Canadian Boarder Crossing Records

[marilyn morning]

Who has experience with Canadian Boarder Crossing Records? Can anyone tell me what type of information is listed on the record? Although I doubt that my relative was telling the truth when he crossed over, considering the circumstances. William Dixon was the younger brother of my gg gm Margaret Morning. William along with his wife and children lived relatively close to Margaret & her family in Grafton Massachusetts.

William had two children, his daughter Bessie May Dixon never married and when I found her DC, it listed a women's name in Ohio. I checked the tax rolls in Ohio for her name and listed in the same town was a Thomas Dixon. So being the nosey person I tend to be while researching, I looked up the phone number and low & behold there was his phone number. He hung up on me the first time when I asked if he knew a William Dixon from Massachusetts So I called back pretending we were disconnected, this time his wife answered and she told me that William Dixon had abandoned his family in Massachusetts and headed for Canada. That I was in fact speaking with William Dixon's grandson. Then she hung up. At this point I set aside William, but now I want to pick up where I left off, although I have a feeling it may turn into a while goose chase.

William isn't showing up in the 1900 US Census, so I'm assuming he left between 1895 & 1900. Here are the details of his family. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Name: William Dixon
Sex: M
Birth: 20 JAN 1869 in Kilbirnie, Renfrew, Scotland
Death: Probably Canada
Note:
1881 age 1613 McDowall Street, Johnstone, Renfrew, Scotland
Emigrated to US - probably in 1890 on the 'Arizona' into New York
Not in 1900 US Census (or later) as far as I can see.
Is said to have abandoned wife and two young children and gone to Canada (not verified)


Father: Hugh Dixon b: ABT 1837 in Ireland
Mother: Janet Hamilton

Marriage 1 Florence Mary Ellen Swallow b: 8 JAN 1867 in Leicester, Worcester Co, Massachusets, USA
Married: 29 JUL 1891 in Leicester, Worcester Co, Massachusets, USA
Children
Thomas William Dixon b: 19 OCT 1893 in Leicester, Worcester Co, Massachusets, USA
Bessie May Dixon b: 25 MAR 1895 in Worcester, Massachusets, USA

[paddyscar]

Hi Marilyn:

I've no experience with historical U.S. - Canada border crossings, but unfortunately, this type of record did not exist until 1908.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/immi ... 000-e.html

"Many immigrants to Canada came from the United States, or from Europe via American ports. Before 1908, immigrants could freely cross the Canada-United States border to enter Canada; there are therefore no files for immigrants who came to Canada by this route before 1908."

You may be able to track him down through the 1901 or 1911 census http://automatedgenealogy.com/index.html

Hope you find him there.

Frances

[marilyn morning]

Hi Frances,

Thanks for this reply. Oh great its just what I feared. To find him might be liking looking for a needle in a haystack....I'm off to Lowell shortly, but I'll check out the links when I get back...

Thanks a bunch
Marilyn

[KarieK]

Hi Marilyn
I had a look through the 1901 & 1911 census and could not find your William, do you have a middle name for him.
If you have access to the Ancestry site you may be able to find him on there, I found a relative from Scotland via NZ to Canada who crossed over to the states and back again on their site. If he came to Ontario you may try the Ontario Marriages site as well, I have had good luck searching on that site.
Regards, Karen

[speleobat2]

Marilyn,

There are a bunch of William Dixon's on Ancestry. Having the middle name or initial would be good. Also, any idea of his occupation? I found one William Dixon who made a crossing in 1909--born in Scotland, mining engineer headed for Buffalo, NY.

Carol

[marilyn morning]

Hi Karie & Carol,

Thanks for your replies and lookups for William. I haven't a clue what his middle name is

His siblings from the IGI

HANS DIXON - Birth: 23 MAY 1855 Kilbirnie, Ayrshire
HANS DIXON - Birth: 26 MAY 1856 Kilbirnie, Ayrshire
AGNES DIXON - Birth: 27 MAY 1858 Kilbirnie, Ayrshire
ELIZABETH AIRDRIE DIXON - Birth: 06 OCT 1860 Kilbirnie, Ayrshire
ANN HAMILTON DIXON - Birth: 18 FEB 1863 Dalry, Ayrshire
JANET HAMILTON DIXON - Birth: 25 OCT 1866 Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire
WILLIAM DIXON - Birth: 20 JAN 1869 Kilbirnie, Ayrshire
LETITIA DIXON - Birth: 29 DEC 1871 Kilbirnie, Ayrshire

William's maternal grandfather was William Hamilton and his father was Hugh, paternal grandfather was Hans, great grandfather was Hans. So maybe his middle name begins with a "H"

William's father Hugh is listed as a miner in some of the census records.

Carol wrote

I found one William Dixon who made a crossing in 1909--born in Scotland, mining engineer headed for Buffalo, NY.

Carol, William had a great nephew living in New York

Matthew Montgomery McQuade
b. 1903 d. Jan 1975
1930 age 26Mitchell Field, Nassau, New York, USA - private US Army

I've no idea if this means anything.

Marilyn

[speleobat2]

Marilyn,

No luck so far except for the mining engineer. I thought I might have him joining the army in PA, but that soldier turned out to be black.

I'll keep him on my list of look-out-for's. Ancestry keeps adding records so you never know when one of the missing (or hiding!) will turn up.

The main problem may be that he changed his name or history wherever he went. The current issue of the Ancestry newsletter just happens to have an article on finding relatives using aliases!

When we were kids there was an elderly man living near my grandmother's house who became our "summer" grandfather, the real one having died when I was 10 months old. Anyway, we didn't find out until decades later that he had left a wife and two kids in the old country. His wife's family hired a detective who arrived in the small town looking for him, but friends tipped off the neighbor and he hid out in a logging camp until the detective left. The neighbor had already married again and started a second family. If Mom hadn't told us the real story, we would never have guessed. We thought he was wonderful!

You just never know what people are going to do!

Carol

[marilyn morning]

Hi Carol,

I wouldn't spend too much time trying to track down this character
From time to time I think about how the heck I could ever proof that its my William Dixon, even if I was lucky enough to find him crossing the boarder into Canada?

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to search for him.

Marilyn

[marilyn morning]

Hi Carol,

Well ya see I didn't want to mention this other clue, until I could find the info in my ever increasing mound of documents. While I'm on the subject, I made an executive decision tonight that I will be donating all of my research to the Mitchell soon! The box will be heavy enough, but it will be worth the postage to claim my space back.

Several years ago I was contacted by a member of my Dixon family here in the US and she was inquiring about my great great Uncle, William Dixon.

Long story cut short

Through her research in Scotland, she was directed to an elderly couple in Canada who only have access to a computer through their neighbor. They are very interested in my gg u William, because they are also researching a William Dixon born in Kilbirnie, approx. the same as mine, etc.

Here is where they live in Canada, so if you should find a William Dixon living in the area drop me a liine.

Marilyn, I went through my papers and here is Mary's phone number. They live in Bramalea, near Toronto, Canada.

[speleobat2]

Hi Marilyn,

Didn't find anything under Bramalea. However, I don't know that much about the Toronto area. There are a bunch of William Dixon's in Ontario which is a huge area. Frances (paddyscar) could probably tell you how huge!

Did you ever call the woman who was reseaching your William Dixon?

I was printing off papers for my sister and cousins today when Ancestry started misbehaving. I think it is overloaded because of the free military records offer plus it's Sunday afternoon. Might be a good time to go read a book now that I've checked out TS!

Carol