Original from the Hendriks family tree, with thanks, [annotations assumed to be by Andy Rogers]
While John Britton was living in England and about 17 or 18 years old [circa 1851-52], he worked on his father’s [William Britton] farm. Every day he would walk to the back field and bring up the cattle, and some days would walk by the young aristocrat girl who walked there as well. When this happened, they’d stop and talk, then continue on their way. Because of the difference in their situation, John’s father did not approve of this at all and told him to stop talking to her at once. However, the next day John stopped again and talked to her. When asked by his father if he talked to her that day, John told him yes and then received the worst beating of his life. When his father stopped, John asked him if he was through. His father told him yes, to which John said, “Good, because that’s the last time you’ll ever beat me,” or something to that effect.
John left his father’s farm and moved far away, then began working at a Grist Mill owned by the Tricks. It was at this mill that he met and fell in love with Margaret Trick. When Margaret’s father witnessed their obvious attraction, he told John that he would only consent if John would move to Canada and buy some land, because there wasn’t any to be had in England and he wanted his daughter to have a good life. So John did just that and settled in Darlington, Ontario (or near there) and wrote back to the Tricks to tell them that he was getting money together to buy land and would have it soon.
Back in England, while this was happening, Mr. Trick’s wife [this would be Mary Wade according to my records] was at the mill, got her skirt caught and subsequently died, leaving Mr Trick with four daughters. This was when he decided to take them all and move to Canada to live with John [this would have happened between 1851, when the Tricks were in Woolfardisworthy according to the census, and 1857, when Margaret married John in Toronto, more likely closer to 1857].
When they arrived, John and Margaret, and the rest of the family walked to Toronto, so John and Margaret could be married at the Metropolitan Methodist Church [married 1857 according to my records].
After a couple of years of trying farming in Darlington, and not succeeding very well, Margaret heard talk amongst the ladies about land near the Huron Tract being very fertile and profitable. So, John and Mr Trick walked there, checked it out, then walked back and brought everyone down to Huron County where they rented land across from the present day home farm.
Across the road from this spot, lived a squatter and when he was asked by the Canada Company if he wanted to purchase that land, he refused. So John bought it, seeing that it was far better land than the piece he lived on.
Also, one of the Trick girls became the first to be buried in Mitchell Cemetery when she died shortly after their move [this would be Elizabeth/Betsy…see headstone].
Years later, when Mr Trick was settled in with his son-in-law, he decided he wanted to start a new mill in Brussels, but when he needed more money he had to go to Toronto where it was kept in a bank there. When he got there he was forced to stay longer than he intended when a storm blew through. This caused the bank to foreclose on his mill and resulted in the loss of nearly all his money.
