Janes-Melus Family Tree

Land Transactions on Lot 14, mostly West 1/2; some E 1/2 1851, Jan 16: Crown grant on West 1/2 of Lot 14 3NER (100 acres) 1861, April 2 (April 9 1861): mortgage (1220) held by Canada B & S Society; W 1/2 100 acres; discharged 1872, March 23 (April 3, 1872): mortgage (3692) held by Huron & Erie Savings & Loan Society on W 1/2 100 acres, discharged (Chas. M. Janes & wife $1000) March 1, 1878 (5610) 1874, Feb 8: will (4358) of Chas. M. Janes: Chas. Hamilton [Ham] Janes given W 1/2 100 acres; Robert Janes given E 1/2 100 acres (subject to charges); Executors of will Robt. Auld & Gillies McPherson 1878, Mar 1 (1878, April 6) discharge of mortgage (5610) of Huron & Erie ..., W 1/2 3NER 1884, Feb 9 (June 5, 1889): release of Agnes & Leonard Thomas ($400 on W 1/2 3NER) 1888, Feb 11 (Aug 27, 1889): release by Mary J & Jas. Giffen ((700 on W 1/2 3NER) 1889, June 8 (Feb 5, 1889): release by Samuel Janes ($564 on W 1/2 3NER) 1889, June 8 (Feb 5, 1889): release by Janet A. Hillis ($700 on W 1/2 3NER) 1890, Feb 15 (Feb 17, 1890) mortgage (9350) by Industrial Mortgage & Savings Co. of $800 on West 1/2 3NER (Chas. H. Janes & wife) 1897, Feb 20 (Feb 22, 1897) discharge of mortgage of Industrial (10911) W 1/2 3NER 1897, Feb 20 (Feb 22, 1897) mortgage (10912) by Industrial Mortgage & Savings Co. of W 1/2 3NER, $2800 (Chas. H. Janes & wife) 1903 Feb 20 (Mar 27, 1903) discharge of mortgage by Industrial on W 1/2 3NER (Chas H. Janes) 1903, Oct 31 (Nov 8, 1903) "grant" by Chas H Janes & wife to Joseph McCormick W 1/2 for $6 000 1917, Sept 29 (Oct 1 1917) "grant" from Joseph McCormick & wife to Bennajah Smith W 1/2 for $8 000 1917, Sept 29 (Oct 1, 1917) mortgage (15220) by Bennajah Smith & wife, held by Joseph McCormick W 1/2 $400 1924, May 15 (May 19, 1924) mortgage discharged W 1/2 100 acres

Were William, Thomas and Mary Ann covered in Robert Auld Janes' E 1/2 100 acres? , Taken from The Janes Family History (1980) by Mary & Paul Janes ISBN 09696963-1-0

page 3: Our sources have been many and varied. Registry offices in Middlesex & Lambton Counties, and the Ontario archives provided information on property. Libraries gave census information, as well as history on properties. We referred to Beers Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Lambton, Ont.1906, also to Local Siftings from the Past, Watford, Ont. 1880; as well the 1878 Atlas of Lambton County. Microfilm from the London Free Press gave us some obituaries and history.

A great deal of information came to us from the records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Genealogical Library in Toronto. They have detailed records of births, deaths and marriages from many countries there, or at their head office in Salt Lake City, Utah. One lead which we have been unable to follow up is Boyd's Marriage Register which would give complete names and marriage dates of our ancestors in England.

Also we received information from the History of the Janes-Peek Family by Dr. Reba N. Collins, 1975.

For our search of family records in the Taunton Registry office, Somersetshire, England, we relied upon the work of Miss Pat Lewis of Cot Orchard, Stewley, Illminster, Somersetshire, England. She might have gone back further, but with the names JANES and JONES being written in almost the same manner in the mid-1700s, the search would have been more difficult, more costly, and much more confusing.

We have discovered that even in our Canadian records the name spelling changes. For example, the crown grant in Lambton County was given to CHARLES JONES (CHARLES MEREDITH JANES). However our records have been cross-checked by date to make them as accurate as possible.

page 4: It is thought the name originally came from the French DE JEAN or DE JEANNE, being anglicized by dropping the DE. Sometimes the name was spelled JEANES, other times JANES. It was pronounced the same way. One branch changed the spelling to JEANS; another made it JAYNES. Because old documents were hand-written and often difficult to read, it has been difficult for historians to transcribe correctly.

In addition to the JANES who immigrated from England, several others from various countries now use the name. There are JANES from Germany, from Austria (originally JANESCH), from Croatia, from Bohemia. From Spain the original spelling was YANES; from Greece JANOS or JANUS. The Polish JANECEK and JANISZEWSKI have also been shortened to JANES. What connection, if any, these families have to our Janes, is unknown (se Collins book).

page 5: One romantic origin of the JANES name is as follows. According to The Janes Family History by Rev. Frederic Janes, published by Scribner & Co. in 1868, some American Janes' are said to be descendants of GUIDO DE JANES, a general of the French Confederacy who accompanied Henry II to England in 1154. For his valor and service, this Janes received from the King the manor of Kirtland or Kirtling in Cambridgeshire. Some of these estates were still in the family name in the mid-1800s. A grandson of general Janes, GEOFFRY DE JANES took up arms with Baldwin, Count of Flanders, about 1200-1204, helping pave the way for Baldwin to become King of Jerusalem. GEOFFRY DE JANES returned to England, then with his son GUY or GUIDO DE JANES, made three pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The escallop shells on the coat of arms commemorate those events. Links between these military DE JANES and our JANES are not known.

page 5: A coat of arms of the Janes family is described as follows: arms -- argent or white; a lion rampant - azure blue between 3 escallop shells, gules (red). crest -- out of a ducal coronet (crown) gold a demi-lion rampant azure -- holding between the paws an escallop shell, gules.

The lion rampant in the arms shows that the ancestor had won a battle while in command of the forces engaged. The escallop shells show that he had made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The ducal coronet was given to those who held command in the armies of the sovereign duke of the French Confederation.

Gules is for fortitude, creative power; azure is loyalty or splendour; argent is serenity or nobility.

Whether this is the coat of arms of our Janes family is unknown.

Additional information (1986): The surname Janes appears patronymical (Father's name). It is associated with the English -- meaning descendant of Jah, a pet form of John, meaning gracious gift of Jehovah. There are 314 Janes listed in Newfoundland and 244 in Ontario, but none in Prince Edward Island. Variations of the name are Jane, Jannis, Jan, Jans, Jaine, Jayne, Janyes, Jeynes, Janyn, Johns.

Tombstone (Bethel Cemetery, Warwick Twp; east side in front of pine tree; grey stone): In memory of Charles M. Janes died Mar. 10, 1874 aged 48 yr. 10 mo. 4 da. A native of Somersetshire, England

Jennet wife of Charles Janes Died Aug. 14, 1900 aged 71 yr. 6 mo. A native of Whilburn, Scotland The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord

p. 34 CROWN GRANT document "Charles Jones [sic] of the town of London in the County of Middlesex, stagedriver the assignee of John Sykes, a discharged Seaman from the Royal Navy .... the west half of Lot Number Fourteen in the third Concession North of the Egremont Road of the aforesaid Township of Warwick.... At Toronto, this Sixteenth day of Jnauary in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and fifty one and in the fourteenth year of Our Reign [Queen Victoria].

p. 35 INDENTURE document .... made the Twenty third day of December, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in pursuance of the Act to facilitate the Conveyance of Real Property, Between John Kemp of the Township of Warwick in the County of Lambton of the Province of Canada, Yoeman and Catharine Kemp of the same place, Wife of the said party OF THE SECOND PART: and Charles Meredith Janes of the Township of Warwick in the County and Province aforesaid, Innkeeper, OF THE THIRD PART Witnesseth, That in consideration of the sum of Two Hundred and twenty five pounds of lawful money of Canada, now paid by the said party of the third part to the said party of the first part ... that certain parcel or tract of Land and Premises, situate, lying and being in the Township of Warwick, containing by admeasurement, Forty nine Acres be the same more or less, being composed of the South half of the East half of Lot Number Fourteen in the Third Concession North of the Egremont Road in the said Township of Warwick, except one rod in width along the West side of the said South half of the East half of Said Lot running from the Third Concession to the North half of said Lot. Which said one rod in Width was Deeded by the Honble George Jervis Goodhue, of the Town of London, to Alexander Duncan on the Tenth day of February, one thousand Eight hundred and fifty three.... [Signed by John Kemp, Cathrine Kemp's mark, Charles M. Janes and witnessed by James Menerey and Charles M. Barnes]