HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1962-08-16, Page 11115tb Your: -No. -32
GODtRICH, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1962
Porter's . Hill Church Meet
Honors Former . Members
. „wc
By G.L.E.
Of the many United States
tourists who visit Goderich,. al-
most all of them are surprised
to. learn, when so informed,
that the _forbears of Walt Dis-
ney were pioneers of the Hol-
mesville area.
None of tnem are aware of
the fact that: the great -great-
grandfather of the creator of
famous movie caricatures,
known around the world, once
ran a grist mill on the banks
of the Maitland River near Hol-
rnesville, after coming to -Can-
ada from Ireland, and that it
Was the first in- the area to
grind ' flour for the early set-
tlers; that Walt Disney's great-
grandfather, who had 16 child-
ren,
hildren, lived and farmed at Hol-
mesville; that his grandfather
and grandmother were married
in an ord log eabin, close to
Holmesville and now razed, and
lived there: for some years; that
his grandfather once drilled for
oil at Saltford; that Walt's fa-
ther attended the- old Central
Public School gt Goderich, now
the Huron -County Museum; that
Walt's father moved with his
family to Kansas and thence
various parts of the U.S.A.,
where he was engaged in • the
building contracting business;
that Walt's father lived for a
time in Chicago. -
Walt's great -great-grandfath-
er was Elias Disney, Elias being
• ,the second name :.of Walt" Dis-
ney, of movie ,and • TV. fame.
Walt's father was also named
"Elias Disney. He disliked Chi-
cago so much that soon after
Walt's birth there, his parents
moved to Marceline, Mo. There
• were three other boys, Roy,
Herb and Ray, and a girl, Phyl-
lis, and they attended a country
school, folIovtied by a grammar
school in nearby Kansas City.
It was in this town, that •Walt
liad a paper --haute morning and
evening. He got up- at 3.30
a.m,, loathing it, beat his way
against the howling storm and
generally lived up to all the
traditions 7 of newspapers and
regular delivery.
,His earliest connections with
Trow business stemmed 'from a
mad infatuation with Charlie
Chaplin, whom he used to
• personate. This sometimes won
him two dollars at an amateur
night show- Then, he got a pal
to join him ,'in a vaudeville
act. •- ^
.Liked Cartooning
He always loved to draw and
when living in Chicago he at-
tended the Chicago Art Institute"
night school, where he studied
cartooning.
In' his time he sold news-
papers aboard a train running
from Chicago to Kansas City;
was a postman during the early
part of World War I; served
overseas as a Red Cross ambul-
ance driver; became an .adver-
tising artist in Kansas City after
World War 1. It was in the
latter, post ,where he got the
idea of animated carioons. His
studio was a vacant barp.
In August, 1923, he arrived
in Hollywood and after .many
early difficulties finally rose to
the place of recognition he now
holds throughout the world for
his famed creations.
It was in July, 1947; that Walt
Disney made "a -sentiment rMde
journey to Goderich from New
York City, where he Was on a
business trip from his studios
in California. At that time he
visited Holinesiille and Blue -
vale, also, where his ancestors
lived for a' time. Accompany-
ing him to Goderich were his
wife, his wife's sister, Mrs. Wm.
Cottrell, and Mr. Cottrell, of
New York City. After an over-
night stay in Goderich, where
he drew cartoons for the child-
ren in. the old Central Public
School, which his father attend-
ed, he went on to Detroit and
caught a plane to return home
to California.
•:r•
°13y `°Mary Manning
PORTER'S'HILL, ,Aug. 14. ----
Grace Uzi ted Church U.C.W.
entertained former members 01
the women's organization of Ow
church orf Wednesday after-
noon of last week. Guests of
honor were ' the living past pre-
sident's of :the Ladies'. Aid and
Woman's Association, as the:
U.C.W. was formerly called.
The 196Z president, Mrs. Ar-
thur Bell, wet tned the guests,
most of whonare now living
in Goderich or Clinton. Mrs.
Alvin Betties gave an entertain-
ing history of the organization
from the tune of church union
in 1925 when the Presbyterians
of Bethany Church joined the
Methodists of Bethel Church to
form a new congregation, Grace
United. Mrs. Reid Torrance,
Kippen, read the minutes she
had written on August 27, 1925
when she was secretary at the
first meeting of the Ladies' Aid.
During the .following two
years, while plans were made
for the erection of a new church
building;. the ladies met • at the
homes of: Mrs. Charles Cox,
Miss Georgina'- McPhail, Mrs.
Fred Elliott, Mrs. Reid Torrance.
Miss Sophia Lindsay, Miss Jen-
nie Burke, Mrs. Herbert Cox,
Mrs. Milton Woods, Mrs. Tom
Elliott, Mrs. Fred Pickard, Mrs.
John Blair,'Mrs. Leslie Cox and
Mrs. D. Lindsay. Four of''these
are Still ,living.
On July 27, 1927, the corner-
stones of the new church were
laid. An old issue of the Gode-
rich Signal read: "In the corner-
stone laid on behalf of the
Ladies' Aid was placed the fol-
lowing list of officers: president,
Mrs. Leslie Cox; first vice-pre-
sident,- Mrs. Victor Elliott; trea-
surer, Mrs.' Fred Elliott; secre-
tary, Miss Jennie- Burke."
Mrs. R. ,Torrance and her
sister, Miss Jean Ivison, who
had sung at the laying of
the cornerstohe;.c, .'sang
"Building for Eternity." Mr.
Elgin Cox gave a reading, "The
`Ladies' Aid," and Mrs. 'Charles
Cox read the excerpt taken from
the Goderich Signal describing
the laying of the cdrnerstenes
and the bountiful supper served
by, the ladies in the new church
shed' buillt by 13e11 Bros., -who
donated their labor. ,
Mrs. Austin Harris displayed
the autographed quilt giversto
her by Fred Elliott because- she
was the first girl in the new
congregation to marry. This
quilt was one of the first money-
making projects of the Ladies'
Aid, and was auctioned at the
first -fowl supper in November,
1927. Each member sent the.
following foods to the annual
fowl supper:, one pot mashed
potatoes, one quart gravy, jelly,
pickles, • salad, one dish butter,
one pint cream, two cakes, four
pies,. three chickens and either
two ducks or one goose.
Rev. Charles Cox, a former
member of the congregation,
conducted a short memorial
service for those members who
had passed away. die also dedi-
cated an honor roll listing the
past presidents and the years
they: were in office. This is the
fist: Mrs. Leslie Cox, 1927, 1928,
1946-1949; Mrs. Herbert. Cox,
1929; Mrs. George Proctor; 1930-
1932; Mrs. Fred Pickard, 1933-
1934; Mrs. Reid Torrance, 1935,
1936, 1945; • Mrs. John -Harris,
1937-1941;. ,Mrs. Milton -Woods;
1942; Mrs. James Lockhart,
1943-1944; Mrs.- Austin Harris,
1'950-1951; Mrs. Donald Harris,
1952-1953; Mrs. John McCowan,
1954; Mrs. Argyle Lockhart,
1955, 1957, 1958; Mrs. Gordon
Manning, 1956; "Mrs. Whiner
Harrison, 1959; Mrs. Thomas
ff Sowerby; 1960; 11Irs. .Alvin
I Betties, • 1961.
Mrs, William Cox and. Mrs.
Thomas Sowerby Sang'"Living
for Jesus" with Mrs. A. Harris
at the organ. Elaine Townshend
played '"Silver Threaes Among
the Gold" and "Rock of Ages"
on her electric organ. Two
new members of the U.C.W.,
Mrs. Anthonie De Ruyter and
Mrs. A. Jongejan, then sang
`Tough Your Sins Be Scarlet"
in Dutch, followed by . "Whiter
Than Snow" inEnglish.
• Mrs. Donald Harris read sev-
eral letters from former mem-
bers who were unable to at-
tend. and Mrs. Arthur Bell
thanked the various committees,
especially Mrs. William Cox and
Robert Richardson, 'son of James Richardson, the latter a'bro-
ther of Walt Disney's grandmother, is seen seated on the re-
mains of the old log cabin at 'Holmesville where Walt Dis-
ney's grandparents were married. It was located on the. 12th
concession„ of Goderich Township, 'now'the Robt. Elliot •farm.
The log cabin is now no more. The above picture was taken,
in ,July, 1947 a little over 15 years ago — when -Walt Dis-
ney visited Holmesville and Goderich to see where his for-
bears lived. -
Huron County Museum on
once the old Central Public
North Street, ,rwas attended by Walt Disney's father.
School,. which
Charlie -MacDonald, 13, young I
solo',' piper with the Goderich'
Legion Pipe Band, added, an-
other gold 'medal to his collec-
tion with a first in the "march"
competition, for pipers 14 years
and under, at the Central New
York Highland Scottish Games
in Griffin Field, Syracuse, Sat-
urday afternoon.
Charlie has been competing
since he was ten years of age
but says w`1_ -didn't start winning
until last year:" -);lis growing
medal collection includes awards
from four Ontario competitions
apart from his recent Syracuse
triumph. He holds a first, in
Strathspey and. reel, won Civic
Holiday Monday at Dutton On-
tario, in the Elgin and Middle-
sex Caledonian Society High-
land Scottish Games. During
the March contests of the Pip-
ers' Society Of Ontario, held at
Grirrisby, .Charlie won a second
place silver medal in the march
class and another silver third
in the Strathspey and reel.. The
latter win was accomplished in
the 16 years and under class.
On July 2nd, he continued his
successes with another seconds
in Strathspey and reel, at a Com-
petition in St. Catharines.
At the age -of 12, Charlie en-
tered a "chanter" contest at St.
Thomas, for pipers 12 years
and under, winning a first in
this division. His pr-ize waS a
chanter, a pipe made of African
hlackwood and ivory, used as
the melody source -when"attach-
ed to a set of bagpipes. The
chanter contest, for younger
hays, .is designed to save the
youngsters the effort of filling
the larges wind bag; the chant-
ers are played detached from
the piping set. Charlie also
picked up a,, cash award as first
prize in the Strathspey and reel
contest later the `same day.
His younger brother, Joe, now
11, also entered the St. Thomas
chanter competitions a n d
married of with second place
awards in the two divisions.
The two young pipers are the
sons of Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Mac
Donald, the father' himself be-
ing a noted, exponent of the
colorful pipes for many years.
Thursday, August 16, the en-
tire family will journey to
13oh10 Island,in the St.. Clair
River, south of Detroit, ;for a
widely contested solo pipers
competition. Also entered in
this ` contest are two other pip-
ers from the Branch 109 Legion
Band, Bill McLeod, 17, and
James Millar, 15, son of the
band's pipe Major, William Mil-
lar. Young Joe MacDonald will
make his break in this event
with an entry in the novice
division.
The Mary Lynne Leonard
Dancing Troupe is expected to
compete in the Boblo Island
contests for dance competitors.
Specializing in Highland danc-
ing, in its many divisions, the
group is well-trained and 'prac-
tising regularly for the Boblo
meet.
The Branch 109 Canadian Leg=
ion Pipe Band, as stated else-
where, also competed in the
Syracuse highland games, Sat-
urday, tying for' third place
among 12 competing bands.
Mrs. Chester Sturdy who plan-
ned the program. Mrs. Bell
introduced the new minister,
Rev. A. G. Pease. • • -
Later, in the Sunday school
room, Mrs. Allen Betties and
Mrs. George Mathers, assisted
by Mrs. Alvin Proctor, Mrs.
Harry Torrance and Mrs. Wil-
liam Harris, served lunch to
over 50 members and guests.
Mrs. Allen Betties presented,
corsages to the past presidents
who also received' brooches as
mementos of the occasion. '
Mrs. Leslie Cox presented a
gift to Mrs. Alvin Betties and
thanked her for planning the
anniversary tea. To Mrs. Bet-
ties goes the credit for making
the occasion a sucoess.
Staff of Canada's federal gov-
ernment in March, 1962, includ-
ing its departments, corpora-
tions and agencies, numbered
• 337,083, and payroll for the
month was $127 million.,
Rev. Canon 1K, -E. Taylor offici-
ated at the funeral sezGvioe for
Mrs. Louise Edith Whisley,, at
St. George's Anglican Church,
on Saturday afternoon. Burial
was in Maitland cemetery. The
pallbearers' were James Morris,
Clifford Lowery, Jack Seaman;
and Walter Taras. The Lodge
funeral hom8 ,-was in charge oil
arrangements.
of last week in Alexandra Hos-
pital after a long i.lines's. A -
native of Cambridge, England,
she came to Canada 48 years
ago. She had lived in Goderich .
for 41 years, and was a mem-
ber of St. George's Anglican
Church. There are no surviv-
ors.
HYDRANTS 'ARE NOT PUBLIC PROPERTY.
ANYONE OTHER THAN FIREMEN-, WATER- .
WORKS DEPARTMENT, OR PUBLIC WORKS
• DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEESOPENING OR
TAMPERING WITH HYDRANTS WILL. BE
PROSECUTED
WATER, LIGHT AND HARBOUR- COMMITTEE
-32-33
VIII IInn•
4'fG60'
Veterans Memorial' Park,
Maitland Cemetery , at 2.30.. p.m. on
SUNDAY,' AUG: 26
1962
-The3'ub1ic is cordially invited to -,attend.
Legion Members, Ladies' Auxiliary and Veterans
meet at Legion Ha -11 at,1.45 p.m.
In event of rain will be postponed until Sunday,
.September 2, 4962.
Space donated by Coilnrade Ed. Stiles.
• Originally a Church of England Cemetery but later part Meth--
odist also, the cemetery, at the top of they -hill at Holmesville
contains the graves.,of pioneer -met bers of the Disney family.
These include those of the Richardson family, the grand-
mother's side of the family. ,Above is seen the tombstone of
Robert Richardson, who was a brother of Walt Disney's grand-,
mother. He died July 29, 1905, at the age 'of 80 years. Alis •
wife--was-Catlierirre Wellwood, who died February '2, -1863, at
the age of'57. There were four children of that marriage; who
died at, ,the ages of 6 weeks,' two weeks, three years' and four
and thlree-quarter years respec ively. • 'Signal -Star Photo
Visitors during the past week
at the hothe of Mrs. John Vin-
cent, "park street, were; Miss
• Mina Hughes; Ildertgn Cprr�e,rs;
Mrs. Walter Johnson ancr" [iss
Sara .Smith; Chippawa; Mr. azid
Mrs. J. C. Brewer and three
children, l3luevale; Mrs. Murray
MacDairmid, Hamilton; Mr. aad
Mrs. Albert Vincent And Mr.
• and Mrs. Carl Proctor,.11elgrave;
• and Mrs. T. E. Adams, Landes-
bora, who is remaining for a
- longer visit, c,
Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Anderson,
betrdit,'are spending afro weeks
at their Port Albert pottage.
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Ralston,
Mrs. Joan Evans and her son,
Kevin, of Acton,were in town
for the week -end renewing ac-
quaintances. '
Mrs. S. E. Hoey, Toronto,
spent the past week in Gode-
rich . renewing acquaintances
and revisiting old scenes.. Mrs.
Iloey was the former Gertrude
Porte., whose l'ainily operated
Porter's Book Store in the „prem•
/sea now occupied by Hendee-
spa's
endeepin's Book Store. The late Mr.
fly operated a grocery at fhe.
*corner of East street and the.
Square.
• Near the shore of the Maitland River at the point 'shown above,
Elias Disney, great; great grandfather of Walt Disney, once
operated a grist mill. It was on a small creek that flowed'
into the Maitland River. In this .mill, he ground flour for the
pioneer settlers. When he visited this sp"lit /15 yeasts ago, Walt
Disney was ,dipsaointed to find pothi'ng definite on the banks
of -the now small creek to show -exactly where the mill had
stood, ,although it is known it was in this immediate area.
Forrester's bridge is seen downstream in the distance.
Signal -Star Photo
Mrs. Malcolm E. Smith, Wyan-
dotte, ,Michigan, accompanied
by her daughter, Mrs. Donald
Taylor and two children, Kathy
and David, of Allen Park, Mich -
i60, are at Menesetung Park
•
for a week's vacation.
Mrs. Albert Johnston and Mrs.
Celia Moore, Cameron street,
Goderich, visited with Mr. and
Mrs. l enneth 'Trewartha and
their fathily, Ilolmesville. '
Holiday visitors, with Mrs.
D. D. 'Mooney were:- Mr, and
Mrs, Howard Wright,and son
Bobby, of Ottawa; .' Miss Judi
'I irjavainen, Thornhill; Mr. Don
'Mooney, Toronto; Mr. and Mrs.
Paul Mooney`, Blake and An
drew, •ltlidland,
1 Miss Gwen Bottoms, secre-
' tary to tia. Canadian Ambas-
sador, Havana, Cuba, is visiting
her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ken-
neth Bottoms,- at Mid -Huron
Beach. ,
Miss Gladys Harrison, Park.
hill, has returned home after
visiting her cousins, Misses Mae
and Bessie Davies.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Barker
were in town dur.tng the past
week visiting with Mr. mid Mrs.
Charles Barker at their cottage
near the Maitland River "Black
Hale." Mr. Barker, a son of
the late Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Barker, now lives in London,
OntaHo. Ile .left Goderich itn
1937.
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papers) gives applicaiit:e'ligiblfltyfor admission to the First Year of a Degree Program.
Students with 6O% average will receive pref fence.
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Lectures begin on September 19.
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Mit. J. M. $OPAS, registrar_,
Waterloo University College
�1r teri'oa Xvitheta rt*tersity
Wateribb, Dnta 'o