Ancestors of Helen Maria Shaw

  In January of 1863, Helen Maria eloped with Samuel William Shaw and married in the neighbouring county of Hertfordshire.  Her father tried to discourage them from marrying as he did not really approve of Samuel William and Helen was only 16. Consequently there was a great rift between the couple and Helen Maria's family.

  In 1867, John Oliver`s youngest son, Henry Kinnaird, married Mary Atherstone Bird , daughter of a wealthy and prominent London doctor. Henry was managing an iron foundry in Wales at the time of their marriage and their first child, a daughter, was born there. In 1870, the family moved to Allahabad in India where Henry Kinnaird managed an iron foundry for railway building. Three sons were born there but only one survived. Henry Kinnaird died in London in 1877, of pneumonia. He likely became ill in India.

to   Oliver worked on a variety of engineering projects all over Europe. He never married, and retired to Spain where he died in 1823. I have never uncovered any records of what happened to Ann but there are stories that she may have married into the Spanish or German aristocracy.im  John Oliver`s wife Helen died of cancer in 1880. There seems to have been some reconciliation between Helen Maria and her father during the time of her mother`s illness because she named her youngest son (born a few months later in May) John Oliver York Shaw,  John Oliver remarried a couple of years later - one Constance Pleasance Odden, daughter of a farmer-miller from Kent.  There are many scenarios one can imagine regarding how that came about - but she was likely in service in the York home.  John Oliver died in 1887 from a heart attack after a long illness. There is no death record for him and his wife in England, so perhaps they went to the continent - maybe to Spain where Oliver was.

  John Oliver was a prime example of the innovative and energetic men who powered the industrial expansion of England and Europe. His daughter Helen Maria certainly seems to have inherited his intelligence, drive and ambition.

  Between 1856 and 1866,  John Oliver built railways in Italy, with the unification of Italy and the revolutions that accomplished it in the background. During this time, he also did engineering jobs in England and in the early1860's became involved in mining in Cornwall in partnership with his son Henry Kinnaird, He also built a short railway line there.

   During John Oliver's time in France, the girls would have been there in school. The boys were likely in school in England. When he moved to Rome, it is possible the two older girls at least came with them and Oliver was working with his father. Helen Maria was either there as well or visited as, in later years in Canada, she spoke of being in Italy. Sometime before 1860, John Oliver purchased a house in London near Hyde Park. Helen Maria and Henry Kinnaird were at this residence in 1861 with one female servant but, as their parents and other siblings were not, and  didn't appear in any other England census records, they were all presumably on the continent.

  In 1862, Frances Elizabeth married Paolo Ruspoli, a member of the Ruspoli Princes of Cervetes, a very old and noble Roman family. Paolo was a Barrister in Paris at the time but they subsequently moved to Italy where three daughters were born. (One of them, Francesca, corresponded with Helen Maria). Frances Elizabeth died in 1874 - likely in childbirth.

   John Oliver York was born in Birmingham, England on March 9 1811, a son of John York, a banker. On January 23, 1812, he was baptized in Stony Stratford Buckinghamshire, the family residence. He was probably sent away to school but where is unknown. He then entered the office of a civil engineer for a course of studies, during which time he lived in London.  On September 24 1831, he married Helen Kinnaird in Westminster, London. Helen was the daughter of Hugh Kinnaird, at that time in Royal Service to William IV.

  In 1832, John Oliver took up the position of principal engineer (Ironmaster) at the Horseley Iron Works in Tipton Staffordshire. Five children were born while the family was in Tipton:  Ellen Ann in 1834 (she only lived for 10 days);  Frances Elizabeth in1835;  Ann in 1837; Oliver in 1838 and Henry Kinnaird in 1840. Sometime in 1840, John Oliver left the Horsely Works and returned to London. During his eight years as Ironmaster at Horseley, he gained the knowledge, experience and business contacts that allowed him to have a very successful subsequent career in construction and railway building   In June of 1840, he was admitted into the Institution of Civil Engineers, sponsored by Henry Fowler, likely the engineer he had studied under. In May of 1841, a son John was born. He died very young but when is unknown. In the same year, John Oliver had serious financial difficulties and went into bankruptcy. However, a positive event in that same year was that he was granted a patent for "improvements in Railway Axles and Wheels" (the first of five patents that John Oliver was granted). While at Horseley, the iron works had constructed several railway engines. In those early days of the railway, engines were in a constant state of improvement. Problems begat innovation, experimentation and ultimately, improvements. John Oliver's first patent was one such improvement.

  During his time in Horseley, John Oliver would likely have had contact with Thomas Brassey, the most successful railway builder of his time. By 1843, Brassey had begun operations in Europe. He hired John Oliver to manage one of his  foundries near Evreux, France (about 60 miles west of Paris) and the family  moved to France. Helen Maria was born in 1846 but the only record of her birth was her baptism in England in 1847. So whether she was born in France or England is unknown but the family was most likely living in France from the time they went there in 1843.  John Oliver built and managed another foundry for Brassey in northwestern France and in 1853, began his own business as a construction agent. He took the contract (probably as an agent for Brassey) to build a railway in eastern France. In the same year he also took the contract to provide gas lighting for the town of Seville in Spain. His son Oliver worked with him as a draughtsman on this project, presumably in an engineer-in-training capacity, having entered the office of his father.

  John Oliver's next project was probably his most significant construction challenge. Napolean III decided to make his statement to the world by having an International exhibition that would surpass the scope and success of the one in England in 1851. The main building, the Palais de l'Industrie, was designed and engineered by two Frenchmen, but John Oliver received the contract for the actual construction. He was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour for his accomplishment.