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Early History

Early History of Woolwich Township

The first settlers arrived in Woolwich Township in the late 1700's. In 1798, William Wallace was one of the first settlers in the area after he was deeded 86,078 acres of land on the Grand River for a cost of $16,364. Originally Block Three of Indian Lands, this area now comprises a large part of Woolwich Township. The parcel of land called Woolwich was named in honour of a government surveyor.

Wallace, who was a carpenter, then sold a rectangular 12 mile strip of land containing 15,000 acres at the extreme north of Block Three, to Lieutenant Robert Pilkington. This territory was called Upper Woolwich until 1852 when it was then incorporated as the Township of Pilkington and attached to Wellington County.

In 1806, Wallace sold the major portion of his tract to Mennonites. Benjamin Eby, the secretary of the Germany Company had come to the area, along with his friend Henry Brubacher. On a tour of exploration, the young men wandered into Wallace's Woolwich. Enamoured by the country, Eby formed a land company in Pennsylvania. The following year, he returned with a barrel of silver dollars, plus prospective settlers - the Musselmans, Martins, Hoffmans, and Gingerichs. Wallace sold the Germany Company 45,185 acres of land at $1.00 an acre. On May 1, 1807, Eby received the deed and the release of the mortgage.

During the war of 1812, Wallace disappeared and was suspected of crossing the border and signing up with the invaders of Upper Canada. Seven thousand acres of land remaining in his name was confiscated by the government. The remaining 893 acres came in to the possession of James Crooks, a native of Scotland, who sold it in small lots to individuals; thus the village of Winterbourne emerged.