last update 9 July 2010

 

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SPROULE CHRONOLOGY AND DOCUMENT LINKS

 

     Recent ancestors (with portraits)     Sproule ancestor chart     all bmd links

 

WWI and Lt Col Jimmy Sproule

 

 

Ancestors of Brig Jimmy Sproule and Clare Aldous

 

LINK

Chart linking four generations of Sproules, Robinsons, Harpurs, and a Mathewson of Ardstraw.  Complicated by the repetition of Christian Names and Surnames and a marriage between first cousins.

 

Co Tyrone, NW Ireland c1840 - Fintona is in the bottom left part of the map south of Omagh

 

 

Sproule History

LINK

 

This document is in the papers of Brig Sproule's son, the late Dr Brian J Sproule (Coldstream), and was copied in 2009 by Adrian Fletcher, who has added a preface linking the history to this page.  Also copied was a hand drawn family tree (probably by Brian).  We have found some of the information in the paper to be a bit inaccurate, but the family names seem OK and, hey, whoever did it most surely was not internet enabled like us privileged family historians today.  At this stage we have not used any stuff from the first half of the paper.

 

Link to Co Tyrone family research website

 

 

The Robinsons

 

 

in Fintona, Co Tyrone.

30 July 1775 - John Robinson born

 

in Fintona, Co Tyrone.

20 August 1791 - Sarah Harpur born

 

in Coroyneigh (sp?) (Corradinna possibly?)

7 July 1812 John Robinson marries

 

Sarah Harpur in Aughadulla, Co Tyrone

17 December 1814 Alex Harpur Robinson

UK Medical Register 1863

born in Fintona - Matilda Ann's elder brother.  He is to become a dispensing doctor and insurance agent and JP but not a father - in fact he bequeaths his farm and palazzo Denamona to A H R Sproule's kids when he dies in November 1880.

15 July 1816 - Matilda Ann Robinson

 

born in Fintona, Co Tyrone

29 April 1817

 

Sarah dies, leaving two very little kids behind.  Husband John dies in 1825 when the kids are still under 10.

 

 

 

 

The Sproules

 

 

 

1812 - Thomas Sproule marries a Miss Blake

 

 

16 April 1815 - Joseph Sproule

 

born in Carrickamulkin, Co Tyrone (date from 1901 Canadian Census overrides date in Sproule history)

Where oh where is Carrickamulkin?  Does John (Jack Roe) Sproule fit in anywhere?

Robert Sproule born ? -

 

one of Joseph's three or four brothers.

1841 - Joseph and Matilda Ann Robinson

 

marry in Aughadulla, Co Tyrone - Revd Jas Reid Hill officiates.

1848 - Robert and Mary Jane Davis marry

 

in Co Tyrone probably.

 

 

 

3 April 1846 - Alex Harpur Robinson Sproule

 

born to Joseph and Matilda Ann in Carrickamulkin, Co Tyrone.

16 May 1851 - Matilda Sproule born to

 

Robert and his wife Mary Jane in Carrickamulkin, Co Tyrone.

 

 

 

 

Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

 

 

 

May 1860 - Joseph, Matilda and 6 Sproule

 

children including AHR Sproule (14) emigrate from Carrickamulkin to Canada - travelling from Liverpool to New York on the ship "Manhattan" (according to the family history document, but we have yet to find any records of the ship)

 

 

 

 

13 January 1861 - Ontario Census

LINK

The Joseph Sproule (spelled Sproulle here) family has settled (for good as far as mum and dad are concerned in North Monaghan, Peterborough, Ontario.

1861 - 1865 US Civil War

 

 

1863 - 1869 First US Transcontinental

 

Railroad built

1867 - Canada becomes a Country

 

 

Canadian Censuses 1851 - 1911 are on the web (via "Ancestry")

Pre Federation:

11 January 1851

13 January 1861

Post Federation:

2 April 1871

4 April 1881

6 April 1891

31 March 1901

1 June 1911

 

2 April 1871

LINK

 

Canadian Census captures Joseph & Matilda (now misspelt Sproul) and 5 "children" in North Monaghan.  AHR (25) and brother George Buchanan (23) are photographers whilst Robert (21) is a medical student and will become a Royal Navy surgeon later.

 

The only evidence we have found to date of the Sproule Photographers

 

24 February 1874

LINK

Alex Harpur Robinson Sproule (photographer aged 27) marries his first cousin Matilda Sproule (23) in Peterborough, Ontario.

6 October 1876

LINK

 

AHR (Harpur) Sproule Jnr born in Peterborough (transcribed as Alice Harper Robinson Frank Sproule).  This is the only time we snag Harpur Sproule in official records .. after returning to Denamona with his namesake dad in 1880, he is captured in a family photo c1900 but not (yet) in the 1901 / 1911 Irish censuses.  At some stage he emigrated to South Africa where many descendants now live (2010).  He appears in ship passenger lists visiting Fintona in 1922 and County Down in 1950 with Elma.  He died in 1952.

 

A H R (Harpur) Sproule Jnr (1876 - 1952 (76)) with wife Elma and their three sons Roy, Pat and Dennis (not necessarily in that order) at their home "Hemlock" near Nelspruit, E Transvaal in the 1940s.

 

4 April 1881 Canadian Census

 

Links for Joseph & Matilda, and their children Sarah & John (Haggart), AHR and Matilda, and George Buchanan & Josephine in 1881 Canadian Census - AHR and family must have set sail for Ireland soon afterwards.

6 April 1891 Canadian Census

LINK

Joseph and Matilda, both aged 74, in Peterborough.

September 1895

LINK

AHR Sproule and a Miss Sproule (daughter?) travel (back) to Liverpool from Canada on the ship "Vancouver (after a family visit?)

31 March 1901 Canadian Census

LINK

Joseph and Matilda, both aged 85, in Peterborough.

1 November 1902

LINK

Joseph Sproule dies.

 

 

 

 

Back in Ireland

 

 

 

1876

LINK

Dr  A H Robinson MD JP in listing of Tyrone landowners in 1876.

1 November 1880

 

Dr  A H Robinson MD JP dies and leaves his estate to AHR's children with AHR as sole trustee with power (which he exercised) to consume lots of the estate on the way.

later in 1881

 

AHR, Matilda and family come back from Canada back to "Denamona", Fintona - not yet located on a passenger list.

28 August 1887 Jimmy Sproule born in "Denamona"

 

 

 

"Denamona" - the Robinson house at Fintona where Jimmy Sproule grew up and where he took this pic around 1900.

 

 

"Denamona" near Fintona, Co Tyrone c1900

 

The Sproule Family at "Denamona" c 1900

 

1901 Irish Census

LINK

The Irish census captures most of the AHR Sproule Family (but not AHR jnr) back at Denamona - which got its own house census (it was the biggest in the neighbourhood) as well.

1911 Irish Census

LINK

Only Jennie and John (Jack) left at Denamona with parents and Aunt Margaret.

1911 Irish Census

1  2  3

James C Sproule as a medical student at a well servanted establishment with lots of nurses in 16-18 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin

Photo Pages

 

 

WW I and Capt / Lt-Col J C Sproule

LINK

 

28 July 1915 Jimmy Sproule and Clare Aldous

LINK

get married at Emmanuel Church, Compton Gifford (Plymouth)

Jimmy and Clare Sproule in Somerton

LINK

and elsewhere