John Baird, born in 1802, was a weaver by trade in Ireland. He was quoted as saying that he arrived in Bytown (Ottawa) in the fall of 1827 and obtained the only available employment at the time - work on the Rideau Canal. He appears to have been the first of the Bairds to come over. In the spring of 1828, his wages were all spent on board and clothing and he had only seven pence ha'penny to his name. (a single silver coin, the size of a new five-cent piece but flat like a dime). At that time, there was no paper money in Ireland, only gold sovereigns ($5.00) or half sovereigns ($2.50) being used. To decide whether to remain at his Bytown job or strike out into the country, he flipped his coin "head" for leaving Bytown and "Harp" for staying. It came up "heads" so he walked "up the line" searching for an unclaimed, pleasing piece of land, until deciding to settle on what is now the 10th line of Fitzroy Township, Carleton County, . On the advice of those who had proceeded him, he "squatted" on the land and started to clear the rear of N/E 1/2 Lot 2, Concession 9, Fitzroy Township, Carleton County, Ontario. Each January, the government sent an agent from Toronto to record claims and accept payments, since it would have been impossible for all of the settlers themselves to go to Toronto. Hence the practice of "squatting". John sowed fall wheat where he cleared in 1828 and seemed to have been pleased with the results. With ashes he bought to make potash (which brought him five pounds per barrel) he earned extra money with which to pay for his farm. At this time, he owned a yoke of oxen, a cow and two pigs and his house was a log "shanty" similar to the ones owned by the other settlers. John is quoted as saying that "they never wanted for anything" - but one must remember that he belonged to another generation.