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Glen Dhu Public School, opened on March 6, 1990, stands near the site of one of Whitby's earliest farms, settled by William Dow in 1933. The name "Glen Dhu" is Gaelic for "black valley" or "Dow's valley", in the ancient language of Scotland.

William Dow (1777-1855) was born on Feb. 11, 1777 at Auchinderran, part of Sir Ralph Abercromby's estate in the parish of Marnoch, Banffshire. He was married to Margaret Lumsden (1785-1833), who gave birth to 11 children between 1807 and 1826. The sons became leaders of the community in Whitby and the daughters married into influential families in Whitby and Pickering.

In 1832, Dow, his wife and children and two grandchildren, immigrated to Canada, arriving at Quebec City in August. They spent their first winter in this country in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, and in the spring of 1833, travelled through New York State, via Ogdensburg, to Whitby Township, arriving on March 8. Dow purchased 200 acres of lot 23, third concession, five days later and named his property, between the present Garden and Anderson Streets "Glen Dhu".

William Dow soon established himself as one of the leading farmers of Whitby Township, when settlement was just beginning to occur, with immigrants arriving from England, Ireland and Scotland. He led the way in improving farming methods, and with Francis Leys (?-1853) of Pickering, imported the first bull from the old country to Whitby Township. Dow was a township representative on the Whitby and Pickering Agricultural Societies, and young men who wanted to become farmers would visit Glen Dhu to learn the latest farming methods.

William Dow was one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church in Whitby in the year he arrived, and signed the call to bring Rev. Dr. Robert Thornton (1806-1875) to the township as its first Presbyterian minister. He was also a leading member of the Tory party and took part in a public meeting condemning William Lyon Mackenzie and his radical followers, at Bennett's Tavern, three months before the Rebellion of 1837. The site of Bennett's Tavern is now the Canada Trust office at Dundas and Euclid Streets.

When he died on Aug. 2, 1855, at the age of 78, the newspaper The Whitby Commonwealth described Dow in the following terms: "In his social relations, no man was more beloved. Affability and frankness, combined with a gentlemanly deportment, were his prominent characteristics. His attachment to his Queen and country, based upon an intellect and enlightened understanding of the British constitution, was unflinching and immovable. In all the various relations of life, he commanded respect and esteem, and above all he walked humbly before his God."

On July 1, 1833, only four months after their arrival in Whitby, Mrs. Dow died from a fever which was common in the summer months in Canada. It was often called "lake fever", for it was prominent in areas around marshes and bodies of water. Since there was no local cemetery in Whitby, her husband had to take her body to York (Toronto) to be buried.

Many members of the Dow family reached prominent positions in the Whitby area. The oldest son, William Dow Jr. (1807-1843) was appointed Collector of Customs at Port Windsor (later Port Whitby) in 1839, but his early death at the age of 35 on Sept. 19, 1843, ended a promising career. The second son,, John Dow (1816-1858) took over the management of Glen Dhu on his father's death, but died suddenly and unexpectedly of appendicitis three years later at the age of 42. One of the founders of the Ontario County Agricultural Society in 1853, he was its vice-president when he died, and contributed to making Ontario County (now the Region of Durham) one of the foremost agricultural and stockbreeding districts in the province. His funeral procession to Union Cemetery was one of the largest in the country's history, consisting of more than 100 carriages.

The third son, Thomas Dow (1818-1894) spent his life as a banker, after learning his trade at a store in Oshawa.. In 1853, he opened the first bank in Whitby, the Bank of Montreal, in a house where part of the Price Chopper plaza now stands at Brock and Gilbert Streets. He was subsequently manager of the Whitby branch of the Ontario Bank and the Western Bank of Canada, retiring in 1892.

William Dow's third daughter, Robina (1813-1884) married Dr. Jonathan Foote, one of Whitby Township's pioneer doctors, who lived most of his life in Brooklin. The fourth daughter, Elspeth (1814-1913), married James Wallace, one of the entrepreneurs of Whitby, who was the contractor who build the Court House (now the Whitby Centennial building). Mrs.. Wallace died at Chicago, Illinois, on Dec. 13, 1913, at the age of 99.

Another prominent member of the Dow family was John Ball Dow (1851-1910), second son of John Dow and grandson of William Dow. Born on Glen Dhu farm, he was a lawyer who became Clerk of the County Court and Registrar of the Surrogate Court for Ontario County, in 1907. He was a member of the Whitby Board of Education for many years and was a founder of the Provincial School Trustees' Association of Ontario.

The first house at Glen Dhu was built of stone, with a front addition constructed in 1849. In a letter to a family member, dated Dec. 26, 1849, William Dow stated: "Our house is all we could wish for after living long in a very humble house, in what I feel placed.. We had at last to build and being most fortunate in our bason and carpenter, ourhouse is allowed to be the best in the township." Tragedy struck Glen Dhu on Feb. 17, 1868, when the brick portion of the Dow house was gutted by fire The house was rebuild, and remained in the Dow family until 1915. In 1984, Glen Dhu was demolished to make way for the Fallingbrook subdivision. However, the name of the school after Glen Dhu means that this famous name will live on in Whitby's history for many years to come.

Early in 1955, with old age coming on. William Dow purchased a grave stone in Toronto which was erected in Union Cemetery, Oshawa. On the stone was the inscription: "Erected by William Dow who with his wife Margaret Lumsden with ten children and two grandchildren left Auchenderran, parish of Marnoch, County Banff, Scotland, in the year of our Lord 1832 and settled in this Township of Whitby in 1833." At the same time, he had the accompanying portrait of himself painted by a German artist in Toronto.

Brian Winter established the Town of Whitby Archives for the Whitby Historical Society in 1968 and has been archivist for the Town of Whitby since 1974.

'The Motto Is Patience, The Goal Is Excellence' This colour print of the crest of Dow of Dow's Glen was presented to Glen Dhu Public School at the official opening of the school on March 6,1990 by Kathleen Richmond Barclay, great-great-granddaughter of Margaret Lumsden Dow and William Dow of Glen Dhu. A variant of the name 'Dow' is Dove, hence the crest.

Kathleen Barclay's remarks on the opening of Glen Dhu are on the back of the crest hanging in Glen Dhu's foyer...

"I have been asked to tell you about the family who farmed Glen Dhu a hundred and fifty years ago, and I am honoured to represent the Dow family before you. In fact, I am writing a book about the family -- but it is all right, I am not going to read it to you. I shall let you know when it is published.

Every new enterprise builds traditions, some good, some bad, some obvious and some that emerge from the shadows over the years. This new school is starting its traditions now. Let me tell you about the traditions of the Dows of Glen Dhu.

Margaret Lumsden and her husband William Dow came to Whitby Township early in 1833 to provide opportunity for their five daughters and five sons and two grandchildren. In Banffshire in Scotland, William Dow had been a successful tenant farmer but there was no land that he could buy, so he came to Upper Canada, where land was good and a man could buy it. As soon as he arrived her purchased six hundred acres. He named his particular two hundred acres 'Dow's Glen', or, in the Gaelic, 'Glen Dh'. Then he looked about him at the needs of his new community. First, he took responsibility for finding a Minister for the growing Presyterian congregation, and he sought out teachers for his younger children, both girls and boys.

This building is not the first school on this land. By 1849 farmers were sending their sons to William Dow to learn from him the best farming methods, and so he ran a kind of residential agricultural school at Glen Dhu.

On this farm of Glen Dhu, generations of girls and boys were loved and nurtured and taught. They had their chores to do in field and barn, in garden and dairy and house, where they learned to care for the land, for the animals and for themselves. After chores they grudted off to school in good weather and bad. They knew that education is a privilege and a challenge, and is a requisite for living satisfactory lives. From their Church they drew wisdom and courage and spiritual strength. At their schools they challenged each other and their teachers, and they also learned the joy of writing poetry, making music and plays together. Home and school demanded excellence and they enjoyed striving for it. All that they learned they used life-long. My grandmother was born at Glen Dhu on April 23rd, which she was proud to tell you was also Shakespeare's birthday, and she hoped that a little of his genius was reflected in her own poetry.

Glen Dhu sons and daughters became farmers, and entered trades and professions. Into whatever field their talents took them, they worked and excelled, and some achieved distinction. Most of them were men and women who lived rich, full lives and contributed to the community around them.

The proud tradition of the Glen Dhu family was to see a duty to one's self, to one's family and to one's community, and to do it well and with a cheerful heart. Their belief was that education is a privilege, and that being a good scholar is an obligation and a duty and brings its own reward. It is a good tradition for any school. I am happy to offer that tradition from the Dow Family of Glen Dhu to the new Family of Glen Dhu. I have brought you a symbol to hang in the School to remind you of the quality of people of Glen Dhu."