Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1960-11-03, Page 6TM MAW BNPOSiTOIt, BEAFOUTH, ONT., NOV, 3, 1960 RecaIi Early Days In Huron History (The author of the following let- ter, the late W. L. McLaren Doig, of Tuckersmith, describes condi- tions as he recalled them during the seventies. Mr. Doig during his lifetime was a frequent contribu- tor to the columns of The Exposi- tor, and many of the incidents re- corded here have appeared pre- viously.) In the spring of 1865, at the age of six years, I started to attend school in S.S. No. 2, Tuckersmith. Nearly every log house at that time was well filled with strong lusty boys and girls who were at- tending school. There were no old maids going around then advocat- ing birth control, or telling mothers how to raise their children. I did not attend school the following win- ter, as the snow was so deep that a little chap could not get through on account of there 'being high rail fences on both sides of the road, and the snow sometimes drifted over the top of them. In the spring of 1866,. when the weather got warm, I again started up to No. 2 in my bare feet, and my dinner in a little tin pail. " There was a large attendance, many of the pupils being big boys and girls, One day at noon, while the teacher was gone, two of the big boys got into a fight and one knocked the other down, and in falling he fell against me and knocked e me down,and the back of my head structhe floor with great force. I was not able to attend my class that afternoon, and after I got home I became much worse and my brother, An- drew, was sent to Brucefield for Dr. Munroe. 'The • doctor thought that my skull• was fractured, and, it was some time before I got bet- ter, and he advised my parents not to send me to school any more that year, and told my father to take me out with him as much as he could. He was a member of both the township and county councils that year and he started to take me -out to the meetings of the town- ship councils. They met quite of- ten in Egmondville, either at John Daly's or at Widow Robertson's Hotel, and sometimes in Seaforth, as all of Seaforth south of the Huron Road was then a part of . Tuckersmith, The late William Muir was the township clerk and treasurer. He was a bachelor; he had lost out in a love affair, as his girl had mar- ried another suitor. Nevertheless, he was a fine man and had some of the finest apples I ever tasted, and which I very much admired Sell that unnecessary piece of furniture through a Huron Exjposi- tor Classified Ad. Phone 141. EUCHRE Orange Hall, Seaforth Auspices Orange Hall Property Committee FRIDAY, NOV. 4th at 8:30 p.m. ADMISSION 40 CENTS — LUNCH SERVED — $4 off per ton Plus additional savings of $4.00 per ton, bulk or cus- tomer's bags, and $1.00 per ton picked up at mill. on all Co-op Dairy and Beef Concen- trates & Premix's • (This offer expires December 15i' Cash in on this 'get acquainted' offer and convert your full gran- ary into extra proflta with a Co-op balanced feeding program. Grains are deficient In come necessary nutrients. Co-op Con- centrates make up these de- ficiencies and give you InBreased milk • and meat ,production — greater profits for you. Seaforth Farmers in my boyhood days. At Meeting Of County Council The county council was to meet in June that year, and I was very anxious to go up with my father to the meeting. My mother was very much opposed to my going, as she was afraid that I mightget hurt or drowned at the county town; and, to make matters worse, it was the time of the Fenian Raid, and the battle of Ridgeway had been fought about tett days prior to the meeting of the county coon- cil, and a number of splendid young men had been slain on that day. A report had circulated that the Fenians had landed at Bay- field, which was not true, but there was more excitement in Hur- on County at that time than during the Great War, So, for a time it did not look as if I were going to get to Goderich,but by promising to keep within sight of my dad all the time, I was finally allowed to go. .... We drove over to Seaforth in the wagon, as there were very few buggies among the farmers in those days, and one of my sisters drove the team back home. Quite a few members of the county coun- cil got on the train at Seaforth, and a good many more at Clinton, as that was the only railway in Huron County at that time. When we got to Goderich we went to the hotel and it was some- what crowded, and the proprietor said we would have to sleep two in a bed, In the room allotted to us were two beds. My father and I slept in one, and Archie Bishop, the reeve of Usborne, and another councillor occupied the other bed. Slept With His Boots On. One night after father and I had gone to bed, Mr. Bishop, •and his bed fellow came in. At that meet- ing I believe nearly every mem- ber wore long boots and had a beard, so Archie was trying to pull off his friend's long boots, but was beaten. He then called to father and said: "John, you are a strong man; get up and pull off his boots." Father got up and pulled long and strong, but could not budge the boots. Mr. Bishop said he would call Tamas Gibson, and as he was a millwright he would surely be able to pull them off. So he rout- ed Mr. Gibson out of bed, and he came in with a determined look on his face, and started at the boots, first one and then the other, but could not move ',them. He then said, "You will have to go to bed with your boots on," which he did. Next morning when I 'awoke the boots were still on and sticking out over the foot of the bed. When he got up he was not feeling very we.11 and father told him that he had betternot' come over to the council meeting, but he insisted that he was all right, and over he went. They were discussing some- thing that morning and up he jumped to have this say. He stood speechless for a time and then scratched his head and said, "I have lost my point," and sat down, much to the amusement of the other members. The night he slept with his boots on was the last night we were in Goderich, and how he got them off when he got home I never heard. Some Of the Old Time Members The county council at that time included Huron and Bruce which were united, but that was the last year of the union, as the following year the Bruce members met at Walkerton. The members of that council, I believe, were a very able body of men, both physical and mentally. They were nearly all of British birth and pioneers. 'The warden was Robert Gibbons; county clerk was Peter Adamson and the county treasurer was Col. A. M. Ross. As I recollect, some of the Bruce members were fine speakers, and I liked to listen to them. Quite a few of them were Highland Scotch and could speak the Gaelic; and several of them were fine singers. I remember two of them quite distinctly. One was John Gillies. He was a big broad -shouldered man, a bachelor, and he often picked me up and carried, me, and told me stories of what fine deer and fish they had up in Bruce County. He afterwards was a member of parliament for one of the Bruce ridings, but I never saw him again, Another very jolly members was na OFFICERS ELECTED at the annual meeting at Seaforth last Wednesday, of the Perth -Huron District 8 of the Ontario As- sociation of Agricultural Societies, included, from the left: John Ritter, RR 2, Atwood, secretary -treasurer; Mrs. Roy Coul- ter, Milverton, associate director of the women's division; John Siemon, Mitchell, president; Mrs. Lorne Scrimgeour, Blyth, secretary -treasurer of the women's division; Mrs. Joseph Grummett, Seaforth, director of the women's division. (B-H photo.) Thomas Adair. He was a grain buyer in Southampton and a very fine singer. Both of these men were very close friends of my father and they were frequently to- gether. .I remember a few of the Huron men, one of whom being Thomas Gibson, of Wroxeter. He was a fine singer, and I believe eve the only memberof the council who was a total abstainer. Hum- phrey Snell, of Hullett, was a member, and a fine big jolly man he was. He invited me to come up and visit his boys, but I never saw them until I reached manhood, The Fenian Raid Excitement As I before stated, this was the time of- the Fenian Raid and a large number of young volunteers with red coats from Huron and Bruce were in Goderich to repel the Fenian invasion, should they attempt to land there or in Bay- field. The town of Goderich was fortified with rifle pits, and sen- tries were on duty both day and night. There was also a gunboat, which had arrived from England, with blue jackets, rifles and Arm- strong guns. About noon one day we got a proper scare. The town bell was rung and a cannon was fired, and the reason given was that a sus- picious looking vessel was coming in. Very black smoke was issu- ing from her funnel, and they were certain it was the Fenians, for the Canadian vessels burnt wood those days. But all fears were allayed when it was learned that the ves- sel was a United States revenue cutter, under the command of General Sherman, commander-in- chief of the American Army. The vessel was fully - equipped, with uniformed men belonging to the naval service, and had the appear- ance of a regular warship. We visited both boats. The Am- erican boat was a beautiful boat, and -everything was polished. Gen-- eral Sherman was seated at the head of the table having lunch with his officers and men. The British boat also was well equip- ped and manned by a hardy look- ing lot of British seamen, who no doubt would have made short work of the Fenians had they got an opportunity. That night there was a banquet in Goderich, and Col. A. M. Ross told General Sherman about the raid that the Fenians had made, and about the young men who had been slain, and warned him if they came agamthey would be treated as murderers and hanged. Sher- man expressed sorrow for what had happened and said that his mission was to prevent any more raids from being made, and that they were patrolling the lakes and rivers so that nothing of that na- ture would occur in the future. KIWANIS MUSK FESTIVAL STRATFORD March 6 -15, 1961 Official Syllabus Now Available Write for Free Copy P.O. BOX 103 STRATFORD COLDER - - - With snow - "BE PREPARED ! SMYTH'S SHOE STORE Have a Large Selection of Warm Winter Footwear For the Children — Easy -to -put-on Fleece Lined Overshoes For the Teen-Agerp --- Snow Boots in Suede Leather and Rubber For Mom and Dad — Nylon and Rubber Over- shoes for Work and Dress SKATES TOO SMALL? Just take them to Smyth's and trade them for a New or Used Pair. "THE HOME OF BETTER SHOES" :' .?hoiae 9 — :; eafieh NEWS OF ST. COLUMBAN SPECIAL HIGH MASS MARKS 25th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Try Norm Johnny's or nn s g En ltsh Style Fish and Chips, pure beef hamburgs, foot -long hot dogs. Take out service. Phone 104, Sea - forth. Quick Service.—(Adv.). On • Saturday Mr. and "Mrs. Maurice Dalton celebrated the 25th anniversary of their wedding by attending a High Mass of Thanksgiving - at • St. Colurnban Church. In the evening a group of neigh- bors and relatives gathered at their home to honor them. An ad- dress of congratulations and good wishes was read by Auguste Ducharme and gifts were present- ed: a chesterfield and chair and an electric fry pan from the fam- ily, a coffee table, two step-up end tables, two table lamps and other gifts from relatives and neighbors. Both Maurice and Grace expressed their appreciation. Mrs. Dalton is the former Grace Moylan, a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Moylan, and Mr. Dalton is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs.• John Dalton. They were married in St. Columban's Roman Catholic Church in 1935 by the late Rev. J. Dantzer. They have a family of five. daughters and a son: Mrs. Jerry (Marie) Eckert, Owen Sound; Noreen, Brantford; Joan, Preston; Anne, Dorothy and Jack, at home. During the evening, progressive euchre was played,- first prizes be- ing won by Mrs. James O'Connor and Joe Kale, and consolation' priz- es going to Mrs. Albert Cronin and Harold Pethick. A delicious lunch was served, and dancing was en- joyed for the remainder of the evening. Mr. and Mrs, Stephen Holland and family,, Brantford, with Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Holland. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Eckert and Tom Eckert in Waterdown. • Miss Mary Cronin, Kitchener, andwith Mr. Mrs. Albert Cronin. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Flanagan, Kitchener, and Mr. and Mrs. Ken Lane, Sarnia, with Mr. and Mrs. V. J. ,Lane. Jack Malone, Guelph, and Sheila Malone, Kitchener, with Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Malone. Mrs. E. J. Reynolds and Robert, Kitchener, with Mr. and Mrs. Jack McIver. Miss Cleo Bowman, London, with Mr. and Mrs, Frank Bowman, Mr. and Mrs. Auguste Duch- arme in London. Mr. and Mrs. John McQuaid, St. Thomas, with Mr. and Mrs. Jos. Burke. Mrs. R. MacDonald, Stratford, with Mrs. Nora Maloney. Miss Anne Morris, London, with Mr. and Mrs. Tom Morris. Mrs. Maurice Melady and Jack Melady in Prescott and Ottawa for the weekend. Miss Marcia Williams, Flint, with Mr. and Mrs. William -Mc- Millan. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Maloney and family in Owen Sound. Pat' Sloan, Collingwood, with Mr. and".Mrs. James Sloan. L.O.L. Names Euchre Winners Seaforth LOL 793 held a success- ful euchre Friday night. Winners were: Ladies: first, Mrs. Alex Mc- Michael; lone hands, Mrs. William Austin; consolation, Mrs. William Blair; men: first, Harvey Dol-' mage; lone hands, William Aus- tin; consolation, Albert O'Reilly. FALL FAIRS, 1960 Toronto (Royal Winter Fair) Nov. 11 'to 19 WESTINGHOUSE RyERs y. . Just the Thing For These Cold Wash Days ! Let your wife do her weekly wash chores in the warmth of the house with a DIRECT AIR FLOW DRYER by Westinghouse Only the Westinghouse Dryer blows fresh warm air DIRECTLY into your tumbling clothes .. . dries them faster, fluffier. The Perfect match for a Westinghouse Laundromat. From $154.00 Low Down Payment V EASY TERMS Box Furniture Phone 43 Seaforth "Moby Dick" A Sodden Cow There was great excitement in Whitechurch one morning last week when the word got around that a whale was swimming about in Herbert Laidlaw's outside cis- tern. Further investigation dis- closed that a cow had wandered onto the board covering of the, tank and had broken through. With the aid of Thomas Morrison's wrecker the animal was hauled to safety and meandered back to its owner, Gordon Rintoul, apparently none the worse for the ducking,-- Wingham Advance -Times. Isn't it peculiar that middle age always starts a few years earlier for the other -fellow? .111111111111111111111111111111111111111110H1111 FALL PARTIES! With the cooler weather here, so are fall parties PREPARE NOW EXPERT DRY CLEANING We do expert dry cleaning on our premises. Call for free pick-up now and "be ready for the many parties! FLANNERY CLEANERS Phone 87 Seaforth IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIfllll ,V 1957 Dodge Four -Door 2-1956 Dodge Four -Door 1955 De Soto Four -Door; Automatic, Radio 1959 Austin -Healy Sprite • ROWCLIFFE MOTORS DODGE - DE SOTO SALES and SERVICE Phone 267 Seaforth WANT ADS BRING QUICK RESULTS -- Phone 141 Read the Advertisements — It's a Profitable Pastime / IT'S WHITE • GLOVE CLEAN Iron Fireman CUSTOM Mark 11 firing revolutionizes oil heating. There's no soot or smoke with re - stifling fuel waste. The flame starts clean and stays dean. Unequalled indoor comfort due to short, fre- quent, thermostat controlled firing periods. The CUSTOM Mark It furnace is years ahead in oil heating. See for yourself. Here's the Inside story of the new IRON FIREMAN CUSTOM Mork 11 OIL FURNACE • An oil flame that starts clean and stays clean. • No soot from your chimney or in your home- • Owners report they save ane gallon of oil out of three. • Elimination of soot and carbon means trouble-free opera- tion. • Provides Its own combustion air flow —no chimney draft needed. • Thermostat -con- trolled heat is even and steady. Ask for demonstration and free survey S GINGERICH'S SALES and SERVICE Phone 585 Seaforth NOW GET COKE IN 3 STIES 14,41d7 we¢y.rrd o- ',7* {Y j ,� F9 4? L'k est o ,ttiM >S: ti /:l ti/ �Y 4r .0 v:. 4�9:(v4 r<:1 L{ ..:� �rikl: Y. Sir Cp.:l.+v ti $.Y ;S•y d Fo <•. ers i..dr' AIN'S .s"' t<d rt, ' VA:;1 ss^i f te y{ `i�r SFr <ir'" !1.i .•F...+, 1:;4,4:7/0/h,fi rr hrr:'., fe>:. >. REG/.AR res• WI/ k }114.;" h* ij < n sari} rr l 7 /4f1,r ..410/ CA t,cr rs i. �"f4r � 4.• ; 0�,s"14io .:8y, Y9oSt'> j og'+rp•fkE.•!.. ti (//y4 'WAR WC AV 'WO Ri 4 + 11.10 /'' ' rr rr.f`C=SJ \.0".iif.LC i�i'Jf \S' �rk.6 411t 44 <. # pir 3! : ' ' idss k°ir /14• A CALL FOR "CONC.' 15 A CALL FOR "COCA-COLA" - DOM TRADE NARKS UM THE PRODUCT OF COCA-COLA LTD. :;:f'+: "6.,,,,.:.:f:.ea s;aLbid '£7 d f'�3��t% s $ ,141/4 {; .•".F.t do• p y `s g' ,q yr:it t•:• . , •� fi::.v:;R r'47e`fs de`�� :• e.r:::1,v •na✓e:S .y�4J5}F S8b �Y Aviv f�'�s 12th 011Y /`e y`:lr<i%d „:41,1;31 ,�°C Al >/., . 9 .�r x 3s/ VfF/F t�7d� s { rta ICP 1:41. x.s .s ''.4/1111 x: H ,W11 R 5' :I f s Y Al 4/ F ss 1 FL f)/ -stet REGULAR SIZE FAMILY SIZE KING SIZE -6 ItoUles 38s pips deposit Ns or 2 for 3Sr plus deposit 8 bottles 41c plus Nina BE REALLY REFRESHED ... with sparkling Coke, For the crisp, clean taste of ice cold Cola -Cola In three con. every occasion there's a bottle of Coca-Cola with just venient sizes—Regular, Family and King, Get Coca-Cola the right amount of delightful refreshment for you. Enjoy in the handiest size for yooe today. Aulhorixed bottler of Coca-Cola under contract with Coco -Cola Ltd. ESBECO LIMITED STRATPORD, ONTARIO