Person:Henry Cargill (2)

Who's Who in Canada in 1898 - Ref. 920.071

Cargill, Henry - Manufacturer and legislator, is the son of the late David Cargill, who can to Ontario from the County Antrim, Ireland, 1824. Born in Nassagaweya, Halton, Ontario, August 12, 1838. He was educated at the local schools and at Queen's University, Kingston. Entering the lumber business, 1861, he removed to Guelph, 1878, and in the following year to Greenock County, Bruce, where he has since resided. There he continued the manufacture of lumber, established a flour mill and carried on a general mercantile business. More recently he has become a stock raiser. His residence and place of business is at Cargill, a town named after him by the Grand Trunk Railway. After having served as Reeve of the Twp. of Greenock, he was elected to the House of Commons for East Bruce, g.e. 1887. and has continued to represent that constituency almost uninterruptedly since that time.

Mr. Cargill is a director of the Dominican Life Insurance Co.; Vice Pres. of the Canada Mutual Mining and Develop. Co; Vice Pres. of the Ontario Trotting and Pacing Horse Breeders' Assoc.; President of the Saugeen Valley Ry. Co., and Pres. of the Irish Prov. Ben. Society of Walkerton. Politically he is a Con., and is a member of the Ex. Comte. of the Lib. Con. Union, Ontario. In religion, he is a Presbyterian. He married, Mch. 1864, Margaret, daughter of Wm Davidson, Halton.

Gravestone Inscriptions at Walkerton Presbyterian Cemetery

"IN/LOVING REMEMBRANCE OF/HENRY CARGILL/WHO DIED/OCT. 1, 1903/AGED 65 YEARS -- MARGARET, BELOVED WIFE OF/HENRY CARGILL/WHO DIED/SEPT. 20, 1913/AGED 70 YEARS

Return of Marriages Solemnized by Rev. Eavid Dermat Rolston 31st December 1864

Henry Cargill, age 25, Massagaweya, Canada W., Parents David & Ann, to Margaret Davidson, age 21 of Nelson, Canada W., Parents William & Ann, Feb. 17, 1864

March 17, 1864 - Canadian Champion - Under the heading Married

" On Friday 11th inst., at the residence of the Brides mother, Nelson, Henry Cargill Esq., of Nassagaweya to Miss Margaret Davidson of Nelson"

Acton Free Press - March 16, 1876

"In Nassagaweya, on the 13th inst., the wife of Henry Cargill, of a daughter"

Sept. 25, 1913 - Acton Free Press, pg. 2, column 3

NASSAGAWEYA News reached here on Monday of the death of Mrs. Margaret Cargill, relict of Henry Cargill, former M.P. for East Bruce. She died on Sunday after two weeks' illness. She leaves one son, W.D. Cargill, who is the Conservative candidate in the South Bruce by-election for the House of Commons, and two daughters, Mrs. W.H. Bennett, of Midland and Mrs. Wilson M. Southam of Ottawa. The deceased, whose maiden name was Margaret Davidson, was married in Nassagaweya in 1854 to the late Mr. Cargill, who had just graduated from Queen's College, Kingston and had entered the lumber business in his native county, Halton. In 1879 Mr. Cargill sold his business to the late Pater Sayers and the family removed to Bruce County, where Mr. Cargill purchased a large portion of Greenock Swamp and conducted an extensive lumber business.

DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ONLINE -

CARGILL, HENRY, businessman, breeder, politician, and office holder; b. 13 Aug. 1838 in Nassagaweya Township, Upper Canada, son of David Cargill and Ann ; m. 11 March 1864 Margaret Davidson (d. 1913), and they had one son and three daughters; d. I Oct. 1903 in Ottawa and was buried in Walkerton, Ont.

In 1824 David Cargill emigrated from County Antrim (Northern Ireland) to Nassagaweya Township in Halton County. Recognizing the potential of the local stands of timber, he entered the lumber business in addition to farming and running an inn. Henry Cargill was educated at local schools and spent two years at Queen's College, Kingston, before he took over his father's lumber business. Overcoming some initial financial problems, he eventually built a large and successful operation: two sawmills and a shingle-mill. One of the sawmills, which Cargill held in partnership with David Wheelihan, was the largest in the township, employing 12 men and producing 25?30,000 board feet per day. Cargill also had a small farming operation at his home in Nassagaweya as well as extensive holdings of timberland.

The turning-point in Cargill's life occurred in 1871, when the province of Ontario decided to sell a large piece of crown land in Bruce County called the Greenock Swamp. Containing over 8,400 acres, it had potentially lucrative supplies of hardwood and softwood, but its boggy nature had handicapped development. Cargill was one of seven men who purchased part of the swamp at public auction in 1871 for an average cost of $4.66 per acre. Over the next few years he acquired more of the swamp from the other purchasers and leased a sawmill in Chepstow to process some of the timber, leaving his Nassagaweya interests in the hands of his partner. Cargill's big move came in 1879 when he bought all of Charles Mickle Sr's original parcel ? more than 4,000 acres ? and the sawmill, grist-mill, boardinghouse, and workers? houses that Mickle had built. Cargill financed this purchase by dissolving his partnership with Wheelihan and by taking a large mortgage from Mickle.

Cargill now faced the task of developing the swamp. The first step was to construct corduroy roads into the area and dig canals, which allowed logs to be floated out and helped to drain the land. The latter function was important because the cleared land could then be sold as farmland. The logs were taken via the Teeswater River to the mill complex Cargill had purchased from Mickle. Originally called Yokassippi and later Mickle Station, this small village, which was situated on a division of the Great Western Railway, was soon renamed Cargill. The extensive manufacturing base built up by Cargill included a planning mill, a stave-mill, and a heading mill; he also operated a general store and opened a woolen mill. His aim was not only to utilize the full resources of the swamp but also to provide long-term employment. Cargill's concern for the local people was also reflected by his provision of a waterworks, fire equipment, a powerplant to provide electricity, and a school; he was generous too in helping to pay for the construction of local churches (Cargill himself was a Presbyterian). The village, which had a population of 200 in 1885, was labelled by the Farmer's Advocate and Home Magazine ?one of the most prosperous in the Province? and Cargill was hailed for establishing a model of labour relations and capital development.

Cargill's enterprises flourished and he soon became a wealthy man, free to pursue other concerns. One of his most passionate interests was farming. Eventually he owned and operated over 900 acres of good land at Cargill and was famous for his herd of imported Scottish Shorthorns, which helped to improve greatly the class of cattle in that part of the province. Operated under the name of Henry Cargill and Son, the farm also raised and sold Percheron, Clydesdale, and Standardbred horses and Oxford Down sheep. Cargill was active in many associations and companies, among them the Dominion Shorthorn Breeders? Association, the Dominion Life Assurance Company, the Canadian Mutual Mining and Development Company, the Ontario Trotting and Pacing Horse Breeders? Association, the Saugeen Valley Railway Company, and the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society of Walkerton.

Politics was a lifelong interest of Cargill's. He served as a councilor in Nassagaweya in 1866 and as reeve of Greenock Township for three years (1884?86). He was postmaster of Cargill from 1880 to 1887. Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald* supposedly recruited Cargill, a Conservative, for federal politics; he was first elected to the House of Commons in February 1887 for the riding of Bruce East. Forced to resign because he held a crown appointment (the postmasters hip), he was returned at a by-election in April. His election in 1891 was also difficult: defeated at the polls in March, he filed a successful protest and won the subsequent by-election in February 1892. In the elections of 1896 and 1900 he maintained his seat. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of his otherwise undistinguished parliamentary career is that he died in the commons. After speaking to a point on 1 Oct. 1903, Cargill was taken ill. Although attended by two doctors who were also members, he died ?at 10:50 almost simultaneously with the bell in the corridor announcing the adjournment of the House.? He was survived by his wife, their son, Wellington David, who continued his father's business, and two daughters, one of whom had married Wilson Mills Southam, a prominent Ottawa journalist.

Henry Cargill From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ? Learn more about citing Wikipedia ? Jump to: navigation, search

Henry Cargill (August 13, 1838 ? October 1, 1903) was an Ontario farmer, merchant and political figure. He represented Bruce East in the Canadian House of Commons from 1887 to 1891 and from 1892 to 1903 as a Conservative member.

He was born in Nassagaweya Township, Upper Canada, the son of David Cargill, an Irish immigrant. Cargill studied at Queen's College and entered his father's lumber business in Halton County, moving to Bruce County in 1879 after purchasing a large parcel of land known as the Greenock Swamp which contained large stands of white pine. In 1864, he had married Margaret Davidson. Cargill established mills to process the timber, also establishing a woolen mill and a general store. He also raised cattle, horses and sheep. The village of Cargill developed as the result of his efforts in the area. He served as reeve for Greenock Township from 1884 to 1886 and also served as village postmaster. He was defeated in 1891 but appealed and won the subsequent by-election in 1892. Cargill died in the House of Commons in Ottawa in 1903.

His daughter Margaret married William Humphrey Bennett, who later served in the federal parliament. His son Wellington David carried on his father's business and went on to serve in the provincial assembly.

From John Brinckman Henry Cargill was born in Nassagaweya Township and educated at local schools and Queen`s College, Kingston before taking over his father`s lumbering business. In 1871 he and six others bought the 8,400 acre Greenock Swamp in Bruce County from the Province as Crown Land in an auction for an average price of $4.66 an acre. Over the course of time he bought out his partners. He drained the swamp, building corduroy roads and canals and brought out the timber. The rich black earth was sold as farmland. The logs were floated down the Teeswater River to a mill complex at a hamlet called Yokasippi. As a director, he persuaded the Great Western Railway to run its railway through Yokasippi and a grateful populace changed its name to Cargill. At its peak, Cargill had a sawmill, a gristmill, a planing mill, a stave mill, a heading mill, a general store, a boarding house and workers houses, all owned by Henry. A Presbyterian, he contributed to the construction of churches of various denominations He had a 900 acre farm which was famous for its Scottish Shorthorns. He also bred Percheron, Clydesdale, and Standardbred horses and Oxford Down sheep. All his life he had held local offices, and in 1887 Sir John A. Macdonald asked him to run as a Conservative for Bruce East. He became an M.P. and built a house in Ottawa on Stuart Street. In 1903 he died in the House of Common

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