Skip header and navigation
John Farley and John D. Shaw fonds
- Museum / Archive
- Elgin County Archives
- Part Of
- John Farley and John D. Shaw fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual records
- Date Range
- 1871-1931
- Accession Number
- 2002-25
- Storage Location
- R7 S3 Sh2 B3
- R7 S3 Sh1 B1-2
- Museum / Archive
- Elgin County Archives
- Part Of
- John Farley and John D. Shaw fonds
- Creator
- John Farley
- John D. Shaw
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Accession Number
- 2002-25
- Storage Room
- Archives Storage Rm. 107
- Storage Location
- R7 S3 Sh2 B3
- R7 S3 Sh1 B1-2
- GMD
- textual records
- Date Range
- 1871-1931
- Physical Description
- 67 cm of textual records
- History / Biographical
- John Farley was born in 1837 in what was then London Township (subsequently Nissouri Township, County of Middlesex). His parents, Turner and Georgina (Phillip) Farley were born, respectively, in Ireland and Quebec. In his youth, Farley moved to St. Thomas to live with his uncle James Farley, Clerk of the Peace for the County of Elgin. From 1860 to 1865 John Farley studied law with Edward Horton. He was called to the bar in 1866 and established a law practice in St. Thomas.
By 1879, Farley had entered into partnership with William Burton Doherty and George W. Bain under the name Farley, Doherty & Bain. By 1881, Bain had left the firm, which was now known as Farley & Doherty. By 1890, Farley had taken a new partner, Norman McDonald. The firm Farley & McDonald had dissolved by 1891, and Farley continued in sole practice until 1895 when he entered a partnership with H.B. Travers under the name Farley & Travers.
By 1901 the Farley & Travers partnership had dissolved and Farley was engaged in business with William McLaws, under the name Farley & McLaws. This partnership, too, was short-lived, and from ca 1904 to 1912, Farley operated a sole practice. In June 1912 he formed a partnership with John D. Shaw, a lawyer with an established practice in Rodney, Ontario. Farley & Shaw operated offices in St. Thomas and Rodney.
Following Farley's death in 1920, Shaw continued in sole practice until 1929, when he engaged as partner his nephew D.M. Shaw. Shaw & Shaw maintained three offices, in St. Thomas, Rodney and Ridgetown. John D. Shaw retired in 1931, and D.M. Shaw removed the practice to Ridgetown.
John Farley was appointed Queen's Council in 1885. He served on St. Thomas City Council 1874-1875 and 1884-1886. In 1890 Farley was appointed chairman of the committee responsible for building the City's first waterworks, and served on the Water Commission from 1891 to 1900. He served for three years on the St. Thomas Board of Education and was for several years an examiner of teachers in the City. He was President of the Reform Association of both East and West Elgin and was a member of the St. Thomas Golf and Country Club and the St. Thomas Granite Curling Club. With his wife Fannie A. (Berry) Farley (died 1914) he had a son and four daughters. Farley died on July 10, 1920. Farley's great grandson is the prominent Canadian author Farley Mowat.
John D. Shaw was born in 1866 in Aldborough Township near Rodney. His parents Dougald and Christina Shaw emmigrated to Canada from the Orkney Islands. Shaw attended primary school at Rodney and high school at St. Thomas Model School. He qualified as a teacher and taught at various rural schools in the vicinity of Rodney and Muirkirk. In the 1890s Shaw attended the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School. He was called to the bar in 1896 and established a practice in Rodney, where he also served as Village Clerk. In June 1912 he formed a partnership with John Farley, and operated the Farley & Shaw office in Rodney. In 1914 he moved to St. Thomas, where he lived and practiced law until retiring in 1931. Shaw served as an elder at Knox Presbyterian Church in St. Thomas and was a member of the St. Thomas I.O.O.F. Lodge, the St. Thomas Golf and Country Club, the St. Thomas Granite Curling Club and the St. Thomas Bowling Club. With his wife Mabel (McCorkell) Shaw (died 1922) he had two sons and three daughters. Shaw died suddenly in London, Ontario on March 31, 1940.
- Custodial History
- The records composing the fonds were acquired by the Elgin Historical Society and stored as part of a larger collection at the Elgin County Pioneer Museum, and in the basement of Yurek's Drug Store following the Museum fire in 2001. Donated to the Elgin County Archives, November-December, 2002.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of records created and maintained by John Farley and John D. Shaw in the course of conducting business as Barristers and Solicitors in St. Thomas and Rodney, Ontario, successively under the business names John Farley; Farley, Doherty & Bain; Farley & Doherty; Farley & McDonald; Farley & Travers; Farley & McLaws; John Farley; Farley & Shaw; John D. Shaw; and Shaw & Shaw. Fonds includes accounts ledgers, general dockets, suits registers and conveyancing books.
Fonds comprises the following series:
1. Accounts Ledgers
2. General Dockets
3. Suits Registers
4. Conveyancing Books
- Name Access
- Farley, John
- Shaw, John D.
- Rodney (Ont.)
- St. Thomas (Ont.)
- Subject Access
- Lawyers
Less detail