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My Personal Family Histories
The Douglas Family

Anthony Douglas

Appears to be from an Enniskillen township newspaper written between 1901 - 1906.

While numbers of Lambton County's Citizens have helped to reclaim the land from the wilderness and have undergone all the privation and toil of pioneer life, there are few who have experienced those hardships three different times, as has Anthony Douglas, who now in his declining years finds himself accounted one of Enniskillen's wealthy farmers, and able to enjoy the ease so fully earned by all his earlier years of industry. Mr. Douglas was born in Sutherlandshire, in the Highlands of Scotland, April 29, 1829, son of William and Helen (Patterson) Douglas.

William Douglas was born in the Lowlands in 1799 and his wife in Northumberlandshire, England, in 1803. His occupation was that of a shepherd and he continued in his old way of life for some years after his marriage. But in 1837 he started with his wife and family for Canada, and after a long stormy voyage of thirteen weeks they landed in Quebec. For a time Mr. Douglas made his home in Kingston, but later moved to London, and lived there till his death in 1859. His wife survived him three years. Both husband and wife were Presbyterians, and always active in church work.

  1. Thomas Douglas, the oldest of there five children, born in Scotland in 1825 married Miss Esther Hornby, and settled at Strathroy, where he worked as a butcher; he died in October 1884, leaving three children.
  2. Anthony was the second son.
  3. Jane, born in April, 1831, married a Mr. McFarland, of Saginaw, Michigan.
  4. Oliver, 1836, married and settled in Brooke township, where he was one of the pioneer farmers, his death occurred in January 1893, and he left a wife and family.
  5. James, April, 1838, is married, and lives with his family in Brooke township.

Anthony Douglas attended school in Scotland and was also sent for some time while the family lived in Kingston. He remained with his parents till they died, and then commenced for himself, sailing for two years on Lake Ontario. But in 1863, after his marriage, he abandoned that perilous calling, and started Fredericksburg, Ont., as a farmer. Afterward he bought land in Brooke township, and lived there ten years, and finally in 1883, having sold his Brooke property, he purchased his farms was only wild land when Mr. Douglas settled upon it, and he was obliged to clear it, put up buildings, and cultivate. He has been amply repaid, however, for the first two proved profitable investments, while his own home now was splendidly developed and one of the fine farms of the region.

In September, 1863, Mr. Douglas was united in matrimony to Miss Elizabeth Clark who was born in St. Catherine's March 24, 1841, and grew up and was educated in Warwick township. Her parents, John and Fannie (House) Clark, were both born in England and on coming to Canada, after their marriage, became pioneer settlers in Warwick, where they died later.

One son, Thomas Clark, still lives there.

A family of three daughters and four sons was born to Anthony and Elizabeth Douglas, all living except one:

  1. James, born in 1864, married Miss Maggie Brown, of Petrolia, and has seven children, They live in Enniskillen Concession 7.
  2. Sarah, in Feb. 1866, died Oct. 8 1886.
  3. Ellen, born in July 1869, is the wife of William Brown, a prosperous Enniskillen Farmer, they have no family.
  4. Anna, born in Feb. , 1871, lives at home, unmarried.
  5. William J., born in April, 1873, a farmer of Concession 8, Enniskillen married Miss Sarah Anderson, and is the father of
  6. Oliver, born in 1875, a farmer in Concession 2, Enniskillen, married Miss Ida Kimberley, of that township and has two sons,
  7. Walter, born in Aug., 1877, A bachelor, has charge of the home farm.

Anthony Douglas and his wife are now aged people, with a long record of usefulness and good deeds behind them. While their present comfortable position is the result of years of untiring industry, they always found time also for the generous hospitality and unfailing help in trouble that has made them so popular among all their neighbors and friends. They have been for many years consistent members of the Methodist church and have done much work for it. Politically Mr. Douglas has always supported the Conservative party and for a long time held the office of pathmaster. He also served as school trustee. His is a character of true worth, and as such is recognized and esteemed by all.

Brooke Township. History 1833-1933

971.3B79

pg. 86

School Section no. 14

The records of SS. no 14 show that the first steps in organization were made at a meeting held in Isaac Totten's house, lot 10, con 8, on March 25, 1876. Francis Duffy occupied the chair and James Johnson was the secretary. The following trustees were elected: Wm. Johnson, Samuel Zavitz, and Oliver Douglas. In a meeting held in April 1, 1876, a site was selected on the south-east corner of Lot 9, con. 9 on land owned by James Johnson. The price paid was $30. Ten dollars was paid Anthony Douglas for clearing the land and $7 to Samuel Douglas for constructing a culvert. The contract for constructing a frame school was let to Francis Duffy for $481.75. The sum of $650 was borrowed by debentures, payable yearly for a term of six years with interest at 8 percent. Receipts for the year 1876 were $939.50. An expenditure of $906.60 left a balance of $32.90. The names of the men who are on the record as assisting in organizing the section are as follows: Isaac Totten, Wm. Johnson, Oliver Douglas, Francis Duffy, James Johnson, Anthony Douglas, Alfread Gilroy, Samuel Zavitz, Robert. Gubbins, Samuel Douglas, Robert. Lang, Robert. Johnson, Andrew Boyd, Samuel Maddock, John Elliott, Benjamin Zavitz, Henry Knight, and Alan Carpenter. . . .


Fred Bonjour
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