Thomas Graham Morry III
T. G. Morry and Catherine F. White ca 1880
| Thomas Graham Morry Born: 04 Dec. 1849 Ferryland, Nfld. First Marriage: 01 June 1880 Second Marriage: 24 June 1930 Died: 24 July 1935 |
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| First Marriage | Catherine Frances White Born: 20 Aug. 1852 Ferryland, Nfld. Died: 27 Aug. 1927 |
| Second Marriage | Clara Isabelle Windsor Born: 22 Sep. 1851 Aquaforte, Nfld. Died: 02 Jan. 1934 Saanich, British Columbia, Canada |
Clara Isabelle Winsor and T. G. Morry ca 1930 in BC
Pte. Thomas Graham Morry III (Standing on Right) Winnipeg (Fort Garry), 1872
His uniform, now in Ferryland Museum
Thomas Graham Morry III (Private No. 714) joined the Provisional Battalion of Infantry (PBI) of the Active Militia of Canada in Montréal on November 12, 1872. What compelled him to do so was no doubt in part a sense of adventure but also the practical possibility of acquiring a land warrant for 160 acres of prime Canadian farmland as his reward for service. As it turns out, he was done out of his rightful reward by an already stultified and uncaring federal bureaucracy. But then, if it hadn’t worked out that way he may never have returned to Newfoundland to raise his family and none of us would be Newfoundlanders!
Cover of copy originally held by Séminaire de Québec
Cover of Thomas Graham Morry’s copy before and after restoration
TGM III recorded the story of the trip from Montréal to Fort Garry in a book he auto-published in 1874 in Fort Garry before returning home. Click here to view the story.
WARNING!!! This is a very large file and will take some time to load
There are only two copies of this book known to be in existence today. The first (see B&W) photo above) was discovered to be in the library of the seminary in Québec City but was since transferred to Laval University for preservation. This copy was subsequently transferred to the Museum of Civilisation Library in Québec City (not to be confused with the National Museum of Civilisation in Ottawa). It was this copy that was digitized some years ago by the Canadian Institute for Historical Micro-reproductions and copies in digital form therefore are now available in several libraries across the country and elsewhere in the world.
The second copy (see coloured images above) was the personal copy that belonged to Thomas Graham Morry himself and for years it was not known where this copy had ended up. The notes accompanying the download above record the fascinating story of how that copy was found and ultimately professionally restored by the conservators at Library and Archives Canada, where it has now been donated on behalf of the family to ensure its survival for future generations to enjoy.
Children of Thomas Graham Morry and Catherine Frances White
| Name | Born | Place | Married | Spouse | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morry, Reginald John | 9 June 1881 | Ferryland, Nfld. | 25 June 1881 | ||
| Morry, Albert Graham | 13 Nov. 1882 | Ferryland, Nfld. | 18 Oct. 1911 | Colbert, Josephine Elizabeth | 20 Mar. 1936 |
| Morry, Howard Leopold | 24 July 1885 | Ferryland, Nfld. | 2 June 1915 | Minty, Fredris Marion Powdrell | 8 Feb. 1972 |
| Morry, Thomas Graham | 30 June 1887 | Ferryland, Nfld. | 16 June 1924 | Battcock, Esther Maud Mary | 31 July 1967 |
| Morry, Beatrice Mary | 22 Sep. 1888 | Ferryland, Nfld. | 7 June 1923 | Giovannetti, Louis John | 20 Jan. 1991 |
| Morry, John Henry | 9 Mar. 1896 | Ferryland, Nfld. | 29 April 1920 | Sesk, Mary Elizabeth | 29 April 1960 |
Thomas Graham Morry’s House
Here is an interesting (if slightly inaccurate) account concerning the house of Thomas Graham Morry, written by Jean Edwards Stacey for the Evening Telegram in 1997. Click Here
Fund Raising for the C of E Orphanage, Christmas 1906
This postcard was sent along with at least five others to other recipients evidently (judging by the message), by Thomas Graham Morry III in December 1906 as part of a fundraising drive in support of the C of E Orphanage. The drive was under the direction of Rev. C. V. Cogan, previously the Pastor at St. Thomas from 1900-1902 but who was working at the Cathedral by 1906. The C of E Orphanage was built in 1855 was still in operation more than one hundred years later.
Old Tom was trying to encourage his relatives to follow suit and order a packet of six of these cards from the manufacturer in what was essentially an early version of a chain letter. Though postmarked in St. John’s, T. G. Morry was still living in Ferryland at this time. In fact, he was the postmaster there. The recipient, in this case, was Mrs. William Bradshaw in Placentia. She was née Sarah Payne Windsor of Aquaforte and was a first cousin, once removed, or a second cousin, once removed, of T. G. Morry by two different lines of connection between these two oft-intermarried families. Obviously, he was reaching out to as many of his relatives as he could to make the funding drive a success. He was known in the family to be a staunch C of E man, despite having married a Roman Catholic and agreeing to raise their children in that faith.
I came by this postcard in a strange sort of way. In 2017 I met for the first time John Wheeler, a great-grandson of Sarah [Windsor] Bradshaw, due to our being connected with one another by Barb Prescott, a dedicated volunteer at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Saanich, a suburb of Victoria, B.C. It so happens that my great grandfather, Thomas Graham Morry, and John’s great grandmother, Sarah Payne [Windsor] Bradshaw, are both buried in the same grave in the churchyard of St. Luke’s Church, even though they were both Newfoundlanders. Sarah’s sister, Clara, was a childhood sweetheart of Tom’s and after their spouses died, they got together very late in life in Saanich and married one another. Sarah’s husband, a sea captain, had also died and she then moved with her eight children to the same area, but much earlier in the early 1900s. On our first visit together, John and his wife Shannon floored me by giving me this postcard which was amongst John’s mother’s heirlooms when she died. I am overwhelmed by their generosity in doing so.
The Last Letter Written by Thomas Graham Morry, July 18, 1935
This letter from Thomas Graham Morry in Victoria to his granddaughter Phyllis in Ferryland was the last letter he ever wrote. Six days later he died. Though he mentions a recent illness in the letter, his expectation of travel to the lake (Lake Cowichan ?) the following week and an impending election makes clear that he anticipated being around for much longer. Here is a transcript of the letter. A few words are not entirely clear but the main topics come through fine.
Last Will and Testament Plus Codicil
Here is the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Graham Morry (1849-1935), transcribed from a photocopy made at the Probate Office of the Newfoundland Supreme Court in August 2001. This transcription also includes the Codicil which amended the original bequests.