10-82 Charles Wellington10, John Wellington9, Andrew8, Samuel7, Samuel6, Jacob5, Samuel4, Benjamin3, Nathan2, Henry1
Charles Wellington Birdsall, son of John Wellington Birdsall and Annie Robb (Powers) Birdsall, was b. March 4, 1893 at Fairview Farm, Middleton Township Third Concession south of Talbot Road, lots 13 and 14. Charles d. November 6, 1980. Charles m. Eva Bernice Swinn (dau. of Albert Swinn and Alice (Thomlinson) Swinn on September 15,
1915.
“Charlie” was a collector of many items he felt held personal or historical significance, some of which are listed below:
Poster from Niagara area motel called: "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
John Birdsall Family Photo: John-Annie-Eva-Etta-Charles
Ontario Vehicle Permits from 1918 to 1928
Some significant events in the life of Charles Wellington Birdsall:
1906 - Passed the Entrance after attending South Middleton Public School, S.S. No. 13.
1907-1909 - Tillsonburg High School
1909-1910 - Tillsonburg Business College
1910-1915 - Worked on farm with his Father
l915 - September 15, married Eva Bernice Swinn
1920 - Bought the farm from his Father, his Father and Mother moved to the "Triggerson Place" on the Plank Road, now Hwy. 59
1928 - Grew first crop of tobacco
1928-1930 - Councillor, Township of Middleton
1940 - sharegrowers grew the tobacco crop
1952 - sold the farm to Jack and Freda Graves
1948-1950 - Deputy Reeve Middleton Township
1951-1952 - Reeve, Middleton Township
1951 - Warden of Norfolk County
1953 - Progressive Conservative Candidate in Federal Election
1956-1961 - Assessor, Middleton Township
1972 - Moved to Tillsonburg from the farmhouse where he was born
1980 - Died in a car accident on November 6
Stories by Charles Wellington Birdsall
More stories by Charles Wellington Birdsall
Charles Birdsall Hand Drawn Maps and List of Auto License Plates
Diaries of Charles Wellington Birdsall
Children of Charles Wellington Birdsall and Eva Bernice Swinn, surname Birdsall:
11-44 Lorsum (died at an early age
11-45 Jean Alice, b. Jun 5,1917, d. 2006, m.
Keith Harvey (1914-1997).
Jean attended public school at S.S. # 13 near
South Middleton. This was a 2 ?
mile walk from home. For her first
year in Primer as it was called, she stayed with her grandparents John and
Annie Birdsall who lived near the corner of 2nd Concession Road and
Plank Road (now Highway 59).
Jean
started public school on April 10, 1923 in this rural school with one teacher
for Primer, 1st Class, Jr 2nd, Sr 2nd, Jr 3rd,
Sr 3rd, Jr 4th and Sr 4th. It was a very small school and at times
there were only 10 students. In
June, 1930, the Entrance Examinations were held in Delhi. Her father Charles drove morning and
night for three days of examinations for “Entrance” to High School.
Jean
attended Tillsonburg High School from 1930 to 1935, boarding with Eva and Matt
Dean at first, and in January, 1932, started boarding with grandparents John
and Annie Birdsall who had moved to the south west corner of London and Bidwell
Streets. In November, 1932, Charles
bought a car to be used for his three daughters to drive to school and for a
hired man, Michel Goossens. Jean
got her drivers permit on April 19, 1933.
In
the school year 1935-1936, Jean attended the Tillsonburg Business College which
was operated by Lottie Herron. She
worked in the office for Milton Seymour of Kewadin Dairy, taught in the Simcoe
Business College in 1937-1938 and in the Tillsonburg Business College
1938-1940.
From
1940 to 1946, Jean worked in Simpsons office in Toronto and moved to Hamilton
in 1946 to work at a Studebaker office until 1956. Jean shared an apartment at 26 Gage
Avenue with sister Doris who was teaching in Hamilton. Later Jean lived at 4 Grant Ave. and 103
Lienster Ave.
On
October 18, 1952, Jean and Keith Harvey were married in St. Paul’s Church
in Tillsonburg with a reception at Mil-Mar Manor near Courtland. They lived at Waterdown at Allen’s
Lane and at 239 Mill Street until moving into an apartment in Burlington after
both were retired.
Jean
attended summer school courses for teacher training and Waterloo Lutheran
University for credits in order to qualify for secondary school teaching. She taught commercial courses at the
Hamilton High School of Commerce from 1961 to 1965 and at Cathedral High School
from 1965 to 1979 at which time she retired.
Keith
Harvey was born January 13, 1914, son of John and Margaret Harvey of Waterdown,
Ontario. He attended public school
and high school in Waterdown.
From
1942 to 1952, Keith was employed by the Income Tax Department. In 1952, he was appointed Postmaster of
the village of Waterdown and continued that position until his retirement in
1977.
Keith
was a member of the Masonic Lodge and was Worshipful Master in 1958. He was a member of the Scottish Rite and
a 32nd degree Mason.
He
took an active part in the work of the Church and in municipal affairs. He was a member of Waterdown Council for
six years and of Flamborough Regional Council for six years. He was a member of Knox Presbyterian
Church in Waterdown and sang in the choir from 1937 to 1978. Keith served as guest soloist at many
weddings and anniversaries and was often called upon to perform at social
events.
After
retirement Jean and Keith went to Florida for three months of each year.
Children of Keith Harvey and Jean Birdsall, surname Harvey:
a)
Michael Keith, b.
1957, d. Jun 16, 2008
11-46 Doris Eileen, b. 1918, d. Nov 9, 2018,
m. Oliver
Oatman (1912-1973).
Doris was born at the family home on the Bostwick Road, Lot 13,
Concession 3, South of Talbot Road, Middleton Township. She started school on April 28, 1924 at
S.S. No. 13, Middleton Township.
This school was located near South Middleton, a walk of 2 ? miles from
her home and included students of the eight years of elementary education in
one room with one teacher. In June,
1930, the Entrance Examinations were held in Delhi. Her father Charles drove morning and
night for three days of examinations for “Entrance” to High School.
Doris attended Tillsonburg High School from 1930
to 1935, boarding with Eva and Matt Dean until January 1932. Grandparents John and Annie Birdsall had
moved from a farm to the corner of Bidwell and London Streets in Tillsonburg,
and Jean, Doris and later Freda boarded with them until Charles purchased a car
and Jean drove each day.
In
September 1935, Doris started studies at the University of Western Ontario in
London, Ontario. She boarded on
Richmond Street near the University and received 3 meals a day. This was the usual in the 1930’s
since there were no student residences.
Charles and Eva came to London to take her home about every three weeks,
or she received a ride from others.
After
graduation from University Doris attended the College of Education on Bloor
Street, Toronto and boarded on Madison Avenue. With summer school courses and some
Correspondence courses when summer school was cancelled during the war years,
she received her Commercial Specialist degree.
In
1940 Doris started to teach at the Beamsville High and Vocational School. The Commercial program included a two
year commercial course and a one year special course. Classes were in two adjoining rooms,
wone for typewriting and one for all other courses. The three levels of study were conducted
by only one teacher of commercial subjects.
In
1946 Doris move to the High School of Commerce in Hamilton and taught
Typewriting and Office Procedures.
Her sister Jean moved from an office in Toronto to work at a Studebaker
office in Hamilton in 1946. Jean
and Doris rented an apartment at 26 Gage Avenue in Hamilton and Doris lived
there until coming home in June 1948 to prepare for her wedding.
On September 18, 1948, Doris and Oliver Oatman
were married on the front lawn of her parents home on the Bostwick Road with
the reception and a catered meal there.
Doris and Oliver moved to the Oatman family farm on the Goshen Road, Lot
5 Concession 3, NTR.
Doris
returned to teaching in 1956. She
taught commercial courses at Annandale High School until 1962, at Glendale High
School from 1962 to 1967 and again at Annandale from 1967 until her retirement
in December of 1978. She remained
on the Oatman farm after the passing of Oliver in 1973 until she moved to
Harvest Retirement Home in Tillsonburg.
During
her retirement she worked on many research projects on family and local
history, completing many family histories and a History of Middleton Township.
11-47 Freda Anne, b.
Dec 20, 1920, m. Jack Graves Oct 25, 1941
Freda started school in 1926 at S.S. # 13
Middleton Township. This school was
located near South Middleton, a walk of 2 ? miles and included students of the
eight years of elementary education in one room with one teacher. In June of 1932 the Entrance
Examinations were held in Tillsonburg.
Charles or Eva drove Freda each day for three days of examination for
“Entrance” to high school.
Freda
attended Tillsonburg High School from 1932 to 1937. She had been taking music lessons for
several years and continued with music while staying at home from 1937 to 1938. In the school year 1938 to 1939, she
attended the Tillsonburg Business College, but continued with her music exams
to Piano, Grade 10 and Theory to Grade 8 and taught some students in music in
1940.
In
June of 1940 Freda started to work at Vance Seeds office on Bidwell
Street. Vance Seeds plant was on
Bidwell next to the railway tracks which were removed and is now Bridge Street.
On
October 25, 1941 Freda Anne Birdsall and Jack Douglas Graves were married in
the farm home on the Bostwick Road with the reception and catered meal
there. Catharine Carr,
Freda’s music teacher, played the music, Mrs. Yeoman sang and the
waitresses were Verna Swinn, Beulah Foster, Ilene Markle and Enid Prouse.
Jack
was in the army and soon went overseas.
Freda continued to work at Vance Seeds office until Jack returned home
in 1945. In the winter of 1946 they
moved into the other house on the family farm and grew their first crop of
tobacco in 1946.
Freda
worked in all areas of growing a crop of tobacco, looking after plants in the
greenhouse, planting, hoeing, etc. and stripping the crop in the winter
season. During the harvest season
she frequently had many of the workers to house and feed. In 1968, after growing their last crop
of tobacco, Jack and Freda moved to a new house they had built on the
south-west corner of Lot 5, Concession 3, NTR on the Mabee Sideroad of
Middleton Township.
In
1977, after selling the house on the Mabee Sideroad, Jack and Freda moved to
Tillsonburg to Lamers Court until a new office and residence was completed for
Jack Graves Realty at 94 Bidwell Street.
Freda
entered the real estate business.
She received her Salesman License in 1970, did many of the office tasks
and actively listed and sold properties.
Freda took courses required to become a broker and received her
broker’s license in 1973. She
and Jack were then able to form a Limited Company under the name of Jack Graves
Realty Ltd. In January, 1994, the
firm was taken over by Lori and Dave Kerckaert.
Jack
Graves:
Jack
Graves was born June 19, 1920, son of John and Enid (Nelson) Graves. He attended public school in Ostrander
and Tillsonburg and attended Tillsonburg High School. He d. Oct 11, 2013 in Tillsonburg.
He
joined the Canadian Army in July, 1941 and went oversease in November,
1941. He was a member of the Royal
Canadian Ordinance Corps and served in England, Italy, Sicily, France and
Holland until the war ended in May, 1945.
Jack
returned from overseas in September, 1945 and began growing tobacco on the
Birdsall farm in 1946.
Jack
was a member of the Tillsonburg Kinsman Club in the early fifties and was
President in 1957.
Jack
became a member of the Middleton Township Council and serve on Council in 1953,
1954 and 1955. He was a member of
the Tillsonburg District High School board and the Long Point Region
Conservation Authority.
He
was employed in the fall and winter by British Leaf Tobacco Company to arrange
for the purchase of tobacco crops for that company. In the late fifties and early sixties he
was employed by the Provincial Government as and Inspector of tobacco grades at
the Auction Exchange.
In
1952, Jack and Freda bought the tobacco farm from Charles and Eva Birdsall and
sold the farm in 1967 to the Imperial Tobacco Company. They continued to grow the crop for the
Imperial Tobacco Company in 1967 and 1968 before moving to the house on the
Mabee Sideroad.
Jack
sold real estate for Reg Freeman at times during the 1950’s and
1960’s and started his own company in 1970. He received his broker’s license
and continued with appraisal courses to receive his F.R.I. (Fellow of the
Realtor’s Institute of Canada), C.M.R (Certified Marketing Real Estate
Designation) and C.R.B (Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager).
Source:
The Birdsall Family, George
A. Birdsall, 1982 Pg 12
Personal
records of Doris (Birdsall) Oatman
Link
to Birdsall Home Page
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