The Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-09-11, Page 17.w
Robert Gibbons.....
(continued from page 4A)' •
many fine trees, a few of which
remain,
0.
NATIVE OF ENGLAND
A'sketch in Men of Canada.,
which .one-- w would suppose'
Gibbons must have seen, states
thatf he was born in Glasgow"
According to the Signal, he
'came of an old Birmingham
family,- His ,,father, VVi'lliam,
and ancestors for, several
generations -were horn in that
part of England,
Robert's mother was
Margaret , McDonald, The
family came to Canada in 1820
to , and the father located on a,
farm in Lanark, removing in
1827 to Potsdam, in New York
State, where Robert spent five
years tilling the soil, and where
he -received most of his
education.
"When he reached here," the
Signal later ' chronicled, "he
had but a few dollars left, but
he had a sound fpnstitutian, two
hands already toil -hardened.
4P'
and a disposetiun to use them to Prest & E':gener, previously
good advantage." --. that of Hays, Prest & Hays.
After a few months at far -
and
ere is a legend that Gib -
ming, he opened a meat shop INA dis of the property
and for 16years was a butcher when he learned that he would
and cattle buyer. In an 1858 poll nut, he allowed to keep horses
hook he is• shown as owning 'there. At any rate, he bought in
property on Britannia road, Ig53 Lot 8, Concession A,
Goderich, 'hut gave his uc-� Goderich •township, f •om
cupation as farmer. (He vc)t''d William, James Geary, con -
for the Reform candidate.) tractor and stagecoach
Three years after his arrival oper'atcir; and built on Britannia
in Huron,''Robert married Jane Road the house which two.
•Wilson, probably a daughter of ?*generations made their home..
the Joseph Wilson who .owned "
the block on the Square het- G ibhons disposed of the north
ween West and Montreal
part of his Montreal Street land
Streets. Two years married, he to James Watson.:' from
turned out to help, as a Scotland, and ''.ny old
sergeant under 1 igen residents reme ;'• ber the
Dunlop, to put down the 183, building as the W -'on bakery.
Rebellion, He was later coin -
,Its' construction was the first
rnissioned lieutenant. contract of •a , newly arrived
He began to buy real estate, Scottish artisan, who signed his'
and in. '1842 acquired the name inside a panel of the door
Montreal Street lot on which which in later years opened
now ,stands the large ' brick into the office of „ R.C. Hays,
buildingof Georgian plainness with its 10 -foot ceiling. The
which houses the law office of original shutters were in place
when Mr. Hays' bought the
place. The Watson bake oven
can be traced in the east wall of
the basement.
Dr, Cochrane' s book, Men of
Canada, provides a con-
temporary sketch of Sheriff
Gibbons: "He is an honest,
upright and thoroughly reliable
man in all the relations of ,
private life, and a highly ef-
ficient officer, The sheriff has
enjoyed a long life,' ull of that
which is worth of.
emulation,..He isy an adherent`
of the Presbyterian Church of
Canada," T.h.e . Star later
., 4 •.
•
+'4 n 1
"their names linked for h a century with the progress of western
A quartet of pioneers,
Huron." From left: Charles Girvin, William Young, Robert Gibbons, John Morris.
,•
X •'
dist hese( cleat he "1
the most iil),'ral 'upportt i , „f•
Knox( hui
Mi (omun, first., '0,11c.
Mar ,tit
N1(1)011..0(1. dit•t1 in
ido\\ t'r P't t o,
Gihht,n, tn.irriecl '\1r' \lice
Roddv ShP' bird in ‘0,0 1 .
Mr. Gibbon, Ugh ter Maria.
wife of 10)(' 11eyno1cl', ho in
1019 . ,lti the Bi'itannit ro el 'site
for VI( is tichoul. Thr uthe•t
sun, i\i ig (Li ught.ers were
Horace -k ,'ton and :\1i'-. W
Hoes \ daughter turd soon
after het mother, and the only
son dolt in FehrUai'y, 18,9,
ro
G(11)l'.R 1l 11 lt).1N1A1. STA R, 1 HURSI)AY, SEF1' ,MBER 11., 1975,.-PAG►E 9A
1' tori t Gibbons lir\ 0)1(1'.
t4i,)nl Iti1%, 'ttt Itl_'li, Was a
grandson \,)f Sheriff Gibbons.
Grandchildren 'of Sheriff
tubi ni', in the Horton family
were William Lawrence,
Philip, , \delaief e (Mrs
;ambli.') : Helen (Mrs. Claude
Pow i: Florence C. (Mrs G,C•
Hill) and Edith (Mrs Mon-
tague- Baker.) Other grand-
_,,,. ,w„.,.•.•_,.
ttttidr'en, children of""rlirant.
Torrance Hays and Mary
Matilda Gibbons, were Robert
Stanley Hays, Torrance Hays
(Hollywood.) Jennie Eleanor. u •
Hays and Hector Hays.
• AUTOMATIC WASHER'S & DRYERS
• PORTABLE WASHERS & DRYERS
• WRIN�'aER WASHERS
• PORTABLE & BUILT-IN ,DISHWASHER'
• IN SINK FOOD WASTE DISPOSERS
From the Dependability People t:-
HUfCHINSON APPLIANCES
TRADE ITS ACCEPTED,,, t
308 HURON R17.
524.7831
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� -elect
Jack
Q..
liberal
•
rn
\-0
A university graduate. An experienced farmer. A suc-
cessful businessman. An experienced legislator.;A family
man qualified to represent you.
URONMIDDL.ESE) Sept.
Jack Riddell has been crossing and re -crossing the.
length and breadth of Huron Middlesex riding, hammering
home this message: Despite, Davis claims that "411 is well"
there ARE vital issues in this election campaign
t::i}i'?ry.'.'•,::';['{ii•YS��$3`{;Qt::•:,2>•a ••wm/Ji +Y. o.•........,.•- t - 7
No place for horses? This Georgian building on Montreal Street was the residence of Robert
Gibbons, who acquired the'site in 1840, just eight ye'a'rs after arriving in Goderich "with very
few dollars left." There is a story that hp was not allowed to keep horses
nt hello dwhichd inkethat
eearly settlement seems unlikely, but anyway, he bought 11 acres on
as
many horses and cattle as he, pleased. His first business venture was a butcher shop. The
Montreal Street building for many years housed Watson's bakery, then Clifford's, but has lona,
been occupied on the ground floor by law firms.
4.
POOR GOVT ECONOMIC
PERFORMANCE ,
I -LOWER QUALITY 1
I
IN EDUCATION STANDARDS:
REGIONAL GOVT DISASTERS 1
A BobNi*onLiberaIGOVerflmt"Nixon
Jack Ridc ell's help, will:
i�
°4,
4
4
4
.J. SM!T
SEED & GRAIN.
PORT ALBERT
.529-7135
` 'Now buying New.
Crop Corn and Beans
RUCKING AVAILABLE
IA
— Despite Ontario's greatest tax bills -ever in the last
four years ... today'vur Ontario debt under Davis has
doubled to 3.45 billions of dollars ,
— Education experiments instituted by the Davis
government ,and, for which Bill Davis must be held
personally responsible, 'has produced primary 'and
secondary sc'iool students ill equipped to enter our
work force or to proceed on too higher education.
— Regional government where it has been forced into,
being by a Davis government has rocked the regions
with its cost increases"r It continues to hang like a
menacing cloud over, the rest of Ontario
RESTORE CONTROL IN
4 GOV'TSPENDING,
RESTORE QUALITY AND PRIDE OF
ACHIEVEMENT IN EDUCATION
RESTORE DECISION MAKING
TQ THE COMMUNITY
Help HuronMiddteSeX -Help Ontario
Help. Yourself! \'‘
ote Riddell
with
A Liberal government will cut•costs to, the taxpayer
by eliminating or reducing expenditures in such areas '
-as super ministries, government advertising, the
administration of education
A Liberal government unde,r ob Nixon is prepared to
establish a core curriculum,,, h standards that will
provide a yardstick to measure student performance
The Liberal Party is committed to a new partnership,
with local governments-i•'n Ontario -that will restore
accessibility and accountability to locally elected
representatives
This advertisement sponsoredby the Huron•Middlesex Liberal Associatiotr'
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