John Collison-Conductor Grand Trunk Railway
45 West Gore Street
Stratford, ON
1907

 

 

 

The yellow brick house at 45 East Gore Street was built in the summer of 1907.  John Collison, a conductor with the GTR was the first owner.    John was born in Richmond, Quebec on February 4, 1856. He married Helen Forest on March 30, 1881 in Hillier, Ontario, where she was born in 1857.  Their first child, James, was born in Stratford on January 15, 1882 followed by Mary on December 19, 1886, Minnie born on December 21, 1890, Walter born on September 2, 1891 and Elizabeth (Bessie) in Dec 1893.  In the 1901 Census they are listed as living on Shakespeare Street and by 1904, the city directory has the family living on South Street, which is renamed Gore Street East by 1907. 

 

 The Collison family moved to Owen Sound, Ontario where John was still employed as a conductor.  45 East Gore rented the house to tenant Lamberton (mother’s maiden name) Bertie “John” Thurston and his wife Ethel Emma West as per the assessment record dated September 18, 1907.  John, a machinist, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA on December 10, 1877 and Ethel was born in Stratford in 1881. They rented the house on Gore Street East for two years and moved to Port Colburne, where they lived until they died.  Both are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Port Colburne.

 

In the 1909 City Directory, the houses are numbered on Gore Street East and Charles Hepler and his wife Annie Nelda Hansuld are the tenants. Charles was born in New Hamburg on December 25, 1882 and Annie was born on July 26, 1881 in Tavistock. They had one son, Carlton George born on December 17, 1907.  They are listed as living at 442 Downie Street in the 1911 Census.

 

John A. Nelles, a labourer at GTR, purchased the house in 1911 and sold it to James Gillespie in 1915.  James immigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1913 followed by his wife, Mary Sophia and their 7 children Herbert(1894), Sarah(1897), George(1900), Wingfield, (1901), Bert(1905), Fredrick(1909) and Mary(1912). Another son, James was born in Stratford in 1915.  James worked at GTR and later at the CNR shop. James died on September 7, 1941 and the family continued to live in the house until 1950. 

The house was sold to Joseph and Marr Richardson. Joseph was a Forman at the PUC. They resided in the house until 1992.

 

John Collison and family moved back to Stratford by 1921 as they are listed in the 1921 Census as living at 161 Coburg Street.  John is still employed as a conductor.  

John died May 27, 1934 and Helen died in 1946, both are buried in the Mausoleum in Avondale Cemetery, Stratford, as well as their son James.