Lieutenant Colonel John BY, R.E., 1783-1836
Royal Sappers and Miners
Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
May 29, 2008:
The following drawing (bust?) of Lieutenant Colonel John By is from For King and Country: Lieutenant Colonel John By, R.E.,
by Mark Andrews, 1998, ISBN 0-9684014-0-6, page 50.
Hello,
I’ve been searching the web to find where John By’s Estate was. Apparently some of my
ancestors lived on the estate in the late 1860s. Do you have any idea where the property was?
Thank you!
Rebecca Macdonald
_____________________
Al,
Thank you for your response to my e-mail! It would be awesome if you could get your hands
on that map. I did see a map with the Sparks property noted. If only those men knew what
their property would look like today – I guess it’s beyond any imagination during their day!
Yes, you can add my e-mail address.
Are you aware of any directories for Ottawa from the time 1868 to 1880? That is when our
family (James and Elizabeth Connor) lived there.
Actually . . . another branch of our family John "Charles" Bacon + Annie Beatrice Bartlett
also lived in Ottawa at the end of 1800s and early 1900s. They were married in St. George's
Church on April 26, 1903. I don't know when they came to Canada. Charles worked for the
Ogilvy family of Montreal and Annie was the lady in waiting for Lady Minto before Annie
got married. After Charles and Annie got married they lived on the Ogilvy property
(in Montreal) as Charles continued working for them for many years. If you have any
resources that can help me find which boat they came from England on that would be
awesome too.
Thank you!
... Rebecca
_____________________
Rebecca, here is a map showing the extent of the By estate in downtown Ottawa. Barrack's
Hill is where our Parliament Buildings are today. The By estate was bounded by Maria Street,
now Laurier Avenue to the north, Bronson Avenue on the west (Concession Line Road on the map),
Gladstone Avenue to the south, and the Rideau River in the east.
... Al
Map Source: Ottawa, An Illustrated History by John H. Taylor, 1986, James Lorimer and Company,
Publishers, ISBN 0-88862-981-8, page 14
Keywords for the search engine: Thomas McKay, Rideau Falls, Rideau River, Rideau Canal,
Nicholas Sparks, Sandy Hill (Louis T. Besserer), Wrightstown, Bradish Billings, Chaudiere Falls,
Captain John Lebreton (Lebreton Flats), Major's Hill Park and Uppertown.
May 31, 2008:
Colonel By's House in 1861
Photo Source: Dr. Lucien Brault, Ottawa Old and New, pages 80-81
E-mail Rebecca and Al Lewis
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