Preface:
It has been my pleasure over the past few years to share with you many stories of Lakeshore’s rich history, from our prehistoric beginnings to the founding of the numerous towns and villages that make up the Municipality of Lakeshore, which I hope you’ve enjoyed. I believe it’s important in writing of our colourful past to also share with you the history of some of the families that greatly contributed in making Lakeshore and the County of Essex one of the most envied areas in all of Canada to live, work and raise a family. Most of these stories will start in the late 1700s and early 1800s, focusing on the family history of these notable individuals before sharing their life stories and those of their descendants into the early 1900s. I hope you enjoy them.
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Henry Grey Arnald III was born on the Arnald family farm in Maidstone Township in 1862. His grandfather, Henry Grey Arnald Sr., was born in London, England, in 1800. Like his father, William Arnald, Henry Sr. worked as a carpenter. In 1825, he married Harriet Westcott of Devonshire, England, at the Tower of London. William Arnald, Henry’s grandfather, was a contractor and builder in London, England, who could trace the Arnald family ancestry to Oliver Cromwell.
Shortly after marrying, Henry’s grandparents crossed the Atlantic to New York by sailing ship. Henry Sr. worked as a carpenter in Brooklyn for two years before moving to Detroit. In 1834, Henry received a 100-acre land grant from the British Crown in Maidstone Township, then mostly wilderness. He cleared the dense forest to build a small cabin. Henry fought in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion, initiated by William Lyon Mackenzie to address poor democratic representation. Henry and Harriet raised three sons—George, Mary, William—and two daughters, Harriett and Henry Jr., who took over the family farm when Henry died at 90 in 1890. Harriet died in 1869.
Henry Jr. was born in Detroit in 1835. With little formal education, he worked with his father on the family farm, saying, “What I was taught about working the land and life in general I would never have learned sitting in a classroom five days a week.” In 1862, he married Agnes Ker, daughter of Scottish immigrants John and Margaret Whitson Ker, who settled near the Arnald property on the 9th Concession of Maidstone Township. He continued working the land, focusing on raising award-winning thoroughbred cattle. His father also managed a large dairy herd. In 1876, they built a brick residence and five large barns. He expanded his farm to over 600 acres. They had five children. Henry Grey Arnald III inherited the farm when his father retired in 1901. His parents moved to Kingsville, where Henry died in 1914, and Agnes in 1915.
In 1893, Henry Grey Arnald, the subject of this story, married Emma Patillo, daughter of George and Victoria Patillo, residents of Maidstone Township. Henry named the homestead Kenilworth Stock Farm, known for award-winning shorthorn and beef cattle. He was respected countywide as a kind and considerate man, often helping neighbors, such as not requesting overdue rent during the 1930s Great Depression, saying, “Take care of your families, don’t worry about it. Hopefully, there are better times ahead.” He also anonymously paid for funerals when families couldn’t afford them. Henry died at 77 in 1940; Emma, at 78 in 1948.
The Commemorative Biographical Record of Essex County, published in 1905, and the Walstedt Historical Archives served as valuable resources in the creation of this story.
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