The Rockwood Cairn (Part 2)

Map of Eramosa Township from the 1877
Historical Atlas of the County of Wellington

Murder in Eramosa: The Willoughby Family           

The death of a young mother was tragic but not uncommon in Canada during the 19th century. When Sarah Willoughby of Eramosa Township died on August 1, 1857, her husband Charles was left as the sole caregiver for their five young children.

Like many widowers in similar situations, Charles resolved to find a new mother for his children. Four months after Sarah's death Charles married 39-year-old Margaret Moore from County Donegal, Ireland. Fourteen years later, on February 3, 1871, he murdered her.

Charles, the son of John and Sarah Willoughby, was born about 1821 in Kilcommon, Wicklow, Ireland. Charles married Sarah Langrill, daughter of William Langrill at Kilcommon in 1849. Later that year they emigrated to Canada, accompanied by Charles's younger brother Thomas. Charles settled in Eramosa Township in Wellington County east of Guelph. The 1852 Agricultural Census shows Charles farming 100 acres at Lot 6 Concession 6, of which only 10 acres were cleared. Charles rented at first but was able to purchase the property in the fall of 1858.

Charles and Sarah's children were all born in Canada. Their oldest, William, was born soon after their arrival. Their next child, John, was born early in 1852, followed by Sarah in 1853, Mary in 1855, and Elizabeth in 1857.

Charles and Margaret had two children: Charles, born in 1858, and John James, born in 1861 and named after his step-brother John who had died a year previously. Charles and his step-sister Elizabeth were baptised at Norfolk Street Methodist in Guelph on September 10, 1858.

A detailed account of Margaret’s murder appeared in the Guelph Mercury, the St Catharines Constitutional and several other newspapers. Apparently, Charles woke up thirsty and demanded that Margaret get him a drink of water. When she refused he grabbed an axe and struck her in the face, killing her instantly. When his daughters Sarah and Mary went to investigate, Charles barricaded them in their bedroom, and then tried to killed himself with the axe. When that failed he went out to the barn and attempted to hang himself. Meanwhile, Sarah and Mary escaped and summoned help. Charles was arrested and transported to the Guelph jail to await trial.

The readers of the St Catharines Constitutional were not spared some of the more gruesome details:

...the scene presented was one of the most sickening character. Close to the head of the poor woman were lying pools of congealed blood which had flowed from the wound and her mouth. Part of the frontal bone, the cheek bone, and the upper part of the jaw bone were smashed in, the eye was quite black from the effect of the blow, and the abrasion showed that the wound had been inflicted with a blunt instrument.

Charles was described by his neighbours as “grasping, mean, selfish, passionate, and quarrelsome,” to which the Constitutional commented:

...even to a passionate man, as he is, the mere refusal to get him a drink of water does not afford the shadow of a provocation for committing such an awful crime.

Charles Willoughby’s trial took place in Guelph on March 22, 1871. At his trial it became clear that he suffered from serious mental health issues. Charles was apparently prone to fits of rage and was frequently delusional. He blamed Margaret— “a careworn heart broken woman”—for the death of his son John and accused her of trying to poison him.

One of the key witnesses was Dr. Joseph Workman, superintendent of the Asylum for the Insane in Toronto, and the leading mental health expert in Canada. Based on Dr. Workman’s testimony the jury found Charles not guilty on the grounds of insanity, and Charles was committed to the Asylum.

Margaret was buried at the Erin Mills Cemetery. Her death registration notes that she was "murdered by her husband."

Charles died in Toronto at the Asylum for the Insane on January 29, 1879.

Sarah and her son John would have been buried at St. John's Anglican as the Willoughby property was located about one kilometer to the northeast of Rockwood.

Ann Trownsell (1856–1862)

This hard to read gravestone commemorates Ann Trownsell, the six-year-old daughter of Richard Trownsell (1836–?) and Mary McNamana (1835-1910). While Richard and Mary were born in Ireland, the 1861 Census indicates that Ann and her three-year-old sister Lucy were born in Canada.

Richard and Mary had at least five more children: Charles (1862–1930), William (1866–1937), Richard (1869–1944), Thomas (1869–1869), and Maria (1871–1932). Richard and Thomas were twins.

In 1868, the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Fayette in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Although Fayette was the site of an industrial complex that produced pig iron, it appears that Richard only worked for the Jackson Iron Company for a short time before he began farming in the area. When smelting at Fayette ceased in the early 1890s and the community became a ghost town, Richard purchased a farm in nearby Garden.

Mary Ann Wilkinson née Dyer (1810-1869) 

Mary Ann Dyer was born about 1810 in County Laois, Ireland and married Edward Wilkinson (1799-1880) about 1843. They had at least six children. All but the youngest were born in Ireland which indicates that the family emigrated to Canada about 1849.

All six children were living with their widowed father in Eramosa in 1871. At the time of his death in March 1880, Edward was a resident of the Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, having been admitted shortly before his death. Edward’s daughter Jane (1848–1945) married at St John’s Anglican in Rockwood in 1871 which suggests that her mother had been buried there. As Edward was not buried at the House of Industry Cemetery he may also have been buried at St John's Anglican.

Children of Benjamin Kerr and Susan Collier

John, Margaret and William were the children of Benjamin Kerr (1828–1884) and Susan Collier (1828–1915). In 1851, Benjamin purchased the east half on Lot 19 Concession 1 in Erin Township, just east of the border with Eramosa Township. The location of the property would suggest that the burials of his three children occurred at Ascension Anglican.

Both Benjamin and Susan were born in Ireland, however, they married after they had come to Canada. Susan, the daughter of Robert Collier (1797–?) and Margaret (1807–?), was living with her family in Garafraxa Township at the time of the 1852 Census. As Susan's two youngest siblings were born in Canada, her family would have emigrated about 1844 just prior to the Irish Potato Famine.

Benjamin and Susan had at least seven children. Susan outlived Benjamin by many years. She was a patient at the Hamilton Asylum for the Insane in 1901, 1911 and at the time of her death. Benjamin and Sarah are both buried at Everton Cemetery along with their daughter Margaret Ann (1871–1899).

James Odgan Gates (1871-1871)

His name is misspelled on his gravestone but James Ogden Gates, the son of James Gates (1832–?) and Rosanna O’Brian (1840–?), was born on January 12, 1871, and died eleven months later on December 19, 1871.

James was the grandson of one of two brothers who emigrated from Connecticut to Upper Canada before the war of 1812. Olmstead Gates (1779–1856) and James Gates (1782–1857) settled in Prescott County on the Ottawa River. James married Mary Willard (1797–1880) and had nine children, including their youngest son, also called James.

The 1852 Census shows James O Gates, aged 19, living with his parents and a sister in Caledonia Township, Prescott County. It is tempting to assume that the “O” was for Ogden. To confuse matters, James had a cousin named James Ogden Gates (1812-1875), the son of his uncle Olmstead.

James married Rosanna O’Brian about 1857 and had moved west to Erin Township in Wellington County before 1861. In the 1867 Irwin & Burnham Directory, James is listed as a householder at Concession 3 Lot 14 in neighbouring Eramosa Township.

In addition to James Ogden, James and Rosanna had four daughters. The youngest, Melissa, also known as Millie, was born in 1874.

When the family was enumerated in April 1871, they were living in Flamborough Township north of Hamilton. They returned to Eramosa before the end of the year but were living in Erin Township when Melissa was born.

James’s and Rosanna’s fates are uncertain as their death registrations have not been found. The 1881 Census show James Gates in Plantagenet South Township, Prescott with the family of his sister Maria. The enumerator recorded James as married but Rosanna is not with him.

Two of James and Rosanna’s daughters, Annie (1862–1945) and Theresa (1865–?) married in Toronto in the 1880s. In 1881, 1891 and 1901, their daughter Melissa was living in Plantagenet South Township in Prescott County as the adopted child of Henry Vogan (1824–?) and Mary McNally (1824-1900). Melissa died in Toronto in 1910.

Charles Edward Knowles (1874-1874)

Charles Edward Knowles was one of six children of James Whitaker Knowles and Margaret Hickey. His father, James Whitaker Knowles, was a sadler who at the time of his death in 1923 had lived in the village of Rockwood for 63 years. James, the son of George Knowles (1811-1867) and Hannah Staniforth (1811–1871), was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England in 1841. James left his parents behind in England when he emigrated to Canada in 1858. He married Margaret about 1863 and their first child, George Staniforth Hickey, was born a year later. Charles was their fifth child.

Charles was born on April 13, 1874 and died three months later on July 30, 1874. He was buried at St John’s Anglican in Rockwood. A year later James and Margaret had another son who they also named Charles Edward.

Margaret died in 1906 at the age of 69. Both Margaret and James are buried at the Rockwood Cemetery as are three of their other children.

Mary Ann Stevenson (1828-1866) and Children

Mary Ann Peavoy, the oldest daughter of George Peavoy (1810–1883) and Eliza Jestin (1808–1879), was born in Upper Canada in 1836. Her father was born in Mountrath, County Laois, Ireland but all of his thirteen children were born in Wellington County.

Mary Ann’s husband, Samuel Stevenson, was born in Ireland about 1831 and farmed the west half of Concession 7 Lot 26 in Eramosa. Three of their children died young and are commemorated on Mary’s gravestone: James (1855-1857), Elizabeth (? –1857) and George E. (1860-1865). A fourth child, Margaret, was born in 1863. Samuel was living with Margaret and his son-in-law, John Johnston, in 1891. Samuel died in 1893. Samuel is consistently recorded as Methodist in census data, and given the location of his farm, his wife and children may have been buried at the Copeland Methodist Cemetery.

Daniel DAY (1810–1883) and Family

Daniel Day, the son of Daniel Day (1780–1835) and Elizabeth Watson (1784-1867), was born in Withernwick, Yorkshire on August 19, 1810, and was baptised there on 7 Oct 1810. In 1831 he emigrated with his parents to Guelph in Upper Canada. Daniel married Matilda Bowes about 1840, and their oldest child, Mary, was born on November 17, 1841. Daniel and Matilda had at least five children including Robert who was born in 1847. By 1851 Daniel had moved to Eramosa Township where he farmed Concession 3 Lot 20. Matilda died on February 25, 1872 at the age of 61 and was buried at McCormick Cemetery in Eramosa Township.

Robert married Harriet Mary Croft, daughter of William and Anna Croft at Eramosa on November 19, 1872. Robert and Harriet had three children: Annie Evelina (1874–1950), William Richard (1875– ?) and John Robert (1878– ?). Robert died in 1879. Harriet continued to live in Eramosa with her children until her death on December 17, 1886.

After Robert’s death, Daniel moved to Amabil Township in Bruce County to live with his daughter Mary’s family. Daniel died in Amabil in June 1883 but was buried in Eramosa.

Daniel, Robert and Harriet were likely interred at Ascension Anglican given the churchyard’s proximity to the Day property.

Sources:

Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Wellington, 1867. Irwin & Burnham, 1867.

Day, Frank. Here and There in Eramosa. Self-published, 1953.

Thorning, Stephen. “Insanity Verdict in 1871 Eramosa Homicide Case.” Wellington Advertiser, January 18, 2002. Reprinted January 6, 2022.

“Wife Murder at Rockwood” St. Catharines Constitutional, Feburary 9, 1871.

Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Wellington, for 1871-2. A. O. Loomis & Co., 1871.

The Rockwood Cairn (Part 1)

Rockwood Cemetery, in the village of Rockwood to the east of Guelph, Ontario, contains mostly 20th century gravestones. At the back of the cemetery, however, is a cairn containing two dozen 19th century gravestones from three small local cemeteries that were closed in 1945.

Twelve gravestones were removed from Ascension Anglican Cemetery, nine from St. John's Anglican in Rockwood, and five from Copeland Methodist. While any documents that would show the original location of individual gravestones no longer exist, census data, nineteenth century directories, and historical maps can be used to identify the provenance.

Ascension Anglican Church was located on Lot 21 Concession 4 in Eramosa Township. A church building was constructed in 1861 but the congregation closed in 1879. Many years later in his Historical Sketch of the Parish of Acton and Rockwood, Rev. E. A. Brooks wrote, "today a few forgotten gravestones remain and the outline of the church foundation can be traced on the turf.”

A Wesleyan Methodist church was located three kilometres to the east at Lot 21 Concession 6. This church opened in 1865 on land donated by John Copeland but closed six years later.

Although no longer surrounded by gravestones, St. John's Anglican Church has sat on a hill overlooking the village for more than 160 years. The current stone building dates from 1880 and replaced a frame building constructed in 1859.

James Clark (1779-1862) and Elizabeth Turner (1785-1861)

James Clark and his wife Elizabeth Turner emigrated to Canada from Kent, England. James and Elizabeth were married in Newington, Kent in 1806. In 1861 they were living with their son Thomas (1812–1870) on Lot 5 Concession 8 in Erin Township. The 1861 Census records that James and Elizabeth were members of the Church of England which suggests that their gravestones were originally from the Ascension Anglican Church.

Children of James Abbot and Martha Ann Copeland

Thomas, Martha, Ann, and the unnamed twins were the children of James Abbot and Mary Ann Copeland. All five children were born in Canada. Census data indicates that James and Mary Ann had 14 children altogether. Between 1851 and 1861, James built a two story frame house for his growing family, replacing a 1 1/2 story log house. By 1881, James and Mary had moved north to Durham Township in Grey County. Mary Ann died on December 30, 1894. James died 14 months later on March 24, 1896. Both are buried at Durham Cemetery.

James, the son of Aaron Abbot and Martha Draper, was baptised at Ringstead, Northamptonshire on December 31, 1820, the same day as three of his sisters. His parents were married at Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire on August 5, 1809, and emigrated with six children including James to Upper Canada in 1823. The family appears on the passenger list of the Comet which departed from London and arrived at New York on March 6, 1823. The family took up passage up the Hudson River to Albany then travelled west on the newly built Erie Canal to Rochester. After crossing Lake Ontario to Hamilton, Aaron and his family spent the next few years living in nearby Dundas. In 1829, Aaron was granted 200 acres in Eramosa Township (Lot 17 Concession 6). By 1861 the property has been divided in two with Aaron farming the north half while James farmed the south.

The location of their farm suggests that James and Mary Ann's children were buried at Ascension Anglican.

The 1852 Census records Aaron and Martha's religion as Church of England, however, James and Mary Ann's religion were recorded as Disciples of Christ. The 1861 and 1871 censuses record James as Church of England and Mary Ann as Disciples of Christ.

Aaron and Martha's gravestone is found at Everton Cemetery in Eramosa Township. Martha, who died in 1852, and Aaron, who died in 1868 were buried on their farm. A headstone was erected but Aaron's name was never engraved upon it. In 1942 their remains were reinterred at Everton.

Alexander Moore (1779–1851), Martha Wilson (1791-1855) and Children

Alexander Moore, his wife Martha and their children likely came from Ireland to Eramosa Township during the Irish Potato Famine, arriving before the death of their eldest son, John Wilson Moore in 1845. The 1852 Census shows Martha living with her adult children. All were born in Ireland and all were Church of England adherents. The 1861 Map of the County of Wellington shows four members of the Moore family including Peter Moore occupying Concession 5 Lot 7 Eramosa. This location suggests the gravestones were from Ascension Anglican Church.

Susannah Bolton née Lush (1839–1881) and Ann Bolton (1800-1869)

Susannah Lush, the daughter of William and Mary Lush, was born in Eramosa Township about 1839. On March 9, 1864 she married Thomas Bolton who had been born in England in 1824 and had emigrated to Upper Canada with his parents about 1841. At the time of the 1871 Census, Thomas and Susannah were living with Thomas's father John and were adherents of the Church of England. Thomas and his father farmed the NE 1/4 of Lot 19 Concession 4 in Eramosa.

Susannah and Thomas had two children: Hannah, born on May 8, 1867, and Beatrice born on February 15, 1871.

After Susannah's death in 1881 from "inflammation of the lungs," Thomas and his girls continued living on their farm. Hannah married John Coker (1860–1934) in 1883. In 1896, Thomas and Beatrice were destitute and were admitted to the Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge. Thomas died there in 1910. Beatrice continued living at the House of Industry and Refuge until her death in 1945. She was buried at the Johnston Cemetery near her sister who had died in 1941.

The gravestone for Ann Bolton, wife of John Bolton and mother of Thomas, was also placed in the cairn at Rockwood. Ann and her daughter-in-law Susannah were likely both buried at Ascension Anglican.

Robert Nickle (1832–1866)

Robert Nickle, the son of John Nickle (1798–1886) and Sarah Perry (1796-1872), was likely born in Ireland. He married Lucinda (1836–1862) and had three sons: Robert William (1856-1917), Henry (1858-1914), and Benjamin (1859-1948). Henry was living with his grandparents in Eramosa at the time of the 1871 Census and was buried at Everton Cemetery, while his brother Robert William was living with his uncle Thomas Nickle. John Nickle farmed the east half of Concession 6 Lot 20 and identified as Church of England in the 1871 Census which suggests his son Robert was buried in Ascension Anglican’s churchyard.

Isabella Rae (1863–1865) and Alexander Rae (1862–1862)

Isabella and Alexander were the children of James Rae and Isabella Crocker, and the grandchildren of Alexander Rae (1787–1891) and Isabella Aitkin (1805-1873). James and Isabella married in Eramosa Township in 1859. Isabella, the daughter of James Crocker and Isabella Mennie, was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1827, and died in Eramosa in 1906. James Rae was born in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland in 1839, and died at Fergus, Ontario in 1918. Both were buried at Johnson Cemetery near James’s parents. The 1871 Census shows that James and Isabella had three additional children: Jane (1864–1955), William (1866–1931) and Isabella (1869–1959) who was named after her sister, mother, and both of her grandmothers. The family were Presbyterian and were living near James’s parents whose farmed the west half of Lot 20 Concession 5 Eramosa. The nearest cemetery is Ascension Anglican so it is likely the children were buried there.

Samuel Albert Morris (1866-1871)

Samuel Albert Morris, son of Samuel Morris (1825-1900) and Mary Ann Merrick (1831-1908), drowned at the age of five in 1871. His father Samuel had been born in Kilkenny, Ireland and in 1846 had emigrated to Canada with his parents, George Morris (1793-1876) and Ann Thompson (1796-1879) during the Irish Potato Famine. Samuel and Mary Ann had at least seven children. Samuel, a wagon-maker, moved his family to Guelph between 1872 and 1881. Samuel and his wife, along with his parents, are buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Guelph.

Samuel and Mary Ann were adherents of the Church of England and were living in Rockwood at the time of their son’s drowning. Samuel Albert would therefore have been buried in the churchyard of St. John’s Rockwood.

Othniel Gidley Madick (1815-1866)

Despite his unusual name little is known about Othniel Gidley Madick. Othniel, the son of Henry Maddick and Mary Binney was born in Buckfastleigh, Devon on 19 Mar 1815, and was baptised six days later. A marriage is recorded between Othniel and Mary Ann Belton in Eramosa on December 16, 1844. Although Othniel is not named as such in the 1852 and 1861 censuses, there is a John Maddock, farmer, born in England about 1812 with a wife named Mary Ann. Four children are listed in the 1851 Census, two of whom, Hannah, aged 14, and Hawkins, aged 13, would have been from a previous marriage. The 1861 Census only lists the two younger children, Mary Ann, aged 16, and Sarah, aged 12.

George H Prior (1835–1861)

Almost nothing is known about George H Prior other than his date of death since he died before the 1861 Census was taken. In the census there is a John Prior, aged 22, born in England and living in Rockwood who may have been George’s brother, but no other details about either John or George have been discovered.