Kate Harding (1843-1917)

I heard in a discussion recently that Michigan had put up some death certificates on their Seeking Michigan site. It was here that I discovered the death certificate for Kate Harding, my 2nd great grand aunt, who died in Detroit in 1917.

My interest in Kate is that she was a sister of Mary Ann (Revels) Delaney, my 2nd great grandmother, who died in Prescott, Ontario in 1906. I estimate that their parents, Michael Revels and Catherine Carthy, immigrated from Wexford, Ireland about 1830. Kate Harding was born Catherine Revels and is listed on both the 1851 and 1861 Canadian census living with her parents in Prescott, Ontario.

I came to identify Catherine Revels as Kate Harding of Detroit, Michigan from both her sister's, Mary Ann (Revels) Delaney's, 1906 obituary and her brother's, Charles Revels', record of his stay at the US National Home for Disabled Volunteers in Marion, Indiana. (Charles died in 1909.)

Catherine Revels married John Harding, a jeweler from England, some time between 1861and 1871. The 1871 Canadian census lists John (age 32, born in England) and Catherine (age 26, born in Ontario) living in Prescott, Ontario with their daughter, Alice C., born in December 1870.

The 1881 Canadian census for Prescott, Ontario, also lists John Harding (age 42, Church of England) and Catherine (age 32, Roman Catholic), along with 8 children. Five appear to be children of their marriage: Catherine (10, b. in Ontario, RC), James (6, b. Ontario, RC), Ellen (5, b. Ontario, RC), Thresia (4, b. Ontario, RC), Frances (2, b. Ontario, RC). Three, appear to be John's sons from a previous marriage: Charles (17, b. England, CE), John (15, b. England, CE), and William (13, b. England, CE).

There are two additional Michigan death certificates that appear to be sons of Kate and John Harding:

• James W. Harding, born 1874, died 28 June 1912 in Detroit, Michigan


• Albert Harding, born 1884, died 20 Februray 1912 in Detroit, Michigan