HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-05-03, Page 13Yom+
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Thomson's first to land in Hay township
By Ross Haugh
T -A Staff
With information provided by John Thomson
HENSALL - One need go only a mile and a half north of Hensall on
Highway 4 to find the oldest Century Farm in Hay township. It is now oc-
cupied by John and Veronica Thomson.
John's great -great grandparents George and Agnes Thomson crossed the
stormy Atlantic Ocean in the early summer of 1832 as man and wife.
Coming from Blantyre, Scotland they docked at Halifax and moved their
belongings into a rooming house. They left to get something to eat and in-
formation on settling in this new land.
When they returned to their room, they found a placard on the door of
the rooming house forbidding anyone to enter because of the "Black
Plague". The only way to control this killer disease was to burn the house
and all its contents as soon as the patient died.
The Thomson's had to leave all their belongings behind and go to find
another place to stay, taking only the clothes they were wearing.
They travelled westward through Montreal and finally settled in Oxford
County, but later moved to near Blenheim, Ontario. It was while living
here that their family was born.
George Thomson Sr. started up a Sunday School class at Warren's
Creek which later became known as Rodgerville. Soon after he was cho-
sen and ordained as an elder. After 17 years a new congregation was or-
ganized at Kippen where his services were needed.
In 1842, George leased the north -half of Lot 27, Concession 1 of Hay
township from the Canada Company. He purchased the 50 acre property
in 1854 for 82 pounds and moved his family onto the same farm where
John and Veronica Thomson now reside.
He purchased another 25 acres right beside it in 1856 and in 1859 an-
other 200 acres consisting of Lots 26 and 27, Concession 3. Another 50
acres on the west half of Lot 26, Concession 2 was purchased. These
farms were passed on to his sons and remained in the Thomson name for
many years.
George Thomson Jr., son of George and Agnes Thomson married Han-
nah Drover on April 17, 1859 and took possession of Lot 27, Concession
1.
Their youngest son Robert born in 1877 carried on the family farm after
leaving the blacksmith trade and assisting the local undertaker in his busi-
ness.
He and his wife, Agnes Hay began their farming career with two blind
mares for their horsepower. Later he bought horses and sold them to lum-
ber camps in Quebec. Many of these heavy draft horses were shown at the
local fairs where they won many prizes.
Agnes was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Duncan Hay who ran the Kip -
pen Post Office for many years.
The south half of Lot 27, was purchased to complete the 100 acre lot.
Robert was the grader foreman for the construction of Highway 4 from
Hensall t� just north of Kippen and in his later years, he became very busy
growing many acres of white beans. •
When Robert and his wife retired,they moved to Kippen where he con-
tinued to grow crops on a small scale. At the age of 91 he was still hoeing
beans
On the occasion of his 96th birthday, two years before his death, Robert
Thomson talked about the "good old days" saying, "Kippen was up and
coming in those days and we had a cracker of a football team.The Kippen
football team of the gay nineties won the cup in Exeter on May 24, 1896
competing against five other area teams.
He continued, " I can remember when Bell's Mill, flour, grist and saw
mill was a busy place and supplied flour and lumber to customers over a
large area."
At his 96th birthday party, Thomson said, "Farming in the old days was
at a slower pace Livestock was taken to Kippen to be sold, I remember
when we dove 99 pigs two and a half miles to market and all we got was
three and a half cents a pound. There were good fences on both sides of
the road and with a "cracker" of a dog to keep them moving and three or
four men we had no trouble."
Their youngest son Bert Thomson and his wife the former Eleanor Sto-
rey were married on June 9, 1951 and took up residence on the family
farm. In 1967, Bert purchased the west half of Lot 26, and Lot 27, Conces-
sion 2.
Their eldest son John born in 1953 graduated from Fanshawe College as
a technologist of the Municipal Civil Engineering Technology program,
A few years were spent on various petro -chemical construction sites, af-
fording many travel opportunities and then it was back to the family farm.
Along with his wife, the former Veronica Bryant, Thomson built a new
residence on the south corner of Lot 27, Concession 1. and in 1981 bought
Lot 26, Concession 5 and in 1986 the family acquired Lots 28 and 29,
Concession 1.
Above, recent
view of Thom-
son farm.
At left, Robert
Thomson and
some of his
family in the
early days.
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