HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-05-15, Page 11ry
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)1 Deo, 1 0 4 8 7 .6 5 4
52 Mox zea St,
Go.derio2 a Ont, N7A 2G4
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1 28 YEAR • 24
William Bennett Rich writes home again
Tells br'oth�r a
BY W. E. ELLIOTT
"Ihave three daughter
married, and ,1 have som
grandchildren. It makes us loo
old, but to tell, you the truth
dear Robert,I am ageing fast.'
William Bennett Rich s
reported to his brother in Kent
England, in a'letter dated Sept
3, 1344. He had been living i
•Goderich for 11 years and wa
still in financial difficulties. I
would seem that the acquisitio
of three sons-in-law brought n
discernible relief.
The married daughters at th
date mentioned were the thre
eldest of seven. Their names
appear as first three in th
family genealogical table;they
are . mentioned in the same
order in the obituary df .Mrs
Charles Widder in 1924.
Leaving the remaining four
daughters offstage until the
story catches up to them, we
may., examine the main facts
about the husbands of
.:.El.izabeth,...who became_ Mrs. .
William J: Geary; Marianne
Cobb, wife of George Brown;
and • Matilda, who married
Hugh Johnston. All three men
. were Goderich residents. All
;their brides were ' born in
England.
Geary has been described as
a contractor.- He first appears
"as in charge of levelling the site
for the county jail. He had
horses available, for he,
operated stagecoaches to
Stratford and London. It has
not been. possible, so far, to
identify the Geary house or its
site, though it is known that he
owned various properties.
In the 1840s he owned the 509
• cres :Of Block., "A-'
i whioM
became i succession ' the
Baron .van Tuyll estate, the
Galt place, Attrill's, Elem.:ng's
and Sandy's. In 1842, Geary
owned the future site of Vic-
toria School, selling in -the same
year to Robert Gibbons. He was
second owner. (1841-44) of Lot
23, now site of the Culbert
bakery on West street. .
George Brown was a wealthy
Englishman who ' came to,
Huron in the early years, and
for, several years was county
treasurer of Huron and Bruce.
He also lent a hand as clerk
when Goderich was in-
corporated in 1850.
He owned farm land on the
Bayfield road, and may have
lived there before settling
between the Huron road, and
Maitland river, where Adam
MacVicar built for him the fine
stone house later owned by Roy
m Rundle and now D. V. Blacker.
Broken £ajled ,pit "Sterlings"
after an Old Country home.
He died in 1862, bequeathing
"to my dear wife, Marianne
Cobb Brown, all my real estate;
house, farms, .wagons,, cattle,
sheep and all and every sum of
money." Marianne, thus
provided for, gave a site and
s
e
k
0
n
s'
t
n
0
e
e
e
more or less supPorted St.
Stephen's Anglican church, just
east of the Brown rbsidence.
The Browns had a daughter,
France, who married Dr. T. G.
Johnston of Sarnia. The
Johnstons' third' " daughter,
Bertha Helen, was married to
H. F. Holland, and their son
Huko is therefore a great -great -
'grandson of William Bennett
le
s of
Rich, He writes from Sarnia
that,Colin C. Hunter (brother of
the late Ken Hunter) showed
him a Signal -Star with the first
instalment of the W. B. Rich
story. He hopes to visit
Goderich this summer.
Hugh Johnston-, husband of
.Matilda Rich, built the fine
Victorian house, complete with
servants' wing, on St. Vincent
street, which is now the
residence of Judge Francis
Carter. Originally eight
Canada Company row
surrounded t it. Johnston
evidently built the house in
1863, when he borrowed 300
pounds from the Edinburgh
Life Assurance Company.
From Hugh Johnston it
passed to Cieorge B. Johnston, a•
banker. One son, Frederick
became Senior Judge o
Algoma. The property was wel
- known in later years as th
Wurtele place, then became th
residence of A Harper i
Daisy Johnston, daughter o
Mr. And Mrs, Hugh Johnston
was married to Frederick F
Pardee, M.P. for West Lam
bron • from 1905 to 1921 and
appointed to the Senate in 1923.
Their daughter, Pauline Cowan
Jamason, lives in Sarnia, so
there are at least tWo Western
Ontario descendants of William
Bennett Rich.
Rich's letter of Sept. 3, 1844,
discloses that he had a job with
the Canada Company, worth
$1,000, a year, bui lost it through
"palt,ry economy" on the part
of the Company.
"This has reduced me and
mine to poverty," he tells his
brother Rokert, "for there is„no
chance here of my getting' an
equal dr even a far inferior
situation: My income is in fa,ct
reduced to 60 pounds a year. .
:Since I left England eleven
yeah ago, II have been en--,
deavoring to raise a property
here for my children, but just •
now I am in great chificulties
securities for one of my sons -in -
laky (who has most innocently
transgressed) that may be the
reSult. Possibly eVery farthing
that we possess. Oh that I had
, never left old England. fancy
f that with rail -roads in, etc. I
1 might have made a living,
e while here we are noW om-
.. have read your letter ov'er
f and over. You mention sending
me one by James Lamb, but
that I never received. The last I
_heard of him was that he was
painter at Boston and New
earning his living as a scene,
York, subsequently at Kingston
in Canada, but I know not now
where he is. His brother Robert
I meet every Sunday at Church,
but hd lives within three miles
of .me with ohe of my sons -in' -
law, laboring for his bread -but
considered one of the family
and conducting himself, I
believe, well.
"Sterlings" was built in 1853 on Lots 1 to 4 Maitland Concession, (Huron road) for George
Brown, onetime eounty-treasurer of Huron and Bruce. His wife was Marianne Cobb Brown,
second daughter of William Bennett Rich. The builder of this fine old house, from Maitland
River stone, was Adam MacVicar, a noted stonemason from Scotland, grandfather of Miss
Lillias MaeVicar, Hincks street. Walls are two feetthick, the chimneys nine feet adross. There
were three fireplaces, now closed. The original.shutters have been preserved, but are not used.
:44 VOVOIPP44MitiPM0
even with starvation Staring"
in the face, 'There 'I could
die with satisfaCtion, As I told
you.before, I -am ageing fast.
, "My 'wife and. family have
good health. I hope the'same fox'
your family.
"God bless you, my dear
Robert. Yours very. truly, Wm.
Bennett Rich!' •
41
"You ask about my boys. I
am happy to- say theY are
maintaining themselves in
good society. My eldest son has
the direction of. . a steam
sawmill. The second is keeping
accounts, for. the same party,
viz., for my eldest son-in-law.
cidentally Once. They have
started upon their own footing,
for I can do nothing for thern.
"You ask me A to prospects
for emigrants. I say I will not
recommend it. Those that do
reach here (the .ultitna thu10
do well, but it is ruination to get
here. Oh that I was once more
in old Badlesmere Cottage
-Alain door of the Brown house is much admired for its
graceful% arch and side -windows. The ancient belt -pull
remains, but not for4use. There was formerly some fine
metal trellis -work.
Mit at
ffi It'
This impressive Georgian house, built for Hugh lohnston, who married IVIatilda Rich, and
which is now ,the residence of Judge -Francis Carter was built in 1862-3. It has 11 principal
rooms; ceilings down -stairs are 12 feet, upstairs nine. The front verandah is strongly classical,
with a' fine screen orpaired Doric columns. The original' servants"quartefs (right) was con-
nected with an elaborate system of bells throughout the main house.
Idottification please
This class is identified only as'The Third Book, Victoria School.
It belongs to W. C. Newcombe, Clinton, and probably contains
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some faces of persons still living in Goderich and area. Can you
identify them?
^How many of these people con you name?
lWatch next week for identificatiom of these faces froin 1 922-23)
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