Boniface Newsletter, July 27, 2003
...Over the Ocean
my Bonnie..
Boniface Newsletter, July 27, 2003
As I sit here with less than a week until the Boniface Reunion, and less than two
pages of the newsletter written, I ask myself "What is it that I really want to tell them?"
I remember what gave us the impetus to organize the first reunion 14 years ago - a chance
remark Uncle Bill made to my Mom. He didn't go to the Boulter Reunion, he said, because
he didn't know a lot of those people, or had lost contact. But, by glory, he'd go to a
Boniface Reunion if they ever had one! Why wasn't there a Boniface Reunion? It was a
good question, and eventually we called as many members of the family as we could,
picked the least busy Sunday for all, and had our first 'Boniface Reunion!' Over the
years we've met many wondrous cousins , some of them gone now, and shared a lot of
history. Some of us used to play together. Some of us didn't even know we were related.
All of us were glad to find family and build/strengthen friendships. Piecing together
what we knew, researching what we didnıt, we've gradually gotten a picture of how
Francis and Sarah got here, and where they came from. Their story is our story.
They struggled to build a life here so that we may have a life. The purpose of these
newsletters has been to share what weıve learned from others of their journey.
If all of us know the story, pass it on and add our generations chapter on to it, it won't
be forgotten again.
Boniface Reunion in England!
One hundred forty six years after Great-great-grandfather Francis Boniface (1820)
left England with his wife Sarah and six children, I was back in England meeting with 3
descendants of the lone brother who remained behind, Thomas Boniface. It was the
occasion of the first (annual?) Boniface Reunion sponsered by BIG
(Boniface Internet Group), held on June 14, 2003, in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England.
A total of more than 150 attended the gathering at the Fishermanıs Club, looking out
on the English Channel. Bonifaces in Eastbourne had been long-standing members of the
Fishermanıs Club years back, so the club was glad to open it's doors to us. The Eastbourne
Boniface group may be related to our group of Bonifaces from Hailsham, but so far we haven't
found the connection. A lot of people are looking!
Barbara Osbourne and her husband, Jim, June Read and her mother, Joyce Read,
and Aki and I had a great time chatting, talking with other Bonifaces, looking at other
Boniface Trees, and even walking the pebble (stone is more like it!) beach until we found
what was left of the original Eastbourne Boniface fishermenıs cottages on the crumbling
limestone cliff above the beach. It was a wonderful, exciting day, with great weather to boot!
The next afternoon Barbara and Jim met us again, and took us to sites important to
our great-great-great-great-grandparents, William and Elizabeth Boniface. (Did you notice
how many greats I added to the list?) William Boniface (1763) married Elizabeth Woods, and
they had 14 plus children, one of whom was our Francis (1793) who married Lucy Beeching
Tichborn. Francis and Lucy had 10 children, the oldest of whom was also named Francis (1820).
He married Sarah Ann Dann, had 6 kids, came to America in 1857, and then had two more sons,
Caleb and Traiton, here in Orangeville. When Francis, Sarah and the kids boarded the boat
in London, they werenıt alone. Four of Francis's siblings, one with a child and one with a
husband, plus the parents, Francis and Lucy, already in their old age, were also on that boat!
When they all left England in April of 1857, Elizabeth Woods Boniface -mother, grandmother
and great-grandmother- was still alive to say goodbye to her son, her grandsons and
granddaughters, and 7 great-grandchildren. She died that November.
The houses where Elizabeth and William lived at the time of the 1841 census, and the
one that Elizabeth lived in with her son, Rubin, during the 1851 census, still stand.
They are brick farmhouses, on little winding roads leading through the middle of the East
Sussex countryside. The homes have names, which remain the same as they were over 150
years ago; Rickney Farm (1841) and Horse Eye Farm (1851). Barbara and Jim took Aki and
I on a drive to both of those houses, we walked around them, took photos and rang doorbells.
No one was home at either place, though 2 horses and 3 or more dogs were in Residence at
Rickney. Did the dogs ever bark when we rang the doorbell!
Later in the afternoon we called at the home of Marion Boniface, wife of a more distant cousin,
Alan Boniface (1920 -1975). It was Alan who researched and drew up the family tree that
helped us make a connection with our family back in England. Alan's family descends from
William and Elizabeth's son George. Marion has kept all his research, and showed us some
wonderful pictures of people and events past. She showed us a photo of the cattle market
where Alan and his brother, Norman, were auctioneers, and told of the last time the cattle
were herded through the street to the market. It was in the early 1970's, and for some
reason the cattle weren't going to come in on trucks, but were going to be driven up from
the marshes on foot, the old fashioned way. Alan was going to record the event with his
movie camera, but as the cattle came thundering down the street, he realized that someone
had to head/turn them into the entrance of the cattle market, and no one was there to do it.
He dropped his camera and ran to the middle of the street, yelling and waving his arms.
The trip was truly a wondrous chance to be able to meet all these people, visit places
from our family's past, and hear stories of ancestors and cousins. When Barbara and
I were walking around in front of Rickney Farm house, it was easy to imagine our
4Xgreat grandmother sitting in that house, tending the fire in the fireplace. Somehow
it seemed so right that cousins from both sides of the ocean should be together at that house,
that we had our photo taken in front of it. We think Elizabeth would have approved.
So Who Were William and Elizabeth, anyway?
William was the fourth child, first son of Francis Boniface and Mary Gason. On the
1841 Census his occupation was listed as Marshland looker. A looker was one who
looks after or has charge of anything; children, land, animals, etc. He could have
helped herd animals, plus inspected the hedges, ditches, and dykes of the marshes,
to keep everything working correctly. William and Elizabeth had over 14 children,
unfortunately, many of them died before their parents. Marion Boniface holds the
book in which Elizabeth wrote the names and dates of birth
of her children, and then later the dates of death for 7 of them.
Do we know anything about these children?
Francis(1793) seems to be the only one to come to the U.S., and that was in his old age.
Descendants of 3 of the other children are in contact with us. The oldest child, John,
died at the age of 24, but had one son, who had 9 children of his own. Johnıs sister,
Mary Woods Boniface, married a Henry Bourne and had 8 children. Descendants
of both of these families are in contact throught BIG (Boniface Internet Group). John's
younger brother George had 7 children, and Alan Boniface is one of that line.
One brother, Thomas, was also charted on Alan's tree, while information on one sister,
Jane, was shared by a member of the Verall site. Here's the rundown on the family.
William (1763-1841) and Elizabeth Woods (1768-1857)
John (1788-1813) m. Jane Putland 1 son
Thomas (1790) m. Emma Manser 2 sons, 2/3 daughters
Mary Woods (1792-1862) m. Henry Bourne 4 sons, 4 daughters
Francis (1793-1881) m. Lucy Beeching Tichborn 4 sons, 6 daughters
Elizabeth (1796-1802)
William (1797-1797)
Jane (1798) m. Sander Verrall 4 boys, 2 girls
George (1800-1876) m. Frances Dunk 5 Boys, 2 girls
Benjamin (1802-1802)
Rubin (1803),
Elizabeth (1805) m. Waters
Sarah (1807-1832) m. Wood Isabala
Ann (1809-1831)
William (1811-1830)
Your eyes weren't playing tricks on you with the repetion of the names Elizabeth and William.
When one child died, a later child would often be given the same name. Children were
frequently named after someone in the family, so if the first child with the name died,
the parents would try again to name someone after Mom or Grandpa or...
If Francis and Lucy had 10 children, where did they all end up?
Well, 5 children came to America, 3 of them with families. Francis and Sarah Ann
came with 6 children , Charlotte came with a son, Moses, and Harriet came with her
husband, James Longley. (Jane Graham, of Harriet and James line, recently wrote
from Toronto, Canada this year. She said that the story her grandmother heard was
that the Boniface family boarded the last wooden sailing boat to leave England with Emigrants.)
Two other sons, George and Caleb, married and had children after they
arrived in New York, and both settled in Erie County, N.Y.
Thomas, the only son to remain in England, settled first in Ditchling, and later
moved to Albourne. (My Dad has the old Ditchling address in the safe for Thomas,
passed down through the generations. It piqued my interest as
a child, and probably had something to do with my addiction to genealogy) He had 13
children, several of whom came to Canada in adulthood. Several grandchildren also
came to Canada, so we have a contingent of cousins over the border.
Mary Boniface was buried in 1850, presumably no children. We don't have any
info yet on Emma. Anne married a cousin, John Boniface, and had one girl, Mary
Ann, in 1848. However, Anne died the next year. Lucy Boniface married Trayton
Honeysett/Hunnisett and had 8 children. Six of them died in childhood, five of
them in 1862, the same year that their mother Lucy died. The following pages
give you more in-depth data, for you children and grandchildren!
Francis Boniface (1793 - 1881) m. Lucy Beeching (1798 - 1880)
b. 30 Sept 1793 b. 17 Mar 1798
bapt. 17 Dec 1793 Pevensey bapt. 1 April1798, Ashburnham
d. 1881 Buffalo, NY d. 1880, Buffalo, NY
Children:*
*Children's info courtesy Barbara Osborne
Francis Boniface b.16 Feb 1820, Hailsham, m. Sarah Ann Dann 17 Nov 1843
Francis bapt. 30 April 1820, Hailsham
Francis (1820 -1891) = Sarah Ann Dann (1822 - 1896)
Francis died 24 Apr 1891, Orangevilletwp, Barry, MI USA
Lucy Boniface (15 Apr 1844,Hailsham) m.Aliya Linsey Cross MI
(Hazel Penny, MI - Deceased)
Sarah Boniface (18 Dec 1845,Hailsham) m.John Thomas Shelp MI
(Betty Wolhuis, Michigan: Linda Christine Kazer, MI,
Jo Ann Brohl, Utah)
Caroline Boniface (24 May 1848, Hailsham)
William Boniface (15 Nov 1850, Hailsham) m. Sarah Boulter MI
(Michele T. Boniface Tsuji, MI)
Frank Boniface, (27 Mar 1854/5) m. Martha Winchester in MI
David Boniface (6 Apr 1857, Hailsham) m.Fannie Winchester MI
(Alvin Warren, MI)
Caleb Boniface (20 Apr 1860 Orangeville Twp. Barry Co. MI)
Traiton Boniface (15 Apr 1863 Orangeville Twp. Barry Co. MI)
Lucy Boniface, b. 1822, Hailsham, m Trayton Honeysett 15 Oct 1844,Hailsham
Lucy bapt. 27 Jan 1822, Hailsham,
Lucy (1821-1862) = Trayton Honeysett (1820-1908) **
** Caroline Lancaster, 19 Nov 2001
Trayton (1844-1862)
Lucy (1847 -1857 blind)
James (1849 - 1862)
Jesse (1851 - 1862)
Samuel (1854 - 1862)
Mary (1856)
Elizabeth (1858)
David (1861 - 1862)
Lucy died 31 Oct 1862, at Magham Down, Hailsham, age 40.
Cause of death cynanche tonsillaris, 3days
Dyptheria, (Pete Hunnisett says 25 Nov. 2001)
Trayton remarried Sarah, same age, born Warbleton, SX ***
***Barbara Osborne, 1881 Census
Emma Boniface b.1824, Hailsham
Emma bapt. 07 Jan 1824, Hailsham
Anne Boniface b. 1826, Hailsham m. John Boniface 22 Aug 1846 Hailsham
(cousins)
Ann bapt. 29 Oct 1826, Hailsham
Ann (1826-ca1849/50) = John Boniface (1822 - ?)* wedding cert
Mary Ann (1848 -?)
Mary Boniface b. 1829 Hailsham buried 26 Jul 1850 Hailsham
Mary bapt. 20 Sept 1829, Hailsham
Charlotte Boniface b. 1832 Hailsham, Listed on ship Amason's passenger
list in 1857, with her son Moses, born 1851.
Charlotte Bapt. 25 Mar 1832
Moses base born 9 Dec. 1850 Hailsham, bapt 1851?
{My great-grandfather, William, bapt. 19 Jan 1851}
Came to U.S. 1857, Moses with Grandfather in 1860, 1870, Erie, NY
Thomas Boniface b. 1834 Hailsham, m. Harriet Saunders 29 Sep 1856,
Ditchling, buried 21 Mar 1917 Albourne 13 children ****
****Barbara Osborne, Ted Boniface
Thomas bapt. 0/19 Feb 1834, Hailsham
Thomas Boniface (1834 - 1917) = Harriet Saunders (1838 - 1928)
Mary Ann Boniface (1857 - 1937)
(Joyce and June Read, U.K.)
George Boniface (1858 - 1952)
(Barbara Osborne, U.K., Jill Titone, U.K.)
Caleb Boniface (1860 - 1921)
(Derrick Parsons, U.K.)
Thomas Boniface (1862)
Martha Boniface (1864 -)
Alfred James Boniface (1867 - 1957)
(Brenda & Carl Raynard,Can., Timothy Michael Boniface, Can.,
Edward (Ted) William Boniface, Can.)
Henry Stephen Boniface (1869 - 1952)
Harriet Boniface (1871)
(Polly Wood, Can.)
William Francis Boniface (1874 - 1947)
Edward John Boniface (1875 - 1887)
Minnie Elizabeth Boniface (1877)
Charles Albert Boniface (1879 - 1956)
(Colin Raymond Packham, Aus.)
Frank Boniface (1883)
George Boniface b.1836 Hailsham (cripple) listed on Amason pass. list
George bapt. 13 Mar 1836, Hailsham
Passenger on Amason to U.S. 1857, settle Erie County, New York
George m. Mary I. (age 20, born N.Y. (census, 1870) *****
George m. Lizzie ( will, 1882) *****
George d. 5 Nov 1882, East Hamburg, Erie Co. N.Y.
George Jr. b. Dec 1882 (born after fatherıs death)
Harriet Boniface b. 1838 Hailsham m.James Longley 20 Oct 1856, Hailsham
Harriet bapt. 29 Jul 1838, Hailsham
Harriet and James also on boat to New York * ** *
James d. 1894
Harriet d. 1921, Port Colborne, Canada
Henry
Mary Ann (1860-1947) m. Frank C. Mahaffey of Port C. Ontario
(Jane Graham, Toronto, Canada)
Thomas
* ** * Jane Graham, Mar 7,8,11, 2003
Caleb Boniface b. 1841 Hailsham, listed on Amason passenger list
Caleb bapt. 1 Mar 1841, Hailsham
Passenger on ³Amason² to U.S. in 1857, settle in Erie Co. NY
Caleb m. Catherine McMahon * ** ***
Caleb d. 3 Mar 1886 (will/Surrogate record)
Emma b. 1866
Frank Caleb b. 1868
(Sylvia Delaney, NY)
(Frank Wesley Boniface, Jr. NY, FLA)
*****Amason Passenger list, 1870 census, will, Surrogate Record
info courtesy of Jo Ann Brohl
* ** *** Sylvia Delaney, Aug 30, 2001
Iıve tried to put together what I have collected so far on our family, from different sources.
We have heard from 6 branches of the Thomas and Harriet line on the BIG website. Their
names are entered in parentheses under their ancestors name. Several of Thomas' children
came to Canada in the late 1800's. This information on our family is constantly growing,
thanks to the cooperative effort of many. I hope that someday, descendants of George, Jane,
Lucy and Ann will find us, if any of them are out there. It would also be great to know what
happened to Charlotte and Moses. The names in parentheses under Harriet's and Caleb's
names (Jane, Sylvia, and her brother, Frank) are of people who found us on the web.
The names in parentheses under Francisıs (1820) name are family members
that we know through our reunions.
The new website of BIG (Boniface Internet Group) is
You can still e-mail me at
Hope to see you next year.
Michele T. Boniface Tsuji
Copyright İ 2002
Boniface Internet Group