ABOUT US

The Petworth emigration project is sponsored by the Reverend Edward J.R. Jackman and supported by the Jackman Foundation of Toronto.

In Toronto, Ontario

Wendy Cameron writes about the history of nineteenth-century Britain and Ontario. She is currently working on a history of the early days of the immigrant service as it emerged in Upper Canada and Canada West (Ontario) in the years from 1830 to 1867. Her articles on the Petworth immigrants include: "'Till they get tidings from those who are gone....': Thomas Sockett and Letters from Petworth Emigrants, 1832-1837," Ontario History, 85,1 (1993): 1-16; and "Defining Opportunity from Below: Assisted English Immigrants in 1830s Upper Canada," British Journal of Canadian Studies, 16,1 (2003), 44-58.

Mary McDougall Maude is an editor working primarily in the areas of Canadian studies, reference, and government reports. She is a partner in Shipton, McDougall Maude Associates, a publishing consulting and editorial and project management business, and a founder of the Certificate in Publishing Program at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Brenda Dougall Merriman is a Certified Genealogist (CG) and a past trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, among other volunteer positions. Now she concentrates on writing about family history in the Upper Canada period. Her book, Genealogy in Ontario: Searching the Records, has sold more than 8,000 copies in three editions. Other books are The Emigrant Ancestors of a Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and About Genealogical Standards of Evidence, a guide for genealogists, published by the Ontario Genealogical Society. United Empire Loyalists: A Guide to Tracing Loyalist Ancestors in Upper Canada was published in 2006 by Global Heritage Press.

In Brighton and Worthing, East and West Sussex

Dr Sheila Haines is a partner in Kinship, which specialises in genealogical research in Sussex and neighbouring counties. She has taught history for the Centre of Continuing Education, University of Sussex, and lectured on 19th century emigration for the CCE and at international conferences and local historical societies. She edited No Trifling Matter (University of Sussex 1990) an account of the voyage of the Petworth ship British Tar. In 2007, Sheila Haines and Leigh Lawson published Poor Cottages and Proud Palaces: The Life and Work of Thomas Sockett 1777 - 1859 with the Hastings Press

Leigh Lawson is a partner in Kinship. She was a contributor to No Trifling Matter. At the request of the Hon. H .N. R. Jackman, she has written a genealogical history, The Jackman Family in West Sussex 1565 - 1836, a companion volume to that of Brenda Merriman. She is a co-author with Sheila Haines of Poor Cottages and Proud Palaces: The Life and Work of Thomas Sockett 1777 - 1859.

Genealogical Research Services
Inquiries concerning services and rates should be addressed to the researchers.

Do you wish to find out more about your UK ancestors who emigrated to Canada from Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey and Cambridge with the Petworth Scheme? Consult Leigh Lawson and Dr Sheila Haines who did the research in the UK. e-mail kinship2@hotmail.com

If you wish to seek or follow Canadian descendants of Petworth immigrants, please contact the U.K. team or the Ontario Chapter, Association of Professional Genealogists