HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-00018"PICKERING TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PATHMASTER
• SUMMER EDITION• VOLUME 1 NUMBER 4 •
What's Inside
Historic buildings of Pickering Township included commercial, industrial, and agricultural
establishments, as well as residential. The Nighswander mill at Altona was, variously,
a woolen mill, grist mill, and apple butter mill. It is no longer standing, and we will never have the
opportunity to taste the rich, warm, dark brown apple butter.
""Woodlawn Farm"" is a most respectable-sounding name, and generations of upstanding
citizens were raised there on Westney Road. Family tradition has it that the patriarchs of the
family had been disowned, disinherited, and banished to North America in their wild youth.
Fences not only make good neighbours, but along the roadsides of rural Ontario,
they also make good viewing. Wildlife art is a popular genre in today's market.
One of the first to exhibit that form of art in Canada was Pickering resident Charles Fothergill,
some 160 years ago.
The Altona Apple Butter Mill
LOT 31, CONCESSION 9, PICKERING TOWNSHIP
By Joseph M. Nighswander
When the first settlers came into the Pickering area in the very early 1800s,
some of the first buildings which they constructed were sawmills.
Sawmills proliferated rapidly. Needed to process the abundant trees into lumber and timbers for
houses and barns, they were relatively easy to build, and did not require large or elaborate
buildings. Dams were constructed along the creeks and rivers to supply the water wheels which
powered the mills.
Later many of the sawmills were converted to gristmills to grind the wheat into flour for the
families, and other grains into meal for the livestock. Also several mills in the
Pickering/Markham area were equipped as wool processing mills.
Both the grist and woolen mills reflected the change to an agricultural economy once the land
had been cleared. At one time during the mid - to late -1800s there were twenty water powered
mills along the creeks near the west boundary of Pickering township.1 People settled around the
mills, which became the centre of activity and trade. The villages of Glasgow, Altona, Atha,
Green River, and Whitevale were centred around the mills. In Altona two mills were built in the
latter part of the nineteenth century, although the exact dates do not seem to be available.
The north mill on Lot 30 in the hamlet of Altona was built by Joseph Monkhouse,
and was originally a sawmill, later converted to a grist mill, serving the local farmers until it
burned down in the late 1940s.2 Earl Howsam was the owner/operator at the time.
The Nighswander brothers, Martin, Samuel, and Daniel purchased 200 acres at Lot 31,
Concession 9 in 1838. While the initial purchaser is listed as Martin, both Samuel and Daniel at
various times owned smaller parcels of land within the 200 acres. Oral records indicate Samuel
built a mill on the south 100 acres sometime between 1854 and 1858. However,
according to the land registry records Edgar Cliff purchased 12.5 acres from Samuel in 1858
and Cliff is the person who seems to have put into operation a woolen mill sometime after 1858.
It is not known definitely whether there was a sawmill on the site for some years prior to the
construction of the woolen mill.
The woolen mill, the mill pond, and dam were located on the Altona sideroad about 1 kilometre
south of the hamlet of Altona, on a branch of West Duffin's Creek."
"There are records which indicate Edgar Cliff made a trip to England in search of the necessary
wool carding machinery.3 The Cliff family lived in a house attached to the mill. This dwelling was
later moved nearer to the farm barn site and used for a driving shed.
The woolen mill was powered by an overshot water wheel. Later, in 1910, a turbine water wheel
was installed to power the mill, and it was used until about 1969.4
In the late 1890s, the Cliff family rented the woolen mill to Oliver Barrett, who continued to make
wool products such as yarn and fabric until 1903, when Edgar Cliff sold the mill and 12.5 acres
to Enos Nighswander, grandson of Martin Nighswander, the original purchaser of the 200 acres.
5
Enos sold the woolen mill machinery, some of it going to the Lehman woolen mill on Nineteenth
Avenue in Markham Township, and he converted the mill to a grist mill, which he and his son
Peter operated until 1926. It is obvious there was a demand for the services of a grist mill
because of the livestock farming in the area.6
Quite likely because of competition offered by the ""Monkhouse"" mill up the road in Altona,
Peter decided in 1926 again to convert the mill, this time to a cider mill, although the grain
grinding machinery was left in place for a number of years.
Because the cider mill prospered, Peter, in 1929, decided to add equipment in order to
manufacture apple butter. He contacted an apple butter mill operator in Floradale, Ontario,
and contracted with Daniel Bowman, a millwright, to install the necessary equipment,
including a 15-horsepower steam boiler which generated 80 P.S.I, of steam for the boiling of the
cider.
He also purchased from the Floradale mill a ""secret"" formula or recipe to determine the level of
cider acidity so that apple butter of uniform taste and quality could be produced, regardless of
the variety and condition of the apples brought in for processing into apple butter.7 This formula,
using soda to neutralize the acid of immature or sour apples, resulted in a pleasing product
which became quite popular in the area.
In an October 1947 Stoffville Tribune article, Peter Nighswander is quoted as saying 60 tons of
apple butter were manufactured in that fall season. Mill staff worked from dawn to dark during the
months of September to early December. Farmers from a wide area brought their loads of
apples to the mill, and left with containers of steaming, dark brown, rich apple butter.8
As a school boy, I clearly remember stopping at the mill after school and coaxing my Uncle Peter
for a lick of apple butter and a glass of cider. He was always generous, and we school boys took
;advantage of his good nature!
Later Peter's son Harvey managed the business for a number of years. It should be mentioned
that Enos, Peter, and Harvey, three generations of Nighswanders, also operated a mixed farm
as well as the mill.
I can well remember as a boy I watched the apple butter making process with fascination.
First of all the gear-driven press squeezed cider out of the apple pulp, then the cider was
pumped upstairs into wooden vats; this cider was then mixed with boiled ""filler"" apples,
and the mixture boiled with the steam heated coils until it was just the right consistency.
Then it was poured out on a large, flat metal-lined table for cooling, before being poured into the
customer's containers. As I write this my mouth is watering for another taste of Uncle Peter's
applebutter, warm and fresh from the cooling table!
In a Stouffville Tribune article of October 1955, the mill was reported as operating at full capacity,
turning out a ton of apple butter each day for six days a week.9
Peter Nighswander died in 1959. Harvey, the fifth generation of Nighswanders associated with
the mill, sold the farm and the mill in 1964 to Mr. and Mrs. Ken Cummings, and their son David.
The Cummings continued to make cider only until 1974.10 Since this property is within the area
expropriated for the proposed North Pickering International Airport, the mill became the property
of the Federal Government in 1975. In 1978 the mill was dismantled by the Federal
Government's North Pickering Project Authority, and the cider press which the Nighswanders
purchased in 1924 from the Stouffville Vinegar works, was donated to the Markham Museum.
The cider press can be seen there in operation on special festival days.11
These changes have brought closure to yet another one of the numerous mills which were so
much a part of the early settlers of Pickering Township.
NOTES:
1 Greenwald(1973)p.71.
2 Greenwald(1973)p.79.
3 ""Tweedsmuir History"".
4 Pers. com., Nighwander family.
5 ""Tweedsmuir History"".
6 Nighwander family records.
7 Markham Museum records: ""Apple Butter and Cider Making.""
8 As found in ""Tweedsmuir History"".
9 Nighwander family records.
10 Pers. com., Cummings family.
11 Stouffville Tribune, as found in ""Tweedsmuir History.""
REFERENCES:
Altona Women's Institute. ""Tweedsmuir History"".
Greenwald, Michelle. 1973. The Historical Complexities of Pickering, Markham,
Scarborough, and Uxbridge.
Toronto: Ministry of Treasury, Economics, and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Markham Museum Records.
Nighswander Family Records.
Personal communications: Cummings and Nighwander families.
LAST ISSUE'S
What's it?
by Dave Marlowe
ANSWER :
This harness repair vice would be placed on a chair or bench so that the base was held steady
by the legs of the person using it. This put the jaws of the vice directly in front of the user.
The jaws held straps and pieces of harness so that sewing or punching could be done more
easily. Any home that had a horse and cart would need such an item in order to maintain
harness which was in use on a daily basis.
THIS ISSUE'S
What's it?
Jill Wollin of Claremont submitted this item. This time we do not know what it is and need some
help in identification. So, if you have an idea as to its use please let us know. We will report the
best responses in the next issue.
The item is about 24 cm long and has a wooden handle with metal extension.
We suspect it has a household use.
30"
"The Pickering Township
Cronkhites
By Judith Goulin
At the heart of this remarkable family history is a farm property now consisting of a bit of land
and a fleldstone house at 709 Westney Road in Ajax, built in the 1840s and still standing in what
was then the Township of Pickering, and how a family named Cronk came into the ownership of
Woodlawn Farm.
According to information that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Cronk
family, the Cronks trace their ancestry from a wealthy Dutch distillery owner named Sybald.
He had three sons who gave him such aggravation that he disowned and disinherited them and
their heirs for 100 years. They made him so sick, the story goes, that he changed their name to
Krankheidt, the word for sickness. As further punishment, they were banished from the
Netherlands and shipped across the ocean to the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam,
established circa 1624 at the mouth of the Hudson River on the southern end of Manhattan Island.
The Krankheidt boys arrived in New Amsterdam between 1624 and 1631 when Peter Minuit
was governor of the colony. Minuit was a man noted for two things: for getting a great deal on the
purchase of Manhattan Island from the Native Americans (about 60 Dutch guilders or $24) and
for controlling all dissidents with an iron hand. The Krankheidts gave him no trouble.
In time the spelling of the Krankheidt name was changed to Cronkhite, then later shortened to
Cronk. Although Cronkhite is still the family's legal name the ""hite"" part of it is only used on
legal documents.
Most of the New Amsterdam Cronk(hites) were farmers and married among the local population
which was predominantly English. Some became Quakers. The family speculates that the Cronk
(hites) embraced the faith of their Quaker spouses.
By the 1660s, trouble was on the horizon in Manhattan. The Netherlands fought three naval wars
with England between 1652 and 1674. Some of the Cronk(hites) received notices to report for
induction into the militia. As it was against their Quaker principles to take up arms,
they became fugitives who fled to Canada with their families when the British took Manhattan
from the Dutch in 1665.
Peter Cronk(hite), a third-generation of Canadian-born Cronks, farmed with his wife Rachel
Bowerman and their family in Prince Edward County. Among their children was a son named
Stephen, born in 1804.
The history of another family, the Betts, becomes intertwined with the Cronk(hites) at this point.
Robert Betts was born in New York, but was brought to Canada at an early age by his father,
Aaron Betts, who settled his family in Whitby. Around 1830, Robert Betts purchased the north
half of Lot 10, Concession 3, Pickering Township, from Wing and Asa Rogers and soon
afterwards acquired ten more acres to bring his property up to the next concession.
He cleared the land, built a log house, and married his neighbour Rachel Churchill.
To accommodate the needs of their nine growing children the log dwelling was replaced about
1847 by the present sturdy fleldstone house now identified as Woodlawn, or 709 Westney Road.
Among their children were the oldest son John, who was Robert's able assistant, and a daughter,
Mary Adelia. Robert and Rachel Betts and their children worshipped in Pickering Village at the
Quaker Meeting House (now the Doric Lodge).
Travelling to Pickering to attend Yearly Meeting at the Quaker Meeting House was an annual
event for the Peter Cronk family from Prince Edward County. Quakers came from all over to
attend Yearly Meeting, so it was not surprising that Robert and Rachel Betts' daughter Mary
Adelia from Woodlawn Farm in Pickering Township met Stephen Cronk from Prince Edward
County there.
Maria Adelia Betts was a school teacher. This was consistent with the Quaker philosophy that
women as well as men should receive as much formal education as possible. Stephen Cronk
and Mary Adelia Betts were married and farmed in Prince Edward County.
Robert Betts suffered a great loss when his son John died in his early 20s. In 1876, Stephen
Cronk sold his farm in Prince Edward County in order to purchase Woodlawn Farm and help his
father-in-law Robert who could not manage it alone. Here Mary Adelia and Stephen raised four
Cronks: Elma, Phoebe, Allegra, and Robert Henry.
Eventually their son, Robert Henry Cronk, who was named after his grandfather Robert Betts,
was taken into partnership on the farm. Robert added another dwelling, not fleldstone, but frame,
and 50 acres to the property. Robert attended Guilford College, a Quaker school near
Greensboro, North Carolina, and met Marion White Darden there. Robert and Marion were
married and raised the next generation of six Cronks at Woodlawn Farm: Gertrude, Myra, Edith,
Robert, Herbert, and William.
As their parents before them, these six children were all well educated, and all had successful
careers. Myra, born in 1897, graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in botany.
She was a teacher until she married Alan Lishman, an Englishman
from Africa. Eventually they took over Woodlawn Farm where they raised three children:
Mary Alaine, William, and Marion.
By now the name of William (Bill) Lishman should be familiar to all. He has gained fame and
fortune as a world renowned inventor and sculptor, among other things, and as the man who
flies with geese. The story of his stellar accomplishments in training Canada Geese to re-learn
their lost instinct to migrate is told in the book Father Goose, in the videos Father Goose and
C'mon Geese, and to some extent in the fictionalized movie version Fly Away Home.
From a Dutchman's disowned and banished boys, re-named Krankheidt by one disgusted
parent, came a succession of fine upstanding descendants of whom Sybald could by justifiably
proud.
Although Woodlawn is occupied by tenants, it remains in the ownership of Cronk descendants,
the Lishman family. It is in excellent condition with many of its original features still intact.
The exterior looks as it did when ancestor Robert Betts constructed it, with its cut fleldstone
facade, 12 over 12 windows, and sidelights. Inside, the living room ceiling beams,
the locks on the front, hall, and bathroom doors, and the staircase are original.
In 1982, Ajax Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) emphasized the
significance of Woodlawn Farm both historically and architecturally by designating it under the
Ontario Heritage Act.
References:
Ajax LACAC Inventory Files.
Farewell, J.E. 1907. County of Ontario.
Whitby: Whitby Gazette-Chronicle Press.
Goulin, Judith. 1995. ""Settlers of Pickering:
Tales of the Pickering Cronkhites,"" Kindred
Spirits 14(2):5-6.
McKay, William A. 1961. The Pickering
Story. [Pickering]: Township of Pickering
Historical Society.
Pickering Village Women's Institute. 1960.
""Tweedsmuir History.""
Wood, William R. 1911. Past Years in
Pickering. Toronto: William Briggs.
Personal communication: Allegra Cronk,
Bill Lishman.
31"
"GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD VIEWING
Photographs by Betty Pegg. Text by Edge Pegg.
Illustrations:
- Snake fence, Pegg property.
- Putnam fence, near Mt Albert.
Stone & rail fence, near Peterborough.
The very first By-law enacted by a separate town meeting for the Township of Pickering
(in 1811) was:
“By-Law. Voted that fences be four feet and a half high and Not more then five Inches between
Rails.”
32
In many areas of Ontario the era of the old rail fence is over. Those we do see in good repair,
I assume, belong to people who cherish the value of hard work and respect the environment as
did the early settlers.
Some time ago, because of my interest in rail fences and the hope that others might find them
of interest, I began building 1:20 scale miniatures. Thanks to the many pictures of early fences
taken by my wife, Betty, and those sent to me by friends, I have completed more than
50 miniatures.
I have shown my mini-fences for several years at the Pickering Museum Village on
""History in Action Day"" in September. The most frequent comments I have heard have been:
""I didn't realize there were so many kinds;"" and ""I want to build a rail fence; where 'can I buy
some rails?""
The following are a few of the different kinds of fences: Lanark,Workman, Putnam, Post and
Stake, Palisade, Capped, Sawyers, Stone and Rail, Log, Stump, Pole, and Snake.
In our search for old fences we found a stockade near Myrtle, an early brush fence near
Gamebridge, and stump fences in Uxbridge Township, similar to one at the Uxbridge-
Scott Museum. Once common, but increasingly hard to find are the old snake fences. It was my
favourite — no post holes to dig. The farmer down the road used to say,
""Livestock can't get a straight run at it.""
He was right.
Illustrations:
- Lanark fence. Lanark County.
- Stump fence, Pickering Museum Village.
- Workman fence, Cavan Township.
33"
"SUMMER' S
Society News
by Tom Mohr
Well, summer's here and its time to play ""catch-up"" on a few of the issues that the Society
has touched upon in the last while. First off, I'd like to apologise for the amount of time it took to
get our third issue of Pathmaster to press. We encountered some technical difficulties,
then our printer (that'd be me) had a bit of a mishap at work that held up the process even more.
I'd like to thank those nice people at J.F. Moore Lithography for jumping in and helping to finish
off the job for us. It's another fine issue and thanks also go out to the Publications Committee and
all those who contributed material.
While on the subject of the last Pathmaster, I'd like to refer readers to the fine article by
Alyson Hazlett about the joys of bottle collecting. One of the most important features of
Pathmaster is that people are encouraged to share their heritage-oriented passions with our
readers, and Ms Hazlett has passed along a genuine enthusiasm for her hobby.
There is a clarification that I feel I should make, though, regarding the gathering process.
It should not be forgotten that caution must be taken not to run afoul of the Ontario Heritage Act
by indiscriminately digging whenever there is a suspicion that old bottles may turn up.
Once we begin digging in the ground to recover the material elements of our past,
we have entered the realm of archaeology. We are then advised as follows:
Under the Act, any form of archaeological survey, exploration, or excavation requires a license
issued for that purpose by the Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation. All archaeological
artefacts collected since 1974 must ultimately be placed in the care of a
""suitable public institution where they may be seen, studied, and enjoyed by all the people of
Ontario."" Not to put too fine a point on it, indiscriminate digging is nothing more than looting.
Further, the interpretation of our history through the archaeological record is dependent upon
more than just artefacts. An item by itself, without any knowledge of the context in which it was
found or what objects existed in association with it, loses much of its meaning.
So don't simply go digging around old sites for bottles; like buckling up, it's not just a good idea,
it's the law. Watch for a future piece in Pathmaster on the topic of Ontario archaeology,
including ways in which one may get personally involved in this fascinating science.
Another issue that we have been addressing might be called ""A Tale of Two Houses.""
As many are aware, the Town of Pickering has been planning to construct the new western
branch of the Pickering Public Library on Kingston Road, at the site of the East Woodlands
Community Centre. While the Society whole-heartedly encourages the building of libraries,
there remain some concerns over this particular location.
The core of the existing community centre is a small regency cottage, built in the early to mid-
1830s by the Seneca Palmer family. The Town had expressed an interest in demolishing this
building to make way for their new library/community centre and the Pickering Township
Historical Society has several reasons why this is not a good idea. Granted, this structure is no
Bentley House, nor is it an architectural rarity. It is a simple brick building. As one knowledgeable
person noted, ""There are all kinds of them over in Whitby."" Why should we bother to save it?
Firstly, consider the aforementioned statement regarding Whitby; are they then not the fortunate
ones? Kingston Road is ""Main Street"" for many of the towns and villages that line the north
shore of Lake Ontario. It was constructed about the year 1800 and that is why the road passes
through the historic and commercial cores of these communities. Kingston Road does much to
define these towns, an observation not lost upon Pickering's town fathers as attempts are made
to beautify Highway Two through planning and community initiatives.
Still, these efforts cannot replace the sense of history that has already been lost to Pickering.
The Palmer House is one of the few remaining benchmarks of our past that survives on the
town's main thoroughfare. It is structurally sound, presently used, and, most important,
it is owned by the Town of Pickering. There is no need to protect it from private development as
it already belongs to the public. It should be revitalised and put to use for community meetings;
it could serve as a tourist information centre due to its proximity to the town's western border.
The Palmer House could serve as the headquarters for our Millennial Celebrations,
a date which also marks the 200th anniversary of settlement in Pickering. It has life in it yet.
As the process unfolded, a cost assessment of incorporating the building into the proposed new
complex appeared excessive, and the demolition of the house seemed imminent. However,
the closure of several schools has led Council to review its plans for the East Woodlands site in
favour of one of the schools, perhaps Woodlands Centennial. In that case, we can likely expect
the town to divest itself of the former property for development. It is therefore important that the
town review the Palmer House once again and make some decision as to its final disposition.
This is the perfect opportunity to separate the property from any development scheme and put it
to public use.
The Dunbar House also came to our attention recently. This splendid home, built in 1909 was
home to one of Pickering's founding families until its sale to builder Brian Feeley of Gwillimbury
Homes. Many residents were understandably nervous over the sale of the house,
which is the historical benchmark of the Dunbarton community. Understandable,
because the town's official plan allows for the house to be demolished and some 33 homes to
be built on the site albeit some regard must be held for the historical nature of the
neighbourhood. This, dear readers, is no protection.
However, a receptive builder and some deft footwork by regional and local councillors
Doug Dickerson and Mark Holland resulted in a plan that realistically offers the least
reasonable impact upon the Dunbar House and the surrounding community. Mr. Feeley intends
to retain the historic home upon its site and divide the lot to accommodate four additional homes,
to be designed with some traditional details in keeping with the site. This plan will result in a
changed streetscape and the loss of the home's east porch to fulfil planning requirements.
Still, it does preserve the house and will result in some much-needed TLC by new owners.
The solution is not perfect - ideally the house would remain unchanged (or rather, improved) in
its original context, upon its substantial lot. However, given the current practice of razing old
homes and packing the lot with the maximum density of dwellings allowed by law, the Society
feels that Mr. Feeley has made a sensitive accommodation to the social fabric of the town.
Admittedly, this sentiment was not shared by some of the neighbours. Change is often difficult
for a community to accept but one need only consider the site of the Cook House in Bay Ridges
to see the other range of option available to developers. Where once stood a house that
witnessed the growth of Frenchman's Bay and the Village of Fairport, now lies a building site
upon a lane named for Monica Cook, its last resident. A proposed brass plaque,
while meant to preserve the significance of the property, will instead only serve to remind us of
our collective loss. The Village of Dunbarton has been much better served, and Mr. Feeley is
deserving of our thanks.
The June meeting witnessed the drawing of names for the winners of our Book Contest:
First Prize winner Thelma McDonald won copies of A Town Called Ajax and The History of
Ontario County.
Shirley Humphries received the second prize of A Town Called Ajax.
Sue Oulette and Renata Juelich each walked away with a copy of The History of Ontario County.
Congratulations to all, and the Society thanks the community for its support. Special thanks to
Sylvia Spencer for her kind donation of the prizes.
34"
"NAMES IN THE NEWS:
CHARLES FOTHERGILL (1782 -1840)
Pickering's First Artist
by John W. Sabean
The first exhibition of fine art in what is now Ontario took place in 1834 at the Legislative Building
on Front Street West in York (Toronto); the Township of Pickering contributed one of the 18
artists. Charles Fothergill, artist, naturalist, legislator, King's printer, publisher, magistrate,
postmaster, storekeeper, mill owner, brewer, and horse breeder, and one of the most colourful
persons ever to live in Pickering, exhibited ten of his watercolours at this art show
(which also included Paul Kane).
Having emigrated from York, England, in 1817, Fothergill settled first in Port Hope.
After his first wife died, he married in 1825, Eliza Richardson, a member of a Quaker
family that had immigrated to Pickering early in the century at the invitation of Timothy Rogers.
Six years later the Fothergills moved to Lot 15, Concession 1, in what is now part of Pickering
Village, Town of Ajax.1
Of all the many interests that occupied Charles Fothergill throughout his life, the one that stood
preeminent was natural history. Already at age 13 he was making notes on local birds which led
to his first publication (at age 17), Ornithologia Britannica. He planned an ambitious
""Memoirs and Illustrations of the Natural History of the British Empire"", and travelled widely in
the British Isles to research it, but he never finished the work. When he came to Upper Canada it
was to continue his researches on natural history, and his sojourn here was not meant to be
permanent. Wherever he lived—Port Hope, Rice Lake, York, Pickering—and whatever else he
might be doing, he always took time to record his natural history notes and to illustrate the flora d
fauna he encountered. During his Pickering years, among the last studies he produced were an
essay he published on the Quadrupeds of North America and another essay on the migration of
salmon which was read at the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec in 1835.
Art was always an adjunct of Fothergill's nature studies; he painted almost exclusively
landscapes and natural history subjects.
Sometime after moving to Pickering, Fothergill brought together all of his natural history
specimens, and presumably also his paintings, and created a natural history museum at his
residence.2 About 1835, he moved the museum to York where it was displayed first in
Chewett's buildings at the south-east corner of King and York Streets, then in the Market Square
buildings (now St. Lawrence Hall), and, finally in a building at the corner of York and Boulton
(now Pearl) Streets. In the meantime he had proposed the founding of a 'Lyceum of
Natural History and the Fine Arts,' which was to include a museum, an art gallery, a botanical
garden, and a zoo, his own collection forming the nucleus of the museum.1 Although he
worked hard to get this project off the ground it never came to fruition, and unfortunately,
the entire collection was destroyed by fire within weeks of Fothergill's death in 1840.
For the exhibition of 1834, sponsored by the Society of Artists and Amateurs, Fothergill pulled
out some older works: scenes of Scotland and Yorkshire, and natural history subjects from the
old world.4 Why he did not chose to exhibit his landscapes from the Rice Lake area and new world
fauna is not known, but he promised ""to furnish for the next season after this sketches of some
remarkable Canadian scenery, and subjects of Canadian Natural History.""5
Fothergill was a bit nervous about how well his works would look hanging side by side with those
of other artists. He wrote to the committee:
""May I be pardoned as an amateur of water coloured paintings for expressing a hope that they
will not be too closely contrasted with the deeper, richer and bolder colouring of Oil Paintings,
which would be doing the former an injustice. In the Somerset House Exhibition, in London,
Sketches and water coloured drawings have a separate apartment; but that I suppose,
cannot be done in our case. Nevertheless the light of the apartment may be so managed under a
judicious eye as to do justice to all parties; and I think it is the duty and must be the pleasing
interest of the Association to render that their first exhibition as attractive as possible,
in order to ensure future success which God grant. 6
However successful the exhibition was, it was the only one mounted by the Society of Artists
and Amateurs. The next exhibition was not held until 1847, and then under a new organization,
the Toronto Society of Arts, made up entirely of professionals.
Most of Fothergill's paintings have since disappeared; in fact, most were probably destroyed in
the fire that carried away his natural history exhibits. A few—scenes of the Rice Lake area and
of Port Hope—are preserved in the Canadiana Collection at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Charles Fothergill died on 22 May 1840, just short of his 58th birthday. He was to have been
buried in the Friends Cemetery in Pickering, but his widow was too poor to have his body sent
there, and his remains were interred in a burying -ground of St James Cathedral, Toronto, in an
unmarked grave. His widow, Eliza, succeeded him by 52 years and did find her final resting
place in the Friends Cemetery. There are still numerous
descendants of Charles Fothergill in Durham Region. A granddaughter Florence McGillivray
(1864-1938), who grew up in Whitby and taught art at the Ontario Ladies College, was a noted
artist.
Perhaps because of the nature of the country, Canada has produced some of the finest wildlife
artists in the world and Pickering can be proud of its role in this output from Charles Fothergill to
Marc Barrie.
Notes:
1. The best general sources for the life and interests of Charles Fothergill are Baillie (1944)
and Romney (1988). Most of the background for this article may be found in these articles.
2. The first in Ontario (if it was public). Scadding(1966),p.l48.
3. Romney(1988), 7:319;Baillie (1944), p.387; Scadding (1966), pp.148-149; and Fothergill's
own Proposed Lyceum of Natural History, and the Fine Arts, in the City of Toronto, U.C.
(Toronto, 1835).
4. The Toronto Reference Library has a copy of the catalogue.
5. Letter to C. Daly, 18 June 1834, from Pickering Mills. Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library,
MS Collection 140, vol 24, of 89.
6. Ibid.
References:
Baillie, James L, Jr., 1944, ""Charles Fothergill, 1782-1840,""
Canadian Historical Review. 25(4): 376-396.
Romney, Paul, 1988, ""Fothergill, Charles,"" Dictionary of Canadian Biography,7:317-320.
Scadding, Henry, 1996, Toronto of Old, ed. F.H. Armstrong (Toronto: Oxford).
35"
"PTHS
Making Our Own History
Our March meeting featured a presentation about the history of Frenchman's Bay given by
Society President Tom Mohr. The Bay has been a focus of Tom's attention for some years now
and he presented, in pictures, history, and local legend, a profile of this essential aspect of
Pickering's character. While in days gone by, the Bay served as the historical and cultural heart
of the Town of Pickering, much of its relevance has today been forgotten as the town grows
northward. The evening's proceedings brought back tales of natives, missionaries, traders,
rum runners, and several versions of where the name may have come from.
Chris Andersen, staff archaeologist with the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation,
joined us in April for a very informative session about the Native Cultures of Pickering.
Chris provided a history of the extensive Aboriginal settlement in our area, complete with
models and artifacts, some loaned by our very own Pickering Museum
Village. Mr. Anderson also spent some time in explaining Ministry policy regarding
archaeological remains, as well as the changing role of archaeologists in assisting the native
community in rediscovering its past. The evening was further enlivened by some pointed
observations from members of Durham's First Nations, strongly emphasizing the need for
society to incorporate Native heritage and traditions into today's multi-cultural mosaic.
Grave stories suggest something sombre no matter which meaning of the word grave you use,
but our May meeting was anything but sombre when Harvey Medland was our guest.
Gravestones often reveal an intriguing legacy, and Medland has collected a medley of stories
behind some of these interesting memorials. When Dr. Sam Bean died, for example,
he left behind him a tombstone with letters on it seemingly at random. Eventually someone
figured out the puzzle and was able to unravel the hidden message. Medland also told us tales
about John Bowser, builder of the Empire State Building in New York City, whose Ontario
memorial is in the shape of—you guessed it — the Empire State Building; Sam Zimmerman,
who built a railway across Rice Lake (the bridge sank within six years); and the real
Sam McGee, who, despite Robert Service, was buried in his home province of Alberta.
Of local interest was Midland’s excursus on field stone markers. After telling us about early
Basque stones in Newfoundland and markers at Port Royal in Nova Scotia from the 17th century,
he went on the suggest that about 20 stones at the south end of Whitevale cemetery are, in fact,
field stones.
PICKERING TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Acting Editor:
Lys Laurence
Editorial Assistants:
John Cormier
Pat McCauley
Tom Mohr
Gayle Quintillion
John Sabean
Design: John Cormier
Hands On Art & Design
Pathmasters the newsletter of the Pickering Township Historical Society and is issued quarterly:
September, December, March, and June. Address correspondence to PTHS, c/o 842 March
Blvd., Pickering, Ontario, L1W 1S9.
Board of Directors:
Honorary President: Dr. William McKay
President: Tom Mohr 839-1221
Vice President: John Sabean 831-3811
Recording & Corresponding Secretary: Laura Nowata-Roy 649-2296
Membership Secretary: Anne Bridge 649-5473
Treasurer: Tony Poirier 839-6885
Advocacy & Preservation Chair: Jerry Paris 839-5474
Publications Chair: Michael Cummins 839-1557
Coming events:
General Meetings of the Pickering Township Historical Society Day: Second Tuesday of the
month, September through June Time: 7:30 p.m. Place: East Shore Community Center,
Liverpool Rd.
ADMISSION IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
FALL SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, 8 September 1998
Guest speaker Rony MacCarl.
Professional genealogist, Rony MacCarl, will offer a training session in
""Researching Your Family History.""
In addition to presenting a basic method of approach, she will also answer questions about your
own research.
Tuesday, 13 October 1998
Guest speaker Dennis Pollack.
Mr. Pollack, Head Groundskeeper at Black Creek Pioneer Village, will talk about the use early
settlers made of native plants and what plants they brought with them to use for food, clothing,
and medicine.
CORRECTION
The Spring edition of Pathmaster requires a correction on page 24. Alyson Hazlett's bottle is
marked B.F.G.CO.T (Beaver Flint Glass Company of Toronto), not B.F.T.
36"