Dear Editor,

On Sat., Aug, 8, Nancy Conroy will be leading a tour of the early pioneers in Clarendon at Shawville Village Cemetery on Main St.. Many people in Shawville have ancestors that are buried in that cemetery. At the Pontiac Archives, we have been researching the pioneers that settled here, many from both Ireland and Scotland. 

Around 1792, the township of Clarendon was being planned. They were looking for tall straight trees – masts for his Majesty’s ships and farms when cleared of trees. Farmers grew flax for oil, linen and sails for the ships. 

James Prendergast of Dublin, Ireland, who had been junior officer with the Canadian Voltigeurs at Chrysler Farm 1812-1814, returned to Canada He formed a settlement where there had been a few squatters along the river – Clarendon Front. 

The first men to settle here were Tom Hodgins from Tipperary and John Dale from Derry, Ulster. They landed at Heath’s Bay around 1820 and followed Mill Creek. John Dale followed the creek to the gravel pit at the west end of Shawville. Thomas Hodgins located his farm further south. The settlers that came were mostly from Cavan, Limerick, Ulster and Fermanagh in Ireland and Tipperary, Scotland. 

At the Archives, we have a display panel where descendants of the pioneers can post their property. To accompany that, we have a binder where a brief history of these pioneers is collected. Are your ancestors on our map? Come join us Aug. 8 to find their tombstones. 

Venetia Crawford, Shawville