From Aberfoyle to Badenoch and from Crieff to Morriston, Puslinch Township lays claim to numerous communities, each with its own unique heritage.
“It’s not about me; it’s about our history,” says resident Marjorie Clark.
For her, it is about sharing those stories with others in her community.
“Knowing where we came from is an integral part of knowing who we are,” Clark said.
Though her name might be on the cover of many of the current Puslinch historical books, Clark stresses she is just one of many people who took part and only one of many people chronicling local histories in the area.
One only needs to look within the front door of the Puslinch Township office for verification.
A table in the front lobby is dominated by a wealth of various local histories. Some of the books Clark has been involved with include:
– The Clark Family, 1979;
– Our Village of Morriston, 1981;
– A Genealogy of Badenoch Families, 1999;
– Puslinch in the Papers, 2001;
– Life in Puslinch, 1873-1898, published 2004;
– Marriages, Puslinch Township, published 2004;
– Badenoch, 1831-2007, published 2007;
– The Maple Leaf Forever, The Military in Puslinch Township, published 2008;
– A Celebration of Lives, Obituaries of Puslinch Township, published 2009;
– Marriages, Puslinch Township, Volume 2, published 2010; and
– Our Home and Native Land, Community in Puslinch Township, published 2011.
Clark’s initial reticence to be the centre of attention was echoed by others who know her.
Copies of many of those books are at the Wellington County Archives and the Puslinch Historical Society Archive.
Her history of Morriston is on the shelves of the Aberfoyle branch of the Wellington County Library (where the Puslinch Historical Society Archives are located).
Each person has their own reasons and story as to why they became involved in local history or genealogical research.
In the dedication of her latest book, Our Home and Native Land, Community in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Clark gives a glimpse into how it began for her.
“I began this in answer to a letter of enquiry from a long-lost second cousin in BC, which was sent to my uncle in 1979, who passed it to an aunt, who gave it to another aunt, who showed the letter to me.”
The cousin’s letter began, “I believe we are related.”
Clark said she started with a few pages in response but soon, it was a sheaf of papers “… and then, I realized I had a book.”
She published a book on her paternal line and gave away 100 copies within the family.
“I had always been interested in local history, as I listened to my parents and aunties talk about who was related to who and how, from the time I was wee,” she said.
“On summer evenings, I would accompany my aunts and mother to Crown Cemetery to water the flowers and afterwards, to wander about, listening while they talked about our family, neighbours and friends, who had gone before us.
“My father, too, would often regale us with stories from his boyhood and what Badenoch and Morriston were like then. I thought that someone ought to record all of that, but someone more capable than me.”
She added, “After that first book on the Clark family, I never stopped to this day.
“There is something about local history and genealogy; one is telling one’s own story, really. Our family, our neighbours, our township, it is all just an extension of ourselves.
“Especially so, I suppose, when one’s family has lived in the township, as mine has, since 1832, when the first trees were cut. My cousins still live and farm where our great-great-grandfather, John Clark Sr. settled.”
Less was accomplished in the first number of years of research, as Clark still worked full-time.
When she retired as a staff member at McMaster University in 2002, she began concentrating full-time on Puslinch history.
“If my efforts with co-authors and as part of a group are counted, I think there are about ten books in publication now. I have material for a couple more on my computer presently.
“The books are sold on a cost-recovery basis, as it is not our aim to make money from the endeavour. We produce our own manuscripts, deal with the printer and do our own advertising for the books, although friends and acquaintances have graciously reviewed the books for the Puslinch Pioneer.
“We also do our own shipping by Canada Post. We are particularly grateful to Brenda Law and the staff of the Puslinch Township municipal office for displaying and selling the books from a desk in the lobby.”
Once a computer was acquired, efforts expanded to a website in about 2003, and to the “Friends of Puslinch History” group around 2006.
To date, there are 116 members in the group, which continues to grow.
She stressed her “historical endeavour is not entirely my own, as the website, which you are probably familiar with – http://www.clarksoftomfad.ca, is the production of my brother, John R. Clark.
“Like myself, he also researches and assists me with the construction of my books.
“Throughout the years, I have occasionally written articles for print in the Puslinch Pioneer, our volunteer-run Puslinch paper; another great medium through which to reach people.”
Clark was a founding member of the Puslinch Historical Society in 1984. From 2003-2005, she served as president.
“Hopefully, my efforts bring an awareness of our past to current residents of our township, [so] they may understand how we came to be as we are.”
As well, many of Clark’s contacts are descendants of early pioneer families who settled Puslinch Township – and those descendants are spread far and wide across this continent.
“My desire is to bring alive the Puslinch of their ancestors for them and for those who will investigate in the future,” she said. She points to her most recent book Our Home and Native Land, Community in Puslinch Township [2011].
“I did not intend to do this book but, while searching through my files for data for articles for the Puslinch Pioneer, I realized what a wealth of material was now in my possession. I began with the idea of putting together a few articles. Then, I found that I was writing a book and it seemed to have a community theme. Really, it is my version of a Puslinch Township history.”
Clark noted an earlier book – The Maple Leaf Forever, The Military in Puslinch Township, [2008] – began as she worked on the obituary collection.
“I realized that there was quite of bit of information on the participation of Puslinch men in the military, from the days of Mackenzie Rebellion, the Fenian Raids, the North-west Rebellion, the Boer War and the First World War.”
As to resources available, Clark says researchers into Puslinch subjects are able to access the archives of the Puslinch Historical Society (PHS), which is located in the Puslinch Township Library in Aberfoyle.
“The PHS has been collecting information almost since its formation as a group.” The archive is open on Saturday from 10am to 5pm and on Wednesday from 1 to 4:30pm (for enquiries contact Betty Ferguson at Ferguson@in.on.ca).
Clark added archivist Karen Wagner of the Wellington County Archives possesses a good collection of Puslinch material. Ancestry.ca is another source of vital statistics and the census for not only Puslinch Township, but all of Ontario in the case of births, marriages, deaths; and all of Canada for census information.
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The stories behind the books, as described by Marjorie Clark
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The Clark Family, 1979, – a genealogy, in response to a letter, as I described previously.
Our Village of Morriston, 1981, – the Morriston Women’s Institute was working on its Tweedsmuir History. My mother was asked for information. Her Munch family arrived in Puslinch about 1870. Mum and I discussed it and decided that we could make a reasonable history of the largely German village and the families, who settled around it. It covers the years from settlement to 1981. I, very ambitiously, had 500 copies printed and a few still remain for sale. After all this time, I am still pleased with that book, particularly the photographs, which turned out very well.
A Genealogy of Badenoch Families, 1999, – My dear friend, Llewella MacIntyre and I began to collect information on 29 of the early families of Badenoch in 1982. We based our work on the excellent booklet, Badenoch, 1831-1967, published in 1967 by the Centennial Historical Committee of the Badenoch community. In 1984, we travelled to Salt Lake City to research for a week at the Latter Day Saints Family History Library, peering at microfilm of the Parish records of Scotland every day for approximately twelve hours. After 17 years of intermittent work, we finally published. The book includes an introductory chapter on the nature of the Highland Scottish people, who made up the majority of the Badenoch settlers, and their lives in Scotland, as well as in Badenoch, in the south-east corner of Puslinch.
Puslinch in the Papers, 2001 – My mother had an excellent collection of newspaper clippings, mainly from the Guelph Mercury, stretching from about 1945 to 1999. They provided a good history of Puslinch, not only throughout those years but also included a great deal of background from earlier periods, right back to the settlement years. I put this in print to make her collection available to all and of course, to honour her work. By this point, my mother was 87, ill and frail and would not be doing anything further.
Life in Puslinch, 1873-1898, published 2004 – When I began searching through newspapers on microfilm for obituaries and death notices, I found that there was a perfect wealth of information about Puslinch in those papers. I knew by the number of reels and the amount of time and effort required to look through them, that I would never do that twice. I began to save everything that was printed about Puslinch. The years 1873 to 1898 were particularly rich in detail. I chose a sampling of all areas of Puslinch life from that era to publish in this book and decorated the cover with drawings taken from the newspapers of that time.
Marriages, Puslinch Township, published 2004 – After scouring the newspapers from the first preserved copies in 1848 to 1900, I saw that there were a number of marriage notices for vows which pre-dated the first records kept in the government’s vital statistics beginning in 1869 or from a later date which, for whatever reason, did not get into the records. Late in the 19th century, the announcements became more descriptive. It was possible occasionally to learn what the bride wore, what the groom gifted her with and where they spent their honeymoon. I published the first volume of marriage announcements, which included ceremonies to 1900.
Badenoch, 1831-2007, published 2007, – In late 2006, I was asked to join Lois McLean and Jean Aubin in producing a book to celebrate the 175th year since the founding of Badenoch for the celebration day in June 2007. It was a rush but we did it. We included all of the material from Badenoch, 1831-1967, updated some portions and added a section of stories. This book and A Genealogy of Badenoch Families are good starting points for Badenoch family researchers. Copies are available from Lois McLean at 519-763-1067.
The Maple Leaf Forever, The Military in Puslinch Township, published 2008 – When nearly finished the obits collection, I realized that there was quite of bit of information on the participation of Puslinch men in the military, from the days of McKenzie Rebellion, the Fenian Raids, the North-west Rebellion, the Boer War and the First World War. This interesting aspect of our history was well worth compiling and documenting.
A Celebration of Lives, Obituaries of Puslinch Township, published 2009 -Anna Jackson asked me, about 2000, if I would like to join her to make a collection of obituaries of Puslinch people. At first, I declined, as I thought that would be a rather dreary project. Then, I offered to type up my mother’s collection to contribute to her effort. The collections of a couple more individuals came to me and I added those to her manuscript. Sadly, Anna succumbed to pancreatic cancer at this juncture. Her collection was left to the Puslinch Historical Society. That organization gave me a disk containing her information. I decided to have a look at the newspapers, as we didn’t have anything much from prior to the 1880’s. I soon realized what a treasure of historical material the newspapers were and determined that I should search through as many as possible. It took seven years to look at the collections of Guelph, Galt, Dumfries and Hespeler newspapers, first at the University of Guelph’s McLaughlin Library, some issues at the Guelph Public Library, some issues of the Hespeler Herald, only existing in hard copy at the Cambridge Archives and last, at the Cambridge Public Library. A handy work for genealogists, in two volumes it contains obituaries and/or death notices and supplementary information for approximately 6,650 individuals, all of whom lived in Puslinch for some part of his/her life. It’s our tribute to the people of Puslinch, thanks to Anna, for she initiated it.
Marriages, Puslinch Township, Volume 2, published 2010 – a further volume of marriages from 1901 to 1930. More detail is included as the years progress. Descriptions of the fabrics, from which the gowns were sewn, are particularly interesting.
Our Home and Native Land, Community in Puslinch Township, published 2011 – I did not intend to do this book but, while searching through my files for data for articles for the Puslinch Pioneer, I realized what a wealth of material was now in my possession (I have three four-drawer filing cabinets crammed full and a couple of shelves to boot.) I began with the idea of putting together a few articles. Then, I found that I was writing a book and it seemed to have a community theme. Really, it is my version of a Puslinch Township history.
