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From: "Kathy Witheridge" <>
Subject: Re: Country of Birth of Robert Virtue
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 13:58:17 -0400


On 24 Jan 00, at 10:21, Leah Joys wrote:

> My husband's gggrandfather, Robert Virtue (abt. 1771 - Sept. 16,
> 1861) I had thought was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh,
> in N. Ireland. But now there is a possibility that he was born in >
Scotland.

Hi Leah;

The only census I have is the 1871 and your Robert Virtue was dead at
this time. However, members of the Virtue family living in Durham County
in 1871, most of them were Irish, but a large number from other areas of
Ontario were Scotch. There were also Virtues from Britain.

I took a look in my book 'Out of the Mists' - A History of Clarke Township
by Helen Schmid and Sid Rutherford. On page 238 I found the following:

"Orono Plough Works..................... The foundry was sold in 1869 to
John McCullough who operated the business for 14 years. Moulders
employed during the 1870's included Samuel P. Maxwell and Robert
Virtue."

This might not have been your Robert, but could it have been his son?

The 1861 Tremain's Map Transactions, under Darlington Twp., shows that
Robert Virtue owned Lot 32 in Conc., 8, and a John Virtue owned Lot 17
in Conc., 8. There was also an Archibald Virtue at Lot 17 in Conc., 8.

Do you think that there might be a connection?

According to the Surrogate Court Index for Durham/Northumberland
Counties, there is a Will for Robert Virtue, as follows:

VIRTUE, Robert of Darlington - #455, 1867

Maybe if you obtained a copy of the Will it might help you some.
Kind regards
Kathy Witheridge
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

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