The following are some of the images I used in the lecture on G&W, held at the Riverdale Library, under the auspices of the Riverdale Historical Society.
“A Bird’s Eye View of the G&W Distillery”, 1896, lithograph.
After traveling from England to York, UpperCanada, William Gooderham, along with his brother-in-law, James Worts, formed the business of ‘Worts & Gooderham, Millers’, in 1832.
James Gooderham Worts
James Gooderham Worts was the son of James Worts. Together, father and son set sail from Great Yarmouth, England, in 1831, to lay the foundation for a new life in York (now Toronto), in Upper Canada. The enterprise they would forge was a partnership in milling between the Worts and Gooderham families. When Wm Gooderham and his family, along with the rest of James Worts’ family arrived in York in 1832, there were 54 people in the party. Eleven of these were children whose parents died of Cholera during the voyage from England. Wm Gooderham adopted them all.
The only known photograph of Lindenwold, the Toronto estate of James G. Worts. It was located on the north side of Mill St., just east of Trinity St.. The building was torn down in the late 1880s or early 1890s.
The only known photo of William Gooderham’s house, on the south side of Mill St, just west of main entrance to today’s Distillery District.
George Gooderham was the third son of Wm Gooderham, but the one who became most involved in the running of the family businesses. A very prominent and successful business man, he was also a philanthropist. This portrait, by Wylie Grier, was commissioned by the Toronto General Hospital to commemorate his contributions.
