By Bob Hughes

Matilda Jane Patterson (1856-1933)

My Paternal Grandmother was born on Navy Street in a house now designated as a heritage house. It was built by my Great Grandfather David Patterson who learned his carpenter trade in Belfast, Ireland. In Oakville he was employed by the town’s founder William Chisholm as a carpenter and shipwright. The Townsend family occupied the home in my day.

The waterfront park across the street was a spot, where, on a summer’s afternoon, our family often enjoyed a Sunday picnic. If we were lucky, this was followed by an Oakville Citizen’s Band concert from the bandstand.

This is the Hughes Family during WW I. The two soldiers in the photo were killed in France; Alfred Hughes, a brother of my Father, and James Thomas, a brother of my Mother. My Grandfather, Silas Hughes and his wife Matilda Jane (nee Patterson) are on the right.