|
William Monaghan and Phoebe Mills of Hope Township (1831-1889)
William Monaghan (born 08 June 1804) married Phoebe
Mills (born 1803) in July 1829 in Drumragh Parish,
County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. They emigrated to
Canada West 14 May 1831, settling in Canton, Hope
Township. The following description of the trip appeared
in Phoebe's obituary in the 04 October 1889 "Port Hope
Weekly Guide":
DIED. MONAGHAN. - At Port Hope, on Wednesday, 2nd
October, Phoebe Mills, relict of the late William
Monaghan, aged 86 years. Funeral on Friday at 4 p.m.
The subject of this brief notice was one of the oldest
residents in this part of Ontario, having lived for a period
of nearly sixty years in the township of Hope and town of
Port Hope. The deceased was a native of Ireland, and in
the year 1831, in company with her husband, the late Wm.
Monaghan, emigrated from the county Tyrone, and after a stormy voyage lasting several weeks,
they landed in Quebec. Another slow and tedious trip was then began towards the west, the
Frenchman's "batteau" being about the only means of transportation in those times. Mr. and
Mrs. Monaghan at last reached this port, where they disembarked and drove to Canton, or
"Powers' Corners" as it was called. Here they settled down for a time, deceased's husband
carrying on a small boot and shoe trade. Yielding to the opportunities of friends in the States,
the emigrants sold out and went to Philadelphia, then to Utica and later to Watertown, in
Jefferson County, N.Y., where they lived for some years, afterwards coming back to Canada.
Subsequently they removed to the "Guideboard," now Welcome, where they lived for a good
number of years before coming to Port Hope. Deceased's husband died in 1874.
According to the 1880 "Dodd's Directory", William opened a boot and shoe shop in Canton
village, formerly Hope Church, centrally located in Hope Township on Lots 12 and 13 in the 4th
Concession. Shortly after that, the family moved to the United States, where, in his prayer book
brought with him from Ireland, he states, "...he came to Waterton May the 5th 1832 Jefferson
County State of New York America." John and Rachel were born in Watertown on 04
September 1832 and 04 September 1835. They were back in Canton, Hope Township, by the
birth of their third child, Charles, on 09 August 1838, where they were settled on Lot 12 in
Concession 4. Margaret Jane was born on 27 June 1840, William James on 22 December 1842
and Phoebe Ann on 08 October 1844. On 10 May 1845, both Charles and William James died
from causes currently unknown. The last child, Thomas Orr, was born on 28 November 1846.
"Dodd's Directory" has William opening a boot and shoe shop in 1847 at Welcome village,
better known as the Guide Board, situated upon Lots 12 and 13 in the 2nd and 3rd Concessions
of Hope, two and a half miles from Port Hope on the Toronto Gravel Road.
"The Guide" for 31 March 1855 had the following advertisement:
TO-LET, that Tavern located at the Guide Board, and known as the "Three-Mile House." For
particulars apply to the proprietor on the premises.
Hope, Mar. 7, 1855 WM. MONAHAN
On 10 March 1856, "The Guide" reported the following event under the heading, "Police Court":
(Monday, Feb. 25, 1856) - Wm. Monaghan was charged by Robert Irvine, keeper of the check
gate on the Guide Board road, with passing his gate without paying toll. The prosecutor being
sworn testified that both the defendant and his man passed through the gate twice, without
paying the toll, or producing a ticket to show that he had done so at the Guide Board gate.
Defendant admitted this statement to be correct. He did not pay his toll at the Check gate for the
simple reason that he had paid it to the keeper of the gate at the Guide Board, and he did not
produce that ticket because he had none to produce, and by an arrangement which, in common,
with many persons, in the neighbourhood, he had made with Irvine previous to these occasions,
none was required of him. Moore Fanning, the keeper of the toll-gate, at the Guide Board,
having been examined, he substantiated the statement of defendant, and the case was
accordingly dismissed, prosecutor paying the costs.
William moved to Port Hope shortly after that, as in the 1861 Port Hope census he is listed as a
bailiff (56) with his wife, Phoebe (54) and children Margaret J. (21), Phoebe A. (17) and
Thomas (14). In the 1871 census, he is listed as a shoemaker.
William passed away from apoplexy on 20 April 1874 and is buried in St John's Anglican
cemetery in Port Hope, Ontario. His wife, Phoebe, died of old age on 02 October 1889 and is
buried beside him.
William seems to have had at least two siblings who came to Canada: Margaret (born Co.
Tyrone, Ireland: June 1814-05 Aug 1894), wife of Thomas Smith (born Co. Wexford, Ireland:
1810- 07 Oct 1854) who settled in Port Hope; and Charles (born around 1813) who settled in
Esquesing Township in Halton County. I would be most grateful to anyone who might be able to
add further information about these two.
Contributed by Peter Bolton: 
Search the Ontario (Upper Canada) Genealogy Website - Make sure to use all known variations of a family name in your search!
Historical Tales From the Archives - A Selection of Stories, Recollections, Reminiscences and Travel Experiences in Times Gone By  New Site 2021
20th Century Ontario Genealogy Newspaper Notices Index New March 2020
Upper Canada Ontario Surrogate Court Estate Files and Will Database New March 2019
Ontario Canada Historical Map Site New December 2018
Ontario Place Locator - 19th Century Ontario Town and Village Locations and Inhabitants
Upper Canada (Ontario) Pioneer Settler Land Locations, Census Records and Property Descriptions 
Historical Visits to Ontario Villages and Towns Take a trip back in time to the late 19th century and explore the towns and villages where your ancestors lived, loved, laboured, laughed and played.
Ontario Images of the Past Thousands of Images of City, Town, Village and Country Life
Ontario Land Registry Records Research Thousands of your ancestors and where they lived in Ontario
Upper Canada (Ontario) Newspaper Notices Database
Ontario Genealogy Newspaper Notices Database
Ontario (Upper Canada) History and Pioneer Family Research
Queen's Own Rifles - Old Photos of Members
Upper Canada District Maps (Circa 1800)
Upper Canada (Ontario) History Books On-Line Index
Ontario County Directories Victoria, Haliburton, Hastings, Peterborough, Durham, Northumberland, Muskoka, and Old Ontario County
Central Upper Canada (Ontario) Marriage Database 22650 Marriage Records Indexed
Central Upper Canada Baptism Database 25000 Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland Marriages indexed
Upper Canada (Central Ontario) Burial Database 4500 Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Church of Scotland Burials indexed
Eastern Upper Canada Marriage Database Anglican, Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland Marriages indexed
Eastern Upper Canada Baptism Database Anglican, Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland Baptisms indexed
Eastern Upper Canada Burial Database
Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Marriage Database
Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Baptism Database
Upper Canada (Western Ontario) Burial Database
Upper Canada Land Petitions 51000 Records Indexed
Upper Canada Land Leases and Miscellaneous Petitions 10000 Records Indexed
Upper Canada (Ontario) Sundries Database
Upper Canada (Ontario) Toronto Insane Asylum Database
Upper Canada (Ontario) Kingston Insane Asylum Database
Upper Canada (Ontario) London Insane Asylum Database
Upper Canada (Ontario) Malden Insane Asylum Database
Upper Canada (Ontario) Hamilton Insane Asylum Database
Ontario Genealogy Historical Newspaper Collection Historical Newspaper Files from various regions of Ontario
Newspaper Genealogical and Historical Records - Thousands of entries
Ontario (Upper Canada) Map Collection Great site for locating your ancestors in Ontario
Ontario Genealogy Postcard Site - Great old-time landscape views
Upper Canada and Ontario CRIMINAL Database
Ontario Genealogy Database Index Site 500000 Genealogy Records Indexed
Need HELP With Your Family Research?
Northumberland County Genealogy and History
Victoria County Genealogy and History
Durham County Genealogy and History
Haliburton County Genealogy and History
Peterborough County History and Genealogy
Newcastle District (Upper Canada) History and Genealogy
Ontario County History and Genealogy
Upper Canada History and Genealogy
Echoes of the Past - Ontario Genealogy Home
Search the Ontario (Upper Canada) Genealogy Website - Make sure to use all known variations of a family name in your search!
Contact Ontario Genealogy 
|