James Brophy emigrated from Ireland in 1816, having served with the 37th Regiment of Foot during the Peninsular War, and transferred with the Second Battalion to Upper Canada. He was granted 100 acres of land upon settling in Upper Canada near Marmora, which he sold to move to Kingston. He served with Kingston Police, and would build most of his wealth in real estate. He married Margaret Kelleher, with whom he had several children.
Painter, draughtsman, illustrator, muralist, teacher. William Brymner, born at Greenock, Scotland, on December 14th, 1855. Son of Dr Douglas Brymner, the first Dominion archivist. He was brought by his family to Melbourne, in the Eastern Townships, Quebec, in 1857. He later studied architecture with the chief government architect at Council of Arts and Manufactures, Montreal, 1868-1869. He went to Paris in 1878 and turned to painting, studying at Julian's and with Carolus-Duran in Paris. Brymner became a full member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) in 1886 and in the same year became Director of classes at the Art Association of Montreal, a position he held until 1921. Brymner is considered the first great teacher of painting in Canada, and is admired for his respect for academic training and his great receptiveness to the talents of others. He had the admiration of his students and would become a major influence on the development of Canadian painting. He died at Wallasey, Cheshire on June 18, 1925.
In 1817, William Buchanan emigrated from Scotland to what is now Kemptville, Ontario. Two years later he was followed by his wife, Anne Hunter, and children. While some of William's descendants left the area, representatives of the family continued in the Kemptville region to the present day. In 1868, John Hunter, brother of Anne Buchanan, died, leaving no will. As Hunter was unmarried, the estate had to be divided between his nine nieces and nephews. There followed a relatively long correspondence between persons in England and the Buchanans in Kemptville, as the estate settlement dragged on. In 1930, a rumor started that a William Buchanan of Kemptville had entailed his estate for 99 years after his death. As of 1930 the 99 years had apparently elapsed and the estate, amounting to some $850.000 was to be divided among living descendants. The papers include some correspondence on this issue.