535-03 Page 163centennial Services Planned','Brownsville LI.
Bodwell Manor in Oxford
W5.a
� or�me would be, for the milled was almost unknown then sf � Rry
Western Ontario had few man- was always much lighter there were no hi h t " • ' _ e<� • Recalls entu �
than the unmilled wheat with 8 pro em dairy
lions of the last century, and Ifeeds and the cattle existed most.
most of those it did have were which they started out.
built of frame so are now gone. A few years later, the Stagel ly on wild hay during the winter
'However, on: the townline be -Road was cleared through from The Bodwelis increased them
tween Dereham and West Oxford and the holdings in the neighborhood until
Townships, in the County of ox- Bodwells by then had a team of they owned eighteen -hundred and
ford, stands a huge old cut -stone oxen to draw a sleigh -load oflfifty acres of farm land. During
IR 'house, that in its bey -day was their wheat to the mill, the Crimean War, In the 1850's,
Ilea `ta the manor house of a small em- As the trip took several days the price of wheat reached the
pire. tE l.ip µ.Er they had to spend overnight on fantastic price of $3 to $4 a bush-
the trail, feeding their oxen on el and the farmers flourished.
g Among the man United Em- hay they carried in the sleigh. prosperity is still re•
J Their newe
pire Loyalists who left the The men dug a hole in a snow.
fleeted In the huge old brick
United States afte the American houses on man t
Revolution were a parents of bank, wrapped themselves in y farms. � ,
<y Andrew and Lfefle odwell, who blankets, and slept there. If the The Bodwells built "Bleak
settled for a number of years snow was deep, it kept them House," as it was called, at this
warm and gave time. A huge near y you g i ne summer, when g protection from gs rambling structure
the w,i��dJ A..t.•a�; of cut field stone, the house was
a very young man, Andrew Bod- gars+"'bea to Years built on a scale that would be
well trekked west, on e , nt
what would eventually be Oxford The first Yew years were des- highly Impractical today, for the
'County, looking for a homesite Aerate, at times, for with not ceilings are about ?IQ, feet high,
i as the Government was givingenough land cleared it was diffi- and almost every huge room has
grants of land to United Empire l cult to grow all the hay they'g large fireplace, relics of the
Loyalists. When he came to the needed for their stock, as well days of .plentiful firewood. The
e once as wheat for flour and barter. houshad a porch on all
small creek in Dereham that aides, but this was removed ears
pF flows Into what is now Inger- One spring they ran out of hay y
j 6 soll, he decided that here was the before pasture time and cut down ago.
beech trees, which bud early, for When Andrew and Lieflet Bod-
for. He spent the night there, the oxen to browse on. well died, their heirs, who were,.
sleeping in a hollow log on the The living was hard, and lux- not farmers, had gone into pro.
west bank of the creek, before uries few, but the Bodwells flour- fessions all over the world.
starting the long walk through�ished and extended their holdings Of the small empire that once
of land. As more settlers took up flourished for many years, only
the forest, back to Niagara. homesteads and began growing about a hundred acres now go
Settle Land grain, there was need for a mill, with the house which belongs to
In the spring, the Bodwell to grind the grain. The Bodwells a New Canadian family from Hol•
brothers moved their possession$ dammed the creek into a mill land. The grist and lumber mills
to their chosen land grant and pond, to furnish power for the are gone and the cheese factory,
started into the immense job of grist -mill they built, then added The cheesemaker's house is a
clearing their farm. a sawmill. This is the same $reek farm home a short distance down
The first few years that they that Andrew Bodwbll slept beside, the road. The old mill pond is
were in Oxford their wheat had years before, when he first picked gone and only part of the dikes
to be taken fo Brantford, to be his home -site. of earth remain. There used to
milled into flour. As there wasi Dairy cattle, such as they were be a good swimming -hole in the
no road cleared yet, through to then, became more numerous, so creek bed between the dikes, but
Brantford, they had to carry the there was a surplus above house- some years ago they had a creck
wheat in sacks on their backs. hold needs. The Bodwells added straightening project and turned
(Many years later, Andrew Bod- a cheese factory to their other the creek into a ditch, so even
'well used to tell his grandchildren mills and made cheese, during the the swimming -hole where many
how much easier the trip back summer months. Winter milking of us learned to swim is no more.
(040 Gffft SC BUILDIN¢ ojY ERJK'f FARM -
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Extensive planning have been completed to mark the
occasion, members of the congregation of Brownsville
United Church will Sunday commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the church, to include the dedication
of a new addition. Guest minister for the occasion will
be the Very Rev. George Dorey, former moderator of
the United Church in Canada. Many former members
of the congregation are expected to return for the
,q• centennial event. -
BROWNSVILLE, Oct. 12 —I,; _.I
Brownsville United Church has
been resounding with blow of
hammer and whine of saw in
preparation for the celebration
Sunday of the church's 100th an• i
niversary.
A century ago there was the.
same bustle and activity in thcl�
village as the Wesleyan Meth-
odist congregation saw the com-
pletion of the community's first,
church, and planned its dedlea-
.tion. So today, work is hastened
to complete the new addition that
it may be. ready also for dedica-
tion at the .centennial anniv,
spry.
Guest minister will be the Very.
Rev. George Dorey, former mod-
erator of the United Church of I
Canada, who will speak at the
morning service and also during
the afternoon fellowship hour..
Pioneers held the first com-
munion aervice in 1843 in the
barn of Brinton. Paine Brown, I
Sr., whose son, Brinton Paine,
Jr., was first preacher of the
new church when it. was built IS
years later. I
Former members will return for
the church's centenary.
James an ens,
Dies in Dereham_,
TILLSONBURG, Nov. 11 —
James D. Flanders, 73, clerk of
ale, t-.9.��,t(w>.�
G �d�'p
Dereham Township, died suddeh--rw
ly from a heart attack yesterday,
while at work in hid office at'
Dereham Centre. XPV-10-119"1e
He was an active member of
- ,� �. y,�(-�.,,,i ,a-r.�✓ /*•L
the United Church, and for many,
r^
years took a keen interest In mu-
.71✓
nicipal affairs. He had been
Dereham Township clerk and
treasurer for severa nears and
_u. / 9.,S,j "G� �>✓ Z
berom that was road supethat was road superinten-
dent. He was a past master of
Dereham Masonic Lodge, No. 624,
of Mt. Elgin, and a member of
Harris Chapter No. 41, Ingersoll.
�.L✓b..-� ii'i�>,"u•(-ate
He is survived by his wife, the
former Clara Rooks, one dough-
ter, Mrs. Larry Hall, Winnipeg;
ro- �„�,,,v .ems-�-✓, J
one son, Arthur, Ingersoll; and
,.
four grandchildren.
,g �,(..�.�-E��✓ c'
Resting at the Ostrander fu.
neral home here, where service
will be held Tuesday, 2 p.m., by,
the Rev. Austin G. Gay. Inter-
c ment will be in Delmer Cemetery.
Masonic services Monday, 8 p.m.,
3 _s a.L>rc_ 4.c.(
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