Originally posted on Facebook: March 29, 2020 

Sargent Planing Mill - Fire Insurance Plans

These images are urban city maps created for insurance companies to provide them with information about building composition and to assess fire risk and assist in assigning insurance rates. These plans provide details on building construction and usage and help give a static impression of streetscapes, neighborhoods and business/ commercial regions. These are snippings of a larger plan which can be found with other city plans at https://www.lib.uwo.ca/madgic/fips.html

Isaac Sargent (our 2nd Great Grandfather), a carpenter was John Sargent's father (Great Grandfather), who immigrated to Canada with his wife Anne Lane and the family around 1870. By about 1884 there is evidence that Isaac built a planing mill at the corner of King and Adelaide Streets in London.

These three images demonstrate that fact. The first while not under the Sargent name are clearly the same structure across all three plans. Notice the pink boxes on the right of the document, these are houses with their associated street addresses.  The Sargent family lived at 590 King Street for many years. John (b. 1864) had two brothers (James b. 1867 & William b. 1870) who worked and lived on King in some of the other homes shown here.

1888 Insurance Plan

London, Ontario

This is the earliest plan, no name is associated with the mill, but there is evidence that Isaac owned the property by this time. 

Plan Information  Title:  Insurance Plan of the City of London, Ontario, Canada  Date:  Surveyed October 1881 revised July 1888  Publisher:  Charles E. Goad Co.  Place of Publication:  Montreal

1892 Insurance Plan

London, Ontario

By 1892 Isaac Sargent's name is printed over the mill location.

Plan Information  Title:  Insurance Plan of the City of London, Ontario, Canada  Date:  February 1892 revised July 1907  Publisher:  Charles E. Goad Co.  Place of Publication:  Montreal

1912 Insurance Plan

London, Ontario

In 1912 the mill becomes Sargent & Sons as William, John and James have likely by this time taken over much of the production. Isaac dies in April of 1913. 

Plan Information  Title:  Insurance Plan of the City of London, Ontario, Canada  Date:  February 1912 revised March 1915  Publisher:  Charles E. Goad Co.  Place of Publication:  Montreal