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Pioneer - LAMPREY, George
Biographical Sketches of
Early Settlers of Wellington County
Information from: Historical Atlas of the County of Wellington, Ontario.
Toronto: Historical Atlas Publishing Co., 1906
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LAMPREY, George
, b. Dublin, Ire.; d. 1839, age 56, was a Capt. In his Majesty's 82nd Regt.,
and served in the Peninsular War under Wellington, for which service he was
later rewarded by a grant of 801 acres in the Gore of Puslinch Tp., consisting
of the south half of lot 10, south half of lot 11, south half of lot 12, all of
lot 16, all of lot 17, and south three-quarters of lot 19. For six years after
the war he lived in Sussex County, Eng. In 1832 he left Eng. on the sailing
vessel "Sovereign," and landed in New York, and after paying a short visit to
his brother-in-law, Robert Ward, came on to Toronto. Here he met the late
Thomas Sandiland, and together they came to Guelph, and started a general store
on the Market Square. In 1834 Mr. Sandiland withdrew form the partnership, and
Capt. Lamprey continued the business until his death in 1839. Next to this
store, which was on the present Massey-Harris site, Capt. Lamprey built the
first stone residence in Guelph, John Thorp being the contractor. As the
settlers at that time said there was no building stone in the vicinity of
Guelph, the material for this house was collected from the surrounding bush. At
the time of the Mackenzie Rebellion the Captain's military ardor was rekindled,
and he immediately began drilling the volunteers of the city, and this action,
together with the presence of the troops and the Captain's military fame,
undoubtedly did much to create a feeling of security among the solid and
cautious people of the section, as well as having a strong deterrent effect on
the lukewarm supporters of Mackenzie. His appointment as Commissioner of the
Court of Request, and also as Registrar for the county, is evidence of the
esteem in which he was held by the people of Guelph, and of the confidence
placed in him by the governing authorities of the time. Unfortunately, death
cut short his career before the completion of the county buildings, thus
removing from the community one who, judging from his short life in Guelph,
would have done much to accelerate the mercantile, municipal and military
advancement of what is now known as the Royal City.
John A. Lamprey, the only surviving son in Guelph, was b. on the Atlantic Ocean in 1832. He attended the old Wellington District Grammar School, to Mr. Verner, and of his classmates in that school only the following still live in Guelph: Crown Attorney H. W. Peterson; Magistrate Saunders, James Thorpe, With the exception of nine years in Grey County, Mr. Lamprey has lived in Guelph, and few, if any, of her citizens have given her as faithful and continued service. He was a member of the Guelph Council for seventeen years, and was for two years Mayor. In church work his record is equally enviable, as he was for twelve years Chairman of the Board of Managers of St. Andrew's Pres. Church, and two years member of the Board of Managers of Knox Church, which he still attends. After six years of experience Mr. Lamprey, in 1887, opened his present office, where, since that date, he has conducted a loan, real estate, insurance and conveyancing business. From: Historical Atlas of the County of Wellington, Ontario. Toronto:Historical Atlas Publishing Co., 1906 |
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