in 1898 it may have still been a log house, the following pictures are typical of the area at that time. In the 1860s and 1870s in Elzevir Township many log homes were still the first construction, later on many had been rebuilt or improved.

We note that the family environment Oran grew up in was likely a fundamentalist Christian home based on Old Testament principles, and we know Oran himself was devoutly religious. This may have been difficult to adjust to, as we believe the Kleinsteubers next door, and after being raised as Lutherans in Germany, were much more easy going.

We are quite certain the Oran and Amanda marriage had been suffering irreconcilable differences before Joseph's birth, and at this point in time more than 100 years later the reasons really do not matter, and Joseph definitely shared many of the same genes and DNA as the other Kleinsteuber and Greatrix cousins.

In any event, after Joseph's birth, he and his mother Amanda Kleinsteuber Greatrix (link to Amanda's Story) and his older sister Nettie left the family home and lived with his grandfather in the German Settlement, which was basically right across the road.

In the 1901 Census, Joseph then 3 years old, was living with his grandfather (John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber), his uncles Julius and John David, his aunt Mary, and his mother Amanda and his sister Nettie in the German Settlement (# 16 in the German Settlement map), we think in the original log house. His maternal brothers and his stepbrother and stepsister lived just outside the German Settlement property.

The landscape and scenery around the German Settlement was spectacular by today's standards, but poor farmland by agricultural standards (then or now). It was a commune environment with all the family members working together to scratch out a living, and at that, most of the men worked at timbering or in the sulphur mines at Sulphide in the winter to make ends meet. It was a wonderful environment for a child to grow and play in, though they would have been given lots of chores to do starting at an early age (feeding the chickens, collecting the eggs, and so on).

Joseph would have walked to the Pine Ridge School at the corner of the Flinton Road and Robinson Road (# 20 on the German Settlement map) about 1 kilometre away, where his older siblings that lived with Oran also went. It must have been very difficult for him and we have some reason to believe he may have been bullied due to his unusual family situation.

In 1909 Amanda's brother Julius married Edith Almira Way, and Joseph, his sister Nettie, and his mother Amanda are all seen in the wedding photo. John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber had by then purchased a property on Concession IX Lot 2, a property later known by his descendants as the Kleinsteuber Homestead. Julius (Amanda's brother) built a new home on the same property, Joseph's sister Nettie married David Jackson in 1910, and in 1911 Joseph and his mother Amanda are seen to be living with his Uncle Julius in their new house.

The bottom line here, for a growing child, Joseph was bounced from home to home from the time he was born until he became an adult, with a different father figure in each home. Family stories tell us his mother Amanda was often deeply depressed and functioned as a housekeeper for her father, her brothers, and so on.

It was a tragic beginning for Joseph. He was to serve in both World Wars and sire children with two wives on two continents. However, Joseph's sister Nettie apparently often functioned as a mother figure for Joseph until she married and moved away and she still remained his main contact with the family. Joe stood out as a different character from the rest of the family both on the Greatrix and Kleinsteuber sides because of his life circumstances, but remains a unique individual with his children and his legacy in this life with an incredible life story worthy of a novel or movie. If only he had told his own story for the rest of us to understand, it would have been very insightful into much of the suffering of the 20th century.

Click on photos to enlarge or cursor over for the caption:

Joseph Henry Greatrix birth record.

A log cabin typical of those built in Elzevir Township in the 1860s and 1870s.

An updated log cabin home in the 1890s or early 1900s.

A typical scene along the Scootamatta River.

The Pineview School at the corner of Robinson Road and the Flinton ROad.

Joseph Greatrix in the 1901 Census

The German Settlement in a circa 1930 drawing.

Concession and Lot map of Elzevir Township.

The 1909 wedding of Edith Almira Way and Julius Kleinsteuber (son of John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber).

The "new" Kleinsteuber Homestead of John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber and his son Julius Kleinsteuber circa 1910. Julius' new house is behind the older frame house of John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber.

1911 Census for Joseph Henry Greatrix, living with his Uncle Julius along with his mother Amanda.

Joseph Greatrix' Young Adulthood:

In 1915 Joseph, aged 17, was apparently living in the village of Tweed, Ontario (11 kilometres south of the German Settlement) and working as a labourer. He signed up for the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on December 31st, and showed his birth date as 1897 so he would appear to be 18.

Joseph became a Staff Sergeant during the course of his service in World War I, though we don't know if he served "in the trenches" or not.

In the spring of 1918 Joseph married Mary E Brown in London at Hanover Square. The timing is an indication that Joseph may have been stationed in England. In the early months of 1919 Marjorie Emmaline Greatrix was born, and Joseph was returned to Canada in February 1919 (either just before or just after Marjorie's birth). In August of 1919 Marjorie traveled to Canada as well (presumably with Mary Brown Greatrix) as a military dependent.

In 1921 the Canadian Census showed Joseph, Mary, and Marjorie living in the Parkdale District of Toronto.

Click on photos to enlarge or cursor over for the caption:

1915 Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force Attestation record.

Joseph in uniform, photo likelt taken in England.

1918 Marriage record of Joseph Greatrix and Mary Brown.

Mary Brown Greatrix and Joseph Greatrix, likely taken in 1918.

1919 birth record of Marjorie Emmaline Greatrix

Return of Staff Sergeant Joseph Greatrix to Canada in February 1919

Travel record of Marjorie Emmaline Greatrix to Canada in August 1919.

1921 Census record of the Joseph Greatrix family, living in Toronto, Ontario.

Joseph Greatrix: The Rest of his Life:

As per a note from Shana Greatrix, the remainder of Joseph's life is a mystery to the rest of the family.

Does Joseph deserve sympathy or does he deserve condemnation for the rest of his life story? We suggest it is some of both, and there is no doubt the rest of his life was interconnected and influenced by his early life.

Forty five years after his death our challenge is to tell the story honestly but with some understanding and with compassion for everyone involved.

We have been told that Joseph became a travelling musician, going from town to town, and playing his beloved Dobro guitar wherever someone would pay him to do so. A photo of him with that guitar, believed to be in the 1930s, is in the gallery below.

The last photo in the gallery below is circa 1950s and shows Amanda, Joseph, his daughter Marjorie and her two children. Location and exact date are unknown, and the photo was badly damaged.

We believe Joseph died in Toronto in 1970 at the age of 72.

Click on photos to enlarge or cursor over for the caption:

Joe was a wandering musician, but had a very special Dobro guitar. We believe this photo is from the 1930s.

1948 (abt) - Andy, Nellie, William, Joseph, & Beulah

The Joseph Greatrix family tree in Geni.

Badly damaged photo, likely taken in the 1950s near Picton, Ontario; Amanda, Joseph, his married daughter Marjorie Greatrix Collins, and her children Brian and Valerie.

The Greatrix/Kleinsteuber Connection: Amanda's Story

12/30/2014

Author: Keith Millard, in collaboration with Shana Greatrix

Introduction:

The primary connection, and perhaps the only direct connection between the Greatrix and Kleinsteuber families resulted from the 1882 marriage of Amanda Kleinsteuber (born 1864 to John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber and Annie Youmans) and Oran (or Aaron Greatrix, born 1863 to John Greatrix and Mary Jane Potter).

This means that all the descendants of John Henry Lorenz and Annie Youmans, including those of Amanda and Oran, are connected genetically as well as by marriage relationships.

Both Amanda and Oran were children of immigrant fathers, with John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber having been born in Germany in 1834, and John Greatrix having been born in England. Both of their mothers were children of United Empire Loyalists and had been born in Ontario.

The German Settlement was located on Concession VI Lot 4 of Elzevir Township, John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber's home was on the east side of the Scootamatta, and we believe John Greatrix' home was immediately to the north in Lot 5 on the south side of Robinson Road (see Concession map below).

Click on image(s) to enlarge, cursor over to see caption:

Oran (Aron) Greatrix & Amanda Kleinsteuber - Geni Family Tree and number of descendants in Geni

Elzevir Township Concession Map

The Early Years:

Although Amanda went to school in Elzevir Township near where she was born, German was still the most common language of the German Settlement where she was born and lived until her marriage, although her mother, Annie, was English speaking; it is likely that John Henry Lorenz and Annie Youmans each learned enough of each others language to communicate easily.

The German Settlement was a commune environment with (we think) all the family members working together to clear land, grow enough food to eat, and sell enough products (shoes, eggs, butter, etc.) to live. Most of the men worked at timber jobs or as labourers during the winter to help make ends meet. We are quite certain Henry Kleinsteuber was the leader and property owner of the commune, and we know less about him than almost any of the other Kleinsteuber immigrant families.

We expect there was little time for play and never enough time to get all the work done, but we speculate the younger people in the area saw each other frequently at market days in the booming lumber town of Bridgewater.

The home environment must have been interesting and hard to imagine from today's perspective. Based on what we know about the Elzevir Township poor soil, rocky outcroppings, large areas of marshland, etc. there were likely not a lot of hardwood trees (think large and tall) for making larger log homes. The log home pictured below was likely representative of what was built in the German Settlement.

Think of a home of between 400 and 500 square feet (about the square footage of the great room in our 1,800 sq ft patio home). It would likely have been divided into three parts, half for the living area (kitchen, eating, and daily activities), a small bedroom for mom and dad (think 8' by 10'), and another of the same size for the children to sleep in. As the family got larger, the boys would sleep on pallets in the living area and the girls in the bedroom.

A covered or closed in porch at the back would be for washing up, doing laundry, cutting meat, cleaning fish, and often cooking during warmer weather. An outdoor privy would have been with 30 feet or so of the back door. Water for all purposes would have been dipped from the Scootamatta River (including cutting through the ice in winter). In the 1881 census (seen below), Amanda was 16 years old, and there were seven people living in the house.

Click on image(s) to enlarge, cursor over to see caption:

1871 Census for the John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber family.

The German Settlement layout; The arrow numbered 16 was the home of John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber.

This was a typical log house in Elzevir Township for this time period.

This was a typical winter scene for the Scootamatta River in the vicinity of the German Settlement.

This was a typical late summer or fall scene for the Scootamatta River in the vicinity of the German Settlement.

1881 Census for the John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber family.

The Marriage Years:

Amanda and Oran married in 1882, and in the 1891 Census they were living next door to the John Greatrix family (John Greatrix), three houses from the John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber family (Amanda's parents), four houses from the Carl Kleinsteuber family, and next door to the Ernest Kleinsteuber family (pages 15 and 16 of the Census). In other words, Oran and Amanda were likely living on the other side of the road from the German Settlement.

Click on image(s) to enlarge, cursor over to see caption:

1882 Marriage Record for Oran Greatrix & Amanda Kleinsteuber

1891 Census of the Oran & Amanda Greatrix family

1891 Census original record of the Oran & Amanda Greatrix family

Oran Greatrix & Amanda Kleinsteuber Family Tree

Life after Marriage:

Irreconcilable difficulties in the marriage arose between Amanda and Oran at some time after Freddie was born in 1890. We believe that Amanda was having difficulty coping with 4 small children, and she was still only 26 years old; a young neighbour, Martha Minnie (born 1874) was brought in to provide household help, and in 1896 the first of her 3 children was born.

Joseph Henry Greatrix was born in January 1898, and Oran and Amanda separated immediately after. The 1901 Census found Amanda living with her father at his house in the German Settlement with her two youngest children, Nettie Mildred and Joseph Henry.

In 1909, Amanda's brother, Julius had married Edith Almira Way and was building a new home on Concession IX, Lot 2 (as was John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber). In 1910 Nettie Greatrix married David Jackson, and Amanda and Joseph were living with her brother Julius at the new Kleinsteuber Homestead several miles away from the old German Settlement (on Concession IX, Lot 2). In 1915 Joseph joined the British Expeditionary Force in World War I, and the photo is believed to be Joseph and the girl he married in England, Mary A E Brown.

In the 1921 Census, Joseph was married and living in Toronto, and Amanda was living with her younger brother John David Kleinsteuber's family, including her elderly father and her elder widowed sister.

We do have a photo in the Gallery below of Amanda attending the 1937 Kleinsteuber Picnic.

Click on image(s) to enlarge, cursor over to see caption:

1901 Census - Amanda, Nettie, & Joseph are living with her father, John Henry Lorenz Kleinsteuber

1901 Census - Oran Greatrix Family.

A professional portrait of Amanda Kleinsteuber Greatrix, taken early 1900s when she was in her 40s.