Benjamin Thomas Clayfield (1864-1944)

Dates

Birth: 8 December 1864 8 Court, Fordrough Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, UK
Father: Benjamin Tiffin Clayfield c1837-18714
Mother: Julia Selina Brown 1840-1918

Christening: 25 December 1864 St Thomas, Birmingham, Warwickshire, UK

Marriage: 5 January 1885 Conestoga, Woolwich, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Wife: Caroline Struck 1866-1913

Marriage: 10 June 1921 Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Wife: Esthen Jane Pearce 1876-1949

Death: 29 May 1944 Kitchener and Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Buried: Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Children

By Caroline
John Thomas Clayfield 1885-1938
Elizabeth Clare Clayfield [Packer] 1886-1988
Annie Julie Clayfield [Lorenz] 1890-1918
Benjamin Albert Clayfield 1891-1981
Clarence Henry Clayfield 1896-1968
Victor Clayfield 1899-1901
Emily Clayfield 1902-1914
Lester Frederick Clayfield 1905-1957
Arthur Ralph Clayfield 1908-1975

Notes

Birth of Thomas Clayfield in FreeBMD in January-March 1865 in Birmingham (6D 77). "Births in the District of St Thomas Birmingham in the County of Warwick [No.] 5 Eighth December 1864 [at] 8 Court, Fordrough Street Thomas [parents] Benjamin Clayfield [and] Julia Clayfield formerly Brown [father's occupation] Coal Labourer [informant] Julia Clayfield [who made her mark]"

Entry in Ancestry England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 for Benjamin Thomas Clayfield born 7 December 1864 baptised 25 December 1864 at Saint Thomas, Birmingham, Warwick, parents Benjamin and Julia Clayfield.

Entry in Ancestry Birmingham, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1919 for Benjamin Thomas Clayfield born 7 December 1864 baptised 25 December 1864 at Birmingham Saint Thomas, Warwickshire, parents Benjamin and Julia Clayfield. "Page 328 Baptisms administered in the Parish of St. Thomas, Birmingham in the County of Warwick in the Year 1864 [...] Decr 25. Born Decr 7th 1864 [No.] 2604 Benjamin Thomas [parents] Benjamin [a] Bolt Maker & Julia Clafield [of] Navigation St."

In the 1871 census as Thomas Clayfield aged 7, born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, and living with his parents (Benjamin and Jeweller), brother (Albert), and two sisters (Elizabeth and Mary) at 5 Tyndal Street, Birmingham All Saints, Warwickshire.

His father died in Birmingham in July-September 1871.

I cannot locate the family in the 1881 census.

Entry in Ancestry Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1938 for Thomas Clayfield aged 21, born in Birmingham, England, a labourer, parents Benjamin and Julia Clayfield, and Caroline Struck on 5 January 1885 in Woolwich, Waterloo intending to live in Woolwich.

Entry in Ancestry Canada, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 for Thos Clayfield aged 23 arrived Quebec on the Sardinian on 6 August 1887 from Liverpool.

His son and two daughters were born in Conestogo, Waterloo, Ontario from 1885 to 1890.

In the 1891 census as Thomas Clayfield aged 26, born in England, parents born in England, a wage earner but no stated employment, and living with his wife (Carline), son (John T) and two daughters (Anna J and Lizzie C) in Woolwich, Waterloo North, Ontario, Canada.

His wife died on 1 May 1913 due to complications following an operation at St. Joseph's Hospital in Guelph, Ontario.

Thomas was born in England in 1864 and immigrated to Canada around 1882 and settled in Conestoga, Ontario. He worked has a farm hand on the Joachim Struck farm and fell in Love with his daughter Caroline. He married her on Jan. 05, 1885 in the village of Conestoga. Marriage Register #011691. After giving Thomas 9 children, Caroline passed away in 1913. Thomas then moved his family to Waterloo, Ontario and took up building houses around Ezra and Clayfield Ave (this street was named in honour of his many houses he built around that area). Unfortunately he went bankrupt during the Depression. On June 10th, 1921 Thomas got married for the 2nd time to a Esther Jane Pearce. Marriage Affidavit #022271. Thomas died on May 29, 1944 of his injuries from being hit by a car on May 09, 1944."

Thomas Clayfield was born on December 8, 1864 in Birmingham, England. He came to Canada when he was about 19 years old and settled in Conestogo, Ontario. He worked as a farm hand on the Struck farm and fell in love with the daughter Caroline. After Caroline's death in 1913, he moved what family remained at home to Waterloo, Ontario, where he took up the hobby of building houses. There is a Clayfield Avenue, in Waterloo which was named after him. Unfortunately, he went bankrupt during the depression, as he held mortgages on the houses he built and the purchasers could not make good on the mortgages. He died in 1944 and is buried with his first wife, Caroline, and two of his children, Victor and Emily, in Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Walking into the side of a passing car, Thomas Clayfield, 31 Ezza Ave. Waterloo, early today was knocked to the pavement and badly injured. The 79-year-old man on his way to work, was crossing Erb St. when he apparently failed to see a vehicle approaching. He was hit by the front fender. Margaret Cummings, 5 William St. Elmira, driver of the car which is owned by lvan Shoemaker, R.R.3, Elmira, told police she saw Clayfield walking across the street and swung to the left to avoid hitting him. He paid no attention to the sounding horn, she said. Clayfield was taken to the K-W Hospital where he was found to be suffering from cuts on the forehead and led bruiese. Chief of Police C.E. Moreau is conduction the investigation.
Thomas Clayfield - The death occurred yesterday afternoon at the K-W Hospital of Thomas Clayfield, 31 Ezza Ave., Waterloo.He was born 80 years ago in Birmingham, England and came to Canada at the age of 18. Two years later he was married to Caroline Struck of Conestogo, who predeceased him in 1913. Surviving are his second wife, the former Esher Pearce of Paisly; five sons, John, Ben, Clarence and Arthur of Waterloo, and Lester of Detroit; and one daughter, Mrs Edgar (Elizabeth) Packer of Kitchener. Also surviving are 26 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. The funeral will be held from the Walsh Funeral Home Thursday at two o'clock.Rev. D.I. Forsyth will officiate.Burial will be made in the Waterloo Mount Hope Cemetery.The remains will rest at the funeral home until the time of the funeral.

Thomas Clayfield was convicted of assaulting his wife and the case was adjourned until June 6. His wife declared he had struck her twice on the jaw with his fist and had said he would murder her. After the assault, which took place on May 8, in the evening, she ad left the home. Evidence of the doctor was that her neck showed swelling and discoloration on both sides. The defendant said he had asked his wife to come home and answer the telephone. She at first refused and later when she went to the telephone and had answered the call abruptly, he admonished her and "pushed her". The complainant told the court when she reached the telephone, the party had left the line. Defendant said they had been married for 13 years, this being his second wife. Separation was suggested but he objected to this. Other witnesses included one son, who said his step-mother had treated him and his father fairly. The son corroborated statements of his father that there had been no previous trouble.

Relationship

Benjamin Thomas Clayfield was the father of Benjamin Albert Clayfield, husband of Dorothy May Roe, great grandneice of Ellen Kate Luff, wife of Frederick Baker, my first cousin twice removed.

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