Version 6.01

11 February 2025

David March © 2014

Mrs WILLIAM ROBINSON née BATESON and DORA ROBINSON

Ellen Bateson was born in March 1861 in Westhoughton, Lancashire , England to Joseph Bateson (1824-1893) and Ann Long (1820-1883). Her mother was first married to Charles Tickle (1816-1949) and they had several children: John (b 1838), Ann (b 1841), Betty (b 1842), Margaret (b 1844), Charles (1846-1912), Alice (b 1848), William (b 1850) and Harriet (1856-1924).

Ellen was the only child born to Joseph and Ann Bateson. Some family trees gave the name Tonge as the maiden name for Ellen's mother, but that was not supported by the 1851 census. In that census, Ann Tickle and her children were living with Francis Tonge and his daughter, Margaret.

Ellen was raised in Westhoughton and married William Robinson there on 26 August 1885. He was born in Dumfries, Scotland on 12 August 1862 to James Robinson (b 1835) and Elizabeth Kerr (b 1837). He had one sister, Mary Jane, born in 1868. In 1871, William was living in Tongland, Kircudbrightshire, Scotland. According to the Robinson family history in A Lasting Legacy, the Local History Book compiled by people residing in Leask, SK, Pages 965-967 (William Robinson) & 1024-1026 (Dora Southern), William was raised in Westhoughton. He was enumerated in censuses for Westhoughton from 1881 to 1911.

In about 1881, he joined the Royal Highlanders' Black Watch and was in active service for 6 years and the reserve for 6 years. Part of his active service took place in Egypt. Ellen and William had six children, all born in England: Frank (b 1889), Fred (1890-1918), Florence (b 1893), Dora (1894-1934), William (1897-1958) and Clifford (1898-1974). Although the family history in the Leask book indicated that the family first settled in Saskatoon in 1908, the 1911 census placed them in England.

On 29 April 1911, William boarded SS ‘Canada' in Liverpool, England and arrived in Montreal, Quebec on 8 May 1911. He was headed for Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to find work as a farm labourer. The rest of the family left Liverpool on SS ‘Tunisian' on 17 May 1912 and arrived in Quebec City, Quebec on 27 May 1912. They were headed to Saskatoon to join William. The family was living at 506 Ave H, Saskatoon in 1916 and William was listed as a farmer.

Dora and Florence were both listed in the 1918 Saskatoon Henderson Directory at 417 Ave H S. Both were employees of Modern Steam Laundry. Although William Sr was not listed in the 1918 directory, it is presumed that the rest of the family was also living at that address. By 1921, the family had moved to Leask, Saskatchewan where William Sr was employed as the telephone operator for that town. William Sr died in Leask in 1953 and was buried in the Soldier's plot of the Leask Cemetery. It is likely that Ellen also died in Leask, but her death information was not recorded in the book.

Dora Robinson was born in December of 1894 in Westhoughton, Bolton, Lancashire, England. She married Edward Green (Ted) Southern in 1923. They had two children, Flora Elizabeth (Flo) (1925-1953) and a son born in 1928. Dora died in childbirth in September, 1934.

Although there was more than one Mrs Robinson living in Saskatoon at the time that the quilt was being made, we suggested the woman in this tree as the most likely candidate because her daughter, Dora, signed the quilt, the family was Methodist and Dora and Mrs Robinson signed in the same area of the quilt suggesting that they may have been related.

This family tree can be found on Ancestry under the title 3rd Ave Robinson 1 Tree.