When did the Conley Family come to Ontario?

Question

Back again with the troublesome William Conley.

I still have yet to find a lead on who William's parents are, and where the family originated. What I'm looking for is any information on the origin of the Conley family in North America (more specifically the Middlesex, Ontario area).

If anyone has any expertise in immigration during the 1700s to Canada (specifically from either the United States or Ireland), I could really use the help!

I believe William's father was Charles, as he is listed as a witness on his marriage certificate: however, this is only a possibility.

Thanks in advance: any and all help is much appreciated!

Comments

I realize this post is nearly two years old, but I am wondering if you ever found William Conley's parents?

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Alas, no such luck - the best that I came up with (so far) was the theory that his parents were Americans who had come up from the States to settle in Canada.

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I was wondering if his family was British loyalists in North Carolina/Virginia who moved to Canada.

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hi i know this is a long shot but im also a conley and my name was changed at some point. i cant find any info on my family. my grandfather is carl and my uncles are cecil,preston,gary. dont know my grandmothers name either just that we came to lucan ontario some time in the early 20th century. i really hope you find the people your searching for.

Answer 1

Hi Gillian,

I happened to be looking at a list of Richard Talbot's Settlers in London Township today (my Webster ancestors were on the list and I thought I might like to start a sub-project for the Ontario Project), so I checked for Mr. Conley, but he's not there. Nor is he mentioned in the old History of Middlesex County, Canada book, which is online. Troublesome indeed!

BTW According to this query, he may have had a brother Charles. "Mary (Polly) Walker married William Conley on 19 Jan 1835 in Dorchester South. Their children were Julia Ann, George William (our great grandfather), John, Isaac, James H., and Johnston. I am searching for the parents and family of William Conley. I know only that William was born between 1809-1815 somewhere in Upper Canada, was a Laborer by occupation, and that he had an older brother named Charles Conley b 1805-1810 in Upper Canada, who was also living in Dorchester South in the 1851 Census.http://www.uelac.org/Loyalist-Trails/2010/Loyalist-Trails-2010.php?issue=201016

Comments

Thank you Laurie!

I'm going to look into this list: on the marriage record, his name is spelt Conly, so I'm wondering if it's just a different spelling somewhere...

Knowing about Charles helps though!  Thank you very much!

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You're welcome. I love a good mystery! I think Charles may be the key. Here he is on the 1842 Census for the Township of Dorchester. Notice there are two Walkers on the list.

http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/1842/uc/jpg/004569585_00117.jpg

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Ooh this is so exciting! Yay, a lead!

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I think the most common spelling of the name would be Connelly

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Thanks George! Yes, adding in all the variations of Conley is going to make this task a wee bit more time consuming, but who doesn't love a challenge?

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Actually Mary Poly (Robinson) Conley was his Mother. William Conley's dad was Luke Conley Sr out of Potter, Yates County, New York, United States of America. During that time the Census writer could not spell very and wrote Conly for a lot of Conleys (I believe). Ran into that misspelling of Conley a while back.

Answer 2

It seems there were quite a few William and Charley Conley's in Ontario! My family research shows a William Henry Conley, my 2nd great-grandfather,  born in 1821 in Ontario (not sure where) who died in 1898 in Madoc Ontario. He had a son named William Henry, my great-grandfather, and another son named Charley. The family seemed to stay around Madoc area because my grandmother Helena Maud Conley was born in 1891 in Madoc.