Thomas Elliot, English Organ Builder

Thomas Elliot's 1832 Organ at York Minster Cathedral.

 
I usually only spend time researching the lives of our direct ancestors, but Thomas Elliot is such an intriguing family figure that for him I have made an exception.  Thomas is the brother of Robert Elliot, our immigrant ancestor, and the uncle of William Elliot the manufacturer and pharmacist.  He is one of the ten children of Charles Elliot and Lydia Bayley of Hayes, Middlesex.  He was obviously quite musical since not only did he become one of the significant British organ builders of his time, but there are records of his belonging to a number of musical societies and performing as a singer at Westminster Abbey and Drury Lane.  (Another of Robert's brothers, William Elliot, was a currier like Robert but also had a reputation as a singer).  I don't have any formal apprenticeship records for Thomas,  although he is thought to have a connection to John Snetzler, a Swiss organ builder who had immigrated to England.  Thomas's daughter Mary married William Hill, another prominent organ builder, and William became Thomas's business partner and carried on the firm of Elliot and Co.after Thomas Elliot's death, renaming it W. Hill and Co., and later W. Hill and Son, when  William and Mary's son, also Thomas (1822-1893), entered the family business.  Here are a few biographical references to Robert's brother Thomas Elliot and his musical accomplishments:


Elliot, Thomas.  
Singer, Organ builder.
Doane's Musical Directory of 1794 listed Thomas Elliot, of No 10, Soho Street, Sutton Square, as a bass singer and builder of organs. Elliot sang for the New Musical Fund, the Choral Fund, the Longacre Society,  the Cecilian Society, the Surrey Chapel Society, and in the oratorios at Westminster Abbey and Drury Lane Theatre.  He was still a subscriber to the New Musical Fund in 1815.   

A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800;  Volume V, Egan to Garrett.  Philip H. Highfill. 

Elliot & Hill:  London.  (1825-1832).  Thomas Elliot was at Wharton's Court, Holborn in 1791. Doane's Directory for 1794 gives 'Thomas Elliot, Organ Builder, 10 Sutton Street, Soho Square, London.'  Pigot, in 1827 gives him at 12 Tottenham Court Road, where he was as early as 1819. William Hill (died 1870) was partner of Thomas Elliot from 1825 until 1832 when Elliot died. Hill then continued alone until 1837 when he was joined by F. Davison cp. Hill and Davison.

Church and Chamber Barrel-Organs:  Their Origin, Makers, Music and Location.  Canon Noel Boston and Lyndesay G. Langwill.

It was another builder who seems ultimately to have been in a position to 'carry on' the work [of John Nutt, another organ builder].  This was Thomas Elliot, whose earliest surviving work is dated 1790, and who was first recorded in 1791 at Wharton's Court in Holborn and then at 10 Sutton Street (now Sutton Row), Soho Square in 1794.  Again, his antecedents are not precisely known, though the 1790 organ contains metal pipes identical in style with those normally made by Hugh Russell of Theobald's Road, Holborn.  His background...seems to have been at least as much musical as commercial, though a connection of some kind with Nutt has been posited.  He is known to have sung bass at the 1794 Handel Commemoration at Westminster Abbey, and elsewhere.  He may have been an organist, too, as one of the subscribers to William Russell's first set of Voluntaries (1804) was a 'Mr. Elliot, Organist of Curzon Chapel'.

Upon John Nutt's decease in 1804, it seems that Elliot moved next door to Ann Corbitt (nee Nutt) in Tottenham Court.  It was from 12 Tottenham Court, New Road, that Elliot ran his business, first employing Alexander Buckingham (his foreman from about 1806 until about 1818) and then William Hill (working from 1815), as well as George Corbitt (who worked until 1835) and others...Hill's own early training is not known;  he married Thomas's daughter, Mary, and eventually took over the business fully at Elliot's death in 1832.

The Life and Work of John Snetzler.  Alan Barnes and Martin Renshaw.  Scolar Press, Hants, England 1994.

Thomas Elliot, d. 1832.
Elliot, whose name may be found spelt variously with one or two T's at the end, was partner (1825) with, and father-in-law to William Hill, with whom he built a large number of organs including that in York Minster, an instrument designed quite remarkably badly by Dr. Camidge, the Minister organist.  Elliot's workshop was in Tottenham Court Road.  Details of two of his organs are as follows:
1.  St. Michael Broome, Norfolk.  This instrument was formerly in a private house in Surrey and was supplied in 1938 by Hill and Son, Norman and Beard.  A painted label above the keyboard reads 'Thomas Elliot/London 1817'.  There are no display-pipes, their place being taken by glass bookcase doors backed by blue silk. Painted flowers flank the maker's label, and there is decorative inlaid metalwork down each side of the upper case at the front...
2.  All Saints, Thornage, Norfolk.  This organ was formerly at Swanton Novers hall nearby and was sold to the church for 14 pounds.  The painted label above the keyboard reads 'Thos. Elliot/ Tottenham Court Road London/1812'.
The case is well-balanced and delicate, with deep cornice, shaped toe-board, and display-pipes grouped in a number of small compartments...
A third chamber organ by Elliot is in the church at Gooderstone, Norfolk...

The English Chamber-Organ, History and Development 1650-1850.  Michael Wilson.  Bruno Cassirer Ltd., Oxford, 1968.

One of the highlights of Thomas Elliot's career must surely have been in 1821, when he was commissioned to  build an organ for the Coronation of King George IV at Westminster Abbey.  This is what the London newspaper Morning Post of July 2, 1821 has to say about Coronation preparations:

"By an order from the Lord Chamberlain, a new magnificent organ is now erecting over the altar of Westminster Abbey, built by ELLIOT of the City Road.--Mr. KNYVETT, senior (as ORGANIST to His MAJESTY) is to preside at it over the vocal department, which is to be confined to the Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal, and Choir of Westminster Abbey.  The Instrumental, conducted by WILLIAM SHIELD, Esq. as  Master of the King's band of musicians.  Two New Anthems are composed for the solemn ceremony by his Majesty's composers, Mr. ATTWOOD and Mr. WM. KNYVETT;  at the express command of the King, HANDEL'S Grand Coronation Anthem, ZADOK THE PRIEST, will be performed as at the last Coronation;  but the musical service will be much shorter than the former."  

We don't know if Elliot actually got to attend the Coronation ceremony, although I certainly hope he did.  It must have been quite a spectacle:  according to one of the official Royal British websites, George's "extravagance and love of pageantry was very evident in his Coronation on 19 July 1821 at Westminster Abbey, which cost around 240,000 [pounds sterling].  This was in comparison with the Coronation of his father which cost less than 10,000 [pounds sterling] in 1761."   (George was a notorious spendthrift;  indeed, one article I read called him "about the most worthless heir to the throne that any nation was ever saddled with".)   The ceremony lasted for five hours and did include a bit of behind the scenes drama--Queen Caroline, George's estranged wife, tried to break into the Abbey against George's orders so that she could be crowned Consort.  Apparently she "finally had the door slammed in her face by the deputy Lord Chamberlain."   Queen Caroline died nineteen days after the ceremony to which she was refused entry.  

Coronation Portrait of George IV

It's pretty hard to find a functioning Elliot organ kicking around today.  The organ Thomas built for the coronation ceremony was moved out of Westminster Abbey within a few years and probably relocated to All Saints' Church in Sedgley .  St. Margaret's Church in Crick Village has an Elliot organ with an interesting history but it has been extensively restored.  The magnificent looking organ he built for York Minster Cathedral (see photo above) was almost completely refurbished in 1903. 

The Elliot organs often made their way overseas, and at least three Elliot organs were imported to Canada.  King George III gave Montreal's Anglican Cathedral Christ Church an Elliot organ in 1814 as a gift;  it was known locally as the "King's organ".  It gradually succumbed to old age despite some restorations and repairs and was finally replaced in 1948.  The historic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Quebec City acquired an Elliot organ in 1803, which was destroyed by fire in 1922.  The Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Quebec City also commissioned an Elliot organ:

"The organ was composed of two separate instruments, the great, and in front of it a smaller organ, called the choir organ.  These were ordered on the 5th September 1801, from Thomas Elliot, Artillery Place, London, at a cost of 369 [pounds] 11 s. 10 d. cy., subscribed as follows..." 

(The English Cathedral of Quebec, by Frederick William Wurtele, Published by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec in Transactions, New Series, Number 20 (1890)).  

This organ arrived in the early 1800s but Holy Trinity replaced it with another English organ in 1847. 

I'm trying to figure out what social class an occupation like this would have placed Thomas in.  My guess is that he would be considered a master craftsman...would that make him middle class?  His addresses seem posh, and his will disposes of a host of comfortable living accoutrements:

"ffurniture plate linen china glass books prints and paintings...music and musical instruments...".

This is in addition to his workshop and tools, left to his son-in-law William Hill,  and the annuities he left to his three surviving daughters.   In contrast, three of Thomas's brothers, Robert (our ancestor) William and John were curriers or leather workers, a physically taxing and not particularly high-status occupation.  Josiah, a brother of Robert and Thomas who also came to Canada, had run a pub called the Adam and Eve but had gone bankrupt.   In Canada, Robert took up farming in Dundas Ontario and Josiah became a storekeeper in Beachville Ontario, a world away from their musical brother, who died just a few years after their arrival in Canada.  

Obituary of Elizabeth (Jackson) Rutherford

Elizabeth (Jackson) Rutherford, wife of William Rutherford Jr., has been a bit of a mystery to me so far.  Her parents are not named on her marriage record, and although a Thomas Jackson was a witness to her marriage, I don't know for sure if  Thomas was her father or a brother or other relative.  However, I've just tracked down her obituary in the Montreal Gazette (thank you, google news archives!)  for September 24, 1919.  I'm especially excited to discover her birth town in Scotland, as this may help me find her family roots.

DIED IN 83RD YEAR

MRS. WM. RUTHERFORD PASSED AWAY TUESDAY

The death occurred yesterday at at 61 Rosemount avenue of Elizabeth Jackson, widow of William Rutherford, in her 83rd year.  The late Mrs. Rutherford lived nearly her entire life in Montreal and Westmount, having come to Canada with her parents when she was a child.  She was born in Biggar, Scotland. 

In 1856 she was married to the late William Rutherford, who predeceased her by sixteen years. She took an active interest in the Presbyterian Church,  being a member of the Crescent Street Church congregation for many years. 

She is survived by five sons, William Rutherford, ex-mayor of Westmount, and President of the firm of William Rutherford and Sons, Ltd., Andrew and Stewart F., both of the same company, Forest Rutherford, mining engineer of New York and Denver, Col., and Gordon Scott Rutherford, general manager of the Brunner-Monde Co., of Amherstburg, Ontario.  She also leaves two daughters, Mrs. William M. Dunlop, of Ottawa, and Mrs. Thomas McIntosh, of Montreal.  

The funeral will be private, from the late residence, at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Elizabeth is buried in Montreal's Mount Royal cemetery.  

William Rutherford, Liberal Candidate for Westmount, 1912

We tend to remember family members from past generations for their accomplishments.  William Rutherford Jr.,  as well as being a prominent businessman, is remembered by the Fyfe family as having been the first mayor of Westmount (his term was served from 1911-1912).  What I didn't know until recently is that he also ran, unsuccessfully, as the Westmount Liberal Candidate in the 1912 Quebec Provincial election.  There is a fascinating article in the Montreal Gazette of May 3, 1912 which describes a rally on his behalf.  Also present was Sir Lomer Gouin, Premier of Quebec from 1905 to 1920, who spoke on William's behalf.

Sir Lomer Gouin, Quebec Premier and supporter of William Rutherford

WESTMOUNT HEARS SIR LOMER GOUIN

PREMIER AND MAYOR RUTHERFORD ANSWER QUESTIONS OF LT-COL SMART

"The speech of Sir Lomer Gouin in Victoria Hall last night in the interest of Mr. William Rutherford, Liberal candidate in Westmount, and those of the candidate himself and the other speakers, concerned themselves mainly with the address made by Lieut.-Col. Smart, the Conservative candidate, in his meeting in the same hall on the previous Saturday night, and charges made by him of graft and rottenness in the present government...

Mr. William Rutherford, who was welcomed enthusiastically, said that many of his Conservative friends told him he was leading a forlorn hope, and he was inclined to accept that way of putting things as, said he, 'many forlorn hopes get there, and generally it is the best men who are chosen to lead forlorn hopes'.  He appealed to his Conservative friends to leave federal politics out of the question, and vote for the man instead of for the party, and so help him to run up a good majority.  He spoke of the work he in association with others had done for Westmount, with special reference to good roads, temperance and education.  He submitted that what they had been doing for Westmount Sir Lomer Gouin had been trying to do for the Province of Quebec, and whereas they had succeeded in making Westmount a place that was called the model city, he believed that Sir Lomer Gouin if allowed to finish his work would make Quebec into a province that would deserve to be called the model one in Canada.

Speaking of Colonel Smart, a personal friend, he said that he thought the Conservative candidate would have to take back much of what he had said in regard to graft and bribery...

'I stand four-square for no forced annexation of Westmount or other municipal districts on the island of Montreal to the city of Montreal, and I tell you now so that if that question ever comes up in Quebec, you and Sir Lomer Gouin will know where I stand,'  said Mayor Rutherford.  

As to temperance,  Mr. Rutherford said he stood to support the continuance of the present Early Closing Bylaw, to fight against any effort to repeal the Quebec License Law, and to favour any temperance movement which had for its object the restriction of the liquor traffic if  in his judgment it was fair to the interests involved. 

'I am not an intemperate temperance man,' he said, 'and I feel that that is as far as I can go.' "

The election was held on May 15, 1912, and of 83 Liberal candidates running, 63 were elected.  William was not one of them.  Charles Allan Smart, the Conservative candidate (and apparently William's friend), won the district of Westmount.  He would be the Westmount MP from 1912 until 1936.  

Charles Allan Smart, MP for Westmount 1912-1936

 

The Montreal Gazette of May 16 had this to say about Westmount's results:

"While the new riding of Westmount, as was expected, went Conservative by a good majority, the personal popularity of the Liberal candidate, Mayor Rutherford, cut down the normal Conservative vote considerably.  More interest was displayed in the contest between Mayor Rutherford and Lt.-Col. Smart than in almost any other riding, and a comparatively fair vote was registered.  It was taken as a foregone conclusion that the latter would be elected, the riding having been cut out with the evident intention of hiving the Conservatives." 

To give this election some historical context, women in Quebec did not have the right to vote until 1940.  Mrs. Rutherford could not vote for her husband in 1912.

The Elliot Family Headstone, Necropolis Cemetery

I've walked through the Toronto Necropolis Cemetery many times.  It's a lovely old cemetery with lots of interesting headstones and the graves of some important locals.  I found the Scott family headstone a while back, but the Elliot family headstone has eluded me until today.  Doug and I, celebrating a rare day off together, went for a walk and Doug found it for me.  Yes!

It's actually quite an imposing monument.  There are memorials on all four sides.  Here's the first side:

WILLIAM ELLIOT

BORN AT HAMMERSMITH ENG.

DECEMBER 22, 1812

DIED JUNE 3, 1893

________

For if we believe that Jesus died and

rose again, even so them also which 

sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.

__________

CYNTHIA JANE ELLIOT

BORN NOV. 22, 1853

DIED JAN. 6, 1931

HELEN ELLIOT GEORGE

1883  -1943

William Elliot, pharmacist and industrialist, is the patriarch of our branch of the Elliot family and everyone on this memorial is somehow related to him.  Cynthia Jane Elliot is his daughter, the only child of William and his wife Mary Oliphant who never married.  Helen Elliot George was born Helen Elliot Scott.  She is the daughter of John Galloway Scott and Mary Elliot (Mary Elliot was another daughter of William and Mary Oliphant, making Helen their granddaughter).  It's interesting that Helen is buried in the Elliot family plot.  Her husband, Ruggles George, is apparently somewhere else.

William's wife Mary Oliphant is commemorated on the opposite side of the monument:

IN MEMORY OF 

MARY OLIPHANT, 

WIFE OF WILLIAM ELLIOT

___________

DIED APRIL 7TH 1890, 

IN HER 78TH YEAR

_____________

HER HUSBAND AND CHILDREN MOURN BUT

NOT AS THOSE WHO HAVE NO HOPE

______________

LIEUTENANT H. ELLIOT SCOTT

AGED 23 YEARS

FELL AT COURCELETTE

16TH SEPTEMBER 1916

BURIED IN FRANCE

MINNIE LOUISE DAVIS

BELOVED WIFE OF ARTHUR H. SCOTT

BORN AT AYLMER, ONT. 1870

DIED AT DORVAL, QUE. 1923.

ARTHUR H. SCOTT

1864-1939

Arthur H. Scott is another child of John Galloway Scott and Mary Elliot and grandchild of William Elliot/Mary Oliphant.  Lieutenant Howard Elliot Scott is his son, and Minnie Louise Davis his wife. 

Robert Watt Elliot, son of William Elliot and Mary Oliphant, and his wife Catherine Scott are on one of the adjacent sides:

IN MEMORY OF 

ROBERT WATT ELLIOT

BORN AT ERAMOSA ONTARIO

JULY 26, 1835

DIED AT TORONTO

NOVEMBER 12, 1905

______________

CATHERINE ANN SCOTT

WIFE OF 

ROBERT W. ELLIOT

BORN AT DUNDEE, SCOTLAND

OCTOBER 14, 1834

DIED AT TORONTO

JANUARY 8TH, 1921

All five of Robert Watt Elliot and Catherine Scott's children are commemorated on the remaining side, as well as their daughter-in-law  Muriel Lailey Elliot, who was the  wife of William Scott Elliot (directly below her on the monument).

IN MEMORY OF 

HOWARD ELLIOT, 

WHO ENTERED THE BETTER LAND

ON THE 19TH OF MAY 1893

ALSO 

ADELINE NOBLE

ON THE 9TH OF JUNE 1894

____________

VIOLET

DECEMBER 10TH 1939

_____________

MARY SCOTT BIGGAR

1860-1948

______________

MURIEL LAINLEY ELLIOT

1875-1951

________________

WILLIAM SCOTT ELLIOT

1870-1964

Howard Elliot died at age 24 of peritonitis.  He was training to be a pharmacist like his father and grandfather before him, and William Elliot's obituary mentions what a blow his death was to his grandfather. Mary Scott Biggar (nee Elliot)'s husband James Lyons Biggar appears to have been  buried elsewhere, as does  Adeline (Elliot) Noble's husband.   Howard Elliot, Violet Elliot, William Scott Elliot, Mary Scott Biggar and Adeline Noble were all children of Robert Watt Elliot and Catherine Scott. Murial Lainley Elliot was William Scott Elliot's wife.

Here's a shot of the snazzy letter E that decorates the top of the monument:

Here I am taking notes:

And here's a long shot, showing the landscape (rather bare at this time of year):

The more I learn about the Elliot and Scott families in Canada, the more I am struck by how closely intertwined they are.  At some point I'm going to write about the many connections between these two closely-knit families.

From England to Ontario: Robert and Ann Elliot

In a previous post I wrote about William Elliot of Toronto and his amazing career.  Right now I'm in the process of trying to discover more about William's parents, his siblings and his early environment.  So far my research has provided me with an intriguing mix of definite information and information that's probably about the family but isn't specific enough to know for sure.

One of the cool things about William is that he's one of our only Canadian ancestors to have been born in England.  Hammersmith, to be exact, which is now part of London but at the time of his birth was referred to as a "Hamlet".   William's entry in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography provides the exact date (December 22, 1812) and place of his birth.  Armed with this information, it was pretty easy to find his baptismal record. 

This document gives us the name of both of William's parents (Robert and Ann), which is great.  (It also explains why William gave his oldest son the name Robert).  It doesn't give us Ann's maiden name, which is slightly less great, since Robert, Ann, and Elliot are all pretty common names.  However, it does give us Robert Elliot's occupation, which is "currier" (a currier was a leather-worker).  

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography has this to say about William's early life:

"William Elliot was educated at a boarding-school in London.  His family immigrated to Dundas, Upper Canada, and he followed when he had completed his schooling at the age of 15.  In 1834 he took up land near the town and started farming..."

And his obituary in the Globe (Tuesday, June 6, 1893) confirms that he was born in Hammersmith in December 1812  and also mentions that "Mr. John Elliot, for over 30 years clerk of the county court, was his eldest brother.".  

So, these reliable sources of information tell us that William was the son of Robert and Ann Elliot, he had an older brother named John, his father was a currier, which put him in the tradesman class,  they lived in Harrowsmith and they came to Canada before 1832.  We also know that William went to boarding school, which indicates that the family had some money.

The Bishop's transcripts from the St. Paul, Hammersmith church show that William had at least three sisters, two of whom died young (one died before William was even born).  Robert and Ann Elliot were the parents of Eleanor Elliot, born August 29, 1804, who died at age 5 in May, 1809;  Mary Elliot, who was born on April 8, 1806;  and Sarah Elliot, born October 10, 1809 and died at age 7 in May of 1817, when William would have been five years old.   I haven't yet found a birth or baptismal record for John, William's older brother.

Baptismal record for Mary Elliot, daughter of Robert and Ann Elliot of Poppins Court, born September 9, 1800, baptized October 5, 1800.  St. Bride's Fleet Street Church, London, England. 

Here's where things get more conjectural.  There are more records for a Robert Elliot in Middlesex, but I'm not sure if any of these are the right Robert Elliot.  Here's what else I have:


These two records are from a database of land tax records in the greater London area.  The first image is from 1825, and it shows that Robert Elliot is a tenant of a Mssr. Salter in Hammersmith (the place is named on an earlier page).  His rent is 30 pounds (a year, I would imagine) and the tax on the property is 1 pound.

   The second record is again for Hammersmith, in the year 1819.  Robert Elliot has the same landlord.  We don't know the rent, but the tax is 1 pound 5 shillings.  Mr. Salter appears to own several properties in this area.  At the very top of the page in red, it says "Angel Row".

Unfortunately these records don't list an occupation or names of other family members, so although the name and place matches up it's hard to make a definite identification.

This next record is from a database of duties paid for apprentice's indentures in the UK.  In May 1798, a Robert Elliot, Currier, who lived in St. Martin's in the Fields, is recorded as having an apprentice named George Priestly.  St. Martin's in the Fields is in Middlesex, and, like Hammersmith, is now part of London.  This record has the right name and occupation but a different location.  It's earlier than our previous records, so it's possible that Robert and his family moved to Hammersmith some time after May 1798.  However, it's also possible that it's a different Robert Elliot.

Now we come to my all-time favourite document for the Elliot family.  I really hope this is the right Robert Elliot--this paper is so beautiful and historic!  You can even see the original seals. It comes from a database called "London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers" and is dated 1785.  It's an apprenticeship indenture contract between Robert Elliot, "son of Charles Elliot of Hayes in the County of Middlesex, Victualler" and Thomas Burton of Newport Street, Currier of London.  The apprenticeship is for seven years (which is a standard length of time) during which Robert promises to faithfully serve, keep the secrets of, and not waste the goods of his master.  He is prohibited from "Fornication...Matrimony...play[ing]  at Cards, Dice, Tables, or any other unlawful Games, whereby his said Master may have any Loss."  For the fee of  thirty pounds, Thomas Burton promises to teach Robert "the Art and Mystery of a Currier".

Robert Elliot has signed the document himself, indicating that he is at least somewhat educated.  This record also gives us his father's name, his father's profession and the original family location, giving us the possibility of going back one more generation, if this is indeed our Robert Elliot.  Interestingly, the database listing apprentice's indentures in the UK indicates that Thomas Burton had one other apprentice, a John Elliot.  The document for John's apprenticeship is dated 1783.  Was this an older brother of Robert's?  All of these records are for the Middlesex area, but as my husband points out, that's a big and very populated space and Elliot is not an uncommon name.

Map of Hammersmith, 1746, when it was still called a "Hamlet".  

I'm always interested, when learning about people who uprooted themselves to move to Canada or the U.S.,  in the question of what motivated them to immigrate.  I think that we don't always appreciate what that decision meant for people in earlier times--there was obviously no e-mail, no skype, no air travel--even letters took months to arrive. For most people, immigration was a serious and deep separation from family and community.  In general, with the exception of certain religious groups who move to gain more freedom, historians believe that most people coming to the new world did it for economic reasons.  Although I don't know precisely when the Elliot family moved, I'm guessing it would have been in the 1820s or early 1830s.  Now, the fact that William was in boarding school when the rest of his family moved and joined them later indicates to me that Robert and Ann must have already had some money.  Why did Robert decide to leave an established business he had spent seven years training for, close to one of the most exciting cities in the world,  to become a farmer in Eramosa township?   And one who had to clear his own land, besides! I'm guessing industrialization had something to do with it.  There's a lot more to learn about this fascinating family.

Locating the Scottish Rutherfords.

In an earlier post we saw evidence that William Rutherford, Montreal immigrant, had been born and raised in Jedburgh, which is in Roxburghshire, along the Scottish borders.  He was the son of James Rutherford, a forester in Linthaugh, Jedburgh--his census records, death record, tombstone, and entry in the Royal Scottish Forestry Society all place him in Linthaugh.  Originally I thought that Linthaugh might be the name of the forest he worked in, but now I'm not so sure.  It might refer to a district within the town.

I turned up this picture, dated 1905, online:

Linthaugh Avenue, Jedburgh.  

The family seems to have moved around a little, but within a close range.  The previous generation, James Rutherford Sr. and Jean Thomson, were married in Wilton, Roxburghshire, and Jean came from Lilliesleaf, also in Roxburghshire.

Here's a description of a house that may possibly have been used by the James Rutherford Jr. family:

821. Single storey and attic symmetrical 3-bay Gothick L-plan cottage. Pale cream sandstone ashlar with rusticated quoins; base course; pointed-arch openings, windows with raised margins and cills.
W (FRONT) ELEVATION: projecting rusticated gabled porch at centre with panelled door and pointed fanlight;single window with moulded hoodmould to flanking bays; moulded cornice (below quasi-parapet).
N ELEVATION: 2-bay gable-end to right with hoodmoulded windows at ground (blind to right) and single window in gablehead; broad single bay set back to left with rectangular window at ground and segmental-headed window above breaking eaves with gabled dormerhead; further single storey lean-to shed to outer left.
E ELEVATION: projecting gable to right with single storey lean-to shed at ground. To left, single storey lean-to porch and closet; bipartite window at left, and door in re-entrant angle with 1st floor window under eaves of main wall.
S ELEVATION: gable-end to left with hoodmoulded window to right at ground; window at centre above; single storey lean-to set back to right. Recessed range to right with rectangular winodw; lean-to with door to outer right.
Timber casement winodws with leaded lights; small-pane swash and case and casement to rear. Crowstepped gables, beack skewputts, corniced ashlar apex stacks; grey slates.
INTERIOR: not seen 1993.

Notes:

Originally the home of the forester on the Jedforest estate of the Earls of Home; trees were cultivated in the paddock to the N. The rear porch is a later creation. There is a pitched roofed timber shed supported on stone sidewalls to the E, just before the river.

Source: Historic Scotland

Here's a photo of James Rutherford, dated 1855.  Because of the age he looks I'm thinking this is William Rutherford's older brother James, who would have been around 25 years old in 1855, rather than William's father James, who would have been around 49 years old.  Is this the house that is described above?

Now, on the Montreal McCord Museum's fantastic collection of photographs, there are a number of photos which were "copied for Mrs. H. Rutherford" in 1911.  They are all located in  in Edgerston, Roxboroughshire, Scotland, which is six miles south of Jedburgh.  Edgerston is actually associated with another branch of the Rutherford family, one that descended from James of Rutherford, oldest son of Richard of Rutherford and older brother to Nicol of Hundole, from whom we are descended.  The photos seem to depict a large country home, which undoubtedly had grounds attached.  Could this be the property where James Rutherford worked as a forester?   The website Clan Rutherford has this to say about Edgerston:

Edgerston House

In 1695 Thomas Rutherfurd (c.1650-1720) built the center part of the present house. It is unclear whether this incorporated or completely replaced the existing tower (c. 1600); however, the initials of Thomas Rutherfurd and his wife Susanna Riddell are said to be carved into one of the dormer windows.

John Rutherfurd (1748-1834) of Edgerston was a great benefactor to Edgerston. In 1793 he built on the two wings with their Venetian windows and the semi-circular tower at the south side of the house. In a letter written by his uncle, Baron Robert Rutherfurd to Walter Rutherfurd, " Fairnington, Oct 28, 1788, Dear Walter, I want to send you a copy of the plan of the improvements that our nephew is making at Edgerston. He is putting on two wings at a cost of 3,000 and when it is completed it will be one of the finest seats in the Shire." In a letter between the same uncles, "Fairnington, Nov 26, 1792. Edgerston House by being repaired with additions is now one of the handsomest and most commodious of any in this county."

The final addition to Edgerston was the Tower built by William Oliver-Rutherfurd(1781-1879) in 1840. This tower is a fully equipped house which is now rented.

On the hill above Edgerston House can be seen the remains of a peel tower which was used by the Rutherfurds for defense against the Kerrs and other families that the Rutherfurds were feuding with, and as defense against the English.

Drive From The House, Edgerston, Scotland.

Edgerston Lodge.  The District is hunted by the Jed Forest and Duke of Buccleuch's Hounds.
Edgerston from the North, Roxburghshire, Scotland.

First Bridge on Avenue, Edgerston, Scotland.

Edgerston from the North.
(I think I see the name Wm, Rutherford handwritten on the bottom, in mirror  writing.)

Edgerston From the South.  

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.