Chapter 1 - Marsh Collection

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1796-1996
iwAi
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BOOK II
Published by
Amherstburg Bicentennial Book Committee
1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS
"Amhcfstbiirg Churches" ~ Dennis White
Aerial pliotographs of Amherstburg ~ Adnan Harte
Copyright © 1997
Marsh Collection Society
235A Dalhousie Street
Amherstburg, Ontario
N9V IW6 (519) 736-9191
inside front cover
inside back cover
Co-Editors
xi
Artists
xii
Acknowledgments
xiii
Foreword
xiv
Chapter 1 - Places of W orship & Rest
All rights reserved.
Introduction ~ Rev. John Biirkhart
a.
This hoolCj Or psrts thereof
Collection'socety, excep
"' •I-'
bnef passages for ,nclu,sK,n ma res .ew
ISBN 0-9699612-2-7
First printing I997
2
Amherstburg Community Church (PAOC) Rev. Ken Menyn
Christ Anglican Church ~ retry Hall.
Community Chapel (Church of God in Christ) ~ KayMulder
2
4
6
First Baptist Church
7
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church ~ Janice Relan
Lighthouse Chapel / Evangelical Baptist Church ~ Sheila Treleaven
g
9
Mount Beulah Church of God in Christ
11
Nazrey .African Methodist Episcopal Church
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ~ Linda Jones
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church - Rev. John Burkhart
St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church ~ Eleanor (Iignac-Warren
11
12
14
17
St. Theresa's Chapel
St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church ~ Olga Senieniuk
19
19
Wesley United Church ~ Jean McCarron
21
Anne Squire
A Debt to Nature Due - Burial Grounds in Amlierstburg ~ Doris Gaspar
22
23
WmedbyTri-GrapWcs
Chapter II - Education
~ Doris Caspar, Deni.se Phelps
Education under the Rule of the 'Family Compact'. 1792-1837
Education after the 1837-38 Rebellion
Amlierstburg Public School
Marble Village School
King Street School
42
4-7
49
51
51
continued...
V
IV
msrn
Education continued...
I rnn.sportation tt (.'oininunication continued
Separate Schools for Roman Catholics
Communication ~ Jennifer MacLeod
St. Anthony School
146
The Printed Word
St. Bernard School ~Mary Scipione
Secondary Schools in Amherstburg
Telegraph SeiAice
1^^
Telephone
154
Postal Service
157
St. Rose High School ~Eleanor (lignac-Warren
General Amherst High School ~/w,c r-
Oth M
Chapter \' - Health & Medicine
,
°fViilanova High School -XI', m!Z
Other Educational Facilities
Montessori Creative Learning Centrp ~ / /„ /
w
History
FromMagsMeftoXtrs'^Amherstburg l-atnck Hrnde
Lawtmd
~
/fe/^.
78
82
IJeanor (iignac-ll arren. Bill Jarvts. Maureen Retd
Nineteenth-Century Folk Medicine
1"^-
Health and Medicine in the Anm' and Na\y
175
The Maiden Lunatic Asylum
177
Amherstburg's Healers.
IS*^
Chiropractic
Optometiy
Dentistry
1^^
1^1
1*^-
Public Health
Ambulance Service ~ Leonard Lax
1*78
199
Diagnostic and Advisory Services
02
Utilities'*™'"' ' '™ '
101
The Victorian Order of Nur'ses
203
101
Nursing Homes
703
102
Water -Jennif^ZuZ'^ ~
^'ig>'ac-Warm,
203
Veterinary Medicine
705
105
100
Chapter VI - Sports
100
1 12
ssion ~ Larry Smith
113
1 14
~ Mike While
Baseball
216
Softball
219
220
Women's Softball
Tratisportation ~Tern, Hr,n
^"Mununkalian
126
Land WpoSion™''
126
Highways
Stagecoaches
Railways
Streetcars...
138
140
140
140
Buses.
Two-Pitch
221
Slo-Pitch
222
Basketball
223
Bocce ~ Lena Cjumierato
223
Bowling
Boxing
223
225
Cricket
228
Figure Skating
229
Football
229
141
142
continued...
144
Vll
jon tinned..
VI
viV;
Sports continued...
rhnpter Mil - Seniiig the roninimiit>'
Golf
Hockey
Horse Racing
2.11
Lawn Bowling
Roller Skating
Soccer
Verdi Club Soccer
Amherstburg Soccer Club
215
2.11
215
216
216
217
Tennis
218
Sports at General Amherst High SM -MurmvMcCj/l
218
Sports at St. Rose High School
..216
242
^erstburg Public Library- Man,,,, lMm,r
Movie
WocW, Ma„k Sm„h
Parks and Pla„s - Ta.aDeRyK Terry HaU:'
King's Navy Yard Park
Seagram Park
i
H, Murray Smith Centennial Park
Recollections ofBruno Casano
SI^phMcCurdy'TmcklXdC^mT'^-'^^'•^tburg Culture and Recreatin r
XTNeighbourhood
•
Parks
^®"tre ~Mary Paquelie
Museums and Heritage Organizations
Histonc Buildings
f'""''"
319
Block Parent Program - Jan RaJigatt
Boy Scouts - HaroUMtckle
Cancer Society ~Maty Hall
Foil Maiden Horticultural Society ~ Boh Siithcr/aticL Altce Bailey
321
322
323
324
Girl Guides of Canada ~ Site Prieiir
Golden Aue Club ~ I.ots h.n^latnl, Pnith Henderson
Goodfellovvs ~ Pattt Ixtitzott, Jettnifer MacLeod.
325
326
327
House of Shalom ^'outh Centre ~ \ancy Shaw
327
Imperial Order ofDaughters ofthe Empire ~Gwen Hortie
328
Kinsmen ~ Carinelo HeDona
329
Knights ofColumbus ~Norm Talbot
331
Patriotic Degree
332
.268
Columbian Ladies' Auxiliary
333
.269
Columbian Squires
334
270
Lions Club ~ HaroldBernachi
334
272
Masonic Lodge ~Grant Goldeti
336
272
,274
.275
.281
''"""fi'MacUcd
.Anderdon-Malden Women's Institute ~ AitJfvy JVtxk/.
Beta Sigma Phi - Afiiii/VL'/i Rye
330
.275
North American Black1ti« T°''®^'"'"-'Ea<-«« u
317
318
267
.276
Project HMSDctroa
c"®'''Museum
•De^oi, ~SarahJarvis,
•AAM Social Planning Council ~Shtrley Hurkhart
•AM.A Sportsmen Association ~/V. Marttn Ros.s.
Kinettes ~A}^gie McDonald
.275
Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park / v-
316
316
316
262
268
East and West -Attiherstburg's First •Tovvn Paiks' .,.
HamiltonPark
260
ScPt'ice Clubs and Coniimmity Organizations
.-\lpha Delta Kappa ~()/}^a SfmL'tiiiik
.-VWlFood Bank ~ Hetty Biirtis
Order of the Eastern Stai" ~ Barhafa Cozens.
Oddfellows ~Jentiifer MacLeod
337
3-->8
Rebekah Lodge
Optimist Club ~Path Ijntzon
Rotary Club ~Hazen Price
339
339
St Vincent de Paul Society ~ Louis N. Goitin
In Service to Our Country
342
342
.281
A Tribute to Our Veterans ~ Mike White
342
.282
Royal Canadian Legion ~Jack Howard, Joe Ihtashet
344
,285
.287
Ladies' Auxiliary ~Margaret Bebbitigion
Women's Contributions during the First and Second World Wars ~ GM>en Hortie
346
347
,288
Royal Canadian Army Cadets ~Dan Shaw
347
.291
,292
.293
.296
viii
IX
•r-W
•••
urers
CO-EDITORS
-Eleanor Gignac-Warren, EdwardA. Eat •Warren
Introduction
'^^rrtn
Doris (Botsford) Caspar. B .A , LL B
Notes from Yesterday's News
Commercial Enterprise - 1996,
.Y^-4
.4 54
Banking in Amherstburg
.460
Industry
.487
Gone But Not Forgotten
The daughter ofthe late historian Da\id P Botsford, CM., and Effie Bondy, Doris was born
and raised in .Amherstburg at Fort Maiden National Historic Site. In recent years she has begun to
organize parts ofher lather s extensiv e local history collection. For many yeais Doris piactised law
in Windsor as a real estate lawyer
.49]
41 1
r.lcaiior (Sinasacl Gipiinc-Wnrren
.A nativ e of Colchester Nonh Township, Eleanor has been a resident ot Amherstburg lor many
vears She has been a columnist for the Ani/icfsthnf^ Iwho since 1980, was an associate editor ot St
^haiiter>U-RccnllPr,;.„.
Political Personae.
Richard Devere Thrasher o r
John the Baptist parish histoiy, I pd bv the Shepherd, and editor of John Marsh's With the Tide.
/
Hon. Eugene F. Whelan ' marJT'l
420
Eleanor is a reputable genealogist
420
Susan Whelan
Random Recollections.
422
Memories over 58 Years ~,4//ce
RecoUections ofSteve Trimble ~i//
42.4
The Poker Den -Kiariin 'Diek' BmT'",
'^"rclay
Memories of Amhersthi.rev ^
Otto Nissen's Seaway Cafe -a1
Reaume Park Hotel (Classics on tl^T^
424
Bom and raised in Amherstburg, Teny has had a lifelong interest in transportation Over the
..424
years he has collected manv stories about local histoiy, especially concerning the Detroit River and
425
its Prohibition days He is presently a transportation lawyer operating Canada-wide out of the
427
•Amherstburg area
428
'Rainier
-eco
ections ofAmherstburg
~"*0Water) -~ Ce,
Recollections
of
l erraiice Hamilton Hall, B Comm , MA, LL B , LL.L , LLM
430
!^n,g
432
William Jarvi.s. B Sc , Ph D , D LC , C I Biol
434
Bill was bom and raised on a farm in England and has a Ph.D. degree from the University of
London He has been a resident ofEssex County since 1974 and is a research scientist at the Hamow
434
.435
Research Centre of Agriculture Agri-Food Canada. Bill is adirector of the Amherstburg Historic
Remembering the Tea Gu a n
.439
Sites Association and a Park House tinsmith
T^^.Tr^'^'^erstburg- /,,/v™''
.440
The Old Duck HunterQ ri u
RememberinE Ouam, I i' "" """eih ..
ARecoUecti™^„^'^" ~Mike White
Echoes ofth™^ WMoffat
centennial Events
^
.442
.444
.445
.446
.448
.452
Jennifer (Healeyi MacLeod, B A, B Ed
A native of Niagara Falls, Jennifer moved to Essex County in 1992 and now resides in
Amherstburg. She has worked in the museum field since 1989 and is currently the archivist for the
Marsh Collection Society. Jennifer has been the secretary ofthe Essex County Historical Society for
three years
.453
Index.
.455
Olga (/in! Semeniuk. B A
Bom and raised in Ukraine, Olga immigrated to Canada with her family m1937 and settled
.464
in the Amherstburg area She and her late husband Nick established and operated afamily restaurant,
the Tea Garden, for many years. Olga graduated from the University of Windsor and the McArthur
College of Education.
XI
'•'P '•
t-;r •' 1^' <i i' •" »• ' rL' 'J
BKISEliEllSllSl'Eli!
Edward A. 'Paf
acknoWledsments
AnJ-ersfbrglxoZotn^^^^^^^
'««
'
"
e
age
of2
Educated
,
n
taught Radio, Radar and Communications for the Roval Camd
'htee years then
staffofEmployment and Immigration Canada frot^Z Z "
•"=
>'"=
returned to Amhersthurg in .988 and now writes awee^cZZfZL
The Amherstburg Bicentennial Book Committee wishes to recognize the many individuals and
organizations who volunteered their time and talents for the production of Athh^rstburg 1796-1996;
The New Town on the Garrison Grounds. Book II.
Maureen Reid assisted considerablv in the research, administration and filing aspects of the
creative process' and was alwavs willing to work on one more fun project , Many thanks are
expressed to our proofreaders, Barbra Bradley, Valerie Buckie, John MacLeod and Jeanette
Mike White
Mike was born in 1923 in Countv Tnrlf ir^u ^
j•
with his family in 1925 After serving i„ ,he CanadZ
empl05™ent at Brunner Mond Canada. Active in the Untri,
(Amhersthurg)
obtained
'"J
1, U pointed
president
of Localfrom
89
whichherettredin
1984.International Staff Representative
epresentat.ve cfth
of the UAWin 1967,
aposition
McGrath Sharon Maitre at the Amherstburg Town Hall deseiA'es a huge vote of thanks for patiently
answering our manv questions'
We are grateful to the Marsh Collection Society for contributing office space, staff and
equipment for this project The Park House Museum and Fort Maiden National Historic Site shared
manv photographs for inclusion in Book II
Thanks are conveyed to the Essex County Historical Society for their financial support
towards the screening of photographs, and to Pat Warren tor scanning our last-minute choices.
Heartfelt thanks are extended to all ofthe businesses, churches, schools, community groups
and medical professionals who took the time to submit information about themselves We are also
grateful to the people who wrote down their recollections which add so much to the book.
We appreciate the efforts of Barbara Cozens who contributed the line drawings found in
Chapter IV, Dennis White who designed and drew the ''Amherstburg Churches" montage for the
artists
Barhart. <Hii|)
BA
inside front cover Steve Brown who painted the watercolour ofthe Tea Garden Restaurant (Chapter
ntantageZDa^iSZT9;rire""
College
ofDetroit
Burlington,
Ontario. In 1979 she andT'Z®''^"'l
s<"died
with ani ,97s
r
daughters Colleen and Karen
IX), and Peter Rindlisbacher who allowed us the use of his work, ".Amherstburg Navy Yard;
'o Amhersthurg where they Jrrestde w.th
September, 1813" in Chapter IV Many thanks to Mary Guthrie and Adrian Harte for furnishing us
with the aerial photographs used inside the back cover.
Many thanks are extended to the Amherstburg Echo for allowing us to use references,
quotations and advertisements from the newspaper. The Fxho was certainly our most valuable source
Dennis
of information
Dennis was born in Amherstburg in 19<?a t irt-,
»T9^Z^^gZ^t'r
.0 attend
otvnsadecoratinghusi„ess;.ledZZTZZeZZZt™^^'^^
Avery special note of gratitude is expressed to Don Tupling for his countless hours spent
indexing the hook, and to Gwen Ehbett, the Chief Lihrarian at Leddy Lihraiy, for allowing him the
time to work on this project
The Book Committee also wishes to thank the following people who assisted the co-editors
by supplying information and/or loaning photographs and other materials for Book II. Neil
Anderson, George Badiuk, Virginia Barclay, Jack Belcoure, John Bernard, Norval Bertrand, Laura
•Steph«>n Bro^n
Technology from
.
Bondy, Martin 'Dick' Boufford, Alan Buchanan, Valerie Buckie, Dennis Carter-Edwards, Sue
^^52. After u ••
draftsperson,
iUustrator
Z
ZZts^
years
Z"rkf
Town ofAmhersthurg.
"-^^Ber. Steve is cU„Z "fhi f
Architectural
chtefhuilding official for the
Chapman, Don Dalpee, Luigi DeMarco, A1 and Marilyn Deneau, Leo Deslippe, Mario DiThomasis,
Pat Drou'illard, Charles Duffy, Pat Duffy, Bill Fryer, Bob Garcia, Wayne Goodchild, Jane Grayson
and her 1995-96 art students at General Amherst High School, Tom Hamilton, Adrian Harte, Syd
Hinch, Vincent Janisse, Jack Jones, Ethel Kennedy, Tom Kilgallin, Joe Laframboise, Jeff Long, Mac
and Dorothy Maloney Dennis MacDonald, Casimir McGeown, Glen Murray, Rick Murray, Albert
Nattress, Mike Nedin, John Nemeth, George and Helen Nicholson, Alice Paquette, Alaire Rielly,
River Town Times, Bud and Ann Scarlett, David Scott, Bob Sinasac, Frank Smith, Ethel Steubing,
Tilly Taylor, Jane Teeple, Marie Tehonchuk, Les Temesy, Mike Timmis, Bill Wigle Jr., Arnold
Wilson, Helen Wood.
Xll
Xlll
order to reduce the bulk of information to a manageable amount, the committee decided to focus
FOREWORD
primarily on the Town of Amherstburg itself, within the physical boundaries of Middle Sideroad
(County Road 10) to the north, Lowes Sideroad to the south, the river on the west and Meloche
With so^e magi„a,i„„ a„d.ff„n. Amhcmkurg can ,ak, ct.amcge of,!,,.
make ,1 atruly memoi-ahle cekhration. •Mayor William J (libb. Iown ofAmlierslbiirp
Road (Third Concession) on the east
The Book Committee has attempted to keep the information herein as accurate as possible.
At ameeting
ofAmherstburgthen
Town
Council
on February
10 199^
lotvn\atcrier
i
mtroduced
Dennis Carter-Edwards,
acting
superintendent
ofFon
Maiden
onalFrantf
hu e""
However, keeping up with new businesses, changing executives ot oiganizations and other aspects
ofthe evoking community is impossible Facts were as accuiate as possible at the time ot wiiting.
suggested to council that planning for the 1996 celebration, in Ami
Some stories will remain untold as no material had been submitted by the parties concerned up to the
Carter-Edwards, who had been involved in the Bicentennial of the City of Corn' I o', '
1
immediately His suggestions for activities and events included "a published his[®
Apublic meeting was held at the town hall on March 7 1992 tn Hp '
B,centennial celebrations in 1996 ,t waf
,
time the book went to press
r y'' ''i'
of Amherstbiii g'•
pold oufth'^a'c'""'T
Here is the long-anticipated Book II
Amherstburg's
200-yearwas
history
should
written 1993 the fir.t comprehensive
book of
Asteeringrichcommittee
formed
and be
in February
• ri
Executive Committee was held at the Amherstburg Town Hall At th.t t
Bicentennial
voluntarily chose responsibilities for various activities Eleanor c "'
coordrnator
for what
became
for several
monthstheas-hhe
Through
the press
andknown
in person,
folks around
Tri Tnbook
Bjcentennial Book Committee as writers, artists and editors to wWcTtZ'
The first meeting was held on July 13, 1994 For the ne« 1
c
sessions took place and abasic outline was formulated Chante7c7"
and rearranged many times before being finalized The or^Li 7"®'
matenaJennifer
mone volume
approximately
300 weeks
pages, durina
with the
MacLeodofwas
hired for eight
gratilVing
'b'-ainstormini-
'=l'anged
^
index
all the
seaccessed and catalogued resource material, photos etc at loraT7
mearnest. Letters were mailed to every church, school busmes ?'"'
Work began
community, mv,ting them to submit brief histories to be included in".h'7 "'^^anization in the
C»ole CouviHon were hired for several weeks under the Section 2S k ,
progrloTta7ie^g®e!h7rsite
publish in one volume. The fir.t f^, u'
that it was decided to divide the matlriafbeto
Lauzon and
they cTme'i7Stt?began''a
co-editors realized there wae c
®"ch awealth ofdoc![
and was reprinted in DecembroS aTr7 7™"
, In response to repeated requestshlol n7 "
"laterial to
•" spTbr?"'"™'''
out
'
c wealth of material In
XIV
XV
Clmpicr I
1^
K
.
.".M
^ • '-'j *
CHAPTER I
first meeting of the Provisional Trustees and charter members of this new group took place and the
PAOC was born Today there are 1100 assemblies located from coast to coast, including the far
PLACES OF Worship d rest
northern regions
The Pentecostal message, as it was called, spread rapidly and during the 1920s tent meetings
were being held in Essex Countv From this, small congregations were soon formed. Ho\vever, it
was not until Julv of 1944 that a congregation in Amherstburg officially affiliated with the PAOC
Therefore, .since we are .surrounded by .so yreat acloud nf...,
the sin that clings so clo.sely. and let us nin with perseverance 1^''' l"
Jesus the pioneer andperfecter ofourfaith
'
hefore us. Inokiking to
Anderson and Moore, as well as the pastor and his family, Re\-. J Cleeves, his wife Catherine and
their children Peggy and Kay
On October 9, 1944 the new assembly purchased the lot at 33 Rankin Avenue, Opening
Hebrews 12 1
u
— o great a cloud of witnesses" is an ant u
churches to the life of historic Amherstburu Ind^pH tb
describe the contribution of the
days ofthe early French settlers, to the establishment nf /churches reaches back to the
^WishmentofFort Maiden in 17% and it continues to this
Theand
church
the firQt
Fran ur
hard work
theirwasfaith.present
Oneamone
ofthe first
evidences
"^ose lives were sustained tluough
Natives ofBois Blanc Island who lived in acommunitv r u"
work was among the
The church was very tnuch apart ofgamrn t^w "
Jesuit Fathers
as the Gamson Church'. The soldiers at the fort had tlfclT"''" r
Church or to the Catholic Church for worship but there was nTh ' "'"®
they had to go,
'
As the town grew in size the
founding ofthe Presbyterian Chu;ch in 1828, thraTe!
became known as the "Amen Comer', The early Anglican Rn
congregations were very near neighbours
'
With the
^tmsay and Bathurst Streets
" Catholic and Church of Scotland
Faith and local heritage are further seen tn ort f j • .
community's earliest Black congregations. First Bapfia Ch 'n
Nazrey African Methodist Episcopal Church on King Stree^r
as aterminal point on the Underground Railway
>^"0™"
Established
«hen i, came to attendance.
r
under the auspices of Bethel Pentecostal Assembly in Windsor (now Parkwood Temple). On .lanuaiy
30, 1944 the assembly held its first meeting in the Oddfellows Hall on the upper floor of 79 Richmond
Street Families attending these early meetings included Duckworth, Mac\'icar, Klein, Thornton,
'=«ablishment of our
='"d historic
witnesses to the community's role
In recent
yearshave
Amherstburg
growth new
churches
been born has
TnUunderonnp considerable population grnwtii
u
services began there on October 21, 1945 in a basement because permits were not being issued for
two-storey buildings during the war years Consequently, it soon became known as The underground
church' A baptismal ser\ice had already taken place on August 12, 1945 at Edgewater Beach.
Hsing the propertv of Hariw \\'ing, six candidates were immersed in the Detroit Rix er that day. (It
must be remembered that the ri\er was usable in those days!)
Under the leadership of Pastor CleeN es, the financial commitment was completed by 1950.
During the early part of that decade, the Hla\-ac family loaned the congregation five acres of land.
By volunteering their time and energy to grow tomatoes and cucumbers on this land for Canadian
Canners, the people of the assembly contributed financial assistance. By September, 1970 the
remainder of the building on Rankin Avenue was completed and dedicated Two months later, the
Amherstburg Pentecostal Church changed its name to 'Trinity Pentecostal Church'.
By 1988 the congregation was ready to move to another building The Rankin Avenue
property was sold to the Lutheran Church, wliich still occupies it today Under the leadership of Rev.
J Dunlop, a number of changes occurred Meetings were moved to the Amherstburg Community
Centre on Victoria Street, the parsonage on Hawthorne Crescent was sold and property on .AJma
Street was purchased for a new tabernacle. Finally, in 1990 the new facility was completed and
dedicated with its current name, the Amherstburg Community Church. For the past year, under the
leadership of Rev. Ken Mervyn, the congregation has been experiencing a new and refieshing
outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
be experienced but at the samfttae a"sh^e the™™® ^''"^^hes th^et avfor^Tn
ts rich in tradition and history
^
'
8°^ ofhonouring Gorn ae
^
^ community that
D"
(PA0crwhTCes"blk°t™9f9^?"'
'V"^^^^^ "'' h 'he Pentecost 1A
Montre. to prepare for acharterforthco^
Amherstburg Community Church, 1997.
Marsh Collection Society. PI 496
•ri:..
Christ (Anplican) Chnrph'
"a.es unomcially fron, ,he period
Risoldiers
chard and
Pollardlas
appointedctpt'
.
o
.L'
r
arl™"s
townspeople on the first SimHn, r u
^"^'ces were conducted for the benefit of
ofthefort.^
Rev. Pollard figured prominently in the historv of ti.«
positions: merchant, soldier in the British 8th Rp /
niainly because he held so many
the latter being the centre ofcommercial and militait^' r
'county town' and
War of1812 was not kind to Rev, Pohart aT S
5000 Natives The
Morawantown on October 5, 1813 while sa!Ln wi u1 .o"'"' "P"»ner-of-war at the Battle of
church MSandwich and the Indian Council Hwse at vf'l'
•^™y" a"d hoth his
*^'•"^"='1 was next to th k°
Caldweh who h"" f
^
The
/
I
Fort Maiden and was
f Pioneer setting. The form was
^otige area Th"
^^FPt)rting positin
^
by pins o"forrrnd'f
ofthe axes and r
p, .*5%.-
"'"lb",,,,
-
Christ Chiirrsh
by Rev.
^
on December 12 ]oiq%
Christ Church parish hall, 1898.
which David Botsford described as ''an honour he
/v/wBt,tv,f<tr (\,n.,./;t,tt//,ni,,,?<•. /V'.a/,jWcvi .\\jrt.iti//t;.onc-
had not anticipated in life, and if family stories are
correct, quite possibly an honour he did not
deser\ e
Parish halls and rectories seem never safe from Anglicans. The first parish hall, erected by
Rev Alexander Sydney Falls (1876-89) on Gore Street, was replaced by a second such hall during
the sojourn of Rev H A Wright (1914-46) This hall was extended and renovated by Rev Henr>'
and demolished during the term of Rev William Ashby (1968-89), A large rectoiv, described as
"commodious," was erected on Sandwich Street during the term of Rev. William Brookman (187476) but it outlasted its time and was sold during the period of Rev. Ashby. A former Presb\lerian
place of worship on Bathurst Street later became the second rector>'', which was used bv Re\'. Ashby
an unusual manner. The original barrel-type plaster ceiling, which dated ft'om 1821, was rendered
unsafe by age and by blasting on the Livingstone Channel. Rev. Farney (1911-14) wanted the ceiling
removed and encouraged its demise with a properly planted foot from the choir loft. The resulting
view of the wooden beams was welcome but his replacement of the original black walnut pews with
those of modem oak was unfortunate. Rev Ashby later oversaw major renovations to stabilize the
stmcture upon a dry basement.
both in the ceiling and
Most of the beautiful stained-glass windows are the result of the efforts of Rev. John Berry
(1895-1900) who installed them to replace the former frosted type. The Masonic window is a
bands. The
reminder of the church's Masonic connection which dates back to the time of Rev. Pollard The
tonguebJails were
Mariners' window was placed by the many sailors ofthe area in a time when Amberstburg boasted
more ship captains per capita than any other locale on the Great Lakes,
Other windows
commemorate prominent figures such as longtime mayor Dr, Fred Park, Magistrate McCormick, the
^^titinued to be a place of
Reynolds, Capt, Barclay of the Battle of Lake Erie (1813), Capt, R,M, Rodgers of the Battle of
ChtTTTni — . ^'—l^ ^ b o p Mounta" j
n
^tirisTchurchTlsq^
Depanmnt
ofCanadian
Herita^, p ,
^—
' °'''^'^^den Motional
inteiied the late Rufus Botsford under the altar,
^ ^tDlonel Elliott's estate.^
the first of four churches
178 vearQ
......
Historic
Site.
the Commissariat
boated it by barge from
|i ^Mfk' i^' ^ i' X'V,1 ^^-groove floors were akn T
^J tk -xj
by former sHv^
A«otK»^
!
Interior changes to the church have been generally positive, albeit executed occasionally in
"ewn
nat^t t^beT
^
Department donated thp h f
"' k
^'ijjt
until a new rectory was constructed on Gore Street on the site of the second parish hall."
h
square with red Kri i
'
m-m ^
original
trustees
wereKentp
four
Gordon,
David
i
typically functionary
.Um- ^
i
were destroyed '
been built bv so^?
i
ci ' 1*
to act as a war memorial " The latter extension
c
and Charles
Charlp<i Bercsy
Rprrs -and/ thedescent
land was- William
donatedDuff r.Prx
ci b R O B
at the Indian Counclllousc JUS, nor,h
postmaster, returning officer, registrar of depHQ^''^w"^ ^ Foot at Detroit, land speculator, sheriff,
began simultaneously in 1802 at Sandwich and Am'J^ fu^' ^
minister His congregations
the I
Protesmnfp"'
[
tbe War of 1812.^' Opened
Pollard then in his 67th
as inr"t.^^'h
^led to appoint
a deacon,
B^®lpb
o
Pollard and
Rolph
"b^ued to assist Roi^
^ opening
andwasRev.ordained
Pollarda
P until
the latter
John R Park family and businessman Walter Ranta who donated much time and effort to the
restoration of the church and whose windows were erected by his sister Liisa.
Memorials abound both in the church and its yard. Wall plaques are dedicated to Robert
Waterloo (1815) and Sgt. J,M. Taylor of the 1st Royal Regiment. In front ofthe rectory on Gore
Street stands a monument dedicated to five soldiers who "gloriously fell in repelling a band of
brigands from Pelee Island on March 3, 1837,"
-existing burial stone iste in "rf ^
I
P-'- Russell The ohhs,
^ Alexander Duff, justice ofthe peace, dated 1809
Christian Counsel, Choir, Hospitality and Usher departments. An annual church reunion takes place
in tlie Amherstburg town park the first Sunday in August, with attendance averaging between two
and three hundred people. Community Chapel also participates in many special services and church
activities.
1819-39 Rev. Romaine Rolph
1836-70 Rev. Frederick Mack
1870-74 Rev. T.C. DesBarres
1874-76 Rev. William Brookman
1876-89
Rev. Alexander S. Falls
1889-94 Rev. George Wye
1895-1900 Rev. John Beny
1901-11
1911-14
1914-46
1946-50
1950-68
1968-89
1989-96
Rev. J.F. Parke
Re\'. A.B. Fame)'
Re\'. H.A. Wright
Rev. Reginald Lane
Rev. Douglas Heniy
Rev. William T. A.shbv
Rev. Robert McCulloch
First Baptist Church, 232 George Street, celebrated 160 years of continuous service in
Amherstburg's Bicentennial year, 1996.
Long before the present church building was erected, former slaves gathered to worship in
homes of members It has been estimated that between the years 1817 and 1822 some 150 Blacks,
mostly refugee slaves, entered Amherstburg. By 1832, their numbers rose to between400 and 500.
While they were not permitted to enter some area churches because of the colour of their skin, these
hardy souls did not lose faith.
Although records indicate that the church was founded in 1838, it has been suggested that
ofElderLionel and
FoMdnrJemb'' '
Moriey and Vngtnia Stewart andl
Services were first held in tb^ b«
r*,
S™"? ™<ier the leadership
Margaret Thompson
to purcluise
its cutTtMlVatlo^M^
ofAmherstburg
the
as aMasoniesoon
Hall,ableadoctor'
s oiBce^nT^
nh„f ®u
' structure
formerlvbu,uLd
building, services were held at the former T
During renovations to the existing
renovating the building into achurch. Carter
Tom B™
"" Amherstburg While
- oftra all night! The present church building wa^ldiTFa
'
Si,
8women sChnstian Counsel, Young Men-;
undocumented meetings held by former slaves began as early as 1836. For this reason, the First
Baptist Church (Amherstburg) has established 1836 as the year of its establishment.
While continuing to meet in homes, members helped other brothers and sisters to escape fi-om
the United States. The First Baptist Church of Amherstburg was one of the final stations of the
famed 'Underground Railroad',
On October 8, 1841 in Amherstburg a meeting was held between members of Second Baptist
Church of Detroit, Sandwich Baptist Church and leaders in the Amherstburg congregation, the result
being the formation of the 'Baptist Association for Coloured People'. The second annual session of
the association was held at the First Baptist Church meeting house andthe name was changed to 'The
Amherstburg Baptist Association'. Today the First Baptist Church of Amherstburg is known as the
'Mother Church' of the Amherstburg Regular Missionary Baptist Association.
"f04
First Baptist Church, 1997.
Rev. Anthony Binga.
Marsh Collection Society, PI384
present
h'"?
"efore the erection of,hc
I he preacher for this service was the Rev. Albin Stanfel, D.D., President of the Ontario District of
the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. Rev. Matthias Krey, pastor of First Lutheran Church,
Windsor and Ontario District Mission Department Chairman, officiated and performed the rite of
Rev^ Anthony Binga, wranltlmtt'prlthef' Both onT
dedication The organist was Mrs. Donna Dick and Michael Hill seiwed as acoH'te.'"^
throughoutfunds
the sparsely
communities of southwpct Ontario,
n
and on new
fool missions
he travelled
collecting
for thesettled
building,
establishing
and
pastorate the congregation received its charter as a member of the Ontar io District of Lutlieran
Church in Canada. Pastor Draeger accepted a call to Michigan in August, 1992 and Rev. Don
Hougard of Christ Lutheran Church in Harrow served the congregation for the next eight months.
Rev. Randy Kleemola was installed as pastor in April, 1993 and continues to serve the
congregation today Presently numbering about 100 baptized members, the purpose of the church
Timbers were hauled and hewn bv hand from t,roo r
sheeting to the clapboards that covered the first roof wa<:
George Crawford was the master carpenter- his first assist.m'"'^''m
British Methodist Episcopal Church which had already been ITm u^a
ofDeacons made up the carpenters' helpers -Valentine o. ®
The dedication ofthe new church was an occasionVn
represented, as well as the affiliated churches in Detroit 1^1
remains today as avital part ofthe Amherstburg commlity
lumber used from the
\\^<icon
^
of the
^'"g ^^eet The Board
^\c6k\
new missions were
In September, 1988 Rev. Jeffrey Draeger became the congregation's first pastor. During his
is '1o make more and better disciples of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Amherstburg area, in Canada
and abroad."
Members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church are involved in the community in a number of
ways, such as supporting the local Food Bank, distributing 'Homeless Kits' through the Windsor
Downtown Mission and providing Sunday sen ices at Richmond Terrace Nursing Home. Support
is also given to a number of mission organizations in various parts of the world through Canadian
Lutheran World Relief. The church's facilities are used by such community groups as the Friendship
^^^^^fafiPlierd-Liitheran rh„rrh
«-fr
were mattendance.
vear Rit^t ®f
w7e
toLtd By January ofthe followinaRe"merTedto
every other Sunday evening,
»*—
Circle, Brownies and Sparks, Caring Friends and the Horticultural Society. The congregation of
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church looks forward to being involved in future community endeavours
in addition to its main goal of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
" Lutheran Church
Revin Harrow
Rich d
were being held at the 800"^™
evangelical
The Crown granted Patent 120 on Lots 30 and 31, west side of King Street, Registered Plan
1to Jean Baptiste Mercure on December 5, 1840 and in 1844 his widow Marie Angelique Mercure
donated the property at the southwest corner of King and Gore Streets to the Roman Catholic
Church. In 1849 she added a codicil to her Last Will and Testament which said in part, "I give and
devise thewhole of my real property in Amherstburg, being lots thirty and thirty-one on the west side
ofKing Street, with the appurtenances... upon the trust that it be appropriated and used for Catholic
School purposes."*'^ Mrs. Mercure taught in her home until a log schoolhouse was built on this
property in the 1850s.
Eventually the log building was taken down to make room for a new structure. The
cornerstone was laid on May 23, 1875 and the new St. John the Baptist Parish Hall was dedicated
in December of that year. The stonework was done by John Ryan; Zenobie Morin framed the roof
and S. O'Rourke was in charge of carpentiy. The Parish Hall was heated by hot air from the
basement and lit bya bronze chandelier and other lamps. There was a spacious platform at the north
end ofthe building with folding doors to divide the hall into two parts. The north end was used for
meetings ofthe Catholic Men's Temperance Association and St. John the Baptist Society, while the
^®®^'^hephei^L«the^ T —
south end was used as a school room for educating senior boys.
By 1879 the building was used solely as a Parish Hall and gathering place for various
functions of the parish. After 1911 it was used by students for a gymnasium, school gatherings.
parish dances and later for high school graduation dances and nmmc i
•i
building dwindled to the point where further funds for nnll!
.971 to agroup ofBaptisfs, who renat^ed rt^LiS:hote
been meeting in private homes and in thp
ra l
of Lighthouse Chapel
Baptists had
meeting in the home ofFrank and Kay Dyck which resumed in
fomed, For«5,OOOthey purchased the building at 266 King
aohaner membership
had recently bought it from the Roman Catholic Enisron»l r
Renovations began in Apr^ 1971 and he'offiF
approximately250
people, was held on October 17th ofthat yel itTwth
church became Evangelical Baptist Church dronnino
i•,
Rev Orvihe
wasinstalled
pastor. SuVscTooiSsl®^^^^^^^^^^^
sound
systemBellwere
and repairs were made to the chiZZ
official name of the
wh„e"
An addition to the main structure was built in 1981 h
Thomson, providing
anew entry
vestibule onnewthewashmn
Jim
cassrooms
and afellowship
hall. and
Renovations
106-ve^!nfri"k^guidance of Pastor
,six new
doubled kitchen facilities. In 1983 Evangehcal Baptist Churr»HH n o'""®
and
facade, complete with asteeple. This pri^eSo fnc^d1 hh
and aroom in which to store and preserve historiranSs
old buildhirS^X^^^
to the Amherstburg Fire Department Fire ChfefMel'iu it
extinguBhed the blaze and cleared most ofthe smoke
the next
of
church. OverDuring
thistwotimeyears
the members
congregation
,
mTfm
and
™om
The limestone building at 250 King Street has been a church for almost forty-eight years.
Originally built in 1875 as the 'King Street School' for the Black community, it replaced an earlier
log school on the site The King Street School was closed in 1909, its students transferring to the
public school on Richmond Street The building was used briefly as a barracks during the First World
War, housing recruits who enlisted for semce overseas. In 1918 it was purchased by Amherstburg
hardware merchant George Pett\.piece who operated a cement works there for several years.
On January 20, 1949 the building was purchased by the Canadian Church ofGod in Christ
under the leadership ofits founder. Bishop C. L, Morton Sr. Elder Ernest E. Harris became the first
pastor For many years previous to 1949, seiwices had been held on Park Street in what is today the
Morley Stewart home Mer a period oftime the church was remodelled and renamed Mount Beulah
Church of God in Christ. An addition to the rear of the structure was erected in September, 1984.
This allowed for Sunday School rooms, washrooms, a kitchen, dining area and pastor's study. The
sanctuary was remodelled in October, 1992.
$100,000 damage to the 11theI-yearalarm
List of Pastors at
firefighting team
""'h'
Mount Bculah Church of God in Christ
{as recalled hy Pastor Maynard Hurst,
Augitst 1996)
'"' 'S^ntly to rebuild their
r.ruest K. llairis. Morley Stewail. Noixal Wilsou.
Llowl Jones. l,ioneI Rilev and MaNTiard Hnrst.
Mount Beulah Church of God in Christ, 1997.
Marsh Collection Society. PI 430
Nazrev A.M.E. Church
•—
Evangelical Baptist Church 1997
Mc^nh Collection Society, PJ497
"The re-opening services in connection with the handsome A.M.E. church on King Street
passed off very successfully and the tasty edifice is now open to divine worship." According to a
detailed article in the Awherstbiit'g Echo of September 28, 1888, Bishop Tanner ofPhiladelphia
delivered "an eloquent sermon...using the new ritual service of the church for the first time in this
town" at the dedication services.
John H. Alexander wrote a "History ofthe Colored Churches in Amherstburg"'^ in 1934 in
which he indicated that the land on which the church building is situated was purchased in 1848 A
Society or Mission had existed for several years prior to that date Meetings were held in a lou
Charter Members.AmherslburR Branch,
Reurftani/.ed Church of Je.sus Christ of Latter Day Saints
structure on the site. Trustees to whom the original deed of land was made were Luke Snovvden^
Martin Madison and Isaac Broady. The minister was Rev. Noah C.W. Cannon
Earliest minutes ofthe church date back to December 18, 1847. Church stewards at that time
were Imng Howard Isaac Anderson. Jacob Clark, Luke Snowden, Levi Rogers, Martin Mad,son
and Henry Miner. The church building was completed by 1853 " In 1888 it was cxtcnsiscK
remodeled. The roofwas raised six feet, anew pressed tin roofwas applied, the ceiling was cos ci cd
Mth oiled, native lumber, the walls were plastered, new hardwood wainscoting was installed the
windows were arched, anew pulpit was erected and the outside of the building was plastered '"
I'Tios Wisiner
Peail Jones
Alice Jones
I-'em Wisiner
C ccil Wismcr
(ieorgeun Wisiner
Heiuy Jones
1 iiiiua Turner
.Albert .Aimess
Ro>' Jones
Larl Jones
luliel .Aimess
ITiniee Jones
.Austin Jones
t iiloc Jones
(iordon Ma\villc
t annen NTeliolsou
Ivnna Nicholson
Ha/cl Nicholson
.'\i\ in Jones
I'kloii l iinier
Pearl Maw ille
riicodorc Wisiiicr
C arl Nieliolson
•Alice Mawille
All the
u .1^
the British
MethodistMe.hrsri
Eniscooal (•luircl,
^er
Civil'? War in the Umted States affiliated
the churchwithentered
the Afriean
.sc,: ,al
Conference. Apresiding elder was in charge ofthe Ontario churches, which were in abislioisnc
composed ofchurches in Michigan and parts ofOhio.
The late Melvin Simpson, founder of the North American Rhri.
m
Amherstburg, had for some years envisioned afacility where the history ofBlacks irEssex Comny
-
-
^
^i1'.^^ f
^
__
Nazrey A.M.E. Church,
Church,undated.
undated.
Marsh CollectionSociety. P3()6
Marsh Collection Society. P306
would be preserved and developed In jOov sod
7 onth^fr^ ^
building to J^t'^a^tled
,
t
t.
i
the office of elder and became the first pastor ofthe church. Other officers included Cec.l Wsmet,
pnest, .Albetl Aimess, teacher and organist, Henrx Jones, deacon. Pearl Jones, secretary ,Roy Jones,
solicitor, and Erma Nicholson, chorister
,
r ..i
^ z,-z^t-oi
lo'^i
.
j. u uoiri in thp hnnies of members tor the next several years In 19^3
Meetings continued to be held m tne nomes oi nicna
. "
„
. .1 ..
^
,
-.u x\' M Andrew semng as draftsman and a structure was
a budding committee was selected vvitn v^ im
-
r * j
j
u
designed and app. or ed Work on the new building oi, the 4th concession ot Anderdon began in
29, 1921 with Mrs .Alice Jones
j^jfjCaniien Nicholson as leader This group
,. g„,fance foyer and classroom to the church building and
oi loyal workers raised the money to add an eniranc ,
to install elecmc l^ffi^^
in I
tne/\mne
v
transferred into the Detroit-Whtdsor District and iti
nfconareaations known as the Detroit International
^ud preserve the A.M.E.
Beflrgapized rhiirch of lejusXTliisLof Latter n,v st,i„.,
fe
1908when
niissionar^George™SMppyhddrtwo°'
^''k'^ 'Restored' in this^^hoolhouse
area dates from
the
home ofTheodore
Wismer about 3y. mils from^Este'T
near
the message but none were baptized The follo^nS a ^7 cu
in
P^«P'9. among®them" TheLtr^ndHGeorgena
r
PP^Wismer and three of their
children.
following year the Window br™lh ofthe churchTrt"^
-cestheret.. amonth. These m^^^^e
•
under the leadership of Apostle JFCurtis and Elder Weaver Theodore N\ ismetwvas ord^
as eader until 1929 It vvas
historically and architecturally significant, ^the
.
" On July 27 1917 abusiness meeting was held and the .Amherstburg branch was organized
The fust women s |-P^"'"®'' "
ancient building sits awaiting the availahlc
resources tO restore anH nrcx
u
Church
.
May, 1925 and opening serx ices were
g ™efdesi£ted''by"ET'"^^
^
during the next two veai s
Anderdon. The
—ii .Wliiiiff' X
Deacon Henry Jones entering RLDS
Church, 4th Concession, Anderdon, late
192()s.
RLDS Church, 1997.
Marsh Collection Society. PI 498
^;
for the erection ofahouse ofworship that would meet the growing needs of the people Groundbreaking services were held on May 26, 1956; the formal opening and consecration of the
Amherstburg church at 157 Alma Street was held May 19, 1957. By this time the congregation had
increased to 99 members.
^
Since moving into town 40 years ago the Amherstburg congregation has shared with the
community though turkey dinners, strawberry socials. Vacation Bible School and World Dav of
rTtLeader
4 ffor 27 years. Several walk-a-thons,
® bowl-a-thonssponsored
by thedinners
churchhave
and been
remained
aCub
and spaghetti
held
to raise money for children in Third World countries and the church still continues to assist the
Community Food Bank through donations of paper products. One Sunday each August e
congregation IS invited to share in worship with the campers at Jellystone Park Manv members of
the congregation are very active in the community, volunteering in different areas ofneed Ses eral
young members ofthe church have attended Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa Albert SchereV uhn
was later amissionary to Holland, 1944-47; Harvey and Shirley Nicholson FreH, r
T
Manlyn Wismer, who graduated from Independence Sanitarium School ofNursing The r "
has grown since 1957 and now has 170 members.
®
.r
congregation
The Amherstburg congregation is very proud and thankful for its rich hprita„» , i r u
sacrifice and dedication of its forefathers.
heritage and for the
L.D.Campbell
Theodore Wi.smer
J.L. Fryer
Theodore Wismer
Roy Jones
Theodore Wismer
Roy Jones
Theodore Wismer
Roy Jones
1935
Irving Jones
1936
1937
1938-41
1942-43
1944.49
1950-61
1962-68
1969-74
1974-75
Iheodore Wi.smer
Irving Jones
Roy Jones
Theodore Wismer
Carl Nicholson
Irving Jones
Murray Jones
Darvvin E. Wismer
Frank Arrowsmith
of malaria forced him to leave the congregation in 1831.
Gale was succeeded by the Rev, George CheyTie, also a native of.Aberdeenshire, who aiii\'ed
in Amherstburii in November of 1831 He had been ordained a minister ofthe Chinch ofScotland
on July 6, 1831 by the Presb\ler\' of Strathbogie and his call was to Amherstburg or any other place
m North .America "
Under Rev Cheyne the St .Andrew's congregation erected its first church, aframe building
that today is a priv ate home on Bathurst Street By December of 1831 the new little church had a
pulpit in place and pews were installed by the following March at the expense ofthose who would
rent them An early seating plan shows that the first pew holders included Kemps, Hacketts, McGees
and Elliotts.
The ministiw of George Cheyne was wide-ranging. He visited Presb\Tenan families in what
is now the Sarnia area and conducted the first Church of Scotland serv ices in today s Chatham.
Closer to home he also ministered to families in Colchester South Township.
An entry in an early record book kept by the church provides an interesting comment on
Upper Canada life in Amherstburg in the 1830s. On Wednesday Novemberl4, 1S32 aday of public
of the country."
.
By May 1846 the congregation wa.s at worship in anew sanctuary at the comer ot Simcoe
1975-76 William 1lyslop
1976-77 Murra>- Jones
1977-78 Darwin F,. Wismer
1978-79 Dennis Jones
1979-83 1lazeu Inieson
1983-85 Teny Jones
1985-88 Ken Cake
1988-92 Don Jones Jr.
1992-
parishioners were also from Aberdeen Gale laboured for three years in his first charge until an attack
Thanksgiving was observed for presen ation from the cholera "which raged so fatally mother parts
Pastors -Reorganized Church ofJesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
1916
1917-19
1920-22
1923-26
1927
1928-29
1930-31
1932
1933-34
( liiHch in Montreal It was through his uncle that Gale was persuaded to go to the new work in
.Aniherstburu Upon his arrival in 1828 the new minister was surprised to discover that many
Bill Atkinson
and Bathurst Streets - the same building that houses St. Andrew's today. Built oftimbers from the
Botsford homestead in Maiden Township, with a wemher vane-topped tower, the present-day St.
Andrew's Presbyterian Church is one ofour commuraty sheritage buildings. The onginal c^entCT
Gothic' wooden windows were installed by soldiers of the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment at Fort
Maiden.
, ,
u
Rev. Robert Peden opened the new church in 1846. He had come to A^erstburg to act as
atutor to the children ofhis uncle, James Dougall, in effect becoming one ofthe area^s first public
school teachers. Licensed by the Presbytery ofKilmamock as apreacher in the Church of Scottod
in January of1840, Peden was ready to succeed George Cheyne when he left Amherstburg in 184a.
Peden was noted as an outstanding preacher but he was ar ^
more generous in his understanding of salvation than is
Calvinist Presbyterian church would allow. He le t e
ministry affer the Church called upon him to defend Iiis
stand, and he went on to write, edit and publish awi ey
gt. Andrew's PreshvtPHan rhnr^t.
a i.
^
\ '
\
1
^
circulated journal called the Canadiati Evangelist.
Bathurst Streets since 1846. However the church's rfmrfn t^
1828 when the earhest extam minutes in possession ofthe
appointed and acongregation was formed.
The congregation of St. Andrew s obseiwe is
be traced back to
congregation indicate that trustees were
ofAberdee^^M^l'
o
ir^st:rew^
'Sf1i
"
d
Canadatoactasassistant to his uncle, the Rev. Heni^Esson, whrwlTthe Tst.tbZn
JubUee on February 28, 1904. Aheadline in the Marc , Hl| | J
1904 issue of the Amherstburg Echo reads, ^
ANDREW'S JUBILEE - Reception and Soi ' ^ ,
Success - Likely Result in aNew Church -Historic
of Church Read hv
Nat resof
uy Mr
L 1 . Nattress."
• Rev.
• Thomas
TYipmberS
was one of St. Andrew's longtime mimsters, m
^J i 3
1
St.
St. Andrew'
Andrew'ss Presbyterian
Presbyterian Church,
Church, circa
circa
1910.
Departtnent of Canadian Heritage: Fort Maiden
Department
National Historic
National
Historic Site
Site
tos famrly continue to reside in Amherstburg today. His son, the late William W Nattress, was a
former mayor ofr^erstburg. Thomas Nattress was not only minister to the Presbyierians he was
ofBranTO?Mo^
I,
significant part of Amherstburg's rich history.
conducted some ofthe early geological sut^-eys which led to the opening
founding of the congregation was observed on April 20 1pog
tT^hadTr.been pa^or ofSt, Andrew'
ot'sseto'fifty
ances
1904 the
Professor
McLaren
of Knoxmag"
College
who
yearsin earlier,
andRev
Alexander
Bartlett
aWindsor
tnit:
who was one ofthe oldest elders ofthe church, were among the speakers At' the 100th annttet sa
wT
">e Rev, Dr, Hugh Paulin of St, Andrew's Presbyterian Churct ,n
e^rer^by^L
-s always recc.ved
Afew years before the 100th anniversary the sanctuary had been extensively renovated fhe
church was placed on aproper foundation and given abasement for holding chTh ac v't s
Pleasing statned-glass windows, many ofwhich were given as memorials wereUafied anc Tt ctv
pipe organ was given to support the congresation's work«;hnn it ic •a\u
I ,
•i^3Sfr^Ssa.
-
vears
K
u
can best
be characteiKed
by aphrase frequentlyPresbyterian
used by theChurch
late HMurray
mnt
On May 1, 1800 Bishop Pierre Denaut wrote to Father Jean Baptiste Marchand (a Sulpician pries .
pastor of,Assumption parish at Sandwich) instructing him to give as patron
^
_
John the BaptistB> 1802 permanent records were being kept separately for the Amherstburg
. ,
JJ
As
the communily grow so did
r-otUnlic nonulation By 1830 it was evident that a much
larger siiucture was needed (rown land on Bro
edifice
sesquicemtL7oftheXth'
stlitZ7^^^^^^^
fellowship.
the
congregation's long history
There was the"bundim>°'f'°'^""'^^^ip
'^ g'vand
ing thanks
to GodThe
for
acknowledged the conLc Zofafint ru 7 b^'Wrng ofa new manse on Laird Avenue to be
memorials to 'be deS^d
Education building to be rejoiced over and new
Leadbetter whose husband, alongtime clerk ofthe'chrofDet''7r'"
Thomas
biKemps,
rthday,wereAchoir
offermg
plate
w7
dVitld
ilero^Tfrs'
^
L^"^^^^^^
pioneer founders and members of St, Andrew's,
Ealonge whose family, the
tKMSSM
Amherstburg was in its infancy when the first Catholic chapel was built on Bathurst Street,
ofthose "srft^of'the em?
MceT mST "7'"'
="'1 her
Andrew's Board o^Mmagts Zr it' TT
unpredictable tears The War of 1812-15 hostilities caused great consternation, as did the Rebellion
/ -15 fheTe
1neie was
was also
a so so
i inner Canada,
beingtime
ordained
of 110-gJMS
some difficulty in engaging adequately
trainedPriests
clergy.were
At that
many
aihohc churches were being lui m
at arapid rale but not
demand. The boundaries of the parish were
enough to suppM^e^^ ^
exlensiv e, lequii ing the pi lests o rav
•
Jean Baptiste Marchanffi pas
Thames missions Between 18 an Joseph Crevier Upon Marchan ^
hiithiul witness.
founding
of the congregation
1828to beThea
people, „fl'">6
of St, Andrew'
s Presbyterian
Church are inproud
i„ charge of the Amherstburg and River
assisted first by Fr, Felix Gatien and later by Fr,
Crevier became pastor of Assumption which
" p^ce Island and ,Amherstburg, In September
included the outlying areas from the Rnnr T
^
remained until 1831 when he left
that year he was joined by the newly-oi dame
_
(-cgyigr also left in 1831 for
the priesthood due to political and rel'SJous
^ ponci and Augustin Vervais, For about four
the same reasons was followed by
Boue arrived in
months in 1843 the parish wns
^ r ,1,^. ,ask of buil^^^^
He
Amherstburg in Januaiy 1844/ b^r.. to River Canard and McGregor, across the
travelled the boundanes ofthe parish from
narishioners and settlers, some ofwhom hadn't
lower halfofEssex County to Point
sacraments but informed the people
seen apnest myears. On those ^^'S'ts he no y^j^coughout the district. Catholic and Protestant,
of the progress of their new Pa"s i e "
donated and pledged to the building iund s
that same quarry was used in 199
Mar,hco„M„Sc,ci«,.P,257
^^,^3 blessetf= and the Gothic
^he
matenals. The Wyandottes donate son^
During tl°e7clmenrar®^''th
;
in 1834 bv the Episcopal
Corporation,-' but it wasn t until June -4, lb44 tnai inc cumc
Wilson, the daughter ofAt^erstburg merchml FrScmch 'soId ort * '
on ™
tomnn
ohII th(
oftoday's parishioners performed the n^^nua
ofmoney, others donating labour and
g
Anderdon Township,- (Stone from
3ig„ cairn ) Ancestors ofmany
i„i,p.,,r William Burnell, an American contractor, had
•
additional work was $9728.^^
agreed to build the church for $9200 ^ A r c h a n g e (Baby) Cannon and
Major financial donors were two wealthy
beneath the sanctuary, as specified in
Madeleine (Peltier) Askin,^'' both ofwhom were later buriea
their Wills,-^
ono inhabitants and the bordering townships were quickly
In 1844 Amherstburg had almost 900 innaDiiaiu
Basilian Paitnrs 1878-1996 - St. John the Baptist Parisl
lS"S-82
Jean Pierre (iranil
IS82-1'X)1
Patrick J Ryan
1907-09 & 1916-17 Michael P Christian
Ui fhMm .
1909-16
l-'ranyois .\ Seniande
1917-21
1921-22
Michael Ryan
Michael Kelly
1922-25 & 1958-59 Daniel 1. Forestell
%.' y}
:!/- K
\
1925-.'^2
l.iikeBeiiglct
19.72-33
John(Jlavin
1933-34 et 1940-18 Charles M Kelly
\
1934-40
1948-54
1954-58
1959-71
1971-74
Cicrard W. Tcxld
Vincent A, Thomson
Robert E. Lowey
James E. Martin
Francis Orsiui
1974-79
1979-83
1983-89
1989-92
1992-96
J, Vincent Thompson
JolmBiirke
Robert Dnggan
lidwin J. Kline
William .A. Riegel
r • Jk'
' "u^i
, extenor ofre,
much the same as it was when the
minor alterations but the
St. John fiao
the Rantict
baptist crhurch
nuiui is
la muei
Golden Jubilee was celebrated over one hundred years ago.
In 1978 the Town of .Junherstburg. through its Local Architectural Conseiv'ation .Advisory
St. John the Baptist Church, 1993.
Committee, passed abylaw which designated St. John the Baptist Church on Brock Stee and its
adjacent properties as''being of historical and architectural value to the hentage of the town of
Marsh Collection Society, PI314
Amherstburg."''' There are presently 2276 families registere in t epans
mt?d?I:'ac'cor«
church, which were removed in 1894 3" Afew pews aUheV^
k''"k
S'l'le^es mthe new
Wyandonefamihes whowere pro2dthaSwoJd neve'b : feed "?
Pastoral
accidenfan^ d~w dlXlomhTs Mu"''
beneath the sanctuary " Some years later anlan"^t iP"
remains were interred
dues in exchange for donating the stone
StJho'osu-s
Thompson's pastorship (1974-79) Msgr. F. J. Laverty. then
be oftered
ff Hin the
1 gymnasium ofSt.
'fSt Theresa'
School ^Maiden
^^^eresa ssSchod^
yover 500 people. For tiree years a
The candlelight seiv-ice was attended
purchased by the diocese and renamed St. Theresa
vacant Maiden United Church on Highway 18 was purcnasea oy
Thnmn.nn on FehnmiA-
side ofthe church mTerior whe.eT^^^^^
on the north
ofthe Little Flower Chapel. The first Mass was celebrated there by Father Thompson on Februar>
until 1850whenIan DaudeTwafappTm
John the Baptist parish from 1845
in ine spring
ivvj the
i London diocese announced that
Rehgious
wereofpriests
removedSt.
to
''rthe
spring ofoi 1995
due to articles
ashortage
Theresa's Chapel would hold its f'''^Llar stLed-glass window, "Christ in
Augustin Wassereau and James Ryan until thp R r
work on the churTcoS afte ^
^
succeeded by Pierre Dominic Laurent
f- 'he parish in ,878'
completed. The bell tower was built in the late I860!
h"'many years passed before it was
Laurent." The "Lake Chapel' in Smheas! Sden waf
ofFather Pierre Dominic
tenure. It remained in use there untU 1906 when St Zfk •
^
during Fr. Laurent's
^
In 1878 the first Basilian priesrFrs Jean Pi^ r''
Amherstburg to take charge of St. John the Bantkf
k™ ""
o^'abUshed in Harrow "
EiSt^o''™^'
®'o'" Belgium, were installed, one on the north
^-ebuildmg'sonehundredandfifiyAhrteTItofl^tr^^^^^^^^^^
semane, created by Sergio e
.
placed in the building during the 1950s, was
p ^
and the historical committee of
removedu. Throueh
luougii the
uic cuujj
cooperation of St. Theresa
;„ctallpHs in
raiiMi
1996^ in the nave of the mam entrance
*
.to
k St.
Ok
St. John the Baptist Church, the window was installe
John's.
•'""oph %an, arrived in
mtenor ofthe church in preparation for the celebration ofth r ih k!^" continued work on the
mthe meantime was responsible for establishinnsfn . .?! "
F^'hcr Grand
being built there in 1880."
ement sChurch in McGregor, the first chapel
and one on the south
o nthe Baptist Churc in me
Nirhnlas Ukmin'fl" GatholiC Churgh
TT,
. . church. traditions
j-kUkraiman
hack
centuries
before existing
the Christian
. ^to years
ago enhanced
traditionsera.'"'
and
onversionsolid
ofthe
Ukraine tofor
Chnstiamty
ov development
. ^ or
ofChristian
provided
foundations
growth and
Lnristid worship.F Over acentury ago
Founding Members - St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church
Bohdan Osadca
Walter Kudla
Bohdan Lehkey
Alex Zin
Michael Stefaniw
Andrew Masney
Lnbomir J. Taskey
Michael Stcchyshin
Very Rev. J, Habnisevich
Alex Ta.skcy
like Witrak
Nick Seniuk
Jolm Lcskiw
Yaroslav Lehkey
Michael Cikalo
Peter Rohatvn.ski
John Petrusiak
Wasyl Pylypiw
Paul Ma.suey
Wa.sy 1Nepyjwoda
Michael Zin
Ukrainian pioneer families brought with them to Canada strong church traditions, many of which ha\ e
been incorporated into the 'Canadian' way of life
vv'acIpv |Tnitpd Church
The first recorded Protestant serc ices in the Amherstburg area were held at Simon Girty s
home south of the town in 1793 William Sar ety, aQuaker fiom Pennsylvania, conducted the
Tnceting", which was attended bv white settlers. Natives and milhary mem
p j
Tn 1S03 the Rev Nathan Bangs asked to be sent to the Mission ofWestern Upper Canada,
which
was partI ofSt
theI New h'oatotrki^moctcn
MethodistandConference.
On horseback,
with $15 in his pocket,
„Bangs crossedJ the
c Lawrence
Kingston ana
made his
maoe
1115 way to Sandwich
m and Amherstburg where
he held :serx, ices, Amherstburvi
became an appointment in the Thames Methodist
^
^ip.fiers led 'classes' in the Methodist style at places such as
In Amherstburg in the early 1950s, Ukrainian church services were temporarily held in St
John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church. Recognizing that the arrangement was inadeciuate in
providing spiritual guidance, two of the parishioners spearheaded asuccessful drive to purchase
Bellevue the Georgian mansion built by Robert Reynolds circa 1817 on the riverbank south ol^ tens n
^1alden ctld^"Lan Si^
members, Bellevue became apermanent home for the St. Nicholas Ukrainian parish Dunn- the
Official dedication in 1962, the founding members designated Bellevue as the 'Ukrainian Villaue'
church and parsonage on the corner ofGore ana
Enhstmg the cooperation ofgovernment representatives and the financial commitment of ^1
whil
which 'th^^
he ukraim^
^place ofworship, the Ukrainian Village also provides anthe
environment
communityin
nerrn, ,1
JJ
Bellevue was recognized as a national treasure. The early history is
1 ™
by generations to come,"" afitting
tribute to the initiators
and the founding members.
Huron Reserve Ron, 1850 to 1885.
Thffi
s bial
church wasi-np,yv
located
east side
of Ranisay
1ne iirsi
locai Methodist
ici
n as on
thethe
'Mission
House
and theStreet
circuitbetween
rider or
Richmond and Murray Streets. This ^e^nie k
Methodists erected a
travelling preacher made the
which served for many years. It
•
lomr^r bnilHina wptp needed a lot on
cMcnsix ei> rcpairtu
Streetsand
wasalarger
purchased.
Alarge
neo-Gothic
wasctb extensivelv
repaired inlu 1874 Wheno^thnrst
fiirther repairs
building
werebnck
needed,
alot on
the southwest corner of Riclnnon a
church, able to seat 500 people vyas i
^
former Mission House was destroyed
pu-jiljinos The Seymore Street building was sold and
in afire in 1887 that wiped out half ablock of buildings, ine
used as a feed
Circuit voted to build aMethodist church on
In 1892 the Official Boai^ o
the 7th Concession of Maiden Township. ^
alittle more than amonth, tenders were opened,
j ^ ^ Maiden Methodist Church was
the contract awarded to Arthur Bailey ^ —
charge in 1905. In 1911 Maiden
affiliated with the Amherstburg Circuit unti
pUorae in 1937*
became ajoint charge with Zion and joined fii^Harro^ha^
MS
Wk >
across Canada, Iviethodists, Congregational i
W.
II
1925 as the United Church ofCanada. Thus the
j
Amherstburg Methodist Church became^^cy j ^ ^
Couch, W.W. Prudham, W.L. Hiles, Enos^Hart^ ||
TheRev.
Cl
i
f
ford
Brown
came
t
o
mi
n
i
s
t
e
r
in 1960. On discovering the poor condition 0 t e
M.J. Wilson. Succeeding ministers were Uaac
Traditional blessing of Easter baskets, St. Nicholas Ukrainian
Catholic Church.
^
,||mi
|
^
j
I^HL
church building, plans were made to move. Four
and ahalf acres of property
^
Sandwich Street South on the newiy up
j ' ^^^i^Tunited Church, 1892-1964.
stretch of Highway 18. Alarge brick and stone
7';,eAniherstburgEdio, ocrofeer29,
kVdrlX-V, .
Secictarv ofthe Division ofMinistry. Personnel and Education ofthe United Church of Canada, the
lust woman ever elected to that position
tt
j •
After being elected as moderator in 1986, Anne moved from Ottawa to Toronto. Her duties
included travelling all across Canada, visiting churches in out-of-the-way places as well as larger
cues The congregation at her 'home' church. We.sley United in Amherstburg, was thrilled when she
delivered asermon there on January 31. 1988 Looking back on her term as irioderator, nearly ten
\ears later Anne Squire feels good about the work she has done or tte c urc
rnsnss W3s built on the Pickering Street
'(^1
the property in 1969 Major renovations tothe
liiWiiaii^iwllMliaBliW ,
church building were undertaken in 1984 Ihe
Wesley United Church, 1997.
were changed to peak roots and an
Marsh CollectionSociety. PI 383
addition was made to Wesley Hall to include a
kitchen, nursery and storage areas
.4 .Dri, to .\'^turo J?ue - Buvkl GroonJs In Amhevsthurg
.
Discussions
began in 1989 regarding ause for some of the church property The result uas
th^e erection six-storey, 50-unit apartment building for seniors on the southwest corner olThe
urchprope^. Some apartments are handicapped-accessible and some are geared-to-mcome both
Death ts a debt to Xotwv due
Which I have paid
. Ind so imi''t yaii
-tombstone epitaph
p y gan
active role in planning and overseeing the construction. P-j-'
The majoritychurch
of the nK^mbers
Housinu
S
rattwfroV
Corporation board concerned with the operation ofWesview are members of Wesley
r . Tu
ministers at Wesley have included W.C, Tupling Nettie Hoffman Frank
•
Thro:"a,/;"
and
D^n
Lr,
conareeatiorff^lr^:
yearsahome
Wesley
been important
the community
as well
as toforits over
own
cOTgregatioa Leadershp and
for has
the Scout
and Guidetomovement
has been
provided
meir own groups -the Women sMissionary Society, Epworth League, Baby Band CGIT Plus
PeZSon :Hreset°d°' d"''l^"T'
th^ L Fmm 1L tot
goal r^h in rd and t^e
Church Women, choirs and Young
Wesley while enriching
'
^
^
"
XT rsi 1.,14 ..r, QnnHav Aoril 18 1802 at 5:30 pm is one of the
1 he hineral ofDr William Harfly
h
coiiipamots. the last duty owed to their
earliest bunals described in Amherstburg, Fo
. . j j , Christian Like Manner" in
"late worthy fiiend" was to ensure that he was Bueried jvcj
this remote settlement on the
in the same manner as Europeans had for
Townspeople in .Amherstbui bur
centuries past. Death was acommon and '
fnends, virtually everyone died in the
one sbest clothes and wrapped in a
out of the Dead" could be hired '^' 8®'' P^P
chosen
becoming the first laywoman to be
the second woman to be elected to this offZ ^Re^ LokVd^^hurch. Anne was only
1920.
mMichigan for one year before soinn to i
| / w VI
to be viewed by mourners. This task was ge
Anne Sgnirp'*^
earlier.
f .^irly F^ineifll Custmns
'
^
Wilson serving as moderator several years
m
°
^ Amherstburg in
attended university
then at Edith CaveirETerSscCt wtdsoT t''""' u'"'®
t MT' -'t
she later taught Women in ^ehgionrrsel^r
P
^P
working in Amherstburg would have been pai
with the measurements of the deceased, using
this purpose.
ofone's own home. Washed, dressed in
in the house ofthe deceased
formed by close relatives, although "Layers
45' Qne of the many local carpenters
,he simple six-sided coffin in accordance
ofwell-seasoned wood kept on hand for
P
^ut,hlv «;nread auickly by word-of-mouth throughout the
The news ofDr. Harffy's demise P"^
respect for the garrison's former surgeon, "the
tiny, close-knit pioneer settlement. As amark of res|^ea to j
colours ofthe Garrison and Vessels'' were "hoiste ^
By 1799 aburying ground had been lard out
Bathurst) Street for the use ofthe ^o^nspeop ean
in urban centres were generally prepared by in 1
continued to be buried in family plots located «"
or friends. Ofnecessity, internment commo y
side ofThird (now
the garrison.Graves
diggers. Country dwellers
graves dug by able-bodied relations
days of death. Dr. Hatfiy's
fttneral may not have been held within the usual time frame as ror
reasons unknown his coffin took
longer to complete than expected •"
At"halfafterfive"on Sunday evening. Dr Hartly s
coflta was borne on awooden bier resting on the shoulders
ofthe six chosen "Paul berars [.s/c]" from his house at the
»uth end ofFirst (now Dalhousie) Street to the commuiiTts
buiynng ground abutting William CaldwelFs farm Aheas v
black cloth know as a'pall' would usually cover the coir,,,
on Its final journey If the distance to the gravevani had
been great, the coffin possibly would have been laid on a
bed ofstraw man open horse-drawn wagon
,u D,
""he Funeral was attended by es crt one
IrL
pro<^ed to the cemetery as was then the custommouincrs
mmanv
Bailuir.st Street with a depth of 60 feet, was occupied by the
Roman ( atholic church, presbytery and graveyard." The church
building was located near the northeast comer of Lot 15 on the
n est Side of Third Street with its front steps encroaching onto the
street
hi
hi
Wo c p Q
The presbytery was likely located to the south of the
\A
church,'' which left about 120 feet north ofthe church as well as
Q
KG^i p r
ttie yard behind the church and presbytery for burials."
0
C e*
R
O
CAT
C
r
In 1834 the Roman Catholic Church purchased five acres
H
PRe A
4
S
c
1
of land on the easterly limits ofAmherstburg. Alarger church, a
DROcn
parochial house, a schoolhouse and a graveyard were to be laid out
on the recently acquired lands which encompassed the two town
blocks south of Richmond Street between Brock and Kempt Streets
as well as several lots south of Richmond Street on the east side of
Fig. 2. Roman Catholic cemeter}'
on Brock Street, circa 1834.
Kempt Street." Considering that 595 internments were recorded
in the parish records ofSt. John the Baptist Church from the time
of its establishment on Third (Bathurst) Street in 1802 until constmction ofthe new church on Brock
S M
designated as "the
nJnf
'
h
e
funeral
cortege
the
pa^e^ers the two blocks to the graveyardfollowed
where "Mr
Fig. 1. Community burying ground, 1799,
r^e ?«
n® a asalute
® to theMcQueen
the
party that fired"
deceasedcomanded (.v,< |
Picketing
wouldproblem
be the best"
to mark
sraves^te'^'La'""''®
!"< I
the
ever-presem
ofstray
rootinghispigs
in earlv Amhe nt?^"'McLean Considering
Street in 1844 it is likely that burials were conducted at the new graveyard on Brock Street
commencing sometime after the 1834 land purchase, with the congregation attending church at the
original location until 1844.^ The new cemetery, located on the north side and in the rear yard of
the present site of St. John the Baptist Church, operated until 1864. Other than the monument
markers or fencing^ably
remaining at the Brock Street graveyard to indicate that this cemetery ever existed.
T H
I a
o
afence around the grave." The absence ofearlv ro i,»
^
used to t^Smos^
decision to provide
^"erstburg indicates that wooden
It wascustoly foEgthe ffineraUo re^If
»12.
the deceased. Liberal amoums ofstrong drink were the mauMa™."'^mourners at the home of
At a typical funeral in Detroit two gallons of rum three n' t
comprised the entire menu for an unknown number nf m t" ^°
on May 9, 1796."
^
P'O"®®'' ''mes
pounds of cheese
«««ndtng the wake of Amos Weston
erected in 1996 on the Brock Street frontage of Ecole St. Jean Baptiste, there are no tombstones
In 1866 the property of the Roman Catholic
Church on Bathurst Street was sold to James
England, a stonecutter.''"
Over the years the
property was subdivided and is now occupied by
three private residences. All visible evidence ofthe
early graveyard has been obliterated.
^tetaosh;Li^^twSn^gt/tte"^r.
Reynolds; Mr
of the Queen's Rangers; and Lieutenant John Sutherland c i • ' j^^^der Bums, paymaster
The **Fnglish Grave Yard"
received
gifts from
family
ofthe rings
deceased
f f
gloves, white
scarvestheand
mourning
wereintheannn.
usud•mem
Christ Church in 1818 at its present location on
appear among the items bequeathed in the Last Will and Te«;Ta
Commissary at Fort Maiden, dated March 18 1811 54
of the Royal
Artillery - Black
likely
performed,"
Presented. Two mourning rings
Thomas Reynolds, the Deputy
/
j
/^A^SAY
fSe-coA/o;
The Anglicans commenced construction on
Ramsay Street to the southwest of the rear of the
community's burying ground. For many years the
BATHOAST
H 1 RD)
Anglicans remained the only Protestant
denomination with a church building in
Penominationf^i
hil8U2ih K
Amherstburg. The congregation ofChrist Churc ,
or the "English Church" as it was commonly
labelled on early maps of Amherstburg, burie t eir ^
hoik
^
Baptist in Amherttbu^on^th^
®
<='""''=h ofSt John the
ground. By 1820 the easterly haFo/the
t°'
- '^e b"
the ongmal bunal ground, being 236 feet offrontage
atong
24
^
dead in the "Enelish Grave Yard" which was pig. 3. Roman CathoUc graveyard on Bathurst
* u If r»f the former
comprised of the entire west half ot the lonuc
street and "English" cemetery on Gore Street,circa
•'"O'ing ground and other lands. The additional mo.
25
property being used for this Protestant cemetery consisted ofthe alley formerly located between
Second (now Ramsay) and Third (now Bathurst) Streets and the westerly 60 feet ofthe former Lots
11 and 12 on the southwest comer of Gore and Third Streets.
With afrontage ofapproximately 94 feet on Gore Street, the cemetery ran south from Gore
about 328 feet to the northerly limit ofLot 3, Concession 1, Maiden which was the southernmost
limit ofthe settlement along Bathurst Street in 1820." As aresult ofencroachment by the abuttinu
properties onto the lands originally used for the graveyard, by 1869 the cemetery had been reduced
in breadth by 18 feet to its present width ofapproximately 76 feet."
According to local tradition, soldiers were usually buried at the north end of the grave\ ard
which overlooks Gore Street. Sometime after 1882 the Christ Church congregation erected aparish
hall on this section ofthe graveyard." The Anglican rectory now occupies the site
The only early surviving tombstones in Amherstburg are in the Anglican graveyard Just a
fraction ofthe actual number ofburials in the graveyard are represented by the existing tombstones
and no grave prior to 1809 is marked by aheadstone. With few exceptions, asimple slab vv.th
minimal information commemorates the graves ofthese early settlers. Many ofthe old stones bear
the names ofmonument companies located in Detroit, Buffalo and Toronto, perhaps indicating alack
of local expertise in the making of tombstones.
The Methodist Graveyard
In 1837 Thomas Paxton, Andrew Kemp and William Williams purchased land on Kinu Street
opposite Sherbrooke Street "in trust for the site of aChurch, Meeting House, School Room and
Fifteen vears lat^^r
the Methodists sold their King Street property to James Noble." Agraveyard could have existed at
Buiymg Ground for the use ofthe members ofthe Wesleyan Methodist Church
Township) is the "Wyandotte Indian Cemetery" which was located on the banks of the Detroit River
along the north side ofthe road (now known as Middle Sideroad) running between the lands occupied
b\ Joseph Warrow and Margaret Hunt.'^ The other Christian burying ground was also on the north
side of Middle Sideroad, just east of the Wyandotte Cemetery, in the yard of the schoolhouse
established for Native children This school is not shown on the 1836 map of the Huron Reserve
although the Huron Chiefs - Joseph Warrow and Isidore and Thomas Splitlog - had indicated in 1828
that the land had been made available for it.'^
Only two tombstones, bearing the dates of death 1862 (name illegible) and 1876 (Alexander
Clarke) still exist in the "Indian School Burying Ground." Many of the inscriptions on the
gi avestones in the Wyandotte Cemetery are becoming illegible, although the White, Warrow, Splitlog
and Hunt family monuments have withstood the ravages of time. In 1915 Samuel Drouillard bought
a plot in the Wyandotte Cemetery from Joseph White, then the tmstee ofthe graveyard.'^ The graves
of Samuel Drouillard (1961), Stan Drouillard (1977) and Cecile Drouillard (1979) are the last burials
in this cemetery.
In 1875 any remaining Huron Reserve land in Anderdon Township was transferred into
private ownership. The Wyandottes, however, retained ownership ofthe Wyandotte Cemetery and
the "Indian School" when Lewis Warrow was granted the Crown Patent for the surrounding lands
in 1880." Subsequently, the burying ground on the school property was reserved from the transfer
ofthe school lot to the tmstees ofPublic School Section No. 10 in 1908.^® When the school property
was converted into a private residence in 1952, this burying ground was not included in the transfer.'^
To the present day, the "Indian School Burying Ground" and the Wyandotte Cemetery remain as
unceded Native land, these two cemeteries now representing the last vestige of the former Huron
Reserve.
this site ifthe land was ever used for its intended purposes.
By 1854 the Wesleyan Methodist congregation had purchased new church lands on the
northeast comer ofSeymore and Gore Streets which they owned until 1895.^® Acemeterv Hid Pvkt
on the Wesleyans' Seymore Street property."
Presbyterian GravevarH
congregation
property
on the southeast
cornerwere
ofSimcoe
md D
Bathurst StreetsPresb^enan
on which they
constructedpurchased
St. Andrew's
Presbyterian
Church There
bunals in the south churchyard which was originally reserved for acemetery.'»
w
yando
DDt.&j:iOg
Wvandotte Burial
Negotiations bythe British Crown for the ourchavip nf thp
„
Kent Counties were completed on May 19 1790 From this erant the H ^o'^pnsmg Essex and
r^edfor their own use the lands Jhich now con^I^ tiS Sto'
distant^thrjfte'bXfthe°DertoTm^^^^
TP;*. AS
Fig. 5. Wyandotte Cemeterj' and ^'Indian School
O
Burying Ground."
Fig. 4.
Wyandotte cemeteries in Anderdon
Township.
27
26
For ashort time after 1861, when the buildings at Fort Maiden had been converted for the use
of patients transferred from the Provincial Asylum in Toronto, the Maiden Lunatic Asylum made
burials on its own property along Sandwich Street within and alongside the cedar post stockade
Undertaking Company moved to a new location midway between Dalhousie and Ramsay Streets on
the south side of Murray Street.""' In 1899 Amiin & Company, "Furniture Dealers and Funeral
Directors," advertised that they took care of "Undertaking in all its branches" from their store on
Murray Street "
During this era the custom ofsending a floral tribute gained widespread acceptance, although
the practice was deplored by some as ha\ing pagan origins. Proper Victorian floral arrangements for
funerals were composed of white or purple flowers presented in a variety of shapes. A popular
tribute was the combination of an anchor, cross and heart into one arrangement known as 'Faith,
.
As the nineteenth century advanced, the simple frontier funeral evolved into an ostcntai.ous
OTetnony overlaid with countless rules ofetiquette, reflective of the Victorian era that produced it
efamily of the deceased continued to perform many ofthe tasks associated with the funeral hut
there was a plethora ofadditional details to be observed.
The more spaciotis homes of the Victorians were built to include ararely-used parlour
reserved pnrr^ly for weddings and funerals. When adeath occurred the body was laid out bv family
was not yet eustomaiy.
wafnotTetlustolt
Hope and CharityThe bereaved might also receive sympathy cards from friends. Produced by
greeting card companies, these cards were embossed with such popular mourning s>Tnbols as weeping
willows, tombstones or an angel overhead and featured a space in which to write in the name and age
of the deceased and the date of death.
Friends, relatives and associates of the deceased were sent invitations to the funeral printed
on fine notepaper edged in black. It was considered a breach ofetiquette not to attend the funeral
Some caskets
v?^were provided with galvanized liners to hold ice embalming
colo Standard-sized
ready-made
caskets
metalwithor gradations
acombination
thereof in ararietv
colours
(black, stiver, bronze,
lavender
and ofwood,
aniline blue)
of ornamemation
M of
mrmr ^stores, cabinetmakers or lumberyards. As acomplementary
® product,
caskets
weresupplies
sold bv
formture
servicetheother
fimeral
Z sif m'"
"^Po oloth. black ribbon, candles and Xes wI-
usuahynoTemtirs:!^^^^^^
Funeral ofthe late ?jol|n SL Ifaltlirrtg, tsq-, toBC) rsi-t)RD-Iu Wiudsor. ou Friday. April 24tli.
Audrcw Bot.sibrd. aged 56 years.
Y1..H advertised
a 1 a that
u they
^''"•owman,
propnetors
oftheto Amherstburg
Planing Mill
Lumber
Yard,
could promptly
attend
undertaking. Steam
Representative
of and
the trend
to
au"STo/^T n™' 'r
'"""bermen "commenced the manufacture of
funeral tWug®ut f e m t ' " f t - r n i s h a
Undertakers' Goods" constantly on hLd
®
^"PP'^ °f
received^tteZtfSstS^nhTwl^
M^"""
cloth and the rental ofthe hearse cost $40 00 The 'remaWnTsi725
to "Tomlinson." '(James Tomlinson^mana!?^ dT
^«-rowman
d
^
"
$17.25 paid for a shroud ($4.00), crepe
($9.00) and apayment of $3 .00
Commencing in 1885 David Mf^
i
"theveiy commodious premises" ofhk fi •?" °
®"r^m^teries from 1883 to 1893.)
"Undertaking in All Its Branches" from
and ribbon ($1.25) the hire of
You are respectfully requesteii to attend the
^ •
r-
Murray and Dalhourie sZs IntdZ'Tos n" "Z''
The luueral will take place from his late
residence. Oiicllettc Avc.. Windsor, on Simday.
morrow, at 8 o 'clock, A.M., from his late residence to the
Roman Catholic Ruryiny ground.
Amherstburg, 21st April, 1856.
April 26th. at 10 o'clock a.m.. \ia .steamer
Ilope, to Amherstbnrg. thence to the Amherst
burg Cemeteiy.
Friends and aequaiutauces are respeetlully
invited to meet the cortege at Murray Street
dock, at Amherstburg. at 12:30 p.m.
of
promised to conduct funerals "in firsf class orH
shrouds and trimmings, Kemp also
"recently P
purchased anew
anew Hearse
Hear=» ofthe
Z most approved
™ style."" In 1901 "'''^sonable
rates" having
the Kemp FurnituZnd
Invitation to funeral of Andrew Botsford, 1891.
Invitation to funeral ofJohn Baptiste Laliberty, 1856.
ifan invitation had boon r6C6iv6d. To easily identify the home ofthe deceased for mourners black
crepe ribbons were tied to the doorknob or afloral wreath known as a 'door badge' was attached to
cuniniunity that she was now eligible for remarriage.
the front door. Ahearse was usually rented, either from the business providing The funeral supplies
or from a livery stable, to transport the coffin from the home to the cemetery The hearse had
evolved from being simply a bier on wheels to a self-contained vehicle with an elevated seat for the
coachman. The heavy Victorian hearse resplendent with its carved urns, ornate plumes and gilded
trim required the exertions of at least two horses to move it. The horses pulling the hearse vs ere
usually black and were draped with black net. The casket, covered with ablack pall, could be vicu ed
By the mid-nineteenth centuiy, rural graveyards situated on large expanses of land in a quiet,
natural, park-like setting replaced the crowded, neglected churchyard cemeteries. On January 9, 1855
the municipality of Amherstburg acquired eight acres of land fronting
on its final journey to the cemetery through the hearse's large side windows of bevelled ulass
on the Townline Road between .Anderdon and Maiden Townships
decorated with heavy shirred and tasselled curtains.
(now Alma Street) for Rose Hill Cemeteiy, the public graveyard.''®
In many homes, no alcoholic drinks were served at the wake owing to the strennth of tiie
Temper^ce movement. As aremembrance, funeral guests received ablack mourning card with the
name of the deceased and an appropriate elegiac verse printed thereon in gold Other mementoes
connuoidy decorating Victorian homes included wax flower memorials covered by tall glass cases and
shadow boxes displaying hair wreaths composed oflockets ofvariously coloured hair snipped from
departed loved ones, woven or braided over fine wire into intricate designs
neriod
nfW Awidow was
required
thattothemourn
deceased
be mourned
in aprescribed
for asetof
penod oftime,
expected
her husband'
s death
for two yearsmanner
The death
one swife, parent or child required one year of mourning, for grandparents siblings and "a friend
who leaves you an inheritance" only halfthat time. During the period ofdeen mo.irnim, 1/ H
dressed mdull black clothes and hid her face from public view under the long heavy black crep^e veTl
hlr o™ del'
Zf'
by awidow until
.
Two years later, the Roman Catholic Church purchased land to the east
of the public cemetery along the Tliird Concession Road (now Meloche
^
^
Road).®'^ In 1864 St. John the Baptist Cemeteiy was established on
four acres ofthis land.^'
S'
Soon grandiose tombstones representing granite tree trunks,
towering obelisks, Grecian urns, lambs and cherubs appeared on the
gentle slopes ofthese two new cemeteries. In 1883 William S. Wright
established the Amherstburg Marble and Granite Works, offering
'•^^"^TrfTTpoifSHM-G
MililKSTBUKG
STEAM POLISHING
monuments, headstones, tablets, mantles and all kinds of cemeteiy
work.'" The Bell family's imposing monument in Rose Hill Cemetery
MARBLE AND GRANITE WORKS
was created by Wright. Richard Kelley of London established a marble
Tbo outy tii'LU in tbo couuiy thatmouulac'
turoa sraul:« Irom ib« roucU.wIiicb it tbipnod
dlrocitrom
ibaquorrlo* lo
lo v»niioutlo
vtnuont lo ut.
Nv®
tromihaqufcrrlA*
u». \v«
•
1
marble and mNiTE WORKS
r»T\l'A
can ibut tav« QO i>ar coui. throusb Uiii odvan-
works on the east side of Dalhousie Street just south ot Rankin Avenue
c.u..u^„u«uuii.«iv.n.
mdeep
hi termoulr^AsThel^
mourning. As the mourning penod progressed, the veil of the"^"ing
widow'sparents
bonnetorwas
in-laws
shortened
while
in 1879.''- The obelisk erected to the Duff family at Rose Hill and the
WRIGHT &
& WALTON,
WALTON.
obelisk monument to the Bertrands at St. John the Baptist Cemetery
Auiherstburg Steim psiishiaj llarWJ
and
A^hersthurssteAmPs^jihbj
narwj acd
Graaite Works,
relieved by grey, violet or white trim and more
were made by Kelley. The granite headstones produced by John
social activity permitted. "When awidow no longer appeared in mourning garb, she signalled to the
I
Murray and Oor 11
V.>tlov Stratt. i>«tvru«u Murray and Uor
Stra«U, .Aiuberttburc.
Harmon &Co. ofWindsor were also popular in this era and could be L==========L==============J
ordered from Harmon's Amherstburg agent, Thomas Graveline. These
Advertisement
Advertisement
in
in
the
the
Amherstburg Echo,
Echo, July
July 23,
stone monuments of a by-gone era still stand as a testimonial to the Amherstburg
23,
1886.
enduring character of the townspeople who are memorialized by them.
The Emergence of the Modern Funeral Director
1
Licensed Embalmers
After January 1, 1912 undertakers were required to be licensed by the Ontario Board of
Health and embalmers were certified by a provincial Board of Examiners upon passing qualifying
examinations, although persons already engaged in the business of embalming could receive a
certificate ofqualification based on their practical experience. With government regulation of this
field restricting the profession to trained personnel, the role of the funeral director became more
clearly defined.
During the first decades ofthe twentieth century, the population ofthe Tri-Community was
*
Funeral of W.D. Balfour, August 1896.
Marsh Collection Society, P782
still too small for a funeral director to support his family solely on the income of his funeral business.
In Amherstburg, undertaking remained closely associated with the furniture dealer's business.
From as early as 1905 until 1918, Lambert Bertrand operated a furniture store on the north
side of Murray Street between Sandwich and Seymore Streets. Bertrand also offered undertaking
services, advertising that he was a funeral director and practical embalmer
In 1915 David M. Kemp sold the Kemp Furniture and Undertaking Company's property on
the south side of Murray Street to James H. Sutton and William Trimble
Sutton had been
employed by Kemp since 1904 and both Sutton and Trimble had owned an interest in Kemp s
company for the past four years.'' Sutton and Trimble continued in business in Amherstburu as the
Mun a\ Street Although Arthur J. Bums remained in Amherstburg, he did not carry on business as
a funeral director after 1934.
In 1935 and 1936, a branch ofJ. Sutton & Sons operated in Amherstburg onthe northwest
comer of Gore and Brock Streets. Their "funeral parlours" were located at the front of the Captain
Patterson house which was "remodelled and repaired to accommodate this business. John Sutton,
the cousin ofAmherstburg funeral director James H. Sutton, had established J. Sutton &Sons in
1899, his business having branches in Windsor and Detroit.
Kemp Furniture and Undertaking Company until 1928.
James H. Sutton. Funeral Director
Post-Worid War I Social Changes
Undertaking services were in great demand during the 'Swine Flu' epidemic of 1018 \\ ith
so many deaths occurring, funeral directors had to conduct up to eight funerals daily Since the
Board ofHealth required that the bodies offlu victims be buried quickly, the undertaker's duties were
limited to bringing the casket to the victim shouse and immediately transporting it to the cemetery
for burial.
Technological progress and dramatic social changes after World War I shaped the developing
funeral mdustry. With increasing industrialization, more people moved to urban centres where both
males and females found employment in factories or offices. In these fast-growing cities, neighbours
were barely acquaintances. No longer tied to the land, families became smaller and widely scattered
Home funerals became more difficult to manage. When adeath occurred, there were fewer relatives
and neighbours in aposition to assist the bereaved. Most new housing consisted ofbungalows too
small to accommodate the seating ofa large number ofmourners.
Also, medical advances were radically reducing the death rate. For the first time in history.
^ . ,. . .
. ^ ^
By the end of World War I, James H. Sutton and William W. Tnmble had expanded the
business ofthe Kemp Furniture and Undertaking Company to include aFord Motor Car dealership
and had acquired the property on the southeast comer of Bathurst and Richmond Streets for their
business.'**^ In 1920 Sutton and Trimble relocated their fumiture and housewares business to the
northwest comer ofMurray and Ramsay Street, selling the former Kemp building on the south side
ofMurray Street to William Finlay, a billiard room operator. Since 1917 James H. Sutton had
owned property on the south side ofElm Avenue where he resided until 1934, this residence also
serving as the James H. Sutton Funeral Home in Amherstburg until 1956.
In 1926 Sutton and Trimble began operating the Windsor Hudson-Essex Car Sales and
Service on Goyeau Street in Windsor. Two years later, the partners also purchased property in
Windsor on the west side of Ouellette Avenue between Elliott and Erie Streets.
The James H.
Sutton Funeral Home operated at this location until 1964 when the business was moved to a more
spacious building further south on Ouellette Avenue.
After the move to Windsor, Sutton and Trimble began to divest themselves of their
It was possible that the death ofa parent, spouse or child would not occur until one's own children
Amherstburg partnership property. By 1928 the property on the comer ofBathurst and Richmond
Streets had been sold, part to John E Moffatt and part to Imperial Oil Ltd.'®" Also in 1928, Roy L.
Wigle took over the fumiture and housewares division ofthe Kemp company, remaining at the comer
ofMurray and Ramsay Streets.^"' After 1929, Trimble carried on business solely in automobile sales
to lose contact with the death experience, the funeral director assumed many ofthe tasks traditionally
in Windsor.
had reached adulthood. More frequently, deaths occurred away from the home, in hospitals or
nursing homes, unobserved by the family. When the benefits of embalming were recognized it
became necessaiy to have trained personnel perform the task oflaying out the body. As people began
performed bythe family.
Although most fimerals continued to be held in the home ofthe deceased until World War II
by the 1920s some people were choosing to lay out the deceased in the parlour of the funeral
T
would no longer have to transport the casket, bier, prayer rail,
bitsiness^M^'
stt^^^Frol^MO^^^^^
on Richmond
Ko* u
wind WtSe Sr'r^h ®
services ftol t^riT T
would be performed within the confines
J^u^'tookoverBertrand's
Bums business was located in the Amherst House
^
When Burns &McCarthy
"25. Arthur Bums offered afuneral director's
Library.'^ Bums an
on Ramsay Street yvhich had previously housed the Amherstburg
building "into am<^em fi
^^d Licensed Embalmer, intended to transform the
Bums had moved
movfd his
w undertaking
^ f service
business
building
backontooneBertrand'
side, ands aresidence
original location
on theonother."^®
the northlide
By 1927
of
Assisted by his sons. Garnet and Everett, James H. Sutton directed funerals in Windsor from
theJames H. Sutton Funeral Home on Ouellette Avenue and in Amherstburg from his Elm Avenue
home. During the 1930s and '40s an ambulance service was also offered by the Sutton company.
After 1934 Gamet Sutton lived in the home on Elm Avenue while James H. Sutton occupied the
Ouellette Avenue home in Windsor. Following the death in 1951 of Garnet Sutton, who had been
the general manager ofthe business, A.W. 'Dolph' Murtagh, a longtime Sutton employee, acted as
general manager until his own demise in 1963. The proprietor ofthe business, James H. Sutton, died
in 1954.
The house formerly owned by Dr. Oscar Teeter, located on the northwest comer of Gore and
Sandwich Streets, was converted into a funeral home for Sutton's in 1956. James Sutton, the son
ofGamet Sutton, also became a funeral director, joining the business in 1958. Following the death
of A.W. Murtagh in 1964, James Sutton became the president and general manager of James H.
Sutton Funeral Home Ltd. At this time Leo Mitchell became the vice-president of the company and
served in this capacity for twenty years. Funerals continued to be conducted from Sutton's
Amherstburg and Windsor funeral homes.
33
32
In 1976 James H. Sutton Funeral Home
Lndiiotes to Chapter I
Ltd. moved into anew building in Amherstburg,
'.."J' v,y ^/jt-^-iV^,
specifically designed as a flineral home with
spacious rooms and a large parking area, on the
southeast corner of Sandwich and Pickerine
(WmSS^,
w^at .
'« i
'
I
I A Lopynghiod work «' of Icrraucc 1lainillon 1tail. 1995. for which all rights arc rcsciA cd andno reproduction iiiav be
made without the express written pcnni.ssion of tlic author. Permission has been granted tothe Amherstbm-g Bicentennial
Book ( omnnttee to include this work in its book. .Amherstburg 1796-1996 : The New l own on the Garrison Groimds.
Streets. In 1984 the longtime family-operated
- 1etters i»l Riehard Pollard to t'onnnander (ieorge Pre\'ost. 14 April 1812 and 20 October 1814. In Stuart. Heniy
busine.s.s wa«: cnlH tn Trai;.
t olendge. The I-niseoo.ite of Ineob Moiiiii.iiii 1798-1825" (iminibli.sltcd manuscript at the Quebec Diocesan Archives.
u Chiaite. Milo M(ed.) The John A.skm Papers. Vol. II. (Detroit: Detroit Libraiy Commission. 1928), p. 376. Hereafter
21. ProvincialArchives of Ontario, Instrument 445.
ictciTcd to as Askin Papers.
22. LettCTfromFr.Bou^toBishop Power,27 June 1844. In Bishop Dignan, History- ofthe I nnHnn
manuscnpt at Diocese ofLondon Archives). Hereafter referred to as Dignan.
Collm. Margaret M. IV-ath in l-arh- America. (Nas!h\iUe: Thomas Nelson, Inc.. 1976). p. 81. Hereaft^rrfertedto
as CotTm Also. KalLsh. Richard A. (ed.) TV.flth and Dvinp: Views
23. Gignac,pp. 10-12.
Nonvglte Missions du CunA. l«d1.HiS-> p |6| (BiHIothiqiic
25.
Mauv Cultmres. Farmmgdale. NY; Baywood
Publishuig Company. 1980.
.la
tai-a origtaal ledgar, 1844. (Archives of .SI. Job. the Baptisl Romao CaUiolic Church. Au.hcs.hu, e ,
ft' Askin Papers Vol 11. p. 376
17 Ihc bnr,ingg.oondtva,s located on the,southennnostedgeofthesettlemento^te 13, 14and IS.tvestsideofT^
Street (mm Bato .Stteet) Thic burring ground had afrontage of232 feet along Tbrd Street md rvas ongtMlly 12^^t
UI dqrdi. siniated between Ihird Street and the north-south alley miming bebveen Second (now Ramsay) and Thrrd Streets.
Hereafter reierred to as Boue.
26. Letter from Joseph White, "Chiefofthe Hurons." to Bi.shop Pinsonneault. 16 Augu.sl 1858. In Dignan
48 Askin Papers. Vol. 11. p. 376.
27. Boud.
49 Askin Paners Vol. II. p. 377.
28. Ibid.
50. Ibid.
29. St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church records. Amherstburg.
51 Oarmsouthder Arrtoburg 11 March 1808. to Btntonlfeiorical Collection. 1,5, Cmorge Ironside Papers, Utterbook
30. Smith, William H. Smith's Canadian Gazetteer Toronto; H «& W Rowsell IR-irs « vnr.ni i i
PublbhingCo.. 1972. Hereafter referred lo as
Cauadiau
"""
. r- i
31. The Amherstburg Echo, June 22,1894.
25 December 1794 to 23 Jamiaiy 1812. (Detroit Public Libraiy).
52. Askin Papers. Vol. 11. p. 25.
53. Askin Papers. Vol. II. p. 376,
33. St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church records. Amherstburg.
34. The Amherstburg Echo, November 8,1901, obituaiy of Father PicrreDominic Laurent.
54. i;.ssex County Registiy Office. Instrument No. 141. Abstract Book I.
ss na , L wem siiive>^
wionH,v,iiinibenxliul820.
the "Roman
Church Yard"
55.
rhe ,lots in Amherstburg
as Lot 26Thelandencompassedby
on the west side ofBathnrst
Street. Registered
Plan
was ^st^ed .is own lot
composed ofthe easterh' 60 feet ofthe tbrmer Lots 13, 14 and
IattheLssexCountN-RegistiyOihce. Thisncu Lot
26wasstatedtobe232feetinthe 1866deedfi-omthe
ISonthervestsideofThrrd street Although the frontage ofLot M
^
Roman
35. Gignac.
Amherstburg).
36. Diq Amherstburg Echo. January 25, 1878.
had a frontage of236~ feet. The journal
.
presbyleiy on the Catholic Church grounds in Amheistburg. ( ignac. p.
37. Gignac.
.
rxi*/-y ivnv/fr 1677
56. V.National
Archives of, Canadaa (NACT
ULm on the "R. CathoUc Grave Yard" lands about
heinc a map of Amherstburg circa 1840. indicates a building
approximateh- 20 feet in width by about 35 feet mdepth
office
120 feet south ofthe southerly limit ofLot 25, Registered Plan 1, Essex County Regmtry OfBoe,
38. TYie Amherstburg Echo, May 25, 1883.
39. Town ofAmherstburg Municipal Offices, Bylaw No. 1511.
,
Bath
...
j ;„4rx tw new chinch Quarters on Brock Street, the former presbyteiy on
V" tttmac p. 20.) Michael Maloney Sr.. ablacksmith who owned the lot abutting
urst Street
was rented
a Malone,.
( from
^ •P'
as 1853
until his death in 1900 (Lot 8. Registered
Plan 4). was
the Roman
Cathohc
Churchtolands
tothe south
asearl> as
18X1 unmmsuca
g
40. Gignac.
41. Zin, Michael. "Opening ofthe Ukrainian Village, 1962."
probably the "Maloney" who rented the presbyleiy in 1850.
CO
The north wall ofthe chapel would have ,
„ooa.ovitnfltelv on the north limit of Lot 15 on the west side of Bathurst
P . Church to the north would be the easterly 60 feet ofLots 13 and
42. -n^AmhrniburgEcho. December 19, 1984. Letter to the Editor by Dr. Michael Zin.
oucei;
me remaining
remaimng lands oivned by
py inc
ixom«u
Street; the
the Roman
and^^mherslburg£cAo, September 24, 1986 and Febmaiy 3. 1988,
59. Lssex County Registry Office, Patent Index, Patent No. 123.
36
Catholic Lnurcu lu lukj
14
lJ4l.
60 ffXAt ftflCll,
14.
west side ofThird Street, which had awidth
of60
feet each
37
60. Gignac, pp. 26-27.
I ssc\ County Rcgi.stiy Office. Instrument No. 13304 for Anderdon.
m
ofTrail,Chapter 30, Bulging Places mAmhcrstburg' (!9.1«) (Amhcrstbnrg
^677^ i«Li
lh 1lands
ri acquired by the Roman Catholic
Botsford.)Church
However,
Amhersiburg
circa(JraNc
1840Yard
(NA(" . NM(
3677)
labels aUn'the
in 1834amap
as theof"Roman
Catholic
62. Essex County Registry Office, Instrument No. 663 for Amhersiburg.
S(i Botsford. p 115
s1 Com crsation witli Victor Janissc. former funeral director ofJanis,se BroUiers Funeral Homes in Windsor. August 1996.
s: The. Imhersthur}: luho. May 31.1878, advertisement for Park &Borrowmau.
fpThfiseme^^ts were shown on amap ofAmherstburg circa 1830 (NAC, NMC 8730). The northcrlv limii ol I<.i
.H.3 The. Un/wnihnrv l-cho. Apnl 24. 1885, ad\erti.sement for Kemp l-umiture. David Kemp first operated his
store .11 1883 on the northeast comer of Richmond and Dalhousie .Streets but nothing is mentioned mhis early ads at this
location regarding midcrlakmg services
64. Over the years, the westerly boundaries ofthe lands abutting the grave\ ard to the east had h....n -cfaKi. i i ,
to depd. by up 19./, fee,. (.Sec Es..«x cLt,
Amhcraburg.) Conuspondtolfr.by 1882 teeManI gravejardhadbeeo reduiud Co awidlhTT^rfM ,9 1 T
Regiaiy Office. InslnunenC No. 2361 for Amhersiburg.)
'
' """"
X4 I{sse\ County Registr> Oiriee. Instrument No. 454 for Amherstburg.
X5 1he Amhersthur}^ Echo. July 21.1899.
86 JacLson. Charles 0 ,cd.)
Regcsuy Office, toscrumeu, NO. 2361 for Amhersiburg,; Cherefor^cheX
"•
n, -.-"Vh "• America. (Wcstport. CN: Oreemvood Press. 1977). p. 97.
87 Coffin, p. 111.
<Mllcc. l-ateu, n.K,k.
67. Essex County RegisHy Office, Instrument No. 309A for Maiden, dated August 9. 1852.
88 I-s.sex County Registiy Office. Instnmient No. 57B for Maiden.
89 l.s.sex County Registiy Office. Instnmient Nos. 157n and 420 lor Maiden.
90. (iiguac. p 26.
68. This is Lot 10, east side ofSeymore Street, Registered Plan 1 lEssex Coimnrw i
62 for Amherstburg.)
^ Registry Office, Instnmient Nos 17 and
Ol
II
1 ,
L kcho.
; August.
A .ni , io«i-• IInsetting
the Hour
Glass-100
years ago'.
In the Ec7?o
of January
11,
\\\c Amhersthttrg
Ciranite
Works
locates Wright's
business
on Richmond
Street
1884. an adveniseiiient for Aii±er.s1b«rg
opposite l-Uis Browu's 1lotel. An advertisement in the April x.4, ioo- ocf
(now Sandwich) Street between Murray and Gore Streets.
92. The
70. Botsford, p. 115.
auprtoCedWmdsor:
72. Lajeunesse, Figure 12, Patrick McNifFs 1790 map.
93. "An Act Respecting Embalming." Statutes ofOntario, 1911. Chapter
94. Essex Coiinh Registr, Office, lustrumeul No 6887 for Amherstbiug.
95. The.4,„/,e,.«6my Echo. J.me 23. 1911 aud May 11. 1944. •Upsedtogthc Hour Glass -4(. years ago'.
73. These cemeteries are both on Lot 19, Couoessiou 1. Anderdou Totvuship.
1by'^h'^o^^
May 23, 1879.
I occupiedby Margaret Huut aud Lot 19. Coueessiou
,
j
James
H. Sutton related to ..his gr^dson
anj
Ja^se, the former funeral director ofJ^sse
eflu epidemic that extra help had to bo
tliflt tliere were 6 to 8 burials a day diuing the epidemic. Vincent
p.yjgral
Homes in Windsor, recalls that business was so brisk during
(.^.^rge Janisse, conducted up to 7fimerals aday imtil he
- weeks recuperating in the Kellogg Sanatorium in Battle Creek,
75. Gignac, p. 9.
was also stricken \vith the Swine Fluand had to spend rune weeKS recupci
Michigan and leara towalk again.
76. Essex Couuty Registty Office. lustrutoenl No. 7245 for Auderdon.
97 This is Lot 8, east sideof Ramsay Street.
™
1. Auderdou Totvitship
78. Essex Couuty Registcy Qa«,
38
98. The
^
October 3, 1924 aud August 28,1925.
99. Tb^Amhersiburg Echo. March 15,1935. Also. Amherstburg Assessmeuts, 1935 aud 1936.
IlKl. The.4mW6,„yEcho, Aprd 26.1818. Also. Essex Couut,-Registty Office, lustrmueut No 7629 for Amhemtburg.
39
101. Amhastborg Assessment, 1920, Also, Essex Connl> Registo'oSice. lastmnienl No 8465 for Ambcrstborp
bed boupbl
lot No
11 on7456
l:lmforAvenue
front W.,liv
MeOee, contractorofthe City ofNewSm<^.mdei1akerorAmbcr.slburg.
York. (Essex County Rcgi.stn Office.
In.stmmcnt
Ambcrstbnrp
>
103. Essex County Registry Office, Instrument No. 20234 for Windsor West
5"l9^'C^trN^r,8«rr°°,I
!» Jom. EMoirat, dated
NovotL^S ^
Amberstbnrg. bcntg adeed to Imperial Oil l.id for tbe westerly 68 lee, .l.tte.l
105. The 1928 Amherstburg As.sessment for the fir.st time inHicaf.'« Prtv I u/;„i
n
t
Undertaking Company at tbis location. Tlte following year, only Roy l, Wigle ,s assessed on'ha,'lot
106. Essex County Registry Office. Instrument No. 7463 for Maiden beine ad4!4«,H frnm ti,. r- . t i a
Roman Catholic Fniccnntil f
jZIJ;,
^
r aL i-a
r..
3
i
i
»om the I-,.stale of Annie Iosiei lo the
ofthe Dtoeese ofLondon in Ontario, dated Oeeember 1(1. 1928 an.l reetstered
107. Essex County Registry Office, Instrument No. 1047708.
40
•