The Disney Connection
Walt Disney’s paternal family originated from the Holmesville area in Huron County, Ontario. His great-grandfather, Arundel Elias Disney, immigrated from Ireland in the 1830s and settled near Holmesville in the early 1840s. He purchased land along the Maitland River and operated a saw and grist mill. Walt Disney’s grandfather, Kepple Disney, and father, Elias Disney, were both born in the region before the family relocated to the United States. In 1947, Walt Disney visited the area to explore his family’s Canadian roots and the land once owned by his ancestors.
