The Story of Omagh
How the Churches Came
The following is an article copied from an unpublished, as far as I know, document titled 'The Family Tree by Joseph A. C. Robertson, dated 1937'. I have included these articles to give some more information about my ancestors and to show that written histories, recollections, family stories are very important to our understanding of our family history. Some of the following information can be confirmed, some may be confirmed, some may just be wrong. If any of the information that follows is of interest to you or sound familiar, please contact me and maybe we can sort out the fact from fiction.
In 1835 Rev. Mr. Lunsden, a Presbyterian Minister, came to the neighbourhood. Richard Moore gave the grounds for the cemetery, and the lumber for the first frame church. This building was erected in 1839 and served until 1909, when the present large modern church was built. The Anglicans built a substantial church some years later.
In 1851 Andrew Ford built the Methodist church. At first the minister came from Milton. Mr. Jeffery and Mr. Preston were two of the ministers, but there may have been others. About 1880 the churches of Omagh and Wesley and others were set apart as a circuit, and Mr. Maitland, a married man, with Mr. Emery, a young single man, were the first Methodist preachers for seven churches, one of which was Omagh. Mr. Maitland, living at the Boyne in the house now occupied by Mr. Downs and later a parsonage was built at Omagh. Mr. Maitland was the first minister to live in it.
In 1849 while attending the normal school in Toronto, W. C. Beaty professed conversion and in 1850 was mainly instrumental in building the Disciple Church at Omagh and for years was an able and acceptable preacher.
Roads were another problem which had to be solved. In the early days oxen were the means of travel and think of travelling the journey from Omagh to Toronto (or Little York as it was then called) with a yoke of oxen.
Compared with the present, the automobile, telephone and the radio, and to see the pleasures and advantages people enjoy today.
We owe a great debt of gratitude to the early pioneers who hewed out a home in the forest.
The pioneers of the early days Had lot of trouble in many ways They hewed the forest and felled the trees It was cold in winter but they did not freeze.