An old farmhouse in Huntley Township, near Almonte, Ontario.

There it stands quietly, abandoned in a lonely field surrounded by snow, covered by an overcast sky.

Edit: I've added a short history. Please scroll down below the image.

- Craig




The Log House Builder: Michael McGrath, age 30, 1850.

(Conversions: 100 acres = 40 hectares; 1 mile = 1.6 km)

Although I didn't photograph this old house for documentary purposes, curiosity led me to research its origins. Here's a brief account of the land, the house, and its original owner. Let's reach 200 years back to the early European settlements of the Ottawa Valley.

Starting in the late 1700s, land in Upper Canada (present-day province of Ontario) was surveyed into 'townships', mainly to accommodate Loyalist settlers who were migrating from the United States. Townships were organized by 'concessions' and 'lots', a concession being land that the British Crown would concede to a settler in return for the settler agreeing to build a house and, well, settle in. The concessions were long strips approximately a mile wide, and were further divided into 200-acre lots each a quarter-mile deep; each lot was typically administered in two 100-acre parcels, say an 'east half' and a 'west half'. Today, the lots are still identified legally by their original designations.

The featured farmhouse sits on the "east half of Lot 15, Concession 10", in the original Township of Huntley in Carleton County (now located within the extensive City of Ottawa). The parcel was conceded to a Jeffery Donoghue on May 30, 1836, who had emigrated from Ireland to Upper Canada in 1823 to become one of the first settlers in the area. After several transactions amongst other landowners, one-half of the 100-acre parcel was acquired by a Michael McGrath in 1850. At least one published history of the area* indicates that the house was built at about that time.

The census of 1851 lists Michael, his wife Judith and their four children in their own entry, which suggests they lived in their own dwelling--this house. Michael's brother Simon and family lived in a larger log house on the other half of the parcel, along with their father and mother, Michael senior and Ellen. By 1861 Michael McGrath junior had a growing family of eight children.

An earlier census (1842) lists a Michael McGrath in the 10th Concession, but it's unknown whether he was Senior or Junior. The 1851 census indicates that Michael, then aged 31 and a farmer, was born in Ireland and followed the Roman Catholic faith. Records are not definitive on the date of his arrival in Upper Canada, but he could have been part of the same organized immigration that included Jeffery Donoghue in 1823.

Emigration to Upper Canada
Under a British-government funded program in the 1820s, impoverished residents of southern Ireland were offered free passage to Upper Canada to seek a better life. An adept Canadian administrator, Peter Robinson, organized and led more than 500 emigrants on two ships, the Hebe and the Stakesby, out of County Cork in 1823. Landing in Quebec City in late August after eight weeks at sea, the party took steam boats to Montreal, then flat-bottomed boats up the St. Lawrence to Prescott. A hard 60-mile, four-day trek by wagons brought them to their destination at the young settlement of Almonte. On behalf of the Crown, Robinson assigned the settlers to vacant lots across several townships, and provided them with basic necessities. Log houses were built quickly in advance of the approaching winter. The new settlers had no experience with felling trees or preparing logs, so older settlers in the area were employed to help.

Neither Michael nor his father are shown in the passenger list of either ship. The registers may not have been totally accurate at the time, their transcriptions may have been incomplete, or the McGraths may have arrived on their own later in the 1820s or '30s. The published account by Ogilvie, drawing from numerous primary sources and local recollections, lists one Michael McGrath (senior or junior?) and Simon, of Tipperary, as having arrived in West Huntley in 1823. However, the 1851 census puts Simon's age as 21 and birthplace as "Upper Canada," so the arrival date is inconsistent; it's possible (but unlikely) that there was another Michael-Simon pair in Huntley. The census of 1842 offers a clue: the entry for Michael McGrath (almost certainly the Senior) indicates that he had spent 20 years in Upper Canada as of 1842, putting his arrival at 1822/23. Certainly, all three settlers were resident by 1837, as their names appear with others on a separate land petition of that year.

The Dwelling
The long-vacant structure is similar to other modest contemporary log houses found in the region. Ogilvie provides a drawing of the layout for a typical house: overall 25x18 feet; first floor 'family room' (kitchen, stove, eating area), a parlour and a bedroom; second floor four small bedrooms and storage. There would have been a cellar with interior access and probably a separate basement with an exterior dugout entrance. Of course, the toilet was an outdoor 'outhouse'.

So, at the spot of my photograph nearly 175 years ago, Michael McGrath and family toiled to erect a simple but sturdy log house in their quest for a better life.

Ref. * Once Upon a Country Lane: A Tribute to The Gaelic Spirit of Old West Huntley, by Garfield Thomas Ogilvie, pub. House of Airlie, 1992.

[MikeNArk]

Nice landscape. An old log house and a single tree alone in a snow covered field. The history of this place could be interesting

[mroeder75]

What is the history? Log cabins must be maintained, if they exist today.

[c.a.m]

What is the history?

Good question!

I don't know when the farmhouse was erected, but probably after 1879.

I had researched the history a while ago, using online records. The area was settled by Europeans in the early-mid 1800s.

This particular parcel of land -- Upper Canada (now province of Ontario), Carleton County, Huntley Township, Concession 10, Lot 15, East half (100 acres) -- was first assigned a 'patent' by the Crown in May 1836 to a Jeffrey Donoghue. Jeffrey, from County Cork, Ireland, arrived in Quebec City aboard the ship Hebe in 1823, accompanied by his wife Mary and two children. He and hundreds of other impoverished Irish emigrants eventually settled in Huntley and other Townships in Carleton County during the 1820s, '30s and '40s.

Through the years, Lot 15 went through dozens of owners, being frequently passed to other family members, but sometimes sold to unrelated settlers or farmers. A map of 1879 shows a couple of buildings on the lot, then owned by a "Mrs. McGrath," but not this particular farmhouse. A federal government map of 1929 does show two additional buildings on the lot -- probably the house and a barn at this precise spot. Land records suggest that the 100-acre parcel had been split at one point. The barn and other small outbuildings eventually collapsed or were demolished.

- Craig

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Last edited by c.a.m; 01-24-2023 at 01:01 PM. Reason: details

[MikeNArk]

Good question!

I don't know when the farmhouse was erected, but probably after 1879.

I had researched the history a while ago, using online records. The area was first settled in the early-mid 1800s.

This particular parcel of land -- Upper Canada (now province of Ontario), Carleton County, Huntley Township, Concession 10, Lot 15, East half (100 acres) -- was first assigned a 'patent' by the Crown in May 1836 to a John Donoghue. John, from County Cork, Ireland, arrived in Quebec City aboard the ship Hebe in 1823, accompanied by his wife Mary and two children.

Through the years, the lot went through a number of owners, typically passed to other family members, but sometimes sold to unrelated settlers or farmers. A map of 1879 shows a couple of buildings on the lot owned by a "Mrs. McGrath," but not this particular farmhouse. A federal government map of 1929 does show two buildings at this spot -- probably the house and a barn. The barn and other small outbuildings eventually collapsed or were demolished.

- Craig

Thanks for providing all the additional information. Is the cleared land in use for anything presently?

[c.a.m]

Is the cleared land in use for anything presently?

Farming, mainly soybeans I believe. I've seen the field often lying fallow.

The land in this area is quite rocky, thanks to the Canadian Shield, but this parcel is situated at the end of a sliver of fairly arable soil. I imagine that many of the early settlers here had a hard time growing crops, so livestock also would have been kept. Fertile plains to the east (in Eastern Ontario) are far more friendly to crops.


- Craig

[mroeder75]

Nice article on the history. Thank you! This looks like a very common log cabin from the mid-19th century. But almost all of them have fallen in. If it were a reproduction, I would expect it to be in town where it would be on display as a historical item. It is very interesting.

[angkymac]

Evocative image, with a very fascinating story.
If only we knew the whole story.
I have a lot of (imaginative) compassion for those early folks--doing what they could to just survive.
A story my ancestors lived all the way up to my own dad--who was finally able to bring us into a "better" life.
Thanks much for the picture and the story!
Angky.

[phx.david]

Beautiful image. Really puts into perspective our ideas of having it rough.

[c.a.m]

Nice article on the history. Thank you! This looks like a very common log cabin from the mid-19th century.

Evocative image, with a very fascinating story.

Beautiful image. Really puts into perspective our ideas of having it rough.

Thanks for your comments!

Yes, the settlers had a tough time. Eastern Ontario, then Upper Canada province, has a mix of fertile plains and hard rock terrain. Fortunately, the rivers and streams in the less-arable areas provided opportunities to power various mills; the settlers established quite a number of gristmills and woolen mills around the region.

I haven't yet been able to definitively determine the history of this specific farmhouse, but I'll spend more time looking at land records and other accounts. Fortunately, there's a wealth of info available online, but it's a challenge to track down any relevant records.

The farmhouse is located only about 25 minutes by road from my house in the west end of Ottawa, and I pass it whenever I drive to the small historic town of Almonte. This time, I thought the bleak scene was worthy of pulling over and taking a few shots.

Ottawa itself was founded in 1826 as Bytown and was incorporated in 1855 as Ottawa. So, the capital of Canada grew during the same period as the rural settlements in the region.

- Craig

[ToddK]

Outstanding image and very interesting information to go along with it. It seems like they would have kept it tucked away into to the trees for shelter from the wind or left more of them around the cabin assuming they cleared the field.

[c.a.m]

It seems like they would have kept it tucked away into to the trees for shelter from the wind or left more of them around the cabin assuming they cleared the field.

Yes, good point.

Aerial imagery of the Ottawa region from 1976 shows a small stand of trees around the house, but otherwise open field. Later images reveal that the trees had been cut down by 2019, except for the remaining one. The barn had collapsed before 1976.

[normhead]

I restored a similar house near Perth Ontario back in the 70s. It was built in 1867, so I got it ready for its 100 year anniversary. Mine had 7 apple trees in the back that provided us with apples until Christmas every second year, stored in the root cellar. Some see the nostalgia. I see the 8 years of part time work I spent bringing mine back to life.

I did have a brief history of my place from a former Home Boy who served what was essentially indentured labour stopped by and shared some stories a few weeks before he died. One of the things he told me was he and another man could cut four chord of wood in an after noon with a Two Man Crosscut saw. I can't do that with a chainsaw. When I talked to the old timers I was always impressed with how difficult their lives were, how hard they worked, and how little they got for it. He also told me the well ran dry every summer in August, when they were drawing water from it for a steam thrasher.

These days you would never get that house severed for sale without the property around it as mine was. Unless someone was willing to move it, it's doomed. (And one of my friends had a business buying and relocating old log houses.) But it looks like it has a metal roof. As long as the roof stays water tight, it has a chance.

[c.a.m]

I have added a history of the dwelling and some background. Please see the original post.

- Craig

[mroeder75]

I knew from your photo it was from the mid-19th century (1850 it was precisely in the middle). I knew it because we took a family vacation in connection with my daughter's national tumbling competitions 15 years ago or so, where we went to Lincoln's birthplace in Kentucky, and his boyhood home in Indiana, and they had reproduction log cabins of the Lincoln family homes, and then to the newly opened museum in Springfield, Illinois, which I believe also had a replica log cabin of his boyhood home(s), inside the museum. In my home county we have what I am sure is a reproduction log cabin in a city park which cabin is not open to the public, except to view its exterior. And it is nearly identical to the one in the photo, and to the Lincoln log cabins.

This may be a very special log cabin because (a) it still exists, (b) generally they had dirt floors, and a loft where the occupants slept at night, and (c) there is generally no basement. This log cabin should be preserved for historical purposes.