| Notes |
- There are at least two possibilities for the maiden surname of Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman; namely, Curtis and Eveleigh.
1. Curtis
Bill Pritchett's email to me dated January 1 2001 states Catherine's maiden surname is Curtis (i.e. "George Wiseman's parents were Philip Wiseman and Catherine Curtis"). In a subsequent email dated January 15 2001, Bill states "All bapt,births ,marriages come from parish records at the Provincial Archives". There is no known evidence in the existing parish records for Catherine Wiseman's maiden surname. Possibly, Bill's source for Catherine's maiden surname was oral family history, but he does not state this as his source in his 2001 emails.
Newfoundland's Grand Banks contains Jill Marshall's May 2005 transcript of the Little Bay Islands Methodist Baptisms 1865-1891 (from Vital Statistics Volume 91). In the transcript of Walter William Wiseman's baptism on April 18 1875, Jill records Catherine's Maiden Name as Curtis, and Jill's Research Notes state "Maiden Name from Amalie Tuffin".
Rupert Wiseman's email dated April 23 2002 (in Rootsweb Archiver) states:
I do not have proof that her [Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman] surname was CURTIS; it was reported to me by my father, her grandson and next door neighbour for almost 30 years. She was born abt 1831 in the Twillingate area and d. 1919 at Little Bay Islands. In the next cemetery plot to that with the headstones of Philip and Catherine WISEMAN, is the headstone marking the Grave of William Curtis "Born at Dorset, England, 31 Mar 1810, died 21 Jan 1899 at Little Bay Islands”.
Rupert Wiseman is the grandson of John Wiseman and Phoebe Locke, and the great grandson of Phillip Wiseman and Catherine Eveleigh Curtis.
Beth Whitehorn's email dated January 13 2003 (in Ancestry) states:
May I ask your source for Curtis as Catherine's maiden name? My source is Rupert Wiseman, whose father Frederick Newton Wiseman lived next door to Catherine; but Rupert told me he's also spoken with other sources who identify Catherine as an Eveleigh or a Pottle.
2. Eveleigh
Catherine Byrne's email of March 7 2012 (in Ancestry) states:
… my grandfather was walter wiseman son of philip wiseman and Catherine eveligh not sure if this is the correct spelling , but my mom always told us this, on the grand bank site they say she was a curtis , but that is wrong my grandfather walter lived with my mom and dad until his death , my dad was Donald Wiseman he pass 20 years ago
Walter William Wiseman was the sole beneficiary of his mother Catherine's Will.
Catherine Byrne is the granddaughter of Walter William Wiseman and Bessie Hull.
Mary (Wiseman) Johnson emailed me a Family Tree Chart containing both typed and handwriiten information on September 18, 2015. This Family Tree Chart originated from Nellie (Wiseman) Simms, daughter of Willis Wiseman and Lydia Ledrew. It was submitted to Mary (Wiseman) Johnson's Facebook page "The Wiseman's of Little Bay Islands" by Nellie (Wiseman) Simms' daughter Ruth (Simms) Churchill.
This Family Tree Chart records the maiden surname of Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman, as Eveleigh.
Nellie Simms is the granddaughter of John Wiseman and Phoebe Locke.
It is curious that two grandchildren of John Wiseman and Phoebe Locke (i.e. Rupert Wiseman and Nellie Simms) disagree about Catherine’s maiden surname.
Is there evidence of the presence of Curtis and/or Eveleigh families in the vicinity of Little Bay Islands in the early to mid 1800’s?
1. Curtis
Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Digital Archives Initiative contains the Register for Rooms at Twillingate, 1806 to 1828. This Register records the following entry (Page 5; Images 16-17 of 71):
Name and Description: Benj. Curtis’s Room, 1 Stage, Flakes, 2 Houses, 80 yds waterside, 70 yds inwards …
What Harbour or Cove: Twillingate North side
Nature of Claim: By Building
Built, sold, or leased at time of entry: Built
Date of Entry: September 18 1811
This Benjamin Curtis is the only Curtis recorded in the 1806-1828 Register.
Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman, was born about 1831. It seems unlikely this Benjamin Curtis is the father of Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman. Benjamin Curtis’ wife (assuming he was married) was likely near or beyond the end of her child-bearing years 20 years after the year of entry for this property in 1811. Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman, could be the granddaughter of this Benjamin Curtis.
FamilySearch's Canada, Newfoundland Vital Statistics, 1753-1893 records the following Curtis marriages:
a. Martha Curtis of Little Bay Islands and William Jones of Little Bay Islands on October 28 1860 at Little Bay Islands; witnesses Robert Roberts and Christopher Weir [Exploits Methodist Image 3 of 32]
b. Priscilla Curtis of Little Bay Islands and Christopher Weir of Little Bay Islands on October 7 1861 at Little Bay Islands; witnesses James Weir and Frederick Lock [Exploits Methodist Image 3 of 32]
c. Mary Curtis of Little Bay Islands and Frederick Lock of Little Bay Islands on November 25 1862 at Little Bay Islands; witnesses Roberts Roberts and Philip Wiseman [Exploits Methodist Image 4 of 32]
d. Rebecca Curtis of Little Bay Islands and Abel Tucker of Little Bay Islands on September 13 1871 at Little Bay Islands; witness George Thomas Oxford [Twillingate Methodist Image 10 of 66]
So, there is evidence of at least one Curtis family in Little Bay Islands.
2. Eveleigh
The Register for Rooms at Twillingate, 1806 to 1828 does not record an Eveleigh.
There is an Eveleigh family in Deadman's Bay in the early 1830s. Deadman's Bay is north of Cat Harbour (now Lumsden) in the District of Fogo. FamilySearch's Newfoundland Vital Statistics 1753-1893 records baptisms for the following children, all born in Deadman's Bay, of William and Sarah Evely at Greenspond Church of England.
a. Johanna age 7 on August 14 1832
b. Mary Anne age 5 on August 14 1832
c. Nathaniel age 3 on August 14 1832
d. William age 15 months on September 6 1834
Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman, may be the daughter of this William and Sarah Evely. But, if so, why wasn’t she also baptized on August 14 1832 if she was born about 1831?
FamilySearch's Canada, Newfoundland Vital Statistics, 1753-1893 records 27 marriages of an Eveleigh (or variant spelling) between 1840 and 1880. Most reside in Trinity (District of Trinity Bay), Change Islands (District of Fogo), and Flat Rock Carbonear (District of Conception Bay). There are no marriages recorded for an Eveleigh residing in Little Bay Islands or for an Eveleigh marriage occurring in Little Bay Islands. The closest Eveleigh marriages to Little Bay Islands were in Change Islands, District of Fogo.
Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman, may be both a Curtis and an Eveleigh if she was previously married and widowed. But Catherine was born about 1831 and likely married Phillip Wiseman in 1852-1853 (1-2 years prior to the birth of their first known child John). She was likely about age 21-22 when she married Phillip Wiseman, leaving only a few years for a previous marriage.
Catherine's middle name may be Curtis or Eveleigh which became confused with her maiden surname.
The presence of a Curtis family in Little Bay Islands in the mid 1800s and the absence of any record of an Eveleigh family in Little Bay at this time is more supportive of Catherine's maiden surname being Curtis than Eveleigh.
Consider the witnesses at the above Curtis marriages of Martha, Priscilla, and Mary:
a. Martha Curtis and William Jones; witnesses Robert Roberts and Christopher Weir
b. Priscilla Curtis and Christopher Weir; witnesses James Weir and Frederick Lock
c. Mary Curtis and Frederick Lock; witnesses Roberts Roberts and Philip Wiseman
This combination of witnesses suggests a relationship among Martha, Priscilla, and Mary; possibly as sisters.
Christopher Weir and Frederick Lock would be witnesses for their future sisters-in-law if Martha, Priscilla, and Mary are sisters. Martha and Mary both have Robert Roberts as one of their witnesses.
FamilySearch's Canada, Newfoundland Vital Statistics, 1753-1893 records several baptisms for children of Robert and Ann Roberts between 1846 and 1865. Robert and Ann Roberts are first recorded as resident in Little Bay Islands in October 1860. My research did not find a marriage of Robert Roberts and Ann in order to determine Ann's maiden surname.
Mary has Philip Wiseman as one of her witnesses; possibly Philip Wiseman is also a witness for his sister-in-law, indicating Philip Wiseman married a Curtis.
FamilySearch's Canada, Newfoundland Vital Records, 1840-1949 records the death of Lydia Curtis age 90 on September 19 1897 in Little Bay Islands. Lydia Curtis was born in Tizzards Harbour and buried in Little Bay Islands. As Lydia Curtis was born about 1807, she could be the mother of Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman. There is no tombstone for a Lydia Curtis in Little Bay Islands (or for a John Curtis).
Newfoundland and Labrador GenWeb's transcript of Little Bay Islands Methodist burials 1883-1911 does not record an Eveleigh (or variant spelling) burial. FamilySearch's Canada, Newfoundland Vital Records, 1840-1949 does not record the death of an Eveleigh (or variant spelling) in Little Bay Islands between 1891-1921. There may be a Little Bay Islands Methodist burial of an Eveleigh (or variant spelling) prior to 1883. But these burial records are not available online either in original form or as a transcript.
Of the two oral family history accounts for the maiden surname of Catherine, wife of Phillip Wiseman, there is more information supporting a maiden surname of Curtis than of Eveleigh.
I have chosen to identify Phillip Wiseman's wife as Catherine Eveleigh Curtis, with Eveleigh as a middle name, until (hopefully) her maiden surname can be proven.
Catherine Wiseman's Tombstone in Little Bay Islands states:
In Memory Of
Catherine
Beloved Wife Of
Philip Wiseman
Who Died January 21 1919
Aged 87 Years
Blessed Are The Dead
Which Die In The Lord
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Abt 1831 - 1919 (~ 88 years)
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