#126 EARLY MOTORING DEVOTEE
GRANDPA FRED--EARLY CAR ENTHUSIAST
My grandfather, Fred Homuth, was born on the family farm in 1889, but he, like
many young people at the turn of the 20th century, left for a white-collar job that offered regular pay, more
free time and a greater social life. Fred's first job was as a telegraph operator in
Wingham, Hamilton, then Elora. (He was considered a "smooth operator" as he quickly mastered the telegraph keys.) In Elora, he also began his four-year
apprenticeship in pharmacy, a job that gave him spending money to class up his
wardrobe, attend social events, and indulge his photography hobby.
In 1913, Fred was asked to go the train station to unload an automobile and deliver it to the customer. Fred had never driven before but he quickly figured out how to crank the car and shift the gears. He then drove the vehicle out to the customer and taught him how to drive it. Fred taught many folks how to drive their new automobiles.
This is one of my favourite photos of my grandfather. He’s
dressed up and donning a fashionable chauffeur hat. He is sitting proudly
behind the steering wheel and obviously had requested a friend to photograph
the scene.
Grandpa is sitting in his newly-purchased 1912 Model T Ford. The Touring Car has a square upright radiator, headlights mounted high and wide on the radiator support bar; the windshield is a two-piece fold-forward windshield; the car has wood-spoke artillery wheels, narrow tires with high ground clearance and an exposed running boards. It has a gas engine, 22.5 horsepower, seats 5, colour black.
Fred’s diaries show that he was driving a lot in 1913. He often borrowed a car for an evening or Sunday drive to a nearby town or to visit friends and family. Exactly when he bought this Model T Ford Touring Car is not known but he had registered it by 1915. Fred was one of the earliest car owners in Ontario ; in 1915, there were only 42,346 passenger cars registered in the province.
At that time, it was not necessary to be tested or licensed to
drive a car. In 1917, it became “optional” that private owners secure a
license as an indication of their driving ability. On July 1, 1927, all Ontario
drivers were required to have an operator’s license, although anyone, like
Fred, who had driven for at least six months or 500 miles and who suffered no mental
or physical disability, was exempt from this driving test. More than likely my
grandfather never took a driving test until he became a senior citizen.
Around 1915, a Ford Model T Touring Car would have cost
about $500. This made it an affordable
car, but ownership still required a stable income, some savings and confidence
in ongoing earnings. Beyond the purchase price, owners had to buy fuel (cheap
but always nearby), replace tires (a major recurring expense), find storage (a
shed or barn at minimum) and frequently maintain the vehicle (owners often became their
own mechanics).
A Ford was regarded as an affordable auto for the middle
class. Owning a Model T did not imply wealth or extravagance but it did imply
practicality, judgment and independence. Fred wasn’t showing off, but would be
seen as sensible, capable and progressive.
Fred’s poise and confidence in this photo portrays him as a
young man financially stable, technically comfortable, socially respected and as someone “keeping up with the times”. Owning and driving a car was a
point of quiet pride.
In 1926, Fred sold his Ford for $80 and went to Toronto to
buy a new car. In 1926, 1927, and 1930, he bought a new Durant right off the Toronto assembly line and drove it home.
It seems that, over his lifetime, Fred bought at least twelve new cars. Each one had more and improved features. His last car, a 1965 Mercury Park Lane, purchased for $5052, came loaded with power steering, brakes, windows, antenna and front bench; air-conditioning, an AM/FM radio, tinted glass, speed control, tilt steering wheel and electric rear window.
These are the car models Grandpa owned.
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1949 Monarch     |
Quite the collection.
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