Cos. Tyrone, Donegal, Londonderry & Fermanagh Ireland Genealogy Research

Official Website of the CoTyroneIreland.com Mailing List

 

Biographies: John & David Wark, Tirroddy, Taughboyne Parish, Co. Donegal, Ireland

Courtesy of Monreagh Heritage Centre
Formatted by
Jim McKane, Ontario, Canada
jamckane[at]gmail.com

 

 

Henry Wark of Tirroddy raised two sons, John and David, who left indelible marks in Canadian history. John left Taughboyne Parish in 1814 and travelled to Rupert’s Land (now Canada) to become a fur trader with the Hudson’s Bay Company. John penned 17 journals, valuable historical sources for anyone studying the fur trade. He established the first successful agricultural farm west of the Rocky Mountains and earned his Chief Tradership in 1830 and his Chief Factorship in 1846. By 1849 he was a member of the Board of Management which directed the Company’s affairs west of the Rocky Mountains. One of the earliest pioneers in Victoria, British Columbia, he purchased 583 acres of farmland in 1853, becoming the largest landowner in the city. Also that year he was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of Vancouver’s Island, a position he held until his death on 22nd December 1861. John’s youngest brother, David, left Ireland in 1825 and travelled to New Brunswick. He entered politics in 1843 and in 1851 was appointed to the Legislative Council where he remained until Canada’s Confederation in 1867. He was called to the Senate by Royal Proclamation, a position he held until his death on 20th August 1905 at the very advanced age of 101.

John Wark