Thomas McKenzie^[1]

1788 - 1862  (74 years)

• Name	Thomas McKenzie
  Born	1788	, Scotland   [2, 3, 4, 5]
  Gender	Male
  Historic Building	1395 Main St. E., Cambridge, Ontario
  	Developer wants to relocate 1860s farmhouse to accommodate new Cambridge subdivision New subdivision proposal is adjacent to Greengate Village subdivision on Main Street East by Doug Coxson A plan to relocate an 1860s farmhouse to make way for a new subdivision north of Wesley Boulevard in southeast Cambridge, is heading to next week's municipal heritage advisory committee a decade after the plan was first proposed. The plan of subdivision for 1395 Main St. would see 419 units built within 23 blocks, composed of multiple-family residential units, mixed-terrace homes and townhouses. Now that a complete heritage impact study of the property has been tabled for the committee to consider, the developer is seeking permission to relocate the old farmhouse, convert it to a single family home, and demolish an adjacent fieldstone barn. The developer wants to move the home to the corner lot at the intersection of Maple Bush Drive and Green Gate Boulevard, allowing "the building to continue to be used within the local community and within the vicinity of its original context." The study recommends the move, saying it will increase the home's visibility and place it on a new foundation that "will eradicate issues of a flooding basement which is currently plaguing the house." Located on land originally owned by Robert Dickson before it was transferred to Scottish native Thomas McKenzie in 1848, the house was built between 1855 and 1860, according to a preliminary heritage impact study completed in 2012. Dickson was no relation of Galt founder William Dickson and the property was deemed to have no significant historical value even though the city initiated a heritage designation on the farmhouse in 2012. The one-and-a-half storey limestone structure, built in the Ontario Cottage style with a Gothic revival central peak, was the subject of a 2019 investigation by Martin Simmons Architects that concluded there are no structural flaws and "no substantive reasons why this structure cannot be located." An engineering study completed the same year concluded the same thing, noting the foundation slab and chimney are "structurally independent" and would have to be removed to allow the structure to be relocated. A 2012 Stantec study of a fieldstone barn on the property, built around the same time as the house, concluded that bringing it up to minimum standard to allow "human occupancy" would be impractical and cost-prohibitive. Stantec recommended it be dismantled and the materials sold or catalogued and stored for future projects. The city issued a minimum standards order for the barn in 2019 that demanded it be demolished because it poses a "fire and accident hazard," but the barn remains standing. The recent heritage impact assessment says moving the farmhouse 190 metres from its original location "is the most viable option for integration for the building within the proposed plan of subdivision." Once it's relocated, the developer plans to build an addition on it with a two-car garage. "Developer Wants To Relocate 1860S Farmhouse To Accommodate New Cambridge Subdivision". 2022. Cambridgetoday.Ca. https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/developer-wants-to-relocate-1860s-farmhouse-to-accommodate-new-cambridge-subdivision-5151836?fbclid=IwAR0OrIOA3zSSk9Yt8_PLzKLO5-QWXuJmyBuL7Fo9s9ARA3JlCCnoHgH9ZhA.
  		Cambridge-MainSt.E-1395-WaterlooRegionRecord2021.jpg "Cambridge Heritage Committee Asks Council To Designate 1850S Farmhouse". 2021. Therecord.Com. https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2021/01/22/cambridge-heritage-committee-asks-council-to-designate-175-year-old-farmhouse.html.
  Land	North Dumfries Concession 10 Lot 05, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	The location on modern maps in 2021 is 1395 Main St. E., Cambridge
  		1395 Main St. E., Cambridge, Ontario Concession 10 Lot 5 North Dumfries
  Occupation	1851	North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Farmer
  Residence	1851	North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Presbyterian
  Occupation	1861	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Presbyterian
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-134525
  Died	24 Oct 1862	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4, 5]
  Buried	Mount View Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  Person ID	I134525	Generations
  Last Modified	10 Jul 2025

  
  

  Family	Rebecca Russel,   b. 1793, , Scotland ,   d. 5 Jun 1856  (Age 63 years)
  Children	1. Margaret McKenzie,   b. Jan 1816, , Scotland ,   d. 27 Oct 1886  (Age ~ 70 years)   2. Christine McKenzie,   b. 1820, , Nova Scotia, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Cersteny "Christina" McKenzie,   b. 1825, Halifax, Halifax Co., Nova Scotia ,   d. 9 Mar 1882, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 57 years)   4. John McKenzie,   b. 1827, , Nova Scotia, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	10 Jul 2025
  Family ID	F33394	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Historic farmhouse destroyed by Sunday morning fire A historically-significant farmhouse at 1395 Main St. in southeast Cambridge burned to the ground A historically-significant farmhouse in southeast Cambridge in the process of being relocated to a nearby location to make room for a new subdivision was razed by fire early Saturday morning. The farmhouse was officially located at 1395 Main St. and was slap dab in the middle of the new 419-unite Moffat Creek subdivision located just east of Wesley Boulevard. Fire crews and police were called to the location around 4 a.m. but it was too late to save the building. By morning all that was left was a pile of rubble and burnt timbers. The building had been placed on a large skid as it was to be moved to a more suitable location roughly 300 yards north of where it stood. Police and a fire truck, occasionally watering down hot spots, remained on scene Sunday. A neighbour who declined to give her name said she heard voices coming from the area late Saturday night and thought it was teenagers partying. Around 4 a.m. she said she was woken by the sound of what she called "explosions" from the location. She called police but they were already responding to the location. Just a few days ago crews were on site preparing a makeshift road to move the farmhouse to its new location where the developer planned on transforming it into a luxury home. Moffat Creek is made up of 419 units built within 23 blocks featuring multiple-family residential units, mixed-terrace homes and townhouses. local community and within the vicinity of its original context." In March, the city's heritage advisory committee accepted a Heritage Impact Assessment and designation for the home, and council approved the move. Last week, the city issued a foundation permit to allow the farmhouse to be relocated. The one-and-a-half storey limestone structure, built in the Ontario Cottage style with a Gothic revival central peak, was the subject of a 2019 investigation by Martin Simmons Architects that concluded there are no structural flaws and "no substantive reasons why this structure cannot be located." Once it's relocated, the developer plans to build an addition on it with a two-car garage. Located on land originally owned by Robert Dickson before it was transferred to Scottish native Thomas McKenzie in 1848, the house was built between 1855 and 1860, according to a preliminary heritage impact study completed in 2012. Dickson was no relation of Galt founder William Dickson and the property was deemed to have no significant historical value even though the city initiated a heritage designation on the farmhouse in 2012. Fire and police could not immediately be reached for comment. \endash with files from Doug Coxson "Historic Farmhouse Destroyed By Sunday Morning Fire (9 Photos)". 2022. Cambridgetoday.Ca. https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/historic-farmhouse-destroyed-by-sunday-morning-fire-5749778?utm_source=SND&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=AutoPilot&fbclid=IwAR1bDdjNFBEUdeATvaUtAdyDhsBfkRMkmc8zmL7nUSVRD3PtzBjjs6B87Ng.

  
  

• Sources

  [S5] Vit - - ON, Waterloo - 1858-1869 Marriage Register. Robert H. Burnett b. Dumfries, Scotland res: North Dumfries Age: 36 born abt 1827 father: Thomas mother: Agnes Hastie married Christina MacKenzie Age:: 30 born abt 1833 b. Halifax Nova Scotia Spouse res: Galt father: Thomas mother: Rebecca Russel married 27 Nov 1863 county: Waterloo [S233] Census - ON, Waterloo, North Dumfries - 1852, Div. 1, Pg. 15. [S1838] Census - ON, Waterloo, Galt - 1861, Galt 1861 Div. 1 Page 4. [S2697] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Cambridge, Mount View Cemetery Internet Link. [E] Thomas McKENZIE/ died/ 24th Oct. 1862/ Aged 74 yrs/ also/ Rebecca Russell/ his beloved wife/ died/ 5th June 1856/ aged 63 yrs/ [S31] News - ON, Waterloo, Cambridge - Dumfries Reformer (1850-1892), 29 Oct 1862. MacKenzie, Thomas died 24 Oct 1862 In Galt. Age 74.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1788 - , Scotland Land - - North Dumfries Concession 10 Lot 05, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Farmer - 1851 - North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Presbyterian - 1851 - North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Presbyterian - 1861 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 24 Oct 1862 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Mount View Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth