Kingstone

(from Smith, Clink and newspaper clippings)

Arthur J. Kingstone (1795–1884) from Mosstown, County Longford, Ireland visited Canada in 1833. Arthur was from a wealthy family and felt his sons would have a more prosperous future in Canada. That first year he acquired Lots 6, 7, 8, 9, Con. 2 SER and Lots 5, 6, 7, 8, Con. 3 SER, which had a mill seal and required him to build a mill on the property. Arthur Sr. never settled in Canada, but travelled back and forth across the Atlantic. W. C. Aylesworth of Watford said in a 1930 clipping that it was Kingstone’s plan to establish a community farm similar to the system practiced in Russia. The plan did not materialize.

At the time of Arthur’s first visit, William Burwell was operating a tavern on the north side of the Egremont Rd., east of Warwick Village. He was hired to erect a log house for the Kingstones on their property, on Lot 8. Kingstone had brought Joseph Russell Little with him to manage his affairs while he returned to Ireland. Joseph Little became the much loved traveling preacher who contributed significantly to religious culture in Lambton County but very little to the management of the Kingstone estates.

Kingstone added more property as years went by, including Lot 6, Con. 4 SER and Lot 8, Con. 1 SER, all from the Crown. At the peak, between 1850 and 1860, he owned 4900 acres of Warwick Twp., making him the dominant landowner in the area. The agricultural census of 1861 reports his son Charles J. Kingstone (1832-1900) holding 5000 acres at a value of $42,800.

The Kingstone homestead was at the corner of the Second Line South and London Rd. (Hwy 7). It was first called Kingscourt but later named Elarton Corner. Arthur’s sons Charles J. and Arthur Jr. were instrumental in bringing 25 to 30 Irish families to the area. They built up a flourishing settlement around the homestead. In 1930, the homestead, no longer owned by the Kingstone family, was completely destroyed by fire.

An article in the London Free Press described a model fence that Kingstone built. They took a solid block of red oak or elm, made holes three inches in diameter and one inch apart, and inserted stakes of the requisite length with a cap on top. The fence was stable, strong and durable.

Charles lived on the homestead with his sister, Miss A. M. Kingstone. Neither of them ever married. The 1866 Warwick Directory lists a brother, Frederick William Kingstone, as well. During estate sales in Toronto in 1894 and 1895 Frederick was listed as barrister. Arthur Jr. became a prominent Toronto lawyer. The Watford Guide News of Nov. 21, 1884 reported that Arthur Jr. died in Florida at age 57. At his death, Arthur Sr. was survived by six daughters and five sons. In 1897, after selling most of his Elarton property, Charles J. Kingstone and his sister moved to Toronto where Charles died three years later. He was buried in St. James Cemetery, Toronto.

Charles was active in St. Mary’s Anglican church life. He was a Sunday School teacher. An 1881 letter printed in Memories of Warwick Village speaks of one of his students, Nathaniel Herbert, as a “conscientious, well conducted young man.” Of particular note is the fact that the letter, written on Elarton Salt Works stationery, has Warwick West P.O. as the address. Charles granted land for both the church and rectory in Warwick Village, and provided a large endowment after the sale of the Kingstone property. The Kingstone family presented St. Mary’s with a brass lectern in 1929. A brass plaque was placed in the church in his memory. “He was for many years an active member of this Church and his memory is beloved by all.”

By 1851 a gristmill and sawmill, known as Elarton Mills, were erected on Bear Creek which ran through the property. Whether they became operational is not known.

In 1864, after drilling for oil for about 1400 feet, Charles J. Kingstone found salt brine and rock salt. Realizing that salt was a necessary commodity, in 1871 he started pumping the salt brine to the surface to produce pure salt. At the 1878 World Exposition in Paris Warwick salt won a silver prize for its 99.4% purity. By 1885 the Elarton Salt Works Co., later known as the Warwick Salt Company, was incorporated, with shareholders being C. J. Kingstone, F. A. Kingstone, Arthur W. Grassett, Alex C. Kingstone and J. W. Murray. When the Great Western Railway was built from London to Sarnia, the Kingstones built a wooden tram track along 6 Sideroad from the salt works to Kingscourt Junction, about three miles away. The Salt Works were eventually sold to Vaughn Morris, Sr.

Chapter 24 of 25 - Kingstone Family

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