HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1967-03-09, Page 9T
To »E LAT ON SHARES.
*?4D i*FO1 T4NT C rti.VO: FAR:s uita-
TO LET; ON -SHARES,
For IMh a tern of oar* as may be agreed 'van,
THE FARM OF GAIRHRAID,
The property of l)r. WILLIAM Dw inor,
ndvanisgeopsly situated in the Township
of Colborne, within a. few minutes dritie
of the Town of Goderich, containing up.
wards of ONE• 11UNl RED ACRES of
cleared land completely fenced.
A .dwelling house with suitable oiecom,
:modations for a family. •
,A► Iarga and substantial frame barn 60
by, 40 feet, with granary and other con.
veniences. °
A large and comfortable range of frame
built cattle sheds, rattle houses, sheep
houses, pig pens, and everTaccommsda-
tion for carrying on an extensive and pro•
ductive farm business.
Together with theentire stock of 'Cat-
tle of all ages., Eiursetr Sweep, Piga, Poul ,
try, &c, • ~
The Farm is hounded, on the South by
the great Common , or Flats of Goderich,
on the banks of the river Maitland, affor-
ding luxuriant pas`turt o.ver upwards of
100 acres. frwtn the opening of spring till
the fall,for any number of cattle, sheep,
pigs, mid geese, which maybe either taken
tQ market, or wintered on the farm.
'• The Agricultural implements. are com•
plete, and comprise among other„ matters,
a newly: erected portable' THRASHING
MACHINE, which Witty be made an addi.
tional cource of profit to the tenant.
Aa a further inducement to persons of
industry 'and enterprise, possessing the
necessary resources, the proprietor is wil-
ling to bestow a FREE DEED for 100.
to 500 acres.of the best land in the adjoin.
ing Township'of Ashfield', or ,such addi..
tional quantity as may be agreed upon, in •
the proportion of 100 acres for every 20
acres to be cleared and added to the farm
during the currency of the Lease.
Off'ers'in writing (post. paid) will be re-
eeived unto Tuesday the 29th December,.
.--,-..�--.,nnd-kevery-�•infr��rxrz�•ion-..-�will.minwthe.�.moan�....-.
time be afforded, on application to the
subscriber. sc, �'
DANIEL 0,ZARs.
hand Agent.
Land Agency Office,
Gederteh, Nov. 12, 1840.
s.3
:�r
By G. MacLEOD ROSS'
Soon after the Bishop. of the Arcic�s
book "-Archiba'ld of the Arctic" was pub-
lished, hiswidow asked some acquaintances
what they thought of it. The reply: "We've
only managed a few chapters so far, but
we're sludging!"
I went sludging on the 29th day of
this, our Centennial Year, when I picked 4
up the letter book of an early (1830) settler
to Goderich. One of the things our ancestors
practised was record keeping. They copied
their letters into a ledger and while .you
_ you ,n usually_ ,
will not find � the replies, - -
ca
obtain a good idea of the gist of them.
This story really begins on Noy. .12, u.
1840, when Dr. Williaxn Dunlop offered.• to
let `the ►
Farm of Gairbraid (See the original
handbill) together with cattle, sheep, pigs- •
and geese and agricultural implement as
well. At some later date, one. James Tewsley
• took up the offer and installed himself.
Daniel Lizars in his time wore many
hats. Hae he appears As Land Agent, then
as Justice of the Peace. Next he is signing
as major commanding the 1st Huron Regi-
ment, while on Oct. 16, 1841 he • is appointed
. Clerk of the' Peace for the District of
Huron, while in a previous existence he had.
been the publisher of the *North Briton'.
On June 17, 1841, Daniel Lizars- pre-
. pared a letter for Louisa (McColl) Dunlop,
widow of the late Robert Graham Dunlop,
commander, . in the Royal Navy,'whereby •
,fie, "1 ;y s ,eweth• the Rt. Hon. 'The
Lords Commission rs o the Adm rafty a `
her husband died on 28th February, 1841."
" She asks for the half pay due, prior to his
death.
-Con • July 19, ,1841, we find Lizars has
prepared a Declaration required for., plat- .
ing a widow of an officer of the Royal Navy
on the- Pension List. It is : witnessed by
,Robert Fraser Campbell, the Episcopal
Minister of the Parish of Goderich and by
R. Young, the church warden. In the course
of the Declaration Louisa Dunlop states
that her private income from. w _atever
source proceeding, 'does .not exeeed $35 Ster
ling. It is signed at-Gairbraid,and witness-
ed by the Justice of the Peace, Dan Lizars.
A copy of the widow's marriage •license
enclosed, shows the marriage took place
Qn ,July 4, 1836 in the presence of W. Dun-
lop _(The- Tiger), James McLean and Ellen
Graham
By Sept. 2, 1841, their Lordships were
pleased to grant a pension of £70 st rlin
,�g
s e
.. 840. The sante day,
commencing March 1, 1
Dan Lizars was writing the Baron de Tuyll
in Goderich, applying on behalf of William
Steward for a transfer, of Lot 17_ in Bay-
field from Alexander Bossvert. The Baron
was of course living at the Ridge at the
time.
On Sept.: 11, 1841, Mrs. Dunlop directed.
Dan Lizars to 'address James Tewsley, the
tenant of the Gairbraid Farm, which he
° did as representing Dr. Dunlop's interests
as well. "She considers you have, in many
important instances, violated the Lease be-
tween 'you for the Farin of Gairbraid of
date 8th May 1841."
She demanded that all matters be re-
ferred - to Arbitration of two ` persons
-rn t�ll�seil, irr—a-ccordanee—w•lth—the-
16th clause of the lease. She nominates
Jasper K. Gooding as her, representative.
But ` two days later, Sept. 13, -1841,
Lizars o writes to —Louisa, sending her a
copy of a letter from Tewsley "the original
of which I waited upon you this morning
120th YEAR NO. 10-
Her Brother
P Miss Skimings Wna:
THE GODERICH SIGNAL -STAB, THURSDAY, MAR. 9, 1967
to submit for your perusal, when, your con-
duct interrupted my'intentioh. It is far- fro
me to Wish to throw any impediment to. the
adjustment of ,your difference with Mr,
Tewsley,__ but any communication you AY
require to make must be in --wring, as 'I
decline 'from henceforth having" ,further.
intercourse. °
By the 28th Tewsley is 'writing Lizars,
who replies oh, the 30th that he does not
feel himself sufficiently authorized to inter-
fere during Mr. Dunlop's absence. '
"I should` suppose, from the reasonable
nature .oflour: demands, M-rs.--Dunlop--ean
have no objection, to give immediate com-
pliance to them, and as far as, I am con-
eerned, in, order to prevent you suffering
-any " damage from the detention of the
articles enumerated, and the .settlement of
the Inventory of Stock, I have written her,
- enclosing copies' of this correspondence. ,
• To Mrs. Dunlop, Lizars writes: "as the
confidential agent of Dr. Dunlop .. On the
part of Dr. Dunlop, I respectfully recom-
mend- that immediate attention be paid to
Mr. Tewsley's„•request and, in order to pre-
vent blame being attached to Dr. Dunlop,
arising from unnecessary delay, I -am ready
to extend the Inventory when adjusted by
the parties.” ,
It would seem that Mrs. Dunlop was a
ready, writer,' for her reply reached Lizars
next I ay, Oct. 1, when he sent a copy to
Mr. Tewsley.. "that you may be aware that
--every e'ag+ a i C"atte-ffip "`h` "`been -made -oma
my part as representing Dr. Dunlop's ....
and that you will acquit Dr. Dunlop of all
desire to create annoyance whereby damage
may be sustained by you. - I am riot° unob-
servant of the malicious :charge against me
of- collusion, which Mrs. Dunlop has thought
proper to indulge in when she writes. 'that
as ydu and- Mr. Tewsley thought proper to
delay calling arbitrators to settle matters in
dispute.* In answer to this charge and in
vindication of my character as. a Land Agent
(which Mrs.- Dunlop has lately been•at-
tempting to assail by, every_ species of:
calumny and falsehood) I have to refer you
to my letter of the llth ult., a -'copy of which
. was furnished. Mrs. Dunlop at the time
and which she approved of. But I shall adopt
means- to protect myself, against these un-
merited slanders- and-theirtjuries -they are
'-designed-to inflict on- my business reputa-
tion. •
I` am sorry to say the letter book gives
us no further information on -any progress
which occurred in this spat.,°Dan Lizars had, -
become, Clerk of the Peace of the District
of 'Huron and may have started a new
Letter Book in that office. The remaining
pages are blank.
A Casualty Of Fenian Scare
A n By W. E. ELLIOTT
Lieut. Richard Skimings, of -- Gode-
i'rich Garrison Artillery, was a casualty ---of .
1866; On active service under Maj. Alex- B
under M. Ross, he helped to guard the port.
against an - .expectedraid by the Fenians,
across Lake Huron. .
The troops dug gunpits along the bank
and kept sentries, on the watch at all times.
Their guardhouse was Hands bakery,"
as it was then known, (169 West S't.i across
from the former Canada/Company build=
'ing) 'and their barracks is believed to have
been the fine old brick house at 165 Light-
house St. °
Lieut. Skimings caught cold, recov-
ered sufficiently to take part in a rifle
,match the following year, but in November-
w'ea,ther suffered a lung hemorrhage. Later
he visited_Peru and Bermuda for his health,
but died tt his home in Goderich • on' May •
12, 1869. He ,was a promising young lawyer,
full of love fo-r- his profession and,hisbe-
loved-Canada " his sister gloise wrote"i% her
book of poems, "Golden Leaves.`
tr Richard wrote verses; too, and a iium-
ber appear in the volume .th Xhis sister's,
including a 12 -stanza tribute to Canada, -
an" ode to the River Maitland' and another
to Lake Huron. Eloise Skimings' book
was printed in° 1904, so that whether she
was ,a younger or elder sister of the gallant
lieutenant, she must have been around 75,
give or take ,a few years, when she died .
in 1921.'
Though- it is 45 years since she departed
this life, then poetess of Huron has left a`
lasting rnemoriaL.iri this collection of nearly
1,00() poems, besides those by Richard.
As befitting a resident of a Great Lakes
port, she devoted °many verses to themes
more or lest in -the marine category, Horror,.
ti • ing R. Campbell, lighthouse keeper, she
wrote: • -
For years thou hast lived in thy lighthouse
home.,,
Above old Lake Huron's waters;
).. Many a wild storm has passed over thee
And over thy wife and daughters.
But little dost thou fear, for storms pass by,
No cloudbursts ever asspil`hee;
Thou are- happy irr-thy home as the ducks
' That hover o'er Huron's wild sea.
Miss Skimings' prolific output was
dedicated, very often, to Goderich residents,
and the verses were inspired, in .many in -
ft.
9
ever, a generous; soul Within ,•.her means,.
_ - providingprizes for high school students
excelling in specified subjects.
EI,OISI; A. SKIMINGS.
stances, by the gift of a flower. If some-
one gave Miss Skimings a tulip, a rose, a
wild flower, poetry resulted almost•'auto-
matically.
Some of herr poems ,were dedicated' to
public amen in Canada - and the United
States: Hon. Edward Blake, • Sir Wilfrid
Laurier, Sir Richard Cartwright '(evidently
on the occasion of a campaign visit in the
1904 election), Lord and Lady Aberdeen,
who also visited Goderich, Andrew Car-
negie, President' Theodore Roosevelt and
Rt: Hon. W. E. Gladstone..,
A teacher of piano, Miss Skimings, it ,
-is ;recalled, was `often called upon to play
the National Anthem at public gatherings.
Nobody had any doubt in those days as to
its identity.
She -limed: with a brother, William, ina
little :house on Stanley. Street, near The
-Square, from whence she sallied- forth•for
poetical inspiration. Her, book - was printed
by The Goderich Signal in 1904, with ex-
pectation that persons mentioned therein
in rhyme would become purchasers. Miss
Skimings saw to that; her commercial in-,
stinct was well developed. She Was, how-
•
The Signal of •April 14, 1921, .contained
a brief account of her funeral, and -ah-
• nouncement that "a ,more extended refer-
• ence to the life and work of Miss Skimings
is held over until next week." No account, . •
extended or otherwise, appeared in subse-
quent issues.. , -
Those who recall Miss Skimings' ap-
pearance, speak of her ,long ringlets 1and4.
dresses of many bright colors. Usually she
carried a parasol. The death of a child al-
ways stirred her to write sympathetic
verses, always with religious words of com-
fort. The passing of adults. in ,the town was
marked by appropriate lines, and weddings
received her congraturatory attention. One
way and other, the thousand verses repre-
sent in no small degree the vital statistics
of Huron's county town through many
years.
Miss Skimings noted in verse ,the
'drowning in the Maitland River of Dr.
" Frank Turnbull in 1903. She chronicled the
birth of a son to Margaret,(Cameron). Lay,
wife of a former bank teller who Avg sent
by the Canadian Bank of Commerce to • the
,Yukon. Mrs. Lay died in 1,903, but the
infant siirvived' to become an admiral - in
the Canadian Navy, retiring in, 1948.
•- The writer Would be remissif he
,
neglected to reproduce verses "to Master
Sammy Bean, elocutionist, collegiato in-
stitute. '
n-stitute."
No wasted hours hast thou, Sammy,
From the earliest morn,.
Tho' we know thou art not waken'd -
By any .Alpine horn..
•
,But never- dweller in the Alps; • •
No matter howmuch fame
Surrounds his noted place of,, birth,
Thou'lt in a greater name.
Dr. S.' J. T. Bean, now a respected medi-
Cal , practitioner in London, Ontario, was
the subject of the •forecast.A
Overleaf is a Valentine Day tribute to
"Hugh."
My own dear Hugh
Be ever time 4
To home. and country dear;
The Gospel's truth
Will fill thy youth
With wisdom strong and clear.
. •
r,: :n};.;7: •:::: ..^: {:.;: �::;•i;+.•}�+. •.$;i:. {r{.): �. ::: •x::4'1{:�};:w •:
Rev. Hugh Wilson, late of Thomas
Road United Church, had been supplying
the pulpit of Victoria 'Street United Church
in Goderich for some months in 1966 pre-
vious to arrival of the minister appointed.
At the time he was done in verse, his father,
Rev. Jasper Wilson, was at North Street
Methodist Church here.
The poet showed no partiality in re-
cording the doings of religious denomina-
tions, and thus a foursome of verses en-
titled "Abraham," is "dedicated to Mr. and
Mrs. Israel Sher, on ° baby Abraham's cir- .
cumcision day."
Miss Skimings noted in ' verse many.
marine `occurrences. One poem honored the
officers and crew of . the government ship
Petrel. It is unlikely that anyone can be
found now to recall why the barge .Aber-
corn of Cleveland was in port, but verses
remain of.
record.
Welcome' to the barge 4bercorn
From Cleveland's busy town, - •' ,
The home of President Garfield,; Of most, famous renown. .
Who by soe kle • maniac • •
Was cruelly she: down..,
Lines were presentedto the sorrowing
family of the late Captain T. N. Dancey4
of his majesty's customs.
The beauties of nature received ap-
prop riate attention from time to time, and
there is a poem dedicated to- Miss (Eliza-
beth) Attrill in praise of Ridgewood park,
"with its grand old groves and beauteous,
verdant~ glades." ' • -
• Inasmuch as so much of Miss
Skimings' poetry was aboutbabies, it is
not ° surprising that many of her subjects,
not •yet venerable, are with us today. . In-
deed, at Goderich tea parties the hostess -is
quite likely to brilig out a" copy of "Golden.
Leaves"- and hear someone say, "Oh yes
she wirote a piece about me, too." .
.Q .