Chapter 1: The Sources
Like many books about family history, ours begins with a very old Bible. It is known to family members as the Ross
Family Bible, but it is not a typical Family Bible. It was intended to be carried around, rather than remain in one
special place in a family home. It is small, with flexible covers and very small print – not intended to be read aloud
from a pulpit, or anywhere else a family might gather. But, there is also no evidence that the Ross family did very
much gathering in the early days, so the Bible was well chosen for its purpose.
This Bible was a gift from Isabella Ross to her son, William Ross, in 1882. William Ross will become known as ‘The Black Sheep’ to future generations of Rosses. He is denoted as William2 Ross throughout this book, to distinguish him from his father, who was also William Ross. Many of the family secrets, myths, legends, and tall tales result from the decision of William2 Ross to desert his wife and abandon his family in 1880. These stories will unfold as the stories of six generations are recorded.
On the first page of the Bible is an inscription written by Isabella to her son:
‘This is a Keepsake from thy Mother to her son.
And these are passages thy Father chose for thee
to consider carefully:
Proverbs 8
John 3
Romans 3. 10 to the end
Acts 10. 34 to 44
Romans 5. 1 to 11
Acts 13. 26 to 40’
In 1882 this would have been very appropriate advice for William2 Ross.
This Bible was a gift from Isabella Ross to her son, William Ross, in 1882. William Ross will become known as ‘The Black Sheep’ to future generations of Rosses. He is denoted as William2 Ross throughout this book, to distinguish him from his father, who was also William Ross. Many of the family secrets, myths, legends, and tall tales result from the decision of William2 Ross to desert his wife and abandon his family in 1880. These stories will unfold as the stories of six generations are recorded.
On the first page of the Bible is an inscription written by Isabella to her son:
‘This is a Keepsake from thy Mother to her son.
And these are passages thy Father chose for thee
to consider carefully:
Proverbs 8
John 3
Romans 3. 10 to the end
Acts 10. 34 to 44
Romans 5. 1 to 11
Acts 13. 26 to 40’
In 1882 this would have been very appropriate advice for William2 Ross.
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The Bible
As this is being written, I have the Family Bible in my hand. Inside the front cover is pasted an old, now yellowed,
Death Notice:
‘William Ross, familiarly known as the
Scotch Queen’s Park preacher, died yes-
terday at his residence, No 35 Wickson
avenue, at the age of 61 years. The de-
ceased was the son of Donald Ross, a
veteran of the Battle of Corunna, under
Sir John Moore.’
This notice was clipped from the Toronto Telegram on January 22, 1896. Queen’s Park is a large park in central Toronto, surrounding the Ontario Parliament Buildings. Wickson Avenue is now called Alcorn Avenue, but William’s residence is still there. It is south of St. Clair Avenue and west of Yonge Street, not too far from Queen’s Park.
The other ‘bible’ that provides a second starting point for our narrative is a book called ‘Green Meadows and Golden Sands’. This book is an important source of information for many of the stories in this book. It will be called GMGS from here on. GMGS is the history of Amabel Township in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada.
‘William Ross, familiarly known as the
Scotch Queen’s Park preacher, died yes-
terday at his residence, No 35 Wickson
avenue, at the age of 61 years. The de-
ceased was the son of Donald Ross, a
veteran of the Battle of Corunna, under
Sir John Moore.’
This notice was clipped from the Toronto Telegram on January 22, 1896. Queen’s Park is a large park in central Toronto, surrounding the Ontario Parliament Buildings. Wickson Avenue is now called Alcorn Avenue, but William’s residence is still there. It is south of St. Clair Avenue and west of Yonge Street, not too far from Queen’s Park.
The other ‘bible’ that provides a second starting point for our narrative is a book called ‘Green Meadows and Golden Sands’. This book is an important source of information for many of the stories in this book. It will be called GMGS from here on. GMGS is the history of Amabel Township in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada.
PLEASE CLICK ANYWHERE ON IMAGE TO MAGNIFY
Green Meadows and Golden Sands
GMGS was published in 1984 by The Amabel Township Historical Society. The project was started in 1979, ‘to give the
older residents of the Township a chance to record their memories for future generations’. One chapter in GMGS is about
the community of Park Head, which is in Amabel Township. Many of our stories will take place in and around Park Head.
The material about the community of Park Head is quite complete, because the Park Head Women’s Institute was very diligent in compiling their ‘Tweedsmuir History’ books over many years. These books form the basis of the Park Head chapter in GMGS.
Other material in this chapter was compiled by interviewing the older residents, or by asking them to provide written accounts from their personal records. As a result, it is a wonderful source of background information. But, it also contains many errors. The older residents had good memories, but not perfect ones.
My father bought 6 copies of GMGS, one for himself and one for each of his 5 children. More than anything else, this book inspired my interest in family history.
GMGS contains a reference to Donald Ross on page 302. It refers to him as Donald Ross of Inverness, Scotland, which is correct. It also says Donald Ross was known as ‘The Scots Queen’s Park Preacher’, which is not correct. However, the use of this phrase does verify the connection between the Death Notice pasted in the Ross Family Bible and the material in GMGS.
William Ross, who died in Toronto in 1896, was actually known as the Scotch Queen’s Park Preacher. He was the son of Donald Ross, and the father of William2 Ross, the Black Sheep. As a lay preacher, he was well qualified to choose passages from the Bible for his wayward son to consider carefully.
William2 Ross found his way to Park Head, and married the daughter of one of the pioneer families shortly after he arrived in Canada from Scotland. This created the link between the Ross family in Toronto and the pioneer families in Park Head. The stories of these families will be told in this book.
Donald Ross, who was a veteran of the Battle of Corunna, was the father of William Ross the Scotch Queen’s Park Preacher, and the grandfather of William2 Ross. We will begin our narrative with the birth of Donald Ross, in Scotland, in 1787.
The material about the community of Park Head is quite complete, because the Park Head Women’s Institute was very diligent in compiling their ‘Tweedsmuir History’ books over many years. These books form the basis of the Park Head chapter in GMGS.
Other material in this chapter was compiled by interviewing the older residents, or by asking them to provide written accounts from their personal records. As a result, it is a wonderful source of background information. But, it also contains many errors. The older residents had good memories, but not perfect ones.
My father bought 6 copies of GMGS, one for himself and one for each of his 5 children. More than anything else, this book inspired my interest in family history.
GMGS contains a reference to Donald Ross on page 302. It refers to him as Donald Ross of Inverness, Scotland, which is correct. It also says Donald Ross was known as ‘The Scots Queen’s Park Preacher’, which is not correct. However, the use of this phrase does verify the connection between the Death Notice pasted in the Ross Family Bible and the material in GMGS.
William Ross, who died in Toronto in 1896, was actually known as the Scotch Queen’s Park Preacher. He was the son of Donald Ross, and the father of William2 Ross, the Black Sheep. As a lay preacher, he was well qualified to choose passages from the Bible for his wayward son to consider carefully.
William2 Ross found his way to Park Head, and married the daughter of one of the pioneer families shortly after he arrived in Canada from Scotland. This created the link between the Ross family in Toronto and the pioneer families in Park Head. The stories of these families will be told in this book.
Donald Ross, who was a veteran of the Battle of Corunna, was the father of William Ross the Scotch Queen’s Park Preacher, and the grandfather of William2 Ross. We will begin our narrative with the birth of Donald Ross, in Scotland, in 1787.