By the time of the 1871 Census Returns, the name Harper’s Corners was being used to describe the settlement that included several small businesses, among them a hotel and a general store operated by members of the Washington family that was served by the Freelton to Hamilton stage. There was also a harness shop at the corner, operated by Howard Livingston (1855-1939) and his wife Elizabeth Sutton. Esther Mary Livingston, their daughter, was the wife of John Charles Harper, a grandson of original settler James Harper. The family moved to the corner from Carlisle soon after their daughter’s marriage.

Howard Livingston operated a store, harness shop and woodworking business. In his woodworking shop, Howard made baseball bats for the New York team. Elizabeth Livingston, a very large and strong lady, drove to the Hamilton market weekly with her buggy full of chickens, eggs and butter to sell. When she died in 1928, she had become so large that a special casket had to be ordered for the burial. The name Harper’s Corners is still applied to the small sub-division that replaced it during the last decades of the 20th century. In 1987, Flamborough Township Council approved the plan to allow for future development and sub-division proposals for Lot 13, Concession 8, a residential development of approximately 20 lots on the north side of the 8th Concession Road and east of Hwy. 6 North and restricted for further development due to low lying land and poor soil. Two years later, approval for an additional adjacent parcel of land to be included was given by Council; the applicant was Ken Harper, the last Reeve of East Flamborough and the first Mayor of the Township of Flamborough following changes to local government in 1974.

Over the years, family reunions were held on the original Harper farm, when photographs were often taken to record the event. In June 1932, the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Harper and Livingston families in Canada was celebrated, with more than 700 people in attendance. By this time many Flamborough families, especially from the Carlisle area – Sutton, Crooker, McCartney, Zimmerman, Livingston and Laking to name just a few – were related to the original settlers. The Flamborough Archives holds several photographs of these Harper gatherings and also of the elegant 1870s red brick farm house that stood on the property, replacing the family’s original home, an 1832 log cabin.

Sylvia Wray is the former archivist with the Flamborough Archives. She can be reached through the Archives at archives@flamboroughhistory.com.

This article was originally published in the Flamborough Review, 13 August 2015.