From the 25 January 1966 Evening Guide
Early District Settler Leaves Diary Notes
About 125 years ago, Port Hope was a thriving young town, and many families were settling on the farms of Hope Township. One of them was the Wilson family, which settled at Lot 19, Concession 7 [near Garden Hill]. A part of the diary of a twelve-year-old boy, Joseph Spencer Wilson [1830-1898], has been preserved by present-day relatives and is printed below.
One member of the Wilson family farms the north end of the lot today, though the south end has been out of the family for some years. Many direct descendants of Joseph Spencer Wilson and his brothers live in the Port Hope area.
The family came to Canada from Lindley, near Huddersfield, Yorkshire.
The family, consisting of John Ernest Wilson (1795-1877), his wife, Sarah Spencer (1794-1867), and seven boys - James (1825-1892), Edmund (1827-1911), Joseph Spencer (1830-1898), John (1832-1842), George (1835-1842), Thomas (1837-1928), and Charles (1841-?) - emigrated to the Garden Hill area in 1841. This brief extract from Joseph's diary was written during their second winter.
The Diary
1841
April 14th - Sailed for Quebec on board the ship Leander. Had a fine passage of 5 weeks and 2 days and went forward to Montreal. (They arrived at Port Hope on 02 June.)
1842
Sept. 23rd - We finished getting in our wheat and James [1825-1892] began to fence.
Oct. 11th - Our George died aged seven years and two months. (This was a brother who died of scarlet fever.)
[Tradition says George was the first burial in the new Anglican Church cemetery.]
Oct. 14th - John Wilson died aged 10 years and three months. (Another brother)
[...also of scarlet fever]
Oct. 29th - The Indian summer began.
Nov. 13th - The English Church, Perrytown, opened for the first time.
Nov. 22nd - John Haigh shot an Owl.
[A cousin of Joseph's? His grandparents were James Wilson & Rebecca Haigh, and one of the witnesses at John & Sarah's 1824 wedding in Huddersfield was Benjamin Haigh.]
Nov. 30th - There fell a snow which took the cattle up to the belly, and made good sleighing.
Dec. 13th - We slaughtered our pig. Cut her up the next day, being my grandfather's birthday.
[Joseph's grandfather, James Wilson, husband of Rebecca Haigh, was born 14 December 1759.]
Dec. 17th - This morning was the first time I could move my neck which way I chose for the last two months and 20 days, and in another week was quite well.
Dec. 23rd - A very cold day which froze some of our hens stiff as a poker, and one had some of its claws froze, which broke off.
Dec. 24th - Cut down the first Pine Tree and made preparations for squaring it towards the building of the saw mill.
Dec. 25th - Xmas day. One hen froze dead.
Dec. 26th - Our Brick chimney fell down, but no one was hurt.
J.S.W.
Peter and Barbara Bolton - Port Hope, Ontario
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