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.

Obituary for Howard Elliot, Son of Robert Watt Elliot

The Globe Newspaper, Toronto, May 22, 1893, page 8.  I have edited out some material pertaining to Mr. Ware. 

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.

Another Visit to the Archives of Ontario

I love archives, but good heavens, can they be frustrating.  Take the Archives of Ontario, for example.  It takes me a cool two hours to reach the archives from downtown Toronto by public transit--so, since I go home again afterwards, it's four hours of travel time for an afternoon there.  The York University subway station can't come soon enough--once it's in, the archives will be right on its doorstep.  Sadly, it's not due to open until 2016.  Anyway, once you get there, you have to find what you're looking for, and they couldn't make it more complicated if they tried.  To find a will, for example, you have to have the name of the person you're looking for and the date and place of their death.  Then you consult a binder, which directs you to an index on microfilm for that year and place.  Once you're found the person indexed on the microfilm (which can take a while) you jot down the number of the probate record and the date it was filed.  DON'T forget to get BOTH of these pieces of information because you'll never ever ever find the record you're looking for (don't ask me how I know).  Once you have these in hand, you go back to the binder, where you look up the probate number, and get directed to the microfilm which has the actual will.  Then you have to find the will on the microfilm (sometimes it's in probate number order, sometimes it's in date order).  You shuffle back and forth on the film a lot until....finally!  There it is!  Then you look up the next person.  It's worth it to me, because I find wills really interesting, but as a librarian, I can see how it could be a whole heck of a lot easier...and wills are among the easiest things to find there.   The Ontario Archives really needs more cataloguing staff.

Anyway, I found several family wills today.  I'm going to start with the will of Violet Elliot, daughter of Robert Watt Elliot and granddaughter of William Elliot.  She died a spinster, and her will is short and sweet.   She names her brother William Scott Elliot her executor along with the National Trust Company Ltd, and leaves her estate to her nieces and nephews, whom she does not name individually.  Her will is located on MS 584 Reel 411, probate #90031, probated January 23 1940(she actually died on December 1, 1939).

Violet had a total estate worth about $38,323.00, much of it invested in stocks:

I also found the will of William Elliot's brother John Elliot, who was (obviously) a son of Robert Elliot and Ann Bland.  He was also the husband of Harriot Pontifex.  He died on December 12, 1883 in Toronto.  His will is on microfilm GS1, reel 994.  His will gives us his occupation, Clerk of the York County Council (retired).  He names a granddaughter, Amy Smith, and two daughters, Fanny Elizabeth wife of James Smith, and Harriot Ann Elliot.  He also makes a bequest to James Smith and to two nieces, Ann Hilton and Sarah Dixon.  He leaves his brother William a life insurance policy, but it may only be entrusted to him to divide up among the nieces--that's not entirely clear to me.  His executors are his brother William, James Watson, whom he refers to as a friend (James Watson is the husband of Sophia Watt Elliot, William's daughter) and his son-in-law James Smith. At the end of the will he gives a profession of his faith in God:

"...and I commend my said Grand daughter and my said Daughters to the care of a good God, who has promised to protect all those who put their trust in him.  I hope also, that they will live happily and comfortably together during their lives, and enjoy the fruits of my savings, and at length, join us in Heaven above, and be for ever happy."   

John's estate is worth about 3,000.00 in cash assets (see below), but as you'll notice above, the bulk of his estate seems to be in property.

 The next paper mentions a codicil, but I couldn't find it.  Here's William leaving the executor duties to the other two executors nominated:

Now let's go to the will of Robert Watt Elliot, William's son and the husband of Catherine Scott.  This is the son who took over the family pharmaceutical manufacturing business as William grew older.  This will is pretty short considering the complexity of his estate. He died November 12, 1905, and his wife Catherine is the executrix. The will is located on MS 584, reel 1786, probate # 18388, probate date January 13, 1906.

Notice that Robert Watt was worth about half what his father William was, even though you would still certainly call him prosperous  his entire estate is worth just under $50,000.00.  Already the family fortunes seem to be slipping a little. I like knowing that he owned a horse and carriage.  Notice the detailed accounts:  his household goods and furniture are worth $573.00--it's calculated down to the dollar.

 I can't believe a house on Pembroke Street is worth $3,000.00.  Those were the days!  If only it had come down to us (sigh...).

Here we can see exactly what he was invested in at the time of his death.  The railway stock seems to have been a bad decision!

Next is the will of Thomas Sutherland Stayner, husband of Harriet Rose Elliot (William Elliot's daughter;  notice that her name is consistently spelled "Harriot" in these documents) and Robert Watt Elliot's brother-in-law.  His will is located on MS584, reel 1105, probate # 17383, date of probate November 19, 1904  (he died on June 11 of the same year).  His family is a little complicated as Harriet was his second wife.  His oldest son Winslow is from his first marriage and is living in England at the time of Thomas' death.  His  sons Harry and Dudley are from his second marriage to Harriet. .  The grandson he mentions is Winslow's child.  Thomas' will is long and involved.

Thomas' codicils (there are two) are quite interesting;  the first deals with changes in property value of his real estate, and the second deals with bequests of individual items, such as tableware, art, family photos,  and books, which he would like specific children to have.  He also leaves his watch and chain to his grandson Joscelyn.  I like his final bequest to Winslow, the "Large china bowl in the drawing room, supposed to have been used at my christening."  Harry gets a silver tray which is a "gift from Minnie and Janie" (Janie is presumably Cynthia Jane Elliot).

There is an affidavit from Harry Stayner which is a bit curious.  He says that at the time of his father's death he was living with Thomas (and presumably Harriot as well, although he doesn't mention her) and they were boarding temporarily in Davisville (Toronto).

There are a lot of other probate papers in this estate file which I won't include here because they have to do mainly with estate taxes etc. and don't seem to have much family history value.  Here are papers relating to the value of his estate-he is much wealthier than his brother-in-law Robert Watt Elliot, and most of his money appears to be in stocks rather than property:

Thomas' wife Harriot Rose also left a will, which I didn't have time to get on this trip--I'll look for it in my next visit.

Next is the will of William Elliot Watson, son and eldest child of James Watson and his wife Sophia Watt Elliot (daughter of William Elliot and Mary Oliphant).   This would make him a grandson of William Elliot and nephew to Robert Watt Elliot and T. Sutherland Stayner.  He is a chartered accountant.  William Watson's will is on GS1 reel 1053, probate #11407.  He died March 5, 1896, at the age of 35, of "la grippe", leaving a wife, Hattie Alberta (Badgely) Watson.  It is unclear whether they have any children.   He leaves his estate to his wife and any children;  if they predecease him he leaves one third of his estate to his wife's family and two thirds to his mother Sophia (if his wife and mother both predecease him he leaves the two thirds to be divided up between his siblings, whom he names). His estate is not particularly large.

 

I know that the archives also holds wills for Sophia Watt Elliot (another child of William Elliot and Mary Oliphant, and the mother of the above William Elliot Watson) and Sophia's husband James Watson, as well as Harriet Rose Stayner and Cynthia Jane Elliot, and Thomas Hilton, the husband of Louisa Elliot (William Elliot's sister).  What I'd really like to find is the will of Robert Elliot, William's father, but so far I've been disappointed.  It's possible that he didn't leave one.