Fergus, Ontario founder

Question

I'm hoping that someone with experience in Ontario genealogy will be able to complete a profile. It relates to George Wilson (b. 1793) who inherited and then last Glasgowego (sometimes Glago-ego) in Kinnelar parish in Aberdeenshire. He was one of the Scottish diaspora in the mid 19th C. He was one of the founders of Fergus, Ontario. He is not a relative, however his youngest brother founded Lismore, New South Wales, my home for 15 years. I've created profiles for some of his family, but don't have access to Ancestry.com to access some of the Canadian primary sources. Thanks in anticipation of someone putting up their hand for the task.

Answer 1

Who were his parents? Wife ? Kids?

Was he  an English Naval Lieutenant George moved his family to Upper Canada in 1832?

Do you know when and where he died?

Is Year of Death 1852 correct?  If he died in 1852, there will be almost no records for him, the 1851 census was not taken until 1852, the 1842 census was not taken in rural  areas.

Land records could help, detailed information about where he lived is needed to search land records.

There are references to him in several Canadian sources.

These are from a google search

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://electriccanadian.com/history/ontario/fergus-ontario.pdf

Page 113 has reference to him and his brother 'the boy who went to Australia and had a brief reign as the king of a southsea island".

This is from the Wellington County museum, they will have other information that you can search for.

https://wcma.pastperfectonline.com/vocabulary?keyword=Wilson%27s+Mill%2C+Fergus&letter=W&page=2&searchtype=people&showsearch=true

If you can provide more information, I'm happy to help.

Comments

The Following information is all from the Wellington County Museum and Archives, you would need to contact them for information about how to access the records 

Harvey Cottage:  image 

Ink drawing over pencil on paper by Scottish-Canadian artist Alexander Dingwall Fordyce (1816-1894) entitled "Harvey Cottage (on the Grand River) near Fergus: the residence of GEORGE WILSON Esq:", signed and dated lower left, "A.D.F. / del' / 30 July / 1835"; it is a forest landscape showing both deciduous and coniferous trees, as seen from across the Grand River; at centre is a single-storey log dwelling, possibly with porch; sawn logs lay on the ground between the house and the river; title inscribed along river in foreground.

https://wcma.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/02C94CD5-9086-43F4-B367-753235791855

Also

https://wcma.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/EEFE57B4-3FC9-41A2-B33C-111086337557

Pencil drawing on paper by Scottish-Canadian artist Alexander Dingwall Fordyce (1816-1894) entitled "Harvey Cottage", ca. 1840; it is a landscape with one and a half-storey log house at centre, likely near Fergus, Ontario; the house has a front porch, a chimney at each end, a rear addition, and a large back porch; forest in background; path or road through forest at left; signed "ADF" beneath tree trunk at lower centre; handwritten in ink on reverse of drawing "Harvey Cottage".

Also 

https://wcma.pastperfectonline.com/archive/7812E890-C1D0-45C8-B682-194636044761

Wilson family, 1702-1988, part 1 of 2: Guy Saunders fonds, A2002.54, Series 23.

Portrait of an Elderly Man, George Wilson??

https://wcma.pastperfectonline.com/archive/4E6CC99D-21C1-4DC0-A742-904213224820

Book: Fergus: A Scottish Town By Birthright on Google Books and other places

Also: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L4JV-PYP

It looks like the correct person, but the wrong death place as is seen on multiple Ancestry trees 

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Thanks so much M for your help

Together with a fellow genealogist in the Scotland Project we have been able to fill out George's profile. There are still significant lacunæ, so it's a work in progress. I haven't created separate profiles for George's children as many will require access to Canadian sources which I am ill-equipped to pursue. A major source for George and his  is Byerly's 1932 monograph Fergus : or, The Fergusson-Webster settlement I have sourced a lot of information from it. It includes an image of George Wilson which depicts the same individual as the one you provide above. The Guy Saunders fonds in Wellington County Museum and Archives to which you refer above also has useful information. I'll put some of the information you have provided into the profile. 

My interest in George derives from a profile I created for his youngest brother William Wilson who founded Lismore NSW, my home for 14 years. Two other brother Adam and Thomas also emigrated to NSW: I will research them further.

I am hugely obliged to you. Thank you! Neil McKellar-Stewart, Kyogle, NSW

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I like mysteries, I live less than an hour's drive from Fergus, I went to the University of Guelph, I know the area well.

My husband has many relatives and ancestors who lived in the area, that is now Wellington county.

It's quite possible that there are connections between the descendants of George Wilson who lived in Wellington county and my husband's extended family.

There are some good Canadian sources on Family Search, they are missing some censuses, but all the censuses up to 1931 are available at Library and Archives Canada and are free.

There are other free sources, so when you get to George's kids who stayed in Canada I'm happy to help.

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Again that is very gracious of you. Thank you. It sounds as if you have a major project in the Alton Cemetery connections work, congratulations that you've reached 640+ profiles!

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whoops. pushed the flag button by mistake. Your kind reply is not spam