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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1947-03-20, Page 8THE TIMES-ADVOCATE, EXETER, ONTARIO, THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 20th, 1947Supplement t an air of Bill- cele- Miss spent here. model year, the usual was avoided and The following history of Usborne Township published IS7S will be read with interest and might well find a place in any scrap book. The Township of Usborne is sxtu- i-ed in the southeastern extremity the county. If, in laying it out. it was the object of the Canada Com- V-xy’s engineers to make a figure whose shape is perfectly impossible (gf mathematical description, they proved themselves equal to the emergency, as a glance at the plan •ail! demonstrate. Its bounds ex- vW northward to the Township of Tuckersmith; north-east, east and *».»uth-east to Hibbert, (Fullarton, A.nd Blanchard, in the County of Perth, southward to Biddulph, in the County of Middlesex, and west­ ward to the London road, dividing P from Stephen and Hay. In topographical features and quality of soil Usborne is almost identical with Tuckersmith, here­ tofore described, though on the whole probably not so well improv­ ed, yet a splendid township in every sense of the word. It contains, ac­ cording to the assessment roll. <2.681 acres of land, of which •29,737 are improved, and the whole «s assessed at $1,623,275. The number of resident ratepayers is G43, and the .amount of assessed; personal property $52,900. The} perfect farce of expecting assessors ; to make correct returns is nowhere ■ more turn of population, which is set down at only 2,616, whereas it was 3,$31 ‘ ■ certain that the increase in the i meantime has doubly balanced the < deduction effected at the time of, the incorporation of Exeter. j The early settlement of Usborne, • or what was originally Usborne,; may be more clearly understood by reference to the sketch of Exeter, | which, till incorporation, was part; of its territory. Outside this part, I which afterwards became Exeter, ! William May, now living on the j London Road a short distance south i of Exeter, was probably the first j settler in the township—although ' some give the claim to Thomas • Lamb, who settled two or 'three j miles north of Exeter. The date of Mr. May's settlement was June 21, | 1832; that of Mr. Lamb’s is not; authenticated; but it is quite cer-, tain a child born in the latter’s family was the first in the whole | section of the Huron Tract between , •London and Goderich. The Balk­ wills—•& number of brothers—and George Snell, came very soon after; Mr. May, Snell settling ip Usborne, ] and the Balkwills on both the Us-■ (borne and Stephen sides of the Lon- i don road. It should be mentioned | that although Mr. May was the I ifirst actuai settler (with the pos­sible exception of Mr. Lamb), there j had been a clearing of about four acres made 1 hj miles south of' Exeter, in the spring of 18*31, by I John Balkwill, Mr. May’s brother- in-law, who was so pleased with the country that he returned to England specially to induce a num­ ber of his friends to come out and settle in it. In this, he succeeded, and of those so induced to come, Mr. May was the first in, and erect­ ed the first shanty, a large number of others following soon after. They were Devonshire people and their influence on other friends at home subsequently prevailed to such an extent that the whole section of the township was settled up by natives Of the old English Shire. The Balk­ will settlement was called “Devon”, and a little village at the place still bears the name. When they came through London it a few log shanties era. Foj> many years settlement the hardships settlers were such as those of all new* parts of the country are famil­ ial’ with, though more so from the fact that development was slow' and consequently the deprivation of the usual accompaniments of civiliza­ tion had longer to be 'borne. It is related of one of the pioneers, who afterwards became one of the lead­ ing and most wealthy citizens of the community that on arriving, with­ out even the proverbial and inevit­ able British shilling in Iiis pocket, he went to Goderich and borrowed —or more properly begged— a half bushel of wheat from the agent of the, Canada Company, half of which he sowed or scratched in with a self-made rake .among the stumps of the little clearing he suc­ ceeded in making —■ substituting meanwhile on the other half, boiled to a pulp for each meal. By the time he planted one-half the other half was eaten up, and he went to work at the Canada Company’s mill in Tuckersmith, known as “Bell’s 'mill,” to pay for his half bushel of wheat, and earn some more to eat while he was harvesting his crop and making fresh clearing, It was not the first time settlers were ■blessings as though travelling clergymen used occasionally to call and hold religi­ ous meetings while passing be­ tween London and Goderich. Rev. Mr. Cooper elsewhere frequently mentioned in these sketches, is said to have been the first who ever preached a sermon in this locality, or in the township. For years mar­ riage ceremonies, (what few occur­ red) were performed either at Goderich or London, the nearest points Where there were either clergymen or magistrates—-the bal- palpable than in the 187S re- in 1871. and nothing is more nv a 7 ■' Restyled for 191*7 with the emphasis on a more massive front end and, a smoother' sweep to body contours, the new Chevrolet is announced* New front-end grille and complimenting bright work, ns well as elimination of the body belt moulding, have done much to give the new greater luxuriousness. This shut-down for retooling there was virtually no decrease in the rate of output •when the new models went into production. GREENWAY (Intended for last week) and Mrs. Lawrence Bollock visited on Sunday with Mr. and Mi*s. Raymond Pollock at Kerr- wood. Mr. and Mrs. Dean Brown and Mr. and Mrs. Russell Brown visit­ ed on Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Elzar Moqsseau and Marilyn, of Kippen. Congratulations to Mrs. T. lock who on February 24th brated her 82ijd birthday. Mr. and Mrs. Milton Pollock and Carl visited on Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle Taylor and family, of Grand Bend. Rev. S, Finkbeiner returned to Chicago after spending the winter with Mr, and Mrs. Ervine Eggert. Mr. end Mrs. E. Harris, of Brinsley, visited on Sunday with Mr. and Mrs, Emmerson Wood­ burn and Leona. Miss Marion Hicks and Rita Bullock, of (London, the week-end at their homes Legion ' Iffli Notes Exeter-Hensall Branch 167 were initiated into reg- are Hubert Heywood, Pete Ellis, Doug* Triebner, Frayne parsons and Bob Cutting. They were initiated into the Legion by President Pooley, Secretary Easton with 2nd vice- president Brown, who read the aims and objects, and Comrade Mac- Naughton who acted as Sgt.-at- Anms. Correspondence was read and views were expressed concerning the extension for bowling alleys. While the building committee were 'Five veterans membership at Monday Right’s ujar meeting. New coxnradcs^ not present to give their report the members decided to advance the project. ■Sanction from Zone Commander •Miller was granted for the dissolu­ tion of the Exeter-Hensall partner­ ship and President Pooley was giv­ en to understand that the same would be forthcoming from the Provincial Division. It was thought that with many new members from Hensail that they could now support a branch of their own and that members of the district in and around Hensail would find it easier to meet when facilities were closer at hand. The executive will meet with the Hensail committee next Tuesday in the Hensail town hall to make arrangements for same. Comrades Brintnell, Motz, Fraser and Kinnell were reported on the sick list. It is to be hoped that they will be with us in .the near future: Following the regular business FO. Miller of the Airport Housing Committee discussed with us the critical housing condition. He said that in the near future some quar­ ters would be built at the Airport but nevex* would there be nearly enough to accommodate the person­ nel. The Hensail members stated that they would take the matter up with their Chamber of 'Commerce and members who knew of vacancies, in the district were asked to contact Clerk Pickard. the Quebec, Ontario and British Col­ umbia, the largest three provinces of Canada compose more than one- third of the total area and contain two-thirds of the population. The three prairie provinces come next in size and each has a larger popu­ lation than British Columbia, The area of the Maritimes is less than half of any of the other provinces, although'the total Maritime popu­ lation is larger than that of any othei* single province except On­ tario and Quebec. The North West Territories and the Yukon are im­ mense districts containing about two-fifth of Canada’s total area but they have a very small popula­ tion. anee of opinion in those days be­ ing in favor of the civil dignataries exercising their legitimate right to perform a rite legitimate as well as interesting. But the ceremony was not neglected by reason of the dif­ ficulty of accomplishing it; and that “marriage was consummated” all right was soon evidenced by the great number of little ones in the Devon settlement; and one of the greatest days the settlement ever had was when Rev, Mr. Cronyn, of London, afterwards the first Ang­ lican Bishop of the Diocese of Huron, came out specially to the house of Hugh Balkwill to perform the baptismal ceremony on twelve, little backwoods pets belonging to! the good people of the neighbor­ hood. The first church and school in Usborne were on the London Road north of Exeter, the former being the Presbyterian church at Roger* ville and the latter the old log school, erected at Francistown in 1838. In this latter Thomas Tay­ lor was the first teacher. This gentleman was a “character” in his way. He was sent for to England on purpose to teach school. He was an old bachelor, and was very strange for old bachelors—-very ec­ centric. His residence was the old log school house where he “taught the young idea” during the day and attended to domestic duties at other times. He was one of the oldest clerks and the early records ‘bear evidence of his attainments and love of system. He subsequently miraculously disappeared and was ------ niore jxear(i leaving no relatives in the world, so far as the people of Usborne ever knew, and his end remains among the mysteries which will sleep till the resurrection. Next to Lamb, above mentioned, and William Elder, the earliest settlers toward the north of the township were Thomas Case and his ten sons, from County Wicklow, Ireland, whence they came to the Huron tract and settled, about three miles north of Exeter, in the spring of 183 6, One of the sons, John, had come out in 1834, worked that sum­ mer for McConnel, the Canada Company’s contractor on the Lon­ don Road, and taken up the land where they afterwards located, sub­ sequently revisiting Ireland and in­ ducing the whole family to return with him. On more than one occa­ sion the aroused up their and the Goderich Hibbert Twp, Council Hibbert Township Council met in the Township Hall, Staffa, on Mon­ day, March 10th, at 1 p.m., as a regular monthly Council meeting with all members present, the reeve, Mr. Joseph Atkinson presid­ ing. This meeting was to have been held on March 3rd but do to the condition of the roads it had to be postponed for one week. The Ten­ ders for crushing and trucking ap­ proximately 8,000 cubic yards of crushed gravel on to the township roads was considered at this meet­ ing. There were five tenders re­ ceived and Mr. C. Smith, of London, was awarded the contract. The Clerk was instructed to advertise for ten­ ders for five different bridges and culverts to be erected in the Town­ ship will Hirth, Death jind Marriage Notices are Inserted free of chari-e, Card of Thanks 50c. In Heniorinm IVotlees 50c for single verse, 25c extra for each nddj- tlonal verse. Enjyajreni ents 5Oc i Announcements BIRTHS BELL — On Monday, March 17th, 1947. to Teleg. Graham Bell, R.C.N., and Mrs. Bell, of Victoria B.C., a son. Exeter-Hensall W.C:T:U. The Hensall-Exetox* Branch of the W.C.T.U. met at the home of Mi’s. C. AV. Down fox* the March meeting. Mrs. Down took charge of the devotional period and open­ ed by reading a poem and a hymn was sung. Mrs, Pearce led in pray­ er. Mrs, Down took as her theme “The Ministery of the Spirit” reading several passages of Scrip­ ture bearing on it how we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in or­ der to beai* the fruits of the Spirit found in Gal. 5, 22-23 .closing with prayer, Mrs. Pearce read a splen­ did article on temperance. Miners gave a .temperance story. Mrs. Wm. Cook took charge of the business and led in* the question­ naire on Alcoholic Anonymous. Mrs. Miners closed with prayer. Mrs.' never living l I consisted of but and a log tav- after the early of the for many years after we speak of that the provided with such schools oi* churches. this summer. These tenders be advertised at a later date. Thos. D. Wren, Clerk of Hibbert Township. “Would you advise me to marry beautiful girl or a sensible girl?"a “I’m afraid you‘11 never be able to marry either, old man.” “Why?” “Well, a beautiful girl could do better, and a sensible girl would know better.” EVES—At Dr. Fletcher’s Hospital ■on Friday, March 14, 1947, to Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Eves, of Biddulph, a son, Dennis Morley. assessors; Win. Scott, Collector. Since the withdrawal of Perth from the union of Counties (1853) the Reeves of Usborne (.Stephen withdrew again in 1852) were, for 1854, David Kirk; 1855, ’ ’ Strang; 1856, Thos. Lamb; 1858, Alex. Smith; 1859, Butt; 1860, Robert Kydd; Joseph Case; 18 62, Dr. Kay; to 1874 inclusive; Arch. Bishop, | the present M.P.P. for South Huron, | and then to the present time, Leon-, ard Hunter. In 18 64 Usborne be-j came entitled to a second represen- I tative in the County Council, and Robert Craig was the first to fill the position of 'Deputy-Reeve, which he held for six years, being sue- I ceeded in 1870 'by George Willis, I who retained the position for four 1 years, when he gave way in 1874 j to Leonard Hunter two years, who I was in time .followed by David Mill- ■’ ar, four years; ending with 1878. j The incumbents of municipal of-! fices for the current year are; j Reeve, Leonard Hunter; Deputy- I Reeve, T. McKay; Councillors, Jas. Halls, Jonathan Shier, Henry Hor­ ney; Clerk, N. G. Clark; Treasurer. Thomas Coates; Assesor, Thomas Heywood; Collector, Alex Duncan. The only liability of Usborne is the unpaid balance of the deben­ tures, (originally $25,000) given John 1857- Elarix 1861, 1863 HARBURN—At Mrs. Godbolt’s hos­ pital on Thursday, March 13th, 1947, to Mi*, and Mrs. Frank of I-Iensall, a son. HOGKEY—-At Dr. Fletcher’s Hos­ pital on Friday, March 14, 1947, to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hockey, of Exeter, a sonj Dennis Harold. HERN—At Mrs. Godbolt’s hospital on Tuesday, March 18, 1947, to Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Hern, of Woodham, a son. JOHNS—At Di*. Fletcher’s Hospit­ al -on Friday, March 14, 1947, to Mr. and Mrs. Philip Johns, of Elimville, a daughter, Margaret Lillian. , STATTON—-At, Mrs. Godbolt’s hos­ pital on Sunday, March 16, 1947, to Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Station, I of Exeter, a son, Terrance Lloyd. 1947. Harburn, The wife who drives from the back seat isn't any worse than the husband who cooks from the din­ ing room table. Mona and Dorothy Latta wish to thank their many friends and rela­ tives for cards, treats and flowers while they were patients in St.'51 Joseph’s Hospital. They also wish to thank the snow plow crew and those who shovelled snow making it possible for them to get to hospital. Mrs. Wm. Carrick wishes to press cards, while those The U.S. Navy Antarctic expe­ dition is experiencing strange phe­ nomena such as a companion in conversation suddenly disappearing although his voice is still heard, lie may reappear a few moments later apparently floating in the air. It is believed the phenomena is due to the fact that light is accu­ mulated in the area similar to the manner in which heat is held in a greenhouse and this complete anti­ thesis of darkness causes the illu­ sions. White elephants are reared as incarnations of Buddha, While. valuable, they are burdensome to keep, hence the colloquialism “'White elephant” is applied to something of which the upkeep is too great to justify retaining. T-Comrade Bob. Minister (at baptism of baby):. “His name, please?” Mother: “Randolph Morgan Montgomery Alfred Jefferson Pennington.” Min­ ister (to assistant): “A little more water.” Case brothers have been from theix* beds to yoke oxen and pull the horses rig of the London and ___.. mail coach out of the al­ most bottomless mud-lioles which occurred between the long stretches of corduxoy. The first of the coach­ es ever passing over the road was driven by William Geery, and the way he handled the ribbons of his four-in-hand was said to be a won­ der, even to the Jehu profession. The first wagon in the settle- mnt was so great a curiosity as to be a “seven days’ wonder.” It -was owned by the Case family, who also owned the first pair of horses in the township, oxen and “jumpers” being the only means of locomo­ tion and traffic fox* many years. The municipal history of the township begins with the year 1842, at which time Stephen and Hay were both united to Usborne, The record of the first “town, meeting,” has been destroyed, but we find the LAL T*B.R.'*'“The" whole'of in the clerk’s “notes,” the follow-! ing entiy:—“1842, January 22nd. Declaration to perform duties of their several offices were signed by the following persons, elected to - - - Scott, missioners; Rev. H. C. Cooper, Mr. Thos. Case, -and Mr. Jos. Hardy, the other three commissioners; did not consider it necessary to sign a declaration. William Case, Richard Balkwill and James Willis, town wardens; Thos. Rowclilfe, asses­ sor; Kobt. Bissett, collector; James Balk will and Castor Willis, Pound­ keepers; James -Stanlake, Thomas Lamb, Robert Moulds; John West­ cott, and William Balkwill, Over­ seers of Roads. — George Snell, township clerk.” For 1843, William Sanders, Wil­ liam Wilson, and James Balkwill were wardens and Hugh Balkwill, clerk. Thos. Taylor was elected back in 1844 retaining the position till his disappearance above mentioned. From the minutes of the town meet­ ing that year, held January 1st, in the Stophen School house, we ex­ tract the following:—“Moved by William Balkwill, seconded 'by Hugh Balkwill, that no dogs do come to Divine service, under a fine of 2s, 6d, ond con. any fined under the by-law, which Shows that dogs in those days minded their P’s and Q’s. In 1845, Stephen seceded from the municipal union and Hay did likewise; but under the first year’s operation of the Municipal Act (1850) Stephen was reunited to Usborne, and the first set of of­ ficials for both townships under the new system was composed of Jas. Scott, Peeve; Messrs. Balkwill, Bissett, Lamb, and Quick, Council­ lors, Thomas Taylor, Clerk; Robert Bissett, Treasurer; John Essery, Jas. Balkwill and Matthew Rogers, hold township offices: Jas. Esq., Richard Bissett, Com- for the first offence, 5s, ” We could dogs having offence; the sec- cy. Carried, nem see no record of been subsequently operation of this the Municipal Loan -Fund Surplus due the township was applied to repurchasing of its own debentures, making its indebtedness, for such a wealthy and populous municipal­ ity. simply nominal. The inhabitants now have excep­ tionally fine market and transpor­ tation facilities—particularly those of the western portion—Centralia and Exeter Railway station going just across its western boundary. They have, also, as a whole, first class mail accommodations, there being no less than seven post vil­ lages within the limits of the town­ ship, viz:—Elimville, near the cen­ tre; Kirkton, on the south-eastern boundary, midway between Exeter and St. Marys; Winchelsea, on the same, road, but nearer to Exeter: Woodham, on the south-east boun­ dary, a mile south of Kirkton; all on the Exeter and St. Marys Road, and having daily mail 'both ways. Then there is Rodgerville, on the London Road, neai’ the North end of the township; Farquhar, six ■miles east of Exeter; and Lumley, north of Thames Road Church. Elimville was named the munici­ pal “capital,” and is otherwise the most important containing hotel, two stores, a number of mechanics’ shops of various kinds, two church­ es, a nice brick building erected by subscription as a “Union Bunday School,” and probably 100 inhabit­ ants—-besides the town hall, a com­ modious brick structure which cost over $1,-200 to build. The present condition Of Usborne, as compared with other townships of the county, is second to none except Tuckersmith; and even the difference now noticed between these promises before many years at the present rate of improvement on all hands patent, to melt away before the energy and enterprise of a people who have already trans­ formed it from a wild and track­ less waste into one of the fairest sections of the fairest province or the fairest Empire in the world. DEATHS DEW •— In Usborne Township, on Wednesday, March 12th, 1947, Dan Dew, in his 75 th year. FRAYNE—Suddenly at residence, don, on Tuesday, March Elizabeth Ann Frayne, daughter of the late Robert and Margaret Frayne, formerly of Exeter. Rest­ ing at George E. Logan and Sons funeral chapel, where the funeral service will be held on March 20th, at. 2,>p.m. in Exeter Cemetery. HEENAN — At his late lot 21, concession 9, Township, on Thursday, March 13 th, ‘Patrick Heenan, beloved husband of Mary Melllhargey, in his 80th year, MORLEY — At. Whalen, Ont., on Tuesday, March 18, 1947, Emma Jane Batten, beloved wife of Thomas Morley, in her 6 9 th year. Resting at her late residence, Whalen, where service will be held on Thursday, March 20, at 2 .p.m. Interment in -St. James Cemetery, Clandeboye. late 156 Oxford St., Lon- 18, her Thursday, Interment residence, Biddulph ENGAGEMENTS ■Mr. and Mrs. Philip Murch wish to announce the engagement of their youngest daughter, Marion Eunice, to Jonathan Ross Skinner, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Mel­ ville Skinner. The wedding to take place in the Elimville United Church, April Sth, at 12:30 o’clock. Mr, and Mrs. Ross Whiting, Parkhill, Ontario, announce the engagement of their daughter, Mar­ garet Eliza, Reg. N., to Eric James, ■only son of Mr. and Mrs. William Liversage, England, ■place at Twickenhaxn Congrega­ tional Church, Middlesex, on March 29. * Osterley, the wedding Middlesex, to take CARDS OF THANKS Mrs, Ban. Dew would like to ex­ press her thanks to all .the many friends and relatives for the flowers, cards and other expressions of sym­ pathy shown her in her recent be­ reavement, Special thanks to the neighbors who helped open the roads and also to Rev, Hunt and Dr. Flet­ cher. c Mrs. Chas. O’Brien wishes to thank the neighbors’, friends and relatives, who so kindly rememb­ ered her with cards, letters, flow­ ers and treats during her lengthy illness. * Mrs, McNicol and Ernest Wish to thank all who remembered Mrs Mac with cards, letters, flowers and treats, also the many kindly visits While in St. Joseph’s Hospital George Godboltand Mrs. LOOK CAREFULLY THROUGH THE Advertisements Eggs 80c Dozen Seen by Summer her sincere letters and a patient in who called. ex- the That the Best Goods are Always Advertised. Therefore, if You Wish to Secure the Best Value for Your Money .... New Pot Type Queen OIL BURNING Mr. wish to thank all thos® who so kind­ ly remembered Mrs. Godbolt in any way while in the hospital and since her return home. * SUBSIDY TO BE PAID ON FEED GRAIN Although ceilings on grain have been raised con­ siderably, a subsidy will be paid on feed grain, thus lowex'ing the cost of Poultry Feeds. thanks for treats received hospital, also to * ssraw&Bltx Phones 78 and 92 EXETER, ONTWEIN BROS Mr. Sam Skinner wishes to thank all those who so kindly remember­ ed him with cards and treats while a patient, in St. Joseph’s Hospital and since his return home. c IN MEMORIAM PINCOMBE—In loving memory of Mr, William Pincombe who pass­ ed away one year ago March '21, 1946. His weary hours and days of pain, His troubled nights are past; And in our aching hearts we know He has found sweet rest at last. —Ever remembered by Vera, Verne and family. Remember ! I in The Times-Advocate MONTREAL, March 18 —The Gazette quoted: “Many trade Officials as foreseeing retail prices of 80c per dozen or more "for eggs this summer. Although there may be no immediate price change, prices are exx^ected to rise considerably during late May, June and July. The British Spring con­ tract will remove all surplus eggs to May 31st and after the Spring contract closes the stage will be set for a sharp rise in prices. I This looks like the year to make (real money in Poultry. With ceilings removed it is more impor­ tant than ever to start good chicks as early as possible. PROMPT DELIVERY Day Old Chicks and Started Chicks, Pullets and Cockerels With our large capacity and aver­ age hatches much higher than anticipated, we can give you prompt delivery on. day old chicks and started pullets. Started Pullets 2, 4 and 6 weeks old. Also 3000 pullets, 10 weeks old March 31st. These pullets all flooi* raised under ideal conditions. Here’s yoxir' chance P. to get in on the high priced Sum- mer and Fall Eggs. Special Prices on STARTED PULLETS tliis week and .j next. Also Started and Day Old Cockerels at ‘Special Prices. Brooder Steves These brooders take the drudgery out of Chick raising. We have a big stock available, but they ara sell­ ing fast.