Summary

This one and a half storey yellow brick Ontario farmhouse was built circa 1870, suggesting either William or Elijah Harrison may have been responsible for building it. The roof possesses a steep pitch with front and side gables. The brickwork suggests that the windows were previously arched before they were replaced.

Timeline

Pre June 12th, 1856 – Crown Land¹

1856 – 200 acres granted to George H.M. Johnson

Land granted on June 12th by the Crown; part of Lots 42 and 43 of River Lot (also referred to as River Range)¹

1856 – Henry G. Riddle purchases and mortgages 1/3 acres

Land purchased from George H.M. Johnson on December 27th; Henry G. Riddle took out a mortgage from Johnson for £200.00¹

1859 – Adam Elliot purchases and mortgages 170 acres

Land purchased on March 11th from Henry G. Riddle and his wife; Elliot took out a mortgage for £300.00 on April 15th¹

1860 – Henry G. Riddle released from mortgage

Mortgage released on May 26th¹

1860 – Mary Ann Riddle purchases 1/6 acres

Land purchased November 29th from Adam Elliot and his wife. Mary Ann may have been the widow of Henry G. Riddle¹

1866 – William Harrison purchases and mortgages 128 acres

Land (North part of Lot 44 and ½ acre of lot 43) purchased November 23rd from Adam Elliot and his wife; mortgage taken out from Adam Elliot for $5058.70¹

c. 1870 - House is constructed

1873 – Agreement for 63 acres

On February there was an agreement between William Harrison and his wife and Elijah Harrison for 63 acres – the exact nature of the agreement is not specified on the land registry document¹

1874 –Adam Elliot released from mortgage

Mortgage released on May 14th¹

1874 –William Harrison released from mortgage

Mortgage released November 23rd¹

1877 – Property part of probate

Part of William Harrison’s property left to his family as part of probate; March 6th¹

1877 – Pleasant Hill Cemetery purchases 2 acres

Land purchased from Elijah Harrison and his wife for $200.00 on April 5th¹

1893 – Elijah Harrison and his wife take out mortgage

Mortgage was for the amount of $4000.00 from David Brook on May 10th¹

1903 – Marshall Dawson purchases ½ acre

On June 25th, Marshall Dawson purchased ½ acres for $200.00, with the grantors listed as Maria Riddle and Belle Dawson, Marshall’s wife. An additional note of “Belle Riddle – individually and as guardians of her eight children, and ______ and Belle Dawson ______ John Riddle” is made. It is unclear whether Belle is related to the Riddles, but she may have been a daughter¹

1903 – Samuel G. Simpson purchases ½ acres

Land purchased on June 25th from Marshal Dawson and wife for $150.00¹

1903 – Toronto and Niagara Power Co. purchases 1.5 acres

Land purchased July 14th from Elijah Harrison for $165.00¹

1906 – Elijah Harrison partially released from mortgage

Mortgage from David Brook partially released on July 14th¹

1908 – Jacob Miller purchases 1.2 acres

Land purchased from Samuel G. Simpson on February 4th for $100.00¹

1908 – Frederick Harrison purchases 63 acres

On May 11th, Frederick Harrison purchased this land from Elijah Harrison for what appears to be $1.00¹

1908 – Elijah and Frederick Harrison (and his wife) take out a mortgage

On May 11th, Elijah and Frederick Harrison and the latter’s wife take took out a mortgage from Mary Anna Harriot Brook (David Brook’s widow) for $2200.00¹

1908 – Elijah Harrison released from mortgage

Mortgage corresponding to the $4000.00 mortgage Harrison took out from David Brook which had been partially released in 1906 now fully released on May 14th¹

1910 – John [Carmody?] purchases 60 acres

John [Carmody?] purchased 60 acres from Frederick Harrison on October 6th¹

1911 – Alexander [Howarth?] receives Crown patent

Alexander [Howarth?] received a patent from the Crown for 2 20/100 acres for $1500.00 on June 6th¹

1915 – Jacob Miller and wife take out a mortgage

On April 13th, Jacob Miller and his wife took out a mortgage from Charles Nelson [Alridge?] on ½ acres in the amount of $1500.00¹

1916 – Transaction with Standard Natural Gas Co. Ltd

On June 16th, there was a transaction between Standard Natural Gas Co. Ltd and John [Carmody?], possibly the former purchasing the 60 acres John [Carmody?] had purchased from Frederick Harrison in 1910¹

1920 – Elijah and Frederick Harrison released from mortgage

The Harrisons’ mortgage to Mary Anna Harriot Brook was released on May 25th¹

1925 – Jacob Miller released from mortgage

Miller’s mortgage to Charles Nelson [Alridge?] released on February 7th¹

1926 – Electrical Development? Ltd. and Hydro Electrical Power Company

On June 26th, there was a transaction between the Electrical Development? Ltd. and the Hydro Electrical Power Company in regards to the 1.5 acres Toronto and Niagara Power Co. purchased from Elijah Harrison in 1903. A note places this as an HEPC [Hydro Electrical Power Company] allotment of T & N P. Co and Electrical Development? Ltd¹

1926 – Jacob Miller takes out a mortgage

On December 29th, Jacob Miller and his wife took out a second mortgage on ½ acres from Charles Nelson [Alridge?] and [Thomas?] N. [Alridge?], this time for $300.00¹

1937 – Release of ½ acres

On June 7th, there was a release of the ½ acres sold to Toronto and Niagara Power Co. in 1908 and part of the transaction between Electrical Development? Ltd. and Hydro Electrical Power Company in 1937. The Electrical Development? Ltd is listed as the grantee, and the grantor is the Natural _____ Co. Ltd¹

1938 – Land granted to Stanley S. Jenkins [and Lloyd R. Barry?]

On March 7th, Fred Harrison granted the 63 acres he purchased from Elijah Harrison to Stanley S. Jenkins [and Lloyd R. Barry?]¹

1948 – Easement granted to Hydro Electrical Power [Company of Brant?]

Frederick Harrison granted an easement to the Hydro Electrical Power [Company of Brant?] for the amount of $84.40 on September 4th¹

1953 – Transaction between Everett Harrison and Minta A. Harrison, and Frederick Harrison

The nature of this transaction is unknown due to smudging on the document, but Everett Harrison and Minta A. Harrison either bought or were granted 58 acres from Frederick Harrison on February 11th¹

1953 – Transaction with 63 acres

On February 16th, a transaction for 63 acres involving the estate of Frederick Harrison took place, though the nature of this transaction is illegible¹

1954 – Minta A. Harrison granted 63 acre property

On July 22nd, Minta A. Harrison was granted 63 acres (Lot 43) by Everett Harrison, Minta A. Harrison, and _____ Frederick Harrison. Not included in this transfer is the ½ acre bought by Jacob Miller (see Feb. 4, 1908); two parcels for road allowance, one 1/3 acres and the other 1/6 acres; and the 2 acres owned by the Pleasant Hill cemetery (see April 5, 1877)¹

1957 – Estate of Jacob Miller

This transaction on January 21st appears to have been a _____ certificate applying to the Estate of Jacob Miller, for the ½ acres in Lot 43 Miller had purchased from Samuel Simpson in 1908¹

1957 – Roscoe [H.?] Embry was granted ½ acres

This transaction occurred on January 22nd, with Roscoe [H.?] Embry being granted ½ acres by Jonathan Miller, [Jan?] Embry, Ruby Arnold?, _____ Miller and wife, and _______, for $1.00. This land may be the ½ acres that was part of Jacob Miller’s estate in the previous entry¹

1961 – 42.625 acres granted to Edward and Blanche Dougherty

The Queen granted this land, noted as Lot 43, to Edward and Blanche Dougherty on August 21st for the amount of $1.00. The document has additional notes for this transaction but they are illegible¹

1961 – Plan and Description

On August 30th, a plan and description of Lot 43 was carried out under the Highway Improvement Act 1957 (______ #54)¹

1961 – Easement granted to the Hydro Electric Power [Company of Brant]?

Edward and Blanche Dougherty grant the Hydro Electric Power [Company of Brant]? an easement for the amount of $534.71 on November 1st¹

1967 – Alan L. Dougherty granted 42.625 acres

Three parcels of Lot 43 granted Marth 30th by Edward and Blanche Dougherty for $1.00¹

Architectural Features

This is a one and a half storey house built circa 1870 with an L-shaped plan and constructed of yellow header bond brick. It also features brown decorative air bricks featuring four crossed circles. The roof features an offset gable. The house has two chimneys, one on the exterior left and constructed of concrete block and the other in exterior back right constructed of red brick. The differing materials suggest that both chimneys are not original to the house. There are wooden projecting eaves with no rafters exposed painted dark green and the roof features plain projecting verges. The front door is off-centre main in the main façade featuring arch radiating voussoirs at the head and a plain dark green wood surround. The windows were previously arched but now are mainly single-hung with half-round plain dark green wood surround with protruding apron and also feature arch radiating voussoirs. There is a smaller square window in matching half-round dark green wood surround on left side of the building. A vertical plank single story wood addition on is found on back left with picture slider window. A thick line of dark visible mortar suggests on the rear half of building suggests that the second floor may be a newer addition to the house. On the main façade, there is a verandah with decorative posts and brackets and a scalloped trim.

Notes

1. Land Registry, February 2018

References

• Land Registry. (February 2018.)