Adelaide McLaughlin

The McLaughlin family is one of the most powerful in Oshawa's history, turning many parts of the city into what they are today. Adelaide, the wife of R.S. McLaughlin, the founder of General Motors, is credited for making her mark on health, education and local organizations.

Adelaide Louise Mowbray was born on Feb. 9, 1875, in the village of Kinsale, a community just north of Pickering. Adelaide grew up in a Methodist farming family in the nearby neighbourhood of Brougham. She worked on a farm most of her childhood and was home schooled for most of her early education, according to Parkwood Estate’s curator, Samantha George. “She was a typical young woman of her era where education, like scholastic and religious education, was important," George said. As an adult, she studied to become a teacher at the Ottawa Normal School, which then became known as the Ottawa Teacher’s College. “That's when I think she probably had a big revelation between leaving Brougham and then moving to Ottawa, which again, in that time, Ottawa was a lot smaller than even Toronto would have been,” according to George. After finishing teacher’s college, her family gave the farm to her brother and she settled in Brooklin. Adelaide then taught at Sinclair Public School in Whitby and Tyrone Public School, where she became head teacher and principal. While working in Tyrone, she met the man she would later marry during a church service. R.S. later described Adelaide in that moment as “the only person I really saw in the church that day. [She] was a vision of beauty in the choir.” They had two dates before R.S. proposed, and they married in 1898. Their children were born not much later, with daughters Eileen, Mildred, Isabel, Hilda, and Eleanor arriving between 1898 and 1908.

When Adelaide married Sam, she gave up her work as a teacher to start a family. However, she took on a much bigger role, having a strong influence on the community. She ran all the local schools’ Parent Teacher Associations, at that time called the Home and School movement. She joined the provincial federation for schools and later the national federation for schools, which predate the school boards of today. In the 1930s, she became president of the Ontario Home and School Federation, setting the curriculum for Ontario. She also spent her days running the maternity ward of the Oshawa General Hospital, now Lakeridge Health Oshawa. She was also instrumental in advocating for larger organizations to come to Oshawa, including the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), Girl Guides of Canada, and the Canadian Red Cross. Outside of being an advocate, she was also a public face in her community, where she would make appearances at small businesses. Where she went, others would follow. “She was always visible,” George said. "So, there were these expectations of her to attend every church bazaar, every Girl Guide jamboree, often she would be at parades," said George. "She just knew that she had that responsibility to be seen.” She said many stores also used her influence to sell their products. “She would make sure that on her days out, she would frequent the stores on King Street and Simcoe Street, " George said. “People would say something like, 'Adelaide McLaughlin bought her soap here today.'”

"I can't imagine what it would have been like to, I guess, it's like the royal family - you always have to look happy."

Outside of the public eye, Adelaide was a mother who raised her children to be thankful for what they had and tried to give them an upbringing similar to her own. The daughters shared bedrooms within Parkwood Estate and were home schooled until high school, where they attended what is now O’Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute. She also hosted many people at the estate, including at her famous Chrysanthemum tea, which drew in as many as 800 people. She was also quite competitive, according to Parkwood Estate’s autobiography on Adelaide, written by George. “She would always beat her husband at billiards and was a serious golfer."

“She also enjoyed the more sedate indoor games of bridge and Scrabble and was a fierce competitor who insisted on collecting any bets—no matter how small,” according to her biography. Parkwood Estate also included other game areas such a tennis court, squash court and bowling lane.

The biography also noted she was the president of the Canadian Women’s Senior Golf Association from 1937 until 1956, as well as being a lifetime member of the Toronto Ladies Golf and Tennis Club and the Seigniory Club in Quebec.

Adelaide fell into ill health for much of her later life and battled cancer in her final years. Yet she continued to put on a facade when she went out into the public eye to keep her illness private. Adelaide died in 1958 and was laid to rest in a custom private mausoleum in Union Cemetery. In her memory, Oshawa’s newest school was named Adelaide McLaughlin Public School, to celebrate her many years involved in education. The Girl Guides Association of Canada also named a nearby park "Ademac" after her. The park was sold to become a retreat in 2020. Queen’s University also unveiled a new residence named Adelaide Hall in her honour. According to Oshawa Museum’s Lisa Terech, there are two streets in Oshawa named in honour of Adelaide. The most recognized one being Adelaide Street, where Parkwood estate now sits, and Alma, which uses the initials of Adelaide and a woman known as Mrs. Mazo, the women who brought a hospital to the city.