Ancestors of Christopher John Augustine Morry

Living

Sex: F

Spouses and Children

1. Living Children: 1. Living 2. Living

Living

Sex: F

Spouses and Children

1. *Ron Hynes ¹³⁵ Marriage: Children: 1. Living

Alexander Cormack

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: Cir 1795 - Scotland ³⁷⁴⁷ Christening: Death: 4 Aug 1796 - Scotland ( about age 1) ³⁷⁴⁷ ^,3748 Burial: Cause of Death:

Parents

Father: Alexander Cormack ³⁷⁴⁷ ^,3748 ^,3749 Mother: Janet McAuslan ³⁷⁵⁰

Alexander Cormack

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: 1762 - Scotland ³⁷⁴⁸ ^,3749 Christening: Death: Jul 1803 - Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( at age 41) ³⁷⁴⁸ ^,3749 Burial: Cause of Death:
Events
• Arrival: from Scotland, 1782, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Possibly a junior partner in firm of Hart, Eppes and Co., After 1782, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Occupation: Ship Owner and "assistant commissar ?" of Newfoundland, Cir 1794, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Not sure what Michael Rennie means by "assistant commissar" as that would not be a title used in British governance. Possibly he was an assistant to the Colonial Secretary or Military Governor. Actually he was acting Commissary (the person resonsible for provisioning the garrison).

Owned the NANCY, ROSE and TWO SISTERS, and was part owner of the 55 tonne sloop BETSEY along with firm of Hart & Epps. This according to "William Eppes Cormack (1796\endash 1868):
A Biographical Account of the Early Years". Also mentions that his businees partner, William Epps, was appointed "provisions commissary" so this appears to explain Michael Rennie's term "assistant commissar".
• Appointment: Grand Jury, 29 Oct 1794, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Property: Received grant of a little over 11 acres on Waterford River, Jul 1797, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 10 In July 1797, Alexander received a grant of a little more than 11 acres of land "about a mile from the [Waterford] river on the north side near to and lying to the Westward of Webber or Fortune's plantation . . . to take and keep [without] being interrupted in the quiet and peaceful enjoyment thereof, so long as he shall continue to occupy the same for the purpose of carrying on the Fishery."34 Though Cormack's land grant had nothing to do with the fishing trade, the wording of the grant had to conform to British legislation meant to discourage permanent settlement by people who did not work in the fishery. Cormack had asked for the grant because he wanted to raise cattle for personal consumption and to sell as beef. He also leased Fir Hill Farm in Outer Cove, which was accessible by boat.35 This area was known to have good soil and Alexander would have hired servants to do the cultivation and harvesting. He thereby followed the trend among merchants and garrison officers who purchased or leased land in the immediate vicinity of St. John's for agricultural purposes.36 Governor William Waldegrave (1797\endash 1800) promoted farming in order to alleviate ongoing food shortages in Newfoundland. He also encouraged merchants to set up a market and a slaughterhouse.
• Documentation: Signatory to appeal to Governor regarding location of market (stated to be a Principal Merchant, 16 Oct 1797, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Appointment: Acting Commissary of Provisions during absence of William Epps, Dec 1797, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Property: Purchased half of Roope's Plantation on waterfront and moved there, 20 Nov 1799, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• Alt. Death: Cir 1805.
• Religion: Protestant.

Spouses and Children

1. *Janet McAuslan ³⁷⁵⁰ Marriage: 1791 - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ³⁷⁴⁸ ^,3749
Marriage Events
• Alt. Marriage: Est 1794. Children: 1. Alexander Cormack 2. William Eppes Cormack 3. Janet Grace Cormack 4. John Bell Cormack

Notes
General:

170821:

From William Eppes Cormack (1796– 1868): A Biographical Account of the Early Years

Alexander Cormack in Newfoundland Alexander Cormack (c. 1762– 1803), a Protestant Scot and the father of William Eppes Cormack, arrived in St. John's in 1782 at the age of 19or 20. The 1794– 95 census for St. John's described him as a "merchant in the colony for 12 years."5 He may have been sent to this outpost as an employee of one of the established Scottish firms in St. John's. Newfoundland was one of Britain's oldest North American possessions and St. John's, a town with about 3,000 inhabitants,6 was the main port of call for the Grand Banks fishery and the third point in a triangular trade that included Europe and the West Indies.No records were found disclosing details of Alexander Cormack's life before his arrival, though there is a good record of his life in St. John's.7 It reveals a reliable young man who was, to use the Scottish term, "canny," or capable of making smart decisions in a challenging business environment. By 1791 Cormack had become a well-established mem-ber of the town's elite and one of the "Principal Merchants of St. John's" who signed petitions and lobbied governors.8 He was also a member of the Grand Jury where he was listed alongside members of the town's largest merchant houses.9 Cormack's numerous appearances in court as litigant, suing or being sued in cases concerning trade, reflect some of his business interests. He is listed as the owner of three vessels: the Nancy, the Rose, and the Two Sisters, and as sharing ownership of the 55-ton sloop Betsey with the St. John's firm Hart, Eppes and Co.10 His trade transactions extended to Dartmouth, Quebec City, Prince Ed-ward Island, South America (for molasses), and Grenada Island and Suriname in the West Indies. Cormack seems to have become inde-pendent of larger firms although there is speculation that he may, for a time, have been a junior partner with Hart, Eppes and Co.11It appears that Alexander Cormack and William Isham Eppes
newfoundland and labrador studies, 31, 1 (2016)1719-172680Marshall and Macphersonhad become friends as well as business associates. Eppes had come to Newfoundland from England, but began life in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1760.12 His father had died young, leaving his mother, Abigail, with five children to raise. Her second husband, Dr. Silvester Gardiner, was a prosperous Boston surgeon. In 1776, his vocal opposition to American Independence made him a target of the revolutionaries and the Gar-diners were forced to flee Boston. They finally settled in Poole, En-gland, where they became associated with the Lesters.13 Benjamin Lester and his brother Isaac owned some of the largest fishing stations in Placentia and Trinity bays, as well as dozens of ships, many built in Newfoundland.14 William Eppes's sister, Love, married Benjamin Lester's son, John,15 and it was through Lester's influence that Eppes secured the position of purser in the garrison in St. John's.16 He also became Lester's agent in Newfoundland.17 Another brother-in-law of Eppes, Richard Routh, was married to his sister, Abigail. Routh se-cured his job as Chief Collector of Customs in St. John's in 1782 as a result of Lester's recommendation; he later became Chief Justice.18In 1790, William Eppes was promoted to Commissary of Provi-sions, which made him responsible for providing food and other neces-sities to the hundreds of soldiers stationed in St. John's.19 This new position gave the company he had founded with Marmaduke Hart, in 1789, a ready market for his imports.20 Eppes also acquired fishing premises in the "Quiddy Viddy Division" of St. John's, where he em-ployed three servants21 and kept livestock on land behind the hospital used by the Royal Newfoundland Regiment of Fencibles, a volunteer militia he had helped to create.22 Eppes and his future wife, Elizabeth Randolph, were part of Benjamin Lester's social circle in Poole. Fol-lowing their 1792 marriage, Eppes brought her to St. John's, where the couple raised two sons and two daughters.23A year earlier, in 1791, Alexander Cormack had also married, to 17-year-old Janet McAuslan (17 74– 1821). Her father, Robert McAuslan,24had come to St. John's from Glasgow with his wife Grizel (née Wright) and their three children in 1776.25 The possibility of bankruptcy had driven him [McAuslan] from Scotland, where his debts were such
newfoundland and labrador studies, 31, 1 (2016)1719-172681William Eppes Cormack (1796– 1868)that he was threatened with imprisonment.26 It is believed one of Robert McAuslan's brothers sold property in North Carolina to pay off Robert's Scottish debts.27 In Newfoundland, he appears to have been involved in the fishery until another claim from his Glasgow days finally forced him into bankruptcy.28 In 1778, he was appointed Deputy Postmaster of Newfoundland.29Alexander and Janet settled in a rented house in the "Third Divi-sion," the part of town between Nobles Cove and the Engine House. Janet's parents lived nearby in the "Fourth Division." At this time St. John's was divided into six "Divisions" running from "River Head" (west) to "Chain Rock" (east). The main roads through town were the "Lower Path" (now Water Street), which followed parallel to the harbour's northern shoreline, and the "Upper Path" (today's Duck-worth Street). According to the census of St. John's, in 1794– 95 the Cormacks had one son (Alexander) and a daughter whose name and age are not known.30 At that time they had five servants — one female and four males — one of whom may have been Sandy (Alexander) McAuslan, Janet's nephew, who was Alexander Cormack's clerk.31On 5 May 1796, Janet Cormack gave birth to another boy. The couple called him William Eppes Cormack in honour of their friend and business associate. Three months later the Cormack's older son, Alexander, died.32 Unsanitary conditions prevailed in St. John's and the family was living in the most crowded division of town, a factor that may have contributed to the child's death. The Cormacks subse-quently moved to a residence on the western end of the "Second Division," just west of today's Waldegrave Street. The number of their servants was reduced to one female and two males.33In July 1797, Alexander received a grant of a little more than 11acres of land "about a mile from the [Waterford] river on the north side near to and lying to the Westward of Webber or Fortune's planta-tion . . . to take and keep [without] being interrupted in the quiet and peaceful enjoyment thereof, so long as he shall continue to occupy the same for the purpose of carrying on the Fishery."34 Though Cormack's land grant had nothing to do with the fishing trade, the wording of the
newfoundland and labrador studies, 31, 1 (2016)1719-172682Marshall and Macphersongrant had to conform to British legislation meant to discourage per-manent settlement by people who did not work in the fishery. Cor-mack had asked for the grant because he wanted to raise cattle for personal consumption and to sell as beef. He also leased Fir Hill Farm in Outer Cove, which was accessible by boat.35 This area was known to have good soil and Alexander would have hired servants to do the cultivation and harvesting. He thereby followed the trend among mer-chants and garrison officers who purchased or leased land in the im-mediate vicinity of St. John's for agricultural purposes.36 Governor William Waldegrave (1797– 1800) promoted farming in order to allevi-ate ongoing food shortages in Newfoundland. He also encouraged merchants to set up a market and a slaughterhouse.37Food shortages were a major concern at the end of the eighteenth century, the result of trade sanctions that England and the United States imposed on each other after the American Revolution.38 The shortage of food also affected the military garrison, and with it the reputation of William Eppes, who was Commissary of Provisions. In December 1797, Eppes reported that a large quantity of spoiled food in storage at the garrison had been dumped into the harbour and that there might not be sufficient supplies for the soldiers for the winter.39Eppes then went to England to be with his wife and children, intend-ing to bring them back to St. John's from their sojourn there.40 In his absence Alexander Cormack was appointed Acting Commissary.41This placed him in a difficult position; by January 1798, all available food in St. John's had been bought or requisitioned, with only 10 weeks' supply left in the stores.42 Cormack subsequently spent more than 3,000 pounds sterling to purchase pork, flour, butter, pease, fish, and potatoes from local merchants for the garrison. Governor Waldegrave questioned this expense but an investigation showed that the receipts were entirely in order.43Alexander Cormack appears to have come through the debacle unscathed. He may have redeemed the impression that he was extrav-agant with public funds by volunteering for the Committee for the Relief of the Poor and the committee that raised funds for a new
newfoundland and labrador studies, 31, 1 (2016)1719-172683William Eppes Cormack (1796– 1868)Church of England,44 as the old one was so dilapidated that the con-gregation had to meet in the courthouse.45 Alexander had also been able to purchase a moiety (half-share) in Roope's Plantation on the harbour front in the "Second Division."46 The deed describes it as a substantial property "consisting of a Dwelling House, Store, Wharf, Cook Room, Flake and Fish House." Most likely the Cormack family moved to the plantation.In 1795, Janet Cormack's brother, Peter McAuslan, had bought 1,500 acres (Lot 32) in Prince Edward Island for 23 pounds sterling.47Peter had done well, farming and trading in real estate, and was later going to add to his farming enterprise by leasing the western part of Rustico Island.48 Sometimes during 1799 or 1800, Janet and Peter's parents, Robert and Grizel McAuslan, joined Peter in Prince Edward Island. In St. John's, the McAuslans had lived in a house owned by Edith Brookes but had found the premises untenable. The matter was settled in court in McAuslan's favour,49 but this would have been a discouraging experience and might have confirmed their decision to leave Newfoundland for good. As it turned out, Robert McAuslan was able to purchase town Lot 498 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and secure a land grant for Lot 549 "for no money."50From March to December 1800, Rear Admiral Charles Morice Pole replaced William Waldegrave as governor.51 He was not as will-ing as Waldegrave had been to bend the land occupancy rules to sup-port local food production and ordered Cormack, who had set up the slaughterhouse with Waldegrave's permission, to remove it because it was "erected on a vacant fishing room." Cormack was given just four days to bring his cattle to market, which may have caused financial losses.52 In his continuing capacity as an active member of the St. John's community, he also had to sort out problems with a new gram-mar school that had opened for the town's Protestant elite. Louis Amadeus Anspach, a Swiss-born clergyman and educator, had been recruited from England on a three-year contract to run the school. But as soon as it opened there were insufficient funds, and discord arose among the subscribers about fees.53 The affair became so rancorous
newfoundland and labrador studies, 31, 1 (2016)1719-172684Marshall and Macphersonthat Cormack, as treasurer, had to take subscribers to court to be able to pay the schoolmaster and his staff.54By 1800, Alexander and Janet Cormack were celebrating the birth of another daughter.55 She was called Janet Grace Cormack, her second name honouring her grandmother, Grizel, which is Scots Gaelic for Grace.56 In the following year, they welcomed a baby boy into their lives. They called him John Bell Cormack after another one of Alex-ander's merchant friends who was a partner in the company of "Cunningham and Bell."57Alexander seems to have cut back on his jury work that year, al-though in December he and John Bell were among nine merchants who posted a bond for one Thomas Parsons who had been in jail all summer awaiting trial, which could not be held until Chief Justice Richard Routh returned. However, the ship that had taken Routh to England, in December 1801, was lost at sea.58 Benjamin Lester, Eppes's and Routh's benefactor, died shortly afterwards, in January 1802.59Around 1802 the Cormacks lost their eldest daughter. She is listed in the 1794– 95 and 1796– 97 censuses of St. John's but was not among the Cormack children who survived into adulthood.60 The Church of England burial registry for that year lists an unprecedented number of mostly unnamed children who died of unstated causes.61 Fifty-nine children were buried in 1802, whereas only six children were buried in 1801, and in 1803, when burial records were kept for only six months, there were no entries of children. There is no record of Alexander doing jury work again until Sep-tember, 1802, when he was part of a merchants' committee appointed by Routh's replacement, Chief Justice Thomas Coote.62 He also served on the Grand Jury with John Bell and another prominent Scots mer-chant, David Rennie, who was jury foreman.63 Surrogate Court records show that Cormack launched more than 20 court actions between De-cember 1800 and June 1803 to recover debts amounting altogether to 800 pounds sterling. As he was unsuccessful in recovering his money in several of the lawsuits, these debts not only reflect uncertain economic times but also the nature of Cormack's business partners, who were
newfoundland and labrador studies, 31, 1 (2016)1719-172685William Eppes Cormack (1796– 1868)vulnerable to insolvencies.64 This was in contrast to merchant David Rennie, whose name does not appear in these records, and the very few writs issued by his merchant company, Stuart & Rennie.65 How-ever, in the case against James Rakestraw, who owed Cormack and other creditors money and whose ship Hannah was seized by the sher-iff, Cormack took the opportunity to purchase the vessel66 and wasted no time dispatching it to fish on the Grand Banks. His brigantine Hawk was already trading in the West Indies.67Alexander Cormack made his last appearance at the St. John's courthouse on 28 June 1803, on a minor debt matter. Less than a month later he was no longer alive.68 He would have been 41 years old. His death must have been sudden because he died intestate, that is, with-out a will.

Janet Grace Cormack

Sex: F

Individual Information

Birth Date: Cir 1800 - Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ³⁷⁴⁷ ^,3748 Christening: Death: 19 Nov 1864 - Willesden, Greater London, England ( about age 64) ³⁷⁴⁷ Burial: Cause of Death:

Parents

Father: Alexander Cormack ³⁷⁴⁷ ^,3748 ^,3749 Mother: Janet McAuslan ³⁷⁵⁰

John Bell Cormack

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: Cir 1801 - Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ³⁷⁴⁷ ^,3748 Christening: Death: 8 Feb 1869 - Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ( about age 68) ³⁷⁴⁷ Burial: Cause of Death:

Parents

Father: Alexander Cormack ³⁷⁴⁷ ^,3748 ^,3749 Mother: Janet McAuslan ³⁷⁵⁰

William Eppes Cormack

Sex: M

Individual Information

Birth Date: 5 May 1796 - Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ³⁷⁴⁷ ^,3748 Christening: Death: 30 Apr 1868 - New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada ( at age 71) ³⁷⁴⁷ Burial: Cause of Death:

Parents

Father: Alexander Cormack ³⁷⁴⁷ ^,3748 ^,3749 Mother: Janet McAuslan ³⁷⁵⁰

Living

Sex: M

Spouses and Children

1. Living

Mary Margaret Cormier

Sex: F

Individual Information

Birth Date: 1895 ⁸¹¹ Christening: Death: 1953 - ( at age 58) ⁸¹¹ Burial: Cause of Death:

Spouses and Children

1. *Joseph Mark Brake ⁸¹¹ Marriage: Children: 1. Living

Mary Ann Cornelius

Sex: F
AKA: Mary Ann Holman
Individual Information

Birth Date: Cir 1837 - Moretonhampstead, Devon, England ⁴¹³ ^,780 Christening: Death: Burial: Cause of Death:
Events
• Departure: England.

Spouses and Children

1. *Henry Thomas Holman ⁴¹³ ^,1970 ^,1993 Marriage:

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