Rev. Henry Banwell
An older looking Henry Banwell
13 August 1824 - 4 December 1890
Of Bristol, England, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Detroit, Michigan, USA
My paternal great-grandfather Reverend Henry Banwell was a man who devoted his life to working as a priest for the Episcopalian church. He spent over 30 years in Michigan and southern Ontario, as a traveling missionary and establishing several churches, including the All Saint's Church in Howell, Livingston County, Michigan; St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Fentonville (later Fenton), Michigan; and Emmanuel Episcopal Church, in Detroit, Michigan. He didn't marry until he was 40 years old. When his wife died young leaving Henry with four small girls, he remarried and had another four children.
Henry Banwell was born 13 August 1824 near Bristol, Somerset, England, to Henry Banwell (1798-1877) and Susan Figes Galpine Banwell (1796-1868). His father was 26 and his mother was 28 years old. His birth was registered at St. George’s Church in Kingswood, Gloucestershire outside of Bristol, where his father ran a boarding school.
Henry and Susan were married in 1822 in either Bristol or Bath, England, and they had seven children. James Thomas (born 11 January 1823 and died 18 March 1905), Rev. Henry (born 13 August 1824 and died 4 December 1890), Emma Galpine (born 22 March 1826), Felicia Emma (born 2 April 1828), Susanna Oborn (born 3 September 1829 and died 14 February 1855 at age 25), Augustus Bowman (born 16 March 1831 and died 9 May 1921), and Edward Dando (born 16 September 1832 and died 6 March 1906).
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Rev. Henry Banwell |
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An older looking Henry Banwell |
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When Henry was ten years old the family sailed from Bristol, England and emigrated to Canada, landing in New York on 11 May 1835. From there they moved to a house in downtown Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and later to a farm in Sandwich East some 12 miles out of town, where they built a log house. We know little about Henry's childhood. His father was a schoolteacher, and the house doubled as a school.
On 9 June 1846, a Henry Banwell who was 22 years old arrived in New York from Liverpool on the ship Keaton. I don’t know that it is the same Henry, but Rev. Henry would have turned 22 in August of 1846, and in the censuses of the time people gave their age as of their next birthday. Perhaps he returned to England in order to attend school, given that Upper Canada was still rather primitive at that time. There was a theological school just outside of Liverpool, St. Aidan’s Theological College in Birkenhead. In Manchester—a train ride away from Liverpool—was a training college for prospective ministers since at least 1810.
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The log house built by Henry Banwell circa 1835 on Banwell Rd. |
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Rev. Henry Banwell's mother |
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In 1850 while many young men were seeking their fortunes in the newly discovered gold fields of California, Henry Banwell was residing in “Detroit City, Wayne Co.” , Michigan, just across the river from Windsor, and a destination frequently traveled to by his father as shown in Henry Sr's diaries of 1849-50. Rev. Henry was still in Detroit in 1854 . Again we can’t be sure that this is the same man, but it probably is since we find him in Michigan for many years thereafter. What was he doing there? Perhaps he was attending a seminary.
The Reverend Henry Banwell was ordained to the diaconate on 30 March 1856 by the Bishop of Michigan Samuel Allen McCoskry, who also served as Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Detroit. While a deacon Henry served as a missionary in Ionia and Portland, located midway between Grand Rapids and Lansing. On 30 October 1857 a Henry Banwell, a resident of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, purchased from the U.S. government 121 acres in Hope Township, Barry County , approximately ten miles southwest of Hastings, Michigan. Again, we don't know if this was the same Henry or not. Just five weeks later, on 8 December 1857, Bishop McCoskry ordained Henry to the priesthood, presumably in Detroit.
He immediately set out on a mission, as four days later Rev. Henry Banwell was in Howell, Livingston County, Michigan, about 45 miles west of Detroit. He led the organization of “All Saint’s Church of the town of Howell”, and was the first rector of this Episcopalian church. "In 1857, Rev. Henry Banwell came to Livingston County as a missionary and All Saints Church of Howell was formed as a mission of the Diocese of Michigan. Worship services were held at the Court House and at the Congregational Church. For reasons no longer known, the church was renamed Saint John's Episcopal Church of Howell and the cornerstone of the original church was laid in 1880 at Walnut and Sibley Streets." In April of 1858 the church voted to pay Rev. Banwell $150 per annum, payable quarterly.
By April of 1859 he had moved on (see sidebar). It appears that Henry was striving to establish a number of Episcopalian churches throughout the Diocese of Michigan, as he never stayed in one place for very long, at least until he got married. He was referred to as a “traveling missionary” during that time, when he conducted services in both Owosso and Fenton, Michigan. There is a historical marker in front of the Fenton church on East Elizabeth Street which reads in part, On May 3, 1858 the Reverend Henry Banwell held Fenton's first Episcopal service for the Ladies Mite Society. The society formally organized as Saint Jude's Episcopal Church on July 18, 1859. In 1860 members built their first church on this site, which was deeded to the parish by William and Adelaide Fenton of Flint.
In the Census of 1860 he was living in Owasso, Shiawassee County, Michigan, some 35 miles northwest of Howell.
August of 1860 found Henry briefly on the rough and tumble upper peninsula of Michigan. On 17 July Bishop McCoskry was on a ship that stopped at Houghton for fuel. He “expressed great surprise at the prosperous appearance of the place and was much astonished to find out how important it was as a field for the work of the church. He said that if the people would give him a guarantee that a priest could be supported, he would send one immediately. Nine people signed a paper guaranteeing $800 for support of a priest for Houghton and Hancock, and about three weeks later the Rev. Henry Banwell arrived on a Saturday evening, sent by the bishop. On Sunday, with the new congregation gathered for worship it was discovered that Henry had departed for Marquette the night before, on the same boat in which he’d arrived . “The rough scene on Houghton’s waterfront on a Saturday evening overcame all the pioneering spirit he had.”
That same year Henry was pastor of St. Paul's Church in East Saginaw, Michigan. Her remained there until the following year when he moved to Port Huron and became the pastor at Grace Episcopal Church. He held that positon from 1861 until 1865. There are records of many weddings performed by Henry while at Grace. Some of them are attributed to "Henry Bauwell", apparently due to difficult-to-decipher handwriting.
On 2 November 1864, while the Civil War raged and Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States, Henry married Henrietta Minerva Tryon in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Kent County Court Marriage Records gives his residence as “Port Hudson, St. Clair Co”. I have been unable to find a Port Hudson in that county in Michigan, and this undoubtedly should have read "Port Huron", given that Henry was pastor at Grace Episcopal Church at the time. Henry was 40 years old, and Henrietta was 26. She was born in 1837 in Michigan and resided in Grand Rapids at the time of their marriage, as did her parents. They were married at St. Marks Episcopal church by the rector J.P. Tustin. The witnesses were Henrietta’s father William A. Tryon, and James Gallup. In 1867, Josiah Tustin, rector of Saint Mark's instigated the establishment of Saint Paul's Memorial Church on the west side of Grand Rapids.
William A. Tryon (1800-1877) and his wife Minerva (1797-1885) both born in New York, lived in Walker Township, Kent County in the 1850 census, but soon after moved to Grand Rapids. They owned and operated a hotel called the Bridge Street House, which had been built in 1837. In 1859 William was listed as a notary public. The Tryons apparently stayed in that city for the rest of their lives, and are buried in the Fulton Street Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
Where Henry and Henrietta lived after their marriage is unknown, but just a year later when their first child was born on 9 November 1865 they were still in Michigan. They had four children, all of them daughters. Henrietta Maria (9 Nov 1865-17 January 1958), Charlotte Morgan (1866- ), Beatrice Tryon (1868- ), and Susan Galpine (1871- ). Henry had probably planned on spending the rest of his live in Michigan, between his dedication to the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and the fact that his wife’s family was firmly established there.
In 1866 they lived in St. John’s near Owosso, Clinton County, Michigan. The first Episcopalian services held in nearby Ovid were conducted by Henry in February of that year. In October 1869 he officiated at a funeral in Owosso, although he resided in Lansing at the time, some 40 miles away: He was rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Lansing in 1869.
"Mary Caroline Williams Kilpatrick… now reposes, with her infant by her side, in Oakwood cemetery. The bereaved husband, parents and brothers have the heartfelt sympathy of the entire community. She was buried from her father's residence, on Saturday, Rev. H. Banwell, of Lansing, officiating. Although the weather was very inclement, the crowd of sympathising friends was so great that many could not gain admittance. The burial service of the church was read, and on Sunday morning next, Rev. Mr. Banwell will deliver the funeral sermon at Christ Church (Episcopal Church in Owosso). "
On April 1 of 1870, Bishop Samuel McCoskrey wrote " I preached in St. Paul's, Lansing, and confirmed 8 persons. I regret that the Rev. H. Banwell has resigned this parish. God has enabled him to place the parish in a better condition, temporally and spiritually, than it has ever been, and I had hoped that he would have carried out his earnest desire to erect a new church. A very eligible lot has been purchased for that purpose."
Five weeks later, McCoskrey wrote "May 10. I preached in St. Paul's Parish, in Corunna, and confirmed three persons. I was happy to learn that the Rev. Mr. Banwell was willing to connect this Parish with that of Owosso. It is only three miles distant. He has given new life and energy to the Parish." During the year 1870 while at Owosso, the church records show that Rev. Banwell performed and accomplished the following:
Baptized--infants, 17; adults, 1; total, 18. Communicants--Last reported, 68; admitted, 2; received, 4; total added, 6; removed, 6; suspended or dropped, 4; total lost; 10. Present number--male, 16; female, 48; total....64 Marriages, 7; burials, 6. Public Services--Sundays, 103; Weed days, 12; total,,,,115 Congregation--Families, 60; adults, 157; children, 95; total...252 Catechising openly in the church, number of times, 10 Sunday School--Teachers and Officers, male 4; female, 7; total 11 Pupils, male 25; female, 55; total....80
Later, Henry resigned the Rectorship of Christ Church, Owosso, retaining the charge of St. Paul's Church, Corrunna.
In 1870, the census shows Henry and his wife and three young daughters living in Grand Rapids. In the census Henry’s occupation is listed as “laborer”, and Henrietta’s as “keeping house”. Perhaps they were visiting Henrietta's family. His real estate was valued at $6,000, and his personal property at $2,000.
| The census of 1870 raises some puzzling questions. Was Henry really working as a laborer, or is that just a census error? Was he really residing in Grand Rapids? Up until April 1 he was rector of Christ Church in Lansing, and after May 10 he was rector at Owosso. How could he have been living in Grand Rapids working as a laborer? Also, how did he manage to own $2,000 of real estate, given that this would have been several years worth of income? Was this the property purchased in 1857 near Hastings? If so, how did a young man studying for the priesthood manage to buy 121 acres? |
In January 1872 Henry performed a wedding in Shiawassee County, Michigan. Later that same year Henry and his family were in Detroit, where he founded what eventually became Emanuel (or Emmanuel) Memorial church. “This church grew out of services instituted by Rev. Henry Banwell in his house on Forest Avenue. They were begun in the fall of 1872 and continued until June 1873.” In 1873 Henry became the rector of St. John’s P.E. Church, in Grosse Isle, which is “downriver” about ten miles south of Detroit, and right across the river from Amherstburg, Ontario. Grosse Isle—today known as Grosse Ile—was part of the Monguagon township, which is today part of Wayne County. Henry appears to have been at St. John’s until October 1875. In 1876 Henry returned to Grace Episcopal Church in Port Huron to resume the positon of rector which he had held eleven years previously. He remained there until 1879.
Henrietta died in 1877 at the age of 39 or 40, leaving behind her four daughters, ranging in age from six to twelve years old. She was buried in Fulton Street Cemetery in Grand Rapids, alongside her parents. Henry was a 52 year old widower. 1877 was a tough year for Henry. His father died on New Year’s day, and both his wife Henrietta and his father-in-law William Tryon died later that same year.
At the end of the following year, on 5 December 1878, and while still serving as pastor at Grace Episcopal Church, Henry married Sarah Jane Wall Hutchinson at Christ Church, in London, Ontario. The marriage registration provides the following information: Henry was 54 years old, a widower, a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church; he was born in England, was the son of Henry and Susan, and at the time of the wedding lived in Port Huron, Michigan. His bride is listed simply as Jane Hutchinson, 27 years old, born in Owen Sound, daughter of James and Sarah, and at that time living in London (apparently Sarah Jane the daughter was called “Jane”, so as not to be confused with her mother Sarah).One of the witnesses was J.L. Moore of London, and the other’s name is illegibly written.
Jane’s father James T. Hutchinson (19 May 1802 - 21 Mar 1878) was also a priest in the Church of England. His wife’s maiden name was Sarah Katharine Colclough (c. 1818 - 3 Mar 1907), and they were both from Ireland. They apparently had six children : Albert J. (c. 1847- ), Ebenezer S. (c. 1850- ), Sarah Jane, Hubert H. (c. 1854- ), Nicholas B. (c. 1856- ), and Frederick G. (c. 1858- ). Jane’s middle name of Wall came from her mother’s maternal grandfather, Rev. Dowling Wall . Both Rev. James Hutchinson and his wife Sarah K. Hutchinson are buried at Woodland Cemetery in London, Ontario.
Rev. James Hutchinson died in March 1878, and in December of that same year Jane married Rev. Henry. At age 27, Jane was probably considered to be an old maid, and living at home with her parents. With the demise of her father, Jane and her mother may have decided she really needed to marry, for financial security. Henry Banwell the widower was 27 years her senior, and had four small daughters. Minerva Tryon might possibly have lived with Henry and the girls after the deaths of her husband and daughter in 1877, but she would have been 80 years old, and not up to the task of mothering. So Henry needed a mother for his four daughters, and Jane needed a husband for financial security, so it is possible that this was a marriage of convenience, and not of love.
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Jane Wall Hutchinson Banwell |
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Jane with her four children |
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By 1879 Henry and Jane were living in Detroit, where Henry was the rector of the Mission of the Messiah Church at 1160 Jefferson Avenue. His time with that church lasted from November 1879 until February 1881, although their first child--Henry Selwyn, who always went by his middle name--said that he was born in London, Ontario on 8 February 1880. Perhaps Jane went to stay with her mother or other family during the end of her pregnancy.
In 1881 Henry moved his family back to Canada where he would spend the rest of his life. I suspect that Jane wanted to return to Ontario, as her mother was apparently still living in London. They moved just across the border to Colchester, Ontario, and from 1881 to 1883 Henry was the rector of Christ Church there, and also at a church in nearby Kingsville. The following excerpts from the Amherstburg Echo—the local paper for Essex County—give us a sense of the goings on of Henry and his family.
9 Sep 1881 Colchester South: Rev. Mr Holmes preached his farewell sermon…The Rev. Mr Banwell of Detroit, Mich., is spoken of as his successor.
14 Oct 1881 Kingsville: The Rev. H. Banwell of Detroit was to hold service in the English Church here at the usual time, on Sunday last.
28 Oct 1881 Kingsville: Rev. Mr. Banwell of Detroit, Church of England minister, says, that he will in all probability establish himself in Kingsville, as successor to the Rev. J. Holmes.
25 Nov 1881 Kingsville: Mr. Banwell, the new incumbent of the Church of England, in this village, and his family arrive here on Sunday week (sic).
There is a rare mention of Jane: 9 Dec 1881 Kingsville: The Church of England sewing society met at Mrs. Peter Middough’s on Wednesday. At a late meeting the wife of the Rev. Mr. Banwell was appointed president.
Kingsville is located about ten miles east of Colchester. One can imagine Henry leading a service in Kingsville, and then saddling up his horse and riding the ten miles along the shores of Lake Erie to lead a service at Colchester.
The Anglican Church in Kingsville at the time was called St. John’s. It was rebuilt in 1891, and the name changed to Church of the Epiphany. Christ Church in Colchester was originally a stone building perched right on Lake Erie and built in 1820. Over the years it began to fall apart into the lake. In 1876 a new white wooden church was built several hundreds yard away. This church is the one that Rev. Henry Banwell preached in, and is still standing.
According to Colchester church records, in 1882 “it was resolved that the vestry rent a house for the rector rather than buy a new one.” During the same year, the Amherstburg Echo wrote: 24 Feb 1882 Colchester South: Rev. Mr. Banwell is talking of taking up his residence in this neighbourhood (Colchester) during the summer, if a suitable house can be procured, as the parsonage at Kingsville is nearly uninhabitable.
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The church at Colchester where Henry was rector |
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Henry's brother Edward Dando Banwell |
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Within a few months, Kingsville decided to build a new rectory: 2 Jul 1882 Kingsville: Kingsville is to have a new Church of England parsonage, and the first effort to create a fund for the purpose was a lawn party on Saturday evening. However, a few weeks later, apparently while staying at the “nearly uninhabitable” rectory in Kingsville, Jane gave birth to their second son Evelyn. Evelyn's middle name was St. George, which he never used, and he always went by "Jean".
24 Mar 1882 Colchester South: The Rev. Mr. Banwell announced on Sunday last that he intended establishing a Sabbath School at the church in about two or three weeks. It is to commence at 9 o’clock in the morning.
In May 1883 Henry left Colchester and moved his family to London, where he and Jane had been married. I don't know what they did in London, but they didn't stay long.
By 1884 the family was living in Port Stanley, where Henry was rector of the Anglican Church from 1884 to 1888. On 10 December 1884 Gladys C. was born in Port Stanley, and in 1886 their last child, a daughter named Marjorie was born. According to my father, Jean said that he was required to attend church four times a day (he would have been a toddler) and he grew to hate going to church. As an adult, Jean never attended church.
The four daughters of Henry and Henrietta Tryon all hated their stepmother. The three older girls moved out of the house as soon as they were able, and around 1885—when the youngest daughter Susan was just 14—the other sisters came and took her away with them, perhaps to Detroit.
On 4 December 1890, at the age of 66, Henry Banwell died at his home at 540 King St, London, Ontario. The funeral took place on Sunday, December 7 at Sandwich. He was buried in St. John's, Sandwich, Ontario. The Amherstburg Echo ran the following obituary on December 12:
Rev. Henry Banwell, who died in London, on Thursday of last week, was the founder of Emmanuel Church, Detroit, and had many friends in that city. He was prominent among the clergy of the Diocese of Michigan for about 30 years as Rector of St. Paul's Church, Lansing, and Grace Church, Port Huron, previously serving Wyandotte, Trenton and Grosse Isle. Four of his daughters reside in Detroit. He was buried Sunday afternoon from the old English Church at Sandwich.
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