Page 10 - April 2024 News On 7

HAZZARD'S HISTORY NOTES

by Grant Ketcheson
TRAGEDY IN A LUMBERMAN'S FAMILY

A few years ago, we came upon four grave markers that almost brought tears. There, in a row, were the gravestones of four
young children: Eddie, Lydia, Kate and Thomas Lingham. This tragic story brought to mind visions of a pioneer family, living
in a log cabin, unable to afford care for their children. We soon found that this was not the case.

The name “Job Lingham” is well known in this area as he was one of the timber barons of central Hastings. However, these
were the children of

“T & L Lingham.” Was there a connection to the famous lumberman?

With a bit of sleuthing, we found that Thomas and Job Lingham were indeed brothers. Along with parents and siblings, they
came from Sussex, England and settled in Elzevir Township. Both Job and Thomas became prosperous lumbermen, Job with
timber limits on the west side of the Black River and Thomas with cutting rights on the east side.

In a span of ten years, Thomas and Lydia Lingham lost four young children. Lydia and Kate died as infants in 1863 and 1869.
To compound the sad tale, in 1871 Edgar (“little Eddie”on the gravestone) died in his fifth year, followed by baby Thomas two
years later!

In this day of modern medicine and advanced hospital care, it is hard for us to comprehend the horror of a family losing
four children in ten years. Certainly a family such as the Linghams would have been able to afford whatever medical care
available, even living in remote Elzevir Township.

Job Lingham owned a store in Queensborough, employed many workers and lent his name to a Grimsthorpe Township lake.
However, other members of the family also left their mark. Thomas, Lydia and their five surviving children moved on to
Thurlow and eventually to Belleville. In a Belleville business directory of the day, Thomas is listed as a “lumber merchant.”
Nelson Lingham, his half-brother, who was listed in the same directory as a “brick maker”, went on to become mayor of
Belleville. There is a city street named in his honour.

All the members of the Lingham family are buried in Belleville Cemetery except for the sad row of four little gravestones in
Hazzard's Cemetery. Those stones are all that is left of a once-famous name in our community. It is also a stark reminder of
how thankful we should be for the miracles of modern medicine.