John Laskey Aunger

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(Research):?i?John Laskey Aunger ?/i?

John Laskey Aunger worked in the tin mines at Land's End, Cornwall, England, from the age of 12 years for 12 pence per day. He became skilled with hammer and drill, and by the time he was 16 years of age, many old miners were seeking to employ him for full miner's pay. He worked in the Cornwall mines, St. Ives area, until he was 20.

In 1852, he emigrated to Canada. He sought out his aunt and uncle, Edward and Mary Jane Stanbury in Northumberland County, Ontario, and then married their daughter, Catherine, his first cousin in 1855.

He went to work in the Lake Superior Copper Mines, Minnesota Mines, Ontonagan County, Michigan after Edwin was born in Seymour Township. The second child, Edward, was born in Michigan, as were the third and fourth children, Mary Jane and John Albert. His next three children , Emeline, Victoria and Bethelda, were born back in Ontario, after which his wife died on June 27, 1870. However, by the first of November of that year, he had married his niece, Mary Jane Merriam, who had promised her aunt she would take care of her children. Together, John and Mary Jane went on to have five more children.

Ruth Tierney writes:

In 1865 the Marmora Foundry Company re-acquired the mine but permitted operations to remain idle for a further two years. The whole structure of the iron business in Canada and in particular Hastings County, began to crumble. Presumably financing was still the number one difficulty, for it was once again virtually impossible to find reliable investors who were willing to take the tremendous gamble. However, in the autumn of 1866, the importance of the iron deposit at Blairton was brought to the attention of some wealthy American businessmen interested in the iron trade. After testing the area, they offered to take part in a purchase of the lands resulting in the formation of the Cobourg, Peterborough, Marmora Railroad and Mining Company. This joint venture became effective the following year. The total capital raised amounted to better than half a million dollars. Americans from Pittsburg invested four hundred and thirty thousand, and Edward Burstall of Quebec offered to raise about seventy thousand. The new company began operating in the Spring of 1867.

John Laskey Aunger of Marmora was hired to fill the important position of overseer and bookkeeper at the mine in its first year of operation under the name of the C.P.M. Railroad and Mining Company. His job entailed finding a sufficient number of men to provide two regular shifts and remain on call when not on duty. John's grandson Robert resided until recentlyon the family farm located between Blairton and Marmora.

Back in 1867, the year of the mine re-opening, an unidentified news reporter wrote, "Some idea of the amount of work being done at the Marmora iron mine may be formed from the fact that the sound of blasting can be heard at both Eldorado and Madoc, a distance of about twenty five miles or so. Two kegs of powder are used each day and four forges are kept busy just sharpening drill bits. "

The article went on, "Each drill penetrates a foot before it becomes dull enough to require honing, while in the contrast of mining gold, the bit can drill only two or three inches before returning to the forge. Development has been rapid and Marmora, the village whose destiny is inextricably forged with iron, may yet attain to some importance".

John married Catherine Stanbury about 1855. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• FindaGrave Memorial ID: 94299167
• _UID: E6A0A62C9106434F898C004CDBA6B4465D27

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(Research):http://www.marmorahistory.ca/aunger

Birth:
BLAIRTON -BOOM TO BUST

Heading 8 kilometers west out of Marmora, and two kilometers north on Blairton Road will take you to the west shores of Crowe Lake, and the remains of the thriving iron mining town of Blairton. Beside the Blairton trailer park are the old iron ore pits, completely grown over, hardly traceable, yet a reminder of the booming dreams of long gone iron masters and railway entrepreneurs. The area now is cottage country with a few permanent homes, with not a trace of its former glory.

In 1907, John L. Aunger, manager of the mine wrote of the 1870's in Blairton:
"Apart from the hucksters, the Town presented an idyllic image. Blairton was beautifully and skilfully laid out by the late John Damble, on high ground of hard sandy soil, the streets descending in all directions. Mud is never seen here, hence one can walk out in slippers after the heaviest rain and never get their feet wet. The scenery of Crowe Lake with its islands, coves and points, is, to say the least, picturesque in the highest degree."
It was not just nature and Town design that marked Blairton. For it was, says Aunger, "a place of harmony and concord," and certainly most respectable. Indeed the former site manager claimed, "there was a quiet vying as to the claim of rank with the "upper crust" of society." The Town was declared as a prolific spot for "match-making" and matrimony.

Ruth Tierney writes in her 1986 book, " Echoes from the Past":

"The settlement of Blairton (after 1867) had grown into a bustling little community. Named after a Scottish settler it boasted a railroad station, telegraph office, three general stores, two hotels and sundry blacksmith shops. No fewer than eleven streets had been laid and the population had increased rapidly to a total of five hundred. This was considered to be a sufficient number of people to warrant the expense of establishing a post office. Permission was granted by the Crown and the Blairton Post Office was opened on August 19, 1867 by local resident Roger Bates. The very existence of Blairton was due to the discovery of iron ore, resulting in a mine that became the largest producer of iron in Ontario (called Canada West from 1841 until 1867).

FindaGrave Memorial ID:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94299167

Mary married Daniel Thomas Young on 1 May 1882 in Blairton, Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada. Daniel (son of William Edward Young and Maria Campion) was born on 14 Dec 1855 in Marmora Twp, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada; died on 5 Feb 1919; was buried in Moose Jaw City Cemetery, Moose Jaw Census Division, Saskatchewan, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Ida May Kirk. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Jane Seabrook. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Suzy Clarke. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Emily Carr Crossman. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• Residence: Florida, United States
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Family/Spouse: Dr. Unkown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• FindaGrave Memorial ID: 94299161
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FindaGrave Memorial ID:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94299161

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Family/Spouse: Madge Anderson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: F. Spedding. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Grace Gunn. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Darinel Osborne. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Mollie Patterson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Jack Torrance. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Alfred Pile. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Irene Garrat. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]