The descendants of
George Flint and Elizabeth (Lee) Flint,
of Holbeach, Lincolnshire
From the Preface to the First Edition
This volume, which ultimately derives from work begun in 1973, aims at being a complete summary both of my own research on the Flint family and of material received from about 200 correspondents. But it is indeed only a summary, for it eventually became obvious that if the manuscript were not abridged in some way, the preparation of the copy would present serious difficulties and the book would become impractically bulky and expensive. The text is essentially intact, but has been modified in two respects which it is important for the reader to bear in mind.
First, although a wide variety of unpublished material was consulted, only printed works are usually cited in the notes; and even then only those of the narrative kind, not disconnected documentary materials like printed parish registers. Not only would the inclusion of exact citations for everything used have doubled the size of this volume, but it is doubtful whether even a few readers would be inclined to put such information to practical use. I shall however be glad to answer any questions regarding my sources.
Second, the material included here is slightly less complete in substance than my unpublished notes. A few kinds of information have almost always been omitted: modern baptismal records, dates of burial, the addresses of houses in which births or deaths occurred, and notes on the existence of unpublished photographs or other portraits. Other information has sometimes been abridged, such as details of minor publications, volunteer work, membership in clubs and fraternal organizations, hobbies, and statements regarding a person’s character which were not made during their lifetime or at least in an obituary notice. By this kind of cutting, not much of permanent value is lost, and a certain amount of clarity and balance are gained. At the same time, details of the kind just mentioned are still welcome for inclusion in my files, which I intend to maintain permanently as an archive.
Acknowledgements
This book owes a great deal to the work, both published and unpublished, of previous researchers, especially the following member of the family: the late Rev. Dr. George Yetter Flint, the late Ida Flint, the late Ruth (Mayo) Bruels, David G. Flint, Carol Ann (Wilson) Westbrook, Ruby A. Hockley Heard, author of The William Hockley Family of Essex, who contributed information on over 360 people, and Beth (Flint) Sheehan, who gave sage advice on the format of the text and read early drafts of several chapters.
The leisure and funding required for so protracted a project could never have been obtained without the help of my grandfather, Alan Blythe, my mother, Kathleen (Blythe) Dobson, my step-father, Ross Dobson, and my sister, Ann Marie Dawshka. My mother and grandfather also read many early drafts of parts of this work. Generous assistance also came from my great-aunt, Noel (Blythe) McCullough, my great-uncle, the late Reginald McCullough, and from several persons who kindly sent subscriptions for this book long in advance of its publication.
Other family members and their spouses who have contributed information or helped with the costs of preparing this work are, in alphabetic order: Theresa (McCullough) Alscher, Eva (Evans) Baker, Norman and Janet (Button) Baker, Marjorie (Russell) Balls, Earl M, Barnes, James D. Barnes, H. Dora (Dufault) Bartholomew, Barbara (Blythe) Bennett, the late Philippa (Menzies) (Mark) Blythe, the late Eleanor (Ramer) Blaisdell, Beatrice (Harrison) (Thomas) (Salak) Blythe; the late D. John Blythe, the late Jean (Fulton) Blythe, Judith Blythe, Julian Brace, Jane (Ralston) (Delahunty) Brant, David A. Brockway, Willard W. Brockway, Charlotte (Yake) Broome, Pamela (Flint) Clarke, Philip Clarke, the late I. Edna (Bruels) Congo, Eunice (Conrad) Congo, Kathleen (Kellough) Rowenna (Henry) Creighton, Audrey (Brown) Doswell, Beryl (Dodds) Flint, Edward Ross Flint, Dr. Edwin Grant Flint, Priscilla (Gill) Flint, the late F. Lionel Flint, Grace (Elliott) Flint, Joy (Schuyler) Flint, the late Dr. Lois H. Flint, Lyman G.B. Flint, Margaret Elizabeth Flint, Ralph Flint, Willard Lewis Flint, Julie-Anne (Brace) Gareh, the late Dorothy (Keene) Goffe, Marion (Flint) Gordon, George Gower, Leslye (Platt) Greaves, Florence (Miller) Green, Paul Griffiths, Ross Griffiths, Faith (Bruels) Harding, Merle (Barnes) Heaman, Florence (Stouffer) Henry, Marjorie (Flint) (Moore) Higgins (who contributed an enormous amount of information), Moore Jackson, Dawna (Bartholomew) Janisse, Darlene (Baker) Jenkins, Barry Kershaw, Mrs. Karl King, Raymond Laud, Thelma (Guilfoyle) McDermaid, Barbara (Thompson) McFarland, Doris (Baker) McLean, Ruth (Reynders) Mathias, Beulah (O’Brien) Meier, Heather Moore, Sherry (Barnes) Morrison, Jennifer (Harrod) Morton, Kathleen (Russell) Morton, Charlotte (Moore) Nicholson, Franklin P. O’Brien, Gladys (Reeder) Osborne, Helen (Blythe) Quinton, Ernest S. Rank, William Neil Russell, the late Lena Sanders, William R. Scott, Ruth (Blaisdell Simmons, Sumner Simmons, Dorothy (Thompson) Sullivan, Dr. Arthur Reynders Swift, Daniel W. Swift, William F. Thompson, Shirley (Thompson) Tomlinson, Jean (Walker) Travis, Anita M. Weiland, Gladys H. (Keene) Weiland, Gustine (Schuster) Wilton, Rachel (Payne) Woolston, Dorothy (McBride) Vincent, Daniel M. and Eleanor (Crozier) Yake, and Lois (Flint) Yarn.
Other contributions and assistance have been received from Dr. Helen C. Abell, of Stouffville (on the Davis family); Mr. William Reierson Arbuthnot, of Kensington, London (whose unpublished researches on the Arbuthnott family have been drawn upon); Mr. Gordon Baker, of Stouffville, Ontario (on the Baker family); Mrs. Pauline (Teed) Bambridge, Superintendent Registrar of the Fenland Registration District, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire; Mrs. Jean Barkey, of Stouffville, Ontario; Mrs. Constance Brace, of Bracebridge, Ontario, Mr. William E. Britnell, of Mississauga, Ontario; Mrs. Anne Cole, formerly of the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, and now of the Lincolnshire Family History Society; Mr. R.E. Davies, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in the Province of Ontario; Mrs. Carolyn A. Davis, Librarian, The George Arents Research Library, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.; Mrs. Carol Emrich, of the Reference Department, Rochester Public Library, Rochester, N.Y.; The Rev. Canon C.R. Evans, Vicar of Holbeach; Maunsel Gerrow, of Oshawa, Ontario; Mr. David W. Ferris, Subject Cataloguer, Subject Analysis Division, National Library of Canada; Dr. Margo Gewurtz, Department of History, York University, (on Methodist missions to China); Miss Rajini Guest, of Hollywood, California; the late Mary Rebecca (Inkley) Hafen (whose unpublished researches on the Inkley family have been drawn upon); Mr. James W. Hardwick, Superintendent Minister, The Methodist Church, Wisbech Circuit, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire; Mr. Peter Hvidsten, Publisher, the Port Perry Star; Mrs. Christine M. Hoyles, Superintendent Registrar of the East Elloe District, Long Sutton, Spalding, Lincolnshire.; Mrs. Martha Jackson (whose unpublished researches on the Jackson family have been drawn upon); Dr. D. Peter Jayapandian, Principal and Secretary, The American College, Madurai, India; Mrs. D.K. Jenkinson, of Holbeach Library, Holbeach, Lincolnshire (on “Flint Hall”); Mrs. Gloria (Hansen) Jensen, of Brigham City, Utah (whose unpublished researches on the Eby family have been drawn upon); Mr. Frank Johnson, of Stouffville (on the Bartholomew and Button families); Mr. Bruce Kellett, of Port Perry, Ontario; Mrs. E.L. Kelley, of Placentia, California; Mrs. C. Kelly, Archivist, The Royal Geographical Society, London, England; Dr. G.A. Knight, Principal Archivist, Lincolnshire Archives Office; Mrs. Sharon P. Larade, Reference Archivist, University Archives, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto; Mrs. Judy MacCall, Chief Librarian, Scugog Memorial Public Library, Port Perry, Ontario; Dr. Alan J. McComas, of the Department of Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (on Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease); Mrs. Barbara MacDonald, of Guelph, Ontario (on the Iliffe family); Mr. Allan McGillivray, Curator of the Uxbridge-Scott Historical Society; Mr. William M. McHugh, Research Assistant, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio; Mrs. Sheila McLeod, of the Reference Department, Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library, Stouffville, Ontario; Mrs. Phyllis (Farley) Madill, of Stouffville (on the Madill and Churchill families); Mrs. Jean (Ketteringham) Matthews, of Stanground, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire (on the Teed family); Mrs. Beth (Inkley) Memmott, of Omaha, Nebraska (on the Inkley family); Mr. Paul Mills, of Woodburn, Oregon (on the Mills family); Dr. Peter M. Mitchell, Department of History, York University, Toronto, Ontario (on Methodist missions to China); Mrs. Vicki Munro, of Palgrave, Ontario (whose unpublished researches on the Forsyth and Morden families have been drawn upon); Mr. Philip C. Nicholls, of Padstow, Cornwall (on the Warren family); Mr. R. Glen Nye, of Cajon, California (on the Button family); Mr. Neville Palmer, of Elm, Cambridgeshire (on the Teed family); Mrs. Jennifer Paul, formerly of the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology (S.L.H.A.) and now of the Lincolnshire Family History Society (L.F.H.S.); Mrs. Pat Pomeroy, formerly of the S.L.H.A. and now of the L.F.H.S.; Mrs. Gill Rayment, of the Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire; Mrs. Roberta Ringwold, Archivist, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa; Mr. William Samland, of Westland, Michigan (whose unpublished researches on the Wilson family have been drawn upon); Mrs. Carolyn Scott, of Auburn, Washington (whose unpublished researches on the Kester family have been drawn upon); Dr. Harold K. Shapiro, Director, National Foundation for Peroneal Muscular Atrophy, Philadelphia, Pa. (on Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease); Mr. N.C. Simson, Honorary Secretary of the Spalding Gentleman’s Society (on “Flint Hall”); Mrs. Heather (Morriss) Smith, of Lilydale, Tasmania (on the Morriss family); Mrs. Barbara M. Soper, Librarian, History Department, Buffalo and Erie Co. Public Library, Buffalo, N.Y.; Southwell, Dennis & Land, Solicitors, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire; the late Annie G. (Allen) Teed, of Heathecote, Ontario (whose unpublished researches on the Teed family have been drawn upon); Nora (McGuire) Teed, of Thornbury, Ontario (on the Teed family); Mr. Gordon A. Thede, of Dundas, Ontario (on the Weidman family); Mrs. Eleanor Todd, of Goodwood, Ontario (on the Forsyth, Morden, Yake, Kester, and Weidman families); Mrs. Dawson Wagg, of Stouffville (on the Davis family); Mr. John Westmancoat, of the British Library; Mrs. Harriette (Marr) Wheeler, of Grosse Pointe, Michigan (on the Button and Marr families); Mrs. Ruth S. Widdison, of Salt Lake City, Utah (on the Wixon family); Mrs. Ruth Dyck Wilson, Assistant Chief Archivist, United Church Archives, Toronto; Mr. Brian Winter, of the Whitby Historical Society (on the Flint family of Whitby); Mrs. Helen de Wit, of Winnipeg (on the Sypher family); Mr. Stephen Wood, of the Ontario Genealogical Society, Whitby-Oshawa Branch (on the Flint family of Whitby); Mr. Douglas A. Yake, of Stouffville; Mr. Bruce Yetter, of Hackettstown, N.J. (on the Yetter family); and Mr. Larry Yetter, of Prosser, Washington (also on the Yetter family).
Much practical help has been received from my friend, Paul Wollaston, of Winnipeg, and from his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Wollaston, of Toronto, in whose home I stayed while part of the research for this book was being conducted.
Finally, many sections of this work have been improved by the careful attention and invaluable advice of my English researcher, Mr. John Orange, of Boston, Lincolnshire, who has brought to the work great resourcefulness and dedication.
New Acknowledgements
Since the appearance of the 1989 edition, many of the original contributors have send further material. In addition, a particularly important addition to the section on Martha (Flint) Smith was received from Linda (____) Smith, of Bethesda, Maryland, and Jo Lawrence, of Brisbane, Australia, sent material on the descendants of Ann (Flint) Lord. Other new contributors are: Lorraine (Campbell) Brace, wife of Paul Charles Brace; Heather Cox and Elaine Rae, descendants of Ann (Flint) Smith; Brian Murray a descendant of Ann (Flint) Lord; Susan (Green) Rogers; George William Brock Scott; and Helen Reid, who sent information on Mary (MacKinder) (Fletcher) (Shaw) Flint.
From the Genealogy Page of John Blythe Dobson
URL = cybrary.uwinnipeg.ca/people/Dobson/genealogy/ff/Flint1989/preface.cfm
This page placed on the website May 2003
Last revised 29 August 2007