British settlers in Ontario c1906

[Yorky]

Would any Canadian members be able to help with my query please.

I have a photo of my gt aunt and uncle who went to Canada c1906. They are standing in front of a fairly large wooden cabin. On the wall of the cabin is Uncle's - E Crisp - name with a number. There are two maple tree saplings in what would eventually develop into their front garden I would think. A note on the back of the pic says "all my own work". Uncle had been in the building trade in UK. There are other buildings like it in the background. I guess a new township was being built for and by the immigrants. Perhaps the wooden dwellings were quickly made but temporary until more substantial homes were available.

I only assume it was somewhere in Ontario as in later years the family received photos taken in Toronto. Perhaps the location was actually Toronto during expansion.

Any ideas as to where I would write/email would be very much appreciated.

Cheers
Kathy in Yorkshire

[SarahND]

Hi Kathy,
Welcome to Talking Scot!

I hope some Canadians will be along soon with some answers for you. In the meantime, I can't help commenting on the housing question, since it has come up in my family many times.

Perhaps the wooden dwellings were quickly made but temporary until more substantial homes were available.

In Canada and the U.S. most of the permanent homes are made of wood. They hold up very nicely despite the viewpoint of most Europeans I say this as an American married to a European. My sister-in-law visited the U.S. and was astonished to see a frame house being built. She couldn't quite believe it was meant to be serious... On the other hand, I was very grateful to have a flexible house when I lived in earthquake country in California!

I think we have all been brainwashed by the three little pigs story and the wolf huffing and puffing and blowing down our flimsy house of sticks!

Sorry for that digression... It sounds like your great uncle built a whole settlement-- what a wonderful skill to have! He would have been justly proud of his work. I hope you can find out where it was. Perhaps if you find them in the 1911 census in Canada, it will give a better idea of which area to look in. At the moment, all I can quickly see is an Earnest Crisp, wife Ellen in Ontario, Glengarry, Lancaster. He was born in 1878 in England, but gives his trade as a "trackman" on the railroad. Hmmm. k

All the best,
Sarah

[paddyscar]

Hi Kathy:

Not what you're used to seeing as a home, even one built in the early 1900s?!

Canada is a very young country in terms of settlement by Europeans, apart from the fur trade. Canada was still recruiting settlers even as recently as the mid-1900s.

It is a matter of building with what is at hand. A vast country of few roads, most Ontario settlers would build their houses from timber, as it was abundant and readily available, It was not unusual for them to clear land for farming and mill the trees they cleared for timber to build their homes. They would be the quickest and most economical to build, but a frame house would be a permanent dwelling, possibly being upgraded later with brick or stone.

There will be many pictures of houses of the period at

http://www.archivescanada.ca/index2.html

Frances

[Yorky]

Many thanks Sarah and Frances for your responses. I note your comments about homes built from wood. I do realise that such a material would be plentiful and those structures would be the norm at the time.
I was wondering if the type of house in my photo would be built anywhere in Canada in the early 1900s to accommodate the rising population or whether the design might help to identify the location. I will have to delve deeper into that one.

The Canadian Archive website I have looked at before but in a more general way. Today I have looked at the section which covers immigrant details and have been able to identify the Crisp family leaving Liverpool for Quebec in 1906. I did not know the ports before so what a good start for me on Talkingscot.

Many thanks again
Kathy Cairns

[LesleyB]

Hi Kathy
...and welcome to Talking Scot.
Really pleased to hear that you have been able to make some progess!

Best wishes
Lesley

[Yorky]

Hello again

It gets better. After I had posted my last message I had another google for Canadian Census 1911. I found http://automatedgenealogy.com. The 1911 census is being transcribed and lo and behold I found my Crisp family in York South, Toronto. Next door was another Crisp family and 3 doors down a male Crisp. It strikes me the 3 Crisp adults were brothers. What a great find. Even an address. It will be great to try and find out if the street still exists today. One of the Mrs Crisps was my paternal grandmother's sister.

Why they interest me particularly is because when gran's sister Kate and Ernest Crisp opted for going to Canada, my gran and grandad and the 2 daughters they already had by 1906 were going too. By the time they were due to sail my gran had just found out she was pregnant again and was not very well so they decided to wait until the baby was a year or so old before they made the move. They never did. The baby was another daughter born early 1907. My Dad arrived 1913. The family were Londoners and when my Dad was 2 they headed north to Leeds in Yorkshire. Dad eventually met my Yorkshire Mum and here I am.

I didn't intend this to be a saga but there you go.

Bye for now
Kath

[BarbR]

I don't know if you have come across this site before, but I thought it was worth mentioning. It is the Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid and although far from complete it is often helpful. There are three references to "Crisp" buried in York County.

http://www.islandnet.com/cgi-bin/ms2/jveinot/search

Another site of interest if you have ancestors in Toronto is the "Toronto Star" Pages of the Past - but it does need some money before you search

Hope this was helpful.

Barbara

[paddyscar]

Hi Kath:

You can locate the street on this map site: http://www.mapquest.com

You may find the history and archives online from the Toronto Public Library of interest as well. http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/

Frances

[Yorky]

BarbR and Paddyscar

Many thanks for the web sites details. I will certainly have a look and post any findings here.

Cheers
Kath