maughan.ca
a collection of family histories

Harry Maughan was born 19-Jun-1874 in Toronto, Ontario, the fourth of seven children. His date and location of death is unknown. Harry's father was John Maughan. His mother was Margaret Eliza Parks. Harry married Eleanor Harriet Predam on 05-Jun-1895 in Toronto. Eleanor was 2 years older than Harry at the date of their marriage which was "by license, not by banns" and they were married by Alex Williams. Eleanor was born in Chatham, Ontario circa July 1870. Eleanor died 04-Mar-1926 in Toronto, Ontario and is buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

Harry's marriage to Eleanor Predam was covered in the Evening Star (Last Edition) Wednesday, June 5, 1895:

VICTIMS OF CUPID
Mr. Harry Maughan and Miss Nellie Predam Married at St. John's Church Today
St. John's Church was this morning the scene of a quiet but pretty wedding, the participants being Miss Nellie Predam and Mr. Harry Maughan, of the firm John Maughan & Son, insurance agents. Rev. A. Williams performed the marriage ceremony. The bridesmaid and groomsman were Miss Rosa Predam and Mr. John Maughan, sister and brother respectively of the bride and groom.
The service was followed by the wedding breakfast at the residence of the bride's parents, 71 Wellington Place. Outside of the relatives of the family very few were present. Among the guests were: Mr. C. W. Yates, Chicago; Mr. H. J. McDougall, Hamilton; Mr. and Mrs. C. Rude, and Miss Hills.
Included in the large number of presents was a handsome chair, presented by the officers and teachers of St. John's Sunday School, with which the young couple are connected.
Mr. and Mrs. Maughan left for a short trip to Muskoka.

Harry disappeared around December 7 or 8, 1907. A series of articles in The Globe newspaper describe the circumstances:

HARRY MAUGHAN MISSING
Well-Known Insurance Broker Has Left City
Believed to be Large Deficit in His Accounts
Montreal Firm of Insurance Brokers Investigating
Interested in Novelty Company
Thursday, December 19, 1907
Mr. Harry Maughan of the firm John Maughan & Sons, the well-known insurance brokers of 27 and 29 Wellington Street East, and principal of the firm of Maughan & Rippon, advertising and novelty manufacturers, 205 King Street West, has left the city, and there are serious financial deficiencies in the accounts of both firms, amounting, it is understood, to a very large sum. The books of the insurance firm are under careful audit just now, and the Novelty Advertising Manufacturing Company assigned a few days ago to Mr. E. R. C. Clarkson, with liabilities stated to be about $9,000.
The firm of Maughan & Sons are agents for the Hartford Fire insurance Company, the Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Company, the Reliance Marine Insurance Company, British & Foreign Marine Insurance Company, Lloyd's Insurance of England, and the London Guarantee & Accident Insurance Company.
The first suspicion that everything was not right arose about ten days or so ago, when Harry Maughan was unable to attend to business owing to a slight accident received while operating the calcium lights at Massey Hall during the performance of the Japanese Honeymoon. He was taken to his home on Garden Avenue, and during the period of his illness suspicions were aroused regarding the financial condition of the firm Maughan & Sons.
Inquiries particularly had been made regarding express orders which Mr. Maughan had been in the habit of handling, and this was one of the cause leading to the deficit.
One of the firms to take the initiative was Dale Company, insurance brokers of Montreal, who sent agents to Toronto to investigate affairs. A representative of the firm has been for several days assisting in the examination of the books of Maughan & Sons. What the shortage is cannot at present be estimated, but it is believed to be very serious.
The firm enjoyed the full confidence of all their clients. Mr. John Maughan, who is believed not to have known anything of the exact condition of affairs, received assurances of sympathy and confidence from many quarters. He has the liking and respect of all with whom he has come in conduct, and only regret is expressed at the present unhappy position in which the firm finds itself.
Money sink in the unfortunate investment in the Novelty Manufacturing Company is believed to be responsible for some of the losses sustained by Mr. Harry Maughan. He had been engaged in this business for about a year with Mr. Rippon, who was formerly in the Cobban Manufacturing Company. Mr. Maughan, too, had interests in several amusement enterprises, one of which was a Jewish theatre in the city.

CASHED EXPRESS ORDERS
New Claims Against Harry Maughan
Missing Insurance Man Alleged to Have Raised $2,000 Just Before Leaving Toronto, Affairs of John Maughan & Son Complicated'
Friday, December 20, 1907
There were yesterday some startling revelations regarding the financial transactions of Mr. Harry Maughan of the insurance firm John Maughan & Son, who has disappeared from Toronto, and whose shortage will amount to many thousands of dollars. It is understood Mr. Maughan was first missed from Toronto a week ago Wednesday (December 11, 1907), and his sudden disappearance is believed to be due to inquiries made by the Canadian and Dominion Express Companies regarding express orders coming into them, and which had been cashed, signed by Mr. Maughan.
The method of the missing man was regarding the express companies was simple, but it was such that detection was sure within a few days. The firm of John Maughan & Son was entrusted, as are many reputable firms in the city, with blank books by the express companies. Mr Harry Maughan had filled in a number of these blank express orders and as the firm of John Maughan & Son stood high in the business community he had no difficulty in having them cashed. These orders amounted in all between the two companies to about $2,000. There must have been a large number of orders put out that in the manner , for the blanks were not allowed to be filled in for more than $50 each. The orders issued on the Canadian Express Company amounted to about $500 and upon the Dominion Express Company to about $1,500. The companies have yet taken no action but have referred their claims to their solicitors and it was stated yesterday that there was a probability of their being settled by friends of Mr. Harry Maughan.
The financial difficulties in regard to the insurance companies represented by Maughan & Son are rather more complicated. Here premiums that should have been paid to the companies represented by Maughan & Son have not been received, and how far back these defalcations go has not yet been learned, although enough has developed to make it sure that the amount is up in the thousands. The system carried out by Mr. Harry Maughan here appears to have been to withhold payment from the head companies of premiums paid on insurance placed with Maughan & Son as agents for these companies. The settlements that Maughan & Son are supposed to make regularly with insurance companies have not therefore been met this past month and the payments due on these will constitute probably the bulk of the deficiency whatever this amount may be. The billing of one client of the firm for a premium which he had already paid led to some inquiries being made, and this was one of the causes that led to an investigation of the affairs of the firm. Messrs. Dale & Company of Montreal, who are now going over the books, are particularly interested in the marine branch of the business conducted by the firm. The whereabouts of Mr. Harry Maughan are as yet unknown, and no warrant thus far has been issued for his arrest.

He apparently travelled to New York City with his secretary (her name is unknown). While in NYC he sent back a few letters to his wife signed Maunder.

The last known address of Harry Maughan - 181 Garden Ave., Toronto. Based on a review of the City of Toronto Directories from 1908 back to 1893 (the years Harry would have been 18+) we find addresses for him at:

Advertising Novelty Manufacturing Company Ltd.

Along with being in the insurance business with his father John, Harry was also listed as the manager of the Toronto Lantern and Slide Company in 1901 located at 29 Wellington Street East (the same address as the insurance brokerage), known as the Lancashire Building now demolished and where Bercy Park sits. The Toronto Lantern and Slide Company sold photographic supplies. Later, Harry was also the proprietor of the Medallion Photo and Novelty Company and then of the Advertising Novelty Manufacturing Company Ltd. that had offices at various locations along King Street West in Toronto. His partner in the novelty businesses was Edrick Victor Rippon. Edrick was a naturalist and was listed in the 1905 Naturalist's Universal Directory with an address at 'Hemlock Grove Farm, care of the waiting room of the Woodbine Railway Station'. This location coincides with Harry's home addresses of 1899 and 1900 at Hemlock Grove. Hemlock Grove was likely near the 30 acres of land Harry's father John Maughan owned near Queen St. and Kingston Rd. since there is a Hemlock Avenue running north from Maughan Crescent, which was named for John Maughan.

As a side note, the railroad station mentioned in Edrick Rippon's 1905 address was part of the Toronto and Scarboro Electric Railroad that ran along Queen Street. The Woodbine Station was located at the intersection of Kingston Road and Queen Street. These photos from 1894 of the station and a view northerly up Kingston Road give one an impression of the location. There is also an article from the Saturday Globe published January 13, 1894 that describes the railroad in greater detail you can read here.

How the connection between Harry Maughan and Edrick Victor Rippon began is unknown; however if Edrick was a naturalist and in the area of Harry's father's 30 acres and duck pond he may have met Harry's brother John Jr. who was also a naturalist and taxidermist. However Harry and Edrick must have decided it was a good idea to go into business together. Edrick's skills as a silverer and mirrorer would have been useful when Harry ran the Toronto Lantern and Slide business. I don't understand what they made at the Advertising Novelty Manufacturing Company Ltd., but in today's parlance I'm sure it was akin to the trinkets and trash that one sees at conventions and trade shows.

Thanks to Grant Harper for sending a note that the Advertising Novelty Manufacturing Company Ltd. produced celluloid pinback buttons, picturing Canadian politicians, Royal Family members, advertising events, companies and commercial products. He's a collector of mainly Canadian political buttons, but other early Canadian celluloid buttons as well. He believes this was something of a hand to mouth business especially in Canada, and companies frequently changed names and addresses. He's not even sure that the Advertising Novelty Manufacturing Company Ltd. actually manufactured its pins. It very likely handled the photography or artwork, but may have then have outsourced the actual manufacture of the pins to larger shops, such as Whitehead and Hoag in the US. This was a common practice for small novelty shops or photographers with a button side business. Their small size frequently didn't often justify cost and manpower going with owning/operating the machinery necessary to make the pins. In some cases, these businesses were merely storefronts operating as agents for larger manufacturers, some Canadian, some American. In those days, most political pins were not even giveaways, but sold in stores/smoke shops, that is you bought a pin for your favoured politician or candidate.

Harry lived with his father John at 98 Wellington Place, Toronto but the name here has been changed to Wellington Street West and the addresses have been renumbered. Wellington Place lay to the west of Brock Street (now the south end of Spadina Avenue) and ran one block over to Portland Street, the next street to the west. The buildings now located on the north side of Wellington Street (formerly Wellington Place) are for the most part 10 story office / condo buildings; there are (currently) 5 exceptions - in the middle of the block remains a large brick semi-detached home which would date to my great, great grandfather's time and at the very west end of the street are 3 brick homes of less impressive stature, which again would date to the period in question. The center home falls into a portion of the Military Reserve Plan, which will provide some difficulty with research. The smaller homes at the west end of the street will not be quite so onerous. There is also a semi-detached house now used as offices at the east end of the block right beside the gas station, but I don't think the address would work for this location.

Alan Edward Lawrence Maughan

John Howard (Jack) Maughan

Warwick Brothers & Rutter, Ltd., a Toronto-based printing company, is known to have published in the vicinity of 7,500 picture postcards between 1903 and 1912. Warwick produced colour lithographed cards on its own presses in Canada rather than outsourcing that work to printers in Germany or England, as was then the prevailing practice

Based on a review of the City of Toronto Directories from 1916 to 1935 (the years John would have been 18+ and alive) we find following addresses and occupational information:

• 1916 - living at 37 Albany Ave with ; clerk
• 1917 - living at 37 Albany Ave with ; secretary at Big Borther Movement
• 1918 - living at 37 Albany Ave with ; (no occupation)
• 1919 - living at 37 Albany Ave with ; (no occupation)
• 1920 - no listing
• 1921 - living at 37 Albany Ave with ; travelling salesman
• 1922 - living at 37 Albany Ave with ; travelling salesman
• 1923 - living at 37 Albany Ave with ; travelling salesman
• 1924 - no listing
• 1925 - living at 37 Albany Ave with widowed mother Eleanor H. Maughan and younger brother Edward H. Maughan; travelling salesman for the Standard Silver Co.
• 1926 - living at 37 Albany Ave with widowed mother Eleanor H. Maughan and elder brother John H. Maughan; advertising manager for Aikenhead Hardware Ltd.
• 1927 - not listed, niether is mother (died 04-Mar-1926) or brother John
• 1928 - not listed
• 1929 - living at 37 Albany Ave. with maternal grandmother Alice Predam and 3 spinster aunts Bessie, Rose and Ruby; music teacher Royal Conservatory of Music
• 1930 - 9 Albany Ave. (block of furnished bachelor apartments); salesman for the Canadian Industries Ltd.
• 1931 - 104, 2 Sultan St.; salesman for the Canadian Industries Ltd.
• 1932 - 828A St. Clair Ave. W.; salesman for the Canadian Industries Ltd.
• 1933 - 2253 Bloor St. W.; (no occupation)
• 1934 - no listing
• 1935 - Margaret J. Maughan listed as the widow of John H. Maughan residing at 308 St. George St.

Edward Harry Maughan 1906 - 1979

Baby (female) Maughan 14-Jul-1908