Histories

When we were in Toronto we visited The Distillery District which is now full of trendy shops, restaurants and art galleries.  Previously it had been owned by Gooderham & Worts and we wondered if there was a connection to Sue's Gooderhams which seems a possibility as both families were from Norfolk.  There was also a building shaped like an old iron which is owned by a Gooderham.

I can trace Sue's Gooderham line back to John GOODERHAM (1784 - 1847), a cordwainer, who was born about 1784 in St Leonard, Shoreditch, Middlesex.  His first wife died and he married his second wife, Susan RAMSDALE, in 1823 in Hackney and they had six children including Matthias who was born in Grove Lane, Hackney in 1825.  Matthias was still living in Hackney, Tower Hamlets until at least 1861 (living at 4 Waterloo Place, Kings Head Yard, St John, Tower Hamlets, West Hackney on 1861 census).  He had continued his father’s trade and was described as a cordwainer between 1848 and 1853 and by 1861 he had become a Master Cordwainer employing 1 boy.

Although he was obviously progressing with his trade, he and his young family, for some reason, moved up to Norwich to Old Palace Road, Elwood’s Buildings, Heigham sometime after 1861 and by the 1871 census he was described as an “operator in shoe trade” and had become a “Baptist Minister” at the Zoar Chapel, Norwich.  The family moved to 1 Cardiff Road, Denbeigh Road, Norwich sometime before 1881.  It was here that he died on 20^th January 1908, just three months after the death of his wife.  Did they move to Norfolk because of a prior family connection to the area ?

Who was Sue's John Gooderham's parents as the timeline could make him William's brother ?!  John Gooderham died in 1847 so the only Census he was on which might give an indication of where he was born was the 1841 census.  Although his wife and children are all shown as born in Middlesex, John wasn't - it just says "N" indicating he was born out of County.  Not terribly helpful !  His 1823 marriage to Susan didn't have a Gooderham as a witness.  What about when he married his first wife ?

What do we know about William Gooderham (1790 - 1881) who became the Canadian distiller, businessman and banker who founded the Gooderham and Worts Company ?  He was born in Scole, Norfolk (19 miles south of Norwich) on 29th August 1790 and emigrated to Canada in 1832.  The Gooderham and Worts Distillery was originally founded in 1832 by brothers-in-law William Gooderham and James Worts. It eventually became the largest distillery in the British Empire. His parents were James and Sarah Rodwell Gooderham. I need to trace their roots in England.  I found they had eight children, all christened at Billingford, near Scole, Norfolk :

1789 James

1790 William - the Toronto connection

1793 Joel

1794 Ezekiel

1796 Elizabeth

1798 John 

1800 Thomas

1802 Horrace

Unlikely that they would have had another John in 1784.  Therefore my conclusion is that there doesn't seem to be a connection.