George Llewelling Sears

Notes:

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996

Notes:

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996

George married Julia Theresa Munro about 1875 in Sackoine, , New Brunswick. Julia (daughter of Thomas Brock Munro and Joanna Gallie) was born on 1 May 1855; died on 28 Jul 1935. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Notes:

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, James Donald

Thomas Brock Munro, who was named for the General Brock in Ontario contemporary to his time, and his twin brother, William Thomas Munro, were born at the home and "Trading Post" of their parents near Caraquet, New Brunswick. Records of their birth and baptism exist as affidavits in New Carlisle.

Services of Clergy were limited to occasional itinerant or circuit-riding protestant ministers at this time. Children were frequently baptized at home by parents or others, especially if life was precarious or health was poor, or delayed until travel to distant churches was arranged. If available, any Priest or Minister was acceptable for services, regardless of religious denomination. Registration of births was not required by the Government, and common practice was recording by the officiating clergyman of births, marriages and burials. Eventually these records found their way to Provincial or County listing if not lost in some catastrophe. Documentation by the Catholic Clergy and Churches was meticulously maintained and forwarded to the Bishop of the area's archives. That both Thomas and William had been baptized is quite certain, as they were faithful and stalwart members of the protestant church in their communities of Paspebiac, New Carlisle and Port Daniel.

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Birth:
Thomas and his twin brother, William, were born at their home near Caraquet, New Brunswick, Canada.

Thomas married Joanna Gallie about 1835 in , Bonaventure Co., Quebec, Canada. Joanna was born on 24 Aug 1816 in Paspebiac, , Québec, Canada; was christened on 30 Sep 1821 in New Carlisle, , Québec, Canada; died on 31 Jan 1901 in Portland, Cumberland Co., Maine, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

St Andrew Anglican Church Records, New Carlisle, Quebec.

BORN-Baptized - (2) Baptized on the 30th of September 1821, Joanna, born August 24, 1816 and Margaret, born April 1, 1819; daughters of John Gallie, farmer of Cox Township and Moriah his wife. By me - Richard Knagg, Minister. Sponsors: James Scott, Francis Gallie, Jane Scott, Nancy Whittom, Eleanor Knagg, Margaret Gallie.

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Christened:
Joanna was christened at the Anglican Church in New Carlisle, Quebec, Canada.

Notes:

The birth and christening records of William Johnson Munro has not yet been located. History directs that he was born in the city of Montreal due to the following proven facts: (1) William's mother, Mary Brower, with her other seven children, escaped to Fort St. John via Lake Champlain and Crown Point in 1778. (2) Her husband, Captain John Munro, met her at Fort St. John. (3) John was dispatched to Montreal to find housing there for Loyalist families and also took Mary and the children with him. (4) Mary and the children stayed in Montreal until 1783 when John went to England to help plead for compensation for lands lost by Loyalists in New York. (5) William was probably christened by the Regimental Chaplain as he was a personal friend, although some of these records have been lost.

William was named after the celebrated General Johnson of the British Army, a much esteemed comrade in arms of his father, John Munro. He grew up on the Munro land grants at Matilda, near Morrisburg, Ontario. He signed on with the North West Fur Company and eventually settled in Bas-caraquet, New Brunswick in 1807, where he received a land grant as a Loyalist son.

William spent eight years in the service of the Northwest Fur Company, enlisting in about 1798 for an eight year indenture. He spent most of this time in the Grand Portage, Fort William Area, but mad voyages to other outposts from time to time.

In 1808 William completed his indenture to the North West Company. Disappointed at the inadequate wages offered for a "factor" or permanent post with The Company, he left western Canada to take up a merchandising offer made by his cousin, Hugh Munro, of St. Peter (Bathurst) New Brunswick. Eventually he settled on a site at Bas Caraquett on the Bay of Chaleur, opposite the Colony of New Carlisle-Paspebiac. He built a Trading Post-Store where he dealt in furs and provisioned the French fisherman and bought their salted fish for shipping by Hugh Munro and Sherar ships. His long experience in the western lands stood him in good stead and certainly provided him with the language skills to deal also with the French speaking fishermen who populated the area. William may have become an agent for the Hudson Bay Company both on the New Carlisle side of the bay and on the New Brunswick side at Carequete. Hudson Bay Company agents held positions of considerable importance and the agent occupied a central influence in many respects in the community.

Although he died early and in debt, if he had been able to maintain his business until it began to show a profit he would undoubtedly have established a very lucerative post.

Munro Island in the Shippigan area still bears William Munro's name although title went out of the family when his son Thomas Brock Munro sold the property.

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, James Donald
Stroud, Anna Margaret

References:

(1) Clan Munro library - "The Munro Beacon" - Spring/Summer 1996 - Vol. 22, No.
2 - p. 5

(2) Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9 Oct
1996

(3) "The Munro Eagle" - number 27 - summer 1997-1998 - p. 33-38

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Buried:
William died at his home in 1820 at the age of 39 and was buried on his farm because the Catholic Church refused to bury a Presbyterian in their cemetery. In the fall of 1993, a homeowner on the old Munro property discovered human bones while doing an excavation. An Investigation identified the remains as being those of William Johnson Munro and his son. In 1995, after considerable paperwork, the remains were released to William's descendant, Henry Munro for re-interment in the cemetery of Trinity Anglican Church in Riverside Heights alongside W.J.'s father, Captain John Munro.

William married Sarah Sherar on 15 Sep 1808 in Caraquet, Gloucester Co., New Brunswick, Canada. Sarah (daughter of Thomas Sherar) was born on 26 Aug 1786 in New Carlisle, , Québec, Canada; died in 1837 in New Carlisle, , Québec, Canada; was buried in 1837 in New Carlisle, , Québec, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

All church records of her marriage to William had been lost so Sarah endured a prolonged period of litigation after William's death while she endeavored to unravel his legal title to Crown land grants in Caraquette as well as authenticating the debts due him from fishermen in the Trading Post Store and other business enterprises and inheritances. Eventually most of this was cleared, although she lost title to some of the land through ambiguous title.

Sarah had to liquidate most of William's holdings to pay their debts and support her children. Even some of the lots that William had inherited from his father, Capt. Hon John Munro, in Upper Canada on the Matilda, Dundas County homestead were eventually sold for expenses by his sons William Thomas and Thomas B. Munro after many years of litigation over his estate.

Sarah returned to New Carlisle with her six children to live with her father on the old Sherar homestead which was about a mile west of the Munro homestead at Paspebiac.

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA