HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-03-12, Page 9COMMUNITY
Times -Advocate, March 12, 1997 Page 9
What
are
your
plans
forme
March
Break?
Brian
Ducharme,
Grade 11,
SHDHS
"Working, par-
tying a lot, en-
joying my holi-
day.."
Kris McCann,
Grade 12,
SHDHS
"Hanging
around
friends and
partying a
• lot."
Jill Pettey,
Grade 7, EPS
"1 might just
watch T. V. or I
might go to
Centralia. If
there's free
skating I will
do that.'.
Melissa
McBride,
Grade 6, EPS
"1 am going to
see Beauty
and the Beast
and my
aunt's coming
to visit."
Jeff Beaver,
Grade'8, EPS
•'i might be
going to Wind-
sor to visit a
friend and I'm
going to my
Mom's for a
while."
Kyle Fusick,
Grade 8, EPS
"1'(n planning
on going to our
cottage on Pike
Bay. There's
lots of work to
do and we are
going to build a
bedroom and
laundry room."
Kirkton, location of the first Eaton store
By Norm Tufts
Spei•iaf to the Exeter Tinies-
Advvcaie
KIRKTON - Few people know
that the first Eaton's store was
located in the village of Kirkton in
1856. • - -
The Eaton family and the Kirk
family had much in common. First,
they were both Scottish families.
Second, both families had to leave
Scotland and go '10 Ireland.
Thirdly. both families immigrated
ti`oin`Ircland to Canada.
:Timothy Eason, the fourth son
and ninth child of John and
Margaret Craig" Eaton, was horn in
1834 in the village of Clogher near
the town of Ballymena in the
county of Antrim Northern Ireland.
At the age of 13, Timothy began
his career aj an apprentice at a
large -general store in Pprtglenone
on the Riser Bann, owned by Mr.
Smith a tough old hard as nails
entrepreneur. -
Although threatening .to quit,
Timothy. witiv the encouragement
of his mother. finished his •
• apprenticeship. His father had died
shortly after Timothy's birth in
18.34. Robert. Timothy's eldest
' brother. canie to' Canada in 1840.
Other family members followed
and in, 1854 Timothy immigrated.
• to Upper Canada. .
His first stop •in Canada was ,
Georgetown where he .went to live •
with his sister Margaret and her
husband Robert Reid: Soon he
became :i junior bookkeeping clerk
at a small general store in Glen
Williams. a small village outside of
Gcorgetow n. The next stop for
'i'iinothy was Kirkton where he and
hip hi..uhcr Janie s opened the'first.-•
Eaton's store in a, small • log
structure located 'on Fish Creek.
facing the Exeter Road, at the
corner of Highway 23 and the
Exeter Road. The property was
part of the Lewis Kirk farm. now
owned by my .cousin Ross Tufts.
My great, grandfather was a
personal friend of Timothy's • and
he helped the brothers set up the .
store. making twice weekly trips
on loot to St. Marys with Timothy,
to pick up merchandise for the
store. Brother lames would niind
the store and look after the. post
office.
Timothy Eaton, first merchant,
named Kirkton in 1856 after the
six Kirk brothers who settled on
the four corner farms and on farms
nearby. Kirkton started in 1845 and
w•as originally. called Kirk's
Corners. Timothy and his brother
James operated the little store in
Kirkton from 1856 to the late fall
of 1860. when. they decided to
move the business to St. Marys.
Timothy Eaton is.reported (o have
learned many lessons in Kirkton
and spent many happy days there.
in the summer of 1858 he• and
my great grandfather.. Thomas
Tufts, both decided to become
Methodists, at a revival meeting
held in James Kirk's grove. The
Rev. Alexander Campbell was the
• minister conducting the service.
Both were converts, Timothy
from the Presbyterian Church and
Thomas from the Anglican Church.
In later years both Timothy and
his wife Margaret would often say
that •the hest years of their lives
werespent in Kirkton and St.
Marys'. -
It is interesting• to note that one
of the reasons that the Eatons
located •their first store in •Kirkton
was because everyone believed that
the railway was coming to Kirkton.
Of course the railway never did
come; in spite of the fact that plans
were. made. Te.surveys were done
and the stakes were put up. • ,
PC candidate
Wingham resident Colleen
Schenk seeks the nomination
of Progressive -Conservative
candidate in the riding of Hu-
ron -Bruce.
Feb. 28 George Eaton, president of
the T. Eaton Co. Ltd. announced
- that the company had obtained
bankruptcy protection while it
restructures., It i''s to be hoped that
the restructuring process will be
•successful. and that the Timothy
Eaton principles of doing business
will prevail. Many - of .us have
memories of shopping at Eatons'.
Children -from three or four.
generations remember sitting on
Santa's knee and . watching the
Santa Claus parade in Toronto.
Eaton's has become part of
Canadiana. .
Kirkton - is a- village rich in
- historyand a new book .being
written by George Burgin and
Norm Tufts will recall the past, the
present and -give a glimpse into the "
future of this unique village. The
history of Woodham will_ also be
part of the area history covered in
the book.
One Woodham resident, Irish
- born -Mrs. Mary Ann Mills, died in
her 116th year. It is believed that
she holds the record for longevity,
for an Canadian: She is. buried in
Kirkton, '
Other famous people who. were
from the Kirkton area include:
-Jamb Gardiner, , Minister of
Agriculture and Premier of Alberta;
Arthur Meighen, former Prime
Minister who lived in the Anderson
'area and attended the Presbyterian'
Church in Kirkton; John Vickers,
famous tenor soloist; Nathan
Doupe, famous athlete; Dr. Colin
Fletcher, Moderator of the
Presbyterian Church; Dr. Roger
head surgeon and first chairman.of
the Toronto General Hospital
(funded by the Eaton family); and
many others.
Like many other • rural
communities, Kirkton's progress
In— St. Marys. Timothy did
business for about nine years .
before moving to Toronto. In St.
Marys, • Timothy soon- discovered
that •growth would he limited and
that the railway lines favoured large
centres like Stratford, Sarnia.
London. and Toronto. Therefore, in
1869 Timothy and, his family
mdved.to Toronto. .
One fact that has largely been'.
forgotten is that _the Timothy Eaton •
philosophy of doing,busincss was
not developed in Toronto but rather
it was conceived in Kirkton and St.
Marys. As Dr. Hazelwood; a United
Church minister once told me,
'Kirkton was the salt of the earth
and the longer I am in Toronto, -the • •
More I appreciate the place.'
As everyone knows. on Friday
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was curtailed when it was bypassed
by the railway. The St. Marys and
Western Ontario Railway was to go
from Woodstock -to St. Marys and
on to Kirkton, Exeter and Sarnia.
The .only part completed was the
Woodstock to St. Marys line. The
story of this railway is a fascinating
one but space does pot allow the
story to be told here.
The book: Authors: George
Burgin- and •.Norm._Tufts Research
committee: meets once a month
and is still gathering•material and
-photographs. • If you have
photographs and historical material
please contact George Burgin at
519-229-8833. -
Availability: A must for all
libraries, book stores, schools,
museums and history buffs. Watch
for it in the near future.
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Kendra
Halpenny,
Grade 5, EPS
"i am going to
go skiing at
Mansfield. I'
also plan to
watch -movies
and play Nin-
• tendo."
April Mason,
Grade 1, EPS
"I'm going to
read...
because I'm a
bookworm."
Manure by-law
in the works
HURON COUNTY - County mu-
nicipalities will soon be getting the
county's suggested manure bylaw.
Some councillors said it can't be
soon enough.
Colin, Pat Down of Usborne
Township said her council passed a
manure bylaw. like the one which
will be suggested by the county, at
its March 4 meeting.'
"We needed this yesterday, not
tomorrow," she said. "We do have
enquiries." .
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Saturday, March 15th
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with Special Guests
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Tickets available at:
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i