Histories

Great Grand Dad William Byers, father of six sons and two daughters, lived in Bromley, the Township Douglas, Ontario is in. He purchased 250 acres from Elizabeth Bethune in 1848, who had taken it up from the Crown in 1810 at the price of $200. He later acquired 200 more which was the best land in Eastern Ontario. He owned it until 1878. He was classed as a Merchant. He built a beautiful stone home in 1846 (he also built barns) situated six miles from Ottawa, between Richmond and Bell’s Corners.

One of his sons, William, was married in this home and his family was six sons and three daughters; William James Byers born January 8, 1860; Dad – John Alexander Byers born October 19, 1862; Alice Byers born October 24, 1864; Maggie Byers born August 23, 1866; Ozias Byers born January 24, 1869; Thomas Byers born July 30, 1871; Duncan Byers born November 13, 1893; Robert Byers born September 6, 1878; Annie Byers born August 26, 1880; now all deceased.

One of their homes that William (Grand-dad) and his family lived in is still standing in a field where the cows pasture near Douglas, Ontario. William Byers and his wife Ellen (my Grandparents) and his daughter Annie, his son Robert (Bob) moved to the Brule approximately 1888, from the township of Admaston, not far from Douglas. William Byers drove his team of horses and sleigh up the old Cadge road following the Ottawa River. His wife Ellen and daughter Annie came by train. The livestock were loaded in a boxcar and William Byers son Bob stayed with the livestock, they were shipped to Nipissing Junction, from there to Nipissing Village. The snow was deep and roads not opened. They reached King’s place just past Nipissing Village a few miles, and stayed overnight. But not without a cow wedged down in the manger overnight. In the morning Bob had to cut some of the manger to get the cow out. Mr. King was furious, so Bob repaired the manger. Next day he reached his destination, rented Harry Steele’s house for two years in Nipissing Village. He then purchased government land 400 acres in the Brule, built a home and barns. The buildings have since been burned. Barbers became owners of the land, new owners at present. When living on the farm at the Brule, Bob fell the trees and planted grain among the roots and cut the ripe grain with scythe and sycle with the help of his father, William Byers. Mrs. William Byers (Grandma Ellen) dried the wild strawberries and blueberries, cranberries and plums and preserved raspberries, etc. They lived there until Ellen (Banning) Byers passed away August 23, 1907 and have both been buried in the graveyard at Douglas, Ontario. *(William James Byers died August 6, 1921)

Bob eventually sold the place and built Sunset Cove, then he sold and moved to Peterborough, Ontario to a farm with his family, then to Rochester, New York, where he passed away and was buried there. His wife and family still survive, all living in the States. Annie, she married Lorne Byers near Douglas and had a family of four sons and one daughter. The family never married. One of the sons was accidentally shot. The family lived on a farm, the family residence until lately, sold and retired in Eganville. Annie and Lorne both deceased eventually and maybe before the father and mother moved to live in Nipissing. Thomas, Alice, John, William, Duncan, Ozias Byers lived in the vicinity of Nipissing Village or the Brule, and raised their families there, also my father John Byers and his brother William Byers were here in about the year 1882.