Written By Alice Gibb
In 1936, Martha Fraleigh (1867-1948) of Richmond Street North in London Township graciously entertained a visiting reporter with tales of her family’s pioneer roots. Fraleigh was the granddaughter of William Balkwill, once the largest property owner in London.
Englishmen John and William Balkwill immigrated to Canada in the early 1820s, originally settling in Exeter. In a short time, the two entrepreneurs moved south to London – John opened a brewery and William erected a hotel where Budweiser Gardens now stands. As a child, Mrs. Fraleigh often spent time with her grandfather William. One of her favorite stories was about his adventure shooting a large black bear at the foot of Dundas Street. He also told Martha how Londoners would head out to the woods in the morning, and return with a brace of wild turkeys to roast that night for dinner.
In the 1930s, Mrs. Fraleigh still owned the gun her grandfather had used to bring the bear to its knees.
The farm Mrs. Fraleigh occupied on North Richmond had belonged to her maternal grandfather, Thomas Burgess, and later to her uncle, Captain James Burgess, who served in the 1837 Rebellion. Thomas Burgess had purchased the property in the 1840s from Thomas Howard, deciding that the site was a perfect location for a nursery. On a slope facing what is now Highway 4, he planted hundreds of peach trees. The driveway was lined with black cherry trees and apple and pear orchards surrounded the family home. Martha Fraleigh remembered wandering through the orchards as a child and watching huge logs ablaze in the Burgess fireplace at night. The original family farmhouse was later demolished and replaced with a brick cottage – that cottage was dismantled in 1936.
Mrs. Fraleigh’s paternal grandfather, William Balkwill, lived across the road from the Burgess farm for some years. Balkwill formed a partnership with George Robson of Spring Grove Farm, a noted local cattle and sheep breeder. The men traveled to the British Isles and brought back a number of Shorthorn cattle and thoroughbred horses for their breeding business. Although the Balkwill farm was known around Western Ontario, William’s real interests lay in his real estate. Balkwill sold his rural ranch to Thomas Farncomb in the 1860s who named the property Fairview Farm. When Fairview was purchased by Miss Helen Gibbons, daughter of a wealthy Londoner, in 1928, she built a beautiful new home on the farm. Today that house, Gibbons Lodge, is home to the president of Western University.
Mrs. Fraleigh also proudly showed an ancient family cookbook to the visiting reporter. Brought from England by her great-great aunt, one unusual recipe described “raised pies” made from seven pounds of flour, a pound of mutton suet and boiling water.
Some pioneer treats are perhaps best left buried in the past!
