1933 Interview - S. S. Reeve
Transcript
Interview with Mr. S. S. Reeve, Meadowvale, Ont. 7 April, 1933.Wm. Beckworth Reeve came to this country from Essex, England, about the year 1822. He settled on Lot 8, Con. l. W., Toronto Twp. He brought part of his family with him, I think about four or fives children. My father was three years old, born in 1819, when they came over. They came over by sailing vessel and my father got small pox on board ship.
The farm that they settled on was all bush of course, at that time and the Reeve family cleared it. Two hundred acres. The first thing they put up would be a log house. The same lot now is a cleared farm today. The Old Reeve house, a frame building, was torn down last year (1932). There is now a brick house and bank barn. The owner now is White Anderson. The place was sold out of my grandfather's estate about 50 or 60 years ago to my father. There is good farming land. Grandfather went in for general mixed farming.
Grandfather was a J. P. (didn't know dates). They used to call him Squire Reeve.
He was a Wesleyan Methodist in religion. They attended Brittania church.
He was a merchant before coming to this country. When he did come over he clerked in Toronto in a grocery store (I think). He supported his family in this way while they went about clearing the farm, etc. I suppose he came into the city during the week and went home for the week ends. He died about the 10th April, 1868 and is buried in Britannia Cemetery.
He married Sophia Gates in the old country and brough her over here. She died in March, 1867. She was in the neighborhood of 80 years.
Their children -
John T. Reeve - was raised on lot 8. He was born on the 9th March, 1819 and came to this country with his parents when he was three years old. He was the same age as Queen Victoria. When he started out for himself he bought Lot 6, Con. 2, from his father Wm. B. Reeve. He attended school at Derry West and went to a school in Toronto for a while - some kind of a little business college, I think.
The farm was good loamy soil, good for farming. There was a little roughcast house on it at that time, and a frame barn and a log shed, and also a little driving house. Since the place changed hands, there has been a brick house built on it. He went in for general grain farming. (See note on John T. Reeve)
Their children -
Elizabeth Houston Reeve
John T.
Samuel
Thomas
Alfred
Sarah
Sophia
Caroline
Louisa
John T. Reeve married Hannah Simpson, daughter of John Simpson, Lot 10, Con. 3., and who also owned the north 1/2 of Lot 9, 300 acres in all. She was 94 years 5 months to the day when she died, 12 January, 1927.
John Simpson had a large saw mill on the place driven by water power. He came out from Yorkshire, England and brought his wife and family and mother with him. His wife was Mary Sigsworth. He had four or five children when he came out here, 1838. He first settled up on Yonge Street, near Aurora. They came put in a sailing vessel and were six weeks on the water. He later removed to Peel County and as far as I know, went right to Lot 10. He was a farmer and brought out cattle and horses from the old country with him.
There was a great deal of fine timber on this land. In fact, they got the timber there for masts for vessels. The land was a loamy soil good for gardening vegetables or mixed farming. The River Credit ran right down through the centre of it.
Mr. Simpson did just general mixed farming. He did quite a bit of business with his sawmill.
Their children - (Mr. Mrs. John Simpson).
Sigsworth -
Mary Anne - dead. Not married. Buried in Streetsville Cemetery.
Hanna - married John T. Reeve.
Elizabeth - married Wm. Cole.
Sigsworth married a Miss Emma Birdsall. Lives near Meadowvale with his father. The old grandfather had four or five houses on his farm.
The children of John T. Reeve and Hannah Simpson.
Wm. Reeve - died in infancy.
===S. S. Reeve, - Meadowvale.
Louisa - Mrs. Lou Stork. Lost on the Empress of Ireland. No children.
Thomas H. Reeve - married a Miss Frazer of Huttonville, sister of W. J. Frazer. Died 1922. Two children - girls. Lived on the churchville farm. Buried in churchville cemetery, right on the place that he farmed.
J. T. Reeve - married Miss Lula Wilkins of Toronto. Living in Toronto. No Children. Real Estate. 394 Bay street.
Sophia - Mrs. S. E. Crawford - living in Toronto
Fred - died aged 11 years.
Dr. W. B. - dead. Practiced in Calgary and also in the States. Dentist. Lived in Toronto. Died, 1927, 7 December. Not married.
Elizabeth Gardner - died aged two years.
Gertrude Mabel - Mrs. G. M. McMurtry. Living in Pickering. One daughter. Had one boy who was killed overseas. Her husband was lost on the Lusitania.
S. S. Reeve - married Sarah Elizabeth McLure.
Born in 1856, 16 December, on Lot 6, Con. 2. Moved to churchville at the age of 10 years. Went to school at Hurnamthorpe and later to Churchville, S. S. 14 - union school.
When I started out for myself I bought parts of Lots 11 and 12 in the 3 Con. W. The soil is what they call loamy land, not clay. There is a big bank barn on it now, and a good big house built by myself. I have 50 acres on the N. E. 1/4 of Lot 10 in the 4 Con. Do just general mixed farming. In later years we have done pretty well in the dairy business with all grade cattle, Holstein.
I am a Reformer in Politics. I attended the Methodist, now the United, Church in Meadowvale and was Trustee for a few years.
My wife, Elizabeth McLure was born on E1/2 Lot 12, Con. 4, W. Toronto Twp, 29th Feb., 1860, dau. of James McLure, Toronto Twp. She went to school in Churchville also. Their children -
Fred. James - born 20 December, 1891. Married Lavina South. Two children, Helen and Thomas William, living in the Churchville District - E1/2 Lot 13, Con. 5, West. They bought a farm. Clay loam farm, 100 acres. A brick house, a bank stable. He built the stable since he went there. The barn is an ordinary frame barn 72 by 36. He has a thoroughbred herd of Holsteins. Never showed them. In the milk business.
Thomas W. Reeve - born at Meadowvale, 26 June, 1893. Member of the Peel Regiment during the great war. Lance Corporal for a while. Not married. Still living in Meadowvale with his father and mother. Mason, belonging to River Park, Streetsville.
Ester Shirley - born at Meadowvale, 10 Feb., 1897 (?) Married Haddon Pegg. Living in Meadowvale. Three children - 2 girls and a boy.
My mother's eldest sister's name was Mary Anne Simpson. When she was about 20 she and her sister Hannah, my mother, then about 11, and another little girl were playing in the cemetery at Churchville. Mary Anne had a premonition and told her younger sister "I want you to see that I am buried in this place in this cemetery, so that you can look out of the pantry window on to my grave. And I will be here inside for three weeks." And sure enough she was.
"See that they dig my grave wide and deep.
Plant a weeping willow at my feet,
A rosebush at my head and strew
My grave with violets sweet
So that I may take a good long peaceful sleep."
She has been there now over 85 years. They say she could sing like a nightingale.