Greenwood History

Ready for some Greenwood history? Over the course of this "history lesson", you will learn a bit about the five generations of people who lived in Greenwood.

Here's an abridged, 30-second version of the Greenwood story to pique your curiosity...

Jean-Baptiste Sabourin first settled the Greenwood property in 1732. The original Sabourin homestead still stands and forms part of the house. The property remained in Sabourin hands until 1820. At that time, John Mark Crank Delesderniers purchased it. He intended it to be both a residence for his son, Peter Francis Christian, and a general store and trading post. In the 1840's, it served as the first post office in the area. Greenwood was extended eastward on two occasions, in the 1820's and again after1860.

Greenwood remained in the Delesderniers family until Phoebe Nobbs Hyde passed away in 1994. Some notable family ancestors include R.W. Shepherd, the co-founder of the Ottawa River Navigation Company, Dr. Francis Shepherd, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University for many years, and Percy Nobbs, one of Canada's foremost architects. A number of Delesderniers-Shepherd descendents still live in the Hudson area and continue to be involved with Greenwood.

The Sabourin Family Homestead

Greenwood's story starts during the French Regime, around 1732. Pierre de RigaudMarquis de Vaudreuil, the second seigneur of the Vaudreuil seigneury, granted lot 16 to Jean-Baptiste Sabourin, a censitaire (or habitant) from Pointe Claire. This land was approximately two fields wide and it extended from the shoreline of Lake of Two Mountains to what is today Route 342 (Harwood).

In return for his land, and protection by the seigneur, Jean-Baptiste Sabourin, as a censitaire, owed the seigneur a substantial fee. Jean-Baptiste had to provide a corvee (three or four days a year of unpaid work, such as land clearing, building, or helping with the harvest), plus annual rent. On top of those dues, he had to share a certain portion of both wood from his land, and fish caught off his shoreline.

Jean-Baptiste's ledger was not clear yet, however. His seigneur was also entitled to a "milling right." This meant that 1/14th of the grain Jean-Baptiste milled at the seigneur's Vaudreuil mill would remain there.

With the above obligations probably weighing on their minds, Jean-Baptiste and his wife, Sarah Hanson, would have cleared some land and set up their homestead. As their farm progressed, they would have kept a few animals for food and clothing purposes. Their principal crops would have been corn, wheat, barley, buckwheat and oats.

Before we move on to details about the family home, there are some interesting side notes to slip into the story at this point...

Jean-Baptiste juggled two other demanding occupations during his lifetime. He was Captain of the Militia, second in command after the seigneur, for the Vaudreuil seigneury. Jean-Baptiste was also a trader. Over the winter months, as a coureur-de-bois, he would have secured several different types of animal pelts. The beaver pelt was especially lucrative as it was very popular with the Europeans during that period.

The Ottawa River, once known as "La riviere des Algonquins" and the major thoroughfare for the canoes of Nipissings, Algonquins, Hurons and Mohawks, became the trade route for the fur trade. In fact, not far from Jean-Baptiste's lot, further up the river near Carillon, the French explorer Samuel de Champlain would have spent the night on shore. He was searching not only for beaver pelts but also an access route to China!

Hudson is fortunate to have a reminder of an old tradition started by another one of Canada's most well-know explorers, Jacques Cartier. When Cartier sailed to Canada, he planted five crosses, in the name of the King of France, between Gaspe (1534) and Trois-Rivieres (1536). French Canadian lumberjacks similarly put up crosses along their routes. For them, the crosses served a religious purpose, along with marking possession of a territory.

The wayside cross, located opposite of Greenwood, is a replicate of the original from the 1870's (which is now part of the Centre's collection). It used to be located further east, near the current Willow Place Inn. Watch for it the next time, you drive past Greenwood on your way to or from Hudson's commercial centre.

Okay, now let's go back to where we left off... the Sabourin homestead.

Jean-Baptiste and Sarah built a simple frame building. The main floor had a large fireplace as its focal point. This hearth would have been the center of activity for the household, from heating to cooking to washing. A steep stairway led to the sleeping quarters, with an attic above it. This was home for a family of eight: two parents, five boys and three girls.

By the time all the children were married, the Sabourins were considered "people of consequence." Jean-Baptiste's position as Captain added to their status in the community. The Sabourins and their descendants would live in Greenwood for almost a century.

The Fireplace Kitchen

In the last section, we learned a bit about Jean-Baptiste Sabourin and his wife, Sarah Hanson. Together they cleared "Lot 16" and built a homestead for their family of six. Their modest frame building is the oldest remaining structure from the former Vaudreuil seigniory and the original section of Greenwood. It is also the focus of this part of the story. So step inside. We'll go directly to the room known as the "Fireplace Kitchen."

In Jean-Baptiste's time, this would have been the main room of his home. The wide pine flooring, the slate hearth slabs, the rough ceiling beams and the impressive stone foundation are all the originals.

Through the doorway to the basement, you can see the thickness of the uneven floorboards. (The basement also shows the original post and beam construction style.) A steep narrow staircase leads up to the second story, which was probably used as sleeping quarters. Windows on the north side face Lake of Two Mountains, while the south ones face what is now Main Road of Hudson.

Close your eyes and picture a family of eight going about their daily business in this relatively small space. Are you thinking "organized chaos"?

A large stone fireplace is the focal point of the room. The iron arms now sit idle but at one point, they would have supported a range of utensils. The hearth would have been a bustling household centre. Activities would have ranged from the preparation and cooking of meals, to the washing and drying of clothes, to the family's sole source of heat. On frigid winter evenings, I imagine that the Sabourins must have sat as close as possible to the hearth.

A cast iron heating stove was inserted into the fireplace by Phoebe at one point. This stove, c. 1810-25, was probably made at Forgerie St. Maurice. It originally heated another part of Greenwood and dates back to the time of the Delesderniers family (c. 1850).

Near the front of the fireplace is a rocking chair. Phoebe, a professional actress, would sit in this chair when she was performing her Sarah Hanson monologue. How easy it must have been for her to slip into this role. After all, this was Sarah's fireplace, where she spent much of her waking hours!

Standing in the centre of this room, you are struck by the variety of artifacts surrounding you. Unlike many other historic homes, Greenwood does not organize its rooms by dates. Greenwood reflects its many transformations over five generations... a homestead, a trading post/general store, a post office, a summer home, a year-round residence and now a "family museum."

As your eyes wander around the room, so many beautiful articles make you pause... the pine wall-mounted cupboard, the armless red rocking chair of Amelia Delesderniers (nee Rice), the pine armoire, the butter paddles, the iron cauldron, the flat irons, the blue and white Wedgewood tureen, the bear paw snowshoes, the arrowhead sash, the water colour paintings of Greenwood, the sleigh bells, the nautical copper lantern, the gold-upholstered regency sofa with horse-hair stuffing and the list goes on! No wonder the Fireplace Kitchen is a favorite spot for so many visitors!

During the summer months, Greenwood hosts house tours that include tea and goodies on the screened-in porch. The Fireplace Kitchen always ignites some interesting discussions about the who/what/why/where of its different artifacts. During December, this room takes its natural warmth and beauty to a higher level during Greenwood's annual "Old Fashion Christmas" event. Put a spectacular Christmas tree, lovely decorations, hot mulled cider, music, reading performances, and friendly people altogether in the Fireplace Kitchen and you have something magical!

At this point, we will move our time machine to 1821. John Mark Crank Delesderniers acquired the property from the Sabourins. He sold it to his son, Peter Francis Christian, to house the family trading post. Next we will find out the reason why Peter's wife, Amelia Rice, named the house "Greenwood Cottage" when they moved in 1824.

The Delesderniers

It's time to introduce John Mark Crank Delesderniers. Mark, a man of Swiss Huguenot descent, was born near what is currently Windsor, Nova Scotia. Proficient in English, French and several Aboriginal languages, he worked throughout the years as a trader, surveyor, mill owner, "Agent of the Crown" to the Iroquois and Algonquins, customs official and sheriff.

Then in 1795, he and his family moved to the area of what is now known as Saint Anne-de-Bellevue. There he opened a trading post and served as the crown agent in charge of the Two Mountains Mission (Oka).

Within a few years, Mark sold his house in Ste Annes and moved to Cavagnal (later called Como, now Hudson) where he acquired Lot #15 from the Seigneur of Vaudreuil. Here he and his father-in-law built a house they named Swiss Cottage which was completed in 1805, this location being more convenient for his trade with the Indians at Oka than at Ste Annes. He soon built the first store in the area on land just to the west of Swiss cottage.

In 1821, he bought the Sabourin lot, added to the farmhouse and opened a general store. Mark now owned a very large tract of land. Each lot was four fields wide and 11/2 miles deep.

A few years later in 1824, his son, Peter Francis Christian (Frank, as he was called) Delesderniers and his 16 year-old bride, Amelia Rice, moved in and took over the business. Their only child, Mary Cecilia, was born there in 1826.

Life was prosperous for the family. There was another expansion to the home/store in 1840 to accommodate the first post office in the area. Frank, of course, was its first Postmaster.

Amelia also has a special spot in Phoebe Nobbs Hyde's ancestral history. She was the one who gave Greenwood its name. Her inspiration was the "greenwood tree", a large elm tree on the property. In a poem, Amelia and Frank expressed their wish to be buried under this tree.

The mausoleum, across the road from Greenwood, stands guard over their graves.

There is a little-known story connected to this elm tree. It had a chain around it until, at the age of at least 150 years, it succumbed to disease in the 1960s. Legend says that as John Mark Crank Delesderniers was dying, a dispute arose amongst his children about how to best save his soul. (Some of them were Roman Catholic and others were Protestant.)

Mark spoke up and told them that he would be "saved" as long as the tree was healthy. On the night of his death, there was a storm during which the tree almost split into two pieces. His children reconciled their differences and tried to save the tree (and their father's soul!) by wrapping it together with a chain. The next time, you drive past the mausoleum on Main Road, imagine a stately elm tree nearby and the heavy responsibility it bore for so many years!

Peter Francis Christian Delesderniers died in 1854. His wife lived six more years without him. Both, however, were alive when their daughter, Mary Cecilia, married Captain Robert Ward Shepherd in 1847.

In the next part of the story, we will discover more details about the lives of Mary Cecilia and Robert. He was a pioneer in the development of steam navigation on the Ottawa River. You will also find out why the area along the Main Road, from St. Mary's Church down past the Royal Oak Tennis Club, was sometimes called "Shepherd Village".

The Shepherds

Frank and Amelia had one daughter, Mary Cecilia. She was born in 1826. In its extensive collection, Greenwood has two of her childhood dresses and some of her toys, including building blocks and dominos. It's fun to look at these artifacts and picture in your mind Mary Cecilia as a child. Can you see her skipping along in the garden or playing quietly by the big fireplace in the kitchen?

It's a bit more difficult to picture Greenwood's current Victorian dining room as a general store. The mahogany sideboard, the Empire sofa, the petit-point fire-screens, and the many other interesting objects in the room provide no evidence of past commerce. However, on the second level, just above the dining room, there is the outline of a trap door on the floor. It's much easier to imagine this area as a storage room, full of store supplies.

1847 marks the next chapter of Greenwood's history. Mary Cecilia Delesderniers married Captain Robert Ward Shepherd that year.

Robert was the largely self-educated son of John Shepherd and Esther Ward, who had emigrated from Norfolk, England. Mary Cecilia and Robert had ten children. This family was also involved with business... but of a different kind!

R.W. was known as both a leader in the community and a pioneer in the development of steam navigation on the Ottawa River. After serving as a volunteer in the 1837 Rebellion, he made his living in the shipping business. He identified the channel through the Vaudreuil rapids and was subsequently given the command of the "Oldfield" steamer. R.W. moved up the ranks in 1857 with his appointment as the second president of the Ottawa Navigation Company.

R.W.'s entrepreneurial focus, however, was not only on the water. In 1849, Captain Shepherd built "Riversmead," just down the road and east of Greenwood. (Watch for this beautiful house the next time you are driving down Main Road towards the Willow.) When the family moved to their new home, Greenwood became a summer residence. The eldest son, R.W. Shepherd II, and his wife, Margaret Anne Robertson shared Greenwood with R.W.'s sister, Mary Roberta (May) Shepherd, who had married George Ross Robertson. The house was divided into two parts, one for each family, with a kitchen extension added at each end.

From an archived note written by R.W. Shepherd III, we get a sense of the summer exit from the city...

"One of the highlights of our younger days was the exciting experience each spring when our family moved from Montreal to Como for the summer. My brother, sisters and I were driven to the Company dock on the Lachine Canal by the same old cabby each year. There we boarded the "Sovereign" while she was taking on fuel and supplies. We children slept on board, going up the canal between eight and ten o'clock at night to the Lachine Wharf, where the steamer lay over until morning, proceeding to Como the following day. The sights along the Canal intrigued us, watching flames pouring out of the iron chimneys of the rolling mills, meeting other craft, steamboats, tugs and barges and to smell the steam and oakum on the main deck. All this added to the thrill of the trip."

When Mary Cecilia Shepherd passed away in 1901, R.W. Shepherd II inherited Riversmead, and Greenwood was bequeathed to his youngest brother, Delesderniers (Del) Shepherd. In the next section, we will learn how Del and his wife, Vicky McCallum, put Greenwood on the "social" map due to their lavish and frequent parties.

Shepherd to Nobbs

In 1849, Captain R.W. Shepherd and his wife, Mary Cecilia Delesderniers built Riversmead, and a decade later, Rose Cottage. Greenwood became a summer residence at that point. What a wonderful spot on the shores of Lake of Two Mountains to escape the heat and noise of Montreal!

Upon the death of his mother, Mary Cecilia, in 1901, R.W. Shepherd II inherited Riversmead. Before we look at the fate of Greenwood in her will, here's a quick anecdote about Riversmead...

Like his father, R.W. II wanted to make his land pay for itself so he operated "Greenwood Nurseries and Orchards" on the Riversmead property. R.W. grew, packaged, and shipped apples to friends and royalty in the "old country." Popular apples included "Fameuse," "Wealthy," "McIntosh," and "Winter St. Lawrence."

Apples were considered a precious commodity so R.W. Shepherd II had them packaged individually, like eggs. His apples graced the royal tables at Sandringham and Windsor castles, and during that time were tasted by such royalty as the Duke of York, the Prince of Wales, and Lord Srathcona.

Now, let's go back to the Mary Cecilia's will. Greenwood was bequeathed to Delesderniers (Del) Shepherd, the youngest brother of R.W. Shepherd II. The period of time during which he and his wife, Vicky McCallum, occupied the house is often called Greenwood's socialite period. The couple loved to entertain and hold lavish parties.

Because they wanted their guests to see Greenwood as "une grande maison," Del and Vicky initiated many renovations. They remodeled the ground floor of the east end of Greenwood, including the entrance hall, the gable bedroom/porch extension, and the east living room. Cedar strip flooring and a new central staircase were added as well.

The highly respected architect, David Jerome Spence, designed the staircase. Visually, it is a work of art and it adds greatly to the welcoming charm of the entrance hall. See for yourself when you come to visit Greenwood in the summer!

Unfortunately, the marriage of Del and Vicky ended in a divorce in Reno. Del, though, stayed connected to Greenwood until his death in 1924.

In the meantime, Greenwood's ownership took an interesting twist. Dr. Francis John Shepherd, a former Dean of the Medical Faculty at McGill University, had originally purchased "Rose Cottage" as a gift for his daughter, Cecilia Shepherd. He ended up exchanging it for Greenwood.

Cecilia married Percy Erskine Nobbs, a young architect from Edinburgh, Scotland. Percy immigrated to Montreal when he was offered the Macdonald Chair of Architecture at McGill University. They had two children, Phoebe and Francis. The family lived in a house designed by Percy on Belevedere Road in Westmount.

Percy Nobbs is well known for his work as an architect. The McCord Museum, for example, is one of his designs. What is less known is that Percy was an avid fly fisherman, the founder of the Atlantic Salmon Foundation, a skilled fencer (he won the silver medal at the 1908 Olympics, a canoeist, and a hunter. Percy even designed the bridesmaids' dresses for his wedding!

Percy also played a key role in bring the Arts and Crafts movement to Canada. As a follower of this movement, Percy hated the ugly products of industrialism. He believed that new buildings should look as though they had always been there. According to the Arts and Crafts school of thought, everything must be both functional and beautiful. New buildings should never clash with their surroundings; consequently, natural materials such as wood, wrought iron, and stone were preferred.

Cecil and Percy acquired Greenwood in 1924. They decided against tearing down the old house. Instead, they turned it into a comfortable summer home. During renovations, the Nobbs family camped out and used the stone patio area as a summer kitchen. Phoebe, their daughter, used to say that her happiest days as a cook were during those summers when she cooked outside at Greenwood.

Phoebe Nobbs Hyde

Find out how Phoebe Nobbs Hyde became the last member of the Delesderniers-Shepherd family to own and live in Greenwood.

Click here to read Phoebe's full story.

Conclusion

That's it for this quick history lesson! For more details about the Greenwood Centre, Greenwood history and Phoebe, join the tour at the Virtual Museum of Canada.