Person Record

Metadata

Name

Kilbourn, Hiram

Othernames

Sometimes the surname is spelled "Kilbourne"

Born

1812?

Birthplace

Upper Canada?

Places of residence

Smith's Falls
Sydenham Township, Grey County
Village of Sydenham (now Owen Sound)
Invermay, Canada West [Tara, Bruce County, Ontario]

Nationality

Canadian

Notes

A local historian, Mrs. Helene Weaver, wrote an article in 1997: "Hiram Kilbourn, his wife Eliza Seaman and three children, of Smith's Falls, arrived in Sydenham by sailing sloop in 1845 to start a tannery at the corner of Poulett and Division Streets. The enterprise and vision of this family and their offspring contributed to the commercial, industrial, cultural, legal and military life of Owen Sound. A son (with the Butcharts) was a founder of the cement industry. A grandson, Fred, became President of Canada Cement, and also was steel comptroller for Canada during the World War II. Billy Bishop, VC, was another grandson. If Owen Sound had an elite, the Kilbourns were among them. When VIPs came to town, they stayed at the Kilbourn home (now the site of the Melbourne Nursing Home).

In 1853, they sold the tannery and moved to Bruce County to open a successful store in Invermay. After Hiram died, they moved back to Owen Sound and invested in property on the west side of town. They sold limestone for the foundation of the first [grain] elevator. They built several unique houses--two still remaining are Tannahill's Funeral Home and Dr. Harvie's at 463 11th St. West.

Hiram and Eliza's eldest son, John Melbourne Kilbourn, educated sons at Upper Canada College to be lawyers, who handled the family businesses, such as Malleable Iron. John was a private banker. He was Chairman of the Board when the 1910-1912 addition went on to the General and Marine Hospital.

They sold the land for the site of the stone post office, and built several commercial blocks down town. In 1913, they built the Opera House, which they leased to Griffiths Amusements. It was said to be the largest theatre outside of the major cities. Kilbourns owned one of the first cars in Owen Sound. John Kilbourn's last act was to organize a local historical society. He prepared a speech for the first A.G.M. in 1922, but died before it was delivered.
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Local historian Melba Croft wrote in 1962 that "In 1845 Mr. Hiram Kilbourn erected a tannery at the mouth of the little creek which crosses second avenue east under the American Hotel, and finds an outlet at the 10th Street sewer".
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An advertisement in the Sept. 26, 1872 OWEN SOUND ADVERTISER is present for "Kilbourn Brothers, Staple and Fancy Drygoods". An advertisement in THE OWEN SOUND TIMES, Sept. 24, 1875, p. 3 has been seen for the "Kilbourn & Bishop" drygoods store.

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Mr. Hiram Kilbourn came to Owen Sound, Upper Canada by sailing vessel, in June of 1845, via Penetang, bringing along a cargo of maple sugar, his family, and the family of Joseph McFarlane. Hiram Kilbourn was a Tanner by trade. His wife was the former Eliza Seaman, and they had 3 children with them when they arrived. They formerly had resided at Smith Falls (as did the McFarlanes). Mr. Kilbourn bought Lot 9 on the east side of Poulett St. (Main Street) in the village of Sydenham (later called Owen Sound), circa 1846, while James Kilbourn had Lot 8. At that time, the surname was spelt as "Kilbourne". Hiram Kilbourn's tannery employed six to eight men. He would eventually sell it to Mr. Charles Hall (Croft, Melba, FOURTH ENTRANCE TO HURONIA, p. 36). An 1851 directory listed Hiram and James Kilbourn as Tanners at Owen Sound. They are not listed in the 1865-1866 listing in the W. W. Smith GAZETTEER & DIRECTORY OF THE COUNTY OF GREY, so they must have moved to Invermay before then. It is believed that they moved in 1853.

The 1919 obituary of Mrs. Barnabas Cuthbert (nee Elizabeth McFarlane, daughter of Joseph McFarlane) mentions that her family travelled from Smith Fall's with the Kilbourn family when she was twelve years old.

In the 1851 census of Sydenham Township, Canada West (near Owen Sound), Hiram Kilbourn and his family were farming in Sydenham Township. He was then age 36, Eliza was 30, Sarah was 12, John was 10, James 7, George 4, and Frederick was 1.

The eldest son was John Melbourne Kilbourn. He became a private banker. The Kilbourn family invested in property on the west side of Owen Sound, sold limestone for the foundation of the first C.P.R. grain elevator at Owen Sound in the 1880s, and were involved with the Malleable Iron company at Owen Sound. They sold the land upon which the old stone post office building was built. John M. Kilbourn was Chairman of the General and Marine Hospital Board from 1___ to 19__. The Kilbourns also built several commercial blocks downtown and in 1913, built the "Opera House" which they leased to Griffith Amusements. (source Owen Sound Historical Society Newsletter, Jan. 1997).

W. Quay Kilbourn said that Hiram Kilbourn is buried at Invermay. He died in 18__. John M. Kilbourn, and other Kilbourns returned to Owen Sound, Ontario.

Sarah Kilbourn became Mrs. E. W. Bishop of Owen Sound. She was a grandmother of Billy Bishop, who became famous during the First World War as a flying ace (he was awarded the Victoria Cross).

In the 1861 census of Owen Sound, no Kilbourns were listed. The 1861 census of Bruce County, in the Arran Twp. area, listed a household headed by John M. Kilbourn, Storekeeper, who was born in Canada, Congregationalist, age 19, who was then single. Residing with him at that time were Sarah Bishop (age 21), James Kilbourn age 14, Frederick Kilbourn age 12, Margaret Kilbourn age 10, William Boyd age 6, Allen G. Kilbourn age 2, Robert Thomas (born England, age 23), Maria Bishop (born in Upper Canada, age 19), and Mary Anderson (b. Ireland, age 17).

In Bruce County, there were two distinct post villages, Tara and Invermay, which by about 1880 were grown into one village in Arran Township. In the BRUCE COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY FOR 1880 (Wm. E. Evans Publisher), the Village of Tara had F. L. Kilbourn, General Merchant and agent for the Montreal Telegraph Co., while the Village of Invermay had "Kilbourn & Hales" (John M. Kilbourn and W. J. Hale, barrister, etc.). John M. Kilbourn at that time owned or leased 6 and 3/4 acres.

In 1872, John M. Kilbourn advertised in an Owen Sound newspaper "The Subscriber begs to announce to the needy of the Counties of Grey and Bruce, that he has been instructed to find borrowers for $100,000 of British Capital at 8% on the security of funds being the property of Capitalists in Grey Britain" (p. 126 FOURTH ENTRANCE TO HURONIA). In 1882, the Owen Sound Portland Cement Ltd. mill was organized by J. M. Kilbourn and R. P. Butchart. The mill was built about 9 miles northwest of Owen Sound, at Shallow Lake, Ontario. (Ibid, p. 169).

In the 1871 census of Owen Sound, James Kilbourn, age 24, b. Ontario, Congregationalist, and a Tanner by trade, was the head of a household that also included George Kilbourn, age 22, b. Ont. (a Merchant), Fred Kilbourn, age 20 (Tinsmith), Allen Kilbourn, age 17 (Tinsmith), Margaret Kilbourn age 16, William Boyd age 12 and Annie Guthrie age 5.

In the 1881 Census of Amabel Township, Bruce North, Hiram Kilbourn and his wife "Ann" (Eliza Ann) were listed. Hiram's age was given as 69. His birth year was given as 1812, somewhere in what became Ontario. Ann was 62.

Hiram James Kilbourn died Jan 16, 1913, age 66. He was born c. 1847 at Owen Sound to Hiram Kilbourn and Eliza Ann Seaman Kilbourn. In 1913, he lived at Lot 17, Concession 3, Derby Township and was a retired Merchant.

Another namesake was Hiram Kilbourn Bishop, who was born at Owen Sound c. 1888, and who died at the age of 4 of diptheria on Sept. 11, 1892.