Independent Settler

Independent Settler

William Alexander Shaw

1798-1866


William Alexander was born at Doune, Kilmadock, Perthshire on 22 October 1798, the son of Alexander Shaw (b.c1740/65) and Margaret McKillop.

The 1882 Gazetteer of Scotland described Kilmadock as;

… a parish containing Doune town, and Deanston, Buchany, Drumvaich, and Delvorich villages on the southern border of Perthshire. Its length is 10 miles, its breadth from two to eight miles, its area 24,521 acres. Population in 1880-81 was 3,012. The Forth runs in serpentine folds along its southern boundary, and the Teith runs east-south-eastward through the center. A flat tract of considerable breadth lies along the Forth; a valley flanked on each side by a hill-ridge, is traversed by the Teith; and an upland tract, part of the Braes of Doune, ascends to the lofty summit of Uaighmore on the northern boundary.

William is said to have been fair-haired and blind in one eye as the result of smallpox suffered when he was a child.

By 1819, when William was aged 21, he may have been living in Deanston, a village close by Doune. Among the few personal items belonging to William (which have come down through the family) is a book by Rev. James Hervey entitled “A Selection of Valuable Religious Letters”. On one side of the flyleaf William has written his name and “Deanston, 1819” and on the other side, his name and “Deanston 16th Nov 1820”.

There appears to have been a Church of Scotland Church or Chapel Of Ease at Kilmadock (in addition to the Burgher Church and Auld Lichts Church at Doune and the Church of Scotland Church at Doune). Among surviving Chapel papers are records of “Young Communicants” and these include;

1814 – John Shaw, Gardener at Lanrick,

1815 – Margaret Shaw, daughter of Alexander Shaw at Deanston,

1818 – (29 June 1817), William Shaw, son to Alexander Shaw at Deanston.

There is every possibility that these records are those of William, age 20, his brother John, age 19, and sister Margaret, age 22. If so this would tend to confirm Alexander Shaw and his family (including William) were either resident in Deanston in the second decade of the 19th century or, at least, adherents of the Church of Scotland Chapel in that village. (A James Shaw was elected “Ruling Kirk Elder” of the same church for the 1801-02 and 1804-06 terms).

Deanston was also the location of one of the first cotton spinning mills in Scotland and, as we know William’s trade was that of cotton spinner, he may have been employed in the Deanston mill.

When William married Agnes Dunn (1805-1890), he working as a cotton spinner and residing at Duntocher, Dunbartonshire. Duntocher village is now essentially a part of greater Glasgow (the Clydeside industrial area), but in Alexander’s time was described as lying nine miles northwest of Glasgow. In 1854 a Glasgow newspaper editor, describing Duntocher, wrote;

The population are, in general, either directly or indirectly connected with the extensive factories of Messrs. Dunn & Co. In 1808, when the works at Duntocher first came into the hands of the late William Dun, Esq., the village was almost deserted. The former proprietors had lost heart, and everything was in a languishing condition. Mr. Dunn, a man of indomitable energy and perseverance, who had raised himself from a humble rank in society by his industry and shrewdness, speedily infused new life into the concern. The works were gradually extended and improved under his vigilant and enlightened superintendence, until at length they attained a high state of efficiency; and the working population increased from 150 to upwards of 1,500. By the almost unprecedented success of his manufacturing operations, Mr. Dunn at length achieved a splendid fortune, and died in the possession of one of the finest estates in the west of Scotland. At his decease, a few years ago, the bulk of the property thus accumulated passed into the hands of his surviving brother, Alexander Dunn, Esq., the present proprietor.

It may be safely assumed that William Shaw practiced his trade of cotton spinner in the mills of William Dunn.

William was married to Agnes Dunn by Christopher Greig on 19 June 1832 at St. Ninians, Old Kilpatrick Parish, which included the Duntocher area of Dunbartonshire. An extract of their marriage certificate reads;

William Shaw & Agnes Dunn residing at Duntocher Parish of Old Kilpatrick, having produced certificate of proclamation of banns – were married at St. Ninian’s this 19th day of June 1832, by me

                                                                                                Christopher Greig                  Min. of St. Ninians

Agnes Dunn was one of eight children born to James Dunn (b.1770) and Margaret Gow at Dunblane, Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland. From the marriage certificate it seems that, at the time of her marriage to William Alexander, she was also a resident of Duntocher.

Within a short time after their wedding, no more than a few weeks and probably a few days, William, Agnes, and William’s (unmarried) sister Margaret, set sail for Canada. They sailed from Greenock, at the mouth of the Clyde, aboard the vessel “Crown”, the last emigrant ship of the 1832 season.

Although it is difficult to identify the “Crown” with complete certainty it appears she was a 339 ton Brig (square rigged on two masts) built in 1824 by Coburn Cummings at Deer Island, New Brunswick, Canada and originally owned by Charles Hathaway of Charlotte County, New Brunswick. In 1825 she was sold to an unknown buyer at Greenock, Scotland.

Considering her origin it is most likely she was built for the timber trade carrying balks of timber from Canada to the UK and returning with immigrants. Most immigrant ships of the era were primarily engaged in the Canadian timber trade and immigrants were carried on the outbound voyage only because living ballast was more profitable than brick.

The Shaw party would have most planned on a landing at Quebec City or Montreal (on her 1832 voyage the “Crown” sailed to both ports) but almost certainly found their ship putting in to the hastily established quarantine station at Gross Isle, located thirty miles down the St. Lawrence from Quebec City and just off the south-shore village of Montmagny. Although no record has been found of the “Crown” being quarantined at Gross Isle, arriving in July or August of 1832 the Shaws would have found themselves at the epicenter of the worst Cholera epidemic ever to strike Canada.

An estimated 10,000 people had caught the disease, on ship or ashore, and the death toll figures varied wildly depending on the source. (Grosse Isle officials) estimated 2,350 had died on the ships or in quarantine. The available figures from health boards, burial records and the like suggest a total of upwards of 6,000 deaths, or half the people estimated to have contracted the disease. In Montreal close to 2,000 died, followed by Quebec City with 1,500 deaths. In York the Board of Health put the death toll at 273, and that for all of Upper Canada at 500.

As far as we know William, Agnes and Margaret escaped the scourge of Cholera and made their way, from Quebec, probably by steamboat up the St. Lawrence, to land near Brockville some time late in that dangerous summer. They then made their way “over rough trails” to Perth.

William purchased 100 acres of land, being Lot 14 (NE) Concession 7 of Drummond Township (now at Drummond Center), for the sum of 100 pounds. This land had been originally patented on 02 October 1821 in the name of Mathew Cullen. It was sold by John Cullen, by instrument number D-23, a QuitClaim Deed, dated 24 Aug 1833 (and registered 01 Nov 1866) to William Alexander Shaw. That land is still in the Shaw family (2005).

There is an interesting possibility that William Shaw may have chosen the Drummond Center farm as his Canadian destination before he ever left Scotland. There is a family connection between the Perthshire families of Shaw and Cullen. In 1801 William’s aunt, his father’s sister Elizabeth (1780-1805), married a John Cullen (b.1776) and they produced three sons; John (b.1802), George (b.1803) and James (b.1805). Elizabeth died at about the time of the birth of her son James in 1805 and John Cullen Sr. is thought to have married Jean MacNee in 1808 (any children born to Jean MacNee Cullen are unknown). Could the Mathew Cullen who received the first patent on what would be the Shaw homestead, and the John Cullen who sold it to William Alexander Shaw, be connected to this family?

In 1839 William purchased adjoining Lot 15(SW) from Edward Crookshanks Malloch (originally patented to Edward C. Mallock in 1824) for the sum of 80 pounds with E.C. Malloch holding a 60 pound mortgage. This land is also still in the Shaw family (2005).

As noted above William Alexander Shaw purchased the first 100 acres of the Shaw Farm at Drummond Center on 24 August 1833. He, wife Agnes and sister Margaret would have arrived in Canada in the late summer or early autumn of 1832, and it is unknown where they spent their first winter (1832/33) … possibly at Quebec, Montreal, Brockville, or Perth, or even at Drummond Center (the actual purchase date does not necessarily prove they only arrived there the following summer). In any case, they were installing themselves on their land no later than the summer of 1833.

According to notes made by Hazel Haig-Shaw;

“ On a knoll (Agnes called it a Brae) a small log house was constructed with sleeping quarters on the second floor.”

This log house still stands (2005) now in service as a machine shed.

These circumstances imply that William and Agnes arrived in Canada with some (cash and other) resources. A payment on the Drummond Center farm seems to have been made immediately (although there may have been a mortgage, as the deed was not finally registered until 1866). They must also have had funds to purchase some of their food and other supplies for at least that first year as they would not have qualified for government aid as did some earlier settlers.

In 1858, William was appointed by Drummond Township Council as "librarian and caretaker” at the Township Hall at an annual salary of five pounds … slightly more than the annual salary of 4 pounds, 2 shilling, 6 pence paid to Township Councilors.

William was an Elder in the Free (later Knox) Presbyterian Church at Perth, Ontario which was formed after the disruption in Scotland (1843). Agnes Robertson-Smith’s genealogy notes record;

“Before a horse and buggy was owned he and members of the family who were old enough walked the seven miles to church service (in Perth) on Sunday mornings when weather permitted. William’s hospitable home was always open to the itinerant preachers of the early days and the visiting ministers of later times. Daily family worship was conducted regularly in his home during his lifetime.”

According to genealogical notes by Hazel Audrey Haig-Shaw,

“Later they bought a French pony and a democrat (four seated buggy). McCumiskys (neighbor) had one horse, so they went to church together, early enough for McCumiskys to attend Mass and they then waited for the Shaw’s to attend service”.

The Free/Knox Presbyterian Church later became St. Paul’s United Church.

According to Hazel Audrey Haig-Shaw’s notes William died of “inflammation of the bowels”. Ethel Elizabeth Shaw-MacRae recounted that her grandmother (Agnes Dunn) told her that William;

“… was stooking in the wheat field (Aug, 1866), drank too much cold water, and took inflammation and died very soon.”

After William’s death his Drummond Center property was divided with Lot-14(E) going to son John and Lot-15(W) going to son James.

William and Agnes Shaw had seven children;

Alexander/Sandy (1834-186?) married (1863) Jessie “Jean” Gunn (1840-1914), the daughter of John Gunn and Jesse McPherson.

Margaret (1835/36-1882) married (1865) John William Burnett (1841-1912), the son of John Burnett and Jane McFarlane.

Jane (1837/38-1924) married (1864) William B. Gray (b.1836) of Carleton Place, Ontario.

James (1839-1922) married (1870) Elizabeth McGregor and later married (1878) Charlotte Moulton, the daughter of Robert Moulton and Agnes “Nancy” Horricks. (See below).

Janet (1840-1919) married (1862) Donald Robertson a carpenter and millwright from Perth.

John (1842-1926) married (1883) Lavina Moulton, daughter of Robert Moulton and Anges (Nancy) Horricks.

Sarah (1843-1929), married (1869) William Paul (1841-1930), the son of Andrew Paul and Euphemia Yuill.

James Shaw (1839-1922)

James Shaw, second son of William Alexander Shaw, was born on the Shaw homestead at Drummond Center and farmed that property all his life. He was very active in community affairs and local politics.

James was Deputy Reeve of Drummond Township for the years 1878-1880 and perhaps for a number of years thereafter. He was also a Township Councilor for at least three years before 1878 as the Historical Atlas of Lanark & Renfrew Counties (1880-81) notes that 

“for the past seven or eight years he has taken an active part in municipal affairs and has been in the Township Council for the past six years …” 

It would also seem James continued to play an active part in municipal affairs after leaving Township Council. “A History of Drummond Township”, by John C. Ebbs, mentions that;

“James Shaw and William McLaren appeared before council on 30 Oct 1908 and presented a petition signed by 200 qualified electors of the Township praying the council to submit a by-law prohibiting the sale of spirituous liquors within the limits of the Township”.

This attempt at local prohibition failed. When council put forward the requested by-law, Drummond voters defeated it in both 1908 and 1912. At some point after that date it appears James received satisfaction and “spirituous liquors” were banned from Drummond because it took another vote of the electors in 1973 to reinstate the sale of alcoholic beverages.

James’s crusade against the demon rum was very much in character for a deeply religious man who read aloud from the bible every morning and then led his family in prayer as they knelt beside the breakfast table. He was instrumental in founding the Drummond Center Presbyterian Church and one of three deed signatories for the land upon which it was constructed at Lot-17 Concession-8. James was an elder and Sunday School superintendent of his church for over forty years.

According to the Historical Atlas of Lanark & Renfrew Counties James Shaw was;

“one of the leading farmers of the Township of Drummond and noted in his locality as a raiser of high class stock.”  It further records that “He also owns and operates a large cheese factory, with capacity for manufacturing the milk of five hundred cows.”

 While family tradition agrees with the Historical Atlas that James owned the cheese factory at Drummond Center during at least its first few years of operation, this outright ownership is called into question by John C. Ebb’s “History of Drummond Township” which suggests it may have been a partnership;

“The first cheese factory was built on Jim Shaw’s farm, Lot-14 Concession-7, in 1874, and owned by Henry Carrs and William Empey of Brockville. Carrs owned the machinery and Empey owned the building and served as cheesemaker. Jim Shaw donated the land and guaranteed enough water to run the factory, for which he would get the building after 20 years.”

In 1900 the patrons of the Drummond Center cheese factory built a new (cooperative) factory across Concession-7 from the original and the directors’ committee in charge of building and operating the new factory also included James Shaw.

In 1905 or 1906 the first telephone line in Drummond Township was constructed connecting the James Shaw farm with that of Pat Walsh (Lot-13, Concession-5) and Dan Malloch (Lot-18, Concession-8). An extension in 1907 added the farm of Peter Campbell (Lot-4, Concession-6). On this foundation the Drummond Center Telephone Company was formed in 1909 … doubling in size with the connection four additional subscribers. Organization and operation of the Telephone Company was rather informal in its early years and there is no record of officers (which probably included James Shaw) until 1913 when it was incorporated as a capital stock corporation. For a brief time in 1914 the company switchboard was located in James Shaw’s home.

James Shaw was a charter (founding) member of the Board of Directors of the Lanark Mutual Fire Insurance Company and, at the time of his death, the last such charter member surviving.

In 1871 James married Elizabeth McGregor and the couple had two children before  Elizabeth McGregor-Shaw died in 1874. On 18 December 1878 James was remarried to Charlotte Moulton (1858-1940) the daughter of Robert Moulton (1822-1883) and Agnes Nancy Horricks (1827-1914). James and Charlotte Moulton-Shaw had nine children.

Charlotte Moulton-Shaw, was a founding member/director of the Drummond Center branch of the Women’s Institute (W.I.) established on 05 June 1913. The new W.I. branch undertook to pay for magazine subscriptions for three school sections, maintained the local cemetery, held showers for local brides-to-be, served meals at schools fairs, and paid a one cent bounty for groundhog tails (in the late 1920-30’s).

James Shaw fathered eleven children;

Ethel Elizabeth (1872-1969) married (1897) Dan McRae.

Agnes Marthina (1874-1968) married (1905) Charles Brewer.

William James (1879-1974) married (1910) Laura Dunlop.

Robert John (1881-1963) married (1907) Martha E. Smith.

Alexander (Allie) (1883-1974) married (1907) Katherine Quinn.

Mary Olive (1886-1985) married (1914) Dr. Willard S. Perrigo.

Norman Archibald McGregor (1888-1971) married (1917) Hazel Pearl McDonald.

Blake Franklin (1890-1983) married (1921) Pearl Blood.

Joseph Homer (1894-1978) married (1924) Hazel Audrey Haig.

Charlotte Marion (1897-1994) married (1922) Allen Moore Ewart.

Esther Forsythe (1902-   ) married (1926) Joseph Hoard and later (1969) Richard Francis.

James Shaw died 05 December 1922 at the age of 83. According to his obituary he died of  “an attack of Bright’s disease” (kidney failure).  Charlotte Moulton-Shaw died 03 December 1940. They are buried in the Drummond Center Community Cemetery (Concession-8, Drummond Township) as is James’ first wife Elizabeth McGregor.

Ron W. Shaw (2005) - mailto:[email protected]


Posted: 14 July