AN IRISH FAMILY'S STORY

In the year 1834, Thomas Foley (1817-1894) sailed from Ireland with his parents, Michael and
Margaret, and his siblings, Matthew (1810), Mary (1815), Catherine (1825-1913), Ann (1825), and
Peter (1831). A brother, Patrick, had arrived before them in 1832. A sister, Margaret, was born in
Upper Canada, Bathurst Township in 1836. 

His father, Michael, was born in County Carlowe about 1783 and his mother, Margaret
(Cherfer/Cheverus) was born in County Wexford in 1789. Although in their forties, his parents faced
the unknown of this wild country and were looking forward to something better than what they had
left in Ireland.

The family settled on Lot 22, Concession 9 of Bathurst Township near Fallbrook, Lanark and, after
a number of years, built an impressive stone house which stands to this day, high up on the hill.

Close by the Foley home, on Lot 21, Concession 6, in the Village of Harper, lived Joseph Harper, a
weaver. Joseph had come to Canada from Ireland with his wife, Mary Boyle, and their four
daughters, Mary, Jane, Ellen and Mary Ann, on the vessel "Prince Augusta" on June 2, 1818. Their
only son, John, had died during the voyage and was buried at sea.

Two brothers of Joseph, James and Ephraim Harper, came at the same time.

At the time of their arrival, Mary Boyle was pregnant and gave birth to their first son, Ephraim, in
January, 1819. Their last child, Elizabeth, was born in Perth on November 5, 1820. 

At the age of thirty, Thomas married Elizabeth Harper on May 25, 1847 in St. John the Baptist
Roman Catholic Church in Perth in the presence of his brother Patrick and sister Catherine. Although
Elizabeth was a Methodist of the Church of England and Thomas was Roman Catholic, the difference
in religion was not considered to be a significant factor until much later in life.

Thomas and Elizabeth lived in a log house on Lot 21, Concession 9 next to his father, Michael. They 
had six sons and four daughters, John (1850-1930), Thomas (1851-1887), Michael (1853-1894),
James (1855-1891), Matthew (1856-1936) and Aaron (1860-1900), Ellen (1848-1900), Mary Ann
(1858-?), Eliza Jane (1863-1884) and Caroline (1865-1905). Ellen, Thomas, Michael, Aaron and
Caroline never married. 

At the time of Thomas Foley's death on July 25, 1894, there was religious bickering with his sister,
Catherine (Foley) Smith, insisting he be buried in the Catholic cemetery of St. John the Baptist at
Perth. Only his wife, Elizabeth, sons Aaron and John, and spinster daughters Ellen and Caroline
were mentioned in his will dated June 8, 1893. His sons Thomas, James and Michael, and daughter
Eliza Jane had predeceased him. They were buried in the Protestant Elmwood Cemetery, Perth.

His son, Matthew Levi, had left his wife, Jean Orpha (McMartin) and baby Hilda in Perth to make
his way out to Western Canada, taking part in the Klondike Gold Rush a few years later. He died
March 13, 1936 and is buried in Ocean View Cemetery, Burnaby, B.C.  Mary Ann, who married George McLellan, was living in Perth at the time of the birth of her son, Laurence, in 1899 but later moved to Vancouver, B.C.

It was on December 29,1899 that Elizabeth (Harper) Foley died after a few days illness from
pneumonia. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Perth, beside her children Thomas, Michael,
James and Eliza Jane. Her son, Aaron, was buried in the same plot at the time of his death from
tuberculosis in 1900, as was her daughter, Caroline, who also died from tuberculosis in 1905. Their
graves are marked by three tall tombstones, engraved with their names.

Sadly, the family were separated from their father by religion, both in life and death.

Received from: Dolores Anderson - [email protected]                   Posted: 26 March, 2005.