701Benjamin Soule, with his wife, Mary Elizabeth Green, owned a very considerable tract of land at Tapleytown, Canada, and lived in quite an imposing style of house for his time and day. It was very large and roomy, with the necessary adjunct of an enormous fireplace armed with a long iron crane, on which various sizes and forms of cooking utensils were suspended from pothooks and trammels. There was a large oven in the yard in which the bread for the large family, and for the assembly of retainers incident to such a primitive establishment, was baked. The parlor in this great farm house was very capacious; according to the standard of those times finely furnished with articles hand made and carved or imprted. There were large sleeping apartments with their stately four posted beds in which the members of the family found rest. The women in the Soule family were expert handlers of wool and ingenious weavers, and coverlets fabricated by them of beautiful patterns, are still preserved among the descendants as treasures of almost priceless value. This manor house was surrounded by a large yard enclosed with a picket fence, and within this green parquet there were cultivated plenty of the old fashioned flowers such as pinks, roses, and hollyhocks.
Benjamin Soule was a man of considerable wealth for his time and a leader in the life of the community. He took an active part in politics, though he was not ambitious for prefermen. In 1850 he became a Councellor of the township of Slatfleet, Wentworth County. This was the first organization of the municipal council. He was a man of sufficient means and landed estate to give each of his sons a relatively large and well equipped farm. The farm house at Tapley town is still standing near the several large barns. This rural seat was a fine outstanding residence and although built of wood, was somewhat stately and pretentious. The lands surrounding the house are gently rolling and the landscape very attractive. This country, when the Soules entered upon this grant, was marvelously well wooded. The growth was primarily oak, hickory and pine.
|