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The Workmans of Ulster are
descendants of those of Gloucester, England, where their ancestor, the
Rev. William Workman, was a lecturer of St. Stephen's Church. (See Neal's
"History of the Puritans," Vol. L, p. 452; also Flood Dawin's "Irishmen in
Canada," p. 331.)
The sons of Rev. William
Workman joined the army of Cromwell. One of them, or more, came to Ireland
with Cromwell, and received from that liberal bestower of people's goods
valuable lands in the county of Derry; but his evicted neighbors made the
situation too hot for him, and he fled to the county of Down, near
Donayhadee, whence probably some of his posterity went over to Scotland.
One, however, named William, became proprietor of a mill at Brookend, near
Coagh; but he too found himself unpleasantly fixed. He sold out and took
charge of the mill at Mony more, and here the tribe remained.
Our grandfather, Benjamin
Workman, married Ann Scott, a Scottish descendant, and the rest of the
Workmans followed the example. Joseph Workman, the father of the Workmans
of Canada, married a Scottish descendant named Catharine Goudie. She
enriched him with eight sons and one daughter. The eldest of the sons,
Benjamin, came to Canada in 1819; the second, Alex., in 1820; the three
youngest sons, Thomas, Samuel, and Matthew, aged respectively 16, 15, and
14, came out in 1827; and John, Joseph, and William, together with father,
mother, and sister Ann, came in 1829.
All proved deserving of
their family name, for they all were hard workers, and their work was
abundantly rewarded. Their reputation in Canada is too well known to
require notice here. Only two of the family now survive. The father died,
aged 89; the mother, aged 103. The survivors, Alex. and Joseph, are now
aged 93 and 86. Alex. has remaining only one child, a widow with one
daughter. Joseph has surviving three sons and two daughters. Their mother
was a native of Sheffield, England, named Wasnidger. She died in 1885. Her
grandchildren now living number seventeen. (240) |
