The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015.
Some text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the original publication.
The Dalby name was one of the most prominent in Elora in the 1800s.
Robert Dalby was the most important member of the family, but other family members contributed significantly to Elora’s industrial history.
Francis Dalby Sr. founded the clan in Elora. He arrived here from Richmond Hill with his family in 1855. Unlike his sons, he is something of a shadowy figure, leaving only a patchy record of his activities in Elora.
During the late 1850s, he was a purchaser of hides and ashes. As well, there is some evidence that he began making beer soon after coming to Elora.
In 1859, he constructed a tannery and brewery at the foot of Geddes street, on the banks of the river. (This is currently 19 Mill St. East, the location of Elora Concrete Burial Vaults.)
Constructed of stone, the two-storey tannery was not a large building, measuring 20 by 45 feet. This building was situated at the front of the lot, along the east side of Geddes street. A wing, 25 by 35 feet, was attached to the south side of the building; this was probably a later addition, dating from the early 1870s.
The brewery was situated at the rear of the property, in a two-storey, 20-by-30-foot stone building, most of which survives to this day. There is evidence that the two buildings were connected by a tunnel.
The brewery was run by Francis’ eldest son, Robert, and the second son, William, conducted the tannery. Francis listed his occupation as brewer, but spent much of his time buying and selling farm land.
For whatever reason, Francis Dalby seems to have been a discontented and restless man. He offered the brewery and tannery for sale or lease soon after they were completed. In 1862, he built a stone house on Princess street, backing on to the brewery and tannery.
Soon afterward, he packed his trunks and returned permanently to England, leaving his wife and seven children, the youngest of whom was 10, in Elora.
The tannery continued to be carried on by William Dalby. John, the youngest of the Dalby boys, joined his brother about 1865. A couple of years later, William left Elora to seek his fortune on the west coast.
Robert Dalby assumed the management of the tannery, with brother John, by now an experienced tanner, in charge of operations. Another brother, Frank, also trained in the business.
The Dalby tannery was a modest concern, employing four or five men most of the time. The operation was modernized in 1873, with new vats and a new boiler. The tannery provided a market for hides for those farmers slaughtering their own cattle, and for the local butchers who had their own slaughter houses. Some of the leather was purchased by local saddle makers, harness makers, and shoemakers.
A fire put the tannery briefly out of business in 1878. John Dalby rebuilt the damaged portion of the building, but within a few months he threw in the towel and took up farming.
By the late 1870s, small tanneries were under extreme competitive pressure. Larger tanneries produced leather more cheaply and with more consistent quality.
The supply of hides was drying up, as a result of the growth of large packing houses, none of which were near Elora. Finally, local markets for leather faded with the increasing popularity of factory-made shoes and boots.
Meanwhile, Robert Dalby had become one of Elora’s most active entrepreneurs. After his father had left town in 1862, he carried on the brewery for a couple of years, but beer was not yet a popular beverage, so he looked for other opportunities.
In 1862, he purchased the Royal Hotel (now the older part of the Elora Legion).
In 1865, he took over the stagecoach line running between Guelph and Drayton and, later the same year, began construction of a new hotel, the Dalby House, which remains as one of the landmarks of Elora’s main street (the flat-iron building is now home to the Upper Grand Family Health Team at 146 Metcalfe Street.)
A large livery stable was built across Geddes street at the rear of the building (the Shoppers Drug Mart store is now located here).
An addition was made to the hotel in 1867 to provide more rooms. The first floor of the addition was rented out as a hardware store (this was the dining room of the hotel more recently). Management of the Dalby House was handed to Frank Dalby in 1867.
The Dalby brewery was revived in 1870. Robert Dalby leased the business to G.C. Vining and Co., of London. Vining lasted about three years, after which the brewery operated sporadically under Robert Dalby’s management.
Dalby’s next major enterprise was the Dominion Brush Works. Though none of his business ventures was large, Robert Dalby usually managed to find profitable investments, both with businesses and with real estate.
By the mid-1870s he was one of Elora’s wealthiest residents and most respected citizens. He served as reeve from 1874 to 1876.
Not all Dalby’s later investments were sound. He was a large shareholder in both the Elora Agricultural Machine Co. and the Elora carpet factory, the village’s two major industrial failures of the 1870s.
As well, he ill-advisedly co-signed for bank loans for other businesses.
His fortunes declined very rapidly in the late 1870s. By 1880, Robert Dalby was broke.
A proud and independent man, he struggled to recoup his fortunes rather than declare bankruptcy. His elder daughter, Adelaide, gave music lessons to help the family fortunes.
Broken by worry and overwork, Robert Dalby died in 1884 at the age of 46.
Several members of the Dalby family moved to British Columbia after beginning their careers in Elora. After he left the tannery, William took part in the Cariboo gold rush, then started a tannery at Victoria. He was successful in a number of business ventures, and served as mayor of Victoria in 1873 and 1874. He died there in 1916.
After selling the Elora tannery to John Northwood in 1879, John Dalby farmed for a time in Luther township, then returned to Elora to join the staff of his brother Robert’s brush factory. In the mid-1880s, he joined his brother William in British Columbia, where he died in the 1920s.
Frank Dalby spent two extended periods in British Columbia in the 1870s, ostensibly for his health, but returned each time to resume management of the Dalby House. He continued as proprietor of Elora’s finest hostelry until his death in 1897 at the age of 55.
Hannah Dalby trained as a nurse after leaving her brothers in Elora. She was with the Red Cross for a time, then practised nursing in British Columbia, Oregon and various places in Ontario.
She retired to Elora in 1902. During the First World War, she founded the local Patriotic League and served as unofficial leader of the civilian war effort in the village. She died here in 1922 at the age of 74.
We know very little of John Northwood, who purchased the Dalby tannery and brewery property in 1879. For three or four years, he attempted to make a go of the tannery business; then his name disappears from local records.
In 1885, the property was sold at a mortgage sale. The purchasers had a new use for the buildings: an oatmeal mill.
*This column was originally published in the Elora Sentinel on April 2, 1991.