I've been friends with Laurie since the 1970's! We worked together at Pacific Western Airlines and have been friends ever since. She came with me to Toronto in December. In our airline days, we travelled together often.
We went for lunch on Monday and she was telling me about her father's family. Her four times Great Grandfather was Philemon Wright. She said he was from Ottawa/Hull and there is a book about him. I love genealogy and I looked him up. What a fantastic story!
I found the book at Indigo and I've ordered it for Laurie.
Walking in the Footsteps of Philemon Wright by Rick Henderson
Philemon Wright (1760–1839) was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, into a long‑established New England farming family. Raised as a farmer, he also served in the American Revolutionary War as a young man, fighting in key campaigns such as the Siege of Boston and the Saratoga Campaign.
By the late 1790s, Wright was looking northward. He believed the Ottawa Valley’s dense forests and powerful river system held enormous potential — even though almost no one else agreed with him.
Founding the First Permanent Settlement in the National Capital Region
In 1800, Wright led his family, four other families, and 33 axemen into the wilderness along the north shore of the Ottawa River. There, beside the Chaudière Falls, he established Wright’s Town (also called Wrightsville), the first permanent non‑Indigenous settlement in what is now the National Capital Region.
This settlement would eventually become Hull, and later part of the modern City of Gatineau.
Wright’s most transformative achievement came in 1806, when he launched the first successful timber raft down the Ottawa River to Quebec City. This daring experiment opened the Ottawa Valley to the global timber market and laid the economic foundation for the region’s growth.
The timber trade would dominate the region for decades, attracting workers, entrepreneurs, and eventually the attention of the British military — which helped lead to the construction of the Rideau Canal and the rise of Bytown (Ottawa).
Wright’s settlement was more diverse than many people realize. Among his original party was London Oxford, a free Black man who became the first recorded Black settler in the Ottawa Valley. His presence is rarely acknowledged in mainstream histories, but it’s an important part of the region’s story.
Wright’s community also supported the early development of Bytown and provided labour, supplies, and logistical help during the construction of the Rideau Canal.
Today, his name lives on in local landmarks, historical societies, and the work of descendants like historian Rick Henderson, who continues to document the Wright family’s impact on the Ottawa‑Gatineau region.
Rick Henderson who is related to Laurie has a blog: https://www.capitalchronicles.ca/
I emailed Laurie the link to Rick's blog and I gave her his email address. She will contact him and will plan a trip back to Ottawa. I wish I knew all this before we went to Ottawa last summer!
