THE MEEHAN FAMILY - CANADA PROJECT 150

In 2017 the Ontario Genealogical Society asked their members for stories about the families who lived in Canada at the time of confederation in 1867.  I thought it was a good idea and decided to write about each family unit. There were more than I first imagined.

MEEHAN FAMILY

Patrick Meehan was my great great grandfather.   He was born in Ireland about 1806 in Ireland, possibly Donegal.  He was married to Elizabeth "Bessie" Magee.  Bessie was also born in Ireland about 1812  I don't know if they married in Ireland or met in Canada.

Patrick and Bessie had at least 3 children born in Kingston, Ontario:  James, Ellen and George.  James Meehan was born on November 26, 1842 in Kingston and baptised at St. Mary's Church in Kingston on 8 December 1842.  The parents are listed as "residents" of Kingston as opposed to other listings in the parish records that refer to "immigrants".  So Patrick and Bessie were living in Kingston from at least November 1842.

The other two  children were also baptised at St. Mary's.  Ellen was born May 2, 1845 and baptised on June 8, 1845 and George Thomas was born on March 30, 1850 and baptised on May 19, 1850.

At some point between 1851 and 1861 the family moved from Kingston to Belleville, Ontario.  Unfortunately the 1851 census is missing for parts of Kingston and Belleville, so it is not clear exactly when they moved.

Nevertheless, by 1861 the family was living in Belleville, in the Coleman district.  Patrick is listed as a labourer and the family is living in a 1 1/2 stories frame house.

Patrick Meehan, W. Water Street, Belleville - 1869 Directory.

According to our family history, James joined the US army and participated in the US Civil War in 1863.  He was injured in the US and remained there and lived in Wisconsin with his wife and 9 children.  There certainly was a James Meehan, born in Canada who did live in Wisconsin.  His father was named Patrick Meehan, but the mother's name is unknown.

Ellen married Thomas Bolger in Belleville in 1872 and she died in Carleton Place, Lanark, Ontario in 1901.

My direct ancestor George Thomas Meehan married Emma Howson in Belleville in 1874. See Howson family link: Howson Family  George and Emma had at least 7 children all born in Belleville and baptised at St. Michael's The Archangel Church.  By the 1901 Census the family had moved to Toronto.  George died in 1919 and Emma died in 1913.  They are both buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Toronto.

George Thomas Meehan (1850-1919)

Patrick died in 1886 and Bessie died in 1888, both in Belleville.  They are buried in St. Michael's The Archangel Cemetery in Belleville.