Murtagh Byrns & Sarah Grier
Descendants

My great-great grandparents lived in Ireland, at least records show that their children were born there. But where? It may have been in Ulster - County Antrim or Armagh. The Burns's may have been Scots-Irish descendants. I remember hearing something about these ancestors originally being Scottish, it's just those who could swim who went to Ireland :-)

The Burns's settled in Chichester Township, Pontiac Co., Quebec (see a map and photos here) probably around the mid to late 1840s, possibly emigrating due to the 'famine'.

On the early marriage records (1850s) the spelling was Byrns which was then crossed out by the priest and written Burns or just written as Byrn, Burn or Burns. The crown land grants book has Byrns and Burns depending on the year of the grant.

The seven children below are being matched because of the similarity of parents names on wedding registers, witnesses at weddings, baptisms and funerals and proximity of dwellings. They could very well be from two families of cousins or from two marriages of Murtagh Burns. On the 1861 census there's a Sarah Burns living with Patrick who is 70 or 90? Could she be Sarah Grier Burns? I've created chart to show how I'm determining approximate birth years.

Murtagh BYRNS/BURNS 1780 - 1840 Ireland

Sarah GREER/GRIER 1785 - after 1861 Chichester Twp., Pontiac Co., QC?

DESCENDANTS

Patrick BURNS b: Abt. 1801, Co. Antrim?, Ireland; d: 12 Feb 1890, Chichester Twp., Pontiac Co., QC m: 02 May 1860 Chapeau, Pontiac Co., QC	Mary MCMAHON daughter of Patrick MCMAHON & Anne KERIN b: Abt. 1840 Allumette Is., QC; d: 26 Jan 1867 Chichester Twp., Pontiac Co., QC,
Children: . John m. Agnes J. LEAHEY . Mary Anne twin single . Anne twin m. John CONROY . Elizabeth m. James MERCIER . Honora single	CONROY, LABINE, MCGUIRE, MCMAHON, MERCIER, RORABECK

George BURNS b: Abt. 1806, Co. Antrim?, Ireland; d: 06 Feb 1892, Chichester Twp., Pontiac Co., QC; m: 08 Jan 1855 Chapeau, Pontiac Co., QC

Catherine MCMAHON Parents: Michael MCMAHON & Mary MOLONY/ MALONEY b: Abt. 1836 Co. Clare, Ireland; d: 02 Dec 1923 Pembroke, Renfrew Co., ON;

Children: . Mary m. Peter O'BRIEN . John single . Thomas m. 1. Frances GREGG;                       2. Mary GRIBBONS . Margaret Elizabeth, single . James Edward m. Mary Margaret GREGG . George m. 1. Mary Catherine WALSH;                      2. Cora HUGHES . Michael William, died young . Sarah m. John Archibald MCDONALD . Solomon m. Annie Esther GRIBBONS.

ALLAN, BARNETT, BERESFORD, BIDEN, BOYER, BROWN, CHAPUT, DOWNIE, DUFFY, DUROCHER, EDGAR, GAGNON, GORDON, GRCHOWSKI, GREGG, GRIBBONS, HUGHES, ITZ, KENNEDY, LEHOUX, LEMON, LUESBY, MADDEN, MANTON, MCDONALD, MCKENZIE, MILL, MYLETTE, NJAU, O'BRIEN, O'CONNOR, PARENT, PARSENEAU-MILL, PERCIVAL, PROULX, QUIRK, ROBERT, ROBINSON, RODY, SLOAN, STAJDUHAR, STOCK, TOWERS, TREVISIOL, WALPOLE, WALSH, WARBURTON, WILLSHER.

Alice BURNS b: Abt. 1807, Ireland; d: 01 Nov 1885, Chichester Twp., Pontiac Co., QC m: Abt. 1845	Germain POIRIER Parents: Unknown b: Abt. 1818 Lower Canada d: 04 Apr 1900 Chichester Twp., Pontiac Co., QC
Children: . Amable m. Margaret CONNOLLY . Henriette 'Aurellia' Poirier, single . Catherine m. Jules LONGPRE . Germain m. Ann Catherine DUNN . Francis m. Ellen FLEMING . Sarah Jane, single.	ALLARD, ALLEN, BETTERIDGE, BOISVERT, BOLGER, BURKE, CARROLL, CLIFFORD, CONNOLLY, COX, COYLE, DONLAN, DOWNEY, DUBE, DUNN, DUNNIGAN, FLEMING, HEARTY, KEENAN, KENNEDY, KENNEY, LANDERS, LAROCHE, LONGPRÉ, MARCOTTE, MERCIER, MICHAUD, MONTREUIL, MOORE, NICHOLSON, PHELAN, PICARD, RAYMOND, RUDDY, SEAMONT, SPRDUCOLAS, ST. MARTIN, SULLIVAN, TIERNEY, VANASSE.

Bernard BURNS b: Abt. 1830, Co. Antrim?, Ireland d: 14 Dec 1870, Chichester Twp., Pontiac Co., QC m: 07 Aug 1852 Chapeau, Pontiac Co., QC	Mary RICHARDSON Parents: John RICHARDSON & Charlotte LEDGER b: Abt. 1830 Co. Tipperary?, Ireland d: 01 Nov 1871 Chichester Twp., Pontiac Co., QC
Children: . Mary died young . Sarah died young . Caroline m. Patrick Unknown . Ellen died young . George died young . Bernard died young . Elizabeth m. Patrick FLEMING . James died young . Mary Jane died young . Abigail Catherine died young . Samuel died young adult . William 'Wilfred' m. Mary Elodia WAGNER	FLEMING, WAGNER

Catherine BURNS b: Abt. 1832, Ireland d: 06 Nov 1914 Chapeau, Pontiac Co., QC m: 14 Jun 1852 Chapeau, Pontiac Co., QC

Henry JEWELL Parents: Henry JEWELL & Sarah NETTLETON b: 21 Dec 1826 Allumette Island, Pontiac Co., QC d: 15 Jan 1905 Allumette Island, Pontiac Co., QC

Children: Sarah Ann m. 1. Martin FLEMING 2. James LEE Catherine m. Donald 'Daniel' KENNEDY James m. Amelia TURCOTTE Charles Henry m. Catherine SUTLIFFE William Joseph m. Mary Jane DUFF George Edward m. Jane EGAN Winifred m. William P. DUFF John Joseph m. Margaret DUFF Emma m. Joseph Noe GAREAU Thomas m. Winnifred 'Emma' KENNEDY

ARMITAGE, BAGGS, BAILEY, BARTLETT, BOSTON, BOUCHER, BOURKE, BOYSEN, BRADLEY, BRENNAN, BRUMWELL, BUTTERFIELD, CARTER, CAULFIELD, CECILE, CHRISTENSEN, CIOCI, CLIFFE, CONNORS, COOPER, COOPER, CULLUM, DAVIS, DUFF, DURACK, EGAN, FINN, FITZPATRICK, FLEMING, FOURNIER, FRASER, GAGNON, GALOTTA, GAREAU, GERVAIS, GIBSON, GORDON, GRIER, GUERIS, HARKINS, HAYES, HEMBRE, HOGABOAM, HOSSIE, HOUSE, HUGHES, JOHNSON, JOHNSTON, KELLY, KENNEDY, KERVIN, KUSIK, KUTCHAW, LACROIX, LAMARCHE, LAPIERRE, LAROCQUE, LAROQUE, LEE, LYNCH, MACDONALD, MCCARTHY, MCCREA, MCCULLOCH, MCDOUGALL, MCGUIRE, MCKINNON, MCLARNEY, MCMULLEN, MERCIER, MITCHELL, MOONEY, MORGAN, MUNRO, NAYLON, NOAKES, OSBORNE, PALLECK, PIERSON, PILON, RAYMOND, REYNOLDS, ROCHON, RUDICHUK, RUSSELL, SALLAFRANQUE, SAUVE, SCHERGER, SCOTNICKI, SCOTT, SIMARD, SKONNARD, SMITH, SOLORZANO, STANTON, STORIE, SUNDBERG, SUTCLIFFE, SUTLIFFE, TANGUAY, TURCOTTE, TURNER, VANKEULAN, WAHLSTROM, WALL, WEBB, WILLOWS, WOODRUFF, WRIGHT, YOUNG.

Sarah BURNS b: About 1833 Ireland; d: About 1880, Chapeau, Pontiac Co., QC m: 23 Jan 1854 Chapeau, Pontiac Co., QC	Charles Europe JEWELL Parents: Henry & Sarah NETTLETON b: April 1831 Allumette Island, Pontiac Co., QC d: 18 Feb 1899 Allumette Island, Pontiac Co., QC
Children: . Mary m. James HENNESSY . Almedy m. Unknown . John m. Michael Howard CURLEY . George m. Unknown . Henry m. Unknown . Margaret Catherine m. Unknown . Charles m. Unknown	CURLEY, KENNEDY, HENNESSY

Mary BURNS b: About 1836 Ireland; d: 11 Jun 1907 Fort Coulonge, Pontiac Co., QC m: 26 Oct 1857 Chapeau, Pontiac Co., QC	Joseph LAMARCHE Parents: Louis BRICAULT dit LAMARCHE & Mary DORION b: About 1834 LaPasse, Renfrew Co., ON d: 09 Feb 1908 Fort Coulonge, Pontiac Co., QC
Children . Joseph m. Sophronie GERVAIS . Therese m. Damase DUROCHER . Thomas m. Unknown . Catherine Caroline m. Unknown . John Louis m. Emma BESETTE . Marie m. Unknown . William m. Unknown . Laura died young . Louisa Ann m. Unknown . Thomas Guillaume died young . Marie Alice died young	BESETTE, CHARLEBOIS, DUROCHER, GERVAIS, MALLINSON, MARTIN, MCGREGOR, MORRIS, PICHE, SMITH, ST. JEAN, ST-GEORGES, TARASCO, TYRRELL, WILLISTON

Do you have relatives who settled in the Pontiac? My book may help your research: St. Alphonsus of Ligouri Chapeau, Allumette Island Pontiac County, Quebec Tombstone Inscriptions & Burial Records