Brigden Ontario
Here is a look at some vintage pics from the David Burrwell collection. I have had extremely generous access to David's collection of thousands of post cards for many years. It is my pleasure to present this historical look at one of Lambton Counties larger towns. Every time I see my co-worker Gerald Bresett he asks me when am I going to do a Brigden page. Just for one of Brigdens sons....here it is Gerald. Maybe someone will see this and send me some text.
Here is a link to more Brigden pics
Brigden Fair pics















    
























        

                                                    

                                                                       editor's collection
Recently purchased downtown Brigden postcard ca.1908. 
 



                                                                                                      Bradshaw collection
A steam engine in Brigden Ontario. This pic was garnered from a slide brought to me from the 'amazing' Bradshaws.I processed this slide with the Epson1250 scanner.


                                                                             





Of all the thousands of pics that I have this is my favorite!

  Original Eureka Mill picture 

Nathaniel Boswell House in Wyoming Ontario


Nathaniel Boswell in later years


Nathaniel & Mary Boswell wedding picture
 		This is an example of what top notch research gets you. This group of 5 pics along with text was sent to me by Bob Boswell. Well done Bob! I get hundreds of Emails wanting information on their long lost relatives from the Petrolia area. If I have it I send it. However this is what is required to find out more. 'click here for more on Bob's notes'
I'm a long way from being able to publish anything, but I thought I would send you some notes regarding what I am doing and the  problems encounted.  Attached is the biography of Nathaniel Boswell as written in the Lambton County Commemorative Biography, written in around 1890. ( I haven't checked those notes for the exact date.)  Nathaniel was illiterate, but certainly a person who was able to accomplish a great deal.   Although he was alive at the time of the writing and possibly dictated some of the information, some of the items were incorrect and I don't see how someone could have done so  much in such a short period of time at such an early age, specifically, 1857 to 1863.And many of the things he did would have required a substantial investment (Buying a river steamboat at age 25). So, follow the money.  He left England at 18 with 200 pounds in his pocket. (In today's market that is anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000 Soldiers and such earned practically nothing in the Crimian War.  In the 1841 his mother was  listed as a pauper.  I have found out that Nathaniel's mother started receiving an annuity  of less than a pound every two weeks from 1831 to 1837 (end of my records) and suppposedly received annuity from a deceased uncle that gave her a sufficient dowry to remarry in 1846.  By 1853, both his mother and stepfather had died.  Maybe there was some inheritance, but could not find any records.
 
The next problem was the period from 1856 when he arrived in Toronto at the age of 18 and 1858.  All those different railroad jobs.  Could he have saved enough to start a cotton compressing business?   And then buying the steamboat "Silver Wave".  And then he returns to Ontario and buys an oil well, starts a hotel. gets married, builds all kinds of stuff.  But it all took some seed money.  I have been trying to find out if his wife's family had a lot of money.  She had ownership in some of the structures. 
 
So there is still a lot to find out about his life and accomplishments in Lambton County.
 
Attach:  Lambton County Commemorative Biography
            Original Eureka Mill picture  (It was sent as scanned image by email,  This is the original as I got it)
            A timeline of Nathaniel Boswell (Excel file)
            Lodge shield (One of your pictures of Wyoming was the Orange celebration.  Nathaniel was an Orangeman.  We have not been able to identify the shield pin. He was probably in the picture
            Nathaniel and Mary Ann Green's wedding picture
            Portrait of Nathaniel
 
This will give you something to look at.  I'll get some more things together. I have pictures of all of his homes, I think.
 
Bob



















 

 All of these pics and more are from my own collection because people like you let me copy them. I want more.
Email Martin at martyd@ebtech.net