The Jarvis Street Baptist Church and the Elliot/Scott Families

Jarvis Street Baptist Church, Toronto, circa 1917.   By Valentine & Sons Publishing Co., Ltd. - Saskatchewan Postcard collection, http://digital.scaa.sk.ca/gallery/postcards/permalink/37418, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63214236

I've known for a long time that both John Galloway Scott's family and William Elliot's family were associated with Toronto's own Jarvis Street Baptist Church.  The Jarvis Street Baptist Church Directory and Historical Sketch, published in Toronto in August of 1897 and available on the database Canadiana, gives us a snapshot of what church life was like for the Scott and Elliot families.  Our ancestor William Elliot,  the father of Mary (Elliot) Scott, died in 1893, so he was no longer alive when this publication came out, but some of his children and grandchildren are still involved in this church, as is John Galloway Scott et al. 

I really like the page below for how it lays out the rhythm of the life of the Jarvis Street Baptist congregation.  There's public worship on Sundays, and also Sunday School, Bible Class, and a Prayer Meeting.  There also seems to be a Prayer Meeting on Wednesday, although it's not named as such, and various groups meeting throughout the week.  It seems like a bustling place. 

John Galloway (or J.G.) Scott is listed as a Deacon.  Notice the name McMaster on the list of Deacons;  William McMaster (of McMaster University fame) was one of the men who helped finance the building of the Jarvis Street Baptist Church in 1875, along with William Elliot.  William McMaster died in 1887 but it looks like his family is still in attendance.

John Galloway Scott is also a Trustee, and holds the position of Secretary to this group.  Being a Trustee means that John Galloway is also on the Finance Committee, and it looks like he is also the Sub-Treasurer for the Poor Fund.

John Galloway Scott is a Plate Collector on the ground floor, south side.  J.C. Scott, listed under main floor, south side, is not related to our branch of the Scott family. 

Mrs. Robert Watt Elliot (Catherine Scott) was President of the Dorcas Society.  From what I understand, Dorcas Societies were charitable organizations which gave clothing to the poor. 

The following pages are from the directory.  They give us the name and address of all church members.  The double-t Elliott family are not related to us.  Notice that Cynthia Jane Elliot (C. Janie) is living at 341 Sherbourne Street, which means she is living in the Robert Watt Elliot household headed by her sister and brother-in-law. 

There are a few Scott families in attendance at Jarvis.  I believe that only the John Galloway Scott family are related to us.  John G. Scott did have a son named Arthur, but his middle initial was H. for Herbert, and not E, and I am not aware of his ever living in New York.  In 1892 Arthur Herbert Scott married Minnie Davis and they settled in Montreal. 

There is a relationship between the Elliot family and the Yates family (William Elliot's sister Maria Elliot married David Yates of Dundas, Ontario, in 1828.  I'm not certain if Mrs. Eliza Yates is a relative of our Elliots or not. 

Muriel Lailey is the future wife of William Scott Elliot.  They marry in October 1899.  She appears to be the only member of her family to attend Jarvis Street Baptist.  Perhaps they met through the church. 

Mrs. T. Sutherland Stayner was born Harriet Rose Elliot.  She is the daughter of William Elliot and Mary Oliphant,  the sister of Robert Watt Elliot, and the sister-in-law of John Galloway Scott.  Her husband Thomas Sutherland Stayner was an Anglican, and so it seems she was the sole representative of her family in this congregation.  

Although William Elliot was dead by the time this document was published, his work as a church deacon is briefly described.  He and his family were originally members of the Disciples of Christ church. 

 

Notice that James Lesslie was mentioned in early records of this church.  The Lesslie family were known to both the Scotts and the Elliots.  Thomas Chalmers Scott was persuaded to come to Toronto by a Lesslie, and William Elliot got his start in pharmacy at the Lesslie family pharmacy in Dundas.

Robert Watt Elliot Writes to Sir John A. MacDonald

This piece of correspondence is in the collection of the Library and Archives of Canada (LAC).  It's tremendously exciting to me as a family historian for several reasons.  We get to see the letterhead of the Elliot family business!  That might be kind of frivolous,  but it's the kind of detail I love to uncover.   More significantly, it shows again how the Elliots and the Scotts are in close relationship with each other over the generations.  It also shows the scope of Robert Watt Elliot's influence;  perhaps not everyone would feel in a position to recommend a political appointment to the Prime Minister of Canada.

To look this up on the LAC website, the MIKAN number is 461557.  It is from the correspondence of Sir John A. MacDonald, Vol. 23 pp. 8438-8440.  The letter is dated November 26, 1879.


The above letter is not the only time that Robert Watt Elliot corresponded with Sir John A. MacDonald to help out a family member.  The following letter was sent on behalf of Richard Hawley.  I believe that Richard Hawley is a relative of Sarah Hawley of Detroit, the second wife of Thomas Chalmers Scott.  This letter is dated May 22, 1883.  The MIKAN number is 563207, from Volume 393, pp. 188065-188066.

I don't really know what to make of the next letter.  It appears that Robert is using his influence to try and avoid an investigation into the activities of one of his friends, John Forsyth, on the grounds that the inquiry would injure Mr. Forsyth's wife and children (presumably from the scandal).  We don't know what the charges are, but it's certainly a different era when a man can be defended from an investigation on the basis of being a good husband and father. MIKAN number 461559.

Biography of John Galloway Scott in "The Canadian Men and Women of the Time..."

Found while exploring the Canadiana Portal.

The Canadian Men and Women of the Time:  A Handbook of Canadian Biography.  Morgan, Henry James, ed.  Toronto:  W. Briggs, 1898.  Page 920.

The Will of John Galloway Scott

John  Galloway Scott (1836-1928) was the husband of Mary (Elliot) Scott (the daughter of William Elliot and Mary Oliphant).  He was the father of  Thomas E. Scott, who died at the age of 4, Arthur Herbert Scott (from whom our line descends), and Helen Scott, wife of Ruggles George.  His will is at the Archives of Ontario, microfilm MS584 Reel 128, number 59751.

1.  I John Galloway Scott of the City of Toronto formerly Master of Titles do hereby make my last will and testament. 

I appoint the Toronto General Trusts Corporation and my son Arthur Herbert Scott to be my executors of this my will,  and I give and devise to my said executors all the real and personal property whereof I may die possessed or entitled to, whether in this province or elsewhere, and any real estate which I may prior to my death have agreed to sell, together with the contracts of sale and any moneys payable or to become payable thereunder, with full authority to convey any such property to any purchaser or his or her assigns or to cancil [sic] the contract of sale and resell or otherwise deal with any contract as my said executors may think fit;  with full power to sell and convey any lands or other property as my said executors may think fit.

2.  It is however my desire that the said corporation shall take upon itself the trusts arising under this will but that my said son shall act in an advisory capacity without incurring the responsibility of collecting for, managing, caring for and administering my estate and the trusts whereof shall ? in the said corporation, but my son shall be allowed all reasonable travelling and other disbursements incurred by him in respect of the premises. 

3.  My life Assurance held under two policies entered into by the British Empire Mutual Life Assurance Company and since assumed by the ? Assurance Company does not belong to my Estate, but I have, by law, a power of apportionment in respect thereof, and I direct that the amount thereof including the profits which have accured on the policies or been allotted thereto, shall be divided and apportioned as follows, or in the following proportions in case the amount received is not sufficient to pay the same in full or is more than sufficient,  that is to say:  I direct and apportion the same to be paid as follows, to my son Arthur Herbert Scott, two thousand dollars;  to my daughter Helen Elliot George two thousand five hundred dollars;  to my grand daughter Norton Fry the daughter of my son Arthur four thousand five hundred dollars;  and to my wife one thousand dollars.

 3a.  I hereby authorize my Executors to pay out of my general  estate all necessary duties payable or chargeable in respect of my estate as soon after my death as they may think fitting and whether the same are or are not immediately payable.

4.  I give the Upper Canada Bible Society the sum of one thousand dollars and to the Toronto Jewish Mission of whose Board I was a member for a number of years five hundred dollars.   
  
5.  I direct that the residue of my estate shall be divided into three parts, one part to consist of three fifths of such residue and the other two parts to consist of one fifth thereof, and I direct that the income derived from the said three fifths shall be paid to my wife during her life;  and I bequeath to my son the income of one fifth part during his life;  one half thereof for his own use, and the other in trust for and for the use of his said daughter Norton;  and I bequeath to my daughter Helen Elliot George the other of the said fifth parts for her own use absolutely--upon Arthur's death the fifth part of which he and Norton are given the income shall go to Norton absolutely, and upon my wife's death the share in which she takes a life interest shall be equally divided and the income which is derived from one half thereof shall go to my son Arthur for his life, one half of such income to be for his own use and the other half thereof to be in trust for his daughter Norton.  Upon his death the whole of such income shall go to Norton.  The other half of the said three fifths part in which my wife takes a life interest I give, on my wife's death, to my daughter Helen for her own use. 

7.  In case of the death of my son or daughter, in my life time, leaving a child or children they shall take his or her or their parent's share.

8.  To make any division required during the administration of any trust or duty arising from my will it shall not be necessary to turn into money all or any of the property belonging to my estate, the officers of the corporation of their own knowledge or with such assistance as they consider requisite may value any asset and such valuation shall conclusively establish the value thereof;  and may apportion the assets.

9.  In case any minor becomes Entitled to any share under this my will my executors or trustees may pay any income to which such minor is entitled to the father or mother of such minor, or to any person standing in loco parentis to such minor and may apply the interest or any part of the principal of such minors share towards his or her maintenance or education and where there are several brothers or sisters so entitled, the executors or trustees need not keep a separate account of the amount extended in respect of each child but the property coming through a common parent shall until division be deemed a common fund for the benefit of all the children Entitled under such parent.

10.  My executors or trustees in addition to other investments authorized for Trustees may invest any trust money under their charge in the shares or debentures of any loan companies which invest the major part of their funds in mortgages or real estate and may reclaim for any length of time they think fit any shares, land, stock, security, mortgage or other investment or property which at the time of my death belong to my estate without being answerable for any loss occuring thereby whether any shares or stock so retained are paid up in full or not. They may also if they deem it expedient subscribe for any stock or share allotted to them or my estate on account of being as such executors or holders of the share or stock, but not unless there are or will be shortly funds available from which any liability which could be incurred by such subscriptions can be defrayed. 

11. It is my intention that Arthur and Helen shall each upon my death take a vested interest in the three-fifths share of which their mother my wife gets the income for her life.

12.  I have had conveyed to my daughter Helen Lot 52 and the east eighteen feet of Lot 51 on Knockmore Avenue on Plan 1860, Registry Office of East- and West-York.  These lands are held by her in trust for me but she may at any time within two years after my death discharge such trust--by filing with my executors a declaration that she elects to hold the said lands as portion of her share of my estate, and in that case she shall, on the first anniversary of my death thereafter, be charged with the sum of two thousand seven hundred and twenty dollars with simple interest thereon from 1st January 1923 and the taxes charged upon the said land from the last mentioned date with interest as aforesaid as portion of her share of my estate.  I deem it advisable that my executors should not require the said land to be conveyed to them until the time for election by Helen has passed--as the legal title is in her it will save considerable expense for my executors to simply release their claim with a brief recital of the circumstances if Helen elects to take the property.  If she elects not to take it she will of course convey as my executors shall direct in the administration of my estate.  The foregoing provision is not to deter Helen from purchasing the property from my executors at any price she and Arthur may agree upon in case she decides not to exercise the right given to her above.

13.  In case of the death of my son or daughter in my life time without leaving any child surviving at my death, but leaving other issue, such issue shall take their ancestors share per stirpes. 
(signed) J.G. Scott

Signed published and declared by the above named John Galloway Scott this 22nd day of August 1927 as and per his last will and testament, in the presence of us who in his presence and at his request and in the presence of each other subscribe our names as witnesses.
(signed) C.J. Elliot
? R. Hood
Florence H. Watson

John Galloway Scott made three codicils to his will within the next year.  None of them alter the substance of the will much, except that he specifies that if Norton should predecease her own father Arthur and leave issue, her children should inherit her portion of his estate.  What I find interesting about the codicils are the signatures of the witnesses. The will itself is witnessed by Cynthia Jane Elliot, John's sister-in-law (Mary Elliot's sister), and Florence Watson, the daughter of Sophia Watt Elliot and James Watson and the niece of John G. Scott through his wife.  (I don't know who Mr. or Ms. Hood is, but I do know that the Hood family was related to the Elliot family through Sophia Watt Elliot and James Watson's daughter Clara, who married Dr. Frederick Collin Hood.)  The first codicil is witnessed again by C.J. (Cynthia Jane) Elliot and by Violet Elliot, another of Mary (Elliot) Scott's sisters.  The second codicil is witnessed by Florence Watson and Harriet R. Stayner, wife of T. Sutherland Stayner and yet another of Mary's sisters.  The third is witnessed by Florence Watson and Cynthia Elliot.  I believe that Cynthia, a spinster, was at this point living with John and Mary, so I suppose she was a natural choice to witness legal documents.  
        
The value of John Galloway Scott's estate was calculated to be $162,790.00 in investments and $8,658.00 in real estate.  Their home on Dunvegan Avenue is not mentioned in this will;  my husband thinks it may have been owned by John's wife Mary Elliot, in which case she must have left a will as well.  I'll look for it on my next visit.

1921 Census of Canada

The 1921 census of Canada has recently been released.  Here's what it has to say about our family:

In 1921, Arthur and Minnie Scott, St. Andrew's Ward, Montreal, were living with their very recently widowed 26-year-old daughter, Norton Fry, and her daughter (their granddaughter), the 2-year-old Mary Fry.  Arthur is listed as an import broker making $2,000 (I assume annually).  They are renting a brick home for $150.00/month, and they have two female live-in servants.  I am sooo jealous. 

William Rutherford, Jr (age 56) and his wife Ida (Bulmer) Rutherford (age 54) were living in Westmount, sub-district 62, with several adult children:  John Bulmer Rutherford, age 24, Ida Jean Rutherford, age 22,  Andrew Scott Rutherford, age 20, and E. Marjorie Rutherford, age 19.  Also part of the household is Jane Bulmer, age 50, Ida's younger sister.  They have one live-in servant.  William and his son William Jackson are listed as merchants, while John Bulmer is an accountant (probably of his father's lumber company) who makes $720 annually.  Andrew and Marjorie are students.  They own a brick home with ten rooms (I'm not sure which rooms are included in the count).   It's interesting how many adult children are still living at home, even the men.

John Galloway Scott (age 84) and his wife Mary (Elliot) Scott (age78)  are living in Toronto North, Ward 4, 29 Dunvegan Road.  For those of us in Toronto, 29 Dunvegan is in the St. Clair/Avenue Road region.  Very posh.  With them is their daughter Helen Scott, age 37, "Janey" C. Elliot, Mary's younger sister, age 67, and two female servants, one cook and one maid.  John is retired and none of the three ladies of the household have an occupation.  They own the home.  

The Unhappy Death of David Scott

It occured to me the other day that Thomas Chalmers Scott and Anne Galloway had three children, and I really only knew about two of them;  John Galloway Scott, the son through whom we descend, and Catherine Anne Scott, who married Robert Watt Elliot.  Both of them lived and died in Toronto.  But Thomas' obituary mentions says he is survived by two sons, and the Scott  immigration documents list Thomas, Anne, John, Catherine and David Scott.  I set out to find more about David Scott and why he disappeared from the family record.  A little searching revealed several newspaper articles and a sad story indeed. 

This is from The New York Times, November 3, 1887:

"DAVID SCOTT IN HIDING

AND A PAPER FIRM'S FUNDS MISSING

VERNON BROTHERS AND CO. FIND THAT A

PARTNER HAS HELPED HIMSELF TO 

$100,000.00 AND DISAPPEARED

Under stress of great financial difficulties, David Scott, a business man prominent in his line, and a well known club man, has absconded, leaving his firm in the lurch for $100,000.00.  The firm of Vernon Brothers and Co....[own] several large paper mills in the East...[and are] stockholders in several other paper milling establishments for which it is also the selling agent.  Among these is the Ivanhoe Manufacturing Company, of Paterson, N.J....

...Mr. Thomas Vernon made the following statement yesterday:  'David Scott, a prominent member of this firm, came to us as a boy about thirty years ago.  He was bright and intelligent, and rapidly rose in the estimation of my brother, Samuel Vernon...and of myself, and about five years later he was admitted to a small partnership interest, which was increased about 17 years ago, when my brother died.  Mr. Scott was a cultivated man and respectably connected in Ontario, Canada, whence he came.  His father was Surveyor of Customs at that port, and, as a zealous member of the Church of the Disciples, occasionally preached from its pulpits.  He has a brother and other relatives there also, all of them highly respectable people.  I had known Mr. Scott to be a good liver for years, but had no knowledge of any bad habits of his until recently.  Then I learned that he had got into expensive habits, and was neglecting business for the race track and other forms of dissipation.  It shortly after came to my knowledge that he had considerably overdrawn what he was entitled to as a member of the firm.  I am an old man, and, having every confidence in Mr. Scott, I gave his management of the finances of the firm but superficial attention.

When I discovered what I have told you I asked him what he had done with the money he had drawn out, and he said he had made some investments in Manitoba, but of what character he did not say. When I asked him if he could not realize upon his investments and return the money he merely shrugged his shoulders and waved his hands as indicating that he could not convert them into money.  Last Saturday week...I had just returned from the bank, where I had learned of the existence of certain negotiable obligations of ours which I had no previous intimation. I had a talk with him about it and about certain parties with whom he was associating to his injury and ours.  He seemed sober at the time, but hadn't his accustomed cheerfulness and seemed oppressed with the weight upon his mind of some impending evil.  He gave me no satisfaction regarding our affairs, nor did he intimate any intention of going away.  But I saw him then for the last time...

...Mr. Scott was a member of the Lotos and two or three other fashionable clubs.  He lived quietly...but liked fast horses and expensive associations, and has lately given the time to those which we supposed he was devoting to business in Paterson and among our customers...An old friend of Mr. Scott said he was generous to a fault, and was a source of charitable aid to all his embarassed compatriots at all times. For years he had lived at the rate of $15,000 to $20,000 a year, and he was hail fellow well met in all society..."

The New York Times followed this article up on November 4, 1887:

"The disappearance of Mr. Scott...under circumstances indicative of suicide...has painfully shocked a large circle of men of prominence in this city who have been his friends.  That he could have been guilty of premeditated dishonesty none of them will believe. He is said to have been the wheelhorse of the firm to which he is connected.  He was its widest-known member in the trade, and upon him devolved entirely the entertainment of its customers.  One of his intimate associates said that if he had drawn $40,000 beyond his account from Vernons the firm had got the better of it, for Mr. Scott's personal expenses had not, to his knowledge, exceeded $3,000 a year for the last three years...

...S. Webber Parker, Treasurer of the Ivanhoe [paper] Manufacturing Company, said he had no doubt Mr. Scott had committed suicide, and that his body would be found somewhere about Niagara Falls in the course of a few days.  A telegram from a brother-in-law in Toronto yesterday [this must have been Robert Watt Elliot]   said that Scott had not been seen there. His personal effects, clothing, and some furniture... remained as he had left them when he left away.  Some friends yesterday paid the small balance due his landlady, and removed the effects to a storage room..."

On November 7, 1887,  the New York Times published a third article, this time detailing John Galloway Scott's visit to New York to investigate his brother's disappearance:

"DAVID SCOTT PROBABLY DEAD/THE INVESTIGATIONS OF HIS BROTHER INTO THE CAUSE OF HIS FLIGHT

The strange disappearance last month of David Scott...is still exciting much interest.  John G. Scott, of Toronto, who is a brother of the missing man, arrived here Friday for the purpose of straightening out his brother's affairs.  Saturday morning Mr. Scott called on Thomas Vernon, the senior member of the firm, and urged him to sign a statement exonerating David Scott from all criminal action. Mr. Vernon later wrote a letter to the brother, in which he said, as to the statement that he had charged Mr. Scott with forgery:  'This is false.  I never charged him with this or any other criminal offense.  With all his faults, and they were many, he had a warm and generous heart, which gave him a large circle of friends.'  

Mr. Scott said his investigation confirmed him in his belief that his brother had committed suicide by jumping off the suspension bridge at Niagara.  In a letter written from the falls to Albert Hall, of the Lawrenceville Cement Company, David said: 'I long for final rest.'...'My brother was connected with the firm of Vernon Brothers and Co. for thirty years' he said.  'The first five years he was employed as a clerk, and was then taken into partnership with 40 per cent. of the profits as his portion.  He...was soon given the management of the entire business.  I accordingly expected to find him worth at least $500,000, but I am told his account is overdrawn to the amount of $60,000.  That is a matter I can't understand. With the exception of about $2,000 this overdrawn account consists of notes advanced for the support of one of the paper mills which the firm was carrying....the whole transaction is regularly entered in the books of the firm and can hardly have escaped the notice of Mr. Vernon or the other partners....Experts are now examining the books of the firm, and I hope to return home by Tuesday with every stain removed from my brother's memory."   

 

Currier and Ives print of the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge

The Paterson Weekly Press of Paterson, New Jersey, ran an extensive article on November 10, 1887:

"DAVID SCOTT DISAPPEARS // THE PRESIDENT OF THE IVANHOE PAPER COMPANY GOES TO PARTS UNKNOWN.

The New York newspapers this morning announce the disappearance of Mr. David Scott, the president of the Ivanhoe Paper Company, of this city.   When the control of the paper mill passed out of the hands of Mr. Henry V. Butler a majority of the stock was bought by Mr. Scott and Mr. S. Webber Parker and they have since managed the concern.  Mr. Scott was very well known in Paterson and nearly everybody had a kind word for him.  After the recent explosion Mr. Scott showed himself as a kind-hearted and liberal man, willing to do all he could to alleviate the sufferings of those who had been injured.  He visited the hospital where the wounded were lying and personally saw to it that they were provided with everything they could wish for, having given directions that the expense be charged to himself... 

...R.F. Ware, vice-president of...[ I.X.L. Fireworks company] said: 'Neither myself nor others of Scott's friends doubt that he will turn up before long.  He repeatedly threatened suicide of late, but in the opinion of those who knew him it is not probable that he would go to Niagara Falls to do so.  All that I have seen think that he is suffering temporary aberration of the mind.' 

...An intimate friend of Mr. Scott said yesterday:  ' Mr. Scott's private charities will never be known.  He was generous,charitable, and open handed.  There are three tombstones in Greenwood that he has had erected over young men who had died friendless.  One of these was the son of William Lyon MacKenzie, the Canadian patriot of 1837.  Many men have told me with tears in their eyes of what Scott has done for them.  He has been a changed man for a year past, has drank some and been to races, but I can't understand what he has done with his money.'

Mr. Scott has a brother in Toronto, John G. Scott, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Province of Ontario.  A letter was received from that gentleman yesterday by a friend of David Scott, announcing that the missing man was not in Toronto.  John G. Scott went to Niagara Falls to look for his brother.  The latter's name was found registered at the Cataract House, but nothing was known of him at the hotel. 

...S. Webber Parker...said: 'Scott borrowed $20 from me the day before he left, which proved that he hadn't any money with him.  His physician had warned him that he was working too hard, and would die of apoplexy if he persisted.  He told me that he would kill himself before any such thing would happen. I believe that he found that his money was all gone, and that he was gradually losing his place in the firm he was with, and ended his life in a fit of despair.  I know that the stories that Scott lived a fast life are false.  He spent a great deal of money entertaining customers who came to town, and paid the expenses for this hospitality out of his own pocket instead of charging them to the firm. This accounts for his having overdrawn his account with Vernon Brothers.  There is more underneath all this than now appears on the surface, and it will come out one of these days, I hope.'    

The same paper transcribed a copy of a suicide note that David Scott had written to a "warm friend",  Mr. Albert Hall.  The letter was dated N.Y. Suspension Bridge, October 23, 1887 and was postmarked October 25th:

"Dear Albert, 

By the time this reaches you I shall have gone to another world, but before I take the final step I want to say some things and ask you to do some.  For months--I may say two years--I have had no real sleep.  Slept I have, but it was a disturbed and (?)ful sleep.  I went to bed tired and rose more so. Now, with the idea of another life, there is a feeling of exultation that is difficult to put into words. Therefore I won't attempt it.  I feel that I am to take a rest, which I have not had for twenty years. *** Now, old fellow, I have said about all I want to on business matters, and I only ask you to remember me as we were.  The fates have seemed against me.  I have labored hard.  Now it is over.  I don't know that I have much to regret.  I have tried to be generous and just, despite what some and appearances may say.  Yours faithfully, D. Scott." 

David Scott would have been around 49 years old when he took his life.  It must have been a deep blow to the whole family.  It sounds like he spoke of his suicidal thoughts to several people, but they were unable to help him.  Thankfully his mother and father had already passed away by 1887.  It's hard to know from these reports whether Scott made some bad investments, gambled money away on horse races,  or just spent too much of his own money propping up a failing business.  Did he keep "fast" company?   Despite his life's tragic ending, he sounds like a person of great warmth, charisma,  and generosity. 

John Galloway Scott and the Donnelly Massacre

Here's a bit of historic ephemera that I stumbled onto via the website Canadian Mysteries.  One of the "mysteries" this site covers is the Donnelly Massacre that took place in Lucan, Ontario, on February 4, 1880.  (This is more a lurid crime than a real mystery, although the culprits did get away with murder).  For those of you who don't know, the Donnelly Massacre refers to the vigilante-style ambush and killing of  five members of the Donnelly family, who were Irish immigrants in rural Ontario.  The father, James Donnelly, had killed a man in a drunken fight in 1857 and had served seven years in the Kingston Penitentiary. He was released in 1865.  For whatever reason, in February of 1880, a group of about 20 men from the local community broke into the household of James Donnelly at night and killed him, his wife Johanna, his niece Bridgit and one son, Tom, age 25.   Then the group went to the home of  Will Donnelly, another adult son of James and Johanna, and fired shots into it, apparently intending to kill Will but actually hitting John Donnelly, Will's brother, by mistake.  The crime, and subsequent trials, were sensational and still generate much interest. One of the reputed attackers was a member of the local police.  In the end, no one was convicted of the murders, despite two eyewitness accounts (Will Donnelly, who was able to look out his window and recognized several men, and a child named Johnny O'Connor, who was staying overnight at James and Johanna's house in order to help with farm chores the next day and had hidden under a bed during the attack).

The Donnelly Massacre has  become imprinted on the folk culture and history of Ontario.  Many books have been written and published about it, there are several documentaries available, ballad-type songs have been written, there is a local Donnelly museum in Lucan where you can buy your own Donnelly coffee mug, golf balls or t-shirt (how tacky!) or take a Vigilante Bus Tour. I once attended a  Donnelly Massacre play put on by a rural Ontario theatre group.  Of course there are many Donnelly ghost stories also embedded into local myth, particularly about how horses don't like to go down the road past where the Donnelly farm used to be.  The story goes that horses either refuse to move or else they go crazy when they pass the old Donnelly homestead.

Interior of the Donnelly Museum, Lucan, Ontario.  

Here's a youtube video of  Hector McIssac singing "The Black Donnellys".

Stomping Tom Connors has two songs about the incident.  "Jenny Donnelly", below, and "The Black Donnelly Massacre", which I couldn't find a video version of.

How is our ancestor involved?  Well, John Galloway Scott was deputy attorney general at the time of the trials.  Here's a letter from the local Sheriff to J.G. Scott asking advice on the prison conditions of the accused men.  The original letter is in the University of Western Ontario Archives, The J.J. Talman regional collection, Donnelly Family Papers, B4878, File 2.


"Re Donnelly Murder Case
London, Ontario 
May 7, 1880

J G Scott Esq.
Deputy Attorney General
Toronto

Sir,
...after the prisoners were placed in my custody I was cautioned by the County Attorney to keep them apart so far as space would permit.  This the Gaoler has done I believe to the best of his ability.  I have cautioned the Gaoler to be specially careful not to allow any one to see the prisoners without my direction and then only in the presence of a legal official. 

The prisoners complain that their health is being jeopardized by the close confinement and and the Gaol Surgeon is of the same opinion.  They ask as a privilege to be allowed to break stones in the Gaol yard with other prisoners.

...The prisoners are strong vigorous men accustomed to hard work and it is feared the close confinement will endanger their lives.

I have the honour to be 
Sir 
Your Most Obedient Servant
Wm Glass 
Sheriff"

I think this is a fascinating historical tidbit.  I had never connected the dots to think that Scott was actually Deputy Attorney General during this notorious crime,  or that he had anything to do with it in his official capacity.  (Unfortunately, I don't have his reply.)  It's also interesting to see him being consulted about issues of prison security and prisoner well-being.  When I read biographical material about Scott, it's all about the legislation he helped draft and implement, particularly his work on Land Titles.  This kind of inquiry might have formed part of the day-to-day business of his work, as opposed to the larger projects he took on that he is now remembered for.

Family Field Trip to the Necropolis Cemetery

Last weekend, on a beautiful autumn day, Doug, Ewan and I took a walk in Toronto's Necropolis Cemetery.  Our mission:  to photograph the Scott family gravestones that we had found on a previous trip, and to find the Elliot family gravestones which the Toronto cemetery database assures us are there.  Katrina declined to join us;  for some unfathomable reason, she thought it would be "boring"!

The Necropolis is a lovely historic cemetery which was opened in 1850 to replace the Potter's Field cemetery, and is located (conveniently for us) right behind Riverdale Farm.  It has a High Victorian Gothic chapel and many historic gravestones, including that of William Lyon MacKenzie, first mayor of Toronto, which we pointed out to Ewan (he was not at all impressed).  It is also where Jack Layton is buried.  His grave had many flowers and a fresh-looking bottle of Orange Crush on it.

 There is a simple white gravestone for John Galloway Scott and his wife, Mary Elliot Scott, lying on the ground on the south-east corner of the grounds.  Directly beside it is a rather more imposing monument in red granite. The monument marks the grave site of Thomas Chalmers Scott and his first wife Ann (Galloway) Scott, as well as their son John Galloway Scott and his wife Mary (Elliot) Scott.

Here's a shot of the whole monument, and the shady trees surrounding it. You can see the smaller stone embedded in the grass beside it.

The monument reads:

 In Memoriam

Thomas Chalmers Scott

Surveyor of Customs, Toronto

Died 18th December 1876

aged 70 years

Ann Galloway his wife

died 1st September 1854

aged 52 years

"Blessed be the dead who die in the Lord"

And, on the adjacent side:

In memory of 

John Galloway Scott Q.C.

Master of Titles

Died 22nd June 1928

in his 92nd year

Mary Elliot his wife

died Feb. 16, 1937

in her 96th year.

The grave site of William Elliot's family was supposed to be close by, but search as we might, we couldn't find it. It didn't help that Ewan decided that he was a) cold, b) bored and c) tired as soon as we started searching, and couldn't be persuaded that the hunt for a dead relative's grave was like a detective game.  We'll have to make a second trip before winter, just the two of us.

We did find a grave related to the Lesslie family, friends of T. C. Scott

And right beside it, an Oliphant tombstone.  I don't know if these are relatives or not--I'm not aware that any of "our" Oliphants ever lived in Toronto:

Stay tuned for a return visit!

Library Field Trip

This week I treated myself to a little field trip to the Baldwin Room of historical Canadiana in the Toronto Reference Library.   They specialize in primary materials relating to Toronto, and we have a few ancestors who were prominent in Toronto city life, so I was hoping to find some relevant documents.  Imagine my excitement when the librarian told me they had a whole collection of William Elliot papers!  Imagine my delight when she brought out four big old dusty boxes and I opened them to see stacks of original diaries!  But alas, it was another William Elliot.  This one was a judge, not an industrialist.  Rats. 

However, the trip was not in vain.  Although I didn't find anything in the Baldwin Room collection, it turns out that the Toronto Reference Library for many years kept scrapbooks of obituaries and biographies of prominent Torontonians, which have now been microfilmed.  I found a very detailed obituary for John Galloway Scott, son of Thomas Chalmers Scott, in Volume 7 page 427 of the scrapbook, which was on Film # T686.3.  It was clipped from the Toronto Mail newspaper, June 23, 1928.

The headline was dramatic:

J.G. Scott, K.C., Dies of Injuries

Was Struck Down by Auto While Returning From Board Meeting

Called to Bar in 1862

Chosen in 1885 to Inaugurate Land Titles System of Ontario

"Struck down by a motor car driven by George Kindness, Browning Avenue, at Bay and King Streets, on June 19 last.  John G. Scott, K.C., aged 92, of 29 Dunvegan Road, former Master of Titles at the Registry Office, died in the General Hospital yesterday.  Coroner McConnell is investigating the mishap.  Kindness, who was driving without a permit, was arrested on a charge of reckless driving.

The late Mr. Scott, who was active for his great age, was crossing the road at King and Bay Streets, and was struck down by Kindness' auto as the latter attempted to make a left-hand turn to go along King Street.  Removed to the hospital, it was found that Mr. Scott had suffered a fractured skull and other injuries.

John Galloway Scott was born in Dundee, Scotland, December 5, 1836, and came to Toronto with his parents in 1844.  He was educated at Toronto Academy and Bethany College, Virginia, and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1862.

He successfully practiced his profession in Toronto in partnership, first with the late R.G. Dalton, Q.C., and subsequently with Kenneth Mackenzie, Q.C.  In 1870 he was appointed, by the Hon. John Sandfield MacDonald, Clerk of the Executive Council and First Assistant to the Attorney-General's Department, positions which he continued to hold under the Blake and Mowat administrations.  During his work with the Attorney-General's Department he drafted two most important acts:  The Consolidated Municipal Act, 1873, and the Creditor's Relief Act, 1880.  In 1876, while he was deputy Attorney-General he was appointed a Queen's Council.

In 1885 he was chosen to inaugurate the Land Titles system of Ontario, and was appointed Master of Titles at Osgoode Hall, which position he held until his retirement in 1920, after serving the government of Ontario for more than fifty years.  It is universally admitted that the success of the Land Titles Act in the portions of Ontario in which it is in force, was due to his careful administration.

Mr. Scott was a Royal Commissioner for the revision of the Statutes of Ontario in 1885, and again in 1896.  He took part in the launching of the Toronto General Trusts Corporation, of which he was the oldest Director, in 1882, under its original name of The Toronto General Trust Company.  In 1859 he married Mary Elliot, a daughter of the late William Elliot.  Until recently he was a member of the congregation of Jarvis Street Baptist Church, which, when he joined in 1863, met on Bond Street, in the building since transformed into St. Michael's hospital.  He was a deacon of the church from 1885 to 1921, when he transformed his membership to Walmer Road Baptist Church. 

After his retirement, November 30, 1920, he lived at his home, 29 Dunvegan Road, and spent much of his time gardening, which was his favorite hobby.

He is survived by his widow, a daughter, Mrs. R.K. George of Toronto, and a son, Arthur H. Scott of Montreal.  The funeral is to be held on Monday at 2 p.m. to the Necropolis."

I find it interesting that John Galloway Scott attended Bethany College.  As I mentioned in a previous post about the Oliphants, this was a Disciples of Christ College (in fact, it still is today) founded by Alexander Campbell.  I suppose it's not surprising that T.C. Scott would send his son to be educated there. David Oliphant Jr. had attended Bethany College as well, but earlier than Scott.

It's also interesting that this obituary gives a date for Scott joining the Baptist Church (1863).  He would have been 27 years old at the time, and his father would certainly have still been active in the Disciples Church.   This would have been four years after his marriage.  We know that William Elliot also joined the Jarvis Street Baptist Church, and in fact he and John Galloway helped pay for the building on Jarvis Street.