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The object of our gathering here today is to commemorate the Centenary of the settlement of our ancestors, Joseph Orchard and his wife, on the south half of Lot 40 in the 11th Concession of the Township of Innisfil, County of Simcoe. Not much is known of Joseph Orchard's history, apart from a few facts contained in a brief sketch written by his son, Robert in 1862. Here it is stated that, Joseph Orchard was a native of Somrsetshire, in the southwest of England. When only about 19 he enlisted in the British Army, contrary to the wishes of his friends who "bought him off',' twice. Soon after, he with others was sent to join the 68th Regiment, then in Spain.
He was not in any general engagement, but was given an idea of what fighting meant in several skirmishes in which he took part. He traveled through a good part of Spain, over the Pyrenees mountains, and through part of France. His Regiment was then sent to Ireland, and being quartered for sometime in the town of Ballanahinch, County Down, he became acquainted with Mary Beedham and married her; she was only about fourteen years of age. After travelling through the greater part of Ireland, and residing for some time in the city of Dublin, the 68th was ordered to America. This was in 1818. His wife followed in about a year with their child, and they resided in many of the frontier towns and cities of Canada. In 1831 Joseph Orchard procured his discharge from the army. He thus forfeited his pension but was entitled to 200 acres of land, but he only received 100 through some wrong in the Ordnance Department. He had been in the army seventeen years, being a non-commissioned officer for eleven years. At the time of his discharge, and for several years previously, he had been a Corporal, and sort of body servant to Col. William Johnston.
The Orchard family lived in Toronto during the outbreak of Asiatic Cholera in 1832. The mother and two eldest children, Sarah and Thomas, were seized with the disease, but through the goodness of God and the skill of Dr. Birnie, they recovered quickly. In the fall of 1833 they came to Innisfil. There was but one road through the township, little better than the path of the deer, or the trail of the Indian. It is now the crowded Highway No. 11. The forest was everywhere, with here and there a small clearing with a log shanty. The Orchards stayed with a brother soldier, William Booth, until a shanty could be erected on their own farm. It was a rude oblong structure of rough logs, "notched" and "saddled" at the corners, cob-roofed and clapboarded. It contained but one room, 18 x 14, which did duty as kitchen, dining room, parlour and bedroom. This was the general style of house at the time. Some were even smaller. A frame house was the "ne plus ultra", of luxury, dignity and opulence. In the later years they lived on a 14-acre lot east of the Simcoe, Huron and Ontario Railway (afterwards G.T.R. now C.N.R.), which was built through in 1853.
The families of John and Edward Guest are part of the Orchard family, being related through Mrs. John and Mrs. Edward Guest (Elizabeth and Henrietta Jobbitt) ,whose mother was Mary Warnica, a daughter of Sarah Orchard.
Here occurred the sad accident which closed the career of Joseph Orchard, on April 3rd, 1865, at the age of seventy-three. The details are given in his son Robert's journal - As father and mother sat at dinner the train whistle blew strongly, and one of the crew pointed to the roof of the house which was on fire. Father ran to the barn for a ladder; mother tried to persuade him not to go up as he was not well. He asked her to bring pails of water, and when she returned she found him lying on the ground dead, with his neck dislocated. She shouted frantically but it was 15 or 20 minutes before anyone came. The fire was extinguished, however.
Joseph was a kind, friendly, single-minded and honest man, and for some years deeply and truly pious. The funeral service was conducted at the house by Rev. A. Langford, Methodist Minister, and at the Anglican Church by the Rev. Canon Morgan, who pronounced a high eulogium on Joseph as a Christian. Mary, his wife, passed away in 1880, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. W. H. Crosby of Barrie. Their family were as follows:
1. Sarah, born in Dublin, Ireland in May 1818, married William D. Warnica (son of George Frederick Hanning Wernecke) of Innisfil. Her friends congratulated her on the fact that he was taking her to a frame house. They had thirteen children: Orchard, Hanning, Mina, Phoebe, Mary, Lizzie, Wesley, Tom, Leila, Lynn, Josie (Josephine), Laura and Darcy. Their home was said to be the jolliest and most hospitable in the community. Joseph William Orchard Warnica married Jane Wilson, Hanning Warnica married Mary Anne Metcalf, Mary Catherine Warnica married Edmund Jobbitt, Elizabeth B. Warnica married Thomas Mckee, Thomas B. Warnica married Christina Reid, Williamina (Mina) Warnica married William Elliott, Phoebe Hanna Warnica married John Sibbald and moved to Wisconsin, Josephine Warnica married William J. Crozier and moved to Wisconsin, W. D. Wesley Warnica married Jennie L. Carmichael, Darcy Warnica married Lavinius Henry Luck on January 03, 1881, Laura Ann Warnica married William J. Crozier in Wisconsin, (Robert) Lynn Warnica moved to Helena Montana and Leila Emily Warnica who died at fourteen months of age.
2. Thomas, born at Niagara, married Sarah Wilson of Craigvale. He served as deputy-reeve of the township for at least one term, but in 1877 took his family to Sylvan valley. A number of the descendants are living in the surrounding district. There were four sons and seven daughters: Joseph, Thomas, Frank, Findley, Sarah, Annie, Emily, Minnie, Mathilda, Hannah and Maria,.
3. William was born at Queenston and married Fanny McCullough, having a family of six daughters and two sons: Wilhelmina, Mary Jane, Lizzie, Hester, Fanny, Minnie, Orlando and Joseph; William was a carpenter; some of his work is still standing. He was choir leader in the Methodist church, and after his death the members of the choir placed a stone on his grave inscribed "Our Leader".
4. Elizabeth died at the age of six months.
5. Robert, born at Amherstburg (Fort Malden) married Sarah Soules (daughter of James Soules) of Big Bay Point. He taught school at Stroud from January lst,1853 until within three weeks of his death on November At, Nov. 4 1865. At one time there were 156 names on his school roll, with an average attendance of 63. He was active in church work, being a local preacher, recording steward and Sunday School teacher. After his death at the early age of thirty-seven, his public school pupils erected a stone on his grave, with the inscription "Our Teacher". The children were John Oscar, Lavina, Alice, Elizabeth, Bertha and Hattie.
6. Joseph, born in Quebec, married Salina Long of Bondhead in 1855, and a few years later took his wife and children to Minesing, in the township of Vespra, to hew out a home in the bush. He took the first team of horses, buggy and sleigh into the neighbourhood. He was active in church work, being the first superintendent of the Sunday school. He was also the first trustee of the public school, a Justice of the Peace for a number of years, and was a director in the Barrie Agricultural Society for over a quarter of a century. His specialty at the county fairs was fruit, taking many prizes. He had three sons and three daughters Wesley, Albert, Milton, Amanda, Allie, Melissa. The homestead is still in the family.
7. Elizabeth, born in Innisfil, married Thomas Hurst, a cabinet maker and had a family of six sons and one daughter, Allie, who died in childhood. None of the sons is now living.
8. Hannah, born in Innisfil, married W. H. Crosby of Whitby who kept a livery in Barrie for years, later moving to Toronto. They had one daughter, Olive.
9. Martha Ann, also born in Innisfil married T. L. I. Lewis of Cookstown, who followed the profession of teacher, insurance, travelling salesman for the E. B. Crompton Company, and later carried on a large mercantile business in Chatam. The family consisted of three sons and two daughters: Osric, Fred, Jot, Elmira and Lillie. Osric, the eldest son, was a prominent lawyer and KC.
Some of the male descendants served their country in the Great War, thus carrying on the soldierly traditions. We cannot estimate the debt we owe to our ancestors, who faced the dangers and trials of a new untried land, with such fine courage. They have left to us a spiritual heritage of loyalty to God and Country, up-rightness of life and honesty of purpose, that we must retain if we would be victorious as they, in the battle of life.
From "The Guest of Innisfil 1842-1960" By Ross Wallace
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