Information from Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada re: Richard Ough (Colleen O’Marra)
Colleen O’Marra writes with regard to Donna Magee’s comment at a previous post:
Under Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada: Richard Ough was born in East Gwillimbury Twp., York County, Oct. 24,1841, uncle of John Ought, local builder and hotel keeper at Newmarket. Ough left Canada and moved to California in 1868 to work as a builder and may be related to Joseph Ought (1841-1897) another Canadian-born architect and builder who was active in Sacramento, California. Richard Ough was described as a “gentleman in middle-life, native of Canada”, who was previously in California (17 years), then opened an office in Toronto in 1885.
He was commissioned by American developer John Wilkie to plan the Long Branch Grove Resort on Lake Promenade. This was a scheme of 250 wooded villa lots adjacent to a new hotel and a tract of private residences also designed by Ough. His best known work is the Masonic Hall at Yonge and Glouster Street, 1888 (restored in 1972). Ough left again for California in 1892 and moved to Washington, D.C., later to Bathesda, Maryland. Ough died in Oakland County, Almeida (Cal.), Jan. 20, 1920.
Hope this info. is helpful to [Donna] Magee. (C. O’Marra)
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Comment
This is highly valuable information!
The Long Branch Subdivisions Map below shows where the Long Branch Grove Resort on Lake Promenade would have been located. That is, I assume it would have been located in the area marked as Long Branch Park. I’ve posted as well a hand-drawn map by Bill Rawson, from a previous post, showing where the original hotel had been located. The final map shows where the shoreline of Lake Ontario used to run before the shoreline was extended southward in the years after the Long Branch Hotel burned down.
You can enlarge each image by clicking on it. Click again to enlarge it further. Use the ‘Back’ button on your browser to return to the page you are now reading.
Long Branch subdivisions map.The coloured line shows the route of a Jane's Walk in Long Branch in May 2013.
Long Branch Hotel map. Bill Rawson, May 2013
A map from the Long Branch Historical Society shows the shoreline of Lake Ontario as it existed during the years before the Long Branch Hotel burned down.
I sincerely appreciate the information. I believe that the Oughs who settled in York County are related to my Oughs but haven’t yet established absolute proof. A Benjamin Ough and a Joseph Ough settled near Cobourg ON. Joseph (born in 1809 in Menheniot, Cornwall, Eng) had lived in Quebec for some years and even in Vermont for a few years where Richard, Joseph’s son was born in 1848. Joseph Ough had married Rebecca Elizabeth Ryan b 1808 (d/o Thomas Ryan and Harriet Reddacher ).Joseph and Rebecca are buried in Grafton, ON. Joseph had come to Canada circa 1830 as part of the British army. Their son, Richard my ggf is buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetary in Toronto with his 2nd wife.
Dear Ms. MaGee,
My wife Maureen O’Meara is related to Rebecca Elizabeth Ryan & we have much info on her family which would gladly exchange with you if interested. Please reply directly to below.
John Bierman
Dayton, OH
john_bierman [at] att.net
Our home at 258 Lake Promenade (third house west of Long Branch Avenue – dated 1910) was once the residence of a Mr. Ough … sounds like a natural tie. Matter of fact, a few years back, a grandson of theirs dropped by and quite quickly remembered features of this house from his childhood.
Thanks John for posting this. Do you recall the first names of these individuals?
My grandfather Richard Ough lived first in Newcastle, then in Toronto (Robert Street than Dalton Road). Coincidentally my son bought a house on Beaucourt Road in Etobicoke that was owned by Oughs (believed to be from the York clan of Oughs). would appreciate any info you have or may come across.
dmagee02 [at] sympatico.ca
I’m delighted that Donna Magee found the information from Colleen O’Marra was of value.
It’s also a delight to know the connection between John Easton’s house and a Mr. Ough – and the recollection of the features of the house by a grandson who dropped by a few years back. These are great details about life in Long Branch to know about.