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3 t f N3 Lot__26, Concession 12, East _ Zorra f This farm was a Militia Grant no 002516 granted from the crown to Daniel Shenholtz f who was a Private in Capt. Warrens Flank Company of the Lincoln Militia, between June | 26th and December 30, 1812. The land was granted May 25th, 1820. On March 19, 1851 Elija % Shenholtz sold this 100 acres to Robert Webber Sr. who with his sons John, George, Robt. § and Robt‘s wife Sarah Ann came from the state of New York. They settled on Lot 26, con. 12 j which would have been unbroken land at that time. All the Webber sons farmed in this area § as well as some of the married daughters. Robert and Sarah and their family of five, j Caroline, Arthur â€"C., William Edwin, Emma and Martha, three other children, George, Rachel f and Rowland died as infants, lived in a log house on the north portion of the property, % quite close to the road. As well as the usual farm buildings, there was a cheese factory. ; located north of the creek known as the "Maple Grove Cheese Factory". In a newspaper item dated 1891,shortly after Roberts death, there is reference to this factory, | "quote: "IN 1845 Robert Webber came to East Zorra where he resided until his death in 1891 j He was a very sucessful farmer and in 1864 in company with Mr. Caister started the first . : cheese factory in successful operation in East Zorra Township. They are credited with doâ€". . ing some of the very earliest shipping to the British Market. The business was known as f the "Maple Grove Cheese Factory? and the factory and business, but no farm land was sold f to J. H. Masters in 1874. This was a fairly large operation at the time with reqgular milk | routes and men hired to haul milk to the factory." end of article. In the 1871 census it f states the factory employed four people and the cheese maker was Joseph Masters who lived ; upstairs in the Webber home. Later he built a small frame house near the top of the hill. | On August 15, 1885, Robert Webber sold this 100 acres to James Ross, who grew up in g the Innerkip area. Robert Webber and family moved across the road to other property he § owned. On April 2, 19@982Louis J. Bigham, a grandson or Robert Webber purchased from James | Ross three acres south of the creek néar‘ithe‘road.~On this:property he:moved ther~small ; frame house built by Joseph Masters. Louis Bigham added a kitchen and two bedrooms to C ? accomodate his family. A son of Robert and Sarah‘s, Arthur C. Webber took over the farm j lot 26, con. 12 f@r a few years and used the cheese factory for drying apples, pressing f cider and making apple jelly. Dried apples were sold to Brantford for export. They also 1. i processed apples brought in by neigbours . In the winter part of the factory was used as 1 a grist mill. ; In 1898Louis Bigham purchased the remaining 47 acres of the west 50 and this became j known as the Bigham place.The farm had been a long hundred fromthe 12th to 13th lines. f James Ross and family moved out west and the west 50. .acres was sold to Louis Bigham and . é the east 50 to Jacob Schlegal. On the Bigham property was a large orchard, much of which f was destroyed in a severe winter. Louis Bigham and his wife Emily Veale ‘and family ; lived on this farm until April 1, 1915 when the south 25 acres was sold to Frank Corp, ; and on Dec.31l1, 1918 Frank Corp sold to Fred Webber and in 1925 it was sold to Randolph . . g Webber, who sold it in 1963 to Lloyd Rudisuela. f ON April 1, 1915 the north 25 qcres was sold to Wilfred Corp and on Apr. 9, 1924 Wiâ€" ; lfred Corp sold tomuT.A. Jickling and in 1926 Allan Bale bought the property selling it in 5 1944to Hary Schultz who in turn sold to Ed Brunk in 1950 . § DELRU____FARM _E% of N3 Lot 26, Con. 12 § The first buildings on this 50 acres were erected by Mr. Jacob Schlegel and his wife f Christene. The barn was built in 1889 and the house in 1890. The bricks were teamed from i the Entricken Tile Yards on the 15th con. Land was cleared and a well dug between the nou | house and the barn. Cedar trees were planted all around the buildings. T lumber for the f barn was from the farm mostly maple. When the barn was under construction with only the f framgup a high wind twisted it and they were never able to completely straighten it again. § A large pig barn was built to the east of the main barn. Mixed farminy was carried on ... | The Schilegels had no fa@mily to carry on the farm so on June ~30, 1922 it was purchased by f Mr. Gottfried Morgenroth. The last of the land, the field east of the barn, was cleared ? the pig barn was removed and a garage was built. A large orchard was also planted. | ‘ On March 2, 1931, Mr. Joseph Yantzie purchased the property. In 1875 a convayance of f 14 acres was sold to the Port Dover and Lake Huron Railway. There was a building just west f of the tracks where the train stopped for wood. The building was still there when Mr. Mose | Rudisuela became owner in 1936. The rail service was discontinued, the land sold back to | the farmers , a deed costing $1.00, and the old building and tracks were removed. Several | years later the thorn trees along the tracks were cleared. A new roof was put on the house and garage in 1936. Hydro installed in 1940 and water presurre in1l943. The barn got a new roof inl943 . A large poultry building was erected west of the house which was renovated to be an implement shed when Lloyd Rudisuela became owner in 1950.As the Purebred Holstein Dairy Herd grew in size a better water supply was needed, drilling 100 ft. into â€"the .rock produced an overflowing well. Extensive renovations were done to the barn in 1951 adding more housing for cattle. A tower silo 14 x 50 was built on the west side of the barn. A stable cleaner and new stabling were added in 1974. Milk handling modernized so a new milk