Jonathan Uttley – 1884-1962

Jonathan as a young boy

Jonathan Uttley was the third son of Nathan Uttley and Mary Ann Saunburn. He was born on 29 July 1884, according to the 1901 Census. The birth is not found in the Ontario Birth Index for that year, or any year.
The census of 1891 mentions "Johnathan", age 5, son of Nathan and Mary. In 1901 at age 16, the census records that "Johnathan" is working in the woolen mills as a 'Carder', earning $150 a year and that he can both read and write.

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The City Directory shows Jonathan living with his mother on Duke Street in Waterloo and working as a labourer. In 1919 and following he working at the Seagran and Sons distillery and boarding with sister's family, Lena and Archie Wilfong, at 40 Bridgeport Road in Waterloo. After the Wilfongs leave for Michigan after 1927 Jonathan becomes a boarder with the Barretts on George St and then Queen St N in Waterloo. In 1932 he is boarding with Jacob and Elizabeth Wolfe on King St and then Park St in Waterloo after Jacob dies.
Jonathon worked most of his life at the Seagram's Distillery in Waterloo. From his nephew Douglas Uttley, he worked on the bottling line where all the whisky passed by. A foreman told Doug that he would spot Jonathan tossing back a nip of the final product from time to time, quite a common occurrence in the distillery and brewery in Waterloo from stories I've heard [and at the Olympia Brewery in Washington State, according to Elise]. Jonathan was mentally retarded to a degree. I remember and Doug recalls many more instances of him sitting quietly in a corner for hours and saying nothing. One day Jonathan just decided that he didn't want to go to work at the distillery, and he never did again. He would have been close to retirement age anyway, but nobody ever knew why.
From 1940 to 1943 the City Directory does not list an occupation for Johnny although he continues boarding at the home of the widow Barrett. In 1944 he is working for his brother Abe at the "Kitchener Die [sic] Works" on Queen St S.
Johnny must have had an encounter with a pony and a cart when he was young as he would comment on seeing a pony and cart, even as an old man.

Death
From the "Deaths" column of the K-W Record, December 19, 1962:

UTTLEY, Johnathan, 247 Franklin St., Dec 18, 78 years.

The accompanying obituary reads:

Jonathan Uttley
Johnathan Uttley, 78, of 247 Franklin St., died Tuesday at St. Mary's Hospital after a brief illness.
He was a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Uttley of Waterloo and had lived in the Twin Cities all his life. He was employed by Joseph E. Seagram and Sons Ltd. for many years.
One brother, A. S. Uttley of Kitchener, survives. A brother and two sisters predeceased him.
The body is at the Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home where service will be conducted at 3 p.m. Thursday by Rev. Alvin Schweitzer, pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church. Burial will be in Waterloo Mount Hope Cemetery.

Jonathan Uttley -- 1884-1962

Jonathan Uttley in 1952

Notes

247 Franklin Avenue is the Sunnyside Home for the Aged.
the dreaded misspellings of Jonathan. The K-W Record got it right only in the obituary title where it counts the most (I guess).
To me as a kid in the fifties, he was Johnny [or is that Jonny?] and his older brother Abe often called him Honnes which I take to be some German equivalent.

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