Yacht of Gordon and Katherine Lefebvre, "The Virginian", Oakville
Description
- Media Type
- Image
- Text
- Item Type
- Photographs
- Description
- The yacht "Virginian" owned by Gordon and Kathleen Lefebvre is shown in the top photograph. It was anchored in the harbour at Oakville, Ontario.
In the bottom photograph showing people on the yacht foredeck, taken in 1930, Hans, the engineer and skipper is wearing the white shirt and striped tie top left, Roy Lessels is the baby sitting on the lap of Mrs. Gordon. Roy's mother, Alice Lessels, is sitting bottom right.
The original Holyrood Estate was 15 to 17 acres of land on Lake Ontario of bush, field, apple orchard and open space. It was the last property on the south side of Lakeshore Road West (Highway 2) in the Town of Oakville, at the foot of Dorval Drive. Gordon and Kathleen Lefebvre owned Holyrood from 1929 to 1945. Gordon was the head of the General Motors Pontiac Division. He was originally from Oshawa area. Kathleen was an Oakville girl. In 1943, Gordon became President of Cooper-Bessemer Company in Grove City, Pennsylvania.
The Lessels family continued to live in the gardener's cottage and from 1955 to 1969, Jack again worked as groundskeeper on the estate, for owner David Knapp.
More information on the career of Gordon Lefebvre is linked in the "Grove City Historical Society Report". - Notes
- Information and photographs of Holyrood house, the Lefevre family and the history of the property in the Trafalgar Township Historical Society digital collection were shared by Mr. Roy Lessels in May 2016. Roy's father was the head grounds keeper for the estate from 1929 to 1945, in the employ of Gordon Lefebvre, and again from 1955-1969 for David Knapp. The images with notes remain the property of Mr. Lessels.
The "Groups of Related Records" link will take you to the other records, maps of the property and photographs of the estate people in Mr. Lessels photo album. - Date Of Event
- 1920
- Subject(s)
- Personal Name(s)
- Gordon Lefebvre, 1889-1957. Kathleen Lefebvre, 1893-1986.
- Local identifier
- TTJRL000502
- Collection
- Trafalgar Township Historical Society
- Language of Item
- English
- Donor
- Roy Lessels
- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Recommended Citation
- Yacht of Gordon and Katherine Lefebvre, "The Virginian", Oakville
- Contact
-
Trafalgar Township Historical Society Sponsor: Jeff Knoll, Local & Regional Councillor for Oakville Ward 5 – Town of Oakville/Regional Municipality of Halton
