52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Ancestor # 20

Edward Wynne (1812-1890)

Edward Wynne was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland probably near or at Castlecomer about 1812 and died in Montague, Lanark, Ontario, Canada on 9 Jan 1890. According to family stories, he was the son of William and Mary (Benn) Wynne, although I have no proof for this. He married Catherine Shannon in Beckwith, Lanark, Ontario, Canada on 2 Apr 1838¹. She was born about 1815 in Ireland and died in Montague on 17 Dec 1891. She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth (?) Shannon.

Edward’s actual birth date is not known. In the 1861 census² his age was given as 47 (birth year 1814), in 1871³ as 60 (birth year 1811) and 1881⁴ as 68 (birth year 1813). His tombstone⁵ gives his age at death as 78 making 1812 his birth year. So I have chosen to use 1812 as a good estimate.

The story in the Wynne family says William and Mary Wynne and their children left Ireland in 1818 sailing out of Sligo on the ship Ashionic and settled in Lanark County. Following the Napoleonic War and the Battle of Waterloo, prices for grain and other agricultural products dropped drastically; there were no great armies to feed any more. Land owners were losing money and many of them switched to raising livestock, notably sheep, instead of grain. They cancelled leases forcing many to leave the land and consider other means of supporting their families. This happened throughout the British Isles not just in Ireland⁶.

When the Wynne family arrived in Lanark County, they were on the frontier. Smiths Falls is on the Rideau River and was settled shortly after the American Revolution by Loyalists. Montague Township was surveyed in 1797⁷ and the surveyor took a census of the inhabitants. At that time 8 men were enumerated.

The early life of this family remains a mystery. The first record that Edward created was his marriage in 1838. On 20 Sep 1845 he recorded a land grant from the British crown in Montague Township, specifically 100 acres in lot 5 of the second concession⁸. Edward paid £60 for this land. It is likely that he had settled here and been farming it for several years before applying for his grant. He would remain on this land for the rest of his life.

This family was not enumerated in the 1851 census in Montague; returns for part 1 and 2 are missing. The family was enumerated in 1861:

Edward, born Ire., Church of England, 47, farmer, married

Catherine, born Ire., 45, married

Mary, born Can., 22; Elizabeth, 20; Wesley, 18, laborer; Jane, 17; Margaret, 16; Sarah, 14, in school; Abraham, 11, in school; Edward, 10, in school; Catherine, 9, in school; William N., 8, in school; Hezekiah, 6, in school; Albert, 4

Edward and his family were enumerated in 1871 and 1881 in the same location. Two more children were born in the 1860s for a total of 14 children.

DNA Matches

I have a few matches. Hopefully more will be forthcoming. They are:

2 second cousins

2 4^th cousins who descend from Edward’s siblings, 1 through Ann Wynne who married William James and 1 through John Wynne who married Isabella Poole

1 4^th cousin who has a hidden tree and did not respond to my inquiry. However, she matches these 2 4^th cousins as well so it is likely she descends from this line.

Children of Edward and Catherine (Shannon) Wynne, all born in Ontario, Canada probably in or near Montague:

1. Mary Jane.Wynne, b. abt. 1838. Nothing else is known about her.
2. Elizabeth Wynne, b. 11 Jun 1839 in Merrickville, Grenville, Ontario, d. 31 Jul 1929 in Toronto, Ontario. She never married and was a housekeeper.
3. Wesley Wynne, b. abt. 1843. Nothing else is known about him.
4. Margaret Evaline Wynne, born 17 Feb 1845 and d. 10 Jun 1922 in North Bay, Nipissing, Ontario, m. John Atkin Thorpe on 5 Oct 1871 in Montague. He was born 11 Jun 1843, County Wexford, Ireland and d. 10 Jul 1912 in North Bay.
5. Sarah Wynne, born 2 Sep 1847, d. after 1920, m. Charles Thorpe 16 Sep 1876 in Carelton County, Ontario. Charles was born 16 Oct 1846 in Ireland and d. after 1920.
6. Abraham Wynne, born 16 Oct 1849 and d. 1 Oct 1928 in St. Thomas, Pembina, North Dakota, m. 16 Jan 1877 in Merrickville, Catherine Maria Van Camp, b. 24 Sep 1856 in Mountain, Dundas, Ontario and d. 8 Jun 1929 in Spokane, Spokane, Washington.
7. Edward Wynne, b. abt. 1851. Nothing else is known about him.
8. Catherine Wynne, b. abt 1852 and d. unk. She married on 31 Dec 1873 in Bruce County, Ontario, Lachlan Boyd, b. abt. 1847 in Ontario.
9. Jane Wynne, b. 27 Feb 1852 and d. 7 Feb 1925 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She married William Wilson, b. 1 Mar 1853 in Aberdeen, Scotland and d. 30 Sep 1926 in North Vancouver.
10. William Nathan Wynne, b. 13 Apr 1853 and d. 3 Jul 1918 in Breckinridge, Wilkin, Minnesota. He married on 9 Jan 1878 in Walkerton, Bruce, Ontario Janet McDougall, b. 16 Dec 1858 in Harriston, Wellington, Ontario and d. 14 Apr 1916 in Grafton, Walsh, North Dakota.
11. Hezekiah Howard Wynne, b. 29 Sep 1854. Nothing else is known about him.
12. Albert H. Wynne, b. 20 Apr 1857, d. 2 Mar 1914 in Carleton Place, Lanark, Ontario. He married 14 Feb 1899 in Carelton Place, Mary Ellen Dowdall, b. 17 Sep 1864 in Lanark County and d. 2 Dec 1949.
13. Alice Helena Wynne, b. 11 Mar 1862 and d. abt 1940, m. 28 Dec 1898 William Henry Dowdall, b. 12 Jul 1859 in Lanark County and d. 1947.
14. Frederick Wynne, b. 26 May 1865. Nothing else is known about him.

1 “Ontario District Marriage Registers, 1801-1858”, database with images, FamilySearch.org, (http://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2C1-2LH1 : 17 March 2018), Edwd Winn and Catherine Shannon, 2 Apr 1838; citing Bathurst, Lanark, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto: FHL microfilm 1,030,051.

2 1861 Census of Canada, Lanark County, Canada West, population Schedule, Montague, District 9, page 13, line 23, Edward Wynne; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 1 Jan 2016), citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm, roll C-1042-1043.

3 1871 Census of Canada, Lanark South, Ontario, population schedule, Montague, District 79, Sub-district a, Division 1, page 94, family 314, Edward Wynn; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 1 Jan 2016), citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm, roll C-10017.

4 1881 Census of Canada, Lanark South, Ontario, population schedule, Montague, District 111, Sub-district J, Division 1, page 21, family 101, Edward Wynne: digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 1 Jan 2016), citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm, roll C_13233.

5 Find a Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 6 May 2018), Find a Grave Memorial No. 101333437, citing Union Cemetery, Merrickville, Leeds and Grenville, Ontario, Canada; Maintained by Patricia Casjens (contributor 46532323).

6 McGill, Jean S., A Pioneer History of the County of Lanark (T, H, Best Printing Co. Ltd, 1968), p. 4-5.

7 McGill, p. 1.

8 Land Records of Lanark County, 1802-1921, Montague Township (v. 2E), 1875-1878; FHL microfilm 200,710; Memorial No. 1128, Crown to Edward Wynne.