EARLY LANGTON SETTLERS OF CANADA (UP TO 1881)
By Danny Langton, July 15th 2011
Header photo by Yamaken.
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The purpose of this article is to gain a better understanding of early Langton settlement of Canada. It is primarily a statistical analysis, with specific focus on settlers from England. Results provided herewith are preliminary and aimed at providing direction for further research.
This article provides a summary of all Langton Birth, Marriage, Death, and Census records found on ANCESTRY site for individuals who once lived in Canada up to 1881 Census. In order to group records into families, some family trees were consulted as well as articles on the world-wide web.
This article also includes a high-level estimate of the population of living Langtons.
Summary of Results
By 1881, there were about 200 Langtons living in Canada. The breakdown by country of origin was, as follows:
- 45% from England.
- 20% from Ireland.
- 0.5% from Scotland.
- 0.5% from the United States.
- 17% from unknown country.
- 17% women who married Langtons.
Of those from England, the earliest known family is that of William Langton from Yorkshire (wife Margaret Unknown). His son Francis was born in Frampton, Quebec, on October 1st, 1818. Another son James was born on May 20th, 1831, in Montreal, Quebec. His eldest daughter Mary Ann was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire and moved to Canada to marry Malcolm MacIntyre on November 4th, 1834.
The most notable family from England is that of Thomas Langton from Lancashire (wife Jane Leyland). His son John Thomas moved to Canada in 1833 and became a prominent political figure in 1867 during confederation. John Thomas married Ellen Currer, daughter of Reverend William Currer. His sister Anne Langton was a famous artist born in Fairfield Hall, Yorkshire Dales. She moved to Canada with her parents and her aunt; arriving in Muskoka, Ontario, on August 15th, 1838. A nice online source I found for Anne Langton information is from the Ontario Government Archives, at the following web address:
www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/langton/langton-early-years.aspx
According to Anne Langton’s biography, her family can trace its ancestry back to Bishop Stephen Langton. According to LOST LANGTONS, these Lancashire Langtons are originally from Leicestershire.
On a personal note, my great-grandfather Edwin Ralph is known to have entered Canada in 1883. His data is included, as he may have entered Canada as early as 1873.
Here is the list of English immigrants to Canada:
|
Given Name |
Born |
Married |
Died |
First Entered Canada |
|
Alfred Cecil |
1839 |
? |
? |
1871 |
|
Anne |
1804 |
- |
1893 |
1837 |
|
Anne |
Abt 1836 |
? |
? |
Before 1856 |
|
Arthur |
Abt 1851 |
? |
? |
Before 1882 |
|
E |
Abt 1828 |
? |
? |
Before 1862 |
|
Edward |
Abt 1856 |
? |
? |
Before 1882 |
|
Edward |
Abt 1857 |
? |
? |
Before 1882 |
|
Edwin Ralph |
1852 |
1872 & 1886 |
1930 |
Between 1873 and 1883 |
|
Ellen |
Abt 1852 |
? |
? |
Before 1872 |
|
Emily |
Abt 1863 |
? |
? |
1871 |
|
F |
Abt 1852 |
? |
? |
Before 1862 |
|
(Francis) Joseph |
1814 |
1847 |
1888 |
Before 1847 |
|
Frederick |
Abt 1842 |
? |
? |
Before 1868 |
|
Frederick |
1843 |
1872 |
1912 |
1871 |
|
George D |
Abt 1851 |
? |
? |
Before 1872 |
|
Henry |
Abt 1808 |
? |
1888 |
Before 1852 |
|
Henry |
1815 |
? |
1875 |
Before 1876 |
|
James D |
1831 |
? |
1907 |
Before 1854 |
|
John |
Abt 1790 |
? |
? |
Before 1862 |
|
John |
Abt 1823 |
? |
? |
Before 1862 |
|
John |
Abt 1852 |
? |
? |
Before 1862 |
|
John Thomas |
1808 |
1845 |
1894 |
1833 |
|
Joseph |
Abt 1801 |
? |
? |
Before 1852 |
|
Joseph Henry |
Abt 1844 |
? |
? |
Before 1861 |
|
Lawty |
Abt 1829 |
1852 |
1898 |
Before 1862 |
|
Mary |
Abt 1777 |
? |
? |
Before 1862 |
|
Mary Ann |
1816 |
1834 |
Abt 1861 |
Before 1835 |
|
Richard |
Abt 1817 |
? |
1894 |
Before 1856 |
|
Robert |
Abt 1841 |
? |
? |
Before 1882 |
|
Rose B |
Abt 1866 |
? |
? |
1873 |
|
Silas |
Abt 1866 |
? |
? |
Before 1868 |
|
Thomas |
1770 |
1802 |
1838 |
1837 |
|
Victoria Louise |
Abt 1865 |
1885 |
? |
1871 |
|
Wenman |
Abt 1830 |
1867 |
1882 |
1867 |
|
William Mainwaring |
1852 |
1880 |
1921 |
1873 |
It is important to note that this list does not include immigrants from other countries.
Today, there are 206 Langton listed in the “phone book” (source Canada411). The breakdown by province and territory is, as follows:
- 12% in Alberta
- 33% in British Columbia
- 2% in Manitoba
- 2% in New Brunswick
- 0% in Newfoundland and Labrador
- 0% in Nova Scotia
- 35% in Ontario
- 1% in Prince Edward Island
- 9% in Quebec
- 6% in Saskatchewan
- 0% in the 3 Territories
Of those in Quebec, about half (9 of 19 listings) are descendants from my great-grandfather Edwin Ralph. These represent 17 living individuals which is about 2 individuals per listing.
Therefore, I estimate that there may be as few as 400 or as many as 600 Langtons currently living in all of Canada. Aside from my own personal objectives, I would say that future Langton research within the country of Canada should be focused on the province of Ontario first.