Robert Dawson

1830 - 1912  (81 years)

• Name	Robert Dawson
  Born	23 Jul 1830	Strathdon, , Aberdeen, Scotland   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	1871	Burford Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	farmer
  Occupation	1881	Burford Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	farmer
  Occupation	1891	South Dumfries Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	farmer
  Died	19 May 1912	Burford Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada   [1, 3]
  Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region	Bef 2012	, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  Interesting	invention, agriculture
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-1068
  Buried	Paris Cemetery, Paris, Brant Co., Ontario   [1]
  Person ID	I1068	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Family	Sarah Cowan,   b. 30 Jul 1829, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 11 Feb 1896, Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 66 years)
  Children	1. William G. Dawson,   b. 5 Dec 1867, Burford Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 23 Aug 1935, Woodstock, Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 67 years)   2. John Alexander Dawson,   b. 27 Mar 1869, Burford Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 16 Oct 1942, Burford Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 73 years)   3. Robert Cowan Dawson,   b. Sep 1871, Burford Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1940, Burford, Burford Twp., Brant Co., Ontario  (Age ~ 68 years)
  Last Modified	12 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F51887	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Robert Dawson

  
  

• Notes

  On a farm just outside of Galt Robert Dawson developed "Dawson's Golden Chaff" a variety of wheat made popular for more that 40 years. After a storm badly damaged his wheat crop he noticed one plant that had survived. He saved the seeds and planted them and the characteristics of the plant proved useful and after a few years and for the next forty his grain was widely used by him and other farmers. He moved to the Paris area and is buried in the Paris Cemetery. Cambridge Mosaic, Jim Quantrell, 1998, City of Cambridge [abbreviated snippet from original text in book] ___________________ The naming of a select strain of wheat as "Dawson's Golden Chaff" honored Robert Dawson, a farmer Galt, born in Aberdeenshire Scotland, who was responsible for its development. In 1881 Dawson, living on land which became the Galt Country Club on Coronation Blvd., owned a field of storm-flattened winter wheat called Red Dawson. While walking in the field in the spring, he noticed standing alone one plant obviously unusually vigorous, that had withstood the adverse weather. He saved the plant and in a few years produced enough grain to seed his own farm and sell a quantity to a neighbor. The Ontario Agricultural College purchased some of the wheat, and on testing it in their plots discovered that it far out yielded all other varieties. They gave it the name "Dawson's Golden Chaff." This variety is, in 1972, still being used in test plots at Guelph to improve new varieties of wheat. The Waterloo Region Hall of Fame ______________________________ Dawson's Golden Chaff Dawson's came from a single plant selected from a field of Clawson wheat in 1881 by Robert Dawson, Paris, Ontario. It was distributed by the Ontario Agricultural College and has been a eading variety in Ontario for over 50 years. It is widely adapted to the main winter wheat areas of Ontario, and registered seed stocks have been produced for many years. Loose smut has been a troublesome disease in Dawson's Golden Chaff and much of the former acreage devoted to this variety has been replaced by the more resistant Cornell 595. Dawson's is a high quality soft white winter wheat for the pastry flour trade, as well as a strong strawed, high yielding variety in the field. Spring and winter wheat for Eastern Canada by Fraser, J. G. C; Whiteside, A. G. O; Canada. Dept. of Agriculture Publication date 1952 Publisher Ottawa : Canada Dept. of Agriculture https://archive.org/details/springwinterwhea00fras ________________________ Early Genesee Giant. This variety has been grown on the plots for two years, but owing to the lateness of receiving the seed in 1892 the results were not reported the first year. It stood fourth in general appearance of standing grain, and seventh in yield of threshed grain, among eighty varieties grown this year. The straw is tall and fairly strong, the heads bearded and quite compact, the chaff red and the grain white. The above mentioned varieties have all been offered by leading seedsmen over Ontario for at least two years, with the exception of the Dawson's Golden Chaff which was not advertised in the seedsmen's catalogues previous to this season. In 1881 Mr. Robert Dawson, of Paris, Ont., had a field of the Seneca, or Clawson in which he found one plant quite distinct and much superior to the rest of the crop. Mr. Dawson sowed the grain from this plant, and has continued to grow this wheat since that time. This variety has been extensively grown in the vicinity of Paris for the past few years; but it was practically unknown over Ontario until tested at the experimental station along with many old and new varieties, and the comparative results published. Sessional Papers. Vol. XXVII- Part IV., First Session Eight Legislature of the Province of Ontario, Session 1895. TORONTO: PRINTED FOR LUD. K. CAMERON, QUEEN'S PRINTER, BY WARWICK BROS & RUTTER 68 and 70 FRONT STREET WEST 1895. ____________________________

  
  

• Sources

  [S3231] Find A Grave, Robert Dawson (1830 - 1912) - Find A Grave Memorial. (2017). Findagrave.com. Retrieved 11 July 2017, from https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=142532789. [S2431] Census - Canada - 1891, Census Place: Dumfries South, Brant North, Ontario; Roll: T-6325; Family No: 10. Robert Dawson, 60, b. Scotland farmer Sarah 61 b. Ontario William 24 b. Ontario - farmer John 22 b. Ontario - farmer Robert 20 b. Ontario - farmer [S713] Vit - ON - Death Registration, death certificate 8303 (1912), Robert Dawson. Robert Dawson, b. Jul 1830, Scotland, d. 19 May 1912 Burford, widowed. informant John A. Dawson of Paris, [S298] Census - Canada - 1881, Census Place: Burford, Brant South, Ontario; Roll: C_13263; Page: 27; Family No: 123. Robert Dawson, 50 b. Scotland, farmer Sarah 51, Ontario William G., 13, Ontario John A. 11, b. Ontario Robert C. 10 b. Ontario Charles 41, b. Scotland [S2430] Census - Canada - 1871, Census Place: Burford, Brant South, Ontario; Roll: C-9914; Page: 47; Family No: 171. Robert Dawson, 40, b. Scotland, farmer Sarah 41 b. Ontario William 3, b. Ontario John 2, b. Ontario Robert 6/12 b. Ontario Maggie Myers, 27 b. Ontario [S220] Waterloo Region Hall of Fame Waterloo Region Hall of Fame. Sauer, Norman - Attestation Papers Pg 1.gif Sauer, Norman - Attestation Papers Pg 2.gif

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 23 Jul 1830 - Strathdon, , Aberdeen, Scotland Occupation - farmer - 1891 - South Dumfries Twp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region - Bef 2012 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth