Address:
32 Thomas Street - Home of Hugh Martin and Anne McGregor Martin
Summary:
This house was the Martin family home from 1835 until 1880, swtiching ownership multiple times up until the modern day.
Property Details:
Hugh Martin purchased Block 21 Lot C from William Chisholm on 14 March 1835, just two
years after the laying out of the townsite by Deputy Surveyor H. J. Castle on his plan dated 20 July, 1833. The blocks are described by Hazel Mathews in her book. “Oakville and the Sixteen”: “Using Front St. as a base-line Castle laid out other streets parallel and perpendicular to it which squared out the land in a “checker board” plan of blocks. Most of the streets were made the usual width of one chain, (66 feet) but the main thoroughfare was given the width of 80 feet. On the east side of the Sixteen the blocks were 15 square chains in area, i.e., 1 1/2 acres. These blocks were divided into six quarter acre lots lettered alphabetically from A to F inclusive”. He also produced a water-colour plan of the survey.
Hugh Martin was born in Ireland in 1806 and made his way to Canada in 1831. It is not known where he initially settled, however, being a mariner by trade, he likely found his way to Oakville due to its busy harbour, fuelled by the various business enterprises which had sprung up and required transportation for their goods.
On 24 July, 1840 he married Anne McGregor at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Toronto where Anne was residing. Although living in Oakville at the time, Hugh Martin likely met his future wife while docked in Toronto. The only McGregor listing in the Toronto City Directories of that era was an Alexander McGregor who ran the Rob Roy Tavern on Yonge St. which Martin may have frequented.
The 1841 census (completed in Feb. 1842), lists Hugh Martin living in Oakville with his wife and two children. Over the years the family grew to include five children. Beyond this, little is known of Hugh Martin as he passed away in December, 1850. In August of that year he drew up his last will & testament, bequeathing everything to his wife Hannah, and upon her death, to his children. One of the children, Robert, filed a quit claim in 1880, giving up any entitlement to the assets of the estate. the reason for this is unknown. Robert had moved to Chicago sometime before 1870, and was a mine speculator at the time, eventually becoming a mine owner. His brother Hugh also left for Chicago. In their earlier days, according to the 1861 Oakville census, both Robert & Hugh were mariners. Hugh Martin’s will wasn’t registered until 1894 when the property was sold. This would have been necessary to prove that Anne was the legal owner upon his death.
Christopher Armstrong acquired the property in 1894, and sold to Ernest Madden in 1902. In 1905 the property was turned over again to William Hunt, an Irishman who was the gardener for the Erchless Estate. Upon his death in 1941, the property was sold to Marguerite Stott who held it until 1981.
years after the laying out of the townsite by Deputy Surveyor H. J. Castle on his plan dated 20 July, 1833. The blocks are described by Hazel Mathews in her book. “Oakville and the Sixteen”: “Using Front St. as a base-line Castle laid out other streets parallel and perpendicular to it which squared out the land in a “checker board” plan of blocks. Most of the streets were made the usual width of one chain, (66 feet) but the main thoroughfare was given the width of 80 feet. On the east side of the Sixteen the blocks were 15 square chains in area, i.e., 1 1/2 acres. These blocks were divided into six quarter acre lots lettered alphabetically from A to F inclusive”. He also produced a water-colour plan of the survey.
Hugh Martin was born in Ireland in 1806 and made his way to Canada in 1831. It is not known where he initially settled, however, being a mariner by trade, he likely found his way to Oakville due to its busy harbour, fuelled by the various business enterprises which had sprung up and required transportation for their goods.
On 24 July, 1840 he married Anne McGregor at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Toronto where Anne was residing. Although living in Oakville at the time, Hugh Martin likely met his future wife while docked in Toronto. The only McGregor listing in the Toronto City Directories of that era was an Alexander McGregor who ran the Rob Roy Tavern on Yonge St. which Martin may have frequented.
The 1841 census (completed in Feb. 1842), lists Hugh Martin living in Oakville with his wife and two children. Over the years the family grew to include five children. Beyond this, little is known of Hugh Martin as he passed away in December, 1850. In August of that year he drew up his last will & testament, bequeathing everything to his wife Hannah, and upon her death, to his children. One of the children, Robert, filed a quit claim in 1880, giving up any entitlement to the assets of the estate. the reason for this is unknown. Robert had moved to Chicago sometime before 1870, and was a mine speculator at the time, eventually becoming a mine owner. His brother Hugh also left for Chicago. In their earlier days, according to the 1861 Oakville census, both Robert & Hugh were mariners. Hugh Martin’s will wasn’t registered until 1894 when the property was sold. This would have been necessary to prove that Anne was the legal owner upon his death.
Christopher Armstrong acquired the property in 1894, and sold to Ernest Madden in 1902. In 1905 the property was turned over again to William Hunt, an Irishman who was the gardener for the Erchless Estate. Upon his death in 1941, the property was sold to Marguerite Stott who held it until 1981.
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32 Thomas Street
32 Thomas Street
32 Thomas Street
32 Thomas Street