Unravelling a Family

from

Ireland to Ontario

1768 - 1890

With a sojourn in

Hemmingford Township

Quebec

The facts as presented:

Some sparse primary and much more secondary information, and many compiled notes concerning a family were presented. Thought to have been from the area around Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland, the patriarch was known to have been buried somewhere in Hemmingford  Township, Quebec, in 1842, reputedly aged about 74 years. His wife died there in 1862, and at least one son (one of seven children of the patriarch) received a land grant in Hemmingford, but eventually made his way to Glamorgan Township, Haliburton County, Ontario. He died there in 1890.

The challenge:

Would I be able to locate documents and answer questions relative to a long list of desires - all prior to a trip planned from home in the north-west United States to the Quebec and Ontario locations in a few weeks time? Certainly!

The results:

Very detailed directions to the residential locations held by members of this family in both Hemmingford Township, Quebec, and Glamorgan Township, Ontario, were developed. Detailed descriptions of the time and direction of movements of family members were presented - using primary land title transaction records from both Quebec and Ontario; census records from both provinces, 1842 - 1901; land grant records from both provinces were identified; and more. A 'most likely' time line for the family's initial arrival at Quebec, and move down to Hemmingford Township was established. Specific burial places for the patriarch and his wife were confirmed, copies of the original burial register records were obtained, and an old transcript of the now weathered memorial stone was found. Linkages with siblings of the man who moved to Ontario were discovered and reported on, along with movement timelines and associations at both ends of the migration.

The trip apparently went ahead as planned, and I was informed that the directions to the properties I had provided were 'perfect'!

The Reponse:

"Thanks for your thorough research and timeliness. I'm leaving in a couple of days to go back east and then up to Toronto/Montreal. I really appreciate your work so my travel time will be productive. I'm so happy I found you".

- - - - Project No. 220719 (Completed 28 August 2022)