Stephen Harper

2011 G8 Summit of Deauville - French President Nicolas Sarkozy Welcomes the Heads of States - May 26, 2011

Harper in 2011, photo by PrPhotos

Birth Name: Stephen Joseph Harper

Place of Birth: Leaside, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date of Birth: April 30, 1959

Ethnicity: English, Scottish

Stephen Harper is a Canadian politician. He served as the twenty second Prime Minister of Canada, from February 6, 2006 to November 4, 2015. He has also been Chairman of the International Democracy Union, since February 21, 2018; as well as, Leader of the Canadian Alliance party, from March 20, 2002 to December 7, 2003, Leader of the Conservative Party, from March 20, 2004 to October 19, 2015, and Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian Parliament, from May 21, 2002 to January 8, 2004, and again, from March 20, 2004 to February 6, 2006. He was a Member of the Canadian Parliament from Calgary West (AB), from October 25, 1993 to January 14, 1997, and from Calgary Southwest/Calgary Heritage (AB), from May 13, 2002 to August 26, 2016.

Prime Minister Harper is the son of Margaret Frances (Johnston) and Joseph Harris Harper, an accountant at Imperial Oil. His father was born in Moncton, Westmoreland, New Brunswick. He is married to Laureen (Teskey) Harper, with whom he has two children.

Prime Minister Harper has English and Scottish ancestry. Many of his father’s ancestral lines came from the United States to Canada in the mid to late 1700s, and date back to New England in the 1600s. His mother’s ancestry is more heavily Scottish than his father’s, and Prime Minister Harper’s matrilineal line traces back to Scotland.

Prime Minister Harper and Prime Minister Kim Campbell are the only Protestants to have served as Prime Minister of Canada since Lester B. Pearson in 1968 (all other Canadian Prime Ministers since have been Catholic).

Prime Minister Harper’s paternal grandfather was Harris Chapman Harper (the son of Joseph Crandall Harper and Agatha Blanche Chapman). Harris was born in Port Elgin, Westmoreland, New Brunswick. Joseph was the son of Joseph Crandall Harper and Susan Crane. Agatha was the daughter of Harris Tingley Chapman and Eliza Raworth.

Prime Minister Harper’s paternal grandmother was Lena Faye Coy (the daughter of George William Coy, Jr. and Josephine Rebecca Jones). Lena was born in Upper Gagetown, Queens, New Brunswick. George was the son of George W. Coy and Mary Jane Estabrook. Josephine was the daughter of Malcom Jones and Celia Jane Stiles.

Prime Minister Harper’s maternal grandfather was Rupert Fullerton Johnston (the son of Robert Johnston and Margaret/Maggie Henderson). Rupert was born in Grenville County, Ontario. Robert was the son of Hinman Edmond Johnston, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, and of Ellen Fullerton, who was born in Campbellton, Argyleshire, Scotland. Margaret was the daughter of Scottish parents, George Henderson, who was born in Dumfrieshire, and Grace Milligan.

Prime Minister Harper’s maternal grandmother was Catharine Jane Herd (the daughter of Alexander Herd and Margaret/Maggie M. Geddes). Catharine was born in Bentinck, Grey, Ontario. Alexander was the son of English parents, William Herd and Sarah Edmunds. Margaret was the daughter of Scottish parents, Thomas Geddes and Catherine Derby.

Sources: Genealogy of Stephen Harper – https://famouskin.com

Genealogy of Stephen Harper (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.geni.com

Notes on Stephen’s genealogy (focusing on his father’s side) – http://heritage.tantramar.com

Notes on Stephen’s genealogy (focusing on his mother’s side) – http://boards.ancestry.ca

6 Responses

  1. Thistlelicious says:

    Correction/additional info: His paternal grandmother’s line (Lena Fay Coy) traces back to Robert Titus + Hannah Carter and can be found here: http://www.titusfamily.ca

    http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=huppe1&id=I294877 <– I see nothing is this tree that links him back to Elder William Brewster.

    Edmund Freeman Jr (Edmund Freeman + 1st wife Bennett Hodsoll) was first married to Rebecca Prence (Patience Brewster + Gov. Thomas Prence). While Edmund Jr did have a daughter named Sarah she was married to a Richard Landers.

    Sources:
    Freeman Genealogy, compiled by Frederick Freeman, pub 1875

    The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634-1635, Vol. II, C-F, Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society (2001), 576-582. Anderson, Robert Charles and others,

    Mayflower Families in Progress: William Brewster of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four Generations, 3rd edition, Plymouth, Massachusetts: General Society of Mayflower Descendants (2000), 25, 27. Merrick, Barbara Lambert, comp.,

    New England Historical and Genealogical Register, (New England Historic and Genealogical Society), 1866, Vol. 20. p. 353.

    New England Historical and Genealogical Register, (New England Historic and Genealogical Society), 1872, Vol. 26, p. 398.

    New England Historical and Genealogical Register, (New England Historic and Genealogical Society), 1965, Vol. 119, p. 169.

    http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6127309

    ~T~

    • follers says:

      If you follow Stephen Harper’s “Coy” line on geni.com, you’ll see that he’s descended from Jonathan Coy, whose mother, Ann Brewster, was a William Brewster descendant (assuming the tree is accurate).
      http://www.geni.com/people/Rt-Hon-Stephen-Harper-22nd-Prime-Minister-of-Canada/6000000018568396117

      http://www.geni.com/people/Jonathan-Coy/366145015130011729?through=6000000015452835963

      • Thistlelicious says:

        It would be nice to connect Stephen Harper to Elder William Brewster but I haven’t found anything definitive. (I already have a connection to him thru my Titus line)

        There’s this:

        NEHGR, v168, (Jan. 2014) p. 69
        Matthew Coy Family of Preston, Connecticut by Gale Ion Harris, Ph.D., FASG and Co Editor of The Genealogist.
        Children of Matthew and Ann (Brewster) Coy citation references:
        The first three [children i. Daniel, ii. Jonathan and iii. Ruth] are from Bowman, “The Brewster Book,” The Mayflower Descendant (1899), 1:170-71; nos. iv. and v. [children Matthew and Samuel] are placed in this family on the basis of locality, chronology and onomastics.

        Children vi. Mary and vii. Elizabeth both have baptism records from Norwich First Cong. Church and Griswold First Cong. Church respectively.

        There is no proof beyond this that Matthew and Samuel’s parentage is Matthew & Anne (Brewster) that meets the Mayflower Society (GSMD) standards other than Gale Ion Harris, Ph.D., FASG being an authority.

        New England Families Genealogical and Memorial: Third Series, Volume IV
        (The Coy Line). Page 2251

        The earliest settlers of this family were two brothers, who came from Boston, England, Richard Coy, of Salisbury and Boston, Massachusetts, and Matthew Coy, who was born in 1622, and came to this country in 1638. Matthew Coy married Elizabeth Roberts. Children: Matthew, born September 5, 1656; Richard, September 6, 1658; John, September 2, 1666, settled in Beverly; and Samuel, February 19, 1668.

        Samuel Coy, a descendant of Matthew Coy, settled at Norwich, Connecticut, where he married, May 22, 1717, Elizabeth Read. Children, born at Norwich: Abraham, December 22, 1719; Zipporah, April 11, 1721; Samuel, March 5, 1723; Elizabeth, May 3, 1726; and other children.

        Barbour Collection of Vital Records of Conn.
        Vital Records of Stafford, Tolland, Deeds of Windsor, Suffield, etc.
        Samuel Coy and Elizabeth Reed family are all listed on page 169

        History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession by the Indians to the … By Frances Manwaring Caulkins (pub. 1874) states p. 258, Samuel Coy of Newent may have been a brother or son of Matthew Coy but no such connection has been traced. He baptized a son Abraham in 1719.

        If any one has access to the Mayflower Silver Books for descendants of Ann Brewster + Matthew Coy it would be nice to hear from them.

        ~T~

  2. ethnic says:

    Haven’t found a good one yet. Will keep looking.

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