John Henry "Charlie Ross" Hobbs^[1]

1860 - 1928  (67 years)

• Photos		Galt-CharlieRoss-postcardonRailway.jpg
  		Ross,Charlie-001-JohnHenryHobbs-postcard.jpg

  
  

• Name	John Henry "Charlie Ross" Hobbs
  Born	12 Jul 1860	Whitby, Whitby Twp., Ontario Co., Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	life story,
  Name	Charlie Ross
  Occupation	1896	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	Butcher
  Occupation	1901	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	?
  Occupation	1911	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Laborer, Odd Jobs
  Residence	1911	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Roman Catholic
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-63841
  Died	8 Jan 1928	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Buried	Mount View Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I63841	Generations
  Last Modified	11 Jun 2024

  
  

  Father	Richard N. Hobbs,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Charlotte,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F288529	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Maria Hilborn,   b. 19 Aug 1876, Speedsville (Waterloo Township), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	4 Feb 1896	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Children	1. Fredrick Johnston Hobbs,   b. 17 Oct 1896, Durham, Grey Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1950  (Age 53 years)   2. William D. Hobbs,   b. 12 Jan 1900, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Gordon D. Hobbs,   b. 7 Aug 1902, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 30 Apr 1954  (Age 51 years)   4. Violet Hobbs,   b. Jun 1905, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   5. Mary Almina Rose Hobbs,   b. 7 Mar 1906, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1995  (Age 88 years)   6. Lillie Hobbs,   b. Mar 1908, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	11 Jun 2024
  Family ID	F16670	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  John Hobbs was best known to local residents as "Charlie Ross". He came to Galt in the 1870's and seldom spoke of his past life. As a result residents referred to him as Charlie Ross after the missing child of a wealthy American parents. He claimed wealthy parents and a good education. Cambridge Mosaic , Jim Quantrell, 1998, City of Cambridge [abbreviated snippet from original text in book] ___________________________ The Lost Charlie Ross. Do you remember Charlie Ross? Not the lost Charlie Ross of Chicago who was never found, but our own Charlie Ross of Doon. "Well" wrote the late Thomas Yates several years ago, "Charlie Ross was an odd somebody. He was almost a facsimile of Charlie Chaplin, only his feet were not so long, and were brooked the other way. His right foot turned to the left and his left foot turned to the left. The result was that is you met Charlie on the street you would sometimes be perplexed as to which side of him you should pass. Charlie never wore two shoes alike. He always had odd ones on, perhaps a rubber on one foot and a boot on the other. His occupation was town chore-boy and handyman and never was there a job too menial for Charlie." Galt Reporter Mrs. Florence(Ayres) Hammond, formerly of Doon, says in her book ''Little Apples will grow again", about Charlie's profession; "Charlie took off his coat, laid it on the verandah rail and started to work. He dug a hole a few feet from the outhouse. The depth was waist high on Charlie. He climbed out. Pop hurried over to help him. They moved the outhouse over the new hole. Charlie shoveled the earth he removed from the new hole into the former one and packed it down solid," According to one of his daughters-in-law he came from a well-to-do family in Oshawa. After his mother's death his father remarried and Charlie did not like his step-mother so about the age of 17 het left home. So his father wouldn't be disgraced, if Charlie should get into trouble, he decided to use a different name and decided to claim to be the lost Charlie Ross of Chicago. Where he was between the age of 17 and the time he came to Doon , a married man with several children isn't known. He came to Doon from Preston where he had married Mary Hilborn. The lived in the "Old Dan Hamm House" on Old Mill Road now occupied by Edward Kinzie. He had five children, Frederick, William, Violet, Mary and Gordon. He continued working in Preston and each day would walk over to Blair and catch the Grand Trunk train to Doon at 5.30 p.m. The fare was 5 cents. He always carried a sack and said it was filled with stale bread. Sometimes he showed us he was carrying home a cow's head, which it was rumored his wife used in soup. The only time the older residents saw him shaved and dressed properly, even to a flower in his button-hole was the day he went to the funeral of George Clare, MPP, for South Waterloo. His children all turned out to be good and respected citizens. His son Frederick was twice married and died several years ago, leaving his widow, Bessie Hornblower and a daughter Earla. He is buried in the Doon Presbyterian Cemetery. Charlie's name was John Hobbs. Womens' Institute Tweedsmuir History Doon and Blair Branch.

  
  

• Sources

  [S3002] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration, 012661-96. John C. Hobbs, 30, occ. Moulder and Butcher, b. Whitby, res. Galt, son of Richard N and Charlotte married Mary Holborne, 19, b. Speedsville, res. Galt, daughter of Jesse and May, Witn Alex and Annie Allison Both of Galt 4 February 1896 In Galt. [S259] Census - ON, Waterloo, Galt - 1901, Galt (Town/Ville) C-7 Page 14. [S272] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo Twp. - 1911, Div. 7 Page 18.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 12 Jul 1860 - Whitby, Whitby Twp., Ontario Co., Ontario, Canada Occupation - Butcher - 1896 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 4 Feb 1896 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - ? - 1901 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Laborer, Odd Jobs - 1911 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Roman Catholic - 1911 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 8 Jan 1928 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Mount View Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth