Sketch XXXV
Pioneer Chickens Hatched in Transit
An Irishman was once asked where he was born, and his reply was, “ ‘Arrah, bedad, an’ I wuz barn at Nantucket, Cape Cod, an’ all along the coast.” Pat had about the same experience in coming into the world that a brood of pioneer chickens had which were landed at the mouth of Big Creek on the 5th day of June 1796. They were hatched out during twenty-one of the days required for making the journey from New Brunswick to Long Point. Just where the first peep was heard the historian does not tell us: it may have been among the “Thousand Islands,” or, possibly, on the bosom of our own Lake Erie. Neither are we informed as to what particular breed they were; but they were “game,” no doubt, and, like their pioneer owners, had to “scratch for their grub” in the new country. Some hens would have idled away the time “cackling” over the danger of being devoured by wolves and other wild beasts of the forest, but the old hen that hatched those chickens was not that kind of hen. She “clucked” business, and had no time to fool away in senseless worry. She had laid her share of eggs and the time had come to “set,” and so she set. She was a true pioneer hen. She did not fret about inconveniences and prospective dangers. Duty called and she responded regardless of consequences. The hooting of the owls and the barking of the foxes did not deter her in the least in the prosecution of the duties incumbent upon her, or shake her faith in the future. Brave old pioneer hen!
The woman who owned this sensible old hen was the wife of Robert Henderson, who, with her husband and her son William, were three of the score or more constituting the so-called McCall party that landed at Port Royal on the day mentioned above. The party included the families of Lieut. James Monroe, Robert Monroe, Donald McCall, Robert Henderson, Noah Fairchild and young Thomas Price. The genealogy of Donald McCall and his five sons is given elsewhere, as is that of the Price family also.
Lieut. James Monroe[1] received a U. E. Loyalist grant of land, and settled on Lot 14, 4th concession of Charlotteville, and built the house described in sketch “Old Fort Monroe.” He had two sons¾Robert and Daniel; and one daughter, Mary.
Robert Monroe, eldest son of James, married Phoebe Wood and succeeded his father on the homestead. He had three sons¾David, Edwin and Henry. David died single. Edwin married into the Jewell family and settled on part of the homestead, which he still occupies. Subsequently he married into the Miller family for his second wife. His sons are in the States, and one daughter married John Marshall, of Charlotteville. Henry went away to the States.[2]
Daniel Monroe, younger son of James, married Olive Smalley and settled on Lot 13, 6th concession of Charlotteville. He had one son, William, who married Eva, daughter of Abraham Smith. William built the old tavern at Charlotteville Centre and occupied it a number of years. Arthur, his only son, was born there.
Mary Monroe, only daughter of Lieutenant James, married Ephraim Tisdale, and settled in Charlotteville. Her children are enumerated in the Tisdale genealogy.
Dr. Robert Monroe, the old pioneer and brother of James, settled on Lot 11, concession A, which was a U. E. Loyalist grant.[3] He had five or six children, but they scattered, and their descendants are unknown to the writer. Two of his sons, Jesse and Samuel, settled, it is said, somewhere in Windham.[4] One of his daughters, Elizabeth, married Philip Wilson the Lynedoch pioneer. She is familiarly spoken of by the old people as “Aunt Lydia” Wilson.
“Uncle Phil” Wilson was the first settler at Lynedoch. His settlement was effected about the time “Uncle Frederick” Sovereign settled at Fredericksburg and the village that subsequently gathered about his home ought to have been named “Philipsburg.”[5]
On the return of General McArthur’s troop, after raiding the county during the war of 1812, they camped for the last time on Norfolk soil, on the spot now known as the Lynedoch picnic grounds. This beautiful park is the property of the Hon. John Charlton, and is pleasantly situated, commanding a fine view of the valley on either side. Philip Wilson was a prisoner of war at this encampment, and he was so impressed with the natural beauty of the place that he resolved to settle there.
The old Bostwick road passed the cabin door, and although “Uncle Phil” and “Aunt Lydia” had no neighbors in the early days, their lonely home was frequently visited by land-seekers and strangers from the “Town of Delaware” and other distant Western points as they came and went during the Court-house times in old Vittoria.
“Uncle Phil” kept one eye on business chances, and he opened a tavern in the little valley; but of all the people who enjoyed his warm hospitality in those early pioneer times, not one is left to tell the story; and even the moss-covered tombstones in our graveyards do not reveal the names of all the early settlers who were wont to assemble at “Uncle Phil’s” and tell bear stories and “swap yarns” with each other.
Mr. Wilson operated the first mills at Lynedoch, and met with a fair degree of business success. He died in 1863, in his 70th year, leaving one son, Abner, and two daughters¾Catherine and Lucinda.
The family of Dr. Robert Monroe were possessed with a roaming disposition, and the family genealogy as given here is, therefore, unavoidably incomplete.
Noah Fairchild married Elizabeth, daughter of Donald McCall, before he came to the settlement. As a U. E. Loyalist he drew Lot 13, 5th concession of Charlotteville, upon which he settled.[6] By his first marriage he had one son, Nathaniel; and five daughters¾Jemima, Elsie, Rebecca, Mary and Elizabeth. After the pioneer mother died, Mr. Fairchild married Mary Nevill, by who he had one son, Noah; and five daughters¾Deborah, Mahala, Phoebe, Esther and Anseletta. Noah Fairchild died in 1833, in his 61st year. His wife Elizabeth died in 1806 in her 25th year; and his wife Mary, in 1856, in her 67th year.
Nathaniel Fairchild, eldest son of Noah, married Anna Palmerston, and settled on the homestead, where he raised a family. His son Henry married into the Tinbrook family, and settled in the township. One daughter, Elizabeth, settled in Michigan; and another, Betty, married in the Townsend Fairchild family. There was a daughter Jane, and another, Sarah, in the family. The father died in 1847, in his 44th year; and the mother died the following year, in her 41st year.
Jemima Fairchild, eldest daughter of Noah, married John Brown, of Middleton. Her children are enumerated in the Brown family genealogy.
Elsie Fairchild, second daughter of Noah, married Francis L. Walsh. Her children are enumerated in the Walsh family genealogy.
Rebecca Fairchild, third daughter of Noah, married David Hutchinson, and settled in Malahide. She is a widow, and has reached her 93rd year. Her children are enumerated with the Hutchinsons.
Mary and Elizabeth Fairchild, youngest daughters of Noah, by his first wife, were twin sisters. The former married James Haze, as his second wife, and died childless; and the latter married Cornelius Corless, and settled in Townsend. Subsequently, she married Peter Beal. She had two daughters¾Rebecca and Mahala; the first of whom married in the Hazleton family, and the second one married Richard Churchill, and settled in Boston.
Noah Fairchild, only son of Noah by his second wife, married Sarah Palmerton, and settled on the homestead. He had two daughters, both of whom died young. Mr. Fairchild died in 1839, in his 29th year. His widow subsequently married Jacob McCall.[7]
Deborah Fairchild, eldest daughter of the original Noah, by his second wife, married John Blainey, and died in 1840, in her 31st year.[8]
Mahala Fairchild, the second daughter, died single in 1834, in her 20th year.
Phoebe Fairchild, the third daughter, died single in 1837, in her 21st year.
Esther Fairchild, the fourth daughter, settled in the Western States.[9]
Anseletta Fairchild, youngest daughter of the original Noah, married Alanson Wood.
The Fairchild family, of Charlotteville, are the descendants of Abiel Fairchild, of New Jersey. In the New Jersey family was a daughter Rebecca, who married a Smith, and settled in that State. Subsequently, she was left a widow and came to Long Point, and lived with her brother Noah until her death, which occurred in 1847, in her 77th year.[10] Noah Fairchild’s family were victims of that dread destroyer of human life¾consumption.
Robert Henderson came also from New Jersey, and was accompanied by his wife and son William. He received a grant of Lot 24, 3rd concession of Charlotteville, upon which he settled. It was here where the brood of chickens found a home, and it is hoped they developed into fine cockerels and pullets, and that the crowing heard at the break of day in the little clearing, where the smoke from the Henderson cabin ascended above the tree tops, was a warning to the denizens of the forest, not only of the dawn of day, but of the dawn of civilization in Long Point country.
Robert Henderson was a son of “Auld Scotia. Of his forefathers nothing is known save that his father’s name was Alexander. Robert came to America in 1773, and settled in Essex County, New Jersey; and it is said that during the three years previous to his settling in America, his home was on the “briny deep.” His great-grand daughter, Miss Elizabeth Matthews, of Woodhouse, has in her possession the old “bullseye” watch carried by him during these three years of marine service. If this rare old relic, which has not ticked for many long years, were endowed with speech, what wonderful tales it might tell of oceans crossed and ports visited. Miss Matthews has also a pair of spoon moulds and a flax spinning wheel which were landed at the mouth of Big Creek a hundred years ago with the faithful old hen and her chickens.
Mrs. Henderson’s maiden name was Elizabeth Beadle. In the Henderson family were one son, William; and one daughter, Elizabeth, who married Isaac Toms, of New Jersey. A few years after the family came to Long Point, Mrs. Toms became a widow with three children, and in 1816 Mr. Henderson drove to New Jersey with a one-horse wagon and brought his widowed daughter and her children to his Charlotteville home. Mrs. Toms had a horse of her own, and the two were driven tandem on the return trip, which required twenty-one days for its completion. Albert Toms, a name well known in Norfolk, and one held in high esteem by the old people, was the name of one of those fatherless children that rode in Grandpa Henderson’s one-horse wagon from Essex County, New Jersey, to their new home in Charlotteville. The names of the other two children were Isaac and Charlotte, the latter of whom became the wife of Adam Matthews.
William Henderson, only son of Robert, married Janet Secord, and settled on a Government grant adjoining his father’s land. He had six sons¾Robert, William, John, Freeman, James and Alexander; and six daughters¾Hannah, Elizabeth, Jane, Margaret, Martha and Matilda. By a subsequent marriage he had one son, Andrew, and two daughters¾Janet and Margaret. One of these daughters married Richard Mead, proprietor of that old land-mark, “Mead's Tavern.” Another daughter married William Roach, father of the well-known George Roach, of Hamilton.[11]
The descendants of this little band of pioneer Loyalists have became so numerous and so widely scattered that a numerical computation would be impossible.
[1] On their land petitions, deeds and other documents, Lieutenant James and his brothers Robert and John signed their surname as "Monro". The spelling “Monroe” became adopted in the family by the early 1840’s. Robert, the only brother to survive to that time was listed in the 1841 Assessment of Charlotteville Township as “Monroe” as were his son Samuel and nephew Daniel. Robert’s obituary appeared in Canada Christian Advocate issue of March 27, 1845 spelled his surname “Monroe”. In the 1852 Census of Charlotteville Township, all family members were listed as "Monroe".
[2] Robert “Monroe”, son of James “Monro” married first to Phoebe Wood (daughter of Platt and Sarah (Gilbert) Wood). Their family is included in Isaac Gilbert, United Empire Loyalist by Harriet Walker: James, born March 19, 1820, died September 13, 1821; William A., born October 15, 1821, died September 8, 1824; David Alexander, born October 13, 1823, died September 14, 1870; Edwin, born August 6, 1825, died September 6, 1900; James Henry, born June 1827, died November 4, 1897. Robert remarried to Hannah Moore and had: Daniel McCall, born June 6, 1838, died August 24, 1859; Mary Elizabeth, born May 15, 1840, died March 14, 1859; John, born c. 1844, died January 25, 1849. All were buried in Old Woodhouse Methodist Cemetery or Walsh United Church Cemetery. Edwin married first to Rebecca I. Jewell and second to Martha Miller, both buried beside him in Walsh United Church Cemetery. James Henry married Ann Spencer who was buried beside him in the same cemetery.
[3] Owen mentioned that Robert “Monroe” the brother of Lieutenant James was “a U.E. Loyalist”. However, Robert was born in 1769 according to his obituary, making him too young to serve in the American Revolution. He was not included in the Old UE List prepared by the Executive Council of Upper Canada and none of his children applied for grants as a son or daughter of a United Empire Loyalist.
[4] The obituary of Robert “Monroe”, brother of Lieutenant James, appeared in Canada Christian Advocate issue of March 27, 1845. This stated that he was born in Feb 1769 and died at Dawn Township, Lambton Co. on March 3, 1845. His first wife’s name was Phebe, mentioned as a party in his deeds of sale. Robert married second on July 14, 1823 to Pamela Blanchard, the marriage recorded in the London District Marriage Register. On 20 Sep 1804, Robert purchased from Mary Secord the whole of Lot 10, Concession 1, and the next day he purchased from Levinah Hilton land in Lot 8, Concession A, Charlotteville Township, the transactions recorded in the Abstracts of Deeds Register. He may have lived late in life on Lot 11, Concession A, the location noted by Owen. However, Robert was listed on Lot 14, Concession 4 as late as the 1841 Assessment of Charlotteville Township. His son Samuel was recorded on the property mentioned by Owen in the 1841 Assessment. The obituary stated that Robert had six children, but the names of only five have been learned: Lucinda, born August 20, 1792, married Zebulon Landon; Elizabeth Lydia, born 1795, married Philip Wilson; Justus, born c. 1797, married Eliza Monroe; Samuel, born c. 1800, married Margaret ________; Robert Jr., married Jane Davis. Of these, Justus settled on Lot 3, Concession 10, Windham Township and Samuel settled on Lot 2, Concession 10, Charlotteville Township where they were listed in the 1852 Agricultural Census.
[5] Philip Wilson settled on a 200 acre Crown Lease in Lot 3, Concession 12 in the northernmost corner of Charlotteville Township near the Windham town line and was recorded on the property in the 1841 Assessment and 1852 Agricultural Census of Charlotteville Township. The village of Lynedoch grew up on Lot 3, Concession 11, which adjoined the Wilson property in the south. Oddly, during his lifetime, Philip Wilson did not purchase his leased property from the Crown. In 1856 and 1858, James Salmon purchased small acreages. In 1866, Philip Wilson’s son Abner, with Zebulon Landon and Thomas W. Walsh purchased 50 acres and Abner, on his own acquired the rest of the lot. (Abstracts of Deeds Register of Charlotteville Township).
[6] According to his gravestone in McCall-Fairchild Cemetery, Noah Fairchild was born on November 22, 1773. He was too young to serve in the American Revolution and so he was not a United Empire Loyalist. Noah purchased Lot 13 Concession 5, Charlotteville Twp. from Thomas and John Baxter on October 22, 1806, the transaction recorded in the Abstracts of Deeds Register.
[7] The daughters of Noah Fairchild Jr. were Cynthia, born c. 1839 and Arierch, born postumously c. 1840, both of whom were living with their mother in the 1852 Census of Charlotteville Township.
[8] Deborah (Fairchild) Blaney died on January 24, 1843 aged 30 years, 7 months, 7 days according to her gravestone in McCall-Fairchild Cemetery.
[9] Hesther Fairchild married William Kanoff in 1841 or 1842, the wedding listed in the Talbot District Marriage Register. They were recorded in the 1852 Census of Charlotteville Township
[10] Rebecca (Fairchild) Smith died on April 17, 1847 in her 76th year according to her gravestone in McCall-Fairchild Cemetery.
[11] The full name of William Henderson’s wife was Mary Jane Secord, daughter of Silas and Mary (Rice) Secord. Their daughter Hannah married Richard D. Mead on September 15, 1831. Second daughter Elizabeth married Abraham I. Steinhoff on April 2, 1833. Third daughter Mary Jane married George Roach on May 22, 1844.The first two marriages were recorded in the London District Marriage Register. The third was in the St. John’s Church Register.