Janes

(submitted by Paul Janes)

Samuel Meredith Janes (1793–1870) and Anna (Bond, 1794–1869) Janes emigrated with their family — William (1817–1888), Charles Meredith (1824–1874) and Matilda Meredith (1828–1902) — from Glastonbury, England to Byron, Ont. in 1832. Samuel had served in the British army and may have fought in the War of 1812.

The arrival of the Janes family in Warwick Twp. dates back to the 1840s when Charles Meredith, who at that time delivered mail by horseback from London to Errol via the Egremont Rd., passed through. The first record of his settl­ing in Warwick is in 1848 when he was connected with the Maple Leaf (Maple Grove) Hotel in Warwick Village, although according to Pioneer Inns and Taverns, vol, 3, by E. Guillet, 1958, the Maple Leaf Hotel was erected about 1835, built by someone with the name Janes.

In 1851, Charles M. Janes received 100 acres, the west half of Lot 14, Con. 3 NER, as a crown grant. In this transaction he was known as a stage driver. Later in 1851, records show that he had purchased Lots 1, 2 and 3 on West Camden St., Lot 4 on Camden or First St., and all of Lot 1, Con. 1 SER in Warwick Village, from James Atkinson for 200 pounds. Then he purchased all of Lot 2, Con. 1 SER in the village from Jacob Utter in 1852. In 1854, Charles, now known as innkeeper, purchased the south 49 acres of the east half of Lot 14, Con. 3 NER. Then, in 1856, he also purchased the re­maining 50. Nine years later, he sold all of his holdings in the village to William Manders, and from then on all his property was on Con. 3 NER.

It was on the south portion of the east half of Lot 14 that, in 1856, Charles M. Janes built a one-storey log house, about 75 feet east and 25 feet north of the present home. As well, he built a slaughterhouse and a smith shop directly north of the house. After this date, he continued clearing the farm. It was also in this portion that the Janes Brickyard was located.

Charles M. Janes married Janet (Jennet Auld, 1829–1900) who was born in Whilburn, Scotland. They had seven children: Agnes Anna (1851–1921) who married Leonard Reese Thomas; Charles Hamilton (Ham, 1854–) who married Catherine Hay; Mary Ingles (1857–) who married James Giffen; William (1860–1929) who married Mary McGillicuddy; Samuel (1861–c. 1943) who married Adeline; Robert Auld (1862–1930) who married Matilda (Tillie) Baird; Janet Allen (1864–1941) who married Francis Hillis; Thomas Ingles (1866–1956) who mar­ried Trephina Bayard Casak; and Margaret Ann (1871–1948) who married William Hall. The 1861 census of Warwick Twp. indicates that William Fullerton, a labourer from Ireland, age 20, and Catherine Overholt, from Canada West, age 18, also lived with them. Of the Janes children, only William, Robert and Margaret Ann remained in Warwick.

Charles was involved in the Warwick community in various ways. In 1853–1854 Charles served as Councillor in Ward 3. Brick from his brickyard was used to build Knox Presbyterian Church on the corner of 15 Sideroad (Bethel Road) and the Egremont Rd. At his death he also held shares in the Maple Grove Cheese Factory on 12 Sideroad.

After her husband’s death, Janet kept her children together as she took over management of the farm. Her first major accomplishment was the building of the house that still stands in 2008. The house is a large two-storey yellow brick building, about 200 yards north-west of Bear Creek, and directly north of the one-acre pond fed by two springs which was dug in 1890 and stocked with German carp.

Janet Janes continued to acquire land: by 1880 she owned all of Lot 14, Con. 3, NER, the north half of Lot 7, Con. 2 NER, and the east half of the west half of Lot 16, Con. 3 NER, a total of 350 acres. Ham, the eldest son, farmed Lot 14, Con. 3 NER and Lot 7, Con. 2 NER, then went on to be a coal and wood dealer. The next oldest son, William, farmed and was a brick and tile manufacturer as well. By 1924, William owned the east half of Lot 7, all of Lots 8 and 9, Con. 3 NER, the east half of Lot 8, Con. 1 NER and the south half of Lot 7, Con. 3 NER. Robert, the fourth son, remained on the homestead. By 1924, he owned the north half of Lot 15, Con. 3 NER as well as the east half of Lot 14, Con. 3 NER.

Mrs. Janes was very concerned about the future of her family. Education was of great importance. Two of her sons, Samuel and Thomas, became medical doctors after teaching school for a while. Samuel, after graduating from Strathroy High School, went on to medical colleges in Cleveland, Ohio, and San Fran­cisco, California. Thomas went to Sarnia Collegiate Institute, then on to medical schools in Cleveland and San Francisco.

In 1887, Mrs. Charles M. Janes purchased Reeve Dixie’s residence in Watford.

After their father died in 1874, the Janes brothers remained on the homestead operating the farm. At age 25, William formed a partnership with William Auld to carry on brick and tile manufacturing under the name of “Auld and Janes.” The business was sold eight years later to Robert McCormick. By 1890 William had bought 150 acres on Lot 9, Con. 3 NER. His specialty was Shorthorn, Durham and Hereford cattle. He also bought 125 acres of surrounding land and 100 acres of his father’s estate.

In 1886, William Janes married Mary McGillicuddy (1858–1942). They had six children: Charles Eusebius (Zeb, 1888–1993); William Kenneth (Ken, 1889–1979); Lorne Vernon (1892–1975); Robert Meredith (1894–1967); Ernest Clifford (1899–1966); and Mary Evelyn (1901–1998).

Zeb and Ken followed in their father’s footsteps, farming in Warwick Twp., after attending business college. Both were community-minded. Zeb served 45 years as township treasurer, 40 years as a director of People’s Telephone Company of Forest, and as Progressive Con­servative Member of Provincial Parliament from 1945 to 1963. It was during his term of office that the Pinery Provincial Park was established and land for the Warwick Centen­nial Ball Park was purchased. Until retirement, Zeb lived on the corner of 9 Sideroad and Con. 2 NER. He owned 600 acres on Con. 2 NER, from the west half of Lot 9 all the way west to 6 Sideroad. Ken was active in the People’s Telephone Company and in the Masonic Lodge. Ken and his sister Evelyn lived on the home farm.

Order of the British Emprie: Brothers Dr. Lorne and Dr. Ernest Janes (dentist and surgeon respectively) both received the OBE in the 1940s for their work in World War I. Courtesy L Ryan.

The other four children all went into the medical profes­sion. Lorne was a dentist who served as a captain in the Canadian Dental Corps in World War I, then prac­tised in Hamilton until 1967. Robert, who was a professor of surgery at the University of Toronto until 1957, served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps dur­ing World War I. Ernest also became a medical doctor and surgeon, graduating from the University of Toronto. Evelyn trained at St. Joseph’s Hospital, London, Ontario, and became a registered nurse. Both Lorne and Ernest were awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for their service in World War I.

Dr. John E. Abra, a friend of Dr. (Lieutenant Colonel) Lorne Janes, wrote about their experiences in World War II in 2001 on the University of Manitoba website. He spoke of the winter of 1942–1943 when Colonel Janes and he attended the investiture of the OBE.

The ceremony was most interesting. We walked up to the big iron gates in front of the palace, where we were met by a Sergeant in the Cold Stream Guards and eight or ten guardsmen. They checked our tickets, and then one of the guardsmen said, if you will follow me, I will take you to the investiture. We walked across the open area between the gates and the palace, into the palace and up several flights of stairs. We came into a very large beautiful ornate room, which I imagine was the palace ballroom. It was about half full already and the guardsman just said, “come with me” and took us up to the very front row opposite a set of very ornate doors. We sat there for some time because we had got there quite early and exactly at 2:00 the doors opened and the King stepped forward, dressed as an admiral in the Royal Navy and had eight or ten “flunkies” around him either in uniform or morning coat. They proceeded immediately with the investiture. … The remainder of the line must have been 50 or 60, who were grouped according to the honor they were receiving, and Colonel Janes was among those. When I was congratulating him on becoming an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), he said, “Well, going back to the first World War, we didn’t call it that, we called it ‘Other Buggers’ Effort’!”

None of William and Mary Janes’ descendants live in Warwick Twp. in 2008.

According to the will of Charles Meredith Janes, the east half of Lot 14, Con. 3 NER was left to his son Robert on condition that he care for his mother until her death. Robert Janes married Matilda (Tillie) Baird (1870–1911) at her father’s residence in Warwick Twp. They had nine children: Addie (1891–1968); Cecil Meredith (1892–1937); Rayburne Baird (1894–1965); William Wilbur (1898–1976); Ila Elizabeth (1901–1978); Robert Grant (1902–1978); George Thomas (1904–1989); Charles Redvers (1906–1969); and Dougall Gor­don Goldwin (1910–1991). Not long after her last child was born, Tillie Janes died, in 1911. The care of the family was left to the elder daughter, Addie, and later to Ila as well.

Robert was a noted apple dealer in Lambton County in the early 1900s. In 1925, Robert sold the farm to his son Cecil. Cecil had also owned a store in Clachan, Ont., and had shared stores with his brother Ray in Warwick Village (the Warwick General Store) and in Sarnia. Cecil died in 1937; his widow, Ida (Clark), sold the farm to George and Frances O’Neil in 1951. Robert Janes died at the homestead in 1930.

The west half of Lot 14, Con. 3 NER was owned by Robert’s brother Ham for a short period of time. Robert’s son George purchased it in 1935, and it has remained in the George Janes family ever since. In 2008 his daughter Jean lives there.

Only one of Charles M. Janes’ daughters remained in Warwick Twp., Margaret Ann (Maggie), who mar­ried William Hall (1967–1937). The Halls lived at Lots 23 and 24 on Con. 3 NER, Warwick Twp. The Halls also owned Lot 21, Con. 2 NER. William and Maggie Hall had seven children: Charles Russell (1894–1969); Joseph Milton (1897–1983); Janet Edith (1900–1993); Archie (1902–1904); Christina (1904–1971); William Berton (1908–1990) and Margaret (1910–1988).

Janes family, 2005: Peter, Anne Marie, Paul, Mary, Edward. Courtesy P Janes.

In 2008, there are two descendants of Charles Meredith Janes still living in Warwick Twp. Jean Janes, daughter of George and Elsie Janes, is a retired public health nurse and lives on the crown grant farm, Lot 14, Con. 3 NER; Paul Robert (1943-), son of Dougall and Marion Janes, and his wife Mary (Melus, 1945-) live on part of the east half of Lot 8, Con. 1 NER.

In 1971 Paul and Mary bought their property from Winston (Chub) and Doris Wilkinson, and thereby returned to the community where Paul’s ancestors had worked and lived. They raised three children, Peter (1971–), Anne Marie (1973–) and Edward (1979–). Paul taught French and German at North Lambton Secondary School from 1970 to 1998. He has been active in community work of various kinds. Mary continues to be active in the Women’s Institute, and on the Warwick Landfill Public Liaison Committee.

In their “retirement” Paul has taken up photo restoration, which was the inspiration for this book, while Mary has worked and reworked much of the printed material contained in this book, preparing it for publication.

Chapter 24 of 25 - Janes Family

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