“The
Doctor’s Lot”
The land that became Lot 31 Front 8th Concession started to
change in appearance only 175 years ago. For a long time, it knew only the
step of Neutral Indians who had two villages in the area: by
Morriston Pond and at the bottom of the hill on Lot 32. Things started
to change after 1827 and 1828 when Guelph was founded and the first survey of
the Brock Road (old Hwy.#6) was made. All of Puslinch Township had been
reserved as a Clergy Reserve( land which would yield revenue to the
established church) by the Crown but was now thrown open to settlers as access
improved.
In June 1830, a German settler and entrepreneur, Joseph Schatz
claimed Lot 31 (100 acres) and over the next few years subjected it to a
certain amount of depredation. In fact, at one point, he invaded the
neighboring Lot 32 and frightened off the settler working there. Some years
later, this settler remembered that “Joseph Schatz had been such a furious
and lawless character. . . he would not matter to take a man’s life”. (In
fairness, many of the disputes between settlers may have resulted from the
confusion of the local Land Agents in their recording of claims)
In 1844, Schatz made an arrangement with sawyer Peter Mather
to finish the clearing of Lot 31, which presumably Schatz had started.
The lot was legally transferred to Mather who was to cut the logs into
saleable lengths after which ownership would revert to Schatz.
The Lot was apparently unoccupied for a number of years but the village
of Morriston had begun to take shape around it by 1848. John McEdward,
of the family that owned other land in Morriston commissioned a geological
report on the Lot. The findings suggest what poor shape the Lot was in. All
the valuable white oak had been removed , the tops of still-standing trees had
broken off and limestone rocks littered the surface. The geologist suggested a
price of 10 shillings an acre.
McEdward apparently recognized opportunity and duly sold off
smaller parcels of land to developers. Alex Ochs
(1816-1884), an
innkeeper, carpenter and surveyor from Spessart, Germany who had been
in Morriston for several years, bought in 1853 the parcel of land on the
southwest side of Badenoch Street and ever since this survey has borne his
name as does the road into the subdivision up the street and the lane between
Badenoch Street and Back Street.
Ochs was an important figure in early Morriston which was noted in his
obituary:
The deceased was a resident of Morriston
for forty years , and was a
pioneer carpenter
in the place having built the
first frame house
in this locality.
He built the Catholic Church
here and took a great interest
in its welfare.
He leaves a widow but no
offspring. He
will be missed in and about
Morriston as he
was well-known and much
respected.
He
is buried in the Marion R.C. Cemetery just up Badenoch Street, his stone being
one of the few that is still readable.
Lot 18 of the Ochs Survey was apparently joined to Lot 19 to make a
double lot. Dr. Richard Orton eastablished his practice there in April
1869 and lived there till 1882. During his residency whatever building(s) was
there was probably called The Doctor’s House. The name was reinforced in
September 1904 when Dr. James King, Morriston’s last doctor, lived and
worked there until he retired in 1922. The house has changed hands many times
since then.
A careful study of the Land Records indicates that the stone house,
similar in style to the Doctor’s House but south of it, is actually on Lot 14
of the Ochs Survey. This house was
almost certainly built by George Hanning in 1918.
