“They sleep amongst us and we hardly know” A story of Linkages: Locust Mount, Leonards, London and the world beyond
Others have spoken about the significance of Locust Mount to the architectural and historical foundations of London. My interest relates to how such places reserve for us a space on a larger stage; how they connect us to events and history beyond our local boundaries and how they represent our cultural bloodlines. Oft times these linkages have a subjective stretch to them, but ultimately they add a richness to our heritage.
The Great War is a good example. Every Canadian knows of Billy Bishop, the World War I flying ace. But how many know that he was assigned to a Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion in London, Ontario, where his commanding officer was none other than Ibbotson Leonard? Of course he soon left the muck and the horses for the Royal Flying Corps. Ibbotson Leonard was the grandson of Elijah Leonard Jr, the builder of Locust Mount. And staying with the Great War, how many know that 70 men from the Leonard Factory marched off to defend the Empire, and that one of London’s shining sons, Lt-Col Edwin Woodman Leonard, D.S.O., 3rd Brig., Canadian Field Artillery, died in that great Canadian victory at Vimy Ridge? A plaque at Cronyn Memorial Church records his final words: “I am finished, take over and carry on.” Woodman, a brother to Ibbotson, was also a grandson of Elijah. It is through connections like these that Locust Mount says to us that London played a historic part in the war, and that “We must never forget”.
Of the homes still standing in London, there are but three of the first rank that provide such connectivity: Eldon House, Thornwood, and Locust Mount.
Locust Mount, derives its name from a gift of Black Locust trees from John Harris to Elijah Leonard Jr. Harris, of Eldon House, was Leonard’s neighbour and friend. Prior to building Locust Mount, Elijah lived adjacent to his foundry at Fullarton and Ridout across the street from Eldon House. The new manor was obviously admired, as a drawing of it appears on Tremaine’s map of 1862.
So what are the connections that Locust Mount makes for us? Let me recount a few.
Saugus Ironworks, Massachusetts In the public library of Lynn, Massachusetts, there is a small iron pot, called the “Saugus Pot”, that is purported by some to be the first casting made in America in the 1640’s. Although this disputed claim is based more on lore than direct evidence, there is no doubt that the earliest successful iron making efforts in the New World occurred on the Saugus River at Lynn, and that two Leonard brothers, Henry and James, were very much a part of this scene. They brought their iron founding tradition from the Old World to New England, and through descendents of James, that tradition eventually came to London, Ontario. Elijah Leonard Jr, the builder of Locust Mount started London’s first foundry in
Geoff Anderson Feb 15, 2004 1 1838. The Leonard factory in London finally closed in 1954, after an amazing run of 116 years. In the 18th century Dr Fobes, the author of “A Topographical Description of the Town of Raynham” wrote “Where you can find ironworks, there you will find a Leonard”. Locust Mount is symbolic of our links to the cradle of industrialization in North America.
Normandale When Elijah Leonard Sr first came to Canada in 1829 it was to operate the Van Norman Ironworks at Normandale for Joseph Van Norman. This was the first Ironworks in South Western Ontario, on Lake Erie, near Long Point, in the County of Norfolk. Although Normandale was significant in its own right, its greater legacy was the impact it had upon the development of our region as the early partners and managers dispersed. Consider the following: George Tillson, a founding partner at Normandale, established a forge and sawmill in the 1820’s at what is now called Tillsonburg. Benjamin Van Norman, a brother of Joseph, had left to establish the first grist mill in Tillsonburg . He became the first reeve of Dereham Township and the first (1850) warden of Oxford County. Hiram Capron, another founding partner at Normandale, developed the Gypsum deposits at the forks of the Grand and Nith rivers around 1829, thereby founding Paris, Ontario. Capron became the first Reeve of the Village of Paris in 1850. Philip Van Brocklin, a Normandale moulder, is regarded as the industrial father of Brantford, and was its mayor in 1850. Elijah Leonard Jr, with his father Elijah Sr, and Philip Van Brocklin, left Normandale, to start the first foundry in St Thomas, in 1834. Elijah Leonard Jr also started the first foundry in London, in 1838 after leaving St Thomas. He was London’s third mayor in 1857, and a member of the first Canadian senate at Confederation. Lewis Corydon Leonard was the oldest son of Elijah Sr. He came to Normandale as a young man with his father. After various jobs and ventures, he became involved with the Crescent Oil Refinery in London East and eventually became a founding director of London Life. At its peak, Joseph Van Norman’s Iron works employed about 400 persons annually, bringing great benefit to the region. He also was involved in infrastructure development, namely canals and roads around Long Point, and served on the Norfolk County council. So there is a direct link between Normandale and London, and thereby to several other communities. Locust Mount reminds us of our links, though the Leonards, to these other “sister” communities.
The rebellion of 1837 During the rebellion, the Leonards were operating a foundry in St Thomas, and suffered some hostility due to the fact that they were Yankees, and thus widely considered to hold reformer sympathies. As is well known, several reformers were captured, tried in London and hanged – most notably Joshua Doan and Amos Perley. Some of the guilty were transported to Van Diemen’s Land, Elijah Crocker Woodman being one of them.
Geoff Anderson Feb 15, 2004 2 Although he was pardoned in 1845, he had considerable difficulty obtaining passage home, as he was not able-bodied enough to work on a ship. He died en route on June 13, 1847. Two days later his daughter Emeline married Elijah Leonard Jr. in London , Ontario.
On the 15th of June, the exact day of his daughter Emeline’s marriage to Elijah Leonard, the second mate, Mr Chase, diarized: “At four P.M. we buried Mr. Woodman in latitude 34° 54’ S., Longitude 77° 08’ W. There was not any chance of getting into land under four or five days, so we thought it best to bury him at sea rather than among the Spaniards.”
The family received a letter from the second mate in 1848 informing them of the circumstances. Just imagine how it was not knowing if your father was alive or dead for so many years, and then to find out he was buried on the exact day of your marriage. Emeline, who died in 1895, lived out her life at Locust Mount, and I remember this great tragedy every time I drive by. Locust Mount passed out of the Leonard family upon her death.
Confederation 1867 Elijah Leonard Jr was appointed to the first senate of the Dominion of Canada. He came by this honour because at the time he was an elected member of the Legislature for the Province of Canada. He was a man of the people, a bit coarse, but decent. During these historic days Locust Mount was where he called home. What other tangible link does London have to the confederation of our country?
Links by Marriage The Leonards of London were related to several prominent London and Ontario families: Cronyn, Blake, Carling, Bassett, Smallman, Sells, Marlatt. (Note: contrary to several well-known published sources, the Leonards and Bechers were not related – the Sarah Leonard that H.C.R. Becher of Thornwood married was the daughter of Richard Leonard, sheriff of the Niagara district) The tapestry woven by these families, particularly the Leonards, Smallmans, Carlings and Cronyns is an integral part of the social, political, religious, military and commercial development of London. There are too few reminders of these aspects of our past, and Locust Mount is symbolic of how early prominent families, through marriage, influenced our city’s early years.
Sir Adam Beck Very little is left as a visible memorial to Beck, one of the greatest Londoners. Locust Mount does not really have anything to do with Beck, except that it is synonymous with the Leonards, and Ibbotson Leonard was somewhat of a Beck protégé. Beck lived at his Richmond Street mansion, “Headley”, and Ibbotson lived a block away on Wellington Street. Ibbotson was an up and comer, and Beck, his senior by 25 years, was winding down. Both were lovers of horses and the hunt, and Ibbotson Leonard succeeded Beck as
Geoff Anderson Feb 15, 2004 3 Master of the Foxhounds at the London Hunt & Country Club. Beck held the position for 25 years, from 1897-1922, and Leonard followed, holding it for the next 29 years. As is well known, Adam Beck was president of the London Health Association and with his wife Lilian, built and supported a large Sanatorium at Byron, called the Queen Alexandra Sanatorium. This, in large part, was due to the fact that their daughter Marion had been stricken with tuberculosis. E.V. Buchanan, the general manager of the PUC for so many years, was another Beck lieutenant and also a neighbour of Leonard and Beck. Buchanan reports that in Beck’s final days, he made several trips to his beloved Sanatorium. On his last visit he said “There is much to do, and I am all in, I need your help. You fellows must follow through”. It was Ibbotson who took up Beck’s call. After Beck’s death in 1925, Ibbotson Leonard became president of the London Health Association, and thereby the Sanatorium, and held this position for many years. He also served a term as president of the Canadian Tuberculosis Association in 1936-37.
So why save Locust Mount? For the same reason one saves grandfather’s medals. Locust Mount represents our community’s bloodlines, and basking in its reflected glory makes us proud. Oh, and the grandkids will appreciate us saving them all these years. It is their heritage too.
Geoff Anderson Feb 15, 2004 4