Women in Stratford’s Early History
In 1826 The Canada Company was incorporated and the settlement of the Huron Road from Galt to Goderich began. The taverns to provide shelter on the journey were laid out on an 1828 map. One was “To be located” where the boundaries of Downie, Ellice, North and South Easthope Townships meet.
In the winter of 1831-32 William Sargint, his wife, his brother, Thomas, and Thomas’ wife, who had recently landed from Ireland, arrived to build the first inn or tavern which they named the Shakespeare Inn. Their first winter was spent in a shanty while the brothers cut wood to build the inn. The inn was completed in the spring and was located by present day Pazzos.
In 1832 John Corry Wilson Daly arrived with his wife, Anna. He was the agent for the Canada Company and he proceeded to have the first proper frame house in Stratford built. It was located on the front lawn of the present Perth County Courthouse.
Ten years later, Henry Walters, a blacksmith, and his wife Grace arrived. The experiences of these three pioneer women were quite different.
Mrs. Sargint planted the first Stratford garden as spring arrived and later two more times as unexpected killing frosts occurred in April. When the tavern was complete, she started a school for the children, as well as opening the building for church services, a centre for business, and social gatherings.
Anna Daly lived comfortably and had a servant. She and her husband had an elegant life, considering the time and the place. There was china to eat from, the proper wine glasses to drink from and their dinner table was run according to strict protocol. Guests were seated according to rank and according to where the salt was located on the table … the more influential were seated “above the salt” towards the host as it was an insult to be placed “below the salt”. Those with no influence could expect to be seated at the table set up in the barn.
Ninety -year-old Grace Walters gave an account of her arrival to a Stratford newspaper in 1905. She came with her husband from Plymouth, England aboard a sailing ship in 1842. The journey lasted 2 months. They made their way by water to Hamilton and from there by wagon. They pulled up to the Shakespeare Inn as it was the only one in the village.
The new arrivals inquired how far it was to Stratford and were surprised when the landlady informed them that they had reached their destination. The man who drove them from Hamilton saw their bitter disappointment and offered to take them back to Hamilton for free. The Walters decided to cast their lot with the half dozen families already here.
They built their house near the corner of Ontario and Waterloo with the help of their neighbours. When the rude log house was built there was no furniture to be bought and they made all of their own. A large box for a table, smaller ones for chairs and a straw mattress answered their immediate requirements. Later the Walters built another house where the Nancy Campbell School stands on Waterloo Street. Grace Walters lived there until her death at age 92.