message exchange ... BEGIN Wesley Johnston : May 25 2026 04:29PM In his 12 Jun 1832 petition over a dispute, Robert Harrison states he is the father of three small children. The date is established at the end of the petition -- and we also have his signature. I am trying to reconcile this with what I have for his children in my tree at https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/12001386/person/12974342013/facts I have his first three children as: 1 - Harriet Harrison, born about 1829 (married 1846 Richard Nugent) 2 - Mary Jane Harrison, born 7 Jul 1832 per death record (married 1864 Hiram Lamb) 3 - Amarilla Harrison, born 15 Jan 1833 per 1901 Census (married 1856 John Martin) There is a clear conflict in the birth dates of Mary Jane and Amarilla, which are just 6 months apart. There is another problem with Mary Jane's death record which shows her birth location as Frontenac County when the family was actually living in Ernestown Twp in Lennox and Addington County when all three of these children were born. If these were the three children that their father told of in his 12 Jun 1832 petition, then there is a further date conflict since only two of the birthdates are before the petition date. So, I suspect that either (a) Mary Jane may have actually been born 1830 and Amarilla 1832 or (b) there was another child born before the petition date who died and has been lost to memory. Being lost to memory unfortunately did happen with the next child, Sarah Harrison who was born about 1835 and married Henry Butson in 1852 (when the Harrisons and Butsons lived on opposite sides of the Whitby-Reach Townline Road. Sarah died about 1862 - about 2 years before sister Mary Jane married Hiram Lamb in the same area. Henry Butson remarried, and Sarah's four daughters apparently were taken in by Mary Jane since two of Mary Jane's children were witnesses at two of Sarah's daughters' marriages in the 1870s. The Lamb farm is still in operation at Manchester in Reach Township. But Sarah was lost to memory. When the first family tree was put together in 1908, she had been dead for about 46 years so that almost no one then living had any personal awareness of her. It was only through the marriage witness records and the 1861 census with Sarah and Henry with the Harrison family in Ops Township that Sarah's place (now solidly verified via DNA) in the family was re-established. smpanko : May 26 2026 02:09AM -0400 I have been trying to trace Robert and Mary's travels through their land documents. Some of the documents have been quite interesting. If only one could travel back in time to get the real story. Below are some of my thoughts. 1828 - Robert Harrison and Mary Ward are married. May 10, 1828 - Robert Harrison purchased Lot 41, Concession 6 in Ernestown from Isaac Fraser. April 18, 1831 - Robert Harrison is listed on the Return of Lots for the Canada Company, involving Lot 46, Concession 2 in Camden. On April 20, 1831 Thomas ? Jones wrote a letter to the Canada Company in regards to these lots. He states that "they are in the occupation of Squatters and that our object in applying for the patent in that ? may be enabled to compel the parties within to purchase the land or to give up possession of it". The Canada Company received the patent for this land October 29, 1840. No record of Robert Harrison owning this land. He was likely a squatter who was convinced to leave but may have still been squatting on this land until 1836 when he leased Lot 37, Conc 1.  April 2, 1847 Christopher Ward (brother-in-law) purchased the N1/2 Lot 46, Concession 2 in Camden and sold it Dec 14, 1849. July 12, 1832 - petitioned for assistance in solving a land dispute involving Ernestown Lot 35, Concession 5 (in which there was a dispute in 1832 and again in 1845). This was Clergy Reserve land. The land was not purchased but leased. Clergy lots could only be leased, not sold, until I believe about 1854. So Robert Harrison was not purchasing but leasing it with occupancy rights.  In 1846 there was a second land dispute over Ernestown E1/2 Lot 35, Concession 5. There is an affidavit by David Babcock who in 1845 states that Robert Harrison left this lot in 1832 or 1833. An affidavit by Egbert Jenkins who in 1845 declared that "Robert Harrison left it, which is ten or twelve years".  February 2, 1836 - Robert Harrison sold Lot 41, Concession 6 in Ernestown to John Livingston. October 31, 1836 - Marshall Lovelass signed a quit claim for W1/2 Lot 37, Concession 1 in Camden over to Robert Harrison providing Robert Harrison pays the rent due in the original Lease from the Crown. This land was also Clergy land. Undated - Robert Harrison released his rights to Norton Ward (his brother-in-law). No stated consideration, no date - a family arrangement? December 8, 1836 -  I found it interesting that Gideon Shurtliff (married to Mary Ward Harrison's aunt Mary Ward) purchased W1/2 Lot 38, Concession 1 in Camden. Gideon sold this lot September 16, 1845. November 22, 1838 - James Harrison, son of Robert Harrison and Mary Ward is born in Camden (as recorded in his marriage registration) December 2, 1849 - Robert Harrison signed his quit claim over  for W1/2 Lot 37, Conc 1 in Camden over to Robert Chadwick. December 2, 1849 - Norton Ward signed of on the quit claim to W1/2 Lot 37, Conc 1 in Camden over to Robert Chadwick. He agrees to pay back rent arrears of £25.  Robert Harrison and Norton Ward jointly released their interests to Robert chadwich in December 1849. Had they been sharing the occupancy in some capacity and wound it up together? I believe it was in Robert Harrison's 1832 land petition where he described himself as a poor immigrant from Ireland. He married into the Ward family who seemed to be successful in their land dealings. Were Robert and Mary struggling and the Ward family helped them out? It is possible Robert Harrison and his family continues to live on the clergy land after he assigned it to Norton Ward. They both released their lease to this land on the same day in 1849. March 28, 1851 - Robert purchased Lot 17, Conc 1 in Reach Township from Reuben Snider. December 1, 1851 - Robert purchased W1/2 of Lot 26, Conc 10 in Ops Township from Samuel Fowler. END