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 _Robert RICH ________|
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|--William Bennett RICH 
|  (1791 - 1864)
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|_Sarah BENNETT ______|
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[N2975] Taken from the book - Memories of Goderich:

"William Bennett Rich had been an officer in Wellington's army. When the war was over he was retired on half pay. It was a time when one had to be independently wealthy to keep up the social life of an officer in the British army. It was decided that the only resort was to emigrate.

Rich came to Canada and got a job with The Canada Company. Perhaps he had something to do with the naming of our streets, almost all of which, in the older part of town, echo the names made famous in the wars with Napoleon. He lived first in one of the usual log structures then built the house which still stands on the corner of Lighthouse and Wellesley. He bought a large amount of real estate and was active in the town's affairs, serving on the first town council and organizing a building society in which people could invest or from which they could borrow money for building.

But his greatest claim to fame in 1977? (should this be 1877?) is the fact that he was the father of seven daughters. Three of them married men whose objectives seem to have been to outdo their father-in-law in the size of house they provided. One married Charles Widder, who had been an official of the Canada Company. He built the house at the north end of Wellington Street, now occupied by Mr. Caley Hill. Another son-in-law built the house on St. Vincent Street now owned by Judge Carter. Still another had Adam MacVicare build for him the handsome stone house on the Huron Road which we know as Roy Rundle's. Elizabeth married William Geary, contractor and stage-coach operator, who cleared the land for the Huron County Gaol."