Version 6.00

15 February 2025

David March © 2019

BERTRAND (BERT) THOMAS HARKNESS,
FOSTER GRAHAM MOFFAT AND Mrs F MOFFAT née SYDNEY BELL FARISH

Bertrand (Bert) Thomas Harkness was born on 19 March 1886 in Teeswater, Bruce County, Ontario to William Harkness (1836-1917) and Jane Muir (1838-1899). He was the youngest of eleven children. His siblings were: Janet (1859-1927), Mary Wilson (1861-1937), Elizabeth (1864-1920), Robert (1866-1914), Thomasina Brown (1868-1932), Thomas J/B (b 1869), William John (1871-1948), James (1875-1953), George Muir (b 1876) and Jane Agnes (1882-1954).

William Harkness Sr was a harness and carriage-maker and then farmer when he settled in Teeswater. Bert was a tanner presumably working with his father when he married Ethel May Sharpe on 28 June 1911 in Teeswater. Ethel was born on 25 June 1890 in Teeswater to James Sharpe (1857-1927) and Barbara Ross (1861-1927). Ethel had three siblings, Catherine "Cassie" (1881-1960), John Sharpe (b 1883) and Isabella Sharpe (1885-1970).

Bert and Ethel emigrated to the US in 1927; Bert worked as an assembler at the Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan. Bert died on 4 April 1959 and is buried in Culross/Teeswater Cemetery. Ethel died in 1971 and is also buried in the Culross/Teeswater Cemetery.

Thomasina Brown Harkness (1868-1932) married Thomas Ross (b 1865) on 6 January 1892. Their son James Wilfred Ross was born on 18 July 1899 in Culross. James married Sydney Isabel Moffat on 22 December 1923.

Sydney was born on 1 November 1902 in Teeswater to Foster Graham Moffat and Sydney Bell Farish.

Foster was born on 12 August 1872 in Galt, Ontario to George Graham Moffat (1848-1935) and Jane Thompson (1852-1916). Foster had nine siblings, William John (1874-1965), Margaret (1876-1903), Peter Graham (1879-1969), James Thomson (1881-1958), George Lancelot (1884-1970), Thomas Bell (1886-1961), Robert (1889-1976), Christina Jane (1891-1958) and Bessie (1894-1985). Foster was a farmer when he married Sydney in Kinloss on 20 October 1897.

Sydney was born on 13 June 1874 in Kinloss to Robert Farish (1828-1875) and Mary Hunter (1840-1924). Sydney had six siblings, Henry (1860-1943), Ellen (1862-1886), Janet (1864-1937), Mary (1866-1934), Elizabeth (1869-1889) and Robert Davidson (1871-1908). After Robert’s death, Mary married Henry Richardson (1838-1908) and they had three children (Sydney’s half-sisters, Annie (1877-1967), Margaret (1881-1882) and Emma Jane (1883-1974).

Foster and Sydney had five children,

Mary Jane (1898-1981),
George Graham (1900-1978),
Sydney Isabel (1902-1995),
Margaret Cora (1905-2001) and
Robert Farish (1912-1993).

As an aside, Mary Jane Moffat married Robert Donaldson (1897-1969) who’s story is told on the Baker/Baptist/Donaldson/Elliot/Melvin/Murray/Rome/Standish page.

Sydney died on 27 January 1942 and Foster died on 28 February 1961; they are both buried in the Culross/Teeswater Cemetery.

This family tree can be found on Ancestry under the title Culross Harkness/Moffat Tree.