Kilsyth is an unincorporated community in rural
Georgian Bluffs Township,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
with an approximate population of 100 people. The village is a quiet rural place set in pleasant rolling farmland. The community is also home to the Kilsyth Arena, Kilsyth Hall, Kilsyth United Church, local bottled water company 'Cleerbrook Springs'. The K-8 Derby Public School serving pupils from the town and the surrounding district closed in June 2016.
Kilsyth was home to the Derby Township Office until amalgamation. The office has since been turned into a residential location.
The township hall was sold to a scrap metal company too.
History
The village of Kilsyth was founded in 1845. Alexander Fleming, a stonemason, and his wife Jean, along with their eight children settled on Lot 10, Concession 6 in 1849. They were natives of
Ballinluig
Ballinluig (Gaelic: ''Baile an Luig'') is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the banks of the River Tummel in Logierait Parish, and is approximately southeast of Pitlochry. It developed with the building of the Highland Railwa ...
,
Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. As emigrants, they travelled from their home to
Kilsyth
Kilsyth (; Scottish Gaelic ''Cill Saidhe'') is a town and civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 9,860. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the relig ...
, Scotland with all their possessions in three one-horse carts. At Kilsyth they embarked onto a horse drawn barge on the
Forth and Clyde canal, built just eleven years earlier. This was the last place they set foot on Scottish soil.
Once at
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recen ...
, they moved their belongings directly onto a four masted sailing ship, the ''Jeanie Deans'', 298 tons, which sailed on May 1, 1843, the journey taking eleven weeks. Once arrived at
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, they stayed with relatives. They rented a farm in
Vaughan Township
Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...
. Finally able to buy their own farm they chose a plot of land in
Grey County. They named their farm Springfield Farm, where they built a log cabin by a pond which still exists to this day.
Descendants of the Fleming family still live in the village.
Kilsyth was the early village of importance in Derby, situated near the center of the township on the
Owen Sound
Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay.
The primary tourist attract ...
and Saugeen Stage Road. The first school in the township was built on the Coulter farm, near Kilsyth, Jessie Fleming being the first teacher. The first church in the township was the English church, in what is known as the "Irish Settlement" in the third concession; and the first post office was established here, Alexander Fleming being the first postmaster.
It contained a post office, tavern, smithy, stores, and several other places of business. Most noted perhaps was the potter works started by Messrs. Walmsley and McCluskie which at one time was quite a large concern, the works producing articles of common use as well as ornaments. Among the early business men were, Thomas Sloan-merchant and postmaster; William Fleming-merchant; George Smith-keeper of the "Sloan Hotel"
Kilsyth still cherishes its Scottish roots.
Sources and links
Kilsyth International Page
References
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Communities in Grey County