James Willard

Cal 1817 - 1884  (~ 67 years)

• Name	James Willard
  Born	CALC 13 Feb 1817	Dorking, Holmwood , Surrey, England   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	story, religion, pioneer, story
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-62020
  Died	7 Jul 1884	Beverly Twp., Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Buried	Sheffield Cemetery, Sheffield, Beverly Twp., Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Person ID	I62020	Generations
  Last Modified	12 May 2024

  
  

  Father	William Willard,   b. Abt 1786,   d. Sheffield, Beverly Twp., Wentworth Co., Ontario
  Mother	Charlotte Longhurst,   b. Abt 1790,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F42570	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Eleanor Cornell,   b. CALC 10 Apr 1830, Lambeth, Middlesex Co., Ontario ,   d. 10 Aug 1896, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age ~ 66 years)
  Children	1. Jesse Harmon Willard,   b. 1852, Beverly Twp., Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 30 Sep 1931, Mineral Springs, Adams, Ohio, United States  (Age 79 years)   2. George Wellington Willard,   b. 22 Jul 1863, Beverly Twp., Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 31 Oct 1943  (Age 80 years)   3. Rachel Willard,   b. 12 Sep 1866, Sheffield, Beverly Twp., Wentworth Co., Ontario ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	13 May 2024
  Family ID	F42394	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Died,/ Suddenly, in the Township of Beverly,/ on Monday evening, at 7 o'clock,/ James Willard,/Aged 67 Years, 4 Months and 24 Days./ Funeral,/ On Wednesday afternoon, at 2 o'clock, from/ his late residence, near Sheffield,/ to Sheffield Burying Ground./ Friends and acquaintances are respectfully/ invited to attend./ Beverly, July 8th, 1884 Funeral Card of James Willard ____________________________ GEORGE WILLARD, GIVES A HISTORY OF UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH AT SHEFFIELD AND OF BEVERLY TP. Church Founded Over 100 Years Ago - His Father Gave Land on Which Pleasant Grove School Stands-Recalls Names of Many of Pioneers of District-Has Lived in Galt 40 Years. The following letter has been received from George Willard, Oak Street: Editor: I would like to say a little about the United Brethren Church, of Sheffield, and some of the early settlers. The Rev. John A. Cornell was founder of the United Brethren church over one hundred years ago, about the time my parents came to this country. They took up land and settled two miles south of Sheffield known as the Willard settlement or Pleasant Grove. My father gave the land for the school which is Pleasant Grove School. That was about a century ago. There are none of the first or second generation living and very few of the third. I left Beverly over 40 years ago and came to Galt and have resided here since. There are six generations of the Willards of which Edward Willard, son of A.E. Willard, is the fifth generation. There are just three of the Willards left on the old homestead, Samuel and his two sisters.. Received $1 Month Just to give you an idea of the wages of those days, I was caretaker of the school when a boy. Wm. Cornell, also a minister, son of the late Rev. John A. Cornell and father of the late John A. Cornell, of Branchton, was trustee. I opened the school, lit fires, swept, dusted, carried water and locked up for the sum of $1. per month, good money in those days. I just thought of Wm Grills' letter in The Reporter of how cheap things were year ago. I have taken three dozen eggs to the store for a quarter, three pounds of butter for a quarter, but never remember chickens at five cents apiece. What Pioneers Did My father was the late James Willard. I often regret I had not taken more notice of what he told me of the early days and hardships they had to endure. Settling in a wilderness, they had to cut down the best of beech and maple and log it up and burn it to get a place to sew seed. I heard him say he teamed from Kitchener, then Berlin to Hamilton 85 years ago, down the Stone road, which is the Hamilton highway of today. He hauled sugar, flour, salt, beer, whiskey, the said whiskey being 24 cents a gallon. It has advanced in prince since then. The first doctor I can remember was the late Dr. Lundy. I cannot remember the late Rev. John A. Cornell, but I mention a few of the United Brethren Ministers of my time: Reverands Bowman, Cornell, Ploman, Downey, Crowder, Clark, Bacus, Wait and Carstead. Some of Old Settlers Some of the old settlers whom I can remember were Willards, Cornells, Sagers, Humphreys, Flemings, Lawrasons, Heaths, Normans, Stutermans, Weavers, Cooleys, Mains, Rickers, Bond, Grummett, Smith, Keachies, Malcolms, Hoods, Bennets, McClures, McDonalds, Kellys, Moors, Clellands, Lambs, Grants, Lees, Sipes, Cosemoors, VanEverys, Moffats, McWhinneys, Hammonds, Wells, Babcocks, Greens, Tansleys, Hendersons, Clinks, Halls, Dales, Henrys, Morgans, Youngs, and Chambers. The Church Case Those were all in a radius of four miles and the large majority were the founder of the United Brethren Church of Sheffield. Why would the Methodists and a few of the Presbyterians do such a mean thing as to want the United Brethren church, when they had a good one of their own, and they go to law about it and win. I was surprised when I heard the decision of the judge. He could not have had the case made plain or he would not have favored the Union. I cannot help but feel bad as it was the church I was brought up to and have never shifted. I took a trip through the States last fall and when in Cleveland, Ohio, I met a great grandson of the late Rev. John A. Connell of that city, and in my conversation with the minister, I partly arranged with him to come over this coming summer and preach a sermon in his great grandfather's church that was and should be yet. So if he should come we will find a place for him if it should be on the street. This young minister is either a second or third cousin of George Henry, of Sheffield. The village of Sheffield in those days was a smart little place. It had two stores, two churches, a cheese factory, harness shop, shoe shop, blacksmith shop, wagon shop, and hotel. Today it has only one store. There are lots who will read this, and who know what I say is right and are more capable than I am of giving a history of Beverly. I would mention Joseph Stauffer as one who could give a good history of Beverley, especially Sheffield as it was the place of his boyhood. Thanking you for this space in your paper. Other papers copy. G.W. Willard, 88 Oak Street. The Galt Evening Reporter, Galt, On, Saturday April 21, 1928

  
  

• Sources

  [S184] Funeral Card - - Funeral Card Notices of Waterloo County from 1851 to 1980, Funeral card of James Willard.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - CALC 13 Feb 1817 - Dorking, Holmwood , Surrey, England Died - 7 Jul 1884 - Beverly Twp., Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada Buried - - Sheffield Cemetery, Sheffield, Beverly Twp., Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth