The Story.
Reginald Edward Smythe was born August 3rd 1780 at Little Chesterford, Essex, the third son and fifth child of Sir Charles Smythe by his first wife, Jane Edwards. Sir Charles was a successful East India merchant and maintained residences in Little Chesterford and London. His staff was composed of native Indians whose service had impressed him during his years in India.
Reginald's life was destined to be a difficult one from his birth. His mother died during childbirth. His father, while providing for the child, seemed to favor him less than the other children, possibly blaming him for his mother's death. The newborn Reginald was turned over to the wife of Sir Charles' gardener who would wet nurse the child and serve as a nanny. This woman, Anna Chordray, was a Hindu of the Sudra caste. Sir Charles did not attend the christening of Reginald at St Margaret's Church in Ickleton, Cambridgeshire, leaving Anna to attend to that detail.
On reaching the age of six Reginald was sent to Ridgeway's, a public school in Braintree. He would remain there except for holiday periods, for the next 10 years. At age 17 Reginald was admitted to King's College at Cambridge. He matriculated four years later with a B.A. Returning to the family home, he devoted much of his time to riding, cricket and to Elizabeth, the daughter of their neighbour, Sir Rodney Conyer, Knight. Reginald realized that as the third son, he would inherit little from his father and his best hope for a bright future lay in marriage to a potential heiress. Although Elizabeth was not of legal age Reginald contrived to obtain a marriage license through friends in Cambridge. With the requirement for the reading of Banns removed, Reginald and Elizabeth hastened to the parish of Burnt Pelham in the neighbouring county of Hertfordshire where the curate married the couple. Elizabeth's father, Sir Rodney, got wind of the couple's plans and hastened to the church arriving as the ceremony concluded. Threatening to whip Reginald with in an inch of his life, he forcibly returned his daughter to her home. Several weeks later, thanks to his friendship with the Bishop of London, the marriage was annulled.
Sir Charles, mortified by the actions of his ill-favored son, determined to remove him from the district as soon as possible. Calling on his friend, Lord Thompson, Colonel of the 8th Dragoons, he purchased a commission for his son with the hope army life would make a man of him. It was 1805 and Napoleon was threatening to invade England. The militia had been called up and the army still required more men. Reginald was shipped to Malta where he had little opportunity to distinguish himself. Shortly thereafter Reginald married the widow of a fellow officer. She had a five-year-old daughter, Rebecca. Reginald adopted her and fathered a son, John, His military career remained uneventful and when Napoleon was finally defeated at Waterloo, Britain no longer required, nor could afford, her large army. Reginald was retired at half pay with an offer of a land grant in Canada. Reginald was no farmer and would have decided against accepting the grant but Sir Charles, anxious to rid himself of any possibility of further embarrassment, offered to subsidize Reginald until he could obtain a suitable situation in Canada. Sir Charles would provide the names of people of influence in Canada.
Sir Charles obtained passage to Canada for Reginald and his family on a lumber ship owned by a business friend. Accommodations were hardly POSH but compared to those who shipped in the hold, were comfortable. Reginald's wife, Rachel Moore, nee Woods, was 7 months pregnant when the family boarded the ship at the London Docks. The voyage, normally lasting four to six weeks, dragged on to eight weeks as storms battered the small vessel. While only a few days from Quebec City Rachel succumbed to an unstated illness and was buried at sea.
On arriving in Quebec City Reginald and his two children were transferred along with the other immigrants to a ship that would take them upriver to Montreal. There was no rest to be found there as the travelers now faced a seven mile walk around the LaChine rapids. Upon completion of the portage they boarded river barges for the trip to the head of the Great Lakes where they would find sailing vessels to take them to their final destination, Coburg. Unlike the others who would now travel inland, crossing Rice Lake, to the newly available homestead lands near the present town of Peterborough, Reginald stopped in Coburg to consult with his father's friend, George van Stone. van Stone, a businessman and land speculator, advised Reginald that there were a great many half pay officers in Canada hoping, as he was, to find a situation. His advice was to take up his homestead or, alternatively, hire out as a laborer. There was a shortage of help and the laborers often made considerably more than the average homesteader. In either case Reginald would need to find someone to care for his children. van Stone arranged for Reginald to meet with the Potter Valois family in Cramahe Township, some twenty miles to the east. They would be happy to serve as foster parents for the children. Rachel, now 13 years old, would be able to obtain employment as a domestic. John, age 5, was the same age as the Valois' own son and would be a fine playmate in an area where children of a similar age were rare.
Reginald's land was located in Murray Township, Newcastle District. It was covered with white pine, the lumber so in demand in Britain, and was bounded on one side by the Trent River. Reginald was now determined to prove his worth to his father by demonstrating his ability to succeed in Canada and being able to return the annual remittance. For 8 years he cleared the land, diligently planting a small crops of peas and potatoes, and hauling the timber he cut to the river for transport to the lake. He never found the opportunity to stop the remittance as his father died in 1822, before he was in a position to no longer accept the funds. His brother, his father's successor, terminated the remittance immediately. By 1826 Reginald had cleared nearly 100 acres and was, by local standards, doing very well. At age 45 Reginald now considered remarrying and bringing his son, John, now 13, to live with him. Reginald had visited John several times a year so he was not a stranger to his son. Just two months prior to his marriage to a neighboring widow, Reginald and a neighbor were making a log boom when the boom broke throwing Reginald into the river. In spite of his friend's best efforts to save him, Reginald drowned.
Reginald had had the foresight to prepare a will and named George van Stone executor. Rebecca had married an Irish immigrant, John Mulrooney, the previous year and had moved to the city of Toronto where John worked in the local livery stable. She was to receive half of her father's cash and the household effects. These were estimated to be worth nearly 100 pounds, Sterling. John, would receive the title to the land on his reaching his majority. In the interim, van Stone would lease the land and manage the income.
With the unexpected windfall, John Mulrooney purchased an interest in a local hostelry and indulged his interest in the politics of the day. Enthralled by the writings of William Lyon Mackenzie he joined the group of reformers opposed to the Family Compact who dictated the political scene in Upper Canada. In December of 1837 he joined Mackenzie's Rebellion and participated in the events at Montgomery's Tavern. After the failure of the rebellion, he fled with the other rebels to the United States. Rachel sold his interest in the hostelry and joined him there the following year. Their first child, Reginald John, was born in Rochester.
The Valois family, although Roman Catholic, raised John Smythe in the Church of England according to his father's wishes sending him to confirmation and Bible study classes. John struck out on his own in 1829 obtaining work at Perry's sawmill in northern Cramahe Township. For the next five years he worked in various lumber camps, often living in the shanties provided by the companies for their employees. Many of these shantymen were of French Canadian descent. It was in one of these camps John met Maria Sauve. The two were married by a passing Roman Catholic missionary priest. Two months later John would receive a communication from George van Stone advising him he was now a landowner with a small nest egg from accumulated rents to get him started in his farming career. When the papers for the land transfer were being prepared John took the opportunity to modify his name. Out of respects for Potter Valois he took Potter as his second given name and modified his surname to the more common, Smith.
John took possession of his land from the renter early in 1835. With his small inheritance he was able to purchase the equipment he required as well as a cow, two horses, several pigs and some chickens. In addition to his crops of peas, potatoes and wheat he soon had started to raise his family. His first son, John Reginald, was born on July 2nd 1836. A second son, Charles followed soon after, being born January 6th, 1838. He was followed by two girls, Angeline, on May 1st, 1840 and Maria on April 2nd, 1846. John joined the Methodist Church in June of 1850 following a camp meeting that left him deeply moved. His boys joined him but the girls and their mother remained Roman Catholic. This would change in a few years when Angeline married Edward Wiseman in the synagogue at Toronto.
John Reginald married Rosamund Henson on August 15th , 1880. He had obtained his own homesteaded years earlier and spent a number of years proving it up. Rosamund was hired as domestic help but J.R. found her attractive and proposed marriage. She was 18 years of age at the time. Six months after their marriage Rosamund disappeared. J.R. returned home after visiting the neighbors to discover she had packed her clothes and left. A week later she was reported seen in Coburg in the company of an unknown man. Before J.R. could take action she and her friend had vanished again. About a year later she was located in Toronto. She was pregnant and posing as the wife of a young drummer (salesman). J.R., not wanting to be held responsible for her debts, instituted legal action and two years later received a divorce decree absolut from the Parliament of Canada. J.R. would never remarry.
Charles Smith , on reaching the age of eighteen, decided the farming life was not for him. He struck out for Rochester where he would visit his aunt and look for opportunities. He quickly became friendly with his cousin, Reginald John Mulrooney, who, being a year older, became the leader of their escapades. In search of new adventures the pair set off to expand their horizons. Several years later, in the little town of Carthage, Illinois, Charles met a young Mormon girl, Edwina Cripps. Charles was enamoured and told his cousin he had decided the time had come to settle down. Reggie laughed, said he was off to California, and left town. Charles, whose religious beliefs were tenuous at best, on the urging of Edwina, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was duly baptized six months later. The courtship of Edwina continued and the following year the pair married. Charles now received his endowment and was sealed to Edwina. In 1870 Charles and Edwina left Illinois for Salt Lake City with Edwina's family. A son Joseph was born in Salt Lake City.
Maria Smith married Robert Wright in 1866. Robert was born in Littlebury, Essex. His father had emigrated to Canada in 1835 to escape the possibility of being sent to a workhouse. He had demonstrated his farming abilities in a project designed to help the poor of the day but the project had been scrapped leaving him vulnerable. Arriving in Canada he leased a piece of Church land and became a very successful farmer. In 1858 he purchased the land which Robert would inherit upon his father's death in 1867. Robert's son, also Robert ,would succeed to the property upon Robert senior's death in 1899.