In part 1 of this series, I described the altar window in St John’s Anglican Church, Glencoe. There is another fine stained glass window in St John’s, which is found at the rear of the church to the left of the main door:
The image is titled “Christ Knocking on the door”.
“…The Light of the World is an allegorical painting by the English Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt (1827–1910) representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on an overgrown and long-unopened door, illustrating Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me”….. The door in the painting has no handle, and can therefore be opened only from the inside, representing “the obstinately shut mind”.
This particular version does not show Christ holding a lamp but instead a staff.
The artist and the manufacturer are unknown to me. The style and colors of the picture suggest one of the major stained glass makers – Hobbs or McCausley.
The inscription reads:
In Memory of Thomas Strong who died 1st January 1927 aged 79 years.
He that liveth and believeth in me will never die.
Thomas Strong
From the census of 1891, Thomas Strong was a local farmer. He was married to Sarah Jane Strong. They had a son Frederick born 1881 but there is no local record for him after the 1901 census.
Thomas Strong had emigrated with Sarah from England. From below we can suppose that they both originate in the or near to Southwick, a small town in Sussex next to Brighton.
For Sarah Strong we have several peices of information from the Glencoe Transcript (thanks to Ken Willis for these):
Info from Glencoe Transcript – Wardsville News items. September 20, 1904 – Mr. and Mrs. Middlekrauff of San Francisco visited her sister Mrs. T. Strong.
September 21, 1906 – Mrs. T. Strong, who has been visiting relatives in Wiltshire England and niece Eva Frances, returned on the steamer “Empress of Britain” Sunday evening.
March 1, 1907 – Death of Sarah Jane Strong, age 57. Born in Southwick, England. Died at her home on Main Street, after a two day illness. Service at St James church by Rev. H.A. Thomas with burial in Wardsville cemetery. Cause of death : diabetes.
Info from Wardsville death records: 1 March 1907, Sarah Jane Strong, age 57 years, 3 months and 23 days, housewife. Residence – Longwoods road, Wardsville. (Main Street and Longwoods Road were one and the same). Cause of death was listed as diabetes.
Thomas became a noted benefactor of the church, loaning it $1000 to purchase the rectory building, and requiring only for interest to be paid, and the loan to be discharged at this death. In his will, he specified the stained glass window to be installed.
It is interesting therefore to speculate how his wife Sarah came to be buried in Wardsville after a funeral service at St James Church in Wardsville. There is also the disappearance of their son Frederick from all public records after 1901.
Prepared by the Executive members for the members of G&DHS. For the AGM April 16, 2025.
Preserving Our Family Histories for Future Generations
Our ancestors—whether Indigenous, settler descendants, newer generations, or recent Canadians—have all contributed to the rich history of our communities. Each of us carries important stories that deserve to be told. Historians seek the truth, striving to understand what really happened and how people have worked together over time. We share a common past, woven together through generations. Consider this: each of us has two grandmothers, four great-grandmothers, eight great-great-grandmothers, and so on—each with their own unique stories waiting to be remembered.
Every family needs both storytellers and story keepers. The Glencoe & District Historical Society encourages families to record their histories—write down stories, label the backs of photographs, and document the details that future generations will cherish.
Some families are fortunate to collaborate with authors like CJ Frederick, who transform family histories into engaging historical novels. Others use platforms like Remento or StoryWorth to compile family memories into beautifully bound books that can be passed down for generations. Online genealogy tools such as Ancestry.ca have also made it easier than ever to trace our roots.
Many families bring their archives and precious artifacts to the Historical Society for safekeeping. In today’s digital world, we recognize what a treasure trove these collections are. While digitization allows for easy sharing, it does not guarantee long-term preservation. Whether in digital or physical form, historical records are always at risk. By working together to protect and document our shared past, we ensure that future generations will have access to the rich stories that shape our community.
These are our aims for 2024/2026:
Connect with membership and build close, working relationships with all our local groups, our regional heritage groups, and the elected reps and staff people of Southwest Middlesex and County of Middlesex.
Ramp up our outreach and channels. Mobilize an IT circle to support improved communication and decision-making.
Digitize and record our stories, curate, preserve, upload, and share. Figure out better platforms for working together. Facebook groups don’t cut it.
Learn the tools offered by dynamic governance, and the flourishing business canvas
Bring our elders and youth together. Tell all the stories. 10,000 years of local history. Place making.
Build a cultural network to link history with tourism. Nurture and support the arts in heritage and cultural communities.
Lead the interactive Barn Quilt Trail project, which features an alliance of four organizations plus FedDev Government of Canada, the funder. Link our cultural assets to local tourism strategies and investments. Work with Middlesex county tourism.
Advocate for county archives. Interpret history along the Thames river Watershed arts corridor
Invite skilled local people and support their history passions. Build teams around peoples’ interest. Assign domains. Delegate authority.
Update and revise our bylaws. Build a closer working relationship with the Ontario Historical Society.
Build out our organizational structure. We have a great foundation in our bylaws featuring managers. Build a circular hierarchy to support workers, facilitators, leaders, and admin support.
Engage the branding dream team to do an agile branding process for G&DHS, the interactive Barn Quilt Trail, and our various groups and projects that need a brand
Figure out how to tell our amazing stories, make sure they are preserved and interpret the amazing history of Ontario Southwest, that we want to share with family, friends, community, travelers, guests, youth, new, Canadians, refugees, children, all of the people that make up our Rural society people.
Working towards a County Archives
G&DHS is a member of the Committee to Establish a Middlesex County Archives and we continue to educate and lobby County representatives of the importance of doing their part to preserve our social and cultural history. Middlesex County has no official mechanism for the preservation, storage and archiving of historical documents and artifacts, both public and private.
As the older generation transfers family histories, photos, and records to the next generation, much ends up in dumpsters. Middlesex County is one of a few counties in southern Ontario that does not have a County Archive. This means that the responsibility falls to volunteers and we need help.
Ken Willis and The Wardsville Museum
Link to Ken Willis’ remarks in early December, 2025. Link to Denise Corneil’s remarks to Southwest Middlesex Council April 9, 2025.
For over two decades, Ken Willis, Wardsville’s Official Historian, has dedicated himself to preserving Wardsville’s history, curating a collection donated by residents that tells the story of Wardsville and its people. The Wardsville Museum houses this collection of artifacts and stories that showcase Wardsville and Mosa’s rich history.
On March 13th, the Glencoe and District Historical Society (GDHS) formally accepted the role of custodian for the Ken Willis Collection, which is housed at the Wardsville Museum, located at 1787 Longwoods Rd, Wardsville, ON N0L 2N0.
History of Wardsville Musuem
The Wardsville Museum holds deep historical and cultural value, but it currently faces significant infrastructure challenges:
No running water or bathroom facilities, limiting its functionality and accessibility for visitors.
Lack of wheelchair accessibility, making it difficult for all community members to enjoy.
We worry that these limitations leave the museum vulnerable to being considered “less viable for public use”—a concern given Southwest Middlesex’s past decisions regarding historic buildings.
Following municipal amalgamation in 2000, which merged Glencoe, Appin, Melbourne, Wardsville, Mosa, and Ekfrid Townships into the newly formed Municipality of Southwest Middlesex (SWM), municipal officials began assessing buildings that were outdated and required significant investment to meet modern standards.
Among the casualties was the Wardsville Community Hall, once the heart of the community, with its wood floors, stage, and historic charm. It contained washrooms that served Little Kin Park. Despite its historical and functional value, the hall was put up for sale by public tender with a closing date of June 6, 2001, and ownership was transferred to a new owner.
To preserve a local gathering place, the municipality partnered with the Hammond Masonic Lodge, designating the Wardsville Masonic Hall as the new community center. In 2023, the Wardsville Hammond Masons “went dark,”. In 2025 the Masonic Hall was gifted to Southwest Middlesex.
HERITAGE PLAQUE SIGNS
Nine aluminum signs have been installed on houses, farms, and businesses in Glencoe, Caradoc, Mosa and Ekfrid. They are 11’’ X 16” in bronze or silver aluminum and cost $150. Significant research by Harold Carruthers is required to determine facts about the properties. Contact research@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca if you would like to commission a sign for your property.
Houses: Information includes the year the house was built, the first owner’s name and occupation, the builder’s name, and the heritage location (original address).
Businesses: Name of business, architect, heritage location, and name of the builder.
Farm: original owner of the 100 acres, the builder/owner of the first house, year house was built and heritage location.
Cemetery Signs.
Thirty eight signs have been installed within SWM, and three outside of SWM, but within our area. Hykut Signs was our local manufacturer. These standardized signs show the name of area cemeteries and when they were established. We have identified and signed the forgotten ones also, so that our pioneer ancestors will be remembered. This year, we concluded this project by getting these signs installed. Our partnership with the Municipality of Southwest Middlesex allowed this to happen. Our Society funded the manufacture of the signs and SWM covered the installation.
Ken Beecroft, Gerry Cross and other enthusiasts in the district assist with the Find A Grave.com website database. Find A Grave is a worldwide collection site developed to identify and document those who have gone before us. This initiative depends upon knowledgeable volunteers who share a passion for history. Identifying the individuals who make up history, especially local history is by no means an easy matter. Find A Grave volunteers have identified, pinpointed and defined over half a million cemeteries worldwide.
Ken Beecroft focuses on Find A Grave data development in the G&DHS geographic area, which dovetails well with cemetery and family research information onhand in the Archives. Obituary information used to be painstakingly gathered by volunteers but now it can be entered locally into this huge on-line data base and accessed by descendants from anywhere in the world. A great genealogical tool indeed.
Facebook moderator and Curator of the Glencoe Transcript Archives
Marie Williams has been actively involved in heritage projects, including the murals and house signs, working with Harold and Rick at Hykut Signs to ensure historical accuracy and clarity in the details.
She collaborated with Harold on organizing and promoting the Peter McArthur events, designed event posters for the Society’s monthly meetings, and contributed to online event promotions. She also prepared display boards for both the arena anniversary and the Peter McArthur event.
Marie regularly photographs meetings and events to document and share the Society’s activities.
Marie manages the The Glencoe and District Historical Society Facebook Page which has 1.1K followers, ensuring a minimum of two historical posts per week. Yearbook posts are particularly well-received, along with historical research compiled from the Glencoe Transcript, London Free Press, and other sources. She also collaborates with Harold on historical posts, which inspired her to create dedicated content for Burns Presbyterian Church Mosa in a Facebook Group. .
In a recent 28-day period, the Society’s Facebook page achieved the following:
Page Views: 43,232
Reach: 10,245
Content Interactions: 999
New Followers: 24
Followers:1100
Heritage Mural Project.
In 2022, G&DHS was initially approved for a Grant from Middlesex County, the “Makeover Middlesex 2022” program, which paid for the mural signs. The historical society funded the installations.
We have plans for more murals in Appin, Melbourne, and Wardsville and need to find sponsors. Harold Carruthers is coordinating. Current locations are:
McKellar Hotel – 230 Main Street, Glencoe, ON. Photo shows East side of Main Street. Between McRae and McKellar Street
CIBC, 252 Main St, Glencoe, ON N0L 1M0. Photo shows Main Street during the 1890s looking north.
The Archives – Photo shows the Glencoe Town Hall, 1898 – 1962.
The Archives – Photo shows the Glencoe Post Office and Customs House, 1909 – 1965.
Appin Main street – Photo shows General Store east side of Main Street.
Wardsville, 1787 Longwoods Road on the Wardsville Museum wall – photo shows Main Street.
Glencoe Fair Grounds, two murals featuring the Glencoe Fair installed by the Glencoe Agricultural Society.
Foodland – 195 Main St, Glencoe, ON N0L 1M0. Photo shows Apple Pickers, Ekfrid Gore Road.
Mary Simpson’s grandson Ryan Snider at Strathburn Park, 3577 Middlesex County Rd 2, Glencoe, ON N0L 1M0.
Connecting with Membership
By Harold Carruthers
Current membership on March 31, 2025 is 109. This is up from approximately 55 in 2023. Seven members were gained from the House Sign project.
Estimated Volunteer hours – April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025 – 1945 hours. Those are just the recorded hours. Three times as many estimated.
Operational Roles
We have incredible volunteers and need more. We think we are a pretty fun group: talk to Mary Simpson or any executive member about what we need to support this work.
General Manager – Harold Carruthers
Archives and Collections – Norm McGill
Treasurer – Diana Jedig
Secretary for the Executive – Denise Corneil
Membership Secretary – Harold Carruthers
Facebook Page – Marie Williams
Church Architecture – Interior & Exterior documentation – Bill Simpson
Objective – build close, working relationships with all our local groups, our regional heritage groups, and the elected reps and staff people of Southwest Middlesex, Newbury and County of Middlesex.
We do our best to support other cultural and heritage groups in our district:
A Split Village at a Crossroad, Melbourne, Ontario. JoAnn Lucas Galbraith, Richard Hathaway. They publish a weekly on-line newspaper.
Your Wardsville – Wardsville Museum – Official Historian Ken Willis
Appin Ekfrid Museum – Heather Jacobs, Dunc Hodgson, Marilyn MacCallum
Tyrconnell Heritage Society – Backus Page House and Museum
Middlesex Centre Archives
Committee to Establish a Middlesex County Archives
Strathroy & District Historical Society – great monthly programs.
Upper Thames Military Re-enactment Society. They organize the annual memorial in early March every year.
Chippewa of the Thames cultural staff
Muncey community – Mt. Elgin Residential School – Deb Richter and Reta Hart. Brown Tom’s School Days.
History Symposium – monthly events.
Municipality of Southwest Middlesex – new CAO Amanda Gubbels and recreation staff, Kevin Miller.
United Empire Loyalists
Royal Canadian Legion Reg Lovell Br 219, Glencoe
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 510, Melbourne
Words – by Josh Lambier. Monthly author series often featuring authors who write historical fiction and local histories.
Roots and Neighbours Community Summit
We want to work with SWM and all the organizations in our District on building collaborative working relationships. Sometime in 2026, we hope to meet at the “Roots and Neighbours Community Summit” to strategize to make the most of scarce resources and have fun doing it.
Because of taxpayer support, G&DHS gives a safe home to documents, photographs and artifacts of local historical significance, which have been donated to us by area residents and Society members. The Archives has room for meetings, restoration workshop, a sales area, an office, stacks for books, documents and artifacts along with special collections, microfilm library, and archival space for artifacts.
Due to the commitment of Harold Carruthers, Irene Mathyson, and the Society during the 1990s, instead of being shredded after being digitized by the Ontario Government, our precious property records have made their way home to the original Registry Office, which we now call “The Vault”.
We share this space with the community. This wonderful facility, The Archives, allows us to host educational activities onsite. We have everything available –access, washrooms, seating capacity, wifi, parking – the only think we are missing is a kitchenette.
G&DHS and the Municipality of Southwest Middlesex have an agreement for the stewardship of 178 McKellar Street. In March 2025, we met with municipal staff to clarify responsibilities for the building and grounds.
We share The Archives with other community organizations. Organizations such as local cemetery boards, such as Oakland and Eddie, and Southwest Middlesex’ “Celebrate Community Committee” have conducted their routine members’ meetings at 178 McKellar Street.
Southwestern Ontario’s barn quilts
The barn quilts—vibrant artworks adorning barns—continue to captivate travelers, yet their origins and connections to local history remain unknown to many.
In 2024, four groups applied to the Tourism Growth Fund to transform the Barn Quilt Trails into a tourism experience: Glencoe & District Historical Society; Creative Communities – stewards of Barnquilttrails.ca ; Chippewa of the Thames cultural group; and EXAR Studios. While the request was unsuccessful, the Glencoe & District Historical Society remains committed to supporting barn quilts.
This year, efforts will focus on revitalizing the Native Women’s Trail of Tears Barn Quilt Trail and sustaining BarnQuiltTrails.ca, the national barn quilt database.
G&DHS and the Middlesex Centre Archives take turns finding authors to contribute to the Archive Alley, a full page featured in this biweekly newspaper covering Middlesex County news. This past year:
Peter McArthur by Stephanie McDonald March 2024
Barn Quilt history by Mary Simpson and Denise Corneil. April 2024
Profile of Jean Hewitt May 20 2024
Installment of suffragette history by Jean Hewitt complementing the 1st Wave Suffragettes meeting held at Tait’s Community Centre, June 2024.
Reverend Enos Montour (1898-1985) a United Church minister and writer from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Brown Tom’s School Days, 2nd Edition.
Local Author bookfair – On December 5, 2024, we supported an Afternoon With Authors book sale organized by the Mary Webb Centre in Highgate, a fundraiser to restore the beautiful stained glass dome.
“Peter McArthur: Our Famous Canadian – 1866 – 1924”
February 22, 2024, we kicked off a year long tribute to our local sage, Peter McArthur. Joining from Ireland, guest speaker Stephanie McDonald, described McArthur’s life and works, focussing on the last 16 years of his life after he moved back to the home farm in Ekfrid Township.
Another long- time McArthur enthusiast, Don Sinclair closed the afternoon event, speaking about his connection to McArthur through the home farm and, in particular, the demonstration woodlot where McArthur wrote about his unique appreciation for rural life and nature.
June 16, 2024. Peter McArthur.An impressive crowd gathered for the “Haunts of Peter McArthur” road trip Sunday afternoon, June 16, starting out at what was the McArthur homestead on McArthur Rd. before moving onto the Eddie Cemetery on Glendon Dr. and finally back to the Archives in Glencoe. Two plaques were unveiled along the way as McArthur trivia and memories were shared. Both young and more established fans of the works of the “Sage of Ekfrid,” family members and historians enjoyed the afternoon which was organized by the Glencoe and District Historical Society. The Society is marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Peter McArthur in 2024.
October 27, 2024: Tree Planting to Honour Peter McArthur. Nineteen were in attendance for the tree planting ceremony honouring Peter McArthur held at the Eddie Cemetery on a sunny Sunday afternoon, October 27, the 100th anniversary of McArthur’s death.
Isabel Sinclair and Kasia Kalita – next generation historians learning and sharing stories about their heritage.
Programs: Sharing Our History
Obj: Discover, preserve, and share the incredible stories of Southwestern Ontario’s history. We aim to ensure these histories are safeguarded and interpreted for all—family, friends, community members, travelers, guests, youth, newcomers, refugees, children, and everyone who contributes to the fabric of our rural society.
April 17. 2024 – Annual report for 2023 and highlights from the meeting. Marilyn McCallum and Ken Willis retired from the Executive but continue their work as local historians. Joining the Executive were Diana Jedig (Treas), Denise Corneil (Sec’y), and Rhonda Long (Promotion).
May 25, 26, 2024 – Canadian Wartime Homefront – Backus Page House and Museum. Our volunteers participated in this event to bring awareness to what life was like on the Canadian Homefront during the two world wars. There were interactive stations, educational booths and book signings. We learned about wartime livelihoods: Rationing, Red Cross Efforts, Farmerettes, Entertainment, the Miss War Worker Pageant, and a Wartime Wedding.
May 29, 2024 The Famous Five presented by the London Women’s History Project at Tait’s Corners Community Centre. Set in Edmonton during the Great War, we saw the Famous Five return from a protest march to drink tea and discuss their cause and the war. Prime Minister, Robert Borden is in Edmonton and they must speak up.
Edmontonian Emily Murphy became the first female judge in the Commonwealth on January 1, 1916. On her first day in court and frequently thereafter, lawyers would begin their presentation by objecting to having their case heard by a woman judge because, they said, women were not “persons” as defined by the British North America Act of 1867.
Luckily for the women of Alberta, in 1917 the ruling by a Calgary judge, Alice Jamieson, was upheld by the Supreme Court of Alberta, thereby establishing the principle that both men and women were persons and therefore equals.
June 16, 2024. Peter McArthur. The “Haunts of Peter McArthur” road trip Sunday afternoon, We started out at what was the McArthur homestead on McArthur Rd. before moving onto the Eddie Cemetery on Glendon Dr. and finally back to the Archives in Glencoe.
June 22, 2024. Royal Canadian Melbourne Legion Branch 510 dedicated a beautiful new mural painted by Ohla Kovalenka located at the Melbourne Legion, 21884 Melbourne Rd, Melbourne.
July 20, 2024 – Tartan Days in Glencoe, over the past several decades, has been a unique opportunity for the community to celebrate its Gaelic heritage and allow the people of Glencoe and area to get involved in local activities and have some fun. G&DHS hosted an open house event at the ARCHIVES. After numerous visitors made their way to the Archives throughout the morning, a ceremony was held at 1:00 pm, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the Village of Glencoe, the belated 200th anniversaries of the Townships of Mosa and Ekfrid, the 170th anniversary of arrival of the first train in Glencoe.
G&DHS also had a booth near the Glencoe Train Station beside the Old Auto magazine. Author CJ Frederick joined the booth offering local readers a sneak peak to her first full length historical fiction novel, Rooted & Remembered. The author’s parents and husband were on hand to help CJ Frederick get this new book into the hands of readers.
July 28, 2024: – Appin Cemetery Commemoration
Every July we take time to honour those who came before us by conducting Memorial Service at an area cemetery. This past year it was held at Appin Cemetery, Ekfrid Township, where we enjoyed a beautiful Sunday afternoon under the shade, with about 40 people present. It was noted that the cemetery was very well maintained. The history of the Cemetery was provided by James May along with several Cemetery Board members and G&DHS members. After the Memorial, folks toured the cemetery. We are planning this event for July 2025 for Simpson Cemetery in Mosa Township. Link to event report.
August 21, 2024: McEachren Collection at Forty-87 Well over 100 visitors, including members of the Glencoe and District Historical Society, neighbours, community members and John Deere enthusiasts from far and wide, gathered at the home of Dave McEachren on Olde Dr. on Wednesday evening, August 21.
After self-guided tours of his outdoor displays, Dave spoke to the crowd explaining that, at age 10, he had first become involved in the Glencoe Fair farm toy competition. He recalled buying his “first toy that he didn’t play with” from Tips. Following the advice of his uncle, he chose to focus on one thing to collect and he chose John Deere. His focus grew from toys to signs, memorabilia, tractors and other equipment.
Heritage Farm Show, September Labour Day Weekend – Backus Page House Annual Farm Heritage weekend. Thanks to our volunteers, we were able to provide our travelling display inside the agricultural museum for the two day event. This certainly a worthwhile event for families. G&DHS has made a commitment to support this event every year.
Author and storyteller Bob Gentleman signed his new book, “They Settled in Riverside,” and presented a copy to Ina Nelms for The Archives in Glencoe.
Gail McHardy-Leitch showed off her sunflower quilt block, painted at the Crazy 8 Barn, to barn quilt enthusiast Denise Corneil at the Heritage Farm Show.
Glencoe Fair, September: Harold and Norm maintained a steady presence at Glencoe Fair alongside the Quest Centre booth and CJ Frederick’s book promoting her new book, Rooted and Remembered.
October 27, 2024: Tree Planting to Honour Peter McArthur. Speakers at the event, recognizing the “The Sage of Ekfrid” were Mirah Simpson, Isabel Sinclair, Kasia Kalita and Harold Carruthers.
November 11 – “ Remembrance Day” G&DHS always lays a wreath in tribute to those who served during Canada’s wars and military conflicts. This year our wreath was laid by Past President Ken Beecroft and honourary member, Ina Nelms, who celebrated her 100th birthday on December 17, 2024.
January 25, 2025. The Truth in Truth and Reconciliation Educational Board Game.
Aya Macdonald hosted a game board meetup. Says Aya: “Authentic, Original, Indigenous, all elements of this board game are credibly sourced. This board game is designed as a grade 10 History class resource but is not just for students and teachers — we all have a role to play in Truth and Reconciliation”
Norm McGill is our Vice-President and curator. He carefully organizes and describes our collection of artifacts and papers. Saturdays are a great time for members to drop in and we have started organizing special activities for our members and the public. Norm has organized a couple.
On March 15, 2025, we encouraged members to drop in with their computer and phone issues. Aya Macdonald was available to help people with their glitches and devised work flows for handling photos.
Karen Aranha goes home happy after Ayako solved her phone problem.
March 16 – John Little In Conversation: Reimagining The Donnellys
An on-line visit with award-winning author and filmmaker John Little to talk about The Donnellys, his two-volume tour-de-force history of Southwestern Ontario’s most famous true crime story.
Thank you from James Stewart Reaney, President: London and Middlesex Historical Society. londonhistory.orgJust a quick note of appreciation, Josh, for the first-rate conversation with John Little. The Donnellys tragedy was reimagined over the fascinating twists & turns & revelations of the Words event. The audience was engaged & many seemed to be personally involved through family & other connections. Thanks, Mary Simpson, for bringing The Glencoe & District Historical Society family to the party. On behalf of The London and Middlesex Historical Society, thanks Josh & John & Mary for this excellence — & let’s see what other adventures we might find.
March 30, 2025. Burns Presbyterian Church.
A great crowd attended Sunday’s “Stroll Through Time” at Burns. The event had been postponed from February due to icy conditions. Morgan MacTavish served as narrator with cast members Sarah, Sophie, Anela and Audrey Faulds, Andrew Johnson, Courtney Bailey, John David MacTavish, Taylor Chalupka and Carol Leitch doing a great job in their roles. Scriptwriters and organizers were Flora Walker, Louise Campbell and Mary Simpson.
Meet our Executive
Mary Simpson, President 519-318-1074 mary@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
Rhonda Long, Director 519-873-0243 Retiring after one year.
President, Mary Simpson: Mary is a champion for collaboration and is intent on inviting the younger generations into culture and heritage spaces. She enjoys networking with our sister organizations and identifying speakers and activities for future programs. She is half way through her two year term and is actively seeking people who have a passion for local history to join the fun at the Society.
Vice President, Norm McGill: “Growing up in West Lorne after WWII, there were so many different veterans from different wars and eras and some of them told their stories. I always liked the old artifacts. Objects help us remember people and places. A lot of my personal collection is family and local – not expensive articles – but objects that become treasures as the years pass”. Norm is a passionate collector who cares for the artifacts and papers housed in The Archives. He started collecting coins and stamps when he was five years old and the collections grew from there.
Past President, Ken Beecroft: This position provides continuity and transition from President and past president acts in the President’s absence. Through 2023-24, G&DHS continued with on-going agenda items, allowing Past President duties to encompass “house projects”. One Project involves Ken’s interest in assisting with the Find A Grave.com website database. Find A Grav.com is a worldwide collection site developed to identify and document those who have gone before us.
Secretary, Denise Corneil: Taking on the role of Executive’s secretary, she is beefing up the Society’s admin capacity and acting as a link with Ken Willis to Wardsville. Denise was integral to the launch of North America’s first “Story Telling” barn quilt trail. Denise animated the Wardsville residents to design a unique trail project which intertwined fabric, film, paint, and pen, showcasing the life of founders Mr. and Mrs. George Ward through thirty 8’x8′ barn quilts crafted with 1000 volunteer hours in 2010.
Treasurer, Diane Jedig: Diana has 19 years of board governance within the Canadian CED Network. With 35 years in non-for-profit management, Diana Jedig excels in fundraising and project coordination. She is a member of Creative Communities and a stalwart supporter of Canada Barn Quilt Trails. She is one of the protectors of the Native Women’s Trail of Tears Barn Quilt Project and lives in Chippewa of the Thames community.
Director, Promotions & Outreach: Rhonda Long is a passionate advocate for Southwestern Ontario tourism, dedicating 18 years to promoting the region through “Daytripping in Southwestern Ontario.” With a knack for forging connections across the tourism sector, from Direct Marketing Organizations to quaint museums, Rhonda’s mission is to unveil the wonders of one’s own backyard.
Director: IT & HR, Ayako MacDonald – Aya is a recent arrival from Tokyo who is captivated by local culture and history. One cultural insight that truly surprised her is the limited emphasis on local history in Canadian schools. This discovery ignited her passion for preserving the stories and traditions that shape our community. Aya brings a fresh perspective to our historical society by: modernizing workflows, connecting the past and present, and helping us plan for the future.
General Manager, Harold Carruthers: Harold manages operations and is assisted by Norm McGill. Harold is a wealth of knowledge and keeps the Archives and its collections and programs coordinated and supported. He is the official historian for the Carruthers Clan internationally and is widely known throughout history circles.
Honouring Lorne Munro
We miss Lorne. We lost Lorne at Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital , Strathroy on Monday, March 18, 2024 William “Lorne” Munro passed away in his 91st year. Predeceased by his wife Phyllis (2023). Dear father to Janice and Tom McCallum, Susan Sinclair and Steve Schneider and Cheryl and Roy Neves.
Lorne was a great supporter of local projects. When the local Society didn’t have many active projects, Lorne encouraged us to support other projects. Lorne helped digitize 2300 wills and maintained a list of obituaries and births dating back to the 1870s.
Objects of G&DHS
Founded in 1978, the Glencoe & District Historical Society (G&DHS) set out on a mission to preserve the rich history of Southwestern Ontario, particularly around the Glencoe area. Ambitious projects, such as mapping local cemeteries, took place from 1978 to 1988. In 1983, G&DHS found a home in the basement of the old Andrew Carnegie Library and expanded to both floors in 1994. A substantial collection of land registry deeds was rescued in 1997, finding a secure home in the original land registry vault. The partnership restoration of the Glencoe Train Station in 2001 became a symbol of the society’s commitment to preserving local heritage. The Society is a not-for-profit volunteer organization with charitable status and a member of the Ontario Historical Society.
The 2018 relocation of the Glencoe library allowed the Society to shift to the old land registry office and library at 178 McKellar Street, inadvertently returning the land deed collection to its original home, now known as The Archives. Facing the challenge of preserving historical materials in a digital world, G&DHS actively educates and lobbies for administrative and archival support, supported by a membership of almost 100 individuals and backing from the Municipality of Southwest Middlesex.
Our objectives are:
To promote, encourage and foster the study of local history and genealogy, including original research. We encourage, support and solicit research information on heritage buildings in our District. We lend our support to other community groups who are active and interested in the preservation and restoration of heritage buildings.
To provide and maintain a local archival repository for the collection and preservation of books, manuscripts, typescripts, charts, maps, photographs, journals, Photostats, microfilms, tapes and artifacts.
To reproduce some of the presentations presented to the Society, as well as other research and materials.
To provide education through newsletters, presentations, social media and participation in local and surrounding area events.
The Society actively collects and preserves local artifacts, showcasing rotating displays and a captivating train display on Main Street.
Operating three days a week, G&DHS opens its doors to the public, offering free access to historical materials. Marie Williams maintains a popular Facebook Page featuring local photos and history from the Transcript and Free Press archives. An up-to-date website features reports of our events, photos, videos, and history vignettes.
G&DHS actively supports neighboring heritage organizations. We work together to foster an appreciation for Southwestern Ontario’s rich history.
On April 5, 2025, Carrie Jeffery conducted a workshop on capturing oral histories. We had members of our community, visiting members of other heritage groups, and members of our own historical society in attendance. The engaging and interactive talk was followed by an informative presentation that showcased the various aspects of modern record-keeping that are now accessible for ancestral storytelling. Left to right: Donna Lynam, David Campbell, Carrie Jeffery, Susan McWilliam. Mary Simpson, the president of our historical society, also presented.
L-R: Donna Lynam, David Campbell, Carrie Jeffery, Susan McWilliam.
Imagine for a moment the mystery of your history.
By Carrie Jeffery. Published in the March 2025 issue of Middlesex Banner’s ‘Archive Alley’
Personal storytelling can be both fun and provide new perspectives on how we came to be. These stories can challenge our understanding of the past and give a voice to people who are often left out of traditional historical records: the everyday people that played a role not just in our own lives but also in the communities we live in that they helped shape.
With the help of today’s technology, we can translate an afternoon visit with our elders into a published collection of stories that honour their lives and their place in history.
They get to relive their younger days while we either transcribe them ourselves or even utilize voice memo software to transcribe them for us automatically!
In doing this now while this aging generation is still here, we are able to ask questions like “What year would that have been?” and “Why did you do things that way?” before it’s too late. We can learn about the passions and values they may have held that were similar to our own and what shaped their career or other interests. We can witness and capture the changes that have occurred in just one or two generations.
Subscription services such as Storyworth, Remento, and Simirity offer the conveniences of modern technology utilizing just the smartphones we use daily to materialize our efforts. Pictures can also be added with captions of names and places.
My Dad’s Story
Our family purchased a subscription service from Storyworth as a group Christmas gift for my ailing father a couple of years back. Being retired, I was appointed the role of capturing my father’s stories. As an aging octogenarian who was a bit of a Luddite pertaining to computer and internet use, we recognized these limitations posed a potential barrier to the process, but that was easy enough to resolve.
After setting things up by customizing and curating from the website’s suggested list of questions and adding some of our own, we were ready to receive the ‘question a week’ which set us on our storytelling journey. Some weeks there would be delays, but that never presented an issue as the stories can be done at our own pace.
My father was well known as a bit of a storyteller and had much to draw from with many personal adventures, growing up on a farm in a big family post-Second World War and his career as an excavator which included work with the municipality as Drainage Superintendent.
During this process, I would call him a couple of days prior to my weekly visit and see if there was anything he would like me to pick up, then let him know what question we would be capturing that week. This advance notice would give him some time to reminisce and formulate his thoughts and prepare.
He would sit in his chair, and I would watch him light up to recall his mother, his friends, and all the memories. As he stated in one story, they were “all just old now.” Sadly, there were several friends in his stories who passed away as we were writing these together. Each week I would ask how he was doing personally, and he’d often say “I’m tired and I can’t breathe,” and I could see him fading. Time stands still for no one.
This approaching spring will be the first year anniversary of his passing. I cannot express the gratitude and peace that this project provided me since his departure. These stories had me make the time to honour him and his life while quietly demonstrating the love and respect he earned. I learned so much more about him, even after sharing over 50 years with him.
I also learned so much from him about myself and my ancestors. In his absence since, his collection of stories has been enjoyed by his grandchildren, friends, nieces & nephews, and the community who miss him.
Time is Running Out…
Every parent tells a chapter of the story that a minimum of 8,190 ancestors share in just 12 generations on all our family trees. All of them contributed to the journey to our existence. In that 400 years, it’s never been easier to know these people more intimately by capturing their oral histories.
A copy of my father’s collection of stories has been added to the Archives in Southwest Middlesex for all to enjoy.
April 5th Workshop
On April 5, 2025, Carrie Jeffery inspired us to write down our stories or the stories of our parents, grandparents, loved ones. She showed us how the software program, Storyworth, took the time consuming labour away from the beautiful task of recording her Dad’s life.
The result: hard cover book stories edited & printed in Storyworth app
Murry Lloyd Jeffery’s stories as told by Murry to his daughter, Carrie Jeffery.
All over the world, churches are repositories of local history as well as places of worship, and Glencoe is no different. St John’s Anglican has its share of memorials and markers of personal and public history. This is the first of a series of posts about these. As a recent newcomer to Glencoe, I am likely to be unaware of facts and details about this church, window and Anna Moss which are otherwise common knowledge. Please let me know these so I can add them to this record. – Bill Simpson
There has been a St John’s Anglican Church at the corner of Main Street and Concession Drive since 1869. This building was replaced in 1893 with the current structure, depicted in the postcard shown below, with a current view beside it.
Stories about the Kilmartin community who established Burns Presbyterian Church in the hills of North Mosa.
Marie Williams reported: A great crowd attended Sunday’s “Stroll Through Time” at Burns. The event had been postponed from February due to icy conditions. Morgan MacTavish served as narrator with cast members Sarah, Sophie, Anela and Audrey Faulds, Andrew Johnson, Courtney Bailey, John David MacTavish, Taylor Chalupka and Carol Leitch doing a great job in their roles. Scriptwriters and organizers were Flora Walker, Louise Campbell and Mary Simpson.
The Canadian Government created the Public Archives of Canada in 1872. In Europe, archives retained government records only with personal papers going to libraries as manuscripts. The Dominion Archivist of Canada determined that all personal records of historical and cultural value should be collected as well as government records, with both being stored in the Public Archives. This Total Archives approach was a departure from other countries and is known as a Canadian contribution to archival theory and practice. Over time, multi-media records were added to collections in addition to traditional paper records. Many other national, regional archival programmes, as well as those in municipalities or universities, have adapted the total archives concept. The area municipal and university archives adopt this strategy as does the Provincial Archives of Ontario.
The benefit of this approach is that archives hold records for researchers about family history such as searching houses, land or any other item of interest. The government records also provide some of the information required in these searches. Having municipal records available – if they are open to the public – are advantageous to researchers and also to Municipal Clerks or staff, who sometimes are contacted by genealogists with family history requests. Municipal staff benefit by being able to transfer those questions to properly-trained staff who have access to, not only government records, but also personal papers and other resources. This removes the need for municipal staff to answer questions in an already busy day and provides researchers with a one-stop location. Genealogists account for over 40% of archives’ users who travel to areas specifically to visit Archives. While there, their tourist dollars support restaurants, hotels, local merchants and other local amenities.
An Archives is a program, not a project. Continued funding and municipal support are required to ensure the success of the Middlesex County Archives.
Written by the Committee to Establish a Middlesex County Archives, July 2021
Marie Williams: A large crowd packed into the Glencoe and District Historical Society Archives on Wednesday evening, March 12, 2025. Following announcements, a brief membership report and some unfortunate technical difficulties, Society president Mary Simpson introduced the evening’s guest speaker, Glencoe native and author Daniel Perry.
Perry spoke about his newest work, a non-fiction memoir focussed on his own research into the life of Thomas Gardiner and Gardiner’s connection to the hamlet of Cashmere in the former Township of Mosa.
Born in 1774 in Ireland, Singleton Gardiner sailed for New York State in 1804. He moved to the Talbot Settlement in 1816 and to Mosa Township in 1825. He built a mill in 1834 on the site of what became Cashmere.
His brother Thomas Gardiner, born in Ireland in 1767, sailed for New York in 1804 and arrived in Upper Canada in 1807. Perry outlined charges laid against Thomas Gardiner which were subsequently dismissed, the connections between Thomas Gardiner and John Parker Jr., tales from the War of 1812, his years serving as a teacher, disputes over land, family friction and his pleas for help as an aging man.
Singleton Gardiner was the first person buried at the Cashmere Cemetery in 1834 but there is no stone marking what could be the grave of Thomas Gardiner.
CBC Radio ‘Ideas’: Until the past few years, the story of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars was not widely known outside their hometown. But thanks to the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and the University of Windsor’s Centre for Digital Scholarship, with the help of the Harding family, the legacy of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars lives on. They reconstructed the 1934 season, and the team’s history through newspaper clippings, scrapbooks and interviews with the players and their descendants.
Everyone’s efforts led to the Chatham Coloured All-Stars being inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 — 88 years after their 1934 season opener.
Listen to this hourlong podcast by CBC Ideas. Link here.
Everybody knew, in the neighborhood, all the men playing on the team…. And they played a really competitive, athletic, exciting kind of baseball.
Five months after their opener in October 1934, the Chatham Coloured All-Stars became the first all-Black team to win the Ontario Baseball Association championships, then known as the Ontario Baseball Amateur Association.
The story I am about to write happened in 1954 at the humble beginning of Hollandia Bakery, Wm. Bruinink & Sons, the start of what is now known as Hollandia Bakeries Ltd. The village of Mt. Brydges had a population of approximately 1200 souls, at least that is my recollection. Fire hydrants were a square hole of 24” x 24” approx. 6 feet deep. The water supply to homes was a piston pump pounding happily when it was encouraged to supply water.
The first Hollandia was located in what is now Sunshine Bakery. If one were to take down the brick wall, on the exposed wooden wall one would find the words Hollandia Bakery painted by John Kolstein. It was John who we kept busy painting our delivery vans which were later observed in the surrounding communities. The original Hollandia was known as Robinson Bakery until it was purchased by brother Henry in 1953.
Henry did the baking and I did the selling house to house in Mt. Brydges and Strathroy. Some of my customers were Northcotts, Lucas, Daucetts, Orrs and many more whose names have slipped my memory. In Strathroy one of my customers was Pastor Buursma of the CRC. It was he who put me in touch with Bill Jervis who owned the IGA store on Front Street. This store became the stepping stone to wholesale selling.
Hollandia Bakery & Sons was to be established in what was known as Gold Seal Dairy on the main street in Mt. Brydges, between Young and Regent streets. My parents Bill and Dorothy Bruinink, my brother Bill and I took up residence in the front of the dairy bar which, by the way, had gone bankrupt and we bought at a good price. In 1955 we added 75 feet to the back of the building which was to be the “enlarged” bakery. This expansion became an annual event until we reached Emerson Street. In 1961 an addition of approximately 300 feet was added to the north side of the building. In 1970 the bakery was destroyed by fire and rebuilt south of Mt. Brydges. It is difficult to imagine that 60 years have passed since Hollandia had it’s humble beginning. In 2014, Hollandia celebrated its 60th anniversary!
Going back to 1955, I was in charge of the sales organization while brother Henry and my father ran the bakery and its ever growing staff. In 1956, my brother-in-law, Joop de Voest, joined our now Hollandia Bakeries Ltd. and took on the job of Secretary-Treasurer and administrator.
I recently had a “flash back” regarding the thriftiness of being Dutch.
The Grandmothers Sugar Cookie by Hollandia Bakery & Sons, Strathroy, ON
Cookie with the Hole:
One of our most popular cookies was the sugar cookie. We were selling this item at .39 cents retail for a 13 oz. package and they “walked off the shelf”. This caught the attention of father William. He called us together and read the riot act pertaining to this cookie.
“Boys” he said, “We have to make a fundamental change to the weight of the sugar cookies. The package is simply too heavy for what we get in return. I propose that we reduce the count to 20 cookies in the roll from 24.”
My reaction was prompt – “But Dad, this would make this package a lot smaller and our sales would go down. Why not increase the selling price?” This was not a bad idea, but it would take this item out of the occasional 3/$1.00 special category. Suddenly Henry said “how about if we put a hole in each cookie? This will bring down the weight.”
Voilá – The Grandmothers Sugar Cookie was born and became our biggest seller. ‘The cookie with the hole’ was now a favourite with children and adults. Children enjoyed putting their finger in the hole. A contest was born – Who could keep the cookie from falling apart while eating it with their finger in the hole?!
It is amazing how the thriftiness of the Dutch could produce such an incredibly popular cookie.
As the remaining survivor of the founders of Hollandia Bakeries Ltd. and now retired and no longer involved, I am pleased to submit this brief history.
Over 60 history buffs gathered, in person and online, to listen to Doug Ferguson as he described his “Ancestral Odyssey” at the Glencoe and District Historical Society Archives on Wednesday evening, January 17, 2024. His Ferguson ancestors had left Craignish, Argyleshire for Aldborough Twp. in 1818 and then moved to northern Mosa Twp. in 1827. The McDonalds left Inverness for Quebec in 1830, before settling in Ekfrid Twp. in 1835.
The Glencoe and District Historical Society welcomed members, volunteers and special guests for a Christmas open house on Thursday afternoon, December 12, 2024 to celebrate the season and the Society’s many partnerships.
Jim May and Harold Carruthers stand beside the Masons display. The Glencoe Masons ‘went dark’ in 2024.Tony Bruinink shares the story of the ‘Cookie with the Hole’ and the humble beginnings of Hollandia BakeryRead more →
James Reaney Memorial Lecture: Snapshots of Jamie with Jeff Culbert – 19 October 2024
Hosted by Words Artistic Director Josh Lambier.
In conversation with Jeff Culbert and Josh Lambier of Words Fest
This Lecture celebrates the legacy of London poet and playwright James Crerar (Jamie) Reaney (1926-2008) and his late wife, the poet Colleen Thibaudeau. Jamie Reaney was friends with Jeff Culbert, a connection that began in the 1980s.
With Josh as tour guide, Jeff recalls his roles in the Reaney creative process and will be performing selected readings and songs on this journey.
Part 1: Peter McArthur, the hardest question and the “horrible, horrible” war
By Stephanie McDonald, December 2024
It’s a question from a child no parent is equipped to answer: Should I go to war? It was what Daniel, eldest son of Mabel and Peter McArthur, asked of his father in the early years of the First World War.
Even as prolific a writer as Peter McArthur was, one can imagine how the man dubbed the “Sage of Ekfrid” struggled to find the right words to share with his son. His response reveals both his wish for his child to come to his own decision as well as the urge to protect and keep him safe.
Peter penned his answer to Dan’s question in a letter on January 25, 1916, a year and a half into the war:
Near the house there is a sturdy oak tree that I always think of as one of the oldest of my friends. I grew up with it. Of course that is not exactly true, for I stopped growing many years ago, while it kept on growing, and it may keep on growing for centuries to come. But when I was a growing boy it was just the right kind of a tree for me to chum with. It was not too big to climb, and yet it was big enough to take me on its back and carry me into all the dreamlands of childhood.
On December 5, 2024, the Mary Webb Centre in Highgate organized an Afternoon With Authors book sale as a fundraiser to restore the beautiful stained glass dome.
The Mary Webb Centre came to life in 2010 when a group of people in the Highgate area saw an opportunity where the wrecking ball threatened to demolish the 100 year old United Church. The vision was to create community centre, art gallery and concert hall and now in 2024, 14 years later, the 250 seat venue is a “must-play” address for renowned as well as up-and-coming musicians from across Canada and for local performers too.
For over two decades, Ken Willis has dedicated himself to preserving Wardsville’s history, curating a collection donated by residents that tells the story of Wardsville and its people. The Wardsville Museum is a cherished part of our community that houses a collection of artifacts and stories that showcase Wardsville and Mosa’s rich history. The museum depends on community support to preserve its treasures.
Ken Willis, the long-time curator of the Wardsville Museum, shares his personal story and an appeal for support.
Please denote your donation to benefit the Wardsville Museum and a tax receipt will be issued. Every dollar helps preserve Wardsville’s heritage for future generations.
Your support means the world to Ken and the entire Wardsville community. Thank you for helping us keep our history alive!
What happens when the story gets twisted? The story keeper and the storyteller got their wires crossed. Bunny, the story keeper, decided to tell a different story about her son. And the extended family all colluded. Eventually the son found out his true story – ‘the last man standing’. Tom Wilson discovered he is a descendant of mohawk warriors, hunters and chiefs …but he was denied the truth until he was in his 50s. You can see his artwork at the TAP Centre of Creativity until December 21st. Now he gets to tell his story – his story can be viewed here on film.
Everyone has a story. And all our stories are compelling and amazing. Why not write yours down for your descendants? Our children want to know about their ancestors and our ancestors want us to tell their stories. Truth preferred – the truth as we know it and have experienced it. Story keepers and story tellers. – Mary Simpson
Art by Tom Wilson
TAP Centre for Creativity presented Mohawk Warriors, Hunters and Chiefs, a solo exhibition of the artwork of Tom Wilson tehohåhake (two roads). Tom is a musician, writer and visual artist based in Hamilton, Ontario. Tom’s art exhibition ended December 21, 2024
Reverend Enos Montour (1898-1985) was a United Church minister and writer from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
Over the course of his retirement, Rev. Montour wrote a collection of stories about Mount Elgin Industrial School at the time he attended (ca.1910-1915). Mount Elgin is one the earliest United Church-run Indian Residential Schools and was located on the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. With the help of Dr. Elizabeth Graham, Montour finished and titled his book Brown Tom’s Schooldays.
With no publisher in sight, photocopies were made and distributed to family members in the early 1980s. This important book is difficult to find today, so Professor McCallum, worked with the University of Manitoba Press, Dr. Graham, and Montour’s two granddaughters Mary I. Anderson and Margaret Mackenzie, to issue a new edition.
Ellwyne Ballantyne’s twenty-two years of brief, bright life are summed up on a simple plaque attached to a majestic buttonwood tree in Carruthers Corners. When local author CJ Frederick first saw the memorial tree in the rural area just outside of Glencoe, ON, she experienced a keen reverence. “It’s just a dot on a map. I was not prepared for how beautiful the tree was. It looked like it was wearing a cloak; as my mother says, ‘wrapped in a queen’s robe’. Knowing that this tree was dedicated to the life of someone who had given that life in a faraway, long-ago conflict really made me stop and think about remembrance and the enduring nature of love.” Ballantyne’s story had to be told; Frederick was eager to record it.
Great evening with James Carruthers, the story keeper; CJ Frederick, the story teller and author; and Patrick, the story champion. We packed the Archives and hosted a few people via zoom as well.
Stories ripple all around us, if only we’re willing to hear them. In 2012, CJ first learned of Ellwyne Ballantyne and the astonishing relationship he forged with two strangers after reading a short newspaper article about the dedication of an unusual tree to a long-dead soldier from World War One. With obligations to work and family filling her time, she wasn’t yet ready to hear his story. It took a global pandemic, with the prospect of lockdowns and unexpected forced time at home, to open her ears, mind, and heart and be ready to explore the roots of Ellwyne’s story that took place more than a century before.
