The History of Lambton's Fall Fairs

Fall Fairs are a time-honoured rural tradition throughout Ontario. The earliest agricultural society was formed at Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1792. Other societies followed, and they would hold fairs with butter, cheese and maple sugar. In 1834, a prize was offered for "Best Servant!"

While there used to be as many as eight fairs active in Lambton County, that number has decreased to the remaining five: Plympton and Wyoming; Petrolia and Enniskillen; Brigden; Forest; and Brooke and Alvinston. Taking place over roughly a month's span from early September to October, fall fairs give local residents an opportunity to celebrate achievements and spend time with neighbours. These activities have been going on in Lambton County for over 150 years. Allow me to provide you with some information about the interesting histories of Lambton's fall fairs!

Credit for the oldest fall fair goes to Plympton and Wyoming, an Agricultural Society who held their first fair in 1846 on John Fisher's farm, at lot 14, concession 8, Plympton Township. In 1907, the fair was moved to Thames Street in Wyoming, and later to Main Street; a hall was erected in 1911. In 1926 additional land was purchased to use as a racetrack, but races were discontinued in 1947 because they were considered a safety hazard.

The Brigden Fair is now a four-day event

The first Brigden Fair was held in 1850 at Riley's Tavern and featured only cattle and horses. For the next four decades, the location would alternate between Mooretown and Corunna, and later between Courtright and Brigden, until settling into the current grounds in 1889. Prior to 1928, only Moore residents could be exhibitors; however, "Open to the World" was declared that year and exhibits were opened to an unlimited area.

Prize List, 1889

The Enniksillen Agricultural Society was organized in 1876. By 1888, the society had acquired three and a half acres of land in the Petrolia village limits, erected buildings, and were conducting an annual fair. Financial records from 1888 show a volume business of $782.1 and a net profit of $5.25!

Forest had its first fair in 1870 at the corner of Broadway and Main Street; it was later moved to a drill shed. In 1874, twelve acres of land were purchased at the south-west corner of the town. This would be named the Forest Pleasure Park and served as fair grounds until the present park was bought in 1909. Early Forest fairs emphasized livestock but had prizes for bread, maple sugar and other culinary arts.

Poster for the Forest Fair

Alvinston's society originated in or about 1867; unfortunately, early records have not been preserved so it is difficult to get a picture of the society's earliest years. We know that a livestock show was held in October, 1875. There was no admission fee to the open grounds, but they did charge ten cents to enter the township hall, where grains, vegetables and ladies' work were being displayed.

Other fairs that are no longer running have equally interesting histories. The Florence agricultural society dates back to 1863. They held their first fair in 1910 after purchasing a white frame barn that was renovated with two wings and an upstairs area to form a Crystal Palace. A driving track was added in 1911, and in 1913 Fansher Church was purchased for $75.00, and the lumber was used to construct a grandstand. Thedford's society was organized even earlier in 1859. Tradition says fairs were held on the ridge road a few miles west of town but no records can confirm. When a fair was held on October 1, 1889, there was more than two feet of snow on the ground!

Fair season is now upon us, so be sure to get out to your fair and support the local community. The season kicks off with the Petrolia and Enniskillen Fall Fair September 9 and 10. The County of Lambton's Cultural Services Division will have a booth at all the upcoming fairs, so visit us to learn all about the county's libraries, museums and galleries! See you there.

New History Website! The Township of Warwick: A Story Through Time

In partnership with the Warwick Township History Committee, the Township of Warwick and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture's Museums and Technology Fund, the Lambton Room is proud to present a new history website! The Township of Warwick: A Story Through Time is a brand new website that brings together fascinating information about the township's history into one convenient location.

The website has its roots in the publication The Township of Warwick: A Story Through Time, which was compiled and released by the Warwick History Township Committee in 2008. That book provides an overview of Warwick Township's history from prehistoric times through the First and Second World Wars. Additionally, the book contained specific information about the families that have shaped and influenced Warwick Township.

The new website features digitized versions of all the content and photographs from the book (see the "History" tab on the website for the book chapters). Additionally, all the information about the various families is indexed and listed ("Families Index").

There was a lot of information, photographs, and history of Warwick Township that did not have the chance to get included in the book. The website has provided us with a platform to make those additional resources from the Lambton Room archives widely available. Browse historic postcards, letters or newspaper clippings! We also have video clips of interviews with local residents and businesses, and audio clips coming soon. You could spend days browsing through the photo albums and still have more pictures to see! The Google Gallery is one of my favourite aspects of the website. It pairs historic photographs with cutting edge technology by putting historic snapshots beside Google Street View. It gives you an opportunity to compare how streetscapes and landscapes have evolved over time.

Most importantly, this website will continue to evolve. The forums encourage users to post their own memories of Warwick Township's history or make additional comments about photographs/documents that are on the wesibte, if they recognize names or faces that aren't already identified. Our Uploading section is an excellent opportunity for individuals with photos or documents to upload digitized copies, which will add to our understanding of the township's history and become integrated into the material already posted on the website. In this way, the website continues to collect Warwick Township's history and spark interest in its stories.

Although there is already amazing material on the website, it will continue to grow and expand as people share their knowledge and passion about Warwick Township's history with us. Visit http://www.warwickhistory.ca today!

Ontario Vital Statistics: New Years Are Here!

This morning the Lambton Room received an exciting package in the mail. It contained the latest round of Ontario Vital Statistics. We now have a new year's worth of records pertaining to births, marriages and deaths in the province of Ontario. We have birth registrations up to and including 1914; marriage registrations up to and including 1929; and death registrations up to and including 1939.

About fifteen minutes before the package arrived, I had just been discussing with one of my co-workers about the status of our vital statistics order, and when I anticipated they would arrive. Avid genealogists are often waiting to swoop in and have a look at the latest year's worth of vital statistics, to flesh out their research.

The Archives of Ontario's Introduction to Vital Statistics asserts, "these records are restricted until they have been made publicly available," but does not offer any additional explanations about the reasons behind these restrictions. Familyhistoryalive.com explains that because of Ontario's privacy laws, records of a private and sensitive nature cannot be released until a specified period of time has elapsed. Birth records are kept secret until 95 years after they occurred; marriages for 80 years; and deaths for 70 years.While it is important to respect these privacy laws, it's annoying for researchers who are aware these statistics are locked up in a vault and being released at a frustratingly slow pace!

For this year, we have received our newest wave of Ontario Vital Statistics, and that is something to celebrate! So come out to the Lambton Room and look up those birth, marriage or death records that have been eluding you.

Keeping Up With The Joneses: The Maxwell Settlement Part 2

I received some great feedback about my last blog, Lambton's Communal Experiment: The Maxwell Settlement. A lot of people are unaware of and fascinated by this pocket of Lambton County's history! I have been working closely with the Jones Diaries over the last few weeks, and I wanted to share some additional information about this amazing collection to flesh out the Maxwell story. So here is Keeping Up With The Joneses: The Maxwell Settlement Part 2!

I mentioned at the end of my last blog that the Lambton Room has some incredible material documenting the Maxwell settlement. I have been dusting off and properly arranging/storing the Jones diaries for several weeks now, and I have developed a much better understanding of the collection.

The collection contains diaries from three different Joneses: two diaries from Henry John Jones Sr., the master-mind and driving force behind Maxwell; a single diary from Julia Maria Jones, Henry John Sr.'s daughter; and a whopping thirty-four diaries from Henry John Jones Jr., Julia's brother.

Henry John Sr., September 28, 1832.

Henry John Jones Sr.'s diaries document between December 11, 1831 and September 22, 1833. His entries can be a bit formulaic; he tends to record weather readings, such as thermometer, barometer and wind speed. He records details about agricultural activities, farm accidents and visitors. For example, September 28, 1832 he noted, "Townsend arrived with workmen to finish bridge. 2 boys stopped in search of horses." (page 123) March 7, 1833 Jones recorded, "Sandy Hamilton came up again, being desirous of returning to the shores of the lake." (page 28) His diaries provide a great snapshot of activity at Maxwell during its heyday.

Henry John Sr., March 7, 1833.

Julia Maria Jones kept a diary from May 20, 1830 to August 28, 1830. It documents the journey from England to Canada, and through to the site for Maxwell. "Our view of Maxwell even at first was favourable..." Julia notes, commenting on the beauty of the landscape and the hard trek she endured to reach her destination.


Henry John Jones Jr. documented an extensive portion of his life with diaries. His first diary was "Remarks on the zoology of the neighbourhood of Maxwell," a summary of the animals around Maxwell without much detail about the activities of the humans. He kept regular diary entries until 1843, when our collection abruptly stops until 1852, when it picks up regularly again. It is possible that he quit writing for that period, or the diaries are in someone else's possession. The last diary we have ends in June, 1883.

Henry John Jones Jr., January 1, 1837.

Jones Jr. writes openly and honestly, for example on January 1, 1837 when he noted, "Looking back on my proceedings during the last year and my prospects at present, I must acknowledge that the view is anything but pleasing... The Land business is in a very unsettled state, indeed the chances are that my present employment cannot last much longer. A devil of an annoyance, after wasting three or four years of my life in it. My consolation is that though poorly, I have managed to maintain myself, and have acquired habits of business and a certain quantity of experience and information which will doubtless under any circumstances be useful to me hereafter."

It is a rare opportunity to have access to this type of material, diaries that document so regularly and carefully a notable period in county history. The Jones Diaries have been cleaned, inventoried, and archival-safe boxes have been individually prepared for each diary to ensure it remains protected under optimal conditions.

While the family's ambitious Maxwell failed, their dreams and experiences are recorded forever in the Jones Diaries.

Lambton’s Communal Experiment: The Maxwell Settlement

One of the most interesting stories of European settlement in Lambton County comes from an ardent believer in socialist theory, a man named Henry Jones. He brought settlers from Scotland to Lambton County to establish a communal settlement in the late 1820s.

Jones was inspired by Robert Owen, a Welsh entrepreneur and social reformer. Owen was disheartened by the wretched working conditions that plagued Britain during the industrial revolution, and introduced socialist reforms in the mill he managed in New Lanark. He provided educational facilities for his workers; started a company store with lower prices and credit; and wrote essays about communes and social living.

 Owen delivered lectures on socialist living, and one of these lectures was heard by our Henry Jones. Jones was inspired to establish an Owenite colony populated with displaced British workers in the New World.  

Jones encountered some snags on his path to a Utopian commune. His initial petition for land was refused because he did not have enough settlers and demanded extensive government funding; his second petition requested to settle fewer families at his own expense. In late 1828, Jones received his grant, and his settlers set sail from Scotland. The party had approximately fifty men, women and children, including Jones.

 

Elizabeth (Jones) Faithorne Pencil Sketch, Maxwell.



The arduous journey across the ocean and through the wilderness took weeks, and the settlers eventually arrived in late April 1829. The settlement was dubbed Maxwell and embodied all the promises of contemporary social reform theory. Their communal home was “a large building of, not logs, but carefully whip-sawed boards. A two-storey central block contained the common dining room, kitchen and living rooms. Two single-storey wings contained private rooms for each family.” [Maxwell – and Henry Jones, Lambton’s Communal Settlement, Helen Burrowes, p. 20]. They had a storehouse for supplies and a blacksmith shop, and the promise of an existence free from the shackles of industrial labour that loomed in their native Scotland.

Unfortunately, Maxwell proved to be unsustainable. The women became disgruntled with the communal kitchen and dining room. There were whispers from some of the men about Jones, who saw himself as the group’s leader. Following the tenants of social theory, Jones believed human beings were inherently selfless, hard-working, and good intentioned. It turned out this was not the case.

Maxwell’s settlers did not live up to Jones’s ideal. The community began to crumble after less than a year with the departure of Henry Baird, the young blacksmith. More and more settlers would peel off, and Jones became distracted with legal troubles back in Britain.

Lambton’s experiment in communal living may have failed, but Jones left a legacy. He is credited with bringing an optimistic spirit of community and freedom to Lambton while the area was still wild and untamed. Additionally, the center street of a lot he owned was subdivided and named Maxwell Street after that fledgling communal settlement.

Henry John Jones (Jr) Journal, December 1860.

The Lambton Room is fortunate to contain some amazing documentation of the Maxwell settlement and the Jones family. We have two pencil sketches done by Elizabeth (Jones) Faithorne of the original communal settlement in the early 1830s. Additionally, we have a collection of nearly 30 volumes of journals kept by Henry Jones’s son, Henry John Jones. His journals begin in 1830 and keep diligent records of almost every day until 1883. The journals provide information about Henry John Jones and insight into what life would have been like in the 1800s. The collection is occasionally mundane (when discussing the weather); often informative (we learn about trips taken by Jones); and even funny (we sometimes hear Jones bemoan a night spent consuming too much gin). While the Maxwell settlement may have failed, it retains a remarkable and interesting foothold in Lambton County’s history, and has left us some fascinating historical documents.

Genealogy Buffs Be Aware! Family History Centers

Early last week, I had the opportunity to tour Sarnia's Family History Center, an office nestled in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building at 1400 Murphy Road. These institutions are present in LDS churches across the country and across the world, and their mandate is to help individuals research and better understanding their family histories. The Mormon faith believes that ordinances can be performed for individuals after their death, and this connection of ancestors with religion has created one of the most substantial genealogical forces in the world.

While Mormons believe in an intricate connection between genealogy and their faith, the genealogical resources they have compiled are open for the use of anyone regardless of their religion or ideology. The services are all available free of charge, and come without any assumption that you must convert in order to access these resources. While the Lambton Room specializes in genealogical documents and sources for Lambton County specifically, the Family History Center is international in scope. They can help you research and understand documents that are older and from a wealth of different countries.

Family History Centers are the local hubs for the transmission of the church's incredible genealogical holdings. They are the local eyes and ears for the Family History Library Building in Salt Lake City. That 142,00 square foot five storey building is the largest library of its kind in the world. FamilySearch.org asserts, "The collection includes over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records: 727,000 microfiche; 356,000 books, serials, and other formats; over 4,500 periodicals; 3,725 electronic resources." Some pretty impressive numbers, buffered by the 600 million names in their International Genealogical Index. All resources at the Salt Lake City library can be ordered through inter-library loans and accessed at any Family History Center (for a small fee, which covers the shipping).

Not only does the LDS care for records that have already been gathered and indexed, but they are also involved in the indexing and digitizing of additional records. Millions of names are being indexed every day by the LDS's extensive network of volunteers. These volunteers come from across the world, and documents are being indexed in dozens of languages in hundreds of locations. In this type of project, it is essential to ensure that the documents are being indexed accurately, and a control system has been put in place. Multiple individuals index the same document, and their indexes are each submitted to a supervisor, who compares the documents for similarities. This quality control is a strong step towards ensuring the indexing is a close match to the original document.

While the Lambton Room has excellent and extensive genealogical resources (especially for individuals researching in Lambton County), the Family History Center in Sarnia is a great spot for researchers interested in looking for family members who are international in scope. Visit their Family History Center Portal for links to their online database, FamilySearch.org, as well as research tools, online courses, locations of Family History Centers near you, and much more!

Census Excitement and Chagrin

This past week, I had the opportunity to complete my first Canadian Census! In previous years I either lived with my folks or in student residence, but as an independent, rent-paying Canadian, I received a census form for my very own apartment. Both my room-mate and finance were puzzled by my excitement, but as a historian who accesses early census records on a daily basis, it struck me as a right of passage to be finally completing a census form for myself.

Unfortunately, the ten questions did not satiate my desire to provide an excellent resource for genealogists investigating their lineage one hundred years from now (although a voluntary National Household Survey will be circulated approximately four weeks after the census and include questions normally asked on the census long form). Unlike the hand-wringers who are worried about access to their personal information, I believe that the census forms a vital part of the historic record and access to those records in 92 years is my right as a historian and as a Canadian.

The aspect of the census that historians and genealogists are taking aim with is the "Permission Question" featured at the end of the census. The census taker has to tick a box indicating "Yes" to whether they would like their information released when the census becomes publicly available in 92 years. If the census taker ticks "No," their information will never be publicly available; if the census taker does not tick either box, their information remains concealed. I can appreciate the importance of providing Canadians with some say in how their personal information is handled. However, I believe the "Permission Question" should be reworked so those who do not respond to the question have their information automatically released instead of kept secret. The question should be: "Do you refuse to release your information in 92 years?" not "Do you agree to release your information in 92 years?"

Additionally, it should be more immediately relevant why it is important that this information be released in 92 years. The 2011 Census website does have a link explaining the position of the historian/genealogist (Genealogy Corner,) a description of one casual genealogist's use of currently available censuses (1911 Census: A Personal Perspective,) and a page entitled Release of Personal Data after 92 Years, but this is not enough! These links are available but I'm not convinced that every census taker will browse the website and discover them. An encouragement from Library and Archives Canada embedded in the census itself, just before the "Permission Question" would do much to bring this topic to the forefront in many census takers' minds. To the casual person answering a census online, it is a knee-jerk reflex to answer "No" to any questions related to access to your personal information. If Library and Archives Canada had a short blurb indicating how this census information will be used in 92 years, it might go a long way to quelling the insecurities of census takers (and curb the fretting of historians and genealogists.)

The Lambton Room is happy to provide online and microfilm access to Canadian census records, including 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911. We often bemoan the poor hand-writing and spelling ability of early census takers, and wish that those records were not often hard to read and incomplete. Well, the computer age may have solved the hand-writing and spelling problems for the 2011 Census; but future historians will undoubtedly be at a disadvantage because of the privacy restrictions that are currently in vogue.

Complete the 2011 Census online with your 15-digit Secure Access Code, and remember to tick your Permission Box!