Archibald Hewitt "Hugh" Letson

1904 - 1947  (43 years)

• Name	Archibald Hewitt "Hugh" Letson
  Born	11 May 1904	West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1911	Winterbourne, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	Presbyterian
  Occupation	1921	West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Laborer, Saw Mill
  Residence	1921	West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Presbyterian
  Misfortune	28 Dec 1947	West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	murdered
  Died	28 Dec 1947	West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2, 4]
  	Cause: shot - murdered
  Funeral	1948	Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  		Letson Funeral - Elmira, ONtario Funeral of 4 members of the same family Hugh, (Mary Ann Goodwin his wife), Wilson, Percy Letson brothers Image from Marion Roes
  Interesting	crime, murder, life story
  Name	Archie Letson
  Name	Hugh Letson
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-7570
  Buried	Winterbourne Presbyterian Cemetery, Winterbourne, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  Person ID	I7570	Generations
  Last Modified	25 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Joseph C. Letson,   b. 16 Oct 1868, Winterbourne, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 31 May 1944, West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 75 years)
  Mother	Rachel Redilia C. Pollock,   b. 19 Mar 1864,   d. 22 Nov 1943  (Age 79 years)
  Family ID	F13870	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Ann Goodwin,   b. 22 Oct 1903, Peel Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 28 Dec 1947, West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 44 years)
  Last Modified	26 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F6076	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Five Die In West Montrose Quarrel; Letson Family Is Wiped Out In Waterloo County's Worst Shooting [Excerpts from article] A family was wiped out; a suicide committed and five are dead due to jealousy over an eighteen year old girl, Miss Eleanor Springer, in a family quarrel which started shortly after midnight Sunday morning last. The dead are: Hugh Letson, 45; his wife, Mary, 44; two brothers, Percy, 38 and Wilson, 43, and a cousin Walter (Pat) Letson. The entire Letson family was wiped out by gunfire by Pat Letson. On Saturday evening Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Letson, Wilson Letson and Eleanor Springer went to Kitchener and on the way home stopped at Bridgeport Hotel for beverages. Arriving home shortly after midnight the car was driven to the driving shed. As Wilson stepped out of the car he was blasted in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun in the hands of Pat Letson, according to the statement given to the coroner, Dr. LeRoy Wagner, Elmira, and the Provincial police. He died instantly and fell beside the car. Then followed a very heated argument which took them into the house. Shortly after two or three shots were reported as being fired, according to the only witness of the affair still alive, Eleanor Springer. It is believed both Mr. and Mrs. Letson were killed at this time and also Percy Letson. Sunday wore on before any hint of the shooting became known. No gunshots were heard by neighbors, there being a community wedding party which most attended, the night before. It was Elisha Pollock, 87, aged cousin, slightly blind and hard of hearing found Pat Letson, on the kitchen couch, and when he failed to awaken with repeated shaking, went to the neighbours to inform them Pat was dead. He failed to see the gunshot wound in the chest. He was accompanied back by Wilfred Heinbein [Heibein] and Robert Winfield who found Pat had been shot. Dr. LeRoy Wagner was then notified and went down to West Montrose to investigate.... Provincial police were notified by Dr. Wagner and the investigation got under way.... Sometime between three o'clock and seven, Pat Letson shot himself in the kitchen when he sent the aged Mr. Pollock to the barn to do some chores. Elmira Signet, Thursday, January 1, 1948, pg 1 _______________________ The three Letson brothers were sons of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Letson of Winterbourne, while the late Herman Letson, father of Pat Letson, was a native of West Montrose. Hugh Letson worked on his homestead farm in West Montrose. His brothers, Percy and Wilson, were employed at the Great West Felt Co. plant in Elmira, while Pat worked at the Link Belt factory in Elmira. _______________________ Great Many Attend Funeral of Letson's So many people attended the funeral of the Letson family held Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m., they overflowed the Dreisinger Funeral Chapel, filled the Furniture Store, where a public address system had been placed for those to hear the service who could not see it, and still made it necessary for about a hundred to wait outside the funeral home to witness the cortege. Rev. C. L. Mitchell conducted the service, and Rev. R. M. Metcalfe gave the sermon. Pall bearers, of which there were twelve, were: Floyd Goodwin, Bert Goodwin, Leroy Goodwin, Lorne Godwin, David Goodwin, Murray Fries, A. Schmermund, H. Conrod, J. Eckert, L. Letson, W. Letson and L. Eby. Burial of Walter (Pat) Letson was made at West Montrose Cemetery. Burial of Wilson, Percy, and Hugh and Mary Letson was made in one grave at the Winterbourne Cemetery. Elmira Signet, Thursday, January 1, 1948

  
  

• Sources

  [S348] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1911, Div. 13 Page 7. [S77] News - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - Elmira Signet (1893-1982), January 1, 1948 - Five Die In West Montrose Quarrel; Letson Family Is Wipe Out In Waterloo County's Worst Shooting. [S2121] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1921, SubDist. 18 Page 9. [S978] Funeral Home Records - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - Dreisinger, LETSON, Hugh, West Montrose, December 28th, 45 years. [S417] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - Winterbourne Presbyterian CC#4597 Internet Link. Letson/ Hugh - Mary

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 11 May 1904 - West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Presbyterian - 1911 - Winterbourne, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Laborer, Saw Mill - 1921 - West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Presbyterian - 1921 - West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Misfortune - murdered - 28 Dec 1947 - West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: shot - murdered - 28 Dec 1947 - West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Funeral - 1948 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Winterbourne Presbyterian Cemetery, Winterbourne, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth