Lanark County, Ontario by Ken Sisler
In the early 1800's, many families from Scotland settled in Lanark County, Ontario which was named after Lanark County, Scotland.
There are eighteen well-documented families from Lanark County, Ontario who became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The names of the families are Borrowman, Brooks, Bryce, Bullock, Caldwell, Climie, Donald, Duncan, Findlay, Forsythe, Gardner, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Leckie, McIntosh, Park and Swapp. These families often intermarried with one another.
Due to poor farmland, some families from Lanark County, Ontario moved to Simcoe County, Ontario. These families included the Hill, Hood, Bullock and Bryce families. Also, some families moved from Lanark County, Ontario to Lambton County, Ontario. These families included the Park, Gardner, Climey, Hamilton and Brooks families.
Today, there are thousands of Latter-day Saints who are descendants of these early faithful Saints who lived in Lanark County, Ontario. Following is a brief description of each of the 18 families:
William Swapp was born in 1820 in Lachine, Quebec. The Swapp family moved to Lanark County, Ontario. At some point, William Swapp became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He married Elizabeth Hill about 1845, probably in the Nauvoo, Illinois area. Elizabeth Hill also lived in Lanark County, Ontario at one time.
Thomas Forsythe married Isabella Donald. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1850.
John Findlay married Janet McDonald. With four of their children, they arrived in Utah in 1852 travelling with the James Snow Company.
David Caldwell married Mary Ann Vaughan. With their children they took part in the Pioneer Trek and arrived in Utah. The one exception was David Caldwell who died before the trip.
Two members of the Bullock family became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while living in Simcoe County. Their names were James Bullock and William Bullock who were brothers.
John Borrowman was a young boy when his family moved to Canada in 1820. He married Agnes Park in 1849 in Salt Lake City. Agnes Park was also from Lanark County, Ontario.
Two sisters, Agnes Hood and Isabella Hood became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while living in Simcoe County, Ontario. Isabella Hood is the great, great grandmother of Mitt Romney. These two sisters married two of the Hill brothers.
Another pair of sisters, Elizabeth Bryce and Margaret Bryce, also became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while living in Simcoe County, Ontario. The Bryce sisters also married two of the Hill brothers.
The Hill family is one of the great families in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The parents were Archibald Hill and Elizabeth Currie. They had seven grown-up children and six of them were married. When the missionaries came to Simcoe County in 1840, both parents, all seven children and all six spouses joined the Church.
John Park married Louisa Smith With their three children, Jane, Mary Anne and Marion, they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 while travelling with the Edward Hunter Company. Quite a few extended family members of the Park family joined the Church. The Park family joined the Church while living in Lambton County, Ontario.
John McIntosh arrived in the Salt Lake Valley with the Moses Clawson Company in 1853. His wife, Gersey Rankin, died en route from Canada.
John Hamilton married Sarah Lang. She died in 1837 while living in Warwick Township, Lambton County, Ontario. He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley with his two children, Elizabeth Anne Hamilton and James Hamilton. They travelled in the Robert Wimmer Company.
The William Gardner, Archibald Gardner and Robert Gardner families arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 while travelling with the Edward Hunter Company. Quite a few extended family members of the Gardner family joined the Church while living in Lambton County, Ontario. Archibald Gardner built 36 lumber mills and gristmills in his lifetime. He helped establish communities in Alvinston, Ontario; West Jordan, Utah; and Afton, Wyoming.
Margaret Climie married George Corry. They lived in Lambton County, Ontario. Their children were Janet Corry and Andrew Corry. This family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 while travelling with the Edward Hunter Company.
Ann Brooks lived in Lambton County, Ontario. She married David Park. She was baptized in 1844 in Lambton County. Ann Brooks died in 1889 in Mottsville, Douglas County, Nevada. They had 13 children.
Jane Duncan lived in Lanark County, Ontario. She married William Park. She died in 1873 at Mill Creek, Salt Lake County, Utah.
Annie Leckie lived in Dalhousie Township, Lanark County, Ontario. She married William Gardner. She died in 1837 or 1838 in Dalhousie Township. William Gardner and his children, Jane Gardner and John Gardner, took part in the Pioneer Trek and arrived safely in Utah.