Portrait of the Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall Family of Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario

This photo of the Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family was taken about 1895 allthough there is no date on the back...

The Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family of Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario, Canada. Back row left to right: Myron Manford Culbert and Hulda May Culbert. Middle row left to right: G. Arthur Culbert, Jane (Fairhall) Culbert, Lela Susan Culbert, and Richard Culbert. Front row left to right: Ethel Gertrude Culbert and Mary Elsie Culbert. This photo was taken in a photographic studio in Exeter, Ontario. 

Previously, the only photo we'd seen of the members of this family all together was taken much later, as seen here in 1927 ...

The Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family, 1927. Back row, left to right: Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen, Myron Manford Culbert, Lela Susan (Culbert) Beadle, G. Arthur Culbert, and Mary Elsie (Culbert) Hodgson. Front row, left to right: Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert, Richard Culbert, and Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras. Photo by Samuel Askin of Stratford, Ontario.

If you read my earlier post about Richard Culbert, you know that he was the youngest son of John Culbert and Mary Ward of Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario, Canada. I also wrote about Richard's wife, Jane Eleanor Fairhall, here.

It was Richard Culbert who took over the family farm when his father, John Culbert died in 1887. At that point, Richard and Jane and their children had been living in a log house at Lot 19, Concession 2 (the Coursey Line) in Biddulph Township, along with other family members. I'm sure that Richard and Jane must have longed for a larger house. By 1900, Richard had built a new brick house, and christened the property "Poplar Farm." The photo below shows the new brick house ...

Poplar Farm at Lot 19, Concession 2 in Biddulph Township on the Coursey Line near Lucan, Ontario. Home of the Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family.

 

Richard Culbert and Jane Fairhall had seven children, six of whom lived to adulthood. Richard and Jane's children are listed as follows. You can click on the highlighted links for those children with biographies.

Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen (1881-1972)

George Arthur Culbert (1882-1978)

Myron Manford Culbert (1884-1961)

Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras (1886-1986)

Mary Elsie (Culbert) Hodgson (1888-1988)

Lela Susan (Culbert) Beadle (1890-1992)

Richard Edwin Culbert (1896-1896. Infant death).

When Richard and Jane Culbert retired to a small house in Lucan, their son Myron took over Poplar Farm. Myron Culbert married Effie Pearl Taylor (1886-1957). Effie Taylor's family lived in Usborne Township near Exeter, Ontario.

The photo below shows Effie Taylor with her parents and siblings circa 1899 or earlier...

The William Taylor - Mary Elizabeth Bennett Family of Usborne Township. Back row, left to right: Addie Taylor, Martha Metta Taylor, Hector Taylor, and Mary Elizabeth Taylor. Front row, left to right: William Taylor, Effie Pearl Taylor (future wife of Myron Culbert), and Mary Elizabeth (Bennett) Taylor.

Acknowledgements: Two of the photos you see in this post are new to the blog; the first photo at the top showing the Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family c1895, and the last photo showing the William Taylor - Mary Elizabeth Bennett family. Thank you to my aunt Muriel (Hardy) Culbert for safekeeping these photos for many years. The photos are much larger than they appear here, and they are behind glass with frames. Thank you to my sister, Dana Elizabeth (Culbert) Garrett for suggesting that photos be taken of the large, framed photos in order to share them with you on the Culbert Family History blog. Thank you to my brother, Terrence Patrick "Terry" Culbert for taking photos of those big framed photographs. And thank you to Muriel's son, Tim Culbert for inviting Terry and Dana into his home to take the photos. A successful family project, all round.

Group Photo of Richard Culbert, His Niece Rebecca (Crawley) Brock and Others

Thanks to Lorne Floyd Brock of Wallaceburg, Ontario for this photo of a gathering of Culberts.

The photo above shows a gathering of at least two branches of the John Culbert - Mary Ward family. We're not sure of the year but I'm guessing it's around 1921.

Here's a closer look...

We couldn't identify everyone in the photo but here's who we recognize:

The Susan Culbert-Philip Crawley Branch is represented by Rebecca (Crawley) Brock (1860-1933) as seen here...

Rebecca (Crawley) Brock

 

Rebecca (Crawley) Brock was the daughter of Susan Culbert and Philip Crawley of Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario. Rebecca was married to William Heber Brock. Rebecca and William and their children lived in Lobo Township, Ontario. The Brock family is covered in more detail in this previous post.

The Richard Culbert-Jane Fairhall Branch is represented by the following people in the photo:

Richard Culbert (1853-1932) and his wife, Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert...

Richard Culbert of Biddulph Township and his wife, Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert wearing dark dress.

Richard Culbert was the uncle of Rebecca (Crawley) Brock who you saw in the previous photo. Richard was the brother of Rebecca's mother, Susan (Culbert) Crawley.

Over on the far right of the photograph, we see Myron Manford Culbert (1884-1961) of Biddulph Township who was the son of Richard Culbert and Jane Eleanor Fairhall...

Myron Manford Culbert (son of Richard and Jane)

 

Myron's wife, Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert is also in the photo...

Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert (wife of Myron)

Does anyone know who the children belong to? I wondered if they were the first four children of Myron and Effie. I asked my cousin, Phil Culbert for his opinion. Phil colourized the photo as you can see, below. Colourizing the photo enhanced the features of their faces enough that Phil was confident in saying that these are not the children of Myron and Effie...

Colourized photo. Click on photo to enlarge it.

Do you recognize anyone else in this photo? If so, please contact me, Mary Jane Culbert at this email address...

Richard Culbert's Moustache Cup

Behold the marvelous moustache of Richard Culbert (1853-1932) the youngest son of John Culbert and Mary Ward, who lived at Poplar Farm on the Coursey Line (Lot 19, Concession 2) near Lucan, Ontario, Canada...

Hipster moustaches of today aren't anything new. Facial hair flourished during the second half of the Victorian era. That's why you see so many photos taken during that time of men with beards and moustaches. 

To maintain a moustache of this grandeur, various accoutrements were required. Richard Culbert would have used a moustache brush and/or moustache comb, and moustache wax to keep the hairs in place.

The downside of moustache wax is that it melted when it came into contact with a hot beverage. To remedy this problem, the moustache cup was invented by a British potter named Harvey Adams, around 1860.

Richard Culbert's porcelain moustache cup.

At first glance, the moustache cup looks like a regular tea cup. However, when you look more closely at the photo below, you'll see a ledge (the "moustache guard") attached to the inner rim of the cup. A small opening in that ridge allows a gentleman to drink his tea without wetting or damaging his moustache.

Porcelain "moustache guard" on the inner rim of Richard Culbert's moustache cup.

Richard Culbert's moustache cup is now in the possession of his great-grandson, Phillip Myron "Phil" Culbert of Vernon, British Columbia.

Phis says that this cup (along with a saucer which is now lost) had pride of place in the china cabinet of Phil's grandparents, Myron Manford Culbert and Effie Pearl Taylor of Lucan, Ontario. Myron was the son of Richard Culbert. 

Phil says, "since Myron Culbert never had a moustache, it is assumed that it belonged to his father, Richard Culbert as that is what my father, Ivan Culbert told me. I was given this cup after Grandpa (Myron Culbert) died in November, 1961." 

On the photo below, you can see the initials of the manufacturer, C.T. and the official emblem. C.T. stands for Carl Tielsch, a German merchant who founded a porcelain factory in 1845 in Altwasser. The company was known for its high quality products and artistic value. You can also see the number 187 on the bottom of the cup. We assume this means #187 in a limited series. 

If anyone knows anything more about the provenance of this cup, please contact me (Mary Jane) at this email address...

And if anyone else would like to submit a photo of an heirloom that's been passed down to them, please contact me at that same address.

Jane (Fairhall) Culbert & Richard Culbert at Poplar Farm on the Coursey Line near Lucan, Ontario.

Culbert Gathering on Alice Street

This photo was taken on Alice Street in Lucan, Ontario, Canada in the late 1920s.

Photo courtesy of Wes Hodgson

The house was owned by Richard Culbert and his wife, Jane Fairhall years after they left Poplar Farm. Richard was the youngest son of John Culbert & Mary Ward. Later, this became the home of Richard and Jane's daughter, Mary Elsie Culbert and her husband, Eldon Hodgson. 

Here's 117 Alice Street as it looked many years later, in 2012...

The group photo looks like it was taken at the same time as this photo from a previous post...

There are no names on the back of this photo but here's who I recognize ...

Front row, left to right: Ivan Culbert, Mel Culbert and Mert Culbert (sons of Myron Culbert).
Back row, left-right: Myron Culbert (son of Richard & Jane), unknown man, Effie Culbert (Myron's wife), Cliff Culbert (Myron's son), Richard Culbert and his wife Jane Fairhall, unknown woman, Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen, Lela (Culbert) Beadle, unknown man, and Ken Culbert (Myron's son).

I'm assuming the baby is Mert Culbert (born December, 1926) not his younger brother, Earl who was born in May, 1929.

If you can identify the two unknown men and the unknown woman in the back row, please leave a comment or email me at this address...

If your family is having a gathering this Easter weekend, why not take a photo and send it to the Culbert Family History blog?

Like Great-Grandfather, Like Great-Grandson

On Friday, you saw this sketch of Richard Culbert, created by Charles Newton Carscallen...

And by now, you all know Richard Culbert's great-grandson, Terry Culbert...

Now, compare and contrast...

Richard Culbert (left) and great-grandson, Terry Culbert (right)

I had to flatten Terry's head to fit into the picture (ha!) but I think you'll agree there's a resemblance.

Richard Culbert (1853-1932)

Many readers of the Culbert Family History blog are the descendants of John Culbert & Mary Ward's son, Richard Culbert (1853-1932) and his wife, Jane Eleanor Fairhall (1858-1949)...

Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert and Richard Culbert in 1886. Jane would have been about 28 years old in this photo, and Richard about 33. Photo by George A. Ellis of Lucan, Ontario.

Richard and Jane wed on 16 December 1879. The Fairhall family lived only about a half a mile away from the Culbert homestead. We'll read more about Jane in a future post.

The young couple moved in with Richard's parents, John Culbert and Mary Ward in their log house on Lot 19, Concession 2 (the Coursey Line) in Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario. Other family members lived with them too, including Richard's younger sister, Mary Ann, who was a witness at their wedding.

I'm not sure how the farm came into Richard's possession but it sounds like there was a struggle for ownership. In her book, "Stories from Life," Richard and Jane's daughter, Ethel (Culbert) Gras recounts that Richard had to pay off a brother and sister who still had claim upon the farm. Ethel goes on to say,"I remember well the event of the burning of the mortgage, that sinister, legal document that stood between them and the full possession of their property."

Richard and Jane had seven children; six of whom lived to adulthood. All their children were born in the log house on the Culbert homestead.

The Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family, 1927. Back row, left to right: Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen, Myron Manford Culbert, Lela (Culbert) Beadle, George Arthur Culbert, and Mary Elsie (Culbert) Hodgson. Front row, left to right: Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert, Richard Culbert, and Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras. Photo by Samuel Askin of Stratford, Ontario.

If you read this post, you know that at the end of the 1800s, Richard built a large, brick house on the Culbert property to replace the log house. He planted a row of poplar trees along the driveway, and the property became known as "Poplar Farm."

The house at Poplar Farm

Richard improved the property in many ways; draining the fields, building fences, and planting apple trees. He raised the barn and bricked in a stable for his horses, cows and other livestock.

He bought new farm equipment, including a machine (a binder) to cut and bind the sheaves of grain. His daughter, Ethel remarked on how proud he was of this possession. He never owned a tractor, truck or automobile, depending only on his horses for work and transportation.

Richard kept a colony of bees, providing delicious clover honey for the family and a surplus for sale.

The older couple on the right are Jane and Richard Culbert in front of the house that Richard built on the Coursey Line in Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario.

Ethel said, "A man who knew and liked hard work, Richard was honourable and dependable in all his dealings and highly regarded by his neighbours, especially by those who professed the same religious creed and politics; Methodist and Conservative. He was an Orangeman of the deepest dye; parading proudly with his colourful badge on every twelfth of July." Richard Culbert was an Officer of the local Loyal Orange Lodge, a Protestant fraternal organization.

Photos show Richard with a bit of a twinkle in his eye so one could assume he had a sense of humour...

Jane & Richard Culbert at their house on Poplar Farm, near Lucan, Ontario.

However, he's been described by various descendants as "a hard man" and a "stern and severe disciplinarian." His daughter, Ethel said, "He was a man with a strict authority. His word was law within his house and my mother often pleaded with him in vain. He believed in using the rod rather than spoiling the child...a man his children did not dearly love." Despite his tyrannical temper, Ethel says that "he loved his children and would proudly boast of their achievements."

In 1914, Richard and Jane moved into a house on Main Street, Lucan, leaving the farm to their son, Myron Manford Culbert. 

Richard & Jane's house on Main Street, Lucan.

I'm told this is that same house as the previous photo but many years later and with obvious structural changes. The address is 262 Main Street and it's located across the street from the Lucan Community Memorial Centre. The house is on the same side as the administration office of the Township of Lucan Biddulph.

In the 1920s, Richard and Jane moved to a small, cottage-style house on Alice Street in Lucan. 

Even though Richard and Jane lived in town, they still kept a cow, a few pigs and chickens, and had a small garden, although Richard was in a wheelchair for two years after suffering a stroke at age 77. 

The photo below was taken on Alice Street, Lucan, probably around 1931. The houses in the background are across from their house ...

This is the same view of Alice Street in recent times but with some architectural changes...

A side view of the little house on Alice Street...

Jane (Fairhall) Culbert with sons, Myron Culbert (left) and Arthur Culbert (right). Date unknown but probably 1930s-1940s.

Richard and Jane Culbert's house on Alice Street, from the opposite side of the previous photo, as it looked in 2017...

Richard & Jane Culbert lived in this house at 117 Alice Street which has since been renovated inside and out. In 1946, during Jane's last few years, her daughter, Mary Elsie Culbert and Mary's husband, Eldon Hodgson moved in to take care of Jane. Following Jane's death, Mary Elsie (Culbert) Hodgson lived here until she went into a nursing home in the 1980s. Photo by Mary Jane Culbert.

Richard Culbert died, age 79 in the house on Alice Street on 2 June 1932 from hypostatic pneumonia and a cerebral hemorrhage.

Jane continued to live in the house with her daughter, Mary Elsie (Culbert) Hodgson until Jane's death in 1949.

Richard and Jane are buried in Nursery Cemetery, a small cemetery just up the road from St. James Cemetery, north of Lucan...

Nursery Cemetery, 35051 Richmond Street (Highway 4) Municipality of North Middlesex, north of Lucan, Ontario. Photo by Mary Jane Culbert.

 

Richard Culbert and Jane Fairhall's headstone. Photo by their great-great-grandson, Jason William Garrett.

For you "tombstone tourists" (and I include myself in that description) the Culbert headstone is near the front of the cemetery and is easy to find. Photo by Richard & Jane's great-granddaughter, Mary Jane Culbert.

Map showing location of Nursery Cemetery

 Richard Culbert was a successful, prosperous farmer who contributed to the community and left behind the handsome house on Poplar Farm as his legacy.

Richard Culbert's Family Tree:
Ancestors:
John Culbert & Mary Ward (parents)
Descendants (children):
Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen
George Arthur Culbert
Myron Manford Culbert
Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras
Mary Elsie (Culbert) Hodgson
Susan LELA (Culbert) Beadle
Richard Edwin Culbert (infant death)