52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Ancestor # 45

Catherine Brouse (1808-1872)

Catherine Brouse, was born in Matilda, Dundas, Ontario in 1808. She was the youngest child of Peter and Anna Katherina (Carman) Brouse. She died in Mountain, Dundas, Ontario on 8 Oct 1872. She married Elijah Van Camp in Matilda on 18 January 1824. Elijah was born in 1806 in Mountain and died there on 12 October 1870.

Catherine was mentioned in her father’s will dated 27 July 1809ⁱ. She and her three sisters were to share £100. When her father died, Catherine was just 1 year old. Her mother married John Van Camp about 1815. John is her husband Elijah’s father; so, Catherine and Elijah were well acquainted before their marriage.

She was enumerated in the 1851 censusⁱⁱ with her husband and 8 of their 11 children. She can also be found with Elijah in the 1861 censusⁱⁱⁱ. In 1871^iv she is widowed and living with her son Oberlin and granddaughter Phoebe Van Camp.

Catherine was the daughter of a United Empire Loyalist and was entitled to 200 acres of crown land when she reached the age of 21 or married. On 22 January 1828 she filed her petition^v at the same time her husband Elijah did. She stated that she was the daughter of Peter Brouse, a United Empire Loyalist and had never received land from the crown.

On the death of her husband, Catherine received all his personal property and household items^vi. She also received the dwelling house they lived in and the land they were farming for her use and benefit as long as she lived. Then the land was to be given to son Michael with a monetary gift to youngest son, Oberlin.

I have found 3 autosomal DNA matches where Elijah Van Camp and Catherine Brouse have been identified as the most recent common ancestors (MRCA). Two of these were through Ancestry DNA and one through Family Tree DNA. All three matches descend through different children of this couple – daughter Harriet and sons John and Oberlin. I also have several matches where the MRCA is Elijah’s parents or grandparents. It is always nice to have confirmation that you actually do descend from this family.

Children of Elijah and Catherine (Brouse) Van Camp, all born in Mountain:

1. Reuben Elijah⁸ Van Camp, b. 7 May 1826, d. 17 Apr 1888 in St. Thomas, Pembina, North Dakota. He married (1) on 24 Aug 1845, Nancy Mill, b. 6 Mar 1827 in Mountain and d. there 1 Sep 1853 and (2) in 1854 Charity Winegard, b. Mar 1833 in Sharon, Schoharie, New York and d. in 1909 in St. Thomas.
2. George W. Van Camp, b. 28 Jul 1828 and d. 9 Apr 1863.
3. Harriet Eliza Van Camp, b. 10 Sep 1830 and d. 19 Apr 1914, m. in 1848 James Charles Clarke, b. 1 May 1820 in Scotland and d. 24 Jul 1901 in Mountain.
4. Phoebe Van Camp, b. 28 Sep 1832, d. 30 May 1923 in Iroquois, Dundas, Ontario, m. in 1849 John Botfield, b. 1821 in England, d. before 1871 in Iroquois.
5. Murray Van Camp, b. about 1834. Nothing else is known about him.
6. John Van Camp, b. 6 Aug 1836, d. 14 May 1915 in St. Thomas. He married (1) on 12 Oct 1859, Philena Froom, b. 1837 in South Gower, Grenville, Ontario and d. in 1866 in Mountain and (2) on 20 Mar 1867, Mary Smith, b. 12 Mar 1843 in Montague, Lanark, Ontario, d. 9 Jun 1913 in St. Thomas.
7. Frederick Van Camp, b. 1839, m. Mary Campbell. Nothing else is known about him.
8. Albert Van Camp, b. 5 May 1840, d. 9 Apr 1902 in North Amherst, Cuyahoga, Ohio, m. on 31 Oct 1865 Isabella MacDonald, b. 6 Feb 1838 in Brock, Victoria, Ontario, d. 1921 in Cleveland.
9. Mary Elizabeth Van Camp, b. 23 Jun 1842, d. 7 Aug 1871 in Kemptville, Grenville, Ontario, m. on 25 Dec 1861 Joshua Hutchins Huntington, b. 1841 and d. 1915.
10. Michael Van Camp, b. 27 Jul 1845, d. 21 Mar 1906 in St. Thomas, m. 15 Nov 1887 in St. Thomas, Christina Hurd, b. 28 Jan 1868 and d. 25 Jan 1946.
11. Catherine Van Camp, b. 23 Sep 1847, d. 1 Dec 1940 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, m. in 1865 Horace L. Willson, b. Sep 1841 in New York.
12. Oberlin Van Camp, b. 13 Jan 1850, d. 18 Oct 1928 in Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska, m. 7 Sep 1871 Adelaide May Henderson, b. Dec 1852 in Iowa and d. 6 Feb 1928 in Columbus, Platte, Nebraska.

i Dundas, Ontario, Registrar of Deeds, 1801-1900; Book A, p. 123, Memorial #409, recorded 6 Jul 1810, will of Peter Brouse, Item 4, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, 13 Jun 2017, FHL film 1,903,032.

ii 1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Dundas County, Canada West, Dundas County, Ontario district 5, sub-district 36, p. 5, Elijah Van Camp; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Mar 2017), citing Library and Archives Canada, roll C_11717.

iii 1861 Census of Canada, Dundas County, Ontario, Mountain, p. 13, Elijah Van Camp; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Apr 2017), citing Library and Archives Canada, roll C_1014.

iv 1871 Census of Canada, Dundas County, Ontario, Mountain, district 71, sub-district E-1, p. 57, dwelling 191, family 191, Catherine Van Camp, digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 May 2017), citing Library and Archives Canada, roll C-10006.

v Land Petitions of Upper Canada, vol 516, bundle V15 (1828), petition 5, roll C-2948, Catherine Van Camp; database and images, Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca : accessed 7 Sep 2018).

vi Dundas, Ontario Deed Books 1847-1901, vol F, p. 237, Memorial #2463, Elijah Van Camp Will; Family Search Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, accessed 17 Jun 2017, film #201,637.