Andrew Elliott

Other Events:

• Business: Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Preston Woollen Mill
• Interesting: mill, business, house, life story, politics, railway
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-52619P
• House: Abt 1834, 275 Ainslie St. S., Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Craigie Lea or Old Cowan House
• Occupation: 1836, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; grocer
• Residence: 1839, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Elected Office: 1850, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Reeve of Galt
• Occupation: 1852, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; merchant
• Occupation: 1861, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Manufacturer
• Residence: 1861, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; United Presbyterian Church

Notes:

The men who took the most prominent part in organizing the first library in the village were: Rev. Dr. Bayne, Alexander Burnet, James Cowan, John Gowinlock, William Trotter, H. G. Barlow, James Harris, Andrew Elliott, Francis McElroy, Francis Hogg, Andrew Moscrip and Walter H. Benn. These men have long since passed away, but they all did good work in their day in laying the foundations of a progressive and moral community; to the older generation of Galtonians their names call up a crowd of memories of the days that are no more.

First Annual Report of the Waterloo Historical Society, Berlin 1913, pg 17

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Andrew Elliott was born in Westerkirk, Eskdale, Scotland, the son of William Elliott and Jane Jardine. He arrived in Galt in 1834 and joined the Galt Debating Society. He helped organize the Galt Subscription and Circulating Library in 1836. The same year he went into the grocery business which partnered with John Fleming he operated for a number of years. In 1840's and 1850's he operated the Elliott Distillery the site of the first steam engine in Galt in 1844. He served on Galt council and served as reeve. In 1855 he became a partner with Robert Hunt in the Preston Woollen Mills. He also operated the Elliott Soap Works. In 1869 he moved to Almonte he operated a textile mill until his retirement in 1888. Elliott Street in Galt is named in his honour.

Cambridge Mosaic , Jim Quantrell, 1998, City of Cambridge [abbreviated snippet from original text in book]

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Elliott, Andrew, Almonte, one of the most enterprising of our woollen manufacturers, was born on the 3rd April, 1809, at Stanishwater, parish of Westerkirk, Eskdale, Scotland. His father, William Elliott, and his mother, Jane Jardine, were both natives of Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Mr. Elliott received his education at the Langholme and Corrie school, near Lockerby, which he left at the age of thirteen, and began the battle of life unaided. In 1834 he came to Canada, and two years after his arrival he began business as a grocer in Galt, Ontario. Here he did a good business, built a distillery, ran it for several years, sold it out, and joined Kobert Hunt, of Preston, in the woollen business. In 1853 they changed the factory into a fourset mill, and worked it very successfully for about ten years. About 1864, while Mr. Elliott was in Great Britain buying wool, the mill was burnt down, but on his return he rebuilt it, and associated with him in his new venture (the old partnership having been dissolved) J. L. Hunt and George Stephen (now Sir George Stephen, bart.).

The new firm abandoned the manufacture of cloth, and went into that of flax and linseed oil. After spending a great, deal of money in importing first-class machinery from Great Britain, Ireland and the United States, and pushing the business for about four years, they found that Canada was unsuited for such an enterprise, and parted with the concern, having lost a considerable sum of money by the venture. Mr. Elliott then sold out all his property in Preston and Galt, and purchased a woollen mill in Almonte, where for the past seventeen years he has successfully prosecuted his business. Mr. Elliott was elected district (Gore district) councillor for the township of Dumfries (Upper Canada), and: 1840 he was chosen the first reeve for the village of Galt, and occupied the position for several years. The late Hon. Kobe Baldwin made him a magistrate, and in this capacity he acted for about ten year; he was sent as a delegate from the village Galt and the township of Dumfries with an address to Lord Elgin, in Montreal shortly after the destruction of the Parliament buildings by a mob.

Mr. Elliott took an active interest in railway extension, he did his share in getting the Great Western Railway Company to build a branch in from Harrisburg to Galt. In his young days he was a strong supporter of the Baldwin administration, and even supported the late Hon. George Brown, but refused longer to follow him as a party leader when he left the government of the day and formed the "Grit" party; and he has ever since been an opponent of the Reform party Mr. Elliott has been a Presbyterian from his youth up. In 1839 he married Mary Hanley, a native of the county of Longford Ireland. He has been a busy man, and now enjoys the fruits of his industry.

Geo. MacLean Rose, A Cyclopaepdia of Canadian Biography being chiefly men of the time. Rose Publishing Co., Toronto 1888

Andrew married Mary Hanley 9 Aug 1839, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Mary was born 1821, , Ireland; died 26 Oct 1913; was buried , Mount View Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-52621
• Residence: 1861, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; United Presbyterian Church

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-52622
• Residence: 1861, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; United Presbyterian Church

Other Events:

• Name: Jennie Elliott
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-52623
• Residence: 1861, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; United Presbyterian Church

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-254394
• Residence: 1861, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; United Presbyterian Church

Andrew — Jane Peddar. Jane (daughter of Joshua Peddar and Fanny Hanley) was born 1855, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-44221
• Occupation: 1901, Waterloo, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Student