Settler of township lots: Lots 8 & 9, Conc. 7, Stanhope

Link to Robert Oliver family on the Settlers of Algonquin Highlands family tree

Location: Map point is the approximate location within this irregular waterfront 87 acre Lot 9, Conc. 7 at Hwy 35 and Buckslide Road on Halls Lake

Land acquisition: The North half of each of these lots was purchased from Thomas Godwin in 1916. Ontario Land Parcel Register Book  - Stanhope Concession 7 (Images 30 & 38).

Other land: Lots 8, & 9, Conc. 8, Stanhope - 1917 Patent from The Crown; 1918 to Frank Gartshore; 1919 back to Robert Oliver.  Ontario Land Parcel Register Book - Stanhope Concession 8 (Images 22 & 26)

Dates of residency:

• 1904 Arrived in Canada with wife and 4 children
• 1911 Census of Canada, Stanhope: Robert & Jemima Oliver at Lot 8, Conc. 7, Stanhope
• 1911 Stanhope Voters List: Lot 8, Conc. 7 and Lot 9, Conc. 8
• 1911 Stanhope Post Office List: Lot 8, Conc. 7
• 1918 Stanhope Post Office List: Lot 8, Conc. 7
• 1928 Stanhope Voters List:
  - wife Jemima was listed at Lots 7 & 8, Conc. 8 & 9 
  - son Arthur and his wife Mary were listed at Lots 8 & 9, Conc. 7, and Lots 8, 9, & 10, Conc. 8
• 1928 Death

Interesting facts:

Having made arrangements with Sam Davies and Thomas Godwin, the Oliver family arrived at Hall's Lake in 1907, and stayed in the Godwin house until their own home (across the road) was completed later that year. The Olivers, at that time, were poor financially - witness the agreement between the Godwins and the Olivers that allowed them to buy a house and 20 acres of land for the grand sum of $150 and pay it back in 5 years at 5% interest.

Robert Oliver was a shrewd businessman, and (possibly helped along by his army pension) was able to acquire a great deal of land in the next 10 years. In 1917 Robert sold all the land he had purchased over the previous years to a lumberman named Frank Gartshore. Just over a year later, Arthur Oliver bought all this land back. The reason for this unusual transaction is not clear, but it is known that during the time Frank Gartshore, a logger, cut a great deal of timber from Lots 8 & 9, Con. 7 before this property was sold back to Oliver. It is possible that the property was sold to Gartshore to circumvent the conditions of the Crown Deed held by Robert that reserved the timber (and mineral) rights for the Province of Ontario. Source: The Oliver Farm, a brief history 1871- 2002 by A R Oliver, 2002

Read THE OLIVER FARM, a brief history 1871-2002.

Preceding landowner:

• 1875 Benjamin Trott from The Crown
• 1883 Thomas Godwin

Photo 1. The Oliver farm - Linda & Bev Coneybeare

Photo 2. The Oliver farm in winter - Linda & Bev Coneybeare

Photo 3. Cows drinking from Halls Lake at the Oliver farm - Linda & Bev Coneybeare

Photo 4. 1935 harvest at the Oliver farm - Linda & Bev Coneybeare