ONTARIO YULE CONNECTION

Many of the early settlements in Ontario were names from the villages and towns the settlers had left behind in their old country. Lanark and Renfrew were named by families who left Scotland for a better life. Yule families settled in each of these counties.

From 1815-1819, soldiers of the War of 1812 against the United States were given land in Upper Canada later called Ontario. In 1819 the area opened up to civilian and a number of societies were established to assist immigrants to travel and settle the lands. Britain was in a severe depression and conditions were especially hard for those in Lanark and Renfrew counties in Scotland. Weavers who had been doing well making blankets and material for uniforms during the Napoleonic Wars found themselves out of work and the outlook very poor for the future.

Ships such as the George Canning or the Commerce would sail from Greenock. The societies helping immigration would be notified 10 days ahead of sailing to have their members ready to leave. The journey would take 40-50 days to arrive at Quebec. A steamship would transport the people to Montreal and Lachine. From there they used flat bottom boats to Prescott which took two weeks. Then it was a 5 day wagon trip, over poor trails, to arrive at Lanark County. Each man received 100 acres and when a male child reach 21 he too received 100 acres plus aid would be given for 6-8 months. Often this land required a guide to take them and find the location of their 100 acres. Times were hard. Some blamed the tyrannical Royal government for the hardships they faced. Some went down to work on the Oswego Canal in New York but many were defrauded their pay there and came back with only part of their pay to build their homes and work the land in Ontario.

Many of the early settlers in Lanark County moved north into Renfrew County when that land was opened up. Others moved further west.

LANARK COUNTY.

James YUILL b.ca. 1774 Lanarkshire, died 26 November 1858, Almonte, Lanark County, Ontario. He married 28 July 1793, Glasgow, Lanarkshire to Barbara COLTON.

James was a weaver probably from the Hamilton area. James and his family sailed from Scotland, 16 July 1821 aboard the ship 'Charles Canning'. They settled on E lot 11, con 6, Ramsey Township, Lanark county, which was between Shipman's Mills and Morphy's Falls.

Children:

i. James b.ca 1794 m. Marion TURNER

ii. Mary b.ca. 1796 m. James Burris BROWN

iii Alexander b.ca 1804 m. Helen AIKENHEAD

iv Euphemia b. 3 Feb. 1806, Barony, Lanark: m. Andrew PAUL

v Robert b. 28 May 1808, Barony, Lanark: m. Janet MCLAREN

vi Joseph b.3 Oct. 1812, Barony, Lanark: m. Mary PARIS

vii John b. 10 Aug. 1812, Barony, Lanark

viii David WILLIAMSON b. 23 Oct. 1817, Barony, Lanark: m. Agnes AITKENHEAD

Jessie mar ? WILLIAMSON

ix William b.ca. 1821 Hopetown, Quebec: m. Isabella BROWNING

Note: in the YUILL Family by J. H. YUILL the ship is listed as the Commerce. On page 30 of Lanark Society the ship is listed as the 'Charles Canning'. James YUILL Jr. Is mentioned in the Beldon Atlas of 1880 to have been born in London, England (p.31).

(1) James YUILL, son of James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL was born 1794 and died 1885, Almonte, Lanark County. He married 15 Sept. 1820 Barony, Lanarkshire to Marion TURNER. Marion was born 1793 and died 1858, Lanark County. She was the daughter of Alexander and Marion (AITKIN) TURNER. Her parents came to the district in 1830. Alexander TURNER died 1843 and his wife, Marion died in 1885.

James was the head of the Abercrombie Emigration Society.

Children:

(?) b.1824

John Turner b. 1830 d. 1855

Isabell Turner b. 1833 d. 1851

Robert b. 1835 m. Agnes TAYLOR

Barbara b.1836

Alexander b. 1840 d. 1857

Robert YUILL born 1835 married 3 April 1861 Ramsey Township to Agnes TAYLOR, daughter of John and Ann (Bain) TAYLOR, was born 1839, Ontario.

Children (all born Ramsey township):

Annie b. 19 April 1867

Marion b.25 October 1863

Isabel b. 11 April 1874

Robert Mathew b. 1 April 1877

Maud b. 8 Dec. 1881

(2) Mary YUILL, daughter of James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL, was born ca. 1802. She married 21 Oct. 1821, Renfrew, Renfrewshire to James Burris BROWN.

James was born 1796 Renfrew.

Children:

Barbara b. 23 Aug. 1822 Renfrew

Robert b. 20 Aug. 1824 Renfrew

Martha b. 15 Nov. 1826 Renfrew

Walter b. 4 Jul. 1828 Renfrew

James b. 4 Dec. 1832 Barony, Lanark

Robert b. 9 Apr. 1835 Barony, Lanark

(3) Alexander YUILL, son of, James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL, was born ca. 1804. He married ca. 1821 to Helen AIKENHEAD, daughter of James and Janet (CROUMBIE) AIKENHEAD, was born 1807. The AIKENHEAD family came on the 'George Canning' in 1821 as members of the Strathaven & Kilbride Emigration Society. Alexander and Helen settled the E lot 9, con 6, Wolf Grove, Ramsey Township, Lanark County.

Children:

Janet b.ca. 1825

James b.ca. 1829

Robert b. 1831

Joseph b.ca. 1838 m 1865 to Margaret COCHRAN

John b.ca. 1840

William b.ca. 1843

Agnes b.ca. 1845 m. Robert STEWART

(4) Euphemia YUILL, daughter of James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL, was born 3 Feb. 1806, Barony, Lanarkshire and died 14 May 1897, Almonte, Lanark County. She married 1827, Ramsey Township, to Andrew PAUL. Andrew and Euphemia moved to the United States where they lived for three years in Pleasant Valley where two of their children were born. Mrs. PAUL lived to be 92 years and at her death she had 44 grandchildren, 54 great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren.

"She was the last of the 250 members of the Presbyterian church who sat down to the Lord's Table in the old barn of the late Mr. Gemmill, father of Lt. Col. Gemmill, before there was a church in Ramsey. She was a constant member of the Presbyterian church for more than 70 years".(p31).

Children:

John m. (1) Sarah DUFF MCPHERSON, (2) Mrs. H.A. ROBERTSON

Barbara m. (1) Stewart HOUSTON (2) John HOUSTON

Euphamia , Adam MURRAY

Mamie m. John LECKIE

Jessie m. William LECKIE

William

Mary M. Samuel REID

Jennie M. James GLASS

(5) Robert YUILL, son of James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL, was born 25 May 1808, Barony, Lanarkshire and died 26 Jan. 1896, Almonte, Ramsey, Lanark County. He married, 1 January 1834 Lanark county, to Janet MCLAREN daughter of Peter and Janet (HEADRICK) MCLAREN of Breadalbane, Perthshire, was born 1810 and died 1877. The Mclaren family came with the Muslin Street Emigration Society. Robert was a tailor and they lived at Bennie's Corner, near Almonte, in Ramsey Township. The family moved to Brant County.

Children:

Janet b. 1845

John MCLAREN b, 1846

John MCLAREN YULE married Adelia HAZELTON born 1848 Ontario. They were living in Brantford, Brant County on 1891 Census.

Children:

William b. 1876 d. 1945 m. Blanch BIGELOW

John Herbert b. 1879 m. Helen Bruce GILLMAN

Rosa Eliz b. 1884

Fay Adelia b. 1887

(6) Joseph YUILL, son of James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL, was born 3 October 1812 Barony, Lanark, and died 1855, Napanee, Hastings County, Ontario. He married Mary Paris who was born December 1814, Edinburgh and died 24 March 1899, Harrisville, Alcona, Michigan. She is buried in the west Lawn Cemetery, Harrisville, Michigan.

Children:

Mary b.22 Sep. 1839 m. Robert MCMURRAY

Jannet b.1 Jan. 1841 m. Peter KING

James b. 25 Mar. 1842 m. Mary Ann PORTER

Euphemia b. 9 Jan 1844

Robert b. 2 April 1847 m. Elizabeth BOYD

Margaret Ann b. 15 June 1849 d. 1922: n.m.

Joseph b. 6 May 1851, d. 1927;m. Emma MCNEIL

Alexander b. 15 Sep. 1845 m. Frances MCNEIL

James YUILL, son of Joseph and Mary (PARIS) YUILL was born 1841 Huron county, Ontario and died 1925 Goderich, Ontario. He married Mary Ann Porter who was born 1856 and died 1933.

Children (all born Goderich, Huron County):

Mary Elizabeth b. 20 Jan 1889

Joseph b.1892, d. 1917 m. Mary PROCTOR

Jane Euphemia b. 4 Feb. 1891 m. Reginal STURDY

John Alexander b. 11 Sep 1896

Robert YUILL, son of Joseph and Mary (PARIS) YUILL, was born 2 April 1847, Napanee, Lennox and Addington County and died 5 December 1908, Morris Township, Huron County. He married Elizabeth BOYD, daughter of James and Elizabeth (BALLAGH) BOYD. She was born 7 April 1852, Culross township, Bruce County and died 12 June 1901 Morris Township, Huron County.

Children (all born Culross county):

James Alexander b. 1872, d. 1940 m. Lillian May CAMPBELL

Mary Ann b. 4 May 1874 d. 12 Dec. 1949 m. Archmedeas PETRIE

Agnes Elizabeth b. 14 Jan. 1877 d. 1944 m. Robert YULE

Margaret b. 5 Nov. 1880 d. 11 Dec. 1972 n.m.

Joseph 13 Oct. 1883 d 29 Mar. 1952 m. Mabel PROCTOR

(7) John YUILL, son of James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL, was born 10 Aug. 1815 Barony, Lanarkshire. He did not marry.

(8) David WILLIAMSON YUILL, son of James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL, was born 23 Oct. 1817, Barony, Lanarkshire and died 8 July 1902 Ontario. He married in 1838 to Agnes AITKENHEAD daughter of James and Janet (CROUMBIE) AIKENHEAD born 1818. This family moved west to Huron county and later to Manitoba.

(9) William YUILL, son of James and Barbara (COLTON) YUILL, was born ca. 1821 Hopetown, Quebec and died 28 Dec. 1893, Drummond, Ontario. He married 31 Dec. 1845 Lanark county, to Isabella BROWNING, daughter of Archibald and Janet (MCCURDY) BROWNING, was born 1823, Ontario and died 9 March 1906 Drummond, Ontario.

Children:

Alexander b.15 Sep. 1845 m. Francis MCNEILL

Janet b. 1846 d. Perth; m. Archibald STEWART

The Lanark Society Settlers, 1820-1821. Carol Bennett. Juniper Books, 1991.

A Pioneer History of the County of Lanark. Jean S. McGill. Clay Publishing 1979.

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Copies of all sources are available from the editor.