PART ONE

The following is recounted by Marguerite McColl ( nee Davy), who was born in Bancroft on November 9, 1909. “ It was just a little village,” she recalls.

WILLIAM   DURLAND   DAVY

William Durland Davy was of Loyalist stock. Several Davy families (who came originally from Wales) left the U.S.A. after the Revolution of 1776 and settled around the Kingston, Bath and Sydenham area. My grandfather, W.D.Davy, lived in Queensborough. He married Ester Freemond and had a family of five boys and one girl: Chester, Adam, William A.( for Albert), George, Frederick and Salome. George married a George girl and went west while Frederick, the youngest, went to the U.S.

At this time the Hastings Road, a colonization road, was being opened up. Senator Billa Flint was influential in getting settlers, especially around the water power area known as York River. W.D.Davy took advantage of the available settlement and moved his family back, I think, around what is called Spurr Lake. He had considerable knowledge of preparing lumber for building homes, raising barns and grinding grain. By this time, the three older boys were growing up.

Senator Flint got W.D.Davy involved in these operations. About this time, also, Senator Flint obtained machinery to set up a woollen mill and persuaded David Fuller to establish and operate the first woollen mill. Fuller was married to Josephine Jones, a talented daughter of a woollen mill owner near Cambden East.

One of the first animals a farmer would raise was sheep. When these were shorn the wool was brought to the mill and made into yarn, blankets, or full cloth, as the farmer wished.

Mrs. Fuller’s niece ( E.S.Hannah) came back to visit her aunt and eventually married W.A.Davy. (These were Mrs. McColl’s parents.) Mrs. Davy’s sister eventually came back to visit her and married John Kelusky who was born somewhere in Monteagle and carried on a store business in Maynooth. Then he moved to York River, later named Bancroft, where he operated a thriving department store.

 

Of the Davy brothers already mentioned, Chester proved a surprisingly good business manager and he ran a thriving store. He married Florence Cleak, also of a pioneer family, and fathered several children. With his brothers he established the Davy Furniture Factory making doors, sash, windows, bedroom sets, tables, chairs, cabinets…

Sadly, Chester died of stomach cancer when some of his children were yet quite young. Also, sadly, Mrs. Davy, according to English elite tradition, had no part in the business and she handed it over to her brother Elwood Cleak.

Although, when Chester died, he had left his family “well fixed,” it was no time before Elwood had “gone through everything.” The family moved to Vineland where they engaged in market gardening and the girls in nursing. One of the younger boys, Lorne Davy, eventually returned to Bancroft where he pursued the Davy inherited talent of building houses, schools…. A grandson of Chester Davy now lives in Bancroft- Donald Davy, with his wife Libby.

The woollen mill was operated for some years by Oswald Fuller. It was one of the last custom woollen mills in Canada. People as far away as the North West Territories and Labrador would send in their wool and it would be manufactured as required and returned. However, because of the new materials being invented and taking the place of woollen goods, the mill was closed. Some of the machinery from the Bancroft mill was taken to Upper Canada Village.

The Davy Brothers (William and Adam) continued as builders. Chester, when he was alive, built at least two houses on Sherbourne Street, one of which is now an apartment building. Adam built a large house at the junction of Sherbourne and Station Streets. This was once a double house and later, an apartment house. He later built a number of houses on Chemausgon  Street. William D., when he retired, built a house on Sherbourne Street. William A. married E.S.Hannah. He had a house built on Sherbourne Street and completely furnished for his new bride. Much of the furniture was made in the Davy factory, but the parlor was replete with “ boughten” furniture. I still have at least one chair and a dresser.

To Be Continued