MY ROOTS ARE IN PALMERSTON
By John Edwards Caswell
and edited and added to by Judy Rosmus
Palmerston! I hardly knew what to expect. Neither Quebec nor eastern Ontario had
prepared me for the shaded streets and the leisurely pace of the small town
which at one time or another had been home to three generations of my family.
Here my grandfather, John
Caswell, returned after roaming as far as California. Here his father, Andrew, achieved a few short
years of comfort before his death in 1877.
Here his mother, Mary Jane died in 1887. Here his grandfather James Dickson died.
Here his oldest brother, James D., had been one of the earliest, perhaps
the very first storekeeper, and later a constable. Here the second brother, Sam, had a
photographic studio and for about two decades was city clerk. Here Alexander taught school and learned
printing before going off to seminary.
And here Robert got his first experience at carpentry and telegraphy
before heading to the Manitoba frontier.
Andrew Caswell
“Caswell? Half of Palmerston is built on the Caswells’
old farm”, said the kindly woman in the post office. With a copy of an old deed in my hand, I
located Jane Street, but could not tell which house was Andrew’s. One lady remembered that a woman had come by
years before and said her name was Caswell, and this had been her parents’
home. It proved to be Sam’s.
Who could identify
Andrew’s house from the deed? A real
estate agent! I found Murray George in his
office. “It is just in back of the store
on the next corner west,” said he. I am
parked in front of that house, said I, “but what is on Jane Street?” “That is James Street” said he.
“Jane Street is named for
my great-grandmother, Mary Jane Caswell.”
I pulled out the deed and ended the confusion. Andrew and Mary Jane’s
home was on Jane Street, Palmerston.
Andrew & Mary Jane's home in Palmerston
Alas, the present house
numbers differed from the land description.
“There is an old map at the City Clerk’s office,” said Murray. “I’ve been there," said I "and their map is
being repaired.” Murray recalled that a
friend had a copy of the map, and we soon had the house placed. We went to take a look. Andrew and James’ houses looked much alike,
except that the former had a porch only on the back. Both over a century!
A plot was purchased in
the new cemetery in Palmerston, by Sam Caswell.
Bodies were transferred from an older cemetery when land was
used for a school. I
wonder if there was some financial compensation for the transfer of bodies from
the old cemetery. Certainly this would
explain why the fancy stone and why the burials took place ten years later. I also wonder why there isn’t an inscription for
Mary Jane.
Following directions to
the cemetery, we found the superintendent, who looked at a list in hand and
identified a plot bought by Sam Caswell.
He led us right to it and on a red granite shaft were inscribed the
names of Andrew Caswell, his father-in-law, James Dickson, and those of James
Dickson’s two wives. We are descended
from the first wife, who died in 1830 and I am sure must have been buried in
Ireland.
The inscriptions are as
follows:
James Dickson d 9 Mar 1878
Aged 112 years 2 mos. Native of Dublin Ireland
Also his wife Margaret
Wallace Died 1830 aged 55 years
Also his wife Ester McComb
d 7 Jan 1877 Aged 85 years
Both native of Co. Down,
Ireland
Andrew Caswell d 16 May
1877 aged 79 years 2 mos. Native of Co. Armagh, Ireland
(this inscription is on
the reverse side)
Three burials, and most
likely a fourth (Mary Jane), yet the superintendent noticed signs of six
interments. Who else lies there?
We came back in November
of 1986 having established a correspondence with Harold Cozens, who took me to
the City Clerk’s office. There we
confirmed that Uncle Sam had been a member of the town council. We also discovered that Uncle JD had been town
constable, presumably after his store burned.
Now all this is complicated
by the fact that other Caswells lived and live in the vicinity. Their Andrew was quite a bit younger (about
36) than ours. There were two James
Caswells as well as our James D. in Palmerston during the 1870’s. There are also a number of Carswells in
Palmerston to add to the confusion. It
is unknown if we are related to any of these families.
PROSPEROUS IN PALMERSTON
The Caswells were in
Granton for two decades when they began to feel the pull of Palmerston, a
village formed in 1871 around the shops of the Wellington, Grey and Bruce
Railroad, named for the three counties it proposed to serve. To these frontier
communities a railroad meant cheaper transportation for their crops, and an end
to isolation. Palmerston (Paa’merston) further benefited by having the railway
shops.
Already there was a
crossroads village, Dryden, a mile to the west, with a tavern, post office,
sawmill, blacksmith shop, potash works, a wagon factory, and two churches, one
of which was Presbyterian.
In their move from Granton
to Palmerston the Caswells’ fortunes took a turn for the better. It looked like good
land speculation, although as happened so often, the
railroad did not go through the established community, but bought land a short
distance away in Perth County.
The first members of our
family to live in Palmerston, so far as the census of 1871-72 shows, were James
Dickson Caswell, a bachelor, and his sister Sarah, with her husband, Ephraim
Case and their children - Mary, Margaret and Jane. The same census showed that
Adam and Sarah Borthwick and infant son John were living nearby. Their son,
Russell (b 1881) would later marry Sam Caswell’s daughter, Louise.
James Dickson Caswell
owned a general store in Palmerston. The February 8, 1872 edition of the Listowel Banner reported that “J.D. Coswell (sic) has
been fixing and painting his shop. He has a very fair stock on hand.’’ On
May 16, 1872 three general stores were listed: Nowry and McCaughrin, McEwing
and Jackson, and J.D. Caswell’’.
Mary Jane Caswell
About 1874 Andrew and Mary Jane
Caswell bought a tract of land abutting on Main Street and stretching northward
somewhat over a quarter of a mile. This they divided into town lots. One street
they called “Mary’’ after Mary Jane and a street perpendicular to it was called "Jane". A
corner lot, central to their parcel they chose for their own, and built a fine,
two-and-a-half story house which still stands. At the back is a porch with a
row of turned posts perhaps a foot high under the porch ceiling, quite typical
of Victorian decoration. It is likely that the house once had a porch on the
front and at least one side.
Many of the family members
were in Palmerston in the 1870’s. Aside
from Andrew and Mary Jane’s home on Jane Street the Caswells also had the
following lots:
Cons III
Cons II
Cons XV
Hugh & Mary Jane Donnan were also in
Palmerston in the mid 1870’s. Their daughter Sarah Isabella was born there in 1875.
An index to some of the Caswell family land transactions in Palmerston can be found here.
In September 1876, Andrew transferred his ownership of Lot 55 to son Joseph to hold in trust for wife Mary Jane. I wonder if this transfer was because Andrew was in poor health prior to his death.
After almost forty years
of unremitting toil in the forest frontier, living first in a shanty and later
in a crowded log house, Andrew had it made! Three years later he was dead.
Died Wednesay May 16, 1877 Aged 79 Years
According to Winnifred Colt, Andrew suffered from very bad asthma. I am not sure if this contributed to his death. Cause of death on his death certificate was "old age".
Unfortunately there was no will, Andrew had died intestate. Sam was named executor of Andrews estate, but not before certified copies were obtained from each sibling confirming his appointment. It took almost 3 years for the courts to confirm Samuel as administrator of Andrews estate.
The decade following
Andrew’s death in 1877 was one in which the children set out, looking for new
opportunities and new soil into which to sink their roots.
From the probate records we were able to follow the changes in their residences in 1879 as they moved away from Palmerston.
In
Palmerston:
- James Dickson Caswell, merchant
- Samuel Caswell, photographer
- Alexander Kennedy Caswell, student
- Robert Wallace Caswell,
under the age of 21
In California:
- Joseph Caswell, yeoman
- John Caswell, yeoman
- Mary Jane Donnan, formerly
Caswell
In Iowa:
- William Caswell, school teacher
- Thomas Caswell, yeoman
- Andrew Caswell, yeoman
- David Caswell, yeoman
Muskoka District:
- Sarah Case, formerly Caswell
- Margaret Styles, formerly Caswell
Mary Jane and Robert would have been alone in the big 2 1/2 story Victorian. Robert decided that once AK's house was completed, the two of them might live there and the larger house leased out to provide income for her.
In August of 1878 Mary transferred lot 55 to son John. "Mary Caswell in the town of Palmerston to John Caswell of California in consideration of natural love and affection the said Mary Caswell is desirous of conveying to her son the premises hereinafter mentioned..."
I am not sure why she transferred the lot to John but perhaps he was considering moving back to Palmerston.
1881 Census Minto Twp.,
Wellington Co.
Caswell
|
Samuel
|
33
|
Ireland
|
Photographer
|
Caswell
|
Emily C.
|
27
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
Ella
|
7
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
Minnie
|
5
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
Ida
|
3
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
Maud
|
6/12
|
Ontario
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Caswell
|
Mary
|
67
|
Ireland
|
|
Caswell
|
John
|
30
|
|
Farming
|
Caswell
|
Andrew
|
28
|
|
Farming
|
Caswell
|
Joseph
|
25
|
Ontario
|
Farming
|
Caswell
|
David
|
20
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
Robert
|
18
|
Ontario
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Caswell
|
James D
|
46
|
Ireland
|
Gentleman
|
Caswell
|
Mary
|
36
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
Mary Ann
|
8
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
Martha
|
7
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
J M
|
5
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
Andrew A
|
2
|
Ontario
|
|
Caswell
|
John
|
10/12
|
Ontario
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When was Mary Jane born? When I sent for her death certificate in 1975, her age was listed as 84 - counting back I decided she must have been born about 1804. This date made for a big gap in age if the Dickson boys in Biddulph where her brothers. If Mary was 67 in the 1881 census how did she become 84 at her death in 1887? If the census was a recording error and she should be 77, then she was 59 when Robert was born. The 1871 census she was 58 and Robert was 7 so at least that made her 51 when he was born. In the 1861 census she was 46 and in the 1851 she was 36. In Rob's memoirs, he said his mother took up a homestead in Saskatchewan at the age of 72 and passed away at 74. This would make her birth year about 1814 which I think is the more correct time frame.
Mary continued to live in Palmerston for a time before moving in August of 1882 to Winnipeg to live with John and Patience.
In June of 1884 John, Patience, 3 week old Albert and Mary set out for the temperance colony at Clark's Crossing, Saskatchewan. Mary had seven canaries to take and a big dog. They must have been strong canaries! My grandmother, Delle Todhunter had a love of canaries and always had one in her later years. I wonder if she realized her grandmother also had a passion for canaries.
What fortitude it took to pull up stakes again and head for the undeveloped prairie. In a letter from Patience Caswell she related a story about Mary Jane which certainly gives us a glimpse into her strong and fearless nature.
When the Rebellion started two Indians came to our door and as was my custom I went to get them some bread and butter, for as the old saying is "a full stomach makes a good child." The younger of the two took the bread and put it in his coat and went off. The older one, a fellow about twenty sat down in the house with his gun standing beside him. The gun had a piece of red flannel tied on the barrel. I gave him a piece of a loaf of bread and he threw it out on the snowbank. After a while he got up and went to the barn. Pretty soon he came out with our buggy whip in his hand. Grandma Caswell said "I'll not let him take that." So out she went and told him to put it down and when he would not do it she went up to him and caught hold of the whip and hit him over the knuckles with a willow stick she picked up. He finally let go and went toward the river!
Notes from son Rob "brother John and family arrived at Clark's Crossing in the summer of 1884 and built house on their homestead, Joesph went to live with them and Mother remained with my wife and I until a house was built on her homestead. She began her homestead duties in her 72nd year (hale and hearty and in fine health). In 1886 she went east on a trip visiting brother Tom in Cherokee and Sam in Palmerston. She happened with an accident which cause her death at 74 years. Up to the time of the accident she was a bright active woman." September 17, 1887 was the date of her death. Her death certificate lists cancer for one year as the cause of death which does fit somewhat with Rob's story.
Again an intestate death. At least the administration of Mary Jane's estate was granted to Sam in a more timely manner (October 1887).
WHERE WERE THEY IN 1887?
Four children were in
California; Andrew Jr. was homesteading outside of Neepawa, Manitoba and
Alexander had heard the call to the ministry and was studying at Knox College,
Toronto. The house he had started in
Palmerston was finished by the younger brother Rob, and Rob lived in it with
his mother for a year until he too took off to Toronto for telegrapher’s
school. Meanwhile, the fine, big house
was rented out to a large family.
John returned from California, married a school teacher in Iowa, and
worked as a cabinet maker in the Canadian Pacific shops in Winnipeg.
Problems continued with Andrews estate. The records do not say what the delay was but there was another round of correspondence in 1897 for the siblings to file a quit claim in favour of Samuel.
Whereas Andrew Caswell late of the said Town of Palmerston deceased, died May 1877, intestate, surviving his widow the late Mary Caswell and his thirteen children his only heirs and heiresses at law. His widow died on the 17th day of September 1887, intestate, leaving her surviving the same parties at her only heirs and heiress at law. Andrew Caswell deceased was at the time of his death, in fee simple of the lands and premises described. No petition or other division of the said lands was ever made. The lands have been in the uninterrupted and undisturbed possession of the said party since on or about the first day of May 1885. The parties of the first part have agreed to grant, release and quit claim unto the said party of the third part all their right, title and interest in the said lands.
This includes lots 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66 and 67 on the east side of Jane Street; lots 76, 77, 78 and 79 on the west side of Jane Street; lots 70, 71 and 72 on the north side of Mary Street and lots 73, 74 and 75 on the south side of Elgin Street, also according to the map (drawn up at the time) lot number 22 in the first concession of the twp of Minto, (now within the limits of the said Town of Palmerston). Also part of lot 22 in the second concession of twp of Minto (see intestate records for balance of description).
The quit claim records of 1897 showed the siblings living in:
In Manitoba
In Saskatchewan
- Robert Wallace and wife near Saskatoon, farmer
- Mary Jane Donnan wife of Hugh Donnan near Prince Albert, farmer
- James near Rosthern, farmer
Near Osler
- Sarah Case wife of Ephraim Case, farmer
- John J and wife, farmer
- David, farmer
- Joseph, farmer
In Pennsylvania
- Alexander Kennedy Caswell Philadelphia, clergyman
In Iowa
In California
- William Caswell Sacramento, carpenter
In North Dakota
- Margaret Styles wife of Robert Styles Williams County, farmer
Donnan family in the 1880 Williams, California census
