Nancy Elvira Furler

1876 - 1932  (55 years)

• Name	Nancy Elvira Furler
  Born	15 Dec 1876	Caistor, Lincoln County, Ontario
  Gender	Female
  Name	Vira Furler Alvira Furle
  Died	23 Oct 1932	Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada
  Buried	Vineland Cemetery, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I6472	Brown Genealogy
  Last Modified	19 Sep 2024

  
  

  Father	David Orren Furler,   b. 12 Mar 1851, Oakland, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America ,   d. 18 Nov 1931, Winona, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 80 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Mary Nancy Swears,   b. 7 Mar 1856, Oakland, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America ,   d. 27 Mar 1930, Barton St., North Grimsby, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 74 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Married	31 May 1876	Waterford, Norfolk County, Ontario
  Family ID	F1756	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	John Thornton,   b. 6 Jan 1875, Woodstock, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 13 Dec 1947, Grimsby, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 72 years)
  Married	21 Feb 1899	The Parsonage, Tilsonburg, Norwich Township, Oxford County, Ontario   [1]
  Children	1. Morley Thornton,   b. 17 Mar 1900, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 18 Mar 1900, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 0 years)  [natural]   2. Eva Irene Thornton,   b. 13 Jun 1901, Grimsby Township, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 20 Feb 1969, St. Catharines, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 67 years)  [natural]   3. Henry Roy Thornton,   b. 21 May 1903, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 30 Oct 1970, St. Catharines, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 67 years)  [natural]   4. Lloyd Hubert Thornton,   b. 4 Oct 1905, Beamsville, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 27 Feb 1960, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada  (Age 54 years)  [natural]   5. Mary Mildred Thornton,   b. 15 Jul 1909, Beamsville, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 23 Jun 1986, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada  (Age 76 years)  [natural]   6. Margaret Pearl Thornton,   b. 12 Jun 1911, Family Farm, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 31 Jul 1970, Huntsville, Ontario, Canada  (Age 59 years)  [natural]   7. Harold K. Thornton,   b. 16 Jul 1913, Family Farm, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 3 Aug 1913, Family Farm, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 0 years)  [natural]   8. Winnifred Pauline Thornton,   b. 17 Jun 1915, Family Farm, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 7 Sep 1995, London, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada  (Age 80 years)  [natural]   9. Iva Muriel Amelia Thornton,   b. 23 Jun 1919, Family Farm, Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 15 Aug 1979, Brockville, Ontario, Canada  (Age 60 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	19 Sep 2024
  Family ID	F4988	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Elvira Furler described herself as being of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. This has since been shown to be not entirely accurate. The term "Pennsylvania Dutch" is largely misunderstood by most North Americans. The Pennsylvania Dutch were not of "Dutch" origins -- that is, they were not from the Netherlands. They were of "Deutch" origins -- that is, German. The Furlers were of Germanic origin and came as Loyalists to Canada from Ulster County, New York, USA where they had lived since the 1600s. It is possible, indeed likely, that some of their cousins moved from New York to Pennsylvania, and there are persistant stories of the Furlers visiting relatives in Pennsylvania, though no record of any specific relatives have been found in Pennsylvania. In a letter dated June 15, 1898 Elvira writes to her future husband John Thornton (seven months before they were married). In the letter she mentions a party for her cousin Ervin Furler whose birthday is June 22. This reference provided the link necessary to establish the connection between Elvira's grandfather William Henry Furler and his brother Eli S. Furler. In the same letter, Elvira also mentions taking out the cows with her "ma", and that her "pa" has been working on building roads. So they were farmers. Elvira's obituary describes her as a woman who "devoted her life as a wife and mother, and a faithful member of the church. She sought to make her life a benediction to others. She showed great interest in all activities of the church, especially the children of the Sunday school, the CGIT and the WMS. Elvira appears to have belonged to the United Church. Early census records show the family was Methodist before 1925. In her personal correspondence she signs her name "Elvira", and that is the way her descendants knew her, but her census records and gravestone record her name as "Alvira". Lapham records her name as "Nancy Elvira" or "Vira" for short. Lapham says that Vira, Frances, and Ellis used to visit his farm at Fulton.

  
  

• Sources

  [S99] Marriage Certificate - Original.