Mary Ann Thornton (1815-1899) and Thomas Best

Mary Ann Thornton  (22, Jan 1815-o3, April 1899) was the oldest child of John Thornton and Frances Bowler.  The Thornton family  arrived in Port hope in 1829 and remained there for a few years.  I believe Mary Ann was the first to move into Clarke Township where she married Thomas Best (1810-1859) in 1832.  Mary Ann’s brother, John J. Thornton had married Eliza Powers who gave birth to a son named Richard Thornton  (1843-1938)  and it is believed she died in childbirth.  Mary Ann then adopted this child and his name became Richard Best Thornton -R.B. Thornton.   Another brother, Thomas Thornton, wishing to make the move to Clarke Township moved in with Mary Ann and her husband for sometime.  It is unclear if he would have been there when the baby was adopted, but judging by the photos that were held by Helen Thornton  I believe a strong connection was built among all of these people.

It is not clear to me if Mary Ann had any children of her own, but after her first husband’s death she married William Cobbledick (1816-1878) in October of 1860.   See the post for Richard Best Thornton to learn more of his life.

A photo of the grave stone of Mary Ann Thornton

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One Response to Mary Ann Thornton (1815-1899) and Thomas Best

  1. Heather A. says:

    Please contact me! I am the great-great-granddaughter of John J. Thornton b. 17 Jun 1820, d. 20 May 1905, who is the son of John Thornton & Frances Bowler. I do have a photo of John J. Thornton that I would love to share with you, if you are interested in tracing descendants. I assume the site owner can see my email address.

    And THANK YOU for compiling this research, this is the first lead I’ve had on John Thornton in years!

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