Sunday, June 20, 2021

Ontario Township Papers For Matthew Moynahan (1770-1860)

Piecing together the story of our ancestors has become increasingly more convenient as many records are digitized and made available online.

The Archives of Ontario's most popular collections have been digitized by Family Search International and made available for free.

Thanks to the Kent Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, when I reviewed the Ontario Township Papers for Sandwich, Ontario, I discovered 23 pages of correspondence dated 1835 to 1848 from my 4th Great Grandfather Matthew Moynahan (1770-1860)

There are a LOT of records being digitized and made available online, however, not ALL digitized material is indexed!

In my case, scrolling through hundreds of images in the Ontario Township Papers was worth the effort because I learned many new things about my 4th GG Matthew Moynahan and his 100 acre farm at 296 North Talbot Rd. in Sandwich, Ontario.

The Family Search file that I scroolled through is called "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West" .

It contains miscellaneous correspondence between settlers and the Crown and I located letters for Matthew Moynahan beginning on the 24th of August, 1834 and continuing to 1849.

Page 154/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"

The 1834 document is a record of the very first installment of £5 (5 pounds sterling) paid by Matthew Moynahan to the Crown for the purchase of the Clergy Lands 296 North Talbot Road (NTR)

Page 155/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"

Matthew had purchased 100 acres at 296 NTR, Sandwich for the rate of ten shillings per acre.

Source: Archives of Ontario; Ontario Government Record: Map Crown Lands; Sandwich South Township: Image 10051098

Source: Archives of Ontario; Ontario Government Record: Map Crown Lands; Sandwich South Township; RG 1-100-0-0-2458

According to the document below (issued by the "Commissioner of Crown Lands at Sandwich in the Western District"), Matthew Moynahan "formerly of Ireland", was required each year following to make an installment "on or before the tenth of September".

Page 156/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"
 

Each year, usually in August, another correspondence is placed in the file indicating another payment had been sent. 

On the 27th of August 1836, Matthew's third installment was forwarded from the "Midland District Bank for five pounds twelve shillings"

Page 160/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"

The installment was made October 17, 1837, "Enclosed you have twenty three dollars or £5.15 being the fourth installment due Aug 27, 1837".

This late payment is an indicator that some sort of trouble had befallen Matthew Moynahan and the next correspondence in the file is five years later in 1842.

Page 162/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"

On January 3rd, 1842, Matthew Moynahan writes, "Kind Sir, I expect you will forgive me for neglecting you so long, but the times have been bad an hairy. Poor ways of making money was the cause for my neglect."

Page 164/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"

There's no real sense of exactly what problems had taken place in the Moynhan household, but we do learn more in October 30, 1845 when Matthew says he has been living on 296 NTR, Sandwich since 1834 "during which time (though encumbered, with the support of a large family) have paid six installments. The first I paid on the same year I squatted on the lot , and the last installments I have paid were the 5th and 6th which I paid in the winter of 1841..."

Page 169/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"

In the next letter, dated August 8, 1846, Matthew is impatiently waiting for his deed which appears to have been delayed due to some confusion regarding a transfer of the property to Timothy Moynahan. The confusion was eventually resolved by 1849.

Page 173/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"

The 1849 Grant For 296 North Talbot Road, Sandwich

Page 173/1019: "Township papers, ca. 1783-1870's; Items 1 - 308; Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West"

In January 2018, I blogged about how I found Matthew Moynahan's land records in the new (then) OnLand portal's First Registration Books https://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/01/part-iv-onland-records-historical-books.html

By scrolling page by page (AGAIN) on the OnLand portal, I found my 4th great-grandfather Matthew Moynahan on page 255 (of 357) of 296 North Talbot Road, Sandwich.

Source: Ontario Land Registry; Historical Books;

 
Source: Ontario Land Registry; Historical Books;

In January 2018, I also blogged about how I found Matthew Moynahan's land records in the OnLand portal's "Abstract / Parcel Register Book" (https://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/01/part-i-onland-records-historical-books.html")

These records listed every transaction that had occurred on my 4th great-grandfathers Matthew Moynahan's property Lot 296 North Talbot Road from the initial patent being granted in 1846 to 1981.


In 2014, I posted about Matthew Moynahan's Land Records and the Patent record as well as other documents that I located in the 1980's at the Archives of Ontario.(https://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/06/52-ancestors-23-matthew-moynahan-1770.html)

Matthew Moynahan: U.C. Land Petition/Grant dated 14 August 1846

All of this information that I have presented appears in record locations at various places in Ontario. Some records are digitized and others are not. Of the digitized records, some are indexed and others are not. It pays to scroll through the records .... you never know what you might find!

Free Family Search Ontario Records

As previously stated, these miscellaneous Ontario records available for free are not indexed and require scrolling page by page. I had started on a search for Broderick ancestors in Sandwich and the first collection I looked at gave me the above records for my 4th GG Matthew Moynahan. I will continue to use these collections to locate in Essex county (and other counties) more records.

The complete list of Archive Ontario Collections available at Family Search for free can be found by clicking: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/access/digitized_microfilm_collections_on_familysearch.aspx

The records related to my Brennan, Broderick and Moynahan ancestors that I intend to review over the next weeks are:

Ontario Township Papers: The following Essex specific microfilm reels are part of the 364 microfilm reels found here: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2759321

  • Maidstone, Lot A, W. Side Belle River; Lot 14,3rd Con. to Lot 28, Con.6
  • Maidstone, Lots 11, 12 - 14, 7th Con. To Lots 28 & 29, 10th Con.; <lot 1 E. Side of Pikes Creek; North Part Lot 3; W.1/2 Lot 1 North Middle of Talbot Rd.; a piece of land at mouth of River on Puce; Gore Lot 282, N. Talbot Rd.; South 1/2 Lot 285 South talbot Rd.; E.1/2 of W.1/2 on Lake St Clair; Lot 4, on Lake betwen River au Puce and River au Peche
  • Maidstone, Lot 1, Lake Shone between Belle River and River au Puce
  • Sandwich , Lot 11, Con. 10 to N.1/2 Lot 306 South side of the Talbot West
  • Sandwich (town), Various Lots to Lot 18, E. side Bedford St.
  • Sandwich (town), Lot 18, E. side Bedford St. to Lot 26, W.S. OF Beaford St.
  • Sandwich, Early Settlers of Sandwich to Lot 131 Con 1 l'Assomption
  • Sandwich, Lot 131 Con 1 l'Assomption to Lot 18, Con. 9
  • Walpole, Early Settlers of Walpole to Lot 17, 16th Con.

Crown Land Records  

Heir & Devisee Commission Records  

  • The records below are those of the First and Second Heir and Devisee Commissions, which the government created to settle disputes about who was entitled to receive the letters patent for a parcel of land.  The 100 microfilm reels are at https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/219880

Surrogate and Probate Court Records (Estate Files and Wills)  

  • Ont. Archive Reference: RG 22-311: Essex County Surrogate Court estate files 1901-1930  
  • Ont. Archive Reference: RG 22-310: Essex County Surrogate Court registers 1903-1930  
  • You must be logged into Family Search to access the 83 microfilm reels https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/372441

 

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