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Photograph of what was the farmhouse of Joseph Martin (1873-1946) and Elizabeth Martin (nee Spiers) (abt. 1883-unknown).

Joseph was the son of Thomas Martin (1840-1919) and Elizabeth Martin (nee Lee) (1850-1936). Elizabeth Lee was the daughter of Thomas Lee (1794-1868) and Ann Lee (nee Graham) (abt. 1825-1903).

Photograph of what was the farmhouse of Joseph Martin (1873-1946) and Elizabeth Martin (nee Spiers) (abt. 1883-unknown).

Joseph was the son of Thomas Martin (1840-1919) and Elizabeth Martin (nee Lee) (1850-1936). Elizabeth Lee was the daughter of Thomas Lee (1794-1868) and Ann Lee (nee Graham) (abt. 1825-1903).

The two-storey, brick house located at 108 Holland St. West was built by John Maurino on what was originally a 100-acre farm owned by John Skinner. Skinner lived on Church St. (at the southeast corner of John Street). There was a creek behind the original barn and a pond used for watering stock, etc. It was also used as a hockey and skating rink in the winter many years ago. The land was eventually sold to John Maurino. He added a two-storey shed and a new barn to the property at the time he built the house that is seen in this photo from 1995. Maurino and his wife (a sister of Cavallo, the local harness and shoemaker) farmed the land with their children Augustus, Aida, Frank, Lena and Laura. (1, 2)

This house is located at 187 John St. West (on the northwest corner of John and Toronto Streets). The 1½-storey, frame building was originally clad in stucco and it had a kitchen and rooms upstairs at the rear. There was also a garden and lawn at the back of the house. George Mapes and daughter Ella (wife of Jack Gapp), Curly Madian (?) and their daughters (Vivian and Margaret) lived here at one time. George was a retired farmer, dealer, and buyer. Years later, carpenter Joe LeBlanc and his family bought the house. He remodeled it and built a porch on the east side of the kitchen. Originally, there was a long barn (with a frame loft above) at the rear of the property. Joe’s daughter eventually had a nursing home built where the barn had stood. (1, 2)

The mid-block building located at 52 Simcoe Road was built post-1900 (1902?) in the Gothic Revival Cottage style. The house, which is larger than other older cottages of a similar style in Bradford, was built on property owned by Charles Adams. Originally, there was a garden to the west and a barn on the lane. Later residents of this house included Joe Brown (a retired farmer from the 10th line) and Jessie, who lived here until he died. Joe was a noted gardener who raised his granddaughter Margaret Turner. Paul Margetiak and his wife and son also lived here at one time. He was a gardener, too, and he built a garage on the property. Len Saint did the cement work and added a closed-in porch. Eventually the property was bought by Gary Swagerman. He lived in the house with his wife and family and eventually had the barn remodelled to become the site of a dry cleaner. The garden was paved and used as a parking lot for the business.
The 1½-storey, three-bay cottage has a rectangular plan, a centre hall, and a symmetrical façade. The medium-pitched, gable roof has a centre gable over the entrance. There are single windows to the primary rooms on each side of the covered entrance porch. A raised, open porch has a hip roof supported on simple, wood columns set directly on the porch base/foundation. The porch has a simple, wood handrail and balusters. A single entrance door is set into a segmented, arched opening. Windows are set into segmented, arched openings with brick voussoirs and concrete lug sills. The windows and door are not original. A second-storey window set halfway into the centre gable is a reference to the Gothic Revival style. Locally-made bricks were placed by Tom Saint on the wood frame construction. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in good condition. (1, 2, 3)

The house currently located at 73 Simcoe Road was built by Morton in 1995 . The original structure at this site was destroyed by fire. It had been the home of Ernest (Boo) Rogers and his wife and children (Frank, Eric, Florence, Amos, Jacqueline, and Jack) many years ago. They moved here from a farm on the 6th Concession in West Gwillimbury. A barn to the south (near the Hendersons’ large garden) was used by their horses and cows. (1, 2)

The two-storey house located at 87 Simcoe Road (at the corner of Edward St. and Simcoe Road) was the home of Miss Henderson many years ago. She was a kind, elderly lady who helped a number of poorer people in Bradford. There was a barn and a garden (vegetables, raspberries, etc.) behind the house. A pump on the side of the building produced excellent water. (1, 2)

The large, two-sorey structure located on the east side at 319 Simcoe Road was the home of George Peterman, his wife Sarah (Leopard) and his children (Ernest, Melville, Gurnard, Bertrand, Ila, Norma and Doris) many years ago. He bought Lowery farm (on the south side of Simcoe Road to the 6th Concession, south boundary of Bradford, and north side of the road to the Kneeshaw farm). George raised cows and farmed. Ila and Doris delivered milk (produced by cows on their farm) to Bradford by horse and wagon twice a day. There was a large barn just west and south of the house and road. A milk house was once attached to the woodshed at the back end of the house. Ernie worked on the marsh haying, labored drilling the town well, and then worked for Collings in the marsh. Mell laboured and worked with marsh vegetables and owned marsh land. Gurnard laboured. Bert, a good sportsman, left the farm after finishing school. (1, 2)

This house is located on the west side at 84 Williams Street (at the top of Back Street). It was the home of Bob Root, his wife (Sarah), and children (Bill Jr. and Mildred). Originally, there were barns and sheds at the back and they kept cows, horses and chickens. Bob was a noted wooden pump maker. He later sold and repaired pumps. Bob also dug graves and installed and dug field drains. (1, 2)

This two-storey, frame and cement-clad house is located south of the “Y” at 223 Simcoe Road. Mr. Bruce bought this house and the land (which extended south to the town limits and over the canal) many years ago. A marsh laneway ran east and there was a bridge across the canal for the road to the marsh. The lane circled the house and came out on Simcoe Road. There was a large barn east of the entrance to the property. It had a basement for animals and chickens. Albert Readman and his family (Mildred, Albert Jr., Olive, and Tom) lived in this house for a number of years. Mike Kasik (a market gardener) eventually bought the property. Len Saint built a cement garage and a storage building south of the house on the end of the bank and the lane. (1, 2)