November 4, 2011:
The village of Mayo, Quebec lies across the Ottawa River, just north-east of the City of Ottawa, Canada. Many
of the pioneer settlers came here from County Mayo, in Ireland, both before and during the Irish famine of 1846-1851.

St. Malachy's Church, Mayo, Quebec



Father Clement Braceland suggested and led the congregation to build a shrine 
in honour of our Lady of Knock be built in Mayo, Quebec.  
Mayo is a tiny village with its residents proud of their Irish heritage and the 
faith their forefathers brought with them.

There's a story attached to the shrine.  A young man, Gerard Cloonan arrived 
to work in Montreal.  In less than a week he was killed in a construction 
accident.   He had no family, no friends; people only knew he was from Ireland.  

The Irish community undertook the responsibility for his burial...somehow 
this was in Mayo, Quebec. In 1967 pilgrims from Montreal and Ottawa replaced 
the wooden cross which marked Gerard Cloonan's gravesite with a marble monument.  

In 1990 Gerard's family came to Mayo, Quebec and were able to place a wreath on 
the gravesite.

It is said Gerard had been chosen by Our Blessed Mother for a special mission: 
to unite the immigrant descendants from County Mayo, Ireland.

My own father is buried in this cemetery.

Mayo is really just a crossroads, with the church, cemetery and a few homes,
northeast of Buckingham.

A white church with a green roof, the shrine is built onto the side of the church.  
The pilgrimage is celebrated with mass and later in the day a walk to the cemetery.  

It's a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Be there this year, the 50th anniversary of the Shrine, August 15th!

I am presently working to build a database of early settlers in the Mayo, Quebec area.

Carol Truesdell,
researching Preston, Cleland, Truesdell, Beaudin
_____________________
Note: The above message was posted to CAN-MONTREAL-IRISH-L@rootsweb.com
Reproduced here with permission from Carol.


The RC Church at Buckingham was a mission of the Diocese of Montreal before there
was a church presence in Bytown. After Notre Dame in Bytown was established in the
late 1820's, many of the residents of Buckingham, some of whom were seasonal
lumber workers from Bytown, transacted their birth, marriage and death registrations
at Bytown. My Great Grandfather, James Burns, was born at Buckingham in 1833 and the
birth is recorded at Notre Dame in Bytown where the family lived ... Al

Some of the pioneer families, as supplied by Carol Truesdell are :
Baker, Belter, Brady, Burke, Cain (Kane), Cavan, Connor, Conroy, Cooligan, 
Dent, Doherty, Dunnigan, Garvey, Kelly, Lavell, Maloney, McAlendin, 
McAndrew, McCoy, McDonnell, McMahon, McNamara, McNulty, Murphy, O'Leary, 
Preston, Rowan, Walsh ............to name a few!!

Here are a couple of baptisms recorded at Notre Dame:
(Thanks to Ellen Paul): 
6 Jul 1832     
Baptism of Anna, 3 mos. old, daughter to Terence McGuire and Anna Cosgrove of Buckingham, Lower Canada     
Witnesses: Terence Cosgrove and Mistress Finch

19 Apr 1833
Marriage of Patrick Cosgrove and Maria McAndrews of Buckingham 
Witnesses: Hugh Gorman / Gormley & Peggy Burke

Pioneer from County Mayo: Bartholomew COOLICAN / COOLIGAN
1808-1877


Here are Patrick Cosgrove and Maria in the 1881 Census:
1881 Census Place:	Buckingham, Ottawa, Quebec, Canada
	Source:	FHL Film 1375860  NAC C-13224  Dist 97  SubDist A  Div 1  Page 20  Family 72
	Sex	Marr	Age	Origin	Birthplace
Patrick COSGROVE	M	M	76	Irish	Ireland
	Occ:	Farmer	Religion:	Catholic	
Mary COSGROVE	F	M	74	Irish	Ireland
			Religion:	Catholic	
Richard COSGROVE	M		27	Irish	Quebec
	Occ:	Farmer	Religion:	Catholic	
______________________

and some Gormans:
1881 Census Place:	Buckingham, Ottawa, Quebec, Canada
	Source:	FHL Film 1375860  NAC C-13224  Dist 97  SubDist A  Div 1  Page 15  Family 57
	Sex	Marr	Age	Origin	Birthplace
Patrick GORMAN	M	M	43	Irish	Quebec
	Occ:	Farmer	Religion:	Catholic	
An GORMAN	F	M	37	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic	
Emma GORMAN	F		14	Irish	Quebec
	Occ:	Going To School	Religion:	Catholic	
Ann GORMAN	F		12	Irish	Quebec
	Occ:	Going To School	Religion:	Catholic	
Agnes GORMAN	F		10	Irish	Quebec
	Occ:	Going To School	Religion:	Catholic	
Mary Mitilda GORMAN	F		8	Irish	Quebec
	Occ:	Going To School	Religion:	Catholic	
Philip GORMAN	M		7	Irish	Quebec
	Occ:	Going To School	Religion:	Catholic	
Louisa GORMAN	F		5	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic	
Henery GORMAN	M		2	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic	
Helena GORMAN	F		1	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic	
	Born:	Jan; 2/12
_______________________
and the Coolican family: (you have to watch the spelling on the 1881 census!)
	
1881 Census Place:	Buckingham, Ottawa, Quebec, Canada
	Source:	FHL Film 1375860  NAC C-13224  Dist 97  SubDist A  Div 1  Page 11  Family 40
	Sex	Marr	Age	Origin	Birthplace
John CULICAN	M	M	40	Irish	Quebec
	Occ:	Farmer	Religion:	Catholic	
Ellen CULICAN	F	M	30	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic	
Edward CULICAN	M		5	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic	
Mary CULICAN	F		3	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic	
Daniel CULICAN	M		2	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic	
John CULICAN	M		1	Irish	Quebec
			Religion:	Catholic



	
	Born:	Feb; 2/12
June 11, 2004:
Dawn Copeman is researching the family of John McNAMARA and Winnifred ROWAN 
June 27, 2004:
Patti Meyers is researching the Garvey and Burke families from Buckingham and Mayo

December 28, 2004:
Lynn is researching her ancestors -- John Rae and Margaret O'Neil -- also in 
the Mayo area.
January 6, 2006:
Hello all, 

Have you heard about the reunion of descendants to the original settlers to 
the Mayo / Buckingham / Thurso area?  

http://irishcanadiansettlers.myevent.com (or click here)

Pass the word along…. 

Hope to see all of you there in August. 

... Carol
August 17, 2006:

Helen Hogan and Brian McGuire are both researching the family of 
Joseph Edward McGUIRE and Margaret Helen DOHERTY / DOUGHERTY.
This family was in the Mayo, Quebec area in the 1880's and later in Ottawa.

January 22, 2007:
Sean Hayes is researching his Conroy and Weatherdon ancestors in the Mayo, 
Mulgrave and Derry area.


February 25, 2011:

John MIDDLESTEDT / MIDDLESTATE and Appolonia Von ARNDT came from Germany to the Mayo, Quebec, area, in the 1860's.