These beautifully framed portraits have been donated to the Backus-Page House Museum collection by Ron Leitch.
Transcribed from the back: "Elizabeth Wight"
Transcribed from the back: "John Wight
Ayrshire Scotland
(Herb Wight's father)"
This is the same Herb Wight shown in last week's post of Largie Photographs.
John H. Wight was born on October 2, 1839 in Ayrshire, Scotland and married Elizabeth Lock who was born, also in Scotland, on January 5, 1844. We have yet to find their marriage date. The couple arrived in Canada in 1870.
On their son Herbert James Wight's birth certificate it shows John and Elizabeth living in Southwold Township, but future census records sight Dunwich Township as their place of residence. On the Ontario, Canada Voter List up to 1900, Polling Sub-Division No.4 John Wight is a tenant on the North half of Lot 11 on Concession A B F, which front onto the Thames River. It's possible the family was a tenant of the Thompson's.
In the 1891 Census of Canada, John (a farmer) and Elizabeth have 10 children living with them (Alexander 18, William 16, John 13, Robert 11, James aka Herb 7, Thomas 5, Edwin 3, Jessie 19, Maggie 14, Elizabeth 19). Their neighbours are Duncan and Jennett Leitch and nearby families are McMillan's, Smith's, Leitch's, McPhail's, McCallum's, and others.
