Mississippi Valley Mill Owners (Bios)

Biographies

The mid to late 1800’s was a busy and exciting economic time in the Mississippi Valley especially for the textile industry. Mill ownership was not for the faint-hearted; prospectors and investors competed to establish their textile mills and maintain business interests. With that came a lot of movement, with textile mills being built or changing hands at an almost regular frequency!

Isiah Boyce

Isiah Boyce established a carding mill on Lot 19, Mill St, Almonte in 1830. It is uncertain how long the mill was in operation under Isiah Boyce. Isiah Boyce also operated a carding mill in Innisville in 1838 under the proprietorship of John Code. He sold his Almonte property to Daniel Shipman in 1847 and it is not clear if the building was still standing at that time.

Allan McDonald

Allan McDonald also built a carding mill on Lot 19 Mill St Almonte in 1847 and operated it with his partners, MacIntosh and Reid until 1854. Allan McDonald operated a carding mill from 1846 – 1864, McDonald and Brown Carding & Fulling Mill and Woolen Factory in the vicinity of Mill St in Carleton Place except for the interval 1861 – 1863 when he leased it to William Paisley. Then from 1864 it was run as a custom carding mill under Allan McDonald and then in succession by a partnership of John McDonald (relation to Alan McDonald) and John Brown.

John McIntosh

John McIntosh and Allan McDonald and Samuel Reid operated the carding mill from 1847 – 1854 on Lot 19 Mill St Almonte. From 1854 – 1865 it was operated as a custom carding and woolen mill by Almonte woolen Manufactory under McIntosh and Reid, and after 1858, under McIntosh alone. John McIntosh built his second mill on Lot 7 Little Bridge St, Almonte in 1862 and operated the Almonte Woolen Manufactory in it until 1865. From 1865 – 1867 McIntosh was superintendent of the mill at Sly’s Rapids under the proprietorship of D McIntosh. McIntosh declared bankruptcy in 1867. In 1871 John McIntosh then became the superintendent of the woolen mill of John Baird and Company, Lots 20 and 21 Mill St Almonte.

Samuel Reid

Samuel Reid operated the carding mill from 1847 – 1854 at Lot 19 Mill St in Almonte in partnership with Allan McDonald and John McIntosh. From 1854 – 1865 it was operated as a custom carding and woolen mill by Almonte Woolen Manufactory under McIntosh and Reid until 1858, when Samuel Reid left the partnership. Reid was also involved in a mill in Admaston, Renfrew.

Cyrus Bragg

Cyrus Bragg and Levi C Northrup operated a custom carding and woolen mill adjoining the flour mill in at least 1867 and 1868 in Lot F (“the Bay”) at the foot of Mill St. He then leased the new building in Lot 19 Mill St, Almonte from 1870 – 1871 for use as a custom carding and woolen mill – knitted goods were also produced.

Andrew Elliot

Andrew Elliot purchased the Victoria Woolen mill in 1869. The firm of Elliot and Sheard was established in 1870 (1870 – 1873). The firm was subsequently Elliot and Sheard; Elliott, Shirreffs and Company; and Elliott and Company. The firm operated successfully until 1888 and the firm also controlled a shingle mill on lot 19 Mill St from 1879 – 1887.

John Baird

John Baird purchased Lot 21, Mill St, Almonte in 1865 and operated woolen and grist mills on the site. Gilbert Cannon and Thomas Watchorn operated the custom carding and woolen mill under the proprietorship of John Baird from 1865 to 1867 when Watchorn left for Lanark and Cannon continued the operation alone until 1870. Then John Baird and Company operated the woolen mill from 1871 – 1896 and then sold it to James Wylie in 1897

In 1871 John Baird and Company leased another woolen mill on Lot 20 Mill St, Almonte which he subsequently purchased it in 1879. He then leased the mill to James Wylie in 1881 and sold it to him in 1897.

James H. Wylie

James H. Wylie – leased the mill at Lot 20 Mill St Almonte and operated it as Elmsdale Flannel Mill (established in 1881) until he purchased the property in 1897. In 1887 at the Campbell Woolen Mill on Water St in Almonte, James Wylie installed a one set flannel mill in the building, added two more sets over the next two years, and operated it also under the name of the Elmsdale Flannel Mills. In 1897 Wylie purchased the mill on Lot 21 Mill St Almonte and operated it as the Golden Fleece Woolen Mill past 1910.

Gilbert Cannon

Gilbert Cannon (former employee of John McIntosh from 1854 – 1865 at the McIntosh mill on Lot 19, Mills St, Almonte) and Thomas Watchorn operated the custom carding and woolen mill on Lot 21 Mill St in Almonte from 1865 to 1867 under the proprietorship of John Baird, when Watchorn left for Lanark and Cannon continued the operation alone until 1870. In 1869 he purchased Lot F at the foot of Mill St Almonte where he built a new woolen mill in 1870. In 1871 he sold his equipment and leased the mill to William Wylie until 1877. Gilbert Cannon also operated a woolen mill in Arnprior (dates?)

Thomas Watchorn

Thomas Watchorn was a cloth finisher and dyer in Almonte employed by the Rosamonds at their mill on Lot 21 Mill St Almonte. The he and Gilbert Cannon operated the custom carding and woolen mill on Lot 21 Mill St in Almonte from 1865 to 1867 under the proprietorship of John Baird, when Watchorn left for Lanark . Thomas Watchorn and Boyd Caldwell established the Clyde Woolen Mill at Lot 2 George St in Lanark 1867. In 1875 Watchorn leased the woolen mill in Merrickville in partnership with his brother Robert.

Levi C. Northrup

Mr Levi C. Northrup leased the grist mill located on Lot F at the foot of Mill St, Almonte from 1864 – 1868 and also operated a custom carding and woolen mill adjoining the grist mill, in partnership with Cyrus Bragg, from 1867 – 1868. Mr Northrup then leased the mill on Lot 7, Little Bridge St, Almonte from 1870 – 1872 when he retired from the woolen business.

John Hunter

John Hunter was a former Ramsay Township weaver. John and Alexander Hunter erected a woolen mill in 1867 in Huntersville. The mill was for sale in 1872 as the Hunters intended to move all operations to Almonte. John and Alex Hunter leased Thoburn Mill in Almonte from 1872 – 1873. The Hunters Mill building was destroyed by fire on 27 Jan 1873 and by July of that year, the Hunters declared bankruptcy.

Phillip Dontigny

Phillip Dontigny was a former cloth dresser employed at the Rosamond Mill on Coleman’s Island. He then leased and operated the carding and woolen mill on North Mill Lot in Merrickville in partnership with Donegan in 1871 and subsequently operated a custom carding and woolen mill in partnership with William Reilly on Main St next to the Wylie Grist Mill from 1872 – 1873 before moving his operation and partnership with Reilly to the Old Brown Mill/Thoburn Mill from 1873 – 1874.

Samuel Sheard

Samuel Sheard was a former spinner employed at the Rosamond’s mill on Coleman’s Island, leased and operated the Teskey mill in Appleton (Mississippi Woolen Mill) from 1868 -1869 in partnership with the Routh Brothers and operated the Victoria Woolen Mill in Almonte in 1870 – about 1873 in partnership with Routh and Elliot. In 1880 owned and operated Thoburn Woolen Mills (estb 1880) in partnership with William Thoburn.

James Rosamond

James Rosamond first operated a carding mill, the Victoria Woolen Factory, in Carleton Place. The mill stood on river bank near James St from 1838-1846 and then became a custom carding and woolen mill from 1846 – 1857. Ramsay Woolen Cloth Manufacturing Company (Grenville, Menzies, Shipman and Rosamond among the shareholders) was a woolen mill running on this site (Victoria Woolen Mill, Lot 22 Mill St Almonte) from 1851 and 1852. It burned in Jul 1852. James Rosamond of Carleton Place, a shareholder of the short-lived Ramsay corporation, then moved his woolen mill operations, the first in Eastern Ontario, from Carleton Place to Almonte as the founding of Almonte’s leading manufacturing enterprise. He bought the site of the Ramsay Company’s mill and built a four storey stone building, later known as No. 2 Mill, which he opened in 1857. James Rosamond, who lived until 1894, gave the management of his growing business in 1862 to his sons Bennett and William, who doubled its plant capacity. It was then leased by the Rosemond Woolen Company for the manufacture of blankets in 1867 and was known as the Old Brown Mill

William Wylie

William Wylie leased the mill at the foot of Mill St in Almonte (Canon Mill) from 1871 – 1877 and operated it as a woolen mill until 1877 when the building burned.

William Wylie also leased and operated the Dickson’s Mills in Pakenham from 1874 – 1877. After leasing and operating the McArthur Mill in Carleton Place from 1877 – 1881, William Wylie purchased the Hawthorne Woolen Mill in Carleton Place, operating that mill from 1881 – 1889.

Peter Campbell

Peter Campbell and Robert Walker operated a dye works on Riverside Dr, Perth from 1875 – 1899. By 1905 – By 1905 Peter Campbell was operating the Rosebank (Blakeney) Woolen Mill and then purchased the mill in 1906. In March, 1919, Peter J. Campbell of the Blakeney Woolen Company purchased the Kir-Ben (Campbell Woolen Factory) building on Water St in Almonte and started moving the looms and other machinery from Blakeney to the KirBen building to produce flannels. In March, 1928, the building burned.

John Gillies

John Gillies started into the woolen industry by building and operating a carding mill at Herron’s Mills from 1857 – 1871. He then bought the grist mill on the east side of the river in Pakenham from Mr Dickson in 1877 and built a custom carding and woolen mill which he leased to James Mclean. From 1880 – 1881, he bought and operated the Hawthorne Woolen Mill before purchasing and moving his operation to the McArthur Woolen Mill in 1882 where it operated until 1900 under the firm name of J Gillies, Son and Company; John and James Gillies; The John Gillies Estate Company Ltd.

Abraham Code

Abraham Code In partnership with George Code, Abraham Code established a woolen mill at Lot 20 Conc 11 Drummond Township in 1856.The mill burned in 1871 but was apparently rebuilt and running until 1892
Abraham Code also purchased Blair’s Carding Mill – Lot 17 Conc 12, Drummond Township on the Mississippi River and it as a custom carding and woolen mill from 1868 – 1871.

In addition, Abraham Code also operated a woolen mill, Hawthorne Woolen Mill ,115 Emily St, NE 1/2, Lot 13, Conc 13, Beckwith Township from 1875 – 1878.

Marslin and William Falla

Marslin and William Falla (subsequently William Falla and Company and then Simon Falla) operated a custom carding and woolen mill from 1875 until 1901 at Lot 21 Conc 10 Bathhurst.

George Code

George Code In partnership with Abraham Code, George Code established a woolen mill at Lot 20 Conc 11 Drummond Township in 1856.The mill burned in 1871, but was apparently rebuilt and running until 1892.

George Code also purchased the carding mill at Lot 20, Conc 11, Drummond Township on the Mississippi River in 1871.
In addition, he operated a custom carding and woolen mill in Smith Falls from 1877 – 1878.

Robert Code

Robert Code ran the woolen mill at Lot 20 Conc 11 Drummond Township for a period (sometime between 1856 and 1871).

John Code Jr.

John Code Jr. ran the woolen mill at Lot 20 Conc 11 Drummond Township for a period (sometime between 1856 and 1871).

Thomas Watchorn

Boyd Caldwell

Boyd Caldwell (Caldwell and Watchorn, proprietors; subsequently Boyd Caldwell and Co.) established the Clyde Woolen Mills in 1867 on Lot 2 George St, Lanark. The building was destroyed by fire in 1917. (the Glenayr Kitten Outlet Store was later situated in the Boyd Caldwell store). After the fire, Boyd Caldwell and Co. took over the Perth Carpet Factory on the Perth’s Tay Tow Path, expanded the buildings and established the Taybank Woolen Mill. The mill closed in 1923. Boyd Caldwell and Co. also purchased the Teskey Woolen Mill in Appleton and after the mill went dormant, sold it to William Collie on 1937.

William Clyde Caldwell

William Clyde Caldwell built and began operating the Aberdeen Woolen Mill, also on Lot 2 George St, Lanark, in 1890. There was a fire at the mill in June 1901 and it was still operating under the Caldwells until 1930.

Archibald Ure

Archibald Ure was formerly a wool carder in Lanark. He operated the McGregor Carding and Woolen Mill, SW 1/2, Lot 14 Conc 8 South Sherbrooke Township on the Fall River (Maberly) as a carding mill from 1871 – 1884, and then as a custom carding and woolen mill from 1884 – 1918.

Charles Royce

Charles Royce was formerly involved in the Charles Royce and Company Cloth Dressing in Moulinette before moving to Pakenham and building and operating the Royce Carding and Woolen Mill from 1842-1868 on the west side of the river at the foot of Graham St. At some point, the operation was taken over by Ithiel Royce.

Ithiel Royce

Ithiel Royce operated the carding mill on the west side of the river at the foot of Graham St in Pakenham in partnership with Charles Royce 1842 – 1868. At some point Itiel Royce took over the operation himself and in 1869 the mill then operated as a custom carding and woolen mill until it was destroyed by fire in November 1871. lthiel Boyce later became the manager of the Moffat Woollen Mill in Pembrooke.

James McLean

James McLean built a new carding mill on the site of the old Royce Carding Mill on the west side of the river in Pakenham in 1873. James McLean, and subsequently, James McLean and Knox, operated it from 1874 – 1880. McLean also leased and operated the Gillies Carding Mill on the east side of the river in Pakenham from 1880 – 1889. During the later part of that period he operated the mill in partnership with Mr Scott. He later operated woolen mills in Pembroke and Killaloe.

William Knox

William Knox owned and operated the Dickson’s Carding and Woolen Mill in Pakenham in partnership with James McLean from 1874 – 1880 before moving his operations to Huntersville in 1881 – 1882.

George Francis

George Francis, in partnership with C.A.Brazeau, operated the old McLean mill in Pakenham as a custom carding and woolen mill from 1896 – 1906. He then purchased the Snedden’s/Rosebank Woolen Mills in Blakeney in 1906 and operated it as president of the Blakeney Woolen Blanket Company. . In 1906 it was sold to the Blakeney Woolen Company Ltd with George C Francis as president.

C.A.Brazeau

C.A.Brazeau, in 1879, in partnership with Simpson, was operating a woolen mill at Huntersville. Brazeau later leased and operated the woolen mill in Almonte at the foot of Mill St in 1888. In 1896 – 1906, he operated the old McLean woolen mill in Pakenham in partnership with George Francis.

William B McAllister

William B McAllister purchased the Gillies Carding and Woolen Mill – East side of the river Pakenham in 1889. It is not clear if the woolen mill was operating after this as the machinery was sold in 1890. McAllister also had operated a woolen mill in Pembrooke.

Peter Campbell

Peter McDougall

Peter McDougall was a former employee of the John McIntosh Mill located on Lot 19 in Almonte. He then bought the Otter Glen Woolen Mills and after operating it from 1868 – 1872, Peter McDougall then erected the Rosebank Woolen Mill in Blakeney in 1873 which he operated until 1901.
Andrew Young was in partnership with John Flett who operated The AE Young and John Flett Machinists and Iron Founders on Lot 18 Coleman’s Island. The partnership dissolved in 1871 and Andrew and his brother Robert set up their iron works operations on Water St. In 1882, the brothers bought part of Lot 19 Mill St Almonte and erected the Mississippi Iron Works there. The brothers then bought the Otter Glen Woolen Mills in 1885.

Andrew Young

Andrew Young was in partnership with John Flett who operated The AE Young and John Flett Machinists and Iron Founders on Lot 18 Coleman’s Island. The partnership dissolved in 1871 and Andrew and his brother Robert set up their iron works operations on Water St. In 1882, the brothers bought part of Lot 19 Mill St Almonte and erected the Mississippi Iron Works there. The brothers then bought the Otter Glen Woolen Mills in 1885.

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TEXTILE MUSEUM

3 Rosamond Street East
Almonte, Ontario K0A 1A0
Phone: (613) 256-3754
Email: [email protected]

Year-Long Hours

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