The Taylor Property
by Judge F.S. Taylor
January 28, 1981
Very early in the history of New Brunswick Messrs. Adams a and Davidson (established a water powered saw mill and a grist mill on what is now known as Taylor’s Brook . These are shown on an 1848 plan attached to a deed in the Registry Office at Hampton. The whole locality is shown on the `847 plan of the lands owned by John Hennigar on the file in the New Brunswick Museum. The Parish of Hampton was divided in 1870 into two parishes, Hampton and Rothesay with the Hammond River dividing them (also known as the Little Kennebecasis and Nauwigewauk).
In 1866 Charles C. Stewart owned most of the original Crown Grant of lot 11. ( Granted to Peter Switzer). He fell on hard times and had to make an assignment for the benefit of his creditors. A subdivision plan of his lands was made by surveyor John C. Welton and the various blacks were sold on November 3, 1866. A 13 acre block and the mill reserve was bought by Daniel C. Perkins a South Wharf (Market Slip wholesale grocer for $1220.
He probably built the house in 1867. In any event the Saint John City directory of 1869 – 1870 lists him as an estate agent with his home in Rothesay.
On September 18, 1872, he wrote the Hon S.L Tilley C.B. ” I was just informed that an office in the Receiver General’s department was vacant. Perhaps this might suit me if you think I could fill it”. (Tilley Papers, New Brunswick Museum) He was successful in getting on the Federal payroll as by 1881 he had become Collector of Inland Revenue and sold the property to George W. Burbridge, barrister at law, for $6,200. The next year Burbridge was appointed deputy minister of justice at Ottawa and conveyed the property to his law partner Legh Richmond Harrison for $166.00 subject to mortgage. Harrison was the father of James G. Harrison, William Henry Harrison and Mary L. Harrison. In 1886 he sold to John Fletcher Taylor for $5.600.00. At the time he was a law partner of William Pugsley Jr. under the firm name of Harrison and Pugsley. In addition to the original block of land and mill reserve John F. Taylor in 1888 purchased at the rear part of the south west half of the original Crown grant of lot 12. By 1889 John F. Taylor and his sister Elizabeth and son Frederick Richard were living on the farm year around.
In 1863 John is listed as a grocer at 22 South Wharf. In 1869 he and his brother Charles were flour dealers and grocers at 4 South Wharf. In 1871 they were importers and dealers in flour and provisions. In 1880 they were ship owners and agents. IN 1887 they were ship owners with offices at 99 Prince William Street. On moving to Rothesay, John built an office building on the property and ran his end of the business there. His brother Charles ran the New York end of the business which involved securing cargoes for the ships owned by the firm. Charles died at the farm in 1906 on returning from starting the annual cattle drive for the Christmas Market in Saint John ( he dropped dead in the front vestibule). John lived to 82 and died in 1916.
Elizebeth died in 1918. They had been born on a farm near Dorchester and on moving to Rothesay carried on farming. The water system originally consisted of a dug well at the back door and another at the barn. Subsequently tanks were installed up the hill on the neighboring property and with the aid of a ram the was flowed into the house. When William Pugsley built the water system for Rothesay the water line ran from the dam on the Dam Road though the Taylor property to Maiden Lane. For this right, the main house and the farmer’s cottage built by John down by the bridge on the main road, received free water. This continued until the town drilled wells and abandoned the dam supply. The line ran from near Maiden Lane across the fields to the house.
Prior to the extending of the electric power lines to Rothesay, circa 1910, the house was lit by gas. When the telephone came came the Taylor’s number was 15.
During this period a sun porch was added on the west side of the house with a sleeping porch on the second floor.
The scullery, off the kitchen was used as a dairy with the cream separator bolted to the floor and the butter churn always available. Elizabeth Taylor won prizes at the exhibition for her butter.
On the death of Elizabeth Taylor in 1918 the house was occupied during the summer seasons by Frederic R. Taylor and his family ’til 1927 when he decided to live there all year around. An addition to the house was built and the number of bathroom increased from the one original to four. At the same time the hen house which was at the back of the house was demolished and a new one built farther away. Blackberries took over the site and for many years fine large ones grew each year. Also the office building which had been converted to a garage was supplemented by a new three bay garage beside the original barn Beyond this barn were the cow barn and the storage barn barn built by John F. Taylor. Fred R. Taylor graduated from Harvard Law School in 1901 but continued the farm as a hobby. He won the Grand Championship with his herd of shorthorns at the Toronto Exhibition in 1927.
After Fred R. Taylor died in 1929 the herd gradually changed to Jerseys and continued ’til 1961 when his widow Doris K.C. Taylor died and Walton S. Taylor gave up farming. Fred S. Taylor became the owner that year.
The barns were demolished by Joseph Steele who re-erected parts of them at his Hammond River farm. Also in 1961, the kitchen chimney was taken down as was the dining room chimney. The wood stove had long been replaced by electricity and propane gas and the dining room had ceased to double as the living room The double parlors with their various hued plush furniture, and which were used on formal occasions prior to 1918 were now used as living room supplemented by the oak paneled and shelved library which was part of the 1927 addition. In 1970 a swimming pool was installed at the back of the house.
After 1961 the farmers cottage built by John F. Taylor, the chauffeur’s house was built by Fred R. Taylor below the bridge on part of the Mill reserve and the second farmer’s cottage at the end of Maiden’s Lane built in 1941 were sold off and the balance and the balance of land divided among John S. Fred S. and Walton S. The original block bought in 1866 by Perkins became the property of Fred S. Taylor. About the same time he acquired about an acre of land on the other side of College Hill Road (Mount Stewart Street) from the Hugh Mackay Estate who had acquired it from Percy Fairweather of Firshade.
Refrigeration
Before electricity, food was kept cold in ice filled refrigerators. Each winter men made a business of sawing ice into blocks at Carpenter’s Pond, the Water Works reservoir. The farm team of horses was split with each horse hauling a sleigh which would be loaded and hauled down the Dam Road, through First Street now named Miles Lane, over the fields and farm bridge across the brook. The only upgrade was the short haul back of the house. In 127 a new ice house was built with sawdust insulation. The ice blocks were stacked in and surrounded by sawdust as the pile grew. A block at the end of the ice house inside, a slide, and one horse power with large ice tongs and rope constituted the machinery and power unit. Highways were not salted or sanded in those days. Sleighs could be used on them all winter. Until 1935 the only paved road ended at the Rothesay Corner. Electric refrigerators did not completely end the days of ice until after 1945.
Heat
The house was heated by a large cast iron furnace and for domestic hot water this was supplemented by a small coal furnace called a jacket heater. The hot water was stored in a 100 gallon copper tank and still is. In the winter hardwood was cut on the farm and hauled to the back of the house. In the spring a crew would come with their sawing rig consisting of a rotary saw belt driven by a gasoline motor. For many years Anthony Scribner did the sawing. Wood was burned spring and fall. In the fall Starr’s chain driven coal trucks would arrive and 20 tons of Welsh hard coal would fill the cola room. Every morning one would awaken in the winter to a great clanking in the pipes. For many years this was Bill Blair removing the clinkers from the furnace. These furnaces were converted to oil after World War 2 and lasted lasted until about 1970 when the cast iron finally wore out in places and they were replaced by a modern oil furnace. Now (1980) the question is should it be supplemented by a wood burning furnace.
