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:
1.
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
½ 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, 2018
2.
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 ½ 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.
3.
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 ½ 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).
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