Table of Contents | Reviews

Thank you Daniel Parkinson for such an astounding effort. I had much trouble with my Robinson side of my family that lived in Rawdon… so many with the same first name that it was hard to keep track of everyone. Your books were a great resource in sorting everyone out. Thank you for taking the time to research those that weren’t a part of your family… What a valuable legacy you have created. Very easy to read and meticulous in your efforts to keep the data intact.. Much appreciated..

Brenda Turner of Ottawa offered to post this comment but had difficulty navigating the site and asked me to post for her. “I must thank Daniel Parkinson for his massive effort in the two companion books Up To Rawdon. The two are indeed impressive results of evidently years of research. My only reason for ever having gone “up to Rawdon” was an effort to collect some information and photos for a cousin in Saskatchewan whose mother’s family had homesteaded in Rawdon. Years later, my cousin told me about Daniel’s books and raved about them. Being an experienced family history researcher myself, I was curious, in an almost jealous sort of way, and ordered them. WOW. Daniel must have researched virtually every human being who ever lived in Rawdon during the subject years. It’s a hugely pleasing read for any family history researcher, even without direct ties to that community. The two books really are marvelous, and I am properly humbled by the products of Daniel’s thoroughness, dedication, and scholarly approach. Thank you, Daniel, for such pleasure.”

Daniel you have done a wonderful job with your two books. You spent quite a few years working on them & the result testifies to your hard work. I borrowed them from QFHS & cheated a wee bit by sharing them with a (non QFHS) neighbour who was born & raised in Rawdon (Morin) & she was tickled to see info & a photo about her family!! Congratulations on a job well done– that will be cherished by future generations as well.

As editor of the journal Families of the Ontario Genealogical Society, I recommend this two book set for anyone who is interested in the family history interplay between Quebec and Ontario. This compilation of over 100 family histories written by Daniel Parkinson of the people of Rawdon, Quebec is written in two parts because of the sheer size of the work. The detail of the genealogy—which is all footnoted—is astounding. Each portion of the book notes where the family immigrated from, exactly where they lived in Rawdon, and where many of them migrated to in the middle 1850s, all supported with extremely precise documentation in the footnotes. Parkinson further explained how he found out that people had started to migrate from Rawdon , Quebec to western Ontario in the 1850s when researching his own family. The author discovered a link to Wellington County, Ontario through a marriage certificate which had been issued in Quebec. Through his research, Parkinson also found that they migrated to Simcoe and Huron Counties. And thus began his journey through generations of people in southwestern Ontario who could trace their ancestry back to Eastern Canada. There are many maps, photos, tables, genealogies, and timelines in these two books. Although there is not an index at the back of the book, there is a listing of family names at the front of the book, each complete with a list of related family names under the main title of the section. If you have family from Simcoe and Huron Counties, and suspect that they may have had Rawdon roots, then this is one resource that should definitely be considered in your research plan. Elizabeth Lapointe Ottawa, ON

Daniel B Parkinson’s UP TO RAWDON is the resource that every genealogist and local histoprian wished existed for his community. Parkinson has ferreited out probably everything that can be found about the early settlers of Rawdon. He has documented where they came from, whom they came with, their probable relatives, their lives at Rawdon, their children and heirs, then traces the settlers and their descendants in their diaspora across this continent. He has made fine use of all the resources available. He has attempted to separate the facts from the stories and to find out what is verifiable. Up to Rawdon could be used as a manual for good genealogical practice. The basic organization is alphabetically by the names of the community founders,Every chapter tells two stories: the history of the family under discussion and Parkinson’s questions about the family story. For the genealogist the methodologies used in the research and the questions asked are equally fascinating. The mass and heft of the volumes are both wonderful and intimidating. Up to Rawdon leaves the reader with the dual feeling that the book is far too long and wishing that it were even longer. Doug Armstrong Quebec Family History Society

The two volumes of Up To Rawdon together represent a monumental undertaking by Daniel. One can read of the arrival in Rawdon Township beginning about 1820 of the earliest settlers, imagine the hardship and tribulations they faced, the recurring temptations to return to Montreal which was not too far away, and the ultimate and inevitable dispersal of most of the families and their descendants. My own ancestor, Nicholas Spooner, was very much a part of each of those scenarios. For anyone with even a remote connection to Rawdon, these volumes offer a valuable and entertaining reference.

I must say Daniel Parkinson this is a masterpiece I can’t imagine the research and effort that went into this thanks so much for this and thank you for including my family. Sincerely Joseph S. Holiday

Daniel Parkinson has accomplished a monumental task with this book! A wonderful reference book for those of us with ancestors who emigrated from England, Scotland and Ireland in the early 1800’s to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The settlers had filed for and received Crown land and settled the area we now know as Rawdon, Quebec, Canada. Daniel Parkinson has followed these families of early Rawdon with impeccable accuracy to detail. Most of these people were Protestant, but the Catholic influence of the area is also included. The descendants of these early settlers now live in all parts of Canada, the USA and all over the world. “Up to Rawdon”is interesting reading for any lover of history, but I am absolutely amazed at the amount of information he has on each family! If you are new (or not so new) to family research and have English, Scotch or Irish “roots” in Quebec whether in Rawdon,Quebec City, Montreal or other parts of the province, take a look at the list of names in this book. You just may find the name you have been looking for!

This is a tome! What a monumental piece of work. It’s giving me the chills to read about some people I know are my direct ancestors – largely because of your research. Thanks so much!

I received my two books today and I am impressed. The electronic version is nice to have for research but there is nothing like a book in your hand. I am a book collector at heart so they are proudly on my shelf now. I cannot express my gratitude for the work you have done on behalf of all of us from Rawdon. I do similar work but not on that magnitude. It’s now the family bible for all Rawdon families. Congratulations and for those that have yet to order, its their loss. Thanks again.

Daniel Parkinson’s book Up To Rawdon Part Two tracing the history of more than 100 families who emigrated from Great Britain to the Rawdon, Quebec, area between the 1820s and 1850s is an astonishing work. Parkinson obviously spent many years compiling this material. Each of the settlers and their families is described in great detail in separate chapters. Many were veterans who fought in the Napoleonic wars under Gen. Wellington and gave up their military pensions to acquire free land in Canada. Some fell on hard times while others went on to great success in the new world. The two-volume set is written in an easy-to-read narrative style. The use of bold-face type for chapter titles, names, heads and sub-heads makes for an attractive package. The footnotes are very helpful and not over-written as many authors seem to think is essential these days.