Gooderham and Worts, Distillery
I am a descendant of James Worts, who in 1831, traveled by ship with his eldest son (James Gooderham Worts) from England to ‘Muddy York’ (now Toronto, Canada). His goal was to erect a windmill on the shore of Lake Ontario. Having been a miller in England, this new windmill would provide the foundation for a new milling company that he and his brother-in-law, William Gooderham, would operate under the name of ‘Worts & Gooderham, Millers’.
The mill was built by the following summer (1832), when William Gooderham arrived in York, as part of a group numbering 54 people. This group included Gooderham’s family, Worts’ family as well as eleven children whose parents had died during the voyage. According to family accounts, William Gooderham is said to have adopted all of these children, ‘in all but name’. It remains a mystery who these children were and if their descendants know of their connection to the Gooderham family.
In 1834, with the milling business well established, Worts’ wife, Elizabeth, died in childbirth. Two weeks later, grief-stricken James Worts apparently drowned himself in the company well. William Gooderham once again stepped in to become the guardian of all the Worts children.
In about 1837, Gooderham, his older sons, plus the eldest Worts child (James Gooderham Worts), realized that they could create a secondary business by using the bi-products of milling to make alcohol. It wasn’t long before the main focus of the business became distilling. In the mid-1840s, James Gooderham Worts was made a full partner in the newly created firm of ‘Gooderham and Worts, Distillers’. By late in the 19th century, G&W became the largest distillery in North America.
To explore more about Gooderham and Worts Distillery, please see the online exhibit, called ‘Booze in Old Town Toronto’, that is available at the Virtual Museum of Canada website – click here.
