Page 55 - Canadian Wightman Family

The background to the Girven - Wightman connection is as follows, Linda Comfort (nee Wightman) and I have been investigating the family tree, her grandmother was Florence Elizabeth (Lizzie) Girven.

The grandfather of Lizzie was James Girven, he and Mary Elizabeth (Eliza) (nee Baxter) emigrated from Derrynavogy in Northern Ireland to Canada in the early 1830’s. They settled in the Peterborough area of Ontario and had a large family of 11 children. Their fourth son William Girven was born in Ontario in 1837 and he married Hannah Petrie in 1873. Williams second daughter was Florence Elizabeth (Lizzie) Girven and she married Robert Rutherford in 1905. They had two children, Greta May Rutherford born in 1902 and also Florence Irene Rutherford born in 1908.

Florence Irene Rutherford married William Harold Wightman in 1936 and they had one daughter Linda Wightman. Linda lives in Vancover, British Columbia now and we have been corresponding about the Girven and Wightman family trees. William Harold’s (Known as Harold) parents were Walter Frederick (known as Frederick) Wightman and Sarah Florence Beatrice Coleman (known as Florrie), they had emigrated from Suffolk in the UK to Ontario Canada in the early 1900’s. Frederick had come first in 1907 and then Florrie emigrated 3 years later with their three sons in 1910. Florrie and children had arrived in Montreal on the 18^th August 1910 on the ship called The Empress of Britain.

They later settled in the Brandon area of Ontario, Walter (Frederick) was a Baker and his son William (Harold) was also a Baker. Their three sons were all born in England, the first two sons were born in Suffolk, Walter Eughen (born 1900), George Samuel (born 1904) and then the third son who was born at Swansea in Wales, William Harold (born 1907). Then in 1916 they had a fourth child born in Brandon, a daughter called Winifred A (known as Winnie).