Clinton News-Record, 1985-07-10, Page 128•
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One ofLthe greatest fent heroes of the .0,th
century -Walt Disney - can eredit part of his
ancestory teGoderich Towil$1111).
In the 1800s, Goderich Township was the
home of Elias Disney and his son Kepple,
Walt's great-grandfather and grandfather,
and of Robert Richardson and his daughter
Mary, Mrs. Kepple Disney, Walt's great-
grandmother and grandmother.
Like many of the pioneering families who
settled in Goderich Township, Elias Disney
was an Irishman. He lived in Clone, County
Kilkenny, Ireland where he farmed, but the
call for opportunity in America beckoned
him. In 1834 Elias, his wife Maria and infant
sag Kepple, set sail across the Atlantic.
They arrived in New York and moved to
Canada where they settled on CMTL38,39
Goderich Township in 1835.
Elias built a saw and grist mill along this
tract of land on the banks of the Maitland
River. This mill was the only mill listed in
the township in the 1842 assessment rolls.
A history of the Disney family, reported in
a Clinton News -Record article, written by
Walt's father noted, "He (Elias Disney/
bought a tract of land close to and along the
banks of the Maitland River and built a saw
mill and grist mill which was patronized by
the community for a number of years. This
country was heavily timbered and there was
plenty of wild fruit, grapes, plums etc. along
the banks of the river and good fishing and
wild game of different kinds.
"Wolves were numerous and a source of
1111, much annoyance to' the settlers and their
young stock and many a time I have sat and
. listened in amazement to the stories of my
father and the others who would tell of per-
sonal encounters."
Records at the D.B. Weldon Library in
London note that Elias Disney owned 149
acres and had eight cultivated. He had a
horse, two oxen, two "milch cows" and two
"horned cattle". The value of his property
was assessed at 160 L, 4 shillings and his
house was not listed as- being of assessed
value. This, of course, was not unusual for a
honse, even a log home, had to be
constructed of timbers, squafed on all four
sides to be assessed for tax purposes.
By 1845, Elias had 15 of his 149 acres
• cleared with his real property assessed at
14L, 16 shillings. No livestock holdings were
recorded. By 1848, he had 20 acres cleared,
with two oxen and two mitch cows. The
value of his holdings were listed as 159L,,16
shillings.
, story on the Disney family, in the
Goderich Township History Book Volume II
reports that Elias and Maria had 16
children. Records from the Walt Disney
Archives note that one child was buried at
sea onthe way from' Ireland. The others
were: ,Kepple (1832); ' Edward - (1835);
Robert (1837); Mary (1839); Elizabeth
(1841); John (1843),; Elias (1845-1913);
Sarah ( 1847); George (1849); Charlotte
( 1851 ); Thomas (1852-1909); .James. ( 1854);
• Harriet (1856i881); Arundell Robert (1858)
and Anna (1861). .
A Robert Disney is also identified in the
1848 assessment as owning 93 acres in
Goderich Township on CHRL 4.36,37. He
may have been one of Elias' brothers. The
family history notes, "Three of his brothers
sold their property in Ireland and came to
America (New York City). The three
brothers went into business and Elias
Disney moved to Upper Canada - Ontarib,
Goderich Township."
The Disneys were associated with the
Anglican Church on the hill in Holmesville.
At least one Disney burial took place at the
small cemetery beside the church. Records
gik show that in September, 1863, Charlotte,
lopr daughter of Elias and Maria Disney was •
buried, aged 12 years. The Disney Archivist
noted ,that it is considered possible• that
• Elias is also buried there:
Elias' eldest son, Kepple Disney.(Walt's
grandfather) was born in 1832 in Ireland. He
grew up in Goderich Township and helped
run his father's mill.
He married Mary RichardSon of Goderich
Township in 1858 and they moved to
Bluevale where Kepple bought 100 acres of
land where nine of their 11 children were
born. The eldest was Walt's father, Elias
Disney, born February 6, 1859. He was born
in Bluevale and baptized on July 27 at St.
Paul's Anglican Church in Clinton.
. In the family history, Walt's father wrote,
"I am the eldest of 11 children. We received
our education in the public school of
. After the war, he, -worked as an
advertising cartoonist in Kansas City. Here
he created and marketed his first original
animated cartoons.
In 1923 he headed for Hollywood, with $40
in his pocket, drawing - materials' and an
animated fairy tale subject. Walt's brother
Roy lived in Hollywood and together they
pooled their resources and set up shop.
Business boomed and by 1928 Mickey -Mouse
was born.
The. rest of the story is popular history.
Walt Disney's career spanned 43 -years: A
pioneer and innovator, and the possessor of
one of the most fertile imaginations the
world has ever known, Walt Disney and his
staff received more than 950 honors and
citations from every nation in the world,
including 48 Academy awards and seven
Emmys. •
Bluevale and attended the Wesleyan
Methodist Church and Sunday School. Our
life and work were such as comes to boys
And girls brbught up on thefarm - a pure and
wholesome atmosphere - both physically
and morally."
Elias received his secondary education at
Central Public School in Goderich, now the
Huron County Pioneer Museum.
Kepple Disney and his family left Canada
in 1877. The farm was sold to Andrew •
Jackson and the family moved to Ellis,
Kansas where Kepple purchased 320 acres)
of railroad land.
Elias married Flora Call and they had five
children, Raymond (1890); Roy (1893-1971); -
Walter Elias (1901-1966) and Ruth Flora
(1903),; and Herbert.
Walter Elias Disney was born in Chicago
on Peeernber 5,1901,
Raised of a ,farm in MOntatia, Walt early
became interested I drawing, 0040 10
first sketchek,tQ nettiboP who' b0:. was
Ovenyeare oid la NO shoo, Walt divided
lIs attention betiOireen drawing and
P4ntngraPhY.• A nght be attended The'
Academy of:Fine Arts.
In 19* Wait attempted to enlist for
military service.; but was rejected because
be was only 16. He joined theRed Cross and
was sent overseas to drive an ambulanee.
His personal awards included honorary
degrees fromHarvard,Yale the University
of Southern California and UCLA, the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, Franee's
Legion of Honor and Officer d'Academie
decorations, Thailand's Order of the Crown,
Brazil's Order of the Southern Cross,
Mexico's Order of the Aztec Eagle and the
Showman of. the World Award from the
National Association of Theatre Owners.
But, Walt Disney is remembered formuch
'more. Films like Lady and the Tramp, Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella,
Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Mary Poppins
and Bambi still play in theatres around the
world.
His cartoon characters - Mickey and
Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Banibi
are inunortal.
Disneyland in California and Disney
World in Florida are two 'of the greatest
fantasy amusement parks in the ivorld.
Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966,
but he has not been forgotten.
Walter Elias Disney remains a legend, a
folk hero of the 20th century. His worldwide
popularity was based upon the ideals which
his name represents: imagination,
optimism and self-made success. • Walt
Disney did more to touch the hearts, minds
and emotions of millions of people than any.
other man in the past century. • • -
Our, congratulations
to the citizens of the
Township of Goderich
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