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A common question in the emails that I receive is: "Where can I find information about my ancestor <insert name here> who worked/lived on the Rideau." The usual answer is that there is no easy answer. This page has been set up to help those researching Rideau Canal genealogy, those who may have lived on the Rideau in the 19th century. Before I start in, if you have any sources of information that would help people researching their Rideau ancestor, please let me know so that I can continue to improve the information on this page. In terms of those who participated in building the Rideau Canal, there are no master lists of such people. The reason is that the canal was built for the most part by independent contractors under the supervision of the Royal Engineers. These contractors hired their own labour force. The "unskilled" workers (pick & shovel, axe, wheelbarrow, pumps) were immigrant Irish and French-Canadian with the skilled workers (stone masons, carpenters, quarriers, blacksmiths, etc.) a mix of French-Canadian, English-Canadian, Scots, Irish and Brits. The records of these people are spotty and this is one reason that arguments continue to this day over how many people actually worked on the canal. It is estimated that on an annual basis from 2,500 to 4,000 people worked on the canal, but the estimates of the total over the period of contruction (1826-1831), taking into account death and employee turnover, vary from 4,000 up to about 10,000. To truly research this information you'll have to visit the Library and Archives Canada who hold most of original records about the construction of the Rideau. Note, you'll have to go there in person (they have not posted any Rideau records on the Internet). Several memorials to the workers on the canal (a very rough guesstimate is that about 1,000 died during construction, half of those from malaria) have been erected. A list and photos of these can be found on the Memorials and Markers page. The most complete list of Irish canal workers is perhaps the "McCabe List" This is actually a petition, signed by 673 individuals, mostly Irish canal workers in Bytown, in 1829. It lists their name, place of origin (county, parish & town), and relatives in Ireland who might wish to emigrate to Canada under the terms of the petition. Some of these names have been transcribed by Al Lewis on his Bytown or Bust website. You can also buy the book, with all 673 names in it, from Friends of the Rideau (see the Sales section of their website). Not much more is known about immediate post-Canal settlement along the Rideau. Many of the labourers left to work on other jobs. Some migrated to the more urban centres of Kingston and Bytown. A few stayed. The 1840s brought in fresh waves of settlers including Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine, many of whom settled in the northern Rideau region. The best on-line source for Irish immigrant information is Al Lewis' Bytown or Bust website. The information and links below will hopefully provide some assistance in your search. Note that most of these links will lead you to other websites that will allow you to do more detailed searching. Books This is by no means an exhaustive list. Books about Ottawa or Kingston are not listed since there are hundreds. However, I have posted a list which covers the majority of books written about the Rideau. See the Rideau Bibliography Page. A few of the more pertinent books (in no particular order) are listed below. Not listed, but of significant genealogical interest are the various "Tweedsmuir Histories," community histories done by the various Tweedsmuir Women's Institutes of Ontario. These and the books listed below might be found in a local library or genealogy society library. Some books are current and might be found for sale in the Friends of the Rideau book list. Some are out of print and might be found as reprinted version at a place such a Global Genealogy, or for sale as a used book, the best place to search for these is www.abebooks.com.
Internet Sources:
Mailing Lists Mailing lists are email exchanges of information. Every email sent to the list gets distributed to all subscribers of the list. Subscription is free. These are great places to ask questions about your "lost" ancestors. Other:
 Comments: send me email: Ken WatsonURL: www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/ancestors.html © 2003-2009 Ken W. Watson |
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