Her sister Catherine's marriage record calls her Bradley. An internet query about the judge William Power (b. 1800, son of Michael Power and Elizabeth "Tovig") mentions that she married Robert Bradley, thus apparently proving the identity of Catherine's parents. Although her husband was definitely in Jamaica in 1828 (he wrote his will there), Mary Ann Bradley was present at the marriage of her sister Catherine in Quebec in 1818. Also, her husband Robert Bradley was supposed to have taken part in the "Peninsular War" (against Napoleon's forces, in Iberia, the British intervention lasting from 1808 until 1814), but it is not known when he entered the military nor when he retired from it. Where was Mary Ann's husband in 1818? Of the known children of this couple, the three daughters were born in Jamaica, or at least the "West Indies".
A possible citation: Charles Aylwin notary, 10 dec 1860, no. 563, "Mary Power et al. to John McWilliams", sale (found in repertoire of this notary, original transaction not yet examined). Also, 05 may 1859, no. 506, Michael Power et ux to Joseph Poliquin, obligation.
The marriage record of his daughter Catherine says he was a mariner, but other records (possibly all derived from an obituary or biographical sketch of his son William, not yet located) call him a merchant. The only definite mention of his occupation that we found was in the marriage record of his daughter Catherine, 1818. In the marriage record of his son William he is called "Ecuyer" (or in English, Esquire). When and where he died is uncertain. Some accounts say that he, or his family, lived at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, about 1800 (his son William claimed to have been born there in that year — here again, the source is probably William's obituary, and the church records in that area do not appear to go back that far). A notice in the Royal Gazette and Newfoundland Advertiser (St. John's, Newfoundland, digital images on Google News Archive web site) 08 jun 1815 says "MICHAEL POWER, of Waterford, late Shipmaster, deceased. All Persons having demands on the estate of MICHAEL POWER, Shipmaster, are hereby requested to present the same, duly attested, for payment, to the Subscriber.—And all persons indebted to said Estate, or the Concern of CAHILL & POWER, of which he was a Partner, prior to this date, are desired to make immediate payment to the Subscriber, who is authorized to receive the same. J. STEWART, Administrator."
His date of birth comes from a biographical sketch widely cited in Quebec (no sources listed), but he is listed as age 19 in the 1818 census of the parish of Notre-Dame de Québec.
He is listed next to John Danson in the 1825 census of "Bas-Canada" (district of Quebec, faubourgs de St. Jean et St. Louis, page 14). The household of William Power consisted of three people, an unmarried man between 25 and 40 years of age, an unmarried woman between 14 and 45 years of age, and an unmarried woman over the age of 45.
He was present for the marriage of his sister Catherine Power in 1818 and signed the church book, along with his sister Mary Ann Bradley and his mother Eliza. He studied law — apparently in Ireland, in a Catholic college, but again, no sources are cited — and returned to Quebec to practice law. He eventually became a judge, with the result that there is some useful biographical information about him, including the names of his parents. He died at Montmagny in 1860. It would be helpful to locate his will, on the theory that it might mention his niece Marion Danson. In the 1851 census (actually completed in 1852), he is in the city of Quebec, with a large family. All of the children in the family can be identified with those found in the baptismal records at Notre-Dame de Québec. The only child not present on that census was Isabella Amelia, who had died in 1847.
His signature is found on the baptismal records of his children and on the records of other family events. It is consistent with the signatures of William Power on two records for the Danson family, the marriage of John Danson in 1818, and the burial of Catherine Power, wife of John Danson, in 1834..
His marriage record is difficult to read, but it suggests complications: "Le quinze de Décembre mil huit cent vingt neuf, après avoir obtenu dispense de la publication des trois bans de mariage ainsi que celle du tempt prohibé de l'arret de Monseigneur l'Eveque de Quebec en date du deux du présent mois, et sans qu'il soit découvert aucun autre empéchement, entre William Power Ecuyer avocat procureur & conseil dans toutes les cours de Sa Majesté pour cette province du Bas Canada & Registraire de la cour de Vice-Admirauté en icelle résident à Quebec, fils majeur de Michael Power Ecuyer de Waterford en Irlande & d'Elizabeth Tovéy ses père & mère d'une part, & Demoiselle Susanne de Gaspé fille mineure de Philippe Aubert de Gaspé Ecuyer avocat procureur & conseil en icelle province, résidant en cette paroisse & de Dame Susanne Allison ses père & mère de l'autre part. Je Pretre Curé de cette paroisse ai reçy leur mutuel consentement en présence de Jeremiah Wilkes Dewson ami de l'époux, de Philippe Aubert de Gaspé père de l'épouse, de Messieur Philippe Augustin Parent pretre curé de Cap St. Ignace, lesquels ont signés ainsi que les époux..." A more legible verbatim "extract" of this marriage is in the collection of the papers of the Aubert de Gaspé family (Library and Archives of Canada, MG18-H44). The Bishop had permitted the marriage in spite of the fact that the marriage bans had not been published and that it was a season when marriages would normally be prohibited in the Catholic Church. The surname of his mother in these two records is difficult to read. In both versions of this record, there appears to be a dot placed somewhere in the last half of the name, indicating there is an "i" in it, unless the dot is simply a stray mark or, as we think more likely, an accent mark. The final letter is not closed at the top and has a straight tail, more consistent with a "y" than a "g", by comparison with many examples of each letter in the hand of this scribe. The third letter is similar to a few of the "r"'s, but virtually identical to the rest of the "v"'s in this hand. Hence, we think the most likely reading is Tovey.
A biographical sketch (Pierre-Georges Roy, Les Juges de la province de Québec, 1933, p. 449) mentions twelve children, but we have only identified nine.
A brief notice of his death was published in The Quebec Mercury on 12 jul 1860 (p. 2), indicating he died of "sunstroke, causing apoplexy and paralysis"—he had been working in his garden.
Ancestral File submitter, identified as Sharon Ann Dirks, 6521 Morningside Court, Middletown, MD 21769. By 1997, however, not at this address. She is the only descendant of Robert Barnett and Mahala Garrison known to have had any interest in genealogy, and we have been unable to locate her.
