The story of the Tods is best told by starting with John Tod, a flesher from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Born on the 2nd February 1784, one of eight children born to James & Janet Tod (nee Dron), we find the record of his baptism at Saint Cuthbert’s Church of Scotland on 26th February 1784.
James Tod married Janet Dron on the 22nd October 1773 at Saint Cuthberts.
There is record of seven other children born to them, all in Edinburgh:
George 1779, James 1781, Ebenezer 1786, Janet 1788, Elizabeth 1790-1791, William 1792 & Janet 1794.
There is marriage and children information available for Elizabeth, William & Janet.
John Tod married Jean Steel on 4th April 1810 at Canongate Church in Edinburgh.
The marriage record states:
John Tod, Flesher & Jean Steel, daughter of James Steel, Mason.
Gave up their names for marriage.
Witnesses: James Charles and James Gray.
There is record they had four children, all baptized at St. James Place Relief Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh.
The baptism records state they lived at Currubbers Close in Edinburgh. This little street still exists today.
1)Mary Tod. Born 25-5-1811 and died August 1878.
Married 20-4-1843 to Peter Burns. They had no children.
2)James Tod. Born 30-3-1813 and died 18-2-1814.
3)John Tod. Born 25-4-1815 and died 8-8-1871.
Married 3-10-1836 to Isabella Moore.
They had ten children. See details below.
4)James Tod. Born 14-9-1818 and died 21-11-1896.
Married 7-6-1848 to Agnes Ritchie. They had no children.
Census records show that he was an engraver & printer, living in Edinburgh and by 1861 he was employing
over 60 people.
John Tod, Flesher, died on the 24th January 1821, just short of his 37th birthday.
He was buried on the 28th January in the Calton Old Burying Ground in Edinburgh.
His burial record states that he died of a ‘decline and was living at Warriston's Close. This address is only about 300m from Currubbers Close where we find them living previously. Buried in the ‘north side of his own ground. South Ground (of the cemetery).
John Tod left a very comprehensive will (proved on the 5th Dec 1821).
In his will he appoints four executors to administer a trust of his estate. One of the trustees was a James Steele, Writer in Edinburgh. This is most likely his brother-in-law.
The trust is left to the benefit of his spouse, Jean Steele, as long as she remains unmarried.
The will also details several dwellings and other premises that John had an interest in, and states in some detail what is to happen with them.
Also included is a very detailed account of all the cash and savings John has, as well as a list of all the people who are owed money to/from the estate. The final figure seems to indicate a value of £1132.19.10½. This is likely worth about £160,000 today.
After John’s death it would seem Jean Tod continued to live at Warriston's Close, as this is where we find her in the 1841 census. She is described as a 60 year old of ‘Independent’ means. Also living with her is her daughter, Mary, now aged 30.
I cannot find any record of her after 1841.
**************************************************************************************************************
John Tod (jnr) was born on 25th April 1815 and baptized 17th May 1815 at St. James Place Relief Presbyterian in Edinburgh.
He married Isabella Moore on 3rd October 1836 at Stranraer, Wigtown in Scotland.
The marriage register states:
This day after proclamation of Banns and no objections having been offered;
John Todd (sic), Flesher, and Isabella Muir (sic) both in this Parish were lawfully married.
It is not clear why they married in Stanraer. Although Isabella did have a brother (James) who was living in Stanraer in 1847 so there are links to this town. John Tod as a flesher followed in his father’s footsteps. Although he was six years old when his father died, clearly there was still a remnant of his father’s business that taught him the trade.
In any case, it is clear that both had moved to Stanraer in order that they would meet and be married there.
It would appear that soon after their wedding they moved to Ayr where Isabella’s family still lived. Their first child was born there in 1837, about 10 months after the wedding. By 1840 however they had moved to Edinburgh, back to where John was from. In total they had ten children:
1)John Tod. Born 29-7-1837 and died 27-6-1906.
Married Mary Rowan on 15th June 1859 in Beechworth, Victoria.
The 1851 census shows John as a 13 year old living at George Heriot's Hospital School,
residing there as a ‘scholar’. George Heriot's was originally established as a hospital school for the sons of
merchants and wealthy men in Edinburgh who lost their fathers, over time they took in boys who were not
orphaned. Many Free schools were erected in the mid 1800s for the education of the children of free men
who could not provide for their education themselves.
John departed Liverpool aboard the ‘Minnesota’ on 9th September 1852.
He arrived at Port Melbourne on 20th December 1852.
The shipping record has John’s occupation listed as a ‘saddler’.
Traveling with Mr & Mrs Archibald Tod who were most likely his uncle & aunt. Archibald was a grocer.
2)Agnes Tod. Born about 1840 and died in 1918 in Edinburgh.
Married 26th June 1857 to Robert Bird. They didn’t have any children.
Robert was a cabinet maker who was born in the West Indies. They lived in Alexandria, Dumbartonshire
and Glasgow.
3)James Tod. Born 24-9-1841 and died 21-11-1896.
Never married.
The 1851 census shows James as a 9 year old living at George Heriot's Hospital School,
residing there as a ‘scholar’.
Worked as a Commercial Traveller and a Lithographer (printer).
Living with his sister Margaret and her family at 16 Royal Tce, Edinburgh. when he died.
There is a will available.
James was the informant of his father's death in 1871 and his mother’s in 1884.
4)David Moore Tod. Born 20-5-1843 and died 26-7-1871 at North Queensferry, Inverkeithing, Fifeshire.
Never Married.
5)Jane Steel Tod. Born 30-11-1844 and died sept 1868 in Edinburgh, aged 22.
Burial register: Jane, daughter of John Tod from 23 Dublin Street is buried in South lair of John Tod, flesher's lot.
6)Peter Burns Tod. Born 25-5-1846 and died 18-7-1846.
7)Margaret Tod. Born 1850 and died 11-7-1853 at Dysart, Kirkcaldy.
8)Margaret Tod. Born about 1853 and died 1931 in Edinburgh.
Married 1877 to Thomas Hilton Mair.
Four children born to them: Isabella (1879), Janet Paterson (1880-1926), Lillias Shaw (1884)
and Thomas Hilton (1886-1962).
9)George Girdwood. Born 29-4-1857 and died 1857.
10)Gavin Tod. Born 27-12-1858 and died 13-2-1913 in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada.
Gavin left Scotland in 1885 and by 1901 was living in the town of Morris near Winnipeg in Manitoba
County, Canada. He may have spent some time in the USA before settling in Canada. He doesn’t appear
to be in the Canadian census of 1891, so may have been in the USA then.
In Canada he worked as a farm labourer and lived with a Scottish family with the surname ‘Lawrie’.
Canadian census records are quite detailed. We know that in 1901 he was earning £250 a year.
In 1911 he worked on a farm as a labourer, working 60 hours a week. He was Presbyterian.
He appears twice in the 1911 census. Not only as a labourer on the farm but also as a patient in the
Portage la Prairie Home for Incurables. He was admitted to the home on 2nd June 1911 having been
diagnosed with ‘general debility’. He died there of ‘Organic Heart Disease’ on 13th February 1913,
aged 52. He was buried in Portage la Prairie cemetery. He never married.
John & Isabella Tod had residences in Edinburgh at 2 Carlton Street, East Drummond Street, 23 Hercules St & 23 Dublin Street.
Although John is consistently labelled as a ‘Flesher’, his occupations in other documents is recorded as a ‘Fishing Tackle Maker’, ‘Fancy Box Maker’, ‘Label Cutter’ and a ‘Printer’.