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. .
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Let your wife do her weekly wash chores in the warmth of the
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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
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firing revolutionizes oil heating.
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Ask for demonstration and free survey
S
GINGERICH'S
SALES and SERVICE
Phone 585 Seaforth
NOW GET COKE IN 3 STIES
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