John Byrne : Short Biography

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John Byrne and his wife Celia left the Coollattin estate of Earl Fitzwilliam near Shillelagh, Wicklow with their 6 children on May 1, 1847 for the port city of New Ross, Wexford. They were being assisted to emigrate to Canada and the estate's foreman kept meticulous records of each family. The Byrnes were provided with their passages across the ocean, £1 per family member and a small wooden chest containing some basic cooking implements and linens in exchange for agreeing to have their tiny 2-room cabin tumbled upon their leaving. Otherwise, they left with the clothes on their backs and little else. They departed Irish waters on May 4, 1847 bound for Québec. After a 6 week voyage they arrived at Grosse-Ile the last week of June. Each of them had survived, and once they'd been quarantined and found healthy they were able to carry on to their intended destination. It's not certain when they made their way from Québec to the Renfrew area of Ontario, but the 1851 Canada census shows they'd settled (briefly) in Newmarket, near Toronto, where John's occupation was listed as "labourer" and they had added a daughter to their family. Newmarket is easily reached by water from Québec and was a farming community at that time. In 1853, the railroad finally reached the village. It's possible John worked on the railroad, which was a very common situation for Irish immigrants at that time. By 1861, the family had relocated yet again, to Admaston township in Renfrew County where they settled into farming. The family had increased by 3 more children by then too. At some point their surname became Anglicized from Byrne to Burns. There are many of their descendents all over Canada now.

Jan in Kelowna

Tuesday 3rd November 2020 05:06AM