June 2, 2005:

Robert and Al,
 
John/"Johnathon" Carson was mostly likely one of the "municipal officer holders" 
whom you mentioned Robert, so thank you so much for posting that item.  I would love 
a citation for that reference.  I believe that Carson Road in Gloucester may have 
been named after him, as that was the location of his original farm, at the present 
corner of Montreal and Carson Roads, but have no evidence for that fact of the road 
having been named after him, but the locale suggests the link. 
 
John was in the early censuses/maps for Gloucester with his family, having 
immigrated in the 1820s with his family from Ireland.  Some records indicate that 
this was the first Gloucester suburb after John sold.  What is fun is that I 
lived so close by for a time and we rode bikes along the road and knew the 
communities of Carson Grove and Carson Woods, without knowing of the family? connection 
to the locale. Now, of course, I am very curious!  When I lived there, Carson Road 
was the location of a government language school, and there was another John Carson 
(former head of the Public Service Commission) who was a senior public servant.  
However, my research showed that the name of the road pre-dates the school or the 
tenure of the executive John.  Would love to know of some resources on Gloucester 
street naming!  
 
Should any of your readers be CARSON descendents, I am actively researching this family. 

... Leslie
 June 19, 2008:

The village of Carsonby is located between Manotick and North Gower village. Leslie Grauer
is researching her Carson ancestors after whom Carsonby was named:

Hi Al and John,

Al, you are a historical keener, for sure!  Getting out there....  Thank you 
for your venue (your excellent website) to share my research findings.  I 
hope that you enjoyed the drive to the location of my gggrandparents' 
homestead.  ... nice time of year to venture into the countryside around 
Ottawa!  It IS a small world, but one with a VERY large history of 
inter-twined early Eastern Ontario families.   I think that starting a new 
Carsonby page would be a fine idea, hopefully linked to North Gower data, if 
possible, as some people who lived there early were EASTMANs (I think they 
were there first), CRAIGs, ORRs, MCEWANs, MONTGOMERYs, MOFFATTs etc.(see 
1852 census) and identified with North Gower Twp. vs. Carsonby, per se. 
Some of these other families have earlier roots in the Upper Ottawa Valley, 
the U.S. and the Cornwall area as loyalists and settled there before the 
CARSONs.  Carsonby was settled mostly in the 1830's, although land grants 
were distributed, but many not "improved" earlier, so were sold.  I am 
fairly sure that my gggrandparents, Eliza Carson and Thomas Craig held land 
on the corners near the sign that you have filmed!, if one compares the lots 
and maps and census records across times.  The Rideau Archives in North 
Gower sells (at least they did in 2003/4), a book written by a descendent of 
the Carsons.  This book is also online at http://www.nosracines.ca/ and has 
photos of my family and some others from the area.  The senior Gloucester 
CARSONs are also mentioned in Robert Gourlay's 1896 book, also online, 
around p.105-111, as I recal (online)l.  Personally, I have sooo much data 
about the descendents that I have not yet found the time to verify and enter 
it all into my database, but I do have the data from other sources!

In 1852 at least, children Robert, James, Charles and Eliza (m. Thomas 
CRAIG) CARSON lived in/near Carsonby.  They probably received the town 
namesake by their numbers, local names for locales or connections, as some 
relatives (CRAIG) were reeves.  Other siblings settled in Finch Twp., 
Stormont County and Cumberland, south and east of Ottawa, as well in the US. 
All were born in Ireland (most likely County Tyrone) and immigrated with 
their parents and other siblings to Gloucester circa 1829 - 1834.  Their 
parents were John CARSON and Mary CUMMINGS.  My research suggests that 
Mary's brother or her close relative was Charles CUMMINGs of Cummings Island 
in Ottawa, as Charles appears to have resided with his "brother-in-law" ??? 
(having no land, but enumerated with them) when he first immigrated in the 
mid 1830's).  Both "brothers-in-law" initially were settled in "The Gore" of 
Gloucester in the mid-30's, but then John purchased the Montreal & Carson 
Road quarry / farm property and Charles bought "the Island" before 1840.  Many 
roads in Gloucester (in Ottawa suburbs east of today's St. Laurent shopping 
Centre up to the Carson Grove neighbourhood) are named for the Carsons and 
Cummings relatives, Borthwick, Carson and Ogilvie Roads being among these.

When I took my children for bike rides and ground-hog watching on/near 
Carson Road in the 1970/80s, I had no clue that I was walking on my ggggrand 
parents' land!  How amazing is this!!!!  Neither did I pay attention to the 
origins of the road names we drove on them going about our lives as a busy 
family.  After all, I and my parents were born in western Canada and I had 
only vague inklings of my Ontario roots at that time.  Who would have known 
that my very own grandparents were married there, in CARSONBY, even though 
they both resided in Alberta in 1891, had I not researched this?

In another e-mail, I can link you to my SMIRLE and COWLEY ancestors (who also have 
roads and records in Ottawa [near Richmond Road etc.] and  links to the 
Carsonby families.

... Leslie

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web Bytown or Bust