Update on X00298 - John Williams Brewing History Part 2

Last week I give an update on X00298 and the research on John Williams. This week I'm going to give an update on two of the other research questions.

2. There was a John Williams who supposedly opened a brewery in 1864 in Flesherton (From Whiskey and Wickedness) [D05727]. Is that the same John Williams?

3. His death record lists him as a brewer living in Owen Sound in 1889 [D03737]. Which brewery could he have been working for?

First, as far as the possibility of him opening a brewery in Flesherton, I managed to find a listing in both “The Art and Mystery of Brewing in Ontario” by Ian Bowering [D06545] and “The Directory of Canadian Breweries Past and Present” by Richard L. Sweet [D06546]. Both were under Artemesia:

The first source (Bowering) lists:

Williams, J., brewer, 1864 [D06545]

and the second one (Sweet) lists:

Williams, John; brewer and maltster, 1864 [D06546]

So, it would seem that there is evidence that a John Williams did open a brewery in the area around 1864 and that it was very short-lived. The question still remains though if this is the same John Williams who was the son of Thomas Williams. There was a John Williams living in the area in 1861 and 1871 who was Dutch but had no evident connection to brewing. It could have been the Dutch John Williams or perhaps it was a different John Williams who moved to the area temporarily. There is still more research to be done.

As for the third question, multiple sources suggest that there were two breweries in operation in Owen Sound in 1889: Eaton Brothers Brewery and the Schwan Brewery [D06545, D06546, D06547].



Eaton Brothers started in 1883 and it was believed that they took over from the Riddell & Secord Brewery. The Schwan Brewery was founded in 1885 and believed that they took over from Malone's brewery. It's not clear as to which one John Williams could have worked for. Many of the names of the workers at Schwan's have been documented [D06547] and his name is not among them. But that does not necessarily mean that worked at Eaton Brother's.

---

Sources:
[D03737] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935 Reel 54: 395, 5588, 1; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (6 May 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 6 May 2018.

[D03739] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Peel, sub-district Brampton, Brampton, p. 15; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 May 2018). Rec. Date: 5 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 13 May 2018.

[D05727] Cotton, Larry D., Whiskey and Wickedness Volume V - Wellington and Grey Counties, Ontario. Self-published, 2017.

[D06545] Bowering, Ian, The Art and Mystery of Brewing in Ontario. Burnstown, Ontario, 1988.

[D06546] Sweet, Richard L., Directory of Canadian Breweries (Past and Present); Second Edition. Saskatoon, 1996.

[D06547] Schwan, Terry, The Historic Schwan Breweries with abridged family genealogy. Guelph, 2013.

Update on X00298 - John Williams Brewing History Part 1

I have posted previously about John Williams and researching his work as a brewer. There are a few questions that I have been trying to piece together:

1. The 1861 Census lists his as a brewer living in Brampton [D03739]. Which brewery could he have been working for?
2. There was a John Williams who supposedly opened a brewery in 1864 in Flesherton (From Whiskey and Wickedness) [D05727]. Is that the same John Williams?
3. His death record lists him as a brewer living in Owen Sound in 1889 [D03737]. Which brewery could he have been working for?

To address the first question, I recently visited the Peel Archives to look at some of their records and also to the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library to look through the Directory of Canadian Breweries [D06546]. I've found a few breweries that were in operation in Brampton close to 1861, but none that appear to be in operation in 1861:

• Fletcher, E. & R.; brewers 1853-1857
• Fewson, John; brewer and maltster 1865-1874

There are some others who came later in the 1870s as well.

So, it would appear that there are no clear obvious choices as to where he could have been working in 1861. But there are some other possibilities:

• Brain's Brewery, located one mile east of Hornby was in operation from 1832 to 1916 [D06545].
• Richard Church was brewing at the time and moved his operations between Cooksville in Peel region and Caledon [D06546]. Perhaps he also had operations in Brampton?

Nothing clear, but there are some definite avenues to pursue.

Next week, I'll provide updates the second and third questions.

---

Sources:
[D03737] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935 Reel 54: 395, 5588, 1; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (6 May 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 6 May 2018.

[D03739] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Peel, sub-district Brampton, Brampton, p. 15; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 May 2018). Rec. Date: 5 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 13 May 2018.

[D05727] Cotton, Larry D., Whiskey and Wickedness Volume V - Wellington and Grey Counties, Ontario. Self-published, 2017.

[D06545] Bowering, Ian, The Art and Mystery of Brewing in Ontario. Burnstown, Ontario, 1988.

[D06546] Sweet, Richard L., Directory of Canadian Breweries (Past and Present); Second Edition. Saskatoon, 1996.

Update on X00298: John Williams Brewing History

I posted recently about X00298 and researching John William's history as a brewer. While I haven't looked into the Brampton or Owen Sound breweries I have looked more into the possibility of him operating a brewery briefly in Flesherton. Unfortunately, the findings don't give any positive results either way. Here's what I've found:

• There is a John Williams living in Flesherton in the 1861 and 1871 census, but his occupation is not listed as a brewer in either census and his background is Dutch.
• The John Williams of Flesherton is mentioned and profiled in the book Split Rail Country but brewing is not mentioned.
• The 1865-66 directory for Grey County did not mention any brewery for Flesherton.
• No John Williams a brewer was found in any reference books or reference files for Breweries/Wineries/Distilleries in Grey County
• No trace of a brewery was found on old maps of Flesherton or Markdale.

So, the next step it seems is to check the newspapers around at the time to see if anything is said about the brewery. The only newspapers that I am aware of in Grey County at the time are in Durham and Owen Sound. I've checked the Durham newspapers but couldn't find anything. Will need to check the Owen Sound newspapers next.

Profile: John Williams and Family

This is the profile so far of John Williams and his family. I'm still researching X00298 and his work in various breweries. That will be added in later. But here is the story so far.

---

Profile: John Williams & Family

John Williams was born in 1829 in Gloucestershire, England and was baptized on 29 March 1829 [D03738]. He was the fourth and youngest son of Thomas Williams and Sybil Foxwell.

He grew up in Gloucestershire, but moved along with the rest of the family to Liverpool before coming to Canada in 1842 [D05543]. The William family first settled in Invermara, Simcoe County and started a farm there. But shortly they found that farming was not for them and so Thomas Williams relocated the family to Guelph, Wellington County and established the Williams Brewery in Guelph [D05543].

In the 1850s, John worked in Guelph as part of the Williams Brewery [D04689, D04691]. He married his first wife, Charlotte Ann Perry, 15 March 1858 in Orillia, Simcoe County. [D01325].

Charlotte Ann Perry was born around 1839 in what was then known as Upper Canada [D03739, D05338]. She was the daughter of Daniel and Charlotte Perry [D01325]. Prior to her marriage in 1858 she was living in Orillia, Simcoe County [D01325].

John and Charlotte had their first child, a daughter which they named Annie L. Williams, in March of 1860 [D03739, D05338]. She was followed under a year later by their second child, Eliza Sybil Williams born 31 January 1861 [D04645, D05281].

By 1861, the family was living in Brampton, Peel County and John had left the Williams brewery to strike out on his own as a brewer [D03739]. Later that year, the family would face their first tragedy when their first child, Annie L. died at the age of nineteen months [D05338].

John and Charlotte’s third daughter, whom they named Charlotte Ann Williams was born about 1862 [D01131, D03740].

The family would their second tragedy when Charlotte Ann Perry Williams died on 7 July 1862 at the age of 22 years [D05338]. She and their first daughter, Annie L. were buried at St. George’s Cemetery in Guelph, but later relocated to Woodlawn Cemetery [D05338].

By 1871 the family had moved to Owen Sound, Grey County where John was working with a carpenter [D01565]. His widowed mother and younger sister Minnie were living with the family [D01565].

John married Caroline Hatton on 15 August 1877 in Little Current, Algoma County, Ontario [D01544]. Caroline was born in Quebec on 7 July 1835, the daughter of Daniel and Catherine Hatton [D01544, D03756]. Caroline’s parents died young and in her younger years lived in an orphan asylum [D03759].

John’s youngest child Charlotte Ann died on 14 March 1882 at the age of nineteen years [D03740]. She died of dropsy which she had developed three years prior [D03740]. Prior to her death she had been living with her aunt and uncle, Charles and Emily Hewett in Mara, Simcoe County [D04037]. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound [D01131].

John himself, died 6 Jan 1889 of heart disease [D03737, D05344]. At the time of his death he was a brewer in Owen Sound. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery [D01131].

John’s second wife Caroline Hatton Williams died 20 June 1902 due to congestion of the lungs [D03754, D03757]. She was buried 23 June 1902 in Mount Herman Cemetery in Quebec [D03757].

The last member of the family, Eliza Sybil Williams was living with her aunt, Louisa Williams in Owen Sound in 1891 [D00783] but moved in with her aunt and uncle, William Charles Perry and Mary Wright Perry on Normanby Street in Mount Forest, Wellington County [D05281, D05283]. She lived in Mount Forest from 1898 until she died on 5 April 1928 in Mount Forest [D04936, D05296].


Sources
[D00763] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 68, sub-district Owen Sound Center Ward, Owen Sound, p. 35, family 175; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry (accessed 5 Oct 2017). Rec. Date: 30 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 5 Oct 2017.

[D01131] "Owen Sound Greenwood Cemetery Interments" (typescript, 2005), p. 332. Rec. Date: 6 May 2018. ID: D01131. Cit. Date: 13 May 2018.

[D01325] Ontario, Ontario County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 37, Williams-Perry, 1858; digital images, FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch (accessed 5 May 2018). Rec. Date: 24 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 5 May 2018.

[D01544] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, MS932 Reel 23: 30, 1049, Williams-Hatton; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages,"(accessed 12 May 2018). Rec. Date: 9 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 12 May 2018.

[D01565] 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 37, sub-district 01-g, Owen Sound, p. 28, dwelling 105, family 109; RG 31; digital images (accessed 5 May 2018). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 5 May 2018.

[D03737] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935 Reel 54: 395, 5588, 1; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (6 May 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 6 May 2018.

[D03738] (Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England), Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms 1813-1913, "Baptism Record - John Williams," P300 IN 1/3; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 May 2018). Rec. Date: 13 May 2018.

[D03739] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Peel, sub-district Brampton, Brampton, p. 15; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 May 2018). Rec. Date: 5 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 13 May 2018.

[D03740] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935 Reel 33: 412, 21417, 286; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (13 May 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 13 May 2018.

[D03754] ancestry.ca, "Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection)," database and images, ancestry.ca (accessed 31 Jan 2019); Burial: Anglican St. Matthew's Church. Rec. Date: 31 Jan 2019. Cit. Date: 31 Jan 2019.

[D03756] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 44, sub-district L3-1, Howland, p. 9, dwelling 74, family 75; RG 31; digital images (accessed 26 May 2018). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 26 May 2018.

[D03757] Gouvernement du Québec database, Détails Mount Hermon Cemetery ( accessed 31 Jan 2019), 8525. Rec. Date: 31 Jan 2019. Cit. Date: 31 Jan 2019.

[D03759] 1851 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec City, p. 123. Rec. Date: 9 Apr 2018. Cit. Date: 26 May 2018.

[D04036] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935; Reel: 365: 171, 36719; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (23 Jun 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 23 Jun 2018.

[D04037] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 133, sub-district 2, Mara, p. 17, dwelling 72, family 72; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 23 Jun 2018). Rec. Date: 17 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 23 Jun 2018.

[D04645] Mount Forest Cemetery (Mount Forest, Grey, Ontario), Amber Section Row 10 Lot 82. Rec. Date: 29 Dec 2018. ID: D04645. Cit. Date: 29 Dec 2018.

[D04689] Wellington, Ontario, Canada, 1853 Tax Book, 1853. Rec. Date: 31 Jan 2019. Cit. Date: 31 Jan 2019.

[D04691] Wellington, Ontario, Canada, 1855 Tax Book, entry for 246, 1855. Rec. Date: 31 Jan 2019. Cit. Date: 31 Jan 2019.

[D05281] 1911 census of Canada, Ontario, district 133, sub-district 40, Mount Forest, p. 3, dwelling 31, family 31; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com (accessed 6 Jan 2019). Rec. Date: 18 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 6 Jan 2019.

[D05283] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 125, sub-district J-2, Mount Forest, p. 3, dwelling 29, family 29; RG 31; digital images (accessed 6 Jan 2019). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 6 Jan 2019.

[D05296] "Register," Mount Forest Confederate, 12 April 1928, p. 8, col. 2; digital images(accessed 6 Jan 2019). Rec. Date: 6 Jan 2019. Cit. Date: 6 Jan 2019.

[D05338] "Woodland Memorial Park Cemetery Transcriptions" (typescript. Rec. Date: 7 Feb 2019. Cit. Date: 7 Feb 2019.

[D05344] "Deaths," (Owen Sound) Owen Sound Times, 10 Jan 1889, p. 4, col. 4. Rec. Date: 14 Jun 2017. Cit. Date: 8 Feb 2019.

X00298 Research John Williams history as a brewer

Much like the others in the Williams family, John Williams (born 1829) worked as a brewer. He first learned the craft while working as part of his father's brewery in Guelph. But he appears to have branched out on his own later on.

In the 1861 census, his occupation was listed as a brewer [D03739] living in Brampton, Peel.



In his death registration, his occupation was listed as a brewer in Owen Sound [D03737].



But more recently, I've discovered that a John Williams opened a brewery in Flesherton, Grey County in 1864 [D05727], although it's not certain whether or not this is the same John Williams. The 1865-66 directory of Grey County does not mention a brewery in Flesherton or a John Williams living there, so if there was a brewery established in 1864, it was short-lived.



So, there's definitely some more research that needs to be done here to fill in the details.

Next Steps:
* Check with the Brampton Public Library for research on Brampton breweries
* Check Brampton directories from the 1860s
* Check Owen Sound resources from the mid-to-late 1880s
* Check for Grey County/Flesherton directories for the early 1860s


Sources
[D03737] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935 Reel 54: 395, 5588, 1; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (6 May 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 6 May 2018.

[D03739] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Peel, sub-district Brampton, Brampton, p. 15; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 May 2018). Rec. Date: 5 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 13 May 2018.

[D05727] Cotton, Larry D., Whiskey and Wickedness Volume V - Wellington and Grey Counties, Ontario. Self-published, 2017.