June 24, 2008:

Hi Al:

I'm sending along some information that I discovered listing some of the
surveyors working on the Ottawa river and tributaries between 1844 and 1849.
Names include: Falls, McNaughton, McDermott, Bell, Divine / Devine,
Sinclair, Harper, Hazlett & Elmore. The lot subdivisions of Bytown are also
mentioned.
... Linda Falls
_______________________

Hi Linda:

Thanks very much for this table of surveyors and surveys between 1844 and 1849.

The following table, which you sent in, shows the major surveying projects completed in the
Ottawa River watershed. After your table come two maps, showing the evolution of the Lot "O"
area in Lowertown at the time. 

Here is your table:






It's interesting that the surveys done during this time frame cover the area from Bytown
and as far west as Mattawa, Ontario. The Mississippi River joins the Ottawa River at Galetta
(Fitzroy Township), the Madawaska goes through Arnprior, the Bonnechere River empties into
the Ottawa at Renfrew, the Chalk River flows through the town of Chalk River. Bissett Creek 
enters the Ottawa River near the village of Stonecliff not far from Driftwood Provincial Park. 
It supports a population of native speckled trout in it's upper reaches in Algonquin Park.
But there I go reminiscing again. See map of the Ottawa River Watershed.

The first map, below, is from Professor Bruce Elliott's history of Nepean, The City Beyond. 
It shows the boundaries of the early survey done by Michael McDermott and the later survey done by Robert Bell. 
Bell's survey shows the location of the homes of 50 families, including some squatters, 
some of whom are on the McCabe List of 1829. Samuel Bingham, who had property in this area,
was a well-to-do lumber baron. I'll add the fifty names to this page and will make them into
clickable links so we can see the movement of these folks to other parts of the region.
For example, #12 on the map, William Garrett, after leaving Dalhousie Street, between
Bolton and Boteler streets, became a successful farmer in Osgoode Township. He had arrived in 
Bytown from County Wicklow, Ireland c. 1840.






  


June 25, 2008:

At the top of the map is New Edinburgh, where the Honourable Thomas McKay's property is shown.
Almost all of the families living in Letter "O" became inter-related. See list below for many inter-connections.
Most of their marriages and births are recorded in the Drouin Records for Notre Dame Church on Sussex Drive. The Drouin Records are
available through ancestry.ca . 

The names on the map are:

1.  Joseph Turan (am pretty sure that this is Joseph Turgeon, later mayor of Ottawa)
2.  Mrs. Boyle
3.  Thomas Lacy / Lacey married to Elizabeth Boyle
4.  John Tompkins - possibly married to Elizabeth Traynor
5.  Patrick Dooling / Dowling / Dolan - married to Ann Kane / Keane
6.  Richard Mulhall
7.  Michael Davey or Deevy
8.  Robert Kincade
9.  John Flynn - married to Mary Kelly or Eliza Heffernan
10. John Kilt - married to Margaret Kehoe / Keough, I think
11. Darby Rony / Roney (married to Ellen McDermott)
12. William Garrett
13. Thomas Kane / Keane
14. William Kane
15. Patrick Reddington  (married to Margaret Kane / Keane, later to Osgoode and then to Pontiac County, Quebec (see map))
16. Martin Corbit / Corbett married to Mary Boyle
17. Thomas Kane
18. John Lee - in 1848, John was the widower of Bridget Boyle
19. M. McCormick
20. John Fitzgerald
21. William Panquet ?
22. Michael Brennan
23. W. Bambrick
24. P. Calahan / Callahan
25. Martin Reynolds (married to Maria Nash)
26. James Frain / Frahan / Frane
27. School House
28. John Smyth (Smith?)
29. John Boyle (married to Ann Cusick)
30. John Dunford and John Donaher
31. Charles Welsh / Walsh
32. William Adams
33. Edward Bambrick 
34. John Brunagan / Branagan
35. Michael Cusack / Cusick (married to Ellen Henry)
36. Hugh Kerr
37. Gustavus Clemens (Joseph Clement?)
38. Alex Ramsay
39. Samuel Bingham (lumber baron, later mayor?, married to Sarah Fitzpatrick)
40. James Ogleby -- from County Antrim by 1829, ML# 421
41. P. McLaughlan
42. Mrs. Holiday
43. Michael McLean
44. Patrick Welsh / Walsh
45. James Gorman
46. James Esdale
47. William Hackett (occupation Joiner, married Sarah Ferris)
48. Mrs. Whitehead
49. James O'Brien
50. Austin Joyce (married to Bridget McDonell / Mcdonald)


The next document is a map from Professor John Taylor's book Ottawa: An Illustrated History.
This map shows the political ward boundaries in the City of Ottawa in 1855. Letter "O" is
the area covered by Ottawa Ward.



  



The above three documents show the evolution of the northern part of Lowertown in downtown 
Ottawa during an important decade of our history, 1845-1855. In the late 1840's, thousands 
of famine Irish arrived and landed along this stretch of the Ottawa River. Most of them later
moved on to join earlier Irish settlers in the neighbouring townships. While they were
in Lowertown, our local health and welfare infrastructure was built up. Sheds were built
along the river to accomodate the new Irish immigrants, some of whom had typhoid fever.
Also, Sister Elizabeth Bruyere and the Grey Nuns were established to provide health and 
educational services. Finally, in 1855, Bytown became the City of Ottawa.

 
E-mail Linda Falls and Al Lewis



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