Tag Archives: Hamilton

Celebrating 50 Years of Westfield Heritage Village

Travels, , , , ,
The Gazebo all decked out for the Anniversary Celebrations at Westfield Heritage Village
The Gazebo all decked out for the Anniversary Celebrations at Westfield Heritage Village

This year is the 50th Anniversary of Westfield Heritage Village.  The village, containing over 30 historic buildings on a 3.4 square kilometre site, is located just west of Rockton, Ontario, Canada between Cambridge and Hamilton.

It is not hard to see the passion and imagination is still as alive now as it was when the Village was created 50 years ago. Buildings have lovingly been restored and furnished to match the period of the day. There are churches, shops, a school house, sawmill, a farm and even a house from one of my ancestors.

The Misener House was donated by the Misener family from it’s original location in Troy, Ontario. The home was built in 1832 by Conrad Misener. Conrad and I share a common ancestor in his father and my 7x great grandfather Adam Misener. Per records I found online, descendants of Conrad’s chose to donate the house to the village after it was inhabited for over 100 years.

After some recent repairs the Misener House in the Westfield Heritage Village has a new lease on life.
After some recent repairs the Misener House in the Westfield Heritage Village has a new lease on life.

The Misener House in the Westfield Heritage Village per the virtual museum “The house itself is a simple, humble, post and beam building from 1832. It was made with local lumber sawn in the Misener’s own mill on Fairchild’s Creek.”

Train enthusiasts have lots to see and enjoy as well. A train station originally built in 1896 has been moved to the village from nearby Jerseyville; a locomotive is on site and a steam powered wagon will take visitors on tours around the village.

The Jerseyville Railway Station now located in the Westfield Heritage Village
The Jerseyville Railway Station now located in the Westfield Heritage Village

My father and his tractor club were invited to join in the Volunteer celebration over Father’s Day weekend and he asked me to come along. The Rockton Antique Tractor and Hobby Club brings in antique tractors and farm equipment that not only go on display but parade around the village, much to the delight of young and old. Even though my father’s tractor isn’t the oldest, his smile as he drives it around the central square might be the biggest of the bunch.

A tree was planted in front of the schoolhouse in Westfield Heritage Village in celebration of 50 years
A tree was planted in front of the schoolhouse in Westfield Heritage Village in celebration of 50 years

To commemorate the 50th anniversary, a tree was planted in front of the school house. The evening celebration was centered around the square in the centre of the village. The central gazebo was adorned with lights and dominion decorations, live bands were brought into perform including The Ever-Lovin’ Jug Band who put on a fantastic show. The General store was selling fresh baked cookies and traditional candy and it was all capped off with an amazing fireworks show.

My iphone trigger finger was happy to be involved in the festivities as the light was phenomenal. Even my neice got involved by using her ipod to snap some shots and we both loved comparing notes over the images we captured. The team at Westfield really put on a great party which was no surprise considering all the time and care they put in to running the village every week.

The church in Westfield Heritage Village is available for weddings as well as tours.
The church in Westfield Heritage Village is available for weddings as well as tours.

Westfield Heritage Village is located at 1049 Kirkwall Road (formerly Regional Road 552), off Highway 8 in Rockton. Westfield is open Sundays and holidays from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. April to October. Special events run from March to December, hours may vary.

12 Months, 12 Ancestors – James Noah Lovejoy

The History of Me, , , ,

Note: this is the sixth installment in my own version of #52ancestors where geneabloggers have been asked to write about a different ancestor every week for a year. To understand the concept, read my blog entry from January 19, 2014.

Awake before anyone really should be, I decided to browse through my favourite website ancestry.ca before getting ready for work. Lo and behold I found a little leaf shaking on my tree where a leaf hadn’t been shaking for a long time. Eureka! A potential find!

James Noah Lovejoy

As the first of his line to come to Canada, I already had a soft spot for this Englishman-com-Hamiltonian. Here’s how I’m related to James Noah Lovejoy:

  1. Corina Hill Harris (Me)
  2. Elizabeth Marlene Hill (Mother)
  3. Elizabeth (Betty) Mae Lovejoy (Grandmother)
  4. Victor Wilfred Lovejoy (Great-Grandfather)
  5. Franklin William Lovejoy (2x Great-Grandfather)
  6. James Noah Lovejoy (3x Great-Grandfather)

He was born in the parish of St. James Norland in the county of Middlesex and was baptized on October 25, 1857. Through the baptismal certificate I could see his parents names as Thomas and Harriet Lovejoy but being not from England, a little more research is required.

I don’t know about you but I always need to look things up when I find a place. I feel an innate need to actually understand where I came from, not just who I came from. So I turned to the trusty Google and began searching for the church. Google brought me upon this record from familysearch.org that outlined what the church is and how it has changed after amalgamating. In searching for the two names of St Clement and St James, I found this tidbit on the church website:

A listed Grade II National Heritage building, St James’s Church (1845) stands impressively at the centre of St James’s Gardens, at the Holland Park end of the parish. The spacious and majestic interior, beautifully illuminated by the original stained glass windows, enhances a reverent but unfussy approach to the Eucharist.

The outstanding church organ is highly valued by the congregation, as well as a variety of orchestras and other music projects which practice and perform in the church.

That of course brought me to Google maps to try and find the location. The church of St Clement and St James is located in London, England near Norland’s Square and Notting Hill. The church is stunning to see but it wasn’t why I was looking up my 3x great grandfather James Noah Lovejoy.

The leaf shaking on my tree was for the opposite of a baptism – his death certificate. I had known that he had traveled to Canada on the Medway back in 1872 at the age of 15. It was only fitting that he would settle just down the road from me in Hamilton, Ontario. He married Elizabeth Mepham and she was the witness on his death certificate.

James died of influenza on March 26, 1932. He had been sick for 17 days but there were some other complications including nephitis (inflammation of the kidneys) and something ineligible to my untrained eye.

Detail from James Noah Lovejoy's Death Certificate
Detail from James Noah Lovejoy’s Death Certificate

He and his wife Elizabeth lived on 24 Hazel Avenue, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario and had for 54 years.

His parents are listed as Thomas Lovejoy and Harriet Palmer. Harriet’s last name had been eluding me until this one document unlocked the key to a future search.

His occupation is listed as Steel Worker at Steel Co Canada. (Could this has contributed to his health ailments and his death?)

He was buried in the Hamilton Cemetery on March 28, 1932.

Knowing how much I love looking things up online, this caused me to turn to all the Cemetery Finding Aids I could. I did find his name listed here as being located in the Hamilton Cemetery, Church of the Ascension-D, but thus far haven’t been able to locate a head stone through all of my many searches.

I will keep looking, and it may involve my very own head stone research. After all, it isn’t every day you locate your 3x great grandfather, and the first of his line to come to Canada.