Edmund John Taylor

1911 - 1979  (67 years)

• Name	Edmund John Taylor
  Born	8 Sep 1911	North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-227296
  Died	8 Feb 1979	Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Buried	New Hope Cemetery, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Person ID	I227296	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	John Henry Taylor,   b. 1866, Hamilton, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 21 Aug 1943  (Age 77 years)
  Mother	Julia White,   b. 25 May 1875, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 27 Dec 1917  (Age 42 years)
  Married	12 Apr 1904	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  Family ID	F23412	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Alma Modonna Johnson,   b. 4 Mar 1917, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 3 Feb 1990, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 72 years)
  Last Modified	12 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F62164	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Man inherits lock for old Galt tollgate. The lock Ken Simpson holds is large and heavy, made to withstand the perils of time. It was passed down to him from his father, Oscar, and once secured the tollgate that crossed the old Stone road at the corner of Main Street and the Dundas Highway. Most people would be surprised to learn that if you lived in Galt in the 1800s, or were a farmer just down the highway towards Dundas, and you wanted to use that road, you were required to pay a toll. More than a half-century ago Howard Cant discovered A photograph of the old toll gate amongst his souvenirs of the past. The Galt Reporter reprinted it almost immediately, evoking many memories for old-time residents. But by a strange coincidence, 79-year-old Albert Robb was visiting town from Thessalon and had been interviewed by a reporter just days before. It was his first visit to his old hometown in 60 years, since he left Galt at the age of 19 in 1890. As a boy his chore was to open the gate for travellers over the old road. Albert's mother, Mrs. Jas. Robb, had operated the toll gate before Patrick White. The fee at that time was five Cents. White, who was also a milkman in town, was the last gatekeeper. He lived in close proximity to the tollgate headquarters, in a big white frame house in which his grandson, Ed Taylor, was to inhabit. Pat White's sons, Jim and Ed, took turns as gatekeepers. By then, the fee had gone up to 10 cents a vehicle, though farmers paid a reduced annual fee because of their frequent use of the road to do business. The old Stone road to Dundas, originally of corduroy construction, was privately built. It had been the main incoming road to Galt since the town was founded in 1816, and it had been difficult to build, as it crossed the Beverly Swamp, where it is said that some people who entered were never seen again. AS for the lock that came down to Ken Simpson, the story of how it made its way into his hands is rather interesting. As was noted, Ken inherited the lock from his father Oscar. Oscar was given the lock from Harold Jenkins. Jenkins, who never married, was a local thrasher who went to the Ed Taylor farm (where the Swiss Chalet/Harvey's, as well as South Cambridge Centre are now located) to thrash. Hooked over the granary board in the barn, which became a coal shed, was this lock, a lock that was old even then. Said Harold to Ed: "If you're going to leave that lock there, then I'm going to take it home." Replied Ed: "Well, if you're going to take it home, I'm going to get the key for you." Jenkins had quite a collection of historical memorabilia and wanted the lock to go to Oscar Simpson, who farmed out near Branchton. Among the Jenkins' memorabilia was a bike that his older brother once rode over a high wire stretched across Niagara Falls. For years, recalls Ken, the bike sat collecting dust up in the hayloft of the Branchton Hotel barn that Harold's mother had run. She was a Hammer stein from the States, and related to the musical Oscar Hammerstein of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame. Journalist Dave Menary is a lifelong residence of Cambridge. His column runs every Tuesday. Cambridge Times 14 Jan 2003

  
  

• Sources

  [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/220945669. [S4] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration. John Taylor Born: Hamilton Age: 37 Born: abt 1867 Father: John Taylor Mother: Caroline Combs Spouse: Julia White Age: 33 Born: abt 1871 born: Galt Father: Patrick White Mother: Jane Skelly married 12 Apr 1904 married: Waterloo, Galt

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 8 Sep 1911 - North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 8 Feb 1979 - Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - New Hope Cemetery, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth