The Yeandle Mould Board Stratford Perth Museum 

John J. Yeandle

It was not unusual that John J. Yeandle would name Matilda Street for his new wife, but he also had a practical reason for doing it. Matilda Yeandle found it lonely living in their sparsely settled neighborhood. They were in "the sticks" on the outskirts of Stratford, with few neighbors and no street name. The new bride wanted her friends to visit, but they had difficulty finding her. So John posted a sign at the Huron Street corner pointing to Matilda. The name stuck, and it's been Matilda Street since. This was their home at 91 Matilda St. 

John was an early property owner and resident on the street. He was well known in Stratford and his blacksmith shop on Huron Street was an important part of the community in the days when the shoeing of horses and the mending of iron-rimmed wooden wagon wheels were services much in demand. His shop was originally behind the present Perth County jail. He later relocated his Yeandle Plough Company to Church Street. 

The story of the Yeandle family would not be complete without mentioning its celebrated plows. The Beacon-Herald of June 30,1870, told its readers: "We the undersigned having had in use the patent mould board, known as Yeandle's Mould Board, can highly recommend it to the farming community as being the best mould we ever had in use. It answers all purposes."