The Brookses of Oshawa

Brook House c. 1900 Oshawa Museum

One of the few records that I have for my great-great grandfather Jacob Brooks is this marriage registration from 1852 District Marriage register. 

Home District Marriage Register, Archives of Ontario

Jacob married Mary Fleming on March 8th 1852 at Port Oshawa. The marriage was performed by the Reverend S. Thomas Henry and the witnesses were Jacob’s brother Hill and Mary’s sister Anne. Why I wondered was the couple married in Oshawa when both families resided in Scarborough or Markham (in Hial’s case)? Investigating further I found an interesting story. 

The oldest child in the family of my great-great-grandparents Jacob Brooks Sr. and Elizabeth Jones was Michael. Michael was born around 1815 in Scarborough. He was married to Alvira Young in 1838 by Reverend Jenkins at his Presbyterian Church in Richmond Hill.

Home District Marriage Register, Archives of Ontario

The couple took up residence with Michael’s parents in Scarborough as seen here in the 1846 Home District Directory. 

By the time the 1852 Census was taken they were living in Pickering where most of their children were born. According to this census and the subsequent censuses the family were now worshipping at the Christian Church.

The Christian Church was an American Church first organized in the Durham region in Darlington in 1821. In 1831 the Oshawa Christian Church was established by Reverend Thomas Henry.
Reverend Henry was an Irish immigrant from County Cavan who had fought in the War of 1812 and later settled in Oshawa becoming a major figure in the early history of the town. He took up preaching holding meetings in private homes or schools until 1843 when the first church was built at the corner of Richmond and Church Streets in Oshawa. I couldn’t find an image of the church but Henry’s home still stands in Lakeview Park near the former Port of Oshawa, and is open for visitors as part of the Oshawa Museum. 

Henry House 

It’s not clear why Jacob and Mary were married by Reverend Henry. Mary’s family were staunch Presbyterians and the couple could have been married by Reverend Jenkins who was also the minister of St. Andrew’s Bendale in Scarborough where Mary and her parents are buried. Perhaps Jacob was persuaded by his brother to give the Christian Church a try. I’m hoping to locate church records that may tell me more.

But back to Michael. In the 1852 census he described himself as a farmer but by 1861 he had become a merchant. More interesting is what I found in the 1869 Canada directory and the 1871 census. Michael had moved to Oshawa and become the proprietor of the Railroad House.

1869 Ontario Gazetteer and Directory, Library and Archives Canada

1871 Canada Census, Library and Archives Canada

According to the Pedlar manuscript, an early history of Oshawa, Michael and Alvira moved with their family to Oshawa on 1 March 1868, purchasing the Rail Road House at the corner of Simcoe Street South and Baseline Road (now Bloor Street) that same year.

Michael managed the hotel until 1879 when he retired, passing the business on to his son Jacob M. Brooks, though by 1873 the tavern licence was registered in Jacob's name. He continued to work as a grocer until his death, alongside his daughter Elizabeth

Oshawa Reformer, March 7 1873

Oshawa was a major stop on the Grand Trunk Railroad. A hotel near the train station would have been a lucrative business both for travellers and locals. According to the 1892 Ontario Gazetteer the hotel charged $1 a night, comparable to other hotels throughout the province and a bargain at approximately $35 in today’s currency. Not only was the Brooks House a hotel and a tavern but it also served as a community centre hosting an inquest and perhaps a questionable pigeon match.

Oshawa Reformer, December 29 1871

Oshawa Reformer, June 2 1871

The Brook House remained in the Brooks family until around 1895 when it was taken over by R.T. Kirkpatrick upon Jacob’s move to Peterborough. The hotel no longer exists. I’m not sure when it was torn down but it still existed in 1911 as shown on the Goad Fire Insurance map.                 

By 1921 the hotel was closed and the property was taken over by the Oshawa Iron and Metal Company.  Here’s what it looks like today - the structure on the lot used to house the Oshawa Visitor Information Centre which is now closed. The trees at the front of the lot may have been the little ones shown in the old photo above.

1911 Goad Fire Insurance Map of Oshawa

North East corner of Simcoe Street South and Bloor Street, Oshawa

Another Brooks was a prominent Oshawa citizen in the late 1800s. Michael’s son Lorenzo ran Brooks Livery and Stable at 54 Simcoe Street North, next to the fire hall.

Running a livery stable was hard work - the owner would board horses, provide storage for carts and carriages, as well as provide transportation services. This business tied in nicely with the family hotel as not every traveller arrived by train. The building was originally used by the McLaughlin Carriage Company before Lorenzo moved in and was a fine looking structure though it too no longer exists.

Brooks Livery, c. early 1900s, Oshawa Museum

Brooks family graves, Oshawa Union Cemetery

Michael passed away in 1892 and was followed by his wife Alvira two years later. They are buried in Oshawa’s Union Cemetery with Lorenzo, who died in 1916, and Elizabeth, who never married and died in 1909 buried near by.

 Though I didn’t learn much more about my direct ancestor it was interesting learning more about this branch of the Brooks family.