PATERSON Families of Ramsay Township

            The ancestral home of our Paterson family is the farm HUNTLAWRIG in the East Kilbride parish.  It has been owned by the Paterson family since the late 1600's.  Descendants still own it but do no longer live there.

            James Paterson, b 16 April 1772, son of Andrew Paterson and Grizzel Young married Jean Findlay of Galston April 1, 1798 in East Kilbride.  Their children, Janet born 5 July, 1799 at Avondale;  Andrew born 15 May, 1801 at Avondale;  James born 28 April, 1805 at Spittal, Stonehouse; John, born 09 April, 1806 at Stonehouse; Alexander, born July 18, 1810 at Stonehouse; Grace Grizzel, born 9 Aug., 1814 and William (?), sometime before 1821.  There appears to be a problem with the numbers as there were only 6 children that made the passage.

            Economic times were poor after 1812, and many Emigration societies (assisted passage) were formed in Scotland.  James joined the Strathhaven and Kilbride Emigration society.  When the family sailed in 1821, there were 8 in the party, and the full fare for 6 was 28 pounds 15 shillings.  NOTE: James was 46 as was Jean - a late start in life.  Andrew, our ancestor, was 21. They sailed on the “George Canning”, a brig rigged ship of 485 34/94 tons.  There were 492 passengers on board.  (no princess cruise!!) They departed Grennock Scotland on April 20, 1821 and arrived at Quebec City June 2, 1821 or 54 days at sea.  There were 3 deaths and 5 births at sea.

NOTE: there were three Paterson families on the George Canning   No one knows if they were related:  James Paterson of Strathaven and Kilbride soc.;   James Paterson of Glasgow Sr Wrights Soc.; and Thomas Paterson of the Bridgetown Transatlantic soc.  They all settled in Ramsay Twp.

            From Quebec City, they went up the St Lawrence to Prescott and then north overland to Ramsay Twp (Almonte, Ont).  They knew they had arrived as they was a sign nailed on a tree stating Ramsay Twp.  According to an account of Grace, they lived in brush shelters until they men located their land and built log cabins (think they drew lots for the land) James built on Conc. 2, lot 17. The settlement date was 31 July, 1821.  (Later, Andrew obtained the lot next door - 19). 

            The government gave them one blanket for every two persons.  Each family got one saw, one axe, a hammer, two chisels and six lbs of nails. Also one cross-cut saw and one grindstone between 4 men.  Each man had an augur to bore with and each family had a pot and kettle.  “Several other things were mentioned in the emigration conditions but we did not get them”.

            It appears that James and Jean did not stay in Ramsay Twp.  I believe they went to Hamilton Ont. (There is a James and Jean Paterson in the cemetery there.  Their son, John lived and died there.)

            Janet married John Munro (met on ship) 11April, 1832 in Perth, Ont.  Janet died 20 Nov., 1866 and is buried Clifford Cemetery, Huron county.       

            John married Mary Wilson aft Oct., 1836.  He died 13 May, 1851 buried Auld Kirk.

            Alexander married Mary Sanderson abt 1845 Ramsay Twp.  He died 1840's -1850.

            William unknown.  Believed died abt 1839-41.

            Andrew Paterson married Ann Paris (both of Ramsay) 15 April ,1833.  Witnesses were John Paterson and John McEwan.  Ann died in 1855 after the birth of Hugh who died in 1857. Andrew died Jan 9, 1884. Ann and Andrew are buried in Auld Kirk cemetery, west of Almonte.   

            In the 1861 census, there are 8 children listed living with Andrew at Conc. 9, lot 3.   NOTE: wife Ann plus James, born 1836 and Mungo, born 1845 are not listed)

George is listed as a labourer - this would fit with the newspaper article from Pilot Mound (centenary of farm) that he was a wood cutter.

            Andrew,   59 widower, farmer

            Mary        26 single. Died 23 Sept., 1873 buried Auld Kirk

            George     23 single labourer

            William     18 single labourer. Moved to Carleton Place, Ont. Died 11 Aug 1903 buried Auld Kirk

            Jane          15 single labourer. Died 02 May, 1906 buried Auld Kirk

            Andrew Jr. 13 single labourer

            Margaret   10 single school

            John            8 single school     

            George Lee Paterson married Catherine McDougal Holliday in Renfrew, Jan 2, 1877.  (The Hollidays were from Renfrew Twp)

            The 1881 census lists the following:

            Andrew 79 widower, farmer

            George  40 married, farmer

            Cathr     32 married

            Mungo  35                      Died 30 May, 1909 at John’s place in Hamilton buried Auld Kirk

            Andrew 35, teacher         Eventually moved to Hamilton, Ont.

            John      28, carpenter      Eventually moved to Hamilton, Ont.  Died Feb 7, 1930

            Sarah     30                      Died 21 March, 1890   buried Auld Kirk

            Jane       36                      Died 2 May, 1906    Buried Auld Kirk

            Annie      3

            Isobella       Born Aug 8 (less than 1 year)

            William A Paterson was resident in Carleton Place in 1881 with his family listed below:

            William          40 Caretaker, Engineering and Houses

            Mary Ann      37

            William          13

            Minnie Maud 11

            Charles           8

            Jane                6

            David              4

            Joseph            2

            Sometime after the 1881 census, George Lee Paterson, wife and two daughters left for Manitoba.  It is my guess that the CPR land deal was the appeal to leave.  They settled on 160 acres west of Pilot Mound in the Goudney district on lot 18, Twp 3, range 11.  There is a family plot in Pilot Mound cemetery. George, Olive, Glen and Dorothy are believed to be buried there.

            George died May 7, 1903 Pilot Mound Man. Catherine died Jan 17, 1929 in Vancouver, BC

            The 1901 Manitoba census is interesting

            George L.     b 1837 head

            Catherine M  b 1849 wife

            Isabella M     b 1880 daughter

            George R      b 1886 son married Olive Cora Olive Spearman, daughter of John spearman (b 1854 at Stittsville, Ont) and Sara McKitrick b Carleton Place, Ont) married George Paterson Dec 12, 1910 in Pilot Mound. She was born in Hamilton, N Dakota in 1892 and died at Pilot Mound in 1991. George died in 1958 and is buried in Pilot Mound  in the family plot along with his son Glen and daughter Dorothy.

            John Paterson, b 1877 lodger (b Ont) ??

            John Herbert Irvine married Ann Paris Paterson, Dec 25, 1900.  They left for BC in 1905.

Provided by John L. Irvine    [email protected]                                                   Posted: May 5, 2003.

George Paterson and Catherine Holiday Family

George Paterson was born on the 16th of October 1837 in Ramsay Township, Lanark County, Ontario to: Andrew Paterson (1802/1884) and Ann Paris (1811/1855).

George married on the 2nd of January 1877, Catherine McDougall Holliday, born on the 12th of May 1840, in Bagot Township, Renfrew County, Ontario to: John Holliday and Catherine McNab.

George and Catherine had three children;

Anne Paris (Paterson) Irvine (1877/1956) and John Irvine (1864/1951) left Pilot mound Manitoba in 1905 for British Columbia.  They settled in Vernon B.C. and on Nov. 10, 1908, were parents of William Lorne (1908/2000) and Henry Leon Irvine.  In 1910, they moved to Oyama, B. C. to be with John's two brothers and 4 sisters.  Family were pioneer orchardists of the area.

Isobel McNab Paterson, born on the 9th of August 1880 in Ramsay Township and married around 1912 to Thomas Switzer, born on the 29th of August 1881.  They lived in Vancouver, B.C.

Robert George Paterson, born on the 29th of November, 1886 in Pilot Mound, Manitoba and married Cora Olive Spearman.  They lived in Pilot Mound, Manitoba.

George and Catherine with their daughters Anne and Isobella left Ramsay Twp., in 1881 for Pilot Mound, Manitoba, where they settled on S18, Twp 3, R11, just west of Pilot Mound.  At the time, father Andrew, brother Mungo and John, plus sisters Jane and Sarah were all together with George and Catherine at the family homestead at concession 2, lot 17E, Ramsay Twp.

Information and pictures were supplied by John Irvine - [email protected]

Up dated - 12 August, 2001 - Posted - 28 May, 2001.              Updated - 05 May, 2003.