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Note: embers of both the Irwin and Pritchard families lived in the town of Briskinagh (Al'Brushinagh) Monaghan County. The following item was written by their grandson Joseph Albert Irwin in 1943 at the age of 85. It is very much appreciated by all the descendants of Joseph and Mary: "My grandfather, Joseph Irwin, was born in Ireland in the year 1805. In the year 1824 he married, at the age of nineteen, to Mary Pritchard, a girl of seventeen. They ran away from school to be married, which made his folks hostile so they would not help them in any way and they had a hard time to get along. After one year they decided to go to Canada to make a home. Her father had given them a cow, so they sold it to get enough money for him to go to Canada. Soon after the first boy was born, the father sailed for Canada and arrived at Bytown, which is now called Ottawa, Ontario. He worked at the Rideau Canal at fifty cents a day and supplied his own board and room. After earning enough he sent for his wife. She and her young son were on the ocean twenty-one days before reaching Canada. The Company that he worked for gave him a small tract of land in payment for his work, so he made his home here. The Parliament buildings now stand on the same tract of land. Later they went north thirty miles in to the virgin forest and started to farm on the Pesche Creek, which empties in to the Gatineau River. There were no roads for teams at that time, so they went by canoe on the river and had to portage over the rapids. In winter they had to carry or haul supplies on hand sleighs. They got some sheep and made up the virgin wool into garments for the family." It was in 1829 that Joseph and Mary and young son James went to settle on Lapeche Creek were it empties into the Gatineau River. A good part of the village of Wakefield area is this same land that was originally in the name of Joseph Irwin. Joseph was a farmer and weaver. According to the 1842 census, they occupied 50 acres and had improved 20 acres. They had 300 bushels of oats; 9 bushels of peas; 200 bushels potatoes; 4 cattle, 2 horses, 7 sheep, 2 hogs, 40 yards flannel or woven cloth not fulled; 16 lbs. wool procurred during the last year. Tenure of land; squat. Joseph was granted the same property February 2nd, 1847. Lot 1, concession 2 of Wakefield Twp. 128 acres on the Gatineau and Lepeche rivers. Lived in a one storey log house with 84 acres improved.
Note: Joseph and Mary Irwin were of Weslyan Methodist faith. Present records would indicate that m
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