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Early Otonabee Settlers

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Early Settlers of Otonabee Township
(Pre - 1850)


Armstrong, James - 1831


Cameron, John - 1820


Carr, Andrew & Thomas - 1819

Andrew CARR Sr. and Ann SANDERSON married in June 7, 1767, their two son's Andrew CARR 1775-1822 and Thomas CARR - 1780-1860 were the first Land owners on the present site of the village of Keene. Andrew owned the land south west of the 4 corners while Thomas owned the land to the north west.

Andrew CARR 1775-1822 and his wife Ann Short 1779- obtained free land grant for E 1/2 Lot 13 Con 7 in 1819 and raised their family there, Their children were Elizabeth 1808-1882 married Thomas Esson; Isabella 1810-1876; Thomas 1806-1848 married Elizabeth Esson; Margaret Ann 1817-1875 married Thomas Short; and Mary Ann.

Andrew was killed in 1822 by a falling tree while helping a neighbour.

Thomas CARR 1780-1860 never married. Lived in the West Indies but returned home with an infected knee causeing the leg to be amputated. He built a store, was the first postmaster in Keene, farmed, and was Clerk-Treasurer 1826-1829. Being quite literate, he wrote many letters for the less literate of the area., helping them with land grants and other legal matters. His first home is now part of Lang Century Village the "Keene Inn". He donated the land for St. John's Church in Keene.

His obituary read as follows: The Examiner of Novemeberr 8th reported: Suddenly at Keene, Thursday night Thomas Carr Esq.., age 80 years. We deeply regret to learn from an inquest held, that Mr. Carr's death was caused by his own act, while labouring under partial insanity, induced by long continued and acute bodily suffering, at which times was accompanied by great depression of spirits. Mr Carr was one of the oldest inhabnitants of Otonabee.

Their daughter Margaret Ann CARR 1773-1838 married Richard John Short 1769-1831 and their children were Richard Short 1804-1880 married Isabella Hope; Andrew Short 1806-1850 married Margaret Miller; John Short 1808-1858; Ann Short 1779 married Andrew Carr; Isabella Short; Thomas Short 1816-1887 married Margaret Ann Carr and later Maria Middleton.


Carver, Samuel James - 1829,

Samuel James CARVER. b. 10 February 1802, Bath?, England; baptized 1802 St. Andrew Holborn, London, England. d. 11 February 1892, North Monaghan Township, Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada; buried Little Lake Cemetery, Section A, Lots 35 and 36, Range 9, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

Samuel lived at Lot 14, Concession 12, Otonabee Township between 1829 and ca.1841. On 7 September 1829, Samuel paid John Covert £37.10 for the southeast quarter (50 acres). About a month later, on 3 October 1829, he bought the southwest quarter (50 acres) from Charles Rubidge for £25.

Samuel made additional land transactions in Otonabee Township in 1837. On 13 April 1837, he paid Charles Rubidge £62.10 for the northeast and northwest quarters (100 acres) of Lot 14, Concession 12. With this purchase, Samuel now had title to the full 200 acres of a standard farm lot in the province. However, on that same day, 13 April 1837, Samuel sold the west half (100 acres) of the property to John Buckley for £75, making a quick profit of almost £13. On 2 April 1840, a few years after serving as a militia officer during the Upper Canada Rebellion, Samuel sold his the remaining 100 acres in Otonabee Township to James Allair who purchased for £200 the east half of Lot 12, Concession 12.

Around that time, Samuel moved to Peterborough, where he assisted his friend, Ephraim Sanford in the post office. On 6 June 1844, Samuel was officially appointed deputy postmaster at Peterborough to replace Sanford, who “unhappily ended his days in 1843 by suicide." Six months later, on 1 January 1845, Samuel received the permanent appointment, and served as postmaster of Peterborough for the next 31 years, until his resignation on 22 September 1871.


Chamberlain, William - 18??,

William Chamberlain son of Edward Chamberlain and Jemima Tucker, settled on Lot 28 Con 8 with their children Jane who married George A. Eason, Jemima married Francis Frankish, Aggie married James Alexander Fife, Elizabeth married Joseph A. Taylor, Edmund, William "Evans" married 1-Christena Henderson, 2-Agnes Hare, 3-Louise Lawrence, Mary married Daniel Kelly, Margaret married Fred Reynolds, Emmaline married John Dixon and Thomas David married Elizabeth Hamilton.


Comrie, Duncan - 1829

Duncan Comrie and his wife Janet "Jennie" Miller settled in Otonabee with their son, William from a previous marriage to Christine McCowan, and Duncan and Mary's children, Margaret who married Peter McIntyre, Christine married John Alexander McFee, Janet married William John McNevan, Ellen married Thomas Lockhart, Elizabeth married William Parse Chase, Peter married Jane Mather, Mary Ann married John Neish, Catherine "Kate" married William Edington, John, Jennet, and Archie Comrie


Devlin, John Edward - 1845

John Devlin and his wife settled in Otonabee on the west half of Lot 28 on the 7th Concession and also owned the east half of Lot 28 on the 8th Concession of Otonabee with their children, all born in Canada. Mary, Roger and Patrick.


Doris, John & James - 1822


Drummond, Duncan - 1829


Edwards, William & Henry


Esson, George - 1820

George Esson and his wife Margaret Shair Thompson settled on Lot 21 Con 4 in Otonabee in the fall of 1820, with their children Thomas who married Elizabeth Carr, Alexander married Jane Gillespie, Daniel who married Isabella Wood, Robert his twin, married Isabella Ingram, Janet married David Nelson, Thailon, Margaret married Alexander Fife, George married Sarah ?, and Jane never married.


Thomas and Elizabeth's children were -
Maria:1827-1830; Thomas:1831-1862; George:1831-1866; Margaret Ann:1835-1884; Mary:1838-1849; Isabella:1839-1913; Elizabeth:1840-1842; Andrew Carr:1842-1920; Richard Bond:1846-????; Alexander:1846-1849; Mary Jane:1850-1853; Thomas Carr:1855-1919.

Alexander and Jane's children were -
George Alexander:1838-1903; Margaret:1830-1908; Alice Margaret:1840-????; Peter:1843-1903; Alexander:1845-1886; Thomas S.:1845/8-1908; Richard Gillespie "George":1847-????;Daniel:1845-????; Robert Henry:1849-1887; David:1850-1944; John "Jack":1854-????.

Daniel and Isabella's children were -
George W. "Jordie Dan":1940-1927; Mary:1844-1845; Margaret Shaw:1846-1920; Alice:184781875; Isabella:1850-1917; Robert Wood:1853-1926; Daniel-1855-1935; Thomas Alexander:1859-1924; James J.:1863-1934.

Robert and Isabella's children were -
George Ingram W. J.:1840-????; Margaret:1842-????; Daniel "Jackie Dan":1845-1919; Evans:1846-????; Robert:1848-????; Robert Allen:1851-1928; William:1852-1928; Thomas Alexander:1856-????; Ann:1859-1888; James:1863-????.

Janet and David Nelson's children were -
John:1833-????; George:1834-????; Robert-1835-1868; David:1838-1895; James:1840-1924 Jane:1842-1897; Elizabeth Lydia:1843-1906; Ellen R.:1847-1877; Margaret:1852-1934; Isabella:1854-????; Janet:1857-1902; Arthur:1862-????.

Margaret and Alexander Fife's children were -
Margaret:1840-1913; Agness:1842-1864; Ellen:1842-1849; Mary Jane:1843-1893; John Hutchinson:1845-1920; Isabella:1847-1925; Janet R.:1849-1849; George Gilbert W.:1851-1935; Alexander Thompson:1853-1936,


Elmhirst, Philip James


Fife, John - 1820

John Fife and Agnes Hutchinson arrived in Otonabee in the fall of 1820, and settled on Lot 22 Con 4 with their children who were, John Jr. married Elizabeth Carter, James M. married Betsy Malcolm, David Alexander married Jane Beckett, William married Mary Anderson Beckett, Thomas married Janet Beckett, Hutchinson, Alexander married Margaret Esson.


Henderson, David - 183?


Hope, John - 1819


Howson, George & John - 1824


Humphries, Robert Clayford - 1819


Kennaley, Micheal - 1860

Mick Kennaley ran the Victoria House Hotel at the southwest corner of the main intersection in Keene until he died at age 87 in 1947. Mick ran a stagecoach from Keene to Peterborough in earlier times, and brought the mail to several post offices including Hiawatha. He was also tax collector in Otonabee as well as a barber. The Victoria House Hotel has been relocated to "Lang Century Village"


Kent, George - 1819


Lang, James & William - 1833


Mather, Andrew - 182?


McFarlane, Malcolm - 1821


McCarthy, Daniel - 1839

Visit the McCarthyFamily Web Site

Daniel McCarthy , 1788 -1862 and Abigail Barry, 1808 -1882 who emigrated from Ireland and founded the McCarthy farm east of Keene, south-east of Peterborough, Ontario. Daniel and Abigail came to Canada in 1838, the year Owen was born, settling near the Douro boundary, moving to the present homestead near Keene in 1839. Daniel and Abigail had seven children:

Owen, 1838 -1886, aged 48, father of Vince and others. He was the only one to stay in Ontario. Owen never attended school. Owen married Isabella Daly 1843-1896 in Hastings in 1865, two years before Confederation. Isabella was born in Smith Township, the daughter of James Daly and Mary Hanlon.Owen was killed in February 1886, aged 47, when hit by a train at Downer's Corners on the outskirts of Peterborough. He was driving a horse-drawn sleigh, and because he was slightly deaf he did not hear the train approaching. Isabella continued to manage the farm with Tom Doris who was hired to run the farm. Their children were: Mary Ellen 1869-1936, Daniel 1872-1919, Vince 1882-1953, James 1875-1958, Catherine Abigail ???-1931, Isobel, ????-1949 and Vince 1882-1953.

Ellen, 1840, married a Michael Liddy in Buffalo. Their offspring visited the McCarthy farm in the 1940s, and were reported to be big-framed people who "overflowed the chairs" on which they were seated.

Elizabeth, 1839. Bess married a Mr. Browne of Buffalo. One of their children was Sister St. Ephrian of Buffalo.

Daniel, 1847, was believed to have moved to Kansas City, and is rumoured to have campaigned to be mayor.

Mary, 1847, a twin to Daniel, married a German-American in Boston.


Patrick, also married an American. No information seems to be available. He may have gone to Michigan.

John, 1845 - 1917, died at the age of 71. He is believed to have had red hair. He was given his father's Gaelic bible and a share of the farm with Owen. He sold his share of the farm to Owen and moved to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1867 at the end of the Civil War, to go into the lumbering business. The 1870 census in Stillwater lists him being 25, his wife Anna, 20 and a baby, Daniel J, aged one.


McFee, John, Hugh & James - 1831


McIntyre, Duncan - 1819


McIntyre, Peter - 1829


Miller, James - 1829


Redpath, Robert, - 1820

Robert Redpath came from Scotland in 1820 with his wife Helen, they settled on Lot 13 Con 4, their children were Robert, a bachelor and Ellen who married Mr. Goddart a teacher. Robert Sr. brought out his nephew William from Scotland, and he inherited the farm.
Nephew William Redpath married Anne Samuel and raised a family consisting of Francis who married Kate Comrie, Margaret died age 28, and Annie married John B. Comrie and also died young, age 32.


Renwick, William & Walter, - 1839


Speirs, Alexander - 1819

Alexander came to Otonabee Twp. prior to 1820 living on Lot 11 Con 6. He married Janet Currie and moved to Lot 20 Con 4 where they raised their family. Agnes who married John Byram, Daniel, Robert who married Elizabeth Bush, George, Jane who married George W. Esson, Kate and Elizabeth.


Short, Richard John - 1819

Richard John Short and his wife Mary came to Otonabee in 1819, with their children Richard b: 1804, Andrew b: 1806, Thomas b: 1807, John b: 1808 and Isabella b: 1810. The father Richard died in 1831 and Mary in 1838.

Richard Jr. married Isabella Hope and had children Mary, Jane, Margaret, Isabella "Belle", and Richard John Hope Short who married Elizabeth West.

Andrew married Margaret Miller and had Richard who married Bridget Sheehan, William Thomas died young, William a bachelor, Margaret Mary who drowned at Healey Falls on the 24th of May 1858.

Thomas Short (built Lang Mill in 1846) married Annie Carr and had Thomas Jr. who died a young man, Mary Ann married Dr. Marshall Dean and Ann who married David Gunn, skipper of Thomas's steamer "The Otonabee".

John Short - nothing know about him.

Isabella married Andrew Carr and has a son Thomas.


Shearer, Gavin - 1841

Gavin Shearer came to Canada in 1841 from Lanarkshire, Scotland and settled on Lot 22 Con 2 in Otonabee Twp. with his wife Jane Gilchrist. Their family were: Archibald, Anne who married James Moore, Janet married Alexander Graham, Ellen, Christina married John Elmhirst, and Gavin who married Isabella Plunkett.


Stewart, John -


Stewart, William - 1833


Taylor, Thomas - 18??

Thomas and his wife Mary Dale arrived from England and bought the "Rubidge House" on Lot 17 Con 11, their children were, George who married Mary Ann Howson, Helen, Sarah Ann, Anthony, Robert and Thomas married Susan Moore.


Robert Wood - 1836

Robert Wood arrived in Otonabee Twp. in 1836 and settled on Lot 13 Con 3 with his family. Robert had been married twice in Scotland, first to Miss Buckham, and had a son Alexander, secondly to Mary Hogarth, by whom he had four children. In Canada he married Alice Gillespie and had a son George. So his children were, Alexander married Mary Gillespie, Isabella married Daniel Esson, John married a Miss Grieves, Margaret married John Miller, James married Agnes Borland, and George married Jessie Redpath.


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Early Otonabee Settlers
Last Updated - September 27, 2007
Otonabee Township Genealogy is a hobby of Ronald Esson.
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