Help !!!

Pg. 2

Help!!

In her diary, Eliza Giff-Keays-Bellamy, William's mother, states that William left Augusta to be married at "St. Andrews" on 15 Sept. 1855. She mentions neither the bride's name nor any other details of the marriage nor did she attend. She was not happy that William was marrying Isabella.

For at least three years prior to his marriage, William had been living in Goderich, Ont. There was a St. Andrews Church in Goderich at that time but there were many other churches called St. Andrews and even a few towns with that name. I have not been able to find a record of their marriage.

I have been able to determine, from her grave, that William married a woman whose first name was Isabella and that she was born 26 Feb 1838. I have been unable to determine her maiden name and ancestry.

Solution (17 Oct 2008)

The book "The Genealogy of the Benedicts in America" originally printed in Albany, N.Y. in 1870 contains a crucial entry on pg. 147. It states that George Norton Benedict (b. 4 July 1814) married Eliza M. Beattie (b. 3 Mar 1827) on 14 Feb 1844. It goes on to record their children's names. The couple's 10th child was named William Keays Benedict, b. 21 Feb 1864. He was the first child born to the parents after the death of Isabella Keays in 1862.

It further states that Eliza M. Beattie was the daughter of David Beattie and Isabella (France) Beattie of St. Andrews.

A search of the 1851 census for the David Beattie family in St. Andrews revealed that they had a daughter, Isabella who was 14 years of age when the census was actually taken in 1852.

These findings provide satisfactory evidence that William Keays' first wife was Isabell Beattie of St. Andrews, Lower Canada.