Really! I still cannot find John Rannie/Rennie and Margaret Raeburn Rennie

I am going mad, maybe even driven to some kind of drink .... I have looked for about four years now for John Rannie/Rennie and Margaret Raeburn Rennie (I think that is who he was married to.) The 1906 Historical Atlas of Wellington provides the relationship. This will be a long blog. But, before I add all the information I have on them, let me say that today after weeks of trying to orchestrate the call, I phoned the Woodlawn Cemetary in Guelph, Ontario this morning and talked to Charlotte Mackie, who is a volunteer researcher one day a week at the library. Her husband apparently is also related to the Lillie family through the Atkinson Family and she lives in Marden, Guelph Township, where the Lillie's and the Rannies/Rennies lived. No, John and Margaret are not buried with George and Jane Rennie Lillie, their daughter and son-in-law and no, they are not buried with their son John Rennie and his wife Jean(Jeannie) Watt Rennie. I didn't think so because I have searched those records and been to the cemetery and this was just a long stretch. She did share a little bit of the history of the cemetaries in Guelph and Guelph Township. Woodlawn Cemetery in Guelph did not open until 1854, but the original Presbyterian burying ground was called "Baker Street," and lay behind the Knox Church in Guelph. It is now a parking lot. The majority of the bodies were reinterred in Woodlawn Cemetary, but there were no death or burial records, only monument inscriptions. Those can be found on Ontario Cemetary Finding Aid http://ocfa.islandnet.com/. There were some additional bodies found during construction and  reinterred later in what they call the Lilac Block, but there are no names. So after about an hour on the phone no luck, but she was very helpful and certainly shared some historical background with me. She also has a lady in Alberta who has some Watt photographs and wanted to find relatives. I have her my email and phone number to make a connection. As I mentioned earlier John Rennie Jr. (Guelph Township/Town) was married in Scotland to Jean (Jeannie) Watt. Well I am not further along and maybe I will never find the records. I cannot find their births or marriages in Scotland or their deaths in Canada. I hate dead ends. I need help!

So, to get all the information out there I am inserting some of my research. In fact, this is quite lengthy, but maybe somewhere someone will find this and have something to add. PLEASE!

George and Jean Rennie Lilly/Lillie, my great, great grandparents were married in Strichen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland  on April 2, 1833. According to the Guelph Evening Mercury they came to Canada on their wedding trip to seek not only a new life, but land and a place to raise their family.

 " On the east side of the road the pioneer settler was Mr. James Stirton. Mr. James Stirton sold to Mr. Geo. Lillie who with his bride, Miss Rennie, natives of Aberdeen, started in 1833 on their wedding trip to find a home in Canada and settled on this farm. Mr. Lillie, who was by trade a mason, lived on the farm, "Fairview," until his death. It is now owned by his son, James Lillie. Mr. Lillie's family consisted of three sons, John, Thomas and James and four daughters, Mrs. Geo. Darby, Mrs. G.B. Metcalfe, Mrs. Jos. Atkinson and Mary Ann, dead. This ended the allotment to those colonists by the Canada Company."

 But they were not alone in their quest for their own land and a new start. They were joined in Guelph Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada by Jane’s parents, John Rainnie and Margaret Raeburn, two brothers, William and James, with another brother, John and his wife Jane/Jean Watt joining them in 1844. A fourth brother, Alexander (Sandy), was an early settler in Bon Accord, Nichol Township, Wellington County, Ontario, an early Scottish settlement. William married Elizabeth Beatrice Trail (Terrol) before 1840, James married Elizabeth Esson in 1846, and Alexander married Margaret Webster. Although the name Rannie/Rainnie/Rennie appears in different parts of Canada, all evidence, related to my Rennie family, originally of Guelph Township, seems to be supported by numerous early records, including an article in the Guelph Evening Mercury and another in the 1906 Historical Atlas of Wellington County, Ontario.

RENNIE, JOHN was born Aberdeenshire, Scot. He m. Margaret Raeburn, and came to Canada in 1834. Issue: John (d.), Guelph; Mrs. George Lillie; James (d) Mildmoy; Alexander (d.), Nichol and William.

William was b. Aberdeenshire, Scot., (1815; d.1890). He came to Canada and Guelph Township with his parents in 1834. After working with George Lillie for some time, he bought 49 acres of land from the Canada Co., and cleared it. In 1854, in order to give his family a better chance, he decided to go to  “Queen’s Bush.” He bought 104 acres, lot 4, con. 15, Maryborough, from M.G. Miller, and lots 2 and 3 from Geddes at Elora. He put a home and barn on lot 4, and set there in about 1858. He was an industrious man, and never sought for office, but was well informed in political and municipal matters. He was a Scholl Trustee in Minto for years, and was a Reformer in politics. He m. Elizabeth Trail, of Aberdeenshire. Issue: William, John, James, and Mrs. William Falconer, Maryborough; and Mrs. William Dunn, Portage la Prairie.

James, (son of William above)  b. in Guelph Tp., in 1844, came to Maryborough in 1858. He worked at home for a few years, and when his father  purchased the east half of lot 1, con 14, from Mr. Parker, of Guelph, he went there with him, and at his death succeeded to the place. He has been an Elder of Calvin Presbyterian Church, Rothsay, for fifteen years, and is a strong Reformer in politics, being often on committees. He was a School Trustee in Minto for one year. He married Elizabeth Charters, of Minto. Issue; Dr. William H., Wardsville; Robert, at home; Elizabeth B, (d.2), George, near Moorefield; Jane M. at home; John A. (d.23), Mrs. J.J. Pearson, Portage, Man.; Caroline, in Portage; Ellen M., nurse at Erie, Penn.; Margaret L., at home, and James A. (d 3), Robert operates the farm and carries on mixed farming.

John Sr.'s son, Alexander (Sandy) settled in Bon Accord, Nichol Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. Bon Accord was a Scottish settlement near Elora. The book Elora , The Early History of Elora and Vicinity  by John Connon refers to Mr. Alex Rennie who was born in the city of Aberdeen. “ Mr. Rennie’s father, mother, three sisters and a brother, settled in Guelph Township,” (It should read, three brothers and a sister). 

From documents it appears that part of the Rannie/Rennie family came to Guelph township with or shortly after George and Jane Rainnie (Rennie) Lillie in 1834, we have no records that tell us when John Rannie/Rennie Senior and Margaret Raeburn died and were buried etc.


I have not found John Rainnie’s and Margaret Raeburn’s marriage. From a number of articles written about their children it appears that the children were born in the city of Aberdeen. The Research Wikepedia says that there was only one parish in the City of Aberdeen. “ The city of Aberdeen formerly constituted the parish of St. Nicholas alone, which in 1828 was divided into the six separate parishes of East, West, North, South, the Greyfriars, a former ancient monastery, and St. Clement.  St. Nicholas has gaps in their marriage records,"  in fact Research Wikepedia  states ,”the record is blank February 1790–January 1817, except for one entry in 1813, from which date a separate record is again kept.” This is the time period where John and Margaret would have been married, if they were married in Aberdeen, and “there are many irregular entries during 1790–1820,” again the time period that would validate the births of John and Margaret Raeburn’s children.

The 1834, 1837, 1838 and 1839 Guelph Township Assessment  seem to indicate that John Rennie either shared the property with George Lilly/Lillie or lived with George and his wife Jane/Jean Rainnie Lilly/Lillie. John Rainnie/Rennie, probably brought two other sons with him, James and William, who soon married and bought their own piece of land.

The 1834 Guelph Township Assessment, researched at the Guelph Public Library lists only one Rennie, John with 45 acres cultivated and 55 acres, uncultivated, right above the name of George Lilly with 45 acres of cultivated land and 55 acres of uncultivated land.

1834 Assessment Guelph Township

The 1837 Assessment and Census of the Township of Guelph, again, gives only one Rennie, that being John with 2 horses, 4 cows, 32 acres of rateable property, 32 young cattle and 4 . George Lilly’s name, Concession      #3, again followed right after John Rennie. At the time he has 55 acres of cultivated land and 43 acres of uncultivated land, 1 oxen, 4 milk cows, 4 young cattle and 62 acres of rateable property.

 

 

1837 Assessment Guelph Township

The Assessment and Census of the Township of Guelph 1838, lists three names in order, Alexander McDonald and the Rennie family. Alexander is listed first with 80 acres cultivated land and 20 acres uncultivated land. John Rennie’s name is next with “ “ under the land of Alexander McDonald. I am not sure if that means that he has the same land or that they should be listed together. George Lilly’s name follows, with 45 acres of cultivated land and 45 acres of uncultivated land and a plot of land 20x26.

 

1838 Assessment Guelph Township                              

 

 

Again in the 1839 Assessment and Census of the Township of Guelph the names are almost identical to 1838; Alexander McDonald, Captain, 78 acres of cultivated land and 12 acres of uncultivated land; John Rennie (“) 45 acres of uncultivated land; George Lilly, 55 acres of cultivated land.

 

 

1840 Assessment Guelph Township The 1840 Assessment and Census  of the Township of Guelph takes a different format listing George Lillie first with 50 acres of both cultivated and uncultivated land. John Rennie’s name follows with no land listed beside his name.

In the 1840 Guelph Township, Waterloo Census (Gore District), which is only a nominal census, there is only one Rennie/Rainnie/Rannie. John Rennie is listed on page 13[1]

In 1834, the year George and Jane Lillie and the John and Margaret Raeburn Rannie/Rennie family came, Guelph Township had 7 merchant shops, one grist mill and one saw mill. The town of Guelph and the township grew rapidly. In 1834, in Guelph Township, there were 17 framed houses but by 1836 the number had grown to 52. Brick or stone one storey houses had increased from 0 to 2 in the same years and framed, brick or stone 2 storey houses from 7 to 26. That being said, it needs to be noted that the pioneer “shanty” built of round logs was not taxed and therefore would not have shown up on the assessments. [2] This could have been the

By 1841 Guelph Township was a part of Waterloo County and Wellington District with a population of 13,851 people and the larger area was known as Upper Canada. In 1842 Upper and Lower Canada united to form the Province of Canada. Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) became known as Canada West while Lower Canada (present day Quebec) became known as Canada East. Most townships were laid out in square blocks but some were not, and their division is anyone’s guess. The townships are divided into concessions, generally running east to west, and north to south. However, when a river ran through a township, the lots were laid out to face the river, no matter what direction that was. Concessions were generally divided into lots of 200 acres each, and half lots of 100 acres each.

Almost half the surveyed lands of Upper Canada were purchased after 1818 from native tribes.

The 1861 Agricultural Census of Guelph records James Rennie, who later married Elizabeth Esson/Essen, Lots 21 and 22 (131 acres) Guelph Township and John Rennie (wife Jean/Jeannie Watt), Lots 27 A ( 2 lots 94 acres). In the 1861 census of Guelph Township Wellington County John Rannie has 2 lots, Lots 27 and 12.

A list of Guelph Township residents in 1867 lists at least two Rannies/Rennies,  George Rennie, Con A , Lot 16, listed as a freeholder/House and John Rennie, Con A , Lot 12, also listed as a freeholder/House. As detailed later, George Rennie is John’s son.
John Rennie Jr.'s home (wife Jean/Jeannie Watt), Guelph Township (now in the boundaries of Guelph City).

[1]http://ontariocensus.rootsweb.ancestry.com/transcripts/pre1851/5090-iLAC #MS-700 Reel 2/M-7747, District: Gore District, District:14, Sub-District: Guelph Twp/Assessor John Master

[2] Johnson, Leo A., Guelph Historical Society, Guelph, Ontario, June 1977, History of Guelph 1827-1927.