John A. McCarthy Sr.-Bailiff
170 Mornington Street, Stratford, ON
1857

Described in his obituary as “one of the landmarks of Stratford,” John Augustus McCarthy Sr. had already lived through more experiences than people most do in a lifetime when he arrived in Stratford in 1832 at the age of 21.

His father, Thomas Britiffe, a lieutenant in the British army, was appointed Military Commander and Civil Magistrate to New South Wales, Australia about 20 years after the British government began to transport prisoners to that country. John Augustus was born there in 1811. Two years later, 1813, his father was transferred to the East Indies. John accompanied his father aboard ship while his mother, Mary Ann, and his younger brother Thomas Britiffe were to depart later. Despite much investigation into their whereabouts, mother and son were never heard of again.

After spending a number of years in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), John and his father departed for home in 1818. The return trip took them by way of the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena where John reportedly saw Napoleon. They arrived in England in 1819 and, unfortunately, John’s father died two years later in 1821. John spent some time in an English boarding school until he moved to Dublin to live with his uncle who was mayor of that city. He was trained in banking while living with his uncle but at the age of 20, John struck out on a new adventure and was among the first arrivals in 1832 in Stratford. He remained only a short time before heading off to take up farming.

Six years later, in 1838, he married Paulina Izard in Woodstock. Paulina, the daughter of Daniel Izard and Ann Allcock was born in Norwich, England in 1814. John continued farming in Ellice Township while he and Paulina raised a family. By the time the 1851 census was recorded, he and Paulina were the parents of seven children. Altogether they had eleven children, ten of whom lived to adulthood.

In 1853, John Augustus McCarthy Sr. became Perth County Bailiff and County Constable. Later, he became Stratford’s first Police Chief and Crier for the County Court. He retained the honourary title of “constable” until his death. His career path was followed by his sons Thomas and John Jr.

Thomas became County Bailiff and County Constable while John Jr. spent five years as a detective for the Grand Trunk Railway and thirty-seven years on the Stratford Police Force working his way up to Police Chief. Tragedy struck when John Jr. was killed in the fire of 1913 which enveloped Knox Church. He and Constable Hamilton were killed by falling timber while they were trying to rescue items from the church. Stratford Fire Chief Durkin was also killed in the blaze.

Henrietta, the youngest child of Paulina and John Augustus Sr., remained with her parents in the house at 170 Mornington Street. Paulina died in 1882 at age 68 while John lived until 1898 to the age of 88. Henrietta lived the rest of her life in the house before dying at age 85 in 1940.

John Augustus McCarthy Sr. and his wife, Paulina Izard, are buried together in Avondale Cemetery along with their children, Henrietta and John Augustus Jr.