Life in the Talbot Settlement

On October 30th, 1941, the residents of Lawrence Station and the surrounding area awoke to a thunderous noise followed by intense light. This phenomenon created quite the spectacle, those who went out to investigate would soon discover the worst Canadian aviation crash of the time.

In the 21st century, most people gather around New Year’s Eve to have a party, perhaps drink a little, and watch their region’s ball drop at midnight marking the start of the new year. But what other traditions are there? What would the settlers of Upper Canada have done to celebrate the coming year? Today I’ll be talking about the history of wassailing and mummering, both customs that originated in Europe that made their way over to Upper Canada.

It’s that wonderful time of year again, where we spread the historic Christmas cheer! It’s our Roaring Twenties Christmas episode!

In today’s episode we will be talking about the historic Moorhouse Doll. Listen as we describe the route it might have taken while being passed down through generations for over 200 years. 

We talk a lot about the men’s Life in the Talbot Settlement, as it is their story that is often written down, and their legal right to do interesting and world-shaking things. But this settlement was not run by men alone; today we’re going to talk about the myths, the legends: the ladies of the Talbot Settlements.

The Talbot Settlement quickly became home to many people after word spread of the new lands. Along with the settlers, various traditions and beliefs followed them from their previous homes. In today’s episode, we discuss some of the past superstitions and ghost stories of the Talbot Settlement.

Men frozen to the core, colossal remains from the archaic period, rare endangered species, and terrorizing tornados of the Talbot Settlement. Find out more about the unique geography and weather of the area of Backus-Page House Museum!

Rules, rules, rules!  Until the 1960s and 1970s, most people’s lives followed stricter social rules of etiquette then we have today. Listen along as we discuss the etiquette of the 1800s!

Did you know, back in the 17 and 1800s, school attendance was not mandatory? The good old days, eh? This week we dive into school life in the early settlement. 

Early settlers handled the death and burial rights of their family very seriously. Today we’ll talk about the ways that settlers cared for and buried their dead.

Even in the early days, where pioneer life was all work, people found ways to make it fun. Listen as we share some of the ways settlers in the Talbot Settlement had some fun!

Today we are going to look at fashion throughout the decades for men and women. Starting with the 1850s, we will give a detailed description of popular outfits of the times ending at the early 1900s.

On the ground a track can be spotted. A 5-by 5-inch impression left in the forest floor. 5 thick claw marks ingrained in the ground.... Listen now to episode 37- Pests, Prey, and Predators.

In the early days of the settlement, life wasn’t always so quiet and safe. Today we look at some of the crimes and tragedies that have taken place in the Talbot Settlement.

Listen as we cover the ins and outs of strict dinner parties, the splendor of tea and garden parties, parties attended for courting, and the grand Talbot Ball! The 19th century party scene was full of strict etiquette, good food, and fun times. Would you party like its 1850?

Today we’ll be talking about the history of the hardware store in West Lorne, it's owners, stock, and its importance throughout history. 

In today’s episode we’ll be talking about the preservation of food throughout the ages! Canning, freezing, salting, drying, brining, fermentation and much more!

Since people has used its waters, Lake Erie has claimed countless lives and been the cause of many shipwrecks. Though it is the shallowest and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes, she is deadly. Join us in talking about the ports and shipwrecks off the coast of the Talbot Settlement. 

For a settler any illness, no matter the severity, could quickly become deadly. Settlers turned to their own remedies for a cure. Leeches, hot pokers, cobwebs, cow dung…. Let’s investigate some of the early healthcare practices and popular medicinal remedies of the 1800’s

What are honorifics? And how did titles like Sir and Colonel operate social hierarchies within the community? In today's episode you’ll learn all about social class & titles of the Talbot Settlement.

Ghastly crimes punishable by death, despicable scandals turned deadly, a scar leading to conviction. A look into the events that disrupted the quiet Talbot Settlement in episode 28.

Enjoy the third and final part in our cemetery series with St. Peter’s, St. Stephen’s and Tyrconnell cemeteries.  If you would enjoy a similar podcast of the remaining Dutton-Dunwich or any of the West Elgin Cemeteries we are accepting volunteers such as yourselves to put together the research and brochures for future podcasts. Research and photographs were compiled by volunteers and can be found on the Municipal Website.  The Link is in the podcast show notes along with a map to get to the cemeteries.  I suggest you download the brochures to your phone or print them off and take a walk around the cemeteries using the podcast as an audio guide, pausing where needed to get to the next marker.  Make it a family outing.

Welcome to the 26th episode of the Life in the Talbot Settlement Podcast, today we will be talking about the production of textiles Flax/linen and wool processing. Weaving, sewing, spinning, rug hooking/punch needle, felting, and quilting bees.

Welcome back to part 2 of A Grave Situation – the cemeteries of Dutton Dunwich.  In October 2021, the Dutton Dunwich Municipal Heritage Committee hosted an outdoor Doors Open inviting people to visit 10 of our local cemeteries.  We were mostly interested in showing unique grave marker designs, sybolism and iconography versus the stories of the usual prominent citizens.  Research and photographs were compiled by volunteers and can be found on the Municipal Website.  The Link is in the podcast show notes along with a map to get to the cemeteries.  I suggest you download the brochures to your phone or print them off and take a walk around the cemeteries using the podcast as an audio guide, pausing where needed to get to the next marker.  Make it a family outing.  Special thanks to the 2021 municipal heritage committee members Delany Leitch, Blair Ferguson, Laurence Grant, Ron Ross, Angela Bobier, Elaine Brown (who we miss very much), Municipal Planner Tracy Pilon-Abbs, Deputy Mayor Mike Hentz, Municipal Staff member Kate Morreau and all volunteers who assisted in Doors Open 2021.

Today’s episode is about the Selkirk Settlers -A group of Scottish Highlanders who arrived at the fork of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers in Manitoba, led by Lord Selkirk and his promises of abundant fertile farming land. Though promises were not kept, food was scarce and climate unbearable. As tension between rival trading companies escalate, and battles commence, keep listening to find out how these settlers escaped the Red River Settlement and ended up in the Talbot Settlement.

In October 2021, the Dutton Dunwich Municipal Heritage Committee hosted an outdoor Doors Open inviting people to visit 10 of our local cemeteries.  We were mostly interested in showing unique grave marker designs, symbolism and iconography versus the stories of the usual prominent citizens.  Research and photographs were compiled by volunteers and can be found on the Municipal Website.   Special thanks to the 2021 municipal heritage committee members Delany Leitch, Blair Ferguson, Laurence Grant, Ron Ross, Angela Bobier, Elaine Brown (who we miss very much), Municipal Planner Tracy Pilon-Abbs, Deputy Mayor Mike Hentz, Municipal Staff member Kate Morreau and all volunteers who assisted in Doors Open 2021.

Enjoy part one featuring Iona, Lumley, McKillop, and St. Helen’s cemeteries.

We thought it would be interesting to follow the Leslie Patterson family and the Andrew Backus family through the census records to watch a developing farm from the earliest records through to the 1871 census.

Today I’ll be chatting about what Christmas would have looked, smelled, and tasted like here in the Talbot Settlement in the 1850s.

Today we will be talking about a plant that was very important to the Talbot Settlement and all of Canada as a whole. The tobacco industry has provided many jobs and a strong economy for the Settlement for countless years. You may have noticed while driving in Elgin County miniature barns in the middle of fields. These mini barns are called kilns and the fields in which they sit are tobacco fields. Continue listening to learn more!

Today we will be jumping ahead in time from the usual 1850s era to the Second World War. In this episode we will be talking about Wallacetown area resident Trooper George Henry Backus.

I’ll be talking about the first settlers in Elgin County and Aldborough Township James Fleming and his wife Barbara Windecker and our search for their descendants for the 225th anniversary event plus and their nearest neighbours the First Nations at Moraviantown.  Enjoy!

You might have noticed in the last year or so some bright white-and-blue signs seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Largie, Coyne’s Corners, Tyrconnell, Cambellton and Cowal are the names listed. “What are these about?” you might ask. Well, these are vanished villages, once booming with life, now hardly even a ghost. And these five are just the start of the project organized by the Municipality of Dutton Dunwich Heritage Committee. Today I will introduce you to a few of these communities in Dunwich township, and some of the vibrant lives lived in each.

Inside this episode we will explore the gardens at Fairwood Farm in Wallacetown, dairy entries from Merinda Williams-Pearce, and Colonel Talbot the horticulturalist to give you an idea of early plants, trees, and vegetables of Dunwich and Aldborough townships.

Today we will be talking about some of the firsts in the Talbot Settlement. Learn about the first cookstove, burial preparations, and some more fun trivia!

Today we will be talking about the arrival of the railroads in Dunwich and Aldborough, specifically how these trains forged many of our modern communities including Rodney, West Lorne, and Dutton.

Todays episode focuses on some of the necessary basic tools to survive and fulfil your settler duties in the Talbot Settlement. Sit back, relax, and listen as we talk about the axe, drag and harrow, musket and bullet-mould, cooking pot, and sewing kit. 

Today our focus will be the key players in the War of 1812 from the Talbot Settlement. 

Thomas Talbot

August 16 –On this date, American militia and some of their native allies arrive at Port Talbot with the intent of taking Colonel Talbot to Detroit and extorting a high ransom for his release. They also plan to ravage the settlement. This time Talbot is in residence and narrowly escapes.

We’ve been receiving lots of questions from the last 7 episodes through email and social media so today we will be answering them all.  If you also have questions about Life in the Talbot Settlement please leave us a comment or send an email to angela@backuspagehouse.ca Thank you in advance.

The Backus Page House Museum and Tyrconnell Heritage Society acknowledges the land we are on today as the traditional territory of First Nations People. As settlers at a settler focused museum, we value both the significant historical and contemporary contributions of all Original Peoples and ask how we can be supportive in Indigenous Cultural Renewal?

Have you ever wondered who owned the Backus-Page House Museum before it became a museum? Or how they used to farm? Maybe you even want to know what kind of crops were grown on the property. Today you’ll hear all about the Page family and their life farming on Lakeview Line.

Those who have taken the guided tour of the Backus-Page House Museum may recall a lot about the Backus’, but not much about Morley or Grace Page and their children Bill and Iris who lend their last name to the museum.

The Backus Page House Museum and Tyrconnell Heritage Society acknowledges the land we are on today as the traditional territory of First Nations People. As settlers at a settler focused museum, we value both the significant historical and contemporary contributions of all Original Peoples and ask how we can be supportive in Indigenous Cultural Renewal?

In today’s episode, we dive into the lives of the early Scottish Settlers in Aldborough township. Scottish immigrants made up a significant portion of the Talbot Settlement. Their hard work and friendliness paved the way for future generations and formed Aldborough into the flourishing township it is today the Municipality of West Elgin.

The Backus Page House Museum and Tyrconnell Heritage Society acknowledges the land we are on today as the traditional territory of First Nations People. As settlers at a settler focused museum, we value both the significant historical and contemporary contributions of all Original Peoples and ask how we can be supportive in Indigenous Cultural Renewal?

Who were the first European families in Dunwich Township? How did they get here and why did they choose to live in the Talbot Settlement? Before I answer all those questions, I’d like to acknowledge funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The Backus Page House Museum and Tyrconnell Heritage Society acknowledges the land we are on today as the traditional territory of First Nations People. As settlers at a settler focused museum, we value both the significant historical and contemporary contributions of all Original Peoples and ask how we can be supportive in Indigenous Cultural Renewal?

From The Pioneer Farmer and Backwoodsman Volume 2 by Edwin C. Guillet “We have no landlord to come at Michaelmas to say ‘I want my rent!’ No poor rates to pay; we are in a free country. It is a pretty thing to stand at one’s own door and see a hundred acres of land of his own.” – A letter of Robert Slade September 1835 

Today I’ll be chatting about the first steps settlers would have had to take when arriving in the Talbot Settlement and what the settler’s duties were to get their land deed.

The Backus Page House Museum and Tyrconnell Heritage Society acknowledges the land we are on today as the traditional territory of First Nations People. As settlers at a settler focused museum, we value both the significant historical and contemporary contributions of all Original Peoples and ask how we can be supportive in Indigenous Cultural Renewal?

We are not a voice for Indigenous people. We are basing our information on archaeological and written historic evidence.  First nations oral traditions may differ and we are not the authority on the oral tradition but fully respect the narrative and encourage you to find out more. Also forgive me if my pronunciation of words are incorrect, I’ve done my best.

The Backus Page House Museum and Tyrconnell Heritage Society acknowledges the land we are on today as the traditional territory of First Nations People. We value both the significant historical and contemporary contributions of all Original Peoples.

Before we begin today's episode about the Neutral Nation and Iroquois, Indigenous people of our region in Southwestern Ontario, I’d like to acknowledge funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and Tyrconnell Heritage Society, operators of Backus-Page House Museum.

Welcome to Episode 2 of Life in the Talbot Settlement.  

Who is the founder of the Talbot Settlement?  Thomas Talbot was responsible for placing settlers in what would become 29 townships along the north shore of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario.  I’d like to acknowledge funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and Tyrconnell Heritage Society operators of Backus-Page House Museum.

Welcome to our first episode of Life in the Talbot Settlement. You may be wondering what and where is the Talbot settlement, who is Talbot, why is any of this important and in general what is this podcast going to be about? Before I answer all those questions, I’d like to acknowledge funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and Tyrconnell Heritage Society operators of Backus-Page House Museum.