The Wingham Advance-Times, 1954-07-28, Page 7.. ,:W».-t...... ” 111 flflRR1. 1. wEp
J
John W, Hanna, M.P.P., is pictured
on the left with his father, the late
John Hanna.
Council Invited to
Share Glory of
N. Pole Expedition
The following is taken in part from
The Advance in 1901:
75th Anniversary with Town
I '* i.ubwa' yy u.rmy*wwwwy?»: 'fw*1 '■-*
LIKE THE
rranna .......................
Business and Political Affairs
Mason’s
operation
town has
the oldest
Ip 1878
Josephine
chased, and the foUowin;
Kook Store has been in
for as many years as the
been incorporated and is
establishment in Wingham.
the Jot on the corner of
and John Streets was pur
ify year John
MaSop erected what has been known
from, that time, as the Mason block.
His son George, who was horn in
London apd had been engaged as a
traveller, opened a store in the new
building, selling stationery, wallpaper,
and. fancy goods,
Previous to the establishment of a
regular telephone system in Wingham,
George Mason pad an inter-communi
cation set-up in the form of a pair
; of telephones, between the house and
ttlie store. He also had a small print-
j ing press in the back o£ his store
* and did job printing. Before electricity
, was introduced in Wingham the Ma-
! son store was lighted by an acetylene
.system which was later installed in
the house as well. This method of
lighting, with its white light, was su-
: porior to the incandescent electric
; lights used in the early days of elec-
! trinity.
I.
I Mr. Mason served on the town coun
cil for a time. He was also interested
' in the work of the 'Salvation Army.
. and it was chiefly through his ef-
“Wingham Town Council has been
honored with an invitation to share
in the glory of an expedition to the
North Pole by voting a contribution
to aid Capt. Bernier’s outfit. What
next?
John Hanna, father of John
Hanna, our present Conservative rep
resentative to the Ontario Legislature,
was horn in County Down, Ireland,
ip 1835, coming to Canada at the age
of 16 years. He was a plasterer by
trade and followed this occupation
for some time, finally settling in E.
Wawanosh in 1876, where he estab
lished a general store near the present
site of Calvin Church.
it
Changing times have brought some
changes also in the stock carried at
the Mason store. While many of the
main lines are .still supplied, ,wall
oper, toys, fancy work and embroi
dery have been discontinued. Previous
io 1920 there was a large china de
partment on the second floor. •
• The business is now carried on by
Mr. Mason’s son, Jack Mason, who
has a long standing with the Curling
Club of Wingham. He has been ac
tively connected with the sport mince
he was about 16 years of age.
“It would sound very pretty for
future historians to say that Wing
ham Town Council of 1901 assisted
in planting the Union Jack on the very
top of the pole itself.
-“It would also be very interesting
to read in future geographies of Clegg
Island, Mackenzie Tableland, New
ton Point, Cape Mclndoo, Bell’s Pen
insula, Holmes’ Strait and McLean
Mountain. Aside from the questionable
utility of the expedition Wingham has
no money to fritter away for tom
foolery.
“Had our councillors decided to aid
■the. scheme, the frost that would have
overtaken them next January would
have equalled anything in the vicinity
of the North Pole itself.”
The family moved to Wingham in
the spring of 1880, at which time he
opened a general store here. Mr, Han
na was a member of the school board,
councillor, reeve and in 1894 was el
ected mayor. He was a member of
the Presbyterian Church and of the
Wingham Conservative Association.
Mr. Hanna owned several properties
and built many of the houses stand
ing in Wingham today.
In the year 1880 Mr. Hanna receiv
ed a cane bearing tne inscription “R.C,
Bazaar Contest, won by John Hanna
for popularity”, and -on the other
side, “Won by 240 votes over Dr.
Peter Macdonald, December, 30, 1880.”
John W, Hanna has this cane in his
possession.
Mr. Hanna was married to Maijy
Young, of Colborne, who was later
to become one of the most success
ful merchants in. Wingham, She car
ried on the business when her hus
band’s health failed about 1906.
MRS JOHN HANNA
The late Mrs, John Hanna founder
of Hanna & Co., and well remembered
by many citizens of Wingham
R. A. Currie and Sons Are
Celebrating 40th Anniversary
Since the current year 'marks the
40th anniversary of the business now
known as R. A. Currie & Sons, it is
appropriate to summarize the progress
of the founder, Robert A. Currie.
Born 'in East Wawanosh Township,
R. A. Currie is the son of the late
John Currie and Margaret Robertson,
and has been in business on the main
street of Wingham for 46 years.
This is John Pattison, a comparative newcomer in these parts.
Lived here all my life, actually, but since I’ve only been in
■ business since 1935, I can’t lay any claims to being as old
as the town, or anything like that.
’ However, I am pretty proud of the fact that ours was the
. first new store to be built on Josephine Street in 23 years.
■! If you! haven’t been-in. Wingham for a while perhaps you’ve
- , notice^ the new building on the site of the old Haugh shoe
-• store.
When you’re in town for the celebration why not drop in and
■ see us? Perhaps we could bring you up to dale on some of
the more recent happenings , in town. We might even find
we’re forty-second-cousms,-'j **• ■
• Related or not, we’ll be glad'fo see you, And we won’t‘even
mention the fact that we have the finest selection of electrical
appliances in town!
I
Radio & Electric
Our Phone Number is 171-J
He entered into business in 1908 as
a blacksmith, building the present
Warren House on Diagonal Road. Mr.
Currie later sold this shop to his
uncle, William Robertson, and with his
brother, the late John Currie, pur
chased the livery business previously
owned by J. E. Swarts, on Josephine
Street, situated north of Spotton’s
monument works.
In 1913 Mr. Currie bought the fur
niture and undertaking establishment
of Samuel Gracey, then located where
Simpson’s Order office is today. He
moved* to his present location in the
Wilson block in 1919, purchasing the
building in 1944. Here he added a mo
dern
sons
FATHER AND’SON
Hanna & Co. was one of the most
enterprising firms in Wingham and
at one time Mrs. Hanna had 22 clerks.
Mr. and Mrs. Hanna, their two sons,
George and John, and their three
daughters, Mary, Maud and Pricilla,
all worked in the store, There were
two wagons on the road which
were sent out to make calls, take
orders, return to the store and pick up
the merchandise, and deliver it to
the customers.
years, after which he spent five years
as mayor.
In 1943 he was elected to the On
tario Legislature and has remained in
office since that time. Recently he was
appointed to the. Racing Commission,
this new position requiring much of.
his time.
Mrs. John Hanna was the former
Esther Margaret Campbell of Wood-
stock and they have one son, John
Campbell, a student at Western Uni
versity, London.
Mr. Hanna attended the coronation
of Queen Elizabeth II last year. In
1932, while visiting the British Isles
with A. M. Crawford, Gordon Buehl
anan and Harcourt Mundy, he located
the monument of the Rev, Hugh Han
na, D.D., in Belfast Ireland, a relative
of the family who was welLknqwn.in
his native land.
Little Eaton
About 1905 or 1906, George Hanna
started in business for himself but'
within a short time a fire swept his
establishment. He rebuilt in 1907, the
store now being occupied by Walker
Stores, south of the town hall on'
Josephine Street. This new store was
called Little Eaton and the stock in
cluded ladies’ wear, carpets and lino
leum.
The following year George bought
Hanna & Co and Miss Little’s millin
ery business and stock, which gave
him a complete general store, carrying
everything from groceries to millin
ery. About this time his brother, John
W., took an interest in the firm.
funeral chapel. Mr. Currie’s two
arc now in business with him.
John Currie entered the firm in
He served with the Canadian
R.
1935.
Army, enlisting at London in 1942.
While in Canada he was stationed at
Windsor, and later saw action in Eng
land, Italy, France and Germany. Ho
received his discharge in
turned to the business,
ried to the former Ruth
they have two children.
1946 and re-
He is mar-
G an nett and
James A Currie became connected
with the firm on his departure from
school in 1951. Last month he was
married to Audrey Henry, of Wing
ham.
E. L. Dickinson, Q.C.,
Came Here in 1880
E. L. Dickinson practised law here
for many years, coming to Wingham
about 1880, when he entered into a
partnership with H. W. C. Meyer and
later formed a partnership with Dud-
-loy Holmes.
Mr. Dickinson was an enthusiastic
supporter of the Conservative party
and in 1896 and 1900 contested East
Huron against-Dr. .Peter Macdonald.
He was a member of the Masonic
Lodge.
About 1902 ho went to Goderich and
entered partnership with Charles Gar
row. .His wife was the former Miss
Corbould, a daughter of Wm, Cour-
bould of the Bank of Hamilton here.
Mr. Dickinson died in 1909.
_____________/
.Wingham Brass Band won second
money at Clinton in the Doherty Or
gan Company competition, the famous
Waterloo band taking first. When the
boys arried home on the evening train
they were met by a host of friends
md conducted down Josephine Street
by a torch light procession. News item
1885.
George Hanna was married to the
former Carrie Fisher, daughter of the
late Mr. and Mrs. Peter Fisher and
Mrs. Hanna still resides here. He took
a great interest in the walfare of the
community, being a member of coun
cil, a member of the fire brigade, an
officer of the 33rd Regiment, B. Co.,
and was active in the Masonic Lodge,
the I.O.O.F., C. O. F„ Camp of the
Sons of Scotland and the Orange
Lodge. He died in 1908, a few days
before his father, as a result of
phoid fever.
tr
up
Mrs. Hanna Took Over
Mrs. John Hanna again rolled
her sleeves and stepped tp the fore.
She re-established the firm of Hanna
& Co., and, took over the management.
In 1921 she erected the present Han
na’s glen’s Wear building and it was
in that year that she died.
At this time the business was car
ried on in both the present men’s
wear building and the Walker Stores
Limited premises, the latter being sold
about 1926.
John Hanna, M.P.P.
Following his mother’s death, John
Hanna became head of Hanna & Co.
He too, was interested in municipal
and community affairs and was presi
dent of the Wingham Lions Club in
1926. In 1936 he was elected to coun
cil, remaining a councillor for eight
B
1
Curling AlIHrnportant
’Way Back in ’90
In the Royal Caledonian Curling
Club Year Book of 1889-90, secured
for us by Jim Murray, of town, we
find several, curling stories. One of
these is quoted below for the benefit
of those interested in the sport:
“A laird of Strathaven, who owned a
quarry and was‘reputed to be worth
“a gey twa three bawbees beside”,
was playing one day, and his
foreman, whose name was Lawrence,
was playing with him. The laird was
very anxious he should take a certain
shot, and he cried out in this fashion.
“Noo, Jock Lawrence,
whaur my broom is? Lay
doon there, and as sure as
gie ye my dochter, Jean, if
• “Birr went the stane oot
hand, and went trintling along to the
very spot where the laitd wished it.
“Capital! Jock. Capital. Ye couldna’
ha’e dune better, and ye can get Jean
in the morn if ye want her.”
“Ye maun gie me something else
than Jean, laird; I ha’e got her al
ready. We were married at Gretna
Green sax weeks since, and we’ve
been thinking of asking your blessing
ever since, but something aye cam’
in the way."
“The laird was dumbfounded when
he heard the news, but he compro
mised matters by saying, “Aweel,
aweel, Jock,, I’ll let bygauns be’by-
gauns. A that could Jay doon a
pat-lit like that is worthy o’ the best
ahd bonniest lass in Lanarkshire;
keep her an' welcome, and ye’ll may
be git the matter o’ sax hunner
pounds wi’ her. Keep her, Jock, and
if ye ha’e ony laddie weans atween
ye, bring them up in the fear o’ the
Lord
d’ye see
yer stane
death, I’ll
ye do it”,
o’ Jock’s
WHEN THEY
and the knowledge o’ Curlin’.”
—A. C.
William Armour of Wingham,
to bed in a London hotel one
last week with the gas impro-
Mr.
went
night
perly shut off. The next day he was
found in an asphyxiated condition
but was soon brought round by medi
cal skill. —News item 1888.
NEWFANGLED
DCDrV JL ILlvV I