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The Foreword Of Ancient Inns and Immaculate Tenants Although the Township of Puslinch, with its centuries-old forest landscape, well bedecked with many a magnificently immense tree, proved disappointing to the first European settlers, who had rather envisioned the cheering prospect of a new land filled with bountiful farms in waiting, the uncultivated landscape had nonetheless already played the role of innkeeper to many generations of tenants, so many, that they truly could be called its native people, and exemplary tenants they were, for after countless ages, the inn showed no signs of wearying usage, but continued to generously pour forth its sustaining provender of game and vegetation. The tenants are mentioned here, for in the remarkable history that follows, they briefly share their home, Puslinch in its “natural state”, with the first Europeans, the founders of Morriston village, then vanish, as the Puslinch forests vanished, to make way for the promised farmland. |
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Introduction Presented here
are a few of the recollections of Simon Peter Morlock, recollections
pertaining to “early days” in |
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Explanatory Notes The recollections were accumulated over a large number of years, perhaps decades, and as new information was added, it often had to be “squeezed” into existing text, providing the reader with an entertainingly complex work, where people would re-locate, re-marry, and die within the author’s writing timeframe.
More than once, Mr. Morlock mentions and seems to infer that he has made use of a “first history”, written in 1874, a work that remains elusive and is not clearly identified here. |
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Early Morriston by Simon Peter Morlock Morriston, as a
village, began to take shape with the improvement of the In the spring of
1847, R. B. Morrison opened a store in the end of the blacksmith shop and
Bernard Braun (or Brown) opened a shoemaker shop in the opposite corner. Shortly after this, the making of the new |
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The Post Office was established in 1854. About that time, Archibald Little opened the first hotel. In 1856, Messrs. McLean and Clark erected a sawmill and shortly thereafter, the oatmeal and grist mills were built on the McEdward homestead, later the Charles Calfass farm, on the southeast side of the village, where the late Allan McDonald lived, now occupied by John Elliott. The homesteads upon which Morriston is built were originally taken up by the Morlock, Calfass, and Jacobs families on the west side of the Brock Road, and on the east side of the road, by Campbell, Rau (often anglicized to Rowe), and McEdwards families. A short synopsis of these families and a few other early settlers will be given further on. The first school was built up near Duff’s Church, but later on, a new stone school was built on the southeast corner of the Morlock homestead, and in 1910, a new red brick school was built directly across the Brock Road by the Rappolt brothers, to meet the demands of a growing population. |
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At one time, the inhabitants of the village lacked the privilege of worshipping in churches, none having yet been built. Duff’s Presbyterian Church is about one mile north of the village. The first Presbyterian church, a log church, was built in 1835, and enlarged in 1840. Mr. Malcolm McNaughton and Alexander Mclean built two of the corners of the first log church. In 1845,
Reverend William Meldrum, D.D., from |
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The first administration
of the Lord’s Supper of the There was also a Roman Catholic Church built in the village on the Rau (or Rawe or Rowe, the spelling may vary), later the McEdward farm, which subsequently closed and its members worshipped at the church a few miles south, at Freelton. Previous to
this, a missionary, by the name of Harlacher, came
from |
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Mr. Bernard
Brown had purchased several acres of land of the Mr. Donald
McLeod, a plasterer by trade, also bought a lot from Mr. Brown about this
time, constructing a dwelling, and in this way, the village grew and the
population increased, till now Morriston has more than sixty houses with
about two hundred population. It has
two general stores, shoe and meat shop, two blacksmith shops, implement shop,
hotel, a bank, garage, and Town Hall, and the country round is picturesque
and containing good soil. To the west side of the Grandfather John
Christian Morlock and his wife, Louisa Fredericca Bohler Morlock, came to this country in about 1830 from Baiersbronn, Schwartzwald, |
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John Christian Morlock was born in 1793 and died in 1861, at the age of 69 years. His wife, Louisa Frederica, was born in 1798 and died in 1877, at the age of 79 years. They were Lutherans but later became Evangelicals in religion. A number of years before his death John Christian built a stone house, in 1854, on the northeast corner of the Morlock homestead, to retire to, which subsequently was home to the Harbottle family. John Christian’s son, John Christian Junior, took over the homestead and lived there until he was 85 years old. John C. Jr. then built a red brick house, in 1909, just south of the stone house, to retire, a retirement that lasted for six years only, and later sold the old homestead to Mr. Neil Stewart. Mr. John Christian Morlock Junior was married three times, 1st to Christina Beaver, 2nd to Catherine Durst, and 3rd to Anna Mary Calfass, the lattermost with whom he lived to see the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. John Christian died on September 27th 1916, at the ripe old age of 90 years, his wife following on June 8th 1919, age 80 years. |
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The Morlock
family was a large family, as follows: Reverend John C. Morlock (of St.
Jacobs), Peter S. Morlock (of Hespeler), Josephine (Mrs. William Fee, of
Dauphin, Mr. J. Christian
Morlock and his family were always members of the |
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On the farm next
to the Morlock family, on the north side, Grandfather John Calfass settled on
the west side of the Grandfather John
Calfass was an Evangelical Lutheran but later joined the The Calfass
family was also a large family, viz., Philip, Christopher, Christina (Mrs.
Joe Sauder), and Charles who lived on the
homestead. The preceding four were
born in |
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The third son of John Calfass, Charles, remained on the homestead, having come with his father and two older brothers from the old country when he was three years of age. Charles married Sophia Stahl. He followed in the footsteps of his father in the doctoring of domestic animals, especially horses. In fact, he took the place of a horse doctor as ably as any veterinary, before a vet was here. He was a great horse fancier and knew how to take care of and fit up a horse for sale or for a show ring, and also he was a good judge on horses, being called upon to judge the same at a number of shows and occasions. Uncle Charles was a very fluent and interesting speaker to the rising generation of the pioneer days and it was wonderful how he could relate and express himself, for one who had not the opportunity to attend school, for there were no schools in the bush in those days when he was a boy, and what a wonderful memory he had in his later years in recalling these incidents. I had many a good chat with him when I was a young man. |
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For instance, Uncle Charles told me that when he and his two older brothers were little boys, they saw a big black bear climb over into the pen and carry off a 200-pound porker away into the woods. Of course, the bush wasn’t far away then. Believe me, this was something dear to lose, when “sauer-kraut” and “schweine speck” was so scarce in those days. Both Uncle
Charles Callfas and my father used to tell us
stories, how their parents met and made friends with the Indians, and how
they traded with them. Mr. Indian
would shoot a deer with bow and arrow, and then, to announce his gift, he
would set it with a loud thud against the door of their father’s little
hut. They would give him a loaf of
bread for the venison, having a few acres of land cleared and tilled to grow
wheat, for grinding into flour.
Sometimes the grain had to be taken to distant grist mills on a sled,
cart, or even shouldered on their backs, even way down to |
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When our grandfathers
came from the old country, they lived for a year below This pond was beautifully surrounded by forest. On the north side were the weeping, bending willows. From its branches, the Indians made their whistles and with a crotch of the branch in their hands they could tell where good drinking water was for a spring. |
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On the west side were the beautiful green and golden maples, the emblem of our country, and the wide spreading beech tree. Under its boughs, the Indians found shelter in an electrical storm and it had good nuts too. As well, the stalwart oak, the king of the forest, above all other trees, whose nuts, as also the nuts of the horse-chestnut tree, I imagine, were used by Mrs. Indian to make ornaments, beads, pipes, and chains for their little papooses, and the old Indians carried the nuts in their pockets for rheumatism, and also the butternut. Its nuts are so delicious to eat for the animals and serve as our food. There were slippery elms, from which they made tea for colds, and also from the basswood trees. From basswood blossoms, the Indians made medicines and the bees gathered nectar, which served as food to them, and from its bark they made matting for their tents. To the south side were the long enduring pines, from which they gathered pitch for healing purposes. Some of the second growths are still beautifying nature. On the east side were the Arbour Vitae or cedar trees, which are evergreen and which refresh the springs and beautify nature, as though they grew in the winter time, from which the Indians made oil, cedar oil, as likewise the spruce and the balsam trees, for healing purposes, which looked so dandified and ornamental to the eye, which were a foretaste of our decorated Christmas trees. From these trees, the Indians got the oil for catarrhal infections. Most of these woods have since been done away with to make room for Morriston and for cultivation. |
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A creek ran from this pond and village to the other Indian village and from there into a swamp. This was an ideal spot that the Indians had chosen for their village and this was the picture that nature presented at the coming of Morriston, where all nature was smiling. Here, birds filled the air, twittering on the tree tops, the busy bees humming and buzzing around, fishes darting up for a fly on the rippling waters, where the panting deer came for a drink, where the cunning fox and the prowling wolf roved about, and the squirrel and the chipmunk chattered and cracked nuts. Here, the wild goose and duck hovered and swam about, and notice taken of which direction they flew, whether north, forecasting spring, or south, forecasting fall, and how the muskrat built his house, high or low, predicting open or hard winter. Occasionally the grizzly bear paid a visit too, to see its shadow after a long snooze, whereby the Indian marked whether or not there would be six weeks of winter weather, as also the groundhog, on Candlemas Day, February 2nd, and the skunk too, no doubt, left its scent, whereby the Indians could foretell the weather for a soft spell. What a beautiful sight this must have been, where all Nature was growing, moving, and flowing; and after a sleet storm, or on a frosty morning, to see the drooping trees and how beautiful they were, decorated by Nature. Such was the environment of those days, and we owe much to the Indians who handed down to us these signs and wonders, to forecast the weather and to take care of our health. |
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The Indians and their children became quite friendly with grandfather, and grandfather’s children and the Indian children paid visits back and forth and played together, and nothing would do Uncle said but that he and his brothers had to go over, visit, and have supper with them. So they went over and played an afternoon together, and they understood each other in their own way of talking, by motioning and so forth. Some of them could speak a little English, perhaps a little German too, I know not. While they were playing, one grown up Indian got between them and the camp, and just barked like a dog at them, and made motions as if they should go home. But one of the Indian chiefs noticed this, that Uncle Charles, Philip, and Christian were afraid and wanted to go home, for they were only little boys, so he, the chief, got a switch and sent him back into the corner of the hut or tent, quicker than when he came out, and said to him to leave the children alone. Then the Indians told them that this fellow was dumb but harmless and wasn’t in his right mind, and that they should not be afraid. My uncle told me that when they got inside the hut this fellow just sat in the corner and growled like an animal, but that they soon shut him up. |
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Then, they had supper. The meal was cooked in one or two large kettles, over a fireplace, hung on a wooden pole, resting at each end on two cross-pieces of wood, something like we used to hang the kettles at a butchering or making maple syrup. Sometimes they hung the kettle on three upright poles. The meal was a soup consisting of venison, corn, bread, and vegetables (lentils). They sup it with wooden spoons, from wooden plates or bowls. It was really good to the taste, he said, and they enjoyed themselves very much. How nice it is
when nations are friendly with one another, no matter what creed they belong
to. It would abort many a strife. Much we owe to our forefathers and to the
Red |
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The other Indian village, my Uncle Charles Calfass said, was on the east side of the old Indian trail, the Brock Road, on the lot that Mr. McEdward homesteaded, later the Charles Calfass farm, known as the brickyard farm, where brick was made by Charles Calfass, and later, Sol Brown. This village was situated behind a large swamp, on the plain, at the foot of a steep hill, near the corner of the lot, about half a mile from the other Indian village, an ideal place for shelter from the north winds, by this steep hill, surrounded by hardwood and pine trees. Since then, the hill has been cleared and worked. On the south, east, and west, it was sheltered by this long and narrow swamp, a part of which is still standing, of cedars, black ash, elms, balsam, hemlock, spruce, and pine, the lattermost looking down upon the cedars, as if to say, “Ye Cedars of Lebanon, bow down at our feet, and protect all nature in this swamp”. Here were the croaking frogs in the stagnant pools and puddles, the bubbling brooks and springs from which all nature drinks, and the bounding hare that crosses the hunter’s path, where the wild doves make love and coo, and the partridge hides in the cedars, from the moping owl in the daytime and the screeching owl at night, where the cranes, the “schi poke”, hunt for frogs and pollywogs, with their tromboning “pump - pump” refrain, and where crows were well sheltered in the fall, mobilizing and holding their conferences with their “Caw ─ caw”, changing perches from pine tree to pine tree, as the hawk hovered high overhead, viewing the situation.
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Within this swamp, the Indian doctor also found many herbs for his medicines; there was the flavoured wintergreen (Gaultheria), used for gout and rheumatism, the gold-thread (Coptis), for a tonic and sore mouth, the ginseng as a restorative or builder, “Wormwood tonic” for the stomach, and boneset (“Durch Warks” or “Thoroughworts”) for a tonic, for stomach dyspepsia, and for fever, yarrow (Achillea or “Garbo-kraut”) for diarrhea, catnip tea for mumps, parsley tea for kidneys, and of the balsam cones, they made a drink. The rest are too numerous to mention. I imagine that I can see the Indian Chief and his people, standing on top of this big hill, looking down over the swamp, with its game, food, and medicines, its beautiful pines, spruces, and balsams on the outskirts of the swamp, especially on a frosty morning, which gave it a picturesque sense of decorated Christmas trees, a most beautiful sight to behold from a distance. |
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It was on this
hill where our old friend, the late George Emerson Wyse, found his wonderful
fortune-telling stone, dotted with signs and wonders, with suns, sun-dogs,
moons, half-moons, stars, stripes, and figures of animals, whereby he could
tell forthcoming events, the seasons, and the weather. Oh, how he hoped to get to In later years, when they broke up the land and tilled the soil on this hill and also on the plain where the village was, they found all kinds of relics, and stone pipes and clay pipes, where they had smoked, no doubt, the pipes of peace. There were tools, hammers, knives et cetera. Not so much was known of this village, our parents just remembered it, that’s all. Uncle Charles Calfass saw a lot in his day, from the hunting Indian to the Woodsman, from the Woodsman to the Farmer, the tiller of the soil, and it is nice that these things were handed down to us, so that we can tell our children and our children’s children, of these early days. Uncle Charles
and his family were great supporters of the |
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On the northwest
corner of the village, Robert Jacobs took up land, a homestead. He came from the Benjamin Jacobs was six months old when he came with his parents to this country and he always lived on the homestead. He was a Methodist and a Conservative. He married Mary Mast, the widow of William Martin Senior, who, with his father, had kept a meat shop in the village. Mary with her three children, Mary Martin (Mrs. John Huether), William Martin Junior (of Puslinch), and Susannah Martin went to live on the Jacobs homestead till they were old enough to take over their own affairs, those being, Mrs. Huether, in her present home, William, on his father’s farm in Puslinch, and Susannah, remaining with her mother. Benjamin and
Mary Jacobs were also blessed with a nice family as follows, Samuel (on the
homestead, story about the cure for balky horses), Eliza (Mrs. John Clark),
Ann (Mrs. Walter Telfer, in |
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The northeast corner of the village was first settled by a family by the name of I may just mention here that when
Mr. Brown came from Bernard Brown
Senior died on November 26th 1897, in his 78th year. Mrs. Brown died April 9th
1918, at the age of 87 years.
The Brown family also was a large one, there being 14 children, as
follows: Catherine, (Mrs. Provan of Morriston), Elizabeth (dead), Louisa,
(Mrs. George McLean of Morriston), Solomon (dead), Magdalena (Mrs. William
Riley of |
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The subject of
this sketch is Mary Wurtz Gayer, widow of the late John Gayer. She was born at Baiersbronn, Her husband, John Gayer, was born in Sulsdorf
or On June 5th 1860, John Gayer and Mary Wurtz were united in matrimony and were blessed with a family of 8 children, Caroline (Mrs. Gust Gregor of Sebewaing, Michigan), Louisa (Mrs. Fred Peter Schultz of Morriston), Frederick Albert (died at the age of 3 years), Katherine (Mrs. Peter Zim of Hanover), Bertha (Mrs. James Moynes of Detroit), Lily (Mrs. J. Chisholm of Toronto), and Minnie (Mrs. John Durnin of Morriston). |
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Mr. Gayer died September
3rd 1905. Mrs. Gayer retained her
faculties until she died in August of 1927 and was for a number of years the
oldest resident in the village. It was
very interesting to hear her relate how she and her sister came to this From the time of her arrival here, Mrs. Gayer has always lived in the village and so has learned to know the village and its people. All her life had been spent in doing good and ministering to others, and at her death, many friends realized that they had lost a friend and adviser who could not be replaced. |
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Margaret Moatz was born in Aberfoyle in 1840. At the age of 19, she married Fred
Hingleman. They were blessed with
seven children, viz., Willie (dead), Anne (Mrs. Cousinere,
of Several years after Mr. Hingleman’s death, Margaret married Mr. Fred Dunkie and they were blessed with one son, Fred Junior (at home). Mr. Dunkie was a mason by trade and following his trade, he got work. He died in 1895 and since that time Mrs. Dunkie has resided in the village. When Mr. Dunkie married Margaret Moatz Hingleman, he already had a family of four children, of his former wife, namely, Sophia (Mrs. Henry Beaver Senior), Minnie (dead), John (on a farm in Nassagaweya), and Charlie (dead). The last ten years of her life, Mrs. Dunkie had not enjoyed the best of health, but not withstanding her sufferings, she always had a pleasant word or joke for her friends, thus endearing her to the community in which she lived. The writer of this history had the pleasure of conversing with the aged lady, and had her illness not been so severe from the time that this history was taken up until her death on April 25th 1927, many interesting facts could have been given of early Morriston. |
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Mr. George Elfner was born in Eiderbach, Proma, Baden, George and
Barbara Elfner belonged to the |
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The Kistenmacher Family Mr. Frank Kistenmacher Senior came from Germany with Gottetran Fisher, Fisher’s wife, ten daughters, and one
son.
They landed in Victoria Street was a log road, but now it has been made into a good gravel road. In 1856, Mr. Kistenmacher bought two lots across the road and built a frame house. In 1857, he was married to Mr. Fisher’s eldest daughter, and they were blessed with five daughters and two sons, two daughters and one son dying in infancy. In 1872, Mr. Kistenmacher Senior had the misfortune of losing his house by fire, but in 1874, the white brick house was built. This house is now the residence of Mr. Frank Kistenmacher Junior. |
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Mrs. Frank Fisher Kistenmacher Senior died in June 1893 and her husband died in September 1896, at the age of 70 years. Mrs. Elizabeth Fisher, Frank Kistenmacher Junior’s grandmother died in 1897, at 87 years, and her son Charles, an uncle of Frank Kistenmacher Junior, died in 1908. The Kistenmachers and Fishers were cabinet
makers and many of the beautiful pieces of furniture that they made
were awarded gold and silver medals by the Agricultural Association of Mr. Kistenmacher
Junior still has several beautiful butterfly wreaths that his father made and
which won awards for him at |
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Mr. Kistenmacher Junior has also still in his possession a cute, little old-fashioned piano, over a hundred years old, which his parents brought with them from the old country. I have seen the piano. It is said that our Queen Victoria is supposed to have played on it. The late Dr. Cormack owned a grandfather clock. It was about five or six feet high. No clockmaker throughout the country could repair and fix this clock, till finally it was sent to Mr. Frank Kistenmacher Senior. He toiled at it until he fixed it right. Such was the genius of old Mr. Kistenmacher. Mr. and Mrs.
Kistenmacher Senior were blessed with three daughters and a son, Emma (Mrs.
Charles Liebke, of |
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The Bieber Family The Bieber (Beaver) family settled in
Puslinch, a short distance north of Morriston. The great grandfather, Peter Bieber Senior,
was born in To Peter Junior,
his first son, he gave To Philip, his
second son, he gave To Nicholas, his
third son, he gave |
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Some time after his sons took over their homesteads, Peter Senior died, at the age of 80 years, and his sons, who were grown up, cleared the farms. Peter Senior was a Lutheran and a Liberal. His wife died after him. Peter Junior the
First, the father of Henry (Big Jim), was 30 years of age when he came to Philip Bieber
was 28 when he came to Puslinch with his parents. He took |
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Peter Bieber Junior the Third was two years old when his father, Philip, was killed. At 22, he succeeded to half of the homestead, and later, about 1870, the other half, and finished clearing it. He has handled imported horses for over 20 years, and had one of the first imported Clydesdales in the township. He has won numerous prizes with his horses. In religion, he was an Evangelical, and in politics, a Reformer. Although asked several times, he has always declined office. Peter Bieber
Junior the Third married Mary Holtzman.
Their children were William (dead, a tailor in Embro), Christle
(tailor in |
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Nicholas Bieber was
the third son of grandfather Peter Bieber, born in Germany in 1806, died in
1880, at age 74 years, and came with his parents to Puslinch in 1832. He was given by his father 100 acres, Nicholas Bieber
married Charlotte Yantz in |
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Henry Beaver, known as Pat, succeeded to the homestead at the death of his father, Nicholas, and has lived there for a number of years. He carried on mixed farming, kept good horses, and was a good teamster. He is over 70 years old. After he left the farm, he has since been a resident of Morriston. Some of his family are also residents of the village now. He is an Evangelical and an independent Liberal. Henry (Pat)
Beaver married Mary Winer, daughter of John Winer, of the |
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Henry Beaver,
known as Big Jim, was the son of Peter Bieber Junior the First, who lived on
the hill lot, Lot 25, now owned by James Black. Henry was born February 10th 1850 on the
said farm. He had lived for many years
in Morriston. About 50 years ago, he
married Sophia Dunkie. Their children
were Henry Junior (at home), Sophia (Mrs. Yates, of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, Henry and Sophia, have enjoyed good health up till a few years ago. Mrs. B. suffered for many years with rheumatism. Mr. Beaver died in 1931. Mrs. Beaver died on January 9th 1934. They were raised Evangelical. He was Conservative. Mr. Beaver was one of our pioneer thrashers. He and Pete Winer thrashed by horse power for a number of years, and later by steam. Before moving to Morriston, he farmed on a farm a couple of miles west of Morriston. He was also an expert at buck sawing wood. |
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The Fritz Family Jacob Fritz
Senior was born in Wurttemburg, Germany, in
1824. He died in 1869, age 45. He was a mason by trade. In 1844, or perhaps, in 1855, with his
wife, Elizabeth, leaving Jacob Fritz
Senior married Elizabeth Barth in Mr. Fritz died in his prime of life and Mrs. Fritz raised this large family, often working in the harvest field for 50 cents per day. All are well off today, and highly respected.
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Jacob Fritz
Junior is the oldest son of Jacob Fritz Senior and Elizabeth Barth. He is over
75 years old. He was a blacksmith in
Morriston for 15 years, after which, he purchased Lot 27 and part of Lot 28,
Rear of Concession 7, about 95 acres.
He carried on mixed farming. He
was an Evangelical and a Conservative.
He married Mary Bach. Their
children were Clara, Ida (dead), William, Christian, Arthur, and Irving. After he sold the farm, he worked in When Jake was a young man, his hobby was baseball. He caught behind the bat without gloves, mask, or breast pad. His hands were toughened by hard blacksmithing. One time, in a game in the brickyard, he struck the ball out of the boundaries and into the swamp. The bat broke in two, and, apparently unaware, he made a “home walk” with part of the bat still in his hand. He was about 5 feet 8 inches and weighed 165 pounds. One of his nicknames was “wiry Jake”. |
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John Fritz is a
son of Jacob Senior, a brother to Jake Junior, born in 1864, in
Morriston. He is six feet tall, over
200 pounds. (now 225 pounds) He was a
splendid wagon and carriage builder.
His shop was in front of the blacksmith shop, where his brother Jake
worked. John did the woodwork, Jake,
the ironwork, and above the shop, Mr. Hugh Campbell did the painting. They were awarded first prize many times
for workmanship on buggies and wagons at the county and township fairs. He made a wagon for my father that was second
to none! He was also the village
police for a number of years. He moved
to
John Fritz
married Harriet McIntyre. Their
children are Olive (of Windsor, high school teacher), Myrtle (Mrs. Weston, of
Windsor, also a high school teacher), and Grace (Mrs. Gould, of |
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William Fritz (dead),
a brother of Jake and John, was a big, strong, powerful man, born in
Morriston. He had a wonderful stature,
height, 6 feet, weight, 250 pounds, yet very active. He was a mason and also a blacksmith by
trade. He was a great athlete, always
won first prize in the fat man’s race and in the standing high jump with dumb
bells. No man in the vicinity could
jump as high as he could. It was
between him and his brother, Charles, as to who could throw the iron weight
or stone the farthest. It was tit for
tat. He was the bully in tossing over
the big pole. One first of July, when
I was a little boy, I saw him toss over a pole that no man in the country
could turn over. After sawing a few
feet off of it, they had to saw yet another piece off, and even then, only
one other big man could turn it over.
He was also a good wrestler. He
was raised an Evangelical in religion.
He left Morriston and went to Grand |
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Charles Fritz is
the youngest son of Jacob Fritz Senior, born in Morriston, in the old Fritz
home on |
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The Schultz Family Christopher Schultz, born in Mecklenburg,
Germany, died in 1883, age 82 years.
He served in the German army for three years and in 1856, he came to Frederick
Senior, first son of Christopher, with his wife and two children, left Frederick Schultz Senior married Mary Fam or Fram (spelling uncertain) in Morriston. Their children were Charles (of Michigan), Frederick Junior (known as Pete, representative of the Deering Company at Morriston, deceased), John (of Toronto, also a mason and bricklayer, dead), Christopher (Postmaster at Hespeler), Henry (of Michigan), William (of Toronto, later Beamsville, dead), and Mrs. Peppler (of Michigan, dead). |
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Frederick
Schultz Junior, known as Pete, born in (or near) Morriston, about 1859, died
July 1921. He purchased He helped to put up the first hay forks and slings and tracks in most of the barns around here. He was an implement agent for the Deering Company for a number of years, his shop being where the garage is now, beside his house. For a few seasons, he had a sawmill running in the woods of Robert Clark, and with a number of men working and living there, he kept the side road busy with teamsters. He was a peaceful and honourable man. He was an Evangelical and a Liberal in politics. Frederick
Schultz Junior married Louisa Gayer, daughter of John Gayer. Their children were Martha (Mrs. Russell
Binkley), John (of |
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Jacob Schultz Senior
was the third son of Christopher Schultz and a brother of Frederick and
Frank. He was born in Jacob Schultz
Senior married Sophia Crews. Their children
were William H. and Jacob C. Jr. (of William H. Schultz owns and operates the homestead of 170 acres and carries on mixed farming. He is an Evangelical in religion and a Conservative in politics. Mr. Schultz takes a strong interest in political matters and is a member of the Puslinch Conservative Committee. He has been Trustee of School Section #8 for nine years and is now serving his fourth term. William Schultz
married Fredericka Barth. Their children are |
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Jacob C. Schultz
Junior, a brother of William H. was born in the Township of Puslinch and
worked for his father, Jacob Senior, for a number of years on the farm. He married Sarah Anne Beaver, eldest daughter
of Peter Beaver, the horseman, and bought a farm in Frank Schultz,
2nd son of Christopher, brother of Frederick Senior and Jacob Senior was born
in Germany and died May 12th 1902, age 74.
He purchased a farm in Frank Schultz married Sophia Tarnow, who died January 29th 1913, age 78 years. Their children were Mary (Mrs. Peter Morlock, of Hespeler, died February 1933), Sophia (Mrs. Alfred Purnell, of Freelton), Louisa (Mrs. John Penrice, on farm near Morriston), Christina (known as Tina, Mrs. Monkhouse, on farm in Puslinch), Carrie (died), and Annie (Mrs. Silas Philpot, of Morriston). |
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The McEdwards Family Duncan McEdwards
was born in Badenoch, Donald McEdwards,
eldest son of Duncan McEdwards, settled on Lot 31, Front of Concession 8, on
the Brock Road, in Morriston. This
farm was homesteaded first by Jacob Rau, who cleared and tilled it, and part
of Morriston is built on part of this farm.
Mr. McEdwards was a clock peddler and a farmer. It was said that Donald traded his bush
farm, located “up country”, with Mr. Rau, for this farm in Morriston. Donald married Elizabeth McPherson. Their children were Christy (Mrs. James
Lang, dead), Jennie (Mrs. Kilgour, of |
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James McEdwards
Senior, brother of Donald, and the second son of Duncan McEdwards, settled on
Lot 37, Concession 10, Puslinch. James
was born in Alexander
McEdwards, son of James Senior, owns the homestead, to which he has added by
purchasing Gore, Lot 38, Front of Concession 10. He carries on mixed farming and is a
Presbyterian and a Liberal. He has
never cared for office. He married
Catherine Kennedy. Their children were
Mrs. Thomas Beaton (Puslinch), John McEdwards settled on Lot 30, Concession 8. He was a blacksmith in Morriston, where R. B. Morrison first kept store. He married Elizabeth McPherson, daughter of Linny McPherson. None of his children are living in the country. |
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The Winer Family Paul Winer
(Weiner), the grandfather, was born in Paul Weiner took
up 100 acres, Lot 33, Rear of Concession 7.
He, with the help of his sons, cleared the farm. The |
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Paul Winer
married Christina Mallet. Their children
were Andrew (deceased, settled in John Winer
Senior, son of Paul Winer, was born in |
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John Winer
Senior married William Winer
Senior is the third son of John Winer Senior.
He was raised on the farm, which he now works, carrying on mixed
farming. Born August 1854, he is
Evangelical and Liberal. He has been
Trustee of School Section #8, but has never cared to hold other municipal
office. He has always taken a great
interest in military affairs and has served at 20 camps with Colonel
Nicoll. He kept good horses, was a
good driver, and won 1st prizes at camp several times. The writer was made welcome in the Winer
home. William married |
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The Calfass Family Philip Calfass
was the eldest son of Grandfather John Calfass, a brother to Charles and
Christopher. He was born in
Philip Calfass
married Rachel Winer, daughter of Paul Winer, and sister of John Winer. He was the first convert in Morriston for
the |
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Christopher
Calfass, the second son of John Calfass, was born in 1824 in Germany and came
to Canada in early youth with his parents, about 5 years of age. He homesteaded Christopher
Calfass married Sophia Moatz, daughter of Jacob Moatz, born in Alsace, who was a soldier in Napoleon’s
army and fought in the |
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Charles F. Calfass was the eldest son of Christopher Calfass and grandson of John Calfass Senior. He was born in Puslinch in 1851 and raised there. In 1874, he married Christina Winer, eldest daughter of old John Winer Senior. He learned the brick
making business in Crediton, After the death
of his first wife, he was married again, in 1886, to Lizzie Drummond. The family belongs to the |
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The Rappolt Family Mrs. Marguerite Bender
Rappolt, born May 11th 1828, in Hessen Darmstadt,
Germany, married Lewis Rappolt, a teacher in Later, she married Jacob Thiele, who died April 9th 1902. She was an industrious woman and raised her family by working out by the day with the farmers until her children were big enough to work. She was a Lutheran but later became an Evangelical. She died December 5th 1910, age 82 years. |
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Otto Rappolt,
born in Hessen, Germany, son of Lewis and
Marguerite Bender Rappolt, arrived, in the company of his mother, at
Morriston in 1867, at the age of ten.
His education was limited, having only six months schooling. He was considered intelligent in his chosen
occupation. He served as apprentice to
the stone mason and brick laying trade, which he followed for many
years. Monuments to his skill,
industry, and integrity are to be found not only in this county, Otto was married, in 1881, to Fredericka Morlock, 22 years of age, daughter of Christian Morlock Senior. Their children were Lewis (born April 13th 1882, Morriston), Margaret (born August 10th 1884, Morriston), and Willie (born April 14th 1887, died in infancy). Otto’s wife, “Ricca” or “Ricka”, born in 1859, died 6 years after marriage, on March 8th 1888. |
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After his wife died, Otto and his brother, John, purchased 80 acres of Crown Land, Lot 28, Front of Concession 8 and also 80 acres across the Brock Road, Lot 28, Rear of Concession 7, from Bill Dawson, where they farmed and also worked at their trade for many years, until death. Otto was a scholar, eager to learn, having read many books. His hobby was feeding fat cattle. They bought them by the carload, and they were good farmers and good feeders. Mr. Rappolt was an Evangelical and in politics, an independent Liberal. He died August 26th 1926, at 4 p.m. John Rappolt,
Otto’s brother, born April 1st 1867, followed the stone mason and brick
laying trade with his brother for many years, and farmed as well. He was considered a smart scholar for the
schooling that he had, and smart in his trade, and also a good judge in
sizing up timber in a bush. Later, he
moved to Galt, and is now on a farm near there. He married a Miss Whyte. Their children were Margaret, John, and
Grace. He is a Conservative in
politics and in religion, of the |
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The Finkbeiner Family George Finkbeiner,
born in 1849, in Baiersbronn, Wurttemburg,
Germany, came to America at the age of 25, and landed in Morriston ( He was a member
of the |
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George
Finkbeiner married Miss Jacobina Brown. She was born in 1849 in The children of
George and Jacobina Finkbeiner were Mary Matilda
(died about age 30), Kate (Mrs. Hall, of |
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The Barth
Family George Barth Senior, born September 11th 1834, in Rottenacher, Wurttemburg,
Germany, died October 1910. He came to
Later, George was married to Sophia Louisa Schniph and settled on the farm of his father-in-law, E. Schniph, Lot 32, Front of Concession 7, behind the old Morlock homestead, where he carried on mixed farming until his son, Henry, rented the farm for a number of years. George later sold out to John McNaughton. (After that, George Elliot purchased the property; Edgar Boucher is now the owner.) George Barth was an industrious and hard working man. His wife died many years before him and his daughter, Minnie, kept house for him until she married, after which, he lived with his daughter, Ricca, Mrs. William Schultz. Mr. Barth was a great supporter and worker in the Evangelical Church, and was exhorter and class leader for many years, and could preach and take the preacher’s place if the preacher was absent or ill. He was President and Vice-President of the Sunday School for a number of years and was a great Sunday School teacher in the German language. |
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George Barth Senior was also a good singer. No matter how high the hymn went that was started, he could carry it through when the rest had to give it up. He, my father, Uncle Charles Calfass, and Fred Schultz Senior were very intimate friends and were the means, in their ample support, for the Parsonage being built. In politics, he was a Reformer. He was a good Christian man, beloved by all, and lived up to the principles that he stood for. The children of George Barth and Sophia Louisa Schniph were George Junior (in Port Arthur), Minnie (Mrs. Henry Stein, of London, deceased), Maggie (Mrs. McLean, later Mrs. McKenzie, widow, living with her daughter in Cuba), Henry (on a farm in Georgetown), Ricca (Mrs. William Schultz, widow, Morriston), John (tailor, died at age 30, in London), and Charles (drowned while saving the lives of two boys on the ice in Port Arthur). |
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Henry, son of George Barth
Senior, worked on the farm with his father.
When his father retired, he married Miss Bell Roszell, and rented his
father’s farm for some years. When his
father sold out, he moved to Henry was
Evangelical and a Liberal, but now belongs to the |
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The Fahrner Family Matthew Fahrner, born in 1829, in Baiersbronn, Wurttemburg, Germany, came to America in about 1855, at the age of 26, with the Wurtz and Haist families. He was a great friend of Gottlieb Morlock. They cut wood and made shingles together for a number of years. Matthew married
Eva Wurtz. They lived in a log house
on the old Haist homestead (later the Bach farm), for no other house was
obtainable. Later, they lived in a red
frame house on the Philip Beaver homestead.
Finally, they settled on |
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After the farm
was sold, Mrs. Fahrner built a house in Morriston, where she retired until
she died on June 9th 1919, age, 84 years.
Her daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Fahrner were Lutherans when they first came, but later joined up with the Evangelicals and were good supporters for the same. Politically, he was a Reformer. Their family was musical and talented, and they were good singers. Nearly all of them sang in the church choir, being a great help in carrying all parts. The children of Matthew Fahrner and Eva
Wurtz were Christie (died in infancy), John (of Morriston), Fred (of |
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John Fahrner, is the eldest son living of Matthew Fahrner, born March 16th 1856, in the old log house on the old Haist homestead. When a lad of 15 years, he started out with Mr. James McLean to learn the framing trade for barn building, working four seasons with him and two summers with Billie Peacock. After that, he worked on the farm with his father, and framed and built all the necessary buildings. Later on, John
Fahrner and his brother, Fred, went to |
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Mr. and Mrs.
Fahrner (John and Katie) are good workers in the They raised a
nice family. Their children were
Willie (“express man” on train for C.P.R., |
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The Bowman Family Grandfather
Joseph Bowman, born in Later, Mr. Bowman married Francis Steffner and raised a large family. He died at the age of 68 and his wife died at the age of 81, in 1905. The writer remembered of her and drove the hearse for Hugh Campbell. They were Roman Catholic in religion and Mr. Bowman was a Reformer in politics. The children of
Joseph and Francis Bowman were Joseph (died), |
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Anthony Bowman
was born on their old homestead in about 1864 and lived and worked on it for
most of his life. He used to go out
with the stumpers when he was a young man, and played the accordion in the
evenings. When the writer was a wee
boy, Tony drove the team for the stumpers on my father’s farm. He married Theresa Albright, of The children of
Anthony and Theresa Bowman were Harry (of |
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The Meldrum Family Reverend William
Meldrum, of Puslinch, was born March 16th 1806 (or 1808), in the Parish of
Abernethy, Soon after Mr. Meldrum
came to Puslinch, he purchased the right of a squatter to 100 acres of land
on |
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In 1845, Reverend
William Meldrum married Ann McLean, daughter of Peter McLean. Mr. Meldrum remained in Puslinch until
1852, when he received a call to Vaughan, York County, where he remained for
five years. He then became the pioneer
Presbyterian minister in Harrington, The children Of William and Ann Meldrum were Dr. Norman (graduate of Toronto University, medical branch, practised at Ayr, Ontario), Margaret (Mrs. Reverend James Stewart), Dr. Peter G. (graduate of Toronto University, medical branch & Edinburgh, practised at Whitby), Jenny (Mrs. Alex Marshall, Michigan), Miss Anne P. (teacher, Toronto), Dr. John A. (Belmont, Ontario), Mary (Mrs. C. A. Lemen, Detroit), George J. (Guelph), Elizabeth (teacher, Manitoba), and Alexander D.( B.A., barrister, Sudbury). |
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George J. Meldrum,
a son of the late Reverend William Meldrum, married Gertrude, daughter of
Robert Watt, of Kincardine. Their children were Anna G. (school
teacher, Mrs. Percy Worthington), and Elma L. (taught school in Atwood,
married & in George J. owned
the Meldrum homestead in Puslinch, known as “Melbank Farm”, which consisted
of 100 acres, later selling to William Winer Senior (now owned by John Winer
Junior). He also owned 100 acres in
the Gore of Puslinch, In politics, he
is Liberal and has always taken an active interest in political matters,
having been President of the township Liberal Association. He was Township Councillor for 4 years and
elected Reeve of Puslinch in 1905, which he later resigned, and was appointed
Township Clerk. He was also Secretary
of the Puslinch Agricultural Society for 35 years. He now resides in |
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The Nicoll Family Alexander
Nicoll, born in Forseheim, Forfarshire, Scotland in
1786, died in Puslinch in 1860. He
came to Alexander was a
very energetic man, taking a keen interest in the township and county
affairs. He was a member of the old
“District Council”. In politics, he
was a Liberal and in religion, a Presbyterian, being one of the promoters of
Duff’s Church. He married Mary
Alexander in |
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The children of
Alexander and Mary Nicoll were Mrs. W. H. Knowles ( At the time of
his retirement in 1893, the residents of Puslinch presented “Colonel Nicoll”,
as he was widely known, with a handsome gold watch in recognizance of his
various services on their behalf. In
1885, he received the appointment of |
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Lieutenant-Colonel
William Nicoll was a man of strong personal character, steadfast in his
convictions, and one of the best known and most highly respected residents of
this township. Since his retirement
from municipal office in 1893, he has devoted his time and energy to his farm
and has increased the homestead to 200 acres by the purchase of William married Jane McFarlane, daughter of John McFarlane of the 2nd Concession, and a sister to Dan McFarlane. Their children were Maggie (Mrs. Maurice McPhee, operator agent), William Alexander (at home), Mary Jane (married Dr. J. King, M.D. and M.P., of Guelph), John Stewart (died), George L. (Manitoba), Peter Ernest (at home), Wilbert R. (Manitoba), and Jesse E. (a nurse, living at home). Colonel Nicoll is now deceased. Jane, his widow, survives him, being in her eighties, and remains on the old homestead with her two sons and one daughter. |
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The Marshall Family John Marshall,
born in Stirling, Scotland in 1807, died in 1890, at the age of 83. He came to In 1835, he
settled in Puslinch, Lots 34 and 35, Concession 7, comprising 175 acres. He is said to have had the first team of
horses in the settlement, and made his wagon wheels from the ends of saw
logs. He engaged in teaming between
Puslinch and |
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John Marshall married Isabel Thompson, who died in 1883. Their children were Mary (Mrs. James Thompson, later Mrs. McLaren), John (banker at Cass City, Michigan, dead), Mrs. Donald Ferguson, Mrs. Henry Livengood, Neil (retired in Guelph, now dead), Alexander (in Michigan), and Archibald. (All have died since my original note.) Archibald
Marshall succeeded to the homestead, where he resided for many years. He sold the farm to James Wellington, after
which, he resided near the Puslinch Post Office, until he died in 1924. Later, Mr. Robins (or Roberts) bought the
Archibald
Marshall was one of the leading men in Puslinch, well-known for his
integrity. In politics, he was a
strong Liberal, and has been returning officer for a number of years, and he
has also served as a School Trustee.
For years, he has been the Precentor at Duff’s Church. He married Rachel Russell, of |
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The McNaughton Family Peter McNaughton
was born in Aberdeen, The children of Peter and Ann McNaughton were James, Peter Junior, Alexander, Mrs. James Keogh, and Margaret. James and Peter
McNaughton Junior, first two sons of Peter McNaughton, are
unmarried. In 1867, they purchased 98
acres, Lot 2, Concession 2, Division B, in Alexander McNaughton is a commercial traveller. |
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Peter McNaughton
(deceased) was born about two miles from Doon, in The children of Peter and Janet McNaughton were John (bought 100 acres, Lot 24 Front of Concession 7; none of his family are in the country), Angus (came about 15 years later and settled in Bruce County), Peter (was unmarried, deceased, he helped on the “New Survey” in 1832, under land surveyor David Gibson), Daniel (died in Scotland), Mrs. Alex McKenzie (settled originally on Lots 23 and 24, Concession 2), Mrs. John McFarlane (Lot 25, Concession 2), Hugh (died in Aberfoyle), Mrs. Jas. Armstrong (Eramosa Township), Alexander (married Mary Melvin, his widow and one daughter live in Guelph), and Malcolm (named below). |
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Malcolm McNaughton, son of Peter McNaughton, was born in Scotland, and was 10 years old when he came to Puslinch with his parents in 1831. He early on acquired pioneer habits, skill with an axe, as we find that he built one of the corners of the first church, now Duff’s, in 1835, being at the time but 14 or 15 years of age. He worked with his father to get ready money, and made shingles, for which he received $1 per thousand. In 1841, Malcolm
McNaughton purchased 93 acres, Rear |
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Malcolm McNaughton
married Janet Stirton, a daughter of James Stirton. Their children were Janet (died in
infancy), Daniel (on the 2nd concession), Mrs. Chris McBeath
(on a farm near Aberfoyle), James (in Galt), Peter (near Qu’Appelle,
Daniel
McNaughton, Malcolm’s eldest son, born on the homestead in 1877, bought 200
acres, Lots 23 and 24 on the 2nd Concession, where he carries on mixed
farming. He is a Presbyterian and an
Independent Liberal. He was in the
Township Council for one or two years and has assessed the township for about
five years. He is a very capable
officer, giving satisfaction by his equitable judgement. He married Jane Cowan. Their children were Janet, William G. (out
West), Margaret, and John M. (of |
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John McNaughton,
a brother of Daniel, was born on the homestead and worked there with David
until 1900, when he bought 180 acres, Lots 31 and 32, Front of Concession 7,
from George Barth Senior. He never held office of any kind. He carried on mixed farming and later sold
out to George Elliott Senior. He runs
the Morriston Post Office and resides at John McNaughton married Jane Reid, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Reid of the 1st Concession. Their children were Eva (died in infancy), Mabel, Lyla (Mrs. Keaths or Heaths), Reid and a son, who died in infancy. David McNaughton
works the homestead. He married a
daughter of John McGeachy. David was a
powerful, strong man, and was one of the six men who won the tug-of-war at |
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The John Clark
Senior (Generation 1) was born in Badenoch, The children of
John Clark Senior and Mary Grant were Angus, Robert, Duncan, Mrs. James
McRobbie (died in 1905), Donald, John, Mrs. Joseph Grant, Peter, Mrs. Peter
McIntyre ( Angus Clark,
(Generation 2), son of John Clark Senior, settled on |
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Robert Clark,
(Generation 2), son of John Clark Senior, settled John R. Clark (Generation 3), son of Robert Clark (Generation 2), grandson of John Clark Senior (Generation 1), born in 1848, owns the old homestead, where he engages in mixed farming. He has held no office except Trustee of School Section No. 9, for 8 or 9 years. He was a Presbyterian and a Liberal. He married Christina, daughter of the late Alex McLean. Their children were Margaret, Christina, Robena, and Sylva. (John R. has since died.) Duncan Clark
(Generation 2), son of John Clark Senior, settled on |
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Donald Clark (Generation 2), son of John Clark Senior, born in Scotland, settled Lot 27, Front of Concession 9, and later bought Lot 28, Front of Concession 9, both of which he cleared. He was a Presbyterian and a Liberal, and was living retired in Morriston, (where he and his wife died). He married Margaret McPherson. The children of Donald and Margaret Clark were John D. (of Brock Road), Peter (of Nassagaweya Township), Mary (at home), Dr. Angus (dentist in Woodstock), Mrs. John McKenzie (of Concession 11, Puslinch), Mrs. James Simpson (Concession 9, Puslinch), Dr. Donald (dentist in Hamilton), and Duncan R. (on the homestead). Duncan Robert
Clark (Generation 3), son of Donald Clark, was born and raised on |
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John Clark
Junior (Generation 2), still living, was born in James Clark (Generation 3), is the third son of John Clark Junior and operates the homestead. He is a first rate farmer and raises good cattle for market. He is a Presbyterian and a Liberal. He married Margaret Delgara. Their children were J. Ernest, Grace (died at 8), George (at home), Isabella, James D., Christina, and Grace M. Peter Clark (Generation 2), son of the late John Clark Senior, and brother of John Clark Junior, married Janet McCaig. He was a lumberman and died in Strathcona, in about 1903. |
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Malcolm Clark,
(Generation 2), the youngest son of John Clark Senior, the only one of the family
born in Canada, was born on Old Hallowe’en, in 1833, and was the first white
child born in the Badenoch settlement.
He succeeded to the old homestead of 200 acres, where he was born, and
is still living (when the first history was taken). He was a Trustee of School Section 9 for
some years. He married Marjorie
McPherson. Their children were Mrs.
Peter McKenzie (of John M. Clark,
(Generation 3), son of Malcolm Clark, grandson of John Clark Senior. He was born on the homestead, which he
operates. He is a first class farmer,
raising A-1 cattle and fine horses, and carries on mixed farming. He is a Presbyterian and a Liberal. He married Eliza Jacobs, daughter of
Benjamin Jacobs, of the |
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The Of all the
families in the Badenoch district, none has played a more important role than
the |
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In 1831, newly
arrived from Being of a mind to stay in Canada and determined to acquire land for themselves and for their relatives still in Scotland, they left “The Hollow” and struck west to the Grand River, following it through Galt, which was then but a hamlet, and continued northward to the present village of Elora, where there was a clearing of five or six acres. The land there was quite acceptable but it seemed too far back, and so they turned and came southward through Guelph, and then down the Dundas Road, later called the Brock Road, which was then just an oxen trail, until they arrived at Kelly’s Hotel, located near the town-line between Puslinch and Flamborough. |
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Here, they met two Scotchmen, named Nicoll, who were chopping and gave a good account of the land in the vicinity. Accordingly, on the next morning, McLean and Grant accompanied the Nicoll men to their holdings, and then one of the Nicolls went further on with them, to Andrew Stahl, who had settled on Lot 35, Rear of Concession 8, and from there, one of the Stahl family accompanied them even farther north. Pleased with
what they saw, Donald McLean selected Lot 31 Front of Concession 9 and Peter
Grant, Lots 29 and 30, Rear of Concession 8 for John Clark Senior, and Lot
32, Rear of Concession 8 for the McBain family, who had in the meantime come
up to Guelph from Glengarry. The group
erected a shanty on the |
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Donald McLean turned over his farm to his father, Peter McLean Senior, and then settled on Lot 31, Rear of Concession 9. Peter Grant turned over Lots 29 and 30, Rear of Concession 8, to John Clark Senior, his brother-in-law, and then took up Lot 32, Concession 9. (John Clark Senior had the first team of horses in Badenoch, a pair of greys.) The Peter McLean Senior (Generation 1), the grandfather, was born in Badenoch, Inverness-shire, Scotland and came to Canada in 1833 with all of his family, except his son Donald, who had preceded him. |
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The Morriston Brickyard Farm
Remembrance I think that it
was Mr. John McEdwards that homesteaded |
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J. McEdwards
sold 2½ acres of the Brickyard farm to George McLean, who built a house and a
grist mill. The mill was destroyed by fire. A barn was built near the road, at the
corner where the Brickyard farm gate was located, in which they kept
horses. This barn was removed from
there by George Elliott’s grandfather and set on the old foundation of the
grist mill. Peter Schultz and John
Hingleman levered the stone wall for the barn to rest on; the barn is still
standing. The saw mill site was near
the |
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Mr. Charles Callfass, my uncle, bought the farm from Mr. McEdwards and a brick making business was established. “Brickmaker Charlie”, as he was called, ran the brickyard for a number of years. After he moved to Drew, he made bricks there. The late William Crow told me that he worked for Charlie for some time and liked him very much. Mr. Stahl bought the Morriston village farm, Lot 30, Front of Concession 8, from another Mr. McEdwards, or Mr. McEdwards bought it from Stahl, I don’t know which. Anyway, subsequently, Charles Currie bought it, and still later, Wallace Currie owned it. When Mr. Stahl operated the Brickyard, he built a house, where William Currie now lives, from the brick made there at the Brickyard. After that, Sol
Brown, the son-in-law of my Uncle Charles Calfass, ran the brickyard for a
while. I don’t remember the days when
the brickyard was in operation, but I do recall pile after pile of brick
under cover in the yard. After it
closed down, I saw Sol Brown and my brother, Bill, teaming brick to Harvey Stewart
bought the Brickyard farm from Uncle Charles Calfass in 1905 and he sold half
of it to the late Andrew Elliott. The |
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A Toast to the Sunday School It was Mr. Robert
Rakes who began Sunday Schools, in I attended Sunday School nearly all of my life, each Sunday, starting at the Union Sunday School, for Presbyterians and Evangelicals alike, in Huether’s Hall at 9 a.m., followed by church at 10 a.m., and then our Sunday School at 2:00 in the afternoon. Hannah McLean was my teacher in the Union Sunday School and in our Sunday School, Mr. Elfner and the preachers. I enjoyed Sunday School, loved my teachers, and enjoyed working with brother Siebert. |
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The David Morlock House The History of This House This white brick house is the seventh house built on the old Morlock homestead. Number seven is a lucky number. Seven is a significant number. You see it mentioned in the Bible, in science, and in medicine. In 1830,
grandfather John Morlock emigrated from the old country, |
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When grandfather retired, he built a stone house near the line fence, in which Mrs. Emily McLean now lives. This is house number four. Grandfather’s son, John Christian, took over the old homestead and in 1882 built the stone house on the farm in which Mr. Neil Stewart currently lives. This is house number five. When my father, Christian Morlock, retired, he had the red brick house built in 1909, where Miss Louise Morlock now lives. This is house number six. In the autumn of 1909, David Morlock, son of Christian Morlock and my brother, decided to build the white brick house. He had been working with the Binkley Brothers in the Morriston store and drove the wagon on the road with goods. He bought one fifth of an acre from father, and the work began. He finished it in the spring of 1910. This was house number 7. In his lifetime, my father, Christian Morlock Senior, saw seven houses being built on the old homestead, and he also saw the construction of the old school, near the line fence next to the Winer farm. |
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My late brother,
Peter Morlock, was the contractor of the white brick house and drew the plans. My brother Ethelbert dug the cellar out and
mixed the mortar. The brick carriers,
that is, the labourers were Bert Huether and also my brother Bert. Robert Kennedy drew the stone and sand for
the foundation and cellar. The wire
cut brick was made in My brother,
Peter Morlock, and his two men, Billy Grinder and Noah Bowman, laid the
brick, masoned the cellar wall, and did the
plastering. The late Frank Kistenmacher
did the lathing. The late Oliver
Gingrich, of Hespeler, did the carpentry, and along with him were his boy,
Alvin, George Grinder, and Mr. Smith.
The shingles came from |
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The painting was
done by Mr. Baker and his assistant, Mr. Johnson, both of Hespeler. Mr. Lawrence Huether also did painting
after the verandah was built up. Mr.
Oaks, of Preston, put in the furnace for the heating system. Louis Gregor Senior dug and laid the pipes
and connected them to the main pipe for the water system. A company from The men boarded with my brother, Will, and me, in the old farmhouse, as we were batching it at the time, till our sister came to keep house for us. I prepared the breakfast and gave the first call for breakfast. Mother came up every day from the red brick house and made the dinner and supper. We had a most delightful time in the evening while the building was going on. |
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My brother, Dave, bought an old building, an old hotel called “Halfway House”, half way between here and Hespeler. He bought it for $50. Will and I teamed the lumber home. With the lumber, Dave built the barn, the sheeting for the roof of the house, the flooring for the attic, the stairs for the cellar and attic and the cellar doors. (By the way, the late Jim Reid built the barn.) One night I walked home from Morriston with a gentleman and when we came to this house he said, “Do you know that this house is haunted, that oftentimes when I pass by at night I hear strange moaning sounds.” He wouldn’t sleep in this house for anything. “You know”, he said, “your brother, Dave, bought the timber of that old hotel to build this house and dear knows what took place in that old hotel years ago.” I laughed at him and told him what caused those ghost-like sounds. My father had bought a fancy wire fence from Donald Hanning, for along the road, and on the gate, a little tag was wired to it, the name of the fence. If certain winds blew, the tag would make a sizzling sound and this is what he had heard. If there were ghosts in this house, I am sure that by this time they would have all disappeared, for there were no other but good people lived in this house, and a ghost couldn’t stand that. |
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While brother Dave was living there in 1912, he had the acetylene lights installed in the house. I can well remember the date, the 20th of December, for I was away, singing at a Christmas entertainment down in Mountsberg. A load of young people went with me, and when I came home at midnight, I saw such a terrible scene. There was someone young around with a flashlight. Upon further investigation, I found that all the windows had been blown out, some of the glass scattered over the lawn, nearly to the highway, and also the cellar door had been blown out. I expected that someone was hurt and when I entered my father’s house, I found my sister, Louise, and Barbara, my sister-in-law, with their faces and heads bandaged. Severely burnt, especially Dave’s wife, her fingers swelled up so badly that they had to file her wedding ring to remove it. The doctor had been there before I came home. Carmen, my niece, never got a scratch. She was playing the piano at the time, away from the window. |
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The man, who was getting things ready to light up, was in the kitchen, when Lu heard a boiling noise in the cellar and said, “What’s that noise I hear?” The man quickly ran toward the cellar, with lantern in hand, and set it at the cellar door, to shut off the machine. Barbara and Lu followed him to the cellar door. The man called up to keep the lantern away, but instantly there was an explosion, before the man got down the cellar steps. Bar and Lu were in line with the two windows on each side of the house and that’s why they received the force of the explosion. Bar had called over to Lu to come over to see the lights when it was ready to light up. Lu had a fur around her neck and that had protected her face to a certain extent. Be that as it may, I said before that No. 7 was a lucky house and it was lucky in this way. The explosion shook the house, but not enough to ruin it, and it was “lucky” that no one was killed. Although they had a nurse for some months, everything healed up in due season. |
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The first
residents of the white brick house were Mr. and Mrs. David Morlock and their daughter,
Carmen. They lived there from the
spring of 1910 until 1916, when they moved to The first minister in the new manse, the white brick house built by David Morlock, was the Reverend Stewart Woods. He served as Presbyterian minister from 1920 until 1925, the year of the church union debate, and being strongly in favour of a union that was firmly rejected by the Presbyterian Church, Reverend Woods, feeling that it would be inappropriate to remain, departed, to serve the congregations of the United Church thereafter. Reverend Woods, his wife, two children, and their dog, “Rowdy” are favourably remembered. Mr. Woods kept a horse and buggy, and later, a car. He kept a nice garden and also kept the lawn well-mowed. |
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The second
minister was the Reverend Peter Mathieson, who moved here in the fall of 1925
with his wife and daughter, Isabel.
Mr. Mathieson was a great flower man.
If you wanted to have an interesting talk with Mr. Mathieson, just
talk on flowers; he could name most of them.
They had lived here, at the manse, for about ten years, when Mr.
Mathieson took sick and died in 1935.
It was the first death in this house and the first funeral and the
largest funeral that I ever saw in Morriston.
It was a sad house for a while.
After that, Mrs. Mathieson held an auction and sold almost everything
that they had, and then moved to |
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The third minister was Reverend James Burgess, who came with his wife and one child, Billie, who was only three years old. They came to the manse in 1936 and stayed for six years. Mr. Burgess also kept a beautiful garden. He received a call to a ministry in Orangeville and moved there in 1943, and again, we were sorry to see them go. They had a family of two children while they were here. Billy was known as “Cookie Boy”, for he not infrequently came over for a cookie. Marion or “Apple Girl” came for an apple. Their son Andy, known as “Andy Bob”, was born at Orangeville. Finally, we must not forget Rex or “Ricca” as Billy called him. Ricca came here as a little pup. He is six years old. They took him to Orangeville, but on account of Andrew’s sickness, they brought him back. Ricca claims both houses as his home and gets treated just the same by our neighbours, the Quail family, as by ourselves, some times a little better. Ricca will miss those treats and the Quail children when they leave. |
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For a year or so, the manse was vacant, and if the walls could speak, they would surely have said that they greatly missed hearing prayers. However, in the fall of 1944, Mr. and Mrs. Quail and their children moved into the manse. Their names are Patsy, Arthur, Laura, and Diana. Mr. Quail is a seed inspector, works a fine garden, and keeps the surroundings clean and neat and the lawn well mown. The children help to keep the place lively and Ricca is quite at home there and he’ll miss them, especially the children, when they move away, and we will all be sorry when that time comes, for they are really good neighbours. We hope that the fourth minister, the Reverend Mr. Bryan, will find his stay at the manse as comfortable as the rest of the ministers. It ought to happen that way, for seven is a lucky number and the Bryan family is the seventh family to occupy the manse, the white brick house that David Morlock built. I said at the beginning that this No. 7 house had its significance, and the significance is this, that the house was bought for a manse, for ministers to dwell in, who should be servants of “The Lord”, to carry on his good will and work, and this is the history of House No. 7. Signed, Simon Morlock. |
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