236 Felan Avenue - Home of Maurice Felan and Margaret L. Williams Felan

Maurice Felan was a Master Mariner.

The tract of land on which this house stands was once owned by John Terry, a watchmaker from London, England. He acquired the property from his brother-in-law, William Chisholm (their wives were two of three Silverthorne daughters), sometime before 1851 in a trade for his farm in York County. The entire property at the time extended south to the lake. A log cabin once stood on the southwest side of the present-day Lakeshore and Brookfield Rds. which Terry named "Brock Lands". The family lived here until John Terry's death in 1871. When the estate was settled in 1875, the land north of Lakeshore Rd. was sold to Maurice Felan.

Maurice Felan, a Master Mariner, was a native of County Limerick, Ireland. He was born in 1834 and emigrated to Canada with his family sometime before 1851, first settling in Wellington Square which is now part of Burlington. By 1861 he was a Captain, sailing ships engaged in the lumber trade, and at one time was part owner of the Schooner "Victoria" with his nephew, Duncan Chisholm.

In 1871, Captain Felan decided to leave his profession as a mariner, to purchase land on the lake west of 16 Mile Creek to settle down and become a farmer. In 1875 he purchased an additional 29 acres of land running north of Lakeshore Rd, between the present-day Maurice Drive and Felan Ave. In addition to farming, Maurice Felan was quite busy with town affairs. Among other things, he was Chief Constable at one time, a Town Councillor from 1877 to 1885 for Ward 1 and was also appointed as the town's customs collector in 1894. As he was Irish, it's pronounced "Morris", contrary to popular belief.

Over time, Felan sold off part of the 29-acre parcel but kept 15 acres which were vacant. In 1921, the land was subdivided into four separate lots. He entered into an agreement of sale with William Hawke and his son in law, Thomas Morford, to sell them 5 acres of land on lot 3. The tax assessment records indicate that a structure first appears on that 5-acre parcel of land in 1920. Hawke and his family appear there in the 1921 census. The formal sale took place in 1925, shortly before Felan's death and the cost to the family was the total sum of one dollar. It was a kind gesture from the 90-year-old gentleman nearing the end of his life.

According to the 1926 and 1949 Fire Insurance Plans, a one and a half storey house with one storey porch in front and addition to the back is located on what was lot 3, facing Deane Ave. where it includes several outbuildings.

William Hawke, his wife Ann and their children emigrated from England in 1911, first settling in Oakville on Forsyth St. before purchasing the land from Maurice Felan. Hawke's son-in-law, Thomas Morford, and his family relocated to Cobourg shortly afterwards. According to William Hawke's death record in 1948, he worked as a "Gardener", being "caretaker of an estate", for 30 years. He likely worked for Maurice Felan and then his son Robert after Maurice's death in 1926. Records over the years indicate that he held several positions though, such as "electric man" or "electrician" and "teamster". These may have been jobs outside of his work on Felan's estate. His wife Ann died in 1942 and William Hawke sold his property in 1944, relocating to his daughter's home in Cobourg where he died in 1948.

In 1955 Lot 3 became a subdivision and was divided into 17 separate lots including the west side of Felan Ave, the east side of Maurice Drive and four lots on the north side of Deane. The house with its outbuildings were in the lower half of the new plan. As a result, the outbuildings were demolished but it is believed the house itself was salvaged and moved onto lot 16, where it became 236 Felan Ave.

As the homes surrounding it are brick and built in the 1950's, this house stands out with its gambrel roof, often known as "Dutch Colonial", which are typical of houses built between the late teens into the twenties and thirties.