Andrew Jeffrey
Andrew Jeffrey was my great-great grandfather. He was born in Foulden
Parish, Scotland on February 17, 1800. Foulden is located in
Berwickshire, a county very close to the border of England. His
parents were William Jeffrey and Mary Lyall. Andrew was the eldest of
of 5 children, the younger being 4 sisters. The population of Foulden
7 years before Andrew's birth was 344, only 20% of these living in
Foulden village. The rest lived in the surrounding country. Andrew's
father is thought to have been a blacksmith in Foulden. Andrew was
baptized in the local church a month after being born, on March 16,
1800. Little is known about his childhood in Foulden. Foulden had a
parochial school, and education was thought to be required of all
children, so he probably attended this school. The subjects taught
included reading, writing, arithmetic, Latin and Greek. A description
of life in Foulden published 30 years after Andrew's birth described
what meals were like in the typical Foulden family: "At the morning
and evening meals of the peasantry, their staple is oatmeal porridge
and milk; their dinner consists of bread made from pease (split peas)
and barley, and of potatoes, seasoned with fat pork. Each family feeds
at least two pigs a year."
Family tradition says that William Jeffrey came to Canada alone when
Andrew was in his teens. Mary and the rest of the family followed him,
probably in 1819. Many of the men of Scotland found the going hard
through the unemployment following the end of the Napoleonic wars in
1815. This is probably why the Jeffrey family emigrated. Andrew
settled first in Kingston, and in 1820 made his way to Cobourg, where
he lived until his death in 1863. Both of these communities were
located in Ontario, or as it was then known, Upper Canada. Upper
Canada was the most British of the Canadian colonies.
He married Janet Hall on February 18, 1828 in Cobourg. She bore him 9
children before her death in 1851.
In 1924 there were approximately 350 people living in Cobourg. There
was no organized group of Presbyterian Christians in the community. On
occasion, ministers from an organized congregation would visit
neighboring settlements bring services there. In 1927, a Reverend J.
Jenkins visited Port Hope, a settlement a few miles east of Cobourg.
He ordained five men as elders, one of them being Andrew Jeffrey. The
first four men joined a congregation in Port Hope, while Andrew
associated himself with the Presbyterians in Cobourg. He and another
existing elder in Cobourg formed the nucleus of the leadership of the
"Kirk of Scotland" in Cobourg. In 1833, Andrew and three other men
became the first Trustees of this local church, and shortly
thereafter, he and six other men were appointed to be a Building
Committee for this Presbyterian Church, responsible for erecting a
suitable building for the growing church in Cobourg. Andrew continued
as an elder in "St. Andrews Presbyterian Church" until his death in
1863. Among their many responsibilities, the elders in the church were
very diligent in the spiritual oversight of this congregation. They
dealt with many issues that have had to be dealt with down through the
centuries, as well as those peculiar to their time. These included
dealing with: "The great sin of marriage to a deceased wife's sister,
being nothing less than incest" (1836); failure of a church member to
"contribute to the support of the gospel" (1836); "giving birth to a
child out of wedlock" (1838); "the great evil committed in drinking of
spirituous liquor till she was intoxicated" (1840); "the sin of ante
nuptial fornication" (1850); "acts of intemperance in being
intoxicated" (1856), etc. Andrew and his fellow elders didn't shirk
from their spiritual responsibilities in addressing these issues, but
were faithful in showing mercy as soon as the sinning member expressed
contrition.
Andrew's vocation was described in 1832 as a "saddler." In 1833, he
was described as a "harness maker." In 1837, Cobourg was incorporated
as a village, and a Board of Police managed its municipal affairs for
the following 13 years. Andrew Jeffrey was elected to this Board in
1837. In 1850, Cobourg was incorporated as a town, and a mayor and a
Board of Councilmen now managed its municipal affairs. Andrew was
elected a councilman in 1851, and in 1852 he was elected Mayor of
Cobourg. In the same year (1852) he was elected President of the Board
of Trustees of the Northumberland and Durham Saving's Bank, which
office he held till his death in 1863. He kept a private school for
boys at the corner of King and D'Arcy Streets in Cobourg, and
apparently served as headmaster. Throughout these years, Andrew
operated the Cobourg Foundry. A foundry is an establishment where
metal is melted and poured into molds. This foundry manufactured steam
engines, boilers, agricultural equipment, axes and other items. Andrew
also established a hardware business, which gradually became large and
prosperous.
On May 4, 1853. Andrew married for the second time, to Agnes Moscrip
McLenhan, a widow with 2 children, who was nearly 19 years younger
than Andrew. She bore him 4 children, one of who is my
great-grandfather, Henry. Andrew was just shy of 60 years old when
Henry was born. In 1859, Andrew was appointed one of the five
Commissioners of the Town Trust, and speedily became its chairman. In
1860, he was elected to represent the Newcastle District in the
Legislative Council, which was the upper house of legislation for the
Province of Canada, and consisted of 24 members. Members were elected
every 4 years. Andrew died after a protracted illness on July 27,
1863. His funeral was on July 29 at 12:00 noon. The places of business
in Cobourg were closed from noon to 2:00PM in token of respect for
Andrew.
Andrew Jeffrey seems to have been a man of tremendous character. His
obituary uses these words: "He remained one of Cobourg's most upright
and respectable citizens." "He filled his office with honour,
performing all its responsible labors with characteristic assiduity
(constant or close application or attention, particularly to some
business or enterprise; diligence) and integrity." "His industry,
enterprise and perserverance, together with his marked honesty of
character, enabled him to be successful in business." "Endowed by
nature with a fine mind - with a large, warm and generous heart, and
with great energy of character, he has won for himself the reputation
of a just and good man." "He was a man of considerable information,
calm judgement, and strict integrity."
He was also a dearly beloved father. Two letters from Andrew to his
daughter, Jessie, have survived, both written from Quebec, where he
lived while he served on the Legislative Council. One was written to
her when she was 5 years old, the other when she was 6. Reading his
letters to her display the qualities that endeared him to his family.
I will close this post by copying one of these letters, written a
little over a year before his death.
Quebec 29 March 1862
My Dear Jessie,
I got your letter, and it makes me very glad. You are a good girl for
saying your lessons every day, and I am much pleased to hear you say
that Donald is now saying his lessons better than he did (Donald was 7
years old).
You know that I have often told you that good children are always
willing to learn - and by so doing they get to know a great deal, and
are far more useful than children that cannot read nor write. Now what
a nice thing it is that, although I am many hundred miles away from
you, by learning to read and write you can send me a letter and tell
me all you want to say just as well as if we were sitting in the room
together.
Now I hope to hear both Donald and you will learn to read and write
fast so that you can, both of you, send me a long letter by and by.
Be good children, be willing to do whatever you are bid, do not go to
bed before you say your prayers, and Pa will also pray God bless and
keep you. Give Harry a kiss (Henry was 2 years old) and tell him it is
from Pa.
