A map from 1844 shows the eastern section of Wellesley Township, Waterloo County, Ontario. The patriarch Peter Joseph "Joseph" Voisin (1807-1892) owned land in Concessions VIII and IX. Here he is listed as "Joseph Weison,” which is probably spelled the way it sounded to the clerk. Although the map was drawn in 1843 and published in 1844, there is no indication when the various properties were identified. Other evidence shows Joseph Voisin obtained patents for this land in 1856.

The map shows the area before the villages of Hawkesville, highlighted upper center, and St. Clements, highlighted lower right, were even established.

Valentine Otterbein owned land nearby. According to the 1851 census, he had a son Henry Otterbein, who would have been about 40 years old in 1877, when Joseph Voisin (1858-1916) indicated he worked for H. Otterbein.

Another early settler in the area, Ambrose Starr, owned land nearby. He was the father of Clements Starr, who would become a neighbor of our Joesph Voisin in Beal City, Michigan.

Wellesley Township, Waterloo County, Ontario, Canada

Source: Archives of Ontario, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/access/our_collection.aspx : Viewed 2 November 2017), "Digitized Patents Plans," Wellesley Township, Digital Image Number I0051527.jpg, Item Reference Code RG 1-100-0-0-4129, dated 23 April 1844 (http://ao.minisisinc.com/FS_IMAGES/I0051527.jpg).