Lucan Garden Party and Dance Contest

In which Thomas Culbert loses a bet…

Thomas Culbert (born 1846) was the son of our ancestors, JohnCulbert and Mary Ward. At the time of this event (1888) Thomas was the proprietor of the Central Hotel in Granton, Ontario; a successful business he built and operated. The notorious Donnelly brothers (aka the Black Donnellys) frequented Thomas’s establishment. But more about Thomas Culbert in a future post. You're here for the party.

The following article describes a garden party, concert and dance contest held on the evening of Friday, 16 June 1888 at the Donnelly School House near Lucan, Ontario. I’ve transcribed it but when you scroll down, you'll see the article as it appeared on 21 June 1888 in the Exeter Times newspaper.

And now, let's peek in on the merrymaking as it unfolded... 

-beginning of transcription -

A garden party, concert and dance was held at Donnelly’s school house on Friday evening last, and a very enjoyable time was spent by the large audience. The Lucan band was there and discoursed sweet music. Albert Carroll and William Whalen were also there and delighted the audience with a dancing competition, the winner to receive a silver headed cane.

George Armitage, John Kent and George Hodgins, (better known as Aunt Ellen’s George) were appointed referees. John Casey officiated as timekeeper.

Three dances were to be danced, each contestant being limited to five minutes for each trial. The dances were a sword dance, Italian polka and a Tennessee hoe down.

When the referees had taken their seats, John Casey, timekeeper, called on Albert Carroll, who at once stepped on the platform attired in a pair of white knickerbockers, pink stockings and wigwams[1].  Owing to the extreme heat of the evening, he discarded his shirt and wore a red handkerchief around his neck. He was loudly cheered. He at once started the sword dance and surprised everyone by his agility and grace.

Joe Thompson gigged for him and Bobbie Collins accompanied him on the kettle drum. When time was called he was nearly used up, but was quickly revived with a dose of Willie Taylor’s mineral water.

Mr. Casey then called on William Whalen, who at once stepped to the front and was also loudly cheered. William was beautifully attired in an evening suit of black fullcloth and although he did remarkably well, the referees decided in favor of Mr. Carroll.

Mr. Casey again called time and Mr. Carroll again appeared but it could be noticed at a glance that he exerted himself too much in the previous dance.

William (Whalen) then appeared and danced to the accompaniment of a mouth organ played by Robert Guest. William was awarded the dance.

The excitement was now high, each having won a dance. Mr. Carroll who had been well rubbed down by Eli Armitage appeared fresher for the last contest, but after dancing for two minutes, completely broke down, and Mr. Whalen won the third contest with ease.

Dennis McIlhargey has challenged the winners for $50, the contest to take place at the Cedar Swamp school in two weeks.

R.S. Hodgins, Jonathan Hodgins and THOMAS CULBERT lost heavily on Carroll.

John Kent also gave a pleasing act with this trained Mexican pony. Thomas Ryder sang a song “The Gipsy Girl,” and Mr. Reeford delivered a short address on Commerical Union.[2]

The affair on the whole was a grand success.

- end of transcription - but read on...

It sounds like a good time was had by all but there's no mention of the womenfolk. Where were the women? 

Not an actual scene from the dance contest

This is the article as it appeared in the Exeter Times...

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?

Curious about whatever happened to the revellers at the Lucan Garden Party and Dance Contest, and obviously, with too much time on my hands, I decided to see what I could find out about some of them. My discoveries are as follows: 

George Hodgins who refereed the event was, as the article says, “better known as Aunt Ellen’s George” so I'm assuming this George Hodgins was the son of James Hodgins and Ellen Jane McFalls. George, born 1858, was a farmer at Lot 13, Concession 3. He lived to the age of 72 where it’s declared on his death certificate that he “dropped dead.”

John Casey, the timekeeper of the dance contest was a horse-bus driver (a type of early bus pulled by a pair of horses.) John sounds like quite the ladies’ man from this item in the Exeter Times just a month earlier on 17 May 1888. Whether or not John found true love remains a mystery…

Albert Carroll, the dancer sporting a pair of white knickerbockers, pink stockings and wigwams, went on to make a rather stunning pronouncement in the Exeter Times 28 June 1888 edition…

Willie Taylor, whose mineral water revived dance contestant Albert Carroll, fell into his own mineral spring…

Fortunately, Willie was rescued by mouth organist (harmonica player,) Robert Guest...

Robert Guest, the mouth organist and hero who rescued Willie Taylor from a watery grave, was Robert Francis Guest, a farmer born about 1850. Robert (nicknamed "Sergeant") married Maria Dunn and had three children. Robert died of heart failure in 1915, around age 65. Before he took one final suck and blow of his mouth organ, Robert made front page news. He was involved in an altercation with his sister Almina's husband, John Stanley Hodgins. (Yes, another Hodgins.) Robert Guest was charged with abusive language, fined $3.00 and costs, and arrested…

Exeter Advocate. 22 Nov 1895, page 1.

William Whalen, one of the contestants weighs in on the dance competition in this Exeter Times item from 28 June 1888…

Eli Armitage who provided a “rub down” to Albert Carroll showed up at yet another dance, this time in Centralia. The Exeter Times 28 June 1888 edition reports that Eli got into a quarrel with a man by the surname Hudson. They decided to settle the dispute in a duel, with pistols. Here’s what happened next…

Dennis McIlhargey was a farmer, born around 1848. He died a single man, age 64 in 1912 of carcinoma of the penis.

R.S. Hodgins who, along with Thomas Culbert lost a bet on the dance contest, was a dealer in groceries, livestock feed, and produce in Lucan. He was known as “The Pork King” for the popularity of his sugar-cured hams. He also operated a cider mill. In 1893, he was appointed Superintendent of the Agricultural Department of the Chicago World’s Fair. In 1895, a fire (deliberately set) destroyed his elevator and store house in Lucan, containing 5,000 bushels of barley.

Jonathan Hodgins was another who lost a bet on the dance. Jonathan was born with “very large feet” on the 4^th Concession of Biddulph in 1849. He first learned to smoke and “chew terbaker” at age 11. So says an article in the Exeter Times 28 June 1888 edition. He tried his hand at farming, butchering, cattle droving, and operating a livery business.

Thomas Culbert (yay!) proprietor of the Central Hotel in Granton, may have lost the bet that night but he was lucky in business. Thomas sold the hotel, moved to London, and went on to become a successful and prosperous representative for Carling’s Brewery. But more about Thomas Culbert in a future post.

John Kent and his Mexican pony made news again in the Exeter Times 13 September 1888 edition…

And finally...

Thomas Ryder, also known as “Pitchfork Tom” was a member of the Vigilance Committee who murdered the Black Donnellys in 1880. It was Tom Ryder who thrust his pitchfork into Tom Donnelly, multiple times. The murderers of the Donnelly Family were never brought to trial. Eight years later at this party, Pitchfork Tom was having himself a grand old time. It's as if he was thinking, "Massacre? What massacre?" as he sang without a care. Tom was a bit of a “one hit wonder” with his repeated singing of "The Gipsy Girl," a tune composed by Charles Jefferys and Stephen Glover in 1846. It seems that it's the only song in Tom's repertoire as he's cited singing it on occasion, as shown in this Exeter Times 13 September 1888 item... 

WHOEVER SAID LIFE IN RURAL ONTARIO WAS DULL?

Footnotes:[1]In the 1880s when commercially produced moccasins first appeared in trade catalogues, they were known as “wigwam slippers” or “wigwams.”
[2]Commercial Union refers to free trade talks in the 1880s between Canada and the United States. Some things never change.