015I�ii torical S efich of In c soil -_=t
"As the warn£ 1812']aomed Dirt
I�... »: rp-+s- BoW@r. �� the horizon, the famous Oxfoi• 1p �qI {.
��Ven:`by` H 1. ' tf,�' Iltifles were .formed, ..consisting of n,gers'o�l.✓'l.o�Pi ®�.+ laqu �. �.,�,.,,,,
two flank companies A private re;
`The next event of. importance ceived 6tl per' day. This. battalion
The 'following historical sketchy was the founding of a. Masonic: 1 For Laura JeC�}rd,,Is Urge
j of the town, of Ingersoll was given,1 under command pf,pur-awn Maiori
. Lodge, in June, 1803, by Ja_ s_P Bur Ariel Lowsley . and Thomas Horner,
by Harry T.-:Bower, on Friday' dick,' Enoch Burdick e 01--�'. „ • °1ne ' - By H. T. B. -' religious freedom led ninny is ti
,7 Brock and marched .over
l morning;-dutrlik- 'e program of is ie d- iio t. Sb wee-. Ariel Lowsle ➢'Inch has been published lately. to again emigrate to America
billy opening the new Ingersoll 1, the of the tall trees and cap- carve. out new homes for themse'-
g of the pity history le - Ingersoll
FIam..Lawr�nce, Asokie Lewis, Joel tared Detroit. They also took art in tile region of what is now Jei
studios of radio station CKOX: _ p and vicinity and of the Iigere of
' Pjper, Thos. Horner�S n_V t: Purner, City. -. At the, American Revolu
in the Battle of Fort Erie and Mal-
" "Friends of the.. radio audience, /I and others. This event was im ort- This has brought let light some of
'r' want. to. talk to you for few alit- np colm's Mills. The Americans getting the old pictures,. letters and stor- they remained loyal to, the Bto
ant from a historical point of. view reinforcements came back across its, of the dim past that have been .Crown and again gave up all. t�
-utes in keeping with. this, the first because .this lodge has preserved the frontier and sent aloiig�raiders treasured in the keepingof local under that flag. Some of the;;,
, n
broadcast of the Oxford Broadcast- . its minutes and records, and these lj to burn and. destroy. They burned families who trace their ancestry their way to New Brunswick
j ing :'Co. from its Ingersoll studio, records are authentic sources, of £back to the early' pioneers. Among other members of the family sett
down most of the village of Oxfrd
I on some of the outstanding rrci• .such the writer has been allowed to in Upper Canada.
information to -day. together with the Nichols Mi1L, Some Laura Ingersoll Secord, the Car
dents of Ingersoll's early History. "In the year 1804, Oxford had,a ` read a short sketch r the Secord{
"� of `them returned a yin., at night adian Heroine, was the wife' <
•' "Ingersoll had its birth in the distinguished visitor in the xl erson.� slid captured: Majorg Lowsley : 2nd .family into which,. our own Laura i Lieut. David .Secord,. who just. h
r of Lord elk Ile arrived at the (Ingersoll married before the war of
year 1793-155 years ago. At that . Zivas collector of custo(
' time the nearest settlement to the '� carried him. ,..off a prisoner to De. 1, 1�- --' - dtlaagS
fore fsl
Ingersoll a'ron- June -tat and ; later troit. Between 1791 and 1808 several at St. David's, the village that w
east was Burford, and ''to. the west wrote a descriptive story of his i :ri families of Secords settled on the Ni- called after him. His brother, Coo.
_ Delaware.. - All these settlements in had.: to•t pay taxes in
111 journey, giving US
the idea that in -agara Frontier, near Ancaster and John, married a Miss Crooks sisA
were connected by an Indian high- 1812, but were noyassessed�-as the to
those days there was. eR°ugh water ' .•are to -day: There are "a few samples :near Charlotteville in the region of 'of Hon. Jam, Crooks, a er C
i way, etheytra trail at
tbtha time used e- � in the _river for ., large ,canoes, as Turkey Point. In an old map re- the government o Upper Cat
of the ' assessor's,.. description of and a brother of Hon. Adam Cru ;
cause. i , he sent his horses along .the trail. 1 celitly reproduced. in the 'Flee
' many generations of moccasined. property in the ;Thames Valley in press showing the school section Carriedt. hn's son, ,Elijah (sewn
I feet as the Attawandaronk or neu-! westward and travelled,.n with ., it that year, taken at random:
party in three bark. canoes paddled Y $orCharlotteville,' we find David married Miss Sarah Augusta t
,,,.Willa 1 Sagce bosh--..-15• cultiva-i t
tt al Indians carried on their trade by Brant'm Indians down to the .Secord settled nn lot 19 in LS08, Loden, daughter of 41awingto.. Ill
with other neighboring tribes be- 1 mouth of the river. He also men- fed, 20 horses, 1; oxen. 2; cows, 3' YIary Secord lot 10 in 1801 and son Cund w of � Ba int agu Itq
t tween the Niagara Frontier and. moot the Nichols Grist Mill, east Qlris Canfield —Bush, 550; cal- -ajhis Secord, lot 4 and 5, in. 1802, .land, and who had a distinguish
r the Straights Mackinaw. This', tivated, 20; horses, 2; oxen, 2; and their. holdings were almost sur-
-career in .India. Cullodeu had so�
of the village and mill rounded .by elergr reserve lands. Napoleon, a'prisoner on the Isla
r. road ran through miles and 'miles° net -IV cows' 3. There was also a Majm• Elijal. and of St. Helena, Elijah the seco$tl
five miles down the riverd
`. of tall giant trees, '�elins, maples, 1 � !Jas_Jones• bush, 0; cultivated, Capt. Jphn- Secord secured land in had three sons,. Fred, - John
:beach, oak,.. pine ` and' -walnut, and 4 "As we near the period of about 0; horses ,0; oxen, 0 cows, 2. Percy, who were all very proud !i
1812 we find many have come: to ' the Niagara district• their father's Aunt Laura. Cal,
- the Indians called it the road; of the the Ingersoll. settlement. There Gilbert Bush, 92; cal- All these Secords traced their
tall trees which name ie still used 'were .several log houses in the vil- - tivated, 8; .horses, 2; oxen, 0; cows, origin back to the French Huguenot John SHattdof Dundast afteriwF,.
west of London —the Lougwoodsl 0;. e, 'who lived in and near the city ofis
Road. I lage itself and a post office had nGoods were paid for in Uushels Rochelle, France. Their .Huguenot Hatt Sereom married tta; sister tho r
"The founder; .of this town was been established
a cob lestoue of wheat,-r>]be, of candles, pork, name was de Secor and many item Allan Na ter IMcNaU, of Dunn
building.sill standing on the .east , bers of this family had rendered p
Thomas Ingersoll. The. settlement gals. of whiskey. Coinage was
was .first called Oxford on La side of our market square. Envel- outstanding. service to 'France, one Castle. So many of the e
I (I into
' scarce,,and American dollars, Mex-
i Tranch and later � Oxford allj opes. "and stamps had not been 1 �o, their number .having held kbe familieslbest hCanadianave rifamilies• some'!
Y 'can dollars', S d, Spanish pieces Bost as minister to Charles IX. Ontario . and Quebec both to
?'. Thames, and still later changed to; thought of. yet, but the mail. went { of 8•- were all legal tender in Ing- '.•r`enry IV of France, sometimes
rIngersoll. Mr: Ingersoll, an Amer
through. It cost 7d to send a -letter ersoll in 1812. i pled Henry the Good and the their heroines, Laura Secord al
ican citizen through his friendship""- from York to.Oxfotd and the. Post- - "In the short time at my dispsal �,,iend of Good Queen �Ress, passed Madeline of rnolated y a cheresstatue who is co
master' recorded the .amount of ' I have endeavoured to describe for the Edict of Nantes, 1698, allowing o£eher father's 5eigntorY• Laura Id
on the
with. Governor., Jphn Graves �imcoe i postage with a pen in the, upper Huguenots to worship God accord-
' and 'Thayendanega, or� nii1- p you some , of the main "events of
the first 20' years in the life. of. this tg to the dictates of their own con- fed the Yankees thatshe
awayas to w'
iarly known to, our students of Cam �I right-hand corner of the package. -science, but in the following reign to milk a cow and g Y
i. adian .history as Joseph Brant, got i "Our first school was a aog ` community; but one could go on
ff Louis XIV the Edict of Nantes the British commander at Nin q.
to know ;.of this wonderful fertile r building situated on the• northern and mention many more events �,,as revoked and the .Huguenots sub- running
all thescalped by Indian)
]and and soon obtained a contract risks Of I Sing
limit of the present Memorial that created interest and excite- �jected to extreme cruelty and manyr
from the British Crown .whereby! sehool grounds, which at that tune ment here since the .war of. 1812-14
was the frontage oichat ''street. of them escaped across the channel Madeline biuf[ed the toga
he -and his company were grantedY such as the 1837 rebellion and the to 'England, taking with them their when they attacher ked tarentstoo MO
Ingersoll was married more spectacular escape of the famous 'splendid knowledge, .the silk and treat, by byicomaking out she had:.
' 6,6000acres id Oxford ford settle-J.
i a s illan once- and among the members Among these fugitives were the larger force than they thougy
msnt, one* side of the,- .holdxng� Dr: Duncomb .and Elisha Hall, the .woollen trades.
.,m ., -. - of his family- was a daughter, ----- --
t
touching the Thames river, coming of the Great Western Rail- {`�d L3nra, who spent her girlhood da s Oe Secor's. They mostly settled'in while in reality she had only
"Guided by 'Brant's Indians, { road in the 1:860`sw the changing y
Ic- in t lie emnmu_ nity.i 3 She no douUt or near the Cathedral ,fit of Can- two small brothers and a .couple
.Ingersoll arrived here in the summer Pk attended tlSe old log school. On over from vjllr�e status to an. in- 'terbary, where they soon set up
ii. of 1793, bringing with him suchlu growing to womanhood she met corpm•atedlQ� in,'the big fire, that their original industries and were Laurin a Secord's at memory Is hq
men as Gideeon Boswick,�Chas. Will- destroyed our main business sec- -eventually known: as Swords. They °emeter and in stone atdQueensr
_ Hams," Seth. Hamlin' el � KeTson, he Lieut. Secord as he and his glen Rion, . the winning of the Interns-
-- --.---� - marched over the Thames Valley g prospered and were good" citizens _ Y -- v
Ichabad Aall. and many' others, i road Their friendship was the be- itional Baseball Championship. by the if .England, but their great love of Heights. Why not in Ingersoll. ..
Ingersoll team at Detroit, ,the visit
-followed drortl by the ixdtL-s„
r Y s: ginning of a romance that culmin- g
Merritts, Wonhams, Carro Cur- of celebrated people, etc. We are
—�' n, ated in their marriage and her re 1
trees and so on, all eager to get n moval to live oil the Niagara Fron- Proud of these early settlers. May 'ZVhmr Laura Ingersoll Secord, m, x�u�e.aGL
x Dud of these ear Ylsettlers. May June 1813, walked the 19 miles from
their allotment of land and to begin_. r' tier. The part she was able to play , P' �,--[
Fitz -
the tremendous task of carving out ''this generation. perform. their work �. her home at St. David's to saver i
in in the war of 1'812-14, which . Dams.to warn Lieut. Col, Jas. Fitz-
homes for themselves in the wi->t earned for her the, title of the in such a manner that the succeed- gibbons of an American plot to cap-. .
broken forests of the:. Thames: ; Canadian Heroine should make ing generatimr`g will be proud of us tore Uhe C inadiian fasces, her brave
Valley. as, we are of those who laid the 'h deed tie 2me a proud part of our C„ �v-
<ts citizens of this dace proud that oundations of the institutions. and 'I. country's hi'stnrv..
"Settlement land' progress was ,nt Ltgerso11 was the home town dur-I
slow at first, at least during the a ing her girlhood of this brave wo- rivileges we now enjoy. Thank you! 1 �,� g(wu-r�.
..next 10 to.'15 years. The survey Hof man Why the citizens of this town *hp luGatAr.•4'hW" 5itlp-a,�� iu.G�a o�aG
of Oxford was not completed until f .have never seen fit toerect a suit, •,,,�...ar�
1796-7. Possibly the next outstand d`Y�zw>>
might event
ire e lives of the -e able memorial on our school
held here m n grounds 'or other public place o,i • �,�,�___._"...-----T^•-'----'-fit- V'w/�'� _.
mg event m •the lives of theme j _ •.
Y p (�L�� Hotel Election gt,othcr James, really started the
;e her memory, is a- question I cannot, ,the first. election took place:,r , "'a 'to being the
first church service answer.. rso❑ on its Y
t
' ng the Royal- Exchange Hotel wUieh � thihing Progressive- community it
the log home. of a settler, and con- - - ost office JAR/ ■•
ducted by Rev. Nathan -Bangs on y / !; it ���. stood where Ingersoll's,p is today..
NN"`-`,/, Ey -g-� CB 111, now stands. the'commumty had A lorl„� gas organized hoc iq i
S August ,1, 1801; un er the auspjces (I I! its. beginnings when Thomas
In- ,
of the :I s Chuff -h. According. , ray-r-�"r- t"- '��' ersoll undertook a settlement pro- lEliJ and Fiany T li°"er Uas to + /.7
9, g lodge .minutes amce�tlxat umc.
to the account written UY,Rev. Mr. a �� r �tct„✓!'c-� ,; daii>rhter,".Lauri Ingersoll fA rd.•+ a s p,� { if.Cie�%c. i✓."r�.* `�, .�f'�"'
w ram here In 1793.
Se
Bangs, he was. welcomed' here by He left in 1806, his now famous. rnr •rJ .L7 .�
Or,
_ the whole community, of settlers n1,�,
Lind the Indians,. _ �-.,ice;, �cc2tP.aAXdn$ bliss.e , rhr