Settler of township lots: Lots 5, Conc. 5 & 6, Stanhope

Location: Map point is the approximate location on the 100 acre Lot 5, Conc. 6 two lots west of Buckslide Road north of Coulter Lake

Land acquisition:

• 1861 & 1875 Lands Liable to Taxation: Township of Stanhope Patent Register - 90 & 104 acres to James Hewitt.
• 1861 Patent from The Crown. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Stanhope (Conc. 5 - Image 58; Conc. 6 - Image 15).

Dates of residency: 

• 1861 They acquired 90 acres at Con 6 Lot 5 (near Coulter Lake) and 104 acres at Con 5 Lot 5. This was patented to them on 2 Jun 1875.
• 1870 Peterborough County Directory, Stanhope: James Hewitt, pt Lot 5, Conc. 5
• 1881 Census of Canada, Stanhope: James & Margt Hewitt with son Alex Lot 5, Conc. 5 & 6
• 1883 Stanhope Voters List: James Hewitt, owner, Lots 5 & 5, Conc. 5 & 6
• 1890 Stanhope Voters List: James Hewitt, owner, Lots 5, 4, 5, Conc. 6, 5, 5
• 1891 Stanhope Voters List: Lot 5, Conc. 5 and Lots 4 & 5, Conc. 6.
• 1893 Stanhope Directory: Boskung Lot 5, Conc. 6
• 1911 Stanhope Voters List & 1911 Stanhope Post Office LIst: Albert Hewitt, Boskung (grandson - son of William George Hewitt) was listed at Lot 5, Conc. 6

Preceding landowner: The Crown

Succeeding landowner:

    Lot 5, Conc. 5: 1895 Archibald Coulter with other land (both lots) for $240; 1937 Stanley Robert Coulter; 1942 Angus Coulter; 1948 Wilfred Mason
    Lot 5, Conc. 6: 1895 Archibald Coulter with other land (both lots) for $240; 1937 Stanley Robert Coulter; 1943 Phillips Lumber Company; 1950 Alfred Bertram Warder, 1950 Kenneth, Harry & Gordon Martin (Martin Brothers).

James Hewitt was a soldier in the Imperial Army in Ireland. During the mid 1840's James was serving in Montreal with the Battalion of Royal Artillery as a gunner. He met a fellow Irish person Margaret Kempton and married her. They made their way to Ontario and their first children were born in Trafalgar Township, Gore region. In the 1851 census they have Mary, James, Elizabeth and George. John, Moses and Joe are born before they move again.

They lived in Bennsville, Burford Township, Brant County, where Ben was born. (Bennsville was a dispersed rural community located 12 miles NW of Brantford, 3 miles west of Paris and 4 miles w Paris Station. It retained the name of Bennsville until 1872, and is now known as Falkland.)

It was here they met Thomas Mason,(from Warwickshire, England).  Acquaintances of Mr. Mason were men who were surveying Haliburton County and they told of free land being granted to settlers who would come and clear the forests and build homes. Tom traveled by boat from Fenelon Falls up through Cameron, Balsam, Shadow, Gull, Mountain, 12 Mile and Boskung Lakes.  He started farmsteading on the 5th Conc. of Stanhope, Lot 9.

They decided to follow Tom when he moved to Stanhope Township. Packing their belongings and several children, they moved to Haliburton. They stayed with the Mason family at first, where their last child Alex was born. They acquired property further along the same concession - Lot Five (near Coulter Lake). They received 90 acres here and 104 acres on Conc.6 Lot 5 on June 29, 1861. This was patented to them on June 2 1875.

They built a log home on top of the hill. It was a primitive existence, but they survived on the fish and wildlife. Peggy, as she was known, would walk the 25 miles to Minden to get needed supplies. Peggy was a stalwart pioneer woman. The syndicated cartoon What Happened in Canada, cartoon told her story Feb 29, 1980. "Mrs. James Hewitt an early pioneer of the Haliburton region of Ontario was told that a neighbour, Thomas Mason had been critically injured with his throat ripped open by a branch of a tree he felled, rushed to his aid; taking her sewing basket with her. After pushing in Mason's protruding windpipe Mrs. Hewitt took a common needle and thread and sewed up his throat. She must have done a good job because Mason lived beyond his 102 birthday".

The main social institution in the area was the Peterson's Corners Orange Lodge, of which James was an active member.  The Lodge organized many community and benevolent activities, and helped Protestant immigrants to settle. The Twelfth of July parade and picnic was the highlight of summer activities for many families and there were regular baseball games against other communities.  Many Orangemen joined because the benefits of mutual aid, security, and health supports made it easier to survive the difficulties of northern living and the Order’s secrecy, solemn oaths, and masonic-type rituals bonded men together as part of a greater whole. It had a strong political clout in the area. Peterson Corner's Orange Lodge was still running proud by 1934 when it had 24 still on its roll.

Peggy’s passing was noted in the Victoria Warden  Feb 23 1894: “ DEATHS:   HEWITT - On Feb 10th, 1894, Margaret Hewitt, wife of Mr. James Hewitt, of Stanhope, aged 82 years Peggy passed away in Feb. 1894.”
 
James spent his final years with their son John and his wife Clara and the farm was sold to Archie Coulter.  James’ death received broader coverage in the Lindsay Watchman Warder, April 13, 1899 which read “JAMES HEWITT On the 3rd inst James Hewitt of Boskung died at his son John's residence.  Deceased was once in the British Army and had reached the age of 88.   He was a prominent Orangeman and the funeral on Wednesday 5th was under the auspices of that order.  The service was conducted by Rev. Mr.McGill who is also an Orangeman.  Large numbers of his neighbours attended the funeral as did also a number from Minden.”

They are buried in the Pioneer Cemetery on the Boskung Road. Two of their children - Ben and Elizabeth were buried there too. There is a marker built there remembering them all – “Hewitts - 1860-1901”. Their remains have been moved to the cemetery at St. Stephen Boskung and a cairn built to commemorate all those buried in the Pioneer cemetery - which was unconsecrated ground. Source: Carolyn (Hewitt) Fuerth

Read The Story of One Man's Family - The Hewitt History, by John J. Hewitt 1967

Link to Hewitt Family on the Settlers of Algonquin Highlands family tree

Photo 1. James Hewitt and Margaret Kempton - Carolyn (Hewitt) Fuerth

Photo 2. Alexander Niven's Insurance Survey notebook - Haliburton Highlands Museum