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Family Stories >> Canada>> Ontario

Canada: Ontario

1829: William Nolan : South Gloucester, ON

1829: Henry Nolan : Tecumseh township, Simcoe Co., ON

1830: James Nolan : Peterborough & Waterloo Counties, ON

1834: Edward Nolan : Douro township, Peterborough Co., ON

1836: John Nowland : Bedford township, ON

1837: Daniel Nolan : Adjala Township, Simcoe Co., ON

1846: James S. Nolan : Stittsville & Carleton Place, ON

1859: Moses Nolan : Ottawa, ON

1851: John Nowland : Clarence township (Ottawa area), ON

1862: Patrick Nolan : Manotick Station, Gloucester, ON

1868: Michael Nolan : Kingston, Frontenac Co., ON

1860s: Daniel Nolan : London, ON

1883: John J. Nolan : Wolverton, Oxford Co., ON

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1829 : South Gloucester, ON
[86] William Nolan (1796-1862) - from Ballindaggan, Co. Wexford, IE
[87] Elizabeth Rowan (1802-1883) - from Unknown
Children: Mary Anne (1829) , Bridget (1832) , Michael (1834) , John (1837), William (1839) , Patrick (1843) and Elizabeth (1850)

William came to Canada from County Wexford sometime around the mid 1820s and hailed from Ballidaggan, Parish of Templeshanbo. It is not known exactly when he came but he is first mentioned in Canada on the "McCabe List" which listed some 700 mostly Irish families that were living in the vicinity of Bytown (now part of Ottawa), Ontario, in February 1829. Although he likely only married sometime around 1828 he may have come to the area a few years earlier.

More Information on William, Elizabeth and children:

It is not known whether William and Elizabeth came to Canada together, or met there. In any case, given that their first child, Mary Anne, was born in Bytown in September 1829, they were likely married sometime around 1828 and lived for a time in the Bytown area. However, by 1830, the family had resettled to nearby Gloucester Township where William had acquired a lot (Lot 27, Concession 4, Rideau Front). Their farm was located on what is now known as Albion Road at Johnston Corners in South Gloucester.

Children of WILLIAM NOLAN SR. and ELIZABETH ROWAN:

In April 1852, in addition to his own family lot, William Sr. purchased 60 acres from Braddish Billings, Gore Lot 12, between Concessions 2&3, Rideau Front, Township of Gloucester (Bowesville area where the Uplands Airport is to-day). In 1860-61, William's eldest son Michael built a one story log house on the property and settled there with his wife Mary Daly and family. In September 1857, William Sr. had also purchased 200 acres on Bogtown Road ( now Bowesville Road ) at Manotick Station. This 200 acre lot, Lot 28, Concession 3, Rideau Front, in the Township of Gloucester, was divided between two younger sons, William Jr. and Patrick, who settled on the land with their families and farmed it.

1829 : Tecumseh township, Simcoe Co., ON
[149] Henry Nolan (???? - ????) - from Ireland?
[150] unknown-wife (???? - ????) - from Unknown
Children: George. A (????)

Henry Nolan, a Quaker, settled on Lot 23, concession 2, Tecumseh township, Simcoe county, in 1829. This was just a few short years after the first white settlers, a group of Irish from the North of Ireland, settled in the area in 1822. Other Irish families in the area included the Deans, the Lundys and the Doyles.

Henry's son, George A. Nolan, of Tottenham, was reeve of the township between 1870 and 1874, and again between 1881 and 1883. Upon incorporation of Tottenham as a village, George was elected as its first reeve in January, 1885, but resigned the position a few months later.

1830 : Peterborough & Waterloo Counties, ON
[92] James Nolan (c1803 - 1873) - from Co. Carlow, Ireland
[93] Catherine McNertney (c1804 - 1883) - from Ireland
Children: Anthony (1829), Mary Ann (1831), Martin (1836), Ellen (1838), James (1840)and Michael Hugh (1843)

James Nolan was born in Ireland around 1803 of unknown parents. His death certificate lists his birthplace as Co. Carlow.

More Information on James, Catherine and children:

James Nolan (c.1803) and his wife Catherine McNertney (c.1804) arrived in the Peterborough area sometime around 1829, their oldest child being born there shortly after their arrival. Around 1842-43, they moved to Wellesley township, Waterloo County. According to the 1851 census, James was a farmer and lived with his wife and children in a "log shanty" in Wellesley township. Current records indicate that James and Catherine had at least 7 children, one of whom died young around 1842.

Children of JAMES NOLAN and CATHERINE McNERTNEY:

James Nolan of Peterborough & Waterloo Counties appears to have been a brother of Edward Nolan of Peterborough (see next family story entry). This is based on the fact that in the local newspaper of Brainerd, Minnesota, a grandson of Edward Nolan of Peterborough, son of Martin Nolan, who had also moved to Brainerd, Minnesota, was identified as a cousin of the James Nolan family.

1834 : Douro township, Peterborough Co., ON
[94] Edward Nolan (???? - ????) - from Co. Carlow, IE
[95] Mary Eustace (???? - ????) - from Ireland
Children: Bridget (1819), Martin (1821), Patrick (1822), Laughlin (1827), James (1830), Thomas (1831), John (1834) and Mary Anne (1839)

Edward was most likely born in Co. Carlow just a bit north of the town of Ballon in an area known locally as Cunaberry. Growing up he likely worked as a tenant farmer for the Lecky family of Ballykealey who owned the Cunaberry lands, adjacent to the main Ballykealey lands.

More Information on Edward, Mary and children:

Edward Nolan and Mary Eustace were married in Ireland, most likely in the Ballon church, Co. Carlow. The townlands given for the baptism of their children would also seem to indicate that, prior to their departure for Canada, they most likely lived in a cottage along Cunaberry lane, just north of the village of Ballon. Around 1834, they settled in the Peterborough area, in Douro township, remaining there until their deaths. All of their children, except for John, remained in the Peterborough area.

Children of EDWARD NOLAN and MARY EUSTACE:

1836 : Bedford township, ON
[100] John Nowland (1836 - ????) - from Bedford township, ON
[101] Anne Kennedy (1846 - c1882) - from Unknown
Children: Mary Jane (1862), Edward (1863), Michael (1867), John (1869), Richard "Dick" (1872), William "Bill" (1874), James (1877), Eliza Ann "Elizabeth" (1879) and Catheran Alice (1881)

[102] Bridget Mary ???? (???? - ????) - from Unknown
Children: Donald (1884), Robert "Bob" (1884; twin of Donald), Peter (1886) and Alaei? (1889)

John Nowland was born in Bedford Township in 1836. No details of his parents are yet known. Today descendants of this branch spell the family name "Nolan".

More Information on John, Anne and children:

Anne Kennedy's origins are unknown but she and James probably met and married in the Addington/Bolingbroke area sometime in the early 1860s. James had been born there and this is where he and Anne resided after their marriage.

More Information on John, Bridget Mary and children:
In 1901, John and Bridget were living in the Actinolite, Madoc area.

1837 : Adjala Township, Simcoe Co., ON
[103] Daniel Nolan (???? - ????) - from Co. Tipperary, IE
[104] Mary Toomey (???? - ????) - from Co. Tipperary, IE
Children: John (1836), Margaret (c1838), Patrick, Daniel and Mary (c1843)

Daniel and Mary, natives of Co. Tipperary, Ireland, emigrated to Canada around 1837 with their 9 month old son, John, born in 1836. Once in Canada, the family settled in Adjala township, Simcoe county, Ontario, where their next child, Margaret, was born around 1838.

More Information on Daniel, Mary and children:

Daniel and Mary settled in Adjala township, Simcoe county, and were there in 1838 when their first child, Margaret, was born.

Children of DANIEL NOLAN and MARY TOOMEY:

1846 : Stittsville & Carleton Place, ON
[157] James S. Nolan (1845- 1916) - from Ireland
[158] Jane Cunningham (1841-1919) - from Ireland
Children: Ann (c1863), Henry (c1865), John (c1867), Rebecca (c1869), Margaret (c1871), Ellen (c1873), Ida (c1875), Franklin (c1877), Herbert Edgar (1881; b. Scotland, adopted?), and Maud (c1882)

James and his wife Jane arrived in Canada in 1846 at the beginning of the period in Irish history known as the "Great Famine". Given that they were born in 1845 and 1841 repectively, they would have come as young children probably accompanied by their parents or taken in as orphans. James may have been related to the Mary E. Nolan listed in the 1901 census for Carleton Place. She is listed as Mary E. Nolan, born in 1850, aged 50, working for the widower John F. Cram and his family. She would have been of age to be a sister.

More Information on James S., Jane and children:

James, Jane and their family first appear in the 1871 census for Goulburn township, just west of Ottawa. At the time they were living in Stittsville and James was a "carriage maker". By 1881, the family had moved to nearby Carleton Place, Lanark South, and James was listed as a "carpenter". The family seemed to have had a Nolan family connection back to Scotland since, in the 1881 census, a Herbert Edgar Nolan, aged less than a year and born in Scotland was listed as living with the family. He was also listed as being of scottish origin and a Presbyterian although the rest of the family was of Irish origin and belonged to the Church of England.

In the 1901 census for Carleton Place, we find a Maud Nolan working at a hotel or traveller's inn in Carleton Place. She was born in 1882 and belonged to the Church of England. She is assumed to have been a daughter of James and Jane.

1859 : Ottawa, ON
[90] Moses Nolan (1823-1905) - from Ballindaggan, Co. Wexford
[91] Elizabeth Turner (1837- 1918) - from Unknown
Children: Andrew (1862), Elizabeth (1864), John Patrick (1866), Thomas Morgan (1868), Peter Morgan (1874) and Patrick James (1878) all born in Canada

Sometime before 1859, a Moses Nolan, schoolteacher by profession and son of Andrew and Elizabeth Nolan of Ballindaggan, Co. Wexford, emigrated to Canada. His first recorded presence in the Ottawa area was on February 15, 1859 in South Gloucester, at Our Lady of the Visitation church, where he and a Judith Redmond stood as godparents for an Anne Hogan, daughter of John Hogan and Ellen Brooks.

By 1861, Moses was teaching at the Herberts Corners school in Osgoode township and, from family tradition, it is known that, at the time, he was boarding at the home of John Turner (Lot 15, Concession 4) about 1/4 mile from the school. This is likely where he met and fell in love with his future wife, Elizabeth, John Turner's daughter.

Two of Moses' siblings, Morgan and Elizabeth, had earlier emigrated from Ireland and also lived in the Ottawa area. His brother Morgan Nolan found work as a foreman in a lumber shanty and married Catherine Dempsey (of Sillary, Quebec) in Ottawa. Eventually, the couple moved to Superior, Wisconsin. Moses' sister, Elizabeth Nolan (1829-1907), never married but worked as a housekeeper. At her death in 1907, she was residing with her nephew, Patrick James "P.J." Nolan, the druggist.

More Information on Moses, Elizabeth and children:

Moses and Elizabeth were married on January 9, 1862. Some time afterwards, the couple moved to Ottawa where they ran a boarding house at 102-104 Murray Street and raised 6 children.

Children of MOSES NOLAN and ELIZABETHG TURNER:

1851 : Clarence township (Ottawa area), ON
[96] John Nowland (c1796 - ????) - from Unknown
[97] unknown (???? - ????) - from Ireland
Children:

According to family tradition, John Nowland, born somewhere in Co. Cork< Ireland, around 1796, first came to the Clarence township, near Ottawa, sometime around 1851 following his son James who had first come to Canada in 1843. James had worked in the forestry industry presumably along the Ottawa river between Montreal and Hawkesbury and, by 1851, had saved enough money to pay for the passage of his father and sister Mary, the mother having presumably died before then.

Current-day descendants of this branch, many of whom still live in the Ottawa area, spell their name "Nolan".

More Information on John, unknown and children:

John's wife presumably died while the family still lived in Ireland somewhere in Co. Cork but, unfortunately, her name has not been retained for posterity.

Children of JOHN NOWLAND and UNKNOWN:

  • Mary (1823-????) m. Johny Larmer (1822-1897);
    Mary married the eldest son of a farmer on a neighboring Lot in Clarence township; they lived on the east half of Lot 11 in Clarence township.

    Children of MARY NOWLAND and JOHNY LARMER:

    • 1862 : Manotick Station, Gloucester, ON
    [88] Patrick Nolan (1821-1905) - from Unknown
    [89] Catherine Nolan (1822-1895) - from Ireland
    Children: Michael (1850), Moses "Mogue" (1855), William (1856), Anne (1860) all born in Ballindaggan, Ireland; Anastasia (1864) born in Canada

    In coming to Canada, Patrick was joining two of his sisters who had already settled there, Mary and Bridget. Mary was married to a John Redmond Sr. and lived in the Ottawa area. The other sister, Bridget, was married to a Mr. Wells.

    More Information on Patrick, Catherine and children:

    In Ireland, sometime before 1850, Patrick Nolan married a Catherine Nolan (her maiden name was also Nolan). Their first four children were born in Ireland and, in 1862, the family emigrated to Canada. Their fifth and last child, Anastasia, was born in Canada.

    Patrick and Catherine settled with their children on a farm belonging to Patrick's sister Mary and her husband John Redmond Sr.. Mary and her husband had moved with their family to 125 Nicholas St. in nearby Ottawa. The 200 acre farm, Lot 29, Concession 3, Rideau Front, Township of Gloucester, was located on Bogtown Road (now Bowesville Road) at Manotick Station. In 1875, Patrick purchased a 100 acre lot in the same area, just two farms north of the Redmond farm. Although only 10 of the 100 acres were cleared land and no buildings were on it, Patrick and Catherine now had their own piece of land which remained in Nolan hands until 1975 when it was sold. This was Lot 27, Concession 3, Rideau Front, Township of Gloucester, Manotick Station. The original Redmond farm was taken over by John Redmond Jr., son of his sister Mary and John Redmond Sr.

    Children of PATRICK NOLAN and CATHERINE NOLAN:

    1868 : Kingston, Frontenac Co., ON
    [163] Michael Nolan (1838 - 1898) - from Quebec, Canada
    [164] Margaret Verdon (???? - ????) - from Unknown
    Children: William Joseph (1869), Michael (1870), George Patrick (1870), Mary Ann (1873), Joseph Vincent (1875) and Charles William (1878)

    Michael, a ship's captain, was born somewhere in Quebec, Canada, in 1838 and died in 1898, at age 60, in Kingston, ON, where he lived with his family.

    More Information on Michael, Margaret and children:

    Michael and Margaret were married in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on October 12, 1868.

    Children of MICHAEL NOLAN and MARGARET VERDON:

    1860s : London, ON
    [244] Daniel Nolan (1839-1928) - from Duagh, Co. Kerry, IE
    [245] Bridget Kelly (???? - ????) - from Elphin, Co. Roscommon, IE
    Children: John (1869), James (1871), Joseph (1873), Daniel (1875), Francis (1878) & William (1880)

    Daniel Nolan (1839-1928), the son of Daniel Nolan and Elizabeth Dore of Kilcarra More, Duagh, Co. Kerry, emigrated to Upper Canada (ON) around 1861 joining his older sister Mary (1833) in Hamilton and taking on a job with the Railroad, the Grand Trunk Railway (the future Canadian National Railway)

    His sister Mary Nolan (1833-1921) had already emigrated to Canada in 1857 and, on April 10, 1861, in Dundas, ON, married a John LYNCH (c1832-1897) a Kerry native like herself. John worked for the Great Western Railway and, the family initially lived in Copetown, a small town near Hamilton. By 1873, however, when Michael the third child was born, the family seems to have moved on to Hamilton itself, Mary dying there in 1921.
    LYNCH Children: John (c1865), Nellie (c1870), Michael (c1873), Mary (c1875) and William (c1878)

    In 1864 in St. Catherines, Upper Canada (ON), his other sister who had also emigrated, Catherine Nolan (1836-1912), married a Patrick FARMER (c1821-1904), also a Kerry native, and from there they eventually moved on to Clyman, Wisconsin, where they raised a large family. At the time of Catherine's death in 1912 she was living in Shields township, Dodge City, Wisconsin.
    FARMER Children: James (c1866), John Joseph (c1867), Owen Eugene (1869), Michael (c1869), Catherine (c1872), Elizabeth (c1873), Mary Ann (1875), Daniel (1877), Ellen (1879) and William P. (1881)

    In July 1867, perhaps in preparation for his impending marriage the following year, Daniel moved from the Hamilton area to London, ON, where he started work with the Great Western Railroad.

    More Information on Daniel, Bridget and children:

    On October 25, 1868, Daniel Nolan and Bridget Kelly, daughter of James kelly and Alice Fallon of Elphin, Co. Roscommon, were married in St. Catherines, ON, and, after marriage, they settled in London, ON, where Daniel had started work the previous year. In London, ON, Daniel and Bridget raised six sons and, when Daniel retired, sometime around 1918, he had been working for the railroad for over 50 years.

    Children of DANIEL NOLAN & BRIDGET KELLY:

    1883 : Wolverton, Oxford Co., ON
    [105] John J. Nolan (???? - ????) - from Westport, Co. Mayo, IE
    [106] Susanna Ryder (???? - ????) - from Unknown
    Children: Mary Ann, James, John, Thomas, Honora, Katherine

    John J. Nolan emigrated to Canada from Co. Mayo, IE, in 1883 on the SS Sarmatian (Allen ship lines?). He initially "located" in the area of Ancaster, near Hamilton, Ontario, and, after a year or so, moved on to the area of Wolverton in Oxford Co., Ontario.

    Nolan Family Crest

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