Nicholson Family

The History of Nicholson Family of Lowville and Kilbride

In 1860 Jabez Nicholson emigrated from Lowthorpe, Yorkshire, County Durham, England to Lowville. He was 21 years old and travelled alone finding his way to Lowville. There he worked for Joseph Colling who was also from County Durham. Jabez married Barbara Ann Colling in 1868 and they moved to Vittoria which is close to Simcoe, Ontario. There he purchased a grist mill, which in 1952 was demolished. Barbara Ann was the granddaughter of Joseph Colling one of the first to settle in Lowville. Jabez and Barbara had two sons, David born in 1869 and Joseph born in 1872.

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In about 1890 they sold the grist mill and purchased the mill in Lowville located on Guelph line and is now a residence converted by Norm Wright. Jabez was the last to mill flour from wheat. They continued to mill feed for livestock. Jabez died in 1893 and David and Joseph operated the mill until it was sold in early 1900s to the Tarzwell’s.

Joseph married Maude Bolton in 1909 and moved to a farm in Kilbride. They had 2 children. Jabez was born in 1910 and Florence in 1914. It is not known where David moved to. Kilbride United Church is on the corner of what was Joseph’s farm. Maude Bolton was the daughter of William Bolton and Dianna Bradt of Lowville. The Bradts lived on the east side of Guelph Line on the hill south of Britannia Road. They came to Canada from Albany after the War of 1812. They first settled in Niagara on the Lake before coming to Nelson Township. Maude was 5 years old when her mother died and went to live with her Aunt and Uncle William and Mary Coulson. She had 2 sisters, Alice and Mary who went to live with their grandfather. Alice married Milton Nicholson who passed away. She then married George Coverdale. Sarah married John Wesley Nicholson, a brother to Milton. She also had a brother William who lived in Woodstock.

Joseph was a market gardener and also raised silver fox. Some one raided the pens and what they didn’t take the let go free. That was the end of raising fox. Their produce was sent to Carlisle and sold at a market either there or they went to Hamilton. Donald (Donnie) Coulson talked about picking peas for them. When they retired they move into the village of Kilbride into a house that Jim Weatherelt had converted from a gas station and store that was located next to Dr. McDonald’s office and home.

Jabez lived with his wife Helen Ford on Frederic Street until he passed away in 1974. They had 6 children Marie, Edna, Gordon, John, Bruce, and Barbara. The home had no hydro or running water, just a hand pump in the basement. The biggest event in our life was when Austin Hiscock installed the hydro in 1949. Jabez worked at the marl plant on Twiss Road in the summer and cut wood in the winter with Alex McNiven. In the early 40s he went to work for P.L. Robertson in Milton and was working there when he passed away in 1974.

We always played outside doing everything boys would do, sometimes things we were not allowed to do. We knew everybody in the area and visited where we knew that we could get a treat. We walked to school everyday and in those days never heard of a snow day. Church was a must every Sunday and we looked forward to it.

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Contributing Author: Bruce Nicholson