Evergreen Farm

The Cummins family's association with Millgrove has been part of the village's history since the arrival of David Cummins and his wife Margaret Rymal in 1826. One of their sons, Charles Cummins and another Millgrove resident, John Ira Flatt, became business partners in a Millgrove lumber business and were resposible for cutting most of the white pine in the area.

In 1857, Charles Cummins married Lydia Baker, the granddaughter of another pioneer family who had settled in East Flamborough. Two years after his marriage to Lydia, she died, just twenty-one years old. This was most likely to childbirth complications as an infant died the same day. This was followed by the death of his second wife, Edna Grace Van Norman in 1862. She too was only twenty-one years old and probably died in childbirth as once again, an infant died the same day. Then his third wife, Mary Ann Orr, died in 1873, likely to childbirth complications as she died just a few weeks after birthing her last child. Charles married for a fourth time and in 1891 moved to Lot 17 and built this large red brick house, now called 'Evergreen Farm', on property he had obtained from his father. Perhaps Charles and his new wife, Jessie Rolph Baker hoped that a new move and new home would bring some happiness, but just four years later, Charles Cummins was a widower once again. All of this sadness is recorded on his tombstone in the Millgrove Cemetery - a story often repeated in many small villages like Millgrove.