HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1938-07-14, Page 3THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE
Notable Business Men
left as uncere-
come.
1833 William
built a shanty
Promoters in Village
of Exeter
By W. H. Johnston in London
Free Press
Exeter, one of the most beautiful
villages in western Ontario, is sit
uated halfway between London and
Goderich, being 31 miles from eacih
on the London Road, now known as
No, 4 highway. In point of settle
ment it was among the earliest ip
the County of Huron,
The first -settlers were James Wil
lis and ihis wife who located on lot
20, London road survey,' Usborne
Township. This was in the winter
of 1932-3 and their log shanty was
the first built in a section of coun
try extending over 20 miles in every
direction.
Mr. Willis came from Ireland and
on his way left liis wife in London
while he went north, built his cabin
and did some chopping. In the spring
he brought his wife up from London
and they logged and cleared five
acres of woodland without horses or
oxen.
In those days bears and wolves
Were very common and many a. pig
or sheep was carried off from the
pioneers scanty stocks. On one oc
casion during her husband's absence,
Mrs. Willis was roasting a piece of
venison over the fire on the hearth.
The door was -open and as she was in
the act of changing the position of
the roast, a huge gray wolf sprang
into the room, snatched the meat
from her .hands and
moniously as he had
In the winter of
McConnell came and
where the Presbyterian church now
stands. He had (previously bought
200 acres of land and in the fall
he erected a shwmill which proved
a boon to the settlers. The following
year he built a gristmill, in fact, he
was an enterprising man. A child
born in his family was the first white
child
■In
eter
days,
vantage would have grown rapidly
but the site of the village, especially
that part of it near the
low and flat with a large
it covered with water and
ed to hinder settlement.
In 1847 the late Isaac
(brother of -Sir John Carling, of Lon
don, arrived and believing there
should be a fine future for the vil
lage he established a tannery at
once and started a store. He suc
ceeded in building up a fine busi
ness and the village took on an ap
pearance of growth and .(prosperity
The fertile lands of the three adjoin
ing Township o-f Usborne, Stephen
and Hay were rapidly filling up .with
a fine class of settlers who did much
of their trading in Exeter.
Mr. Carling, a man of the strict
est integrity did much to arouse in
terest in the village and his fine suc
cess in business made him a marked
Dian who was zealous in the (pros
perity of his town.
He represented .South Huron in
Parliament for some years. His man-
sion-like home on Huron street with
its Grecian pillars, now occupied by
two of his daughters, attests to his
success and dignity of thought.
(In 1852, another man -came to
Canada and located in Exeter. Jas.
Pickard, an Englishman by -birth,
with an almost empty pocketbook,
■but a man with a vision whose his
tory up to the time of his death was
intertwined with that of Exeter.- He
opened a small store at once and
gradually won a place in the front
rank of merchants.
He built a large double store, an
imposing residence, acquired a num
ber of farms in the vicinity, ran a
sawmill and grist mill and bought
grain in immense quantities, besides
working for the religious, education
al and commercial interests of. his
adopted town.
Almost without education he had
to trust to others to care for the
numerous details of his large busi
ness interests. The result was what
we might expect. After about 36
years of successful commercial ac
tivities he was forced into insolvency
and all Ins enterprises passed into
the hands of others. However, he had
the satisfaction of knowing that he
had accomplished something in his
career as a business man and all
done honorably, besides having help
ed Exeter to grow from a nondescript
and scattered country village to- a
live and busy town of over 2,000
♦people.
Another friend of the village was
tho late W. A. Verity. Unlike Mr,
Pickard he had a fair share of edu-
born in the Exeter district,
spite of McConnell's mills Ex-
would not grow up in those
Other villages with this ad-
river was
portion of
this seem-
Carling, a
Check Discharges from the Bowels
Bowel troubles, although happen
ing at any time of the year, are
most prevalent during the hot sum
mer and early fall months.
When diarrhoea, dysentery, cramps
and pains in the intestines* or any
looseness of the bowels occur get a
bottle of Dr, Fowler’s Extract of
Wild, (Strawberry. Its action is
pleasant, rapid, reliable and effec
tual, and does not leave the bowels
constipated, It has been on the
market for 92 years, You do not
experiment when you uso it.
Play safe, Get '‘Hr. Howler
The T. Milburn Go., Ltd., Toronto, Ont,
and this was a great help to
who? dared great things. Com-
Exeter ns a , 'Comparatively
map he opened a (blacksmith
cation
a man
ing to
young
shop in the north end of the village,
then known as Francistown. Almost
at once he realized that farmers
were becoming wealthy and were
tired of cutting their grain with the
old-fashioned cradle when they heard
of the advent of reapers and mowers
Mr. Verity grasped the situation
and opened a small foundry in which
he began the manufacture of reap
ers, mowers, the celebrated Verity
plows and
meats.
Later in
sey-Harris Company the plant was
moved to Brantford.
This was a serious setback to the
village as nearly all the people who
moved were active in church and vil
lage activities. The loss of the'large
(Payroll of the firm was keenly felt
by the business men.
At first the people thought when
the plow wonks closed that the end
of the world had come or something.
But no, changed conditions brought
a new order of things.
One small but interesting scrap- of j
history of the early days is worth
recording. As previously noted Exe
ter grew slowly at the first it
not until Isaac Carling in 1847
Richard Pickard in 1852 came
it made much growth. But a
office was not established in Exeter.
Is it any wonder that George Mc
Leod should comiplain that “One
grievance subsists in the two petty
post offices of this tract or London
road, viz: Though a person do de
liver a letter to the courier, say,
here, he, the postman, delivers the
same in the next (post office, where
it must remain until he comes on his
next trip.’’
'One of these post offices was Hay,
located at least two miles north of
Exeter It was opened October 6,
1842, with Joseph Hardy as the first
postmaster. It was the' only ipost
office for a large district, so large
indeed, that others, besides Mr. Mc
Leod, had reason to complain as the
following incident will prove. A
certain Mrs. Fisher who lived near
Elimville in Usborne Township, 7
miles away from the village, walked
into the village one summer day,
carrying ten dozen eggs for whicih
she received five cents a dozen. The
amount received, fifty cents, was so
disappointingly low that she ex
claimed:
“I’ll not sell any more eggs at
that price.’’
“What will you do with them?”
asked the merchant.
“We’ll eat them,”
iBu-t her troubles
for she bad to walk
ther north to Hay postoffice for the
mail. Thence home, a long nine
miles more, thus making what would
be called today an almost incredible
tramp of 18 miles.
other agricultural inuple-
association with the Mas-
was
and
that
ipost
was the reply,
were not over
two miles far-
DASHWOOD SCHOOL REPORT
’Grade 7 to Grade 8—Norman Eve-
land, Ray Guenther, Ruth 'Guenther,
Eunice Haist, Dorothy Hayter, Ma
bel Jackson, Mildred Maier, Eileen
Miller, ,Sigrid Pedersen, Russsll Tie
man, Ada Willett.
Gordon Keeler, teacher
Grade 6 to Grade 7—Gordon Kraft
Helen Miller. . •
Grade 5 to Grade 6—Irene Jack-
son, George Wolfe, Glenn Haugh,
Claire Musser, iGrace Maier, Wilma
Musser, James Hayter, George Tie
man, Hubert Weiberg, James Taylor
Emma Anderson.
Grade 4 to Grade 5—Inga Peder
sen, Urbane Peachey, Truman Fisch
er, Jack Baker, Shirley Desjardine,
Loreen Weiberg, Mary Fischer, Helen
Maier, Madeline Restemeyer, Harold
Luft.
(Grace Pepper, teacher
■Grade 3 to -Grade 4-—-Andrew An
derson,, Leonard Gossman, Jean (Goss
man, Edith Jackson, Bernice Luft
Robert Mathers, Helmuth Messner.
William Musser, Betty Gaiser, Es
ther Peachey, Martha Pedersen, Ray
Snell,
■Grade 2 to Graee 3 — .Shirley
Guenther, Shirley -Smith, Howard
Maier, Ruby Minor, Russel Hop-croft,
Sherwood Gossman.
■Grade 1 to Grade 2 — Margaret
Becker, Betty Desjardine, Bobby
Hayter, Robert Haugh, Mildred Jack-
son, Gloria Kraft, Lloyd Miller, Har
old Musser ,Pa-ulj Peachey, George
Rader, Marion Smith, Raymond
Wein, Grant Wildfong.
Ella Martinson, teacher
STAFFA
On July 1st the family of Mrs. W.
Dalrymple celebrated her eighty-sec
ond birthday at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Wilbur Mahaffy. The attend
ance numbered about f<jv':y with
Mrs. Dalrymple being the oldest
member and Helen Jean Barber, her
great granddaughter, the youngest
present, The afteflftoon was spent in
games and contests after which a
bounteous lunch was served on the
spacious lawn, when the large birth
day cake adorned with eighty-two
blazing candles was presented to
Mrs. Dalrymple by her oldest grand
son, Bert Mahaffy. The generous
helpings of ice-cream were donated
by Bort and Wes. Mahaffy .Relatives
were present from Hillsgreon, Bruce-
field, Kippen, Hensall, Cromarty'and
Dublin. (Huron Expositor)
50 YEARS AGO
on July 4,
Puhie Wei-
will be con-
Juyl 1888
On Saturday evening last, Willie,
eldest son of Mr. John McLaughlin,
of Exeter, met with a serious acci
dent. In company with other boys
he visited the farm of Mr. Abel WaL
per and while playing around the
barn he got his hand caught in a
pulley and had three fingers torn
to such an extent that ope finger
had to be amputated.
Mi*. Ingram, of Hensail, has sold
his grocery and bakery to Messrs.
Slack Bros., of Forest,
Messrs. I. Bowerman- and Alex
Dow, of this place left Monday for
1 ..rj.—...(.l'?-!...!!. In,'l.'.'/i'i.'jfSg
USBORNE COUNCIL
The Municipal Council of Usborne
Township met at 1 p.m. with the
members all present. Minutes of
June 4th, were read and approved on
motion of Berry and Fisher,
Correspondence was received and
disposed of as follows:
.From the Agricultural Representa
tive re. proposed Field meeting at J.
Smillie’s farm, Hensall,
Contents noted,
Notice from Dept, of
fare that relief subsidy
tinued, Fyled.
From Dept, of Health, that the
hospitalization of indigent tubercul- (
ar patients will henceforth be pro
vided by the Ontario Government, Glasgow, '
Letter fyled. j -on Friday last a little son of Mr.
A request was received for a grant Wm. piefcard, of -Seaforth, formerly
to the Kirkton Library Board. $5.00. or Fxeter, fell while climbing into
Granted. i the loft of the stable and broke his
Upon motion of Cooper and Berry arni<
the following grants were passed: j A'iarge yjate glass in the door of
Exeter Agricultural Society, $15.; Times office came to grief yesterday
and $115.00 for Usborne Baby Beef o-wing to the slamming of the door,
competition. Kirkton Agricultral. caused by a sudden, violent gush of
Society $1.5, and $15.00 for Usborne! oxygenio-us fluid, or too much wind
Baby Beef competition. .South Hu-j The devil fainted and the citizens for
ron plowmens’ Association $10.00. flocks around thought that the elec-
Payment of above grants to be de
ferred until the money is required '
by the various societies.
A communication from the Assoc-'
iation of Rural Municipalities, re-
questng membership was filed until
August meeting. I
Moved by Hodgert and Cooper that,
the Clerk formulate a by-law to license store keepers who reside with-1
in municipality or within one mile sue farming,
of the boundaries of Usborne Town-'
ship- to peddle groceries and dry^
goods by truck within this municip
ality. The Treasurer to have author
ity to issue such license upon receipt
of $5.00 license fee by the Twp.
A by-law was passed by the coun
cil providing for current borrowing
at the Bank of Montreal, Exeter.
A by-law was also passed prohibit
ing livestock from pasturing, unless
tethered, on the roads of the Town
ship of Usborne on any date later
than the 15th of July and the Road j
Superintendant was appointed as
supervisor to enforfib the law.
Relief supplies amounted to $19.-
45.
Treasurer’s,, report—Receipts, Lane
gravel accounts $54.4-0; Exeter, rent
of grader $'43.75; London Twp. re
lief rebate $10; County Treas., taxes
trical storm announcer had visited
Exeter, surely.
lit is estimated that buildings to
the amount of $60,000 will be erect
ed in Exeter this season. Exeter
can boast of more brick buildings
tlian any place in Canada of greater
pretentions.
Mr. L. Hardy and E. Morgan left
for Manitoba the other day to pur-
. _ _______. They will return in the
'.fall.
I Mr. O. H, Sprague, late Scott Act
Inspector we learn has taken unto
himself a better half.
All the Public Schools closed on
Friday last. The rural schools are
reopened on the third Monday in
August and the villag e and town
schools on the last Monday in Au
gust.
Mr. Robt, Eastcott, of Centralia,
will leave in a few weeks for Eng
land the trip being calculated
benefit his health.
to
25 YEARS AGO
July 10, 1913
Leader Treble has succeeded
---------------- -------, — .... . building up a superior musical and penalties $i236.68; Bank balance ! ganization in Exeter,
July 1st, 1938, $294.45. j Mr. Richard Crocker unfortunate-
The Road S-upt.’s voucher amount-1 ly fell on Monday, while going up
ing to $901.49 was approved and
payment authorized on motion by
Hodgert and Cooper.
Other payments were authorized
on a motion by Fisher and Berry as
follows: County of Huron , indig
ent hospital account 85c; Underwood
Elliott & Fisher, typewriter ribbon
$1.00; relief supplies $19.45; N. G.
Clarke, services as relief officer
$2.6 0; Clerk, postage $10.
The council adjourned to meet on
Saturday, August 6th, 1938, at 1:00
o’clock p.m.
A. W. Morgan,Clerk
in
or-
-place
■Clif-
Colquhoun-Dow
A wedding of interest took
at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
ford Dow, Hibbert, at high noon, on
Wednesday last, when theii’ daughter
Florence Hazel, became the bride of
Thomas Lawrence Colquhoun, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Duncan Colquhoun,
of Hibbert. The home'was lively
with summer flowers and ferns for
the ceremony performed by Rev.
Wm. Mair, of Roy's United Church.
The bride, given in marriage by her
father, was attractively attired in a
frock of powder blue sheer with
full bodice and row of buttons ex
tending from the n«cx to waistline.
Her accessories were in, white and
she carried a shower 'bouquet of
Johanna Hill roses and bouvardis.
Her bridesmaid, Miss Hazel Colqu
houn, sister of the ^room, wore a
dainty frock of flowered sheer with
white accessories and carried a bou
quet of pink carnations and blue
delphiniums. Nelson Dow, brother of
the bride, was groomsman. Sixteen
guests, immediate relatives of the
young couple partook of wedding
dinner following the ceremony the
table being -centred with the wedding
cake and bouquets of pink and white
columbines. Latei’ Mr. and Mrs. Col
quhoun left on a motor trip to Nia
gara Falls and American points, the
bride choosing a smart suit of .gray,
with pink blouse and white access
ories for travelling. They will reside,
on the groom’s farm in Hibbert. f
some steps and broke three ribs.
Mrs. S. Fitton leaves Saturday for
Winnipeg where she will visit for a
few weeks.
Misses Birdie and Lillian Boyle
returned Monday from a visit in
Marlette, Mich.
Mr. Abe Davf^Aqf‘ 'Calgary, spent
a few days last Week with his par
ents and son Lester.
Mr. and Mrs. Theo. Sweet, Van
couver, B. C., are visiting with rela
tives and friends here.
Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Ford and fam
ily left Saturday to visit different
parts of the West.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Witwer spent
last Sunday in Zurich with their
daughter Mrs. Dan Roehler.
Rev. D. W. Collins and R. G, Sel
don leave Saturday to attend the
Masonic Grand Lodge at Ottawa.
Misses Ella Baker and 'Gladys
Ford returned to Chatham Business
College this week for a further short
'course..
Mrs. Mortimer after‘a few days’
visit with her mother, Mrs. Smale,
returned to her home in London on
Monday.
Mrs. Parker, of London, accompan
ied by her niece Miss
spent Sunday with her
Piper.
Mr. and Mrs, Edwin
three
here
with
Mrs I
Braithwaite,
mother Mrs.
Braund and
s daughters, Brantford, autoed
last week and spent a few days
the former’s parents Mr. and
I). Braund.
0
15 YEARS AGO
Jul,5 12, 1923
SCHOOL GRANTS PAID BY
HURON'COUNTY COUNCIL
Cheques totalling $39,494.42 were
on Saturday placed in the mail by
County Treasurer A. H. Erskine,,
addressed to various secretaries of
collegiate institutes, high schools
and .continuation schools. The money
is to pay for the education of pupils
from outside the respective school
districts. The list: Goderich $$,-
50-8.82
forth $5,583.86;
Clinton $7,365.49
76
490.33
Wich $1,179.93
St, Mary school $2,361,78
$500.08
towel, $627.72; Harriston, $113.00
Clifford, $376,92; Mitchell, $69.77
London Technical $186.93,
The list:
Wingham $5,801.68; Sea-
Exeter, $4,781.32;
; Hensall, $d,301.-
Blyth, $1,252.26;' Brussels $1,-
Wroxeter, $i,s05.26; Hord-
Arthur, $42.48;
Parkhill
.Luclsnow, $2,036.78; Lis-
Two frame barns belonging
McRoberts brothers, south, of Gran
ton, were struck by lightning and
destroyed together with some hay
on Monday.
Just before leaving Centralia Rev.
and Mrs. A. Sinclair were presented
with a cut glass fruit bowl, a read
ing lamp and an. auto rug.
Mr, J. Green, of Hay Twp. has
purchased the residence of Mrs. Q.
McLeod.
Mr. L. Day Sf. and daughter Miss
Mary left on Saturday for Sault
Ste. Marie to visit with Mr. and G. P.
Holmberg.
Miss Flossie Vincent has resign
ed her position with R. McKenzie’s
& Son and Miss A. Willard is tak
ing her place.
The judging of the school gardens
took place on Saturday by W, G.
Medd and J, S. I-Iarvcy. The awards
were as follows: Mr. Howard’s room
Stella North-ott, John Kuntz and II,
Jennings; Miss M’edd’s room, Helen
Penhaie, Gladys Hunkin, Orville
Beaver, Russel Collingwood, Russell
Snell and Roy Batten.
The Young People’s League of
Chiselhurst met at the home of Mr.
and Mrs. G. T, Wren and during the
evening presented Rev. Mr. Rivers,
the departing pastor with a gold
Eversharp pencil.
ELECTRIC
RANGE makes!
THURSDAY, MW 14th, 10OS
Public Utilities
HYDRO
THRIFT
HYDRO is yours . enjoy it
PLAN
to the full
YES, madam . , . one of today’s
beautiful electric ranges will trans
form your old kitchen oyernight—make
it “new”, modern, so much more
attractive. And think how easy it will
be to keep everything spotless and
immaculate I
Your walls and ceilings will stay bright
and fresh, scarcely ever need washing or
redecorating. Your curtains will keep
their crisp, laundered look for weeks.
Your pots and pans will remain bright
and shiny-new, never need scouring.
Buy your modem . . . fast-cooking „ . .
clean, convenient . . . electric range
today on the HYDRO Thrift Plan.
What a difference a
31
Easy to Buy
on the FREE— The installa
tion of a 3-Wire service
and wiring to Elec
tric Range is now be
ing installed at no cost
to the consumer on
Ranges of 60 amperes I
or over capacity, re
gardless of where the
the range is pui’dias- I
ed.
For Rural Power Districts Ranges will be financed at 4 per'cent, up to three years to
pay. $20.00 Allowance to each Hydro Rural Consumer (Summer Cottage users ex
cepted) who purchases a NEW ELECTIRC RANGE at 60 amp. or more capacity.
See Your Rural Superintendent
Tune in the HYDRO “COOKING SCHOOL of the AIR” conducted by Ann Adam
every WEDNESDAY morning, 10.15 a.m. Standard Time
CFRB - CFCO - CFPL - CFRC - CKLW
v
GREETING GARDS
of all kinds on display at the Times-Advocate Office
Reductions in telephone rates—local and long
distance—in 1935, *36 and *37 have effected
Savings to telephone users in Ontario and
Quebec of nearly one million dollars yearly
Manager.
Geo. W. Lawsoil,
It makes my
holiday seem longer
Lois Daly, vacationing with Bill Watson’s
parents in the country, doesn’t waste anytime on
letter-writing. Nor does she let her folks worry.
She’s adopted that old Watson family custom of
telephoning — frequently* " It’s better than
letters to hear your voice,” says her Mother.
"And it gives me more time for fun,” adds Lois*