Chapter Six: William of Tuckersmith

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

William Aberhart Jr. was born on December 30, 1878 (1), in Hibbert Township, Perth County, Ontario; the fourth child and third son of William Sr. and Louisa (Gourica) Pepper. His family owned a rather large and prosperous wheat farm, and were not terribly sociable, so Williams' early years would be spent there with siblings.

He first attended school at Hibbert #7, a one room schoolhouse, but at the age of eight, the family moved closer to town so that their eldest children would have an opportunity to attend high school. The remainder of William's elementary school days would be spent in Egmondville.

By this time, the town had a gunsmith, cobbler, weavers, blacksmiths, a woolen mill, tanneries, several general stores, a cider mill, at least five hotels, a brewery, ashery, pottery, sawmills, gristmills, a brick and tile yard, cabinet makers and an undertaker, a German Lutheran as well as Presbyterian Church, a schoolhouse of course and a post office.(3)

His paternal grandparents were both deceased, though their history was woven into the tapestry of that small town.

The Aberhart home (shown above)was a white, two-story farmhouse, covered with clapboard siding, standing on an open rise of land, with a picturesque view from all directions.

The house had a spiral staircase to the second floor, and the parlour boasted a piano and fine furniture. Out behind the house were farm buildings later shaded by the large deciduous trees that the boys planted. A stream flowing through the back of the property provided a ready supply of fish and a source of water for the livestock. A new piggery that William Sr. had constructed along the latest scientific principles, and which was described as a ''palatial mansion,'' was the talk of the community and earned him a reputation as a progressive farmer." (2)

A normal day for William would be up at 4 or 5 to milk the cows and then deliver the milk before going to school, then another delivery in the evening.

His father was stern, though it is said that his mother was the disciplinarian. She was not affectionate with the children, but pushed them to succeed, and stressed the importance of education.

William was only an average student though he excelled at mathematics and penmanship, and had an almost photographic memory, but few reasoning skills. He also enjoyed music and taught himself to play several musical instruments.

Children he went to school with claimed that he did not really get along well with other students, so had no real friends.

He later attended Seaforth high school, where he earned a reputation as a top athlete, and was nicknamed "Whitey" because of his light hair colour. From there he enrolled in a model* school and obtained a third class certificate allowing him to teach elementary classes.

He thought he had found his calling.

Chapter Six Continued: Classrooms and Battlegrounds

Footnotes:

*Model Schools were established to train young people how to teach. The quality of instruction was poor, but there was a great demand at the time for teachers, especially in rural areas, so it was really the best they could do. I think the focus was on discipline and maintaining control of a classroom.

Sources:

1. Registrations of Births and Stillbirths – 1869-1909. MS 929-40, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Archives of Ontario.

2. Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart, By: David R. Elliot and Iris Miller, Edmonton: Reidmore Books, 1987, Pg. 3

3. Egmondville and Van Egmond House, Heritage of Huron East, Virtual

Chapter Four Continued: Saving His Soul

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

One of the reasons for the 1837 Rebellion was something called the Clergy Reserves, which were established in 1791 by Upper Canada's first lieutenant governor, John Graves Simcoe.

What the act allowed for was the designation of one-seventh of all Crown lands for "a Protestant clergy," though it was implied that would mean the Church of England (Anglican).

However, because it wasn't specific, the Presbyterians challenged the law and in 1824 the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) was added, though all revenues were still controlled by Anglican Bishop Strachan, chair of the Clergy Corporation. Strachan was aligned with the Tory elite as part of what was dubbed the Family Compact. (1)

The settlers had brought with them their own customs and traditions, including diverse religious practices, and soon they were all vying for a piece of the pie.

After the Rebellion, as an appeasement, the profits of the clergy reserves were distributed amongst all leading Protestant groups and in 1854, the lands were finally removed from church ownership and revenues transferred to the government.

All denominations now had the right to self government, though most did not have the resources to build churches, so various ministers would travel about, holding services in school houses, barns or private homes.

There was no census recorded for Tuckersmith in 1851, but in 1861 the Heffler family was listed as belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran denomination. (2) It would be several years before a Lutheran church was build in Egmondville, so they would have been ministered by one of the travelling preachers. Lutherans believe in the infallibility of the Bible, salvation and forgiveness.

These travelling preachers at the time, especially the Lutherans, also brought another element to the lives of some of the German settlers who didn't reside in German communities, including news relating specifically to them. And the fact that they could preach in German brought reminders of home and a sense of belonging.

By the time of that 1861 census, William, then 17, was already working as a blacksmith's assistant, possibly for Francis Angus, a Scotsman and Presbyterian. He may have boarded with him at the time, so it's not likely that he received much religion, at least not in the Lutheran tradition, as noted on the census. (3)

Continue to Political Climate

Sources:

1. The Bishops of the Church of England in Canada and Newfoundland, by Charles Henry Mockridge, 1896

2. 1861; Census Place: Tuckersmith, Huron, Canada West; Roll: C-1037; Page: 5, lines 41-46

3. 1861; Census Place: Tuckersmith, Huron, Canada West; Roll: C-1037; Page: 4, Line 7

Chapter Four: William of Mecklenburg

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

When William Eberhardt arrived in Upper Canada in 1851, he was just seven years old. After being shipwrecked, robbed and bounced along roads that surely must be leading to Hades, the family arrived at their final destination, which actually, would not have done much to convince the young lad that they hadn't indeed landed in Hades.

A settlement in the backwoods of Upper Canada in 1851, was a pretty intimidating place. But to the Heffler-Eberhardt family this would be home.

And that family then included his step-father Christopher Heffler (the original German spelling was Hoeffler) (1), his mother Sophia, brother Charles, who was close to William's age, and a half-brother Henry, who was just a baby; the first child of Sophia and her new husband. At least four more siblings would be born at Tuckersmith, all Hefflers: Loucina, Fresia, John (who appears to have died between 1861 and 1871) and Louis. (2)

Growing Up in Tuckersmith

In many ways the Heffler-Eberhardt family prospered in sync with the hamlet of Egmondville. They never enjoyed the riches of the Egmond family, but their evolution from penniless immigrants to contributing citizens was just as profound.

Most of their time would be spent at the homestead, clearing land, building, making furniture and furnishings, and struggling to survive. But trade and the acquiring of provisions would be done in Egmondville, which had become a thriving little community.

In 1852, Valentine Boehler had established a pottery on land purchased from the Van Egmond family for £20. In 1854, the youngest of Susanne's children, August; started the Van Egmond Woolen Mills and in 1866, two of August's sons, Leopold and William, upgraded the woolen Mill and constructed a three storey brick building.

There were two blacksmith shops, one across from Constant Van Egmond’s house. There was also a wagon and carriage shop, a brewery, a post office and a general store. All of this would have been the backdrop to William's formative years. (3)

There was a schoolhouse at the time as well, but I don't believe he ever attended, since he grew up never learning to read or write. Or at least not being able to read or write English. The family probably spoke only German, at least in the early years, which would have been an impediment in an English speaking school, where the teacher probably knew only that language. And of course, William's help would have been required at home, so schooling was a luxury they couldn't afford.

There was also a large Aboriginal population, members of the Six Nations, who played a significant role in the community. New settlers learned a lot about crop rotation, proper clothing and surviving the elements from people who had been doing it for centuries.

If there was time for play, games were probably based on those played in Prussia, which were not unlike those most children played everywhere. Verstecken (hide and seek) or Fangen (chase or catch). Aboriginal children also shared one of their favourites with young pioneers; follow the leader. This was part of their growing up, since it would always include the necessary skills for travel through the forests. Music and stories were also probably those learned by Sophia and Christopher when they were children.

William's parents may have been stern, since it was a trait passed on to future generations. But they were probably also very hard working, another trait passed on through the years.

Chapter Four Continued: Saving his Soul

Sources:

1. Christopher Heffler - Code: 1823.15 Primary Immigrant: Heffler, Christopher, National Archives of Canada in Ottawa, Index to the 1871 Census of Ontario: Huron. Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, By: Bruce S. Elliot, 1986, Page: 110

2. 1871 Census: Huron South, Tuckersmith, Division: 3 Microfilm Roll: C-9929 Page: 43

3. Egmondville and Van Egmond House, Heritage of Huron East, Virtual Tour

Chapter Three Continued: Family Burdens

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

After burying her husband, the government of Upper Canada seized all the "Colonel's" possessions, with the exception of the home and cleared acres, which had been put in the name of Susanne and her children.

In a patriarchal society the eldest son is generally the heir to all property, but in the case of Constant Louis, the eldest son of Anthony, he was forced to become a surety, assuming his father's massive debts*.

But Susanne had learned to accept the highs and lows of a grifter's life, and was determined not to let this setback ruin the prestige their name, or at least someones name; had lent to the region. With eight grown children, all able-bodied, she put everyone to work. Their family clung to the story that the "Colonel" had been wronged and they were working to honour him in death by restoring his reputation. Susanne insisted that everyone call her 'Madam'; a self-appointed, not inherited, title.

In 1845, Constant officially registered the hamlet of Egmondville and in 1847, built a large brick house on his property, which still stands today, and is open to the public as a museum. Claiming that the reason Tucker-Smith was so slow to develop, was because the Canada Company had fallen behind in its obligation to build roads and bridges, churches and schools; he made a pledge to change that.
In 1849, he donated land for a church and burial ground. The church was built entirely by volunteer labour and with donated materials, and was open for business on July 21, 1850. He then had his father's body moved to the adjoining cemetery. (1)

When the Heffler family arrived in 1851, the area was bustling with activity, much of it guided by the Van Egmond family, under the direction of the family matriarch.

Ironically, Susanna and Sophia Heffler would have a lot in common; yet they would spend their remaining years in near solitude. "Madam", who had moved into her son's new home, had become increasingly paranoid, and in fact would spend the last fifteen years of her life in bed. The burden of the "secret" had overwhelmed her.**

Sophia's solitude on the other hand, would not be self inflicted, but the result of having to raise her children in the backwoods, where she too drove her family, out of necessity, to work hard and make the most of their unplanned circumstances. Arriving with nothing, they no doubt had accumulated debts that had to be paid off.

Her first home was probably little more than a log shanty, built from the trees her family had to fell themselves. At the time, there was very little assistance offered from the government of Upper Canada. They believed that their only duty was to make sure that roads were built that would enable settlements in the vast wilderness. The rest was to be handled by the private enterprise of the Canada Company, and since their only motivation was profit, most families were left to their own devices.

Also the barrier of distance, aggravated by the condition of most of the roads at the time, did not make it easy for a social life. But two communities would grow up around them: Egmondville and Seaforth, and the Aberhart name would be linked to both.

Continue to Chapter Four: William of Mecklenburg

Footnotes:

* Estate of Anthony Jacob William Gilbert Van Egmond, Huron County, File 290, MFNO: 1156, March 20, 1838.

** In 2009, a well known psychic, Annette Sullivan, visited the Egmond home, and confirmed that it was haunted. “Egmondville is a storehouse for psychic energy - you’ve got generations connected to the Van Egmond House and a family that was done wrong by the Canadian government. They never got paid - that’s why they’re still there.”

Of course they were not wronged by the government, but had perpetrated a hoax. However, this confirms that Susanne and her children did an excellent job of continuing a lie that began with Antonij's fake identity. Sullivan also states: “This lady will not rest until the items that belong to the family are tagged with the Van Egmond crest...” If Susanna is having trouble resting in the after life, it has nothing to do with a crest that did not belong to her, but a fabricated life and a "lie" that she thought she took to her grave.

Sources:

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, 1836-1850 (Volume VII), By: W. J. Van Veen

Egmondville and Van Egmond House, Heritage of Huron East, Virtual Tour

The Canada Company and The Huron Tract, 1826-1853, By: Robert C. Lee, Natural Heritage Books, 2004, ISBN: 1-896219-94-2

Chapter Three: Secret Moves

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

The hamlet of Egmondville, in the Township of Tucker-Smith, Huron County; was just finding it's feet when the Heffler family arrived in 1851. Leaving a country embroiled in rebellion they may not have realized that Tucker-Smith also had a rebellious history, or at least one of their most famous settlers did.

Anthony Van Egmond had been in his grave for 13 years by then, but his name would be seen often by the family on a fingerboard nailed to a post, that directed the way to Egmondville. There's no escaping a legend.

But little did they know that the real legend had escaped everyone.

Madam Marie Susanne Elizabeth Dietz Van Egmond

Quite a title for a women living in Tucker-Smith, Huron County in the mid nineteenth century. And reading her name you just know that there is a long and interesting story of affluence and gentility, who should be receiving only the finest members of society.

So what was she doing in Tucker-Smith?

Hiding I suspect.

Because Madam Marie Susanne Elizabeth Dietz Van Egmond, was actually Susanne Gijbena (nee: Dietz?) from Mainz Germany, and the man she married was not Anthony Van Egmond, but was born Antonij Jacobi Willem Gijbena (aka Gysbert) from Groesbeek, Netherlands. And he was not a descendant of the Dutch royal family as he claimed, but the son of the local sheriff, Johannes Arnoldus Gijbena and his wife Maria Bloem. He was born on March 10, 1775 and baptized two days later in the Reform Church.

His father was murdered when he was 12 and Antonij chose a life of crime. It caught up with him when he was about 20, and he was forced to flee to Germany.

The story that the 'Colonel' liked to tell was that he was a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars. He claimed to have been among the soldiers in Napoleon’s march to Moscow and that he was wounded at Waterloo. However, official records make no mention of him as an officer or a soldier, but rather as part of the army service, " ... probably involved in merchandising, supplies, and transportation." He was never wounded unless it was a paper cut.

Meanwhile, on January 8, 1802; an extradition order had been drawn up, that cited the record of the Gijben murder case in Groesbeek, and the authorities complained that they were having a lot of trouble tracking Antonij down. This meant that the crime he was running from had to have been pretty serious for them to go to so much trouble to find him.

What may have tipped them off was the fact that about six months prior, someone identified as a “prominent businessman” had requested a copy of Gijben’s baptismal certificate from the Groesbeek registers. This document was then used to fabricate a lineage to Van Egmond, despite the fact that the last count of that family had died childless in 1707.

From there the records stopped, until he turned up in Mainz where he would meet Susanne. Their first child, Constant, was born there on April 9, 1808; and the family would spend the next few years on the run, before turning up in Pennsylvania. By then they had five boys and three girls, and had bought some land; but in 1826 their property was seized and sold at auction for back taxes.

This was when Antonij, now calling himself Colonel Anthony Van Egmond, would try his luck in Upper Canada. Because he could speak German, and seemed to have a knack for organization, John Galt hired him to build a road through Huron county, to aid further settlement. He was to be paid one third in cash and the remainder in land. Apparently he never received the money, or at least not all of it, though he did manage to acquire 13,000 acres.

He and his sons would clear 100 of them and he built a home with a tavern attached, which became the local watering hole.

Soon his regulars began telling him tales of corruption involving the Canada Company, that had the contract for settlement, and told stories of how settlers were being driven off their lands if someone was willing to pay a higher price for it.

Antonij joined the Reform Party and even ran for office twice. During the 1835 campaign his lineage was questioned, with rumours that he came from the slums of New York. They were right to question his lineage, but had his roots all wrong.

Realizing that a political career was not in the cards, he began to write to William Lyon MacKenzie, the editor of the Colonial Advocate. MacKenzie had published a lot of stories exposing the corruption of both the the Tory government and the Canada Company, so they soon became allies.

On December 7, 1837, he made his way to Montgomery Tavern in Toronto to join the Rebellion. It failed and the fraudster hid out in a farmhouse until discovered and put in the Toronto Jail. There he became quite ill and was transferred to the Toronto General Hospital, where he died of a stroke on January 5, 1838. Just before his death he gave one of his descendants a piece of paper. It was his original baptismal certificate, and for many years it remained in the family, with future generations unsure of what it was.

Susanne and her sons would bring her husband's body back in a wagon. He would be waked at the house that he built and buried in the backyard. But his secrets would not be buried with him.

Chapter Three Continued: Family Burdens

Sources:

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, 1836-1850 (Volume VII), By: W. J. Van Veen

The Canada Company and The Huron Tract, 1826-1853, By: Robert C. Lee, Natural Heritage Books, 2004, ISBN: 1-896219-94-2