McCullogh of McCullough's Lake Sullivan Township, Grey County, Ontario

[venelow]

Hi Rootschatters

I am looking for information on John McCullough after whom McCullough's Lake in Sullivan Township, Grey County, Ontario was named. 

Apparently a John McCullough and his brother William came to Sullivan about 1822 and then returned to Ireland. They came back to Sullivan in1827 and eventually took two lots on Conc. 4 which were partly on a lake. William returned to Ireland in 1830 and died there. John cleared his title to the land and gave his name to the lake. 

In 1851 a John McCullough had land in Sullivan, on Conc 4 Lot 22 but his age (29 -30) was too young to be the same John who was on the land in the 1820s. He may have been a nephew of the John who came in 1822 and returned in 1827. According to his marriage details, the younger John McCullough was the son of F. McCullough and N. Glasgow

Does anyone have information on the elder John McCullough who gave his name to McCullough's Lake?

Venelow
Ontario

[DonM]

I would contact the library in Owen Sound and ask if they have anything on the history of the lake. Given its popularity, I am sure someone has looked into this before.

Don

[venelow]

Hi Don,

Thanks for your suggestion.

This has been looked into before as I got the story about the two brothers from a book on Sullivan Township. The article went on to say that the land had several tenants, (six were named) from about 1914 until the land was purchased by Roy Girdler who was responsible for most of the cottage development.

The McCullough family I am researching are descendants of the John who appears as a single man in the Township in 1851/2. This John is not too sure of his age as every census and marriage and death records compute to a different year! What is certain is that he is too young to be the John McCullough who came to Sullivan in the 1820s.

This younger John married Johanna Hannan in 1868. John McCullough is listed as being on Lot 22 Conc. 4 Sullivan Twp. in the Grey County Directory of 1865/6. He and Johanna had four children including one son, John, born 1870. John and Johanna appear in the censuses of 1871, 1881 and 1891. John Jnr. was on the property in 1901 with his wife Elizabeth and their first child. Also his widowed mother Johanna was in the household, John Snr. having died in 1893.

John and Elizabeth and five children were still on Lot 22 in 1911 but in 1921 they were living in Elderslie Twp. in Bruce County. The WWI Attestation paper for their eldest son signed in 1917 gives his father's address as Elderslie Twp. so that fits with the land being rented from about 1914.

The impression has been, from the family stories, that they are direct descendants of the original John McCullough who cleared the land and got title sometime in the 1830s and for whom the lake was named.    However, the John who married Johanna in 1868 stated on the marriage record that his father was F. McCullough not John. I am trying to determine if there was a family relationship between the John who cleared the land and the John who was living there in 1865 or if this was a coincidence of two unrelated men with the same name purchasing the same land.

I know at some point I will probably have to look at land records and the early ones will be at the Archives of Ontario. I was hoping to connect with someone who may have already consulted the land records. I contacted the library to see what sort of information they may have, newspapers and such. Unfortunately they are closed today. I guess I'll have to plan a trip to see the Fall colours.

Venelow

[DonM]

Click on the link below select the county

http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/searchmapframes.php

This is 1880 but you can search by name (landowners) or browse the map by township.

I don't see him in the 1852 Census, perhaps he came after it was taken.

Don

[venelow]

Hi Don

I am familiar with the McGill County Atlases site, but alas,  the Sullivan map is very sparse namewise. Hardly any of the lots have names attached to them. The article about McCullough Lake states that the two brothers originally had two lots in Conc 4 but one of these was sold to a man named Hett.

On the Atlas Township map there are no lots in the area of McCullough Lake that have an owner's name except for John Aitchison in Conc. Five.  The name search for Sullivan brings up only 39 names in the whole Township and none are McCullough in spite of the evidence of the 1865 Grey County Directory and the Censuses. I am not sure why so few names appear. If the method was to charge money for having their name in the Atlas maybe the land owners of Sullivan were reluctant to pay or so poor they could not afford it.

In the census of 1851/52 John McCullough was enumerated as John Mccullagh.

Name               Occ       POB     Religion         Age next birthday    Sex     Condition
John Mccullagh  Farmer  Ireland   Presbyterian            30              M        Single
House Type     No. of Families in occupation
Log Shanty                         1     
Source Citation: Year: 1851; Census Place: Sullivan, Grey County, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule: A; Roll: C_11723; Page: 17; Line: 26.

Thanks for your continued interest in this problem.
Venelow

[keady123]

Hi!   Messaging from Northern Ireland.

Although not personally related to the McCulloughs, my husband and I are now living on the family homestead of William McCullough who lived in Canada during the 1800s.  In his will, he left his land, Lot 22 on the 5th concession, Sullivan, to his nephew John McCullough with other bequests to nieces and nephews in Canada.  (I can get you copy if you would like!)

I notice in your posts that the McCullough land in Sullivan was on the 4th Concession -  the 5th is indicated in the will. However, William died in 1907 and made his Will just the previous year and may have been confused about the concession number.  The number of Williams and Johns in this research is confusing but it is very common for Irish families worldwide to use the same christian names generation after generation leading to much difficulty when researching family trees but also in a roundabout way confirms one is on the right track!  But I feel that this is the family you are interested in as the history of 'clearing the land' fits in with stories William's wife's niece told over the years.

I noticed 'Keady' on the Sullivan map - ironic as Wm in buried here in Keady!!

Please let me know if this had been beneficial and if possible I could maybe fill in some dates for you.

Regards, Loretta

[venelow]

Hi Loretta

Thank you for your response. Sorry I did not see this right away I don't always check that particular email box regularly. I would really like to know more about the McCullough family especially as I am not familiar with Irish genealogy.

However, I have a busy weekend ahead that I have to prepare for so I can't dig out my files right now. I'll send you a private message next week on what I have so far.

Thanks again for taking time to respond.
Sincerely
Venelow

[mccu6340]

Hi Venelow,

Just curious why you haven’t contacted the McCullough’s at McCullough Lake?
We have always been here. Some family went to Bruce county but your looking at siblings/cousins. So many Johns in the family. But the land was passed down through the eldest son all named John except my father.

I don’t really check the message boards but if you want to send me snail mail, let me know your interest in the records and your connection to the McCullough’s. You should be able to get my address through the township office. I’m the only one left on the lake.

Kim

[katbentley7]

Hello there I am thinking there is a connection to your McCullough's you are looking for and my McCullough family. I am a descendant of John McCullough's brother Thomas McCullough.   
1. Regarding John McCullough Sr.'s marriage to (Johanna Hannan) it lists his father's name as F. McCullough & N. Glasgow.

2. I have a Jon McCullough Sr (same wife and family and dates and everything) but his father is actually called Thomas McCullough mother Nancy Glasgow.  It looks like this "Ontario, Canada, County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 on ancestry.com" record has a few mispellings and errors in names and you can only see the transcript... not the original document.  When you look at the same record in familysearch.org you can see both  the indexed version and the original document.  The familysearch.org document is correct it shows very clearly that John McCullough Sr.'s father was T. Mccullough not "F"  even his spouse and her family name is Hannan and spelled clearly. 
here's the link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7D-BSBP-H?i=145&cc=2568642&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQ2CB-H1KK

let me know if that link works.

3. I have this John McCullough in my family tree, in fact I have a whole McCullough family history book!  I'd be happy to share with you all written by Mary Van Gorden. Its also on familysearch.org, its called "The Life and Ancestry of Ellen Mary "Nellie" (McCullough) Van Gorden."
Here's the link: http://www.familysearch.org/library/books/idurl/1/857391

4. For reference, if you go to page 66 in the book (pg 79 of digital document) it tells you details about the life of Thomas McCullough Sr. and Nancy Glasgow (John McCullough's Sr. parents).  This is all we know about them.  You do need to be a member of Familysearch.org in order to access the book. Its all free so I hope this helps.

OK so now I am extremely interested in the documents you have and have mentioned in this thread. You see we don't show record of a brother named William McCullough and we only know that they came from Ireland (see 68-69 for life sketch of Thomas & Nancy McCullough.)  Is there a way for me to get the information you have and piece it together some more?  I am extremely interested in this discussion and don't have any of the records you mentioned except the census records you mentioned. 

I am hoping that by combining the records I will have a better documented family tree.
Let me know if you can send me those documents (or where I can find them) 
I'm very interested in the information you have on them going to and from Canada from Ireland. I have since found  record thanks to "keady123" who gave me the town & County the family owned land... I have found record of a Thomas McCullough leasing land in the Derrynoose Parish, County Armagh, in the Derryhennet Townland, Ireland. I've attached the records of this.