Jenny O'Hara Pincock: The Last O'Hara at The Homestead

THROWBACK THURSDAY/ JULY 9TH, 2020

Welcome back everyone! Today we are going to be looking at a very interesting member of the O’Hara Family, Jenny O’Hara Pincock.

Jenny was born on April 23, 1890 in Madoc. The third born daughter of Benson and Minnie O’Hara, Jenny would go on to live a very interesting life.

Like many women in the O’Hara family, Jenny was very artistically inclined. In 1908 she began to study music at the Ontario Ladies’ College in Whitby Ontario. In 1912 she went on to continue studying music at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

On June 15, 1915 she married osteopath Robert Newton Pincock and moved with him to St. Catharines, Ont. where he maintained a practice. Her husband died in 1928.

Jenny became very interested in spiritualism and in 1927 with her sister Minnie and brother-in-law Rev. Fred J.T. Maines, began to organize seances with Mr. William Cartheuser, an American medium! Notes from these seances were published in one of the two books she had published, Trails of Truth. Jenny helped her sister and brother-in-law set up The Church of Divine Revelation in St. Catherines, Ont. in 1930. However, in 1935 Jenny cut ties with both Cartheuser and the Church of Divine Revelation. Her interest in spiritualism is a very unique and interesting branch of the O’Hara family story!

In 1937, Jenny moved to Kitchener Ont. and a few short years later in 1942 she purchased her grandfather’s property in Madoc, or as it is known today, the O’Hara Homestead!

From an early age her grandfather’s property held a special place in Jenny’s heart, as was made evident in her writings. As mentioned before Jenny had two books published, Trails of Truth was published in 1930, and her second book, a collection of her poetry titled Hidden Springs, was published after her death in 1950. Jenny wrote a number of poems, many of which talked about the Homestead and told stories of fairies that she believed would play in the forest and meadows! Here is one of her poems:

OUT OF THE DAWN

(To Little Colleen)

“Little One, Little One out of the dawn, Why skip you thus over the lawn Like fleeting dream or fairy fawn? Up to my face her soul blue eyes She lifted, in wondering surprise, Then shaking the curls from their golden bed, And nodding her child-wise little head, “I might step on the dandelions!” she said.”
- Jenny O’Hara Pincock

Jenny O’Hara Pincock was the last of the O’Hara family to live at the Homestead. She cherished the Homestead and would spend much of her time enjoying the nature within it both as a child and later in life when she owned the property. Jenny died on the 13th of July, 1948.

Jenny left behind a very interesting legacy as a Canadian author, spiritualist, and musician!

We hope that you enjoyed learning about Jenny as much as we have!