489 Lakeshore Road West - Home of John Howell and Hannah Smith Howell to 1877; later the home of Captain Edward Morden and Mary Jane McVittie Morden

Most likely built circa 1863, this house was originally home to the Howell family until 1877. Changing ownership a few times thereafter, it was purhcased in 1900 by the Morden family, becoming their family residence until 1950.

The land on which this house sits is located on the southwest 50 acre portion of Concession 3, Lot 19 south of Dundas St. It was initially Crown Land, formally granted to John Triller Howell on March 22, 1875. However, it was settled on years earlier. The 1858 Tremaine Map indicates that “Widow Ribbet” (an incorrect spelling of “Ribble”) was residing on the lot. Mrs. Ribble was the widow of William Ribble and their daughter Sabray was married to Sampson Howell, son of Joseph Triller Howell.

John Howell & William Ribble, both from the U.S., had filed petitions to receive crown land in Trafalgar Twp. in 1824. There would have been requirements to fulfill such as clearing and cultivating the land and erecting a dwelling of a minimum size. Although Ribble appears to be the earlier settler, the land was ultimately granted to John Triller Howell for $350.

John Howell was born in 1801 in New Jersey to Sampson Howell & Mary Triller. His family
travelled north to Upper Canada, and according to John’s Land Grant Petition, his father Sampson was one of the first settlers on “The Dundas Street”. John married Hannah Smith in 1828 and they had eight children. In 1851, he acquired the 80 acre “Pinegrove Farm” from his father, located at the north end of lot 24 in Concession 1 north of Dundas St. The 1861 census reflects John Howell and his family residing on that property. He sold it in 1863, presumably to move down to the newly built Lakeshore Rd. house.

The Provincial Archives holds a manuscript by Keturah Howell Buck, his daughter, referring to her nephew Wesley, son of her brother Samson as being born “in the gothic roughcast house built by my father in 1859 or thereabouts”. She describes it as being 1 1/4 miles along the lakeshore from Oakville proper, and that at the time of writing (c1900), it was owned by a Capt. Morden. Weighing the evidence, the house was likely constructed circa 1863. By 1871, the census lists John Triller, wife Hanna, sons James & Sampson with his wife Sabray & their son Wesley living together at the house.

Sampson Howell Jr. died in the sinking of the stone hooker vessel, "The Pinto” on November
24, 1878. His scow drifted down the lake after the Pinto sunk and was recovered at Port
Dalhousie. He had frozen to death.

John T. Howell sold the property in 1877 to George de Warrenne Greene. In 1883 it was
acquired by George Bunbury and sold to Capt. George Hardy Morden in 1900. Morden was a lake captain and founded the Morden Line of steamers. That same year Capt. Morden gave the property to his son Capt. Edward Morden. It was named “Suffolk Lodge”, after the place in England where the Morden family was from.

Edward was born in 1869 in Oakville. He and his two brothers were lake captains like their
father, and sailed together on their father’s ship the “Dolly Morden”, named after one of their sisters. Edward married Mary Jane McVittie in 1896. Aside from sailing, Edward was a member of the Oakville Masonic Lodge and was president of the Halton Agricultural Society for a number of years. The family were members of Knox Presbyterian Church and Mary Jane was active in the Ladies’ Aid Society. In May of 1941, Edward Morden celebrated the 50th anniversary of having received his Master Mariner’s Certificate. He passed away the following month, receiving a full Masonic Funeral. His wife Mary Jane followed him to the grave only a couple of weeks later. They are both buried in the family plot at St. Jude’s Cemetery. After their death their son Albert and his wife lived in the house until 1950 at which time it was sold out of the family.