Margaret Ann Furler

1870 - Abt 1936  (65 years)

• Name	Margaret Ann Furler
  Born	2 Dec 1870	Canborough, Monck Township, Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Residence	1901	Wainfleet, Haldimand and Monck, Ontario, Canada (with her parents)   [1]
  Immigration	Between 1905 and 1908	to USA (date hard to read)
  Name	Margaret Furlow
  Name	Margret Sharp  [1]
  Residence	1909	Buffalo, New York, USA
  Residence	Between 1910 and 1911	not found
  Residence	1920	Farmington, Oakland County, Michigan, USA
  Died	Abt 1936	Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA
  Person ID	I6438	Brown Genealogy
  Last Modified	19 Sep 2024

  
  

  Father	William Henry Furler,   b. 22 May 1829, Ontario, probably Caistor, Lincoln County, Canada ,   d. 28 Mar 1907, St. Anns (Smithville), West Lincoln County, Ontario  (Age 77 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Mary Elizabeth Doughnee,   b. 1 Jul 1833, Caledonia, Haldimand County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America ,   d. 26 Mar 1915, St. Anns (Smithville), West Lincoln County, Ontario  (Age 81 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Married	1853	Haldimand County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America
  Family ID	F1760	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Henry Josiah Hartsell,   b. 9 Mar 1864, Seneca Township, Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 7 Dec 1927, Dunnville, Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 63 years)
  Married	24 May 1884	Dunnville, Moulton Township, Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada
  Children	1. William Henry Hartsell,   b. Dec 1887, Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Aft 1927  (Age ~ 41 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	19 Sep 2024
  Family ID	F2123	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Unknown Sharp,   b. UNKNOWN,   d. Aft 1901
  Married	Between 1887 and 1901	Ontario, Canada (uncertain)
  Last Modified	19 Sep 2024
  Family ID	F3827	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 3	Clarke Emerson,   b. 9 Feb 1870, Moulton Township, Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 6 Feb 1953  (Age 82 years)
  Married	5 Nov 1909	Bridgeburg, Welland County, Ontario, Canada
  Children	1. Myrtle I. Emerson,   b. 1909, probably Buffalo, New York, USA ,   d. 1915, Farmington, Michigan, USA  (Age 6 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	19 Sep 2024
  Family ID	F1530	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 4	Samuel Lock,   b. 14 Oct 1861, Michigan, USA ,   d. 7 Feb 1928, Farmington, Oakland County, Michigan, USA  (Age 66 years)
  Married	Between 1912 and 1915	Farmington, Michigan, USA? (uncertain)
  Last Modified	19 Sep 2024
  Family ID	F2493	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 5	George Kenneth,   b. Abt 1870, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA ,   d. Aft 1930  (Age ~ 61 years)
  Married	22 Jan 1930	Farmington, Michigan, USA
  Last Modified	19 Sep 2024
  Family ID	F2343	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Margaret Furler appears to have had a colourful history of marriages. It was previously believed that her multiple marriages all ended in the deaths of her husbands and that she was a multiple-widow. Present research now shows that she was in fact a multiple-divorcee. Margaret Furler married firstly at the age of only 14 to Henry Hartsell, but she claimed to be 18 on the marriage record. They had one son together (confirmed by his marriage record) named William and then presumably divorced while William was still a child. William lived with his father after the divorce and later married and had descendants. Henry Hartsell married secondly about 1900 and lived until 1927 in Ontario. Interestingly, William's existence was not known to his Furler cousins until he was discovered during the course of this research project. Margaret Furler married secondly before 1901 to a man named Sharp. In 1901 Margaret was living in Wainfleet with her parents, listed as "Margaret Sharp", shown as "married", but without her husband. This marriage presumably didn't last either -- whether it came to an end by divorce or death is not known. However given her history and the fact that she was shown in 1901 as married but not living with her husband would favour the idea that they divorced. In 1905 or 1908 (the date is hard to read) Margaret immigrated to the United States; it is believed to Buffalo, New York. In 1909 Margaret returned to Canada and married thirdly to Clarke Emerson. The marriage record reports her as a "spinster", even though this was her third marriage -- whether that was a clerk's error or deliberate deception on Margaret's part is not known. Her residence at the time was given as "Buffalo" and her mother's maiden name is given incorrectly as "Elisabeth Lambier". Margaret and Clarke had one daughter together and then this marriage, too, ended in divorce. Evidence shows that Clarke lived to a ripe old age while Margaret was off to her fourth marriage. Margaret moved to Farmington, Michigan, USA and married fourthly sometime between 1912-1915 to Samuel Lock. Samuel's first wife died in 1912, so they must have been married after that. And Margaret's daughter died in 1915 and is buried with Samuel Lock, so they must have been married before that. They were residing in Farmington in 1920. Samuel died in 1929 and is buried in Oakland cemetery along with his step-daughter, Myrtle Emerson, but not his wife Margaret. Interestingly, Margaret is recorded on Samuel's stone as "Margaret A., widow of Emerson, 1870 - ". The last date is left off presumably because she was never buried with Samuel. But it's most interesting that she describes herself as a "widow of Emerson" when we know Clark Emerson was still very much alive. Margaret died about 1935-1936 in an unknown grave in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She had apparently used up all her money and her nephew, Charles William Furler, paid $10 in order that she would not be buried in a pauper's grave. Thrice divorced and then (probably twice) widowed, Margaret lived an unusual life for that era.

  
  

• Sources

  [S19] 1901 Census of Canada, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Database online. Record for William Furler