John Farmer was born on the 8th of March, 1813 at Whitechapel St Mary, England to parents James Farmer and Margaret Sanderson. He emigrated to Canada in 1828 at the age of 15. He was married twice and had a total of 16 children. He married Ann Gregg in 1843 and they had six children together before she died in 1864. He married his second wife, Julia Palmer in 1870 and they had 10 children together. He died on the 8th of February, 1901 and is buried at the St Anne Cemetery at Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada.

Parents

James Farmer

was born in 1780 in Whitechapel St Mary, England.

Margaret Sanderson

was born in 1778 in Whitechapel St Mary, England. Burial Date 27 Mar 1813 Burial Place St Mary, Whitechapel, England

Children

• James Farmer 1806–1807
• Mary Farmer 1810–1866
• James Farmer 1810–
• Thomas Farmer 1812–
• John Farmer 1813–

Marriage to Anne Gregg 1821

Anne Gregg was born on the 5th of APR 1821 in Ombersley, Worcestershire, England to parents John and Mary Gregg (Grieg). She was Baptized 17 March 1822, Cheviot Street Presbyterian Church, Wooler. Ann was recorded as Agnes in the list of the Wooler settlers, but was baptized Ann and was known by that name in New Brunswick. She married 3 August 1843 John FARMER of Campobello, the collector of customs there. She died on the 10th of JUL 1864 and is buried at St Annes Church, Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada.

Anne - wife of - John Farmer - Died July 8th 1864 - Aged 44 years - "I know that my redeamer - liveth and that he shall - stand at the latter day - upon the earth"

Frances Owen - Died March 5 1865 Aged 20 years. "She was a dutiful affectionate - child and her life was - ineprouchable."

Francis Owen Farmer 1846–

George Meers (or Meres) Farmer 1850–1936

Edward Farmer 1851–

Edwin Farmer 1851–

William O Farmer 1851 (1849?)–

John Farmer 1855–

Marriage to Julia Palmer

John remarried 13 June 1870 to Julia PALMER of Campobello and had a second family. At the time of the marriage Julia already had two children and its not known if she had a first husband and there is speculation that these may be John’s children preceding their marriage.

Julia Hepzibeth Palmer was born 23 Dec 1829 in Regent Square Scotch Church, St Pancras, London, England and died 31 July 1914 at Campobello and is buried at St Annes Church.

Frederick Farmer 1863–

Spencer Palmer Farmer 1866–1942

Both Frederick and Spencer were born before the marriage. So it’s probably not likely that Spencer is not his. John just didn’t get married until he had 3 kids!

Steele Farmer 1867–

Neil Farmer 1868–

Gray Farmer 1870–1890

Sydney Farmer 1871–1942

Lancelot Farmer 1872–

Rowena (31 Oct 1873)

Mary (4 Feb 1877 died 1901)

Owen Tudor Farmer??

Deed page 119 John Batson Book W Page 233 Campobello. screenshots in media folder.

His life

John seems to have had many duties and held many titles during his years on Campobello island:

• Collector of Customs
• Magistrate
• Surveyor of Roads
• Constable
• Justice of the Peace
• lt militia
• Bailiff he Petitioned the House of Assembly in 1874 to put the islands into a separate county.
• Incorporated, among several others, the Campobello Hotel Company in 1871.
• Incorporated the Campobello Mill Manufacturing and Shipbuilding company in 1874.
• Was Deputy Treasurer, Fisheries in 1867
• Incorporated the church with Admiral Owen (and his religion Episcopalian)

Family History

I have his red military sash when he was a Captain in the New Brunswick Militia and a large sterling silver soup ladle with the initials “JF” on it. That’s it. Census records show that he emigrated in 1836. All the stories I heard was that he came from Wales but Canadian census records indicate “English” and I cannot find any relevant records for John in Wales. I do understand that John inherited 1/4 of his parent’s estate and it took a shipload to bring over all of the furniture which he sold to support his lavish lifestyle and pay for parties for the naval officers when they were in town. He died broke (I have his will), left his bed clothes to Julia, and she lived with one of her children until she died in 1914. John was also a Justice of the peace, and was Admiral Owen’s agent in Campbello and apparently they were very close

My own info about John (that comes from my dad) says that John came from a fairly well to do family and was sent off to “the colonies” never to return for some “family disgrace” and became a “remittance man”, being regular sent a stipend from home to keep him away. He became an officer in the NB militia, Justice of the Peace (and one did not rise to those levels in those days without some kind of family influence) etc and when his mother died in England whereupon he inherited a quarter of the estate, (consistent with John having 3 other siblings) and it took a shipload to bring his share of the furniture over. That furniture was sold over the years to pay for a lavish lifestyle for John and many parties for his officer friends. He spent it all, and there was nothing left when he died. But much was lost in a home fire and I have one of the few items that survived, a sterling silver soup ladle with John’s’s initials engraved (probably 150 years old), plus his military sash. Half the island of Campobello was furnished with John’s furniture. LOL. John treated most of his children shabbily. In fact, my Grandfather, Spencer Palmer Farmer was put on a train to Winnipeg at the age of 15, given $50, and told to “go forth young man”.

The only child John took exception to was Rowena, who, at a young age, John took to New York to be educated at Columbia University (the only one) where she met and married a Dr Oscar Schloss who became the head of cardiac surgery. About 15 years ago, I found Rowena’s granddaughter in New York, a Joan Long who lived quite well on the upper east side, and had no children, was a bit of a recluse and quite aged at that time (probably dead now). I never met her and only spoke to her on the phone once.

My dad always believed that John claimed he came from a little town in Llangollen, Wales. But the various censuses state his birthplace was England – so a mystery. Perhaps he grew up there, or lived there. But there is no record of his birth there and which caused me no end of confusion. In one of the censuses, it states that John’s date of emigration to Canada was 1836 (age 23) which is consistent with the “family disgrace” theory. Your website where he leaves England at age 15 is the first I learned of that, so maybe he emigrated twice, or there are more holes to fill in. The Admiral Owens relationship is consistent. He is a photograph of the Owens given to John by them. These were expensive in those days and weren’t passed out willy nilly. Same for the original photos I have of him and Julia. They were expensive back then so John did indeed have money. I always wondered if there was a family connection with Admiral Owens somehow but have no evidence of such. ... David Farmer

---

David Farmer was born Nov 17, 1953 and grew up in Pointe Claire, Quebec. He married Suzanne in 1978 in Montreal and they had three children together. Suzanne died in April 2007 of colon cancer. David remarried to Dee in 2014 and now lives in Toronto.

David grew up in Pointe Claire where his dad, Ronald Allerton Farmer bought a new subdivision house in 1954. He moved out to support himself when he was 18 in 1972. He received his pilot’s license in 1977 and married Suzanne in Montreal in 1978 and had 3 children.

Mackenzie Farmer 1987

graduated McMaster with a Bachelor degree in English, married and living in Vancouver.

Derek Farmer twins 1993

living in Oakville.

Leanne Farmer twins 1993

living in Oakville. Leanne graduated from Durham college in 2014 and is a child educator.

David attended university undergrad (1980) in Montreal and graduate school (MBA – 1984) at night, and eventually moved from Montreal to Toronto at 35 in 1988 to work for a Paris based bank Credit Lyonnais where he became the SVP and #2 in Canada. The bank sold off all the Canadian assets in 1999. In 2001 he accepted an executive position at BMO and set up a Corporate Finance Syndications group for them. He retired from BMO 15 years later in Jan 2016 at the age of 62.

Suzanne passed away at age 50 (after 29 years of marriage) from Colon Cancer after a year of chemo in April 2007 when my youngest’s were only 13 (Mackenzie was 20). I took my kids travelling after Suzanne died so they’ve all been to Italy, Greece, Egypt etc.

He met Dee on a blind date in Sept 2008. Kept the house in Oakville where the kids all grew up until 2011, and then he and Dee were married in 2012 after my kids went off to University and Mackenzie had graduated and moved to “downtown” Oakville. I started flying again in 2004. Picked up the plane in 2010.

Dee has two sons. She raised them on her own from about age 3. Jason (31) and Brendan (29). Jason works in architecture, lives in Oshawa. Brendan joined the Navy in Victoria, was discharged last year, has gone back to university full time. He’s married, lives in Victoria, has a one year old son (our first grandchild). Posted on

Spencer Palmer Farmer was born on 13 Oct 1866 in Welchpool, Campobello Island to parents John Farmer and Julia Hepzibeth Palmer and Christened 20 July 1868 at the St Annes Church. He spent his life on Campobello island and from the census records we know that his occupation was a bookkeeper. He was married twice. He married Dinah Butler in 1893 and together they had 5 children. He married Elizabeth Anne MacGillvrey in 1870 and they had one son together. He died in 1942 at St Andrews, NB and is buried in the St Andrews Rural Cemetery.

Parents

John Farmer

was born on the 8th of March, 1813 at Whitechapel St Mary, England to parents James Farmer and Margaret Sanderson. He emigrated to Canada in 1828 at the age of 15. He was married twice and had a total of 16 children. He married Ann Gregg in 1843 and they had six children together before she died in 1864. He married his second wife, Julia Palmer in 1870 and they had 10 children together. He died on the 8th of February, 1901 and is buried at the St Anne Cemetery at Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada.

Julia Hepzibeth Palmer

was born 23 Dec 1829 in Regent Square Scotch Church, St Pancras, London, England and died 31 July 1914 at Campobello and is buried at St Annes Church.

Marriage to Dinah Butler

Spencer married Dinah Butler in 1893 in St. Andrews.

Dinah Butler was born in 1866 in England. She died on the 6th of Aug 1900 and is buried in St. Andrews NB.

Spencer and Dinah had several children.

John Owen Farmer 1888

John Owen Farmer was born on the 17th of July 1888 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to parents Spencer Palmer Farmer and Dinah Butler. He married Ruth Hope White and they had four children together. He died in Perth Andover in 1983.

Frances Rowena Farmer 1890-

George Brandon Farmer 1892-1905

Steele Farmer 1893-

Irving Spencer Farmer 1895-1987

Marriage to Elizabeth Ann MacGillvray

Spencer remarried to Elizabeth Macgillivray on 30 Sept 1912.

Elizabeth Ann MacGillvray 1881

was born on the 6th of Mar 1881 in Lerchkin Inverness Scotland. She emigrated to Canada in 1912. She died in 1965 in St Andrews and is buried in the St Andrews rural cemetery.

Elizabeth emigrated from Scotland, and worked as Spencer Palmer Farmer’s cook. I guess after Dinah passed, Spencer got lonely and had my dad when he was 47!

Spencer and Elizabeth had one child together, Ronald Allerton Farmer. Shown: Ronald Allerton Farmer (son), David Farmer (grandson), Elizabeth Ann Macgillivray

Ronald Allerton Farmer 1913

was born 11 February 1913 in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. He married Iva Patricia Brockington 11 July 1942 at St Paul's Anglican Church, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He died 28 February 1999 in Lachine, Quebec, Canada and is buried at Lakeview Cem, Field of Honour, Pointe Claire, Quebec, Canada

Spencer's Life

Spencer was put on a train to Winnipeg at the age of 15 by John, given $50, and told to go forth. I understand Spencer helped put down the Northwest rebellion. Eventually, Spencer became a bookkeeper at the (then) CP Algonquin Hotel in St Andrews and eventually a relief Hotel Manager (when the other guys went on vacation or something). So Spencer managed the CP Hotels in Banff, and also spent a few years managing the CP Hotel in Bermuda when my dad was a young boy.

All of Dad’s (Ronald Allerton Farmer) half brothers were much older. The youngest, Lancelot was 14 years old when Dad was born – so he kind of grew up without siblings. By the time Dad grew up, all the siblings were scattered to the 4 winds. Dad left home in St Andrews to Boston when he was 17 and then Montreal when he was 20 ish and never went back ( so he really never had much contact with any of them. I have a photo of Steele b 1895, but that’s about it...David Farmer

---

https://familysearch.org/search/tree/results#count=20&query=+subcollection_id:MM9R-989

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:1:MB1T-4YF#submitHeader

Donald Spencer Farmer was born on the 8th of Sept 1920 in Debec NB. He died on the 14th of June 2001 in Halifax of throat Cancer and is buried in the National Military Cemetery, Beechwood in Ottawa, ON.

Parents

John Owen Farmer

was born on the 17th of July 1888 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to parents Spencer Palmer Farmer and Dinah Butler. He married Ruth Hope White and they had four children together. He died in Perth Andover in

Ruth Hope White

was born on the 27th of Sep 1984 in Fort Fairfield, ME.

Marriage to Gwendolyn Constance Moore

Donald married in St. Johns NB in 1943.

Gwendolyn Constance Moore was born on the 28th of Jun, 1920 in Fredericton NB. She died on the 15th (7th) of April, 1983 in Ottawa of lung cancer.

Children

Carol Ann Farmer 1944-

Carol Anne Farmer was born on the 31st of May, 1944 in Guelth, ON. She married 27 Jun 1964 Maurice Ruel born 18 Feb 1937 in Greenwood, NS.

Andrea Lee Farmer 1950-

Andrea Lee Farmer was born on the 3rd of February, 1950 in Lachine, PQ. She married 18 Sep 1971 Peter Gingras who was born 6 Apr 1946.

Donald Edwin Farmer 1952-

Donald Edwin Farmer was born on the 10th of March 1952 in Happy Valley, Goose Bay Labrador. In 1974, he married Iva Sabina Smolik in Ottawa. Together they had three children: Dawn Elizabeth Farmer 1980, Paul Ryan Farmer 1982, and Sarah Sharka Farmer, 1983. Donald and Iva separated and divorced in 2000.

Richard Owen Farmer 1956-1988

Richard Owen Farmer was born on the 1st of April, 1956 in Montreal. He married Laurie Mitchel on 9th Oct 1977. He married Margaret 9 Oct 1987. He died Mar 7, 1988 in Ottawa and is buried at the MacTaQuac Cemetary with his mother.

Marriage to Mary Elizabeth Diamond

Donald Spencer Farmer divorced Gwen in 1972 and married Mary Elizabeth Diamond 2 Apr 1977 from Nameless Cove NFLD and lived for a number of years in Dartmouth NS.

John Owen Farmer was born on the 17th of July 1888 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to parents Spencer Palmer Farmer and Dinah Butler. He married Ruth Hope White and they had four children together. He died in Perth Andover in 1983.

Parents

Spencer Palmer Farmer 1866

was born on 13 Oct 1866 in Welchpool, Campobello Island and Christened 20 July 1868 at the St Annes Church. He spent his life on Campobello island and from the census records we know that his occupation was a bookkeeper. He was married twice. He married Dinah Butler in 1893 and together they had 5 children. He married Elizabeth Anne MacGillvrey and they had one son together. He died in 1942 at St Andrews, NB and is buried in the St Andrews Rural Cemetery.

Dinah Butler 1866

was born in 1866 in England. She died on the 6th of Aug 1900 and is buried in St. Andrews NB.

Marriage to Ruth Hope White

Ruth Hope White was born on the 27th of Sep 1984 in Fort Fairfield, ME.

Children of John and Ruth

Kathleen Ruth Farmer 1915

Kathleen Ruth Farmer was born on Dec 9 1915.

Louise Francis Farmer 1917

Louise Francis Farmer was born in ?? 1917 in ??.

She married C. Edward Decker ??-1998 in 1940.

Louise and Edward had three children.

John Charles Decker 1941

Richard Marshal Decker 1947

Lee Edward Decker 1950

Donald Spencer Farmer 1920

Donald Spencer Farmer was born on the 8th of Sept 1920 in Debec NB. He died on the 14th of June 2001 in Halifax of throat Cancer and is buried in the National Military Cemetery, Beechwood in Ottawa, ON.

John Franklin Farmer 1926

John Franklin Farmer was born Aug 4, 1926.