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Roads
It was a few years later before the London Road
was made passable. After the opening of these two main
roads, attention was then turned to the surveying of the
lots and concession roads. Two surveys;.. Huron and
the London, make it rather difficult in certain sections,
for one not familiar with the area to get to his destin
ation. On the whole the L.R.S lots run east and west and
the H.R.S. run north and south, but it- is the triangle
• lots where the two surveys meet that make it a puzzle
to know whether to make a right or Ieft hand turn. •
tir
on was their only shelter from the elements. These were
soon followed by Camerons, Walkers, Charters, Rani-
days, McCartneys, McLeans,-BroadfOots,- MeiniiiiEs and
Landsboroughs.
_. The.first to settle. along the London Road traveling
from London to-Goder'ich, was. Neil Ross. Ross settled
*just north of what is now Brucefield in September, 1830.
His Lot 34" was the only one with a hill on it from the
South to the North tip of the township. Not only was he
the first white settler in Tuckersmith but on the whole
London Road between London and the Goderich settle-
ment. He and Margaret ROSS were married by Rev. Wil-
liam Proudfoot in Auglist 1833 and their eldest son, Don-
ald, was the first white child born in Tuckersmith.
Ross also owned the first cow. At this time'his food
supplies had to be brought in from Goderich, When near-
ing home one morning at daybreak after trudging his
way all night through the woods with a hundred pounds
of pork on his back, he was alarmed when he heard the
furious bellowing of his cow, some distance off in the
bush. Arming himself with an axe, he hurried to the spot
and found the cow vigorously defending her young calf
from the attack of a huge wolf. The wolf, so intent on
destroying its prey, was net conscious of Neil's presence
till his axe had sunk deep into the wolf's skull. This did
not end the story of the cow. Sometime later it was the
bellowing of his oxen whiCh sounded the danger alarm.
When Neil arrived this time the oxen were engaged in a
lively fight with a small pack of wolves over the dead
body of the same cow.
The next settlers here arrived in 1831. These were
James Campbell, John McIntosh and Alexander Mcken-
zie. With McKenzie came Robert Hunter, William Hunt-
er and William Bell. The last three mentioned later be-
came early settlers on concession 1, nearer Clinton.
When the Canada Company commenced to cut out
the London Road, they put up a-shanty on Lot 26, theadne
occupied by John McIntosh. As McIntosh had a contract
to open part of the road, from London to Brucefield, it
seemed to be the logical place to build a shanty.
charge. For a time the business wasn't too eueeessfil as
he wasn't popular with some of the people. Neither did
he seem to understand the d'am as it went out every
spring. Jones felt Robert Bell Sr. would be a good man
for this position and had arrangements made to have
him take over. After he became manager word came to
him of a Mr. Fraser, a good miller, near Farquhar, Ont.,
so with his compass he set out on loot to look him up.
Under the management of these two — Bell-and Fraser
— the business became quite prosperpus.
Here there was a,: two-storey frame "Mill" house,
also a flour mill and a sawmill near the back of the lot..
In these early days many carried their grist on their
back long distances to this mill and when waiting for it
to be ground they baked a scone of, flour and water on
the mill stove to bouy them up for the homeward journey.
Later-'When grain was harvested in larger quantities the
mill in winter months was filled from bottom to top so
that the settlers would be sure to have their supply of
summer flour.
Other managers after Robert Bell were William
Blair, David B. Bell ancl John McNeven. Millers after
Mr. Fraser were Bell's son-in-law, Robert Hunt and J.
J. Somerville, who was said .to be one of the best stone
millers in Canada. When the John McNeven Estate sold
to,Kilpatrick brothers-in 1906, the mill was closed. For
a few years Kilpatricks lived in the "Mill" house, then
one by one the buildings were torn down. By July 1915,
nothing was left standing at the old mill site. This
brought to an end another project of the Canada Comp-
any.
Toll Gate
Then, as now, money had to be collected for the up-
keep of the early roads. The first venture was toll gates,
but these did not prove to be popular with the farmers
and the travelling public. Tuckersmith only had one toll
gate house., It was a two-storey frame building by the
side of the Mill Road, a mile and a quarter West of Eg-
County Council voted to' have all toll gates--
abolished in 1873,. but a few closed earlier. Aniong these
was the one on the Mill Road. A Mr. Ross is said to have
been in charge for a time, also Robert Wright Sr., but
Henry Dunsmore was the toll gate keeper when it closed
in the late 1860's.
Municipal Organization
While the township population in 1835 was still,
very small, a meeting was held at Bayfield on Jan-
uary 5th to form a Municipal Organization connected
with the London District. The township commissioners
in.1836 were Adam Black, Samuel Carnochan and Wm.
Chalk. The next year they were changed to George Wor-
sley, Robert ,Hunter and William Landsborough. This
arrangement existed till the Huron District was formed
in 1842. Tuckersmith then was under control of this dis-
trict with Dr. William Chalk representing the town-
ship till the Municipal Act came into operation in 1854.
Dr. Chalk was Warden of the District for ,seven con-
secutive years — 1847-till 1854. Tuckersmith's first
Municipal Officers in 1854 were.: Reeve, Dr.• Chalk;
Councillors: C. L. Van Egmond, John McIntosh, James
Murray and Francis Fowler. Each change which was
made gave the township representatives more respons-
ibility but also gave them the opportunity ,to conduct
their business with greater benefit to the township rate-
,payers. What changes the proposed regional government
will bring, time will tell.
Tuckersmith residents, through the '~years, have
borne their share of the responsibility of higher govern-
, ment - offices. James Dickson- represented Huron and
Brilce in Parliament from 1861 till Confederation in
1867. He was then appointed County Registrar at God-
erich, an office which he held death on July 29,
18.95. These. have served since Confederation : Joseph
Whitehead, 1867-'72; George McEwan, 1900-'04; B. B.
Gunn, 1901-'0 ;.M. V. McLean, 1908-'11; Jonathan J. Men
ner, 1911-'21 ; William Black, 1921-'5.; William H. Gold-
tf.0 HURON Xf*Irk •SEAFFIR111,'9111T.
ing, 1932-'49 and A. Y. 144004 194943, WIPiera 1.
Golding servecl-as',Se'natOr from 1949 till his 'death
1961. M. Y. M4,ean was also representative of the On
ado Legislative Assembly,
The Wardens through the years have lnenr *mil.
Chalk, 1848-1854; G. Edwin Creswell, WM David
Walker, 1887; Veorge MeEwan, 1898; Owen
1911.; Robert McKay, 1913; G.-G. Petty, 4920; 41,,'We,WeY
Beattie, 1931; G. H. Elliott, 1934; Arthur Nlebeiseni-
1951; A. W. Kerslake, 1953 and Ivan Forsyth, 1961, -
H. Glenn Hays, who spenders boyhood in Egxnend-
ville, has held several Huron County offices. He was am,
Pointed a Provincial Magistrate and Judge of the Jov.en.
ile and Family Court of Huron County in 1960 and a
Provincial Judge in 1968, William Aberhart, another
who got his early education in Tuckersmith, founded the
Social Credit Party in. Alberta. He' became Premier ?„.f
that province September 3, 1935.
James.:,Martin was Tuckersmith tax collector for
both 1841 and 1842. From Martin's tax Collector list for
1842 we find the valuation of Tuckersznith properties
was f6,025. The, tic levied by Huron District Council
amounted to f5V 16s 5d,. with the addition of f3 3s 2d
for the upkeep of the Lunatic Asylum built in 1841. The
total tax to be collected was f62 19s 7d. In the township
at that time there were only two one-storey frame houses
and one frame two-storey house. This one belonged to
the Canada Company on Lot 13, Concession 1, L.R.S. It
was connected with the mill and was later owned by Rob-
ert_pell ,Sr. The one-storey frame houses were owned by
Thofnas Carter a'nd James Gosman on the Huron Road.
William Hunter, Lot 39, ConcesSion 1,.L.R.S. had the
most stock — 3 herses, 6 oxen, 6 milch cows and 8' horn-
ed cattle.
Settlement was speeded up after-leases were sign-
ed in 1839. Prior to this, if land payments were not kept
up the settler was the loser. This new system of leasing
for ten years, with the. option of converting the lease to
a sale at any time encouraged immigrants with little
money to start out on their new venture. BY 1844 Tuck-
ersmith had a population of 599 and by 1852 it had in-
creased to 1,727. The livestock value that year had in-
creased -to $.126,770. Forty-nine carriages were kept for
pleasure valued at $4,075 and four for 'hire at a value
of $286. By the early 1860's most of the township lots
had been claimed. 'The 1971 population, without the Air
,Base and Huronview was 2,128- and the assessed 'prop-
erty value for 1972 was $3,113,515.
Hamlets
As the township population increased small ham-
lets quickly sprung up. Practically all of these, situated
as they were, straddled the townline between two town-
ships. Part was built on one side and part on- the other'
of both the London Road and the Huron Road.
Harpurhey, as mentioned earlier, was founded by
Dr. Wm. Chalk: When he arrived he named his farm
"Harpurhey" for Harpurhey in his 4-alive England and
very soon the hamlet took on the same name. Egmond-
ville, to the south of Seaforth, got its name from the
Van Egmond family.. Seaforth, founded some years later,
was named for the birthplace of one of the three — Pat-
ton, Bernard and Le Froy, who laid out a village site in
1854 and registered the plan in 1855. Earlier it had been
simply known as the ,Four Corners, Hunter's. Corner or
Mrs. Steene's Corner. McCrea's Corner, halfway between
Seaforth and Clinton, had its name changed to Alma af-
ter the Battle of Alma was fought in the Crimean War
in 1854. Clinton's founder was William Rattenbury,
whose father had been a' large tenant farmer on the Es-
tate of Lieutenant-General Clinton in Devonshire,' Eng-
land. Till Rattenbury arrived in 1844 this had been
known as the Corners, Vanderburg's Corners and then
Rattenbury's Corneii till William laid out the farm in
village lots and had it incorporated as a village in 1857,
under the nam&Clinton, in honor of Lord Clinton.
A Mr. Coy an, an early merchant, is accredited wish
naming Brucefield, seven miles south of Clinton, in hon-
or of. Major Bruce, Aide de Camp and brother-in-law of
Governor General Lord Elgin. Another earl" merchant,
(To be continued next week)
r^"
A History of Tuckersmith
Beginning of Tuckersmith
Great oaks from little acorns grOw. Such has prov-
ed to be true in connection with Tuckersmith Township
— the second smallest in the County of Huron. While
small in size, its settlers and their descendants have made
great accomplishments through the years.
• This little township is snuggled in an larger
ones.--- to the North are McKillop and Hullett to the
West, Stanley* and Hay — to the South, Usborne and to
the East, Hibbert in Perth County. Its' area is 40,880
acres, around 6,000 acres larger than the smallest one
which is Turnberry. It was named for Canada Company ,
director, Martin Tucker-Smith, who was a monied mean
of London, England. When first named, his somewhat
aristocratic given name "Tucker", was prefixed to Smith
and was written Tucker-Smith. Gradually the present
method of spelling came into u'se. As far as is known
for no other reason than to,save time in the writing of it.
-The township is pecular in shape-, being sort of a
triangle. It has little waste land within its limits and the
soil, on the whole, is very fertile. The Bayfield River,
which runs in a North-Westerly direction, is its only
stream of any importance. Sinkholes are to be found on
Lot 3 and 4 Concession 9, H.R.S. These provide-a natural
drainage outlet for these farms owned for many years
by Elgies and McMillans.
After Colonel Anthony Van Egmond finished open-
ing a track through to Goderich in 1828 and opened his
Inn on the Huron Road in Hul]ett Township in 1829,
settlers started treking into the township.
The Mill Road, opened in the 1830's from Bruce-
field to the. qanada Company mill. at Egmondville, was
a great convenience to the early settlers. The opening of
the Kippen Road made a connecting link between the
London and Huron Road. These are still the main road
arteries through the township. A short concession road
surveyed but not opened till the 1880's is Still known as
the Roman Line. Because its opening and the Donnelly
murders on the Roman Line in Biddulph Township, co-
incided, it was giveri the name "Roman Line".
Earliest Settlers
Van Egmond was the first land owner, as Much of
his road work was paid through gifts of land. Hundreds
of acres of this ,was situated in Tuckersmith ,along the
Huron Road. This was lost by confiscation after the part
he played in the Rebellion of 1837:
Among the first to take root in Tuckersmith after*
• Van Egmond was Dr. William Chalk. He.arrived by lum-
ber wag with no intention of following his profession,
but thi he did till plunger doctors came into the com-
munity. He founded the village of Harpurhey, held many
first offices in Tuckersmith Township and also in Huron
County: He was Tuckersmith's first reeve in 1854 and
he built the first brick house in the township. Other early
settlers along the Huron Road west of Chalk were Fowl-
ers, Hendersons, Carters, Gibbings, Hugills. Dales and
Ransfords.
The first settlers to venture into the forest South
"of the. Huron Road were Samuel Carnochan and his 21-
year-old son, Robert Halliday Carnochan. They arrived
in the fall of 1832 and had to cut a path a mile and a
half long ,and wide enough for their ox-cart to travel
through. Until they had their log cabin built, their wag-
Mills
These 1831 settler's at times had to o as far as Port.
Stanley to have their grain ground, Wh n William Jew-.
ett came from England. to near Bayfield with a hand-
mill, this proved to be a great boon to these Tuckersmith
settlers. A little later Mr, Bescoby, near Clinton, brought
in the first team of horses and collected grist, for many ,.
miles around and took them to be ground at Stratford.
It was in 1833 the Canada Company completed a mill at
Egmondville and also 'surveyed a road from Brucefield
which led past the site of John Daly's National Hotel in
Egmondville directly to the mill site where Silver Creek
-joins the Bayfield River. This road gave the settlers on
the London Road and other places access to the mill far
beyond the "Mill" area This was the second mill in the
Huron. Tract, the other was. at Goderich. For many years
Van Egmond was in charge.
- This Van Egmond mill in July, 1874, was sold to
Martin Charlesworth, who, by the end, of the year, had
-it converted into •a four storey structure with, machinery
that could be driven by either wat-e• or by Steam. From
then both gristing and flouring w a done. Alex Charles-
worth followed Martin. In the .arly 1880's the •owners
were Messrs; James Kyle and lex Mustard. In Octob-
er, 1885, this mill, one of the best, was burned from an
unknown cause. The -loss was between thirty and forty
thousand dollars and the owners only carried an insur-
ance of five thousand, -A petition to have a township by-
law passed to assist them rebuild did not materialize as
John Dobie, in December, got the property for $625.00. '
This ended the making of flour in Egmondville, an in-
dustry which had been started by the Canada Company.
• - The mill dam here at different time went out un-•
der pressure causing a rise in the river level. If this hap-
pened when the river was in flood during- the..•spring
freshet, the water became a roaring torrent lapping the,
foundations of a: few buildings on the bank of the river
near the bridge.
When the Canada Company mill on Lot 13, Conces-
sion 1, L.R.S. opened around:1837, a Mr. Jones was in
by baba'. 4damOell