HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1976-09-30, Page 17successful operation POrf9Tine.4 by Dr, :Armour.''
Judge died Aug* $1i1916,. MI, train a
Alf4n0a1P ffe .4_44 'started for Toronto APIA hi* summerhome at Aent10c9g, where he itad.Spent tWO.:
A gileral MOO was held in the re'sidence,.40 St.
George Street, T9T-9abli_CondI*4 Awn _L
'OulaS Eakins of 4t. Andrew's • Presbyterian
Church, • and Rey,- T. Crawford Brown. Pallbearers,
were Sir.Williant Meredith, Mr, Justice Magee,.
Featherstone•Angus MeMnrellY.,
Standard, McDougall, Mr. Instiec.Britton ?told
Seantor Men‘yOrth, .
The funeral in Goderich took plate from the:.
residence of Charles Gamow, North Street, the ,
service. being conducted by Rev, Pr. E akinsi ,
Bearers were Judge Dickson, D. M9Ponald, Sheriff
R. G. Reynolds, William Proudfoot, M.f0A4 Dr,
W.J.R,Holmes and Dr, A, Taylor.
Mrs. Garrow, the former Mary 'Balfour Fietcheri
died in Toronto in 1933. There were aeVenShildren.
. Seven Children
Edward F., the eldest, „secretary of the British
American. Assurance Company, .married Marjorie.
Cochrane, of Toronto. Edward died , in. 1928 in
England, and was buried there.
Charles, Goderich barrister, married M anon
Shepherd, of Goderich. lie was Appointed to the
Ontario High Court in 1929. He' died in Toronto, in
1934.
Hon. Charles Garrow, 1875-1934; son of Hon. J. T.
Garrow; Justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario,
1929-1934.
,j7.3.4,4//447,
•"i
4
5.-
. By W. E. Elliott
A white brick cottage in Concession f, McKillop,
invisible from an public road, sits drowsing In the
autumn sun, enIjty of all but memories.. Memories
of five children; of one boy who left the farm to,
become a lawyer and became a cabinet minister
before appointment to the Ontario High Court.
Memories, loo, of the youngest Son, fir whom the
cottage was home most otitis life and who developed
one 'of, the most ontstanding farm properties in
Huron,
Of Mr„ Justice James T. Garrow, the Huron Bar
Association said; "His logical and analytical mind,
his clear grasp of the most intricate details, his
capacity for prolonged labor and his restless energy
qualified him to fin the high and honorable position
to which he was summoned as a member of the
Court of Appeal."
At the death of Robert Garrow, the bachelor
farmer, the 'Huron Expositor said; "Always a man
of quiet manner, he nevertheless possessed a
geniality, wit and honeSty that made and retained
for him countless friends." The Goderich Star,
opposed to him politically, said Mr. Garrow was''
"highly esteemed by his neighbors 'and. the whole
community because of his generosity and fine
qualities."
With this preview of the two best known sons of
Edward Garrow, whose lives were so different, the
story of the Garrows in Huron begins with the first
settler. Edward was born not far from Stirling Castle
in Scotland. There are still Garrows in that area,
including Alexander Garrow, Labor M.P. for the
Pollok division of Glasgow. In Northumberland there
is Sir Nicholas, knighted for his activities in various
welfare organizations.
on. ames ompson Garrow, 1843-1916;
Warden of Huron, 1880; Member for West Huron in
Ontario Legislature, 1890-1902 member of the
Cabinet of Hon. A.S. Hardy, 1898-99;, Justice' of
Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Ontario,
1902-1916. Local Judge in 'Admiralty of the
Canadian Eichequer Court, 1910-16.
„ a rrow
Edward was 37 when in 1842, Glaigow, he
married Rebeeett Kay, 24, They Migrated to Canada
in 1843, and were in Chippewa, Upper Canada,
when James, their eldest son, was born on March
11, 1843. His name appears, Or at one time did
appear, on the baptisinal roll 'of the Chippewa
Church of which the minister was the Reverend
Charles Fletcher, sent from Scotland in that year as
a Missionary. Mr. Fletcher in.1846 became minister
of the United Presbyterian Church in Goderich, and
was also ' superintendent of common schools, a
county appointment. He resigned as minister in
1851. His eldest daughter, Mary Balfour, born in
1847, subsequently became the wife of James
Garrow.
The Garrow clan is listed as entitled to wear the
Stewart tartan (of which there are many). The Huron
Garrows have not been known to do so, but
apparently the family also traces back through the
Fletchers, Farquharsons, Maitlands to the'House of
Stewart. Farquharsons established an
additional connection by marriage.
The other children of Edward and Rebecca
Garrow, besides James and 'Robert, were Edward,
John and Janet, and three who died in infancy.
"GARROW- 'On Saturday Aug. 25, at his
residence in McKillop, Edward Garrow, a native of
Stirling, Scotland, in his 90th year."
The foregoing death notice appeared in the Huron
Expositor in 1894, but diligent search of Seaforth
and other newspaper files has turned up no obituary
article. This is something of a mystery, and-certainly
disappointing, for Edward Garrow, although he
settled in McKillop later than the pioneer Scotts,
Dicksons, Grieves and Govenlocks --March, 1854, is
the date of his grant of the north half of Lots 28 and
29 in Concession I -- there were still forty years of
which a contemporary record would have been
interesting to later generations,
1888 Will
One contemporary 'document is Edward's will,
made in 1888, in which he provided for his wife, left
$500 to Edward the younger, and the rest of his
estate equally to his daughter Janet and his son
Robert. Robert was 36 *hen the father died and
when for a first time he became owner, in part, of
„ the farm he worked. James T. Garrow, the brother
practising law in Goderich, was not a beneficiary,
and Was one of 'the _witnesses to Edward's
signature. The other was his son Charles, a future
barrister and judge, but at the time 13.
EdWard Garrow and his wife saw no need for
more than one baptismal name for their children,
but James later adopted Thompson as middle name.
It is also the middle name of James T. Garrow,
member of a Toronto law firm at the present time:
Robert Garrow made his will in 1906, leaving
everything to "thy dear sister Janet" and
appointing as executors Janet, James and Edward.
All three died before Robert himself iu 1932. Judge
Charles Garrow and Margaret Garrow, of Toronto,
were appointed administrators. The newpaper
obituary of Robert mentioned Edward as of Cobalt,
and Dr. John as. of New Westminster, B.C. Nothing
further has been learned about them.
Not Good Enough
, yribert, as mentioned, was 36 years of age when
his fattier died. long before that, he had met the girl
he wished to marry. According to a former' resident
of the area, his parents "did not think her good
enouoh." Whether or not that was the case. one can
imagine cOmplicatiens with tWC!' Women already
the house, end Robert evidently in no position to.
forsake the faarilly farm. Qf CO-tIrq,e there is nothing
on the ,record, hilt it I* said that Robert's romance
did not end ail that abruF4-
James Garrow on leaving the farm attended
Grammar School in Goderich, nominally a county
institution. 'ft is recorded that he boarded "at the
Huron" while studying. JAW under Isaac F. Toms
(County Judge, 1882095) and that he completed
his course at Osgoode Hall. He was admitted
solicitor in 1868, was called to. the Bar inI1869, and
Was appointed King's 'Counsel by the -Marquis of
Lorne in 1895. In Goderich council-lie was reeve
from 1874 to 1880, involving attendance at county
council. In his last year there he was warden of
Huron, following Thomas E Hays.
In 1890, succeeding • Hon. , A. M. Ross, he was
elected to the Ontario Legislature from West Huron
in the first of Ave contests. Elections in those days
were a form of public entertainment --a game--in
which the whole population took part. The issues, if
described now, would be of nolnterest, but to
partisans of the time they were vital.
J. T. Garrow's opponents were Conservative he
. did accuse one of being a member of the P.P.A.
(Protestant Protective Association) and his
majorities were small.
Narrow Win
In. the 1890 contest,. the electors gave Garrow
2125 votes, J. M, Roberts 2013. In 1894 his opponent
was. James Connolly, a GO`derich drover, who
received 2187 votes to Garrow's 2263. 'In 1898,
Joseph Beck matched Garrow's 2464, and the
returning officer broke the tie in Garrow's favor.
When Garrow was appointed minister without
portfolio in the Hardy cabinet, a by-election was
necessary, and Garrow won over Beck by 45. There
Were charges of irregularities and corruption in
several of the' West Huron elections, and Garrow
was unseated in 1901. In the subsequent
by-election, Garrow won over Beck once more, by
290.
In accepting the Liberal nomination in that year,
Mr. Garrow "acknowledged that no party was
composed of angels, and as a consequence, elections
were not conducted like contests for the moderator-
ship of the Presbyterian General A'ssembly."
The Goderich Star, however, commented thatN,
"Major Joseph Beck can fairly claim to have been
twice elected by the honest votes of West Huron."
James T. Garrow headed the Goderich law firm •
of Garrow, Proudfoot and Heaton, with offices above
where the Royal Bank is now. One of his students,.
was R.C.Hays, Sr., who later opened' an office on
North street. Charles Garrow, called to the Bar in
1900, took over the firm When his father was
appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1902.
Back in 1851, an early barrister in Goderich ; Ira
Lewis bonght Lot 167 on Montreal street and
erected' thereon a residence la ter desCribed as .a
cottage. He got into financial difficulty and lost the
property.History repeated in the case of a Goderich
lawyer named John Bell Gordon, practising in.
Goderich from as early as 1863.
He bought several Montreal street lots just west '
of Market, Street, and had built for him there the
many-pillared mansion which became the residence
of J. T. Garrow and from 1905 that of Robert H.
Cott, whose name „ is-- or until recently was• --
imbedded in the conrete sidewalk. Keith Cutt'
married in1941.;;lived tlaexe until he.' joinetf the
R.CAF...jP early 1942, kitilennto 'the Lodge Funeral -
Home n11,943 atitlfromot41$*.1948 to'1,972.4
Clqgtrir 4nFonand.e rat it(tW. At: St, and
Gordon, whose. law office .-ira§:'Okthe,outh, Ode of
West Street, near thu $cinaree.horsowed18930 on
mortgages, presumably while the,boose was being
and got into 4iffioultW, voOlting in An order
of insolvency in June, 1877. Hig children became
wards of the Official Guardian.'
At this point, Gordon unaccountably disappears
from the record. The Official Guardian has found
nothing which would be of assistance,. and inquiry of
the Law Society of Upper Canada, facilitated by J.
M. Donnelly, brought information only up to-
1870. Gordon's name appeared on the Barristers".
Roll at Trinity Term it 1863, but the latest entry in
available directories showed him as practising in
Goderich in 1870. The Chief Librarian reported that
there was no way to following -Gordon's career
further, The. Huron bar Association had not been
organized in the 1870s, and search of the Huron
Signal's legal notes.in 1877 turned up no mention of
Gordon. •
• Presumably, James T. Garrow and his growing
family moved in when theMoniteal street house was
completed. it has not been learned where he lived
previously. He acquired in May, 1880, Lots, 212,
213; 214 and 167 (the Ira Lewis Lot) for $4,000 and
an agreement to pay off a mortgage of $3,000 held
by the Trust & Loan Company. Mr. Garrow bciught
adjoining lots afterward in the Garrow Survey..
As originally built, the' house had 10 principal
rooms and five fireplaces. There was a'verandah
the front and around on the sides of the house. A
graceful stair led from a 20-foot hall to, the second
floor, where there waA Ukitchen and two bedrooms.
On the third floor was one large room, with quite a
large hall. Rooms on the ground floor kbad 13=foot
ceilings.
Appointed Judge
Even before his appointment to the Appeal Court,
Hon. J. T. Garrow's elevation had been rumored.
The Goderich Star (Conservative) on Sept. 27,'
..,7901, expressed regret that its "nomination of Mr.
J. T. Garrow f,Sr the vacant Ontario judgeship has
not been approved at Ottawa, Mr. Britton of
Kingston getting the post."
Upon his appointment, the Huron Signal said:
"He was better adapted for the judicial forum than
the parliamentary arena. In the first, his logical
acumen, legal lore, luminous presentation of his
findings, will be greatly missed. He enjoyed the
esteem of both Bench and Bar."
Thus assured of Mr. Garrow's qualifications for
the Court of Appeal, it remains a happy coincidence
that a Liberal government was in office at Ottawa,
willing and able to honor a party standard-bearer
who had won five hard-fought battles in the
provincial field.
Mr. justice Garrow was appointed in 190 'by the
Whitney(Cons.) government to a commission 'for
revision of the statutes of Ontario. In 1910 he was
appointed Local Judge in admiralty of the
Exchequer Court of Canada.
Judge and Mrs. Garrow visited Europe several
times, first in the summer of 1888. Th ey left early in
the winter of 1912-13 on a Mediterranean trip, for
the benefit of the Judge's health. He was then 70.. In
London, England, he underwent minor surgery, "a
%Mg
Le Sabre Sport Coupe
FREE DRAVV for G.M. CB RADIO
complete with antennae - value $245.95
plus free installation in your car or truck.
Draw to take alike Oct. 15
invites you to attend the
premier showing of their
new models.
MANY DOOR
PRIZES AVAILABLE
See them all
from
Canada
OPEN EVERY NIGHT FOR
YOUR CONVENIENCE
OPEN SATURDAYS ALL DAY