Three stones side by side in Wilsonville Cemetery tell a confusing story. It appears a young mother and her infant daughter had different surnames. The odds against that seem long, leaving us to wonder which stone cutter spelled the surname incorrectly.

The stones in question, read in part:
Ann, wife of Wm. Robertson, died Apr 1868, age 27 years two months;
Margary, daughter of Wm. & Ann Robinson, died Oct 1864, age 1 year 5 months;
Charles, son of William & Ann Robertson, died Dec 1867, age 2 months.

We might assume William and Ann married before Margary was born -- circa 1862 or before. Since Ann was born circa 1841, William may have been born between 1835 and 1843. They probably resided near Wilsonville in northeast Townsend Township; but we cannot rule out the possibly they lived a tad further north, in Brant County.
 
Of course -- despite long odds -- it is possible William & Ann Robinson buried their daughter between Ann Robertson and her son Charles.

There is a William Robertson buried in Greenwood Cemetery, but he was born in 1808. There is also a William R. Robinson buried in Wilsonville Cemetery, born about 1818, making him the more likely of two unlikely choices -- particularly since he may have been married by 1862 to Marilla, the wife he is buried beside.

Wilsonville Cemetery is beside Wilsonville United Church. Might church records include William and Ann's marriage, their children's baptisms, and/or all three of our story's burials? Ontario Vital Statistics didn't start until after these deaths. It isn't obvious to us that Census records are going to help either. Might land records offer clues?

Perhaps our best hope of resolving this mystery lies in the hands of a descendant who has seen the Family Bible, or a genealogy researcher who has  devoted the hours required to document his or her conclusions. If that's you, we'd like to hear from you. Please email webmaster John Cardiff, so we may re-write this page, giving you full credit, of course.