Canada
Canada carried out its fifth census in 1911, which showed that it was a country with a population of 7,206,643 which was a massive 34% more than in 1901. However this overall figure hides much larger swings in each province. The Yukon & the Northwest Territories for example had lost nearly 70% of their population in that time, whereas others such as Saskatchewan & Albert had gains of over 400%. However with over 63% of the population, then as now, the provinces of Quebec and Ontario contained most of the people in Canada.
Henry Waghorn Reffell from the Bermondsey branch had emigrated to Canada on the SS Peruvian in November 1867, with his wife Jane Williamson Meachem and their three children; Arthur Henry, Annie Louise & Charles James. They set up home in Bowmanville on the shores of Lake Ontario, north east of Toronto. Henry Waghorn died aged 41 in 1885 apparently after falling down some stairs, and by 1900 Jane had moved to Los Angeles California with the two eldest children. She is shown there in the USA 1910 census, but was to die later that year.
Charles James Reffell remained in Canada and is shown in 1911 as a boarder at a hotel in North Oxford Ontario. He was employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a brakesman, and his religion is shown as Presbyterian. He would marry Gladys White in 1914 and have at least two children.
United States of America
The equivalent census in the United states of America was taken on 15 April 1910. The questions asked were quite similar to the UK one, although additional questions included any languages spoken, racial origin and whether a civil war veteran. After microfilming the schedules in 1940, the government destroyed the originals, and these microfilms are kept at the National Archives in Washington DC.
Henry Waghorn Reffell from the Bermondsey branch had emigrated to Canada on the SS Peruvian in November 1867, with his wife Jane Williamson Meachem and their three children; Arthur Henry, Annie Louise & Charles James. They had set up home in Bowmanville on the shores of Lake Ontario, north east of Toronto. Henry Waghorn died aged 41 in 1885 apparently after falling down some stairs. By 1900 Jane had moved to Los Angeles California with the two eldest children.
In 1910 Jane was living at Pasadena Ward 1 in Los Angeles, aged 52 with son Arthur Henry and daughter Annie Louise. Also with them was Arthur Henry’s daughter Annie aged 10 years. Arthur Henry’s wife Sarah had recently died and his mother was to also die later that year. The other son Charles James did not go south and is shown in the 1911 Canadian census as a boarder at a hotel in North Oxford Ontario.
The 1910 census also records a number of other people with the Reffell surname:-
William Reffell – aged 23, married, mulatto (mixed race) born in Georgia, living at San Antonio Pasco in Florida.
Flossie Reffell – aged 23, married, mulatto born in Florida, living at San Antonio Pasco in Florida.
Margaret Reffell – aged 32, unmarried, white born in Ohio, living at Cumberland Allegany in Maryland.
Luca Reffell – aged 36, married, white born in Italy, living at Boston, Suffolk in Massachusetts.
Julia Reffell – aged 33, married, white born in Portugal, living at Boston, Suffolk in Massachusetts immigrated 1907.
Luca J Reffell – aged 9, white born in Massachusetts, living at Boston, Suffolk in Massachusetts.
Emma Reffell – aged 15, white born in Illinois, living at St Louis in Missouri.
Allen Reffell – unmarried, black born in Texas,in custody at Pointe Coupee in Louisiana.