Henry (Harry) Blinco (Abt.1816 , Mixbury, Oxfordshire) → New York, New York. Arrived: 16 May 1844.
Mixbury before 1844
Harry was born in 1822 in Mixbury the actual date is uncertain, his headstone when he died gives 16 Jul. 1822, but this clashes with the Church records that give his christening as 26 May 1822. So pehraps it was 16 May 1822 and this got lost overtime, certainly the records show quite abit of vagueness and its not certain any of the siblings was literate.
In the years Harry Blinco and siblings were growing up, Mixbury in Oxfordshire, was a small, strictly agricultural parish.The population was about 400 people. It was not a growing town; it was a static village where almost every male head of household was an “Agricultural Labourer.”
Most families lived in stone-and-thatched cottages owned by the landed gentry. Social life revolved entirely around the Church of All Saints and the seasonal cycles of the farm. “The parish continued poor and neglected and in 1854 the children were still leaving school at eight or nine years of age to work in the fields or to make lace” William Wilberforce visit.
The Reverend William Jocelyn Palmer dominated life in Mixbury and nearby Finmere, he was compassionate but stern and did not tolerate any bad behaviour especially amongst his tenants for he owned 18 cottages (in either Finmere or Mixbury) and was then rector and landlord at the same time. He was generous with his tenants that paid on time. Its telling, that he had knowledge of Canada, his son died coming back from Quebec on a trip there. The next quote from him may indicate, he was instrumental in convincing John Blinco, to take his family to Canada. “The rector, W. J. Palmer, also complained that although the squire owned the whole village and half the parish he never did anything for it. Palmer could only remedy the effects of the landlord’s neglect and the continued agricultural depression by encouraging emigration. “ Blomfield, History of Mixbury, page 39
Mixbury was largely owned by a single landlord, the Duke of Buckingham. If there was no work on the local farms, there was no place for a growing family to go. The continued migration from that part of Oxfordshire, would have been not only a fascination but stimulated actual movement for families willing to ‘take a chance’. The Blinco’s were not the only ones to go at this time. Thomas Beale and his wife Mary Hannah Clifford and children from Mixbury travelled out to Pilkington Township, Ontario in 1848 and in fact, his family took land adjacent to George and William Blinco in 1851.
George’s father John Blinco obviously weighed all this all up and at 50 years of age it was a great risk, so he thought of a way to make the move and reduce some risk. John decided his three older children George, Mary and Henry led by George age 24 years should first emigrate and report back as to how they found things. Communications would be by mail post, and it was going to be a long wait before he and his wife Ann knew how the children were faring. A letter had a long transit time in the 1840s (about 3-4 weeks from America).
A letter from America was expensive, that typically the receiver paid. So, a letter from George to his father would have cost 1/- (shilling) a day’s wages for a labourer like John.
As with all emigrants to America the fare to USA had to paid by the Blinco’s and ongoing travel/living costs and until they were in work. Just how this was initally funded is a mystery.
In retrospect, the idea to send the older children on first was very smart they were able to be flexible and get by in circumstances, that the older John and Ann Blinco would not.
The Voyage 1844 – Arriving 16 May 1844 New York
The passengers included several family groups from Oxfordshire, and their shared backgrounds — as well as the closeness of their home villages — meant they spent much of the voyage reflecting on where they had come from and what lay ahead. The Stockfords of Stoke Lyne lived only a few miles from the Blinco siblings of Mixbury, and the similarity in ages quickly drew the two families together on board. From that proximity came two shipboard romances: George Blinco with Elizabeth Stockford, and Mary Blinco with Richard Stockford.
The two travelling parties are shown below.
| Name | Birth Year |
|---|---|
| Wm Stockford | abt 1789 |
| Mary Stockford | abt 1790 |
| Richard Stockford | abt 1819 |
| Joseph Stockford | abt 1823 |
| Elizabeth Stockford | abt 1825 |
| Jonathan Stockford | abt 1827 |
| David Stockford | abt 1829 |
| Thomas Stockforth | abt 1824 |
| George Blinco | abt 1819 |
| Henry Blinco | abt 1825 |
| Mary Blinco | abt 1822 |
The two families Blinco’s and Stockford’s most likely travelled together to Buffalo, Erie area in New York state probably with Canada as an intended destination. The families in the travel party didn’t travel to Canada in the summer and fall of 1844 and we don’t know why but the break in the weather in the spring of 1845 meant they could continue their journey. The timing we have for the journey is perhaps closest set by the Marriage between sister Mary Blinco and Richard Stockford in Elora Ontario in July 1845. The families had clearly arrived by then.
One year after the three siblings emigrated Father and Mother John and Ann and the other 4 siblings emigrated to USA to join then.
Buffalo-Erie USA
We can judge by the location that the Blinco.s and for that matter the Stockford’s made their way to the natural transit point to Wellington County, Ontario via Lake Erie.
Arriving there in the summer of 1844, they stayed in the area for the balance of the year and the winter of 1845.
The move into Canada had to be prepared for and Buffalo-Erie was the staging for the last leg of the trip., But plans were to be changed.
The closeness of the Stockford’s and the three Blinco siblings was becoming more evident with the romantic attachment of George Blinco and Elizabeth Stockford. There was also a romantic attachment beginning between Richard Stockford and Mary Blinco. Elizabeth Stockford became pregnant and perhaps the baby and a urgent need to marry was the reason for the longer than planned stay in Buffalo-Erie area for the two families.
However, we do know that this area was booming at the time, with lots of labouring work. All three siblings would have found some short-term work and an opportunity to save American dollars. George being the oldest and more experienced, probably had more opportunity than his two younger siblings to earn and save money, that could be used for Land purchase when then eventually travelled.
The marriage took place in October 1844 in Buffalo-Erie and the Stockford’s and Blinco’s were now officially joined as family.
By November winter arrives in force in that part of the world, and they couldn’t travel anyway as the Lake would begin freezing over, very soon and would not free up for ships until spring of 1845.
They did travel to Canada in spring 1845. it is evidenced by Mary Blinco and Richard Stockford marrying in Elora Ontario in July 1845.
Harry had yet to meet his future wife and so he travelled alone When Father and Mother and family joined the 3 siblings, is not known exactly they arrived in 1845 in New York but it was probably sometime in 1845.
Nichol Township 1845
Initially Harry was to go the Nichol Township like his sister Mary. Mary married Richard Stockford pretty soon after arrival and Harry met another immigrant Emma Hawes daughter of Garafraxa farmer John and Harriet Hawes who originated from Ipswich, Suffolk, and married her in for some strange reason in Guelph in 1846. They had a first son in 1847 but he didn’t survive month than a few months. In 1851 they have their lot, and Harry is a farmer. By 1861 Harry and family moved in with his father and mother John and Ann and was working on there land. By then, Harry and Emma had six children and while one more son (George) was born in 1865 he didnt survived. Henry and Emma managed to see most of their remaining children marry in the Township, and then in 1886 Emma died. Their son John born 1856 the only single child, lived with Harry and looked after his father until his death in 1903
Harry Blinco’s timeline and a glance
| Event | Date/Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Henry Blinco | |
| Birth Date | 16 Jul 1822 | |
| Birth Place | Mixbury, Oxfordshire | |
| Census UK 1841 (6 Jun) | 6 Jun 1841, Rectory House, Mixbury | John Blencowe 50 Ann Blencowe 50 Mary Blencowe 20 William Blencowe 17 Eliza Blencowe 13 Emma Blencowe 9 John Blencowe 7 |
| Emigrated a Blencowe variant | 16 May 1844, New York, New York | Three siblings travelling together. Passenger list (New York, 16 May 1844): Ship: George Departure: Liverpool, England Arrival: New York, USA George 25 Farmer Henry 19 Mary 22 |
| Marriage | 30 Jul 1846, Guelph, Ontario, Canada | |
| Birth of Son William Henry | 25 Apr 1847, Nichol Township | |
| Death of Son William Henry | 24 Aug 1848 Nichol Township | Emma Hawes 1821 - 1886 |
| Birth of Son Daniel David | 13 Mar 1849, Pilkington Township | |
| Birth of Daughter Matilda | 25 Mar 1851, Pilkington Township | |
| Census Canada 1851 (12 January 1852) | 12 Jan 1852, Nichol Township, Wellington County, Ontario | Harry Blinco 30 England Farmer Emma Blinco 30 England Daniel Blinco Canada 3 Matilda Blinco Canada 1 |
| Birth of Daughter Harriet Ann | 2 Jul 1853, | |
| Birth of Son John | 1856, Elora, Ontario | |
| Birth of Son William Frederick | 15 Dec 1859, Pilkington Township,Wellington County, Ontario | |
| Census Canada 1861 | 1861, East Pilkington Township, Wellington County, Ontario | Farm House single story Log Cabin John (Father) 76 England Farmer Ann (Mother) 69 England Harry 38 England Emma 33 England Daniel 13 Canada Matilda 10 Canada in Garafraxa Harriet 8 Canada William 5 Canada John 2 Canada Brother John and family Living next door |
| Birth of Daughter Mary Jane | 10 Aug 1861, Pilkington Township | |
| Birth of Son George | 8 Sep 1864, Pilkington Township | |
| Death Son George | 15 Apr 1865, Pilkington Township | |
| Marriage of Daughter Matilda | 5 Jun 1870, Wellington, Ontario | William Hall 1847-1903 |
| Census Canada 1871 Apr 2 | 2 Apr 1871, Pilkington Township | Henry Blinco 48 Labourer Emma Blinco 48 Daniel Blinco 22 Harriot Blinco 17 William Blinco 14 John Blinco 10 Mary Jane Blinco 8 Not Named Blinco 1/12 |
| Marriage of Daughter Harriet Ann | 11 Mar 1873, Wellington, Ontario, | to Felix Moss 1843-1929 |
| Census Canada 1881 | 1881, Pilkington Township, Wellington County, Ontario | Harry Blinco 58 Labourer Emma Blinco 58 William Blinco 23 Labourer Matilda Blinco 19 Harriot Blinco 10 |
| Marriage of Daughter Mary Jane | 28 Sep 1885,Pilkington Township | William Richardson Frankish(1858- 1916) |
| Marriage of Son William Frederick | 6 Oct 1886, Pilkington Township, Wellington County, Ontario | to Francis Hawes 1860-1944 |
| Death of Wife Emma Blinco | 24 Dec 1886, Elora Ontario | |
| Census Canada 1891 | 1891, Elora Ontario | 1891 Census Elora Village Henry Blinco 68 Widower Yardman John Blinco 24 Labourer |
| Census Canada 1901 | 1901, Elora Ontario | Henry Blinco 79 Widower Ostler b. 16 Jul 1822 John Blinco 59 Dom Servant b.24 May 1862 |
| Death | 18 Dec 1903, Elora, Ontario |