28th Generation

220. Thomas Harrison ANDRESS (+) was born on 6 August 1850 in Caintown, Front of Yonge, Leeds and Grenville Counties, Ontario Province, Canada.^1,6 He lived in Front of Yonge Township, Leeds and Grenville Counties, Ontario Province, Canada in 1861.¹ He appeared in the census in 1871 in Front of Escott, Leeds and Grenville Counties, Ontario Province, Canada.³¹ Thomas lived in Front of Yonge Township, Leeds and Grenville Counties, Ontario Province, Canada in 1871.¹ After 1871 he was a farmer and salesman.⁶ He emigrated in 1879 from Canada.²⁶ Thomas appeared in the census in 1880 in Cady Township, St. Croix County, WI.²⁷ His occupation was "Laborer." He appeared in the census in 1900 in Hay River Township, Dunn County, WI.²⁶ He was listed as "Thomas H." and his occupation was "Farmer." Living in his household were Thomas; his wife, "Mara A;" their daughter, Henrietta, and her husband "Bertie L.;" and Thomas' three other children, Lillian, Harrison and Berton. He appeared in the census in 1905 in Hay River Township, Dunn County, WI.²⁸ His household consisted of him and his wife, and their children, Lillian, Harry and Bertha. His occupation was "Farmer." (He was listed as "Thos. Andrews.") Thomas appeared in the census in 1910 in Hay River Township, Dunn County, WI.²⁹ He and his wife were living alone and his occupation was "Farmer." (His surname is spelled "Amdress" in the Ancestry.com census index.) He appeared in the census in 1920 in Otter Creek Township, Dunn County, WI.²³ His household consisted of "Thomas;" his wife, Mary; their son, Burton; and their grandsons, Roy and George. He was naturalized on 14 March 1921 in Dunn County, WI.¹ Thomas died on 28 December 1926 at the age of 76 in Glidden, Jackson Township, Ashland County, WI.^1,6 He was buried on 2 January 1927 in Stanley, Chippewa County, WI.^6,9 in the Oakland Cemetery.

Thomas Harrison ANDRESS (+) and Mary Agnes ANDRESS (+) were married on 23 September 1871 in Mallorytown, Leeds and Grenville Counties, Ontario Province, Canada.^1,6,30 (They were first cousins, as their fathers were brothers.) According to the 1900 Census, they had 7 children, of whom 5 were living at the time. Mary Agnes ANDRESS (+)¹, daughter of James ANDRESS and Agnes Nancy WATSON, was born on 23 September 1852 in Escott, Leeds and The Thousand Islands Township, Leeds and Grenville Counties, Ontario Province, Canada.^6,24,25,26

"Mary said she was just 18 years old when the Census taker dropped by in the summer of 1871. She had been born in the United States on September 23, 1852, was an adherent of the Methodist Church and had an English background. She was living with her parents and three of her sisters, Emily (20), Sarah (16), and Laura (13). Laura was the only one in school. Mary must have felt pretty important that day, because not only did the Census taker record the details of her father's big brickyard, but he also inquired about her own work with the loom, how much yarn she had bought and what sort of products she was weaving. Mary's record became part of the Return of Industrial Establishments for the 1871 Census.

Kind of Industrial Establishment, Name of Prop. & other such information Weaver's Loom
Mary Andress
Fixed Capital invested $10.00
Floating Capital employed nil
Number of working months in year 1
Average no. of people employed over 16 years, female 1
Aggregate amount of yearly wages $9
Raw material, kind woolen, cotton yarn for flannel 35lbs. value $14.75
Raw material, kind woolen, cotton yarn for coverlids 19 lbs. value $ 8.80
Products, kind flannel 84 yds. value $48.00
Products, kind coverlids 15 yds. value $28.00

Some members of the Andress family were already in Escott in the 18th century, and James, Mary's father, was a descendant of this branch of the family. However, Mary's parents along with all their children moved here around 1870 from the United States where they had been living. her two older brothers, Silas and Sheldon went back there after a short time.

Times were not so good in the States after the Civil War, and the economy was in a slump. This may account for why the family moved to Canada at this time. As in our day homes are built when people have money, Mallorytown was a booming little community with a Grand Trunk station, a telegraph office, 2 stock dealers, 4 general stores and Amasa Mallory's new cheese factory. The area offered good prospects for a bricklayer and the local clay was right. The money to buy property to establish the business and set up a home was borrowed from Mary's aunt, Mary Watson, a spinster living in Paul in Four Corners, USA. Interest in those days was @7%. It was Nancy Andress who bought the land owned by Amasa Mallory and signed her name with an X on the indenture. the transaction was all in the family. James being the son of Elizabeth Mallory. They paid $300 for the property.

Mary's life was probably pretty comfortable by the standards of the day. Her father's business was recognized as the leading brickyard in the Mallorytown area and in the year of the census he made some 130,000 bricks with the help of two hired men. He was also listed in the "Ontario Gazeteer and Directory" of 1871 as the proprietor of a brickyard. Now settled in Canada, the family owned 25 acres of land situated near the East Townline on the Queen's Highway. They were secure enough that Nancy Andress donated land for Andressburg School in the interests of education of the young. Her own illiteracy may have been a compelling motivation for this generous gesture.

In addition to the brickyard operation, the Andress family grew 90 bushels of potatoes and 6 tons of hay on their land. They had 1 horse, 2 cows and 11 sheep. In the past year they had slaughtered 7 sheep and 1 pig. the 18 sheep had provided 50 lbs. of wool, hence the 50 yds. of homemade cloth by Mary's deft hand. Certainly, some of this produce would have gone to market via the Grand Trunk Railway. Some 10 cords of wood were cut by James during the year. It was probably just enough for the family's use and for the 3 months of the year he operated the kiln.

Mary married her first cousin Thomas Andress, also of Escott, on her birthday in 1872, the year following the census. They left Canada in 1879 and later settled on a farm in Dunn County, Wisconsin.

When her mother died in 1903, The Andress property in the Front of Escott passed to Mary's sister, Laura Edgeley. However, in her will, Mary's mother left "one feather bed, 2 pillows and a white quilt" to be given to Mary "as soon as conveniently possible after my decease". In the old lady's mind, the importance of the bedding continuing within the family was almost urgent. The 'white quilt' - the traditional bridal coverlet - had probably been woven by her own hand to be passed on to the weaver daughter.. it would appear to be a skill passed from mother to daughter. Whether she ever received it or not, is not known.

Mary lived for the rest of her life on the farm near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where she died a widow in 1929 at the age of seventy-six. Her descendants were not aware that she had been a weaver."

(The 1900 Census indicated that she was born in Canada and emigrated to America in 1879. In addition, the 1910 Census for her daughter Nettie and the 1920 and 1930 Census for her daughter Bertha listed her birthplace as Canada.)
She emigrated in 1879 from Canada.²⁶ She appeared in the census in 1880 in Cady Township, St. Croix County, WI.²⁷ Mary appeared in the census in 1900 in Hay River Township, Dunn County, WI.²⁶ She appeared in the census in 1905 in Hay River Township, Dunn County, WI.²⁸ She appeared in the census in 1910 in Hay River Township, Dunn County, WI.²⁹ Mary appeared in the census in 1920 in Otter Creek Township, Dunn County, WI.²³ She died on 18 February 1929 at the age of 76 in Chippewa Falls, Chippewa County, WI.⁶ She was buried in Stanley, Chippewa County, WI.⁶ in the Oakland Cemetery. (She is listed as "Mary Jane Andrews" in MyFamilySearch.com records.)

Thomas Harrison ANDRESS (+) and Mary Agnes ANDRESS (+) had the following children: