Settler of township lots: Lot 5, Conc. 2, Stanhope

Location: This map point is at the approximate location in the irregular 23 acre waterfront lot that includes Jones Road, Wooden Bridge Lane and Kerr Drive on Kushog Lake

Land acquisition: Lot 4, Conc. 2, Stanhope purchased from Mary Buck (Daniel), his wife, in 1881 for $200. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Stanhope (Image 46) BUT there this lot does not exist in the GIS - should be Lot 5, Conc. 2.

Other land:

• Lot 7, Conc. 4, Stanhope - 1876 from John Bradford Fee for $800. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Stanhope (Image 82).
• Lots 2 & 3, Conc. 12, Minden - 1884 from William Walker with other land. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Minden (Images 4 & 6)
• Lot 4, Conc. A, Hindon - 1883 from John Goheen?; 1883 to Elizabeth S L Mooney for $29. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Hindon (Image 10).

Dates of residency: 

• 1861 Census of Canada, Anson: Conc. 2, Lot 3, Anson Twp. According to Minden History. William Gainer and another man built a sawmill in Anson Twp in the early 1860's. Minden Village was established circa 1860. The agricultural survey said he owned 100 acres of woodland, none cleared.
• 1871 Minden Directory: William Gainer, 1 pt 4
• 1881 Census of Canada, Minden: Occupation: Merchant
• 1893 Minden Township Directory: Wm Gainer, Minden
• 1885 Minden Voters List: Gainer, William, A 2 3 pt 4 pt 1 7
• 1892 Voters List: Lot 13, Conc. 12, Snowdon Township
• 1901 Census of Canada, Minden: William must have left Minden shortly after the census.
• 1904 U.S. City Directories, Everett, Washington, USA: No mention is made here of Sarah although children, Eileen, Estella, Howard, Roland and Stewart were boarding with their father.
• 1905 Death: Snohomish, Washington, USA

Gainer may have purchased properties as an investment for mortgages. His wife was a daughter of Daniel Buck, the previous owner of Lot 4, Conc, 2, Stanhope.  On the 1901 census, he was enumerated on South Water St. in Minden village, the owner of a 3/4 acre lot. Shortly thereafter, he, his wife and seven children moved to Washington state, USA

Interesting facts:

William Gainer was the Warden of Haliburton County in 1884. Quest pg. 128. He had a butcher shop on the main street of Minden which was destroyed in the 1890 fire. Gainer also bought and sold livestock. Source: In Quest of Yesterday by Nila Reynolds. Published by The Provisional County of Haliburton, Minden, Ontario 1973 pg. 228 & 248

Other than the farms, Minden's first industry was a saw mill built by William Gainer on Beaver Creek, lot nine, concession A, Minden township. At a 1951 Women's Institute meeting Mrs. McElwain had this to say in a historical paper: "A family of Gainers laid the first plans for Minden village. They later built a saw mill and a large boarding house at Allsaw Narrows and ran a tug boat on these waters in connection with the lumbering development." Source: Ibid. pg. 247-248

The Gainer family at one time owned the land on which the Minden office of the Ontario Hydro is located. Ibid. pg. 248

Preceding landowner:

• 18?? Mary Buck from The Crown
• 1871 William H. Stevens

Succeeding landowner:

• 1881 William Gainer for $200
• 1887 William Henry Stevens
• 1934 Oliver Stevens
• 1945 Morgan Harrison
• 1946 Alfred and Ella Mary Jones
• 1946 Demchuk, Armstrong, Connell

Link to Settlers of Algonquin Highlands family tree

• William Gainer, b. 27 Jun 1835, Ontario, d. 12 Mar 1905, Washington, USA (Age 69 years)
• Sarah Elinor Buck, b. 28 Feb 1845, England d. 11 Sep 1908, Washington, USA (Age 62 years)
  Parents:
  • Daniel Buck, b. Abt 1809,  England  d. 29 Oct 1898, Minden, (Age ~ 89 years)
  • Mary Jennette Jackson, b. Abt 1819, England d. 29 May 1876, Stanhope, (Age ~ 57 years)
• Children:
  1. Samuel Francis Wilbert Gainer, b. 26 Sep 1870, Minden, d. 23 Jan 1952, USA (Age 81 years)
  2. Rowland Emanual Gainer, b. 25 Aug 1872, Minden, d. 22 Jan 1955,  USA (Age 82 years)
  3. Ernest Walter Gainer, b. 25 Aug 1872, Minden,  d. 01 Sep 1872, Minden, (Age 0 years) 
  4. William Stewart Gainer, b. 13 Nov 1874, Minden, d. 22 Feb 1938,USA (Age 63 years) 
  5. Howard Henry Gainer, b. 07 Jun 1877, Ontario, d. 06 Jul 1968, USA (Age 91 years)
  6. Estella Lavinia Gainer, b. 23 Jul 1879, Ontario, d. 29 Sep 1937, USA (Age 58 years)
  7. Eileen Olive Gainer, b. 22 May 1882, Minden, d. 21 Mar 1955, USA (Age 72 years)
  8. Bowes Cecil Gainer, b. 03 Oct 1889, Haliburton, d. 28 Feb 1968, USA(Age 78 years)

Photo 1: William Gainer. Source: Ancestry.ca zabird originally shared this on 26 Apr 2014

Photo 2: TO THE ELECTORS of the Township of Minden. "Gentlemen - In coming before you again for your botes and support for the Reeveship of Minden I do so with the fullest conficence for the following reasons: ..." Source: Ancestry.ca zabird originally shared this on 24 Apr 2014

Image 3: Victoria Warder (Lindsay, ONT), 13 Nov 1891