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Information contained in this tree stems from the lives of three brothers, James (1804-1892), Andrew (1807-1892) & John (1820-1895) SPRATT who came to Canada from Ireland in the early part of the nineteenth century. Andrew SPRATT came to settle in the Ottawa area (formerly known as Bytown) in 1827 in what was then called Upper Canada (now the Province of Ontario, Canada). His two other brothers came around the same time. Andrew SPRATT is said to have helped in the building of the Rideau Canal, which was/is a waterway route that runs from Kingston to Ottawa. It was originally intended to be used by the British as a military defense system used to link Upper and Lower Canada in the event the Americans attacked the then-British colony, and cut off the supply route along the St. Lawrence River. The verdict is still out on exactly where in Ireland the three brothers originated from. Family lore has them coming from Antrim, or possibly King's County, and another document places them somewhere in Kerry (or Londonderry Co.), Ireland. But as yet, the exact location is unknown.
James, Andrew and John SPRATT eventually settled on farms in Gloucester Township, near the town of Manotick (just south of Ottawa). Very little is known of their whereabouts in Canada from the time of their arrival until around 1850. John SPRATT, the youngest brother, eventually moved to Cumberland Township sometime during the 1880s. Land abrstracts place Andrew and James in Gloucester Township possibly by the late 1830s or 40s. James and Andrew farmed in Gloucester Township (Carleton Co) and are buried at South Gloucester United Church cemetery at Johnston's Corners. Brother John is buried in the Dales cemetery in the town of Cumberland, Ontario. All three men married and had large families. All three men were listed as Presbyterians.
James SPRATT married Jane Fohender; Andrew SPRATT married Catherine Ellen Freeman; and John SPRATT married Margaret Lee. I believe there may have been more siblings in this family other than the three brothers just listed, since there is such a huge age difference (13 years) between the middle son (Andrew) and the last son (John). If there were more children, these may have remained in Ireland, but it's difficult to tell since census data indicates that none of these men could read or write, and therefore, left no written records. The 1861 Census (for Gloucester Twp) does shed some light on who their mother may have been. It shows a Jane SPRATT (b.1784, Ireland) living with Andrew. She is listed as a widower. By this time, Andrew SPRATT's wife had died, so I believe this Jane Spratt may have been the mother over from Ireland who came to help her son (Andrew) with his family after his wife had died.
I would like to find out anything I can about my ancesters, and anyone who might possibly be related to different members of this family are asked to please contact me at the address provided below. I'm especially interested in links to ancesters in Ireland, and abroad.
Darren Spratt
dhspratt@yahoo.com
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