long for Jake and Charlotte to fall in love. Jake built her a beautiful home, named “Glenview”, and on December 29, 1891, they married. In 1908, Charlotte found herself pregnant after 17 years of marriage but she had contracted Tuberculosis, and on December 30,1908, Charlotte and their baby died. Charlotte was 45 years old. A couple of years after Charlotte’s death, Jake honored Charlotte’s wishes to leave their home and the golf course to the town of Petrolia. It was officially converted to the town’s hospital in her name in 1912. Jake passed away from a brain hemorrhage in April 1921. The couple were laid to rest together at Petrolia’s Hillsdale Cemetery.
Katherine “Kate” Newton was born in Petrolia in 1883. Katherine was a talented maker and seller of hats, also known as a Milliner.
She first became a Milliner in 1908. She opened The Newton Hat
Shop around 1919 in Sarnia, Ontario and had a hat shop in Petrolia.
Kate lived with her brother Roy, her sister Ethel and her mother.
Her father was an oil driller and died overseas and Kate played the role of caretaker in her family. Miss Newton was a pioneer for
businesswomen. After she passed away at age 85 in 1968, a stock of 500 hats was discovered in her attic.
A local historian, George L. Smith, purchased a collection of the hats, some even with the original price tags on them.
These were sold to the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Charlotte Eleanor “Minnie” Thomson was born on October 27, 1863 in Adelaide, Ontario. At age 10 she moved to Petrolia to live with
her sister Isabella and her husband George Moncrief.
Jacob “Jake” Louis Englehart was born on November 2, 1847, in Cleveland, Ohio. At age 13 his family moved to New York and he
began his career as a merchant. By 1870 his interest was in refineries.
He moved to London, Ontario, and started his oil refinery business called J.L Englehart & Company. Jacob moved to Petrolia in the late 1870’s and started a new business called Silver
Star Refinery. In 1880 he was also one of the founders of
Imperial Oil.
Jake and Charlotte met many times and over many years at dinner
parties. He had entered into business ventures with Isabella’s husband, George. It didn’t take