John Malcolm (Canadian farmer)

John Malcolm (May 21, 1830 –August 24, 1865) was a successful farmer, early Scottish settler of Malvern, Canada, and a minor entrepreneur and innkeeper. He and his brother, Robert (1832–1908), co-operated the Speed the Plough Inn. Malcolm's other brother, Duncan Malcolm (1834–1909) was a merchant in the community. Malcolm's grandson, Bill Malcolm, was a Presbyterian minister.

The area today known as Malvern was originally an intersection of Markham Road and Sheppard Avenue. The intersection was originally named Malcolm's Corners, after John Malcolm's family.

Life
John Malcolm was born as John Malcom on May 21, 1830, in Glasgow, Scotland as the first of seven children to Archibald Malcolm (1784–1861), a Scottish farmer, and Elizabeth Waddell (1797–1884). He was baptized on June 20, 1830 at the now defunct Hutchesontown United Presbyterian Church. His father worked as a farmer in Scotland until he reached the age of 25, spending the next 25 years of his life working in a warehouse in Glasgow. In 1834, his family emigrated from Glasgow via sailing boat and docked at Kingston, Ontario. From there, the family journeyed by ox-team and wagon to Scarborough, Ontario. Archibald Malcolm bought a 200-acre farm near modern-day Malvern, and later sold the northern half of the farm to John in 1855. Malcolm was a member of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian Church), and lived in a story-and-a-half frame house in Scarborough.

Family
On July 18, 1850, John Malcolm married Letitia Moyle (1830–1891), the eldest daughter of James Moyle, Treasurer of Scarborough, and the niece of Hugh and Edward Thomson. During their marriage, they had seven children:


 * Archibald (1852–1910), eldest son of John, bought a farm on Concession 5 and 6 of Pickering Township in 1901. He died from a heart disease in 1910 at the age of 58. He was married to Sarah Daniels and had nine children.
 * Elizabeth (1853–1919), eldest daughter of John, died in 1919 at the age of 66. She was married to Thomas Ellis and had two children.
 * James (1855–1937), a carpenter, merchant, and farmer, died in 1937 at the age of 81. He was married to Elizabeth Murison and had three children, including Rev. Bill Malcolm.
 * Christina (1858–1891), youngest daughter of John, died due to complications with childbirth in 1891 at the age of 33. She was married to John Ionson and had one child.
 * John (1859–1935), died at Strathroy Hospital in 1935 at the age of 75. He was married twice, firstly to Mary Walton, and had five children with her. He was married secondly to Euphemia McAlpine, and had one child with her.
 * Andrew (1861–1914), laborer, died from pneumonia at the age of 52. He was married to Elizabeth Hastings had three children.
 * Robert "Alex" (1864–1933), youngest son and child of John, died in 1933 at the age of 69. He was married twice, firstly to Mary Fleming, and had three children with her. He was married secondly to Elizabeth Parkinson, and had one child with her.

Bill Malcolm wrote about his late grandfather in his scrapbook.

Ancestry
The Malcolm family had lived in the city of Auchterarder for several generations. The earliest confirmed member of the Malcolm family was Andrew Malcome, who was born in Lennoxtown around 1421, but later moved to Auchterarder. John's great-grandfather, Andrew Malcolm Sr. (born 1711), who was a descendant of Clan Moncreiffe, moved from Auchterarder to Killearn in the 1730s.

Career


Malcolm was a successful farmer and a breeder of livestock. He is known to have won several ribbons at the annual Scarborough Fall Fair, due to his entries of several animals, such as horses, sheep, cattle, and more. Malcolm named the farm "Clydebank", named after the Scottish town of Clydebank.

Malcolm, along with his brother Robert, who was known as "Malcolm the Saddler", co-operated the Speed the Plough Inn and a harness shop near their home. John operated the inn until he purchased the northern half of the Clydebank farm.

The Malcolm family's farming pursuits are evident in a quote by the author Robert A. Miller, writing in his book: "The Malcolms, coming from farms in Scotland, were ever interested in farming pursuits, different members of the family winning many prizes in ploughing, growing grain and livestock. This interest is still evident in those of the present generation." John took 1st place in the 1859 Board of Agriculture of Upper Canada for "Best Breeding Sow", and 2nd place in the "1860 Board of Agriculture of Upper Canada" for "Best Boar."

Death and legacy
John Malcolm died from unknown causes on August 24, 1865, and was buried at in the cemetery at Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church. After his death, his property was purchased by another Scottish-Canadian farmer, William Purdie. According to the book ''The Ontario Village of Brougham: Past! Present! Future?'' by Robert A. Miller, there is a legend in John's family that he was born on the boat his family emigrated on.