The hidden history of W.G. Somerville & Sons
Time and time again, Welland continues to surprise with its dearth of hidden tales.
The last article on the Demare House dealt with the history behind its original owner and their possible ties to the nobility of France. This week, another similarly interesting figure from the roster of many eminent men and women of Welland rises to the surface from the murky past.
Today, we will look at the company of W.G. Somerville & Sons and its owner, William George Somerville.
Although somewhat far removed, W.G. Somerville can be considered a descendant of the ancient family of Somerville from Scotland. Records in Burke’s Landed Gentry registry claim the earliest mentions of the line to be Sir Gualter (Walter) De Somerville, lord of Whichnour and one of the companions of William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England in 1066.
Lanark Carstairs in Scotland, where W.G. Somerville’s mother Barbara was born, possesses a14th-century coat of arms registered with Burke’s General Armoury as belonging to a Walter de Somerville, son of the original Sir Walter, where he is recorded to have a fief and from whom all Somervilles of Scotland descend. Some branches of the family seemed to have maintained their status as gentry through the land that they owned rather than noble blood, as it appears several heirs of the line forfeited their titles by not assuming ownership of the ancestral lands.
The first Canadian records of the family begin with William Somerville and Mary Cooper of Lanark Carstairs, Barbara’s parents, first seen in an 1842 census as living in Willoughby and owning 24 hectares of arable land they tended.
Somerville, registered as William George Phelps, was born in 1849 to Barbara Somerville and George W. Phelps in Willoughby. William was raised by his mother in Willoughby, and after his grandfather’s death, moved to Welland to apprentice as a tinsmith with Clayton & Hopkins.
He married Elizabeth Gidley Edmonds, he left for Detroit to live and work as a tinsmith then returned to Welland and founded many businesses with his children under W.G. Somerville & Sons. His daughter Georgia worked for him as a bookkeeper.
His ventures included wagon
making, building supplies, and farm implements, as well as introducing Welland to the “horseless carriage” that was the automobile and founding Welland’s first automobile agency in 1911. He served on Welland’s municipal council, was chair of the city’s market committee, and was one of the figures behind the decision to construct Welland’s municipal hall in 1901.
After his death in 1930, his sons continued his legacy of business. There is a street, Somerville Avenue, named in his honour.
Traces of Somerville’s presence can also be seen in the former Somerville & Sons agricultural implements store at 36 Niagara St. (then North Main).
Somerville founded his business circa 1880, starting as the local dealer for Maxwell & Sons implements. He occupied a three-story building he called Agricultural Hall, which included a basement for storage, the main floor for farm machinery and machine sundries, together with an office and an apartment. The upstairs was reserved for the display and sale of light carriages and farm wagons.
The company also dealt with Newcombe pianos and Dominion organs. After the MasseyHarris company amalgamated in 1892, he became its dedicated dealer and most popular local representative for as long as his business lasted.
Somerville devised a clever way to advertise his business. He held an annual parade and celebration in honour of his store, when customers would come out to show the goods they had bought from him. There are several photos of his 19th-anniversary parade in 1898, and today’s picture is from his 20th celebration in 1899, stretching from West Main Street to the Welland River bridge, with the building on the lefthand side.
Listed as part of Rose Block in 1919, it is now occupied by the Top of the Stairs Antiques and Collectibles store.