Ohs Bulletin 113 1998 March
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SI Issue 113 0 March 1998 A tribute to Lillian Rea Benson (1910 - 1997) Born and educated in last years of World War II and Guelph, Lillian Benson stud- the post-war period, she ied at the University of West- worked with Professors ern Ontario graduating with a Landon and Talman in help- B.A. in 1933. The following ing the Society through one of year shejoined the staff at The its most difficult periods. University of Western Ontario, Later, she was president 1956 where she soon began her long — 1958, when she successfully career in the library working pushed for a higher govern- with Professors Fred Landon ment grant and was active in and James J. Talman, who beginning the listing of On- were successive chief librar- tari0‘s Century Farms. With ians. She retired as Assistant her death the Society has lost Librarian Administration in a faithful member and a good 1970. friend. (Thanks to Margaret Always a strong sup- Banks and Fred Armstrong, porter of the OHS. during the London. ) The Honourable Isabel Bassett, Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation receives the publication From Cathay to Canada: Chinese Cuisine in Transition from Bruce Richard, Vice President, OHS Board of Directors. Looking on are Dorothy Duncan, Executive Director, OHS, Cecil Foster, Policy Advisor to the Minister and Professorjo Marie Powers, who edited Farewell to Josephine Morgan the manuscript. The publication was launched on January 26 during a Chinese New Year Banquet hosted by the Hospitality and Tourism Centre of George Brown College in Toronto, and was the result of a symposium co-sponsored with the Josephine Morgan was a for her portrayal of “Her Most School of Hotel and Food Administration, University of Guelph, which explored the important influences and contributions that Chinese Canadians and their foodways have made to Canadian cuisine. (Frank Bartoszek) valued member of the East Imperial Majesty, Victoria York Historical Society and a R.l,” at East York‘s Canada recipient of the OHS Day parade and at the Carnochan Award in 1994, Scarborough Museum on Vic- The Augustine Cemetery Kingsville: which is presented to an indi- toria Day. vidual who has contributed Josephine was a volunteer a case study many years of service to the at Todmordon Mills Heritage heritage community. Museum and Art Centre from She was an active volun- its establishment in 1967, and Ken Turner, Kingsville-Gosfield Heritage Society teer, teacher, exhibitor, inter- was a charter member of the preter, actress and well known East York Historical Society. The Augustine family was fenced and surrounded by lofty Commercial Relations closed the among the earliest to settle in pines. There were a number of Augustine Cemetery file con- Gosfield Township, Essex white marble gravestones that cluding that they could no longer County. Abel Augustine pur- commemorated the early family. consider it a cemetery under the chased 300 acres. Lot 1 Conces- According to eye witnesses these Cemeteries Act. were visible until the late 1960s A Gosfield South Township sion l E.D.. on 26 February 1805. Today this property would extend or early l97()s. Then the marble By-Law to maintain the cemetery from Beech Street in Kingsville monuments disappeared. the remained in effect although the We’re to the 3rd Concession ofGosfield fence toppled and the pines were Township reported they could not still waiting! South Township. felled. After 150 years the Augus- find the site. Mr. Townsend con- Abel Augustine married tine Cemetery disappeared. tinued his letter writing campaign As we go to press. The Ontario Historical Society and the On- widow Sophia Troy. He adopted In 1983. descendant Doug but to no avail. tario Genealogical Society have still not received the decision her son. and they had 7 more chil- Townsend. a former native of In the fall of 1996 the area of the Tribunal that heard the appeal for the closing and the dren. Records at Fort Malden Ar- Kingsville. returned home for a on which the cemetery is located moving of the Clendennen Cemetery in Markham. chives show that Alexander Au- visit and was dismayed to learn was purchased by a local land de- gustine fought under General that the family cemetery had dis- veloper and slated for develop- Brock at the Battle of Fort De- appeared and his letter writing ment as a subdivision. At that troit and was awarded the British campaign began. In 1984 a Pro- time I became aware of the per- Military General Service Medal. vincial Government Cemetery In- sistent efforts of fellow descend- Abel Augustine is spector visited the site and re- ant Doug believed to Townsend and we The Ontario Historical S0t'iety MAILBPOSTE have served with his stepson. corded seeing a tombstone in Old joined forces. New evidence was 34 Parkview Avenue Canada Post Curnnralinn /snciéle canadianna nos noslns The Augustine homestead Mill Creek bearing Sophia Au- located, other descendants be- W1’/I(m'a'uIt', Ontario Postage pain Pun paw; Lettermail Paste-Lettre stood near the bank of Old Mill gustine’s name and an 1855 date came concerned and articles in M2N 3 Y2 Creek. Abel and Alexander built of death. the local press. all helped to con- 01284681 a sawmill. gristmill and a brick. After four years of letter vince the province to reopen its tile and lime kiln. They ground writing the Province secured the files on Augustine Cemetery. the lime for bricks and made assistance of an archaeological In November 1997 the Pro- drainage tiles which greatly ac- consulting firm to locate the cem- vincial Government Regional Ar- celerated agriculture in the vicin- etery. A death in his family pre- chaeologist. at the request of the ity. Alexander Augustine built vented Doug Townsend from at- Registrar of Cemeteries. visited Kingsville’s first Baptist Church tending and no other family the area which is just inside the from donated lumber which was members or eye witnesses were property purchased by the devel- prepared in the mill. contacted or consulted. The site oper. with three eyewitnesses in- Margaret Stewart. Alexan- for the dig was based on a rough cluding Doug Townsend.The Re- der's grandmother. who lived on map drawn in 1984 by the Cem- gional Archaeologist stated that the farm. died in I838 aged l()7. etery lnspector. His information if the developer co-operated. an She was buried on the farm in the was based on witnesses’ accounts archaeological assessment will be Augustine family cemetery and as he had never seen the head- made to locate the cemetery in the other family members were bur- stones on the grave sites. The spring. Investigations are ied in the small cemetery near Old cemetery could not be located. underway to determine just how Mill Creek. The small area was The Ministry of Consumer and the cemetery disappeared. 2 OHS BULLETIN President’s Message Executive Director’s Robert Surtees, OHS President report prominent Almost four decades ago resulting thesis provided the first the text of that article) Dorothy Duncan, OHS Executive Director I.M.S. Careless issued a clarion explanation of that subject, but suggested as new lines of inquiry. call to Canadian historians in a others (including the wide rang- Two features of this evolution are “You do what you have to do to decade later the plaque is also seminal article for the Canadian ing publications by G.F.G. significant. stay afloat” finding a permanent home! Meet- Historical Review (I960. no. I. Stanley) had already proffered The first is pleasing to con- Rick Franks. acting General The Annual Business pp. 1-10) when he suggested that brief explanations about that phe- template. In the more recent ef- Manager of the Canadian War- ing of the OHS will be held from in the it might well be intelligent for nomenon. What did result was a forts at compiling a survey vol- plane Heritage Museum near 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon them to advance the cause of na- fledging account of the creation ume (or two) regarding Canadian Hamilton, expressed what every WCHSCH and at 2:00 p.m. the tional history by pursuing more of the reserve system in Upper History, the role of Native peo- museum and historical organiza- festivities will begin, and will in- “limited objectives.” Within a Canada and the basic policies that ple and the evolution of Indian tion in Ontario is doing today. clude the presentation of the I997 few years. concurrent with the surrounded it. As it developed, policy have achieved a promi- Frank’s remarks explained why Honours and Awards as well. expansion of universities. and other mentors inspired students nence not evident in the survey the Museum would sell :1 Corsair therefore of history departments like Douglas Leighton. now at histories before 1970. This fea- fighter plane once flown by a Are You Ready for the in Ontario, dozens of young Huron College, Donald Smith. ture also pertains to several of the Canadian recipient of the Victo- Millennium? graduate students embarked on currently at the University of other “limited identies” that have ria Cross to a United States bro- Our President Robert Surtees thesis topics within areas of the Calgary. and John Milloy. now at been developed by the generation ker. I have heard the same expres- and I had the honour of represent- discipline that hitherto had been Trent University (who was also of historians who grew out of the sion, or one like it. spoken by my ing the OHS at the Brainstorm- neglected; urban history, regional urged forward by S.R. Mealing) 1960s. In short, this crowd, to colleagues in the heritage com- ing and Focus Group Meetings history.