Omsted, Samuel Omsted, Henry Omsted, Samuel
Street, Phoebe Street, Polly Street, John Street,
Timothy Street, Peter Street, Betsey Street, Joseph
Easton,” Sr., Mahitabel Easton, William Easton,
Sally Easton, Roderick Easton, Hartley Easton,
John Axley, Stephen Bizneth, William Davis, Sr.,
William Davis, Jr., Margaret Davis, Powell Davis,
Elizabeth Roach, William Roach, John Roach, Jr.,
Moses Shatford, Ennice Shatford, Eleanor Shatford,
Kachael Shatford, Eliza Shatford, Polly Shatford,
Thomas Shatford, Richard Powers, Sally Powers,
Alvin Powers, Arethusa Powers, Calvin Powers, Orra
Pamele, Job Andrews, Hannah Andrews, Samuel
Andrews, Lydia Leehi, Elizabeth Leehi, Gideon
Leehi, Tabitha Hutton, Elizabeth Hutton, Jennie
Hutton, Joseph Hutton, William Hutton, George
Hutton, Samuel Rose, Sr., Charlotte Rose, Samuel
Rose, Jr,, John Rose, James Lake, Hannah Lake,
Thomas Lake, Catherine Lake, Jepe Lake, James S.
Lake, Abraham Lake, Nicholas Lake, Henrietta
Lake, Margaret Phillips, Robert Biccum, Elizabeth
Biccum, Anna Biccum, Margaret Biccum, John
Biccum, William Biccum, David Hardy, Conrod
Derrick, John McFarlin, Elijah Steel, Henry Steel,
Reuben Steel, Lucy Steel, Anson Steel, Ira Steel,
Joel Smades, Nelly Smades, Charity Smades, Else
Smades, Abraham Smades, William Smades, Ben¬
jamin Smades, Rachael Smades, Nathan Brown,
Mary Brown Jean Brown, Margaret Brown, Samuel
Lakins, David Burley, David H. Felton, Rebecca
Felton, A. H. Felton, Sophia Felton, Israel Tomp¬
kins, Rebecca Tompkins, George Tompkins, Jesse
Tompkins, Nathan Tompkins, Samuel Tompkins.
The settlement of the Township was placed in the
hands of Joseph Easton, Mr. Easton and Joseph
Haskins being the first actual settlers. Among the
very early settlers were the following: William
Davis, William H. Easton, Elijah Easton, Roderick
Easton, Harley Easton, John Roach, Moses Strat¬
Cross, Benjamin Barber, Cooley Weller, and Rev.
William Brown.
From John C. Davis, Esq., we learn that the first
school house was built on McMullen’s Corner, near
Easton’s Corners. |
The first church was the old Wolford Chapel, two
and a-half miles northwest of Easton’s Corners.
The Rev. William Brown was one of the first min¬
isters who settled in the township. The second
church was built at Merrickville, and shortly after
the English Church was erected at Easton’s Corners,
At the present time, the township contains the fol¬
lowing churches: The Old Chapel, the English,
Methodist Episcopal and Canada Methodist Churches
at Easton’s Corners ; the Methodist Episcopal and
Canada Methodist Churches, at Irish Creek.
The original survey of the Township was made in
1795. Shortly after the survey. was completed, the
Easton family drew one thousand acres of land, in
the vicinity of Easton’s Corners. For many years
they were among the most enterprising settlers, and.
did much towards improving and developing the
Township. |
From Mr. Rose, of Rose Bridge, the following
account of the early settlement of Wolford, Mon¬
tague, Oxford, and Marlborough, is derived, these
municipality :—
About the year 1792, a few settlers found their
way to Oxford, from the banks of the St. Lawrence,
by what was known as the Lower Road, leaving the.
vicinity of the windmill below Prescott, and striking
the Rideau in the neighborhood of Burritt’s Rapids.
For many years, clothing was very scarce, and
hemp was raised in considerable quantities, to
supply the place of cotton and woolen goods.
Men and women were frequently dressed entirely
in deer skin. Wolves were so plentiful that they
calves in the day time.
The first frame barn raised in the Upper Settle¬
ment (vicinity of Easton’s Corners) was on the farm
now owned by A. Derrick. Samuel Rose frequently
related an account of the raising, stating that every
man but one on the Rideau was present ; but, before
the timbers could be got into place, they were com¬
pelled to obtain assistance from the fair sex. This
was about the year18o0r. Ashort time after, William
Merrick arrived at Merrickville, and erected his old
mill.
The first bridge thrown across the Rideau was
Chester's. " The second bridge was across Irish
Creek, near where the present one now stands,
known as Rose's Bridge. The first settlers found
several mounds of earth near the river, a short
distance below Smith’s Falls, which, tradition says,
was a favorite resort of the red man when lighting
his council fires.
Some thirty-five years after the first settlement,
the Rideau Canal was commenced, giving the first
permanent impetus to the development of that
portion of the County.
Several fatal accidents occurred in Wolford ata
very early date, which cast a gloom over the entire
settlement. In 1801, John Hutton was drowned in
the Rideau River, near Grass Island ; and Nicholas