Our Farm

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Date: [unknown]
Location: Wellington, Ontario, Canada

Profile manager: Karen Carter

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This space is a work in progress. It is a little history about the farm, the area, and its previous owners. If you have information to add please contact me or leave a comment.

1 Our Farm
2 Sources

Our Farm

A long time ago this was a land covered with trees. It was choked full of maple and beech on the high ground, and elm, birch, and hemlock on the low ground. Watered by melting snow and seasonal rains that meandered down through the rolling forests filling the low lands which spilled into waterways, crowded with an assortment of fish, that threaded their way through the lush wilderness. A vast area heavily populated with bears, beavers, wolves, deer, rabbits, and mosquitoes. For centuries the Indigenous tribes roamed the footpaths of these backwoods. In 1798 this part of Upper Canada was called Indian Land.^[1] This area was prime hunting ground for the Saugeen Ojibway peoples, but that would all change.^[2]^[3]

In 1835, the Canadian government opened up this area which then became known as the Queen's Bush. When the northern area of Wellington County was surveyed in 1841 by Provincial Land Surveyor John MacDonald, and D.B. Papineau it was named Arthur Township - after Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington.^[4]

More than 67,000 acres were divided up to create roads and 50-acre parcels of land. Crown Lands on the roads were given to settlers with the option to buy the back 50 after performing certain settlement duties. Regulations included:^[5]^[6]

Being a subject of Queen Victoria, male, and over the age of 18 years.
Clear 12 acres of land in four years, counting from the 1st of January, following the taking up of the land; and put into a state of cultivation.
Clear and fence five acres, and clear the road allowance across the front of the property, for each 100 acres granted.
Build a house at least 18 x 24 feet, and cover it completely with split shingles.
Live on the land for eighteen months
Sign an Affidavit before a Justice of the Peace, that all requirements had been met.

Donald McQueen

About 1850 when a Scotsman by the name of Donald McQueen came to the area looking for land, most of the properties along the major road – The Garafraxa Road (later called The Owen Sound Road, now known as Highway 6) which had been completed the previous year – were already occupied. So, he went in one road to the east. He obtained a Location Ticket from a Crown Land Agent for the south 50-acre section of Lot 5 Concession 9.^[7]

Several historians have quoted Arthur Township resident George Cushing, Esq. as he described the difficulties and hardships of the first settlers:

Imagine a settler from the ‘Old Land,’ without any knowledge of clearing land, unskilled in the use of the axe, no keen, lance-toothed saws to be had, like we have at present, commencing to clear a fifty or a hundred-acre lot of this dense and mighty forest.

Many stories of hardships endured in the old log shanties without proper doors, and the wolves howling in the forest; no flour in the house for six weeks, and potatoes the only bill of fare; the carrying on the back of sacks of flour all the way from Fergus; men shouldering their heavy grain cradle and walking thirty miles and more to Guelph, in a day for the harvest.'^[8]^[9]^[10]

Donald met the Crown requirements and was granted a Patent on 8 September 1851^[11], at the Hamilton Registry Office. Recorded in the 1851 census, Donald (age 30) and his wife Elizabeth (age 26) occupied a one-story log house.^[12]

The McQueen family were members of the Bethel Presbyterian Church. It is possible that they hosted some of the church services since the church was not built until 1895.^[13]

In the autumn of 1852, Donald's two young children, John^[14] and Jennet^[15] passed away at the farm and were buried at the Bethel Pioneer Cemetery, on Concession 9, located about 7 km away. Donald and Elizabeth would join them two decades later.^[16]^[17]

Donald and Elizabeth had other children, and the 1861 census listed Donald as a married farmer with four daughters, and he owned $83 worth of livestock (3 cows, 10 sheep, and 4 pigs).^[18] According to an overview of the 1861 census, Arthur Township had grown to a population of 3,597 who held 49,617 acres valued at $599,720. There were 13, 034 acres under cultivation; 9,778 under crops; 3,247 under pasture; 36,583 wood and wild lands.^[19]

It is interesting to note that there was a complete crop failure in 1859-60 in the township. Council came to the rescue by supplying cornmeal to those in need.^[20] Were they a family in need? Did they accept the handout of cornmeal from council?

During his time at this property, neighbors included Thomas Campbell, Neil MacDougall, Alexander MacMillan, Duncan McLellan, John Campbell, Sydney Smith, Peter Robinson, John Nightingale and his son Robert Nightingale Sr. (who would later buy the farm), Peter Campbell, and Robert Scott.^[21]

Donald and his family saw progression as tracks were laid along the west side of The Owen Sound Road, just 2 km away. By the end of 1871 The Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway locomotives rumbles and whistles were likely to be heard in the distance as they passed over Sideroad 3, and made their way to and from Mount Forest.

Donald lived at the farm until his death in 1873. The land was transferred to his wife, Elizabeth, which she sold to Duncan McMillan a few months later.

Duncan McMillan

Duncan McMillan expanded the property in 1874 when he received a Crown Patent for the adjacent 50-acre parcel on the north side. He also cleared some land before he sold it five years later to Archibald Campbell.

It was rumored, somewhere in the vicinity of this maple bush and farmland (the north half) a one-room log cabin was built by Duncan McMillan. There are no signs of its existence. In the past - up until the 1970s - this maple bush was tapped for its sweet syrup. It covers about five acres, and has been logged a few times over the generations.

Archibald Campbell

Robert Nightingale Sr.

Robert Jr. Henry Nightingale & Belle McMillan

The Old Yellow Brick House

It has been said that the Nightingales, either Senior or Junior, built the yellow brick farmhouse. (photo from late 1920s or early 1930s)

In the 1921 census, when Howard Neal owned the property, it was recorded to be a 6-room brick house, which fits its description.

Facing the house from this angle is looking to the west. Later, a small enclosed porch, about 6' x 12', was added to fill in the L-shape.

If you walked in the door shown in the picture, you would be standing in a very small foyer that might have been 4' x 4'. A staircase straight ahead to the second level. To the right a small room, approximately 12' x 12'. To the left a kitchen, approximately 12' x 18'. On the back-side of the staircase was another set of stairs leading to the basement, with a second outside entry directly across from it. This narrow passageway contained a third doorway which lead into the second 12' x 12' room. Later the wall came down between the two 12-foot square rooms with an archway put in. That also eventually came down.

In the late 1960s or early 70s a hole was cut into the floor of the northwest part of this long room to install a combination fire-oil furnace, because the door and stairway were not wide enough.

Upstairs there were three rooms with an open area hall. The smallest room was converted into a bathroom when plumbing was added to the house (date yet to be determined). The open area was closed in about 1990 to make another room.

On the morning of 22 March 1999, a fire started in the basement in an electrical box. It quickly burnt a hole through both the first and second floors and filled the house with toxic smoke. The house was not completely destroyed, but there was enough damaged that the house had to be torn down.

Most of the bricks were salvaged and used to make a wall in the basement of a new house. Some were used as walk-ways around the house.

Leslie Howard Neal

Howard Neal was a young bachelor when he purchased the farm in 1920.

The 23-year-old was living alone in the 6-room brick house when the 1921 census was recorded.^[22]

In the Arthur Township history book, it states that "the original barn was burned to the ground". At this time, the statement needs verification.

Howard had the farm for three years before selling in to Richard G. Morley.

Richard Greenly Morley

Richard G. Morley and his wife, the former Margaret Bilton, came to this property in 1922 or 1923. They farmed the land and tapped the maple trees.

As indicated in the 1931 census, the couple were among the first to have a radio in the neighborhood.^[23]

When Richard died in 1947, Margaret rented the land out and lived in the house until the spring of 1949. She sold to Jack and Lillie (McRobb) Keith.

John (Jack) & Lillian (Lillie) Keith

Purchased October 1948.

Frederik D Hobson & wife Muriel "Doreen"

Owned from July 1957 to 1960.

Stanley & Florence Andrews

Stanley and his family lived here from December 1960 to May 1966. He built the "L" onto the barn, to house pigs.^[24]

The Carter Family

An aerial view of the farm buildings as they looked in the mid 1970s.

In 1979 a lot was severed from the farm and put in the name of mother and son. In 1987, a retirement house was built on the lot. When son purchased the farm in 1990, and the lot remained with mother and father was added to the deed.

Over the years son made several renovations to the barn and drainage tiles were planted in 40 acres of the wettest fields. The farming operation included milking up to 50 cows and feeding up to 200 hogs. When the cream quota was switched to dairy quota, the pigs disappeared. Later, the dairy herd was switched to a cow-calf operation.

1999 House Fire

On the morning of 22 March 1999, Heather from Canada Post was on her mail delivery route. She stopped her vehicle beside the mailbox and rolled down the car window. The winds were strong that morning, blowing the loose snow around as it came down. She was assaulted by the rush of wind, but also by the strong smell of smoke. There was no visible sign of a fire, but with the unusual odor Heather quickly noted the emergency number and drove for less than a minute to the neighbor, Keith MacMillian, to place the 911 call. If she had not stopped to make a delivery, she would not have realized there was something amiss. They returned together, to see if anyone was home.

An old glass screen door was used at the entrance to an unheated, addition that we called the back-kitchen which served as a mud room - a space to house the chest freezer, and collect outer-wear during the warmer seasons. Upon entry to this area, to the immediate left, was a solid wood door to gain access to the main house. By this time Hubby's father had arrived at the scene and wanted to go into the house to see if anyone was inside. Father and Keith made their way into the back-kitchen. The door knob was warm to touch and Arnold unwisely decided to open the door and was assailed with thick black smoke. He swiftly pulled it shut, and exited the area. All they could do was sit back and wait for the fire department to show up.

Shortly before noon, Mount Forest Firefighters arrived, but not without a few wrong turns. They drove past our road and headed in the direction of another address that consisted of the same emergency number. Only difference was the road name. A lesson learned - state the road name along with the fire number.

Hubby was choring at our other farm and was on his way home when he saw the fire trucks turn down our sideroad. When he arrived home, firefighters had set up a portable reservoir in the driveway and it was being filled by a tanker truck. They asked him a great deal of questions. Was there anyone in the house? (Thankfully, no.) Where is the power shut off? What is the layout of the rooms?

Then the fire chief pointed to the wood pile and asked, “Where is the wood stove located?” “There isn’t any,” Hubby replied, and finally convinced the chief that the logs were only used for bon fires, not as a heating source.

When the firemen arrived, the fire was struggling. The 1 ½ story yellow brick farmhouse was filled with smoke, and they had difficulty locating the flames. When a window on the second floor was broken - for access to the upstairs – the fire sprang back to life. The crew said the fire had reached the roof. That it was at the point of re-igniting before they came upon the scene. That a great deal more could have been lost if Heather had not placed the call when she did. After four hours, the blaze was extinguished, and the damage revealed.

A fire investigator determined that the fire started in an electrical box for the furnace. Located in the basement stairwell the fire quickly burned the set of steps, making a hole through the main floor staircase leading to the second floor – which also destroyed the living room wall. The second floor, outside the two north bedrooms, was non-existent, as well as, a section of wall was missing in the northwest bedroom. The fire followed the route to the northeast bedroom into an uninsulated wall where it sucked at the outside air through the cracks in the brick wall.

The outside of the building looked the same, except for a couple broken windows and a hole in the part of the roof made by the firemen to extinguish the flames. Otherwise, smoke, fire, and water damage left the house unhabitable. That first sleepless night, we stayed with Hubby’s parents. We remained with them for the next five months, until our new place was built.

The old yellow brick farmhouse a few weeks after the fire and before demolition. (taken 13 April 1999)

Insurance required three quotes on the cost of renovating the building back to its original state before the fire. This proved to be costly, since the walls consisted of lath and plaster with paint, wallpaper, and paneled walls. And floors that entailed the old narrow hardwood flooring covered with linoleum or carpet. (We were worried that the insurance company would not approve of rebuilding and decided if our claim was denied, we would take a payout and take out a loan for the remaining amount to rebuild.) Thank goodness, permission was granted to rebuild!

Plans were made to build a new bungalow in the same spot as the old dwelling. The bricks were salvaged from the old house before the skeleton was tore down a month later. To claim insurance for the household items, a cleaning company was hired to catalogue every item found within the confines of the house – most of which ended up in the dumpster because of smoke and water damage. The whole ordeal was overwhelming. Surprisingly, a great deal of our ‘stuff’ was recognizable, which made it undeniable about what we possessed. Items tucked into closets, cupboards, chests, and drawers were saved (unless they were plastics which distorted from the high temperatures). We were fortunate enough to have photographs intact.

Flyer advertising a fundraising dance for 17 April 1999.

Less than a month after the fire, a community dance was organized for our benefit. The support, generosity and kindness of the community was greatly appreciated in our hour of need.

Sources

↑ 1798 Map https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/maps/textdocs/districts1798big.aspx Map scanned from the Economic Atlas of Ontario / Atlas Économique de l'Ontario W. G. Dean, Editor/ Directeur; G. J. Mathews, Cartographer/ Cartographe Printed 1969 by University of Toronto Press for the Government of Ontario
↑ The Queen’s Bush – A Tale of the Early Days of Bruce County, by W. M. Brown, M.D. Richardson, Bond & Wright Limited, Owen Sound, ON. (1932) Page 1-2
↑ The History of Wellington County, by Jean F. Hutchison. Landsborough Printing Limited, Grand Valley, ON. Page 402, “Survey and Settlement.”
↑ Wellington County, Ontario https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_County,_Ontario
↑ The Queen’s Bush Page 29.
↑ The History of Wellington County, page 15, “Crown Lands.”
↑ The History of Wellington County, page 12, “The Garafraxa Road,” & page 15 “The Land Registry Offices.”
↑ Memories of Mount Forest and surrounding townships https://digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca/archive/Memories-of-Mount-Forest-and-surrounding-townships--Minto--Arthur--West-Luther--Normanby--Egremont--Proton-2R3BF1OG4FD69.html Mount Forest Confederate. corporate, Wright, Arthur Walker. Personal (1928) pages 140-146 (images144-150)
↑ History of the former Township of Arthur https://www.wellington-north.com/community/history/former-township-arthur
↑ Historical Atlas of Wellington County, Historical Atlas Publishing Co., Toronto. 1906. Page 4-5, “Township of Arthur.”
↑ Ontario Land Property Records Portal https://www.onland.ca/ui/61/books/69723/viewer/730995633?page=44 Historical Books, Wellington (LRO 61), Township of Arthur, Book 7 – Concession 9, image 44
↑ "Canada Census, 1851", F amilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z274-BWN2 : 4 October 2021), Donald McQueen, 1851.
↑ The History of Wellington County, page 411. “Bethel Presbyterian Church.”
↑ 1852 Burial "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGM-VYTD : 15 June 2022), John McQueen, ; Burial, , Wellington, Ontario, Canada, Bethel Pioneer Cemetery; citing record ID 111710259, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
↑ 1852 Burial "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W6VD-18W2 : 4 August 2020), Jennet McQueen, ; Burial, , Wellington, Ontario, Canada, Bethel Pioneer Cemetery; citing record ID 200073227, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
↑ 1873 Burial "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W6VD-YHPZ : 4 August 2020), Donald McQueen, ; Burial, , Wellington, Ontario, Canada, Bethel Pioneer Cemetery; citing record ID 200073162, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
↑ 1874 Burial "BillionGraves Index," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KF6B-Q82 : 24 June 2015), Elizabeth McQueen, died 24 Aug 1874; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com : 2012), Burial at Bethel Pioneer Cemetery, Wellington North, Wellington, Ontario, Canada.
↑ 1861 Census: "Canada, Ontario Census, 1861"
citing Line: 31; Digital film/folder number: 004391573; FHL microfilm: 2435947; Image number: 213; Sheet number: 32; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N03133-7
FamilySearch Record: MQ7R-J4D (accessed 18 August 2023)
FamilySearch Image: S3HY-68YW-9Q1
Donald Mcqueen (38y), married in Arthur, Wellington, Ontario, Canada. Born in Scotland.
↑ 1867 Gazetteer and Directory of Wellington County. Irwin & Burnham, Publishers. https://digitalarchive.tpl.ca/search/37131055373039d image 35: page 8, McQueen, Donald – Con. 9, Lot 5 f [sic, freeholder]
↑ History of the former Township of Arthur https://www.wellington-north.com/community/history/former-township-arthur
↑ From Then Till Now – A History of Arthur Township 1850-1985, Edited by Campbell Cork. Printed by I B Printing Company Limited, Durham, ON. (1986). Pages 227, 259, 300, 319, 336, 338, 339, 354.
↑ 1921 Census , https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Census/Index Arthur Township No. 3, North Wellington, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. Page 10, Dwelling 105, Family 105. Home owned; Brick, 6 rooms. Howard Neil, Head, single, age 23, born Ontario
↑ 1931 Census Arthur Township No. 3, Wellington North, Ontario, Canada, Page 9 (image 10) https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/index1931 Richard & Margaret Morley.
↑ First-hand information from Stanley's daughter, Berniece, as written in a message to K Carter.

1877 Township of Arthur Map https://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/weli-m-arthur.htm D.McMillan

From Then Till Now, A History of Arthur Township 1850-1985. Farm Family Histories, Carter, page 228-229. Printed by I B Printing Company Limited, Durham, Ontario (1986). Edited by Campbell Cork. Copy in possession of K Carter.