Charles Gilbert Stackhouse: Canadian Miller

 1814-1882

     

Charles Gilbert Stackhouse; Carroll Family Album, Page 5, in possession of Dorothy Crooks.

      Charles Gilbert Stackhouse was born June 7, 1814, in Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, the son of Stephen Stackhouse and Elizabeth Gilbert. (At the time of his birth, Montreal was not yet incorporated, but was part of the British colony of Lower Canada.) It is also possible, however, that he was born in Troy, New York, which is where his father lived in 1810. He was the 5th of six children, his siblings being: Alvira (1804), John Albertus (1806), Anna Mariah (1808), Elizabeth (1811) and Henry (1820). On April 21, 1816, Stephen and Elizabeth baptized their 5 oldest children at the Presbyterian St. Andrew's church in Montreal.

      Charles' father, Stephen Stackhouse, was a chairmaker, as was his grandfather Stacy and his 2  brothers. They were primarily makers of Windsor chairs and Stacy made chairs for the first courthouse in Hartford, Connecticut. The Stackhouse family may have been early Quakers, but this is speculation based on information from Mom. At this time, Stacy Stackhouse, born about 1750 in New York, is the earliest known Stackhouse ancestor. 

      Charles Stackhouse married Samantha Munson on March 7, 1842, in Vaudreuil, Province of Quebec, near Sainte-Justine-de-Newton. They had 6 children together: Charles Franklin (1842), George Henry (1845), Elizabeth (1848), Mary Jane (1849), Emily Ann (1851) and Emily Louise (1855).  Only 3 of the children (Charles, Mary Jane and Emily Louise) reached adulthood. George died before his second birthday, Elizabeth died before she was a week old and Emily Ann died at about 4 months of consumption. In addition, Charles raised 2 stepchildren, Samantha's children from her marriage to Eden Johnson... The Stackhouse family lived in a 1-story log house and were Presbyterians. Charles had constructed a custom carding and cloth dressing mill. He also constructed a grist mill and worked as a miller, grinding grain into flour.

      By 1881, Charles and Samantha were living in Charlottenburgh, Ontario, about 30 miles southwest of Newton. Charles was working as a cloth manufacturer. They probably moved there to be closer to their daughter, Mary Jane.

      Charles Gilbert Stackhouse died on August 3, 1882, age 68, probably in Charlottenburgh, or at least the Glengarry District in Ontario. He is buried in Dalhousie Mills Old Square Church cemetery.     

Written by Dorothy Crooks, his great-great-granddaughter.

Windsor chairs, possibly by Stacy Stackhouse.