Watford was first settled in 1851 at what was known as Brown's Corners, a stagecoach stop between the village of Warwick and Brooke Township. The Great Western Railway was built in 1856 and caused the settlement to be relocated near the tracks, in its present location. It was incorporated as the village of Watford in 1873. Watford was either named for the Watford in England, or by Col. Brown for his home town of Watford, Ireland.

There was a great fire in the 1880s on November 5 that destroyed much of the town during a Guy Fawkes Night celebration.

In 1972 Watford Roof Truss started manufacturing wood trusses for delivery in the Southwestern Ontario and Southern Michigan markets. Watford Roof Truss is still a major employer in the town. In 2009 they made a deal with Toronto that this small town would get a couple of million dollars every year for holding their garbage.

editor's collection	editor's collection
editor's collection The captions on these 3 postcards say it all. These 3 cards are post marked ca.1911	This is a nice vintage cabinet photo of a young woman, framed in an oval. The subject is identified as Margaret Ward and the date October 20, 1902. We did some research and believe this information may pertain to the subject of this photo:    MARGARET ELLEN4 HARROWER (ANDREW3, SARAH2 WILLIAMSON, JOHN1) was born May 7, 1878 in Lambton County , Warwick Ontario Canada, and died March 10, 1960. She married RICHARD JOHN FRANKLIN WARD September 11, 1901 in County of Lambton , Warwick, Ontario Canada, son of  WILLIAM WARD and SARAH WILLIAMSON. He was born August 12, 1877 in County of Lambton ,Warwick , Ontario Canada, and died June 11, 1929.
editor's collection Lizzie Squire Lucas	editor's collection James Jardine

To Whom It May Concern:

I discovered your website today while searching for pictures of the Petrolia oil discovery.  You have some great pictures there. 

I am currently making a documentary about my great uncle, D.A. Maxwell or David Alexander Maxwell, a Watford blacksmith, who invented one of the first cars in Canada in 1900. 

His car was the Maxmobile and I have attached a couple of photos to this email for you to see. 

Needless to say, oil and gas were integral to the invention and development of the automobile. 

Would you be able to give me permission to use a couple of the photos of oil wells found on your website in my documentary?  I sure would appreciate it.

Max Mitchell

High Rolls, New Mexico

P.S. I was born in Petrolia in 1949.  My aunt, Mary Douglas, a school teacher, recently passed away in Petrolia.