Our family lore (MacDonald/McDonald/McDonell) also includes involvement of the "Big" Bishop in getting land on Wolfe Island. But I have yet to find any evidence of that. The Island was privately owned since 1675 following a grant of it (and other lands) by the King of France to LaSalle. In 1795, the Island was purchased by two UE Loyalists from descendants of the family LaSalle transferred it to in 1685. Neither of the two Loyalists nor their heirs sold any land on the Island before 1830, though they placed settlers there under leases as early as 1800. The heirs of David Alexander Grant and Patrick Langan of Montreal did give up two-sevenths of Wolfe Island to the British Crown in 1823, along with their French deed, in exchange for British Crown Patents for the other five-sevenths. This newly acquired Crown land on Wolfe Island became available for lease or sale by the Crown, but none of it was sold before 1830 either.

Our farm here on the Island was purchased by John Dawson from the heirs of Grant and Langan, I think in 1830 (hard to read the date, but I will pull the deed this afternoon to confirm). The deed was registered in 1834. This part of his farm later went to his son Patrick Dawson, who I believe built the farmhouse here that I grew up in.

If you want me to send you a copy of the deed, you can contact me by e-mail at macdobb@kos.net.

Brian