Kate Newman Taylor with Lilian May Taylor

Kate Newman married Henry William Taylor on the 2nd day of December 1908 in the Anglican Church of St Paul’s in Bury, Compton, Quebec, Canada.  Their first child was born the 4th of March 1910 in Bury and named Lilian May Taylor.  Her baptism was on the 19th of June 1910 at the Episcopalian Church of St. Paul’s in Bury or Robinson as it still went by at the time, with  her godparents being: Emily Canning, Mary Roe and William J Smith. It must have been a very nice day, since both mother and child appear happy and the grass looks to be healthy.

I fell in love with the darling little dress and locket Lilian is wearing.  So beautiful, sorry the photo isn’t any better, but it is from June of 1910 and I had to tweak it to make it look as good as it is.

Lilian May infant daughter to Henry William Taylor and Kate Reynolds maiden name Smith

Lilian and her parents lived in Cookshire, her father being a Section man on the Railroad in Cookshire.  Grandparents, William and Amelia Smith were living in Bury or Robinson and the Taylors would have attended the local Church for Anglican’s in Bury.

St Paul’s Anglican Church Bury, Quebec, Canada

Lilian had a very short life, which I find sad.  She died on the 1st of September 1910 in Cookshire, Quebec with her parents.  Her burial was listed in the  St Paul’s Anglican Church records.  Her burial location is not known.  When Carmen and I visited Bury, January 2014 and chatted with someone from the Church, her burial is not recorded.  Below you will see her burial/death record.  In Quebec Canada for this period in time, you don’t get a certificate that tells you what the person died from, just that they died and their age.  In our research out in Bury for Smith and Bouchard families we encountered a Nicole Fortier who is the keeper of records for St Raphel’s Catholic Church in Bury.  (We also needed a record in that Church’s parish register also a death) Nicole told us that during that time frame, small children were buried apart from the rest of the flock.  They usually didn’t have a stone, but were buried in a large pit with whatever animal had died about the same time.  So your small child could be buried with a horse she informed us.  Very sad but a bit pragmatic I guess.

Lilian May, daughter of Henry William Taylor of Cookshire, died on the  first day of September age five months

Post note:  It was brought to my attention, Big Thanks to Robert Newman, that you the reader will not understand why I name Lilian’s mother as Kate Newman, then refer to her as Kate Smith in the baptism records.  Yes, Kate’s father, my great-grandfather William Newman decided when he left England that the entire family; William, his wife Amelia, Kate, William and Winifred, would go by the surname of Smith from that day forward.  It has brought some questions as the validity of my research from family members.  I am in possession of the marriage, birth records for the family.  They were Newman’s in Birmingham, England and they are Smith’s from the time they are on the boat coming into Canada.  There hasn’t been any formal name change papers found in England, but in that day it appears not to have been necessary.  Unthought of in today’s world, when we are documented to death with the need of proper birth records for school, church, military, etc.  Hope this answers any questions that I might have given you in reading about my poor Lilian May Taylor.