The Nash Family Story

Our current records trace the history of the Nash family back to Benjamin John Nash, born in 1807 in Wales, who married Nancy Wearing Bennett. Benjamin's bride was born in 1808 in Cornwall, England. Family legend suggests that Nancy may have been Lady Wearing Bennett--even scandalously theorizing that Lady Wearing Bennett and Welshman Nash may have eloped and fled to Canada to avoid the wrath of their families. Unfortunately, there are no records, specific sources, or even serious anecdotal evidence, and this is likely mere fantasy.

From Wales to Ontario

The married couple sailed from Newport, Wales to New York City, NY in October, 1832 aboard the Brig Colina. The passenger list, which is barely legible, lists sadly little about its cargo, except that both of the Nashes were 26 years old and that "Benj Nash" was a "labourer". The vessel they sailed on would only be in commission for another nine years or so, until, in June 1841, the Captain deliberately sunk the ship while at sea by drilling with an auger through the hull, escaping with the crew and some of their clothing (no other passengers aboard). The motive was apparently a drunken vendetta against the shipmaker.

The Beginning of a Family

Benjamin and Nancy soon made a home in London, Ontario and began a family together. In 1834, Nancy gave birth to their first child, beginning a family that would grow to include:

1. Sarah B. Nash (b.1834)

2. John Wesley Nash (b. 1835)

3. Elizabeth Jane Nash (b. 29 Mar, 1836)

4. William Hill Nash (b. 15 Mar, 1846)

5. Maria "Annie" F. Nash (b. 1847)

6. Benjamin James Nash (b. 1850)

7. George Bennett Nash (b.12 Jun, 1857)

Little Benjamin and the Case of the Gypsy Kidnapping

Benjamin and Nancy's fifth child, Benjamin James was, in his youth, a blue-eyed, red-haired little guy. According to family stories, when Ben was three years-old, he was kidnapped by Gypsies while playing in the street near the family's London home by the Thames River. His

father, Benjamin John, assembled half a dozen men to track the Gypsy caravan well through nightfall, and upon reaching their camp they found the tear-stained toddler asleep, huddled among several other children in a tent. They retrieved him without harm.

Life in London, Ontario: Benjamin and Nancy Nash

The family home near which Benjamin James had been playing at the time of his disappearance, had been occupied by the family since at least 1843. In May of 1843, it is documented in history books that Benjamin was fined seven shillings for "letting his house stand out 13 feet on Thames Street". He was ordered to "remove it" within two weeks' time--a chore that must have been lots of fun.

By 1851, the London City Directory records the Nash family as living on the north side of John Street in London, Ontario, between Talbot and Sarnia--about two lots away from Talbot. According to the London Historical Society, their residential road was named by Benjamin for his first son, John--suggesting that Benjamin held substantial wealth, land, and/or influence within the city. The modern day site of the home is approximately 132 John Street, which is a fraternity house. In modern times, the city has suggested plans to rename the street for the sake of clarity (presumably Great-Great-Great Grandpa should have been a little more original in his street name selection).

According to the 1861 census, the family lived in a three-story brick house on a quarter of an acre of land, and owned 1 horse, 1 cow, and a carriage for pleasure.

The Nashes were well-known in London society, partly as members of the Plymouth Brethren. Benjamin was presented to the Prince of Wales in 1860 as a representative of the Diocese of Huron (as well as the magistracy, the militia, and the Welshmen). The encounter was

documented in the book, City of London--The Pioneer Period and the London of Today.

Benjamin made his living as a "Harness Maker" and a "Gentleman". The London Public Library lists Benjamin as an "early pioneer of London". He was certainly not the last Nash of this line to be noted as a prominent citizen of the Ontario city.

Benjamin John Nash, c. 1870s,

Nancy Wearing Nash, c. 1860s

The Passing of Benjamin and Nancy

Nancy died on December 8, 1873, at approximately age 65 after a long battle with heart disease. Her youngest child, George Bennett Nash, was only 16 years old at the time, and she was only able to see two of her six children, John Wesley and Elizabeth Jane, married

(to Sarah Bailey and Thomas Cook, respectively) before her passing. Her burial site remains a mystery, as she passed a few years before the family's preferred burial place, Woodland Cemetery, was created. It is likely that she was buried in St. Paul's Anglican Cemetery, which was moved to Woodland and no longer exists. Either her moved resting place remains undiscovered at Woodland or her grave was lost in the cemetery move. There is also a small chance her grave may lie in an unknown other location.

Benjamin John Nash, c. 1880s,
photograph by John Cooper of London, Ont.

Benjamin lived as a widower until his passing on November 20, 1887 in Detroit, Michigan. He, almost certainly, relocated to Michigan a year or so prior to his death in order to live with family. The most likely caretaker of this senior patriarch was his daughter Elizabeth Jane Cook, who had moved her family to Detroit in 1886.

His body was removed back to Ontario for burial, and he was laid to rest near other family in Woodland Cemetery, with a gravestone that calls him "Rev. Nash". The religious title is not found in any other documents or resources, and is considered a little peculiar in that the Plymouth Brethren sect usually did not favor traditional church trappings such as official ministers.

John, Elizabeth, and Annie: 1860s-1870s

John Wesley Nash married Sarah Jane Bailey, daughter of Thomas and Mary Bailey in 1865 in St. Mary's. They had five children:

William Nash, Thomas Wesley Nash, Sarah Nash, Harriet Nash, Emma Nash.

The very next year, in 1866, eldest daughter, Elizabeth Jane married Thomas Cook in 1866 in London, Ontario. She bore at least six children while in London. The couple eventually moved their family to Detroit, Michigan in 1886, and spent the rest of their lives in their new American home. Elizabeth passed away in 1920 in Detroit, Michigan.

Third child, Marie "Annie" waited until age 34 to marry. In 1877 she wed Cornelius Nelson Wilson in London, Ontario. The details of their lives and deaths are still somewhat of a mystery, suggesting that they may have moved a great distance from their home.

Captain William Hill Nash Ruins Emerson, Manitoba

William Hill Nash married Katherine Margaret Armstrong (b. 1860, d. 1891) in 1878. The age gap between the 34 year-old and his 18 year-old bride can largely be accounted for by his military service. Prior to his marriage, William was a soldier who went to Emerson, Manitoba in 1870 as an Ensign with the No. 1 Company of the First Ontario Rifles in the Wolseley Expedition, returming to Manitoba as a hero. His service in the militia continued at the rank of Lieutenant of the 7th Battalion at London.

"Bill" Nash in Manitoba, c. 1870s

He returned to Manitoba in 1874 to set up a law practice in Emerson, and was married within four years to the teenaged bride. The couple welcomed their first baby the next year when Claude Wearing Nash (b.1879) arrived. That same year, William Hill was named Captain in the Volunteer Militia of Manitoba and was thereafter referred to commonly as "Captain Nash". Around this time, William also commanded two other militia units--the Emerson Infantry Company and the West Lynne Artillery Battery. He was also known as a member of several lodges, including the Orange Lodge and the County of Provencher Lodge.

Shortly after, William entered politics, serving in several provincial roles, and as the Mayor of Emerson from 1882 to 1885. He is reported to have held extensive land. Sadly, Manitoban histories record that William was "complicit in Emerson's financial difficulties" of the time. In spite of this blemish to his reputation, he is currently listed as a "Memorable Manitoban" by the province.

During his time as mayor, William Hill and wife Katherine welcome two more children: Luella Nash (b. 1884) and Mabel Nash (b. 1885)

Then he and Katherine moved to Winnipeg in 1886 with their three children. They eventually had two more babies: Henry Nash (b. 1888) and Charles Constantine Nash (b. 1889). Sadly, Katherine passed away in 1891 at age 31, with no known reason for her early demise. Her death left William a widower for the rest of his life, and left him responsible for five children who, at the time, were ages 2-12. William Hill lived for another 26 years, passing away on April 26, 1917 in Winnipeg.

William Hill Nash, c. 1890s

George Bennett Nash Stayed Close With His Brothers

Benjamin and Nancy's youngest child, George Bennett Nash married Mary Bryan (b. 1856) in London, Ontario sometime before 1878. The couple welcomed their first child, Jane "Jennie" Nash, in 1878, and would go on to have two more children while living in London: Florence May Nash (b. 1882) and Elizabeth Nash (b. 1883).

By 1884, George moved his family, including his expecting wife, to Emerson, Manitoba, likely at the suggestion of his brother, William Hill. Within a few months of their arrival, Mary gave birth to their first and only son, John A. Nash (b. February, 1885). They welcomed their last child, Mary Nash in 1886. Unfortunately, the family's fortune was poor, and they suffered when the City of Emerson went bankrupt in 1884/1885 (likely partially due to mismanagement by brother William). George's wife, Mary, died shortly after the birth of daughter Mary in 1886. Her body was returned to London for burial in Woodland Cemetery. By this point, brother William had fled Emerson in disgrace, and George also decided to move his family away from Manitoba, first moving to Detroit, Michigan for a few years, and then returning to London by early 1887. By 1890, he was working as a civil servant, earning $520.00 per year. He was noted to live at addresses on Stanley Street and John Street between 1893-1898, suggesting that he was staying with, or at least close to, his brother Ben and his parents--perhaps for aid with his five young children. George remained a widower until his passing on March 15, 1916 in London.

The Legacy of George Bennett's Family: Nash Jewellers

While George's legacy may not paint him as a commercial success, his progeny would go on to establish the Nash family's, perhaps, greatest legacy. His son, John A. Nash, first learned the jewelry business as a young man at the W.G. Young Jewelry Store in London, Ontario. At age 33, in 1918, John opened his own store, Nash Jewellers in London, Ontario. The original storefront was located at 206 Dundas Street. Nash Jewellers still operates today, and continues to be run by generations of the Nash family. My grandfather, Robert A. Stevens used to say that our family could walk in to Nash Jewellers, and just by our facial features and bright blue eyes, we could quickly be recognized as family.

John A. Nash, founder of Nash Jewellers in London, Ontario

Benjamin James: Carriage Maker, Man of Tragedy

The sixth child of Benjamin John and Nancy, Benjamin James Nash, was an ambitious entrepreneur as a young adult. Around the age of 20, he journeyed to Rochester, New York to learn the carriage trade. By the age of 22, he had returned to London, Ontario and opened his own carriage shop in 1872: B.J. Nash & Co. The original shop and subsequent early expansions and location changes all sat on King Street in London. The business was popular and his carriages were in high demand.

By 1878, he met Harriet Jane McNamara (b. 1855, d. 1883) who was remembered by granddaughter Dorothea Louise Earle McGowan to have had a "piquant nose and twinkling blue eyes". They were married on August 28, 1879 in London, Ontario. They welcomed their first son, Charles Hill "Charlie" Nash on August 3, 1880. On December 9, 1882, Harriet gave birth to daughter Mabel Louise Nash.

Following the birth of her daughter, Harriet was slow to regain her health, and doctors diagnosed her with typhoid fever. Harriet's health continued to worsen, and both children contracted typhoid as well. 24 year-old Harriet passed away on August 25, 1883. Less than a month later, 3 year-old Charlie Nash also succumbed to typhoid on September 13, 1883. Dorothea describes her mother, baby Mabel's, condition at the time by writing: "There was little hope for his baby daughter. Mabel was so sick, so small and thin, that she was carried about on a pillow." Mabel's aunt, Elizabeth Nash, nursed her back to health, but she was always known to be a frail child. Both father and daughter survived.

Just over a year later, the lonely widower met, and then married a young, handsome 19 year-old woman named Clara Rebecca Cooper on November 19, 1884. They purchased a home on Stanley Street, and brought Mabel to their new home. Then, in October, 1885, while Clara was quite pregnant with their first child, Ben decided to enter into a carriage business partnership with A.B. Greer, and the two began building a new large factory at the corner of York and Talbot. Together, the partners employed about 50 men. The factory would operate at the location for the rest of Benjamin's life.

Benjamin James Nash

Just about two months after the new partnership was formed, Benjamin and Clara welcomed a son named Oliver Lorne Nash (b. Dec. 16, 1885). Sadly, the baby contracted typhoid and passed on September 12, 1886 (almost exactly three years to the day after his half-brother, Charlie's, passing).

At the time of Oliver Lorne's death, Clara was expecting another child, both of whom luckily escaped the typhoid. Clara gave birth to healthy, strong baby girl named Ada Helen Nash on February 21, 1887. Another daughter, Edna Maude Nash, was born on December 20, 1889, but only lived until April of the following year. In 1892, Benjamin and Clara welcome their final child, Edith Warrine Nash, whose blond hair and blue eyes dazzled her parents. They were known to spoil her terribly, and she would grow up later in life to be known as a very fanciful adult prone to odd outbursts and temperments.

Meanwhile, throughout her youth, Mabel remained so sickly, that when the family doctor recommended that being around animals would make her stronger, Ben bought her a pony and built her a custom white buggy. Mabel was charged with cleaning and caring for the pony in its stall, but soon found it was a difficult creature to control. She had a few near-misses with pedestrians. Ben caught word of this from neighbors and soon the pony was disposed of, and Mabel went back to doing chores for her step-mother and step-sisters.

Nash Ladies in 1896 (L to R): Edith Nash on her trike, cousin Jennie Nash sitting with Clara Nash, Mabel Nash standing beside them, and Ada Nash with her bicycle

The Great City Hall Disaster of 1898, London, Ontario

As Benjamin's carriage shop thrived in London, he became more well-known and eventually dabbled in local politics. This peculiarly led to his untimely death.

On the evening of January 3, 1898, Benjamin was attending a political rally at the old City Hall in London, Ontario. Dr. J.D. Wilson had just been elected mayor. A group of approximately 2,000 prominent men, politicians, and city officials had gathered around for a rally and celebration. The standing crowd was reportedly so packed in that the doors to the hall had been locked to bar the crowd outside from further filling the hall. The crowd was rowdy and enthusiastic, some of them standing atop chairs, singing songs, cheering, and carousing as each of the Aldermen-elect gave animated speeches in turn. John W. Smith and John Walcott stood upon a large safe near the corner of the platform, while Alderman John Turner and Benjamin Nash leaned against it.

Sometime not long after 9:00pm, Water Commissioner Joe Judd had just spoken, which would have concluded the evening, but the lively crowd began demanding more speeches, first from a man named Gray, who refused the call. Then the crowd called for a man named R.M.C. Toothe to speak. When Toothe resisted, his friends lifted him up to the platform where the speakers had been. Ald. Turner began filling his pipe while the crowd cheered. Dr. Ziegler, who had finished speaking not long before, flung on his overcoat, and began crossing the main platform to leave. As the throng pushed the man forward, Toothe hesitantly took a step to ascend to the platform. At that same moment, Alderman Carrothers held up his hands to command silence and initiate a round of three cheers.

All at once there was a great crack, and the floor gave way under the platform, sending everyone gathered at the center of the event into a deep pit below. The reporters' table was the first to go in as the floor sloped toward the middle and then split. Then over 200 men fell about 15 feet into a mass of crushed bodies and debris, including Benjamin Nash and Alderman Turner from where they stood against the safe. The men standing on the safe thought they were spared from being pulled in, until suddenly John Walcott was flung forward into the mass as the safe shifted toward the pit. John Smith was able to jump back and grab a wall bracket, believing he had dodged the peril. But as the 1,000-lb. safe descended down into the pit, it wedged Smith's leg and dragged him down as well. During the safe's fall, it overturned and then slid down upon the men below. A tangle of steam pipes also landed on the bruised and bloody throng, crushing and maiming one man. The large beam that had failed and caused the collapse had also landed, in pieces on top of bodies.

At first a cloud of plaster dust hung so thickly in the air that many of the men inside the building and out in the street feared that a fire had ignited. The grit hanging in the air made it difficult for those inside the building to breathe and added to the panic until the cloud cleared moments later. A burst water pipe provided a small measure of relief for a few of those choking in the dust. The people still afoot in the gallery stempeded for the exits. Some men fled to the second-story windows, and one boy was seen punching out a window with his fists while calling down to the street for help. Ladders were quickly supplied from people in the street for the people at the window to descend safely.

As the scene cleared somewhat inside the pit, Alderman Neil Cooper was the first to emerge, with torn clothes, blood and white dust covering his face and body. Dr. Ziegler, who had fallen in but had made his way toward the top of the pile of carnage (only losing his hat, he later commented), saw others flailing and pushing their legs and arms against the heads of others who were pinned and suffocating. Someone above shouted "For God's sake, men, keep still if you have any humanity left!"

John Smith witnessed that the safe had pinned Benjamin Nash underneath with no brace to protect him; he had taken the full force of the weight. Smith called up to Alderman Taylor above to help him free his leg. Mr. Toothe had fallen into the edge of the pit and crawled his way out of the hole via a joist that was leaning vertically. He then was able to pull out Ald. Turner (who was dead) and several boys. Ziegler scaled a beam to get back to the main level of the gallery. Mayor-Elect Wilson was barely drawn into the pit and escaped injury or marks.

The 2nd-story gallery area of the City Hall, where the crowd had been gathered and the area of the floor that gave way

The 1st floor area where the bodies fell to ("the pit"), including the 1,000-pound safe at bottom right that crushed Benjamin

In the meantime, police and firemen had been summoned via the C.P.R. Telegraph office, and word of the catastrophe began to spread through town, with wives and curious bystanders pushing through the crowds to get more information. The floor had collapsed down into the City Engineer's office on the ground floor, in the northeast corner of the building. Rescuers smashed through a plate glass window of the office to reach the mass of bodies and began extracting them. Several stores across the street, including Callard's Drug Store and Mountjoy's Fruit Store, had been opened up for the purpose of housing the injured and dead.

The beam was lifted by policemen, and a boy was pulled from beneath with a fatal brain injury. The rescuers were able to get a rope and tackle affixed around the safe to get it lifted. One person was able to scramble out from beneath the safe, causing the crowd to cheer. But moments later they recognized a body that lay where the safe stood: Benjamin Nash. One newspaper reported that there was "no mark upon his face. His clothes were not so much as disarranged. But death had come with awful suddenness to him." This was a bit of dramatic license, as he was extracted with a few cuts and bruises about his face and it seems that he had at least the faintest spark of life left. But as they carried his body across the street, my great-great grandfather drew his last breath. They laid out his body on the floor in the back room of Callard's Drug Store.

When all was settled, 25 people died and over 200 were injured. Clara buried her husband at Woodland Cemetery in London, Ontario. He was 47 years old.

Clara's Life as a Widow and an Unwelcome Man Named Blanchard

The death left Clara a rich young widow with three young children. Her brother, Will Cooper--also an employee of the Nash and Grier Carriage Company--moved into the home to assist her. Within a couple years, widow Clara became friendly with tradesman James Blanchard, who had done business with Ben previously. A widower with a young daughter (Vera Blanchard), Jim wooed Clara and married her in 1902, to the horror of the Benjamin's brothers and sisters. Clara had one more child, Grace Delight Blanchard, with her new husband in 1906.

Clara with the three Nash girls, Ada, Edith, and Mabel shortly after Ben's passing, c.1900

This left 16 year-old Mabel an orphan in a house full of small children to care for. She felt surrounded by strangers and turned to her aunts and uncles for comfort. She eventually moved in with her Aunt Sarah (Nash) Westley.

Most family reports suggest that Clara's marriage was largely unhappy and the husband and wife remained very isolated from each other. Clara lived to see her children marry and know her many grandchildren very well, all of them remembering her as a loving woman. The home on Stanley Street became a beloved family gathering place for grandchildren for many years.

Clara lived long enough to see one of her grandsons--Richard Nash Hourde (son of Edith)--take on an adventurous life as a Yukon photographer and writer, and witnessed his passing from illness while in his 20s. She also saw another grandson, Robert Allan Stevens, go off to World War II, and welcomed him back again. Clara Rebecca passed away on October 7, 1946 at Victoria Hospital in London, and was laid to rest in Woodland Cemetery in London, Ontario.

Nurse Ada Nash and the Flu Pandemic of 1918

Benjamin and Clara's daughter, Ada, trained to be a nurse, graduating from the nursing school at Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario in about 1915. For reasons unknown, when World War I came about, Ada stayed home, though most of her graduating class went to Europe. Sadly, most of them did probably not return, as the Canadian nursing force was widely decimated by the influenze pandemic of 1918. Some of Ada's nursing friends wrote to her from the front, and detailed fears that the flu would spread to them.

Even at home, the flu pandemic was dangerous. Ada was once called to nurse a family living just outside of London in 1918. She took the horse and buggy out to the farm house. When she knocked, nobody answered, so she pushed her way in only to discover the whole family dead. They had all succumbed to the flu, including the little children.

For unknown reasons, Ada did not continue her work as a nurse for very long and rarely liked to speak of it later in life--though this could have been because of her late-in-life conversion to the Christian Scientist church, which shuns medicine.