William WILLIS and Esther LEACH
County Wexford, Ireland to Beckwith Township, then to North Gower
January 24, 2008:
I have been tracing my ancestors "the William Willis" family who came from County Wexford,
Ireland about 1820 and settled in the North Gower area of Ontario. In the 1871 census
William William's occupation was listed as a farmer as was his son "Robert Willis"
(my great grandfather). In 1881 Robert still lived in North Gower. I have not been
able to find Robert and his wife Sarah Jane in the 1891 census, but in 1901 they were
living in Kemptville Village, North Gower. Both are buried in the Elmview Cemetery.
I would be very interested in knowing what parcels of land they owned and/or anything
else you might have to share. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
... Karen
________________________
Hello, Karen:
Thanks for your e-mail regarding your ancestor William Willis.
I notice this remark which comes from our web page at www.bytown.net/pettapiecewilliam.htm :
"William Willis (1799-1881) m, Esther Leach (1798-1883) from Ireland and
settled in Beckwith and moved to North Gower Twp."
Would this be your ancestor?
Is it OK with you if I start a new web page on our site for William Willis and
add your e-mail to it? We would probably hear from other researchers who may have more
info for us. Please let me know.
I have located what appears to be the farm of William Willis on an 1879 map of the
Township of North Gower. It is located near the Rideau River, south of the village of Kars
(called "Wellington" in 1879). There are also some Leach and Pettapiece farms in that
area -- perhaps these families had known each other for years, possibly going back to
Ireland.
I'll extract the part of the map showing the location of the William Willis farm. There's
also another farm owned by a Mr. H. Willis in the neighbourhood.
... Al
_____________________________
Hello Al,
William Willis (1799-1881) m. Esther Leach are definitely my ancestors.
It is fine with me to start a new web page.
... Karen
_____________________________________________________
The farm of William Willis and Esther Leach and their neighbours
can be seen on the map below, west of James Island in the Rideau River and
south of the village of Wellington (now Kars and part of the city of Ottawa):
... Karen
April 30, 2008:
Hello Al,
I enjoy your site! It has allowed me to learn so much about the area my ancestors
settled in after immigrating from Wexford, Ireland. Thank you so much for posting
a map of the area in North Gower where my g-g-grandparents lived. I am hoping that
you or one of your many readers might be able to assist me in finding a marriage record
for William Willis and Esther Leach as I have really hit a brick wall. All I know is
that a marriage occured sometime around 1819/1820. The problem is that some researchers
of this family believe a marriage took place in Wexford County, Ireland (possibly
Enniscorthy) while others believe it took place in Montague, Lanark, Ontario, Canada.
This is what I do know:
1) William and Esther's religion was Church of England.
2) One source states that in the Perth Land Settlement Records (1816-1822) William
Willis is shown as arriving through the Richmond Office in 1820 and settled on the
southwest half of Lot 18, Concession 4, Beckwith Twp, Lanark County, Ontario August
20, 1820.
3) William and Esther were in Beckwith in April 1820. The 1820 Census of Beckwith
Township (dated as of April 1820) lists a William Willis, 1 female, 1 daughter
(3 in household)
4) There is a William Willis listed as a Protestant preparing to emigrate from the
County of Wexford, Ireland in the ensuing Spring, compiled by Joseph Elly at Ross,
County Wexford, Ireland, November 1817. He is listed as a farmer with 8 in the family.
This is referenced as printed in Folio No. 179.
My questions are:
1) Would anyone know how I might access this Folio to find out the names of the other
family members who possibly travelled with William Willis? My William was born about
1799 so he would have been about 18 years old in 1817. I have yet to determine the
names of William's parents or siblings.
2) Did individuals who signed up in November 1817 actually depart the following Spring?
3) Would anyone know where I might find a marriage certificate in Montague, Lanark
County, Ontario if this is where the marriage occured.
I have been unable to determine the exact date of his departure from Ireland or the
name of a ship he would have travelled on. Unfortunately I have been unable to access
the Beckwith Township web site.
Any assistance from you or your readers would be so greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Karen
_________________________
Karen:
The names of the emigrants from County Wexford (and Carlow and Kilkenny) used to
be posted on the rootsweb.com web site. It is called the Elly List after the man who was
organizing the potential emigration. There is a link, above, to where it used to be
stored on the Internet, but the list has either been moved or deleted by rootsweb.
The list was compiled by a local historian named Bill Tufts who unfortunately has
recently passed away.
I believe that the list is reproduced in an article by Dr. Bruce Elliott. The article
is titled Emigration from South Leinster to Eastern Upper Canada, by Bruce Elliott, in Kevin Whelan, ed.
Wexford: History and Society (Dublin: Geography Publications, 1987) pp. 422-446
(Carleton University Library DA990.W5W49 - 5th Floor) ISBN 0 906602 0 68 (HIST 3500).
Many of the people on the 1817 list did come to south-eastern Ontario but I don't know
if there was an actual group emigration in 1818. I think that the folks who came here
more likely arrived in smaller family / neighbour groups over the coming decade(s).
... Al
E-mail Karen and Al Lewis
Back to Bytown or Bust - History and Genealogy in the Ottawa, Canada area -- North Gower Township