SECOND GENERATION

2. John Lummis was born in 1785 in Laxfield, Suffolk, England. He was christened on 17 Jul 1785 in Laxfield Vicarag, Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. He died on 6 May 1858 in Mtl, PQ. He was buried in Mt. Royal Cem., Mtl., PQ. John Lummis (senior) was born in 1785 in Wyebread in Suffolk, England.

The first record I have found is his baptismal record from the Laxfield Vicarage in Woodbridge in the County of Suffolk which states that John ,the son of William and Rhoda Lummis,was baptised on the 17th of July 1785. The parish registers for the Laxfield Vicarage were still retained at the parish church as of 1979 should additional research be done. All Saints Laxfield is very old and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. According to the church brocheur, it probably existed in the days of the Saxon settlement. There are several people who have heard that John was connected somehow to Lord Cornwallis. This should be checked.

At the age of 43 Johne married Eliza Howard of Mendham who was then 18. The Mendham parish registers have the following entry; "John Lummis,bachelor of Weybread, and Eliza Howard, spinster of Mendham were married on the 16th of June 1828."

All Saints Church in Mendham where they were married is located a few yards from the County boundry of Norfolk and Suffolk. It is is an extremely old church and the list of vicars dates from 1228. The present church which was carefully restored about 1867, dates mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries. Like most East Anglian churches, it is built mainly of stone. Church records go back to 1678.

Approximately 8 years later, in 1836, John and Eliza emigrated to Canada. At that time they had at least two children-John and Adelaide. Adelaide was born in 1832. The family apparantly settled in St. Eustache, Quebec which is north of Montreal, where he operated a flour mill and was known as "Honest John"

Apparantly John was a strong Orangeman. Oswald Lummis tells the story that John fiercely disliked the Catholics and on several occasions stood on the Roman Catholic church steps in St. Eustache and cursed the Roman Catholics. As a result his mill was destroyed by the local people. Olive Young,(RIN 209) Charles Cornwallis wife grew up in nearby St Rose. She advises the mill was not in St.Eustache Village, but was actually by The Lake of Two Mountains, today the City of Two Mountains. She stated she remembers seeing the ruins of the building "On one of the church picnics at the Lake of Two Mountains I remember it as a stone building. The stones were black, stained by smoke." Her mother had told her the story that it had been a flour mill and how it had been burned. She was surprised later in life to learn it had been her husband`s grandfather.The family fled to Fort Chambley in Montreal where they were protected by the British garrison. They later moved to St. Helen`s Island where his son William joined the military and fought in the Finnian raids.(see William R73). There are apparantly some of John`s family buried in the old military cemetary on St. Helens Island, but the bronze plaque does not list all the names- only the officers and privates.

Apparantly John Lummis loved to smoke his pipe. Laura Gardiner remembers hearing that William learned to smoke because as a little boy he was asked to keep a pipe alight for his father while his father read mail to the neighbours who were unable to read.

John and Eliza had three sons: John, William, and Cornwallis. Most* who have the name Lummis in Canada are decendants of one of these three. Their son, John, was born in Suffolk, England. William and Cornwallis were both born Canada. They also had at least six daughters: Adelaide, Rhoda, Eliza, Harriet, Florence and Victoria.(I was told there were 11 children so more research may be required).

The family church was St. Luke`s Anglican Church in Montreal where there are apparantly some records.

John died on May 6th 1858, at the age of 73 and was buried in Mount Royal Cemetary in Montreal. Eliza died 33 years later on Oct 23 1891 and was buried with him in Mount Royal.

*I found a Douglas Lummis of Inverary, Kingston Ont. He told me his name was originaly spelled Lummiss and his father or grandfather changed the spelling.

He was married to Elizabeth Howard. Elizabeth Howard was born in 1810 in Mendham, Suffolk, England. She died on 23 Oct 1891 in Mtl., PQ. She was christened. She was buried in Mt. Royal Cem., Mtl., PQ. John Lummis and Elizabeth Howard had the following children:

+3 i. John Lummis.
4 ii. Adelaide Lummis was born in 1832. She died on 6 Oct 1927 in Mtl, PQ. She was christened. She was buried in Mount Royal Cem.. Adelaide was born in 1832 in Suffolk, England. She was a "Spinster".
+5 iii. William Lummis.
6 iv. Rhoda Lummis was born in 1845. She died on 3 Jun 1928 in Mtl.. She was christened. She was buried in Mt. Royal Cem., Mtl, PQ. A "Spinster"
+7 v. Cornwallis Lummis.
+8 vi. Eliza Lummis.
9 vii. Harriet Lummis.
10 viii. Florence Lummis.
11 ix. Victoria Limmis.

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