Archive Alley

The Archive Alley is a full page spread in the Middlesex Banner. Is prepare on a bi-monthly basis by the Middlesex Centre Archives and the Glencoe & District Historical Society.

The Alexanders: A Migrant Story 

The Alexanders: A Migrant Story 

Glencoe & District Historical Society

By Kellie Davenport 

As the agent of his excellency the Right Honourable Lord Howden, Her Majesty’s Ambassador at Madrid, I hereby certify that Mr. James Alexander has been employed as a farm manager on his Lordship’s Grimston Estate for six years.

By his own desire, he will leave this country to try his fortune in America. I have great pleasure in testifying that his conduct has always been most trustworthy, steady and exemplary in the extensive farm works carried on here. 

Also, from his good education and experience in farming, I consider him well qualified to conduct and manage any agricultural operation in all its branches.

—M. Harington, Grimston Park, Tadcaster, Yorkshire. 

Penned in 1853, this letter of reference launched the Alexander family legacy in Canada—and a long line of dedicated Ontario farmers. More than 170 years later, the Alexanders’ original crown settlement south of Melbourne, Ont. is still a working cattle farm, now into its sixth generation of the family. 

These deep agricultural roots sprouted in rural Forfarshire, Scotland, before blossoming on a Yorkshire estate owned by a British lord and later blooming across the ocean in Southwest Middlesex. The Alexander story is a true migrant tale, showcasing the upheaval, ambition, dedication and success of newcomers to Canada.  

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From Yorkshire to Ekfrid and Back Again

From Yorkshire to Ekfrid and Back Again

Kellie Davenport

By Kellie Davenport 

As our Uber approached the stately manor house at Grimston Park, a historic North Yorkshire estate about 25 minutes west of York, the size of the property immediately struck us. The sprawling 2,500-acre estate was a far cry from our quaint 200-acre family farm in Ekfrid Township near Melbourne, Ont. 

But surprisingly, we felt right at home. 

Along with my parents, Debbie and Alexander, we had travelled to this far-flung county to visit this rather impressive place because our ancestor James Alexander (1824-1895), my three-times great-grandfather, once lived, worked and worshipped here. (Though he likely arrived here via Scotland by horsedrawn coach, not electric car.) 

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Women in the Shadows of the War of 1812

Women in the Shadows of the War of 1812

Glencoe & District Historical Society

“BONNETS AND BAYONETS”  Written by Emma Stack

There is never a doubt that a soldier marching obediently into a volley of musket fire is a hero. An army surgeon, his white apron stained with blood, working countless hours in the heat to save whomever he can, is also a hero. What of Generals, Lieutenants, and Captains who give orders, strategize, and feel the weight of entire armies on their shoulders as they command men to give everything to a cause? Surely, they are heroes as well. Historically, it seems easy to list the heroes of war, but it is rare that ordinary women and children are included on these lists. Today, I invite you to consider those left behind. They are not left behind by choice or lack of courage. Not because they didn’t feel the pull of the cause as deeply and passionately as their male counterparts. They were left behind, in the shadows, to do what women have always done: endure the hardships and try and prosper, all while maintaining their family’s wellbeing.  

“Soldiers on a March.” The Army Children Archive (TACA), 14 Jan. 1884, www.archhistory.co.uk/taca/move.html. Accessed 14 Aug. 2025.

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Bandit of Skunk’s Misery: The Life and Times of Orval Shaw

Bandit of Skunk’s Misery: The Life and Times of Orval Shaw

Glencoe & District Historical Society

by Paul Langan

Published in the April 2025 issue of the Middlesex Banner.

Orval Shaw, a name that once echoed through over 40 cities, towns and countryside of Ontario, was more than just a petty criminal. He was a symbol of defiance, a master of evasion, and a figure who captured the public’s imagination. I have drawn his story from historical accounts and newspaper reports, revealing the life of the man known as the “Skunk’s Misery Bandit.”

I first found out about Orval while researching other local history topics in the area of Hespeler, Ontario where I lived. During my research Orval’s name turned up several times as he was in Guelph, Hespeler, Idylwild and Puslinch during his escapades.

I was amazed that nobody had researched his life previously.  One of the main challenges was finding out more about Orval’s private life and the lack of photos of him. I was lucky to find a distant relative of Orval’s’ who supported my work.

Eventually I decided to do comprehensive research of Orval, and I am very pleased with the book that came out of that research.

Paul presented at The Archives,178 McKellar Street, Glencoe for a presentation on Wednesday night May 7th at 7:00 p.m.  Buy the book. For more information go to the website link, https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/event/may-7-the-bandit-of-skunks-misery/

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