Kilsyth, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Kilsyth is an unincorporated community in rural Georgian Bluffs Township
, Ontario
, Canada
with an approximate population of 100 people. The village is a quiet rural place set in pleasant rolling farmland. The community is also home to the Kilsyth Arena, Kilsyth Hall, Kilsyth United Church, local bottled water company 'Cleerbrook Springs' and the Derby Public School with an enrollment of three to four hundred pupils drawn from the surrounding district.
Kilsyth was home to the Derby Township Office until amalgamation. The office has since been turned into a residential location.
, Perthshire
, Scotland
. As emigrants, they travelled from their home to Kilsyth
, Scotland with all their possessions in three one-horse carts. At Kilsyth they embarked onto a horse drawn barge on the Forth and Clyde canal
, built just eleven years earlier. This was the last place they set foot on Scottish soil.
Once at Port Glasgow
, they moved their belongings directly onto a four masted sailing ship, the Jeanie Deans, 298 tons, which sailed on May 1st, 1843, the journey taking eleven weeks. Once arrived at Toronto
, they stayed with relatives. They rented a farm in Vaughan Township
. Finally able to buy their own farm they chose a plot of land in Grey County. They named their farm Springfield Farm, where they built a log cabin by a pond which still exists to this day.
Descendants of the Fleming family still live in the village.
Kilsyth was the early village of importance in Derby, situated near the center of the township on the Owen Sound and Saugeen Stage Road. The first school in the township was built on the Coulter farm, near Kilsyth, Jessie Fleming being the first teacher. The first church in the township was the English church, in what is known as the "Irish Settlement" in the third concession; and the first post office was established here, Alexander Fleming being the first postmaster.
It contained a post office, tavern, smithy, stores, and several other places of business. Most noted perhaps was the potter works started by Messrs. Walmsley and McCluskie which at one time was quite a large concern, the works producing articles of common use as well as ornaments. Among the early business men were, Thomas Sloan-merchant and postmaster; William Fleming-merchant; George Smith-keeper of the "Sloan Hotel"
Kilsyth still cherishes its Scottish roots.
Georgian Bluffs, Ontario
Georgian Bluffs is a township in southwestern Ontario, Canada, in Grey County located between Colpoy's Bay and Owen Sound on Georgian Bay.The township was incorporated on January 1, 2001 by amalgamating the former townships of Derby, Keppel, and Sarawak, and the village of Shallow...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with an approximate population of 100 people. The village is a quiet rural place set in pleasant rolling farmland. The community is also home to the Kilsyth Arena, Kilsyth Hall, Kilsyth United Church, local bottled water company 'Cleerbrook Springs' and the Derby Public School with an enrollment of three to four hundred pupils drawn from the surrounding district.
Kilsyth was home to the Derby Township Office until amalgamation. The office has since been turned into a residential location.
History
The village of Kilsyth was founded in 1845. Alexander Fleming, a stonemason, and his wife Jean, along with their eight children settled on Lot 10, Concession 6 in 1849. They were natives of BallinluigBallinluig
Ballinluig is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, with a population of approximately 240 . It lies on the banks of the River Tummel and is approximately 4 miles south-east of Pitlochry...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. As emigrants, they travelled from their home to Kilsyth
Kilsyth
Kilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
, Scotland with all their possessions in three one-horse carts. At Kilsyth they embarked onto a horse drawn barge on the Forth and Clyde canal
Forth and Clyde Canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal crosses Scotland, providing a route for sea-going vessels between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. The canal is 35 miles long and its eastern end is connected to the River Forth by a short stretch of the River...
, built just eleven years earlier. This was the last place they set foot on Scottish soil.
Once at Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...
, they moved their belongings directly onto a four masted sailing ship, the Jeanie Deans, 298 tons, which sailed on May 1st, 1843, the journey taking eleven weeks. Once arrived at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, they stayed with relatives. They rented a farm in Vaughan Township
Vaughan
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
. Finally able to buy their own farm they chose a plot of land in Grey County. They named their farm Springfield Farm, where they built a log cabin by a pond which still exists to this day.
Descendants of the Fleming family still live in the village.
Kilsyth was the early village of importance in Derby, situated near the center of the township on the Owen Sound and Saugeen Stage Road. The first school in the township was built on the Coulter farm, near Kilsyth, Jessie Fleming being the first teacher. The first church in the township was the English church, in what is known as the "Irish Settlement" in the third concession; and the first post office was established here, Alexander Fleming being the first postmaster.
It contained a post office, tavern, smithy, stores, and several other places of business. Most noted perhaps was the potter works started by Messrs. Walmsley and McCluskie which at one time was quite a large concern, the works producing articles of common use as well as ornaments. Among the early business men were, Thomas Sloan-merchant and postmaster; William Fleming-merchant; George Smith-keeper of the "Sloan Hotel"
Kilsyth still cherishes its Scottish roots.
Sources and links
- http://www.paperclip.org.uk/kilsythweb/Community/kilsyth_international_page.htm
- http://www.kilsythcountrycampground.com/
- http://cleerbrooksprings.com