The Ireland Family in Kitley Township
The Ireland Family in Kitley Township, Ontario
(photos and articles written and submitted by Cherylynn Ireland, 2020)
Isaac Ireland b.1776 d. circa 1833 and Susan Cornell b.1771 d.1826 came north to Kitley Township circa 1800 as part of a Cornell family group from near Schaghticoke, upper New York state, where their families had farms sharing a common boundary. Isaac and Susannah were married and had their first child, Elijah, before migrating to Kitley.
Isaac’s parents were Thomas Ireland b.1746 d.1811 and Sarah Seeley b. 1751 d. 1830. By the time Isaac came north, Thomas would have been approaching 60 years of age and had signed a petition 1775, to indicate his alliance with the Patriots/Rebels to avoid being “tarred & feathered” and having his farm confiscated.
Isaac is buried in the back portion of what is now Lehigh Cemetery beneath one of the large trees there. His headstone was a field stone, with the letters “IRE…” hand chiselled on one of the limestone field stones. There were three or four in a row, with inscriptions lost to the elements.
Darius West Ireland and his wife, Phoebe McManus are buried in Lehigh Cemetery. Darius is the grandson of Issac Ireland and Susan Cornell.
Darius’ parents were Lewis Denis Ireland b. 1800 d. 1884. married to Alice Johnson b. 1800 d. 1892
This is Darius West’s family line.
1)Gravestone of Susan (Cornell) Ireland b. 1771 near Schaghticoke, NY. married to Isaac Ireland. d. 1826. This is thought to be the oldest grave marker in Lehigh Cemetery.
2) Darius West Ireland. b.1836 d.1917 Darius was Susan’s grandchild. This hand drawn portrait is thought to have been commissioned to commemorate his marriage to Phoebe McManus, his second wife. (His first wife, Harriet Wood, died in childbirth.)
3) The tombstone of Darius West Ireland and his wife, Phoebe McManus. Lehigh Cemetery.
4) Phoebe McManus and Darius West Ireland, in their later years.
5) Darius West Ireland, homestead, which his son with Phoebe McManus, James Bruce Ireland, inherited. (North of Concession 9. West of Lehigh’s Corners. Intersection of Highway 29 with Kitley Concession 9.)
6) James Bruce Ireland b. 1892. d. 1937 with his wife, Bessie Peer. b. 1908 d.1964. In the photo, Bessie is holding her 1st female child, Phoebe. In front are their two sons, Cleon and Clifford.
7) The family farm James inherited from his father, Darius West Ireland. Approximately, 100 acres.
8) Bessie Peer as a young woman.
9) James Bruce died of a stroke in 1937, at the age of 55. Eventually, the Ireland Family faced foreclosure. This is the new farm Bessie was able to acquire, consisting of 50 acres. (Concession 9, half a mile East of Lehigh’s Corners, intersection of Concession 9 and Highway 29.)
10) Bessie’s farmhouse. 2017.
11) Tombstone of James Bruce Ireland, Bessie Peer, and their youngest daughter, Alice Ireland, who died of cancer, at the age of 46. Lehigh Cemetery.
12) A photo of Alice as a young woman. 1958.
13) Bessie’s obituary.
14) Clifford Ireland b. 1927. d. 1998. First born of the union between Bessie Peer and James Bruce Ireland.
15) Eunice Mary Reilly b.1932. d. 2016. Wife of Clifford
16) Eunice & Clifford’s marriage in Belleville. 1956.
17) Clifford and Eunice’s tombstone. Lehigh Cemetery.
18) Cherylynn, Linda, Cathy at the Old Family Farm. Offspring of Clifford & Eunice.
January 29, 2020 @ 3:26 pm
Just wanted to point out that the concession number is noted incorrectly, Lehigh’s Corner is at the intersection of Hwy 29 and Concession 9. My grandparents owned the SuperTest gas station and garage at the intersection for many years and I grew up two lots east of the garage at lot 21/conc 9.
January 30, 2020 @ 7:37 am
thanks for this we will update the website. You wouldn’t have any old photos of your grandparents gas station that you could share with us? If you do you can contact us at lynmuseum@gmail.com, thanks John
February 4, 2020 @ 7:15 am
The Ontario Land Records are on line. It’s time consuming to locate and look up, by County, Township, Lot and concession number but it’s there. I don’t have the url for it so good luck.
January 31, 2020 @ 10:51 am
Thank you for the correction of the Concession.
February 6, 2020 @ 6:44 pm
Of note: “my” Darius West Ireland family line, is not the only branch of the Ireland family emanating from Darius Ireland. Darius had four children through his first marriage with Harriet Wood. b. 1839 d. 1877. (Phoebe McManus was the second wife of Darius, with two children surviving infancy: James Bruce Ireland and his sister, Susan, who married a Fenlong.) Offspring of the first marriage:
Nelson Fredrick b. 1864 d. 1946
Ernest Franklin b. 1866 (or, 1869) d. 1937
Alice Flossie b. 1870
William Henry b. 1876
Descendants of these children still reside in the Elizabethtown-Kitley Township area.
February 13, 2020 @ 9:03 am
Many thanks to John Mack in helping me pull this together.
November 18, 2020 @ 8:34 pm
Hi, Cherylynn.
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful images! My great-great grandmother was Darius’ sister, Lucinda Ireland (1826 – 1880) who married John Watts (1826 – 1917). I’m thrilled to see these photos of the Ireland family. Do you have any others from 19th century? I would love to see them.
All the best,
Your very distant cousin Leslie
November 19, 2020 @ 6:38 am
Thank you for your kind comment. Could you contact me at my home e-mail address for follow-up? cielireland@gmail.com
June 10, 2021 @ 3:43 pm
This was an amazing read! Thank you so much for publishing and sharing this! I’d always wondered about this branch of the Ireland family.
Just a few things to add: Thomas Ireland (1745-1811) was a Loyalist, although he did not leave the US. He was put to taking the revolutionary pledge and signing a document in Newburg recognizing the patriot cause, but he refused. His name, along with other refusers, are published in the New York Journal in 1775 and in the published History of Newburg. He later signed but only in agreeing to abide by the prevailing continental measures of congress, not in support their actions/cause. He did not live long enough to follow the many of his Loyalist compatriots north to Canada, but Isaac — his son — did!
Isaac (1776-1854) is not buried there in Lehigh with Susannah, though. Isaac married again to Esther Tallman and had several more children, from which I’m descended! He’s buried in the expansive Ireland family plot in Warkworth Cemetery in Percy Township, surrounded by many of his children, descendants and their progeny. I do have a photograph of his gravestone that I’d be happy to share, as well as a letter he penned to his brother Seely still living in the US regarding his new wife Esther, his lovely home in the Warkworth area, and his desire for them to strike up a correspondence so that they acquaint themselves while he and Seely settle estate matters. Isaac and his other brother Losee served in the 2nd Leeds, Flank Company during the War of 1812.
Warmly, from your distantly-related Ireland cousin —
Shannon
June 11, 2021 @ 11:38 am
Thank you for your comment and additional information/corrections. Yes, please send me a photo of Isaac Ireland’s gravestone at my e-mail address: cielireland@gmail.com
August 9, 2023 @ 9:20 pm
I now live at the house Bessie Ireland moved into after her husband passed away. I came across this because I was tearing down a closet and found a note saying “Bessie Ireland moved here 1937 month of March” with 1938 small and underlined beside 1937
August 10, 2023 @ 7:28 am
Thank you Scott.
August 10, 2023 @ 8:57 pm
Peeling back paneling on another wall I found a message written by Tracy stark age 11 1977 from: James Stark Jr
Isabella Ireland
Hazel Stark
Tracy Stark
The message is about the house being built in the early 1800s and renovated in 1977, along with a bunch of pictures. If you know Tracy I would love to send her pictures of the drawings for a little blast from the past.
August 11, 2023 @ 6:06 am
Hey Scott, that’s very interesting! If you want to send us photos we can add it to the article with credit.
August 12, 2023 @ 1:04 pm
Hi Andrew. Before posting what Tracy Stark wrote when she was 11…I suggest contacting her.
Perhaps it would be best to send her the photos, and let her decide if she wants it posted?
Thank you. Cheryllynn Ireland (289) 240-7077. cielireland@gmail.com
October 16, 2023 @ 11:11 pm
Hi Cathy,
I was researching sugar bushes for my present employer – for about 2 hours. A long story short, the keywords were very, very broad ie. ‘Sugar bush in Canada.’ …low and behold this charming picture popped up that I recognized. God works in mysterious ways. Happy soon-to-be Birthday! Love Beth
October 17, 2023 @ 9:29 am
Hi Beth. Thank you for your comment. I think I’ve met you? Upholstery?
Cathy is my younger sister. And yes, her birthday is coming up.
To my knowledge, Cathy isn’t interested in Family History and would never have gone through the effort to post anything at a museum website. Whereas, our Family History goes back to 1636 in North America. Most humans are like this…I don’t mean this as a criticism.
Give her a call on her birthday. I’m certain she would be delighted to hear from you. If you don’t have her #, give me a call. (289) 240-7077.
BTW, we didn’t have a sugar bush. We had sugar maples; but during our several generations in Kitley Township, we didn’t tap them. The grandfathers felt it would damage the tree. The photo you recognize is from me, via my mother’s collection. Photo taken by my father. Although, I was happy to see Cathy use it on the cover of her self-published book, “In my Father’s House”. Cathy has rebranded and perhaps relaunched her book under a different title.