Thistle Ha’

Sources: Past Years in Pickering by Rev. William R. Wood. Published by William Briggs, Toronto, 1911.
County of Ontario – Short Notes as to the Early Settlement and Progress of the County and Brief References to the Pioneers and Some Ontario County Men who have taken a Prominent Part in Provincial and Dominion Affairs by J. E. Farewell. Published by Whitby Gazette-Chronicle Press, 1907.
Pickering 1911 centennial medal from Thistle Ha’ private collection.

Pickering Township's Centennial Medal. Reverse side celebrated the coronation of King George V on June 22, 1911.

This is the bicentennial year of the municipality of Pickering.

In 1791, British parliament divided the province of Quebec into two provinces named Upper Canada [Ontario] and Lower Canada [Quebec], and a surveyor was hired to mark townships east of Toronto along the north shore of Lake Ontario, including ones named Edinburgh [Whitby] and Glasgow [Pickering]. There is a record of a meeting held in March 1803 to choose town officers for Whitby and Pickering. For Pickering township alone, its first meeting was held on March 4, 1811.

Pickering’s first elected municipal council met in 1850. John Miller/Thistle Ha’ was very active in Pickering politics. He was elected deputy-reeve of Pickering for the years 1868-1873, and was Pickering’s reeve for the years 1875-1876, 1878-1882, 1888, 1890. He served as warden of Ontario County in 1876. The number of municipal council meetings was far fewer than today; in his 1870 diary, John Miller recorded seven Pickering township council meetings, usually held on Saturdays. He also had two Ontario county council meetings. Given the traveling distances for some members, county council met for several days at a time in Whitby.

This year, Pickering has planned numerous bicentennial events. There will be a display featuring the Miller family in the main Pickering library during the month of June, and Thistle Ha’ will participate in Pickering’s inaugural Doors Open event on October 1.

Senator M. H. Cochrane Photo credit: William James Topley © Public Domain Library and Archives Canada

Matthew Henry Cochrane was a wealthy Montreal entrepreneur. In 1854, he founded a footwear manufacturing business, which quickly became one of the largest in Canada, with 300 employees and an annual revenue of approximately $8 million (in 2010 dollars). In 1864, he bought Hillhurst, a 750 acre (300 hectare) farm in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, near his childhood home of Compton, just north of the Vermont border. He used his wealth to stock his farm with the best purebred cattle, horses and sheep he could find in Canada and Great Britain, often paying unprecedented prices. Active in politics, Cochrane was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1872. In search of the best livestock, in 1866 Cochrane attended the Provincial Exhibition in Hamilton, Ontario (later permanently located in Toronto and renamed the Canadian National Exhibition). There he purchased two first-prize Shorthorn cattle, including the heifer Snowdrop from John Miller/Thistle Ha’. Hugh Miller/Thistle Ha’ used to tell the story of John Miller’s trip to Hillhurst, but Duncan Marshall’s version is more detailed.
Source: Marshall, Duncan, Shorthorn Cattle in Canada, pp. 71-72, Dominion Shorthorn Breeders’ Association, 1932.

After the [Provincial Exhibition 1866] show Mr. Cochrane visited Thistle Ha’ and stayed overnight.

When John Miller got up to light the fire the next morning, he heard some one chopping at the wood pile and went out to discover Mr. Cochrane splitting wood. To Mr. Miller’s query he replied that he usually got up early and liked some exercise.

Mr. Cochrane then bought a second heifer, Princess Luan =4360= [Canadian pedigree number], but in doing so he insisted that Mr. Miller go down to Hillhurst with the heifers and consult with Mr. Cochrane about care of his cattle. Mr Miller made the trip and when Mr. Cochrane took him out to the stables to see the beasts most of the mangers were half full of straw and meal, some of which was packed down and had soured. A Scottish cattle feeder like John Miller couldn’t abide such a condition and he informed Mr. Cochrane that the feed troughs of cattle should be kept clean and sweet, and if a beast failed to clean up its feed the residue should be removed, and less feed given at the next meal. Mr. Cochrane was always prompt in his actions and he immediately got a fork and shovel, gave one implement to Mr. Miller and the two of them cleaned out all the mangers before they quit. Evidently Mr. Cochrane was in favor of getting immediate action.

After some further discussion about the Shorthorns, Herefords, and Ayrshires that Mr. Cochrane then had on hand, the proprietor of Hillhurst remarked that what he needed was a capable man in charge of his herds, one who knew cattle and how to care for and feed them, and asked Mr Miller if he knew where he could find such a man.

John Miller promptly recommended Simon Beattie who was then working for [John Miller’s uncle] George Miller at Riggfoot [farm in Markham, Ontario], but who John Miller knew was capable of taking charge of a large enterprise. Little did he know, however, what the far reaching effect of his recommendation would be, as Simon Beattie’s knowledge of cattle provided the complement to Cochrane’s enterprise and command of credit to make purchases…

Simon Beattie moved to Hillhurst in 1867. Based on Beattie’s advice, Cochrane began a campaign to import the best Shorthorns available in Britain, paying a then world-record price of 1,000 guineas (approximately $100,000 in 2010 dollars) for one cow in 1868. Cochrane-Beattie were soon legendary in the livestock industry, but that’s another story.

John Miller often travelled with Cochrane and Beattie during livestock buying trips to Britain in the 1870s. Although he had the utmost confidence in Beattie’s judgement, Senator Cochrane clearly still valued a second opinion from John Miller.

The Annan Observer (Scotland) reported Uncle Geordie Miller’s/Riggfoot livestock buying trip to Britain in 1861. This article was reprinted in The Canadian Agriculturist magazine, as illustrated. This was Uncle Geordie’s first trip back to Scotland since he emigrated to Canada in 1832. Simon Beattie left Newbie farm in Scotland to come to Canada in 1854 with “Atha” Willie Miller on the Helen Douglas. He worked on Uncle Geordie’s Riggfoot farm as manager, and accompanied Uncle Geordie on this trip. Under Uncle Geordie’s expert guidance, Beattie developed a reputation of being “a superman with livestock.” This report is also the first known instance of a Miller woman (probably Mary L. Miller) going on a family livestock buying trip. The eclectic collection of over 100 animals was a typical importation, with livestock carefully selected not only for use at Riggfoot farm, but also for customer orders.
Notes: a one-year-old male sheep is known as a shearling, a gimmer is the female equivalent. The article is transcribed as originally printed, with several spelling errors.
Source: Shipment of Stock for America., The Canadian Agriculturist or Journal and Transactions of the Board of Agriculture of Upper Canada, Toronto, Vol. XIII, No. 11, June 1, 1861, p. 329.

Shipment of Stock for America.

We find the following paragraph in reference to the shipment of stock referred to in a communication in our last number, in the Annan Observer.

“On Wednesday the Helen Douglas, of Annan, started from Annan Waterfoot for Quebec, freighted with a full cargo of stock for America. She has been chartered by three parties who have for some months past been purchasing farm stock for shipment to Canada and New York State, namely: Mr. George Miller, of Markham, near Toronto,—formerly of Riggfoot in the parish of Cummertrees,—who has re-visited his native country after an absence of nearly thirty years ; by Simon Beattie, also from Markham—a Nephew of Mr. James Beattie in Newbie; and by Mr. Brodie, of New York State, a native of Ayrshire. Mr. Miller takes out six Galloway Cattle, purchased from Mr. Graham, of Shaw; one Ayrshire cow and calf; two cotswold rams, and six gimmers from Glocestershire; one ram and ten gimmers, Shropshire Downs; five Liecester rams and eight gimmers from the stock of Mr. Wilkins, of Tinwald Downs; and two Cheviot rams and nine gimmers, from the stock of Mr. Graham Shaw. He also takes with him three Boars, and a Sow and pigs; some poultry; a large cock and hen pheasant from Knockhill; and a beautiful Mule for the use of Miss Miller, who accompanies her father. Mr. Beattie’s stock consists of a two year-old Durham heifer, from the no less famous Newbie Galloway herd; an Ayrshire Cow; a very fine Cotswold ram, and four gimmers from the stock of Mr. Walker of North Leech, Gloucestershire; two Leicester rams, twelve shearling rams, and six gimmers from the well-known Leicester stocks of Messrs. Simpson, Sandys & Barton, in Yorkshire, and of Mr. Beattie, Newbie. The sheep have all been selected with great care—the Leicester Rams at a cost of not less than £15 sterling a piece, (equal to $75 each.) Mr. Brodie takes out to New York State, by way of Quebec, an Ayrshire Bull, a Cow and three Heifers, selected from the best dairy stocks in Ayrshire; two Leicester rams, and six gimmers, and three Highland sheep. There are also on board sheep dogs and two greyhounds, and a number of farming implements, as well as an abundance of Swedes, mangel wurzel, oil cake, corn, hay, &c, as provisions for the stock during the voyage.”