Hugh Brinsmead's older sister Mary Ann was born in St. Giles in the Wood, Devon on December 1st, 1835. She married Thomas Tanton in England in 1855 and then the couple left for Canada. Their leaving is described on another page.
Thomas and Mary Ann Tanton had five children, all born in London, Ontario:
Only the first two children survived, the last three all dying within their first year. They are buried in the Woodland Cemetery. The family lived at 479 Maitland Street, in London.
Thomas appears to have served in his first four years in some military capacity, living in the barracks. After that, Thomas went into the shoe business, entering into a partnership with another St. Giles in the Wood ex-pat, William Ashplant who was related through Rebecca Brinsmead who married his Grandfather. For a short while, Hadley Brinsmead-Williams worked in the Ashplant and Tanton store. Thomas Tanton died in 1889 while on a visit to relatives in Rockford, Illinois. After Thomas died, Mary lived with her daughter Ethel and her son-in-law James B. McKillop, a lawyer in London.
Mary Tanton died on January 11th, 1916, in London, Ontario. She left a will, and a significant estate amounting to about $16,000. She left her brother Hugh, who survived her, $50.00 per year for four years.