Historical Plaque Properties

 

Henry C Yeandle - Proprietor - Central Meat Market
210 Albert Street
Stratford, ON
1906


In 1906, John W. Alles, a Stratford businessman of German heritage who established a wholesale confectionary business after working in the industry as a salesman for the Mooney Biscuit and Candy Company, built a new house at 210 Albert Street. He lived there briefly with his young family before selling the property to Henry Clayton Yeandle, a young butcher just establishing his business in downtown Stratford. Several years later John Alles built a house across the street at 207 Albert Street where he lived until his unexpected death in 1929 at age 61.


Henry Yeandle’s parents, Henry Sr. and Olive (Wright) were born in England and emigrated to Canada where, at the time of the 1871 Census, they were living in South Easthope Township (Perth East) with their baby son Frederick, and Henry had found work as a labourer. Twenty years later in 1891 their family included four sons and two daughters; they had moved into Stratford and Henry was employed as a machinist at the city’s biggest business, the Grand Trunk Railway, (GTR).Following its arrival in Stratford in 1856 the GTR  had been growing rapidly to meet the increasing need and demand for rail service by the developing communities in southwestern Ontario. Stratford enjoyed prosperous times, new businesses flourished and its population increased rapidly.


Their second son was Henry Clayton, born in 1872. His older brother Frederick had made his way west where he would settle in Vancouver but Henry chose to stay in Stratford and honed his skills as a butcher. By 1910 he had his own shop ”Central Meat Market” in Market Square at 1 Market Place, corner of Downie Street. In the late 1800s-early 1900s Market Square was a bustling retail area with stores and businesses lined up all along Market Place as well as a large weekly outdoor Farmers Market which filled the square with wagonloads of produce from the surrounding farms. A newspaper article of the day describes Henry’s shop as being expertly managed and well stocked, offering the finest in fresh, smoked and cured meats and an excellent supply of poultry and game in season. After several years he joined forces with the Kalbfleisch and Rohfritsch butcher shop down the street at 17 Market Place where he remained until retirement. His shop at 1 Market Place is now the home of Pizza Pizza.


In 1901 Henry married Louise Ritz, a Mitchell resident of German heritage. They were the parents of 2 daughters, Audrey and Mary, and a son, Harry when they moved into 210 Albert St. in 1909.  A second son, Frank, came along shortly afterwards. Audrey and Mary spent most of their adult life in Toronto where they pursued careers as teachers and dietitians. Harry became an accountant and Frank followed his grandfather’s footsteps into the railway business, working as a clerk with the CNR. They all chose the single life and the daughters returned to Stratford for their retirement.


In 1954 Henry, at age 82, died at his Albert Street home. Louise lived on there until her passing in 1969. Their sons and daughters kept the family home until 1974 when they moved to Morrison Street. All are buried with their parents in Avondale Cemetery.