One of the early families to settle in East Flamborough Township, the Gallagher family of Concession 6, Lot 8 originally came from Ireland. Samuel Gallagher and his wife, Mary Sullivan, with their family of four children, Phyllis, John, Daniel and Anne arrived in the Hamilton area in 1838, eventually purchasing land in East Flamborough Township in 1844. Last Heritage Paper told of the family’s early years. This paper, the story of Phyllis and John Gallagher, the two oldest children.
Returning to Canada with the Gallagher family, Phyllis Gallagher and her husband James Elderkin settled temporarily in a small log cabin and ½ acre of land on Concession 9. The next year they moved to Barton Township as James was a carpenter by trade, and they had little interest in farming.
Sometime between 1852 and 1855, James and Phyllis and their growing family moved to the American Mid-West. In March 1856, shortly after giving birth to her sixth child, Phyllis learnt that her sister-in-law and friend, Juliette Elderkin who was married to David Millard, had just given birth to her fourth child and was in poor health. Phyllis came back to Carlisle with her children and nursed Juliette Millard. But while here she lost her second son, Samuel David aged 11 years, who died 21 September 1856 and was buried in the cemetery of Grace Anglican Church, Waterdown. Juliette slowly improved and Phyllis and her children returned to join her husband in Wisconsin.
Within a year of returning to the west there were further tragic happenings within these two families. Phyllis and James lost their eldest daughter Juliette, and then James Elderkin died. In 1858, Juliette Millard died while giving birth to a son, Albert. Left with a teenage son and three young girls, Phyllis brought the remainder of her family back to Carlisle.
In Dundas on 13 March 1860 Phyllis Gallagher Elderkin married widower, David Ransom Millard, eldest son of Isaiah Karlie Millard and Mary Smith. Phyllis’ four children and David’s five made a large family, but they continued to add to the numbers by having four daughters, Frances Jane, Ada Charity, Harriet Emma and Martha Lilly.
Erastus Frederick Elderkin, Phyllis’ eldest son who had been born in Rochester, like many young men of the time became involved in the excitement of events south of the border. Local newspapers were full of stories of the American Civil War and the immense effect that it had on Canada. Many goods were in great demand in the United States, especially meat and grain and large numbers of horses were also being shipped for use in the war. Erastus worked as a handler for a horse supplier and went with a herd of horses being shipped to New York State for the Cavalry. While there, he enlisted in the New York State Cavalry. Phyllis received a letter from him occasionally, and once he sent her a photograph of himself from Virginia.
In 1865, a letter was received from a U.S. general telling Phyllis that her son aged 22 years, had died on September 12th, after peace was declared. His body was shipped home to Carlisle, not arriving until November. A family story recounts that his dog seemed to know that Erastus had come home and he stayed with the coffin from the time it arrived at the house until its internment in Grace Anglican Church Cemetery.
John Gallagher, the second child and oldest of Samuel and Mary Gallagher’s sons often told his own son, George that he was just ten years old when he first came to Canada on a sailing ship. When his parents returned from New York State and the family came to East Flamborough, he was approximately 18 years of age, and had the responsibility of farm chores to keep him busy.
He married Mary Simpson, daughter of Thomas Simpson and Matilda Culbertson of the Cedar Springs area c.1852-53 and with the financial help of his father, acquired a small farm of 50 acres, parts of Lots 8 and 9, Concession 7, East Flamborough Township. A brick house and board-sided barn were constructed, and a prosperous farm including a fine orchard developed.
All of John and Mary Gallagher’s children, Richard, Matilda, Annie, Samuel, Alice, George and Frederick were born there, and attended Victoria School, Carlisle. Their eldest son, Richard Edward Gallagher attended Waterdown Continuation School and became known throughout Canada as a renowned educator in the field of commercial schooling. Eventually he became owner and principal of the Canada Business College in Hamilton, author of a book on commercial law and a person of great influence in Business Education in both Canada and the U.S.A.
After living in East Flamborough for many years, John Gallagher decided to sell his property and move to Aldershot. The farm was sold for five thousand dollars in March 1880, and the Fonger property of Lot 5, Concession 1 on the Plains Road purchased. There he built a large stuccoed house, a barn and workshop. In 1882, John Gallagher planted a five acre apple orchard along Plains Road. Consisting mainly of Northern Spy and Rhode Island Greenings, the farm under John’s son and grandson became one of the outstanding orchards in Wentworth County. During his ownership of the farm, John rented pasture land and also the barn to the Hurd family of Aldershot, the local cheese maker.
In later years to supplement his income, John became the Tax Assessor of East Flamborough Township. After his son George married Annie Whatmough and took over the running of the farm, John and Mary Gallagher retired and moved to Burlington. They are both buried in the cemetery of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Plains Road, Aldershot.
© The Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society 1994, 2022.
