Smith, James

(submitted by Phyllis Evans, with additions)

James (1828–1899) and Betsy Smith (1827–1888) came to Canada sometime after their marriage in 1849. They had seven children: Lorena (1849–1939); Jane; Joseph (1859–); Stewart (1863–1938); William (1866–1903); Maurice (1870–); and Clara (1873–1893).

Stewart married Ellen Christina Steven (1867–1932) in 1888. Their sons Alfred and John James (1890–1960 ) were born in Warwick Village. Ellen was the local midwife who delivered about two thirds of the children born in the village and was known to all as “Aunt Ellen”. Stewart, along with Ellen, was a hotel operator. Stewart had had polio as a child and suffered a deformed ankle as a result. This did not help when he was working around horses. He owned two breeding horses — Clellan Chief and Moneo — in the era when horses were used everywhere, for drawing light carriages, for heavy farm labour and for breeding purposes or stallion services.

Stewart and Ellen’s son John (Jack or Scout) Smith attended SS#15 and as a teenager worked as a farm helper for his uncle Maurice. He was also a teamster for Andrew (Peck) Auld, a local farmer who had fruit orchards. John and his brother Alf continued their father’s interest in horses. They owned a pacing mare called Mink which they raced at local race tracks.

John J. Smith married Mary Ethel Thomson (1889–1960). They owned the Warwick Hotel (Maple Leaf/Maple Grove) until it burned in 1947. They also had a gas station/variety store next to the hotel. Ethel was Warwick’s librarian, housing the library first in her home, then after 1954 in a new building on her front lawn. Their children were: Jean (m. Ray Frayne), Stewart, Lloyd, Ross (Tuey ), George (Chappie) and John Thomson.

Their son, John T. (1915–1995), was active in sports, skating and playing hockey in the winter and playing baseball in the summer when he was not working at his parents’ gas station. He married Ruby Bell (1915–2002) in 1940 and had four daughters: Shirley Irene (1941–), Phyllis Ruby (1943–), Bonnie Jean (1945–), and Karen Ellen (1949–). John lived in Warwick Village his entire life.

He was appointed Chief Stationary Engineer for the County of Lambton in 1963. He took care of the heating and air conditioning for the county administration building, the justice building, the Sarnia jail and the Children’s Aid Society of Sarnia-Lambton building, Twilight Haven in Petrolia and North Lambton Rest Home in Forest for 19 years.

In 1994 John T. Smith published Memories of Warwick Village, a 400-page history of the hometown he loved so well.

John and Ruby Smith, 1982. Courtesy P Evans.

Chapter 24 of 25 - Smith, James

Back Next