BIDDULPH

We know that many of the Tipperary Daggs who emigrated to Canada were closely related. Determining how those early families were related, and what their common ancestry was, has become a huge and challenging objective. We are severely limited by the scarcity of many of the early Irish records, and the complete lack of nearly all early immigration and passenger list information. In the absence of reliable documentation, we must turn to other methods of establishing kinship.

It is our hope that in sharing our individual research, we will find common threads with other branches of Tipperary Daggs - threads that will help us to tie together our various lines into their proper family groupings. The emigrational patterns of these early Dagg emigrants - when they came to Canada, where they initially settled, and their migrations thereafter - may be one of the most valuable tools that we have at hand in helping us to determine where our families belong in relation to one another.

Each of the areas of Dagg family settlement is listed below, along with the names of the emigrant families, and a brief overview for each section. Please refer to the Chart, “EARLY DAGG EMIGRANTS TO CANADA”, to get an overall picture of the dates and places of settlement for the early Dagg families. Some of the dates have been approximated from calculations based upon the earliest known records found in the new area of settlement.

Since many of our family researchers do not have access to Genealogy programs, all of the family tree files are presented in Genealogy Report format, for easier access by all parties. If you would like a GedCom file for any particular family, please contact Jann Callaghan Cullen directly. GedCom files are not given out without the prior express permission of the contributing researcher.

2) The DAGGs of the BIDDULPH area (Middlesex County)

The family of James Dagg and Anne McArdell emigrated from Modreeny Parish, Tipperary, in about 1837, initially settling in Ernesttown (near Kingston), amongst family and Tipperary neighbours. Within a few years they migrated on to Biddulph. The family of Richard Dagg and Elizabeth Neil first emigrated to Pakenham, in Lanark County, probably in around 1835. Within a few years, they too moved onwards to Biddulph. Evidence suggests a strong probability that James Dagg and Richard Dagg were brothers.

The Biddulph Daggs were also closely related to the family of William Dagg and Elizabeth Dagg of Kincardine. Records show that James Dagg was a brother of either William or of his wife Elizabeth (also born a Dagg). Over time we see a migration between the Biddulph and the Kincardine Daggs. One of the Daggs from Pontiac Co., Que. also shows up in Biddulph, marrying into the Hodgins family there.

Also present in the Biddulph area, were at least two more Dagg families. Sarah Ann (Sally) Dagg married Jonas Poe and lived in Middlesex County, near Biddulph. Clint Thompson, a local researcher and descendant of two of the Biddulph Dagg lines, believes that this Sally Dagg was the daughter of Richard Dagg and Elizabeth Neil. A George Dagg and his wife Jane Neil also lived in West Nissouri, just next to Biddulph. It is possible that this is the same George and Jane Dagg whose child Mary was christened at Behamore, Modreeny Parish, in 1828. This Mary is believed to have married Luke Dyer, in 1861, in West Nissouri. Very little is known yet about either of these two Dagg families, or how they connect to the other Daggs of Tipperary. It should also be noted that there are records of several early Dagg families in London Township and London City - areas that have not yet been investigated by any of our researchers.

At this time, there are no descendant researchers for any of these Dagg families, and the research presented below is ‘bare-bones’ only, based mainly on data from census and public records, and the Killarney, Manitoba community history book. Information will be updated as and when further data is received.

Ø Catherine Dagg & 1) Paris Anderson; 2) James Logan

SOURCE: Compiled from Public Records (JCC)

Ø George Dagg and Jane Neil (W. Nissouri)

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

Ø James Dagg and Ann Ardell (includes Killarney, Man.)

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

Ø Richard Dagg and Elizabeth Neil

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

Ø Sarah Ann Dagg and Jonas Poe

SOURCE: Compiled from Public Records (JCC)

3) The DAGGs of GOULBOURN (Carleton County)

Close geographic proximity, and other supporting circumstances suggest a common ancestry between the Daggs of Goulbourn and the Daggs of Huntley. Jane Dagg married Francis Abbott in Tipperary, and subsequently emigrating to Canada in about 1821. They settled briefly in Montreal where Francis worked as a tradesman to earn enough money to buy a farm. In about 1828, they moved on to Goulbourn Township, in Carleton County. When the Abbotts reached Goulbourn, it was to join other Dagg family members already there. Records show that a Rebecca Dagg married John Spearman in Goulbourn in 1826. (John Spearman was one of the original Talbot settlers, in 1818.) One of the witnesses at her wedding was one Nancy Dagg, believed to have been a sister.

Two unmarried females were not likely to be living on their own in a pioneer settlement, so it is probable that their parents were there as well. The only record for an older generation of Daggs in Goulbourn comes from the obituary of Esther Dagg (widow of Richard Dagg), which states that she died in Nepean 26/Sept./1849, aged 86, at the home of Francis Abbott. Esther, and possibly her husband Richard Dagg must have emigrated to Goulbourn at some point prior to 1826; that they were Jane’s parents seems pretty certain. References from the family history of Thomas Dagg, of nearby Huntley Township, suggest that Esther Dagg was also HIS mother. The presence of Rebecca and Nancy Dagg in Goulbourn intimates the possibility that they too may have shared the parentage of Richard and Esther, although no documentation exists as proof.

Ø Jane Dagg and Francis Abbott

(Contributions needed on this family!)

Ø Rebecca Dagg and John Spearman

CONTRIBUTOR: Ruth Duncan (deceased)

4) The DAGGs of HUNTLEY & NAVAN (Carleton County)

The Daggs of Huntley and Navan descend from Thomas Dagg and Susan Farmer, who are believed to have emigrated from Borrisokane, Tipperary to Huntley Township, Carleton County in 1837. Thomas’ relationship to the various other Dagg emigrants is speculated upon in the section on the Daggs of Renfrew, and also in the section on the Daggs of Goulbourn, below. As well, the Daggs of Huntley have always maintained that they are, in some manner, inter-related with the Daggs of Pontiac Co., Quebec.

In the late 1960’s, a very impressive body of genealogical research on the Daggs of Huntley was undertaken by Dagg sisters Kathleen Kirk, Elvyna Sevigny, and Jane Misener. The huge task of compiling and entering this vast bulk of their work into a Genealogical database was undertaken years later by Robert Stinson, to whom a great debt of gratitude and appreciation is owed.

This research was completed over 30 years ago, and the original document had seemingly disappeared. Thanks are due to the persistent and dedicated efforts of Cam Dagg in finally tracking down both Robert Stinson and Kathleen Kirk. The GedCom file upon which this report is based, as well as copies of all supporting original documents has been forwarded courtesy of Robert Stinson. The finished work has been reviewed and updated by original researcher Kathleen Kirk, as of September, 2000. Many thanks, Kathleen!

Ø Thomas Dagg and Susan Farmer

CONTRIBUTOR: Robert Stinson

RESEARCHERS: Kathleen Kirk; Elvyna Sevigny; Jane Misener

EDITING: Jann Callaghan Cullen; Cam Dagg

5) The DAGGs of KINCARDINE (Bruce County)

William Dagg and his wife Elizabeth Dagg emigrated from Modreeny parish, in Tipperary, to Canada in about 1837. Initially, they owned lands in the Pakenham area (Lanark County), but as cheaper lands became available in Bruce County, they moved to Kincardine, in about 1852. The Daggs of Kincardine are inter-related to the Daggs of Biddulph, Ontario. Ainsley George Dagg has spent more than thirty years of his life researching the Daggs of Kincardine, and in the process has amassed tons of relevant Dagg research information from countless sources, some of which are no longer available to us. He has generously and graciously shared this data and his sources with me, which has greatly enriched the content of these pages. I wish to formally acknowledge my indebtedness and gratitude to him.

Ø William Dagg, his Relatives and Descendants

CONTRIBUTOR: Ainsley G. Dagg

· {A research paper, in prose format}

Ø William Dagg and Elizabeth Dagg

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

· {A Family Tree File based upon the research of Ainsley G. Dagg}

Ø Jane Dagg and John Bradley

CONTRIBUTOR: Pam Schaberg

· {An extension of the William Dagg & Elizabeth Dagg Descendancy}

6) The DAGGs of OPS; MINDEN; NORTH DAKOTA; FLATBUSH, AB.

At least four Dagg families are believed to have emigrated from the Nenagh area of Tipperary, to Ops Township, (near Lindsay, Ontario) in about 1834/35. The 1839/1842 censuses of Ops shows the presence of 2 separate William Daggs, a James Dagg (all married with families), and a John Dagg (no family listed). The 1851 census for the Ops area is missing so there is currently no way of determining how long these 4 families remained in that area. By 1861, all of the older generation of Daggs were gone from Ops, possibly having migrated to other areas of Ontario, or some may have passed away. Only one of the original four emigrant families stayed in the region.

The 1861 Ops census shows that the only remaining Daggs were siblings Thomas, Samuel, William and Elizabeth, children of William Dagg and Ann McCormick. Marriage records for William and Ann show that they married in Tipperary in 1834; they must have almost immediately emigrated to Canada. Their first child, Elizabeth, was born in Ops Township in 1835. This report will document the descendancy of their son Thomas Dagg, the only one of the siblings whose progeny remained in the area. The fate of his brothers Samuel and William Dagg is unknown – neither appears in any further records for the area. Elizabeth Dagg married, but appears to have died childless, at a young age.

By 1871, Thomas Dagg and his family moved on to Mariposa Township, just north of Ops. By 1881 they had moved to Snowden, and by 1891 they lived in Minden town. Only the descendants of two of Thomas’ children remained in the Victoria County area. Three of his sons died in their prime, and son Asa (Sam) moved his family to Bowbells, N.D., and later moved again to homestead in Flatbush, Alberta. Please note that the BURNS FAMILY DESCENDANCY included within this section, was researched in whole by Bob and Vicki Burns. Their input and leads were invaluable to me in getting this whole genealogy project off the ground. Thanks Bob and Vicki!

Ø William Dagg and Ann McCormick

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

Ø Sam Dagg and Mary Ann Sinclair

· (an extension of the William Dagg/Ann McCormick family)

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

Ø Martha Dagg and Joseph Burns

· (an extension of the William Dagg/Ann McCormick family)

RESEARCHERS: Bob & Vicki Burns

7) The DAGGs of PONTIAC CO., QUE. (Pontiac County, Que.)

There are at least 3 separate Dagg families who settled in Clarendon Township, Pontiac Co., Quebec. All three families are believed to have been from Cloughjordan area of Tipperary, in Modreeny Parish. The relationships between these various Dagg families to one another remains in the realm of speculation at this point. The history of these Pontiac County Daggs has excited a great deal of interest and research participation. There are more than 12 individuals currently investigating the various branches of these Daggs, several of whom have contributed their completed research to this site. Researcher Gloria Tubman is currently undertaking a massive project designed to consolidate research on ALL of the Dagg families of this area. The scale and diligence of Gloria’s task will understandably require a great deal of time to complete. We all eagerly await the results of her efforts!

George Dagg Sr. is widely presumed to have emigrated to the Clarendon area some time in the early 1820’s, making him one of the earliest Dagg emigrants to Canada. There is some doubt, however, as to the actual date of his emigration, as conflicting dates of births for his children in Ireland suggest either a later emigration date, or a temporary return to Ireland after his initial emigration. An 1825 census for Montreal city shows a George Dagg present; whether or not this is the same George who later settled in Clarendon is unknown. (Several other Tipperary families also lived briefly in Montreal at this time, including Jane Dagg and her husband Francis Abbott.) A brief interim file on George Dagg and his three wives appears below.

John Dagg and wife Jane Jones appeared in Clarendon some time shortly after 1851. A record for the birth of one of their children shows they were living at that time in the Behamore area of Modreeny parish. John Dagg and wife Sarah Hodgins are also believed to have emigrated in the early 1850’s, from the Newtown/Burntwood area of Modreeny parish. Wife Sarah may have died either on the voyage over or shortly after arrival in Canada. William M. Dagg (m. Ann Hodgins) also arrived in Clarendon in the early 1850’s. It has been suggested by several sources that this William may have been the son of one of the two John Daggs also living in Clarendon, but at this time there is no supporting evidence. William’s parentage, and relationship to the other Daggs is currently being investigated by Gloria Tubman.

Ø The Descendants of George Dagg Sr. (3 wives)

CONTRIBUTOR: Gloria Tubman

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Heather Peterson; Anna Turcott

Ø Mary Dagg and John Smyth

CONTRIBUTOR: Anna Turcott

· (An extension of the George Dagg Sr. Descendancy)

Ø John Dagg and Jane Jones

CONTRIBUTOR: Sharon Mitchell

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Emerson McCallum

Ø John Dagg and Sarah Hodgins

CONTRIBUTOR: Gloria Tubman

Ø John Dagg and Sarah Hodgins (Havelin line)

CONTRIBUTOR: Bobbi Rosen

Ø William M. Dagg and Ann Hodgins

CONTRIBUTORS: Mike Blais & Jean Earl (combined)

COMPILED/EDITED BY: Jann Callaghan Cullen

· (an extension of the John Dagg & Sarah Hodgins Descendancy)

Ø Sarah Dagg and George Hodgins

COMPILED/EDITED BY: Jann Callaghan Cullen

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS: Kent Sparling website

Ø William Hodgins and Almira Milks

· (an extension of the Sarah Dagg & George Hodgins Descendancy)

CONTRIBUTOR: Debra Parminter

8) The DAGGs of PORT BURWELL (Elgin County; later to Flint, Michigan and New Zealand)

James Dagg and wife Jane Fleming emigrated to Canada from Cork city, Ireland, in about 1837. James Dagg and Jane Fleming appear in the 1861 census for Port Burwell, in Elgin County. Living with them was their adopted son, James Dagg, age 8. This child, born James Rochford Slade Fleming McKnight, was the natural grandson of James and Jane, the son of their daughter Eliza Dagg and her husband John McKnight. The information on James comes from the baptismal registers of Trinity Anglican church, in Port Burwell.

James and Jane Dagg had no sons. This family moved to Flint, Michigan in about 1863, where most of the daughters married into the Fellows family. Young James Dagg grew up and left for adventures and parts unknown. He eventually showed up in Tasmania, and migrated from there to New Zealand, where his descendants remain today.

Ø James Dagg & Jane Fleming

CONTRIBUTOR: Bert Dagg

Edited by: Jann Callaghan Cullen

9) The DAGGs/DACKs of KITLEY & ERNESTTOWN (also Clanwilliam, Manitoba)

KITLEY: The names ‘DAGG’ and ‘DACK’ seem to be used interchangeably in the Kitley area for at least a 40 to 50 year period. The census records show that these Daggs emigrated from County Wicklow, in Ireland, and that they were Protestant. It is unclear at this time, however, how they relate to the other Dagg families who emigrated to Canada. Certainly, the naming patterns in these Daggs seem to differ somewhat from the commonality of names seen in the other Dagg groups.

There is evidence that one William Dack moved with his family to the Kitley area as early as 1817, making them one of the earliest of the emigrating Dagg groups. William’s presence in Kitley attracted further groups of related Wicklow Daggs in a chain migration that lasted until the mid 1850’s. Research on this line has been very sparse, as there are currently no contributing researchers actively working these families. I have personally gathered together marriage / birth / death notices and compiled some very sketchy census data for the area. Several of the Daggs of this area eventually migrated to Clanwilliam, Manitoba. It is interesting to note that the descendants of this family bear a striking resemblance to Daggs of my own family (a Tipperary Dagg family). It has become a pet project of mine to try to track down this line and to see how and if they inter-relate to the other Daggs.

ERNESTTOWN: Virtually nothing is known at this time about the DAGG/DACK family of Ernesttown. This one single family shows up in the 1851 census for the area. After that point, only one or two records for marriages of the children exist. This family is also known to have come from County Wicklow, in Ireland, and may or may not be related to the other DAGG/DACK group in Kitley.

Ø The Dagg / Dack families of Kitley (Leeds County)

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

Ø Robert & Eliza Dagg of Kitley, & Clanwilliam, Manitoba

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

RESEARCHERS: Jann Callaghan Cullen; Bryan Dagg

Ø The Dagg/Dacks of Ernesttown (Lennox & Addington County)

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

10) The DAGGs of RENFREW (Blackwell; Guest; Hodgins; Loney)

Bruce Elliot mentions that a network of families (mainly with ties to Modreeny Parish, and a few from Borrisokane), settled in Lanark County, near the Ramsay-Pakenham line. Of the fourteen surnames borne by this group, six of the original heads of families were married to Daggs. A few of these families first lived in the Carp Valley (near where Thomas Dagg, of Huntley settled). Many of these settlers later migrated to Renfrew County, and to the Kincardine area of Bruce County.

This would suggest the strong likelihood of a common kinship between these groups of Modreeny Dagg emigrants, who ended up in Renfrew, Huntley, Kincardine, Biddulph and Goulbourn. The Daggs and related families of the Lanark and Renfrew County areas, settled mostly on the borders of Darling Township, and also in Horton and Ross Townships of Renfrew. The emigration dates run from the early 1830’s to the mid 1840’s. The Hodgins name has long been associated with the Daggs, both historically in Tipperary, and in nearly all other areas of emigration in Canada. The Blackwell and Dagg names also occur together in several places in Canada, specifically in Renfrew Co., Pontiac Co., Quebec and in Ops Township, Victoria County. The Guest’s, the Loney’s, and the Smithson’s inter-relationships with the Daggs seems to have been confined in Canada to the Renfrew/Lanark in which they settled.

Ø Eliza Dagg and Thomas Guest

CONTRIBUTOR: Sherry Koshney-Downard

Ø Susan Dagg and Samuel Loney

CONTRIBUTOR: Sherry Koshney-Downard

Ø Susan Dagg and Samuel Loney

CONTRIBUTOR: Joan Kondratowicz

Ø Sarah Dagg and George Hodgins

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

Ø Susan Dagg and George Blackwell

CONTRIBUTOR: Jann Callaghan Cullen

Ø Ann Dagg and Robert Smithson

(Contributions needed on this family!)

11) The DAGGs of IRELAND

The early Dagg families in Ireland came from a moderate upper class English background. Though not overtly rich or peers of the realm, their family was considered important enough for their lineage to be chronicled by the Royal heralds as one of the distinguished families of Cornwall. Their children married into the best families, attended the best schools and began their military careers as officers. Dagg sons attended Trinity College, in Dublin for more than a hundred years. Historical records indicate several Daggs served in military posts in Cork city, intermarried there with other prominent and even noble families.

From about 1655 to the late 1680’s, lands began to open up in Northern Tipperary, and were granted in the main to Cromwellian officers, and to a lesser extent, soldiers. According to A. Murray Robertson’s research, in about 1660 two Dagg brothers were granted lands near Borrisokane; they are believed to have been junior officers. Unlike the more senior officers, who often sublet or sold their grants, the Dagg brothers kept their land and set about creating a legacy that would go down throughout the centuries and across all the continents of the world. Most of the Dagg families with Tipperary ancestry likely came from one of these two original brothers.

Any attempt to reconstruct the make-up of our original emigrant ancestral family units must include the study of all of these Daggs – those who remained in Ireland, as well as their brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins who were scattered to the winds, half a world away. Each one of them represents a small piece in the total picture of our shared Dagg ancestry.

Of interest is the compilation of A. Murray Robertson’s records on the Daggs of Lissenhall, which documents the descendancy of several early Dagg families of Northern Tipperary. These records present the framework for the early Dagg families, into which most of our early ancestors likely fit. William Dagg, of Latteragh, born in 1736, is the oldest Tipperary Dagg recorded; the headstones for him and his sons document a centuries-long unbroken line of Tipperary Daggs. Murray’s main focus of research was the descendancy of one Lieut. Thomas Dagg, born in Tipperary, who settled in Cork. His long search unearthed a body of records pertaining to the Daggs of Cork, also presented below. For a full list of Murray’s Irish records, please refer to the “Records” section on this website.