Lucan Biddulph Villager

The township of Lucan Biddulph has its own magazine! The first edition of the Lucan Biddulph Villager hit the stands in June 2022. And it’s FREE!

Cover of the inagural issue of the Lucan Biddulph Villager, June 2022. Photo permission courtesy of the publisher.

The Lucan Biddulph Villager offers the residents of Lucan Biddulph the opportunity to learn more about their community. The magazine’s focus is on small businesses, organizations and institutions in the township, activities and events, profiles of residents, and even local history.

The June 2022 issue features a story about Lucan’s early days. In “Lucky Lucan Comes a Long Way” by staff writer, Lynne Williams, you’ll see two postcards from the collection of our relative, the late Hulda May(Culbert) Carscallen...

The Little Ausable River. Postcard courtesy of Wendy (Gowland) Boole from the collection of Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen.

The Little Ausable River. Postcard courtesy of Wendy (Gowland) Boole from the collection of Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen.

If you’re a descendant of John Culbert and Mary Ward, your ancestors lived in Lucan Biddulph. John Culbert and Mary Ward were among the early settlers of Biddulph Township, arriving from Ireland in 1840. John and Mary would be amazed by the area’s growth and to know that Lucan Biddulph has its own magazine.

WHERE CAN I GET A COPY OF THE LUCAN BIDDULPH VILLAGER?

If you live outside of the Lucan Biddulph area, you can visit Villager Publications' website each month to view the latest edition. Don’t delay because back copies are available online for a limited time (about six months.) If you live in Lucan Biddulph, copies are delivered free to local residences, and set out at local venues such as Lucan Drug Mart, Langford Lumber, and other locations.

To read the June 2022 issue, click here.

To read the July/August 2022 issue, click here.

To read the September 2022 issue, click here.

Cover of the Lucan Biddulph Villager, July/August 2022. Photo permission courtesy of the publisher.

Lucan Biddulph isn’t the only community served by Villager Publications. On their website, you can also find magazines dedicated to Byron, Strathroy-Caradoc, St. Thomas, Ilderton, Komoka-Kilworth Delaware, Lambeth, Port Stanley, and Hyde Park-Oakridge and Wortley Village in London. If you live or have friends or relatives in those communities, be sure to visit Villager Publications.

Happy reading!

William Culbert (1842-1910)

Today marks the 180th birth anniversary of William Culbert, the son of John Culbert and Mary Ward. William was the first of John and Mary's children to be born in Canada.

William Culbert. Photo courtesy of his great-granddaughter, Margaret (Culbert) Hankala.

William Culbert was born 18 August 1842 in a log cabin on the Culbert homestead: Lot 19, Concession 2 (the Coursey Line) in Biddulph Township near Lucan. At that time, Biddulph was still a part of Huron County rather than Middlesex County, and Ontario was not yet a province. 

The John Culbert-Mary Ward family circa 1865. William Culbert is second from the left in the back row. Photo courtesy of Margaret (Culbert) Hankala. For more information about this photo, click here.

 

Close-up of William Culbert from group photo.

Since publishing a brief post about William Culbert here, I've been trying to find some interesting stories about him. Unfortunately, I haven't been successful so far. Apologies for this being a rather dry account of his life.  If you have any stories or further details about William Culbert, please let me know.

In his book,"A History of the John Culbert-Mary Ward Family and Their Descendants 1828-1995, v.1" author Grant W. Taylor lists William as William Edward Culbert. However, so far, I haven't found any documents showing a middle name for William Culbert although it's possible that his middle name was Edward.

William Culbert lived and farmed at Lot 11 on Concession 4 (known as the Saintsbury Line) in Biddulph Township.

There was a William Culbert who fought in the Fenian Raids in 1866. He was enlisted in the 26th Middlesex Battalion. If this is our William Culbert, he received the Canada General Service Medal. 

William was married twice, to sisters Ann de Coursey (1845-1886) and Mary de Coursey (1842-1909). Ann and Mary were the daughters of Thomas de Coursey (c1812-1865) and his wife, Jane Hodgins (1817-1892). Jane Hodgins was the daughter of Colonel James Robert Hodgins. Known as "Big Jim Hodgins," he was one of the first white settlers in Biddulph Township. Big Jim was responsible for bringing many Tipperary Irish to the Lucan-Biddulph area in the 1830s and 1840s.

William Culbert and his first wife, Ann de Coursey. Photo courtesy of Margaret (Culbert) Hankala.

William Culbert was 25 years old when he married 22 year old Ann de Coursey on 11 March 1868. Notice Ann's maiden name: de Coursey. Variations on the spelling include De Coursey with an upper case "D," Courcy, Courcey, Coursey, and other variations. In an effort to remain consistent (and not go insane) I'm using the spelling, "de Coursey." This was the spelling used by Ann's ancestors who came to Canada from Ireland in the 1830s. The Coursey Line was named after the de Coursey families who settled in Biddulph Township on that road. The Coursey Line is also the road on which you'll find Poplar Farm, the Culbert homestead.

William Culbert and Ann de Coursey had three children but only one child, Wes Culbert, survived into adulthood. The three children are as follows:

1. Wilson Wesley Culbert (1868-1949) who married Pearl Elizabeth Cuddy.

Wilson Wesley Culbert (known as Wes Culbert). Wes was the first-born child of William Culbert and Ann de Coursey. Photo courtesy of Margaret (Culbert) Hankala.

14 years passed until the next child was born to William Culbert and Ann de Coursey.

2. Thomas Aljoe Culbert (1882-1901). Single. Died age 18 of appendicitis. 

3. A baby girl was born to William and Ann on 31 March 1886 but was unchristened so we don't know her name.  

William's first wife, Ann (de Coursey) Culbert died 4 April 1886, four days after the birth of her baby girl. The cause of death is listed as "childbirth."

Just over a year later on 6 July 1887, 45 year old William Culbert married Ann's older sister, 45 year old Mary (de Coursey) Hodgins. Mary was the widow of Thomas Haskett Hodgins also known as "Long Tom Hodgins." Mary had four children from her marriage to Tom Hodgins. William Culbert and Mary (de Coursey) Hodgins didn't have any children together. 

William's second wife, Mary (de Coursey) Hodgins Culbert died of heart failure in Lucan, age 67, on 9 October 1909. 

William Culbert died at home on 7 December 1910 at Lot 11, Concession 4 in Biddulph Township, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. He was 68. Cause of death is listed as "internal injuries from an accident."

Final resting place of William Culbert at St. James Cemetery, Clandeboye near Lucan, Ontario. William is buried with his son, Thomas Aljoe Culbert. Photo by Cheryl Clarridge.

WILLIAM CULBERT'S FAMILY TREE:

Ancestors:

John Culbert & Mary Ward (parents)

Descendants (Children):

Wilson Wesley Culbert (1868-1949)

Thomas Aljoe Culbert (1882-1901)

unamed baby girl Culbert (1886-1886).

Nothing Extraordinary

Things have slowed to a crawl here on the Culbert Family History blog. I'm spending a lot of time on family history research so until I have another post ready for you, here's a diversion I call "Slow News Day." This brief news item describes a week in Lucan, Ontario in 1874 ...

Source: Exeter Times, 24 September 1874, page 2.

In 1874, our ancestors, John Culbert and Mary Ward who farmed on The Coursey Line near the village of Lucan were still alive, and would have been in their 60s. Their eldest child, Eliza (Culbert) Dagg was in her 40s and married. Their youngest child, Mary Ann was 18, still living at home, and single; not having eloped as one might fear, based on this news item.

Happy 90th Birthday, Dick and Sam Luker!

Happy birthday to Richard James Luker and Samuel Robert Luker!

Brothers, Dick Luker and Sam Luker were born 1 July 1932 in London, Ontario, Canada. Click image to enlarge.

If you missed their biography, click here.

SAM & DICK LUKER'S FAMILY TREE:
Ancestors:
John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-great-grandparents)
Susan Culbert & Philip Crawley (great-grandparents)
Sarah Catherine Crawley & Samuel Hill Hodgins (grandparents)
Gladys Sarah Hodgins & Wilbert Luker

Culbert's Bakery - For Sale

Remember this post about Culbert's Bakery? "The Home of Tasty Pastry" is FOR SALE!

For Sale sign in the front window of Culbert's Bakery at 49 West Street in Goderich, Ontario, Canada. Photo by Dana Elizabeth (Culbert) Garrett.

Culbert's Bakery: The Home of Tasty Pastry. For Sale sign in window. Photo by Dana Elizabeth (Culbert) Garrett.

If your surname is Culbert, and if you've always wanted to own a bakery, and if you have $999,900 burning a hole in your pocket, why not buy the place? You won't have to change the sign!

Want to make them an offer? Click here for real estate details.

CBC Radio's Afternoon Drive with Chris dela Torre interviewed the current owner of Culbert's Bakery, Darin Culbert. If you're interested, that interview from 29 April 2022 can be heard by clicking here. 

And for those who need their daily cream puff fix, the bakery is still open.

Note: If you read my original post about Culbert's Bakery here, you'll know that this family of bakers are NOT descendants of John Culbert and Mary Ward. I haven't found any connection to our family. 

Mel Culbert's Robert Raikes Diploma

This Robert Raikes diploma was awarded to my father, Milward Taylor "Mel" Culbert in 1935 when he was 15 years old. 

The diploma was presented to young people who had achieved perfect attendance at Sunday school during a given year. 

This diploma was signed by his older brother, Clifford Burton Culbert who was the Secretary of the Lucan United Church.

Lucan United Church. Photo by Mary Jane Culbert.

Robert Raikes (1736-1811) was one of the pioneers of the modern Sunday School movement.

Statue of Robert Raikes on Queens Park Crescent in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Appalled by the ignorance, poverty and vice of children in the slums of England, Robert Raikes sought to improve their lives. He started his first Sunday school (for boys, only) in 1780. Within a few years, Sunday schools were popping up all over England.

So great was Raikes' influence that 200 years later in 1980, the Lucan United Church was jammed to capacity to celebrate the founding of the Sunday school movement ...

Source: Exeter Times-Advocate, 5 November 1980.

I assume that the diploma held special meaning for my father because he kept it into his adulthood, along with his Bible. He was a member of the Lucan United Church all his life (1920-1958).

Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert (wife of Myron Manford Culbert) at Poplar Farm with four of her six sons. Back row, left to right: Cliff Culbert and Effie. Front row, left to right: Ivan Culbert, Mel Culbert, and Ken Culbert. Judging by their "Sunday best" outfits, I'd say they're on their way to Sunday school.

Speaking of perfect Sunday school attendance, over at Lucan's Holy Trinity Anglican Church in 1962 ...

The sons of Mel Culbert's brother, Mert Culbert. Photo by the boys' first cousin, Terrence Patrick "Terry" Culbert.

Milward Taylor "Mel" Culbert's Family Tree:

Ancestors:

John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-grandparents)

Richard Culbert & Jane Eleanor Fairhall (grandparents)

Myron Manford Culbert & Effie Pearl Taylor (parents)

Descendants (Children):

Terrence Patrick "Terry" Culbert

Dana Elizabeth (Culbert) Garrett

Mary Jane Culbert

Happy Easter!

These Lucan Public School students (including a Culbert) have created a "Funny Bunny" that "eats" coins as part of a fundraising campaign in 1963.

Apologies for the poor digitial reproduction of what was a clear photo in the newspaper. It's hard to see the "funny bunny" in the image but he's standing beside the boy on the right, and is holding an Easter basket. Source: Exeter Times-Advocate, 25 April 1963.

At first glance, the photo and caption depict a cheery scene. However, let's look a little closer and read the words I've highlighted in yellow (below) in the accompanying newspaper article. 

That "Funny Bunny," created by the children, was constructed of ASBESTOS!

It wasn't until 1981 when the Canadian government introduced regulations to reduce the use of asbestos. The final ban of asbestos didn't come until 2018. 

And so, as we try to enjoy yet another Easter during the pandemic, let's all give thanks that there will be no more big asbestos bunnies.