This is an account of the Ord family who settled in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada in the mid-19th century.  Here I present all the known information on their descendants and their ancestors. The family originated in Berwickshire, Scotland from where Robert Ord and his wife Mary Edgar emigrated in 1850.  They settled in a community of Scots immigrants in a settlement in southern Puslinch, called Badenoch. The Scots in southern Puslinch were primarily Highlanders who had been evicted from their lands during the Highland Clearances. Most of them spoke Gaelic as their first language. Even though the Ords were Lowlanders, they seem to have got along fine with their Gaelic-speaking Highlanders and even intermarried with some of the Highland families..

The Origin(s) of the Surname Ord

There appears to be three geographic concentrations of the Ord surname in Great Britain.  These concentrations are shown on the map at the right.

1. The first area is in north-central Scotland in the area of  Inverness, Elgin, Moray and Banff.  This concentration may originate in the area of the Muir of Ord in Ross-shire, just across the Beuly Firth from the town of Inverness.

2. The second area centres around the River Tweed in the borderlands of Northumberland, England, and Berwickshire, Scotland.  This concentration likely originates around the settlements of East and West Ord in Northumberland, about a mile southwest of Berwick-upon-Tweed (shown on the map below).  Whether the surname arose from the place name or vice versa is not known.

3. A third, though large in size, contains a much smaller concentration of the surname.  This concentration can be found across the Orkneys and Hebrides.  (Shown on the map above-right.)  The smaller density of this concentration of Ords might suggest that a later member of the family migrated from one of the other two settlements.  This area contains no known place names associated with the name “Ord”.

These disparate geographic clusters suggest more than one geographic origin to the surname, more than one eponymous origin, and possibly even more than one ethnic origin.  However, it is worth noting that the Cuthbert surname shows a very similar pattern with a large cluster around Berwick and another large cluster around Inverness.  Their origin story is that they originate around Lindisfarne (near Berwick) and one family migrated north to Inverness in the 8th century.  Could an Ord have migrated with the Cuthberts?

In Gaelic the word ord or uird means “hammer”.  Ord is also believed to be Angle or Jutish. The Angles and Jutes came from the area of present-day Denmark. The name Ord, Orrd, Ourd, and Urd can be found in Denmark, low Germany, and Flanders. There was a Countess Ord in Flanders involved in the Flemish uprising against Spanish rule in the 1500s or 1600s and land grants were made to Ords in both Durham and Northumberland in Britain in the 1100s, including one Henry de Orde, 1116, of the Tweed area.  The Lower Tweed area was once part of the Danelaw and was settled by Danes.  In later years trade between the Tweed and Flanders remained high.  Thus a Danish or Flemish origin for the Tweed area Ords is certainly plausible, but a Gaelic origin is still possible.  The northern Ords would seem more likely to be of Gaelic origin.  However no one is known to have successfully traced any of these concentrations back to any particular eponymous origin.

Some contributors have suggested that the name Ord may mean “a point” as in a point of land, an arrowhead or spearhead. The name Ord may also derive from the Latin “ordo” meaning “order, a straight row”. The word “ordinance” originally referred to stores of arrows and spearheads. The word “order” means “to point the way, to give direction”, but it also means “to set in a straight row”. The word “goad” comes from “go”+ “ord”, meaning “go-point”, a sharp stick used to make cattle or horses move faster

Thus it appears that the name Ord has multiple geographic and ethnic origins.  As our Ords come from an area with Norman, Jutish, and Gaelic histories, it is impossible to determine which, if any, of these is the origin of our family’s name.

The Ord Family in Berwickshire, Scotland

David Ord and Elspeth Cockburn

In the late 18th century David ORD, probably of Norham, Northumberland, England, married on 11 APR 1779 in Coldstream, Berwickshire, Scotland to Elspeth COCKBURN of Berwickshire, Scotland. She is believed to have been born 22 DEC 1754 in Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland, as the daughter of Andrew Cockburn and Margaret Clochrie, however this has not been verified.  David and Elspeth were married just a few miles away from the historic site of the Battle of Flodden Field (the 16th century battle between England and Scotland where King James IV died). Although this cross-border marriage might at first sound quite unlikely for the era, a quick glance at a map will clarify any doubts. Coldstream, Berwickshire, Scotland and Norham, Northumberland, England are both situated on the banks of the River Tweed which forms the eastern border between Scotland and England. So, although these two towns are in different countries, they are in fact located only five or six miles apart on opposite banks of the same river.  The Borderlands were also known for their culturally mixed loyalties.

David and Elspeth had the following children:

1.  Margaret ORD b: 21 JUN 1782 in Hutton, Berwickshire, Scotland of whom nothing is known.
2.  David ORD b: 12 MAR 1786 in Buncle and Preston, Berwickshire, Scotland whose sons immigrated to Australia. His story continues below with the Australian Ords.
3.  Robert ORD b: 28 AUG 1788 in Buncle and Preston, Berwickshire, Scotland who immigrated to Canada.  His story continues below with the Ords in Puslinch.
4.  George ORD b: 20 APR 1792 in Hutton, Berwickshire, Scotland of whom nothing is known.
5.  John ORD b: 29 JUN 1795 in Hutton, Berwickshire, Scotland.  He may have been the first to immigrate to Canada, but this is not certain.  A John Ord is found in Huntingdon County, Quebec, having married on 4 MAR 1825 at St Gabriel’s Presbyterian, Montreal to Elisabeth HEFFERAN, widow of John Hefferan. John was living at the time in Sherrington, Huntingdon County, Quebec, Canada. John’s brother Robert’s daughter Jane had her first daughter in Huntingdon, Quebec in 1844. It is possible that the John Ord in Huntingdon could be this John Ord and that his brother Robert’s family may have followed him to Canada.

Almost nothing is known for certain about the ancestors of the Ord family who lived in Berwickshire, Scotland. Given the geographic concentration of the surname Ord in the Berwick/Northumberland area and given the settlements bearing the name Ord, and given the citations of the name in records into antiquity, it would seem nearly certain that David Ord’s ancestors were domestic to the Borders and had been for many, many generations.  However little more is known about this family.

A possible ancestry is suggested in the corresponding personal data pages, but that ancestry is based solely on IGI data and should be considered as unverified.

The ancient county of Berwickshire no longer exists, but is now part of the district known as the Scottish Borders. The nearby city of Berwick (meaning “corn farm”) has changed hands between England and Scotland no less than 12 times in the last 1000 years. The mixing of Scottish and English elements in the people and culture of this area is strong. This may explain why the descendants of this family, though of mixed English/Scots blood, considered themselves to be Scots, not English.

We do know that Robert Ord was a blacksmith and that his son-in-law, Leonard Tait was also a blacksmith. It may be that Leonard was Robert’s apprentice before they came to Canada or their common occupation could be a coincidence. That is all that is known for certain of the Berwickshire Ords.

The Ords in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada

Robert Ord and Mary Edgar

Robert Ord was born 28 AUG 1788 in Buncle and Preston, Berwickshire, Scotland. He married on 13 JUN 1814 in Edrom, Berwickshire, Scotland to Mary Edgar. She was born 9 DEC 1791 in Ayton, Berwickshire, Scotland as the daughter of Mark Edgar and Jane Waddell.  Robert Ord was trained as a blacksmith and probably worked as such in Scotland. 

Sometime in the early 1840s at least some of the Ord family immigrated to Canada.  It is not certain exactly when.  They have not been found in the 1841 census for England or Scotland.  So it must be considered that they may have been in Quebec by 1841 where Robert’s first granddaughter was born.  And they may have lived there longer than previously believed.  (The oddity is that Jane Ord’s eldest son is shown as having been born in England in 1841 but her husband is shown in the 1841 census living in Northumberland, England with no family.)  Birth records indicate that at least Jane with her husband and family were in Beverly Township in Wentworth County, Ontario (just south of Puslinch in Wellington County) in 1848, however it is not certain that Robert and the rest of the Ord family had yet immigrated.  Robert’s son, Andrew Ord, gives his date of immigration as 1850.  In 1851 both census and birth records show the Ord family living in Puslinch, Wellington County, Ontario.

Although Robert was trained as a blacksmith, it appears that after he immigrated to Canada he worked primarily as a farmer. Like his son Andrew, and his son-in-law, Leonard Tait, it appears that subsistence farming took precedence over skilled trades in Puslinch on what was still only semi-developed land.  Robert and Mary had the following children:

1.  Jane ORD b: 21 JUL 1815 in Eccles, Berwickshire, Scotland.  She married to Leonard TAIT, a blacksmith from Northumberland, England and presumably moved to Northumberland, England where they began a family (as their first son is recorded as having been born in England, but this is not certain). However Jane and Leonard must have remained close with the Ord family as they also immigrated to Puslinch with the Ords. It is possible that Leonard may have apprenticed with Robert Ord, his father-in-law. Jane and Leonard had the following children.  This is the author’s family.  Their descendants are detailed on the Tait Family of Puslinch page.
   1.  John TAIT b: 1841 in England, probably Northumberland.
   2.  Mary TAIT b: 5 JAN 1844 in Beauharnois Canal, Ch�teauguay Valley, Huntingdon County, Quebec, Canada
   3.  Elizabeth TAIT b: JUL 1844 in Quebec, Canada
   4.  Jane TAIT b: 12 JUL 1848 in Beverly Township, Wentworth County, Ontario, Canada
   5.  Robert TAIT b: 11 AUG 1851 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada
   6.  David TAIT b: 1852 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada
   7.  Leonard TAIT b: 26 JUN 1853 in Morriston Village, Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada
   8.  Margaret TAIT b: 2 MAY 1857 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada
2.  Elizabeth ORD b: ABT 28 DEC 1817 in Swinton, Berwickshire, Scotland whose whereabouts are unknown. It’s possible that she may have married back in Scotland or here in Canada, but her married name is unknown and thus she is lost to further research.
3.  Mary ORD b: ABT 13 FEB 1820 in Swinton and Simprim, Berwickshire, Scotland, the elder of the two same-named daughters, is presumed to have died in Berwickshire prior to the birth of her same-named younger sister.
4.  David ORD b: 26 FEB 1821 in Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland is believed to have married his first cousin, Agnes WEATHERSTONE.  Agnes may have been the daughter of Mary Edgar’s sister, Jane Edgar. This couple do not show up in the 1880/81 census records in Scotland, England, Canada, or the United States, so it is believed that they either died before 1880/81 or may have followed their cousins to Australia. The reader should not be confused by the marriage of another David Ord and Agnes Weatherstone among the Australian Ords, which occurred a full generation earlier.
5.  Robert ORD b: ABT 1822 in Berwickshire, Scotland, similarly cannot be found in later British or North American records so it is likewise presumed that he either died before 1880/81 or he may have moved to Australia.
6.  Mark ORD b: 19 MAY 1825 in Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland, similarly cannot be found in later British or North American records so it is likewise presumed that he also either died before 1880/81 or he may have moved to Australia.
7.  Margaret ORD b: 4 AUG 1828 in Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland immigrated to Canada with her parents. She married BEF 1851 in either Berwickshire, Scotland or Northumberland, England to John BLACK.  John Black was born Mar 22, 1822 in Etal, Northumberland, England.  They had the following children.  This family is currently being researched by Nora McLean.
   1.  Robert Mark BLACK b: JAN 1854 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  It is believed he died as a child.
   2.  John BLACK b: 20 NOV 1854 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  John Black moved to Oakburn, Manitoba where he married on 6 APR 1882 to Anna MENZIES.  They had the following children:
      1.  John D. BLACK b: 12 Apr 1883 in Shoal Lake, Marquette, Manitoba
      2.  David A. BLACK b: 25 Nov 1884 in Shoal Lake, Marquette, Manitoba
      3.  Grace BLACK b: 29 Jul 1887 in Shoal Lake, Marquette, Manitoba.  She married 1901-1913 to William Gegie (or Gegle).
      4.  Margaret BLACK b: 12 May 1890 in Shoal Lake, Marquette, Manitoba
      5.  Annie BLACK b: 09 Apr 1893 in Shoal Lake, Marquette, Manitoba
      6.  Mary Jane BLACK b: 03 Oct 1896 in Shoal Lake, Marquette, Manitoba
   3.  Andrew BLACK b: 5 DEC 1855 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario
   4.  David Ord BLACK b: 21 FEB 1858 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario
   5.  Robert BLACK b: 7 FEB 1860 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  It is believed he went with his brother John to Manitoba, however this is not certain.
   6.  Isabella or Mary Jane BLACK b: 22 SEP 1862 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  It appears that Isabella/Mary Jane’s name was changed after birth. Her baptism record records her name as Isabella Black, but the 1881 census shows her name as Mary Jane Black and shows a younger sister named Isabella.
   7.  George BLACK b: 30 NOV 1864 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario
   8.  Margaret BLACK b: 5 APR 1867 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario

   Margaret Ord died giving birth to her daughter Margaret Black.  John Black married secondly about 1868-1869 to Charlotte Roberts of PEI with whom he had the following children:

   1.  Isabella BLACK b: ABT 1870 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario
   2.  Ann BLACK b: ABT 1871 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario
   3.  Eliza BLACK b: ABT 1872 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario
   4.  Catherine BLACK b: ABT 1875 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario
   5.  Henry BLACK b: ABT 1877 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario
   6.  James BLACK b: 29 AUG 1877 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  He married AFT 1901 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario to his cousin Mary Jane ORD (below), daughter of Andrew Ord and Flora McClarty.
8.  Andrew ORD b: ABT 22 NOV 1830 in Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland, also immigrated to Canada where he married Flora McClarty. This is the family of Alexander Ord whose family remained in Puslinch and their descendants still live there today.  Andrew Ord married ABT 1865 in Puslinch Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario to Flora McClarty, who was born about 1844 in Ontario.  They remained in Puslinch where some of their descendants continue to live to this day. Andrew was born in Berwickshire, Scotland and trained as a land surveyor before moving to Canada at age 20. However, here in Canada, he worked primarily as a farmer continuing on his father’s farm. Flora McClarty’s family came from Killean in West Puslinch, but their ancestry is unknown. Andrew and Flora had the following children
   1.  Andrew ORD b: ABT 1866 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario who died in infancy.
   2.  Robert ORD b: 6 SEP 1868 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario married Eleanor DONAGHY.  She was born about 1872.  It is not known if they had children.
   3.  John Archibald ORD b: 2 JAN 1870 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario .  John Archibald Ord, was a road-builder in Puslinch, who worked for the township under the town reeve, Allan Stewart (believed to be of the Crieff Stewarts). John Ord married on 22 AUG 1894 in the East Manse, Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario to Janette E. BLACK b: 18 SEP 1869 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  She was the daughter of William Black and Isabella Amos.  William Black born about 1834 as the son of John Black and Margaret of Northumberland, England.  It is not known if these Blacks were related to the family of John Black who married Margaret Ord. Just to be clear there were three Blacks who married three Ords in two different generations. There were several Black families in Puslinch, so it is not safe to assume any relationship.  John Ord and Nettie Black had seven children:
      1.  Andrew W. ORD b: 19 JAN 1895 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  He married on 7 SEP 1921 in Aberfoyle Methodist Church, Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario to Mary Elizabeth MALTBY b: 18 OCT 1896 in Puslinch Township, Wellington Co., Ontario.  They had the following chldren:
         1.  Ruth Marie ORD b: 1923 in Puslinch Twp. Wellington Co., Ontario.  She married John W. BISHOP b: 1923.
         2.  Kenneth Andrew ORD b: ABT 1925 in Puslinch Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario.  He married Sylvia SUTTON b: ABT 1925.  Their descendants are not published for privacy reasons.
      2.  Euphemia Janet ORD b: 22 APR 1897 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario married Andrew O. GILMOUR b: 1891.
      3.  John Leonard ORD b: 13 JUL 1898 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  He never married.
      4.  Florence Isabel ORD b: 2 NOV 1900 in Aberfoyle, Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario married on 26 APR 1922 in Chinguacousy Township, Peel County, Ontario to Clarence Leo CUNNINGTON b: 27 DEC 1896 in Chinguacousy Township, Peel County, Ontario.  He was the son of George Cunnington and Mary Maltby.  (It is not known if this Mary Maltby was related to the Mary Elizabeth Maltby who married Andrew W. Ord just above.)  They had the following children.  This family is currently being researched by Jack Sykes.
         1.  John Howard CUNNINGTON b: 1924 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  He married Isabella STEWART b: 1925.  (It is not known if she is related to any of the other Puslinch Stewarts.)  Their descendants are not published for privacy reasons.
         2.  George Brydon CUNNINGTON b: ABT 1923.  He married Beryl BOWSER b: 16 SEP 1924 in Crewe, Cheshire, England.  Their descendants are not published for privacy reasons.
         3.  Robert Mervyn CUNNINGTON b: 11 SEP 1927 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  He died tragically by drowning at age 3 years. He fell into the Aberfoyle creek while his 6 year old brother, George, tried unsuccessfully to save him.
         4.  Isabel Jean CUNNINGTON.  She married John Frederick SYKES.  Their descendants are not published for privacy reasons.
         5.  Living CUNNINGTON whose descendants are not published for privacy reasons.
      5.  Robert G. ORD b: 1903 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  He never married.
      6.  Thomas Alexander ORD b: 26 SEP 1905 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  He married to Alice Mae HOOD b: 3 SEP 1904. Thomas Alexander Ord, was known as “Alex”.  Alex Ord served as treasurer for the township of Puslinch for several years.  An interview and transcription are available from the Puslinch Historical Society.
      7.  James Archibald ORD b: 1908 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  He married to Helen Mary GRAY b: 1906.
   4.  Mary Jane ORD b: 19 JAN 1872 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario .  She married AFT 1901 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario to James BLACK b: 29 AUG 1877 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  James was the son of Mary Jane Ord’s uncle, John Black, by his second wife, Charlott Roberts (shown above).  Their descendants are unknown.
   5.  Euphemia ORD b: ABT 1874 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario who also died in infancy.
9.  Mary ORD b: ABT 17 MAR 1833 in Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland. Mary immigrated to Puslinch with her parents.  She married AFT 1850 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario to David PETTY b: ABT 1830.  They had the following child:
   1.  Mary PETTY b: 1860 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  She married on 13 NOV 1878 in Residence of Andrew Ord, Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario to Malcolm MCLARTY b: 1854 in Galt, Wellington County, Ontario.

The Ord Family in Australia

Robert Ord and Agnes Weatherstone

As noted above, David Ord, the brother of Robert Ord who emigrated to Canada, had two sons, George and David, who emigrated from Berwickshire to Australia.  David Ord, brother of Robert, married Agnes Weatherstone (not to be confused with the Canadian couple of the same names above.)  They had the following family:

1.  Elizabeth ORD b: 15 MAR 1812 in Edrom (Ednam?), Berwick, Scotland.
2.  David ORD b: 1815 in Berwick, Scotland who immigrated to Australia.  His descendants can be found on Lecki Ord’s website.
3.  Andrew ORD b: 5 APR 1817 in Eccles, Berwick, Scotland.
4.  Robert ORD b: 24 OCT 1819 in Ednam, Roxburgh, Scotland .
5.  George ORD b: 15 DEC 1822 in Sprouston, Roxburgh, Scotland who immigrated to Australia.  His descendants can be found on Lecki Ord’s website.
6.  Betty ORD b: 25 JUL 1830 in Sprouston, Roxburgh, Scotland of whom nothing is known.
7.  Agnes ORD b: 5 JUN 1825 in Sprouston, Roxburgh, Scotland of whom nothing is known.
8.  James ORD b: UNKNOWN of whom nothing is known.

David Ord’s descendant, Lecki Ord, the first female Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Australia, has been researching this family and further information on these Australian branches can be found online here.