December 18, 2013: Frances Moore documentation on the Moore family
The reason people settled around the Perth, Franktown, Richmond areas: so trained officers would be ready in case of attack by the Americans (1815 – 1818). Many officers were given Crown Land for their efforts.
In 1821, with the building of a gristmill on the Mississippi River, William Moore Jr., opened a blacksmith shop in the settlement of Morphy’s Falls (now Carleton Place, Ontario). William Moore Jr., who was also a lieutenant in the local rifle company, and in 1824 was involved in the Ballygiblin Riots of the river between Irish settlers in Ramsay Township and the earlier settlers of Morphy’s Falls and Beckwith Township.
William Jr. sold the road leading to the mill in 1833 which is now considered to be Bridge Street. In 1836, he and his wife Margaret Bowes, along with their children William Jr., Margaret, and Jessie left the Beckwith area and moved to Perretton; a small town near Pembroke where they settled. They reached the area via the Ottawa River and were considered amongst the first settlers to arrive to Perretton. William Moore Jr. was appointed pathmaster at the first meeting of Westmeath Township council in 1837 and overseeing the traveling facilities of this locality. (This is the area in history where Algonquin Chief Tessouat met with Samuel De Champlain and his party before voyaging to Ottawa – June 1613). William Moore Jr.’s business partner, Caleb S. Bellows also moved there with his family.
On October 8, 1852 at the sum of seven pence (half penny or 15 cents) the first school site was purchased from John Moore located on Lot 24, North Front A in Perretton. The schoolhouse was well known throughout Renfrew County as Moore’s School. There was also an area known as “Moore’s Beach”, a vacation spot in the 1960’s/70’s for summer vacationers.
The Moore Family came from County Antrim, Ireland in 1816/1819. The members were as follows:
William Sr. (approximately 54 years old), his wife (unknown), his three sons: William Jr., John, Nathaniel (age 6 or 7),and 5 daughters: Jane, Janette / Jennette (in some census reports known as Ann), Sarah Jane, Margaret, and Sarah Ann.
The Moore Family settled in Beckwith Township with Land Grants from the government of 100 acres per man of age. At the time, William Sr. and John qualified and the grants were registered in September 26 and 28, 1819 as Concession 11 (now Hwy. 7 intersection of Carleton Place and Beckwith Twp) by the government settlement office (which was then situated in the new village of Richmond, in the adjoining township of Goulbourn. The Moore land grants formed a considerable part of this Ottawa Valley town. Some three hundred acres of the 11th concession in Beckwith Township.
After approximately five years of clearing land and crop raising, the three male Moores were issued Crown patents to the holdings under the date of May 25, 1824.
The land of William Moore Sr. (NE ½ of Lot # 14) ran along the present Moore Street and Franktown Road from Lake Avenue West to Highway #7.
In August 1831, William Moore Sr., transferred his farm to youngest son Nathaniel. John Moore’s land (Lot #14, SW ½) ran for a similar distance along Napoleon Street;
John moved to Goulbourn Township in 1822 with his wife Susannah McNeely and settled on Concession #5, lots # 26 7 27) near Richmond. John sold parts of his Beckwith land between 1840 and 1860 to Carleton Place and other residents which included: Napoleon Lavalee, Rev. Lawrence Holcroft, Joseph Bond, John Neilson,
Hugh Boulton and Nathaniel McNeely. John still held a total of 53 acres in 1851 which half had been cultivated but none were in crops. John left the remaining part of his Beckwith land to their daughter Jannette (wife of James Brownlee).
William Moore Jr.’s land (Lot#15, SW ½) was a similar section along the northeast side of the Franktown Road and extended from Lake Avenue East to Highway #7.
The Moore family was the first family to arrive and hosted the Morphy family who arrived in 1819 and moved on to settle close to the falls. The family who settles closest to the falls is whom the town/settlement is named.
The Moore home was a single storey log cabin which burnt down and was replaced by another. It was rumored that William Moore Sr. was buried on the site, which is located behind the schoolhouse on junction of Hwy. 7 at the “Welcome to Carleton Place” sign.
There are several houses which the Moore family owned that still survive.
One log cabin which had been located on Moore Street was moved to Bridge Street across from the Town Halland clerk’s office. This house was originally believed to have belonged to William Moore Jr. and through time was passed onto James.
Pearson Moore and his wife Katherine Roberts where she ran a general store until just before her death in 1941. Recent information (archive files in the museum) showed the property had belonged to Nathaniel Moore, (who died in 1843). His widow Margaret Pearson remarried after one year to Charles Munroe. Nathaniel and Margaret’s first born son William Pearson Moore still had the title to lands in his mother’s interest. A portion of land was transferred to James Pearson Moore, who built on the site in 1875 with his wife Katherine aiding in the construction.
James or J.P. as he was known was first a shoemaker in Carleton Place for over twenty years, learning the trade from William Neelin. He then became a railway baggage handler in the early 1880’s when he and Katherine met and married and lived in Pakenham for several years, then was a baggage master at Kingston, before moving back to the settlement of Morphy’s Falls.
At this point he was a night watchman for the Canada Lumber Company for 20 years. James was on a night shift from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. earning $1.10 per night.
Every hour, J.P. went out of the office in the lumberyard and checked to make sure no one was around and to make certain there were no fires. In the lumberyard, there was a barrel at the end of each line of lumber and a pail on top.
In the Canada Lumber Company there were rails running from the river to load the boards to the ships. By the railroad, there were CPR shops (they had to have a certain length of track – 17 miles in a length of track). The district was from Carleton Place to Chalk River.
As a result, 120 families moved to Smiths Falls and others moved to Ottawa. Later on,
the town of Carleton Place started building up and sold lots of land. Rent at one time was $7.00 – $8.00 per month. Wages were .10 an hour or $1.00 per day.
Another possible Moore home is located on Rochester Street in Carleton Place. It is a brick home which belonged to William Moore Jr.? This may actually have been William Pearson Moore’s home until he moved first to Richmond, then on to Michigan, USA. In recent years of renovations, the present owners found cobblers nails in the home.
Yet another possible Moore home is a log house located on Napoleon Street on which belonged to John Moore who moved to Goulbourn Township in 1822 and married his bride Susannah McNeely. The house was eventually passed to his daughter Jennette Brownlee and sold by the Brownlee family.
Two other Moore related homes were located on Rochester Street in Carleton Place. One was occupied by “Howie” McNeely’s mother from circa 1943 until her death; the other home was owned and occupied by a very old lady (Grannie Robertson). Her son “Sandy” lived on Victoria Street of Carleton Place and her daughter Elizabeth (Mrs. Martin) in Ottawa. Her son Arthur worked for CPR freight.
William Henry Moore Sr., and unknown wife (he was approx. 54 years of age when they arrived to the Beckwith Township area.
His oldest son John b 1795 – 1881? married Susannah McNeely (the McNeely family was also from Country Antrim and settled in the next concession in the Beckwith area). October 10, 1822 in Richmond. (Buried Beckwith United – Pinegrove cemetery)–Their daughters were Miriam, Mary, Sarah Jane, Jennette(or Jeanetta), Elizabeth, Susann(a).
William Moore Jr. b September 18, 1797 – 1885 married Margaret Bowes b. September 18, 1797 – 1883.They moved to Westmeath, Perretton in 1836 with their children: William III, Margaret, Jesse.
The youngest son, Nathaniel was 6 or 7 years old when they arrived from Ireland b @ 1813 – 1843. He married Margaret Pearson b @ 1818-January 20, 1897 age 79 yrs. 4 months. They were married 1839-03-01 Upper Canada Marriage Bond # 7321. Margaret was from Carleton County. She remarried approximately one year later to Charles Munro b @ 1820 – December 13 1898 age 78 yrs. A number of parcels of Moore land were sold off
when she was married to Charles Munro. Margaret was unable to write and signed with an “X”.
Jane Moore, the eldest daughter b 1798 d 11-30-1890, married Brice McNeely b 1794 d 11-1-1878. He was a brother to Susannah McNeely who married John Moore. Jane and Brice married in 1822. They lived on Concession 11 Lot 10/16. (This information is in question as to whether Jane was actually part of the Moore family or another Moore family also from Antrim Ireland.
Janette/Jennette Moore b @1800 d July 26, 1856 @ 56 yrs. married George Edwards (b @1801 d 23 Jan 1844. Both buried St. Fillians.
Their daughter Margaret Edwards b Nov 5 1831 d Aug 15 1900 married James McNeely b September 22 1825 d December 16 1871. They were married May 11 1857 in Franktown. This would make them cousins.
Other children: Mary Edwards b 1841 (both at age 27) married John Tomlinson b 1841 on 2 March 1868. William, Elizabeth, John, James, Jane, Jean?
The children of William Moore Sr. and unknown wife Moore continued…
Sarah (Jane) Moore b 1810 – September 20, 1894 @ age 84 yrs. Married Peter Robertson b 1797 – 1879/November 29, 1875 @ age 78. Peter came to Canada in 1818 from Stirling Scotland to Con 11 Beckwith Township in 1819. Robertsons are descendents of Robinsons. Buried in St. Fillians.
Children: Jane, Catherine, Sarah, Daniel, Janet, William, John.
Margaret b d married Thomas Kerfoot b d of Beckwith on March 22 1855. (I question this marriage date … Frances Moore)
The youngest daughter is said to be Sarah Ann Moore b 16 Feb 1816 d 3 Sep 1909 married James Dobson b 20 Jun 1810 d 12 Dec 1894; (both were living in York) 1 Jan 1840. James operated a general store in “Yorkville”. Children: Sarah b 1846 d 1918 – never married. She was a store keeper lived at 84 Collier St. Toronto.
(son) James Haines Dobson b 1851?
(daughter) Annie Eliza Dobson b 1855 d 7 Oct 1934 (never married); lived at 17 Wellesley St.
(son) Charles Albert Dobson b 30 Sep 1860 d 22 Aug 1931; married Ella B Melick b 1863 d 1960
(daughter) Edith b 1858 married Walter Seldon b @ 1861 in Toronto 26 June 1895.
There is mention of a Jane Moore marrying Duncan Robertson b 1796 on February 2, 1844 in Beckwith Township – or this could be Wm. Jr.’s daughter Jessie of whom there is no trace. This is an item which will still be researched.
Miscellaneous information:
There is record of a Martha Moore marrying Joseph Morris July 15, 1843 (Beckwith Township). In 1821, he lived in concession 9 Lot 5. Martha’s parents: William b @ 1797-30 Jan 1883 age 85 and Margaret (Smith) b @ 1797 – 27 Mar 1872 @ 75 yrs. Buried Franktown. They were originally from County Armagh, Ireland.
Violet Matilda Moore was born in Ramsay Township in 1901. (Her father was James who had married Margaret Lackie. They lived in Drummond Township, moved to Almonte c 1905). Violet at the age of 21, married James Edward Shane (who was 20) on March 22, 1922 in Lanark County in Almonte.
The witnesses: Hazel E. Moore (Almonte), Len Shane (Clayton, Ontario). They are buried in Clayton.
Arthur William Clark of Ottawa (age 22) b 1885 (his father Charles D. Clark, who married Sarah Ann Fisher).
Arthur marries Sarah Ina Moore (age 21 of Lancaster); her parents: William H. Moore and Cath MacMillan on June 22 1907 in Carleton Co.
The 1911 census shows a May Moore b October 1882 lodging in Ottawa at 22 Florence Street along with several other lodgers, including Winnifred Moore (age 32). The residence is owned by Thomas and Marie Donaher.
The Kerfoot family settled in the “Cuckoo’s Nest” section of Beckwith Twp. They gave land for the Methodist church and cemetery near Prospect where some of the family are buried. William Kerfoot was a stone mason b 1796-1862, living on Concession 4, Lot 26 of Beckwith. His father George b 1742 was a widower and died in 1819.
St. Filian’s cemetery was originally called “Cram’s Cemetery” as many of the Cram family were buried at that cemetery.
… Frances Moore
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
12 Apr 1973, Thu • Page 59
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lindaseccaspina 
Linda, thank you. This fits right in with the Moore family and my aunt Rossie and I’m delighted to get all this detail. What a treasure trove.
You are truly a great person for sharing all this. I hope you are feeling well and that the Covid thing has not interrupted your life too much.
Ann and I are homebound here in Phoenix (if you have to be, it’s a great place to be) but continuing to enjoy our life. I’ll be 85 on Sept 10 and feel great. I was going to the gym twice a week before this hit and I’m still working, if you can call it that. I serve as Property Manager for one of my long standing accounts from before I sold my company. It keeps me busy for a few hours every week so I’m grateful for the activity, both physical and mental. Also keeps me out of Anna’s hair and gives her some space.
Read your material avidly and look forward to your posts. Be well, and be safe.
Michael Doyle Phoenix AZ 602-828-1069
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