Who Came First? The Morphy or the Moore? The Name Game

It has been told by Howard Morton Brown that the Morphys reached their land grant nestled by the Mississippi River in the summer of 1819. The government Kings Store stood where Franktown now is. The settlers gathered what was allotted to them and there was no mention which Morphy or Moore was the 5th settler to get a whipsaw, grindstone and crosscut saw. The Moores had already arrived a little earlier in the year. In fact the Moore’s rolled out the red carpet so to speak, when the Morphy’s arrived, and gave them a nights lodging. That was mighty neighbourly of them.

It was recorded that the whole central section of the present town was first located to the town’s founders: the Morphy and the Moore families in 1819 as Crown grants of farm land.  The part extending north of Lake Avenue went to four of the Morphys, and three hundred acres at the south side of Lake Avenue to three of the Moores.  

Because the Morphy’s had a room with the view by the falls-they chose the name of Morphy Falls in 1820. In 1829 there was a name game going on with both Morphy’s Falls and Carlton (no “e”) Place being used. Cousin Alexander Morris chose it upon himself to change the town’s name because of a beloved site in Glasgow that was a location of a music publisher that published bagpipe airs and Scottish songs. A year later the name was altered by postmaster Caleb Bellows to Carleton, apparently by error to Carleton Place. I don’t know about you, but that mistake must have reflected badly on the town. I can’t even imagine the gossip on that one.

So there boys and girls are the dilemma’s of your street names:

Franktown Road was named because it was the main highway. The name Franktown Road ended at the Moore boundaries and became Moore Street. Moore Street ended at Lake Avenue at the physical barrier where the Moore land ended. The main street became Bridge Street because of the central bridge. You have to remember there was no bridge on Highway 7 in those days and everyone headed through Carleton Place on their way to Innisville, Lanark and Perth.  Bridge Street ended at Quarry Road as that portion of the road was named because of the quarry on that same road. Are ya still with me?:)

Bill Mains 2 hours Based on Howard Morton Brown’s maps of settler land allottments, the Morphy’s and the Moore’s were both given land allotments in September 1819. Lockwood’s book shows the date as September 20, 1819 for both.

Herbert James Moore of Carleton Place photo credit: Frances Moore of the website http://www.bytown.net/moorefamilybyfrances.htm. The picture is of Herbert James Moore (b. 1888 Ontario), son of James Samuel Moore (b. 1863 North Elmsley) who was the son of the same name, James Samuel Moore (b. 1828 Garrison, Lachine, Quebec), whose father was George William Moore (Antrim). Connecting Moores of Maberly, Drummond, North Elmsley, Carleton Place (Lanark County, Ontario) https://thatsrelative.wordpress.com/2019/08/25/north-elmsley-and-maberly-moores/

Thanks to the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum for the photos and help.

Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tilting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place