The Harold Family in
Brantford, Brant County, Ontario, Canada
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Welcome to my Harrold family page. This page is part of my family history website. This page covers the ancestors and cousins of Elizabeth Harrold who married Thomas Richardson If you are just arriving here for the first time then you may wish to start here.
Please Note: This page is intended only as a narrative historical overview of this family. There is additional detailed information available for almost ever person presented on this page. To avoid the unnecessary work of double-entering some data, the additional information can be found in the accompanying GEDCOM database. Please make sure you click on the INDEX button at the bottom of the page so you don't miss out on potentially valuable additional information.
Acknowledgments
The research presented on this page is not mine alone. It contains information submitted by all the Fellow Researchers listed below. I am indebted to them for their generous contributions. This page is intended as a place for researchers to freely and cooperatively share our research with each other. It would be too cumbersome a task to reference each piece of data as to which researcher it has come from. The information shown on this page should be understood as a product of ALL of the Fellow Researchers. I am merely the editor and not the sole author. - Ryk
The surname Harold is an English patronymic surname and would most likely come from an early ancestor whose first name was Harold.
Behind the Name gives the etymology of the name Harold/Harald as: "leader of the army", derived from Old English here "army" and weald "leader, ruler". This was the name of five kings of Norway and two kings of England, including Harold II who lost the Battle of Hastings (and was killed in it), which led to the Norman Conquest. After the conquest it was rarely used but was eventually revived in the 19th century.
In some cases the surname Harold can be shown to be a phonetic corruption of Herald, which would be an occupational surname based on an ancestor who had been employed as a herald.
Click here to learn more about surnames.
Our Harrold family has been traced back to the early 19th centry to the village of Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, England. Hardingstone is just south of the city of Northampton and today is virtually engulfed by the city itself.
Hardingstone, Northampton is located about 20 miles east of Hellidon, Northampton where the Thornton family originated. Three generations later, John Harrold's great-grandson, Lloyd Richardson married William Thornton's great-granddaughter, Winnifred Thornton.
Almost all post-1860 North American records for this family show the their surname spelled "Harold" with one 'r' while almost all pre-1860 North American records and almost all English records (regardless of date) show the surname spelled "Harrold" with two 'r's. This spelling difference is probably inconsequential and likely represents different 19th century spelling conventions from the UK to Canada.
Family legend claims that John Harrold (b 1810, below) was a cattle drover from the Orkney Isles in Northern Scotland and that he migrated south to England before later immigrating to Canada. However this tradition appears to be entirely false.
Census records verify that John Harrold came from Hardingstone, Northampton, England and that he and his probable father were both born in Hardingstone. Census records further imply that he had a broad extended family residing in Northampton suggesting that they had resided in Northampton for several generations.
Northampton parish records show occurrences of the surname Harrold going back to the late 16th century. And there is also a village named Harrold located about ten miles east of Hardingstone, suggesting that the surname was present in the area into antiquity. All of these factors strongly suggest that our Harrold family was domestic to Northampton and had resided there for hundreds of years and did not come from the Orkney Isles.
The Orkney tradition may have its basis in a corruption of the name of a town called Olney in nearby Buckinghamshire where some of the Harrolds below have been traced to. Perhaps the name "Olney" became corrupted into Orkney as the tradition evolved. The fact that John Harrold was an agricultural labourer could indicate that he handled cattle and from this could have evolved the tradition that he was a cattle drover.
A connected family legend claims that John Harrold's wife, Emma Brown, was the daughter of Benjamin Brown, a local sheriff. This tradition also seems to have no basis in fact. No birth record has been found for Emma Brown but there are several persons named Benjamin Brown in early census records who could be her father, none of whom is recorded as being a sheriff; almost all of them are agricultural labourers. If this tradition is true then either Emma's father died before 1841 or he did not mention on the census that he was a sheriff.
Our study of the Harrold family begins with Samuel Harrold:
Samuel HARROLD b: 1781 in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, England. Samuel's birth record has not been found. His parents are unknown. In 1841 Samuel is residing in "Under the Trees", Hardingstone, Northampton, England working as an agricultural labourer. In 1851 and 1861 Samuel and his wife are residing with their daughter Ann and family in Hardingstone. Samuel is shown as having been born in Hardingstone.
Samuel's relationship with his children as shown here is not confirmed (except for Ann). Ann is the only child for whom a baptismal record has been found, in which she is shown as the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Harrold. The rest of the children shown here are found in census records and parish records as all residing in Hardingstone. Furthermore they represent the only persons surnamed Harrold residing in the parish and they all fit chronologically into single family arrangement. Thus it is suggested, but not confirmed, that Samuel and Elizabeth were the parents of the following children.
Samuel is presumed to have married to a woman named Elizabeth b: 1782 in Great Houghton, Northamptonshire, England, although no record of their marriage has been found. Her surname is unknown. It is suggested that they had the following children, only one of whom is confirmed:
John HARROLD b: 1810 in Northampton, England, shown above as the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Harrold. John is not confirmed as a son of Samuel Harrold. (See Samuel's notes for more information). John is found in 1841 residing in "Hallysyard", Hardingstone, Northampton, nearby to Samuel in "Under the Trees", Hardingstone. Samuel is just the right age to be John's father and there is no other family residing in the parish of Hardingstone with the surname of Harrold. Also, the fact that John named his eldest son Samuel further reinforces the likelihood that John is a son of the elder Samuel as shown here. However, this relationship remains unproven.
Family tradition among the grandchildren of John Harrold claims that John Harrold was a cattle drover from the Orkney Isles in Northern Scotland and that he immigrated to England before later immigrating to Canada. However this tradition appears to be entirely false.
Census records verify that John Harrold came from Hardingstone, Northampton, England and that he and his suggested father were both born in Hardingstone. Census records further imply that he had a broad extended family residing in Northampton suggesting that they had resided in Northampton for several generations. Northampton parish records show occurrences of the surname Harrold going back to the late 16th century. And there is also a village named Harrold located about ten miles east of Hardingstone, Northampton suggesting the surname was present in the area into antiquity. All of which strongly suggests that our Harrold family was domestic to Northampton and had resided there for hundreds of years and did not come from the Orkney Isles.
The Orkney tradition may have its basis in a corruption of the name of a town called Olney in nearby Buckinghamshire where some of the Harrolds below have been traced to. Perhaps the name "Olney" became corrupted into Orkney as the tradition evolved. The fact that John Harrold was an agricultural labourer could indicate that he handled cattle and from this could have evolved the tradition that he was a cattle drover.
John is presumed to have married to Emma BROWN b: 1817 in Northampton, England, although no record of their marriage has been found. Emma is said to be the daughter of Benjamin Brown, a local sheriff, however no evidence has been found to support this tradition and none of the Benjamin Browns who have been found in Northumberland were employed as a sheriff. It is believed that this traditions is not correct. John and Emma had the following children:
Samuel married secondly on 12 OCT 1882 in Brantford, Brant County, Ontario, Canada to Elizabeth HOULDING b: 30 NOV 1845 in Brantford Township, Brant County, Ontario, Canada, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Houlding. Samuel and Elizabeth had the following children:
All Harrolds in Northampton 1841, 1851 and IGI, by parish
Hardingstone
Samuel Harrold, 60 (1781), ag. lab. (all born in Northampton), res 1841:
"Under the Trees", Northampton, Hardingstone Parish, Wymersley Hundred, England
Elizabeth Harrold, 55, wife
no sign of any member of this family in England after 1861, only John is found in Canada, none in USA. Perhaps the rest emigrated to Australia.
Welford and Whiston
Thomas Harold and Catherine
Franciscus Harold m 5 OCT 1678 in Watford (sic Welford?) to Francisca Botelin
Francis Harrold and Elizabeth
Mary Harald m 2 JUN 1713 in Welford to William Murden
Mary Harrald, b ca 1723 in Welford, d 20 MAY 1795 in Welford, m 13 MAY 1744 in Welford to Thomas Bates (LDS)
Francis Harrald and Sarah
Jane Harold, b 1762 in Welford, d 31 DEC 1838 (LDS no parents), m 1790 in Welford to John Eyston
James Harrald m 7 APR 1761 in Welford to Elizabeth Herbert
James Harrald and Martha
Richard Harrald and Elizabeth
Ann Harrold m 31 DEC 1787 in Welford to William Hewitt
John Harrold and Mary
Richard Harrold, b 1786 in Welford, Northampton, res 1841:
Welford Mill, Lutterworth, Welford Parish, Guilsborough Hundred, Northampton,
England, miller, res 1851 Welford parish, Lutterworth, Northampton, occ miller,
Ann, b 1800 in Nowsley, Leicestershire, wife
Jane Freeman, b 1784 in Welford, visitor (sister?)
John Harrold and Hannah
John Harrold, 50 (1791), miller (all born in Northampton), res 1841:
Whiston Mills, Brafield, Hardingston, Whiston Parish, Wymersley Hundred,
Northampton, England
Sarah Harrold, 40, wife. 1851: Sarah Harrold (widow), b 1798 in Welford, res
1851 in Earl's Barton (4 houses from Joseph above), annuitant
John Harrold, b 1822 in Finedon, Northampton, res 1851 in Finedon, Earl's
Barton, miller
Jemima, b 1822 in Finedon, Northampton, wife
Joseph Harrold, b 1790 in Welford, res 1851 Towcester, Northampton, retired
miller
Jane, b 1802 in Olney, Buckinghamshire, wife
Thomas Har(r)old, 25 (1816), ag lab (all born in Northampton), res 1841:
Towcester, Towcester, Northampton, England, (probably son of Joseph Harrold,
above, or possibly son of Samuel Harrold)
Rebecca Harold, 20, wife
Marston Trussell (from Burton Overy, Leicester)
Robert Harold, b abt 1778 in Marston Trussell, m 8 SEP 1803 in Great Bowden, Leicester to Mary Seal
Richard Harrald and Martha. Richard 1787, of Marsten Trussel, Northampton, m abt 1816 to Eliza Martha (LDS), (IGI: 30 JAN 1785 Burton Overy, Leicester OR Thomas & Christian, 21 APR 1783 Kegworth, Leicester, John & Catherine). Martha Harrald, b 1790, b Kibworth, Leicestershire, innkeeper, widow, res 1851 Marston Trussell, Market Harborough, Northamptonshire
John Harrald and Martha
Weedon
Mary Harrold, b 1778 in not given, nurse, res Weedon Beck
Charles Harrold, b 1807 in Weedon, Northampton, res 1851 Weedon Beck,
Daventry, Northampton, occ hair dresser (seriously!)
Ann, b 1813 in Barley, Warwickshire
Northampton Town
Edward Harrald m 11 DEC 1709 in St. Sepulchre, Northampton or London to Martha Smith
Robert Harrold m 4 FEB 1723 in St. Peters, Northampton to Lyddia Tailer
John Harrold m 25 JUN 1739 in St. Giles, Northampton to Elizabeth Clark
Isaac Harold, b 1796 in Olney, Buckinghamshire, res St. Sepulchre,
Northampton (town), Northamptonshire, occ illegible, res 1841:
Dr. Kerr's Close, St. Giles, Northampton, St. Sepulchre parish, Northampton
Hundred, Northampton, England, shoe maker
Martha, b 1795 in Olney, Buckinghamshire, wife
William Harrold and Sarah
Francis Harrold and Fanny
Kilsby
Marcey Harold, 55 (1786), born outside Northampton, residing with James and Comfort Hammond (each 65), res 1841: Kilsby Village, Crick, Rugby, Kilsby parish, Fawsley Hundred, Northampton, England
King's Cliffe
Edward Harrolde
Cranford St John
William Harald b 1692 in Cranford, m 1715 in Cranford to Jane, b 1685 in Cranford
Mary Harold b 1728 in Cranford
Mary Harrold, m 16 OCT 1751 in Cranford St John to Jonathan Bailey
Moulton
Edward Harrold
West Haddon
William Harrold b abt 1786 in West Haddon, m 8 DEC 1806 in West Haddon to Sarah Colledge
Peterborough
William Harrold and Emma
Ernest Harrold and Emma
Dingley
Elizabeth Harrold, b 1729 in Dingley, d 5 MAR 1798 in Dingley, m 8 AUG 1763 in Dingley to William Wright
Samuel Harold, m 26 APR 1756 in Dingley to Elizabeth Ireland
Others
Annis Harold m 17 AUG 1590 in Bugbrooke to Richard Bodiley
Richard Harrold, b 1600 in Rothwell, m 1 JUL 1625 in Rothwell to Elizabeth Tulles
Henry Herrold, b 1610 in Harpole (LDS), m 18 APR 1635 in Northampton to Agnes/Ann Lucas
Robert Harald
Robert Harold b 1667 in Brixworth, m 9 DEC 1690 to Lucy Hills/Hils
Dorothy Harold, m 30 APR 1706 in Irthlingborough to William Green
William Harold, m 10 SEP 1711 in Oundle to Jane Rawlins
Samuel Harrold m 2 JAN 1725 in Stoke Albany to Mary Smith
John Harrold m 22 NOV 1729 in Ashby St Ledgers to Ann Bohen
Richard Harold m 18 FEB 1747 in Winwick to Elizabeth Patch
John Harrold m 24 APR 1797 in Piddington to Ann Tite
Rebecca Harrold m 24 JUL 1804 in Cold Ashby to Humphrey Jeyes
Edward Harrold and Lydia
Daniel Harrold b 21 JAN 1828 in Olney, Buckingham, m 24 SEP 1857 in Easton Maudit to Mary Ann Church
Joseph Harrold and Jane Coles
George Harrold and Elizabeth
People researching this family include the following. If you wish your name added to the fellow researchers' list, please contact me.
From | Researching | |
Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario | all branches of this family | |
Dr. J. David Richardson http://jdchristieviewfarm.blogspot.com/ |
Dundas, Wentworth, Ontario | all branches of this family |
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ABT = "about" and is used in three ways:
Where it precedes a precise date of birth, such as "ABT 3 DEC 1855", then it means that the person was baptized on 3 DEC 1795, but his/her exact date of birth is unknown.
Where it precedes a semi-precise date of birth with the month only given, such as "ABT DEC 1855", then that means that the birth is recorded in the civil birth registrations for the quarter ending with that month. Thus the person's birth was registered sometime between the beginning of October 1855 and the end of December 1855, but no baptism record has been found nor any more precise birth record.
Where it precedes a year only, such as "ABT 1855", then it means that there is no information on the person's birth date at all and an educated guess has been made that he/she was probably born sometime around 1855.
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This page was last updated on October 14, 2009