John Gottlieb (or Gerhard) Kolfage

 Born:       1819, Hanover, Germany
Master:   1858
Other: First mayor of Amherstburg 1878
Died:   September 19, 1890

John G. Kolfage, First Chief Magistrate
Served Municipality Three Years

 Amherstburg’s Municipal Hall of Fame has been completed and the pictures of all the mayors, from John G. Kolfage, who was the first mayor in 1878, down to J. Ernest McGee, the present incumbent, grace the walls of the tax collector’s office.  The pictures are all the same size and all are good likenesses of these men.  This is a splendid method of preserving the mayoralty history of Amherstburg for posterity and already is proving a source of interest to those citizens who were not familiar with the town’s early municipal heads.

 John G. Kolfage, who had the honor of being Amherstburg’s first chief magistrate after its incorporation as a town, was born in Germany and came to Canada when quite young.  He opened a dry goods store in Amherstburg in the block where the C.H. Smith & Co. Store is now located.   In 1877 he built the Kolfage Block on Murray Street, now known as the Hadley block.  He moved his hardware business to the part of the building in which the Fort Malden Hotel is located and his boot and shoe business to that part where the T. Eaton Co. Mail order branch now is.  Mr. Kolfage also operated a tannery near where the Wigle & Sons mill is now.  It was destroyed by fire at the same time that the McLeod’s distillery was burned.  The Kolfage home was located down the bank on what is now the David Bailey property.

 After coming here Mr. Kolfage was married to Miss Brown of Amherstburg, whose family home was the building now occupied by Capt. Walter Callam, Dalhousie Street.  They had seven children:  Herman J., Martha, Mrs. D. Nicholson, wife of Capt. Nicholson; Thomas and Walter S., who jointly owned the building now occupied by the Caldwell Arms; Septimus S., who married Miss Maggie Borrowman who is living in Chatham at present; Edward, who was a sailor; Frances, Mrs. Cruse of New York, and John G. Jr. who ran a boot and shoe store in the Haldey block until his death.  None of the children are living.

 Mr. Kolfage was elected mayor in 1878 and served for three terms.  He was an astute businessman and highly respected citizen.  Many of the older residents can remember the gas plant, which he built where he manufactured gas and used it to illuminate his store.

 The first council after incorporation was composed of the following:  Mayor, John G. Kolfage;  Reeve, WD Balfour; Deputy-Reeve, John Crimmins; Councilors, Ward One, George Middleditch, Alfred Bailey, Charles W. Thomas; Ward Two, Simon Bertrand, Zenobie Morin, John Bell; Ward Three, W.T. Wilkinson, H.G. West, Peter Cadaret.

“Pictures of Amherstburg”, Amherstburg Echo, January 8, 1937.

AMHERSTBURG IN MOURNING
Two of Her Oldest Citizens Dead

 EX-MAYOR JOHN G. KOLFAGE AND WILLIAM COUSINS

 On Saturday of last week, the people of Amherstburg were surprised and grieved to learn of the death, that morning, of two of the oldest, most prominent and most highly respected citizens of the Town, and, in the case of one the end came suddenly and unexpectedly.  John G. Kolfage and William Cousins have been two of the most familiar names and figures in the history of Amherstburg for fully half a century, and they were known and esteemed by every resident throughout the district, during this long period, and their familiar figures will long be missed and their memories revered by a wide circle of warm friends. 

JOHN G. KOLFAGE

 Death came very suddenly early Saturday morning.  On the previous day, he had been about the town as usual, greeting his friends and discharging his official duties, apparently in his usual good health, but shortly after 3 o’clock in the morning, the inmates of his residence on the river front were awakened by a noise as of one in severe pain and entered his room to find him just able to speak and complain of a choking feeling, and, before a physician could be summoned or any of the neighbors called, he was dead, evidently from heart trouble.  Deceased was a native of Germany, having been born in Hanover in 1819.  All Germans acquire a trade and, after perfecting himself as a shoemaker, he came to America in 1835, and during a two-years’ residence in Detroit, had an interest in an extensive boot and shoe business there.  Removing to Amherstburg, in 1837, he opened a store in the same line, when this place was a very small village.  His business grew upon its merits and around the nucleus so formed, subsequently clustered more extended commercial enterprises, including a large tannery, and extensive dry goods and general store and a hardware store, in the operation of which he acquired an independence, purchased a fine farm on the river front and erected the large brick block on Murray Street, which still bears his name.  Several severe losses by fire somewhat crippled his enterprise in his latter years.  While the greater part of his time was occupied with his extensive private business, he still found time to take a lively interest in municipal matters and from the year 1851, when Amherstburg was first incorporated as a village, till the day of his death, few years passed that he did not occupy some position of trust at the hands of his fellow citizens.  He was a member of the first village council in 1851 and between that and 1878 he was re-elected twelve times and was chosen Reeve on three different occasions.  When the village was incorporated as a town in 1878, he was chosen as the first Mayor, and his friends presented him with a handsome gold-headed cane in honor of his election.  He was Mayor a second time in 1881 and, when the position of tax collector became vacant in 1883, he was appointed thereto and for the past eight years he has honestly, ably and untiringly discharged the duties in connection therewith.  Mr. Kolfage always took a lively interest in the agricultural societies of Essex and at various times held official positions therein. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1853 and, in that as in other capacities, so bore himself as to secure the esteem and confidence of the community.  On the 15^th of August 1846, he was married to Miss Rebecca Brown, daughter of the late John Brown, and thirteen children were born to him, of whom five died in childhood.  His esteemed wife died in 1881, and, what is a strange coincidence, the 20^th of September was the anniversary of her death.  Six sons – Herman J., of Detroit, Septimas S., of Chatham, Thomas, Walter, Edward and John, of Amherstburg – and two daughters – Mrs. Capt. D. Nicholson, of Amherstburg, and Mrs. J.C. Kruse, of New York City – survive.  Deceased was a member of the Masonic Order and was connected with the Masonic Insurance Association.  He also, at one time, belonged to the Oddfellows, the Orange and other societies.

 THE FUNERAL

              The funeral of the late John G. Kolfage took place from the family residence, River Front, at 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, all the members of the family having arrived except Walter and Capt. Nicholson, who could not be communicated with in time.   The members of the Masonic Order had charge of the ceremonies and depurations were present from the lodges at Kingsville and Essex Centre.  The people of the Town turned out en masse and, long before the funeral cortege reached Christ Church the building was crowded to the doors.  The funeral procession was headed by the police and firemen, next came the Town Council and officials, members of former councils, Rose Lodge I.O.O.F., Thistle Lodge A.F. & A.M., Central Lodge, A.F. & A.M. of Essex Town, and St. George’s Lodge A.F. & A.M., of Kingsville.  The pallbearers were Collector G. Gott, ex-Reeves C.W. Thomas and J.R. Park, Alanson Elliott, George Malott and Jas. J. Cousins.  The services at the church were conducted by the Rev. Mr. Fletcher, of Essex Town and the Masonic Services by Dr. Allworth.

“Pictures of Amherstburg”, Amherstburg Echo, September 19, 1890.

Back