Rural Diary Archive
Rural Diary Archive

William Henry Arkell

A black and white photograph of William Henry Arkell, a farmer from Bruce County, Ontario, with a thick mustache, wearing a formal suit, taken between 1908 and 1915.
Coverage Dates:  1908 to 1915
County: Bruce
Township: Culross
Lot: 7
Concession: 8 & 9
Gender: Male
Year of Birth: 1870
Year of Death: 1955
Ethnicity: English & Scottish
Religion: Presbyterian
Occupation: Farmer
Relationships:
Father: Henry Arkell
Mother: Kathleen Lennie
Sister: Annie
Wife: diarist Elizabeth N. “Lizzie” Inglis
Son: Herbert
Daughter: Helen Kathleen
Archive: Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre
Posted on Rural Diary Archive: Yes
Age During Diary: 38-45
Coverage: 8 years
Biography: 
Henry is a miller and father of six children (eventually eleven) in Lyndhurst. He intersperses details about sick children, fireworks on the Queen’s birthday, cows, and Methodist camp meetings with his “mill talk”. For example, “April 11: Commenced to cog the large spur wheel, furrowing the provender run of stone.”  By 1871 he has moved to the Escott area where he is farming and milling. 
 
The front cover of William Henry Arkell's diary from 1908-1915, titled "Students MSS Book," written in an ornate cursive script.
Front cover of William’s 1908-1915 diary.
The front cover of William Henry Arkell's diary from 1908-1915, titled "Students MSS Book," written in an ornate cursive script.
Wedding portrait, William Henry Arkell and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Arkell, 1905.

Images courtesy of the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre.

Browse Collection