My Family Tree

In the history of Irishtown/Burlington, Amelia Mann is listed as a daughter of William and Sarah Mann; born around 1825 she would have been their fifth child and fourth daughter - Matilda was called a fifth daughter of William Mann, and Amelia would fit into the spot between Mary and Matilda. In his will, her husband Alexander named John Mann, the brother of his wife Amelia, as one of the executors.

Amelia and Alexander Bernard, a farmer, were married on March 17, 1855 by Hugh Dunbar, a Presbyterian minister. Witnesses were Neil Wood and William Bowness. Although some sources says that Amelia was Alex Bernard's second wife, on their marriage record he claimed to be a bachelor. There is, however, a record for an earlier, first marriage for an Alexander Bernard, with what appears to be his brother and sister as witnesses. Alexander's will named two sons, John and Daniel, before his children with Amelia.

Alexander and Amelia's children were: Margaret Jane, Catherine Ellen, Eliza, Rachel Adeline, Russel George, William Watson, and Richard Herbert. They are in the PEI Baptismal Index under the name Barnard. Only James Alexander Cameron was under Bernard. Unfortunately, the dates of birth for most of them were omitted from the records of the Church of England. Their first two daughters were named after Alexander's mother, and Rachel Adeline was named after Alexander's sister. There was a son William, but no daughter named Sarah was recorded.

In the 1861 census, Alexander and Amelia were in Lot 19 where Alexander was farming. There were four children in the household - one boy and one girl between 5-15, Margaret Jane, and two girls under 5, Catherine and Rachel. It seems unlikely that the boy was Watson, but could have been one of Alexander's sons from his first marriage.

There had been one birth in the past year. They were all born on the Island, and they were all Church of England.

By 1881, Amelia and Alexander had six children living at home in Lot 19: Watson, Catherine, Adeline, Russel, Cameron and Herbert. The 1880 Meachams Atlas shows them on 50 acres in Kelvin Grove, Lot 19, just outside of Kensington.

Ten years later, Russel (25) was the head of household, and Amelia, age 66, was a widow. Herbert (22), Eliza (26), and their widowed sister Line Laird (28), as well Adeline's two daughters were living at home. They lived in a wood one and a half story house with 6 rooms. Everyone in the household gave their religion as Presbyterian.

The census was taken in the middle of April. Amelia died later that year at the age of 66, and was buried in Geddie Memorial. It seems that after Alexander's death, she went back to the religion of her childhood.

Alexander was born about 1811 in Prince Edward Island, the eldest son of John Bernard, a tavern keeper in Wilmot Creek, and Margaret Catherine Waugh. He was the descendant of French Huguenots who had settled in England and then New York. In 1787, Alexander's grandfather Samuel Bernard and his family had left New York, not wanting to take up arms against the British King, and moved to what is now Prince Edward Island.

Alexander Bernard died in 1890 at the age of 79 years and was buried in St. Thomas Cemetery, P.E.I.

Tracing Amelia's descendants is tricky: there are a number of instances where the Bernard cousins have similar names, and a close date of birth, or where the name is spelled as Barnard (i.e. 1881 census). Mistakes may have been made!

See The Island Register, The Descendants of James Waugh and Rachel Townsend by Darren Hall at http://www.islandregister.com/waugh1.html
However, the children listed are those of Alex Bernard and Amelia Mann, not Alex and his first wife.

and The Descendants of John Townsend and Catherine Abel http://www.islandregister.com/townshend5.html