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LAUGHTON HISTORY FACTS
In May 1981, Paul MacDonell Laughton sent a few paragraphs on
the family history to another "Mrs. Laughton" who had inquired
as to her origins, after reading about the birth of our triplets in the local
Milton newspaper. I quote from Uncle Paul's letter as follows:
"I doubt very much that we are related.
Laughton's are thick on the ground in the U.K. The village of Laughton
in Leicestershire, a delightful gated village by ESE from Leicester, was
mentioned in the Domesday Book (7 manors). A sergeant Laughton was
killed at the Battle
of Crecy (RVL note: Hundred Year War 1337-1453).
Other places called Laughton are Laughton-en-le-Northern a few miles SSW from
Doncaster; two Laughton villages within 20 miles N & S of Lincoln;
Laughton & Laughton Place NE&E from Lewes in Sussex. A few years
ago a friend was showing us around the University of Leeds, which has an
abandoned graveyard on its grounds - Laughton headstones in abundance!"
"My own branch was started by one Gilbert Laughton (also spelled Lachtan)
who jumped ship from an English pirateer (yes, he was presumably a pirate!) at
Orkney in 1674. In 1972, we met only two people on two of the Orkney
Islands who were not obviously related. Unfortunately I cannot
trace back to that Gilbert in an unbroken line because the church in Ham
(spelled "Hohm") burned down about 1805 with all the parish
records. I descend from a Gilbert Laughton born in that parish between
1770 & 1775 - there are four such born in that period (!), three of whom
had mothers with names common in my line."
A copy of the genealogy
chart that was sent with the above note has been transcribed to computer
format and is updated on a regular basis, or might I say a "never ending"
basis.
The letter of January 20, 1981 came with
the first copy of the family tree (genealogical chart) that I had seen, in
response to a local resident who saw the newspaper article about the birth
of our triplets. The second letter of August 22, 2003 was in response
to my request for more information about Uncle Paul's father (my grandfather
- George Van Wyck Laughton) for my Great
War Website, which chronicles his exploits during WW1 in France.
The third letter of April 6, 2004 came as a result of the publication of the
story on Mary Buckley Laughton in the Toronto Star, which without doubt was
the initiative to get me started on this Family
Tree Website.
One of the more interesting letters that was discovered in the search for our
roots was the letter from Archie Laughton to John Ivan Laughton in 1960. This
letter tells of the origins of the Laughton Family on the Orkney Islands from
the beginning until the closure of Vigga. This letter has been transcribed and
posted on a new page called Orkney Roots, as it is a
most interesting story. I hope you will take the time to read the letter and
check out the maps and sketches that Archie provided in 1960.
Uncle Paul has certainly prepared some
interesting letters and memoirs to record the family history, all of which
contain perhaps the most detailed information on the family history that is
available. Initially most of the family history associated with Uncle Paul's story and
chart appeared here on this page, but as the project moved forward much of the
information that was specific to a branch or person was moved to a separate
page. The genealogy charts are now available as JPEG images, WORD documents or
Adobe PDF documents on the Genealogy Page.
In February 2009, Cousin David (Paul's son) came to Milton to deliver the
files that Uncle Paul had prepared for sorting, filing, scanning and
publishing so that I could update the web site. Included on the files are a
number of documents that detail the history of the Laughton families in a
"story format". In a short while, those stories will appear
here. Specific details will be added to the pages of the branch or person
to whom it applies.
Here are those stories, in the words of the original authors:
 | John Ivan Laughton Collection
 | Letters
of Edward Laughton and John Ivan Laughton, May-June 1960
 | establishing the connection between various
family members |
| Edward was writing from 111. 770 Grant Street
in Manheim, Pennsylvania USA |
| Edward notes his father John 1829 and John's
brother Jerome 1834 had been in Hamilton and Niagara-on-the-Lake,
prior to settling in Walkerton (my note:
this suggests the settlement in Walkerton may be much later than
what previously thought, as it had been assumed they went there
directly after emigration to Canada in 1853) |
| John Laughton moved from Walkerton to Niagara
Falls, New York USA in 1892 |
| David Laughton (year -
not on chart), the son of David Laughton 1841 (i.e. not John
1829 son David) did come to Walkerton, but Edward says that after a
couple of months he returned to Orkney |
| Ivan responded to Edward to let him know that
he had also received letters from Scotland and all of these had been
sent on to Julia Laughton 1866 in Niagara Falls (assume USA), as
Julia had kept in touch with the Orkney clan |
| John Ivan referred to "Tot" (he said
"Dot") who was living in Toronto (Louise Van Wyck Laughton
1892) and for some reason indicated that he did not think she would
respond to any queries |
| John Ivan refers to John Campbell Laughton as a
"unique lad, boy of the outdoors and likeable" but notes
that the other "half" brothers and sisters did not
have much to do with father John Hugh 1859 after he married Katie
May Campbell |
| Herbert Laughton 1887 is noted to have had been
living at 2316 Jackson Street in Wilmar, California USA (near Los Angeles),
however he had died in 1950 |
| Ida Laughton 1881 is noted to have died young
and her sister Lillian married a Dinsmore, lived in Toronto, died of
cancer without children |
| Edward notes that his wife "Bert" is
still alive in 1960 but is failing (note: she
died November 10, 1964) |
| Julia and Margaret (says 86 on 17th - correct
as born June 17, 1874) are in poor health (note:
Julia died in December that year and Margaret in 1964) |
| my note: Edward 1876 and his
wife are buried in Niagara Falls Ontario, in a different plot but
the same cemetery as John 1829 - when did he go back to Niagara
Falls? |
|
| Scots
Ancestry Research Society, January 19, 1961
| lists members of John Laughton 1801 & Jane
Spence family |
| comments on link to Gilbert Laughton &
Margaret Miller |
| check to make sure details of
Gilbert Laughton are up-to-date on the web site |
|
| John
Ivan to George Van Wyck Laughton, February 1, 1964
| comments on 2 marriages of John Hugh Laughton
1859, father of George |
| notes that John Laughton 1829 moved from
Walkerton to Niagara Falls USA in 1892 |
| John Hugh Laughton 1859 and David Laughton 1861
stayed in Canada, so we must assume that all the others went to the
USA with father John |
| David 1861 moved out west, John 1859 stayed in
Ontario |
| refers to photographs and other family details
(will try to collect all photographs from Ivan
- a lot have been sent in 2008-2009) |
|
| George
Van Wyck Laughton Letter to John Ivan, December 1965
| George confirms to John Ivan that John Hugh
1859 was his father, connection complete |
| George reports that only he has surviving
children and that Harry was the only other to have a child, who died |
| George comments on his service with "an
English Regiment" in the Great War, as a casualty in 1917 (we
know that to be at Passchendaele), work with the
government after the war and then to MacLean Hunter Publishing Co.,
expecting to retire the following year (1966) |
| Louise and George left Parkhill for Toronto
after their father John Hugh Laughton married very soon after the
death of their mother |
| Edward in Manheim Pennsylvania (111 North Grant
Street) is the only contact that George has with his fathers family,
then 87 years old in 1965 and drives no more than 20 miles per hour |
| George had only faint memories of one of his
fathers brothers that went to British Columbia (and
his supposition was correct, it was David 1861) |
| interesting note that Uncle Paul was restricted
from service in WWII due to his advanced chemistry knowledge on
explosives, work he was doing at the University of Toronto |
|
| Paul
Laughton and John Ivan Laughton Letters, Summer 1971
| notes that David Benson Laughton 1920 is Consul
General in Seattle |
| planning to meet in British Columbia, Paul sent
his charts and notes |
| notes that "Louella" was a
nickname for Louise Estelle Laughton (nee Van Wyck) |
| questions about Laughton's in the Orkney's
(Julia's cousin & Willie - 1939 letter) |
|
| Joan
& Joan Ivan Laughton Christmas Report 1998
| contains PREHISTORY report based on discussion
with Norm Laughton 1917 |
| no death record of John Laughton 1801 as death
records for 1796-1854 are blank |
| John 1801 lived on 52 acre farm called "Vigga",
County of Orkney with 9 children and 2 servants |
| John has "passed on" in 1851 census
and Thomas 1831 is the head of the family |
| John 1829 had moved to Kirkwall (on
island off tip of main Scotland) and became an excellent
carpenter, but emigrated to Canada due to lack of jobs on May 20,
1853 aboard the S. S. Jamaica (other reports suggest Jerome 1834
emigrated with John 1829) |
| supposition that the Laughton's came to Canada
with many other Orkney men in the recruitment drive from the Hudson
Bay Company (HBC white men were 78 % Orkney men) |
|
| Paul
Laughton letter to John Ivan Laughton, January 17, 1999
| details on the children of Paul MacDonell
Laughton 1923 (Mary Frances 1951; David 1953; Brian 1957; Keith
1961) |
| details on the siblings of John Hugh Laughton
1859 |
| Paul had communicated with Lily Laughton in
Orkney's (check to see if husband mentioned as
"Archie" matches "Dinsmore" on the chart - nope
letter refers to son and they had none!) |
| discusses family of Edward Laughton 1876 |
| states that Louise Estelle
Laughton is buried nearby (as in close to Jerome's grave in
Walkerton - that must be checked!) |
|
|
| Paul MacDonell Laughton Collection
(some these may be files from Lindy Laughton based on what I
recognize)
| Ancestors
of Paul MacDonell Laughton
| Newspaper death notice for John Hugh Laughton |
| Controversy of two (2) John Van Wyck Laughton
children (unresolved) |
| John Laughton 1829 died in Malton, Ontario June
9, 1896 (not in USA) |
| John initially farmed in the Malton area after
arriving from Orkney in 1853 |
| Julia 1866 raised the twin boys (John &
William 1913) after parents deaths |
| Edward also lived with Julia for several years
before his death in |
| Niagara Falls USA address is 1315 Niagara Falls
Avenue, Niagara Falls NY |
| details of note from Julia to William on his
21st birthday on July 27, 1934 |
| Newspaper death notice of Julia Laughton
December 30, 1960, includes detailed lists of relatives and
locations at that time |
| names of direct line of Van Wyck's, family of
Louise Estelle Van Wyck (add to Van Wyck page) |
| extended details of Van Wyck lineage |
|
| Descendants
of Gilbert Laughton
| contains details on the children of Elizabeth
and Jane |
| details in letter written by John Addison
Corbett Laughton to "El & Bill". Logic tells us that
was his cousin William Alfred Laughton 1913 "Bill" and his
wife Eleanor "El". |
| many mentions of "have Remembrance Book"
so that will tell who wrote these notes |
| William Severn Laughton owned and operated
"Laughton Creamery & Dairy" |
| details of William Alfred Laughton (extract
and add to page for William Severn Laughton) |
|
| Laughton/Milley
Family History (very detailed, please read for yourself!)
| 1993 document, as refers to
50th anniversary in 3 years, that being 1946-1996 |
| interesting history of Charles 1919 and Paul
1923 as youngsters in Toronto living first on Vimy Ridge Drive
(later Glenhurst Avenue) and then 254 Glenview Avenue (east of
Avenue Road) |
| brother "Van", as he was not called
"Charlie", attended Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute,
briefly attended University of Toronto, then dropped out to join the
Canadian Navy in WWII |
| Paul reports that Van eloped with Maureen to
Niagara Falls and married June 22, 1946, then off to Halifax where
Van attended Dalhousie Law School |
| considerable detail is provided on the John
Hugh Laughton 1859 family in Parkhill, courtship of Louise, marriage
in Walkerton, clerked for White's drygoods in St. Mary's, birth of
Fred in Thedford, took over Gibb's grocery in Parkhill |
| interesting comments about the others such as
Fred, Myra, Clair, Eva, Harry and Mary |
| details of George and Louise, leading up to
George starting law school at University of Toronto (with Mary) then
in 1915 joining the University C.O.T.C. (Canadian Officers Training
Corp) and then off to serve in France and Flanders |
| the WWI (Great War) story of George at Vimy
Ridge and later being buried alive at Passchendaele and sent home
wounded |
| Back in Canada, George was back at the UofT
training soldiers for the Canadian Expeditionary Force contingent
that was going to North Russia and Siberia against the Bolsheviks |
| George went on to work for Department of
Soldiers Civilian Reestablishment (now Veteran's Affairs) to help
set up convalescent hospitals across the country, then started his
long career at MacLean Hunter Publishing
| Appendix A: John Hugh 1829 family
(added text of George Laughton to his web
page) |
| Appendix B: Louise Estelle Van Wyck
(and the origins of the "Van
Wyck" name to add to web site - done) |
| Appendix C: MacDonell Line - paternal side
of wife of George Van Wyck Laughton |
| Appendix D: Mary Jane Hutton - maternal
side of wife of George Van Wyck Laughton |
|
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| Laughton/MacDonell
Genealogy April 6th and 18th, 2004
| this document is in 2 parts and
although directed to me in parts, I never saw this document until it
arrived in the package from David in January 2009 |
| MacDonell or McDonell, the same families
mustered out for British troops, for even Paul got MacDonell and his
mother was christened McDonell |
| Paul comments on the many inconsistencies in
the family history documents, responding in part to our queries on
the family history - and there are some
strange stories! |
| details are worth reading for
the descendants of George Van Wyck Laughton |
|
| Collection
of Notes 1960s-1970s |
| Miscellaneous
Family Charts |
|
| Lindy Laughton Collection
| Lindy's husband "Mike" David
Michael Laughton, descendant of John Laughton 1829, via William Severn
Laughton 1872 and William Alfred Laughton 1913 |
| Norm is a descendant of Jerome Sines Laughton 1834
via Herbert Laughton 1887 |
| Herbert left Walkerton when he was 19 years old for
Los Angeles where he met and married Gladys |
| includes e-mail from Paul Laughton answering some
of Lindy's questions |
| Paul identifies "Willie of' the Park"
(who is mentioned in other letters) as William S. Laughton, son of David
Laughton 1841 - who Paul met in 1972 when Willie was 85, in a nursing
home, died 1973 |
| Paul's letter to Lindy of December 21, 1998 covers
a number of "interpretations" of names, dates and places in
the family tree |
| in the line of Mary Ann Laughton 1863, it is noted
that her husband John Wesley Black deserted her |
| Herbert is reported as having died on June 17, 1950
and the chart says June 7, 1950 |
| report includes copy of text Paul wrote to Captain
Michael Laughton in Oahu in 1996 (maybe the same
Michael I have been corresponding with?) |
| Lindy's letter to Paul of January 18, 1999 confirms
who wrote some of the material in the "Paul Laughton Collection"
(see above), as it is Lindy who has the Remembrance Book of
Margaret Elizabeth Laughton 1874 |
| Lindy also has the Remembrance Book of Julia
Laughton 1866, confirming her birth and death dates (now
corrected on the main chart) |
| Lindy's letter of January 31, 1999 reports on the
chart sent to Paul, as noted above and suspected of having origins with
Lindy |
| Paul reports to Lindy in August 1999, in amongst
other items, on the matter of the suspected ancestor of Mary Elizabeth
McDonell, who we now know to be Lt. Col. John McDonell aide-de-camp to
General Brock in the Battle of Queenston Heights, who had a daughter out
of wedlock, etc. |
|
| Norm Laughton Collection
| Norm contacted me from Arizona back
in 2003 (check date) and only later (January 2009) did we come across
the prior exchange with other Laughton members |
| Norm had the pictures of Vigga (circa
1905-1910) the Orkney homestead (see John
1801 page), with Thomas Laughton (Norm sent a copy to the Orkney's
to get identification of the people in the photograph - see web page for
details) |
| also a 2nd photograph of Great War (WWI) soldiers
helping at the Vigga Farm (add this photograph to
the web page) |
| a great news clipping from 1946 (Wilmar,
California) after WWII showing 5 sons of Herbert Laughton 1887 with
mother Gladys after arriving back from the war, all survived, all
together the first time since Pearl Harbour |
| family photograph (copy of copy, etc.) of the 7
sons and 2 daughters of Herbert and Gladys in 1934 (2316 Jackson Avenue,
Wilmar, California) |
|
Sections of the text related to these stories has been extracted and added to
the pages of the authors or the family members they were discussing. Copies of
the original letters are posted so that future generations will be able to read
it "as it was written".
If you or any member of you family have other first or second person family
histories, please send them in so that they can be added to the web site.
One of the stories that came in the package from John Ivan
Laughton in March 2009 was a letter from Jim Laughton of Orkney dated September
3, 1999. It relates to his Laughton Family of Margaret Laughton 1847 who
married David Laughton "from the Park". I have included it here,
although not our line of Laughton's, as it illustrates the history of the many
Laughton Clans in Orkney at the time our Laughton Clan was developing.
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