Clara Smith and Morley Benson Dempsey

Clara (Smith) Dempsey. Photo courtesy of Ian Westell.

Clara Smith (1893-1979) the great-granddaughter of John Culbert and Mary Ward was born 128 years ago today. She was born 27 January 1893 in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada; in or around Kincardine.

Clara’s parents were Maria Matilda Dagg and Johnston Smith who had eight children. For details about the Maria Matilda Dagg-Johnston Smith family click here to read my previous post.

Clara Smith's parents, Johnston Smith & Maria Matilda Dagg. Courtesy of Melissa (Anderson) McGill.

My purpose in writing this blog post is:

1. To find the descendants of Clara Smith and her husband, Morley Benson Dempsey, with the hope that they can provide us with more details about Clara and her descendants.

2. To provide information to Clara & Morley’s descendants about their ancestors, if they’re not already aware of their descendancy from John Culbert & Mary Ward.

Unfortunately, I don’t know much about Clara and Morley but here’s what I can tell you:

Clara Smith was raised in Kincardine, Ontario. At some point, her parents, Johnston and Maria moved to Manitoba where they spent a few years before returning to Ontario.

Clara Smith married Morley Benson Dempsey in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 19 December 1917. Morley Dempsey, was a locomotive engineer with the Canadian National Railway (CNR). Morley Benson Dempsey was born June, 1878 in Biddulph Township, Middlesex County, Ontario to parents, Samuel Dempsey & Mary Jane Darrach.

In 1921, Clara and Morley were living in Saskatchewan, according to the Census for that year.

Clara Smith and Morley Benson Dempsey had the following three children:

1. Glen Dempsey. Glen was born 27 April 1919 in Manitoba. He married Bessie Empson (1923-2005). Glen Dempsey and Bessie Empson had four children. These children may still be living and therefore not named here for reasons of privacy. Glen Dempsey died 1 November 2004 in Ontario.

2. Alma Althea Dempsey. Alma was born in 1921. She married John Edward “Jack” Setchell in Regina, Saskatchewan on 2 June 1942. Alma and Jack had five children. Four of those children may still be living and therefore are not named here for reasons of privacy. However, one of Alma’s children, Sharon Rose (Setchell) Duern (born 1945) died in Hamilton, Ontario on 19 January 2018. Alma (Dempsey) Setchell died in 1984.

3. Edna Regina (Dempsey) McLaughlin. Edna was born 21 February 1923. I haven’t named Edna’s husband or child(ren) because they may still be living. Edna died 21 November 1994 and is buried with her mother, Clara (Smith) Dempsey in Woodland Cemetery, 700 Spring Road, Burlington, Ontario.

That’s about all I know about Clara Smith, her husband, Morley Benson Dempsey, and their three children: Glenn Dempsey, Alma (Dempsey) Setchell, and Edna (Dempsey) McLaughlin.

Clara’s husband, Morley Benson Dempsey died 20 November 1941 in London, Ontario and is buried in Preston Cemetery in Preston, Ontario. Clara (Smith) Dempsey died 31 December 1979, age 86. Clara is buried at Woodland Cemetery, 700 Spring Road, Burlington, Ontario in Section 10, Row 21 with her daughter, Edna Regina (Dempsey) McLaughlin.

Clara (Smith) Dempsey and her daughter, Edna Regina (Dempsey) McLaughlin are buried at the Burlington location of Woodland Cemetery, not the Hamilton location as it says on their Find a Grave record. (I verified this with the cemetery staff.) The cemetery is located behind the Royal Botanical Gardens. Photo by Nikole, Find a Grave ID#48366243, Find a Grave Memorial ID#199754013.

If you have more information about Clara (Smith) Dempsey and her family, please email me at the following address:

Note for Culbert family historians and genealogists: The grandchildren of Clara Smith & Morley Benson Dempsey are the 2xgreat-grandchildren of John Culbert & Mary Ward, and they’re also the 2xgreat-grandchildren of a couple named John Dempsey & Ellen Giffin. It just so happens that there’s another member of the Culbert-Ward family tree who shares these two sets of 2xgreat-grandparents; his name is Jerome Alexander “Jerry” Dempsey, the son of Harold Jacobs Dempsey and Elaine “Babe” Hodgins. Jerry Dempsey is descended from John Culbert’s daughter, Susan (Culbert) Crawley whereas Clara (Smith) Dempsey and her children and grandchildren are descended from John Culbert’s daughter, Eliza (Culbert) Dagg.  So, on Jerry's Culbert side of the family, Jerry is the 3rd cousin of Clara's children but on Jerry's Dempsey side of the family, Jerry is the 3rd cousin of Clara's grandchildren. And that is your brainteaser of the day. 

Jerry Dempsey and his mother, Elaine "Babe" Hodgins, c1956.

CLARA (SMITH) DEMPSEY’S FAMILY TREE:

Ancestors:

John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-grandparents)

Eliza Culbert & Richard Dagg (grandparents)

Maria Matilda Dagg & Johnston Smith (parents)

Descendants (Children):

Glen Dempsey

Alma Althea (Dempsey) Setchell

Edna Regina (Dempsey) McLaughlin