Mary Hepburn

     Mary Hepburn was born on 22 February 1827 at Musquash, Saint John Co, New Brunswick.¹ She has also be reported to have been born 1824.² She was the daughter of Edmund Hepburn. Mary Hepburn married Joseph Daley, son of David Daley and Sarah Stanley, circa 1860. Mary Hepburn died on 5 October 1919 at 99 Westmorland Road, Saint John, Saint John Co, New Brunswick, at age 92; "Mary Daley died of cerebral haemorrhage [sic] ". - this from the Methodist Cemetery records. Maiden name listed as Hebbern. Her son Henry was informant at the funeral home and gave her father's name as Edmond Hebbern, no mother listed, and gave her birthplace as Ireland, so he must have been the informant for the death certificate as well.^3,4 She was buried on 7 October 1919 at Methodist Burying Ground, Saint John, Saint John Co, New Brunswick; Mary's obituary in the Saint John Globe dated Monday, 6 October 1919 tells that she died Sunday at the home of her son Henry Daley on Westmorland Road. She was born at Musquash. Records held by the Wesleyan Methodist Cemetery on Thorne Avenue, Saint John confirm her birth at Musquash as well as tell us that her father was Edmund "Hebbern" born in Ireland. For many years no sign of a Edmund Hepburn was uncovered.
     Descendants of Alexander Hepburn who was supposedly born in Scotland all tell tales about "Aunt" Mary Daley. This writer (PWW) began to think it was all a mistake and Mary had been a daughter of Alexander Hepburn after all. Then a passage was found in the book "The Sound of Many Waters " by Ethel Thompson [1980] which said that Edmund Hepburn who had come from Ireland had settled in Musquash in an area which became known as Hepburn's Basin. No further mention was made of him. I tried to reach the author, but to no avail. So the question is - how does Edmund Hepburn fit in? Is he another son of Alexander? Who was his wife? Other children besides Mary? With only two mentions of him - the book and her burial permit, did he die early and she was raised with Charles Hepburn and siblings? Or was Alexander actually Alexander Edmund?⁵ She and Joseph Daley appeared on the census of 6 May 1891 at Portland, Saint John, Saint John Co, New Brunswick; Joseph Daley was 63, a Baptist, house carpenter, Mary was 62, her father born in Scotland, and her mother in the US. Son Henry was 25 and a blacksmith, daughter Jennie was 12. No son William was listed.⁶ Mary Hepburn appeared on the census of 1911 at 167 Westmorland Street, Saint John, Saint John Co, New Brunswick; Mary Daley, aged 85, and a widow, was living with her son Henry Daley, his wife Agnes and the Arrowsmiths.⁷ She was reinterred on 16 September 1947 at Fernhill Cemetery, Saint John, Saint John Co, New Brunswick.⁸