Timothy Eaton (1834 - 1907)

Ancestors Descendants

Biography

Timothy Eaton was the founder of T. Eaton Co. Ltd., a Canadian retail empire that his sons would expand coast to coast. At its peak during World War II, the company employed more than 70,000 people.

Timothy was the son of Scottish Protestants, John Eaton and Margaret Craig. At the age of 20, he emigrated to southern Ontario with other family members.^[1] On May 28, 1862, he married Margaret Wilson Beattie in St. Mary's, Perth.^[2] Two sons and a daughter died in infancy. Their children who lived to adulthood were:

1. Edward Young Eaton (1863–1900), m. 1st Tillie Robinson (1869-1895), m. 2nd Mabel Netta Lucretia Eckhardt (b. 1874)

2. Josephine Smith Eaton (1865–1943), m. Thomas David Meldrum Burnside

3.Margaret Elizabeth Beattie Eaton (1867-1952), m. Charles Eldridge Burden (1863-)

4.William Fletcher Eaton (1875–1935), m. Gertrude Nora Cook (1877-)

5.Sir John Craig Eaton (1876–1922), m. Flora McCrea (1880–1970)

Eaton's catalogue, 1884

In 1869, Timothy bought an existing dry-goods and haberdashery business at 178 Yonge Street in Toronto. He established two new retail practices in Canada: his goods had one price with no credit given and were sold with a money-back guarantee (the store slogan was "Goods Satisfactory or Money Refunded"). In 1876 he began to reduce working hours in his stores from the customary 12-hour day and later set up a basic medical plan for employees, cementing his reputation as a benevolent employer. In 1884, a mail-order catalogue was introduced, which brought previously unattainable products to small communities across the country.

Timothy is recorded in the 1871 Census of Canada as a merchant living in St. John's Ward, Toronto, with Margaret and their three eldest children. They were Methodists.^[3]

He is recorded in the 1881 Census of Canada as a merchant living in St. Patrick Ward, Toronto, with Margaret and five children. At 17, Edward, his eldest son, worked as a clerk in the store.^[4]

He is recorded in the 1891 Census of Canada as a merchant living in York West, with Margaret, three sons and a daughter, and three servants. Edward is now listed as a merchant while William, at 16, works as a salesman in the store.^[5]

He died of pneumonia on January 31, 1907 and is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Joy L. Santink, “EATON, TIMOTHY,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 13, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed December 10, 2015, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/eaton_timothy_13E.html.
2. ↑ "Ontario, County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2CB-7CTZ : 16 March 2018), Timothy Eaton and Marg H Beattie, 28 May 1862; citing Perth, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,030,063.
3. ↑ Census of Canada, 1871, St. John's Ward, Toronto, Ontario
4. ↑ Census of Canada, 1881, St. Patrick Ward, Toronto, Ontario
5. ↑ Census of Canada, 1891, York West, Ontario
6. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 14 December 2019), memorial page for Timothy Eaton (Mar 1834–31 Jan 1907), Find A Grave: Memorial #5513, citing Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, Toronto Municipality, Ontario, Canada ; Maintained by Find A Grave .

See also:

• Wikipedia entry Eaton Family
• Wikipedia entry Timothy Eaton
• Ballymena Weekly Telegraph 01 September 1923, at findmypast, includes family history and company history.

Research Note

Mentioned as a cousin of Robert Kernohan through his mother's side in Robert's obituary. Added by Cullen-643 11:38, 26 April 2018 (UTC)