My Scottish "Wilkie" Family
Thomas Freeburn Craven
1879 - 1945 (66 years)1. Thomas Freeburn Craven was born on 27 Mar 1879 in Toronto, York County, Ontario, Canada; died on 6 Dec 1945; was buried in Eden Cemetery, Bayham Twp, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. Notes:
Monument in Eden cemetery has birth date for Thomas as 1879
Marriage certificate of 1920 states Thomas's birthplace as Toronto, names his parents as Lazenby Craven & Ann Leece, Thomas's age as 41, making his birthdate as 1879Thomas married Mamie Elizabeth Rouse on 17 Nov 1920 in Tillsonburg, Dereham Twp, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada. Mamie (daughter of Edward George Rouse and Charity Ann Weeks) was born on 8 Oct 1887 in Tillsonburg, Dereham Twp, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada; died on 23 Jun 1968; was buried in Eden Cemetery, Bayham Twp, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 2. Frances Mamie Craven was born on 22 Sep 1921; died on 23 Aug 1978; was buried in Eden Cemetery, Bayham Twp, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada.
- 3. Thomas Ray Craven was born on 30 Sep 1924 in Tillsonburg, Dereham Twp, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada; died on 2 Nov 2010 in Woodstock, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Tillsonburg Cemetery, Tillsonburg, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada.
- 4. M.M. Craven
- 5. Grace Shirley Craven was born on 14 Aug 1928; died in 2000.
Generation: 2
2. Frances Mamie Craven (1.Thomas1) was born on 22 Sep 1921; died on 23 Aug 1978; was buried in Eden Cemetery, Bayham Twp, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. Family/Spouse: David Leslie Cowan. David (son of L. Cowan and N. Pettinger) was born on 5 Jan 1918; died in Jun 2001; was buried in Eden Cemetery, Bayham Twp, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 6. A.L. Cowan
- 7. L.R. Cowan
3. Thomas Ray Craven (1.Thomas1) was born on 30 Sep 1924 in Tillsonburg, Dereham Twp, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada; died on 2 Nov 2010 in Woodstock, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Tillsonburg Cemetery, Tillsonburg, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada. Other Events and Attributes:
- Occupation: 1944; Tobacco farming
- Occupation: Between 1949 and 1999; Commercial Agricultural Pilot
Notes:
Thomas married his cousin Mamie Ann (Rouse) Allen, and subsequently
adopted her son Kenneth George Allen; thus Kenneth George Allen and Kenneth Allen Craven are the same individual.
Thomas Ray Craven is an experienced pilot, flys all over Canada, has done spraying, fire fighting, transporting of oil people to the North, much of this he has done in his middle years. He has maintained ownership on part of the 'farm', but sold portions of the lot as well.
Ray Craven marks 50 years as a Commercial Ag. Pilot
Ag. Pilot is Agricultural spraying, seeding and fertilizer applications; at one time employed by Can Ag Applicators, located Northeast of Delhi * Marg Craven (Sister) says "Thos. Ray sprayed the newly planted trees in N. Ontario with spray to kill weeds and brush to let the new trees get a good start."
Thomas was forced to drop out of high school late in his final year to take over the family's farm after his Father took sick. He took his flying lessons in London, Ont. He was able to take his first solo flight after just four hours with an instructor. Craven credits his instructor, a pilot trainer during the Second World War and later commanding officer of London's Reserve Squadron for teaching him all the right things. Ray obtained his private pilots license in 1947. Three years later, 1950 he obtained his commercial licence, and all the while, he contd working as a tobacco grower on what had now become his farm. For a few years he contd. farming and flying, doing mainly crop dusting jobs, but in time it became too much and his sister and brother -in-law started looking after the farming operations.
His work experience was crop dusting, spraying against spruce budworms in NB, tobacco spraying, pea crop spraying and mosquito spraying in Moncton and Dorval Airport. Later he was involved in aerial seeding and fertilizing; crops such as wheat and ginseng.
Source: Excerpt from The Tillsonburg News, Friday, October 22, 1999; page 3Family/Spouse: Mamie Ann (Rouse) Allen. Mamie (daughter of Raymond Earl Rouse and Theresa Hayes) was born on 15 Sep 1939; died in 1996; was buried in Tillsonburg Cemetery, Tillsonburg, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
4. M.M. Craven (1.Thomas1) 5. Grace Shirley Craven (1.Thomas1) was born on 14 Aug 1928; died in 2000. Other Events and Attributes:
- Occupation: School teacher
Notes:
Source: Margaret Craven (sister to Grace)
Grace was a teacher and taught at the Ostrander Stradfordville Eden School; also at the Public Anadale High School.
Also Birth source is Margaret CravenFamily/Spouse: Robert George Hart. Robert was born on 27 Nov 1927; died in 2000. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 9. G.G. Hart
Generation: 3
6. A.L. Cowan (2.Frances2, 1.Thomas1) Family/Spouse: S.M. Graves. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 10. S.E. Cowan
- 11. D.L. Cowan
Family/Spouse: Rita. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
7. L.R. Cowan (2.Frances2, 1.Thomas1) Family/Spouse: R.T. Smith. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 12. L.C. Smith
- 13. L.A.N. Smith
- 14. C.F. Smith
8. K. Allen - Craven (3.Thomas2, 1.Thomas1) Family/Spouse: D. Swanepole. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 15. E.B.R. Craven
- 16. S. Craven
- 17. A. Craven
9. G.G. Hart (5.Grace2, 1.Thomas1) Family/Spouse: G.H. Robbins. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 18. R.P. Robbins
- 19. A.G. Robbins
Generation: 4
10. S.E. Cowan (6.A.L.3, 2.Frances2, 1.Thomas1) Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 20. E.
11. D.L. Cowan (6.A.L.3, 2.Frances2, 1.Thomas1) Family/Spouse: Tracy. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
12. L.C. Smith (7.L.R.3, 2.Frances2, 1.Thomas1) 13. L.A.N. Smith (7.L.R.3, 2.Frances2, 1.Thomas1) 14. C.F. Smith (7.L.R.3, 2.Frances2, 1.Thomas1) Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
15. E.B.R. Craven (8.K.3, 3.Thomas2, 1.Thomas1) 16. S. Craven (8.K.3, 3.Thomas2, 1.Thomas1) 17. A. Craven (8.K.3, 3.Thomas2, 1.Thomas1) 18. R.P. Robbins (9.G.G.3, 5.Grace2, 1.Thomas1) 19. A.G. Robbins (9.G.G.3, 5.Grace2, 1.Thomas1) Family/Spouse: D.B. Walton. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 26. M. Robbins