November 12, 2005:
   
Hello!
 
My husband is descended from Dwyers and Cullins who were living in Richmond, Ontario 
in the mid 1830s.  This page -- http://www.bytown.net/philbir.htm -- contains 
information in which we're interested.  In particular, it shows the baptisms of 
two of his great grandfather's sisters:  Ellen Dwyer and Jane Dwyer, born in 1837 
and 1839, respectively, to John Dwyer and Ann(e) Cullin.

I can't document (yet) that John Dwyer and Ann(e) Cullin/Cullen are my husband's 
gr-gr-grandparents, but that's what my mother-in-law told me 25 years ago when 
I was entering family trees in my daughter's baby book.  Oral history also holds 
that her father's family came from Dwyer Hill and the village/area was "named for" 
our family.  Maybe so, but our particular branch of Dwyers were only there for a 
generation before going to the USA.
 
My husband's Dwyer line:
 
John (Papa Jack) Dwyer, b. ~1875 in Canada
William Dwyer, b. ~1834 in Canada
John Dwyer, b. ??, in Ireland (oral history says County Tipperary)
 
That's what I'm trying to verify now, and eventually I'd like to figure out 
when and how the Dwyers arrived.
 
I'll be happy to share what little information I have, and any help you can give 
me would be most appreciated!
 
Renie
___________________

Hi Renie:

Some of the Dwyers who came to the Ottawa area spelled the name "O'Dwyer" in the
early days. There are records for these folks in the three pioneer Catholic Churches
here, namely St. Michael's in Huntley Township, Notre Dame in downtown Ottawa (now
the "mother church" headed by an Archbishop, and also at St. Philip's Church in
Richmond.

Later, St. Clare's Church was built on the Dwyer Hill Road.

Thanks to Ellen Paul for the following:

Recorded at Notre Dame:
29 Aug 1834
Goulbourn   Baptism of William, son of John Dwyer and Anne Cullen
Godparents: John Cullen & Ellen Lackey (probably Leahy)


The following records are from St. Philip's at Richmond:

6 November 1837
Baptism of Ellen, born 25 September same year, legitimate daughter of John Dwyer 
and Anne Cullen. 
The sponsors were Thomas Murray & Ellen Tighe

6 October 1839
Baptism of Jane, born 1 September same year, legitimate daughter of John Dwyer 
and Anne Cullen. 
The sponsors were Joseph McGee & Ellen McGee

16 October 1853 
Baptism of Patrick, born 26 September last of the lawful marriage of 
James Ryan and Mary McEvoy. The sponsors were John Mcarthy and Ann Dwyer of Goulbourn.

20 August 1855
Burial in the cemetery of Richmond of Ann Dwyer, aged 56 yrs., the wife of John Dwyer 
of Goulbourn in the presence of her husband, her sons, Patrick and William Dwyer, 
and many others

13 March 1860
Burial in the cemetery of Richmond of Jane Dwyer, aged 18, daughter of John Dwyer 
and Ann Cullen (deceased) in the presence of a great concourse of people.

There are many more Dwyers recorded - the early names were John, Thomas, Martin,
William, Patrick and Jeremiah. The Dwyers were related to many of the early
settlers in the Ottawa area.
... Al
November 19, 2005:
Hi Renie - I am a decendant of the Gorman's who originated in Ireland and settled 
in Dwyer Hill, Ontario.  The McCabe list makes reference to the Gorman's (Patrick Gorman, ML# 26)
having an uncle, Patrick Dwyer in Ireland and he may be willing to immigrate to Canada.  
I suspect this connection may be part of your family.  You may want to check it further.  
I haven't dug into how the Gorman's and Dwyer's were related but it may get you to 
the correct area in Ireland from where your ancestors originated.
... Mary Quinn
November 21, 2005:
Hi Al,
 
Thank you for setting up the Dwyer / Cullen page on the Bytown website.  It will be 
fun to see if we're able to connect with any long-lost cousins.
 
My husband's great-grandparents, William and Anna Rooney Dwyer, left Canada in 
about 1875 with William's brother John, a Dwyer niece, and several children.  
The family shows up on the 1880 U.S. census in Union Township, Shelby County, 
Iowa, USA, as follows:
 
Dwyer, William, head, age 46
Dwyer, Anna R., wife, age 35
Dwyer, Edmund, son, age 10, b. Canada
Dwyer, Elena, daughter, age 9, b. Canada
Dwyer, Jane, daughter, age 7, b. Canada
Dwyer, John, son, age 5, b. Canada [my husband's grandfather]
Dwyer, Mary A., daughter, age 4, b. Iowa
Dwyer, Emma, daughter, age 3, b. Iowa
Dwyer, James R., son, age 9/12, b. Iowa
Dwyer, Emma, niece, 12
Dwyer, John, brother, age 55
 
Sometime between 1884 and 1900 the family moved again; Anna Dwyer, now widowed, 
shows up on the 1900 U.S. census in Precinct 15, Cedar County, Nebraska, as follows:
 
Dwyer, Anna, head, age 57
Dwyer, Jennie/Janie, daughter, age 28, b. Canada
Dwyer, John, son, age 26, b. Canada
Dwyer, Anna, daughter, age 24, b. Iowa
Dwyer, Emma E., daughter, age 22, b. Iowa
Dwyer, James R., son, age 21, b. Iowa
Dwyer, Edith, daughter, age 18, b. Iowa
Dwyer, Emmett, son, age 15, b. Iowa
 
The growing (extended) family shows up close by in 1910, 1920, and 1930; in fact, 
Dwyers still live in the area and, as far as I know, still farm the same property 
they've held since at least 1910.
 
Thanks for your help!  I may be in touch with additional questions.
 
Renie
December 21, 2005:
Renie,
 
My Grandfather - John Dwyer (Pappa Jack) farmed near Randolph, Nebraska.  
He was born in Dwyer Hill, Canada on 13 November 1873.  One of John's sons, Louis, 
farmed the home place for a number of years and I used to help on the farm as a kid.
 
I am just getting into the history of the Dwyer's.  I passed through Dwyer Hill, 
Canada years ago but was unable to get into the church there or speak to anyone in 
the area - no one was home!
I have some more info and would be eager to share what I have.
 
John Dwyer

March 11, 2006:

Jay et al., 
My husband John and I are piecemeal exploring the backgrounds of our respective 
families and I came across your email addresses when I began looking at the keyword 
“Dwyer Hill, Ontario”.  I know you, Jay (my dear first cousin), had a Dwyer family 
history tree in 1995 and I want to ask you all for whatever updated information you 
may have and what computer program you use/recommend for us rank beginners (Mac users).

Got contacted by Jan Friend from Lakewood, Washington, whose grandfather was one 
of John Dwyer’s sibs.  She keeps feeding me family history on the geneology and I 
asked her to send some more info that she recently received relative to the Dwyer 
family.  (It would be on hard copy, but I can scan what I have and send it to you all 
in a few weeks, if interested.) She said Anna & Papa Jack’s brood was the most 
prolific of the bunch.

Totally confusing, eh?  Salutes to you all!
... Debbie DWYER Batjer
____________________________
Deb, 
Greetings.  Hope all is well with you.  I would be most anxious to get anything 
about the family.  Several years ago, I spent a day in the Canadian National Archives 
but was unable to come up with anything of substance.  I have dabbled a bit lately but 
have not made any progress into the Dwyer's before Canada!  I really would like to trace 
the Irish end down.  When we were in Ireland a few years ago, I went to Cobb (County Cork) where they 
have a genealogy center (that's where most of the boats left Ireland for the "new world").  
But, true to the laid back Irish, they were closed for the holidays even though they were 
supposed to be open!  
I use Family Tree Maker by Broderbund Software (don't know if they have a Mac version) 
and have a bunch of stuff on it.  I will gladly send you anything that I have.
BTW.  I have found some inconsistencies with the dates etc., in the history that Lou had 
put together and am trying to reconcile them through census records etc.
My long range plan is to update the history Lou did.  I plan to hit the cemeteries this 
spring/summer to double check dates etc.
 
... Jay   
_____________________________

The McCabe list is a document regarding early Irish immigration to Canada.  Part of my 
family ~  Gorman ~ appear on this list.  To follow is the transcription:
26 GORMAN Patrick        Tipperary       Makarky           Liskeeveen
Patrick Gorman, has a father and Uncle both having large families, the name of the former 
is Patrick, and the latter Anthony Dwyer, they reside at Liskeevan, near Thurles in the 
Co. of Tipperary; they are known to James Lanigan (Lannigan / Landrigan) of Castle Fogarty.
    The reason I think this information is important in your Dwyer research is because 
    the McCabe lists very early emigrants (prior to 5 February 1829) in Canada ~ and 
    their relatives in Ireland who may be interested in coming to Canada.  The Gorman's 
    settled in what later became Dwyer Hill.  A name that has appeared in our family for 
    many generations is Anthony Gorman.
    Also in the Belden atlas of 1879 it states, "Besides Richmond, above described, 
    there are a number of small Villages in Goulbourn, none however, of any size or 
    importance.  One of these is Dwyer's Hill, where is a Post Office, near the south-western 
    boundary of the Township, on the Perth and Richmond Road.  The two chief reasons of 
    the locality being so named are explained by the name itself ~ Mr. Dwyer having located 
    on the "Hill" among the earliest settlers in the vicinity.  There is a tri-weekly mail.  
    The Post Office, and also a small store, the only evidences of a "village" are kept 
    by a Mr. Rathwell."
    I believe that your Dwyer's came to the area due to their connection to the Gormans 
    who had already settled here.  I would check further into the County of Tipperary, 
    the Parish of Makarky and the Townland of Liskeeveen for your Dwyer roots.
... Mary Quinn
 April 25, 2006:

I am submitting the following for the bytown web page on John Dwyer and Ann Cullen:  
... Leone Rodriguez  
E-Mail: Leonerodriguez@aol.com 
(great, great granddaughter of John Dwyer via William Dwyer, Edmond Dwyer, and Erma 
Dwyer Montague)

On the family of John Dwyer, born in County Carlow, Ireland, circa 1791 and died 
in Ottawa on April 20, 1875, and Ann Cullen, born in Ireland circa 1800 and died 
in Ottawa on August 18 1855 at age 56, and the naming of Dwyer Hill: 

John Dwyer came to Canada as a member of the 100th Regiment of Foot in the British 
Army.  On Page 22 of a Regiment Roster, a copy of which was sent to me by Donna 
Keays-Hockey, Curator, Goulbourn Museum, John Dwyer is listed as 5 feet 6 inches 
tall, and 24 years old, when he enlisted in Dublin for unlimited service, as attested 
on April 15, 1816.  He was a laborer with a fair complexion, hazel eyes, and brown 
hair.  He was born in Dunleckny Parish, which is in Bagenalstown, in County Carlow, 
Leinster Province, Ireland.  "Muinebheag" is the official name of the town , although 
"Muine Bheag" or Bagenalstown are commonly used.  Baptismal records from Dunleckny 
Parish show that there were Dwyers living there in 1820 and after, though the 
relationship between those individuals and our ancestor John has not been established.  
 

Researcher Holly Andreozzi Crownover, who traveled to the Dwyer Hill area to gather 
information, located the following entry regarding the grant of land to John Dwyer: 
“John Dwyer, Yeoman... received 100 acres...in the Township of Goulbourn, Carleton 
County, Ontario, Cnd...from War of 1812...in a Crown Grant..." [transcript part of 
land petition of John Dwyer, as a private on discharge from 99th Regiment of Foot, 
1818. Upper Canada Land Petition (RG 1, L 3) submitted by John Dwyer. 1834 -- volume 
161, part 1, D 18/116; Microfilm reel C-1877, Canada”   

 “The Story of the 100th Regiment of Foot – For King and Canada” by A. Barry Roberts, 
 published in 2004 by the Goulbourn Township Historical Society and Museum, lists 
 John Dwyer, among the “Index of Names of those Members of the One-Hundredth Regiment 
 of Foot (later renumbered as the Ninety-Ninth) who Settled in Goulbourn Township 
 after the War of 1812” (Appendix 13, page 239).  He was 26 years old when he was 
 granted the 100 acres at Concession 3, Lot 6W.  That property is now located at what 
 is now the intersection of Dwyer Hill Road (Ottawa Road 3) and Franktown Road 
 (County Road 3). 

In the same Index of names is John Cullen, a private who was born in Derry County and 
who enlisted in the 100th Regiment of Foot in 1813 at the age of 20.  John Cullen was 
granted 100 acres at Concession 6, Lot 13W.  It is highly probable that the Ann Cullen 
who married John Dwyer was the sister of this John Cullen, and therefore from Derry 
County.  It is not known how Ann Cullen reached Canada and traveled to the Goulbourn area, 
but it is unlikely that she would have traveled so far if she were not going to meet a 
relative already living there.  This was called “chain migration” and was a common 
form of immigration with folks leaving their homeland to join those who had already 
left and established themselves in a new land.   However it came to be, Ann Cullen/Cullin 
immigrated to Canada before the potato famine drove more than a million folks from 
Ireland from 1845 to 1849/50 but nonetheless at a time when opportunities were not 
good in Ireland due to the effects of the Napoleonic Wars.   

John Dwyer was listed in the 1820, the 1821 (as of February 17, 1821), and the 1822 
(as of April 20, 1822) agricultural census reports of Goulbourn Township as the only 
person in his household, indicating that he did not marry until sometime after 
April 1822. In the 1820 Census of Goulbourn Township, John Cullin was listed as living 
alone.  In the 1821 Census for Goulbourn, James Cullin and John Cullin were listed as 
sole members of their respective households.  So Ann Cullen most-likely arrived in 
Canada after April of 1822.   

And sometime between April 1822 and when their oldest son Patrick Dwyer was born 
(listed as January 1823 in the 1900 US Census as mentioned below, John Dwyer and Ann
Cullen were married.  Anne Cullen Dwyer died August 20, 1855 in Carleton Co, Ontario, 
Canada and is buried at Richmond, Ontario, Canada, St. Philips Cemetery.  St. Philip’s 
Church records show that her husband John and sons Patrick and William, along with 
others, attended her services.  More about the marriage and the children of John 
Dwyer and Ann Cullen will be supplied shortly. 

The Naming of Dwyer Hill after John Dwyer 

Regarding the naming of Dwyer Hill,  the “Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County 
of Carleton,” an important reference originally published in 1879 by H. Belden & Co., 
Toronto, states on page 251, that “The two chief reasons of the locality being so 
named are explained by the name itself -- Mr. Dwyer having located on the "Hill" 
among the earliest settlers in the vicinity.”  This early settler was John Dwyer, 
not his grandson Edward A. Dwyer who later lived in the area and played an important 
role in the community and St. Clare’s Catholic Mission. 

A. Barry Roberts, on page 193 of “For King and Canada”, also credits John Dwyer as 
the person after whom the area was named: “soldier’s lands became dotted by fledgling 
communities with names like Dwyer Hill [after Private John Dwyer], Stapledon, Munster, 
Stanley Corners, and Stittsville.”  The acreage granted to John Dwyer (Concession 3, 
Lot 6W) is bounded on the west by Dwyer Hill Road. The descendants of John Dwyer, 
whose family stories came from the son William Dwyer who moved to Iowa in the 
United States around 1874, consistently refer to Dwyer Hill as the place of birth 
of the oldest children of William Dwyer and Anne Rooney Dwyer.  In fact, the 
Canadian Census of 1871 shows William and Ann Dwyer living next to John Dwyer, 
then a widower, and his son John [Johnny] Dwyer (Goulbourn, Division 2, Page 35, 
families 109 and 110). 

William and Anne Dwyer and children, and Johnny Dwyer, moved to Iowa in 1874.   The 
elder John Dwyer died in April 1875 (the gravestone of John Dwyer and Ann Cullen Dwyer 
is at St. Philips Cemetery in Richmond, Ontario, Canada).  By that time another son, 
Patrick Dwyer, had already left for the United States.  Thus, when Belden's 
“Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Carleton” was published in 1879, there 
was no Dwyer living in Dwyer Hill. The map included in the Illustrated Atlas (pages 
128-129) lists a Mr. Rich Rowe as living on the property originally granted to John 
Dwyer (concession 3, lot 6W).  At this time there was already a Dwyer Hill Post Office.  
The listing of postmasters in the Library and Archives of Canada shows that the 
post office was first established on October 1, 1872, with A.T. Rothwell as postmaster.  
As indicated below, the grandson Edward Dwyer would have been only 11 years old when 
the Dwyer Hill post office was named.  He was, however, the postmaster from June 1913 
to March 1930.

While no Dwyer was listed as owner or principal resident of property at Dwyer Hill in 
1879, by 1881 there was a Dwyer living just a bit down the road.  And he is sometimes 
mistakenly believed to have been the “Old Man Dwyer” after whom the area was named. 

Edward Arthur Dwyer was the grandson of John Dwyer and the son of Patrick Dwyer and 
Margaret Hodnett / Hodnett Dwyer.  According to his gravestone at St Clare’s Catholic 
Church, Dwyer Hill, he was born on July 24, 1861 and died February 13, 1940.  After 
his birth, his parents moved to the United States, reportedly in 1870.  In the 1900 
US Census, they are reported in Oswegatchie Town, Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, 
New York, (dwelling 103 family 111) as having immigrated to the U.S. in 1870 and having 
had 7 children, of which 3 were living, none in their immediate household.  In this 
census report, the birth date of Patrick Dwyer is reported as January 1823 and the 
birth date of Margaret Hodnett Dwyer is reported as December 1832. The parents of 
Margaret Hodnett were Philip Hodnett, who died in 1875 at age 87 and his wife Mary 
(Margaret) Haggerty (born circa 1808), who died at age 91 in 1892.  Both are buried at 
the St Clare's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Dwyer Hill.  In the 1871 Canadian Census, 
Philip and Mary Hodnett, and their unmarried daughter Ellen, were living at concession 
1, lot 5 (division 2, family 13, page 38).  This is now at the intersection of Dwyer 
Hill Road and Purdy Road, across Dwyer Hill Road from St. Clare Catholic Church. 

On the map included in the Illustrated Atlas of 1879, concession 1, lot 5, was listed 
as belonging to the “P. Hornett Estate” (although Mary Hodnett lived until March of 
1892 as listed on her gravestone.  The map indicates that a church was  on the property, 
which was undoubtedly the first site of the St. Clare’s Mission.  

By the 1881 Census, Philip Hodnett had died, and Mary Hodnett was a 73 year old widow.  
Living with her were the unmarried daughter Ellen Hodnett and young Edward Dwyer, 
then age 19.   

Edward Dwyer married Elizabeth O’Brien, 29, of  Marlboro, Wolford, the daughter of  
Patrick O’Brien & Elizabeth Kenney  The witnesses were Edward’s neighbor Edward Lyng  
and Elizabeth’s relative,  Rose O’Brien of Wolford.  The marriage took place on June 
20, 1899, at the Merrickville Roman Catholic Church (as listed in the microfilm of 
Registered Marriages in Leeds and Grenville, Ontario, Canada, 1899 #009614-99).  In 
the 1901 Census (Goulbourn, division 1, page 1, family 1), Edward Dwyer and his wife 
Leila and the unmarried Ellen Hodnett were still living on concession 1, lot 5. However, 
the acreage was only 99, presumably because Edward had donated land for the Catholic 
Church. 

The following two paragraphs are from "The Heritage of Goulbourn: A Driving Tour" 
by Bonny Riedel, Sponsored by the Goulbourn Township Local Architectural Conservation 
Advisory Committee.   

“The first St. Clare's Church was a wooden structure built in 1890. It was situated 
across from the cemetery on Dwyer Hill Road. It was used as a Parish Hall, once the 
present church was built, until 1960 when it was demolished. It was in that year 
that the present Parish Hall, adjacent to the parking lot of the church, was built.

The land on which the original church was built is recorded in the Assessment Roll 
for the Township of Goulbourn for the year 1889 as having belonged to Edward Dwyer, 
for whom the area is named, and later, in 1915, the land on which the new church was 
built is listed as the property of Thomas Lyng. It is probable that, as was the 
custom of the time, these two men, both prominent members of the church, each 
donated the land for the churches at the time when they were built.” 

Edward Dwyer did donate land, and his personal time to his community and to this church 
(see the many inclusions of his name as sponsor or witness to baptisms, marriages and 
funerals posted at http://www.bytown.net//stclare.htm).  His gravestone is located 
at the St. Clare Catholic Cemetery in Dwyer Hill.  However, the credit for the 
naming of Dwyer Hill belongs to his grandfather, our ancestor, John Dwyer who came 
to Canada as a soldier and stayed to make it his, and thus our,  home.  

... Leone Rodriguez