Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 1
ISSN 1206-4394
The Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley
Volume 18, number 2, August 2013
President’s Corner: Going, Going Gone ….…………………………….…….…………..……………… Susan Kyle 2
Aaron Comstock 1824-1925 ………………………………………….……………………………. Colum Diamond 3
Aaron Comstock: one of the few pioneer merchants remaining ……………………….. Peterborough Examiner, 1914 14
Peterborough’s Centennial Fountain ………………………………………………………………… Elwood H. Jones 17
Donors to the Centennial Fountain Fund ………………………………………………………...………… PDHAMF 18
Sandford Fleming’s journals: a source for you? …………………………………………………………. Peter Adams 19
Fleming and the Canadian Institute from Jean Cole (2009) ……………………..……………………… Peter Adams 20
The Transports of Peter Robinson …………………………………………………………….…………… Paul Allen 21
Mossom Boyd … Belcher? ……………………………………………………………………………. Shelagh Neck 24
The Esson and Eason Family …………………………………………………………………………. Richard Eason 26
Summer of 1926: Life at Stoney Lake from Juniper Island: Letters from ……………………………. Jean Fairbairn 34
The Queen Mary Public School 100
th
Anniversary …………………………………………………. Matthew Griffis 40
Origins of Peterborough through the eyes of the Allens of Douro …………………………………….. Peter Adams 41
Queries and News ……………………………………...………………….. Heather Aiton Landry and Elwood Jones 42
Michael Towns, While Mindin’ the Store 42; Elwood H. Jones, Peterborough Journal 42; Pub Crawls and
Eerie Ashburnham 42; Peterborough Examiner Archives 42; TVA web page 43; Annual Open House 43;
Heritage Gazette 43; Donors Welcome 43; Peterborough County Land Records 43; Robertson Davies
Centennial Bus Tour 44.
St. Peter’s High School Turns 100, fall 2013 …………………………………………………………..... inside front cover
TVA Events for 2013 …………………………………………………………….……………………… outside back cover
The Robertson Davies Centennial Bus Tour, 28 August 2013 ……………………..…………………….. inside back cover
We will continue with the compilation of the Barnardo Children in our next issue.
Look to our webpage for the latest developments around Trent Valley Archives.
Cover picture: The SPARK Photographic Exhibit, April 2013 featured exhibits in various venues. This is a sample of the
photos featured at the Trent Valley Archives for this occasion. Trent Valley Archives plans to partner with SPARK for their April
2014 Photographic Exhibit.
Fairview Heritage Centre
567 Carnegie Avenue
Peterborough Ontario Canada K9L 1N1
705-745-4404
admin@trentvalleyarchives.com
www.trentvalleyarchives.com
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 2
Trent Valley Archives
Fairview Heritage Centre
Peterborough Ontario K9L 1N1
(705) 745-4404
admin@trentvalleyarchives.com
www.trentvalleyarchives.com
Reading Room open
Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm
Board of Directors
Peter Adams
Ivan Bateman
Ron Briegel
Alan Brunger
Pauline Harder, Past President
Karen Hicks, Secretary
Elwood Jones, Treasurer
Susan Kyle, President
Wally Macht
Rick Meridew
Shelagh Neck
Guy Thompson, Vice-President
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley
Elwood Jones, editor
Ejones55@cogeco.ca
Dorothy Sharpe, typist
Trent Valley Archives Trust Fund
Peter Lillico, Michael Bishop,
Tom Robinson
Trent Valley Archives
admin@trentvalleyarchives.com
Elwood Jones, Archivist
Heather Aiton Landry, Assistant Archivist
Pat Marchen, Assistant Archivist, Photos
Amelia Rodgers, Archival Assistant
Carol Sucee, Librarian
Trent Valley Archives Events Chair
Ruth Kuchinad rkuch@nexicom.net
Trent Valley Archives Publications Chair
Elwood Jones ejones55@cogeco.ca
The information and opinions expressed are those of the
contributors and not necessarily those of the Trent Valley Archives
or its directors. Unless otherwise noted, illustrations are from the
collections of the Trent Valley Archives.
©1998-2013 Trent Valley Archives
Any copying, downloading or uploading without the explicit
consent of the editor is prohibited. Classroom use is
encouraged, but please inform the editor of such use.
GOING, GOING..G O N E !
Get your tickets before it’s too late!
WIN A BLUE JAYS GETAWAY
WEEKEND
In support of Trent Valley Archives
Grand Prize Package:
• Four tickets to the Toronto Blue Jays v.
Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, September
14, 2013 at the Rogers Centre
• One overnight stay for four guests in two
deluxe city view rooms at the Toronto
Renaissance Hotel at Rogers Centre
• $200 Renaissance gift card for use at on
site Arriba Restaurant, bar or room
service
• Breakfast for four guests
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• Official Rawlings autographed baseball
Only 750 Tickets $10. each, draw takes
place 29 August 2013
For Tickets: (705) 745-4404
www.trentvalleyarchives.com
Trent Valley Archives is dedicated to the preservation of
the history of Peterborough and Peterborough County.
This is a major fundraiser for the Trent Valley Archives. If
you can help sell tickets or find people and locations where
tickets can be sold, we would be most grateful. Thanks to
all those who have made the arrangements to date. This is a
great new idea and we are excited about the possibilities.
And what a good prize!
See you at the Annual General Meeting, April 24.
Susan Kyle,
President, Trent Valley Archives
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 3
Aaron Comstock 1834-1925
Colum Diamond
Picture courtesy of Niclole Fortin
Undoubtedly, the oldest established firm of undertakers, still operating in Peterborough, Ontario is Comstock’s Funeral Home. It
was founded by Aaron Comstock. The present day Comstock Funeral Home can trace its linage directly back to the Thomas
Poole Furniture and Undertaking establishment where Aaron Comstock served his apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker. He
eventually ended up running the business and finally bought out his employer. Poole’s was well established in 1850 and could
possibly have been in business as early as 1831.
Aaron Comstock son of Elijah Comstock and Eliza Cox was born on October 18, 1834 in Colborne, Ontario, Cramahe
Township, Northumberland County, Newcastle District, Upper Canada. When he was 4 years old his mother died and at age nine
he was left an orphan by the death of his father. His mother was the sister of John Cox (father of Senator Cox) and John Cox took
Aaron him into his home where he lived until he was seventeen years of age. Aaron was a first cousin to Senator George A. Cox.
Aaron Comstock was the ninth generation of the Comstock family to be born in North America.
Armstrong family website
The Comstock family married into the Armstrong family and the Armstrongs have published an extensive family website which
outlines ten generations of the Comstock Family. The following is an outline of the first Comstock to emigrate to America:
William Wethersfield Goodman Comstock, the first of the Comstock family of Culmstock, Devonshire, England, to settle in
America. About 1635, or shortly thereafter, there came from England to the Massachusetts settlement one William Comstock.
From whence he sailed, and on what ship, has not been ascertained. It is quite probable that with him were his wife Elizabeth and
four, or possibly all five of his children. It is believed that he first sojourned in the vicinity of Watertown, MA, but that very shortly
he transferred to Wethersfield, CT. It is a matter of record that he held lands on the Connecticut River in Wethersfield in the year
1641, and that these lands had been purchased from one Ric. Milles. Prior to that, he is recorded as having been one of the
twenty-six men from Wethersfield in the expedition commanded by Capt. John Mason, that captured the Pequot Fort at Mystic,
CT, 26 May 1637, killing about five hundred Indians. On 1 Aug 1644, Richard Mylls was plaintiff against "Willi Combstocke and
John Sadler, defendants in an action for slander before the Court of Elections, Hartford, to the damage of 200 pounds. About
1650, he transferred to Pequot, now New London, where he had previously (1647) received a grant of land. At a town meeting
held there in November , 1650, he voted to cooperate with John Winthrop to establish a corn mill, and in July 1651 he "Wrought
on the mill dam" with Tabor and other inhabitants of New London. The old mill was still in existence in 1949. On 25 Feb 1661 or
1662, "Old Goodman Comstock" was elected Sexton, to order youth in the meeting house, sweep the meeting house and beat out
dogs, at 40 shillings a year, to dig all graves, and have 4 shillings for a grave for a man or woman and 2 shillings for children, to
be paid by the supervisors. The History of New London states that he lived to old age on Post Hill near the corner of Williams and
Vauzhall Streets.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 4
Culmstock, Devonshire England
CULMSTOCK, a large village in the picturesque valley of the river Culm 7 miles N.E. of Collumpton, and 6 miles S.S.W. of
Wellington in Devonshire. In 1588 the village site was used as a warning beacon hill when the Spanish Armada was sighted off
the coast.
16
th
century beacon hut in Culmstock
Elijah Comstock leaves United States and comes to Canada
The first Comstock to arrive in Canada was Aaron’s father, Elijah Comstock, who was born and christened in East Haddam
Connecticut on May 23 1809. Therefore it would appear that the Comstocks were not UEL’s. Elijah Comstock married Eliza Cox
in Cramahe Township, Northumberland County on April 17, 1830. Eliza Comstock died ca 1840. Eijah died June 19, 1852 in
Percy Township.
How Aaron Comstock came to Peterborough, Ontario
In an interview with Aaron which was published in the Peterborough Examiner, the way that Aaron Comstock entered the
furniture making and funeral business was as follows. After the death of his parents Aaron was raised by his uncle John Cox.
John’s wife’s maiden name was Tanner and her brother George Tanner owned a furniture making business in Peterborough.
George Tanner had recently married a girl named Stewart and on the way home from his honeymoon he visited his sister in
Colborne. It was on this visit that Tanner met Aaron Comstock and Tanner persuaded Aaron to join his company in Peterborough.
Aaron arrived in Peterborough on January 2, 1852 and immediately began his apprenticeship as a cabinet maker. Everything
went well until June of that year when he and George Tanner had a difference and Aaron quit his job. He planned to return to
Colborne and while waiting at the station he met a farmer who gave him a job working on his farm. He stayed with the farmer for
the summer and in the fall of 1852 returned to Peterborough. He then went to work on the construction of the railroad from Port
Hope to Beaverton. During the following winter he drove a team of horses for the railroad and left that job on March 17 1853. He
then began working for Thomas Poole.
Aaron Comstock employed by Thomas Poole
In the first half of the nineteenth century Thomas Poole and his sons Edwin, Charles and William operated a furniture making and
undertaking business on the north side of Sherbrooke Street directly over the creek. The flow of water was heavier in those days
and afforded a good supply of power which was harnessed and used in the factory.
Comstock learns the cabinet making and undertaking trade
Aaron Comstock was hired by Thomas Poole to work in his factory and it was there that he completed his apprenticeship as a
cabinetmaker. All reports were that Aaron was a bright student and excelled at everything he did. He became friendly with the
bosses’ son Edwin who later became a Colonel in the Militia. It was due to Edwin’s interest in military matters that enabled Aaron
to become more familiar with the sales end of the business. Edwin Poole was more interested in military matters than the furniture
business so he put Aaron Comstock in charge of the furniture store side of the business. It was then that Aaron learned the skills
of dealing with the public and selling furniture. He was well liked by all who met him. Several years later he opened his own
business and eventually bought out the Poole business.
Edwin Poole son of Thomas Poole
In 1850 Thomas Poole with his sons, Edwin, Charles and William, operated a large cabinet-making shop on the north side of
Sherbrooke Street, directly over the creek. The flow of water was much heavier than the present trickle and afforded power,
which was harnessed and utilized in the factory. Thomas Poole, of Yorkshire England, his wife Mary Anne (nee Sherwood) and
his family of four children emigrated to Peterborough in 1830. The children were Julia (born in Ganton, Yorkshire in 1820)
Edwin (born in Ganton, Yorkshire Sept. 26 1823), Ann (born 1827 in Market Weighton Yorkshire, Charles (born in Canada
1830), and William born in Canada 1834). Thomas Poole acquired land in Peterborough (Lot 1 and 2) on the banks of Jackson
Creek where it crossed Sherbrook Street. Here, Thomas established a furniture making and undertaking business which he and his
three sons operated. After 1850 the sons seemed to be running the business with Edwin as the principal owner. In addition to the
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 5
furniture and undertaking business, Edwin Poole became an active soldier and was
a member of the First Peterborough Rifle Company organized in 1857 by Captain
W. A. Scott. In 1861 Poole became Captain and in 1867 he was made Lieutanent-
Colonel of the 57
th
Batallion. He organized the 57
th
Batallion and was its
commanding officer until his retirement in 1875. During the Fenian Raids he went
to Kingston and put Aaron Comstock in charge of the furniture showroom in his
absence. Later, disinterested in business, he sold it to Aaron Comstock.
Colonel Poole of the 57th Battalion Peterborough Rangers
Photo courtesy of Rev. Donald Howson
Lieut-Colonel Edwin Poole 1823 -- May 16, 1896. Picture circa 1875
Photo courtesy of Rev. Major Donald Howson
57
th
Batallion, Peterborough Rangers
Row one seated left to right -- Seven in all: 1. unknown, 2. unknown, 3. Captain Johnston, 4. Captain Kennedy, 5. Colonel Edwin Poole, 6. Major
Leigh, 7, unknown.
Row Two Standing sixteen in all: it would appear that the identification starts with the tall man standing. 1. Unknown, 2. Unknown, 3. Unknown,
4. Unknown, 5. George Rogers, 6. Unknown, 7. Unknown, 8. Major Thorpe, 9. Unknown, 10. Major James Z. Rogers, 11. John Burnham, 12.
Unknown, 13. Unknown, 14. Major Black 15. Cap(?) Dudman, 16. Possibly Evans Bradburn.
April 15 1868, Comstock opens new cabinet warerooms
The first indication that Aaron Comstock had left the employment of Poole appears to be on April 15, 1868 when he opened a
new furniture store in Hopkins Block on Simcoe Street. He was 34 years of age. There was no mention that the new business
included the art of undertaking. Aaron was, however, totally experienced in all aspects of the undertaking business. In those days
a furniture store included a selection of coffins mixed in with the furniture. Coffins were six sided funerary boxes usually made of
thin pine boards .There were various levels of quality and beauty reflected the skill of the maker. They were used until the
introduction of the casket. The casket was an ornate four-sided or rounded-sided box made from more expensive woods. The most
expensive wood was either mahogany or rosewood. Families usually procured a coffin in much the same way that they purchased
a new piece of furniture. It is likely that a relationship with Poole was still ongoing and perhaps Poole made most of the furniture
and Comstock sold it in his new shop. But it is clear that Comstock was now in business for himself.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 6
August 1868 Cox and Comstock established
Only three months after he had established his own furniture store, Comstock announced that Cox & Comstock were a Furniture
and Undertaking Company. In addition they had acquired a new first class hearse. With the business knowledge provided by his
cousin George Cox, the new business seemed destined to succeed. Perhaps the Poole Company was manufacturing the furniture
and Comstock was selling it in his showrooms. The partnership of Cox and Comstock did not continue for long and most
probably Aaron used his uncle George Cox to provide the “seed money” to establish the new business. It is quite probable that
they were still using Poole as the manufacturer of furniture. The exact date of when he bought out Poole is not known.
Marriage of Aaron Comstock and Mary Ann
Martin
In December 1869 Aaron married Mary Ann
Martin daughter of William and Charlotte Martin of
Peterborough. The O.V.S. record of the marriage of
Aaron Comstock is as follows: Vol 7-Pg 228.
Aaron COMSTOCK, 35, cabinet maker, Canada,
Peterborough, s/o Elijah & Eliza, married Mary
Ann MARTIN, 36, Canada, Peterborough, d/o
William & Charlotte, witn: W. T. CUMMING &
Charlotte MARTIN both of Peterborough on Dec.
29, 1869 at Peterborough
Peterborough Examiner August 26 1868
Comstock buys out Poole
By the year 1873, with 20 years of experience in
the furniture and undertaking business, he bought
out his employer The Poole Co. and renamed it
Aaron Comstock Furniture and Undertaking
Company. In the following advertisement placed in
the Peterborough Examiner on August 23 1876, it is
quite clear that Comstock had bought out Poole and
moved the business from Poole’s “Old Stand”.
Poole’s “old stand” was referred to as both the
factory and the showroom. Poole’s showroom was
located in the Ryan Block on George Street, and the
factory was located on Sherbrooke Street. In
August of 1876 Comstock moved the factory and showroom into one building. It was located on George Street next door to the
Caisse Hotel.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 7
From the Peterborough Examiner August 30 1876
From this advertisement it is clear that Comstock had purchased the Poole Undertaking and furniture business. A good ready
stock of READY MADE COFFINS WERE CONSTANTLY ON HAND. Surprisingly, these coffins were offered in the window
of store and mixed in with household furniture items. It was not until 1884 that the coffins and furniture were separated in the
store. This change in sales policy was first made by Daniel Belleghem, Aaron’s competitor.
Comstock remained in this new location on George Street for several years until he was burned out in the disastrous
downtown fire of 1882.
From the Peterborough Examiner August 23 1876
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 8
A splendid new hearse in 1880
From the Peterborough Examiner Feb. 5 1880
Ad in Peterborough Examiner December 29 1881 A cast iron airtight casket in Comstock’s basement
The above burial case was used for the burial of children. It was made of solid cast iron and painted black. It weighed more than
50 kilos. The lid of the coffin was screwed down making it airtight and the glass opening permitted people to view the body. This
coffin was found in the basement of the Comstock funeral home and displayed in the Comstock funeral home during “Doors
Open” in September 2010. This is perhaps the same type of coffin referred to in the above advertisement.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 9
Introduction of Embalming in Peterborough
In 1867, the German chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann discovered formaldehyde and it became the foundation for modern
methods of embalming, replacing previous methods based on alcohol and the use of arsenical salts. The introduction of
embalming in Peterborough took place in the late 1880’s. In the 19th and early 20th centuries arsenic was frequently used as an
embalming fluid but has since been supplanted by other more effective and less toxic chemicals. The public was not generally
receptive to the uses of embalming. Dr. Auguste Renouard was the founder of the Rochester School of Embalming in 1883. He
offered correspondence courses throughout the United States and Canada. He was also the author of the "Undertakers Manual"
the first book published specifically as an embalming textbook in the United States.
Mr. Samuel Clegg was the first embalmer in Peterborough
Mr. S. Clegg was the first undertaker in Peterborough to advertise the process of embalming and therefore he was probably the
first person to apply the art in Peterborough. In December 1884 he advertised that he was a graduate of the Rochester School of
Embalming and was working at his brother Abraham’s establishment. Soon after this introduction, other establishments offered
embalming and its general practice slowly followed. Several years later Daniel Belleghem advertised that he too, was embalming.
His advertisement can be found in the Peterborough Directory for 1888:“I have the finest hearse in town and always carry a large
stock of Coffins, shrouds etc. and am always prepared to execute all orders for undertaking that may be entrusted to me. Bodies
embalmed and guaranteed to keep for a few weeks.”
Patent or safety caskets
The following advertisement placed in the Peterborough Examiner on May 19 1881, by Aaron Comstock, shows that the people
of Peterborough were not immune to the broader Victorian views and customs practiced in the larger American and European
cities. In an age before embalming, some people were terrified of being buried alive.
“Have me decently buried, but do not let my body be put into a vault in less than two days after I am dead.” – George
Washington (1732 – 1799).
One answer to this fear of being buried alive was the introduction of a series of “Patented” coffins or caskets that claimed to
prevent this.
Advertisement in Peterborough Examiner May 19
1881
The patent coffin or casket
This patent coffin, one of literally dozens of coffins with
escape hatches and/or signaling devices, may seem odd to
Twenty-First Century readers, but it reflects more a change
in the world than latent insanity on the part of our mid- to
late-eighteenth century ancestors. "The nature of this
invention consists in placing on the lid of the coffin, and
directly over the face of the body laid therein, a square
tube, which extends from the coffin up through and over
the surface of the grave, said tube containing a ladder and
a cord, one end of said cord being placed in the hand of the
person laid in the coffin, and the other end of said cord
being attached to a bell on the top of the square tube, so
that, should a person be interred ere life is extinct, he can,
on recovery to consciousness, ascend from the grave and
the coffin by the ladder; or, if not able to ascend by said
ladder, ring the bell, thereby giving an alarm, and thus
save himself from premature burial and death; and if, on
inspection, life is extinct, the tube is withdrawn, the sliding
door closed, and the tube used for a similar purpose. . .”
The first cloth covered casket in Canada
Marsena Morse son of Austin Morse was a brilliant
undertaker and embalmer who operated his business in
Niagara Falls, Ontario in the nineteenth century. He is
credited with manufacturing the first cloth covered casket
in Canada in his workshop on Main Street Niagara Falls. The date of manufacture was not given but it was thought to be circa
1880. See page 5 of the Morse and Son Chapel publication. This Canadian undertaking firm can trace it roots back to 1826.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 10
Patent issued: August 25, 1868 Inventor: Franz Vester, Newark NJ
Aaron Comstock makes the hands for the town clock
From the Peterborough Examiner June 24 1885
Comstock rebuilds on the old site after the fire
In 1882 a disastrous fire destroyed the entire building
which housed the business of Aaron Comstock. His
complete inventory and stock was destroyed. He
continued on in rented premises just south of the
Ryan’s Block for two years and in 1886 he built a
brick building on George Street. Directly behind the
business but fronting on Water Street, was his home at
305 Water Street. It was in this home that later became
undertaking side of the business. The store fronted on
George St. The business remained at this address until
the late 1940’s, when the Comstock Funeral Home
moved to its present location on Rubidge Street.
Announcement in Peterborough Examiner
January 10 1884
Telephone installed in 1894
Advertisement in the 1894 Peterborough Directory shows that a telephone
was installed at the Comstock Funeral home as early as 1894. Tel. day and
night. In addition it is likely that electricity was installed as soon as it was
available on George Street in Peterborough.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 11
A sleigh hearse similar to the one used by Comstock and other
undertakers in Peterborough before motorised hearses.
A new shop in February 2 1886 Ptbo. Examiner Feb. 2 1886
This advertisement is describing the premises at 300 George St.
The Comstock store on George Streetas it looked in the 1930’s
Picture courtesy of Peterborough Centennial Museum and Archives, Balsillie
Collection of Roy Studio Images
The Comstock furniture store at 300 George Street was built in 1885 and
opened in February 1886. The Comstock hearse and funeral coach was
photographed outside the building circa 1930’s. The furniture store was
on George Street and the undertaking business was in the Comstock
residence behind the store but the home fronted on Water Street. Both
vehicles were made by Studebaker.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 12
The family of Aaron Comstock in the 1901 census for Peterborough Town
P
a
g
e
#
L
i
n
e
#
Numbered in
order
of visitation
Personal Description
H
o
u
s
e
Family or
Household
Name of each person in
family or household on
31st March, 1901.
Sex.
C
o
l
o
u
r
Relation-
ship to head of
family or
household.
Single,
married,
widowed
or
divorced.
Month and
date of
birth.
Year of
birth.
Age at last
birthday.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2
1
5
Comstock Aaron
M
Head
M
Oct 18
1834
66
2
2
5
Comstock Mary A.
F
Wife
M
Nov 2
1843
57
2
3
5
Comstock William
M
Son
S
Oct 24
1870
30
2
4
5
Comstock Sarah
F
Daughter
S
Jun 169
1892
28
2
5
5
Comstock Chalotte B.
F
Daughter
S
Apr 16
1874
26
2
6
5
Comstock John
M
Son
S
Nov 20
1876
24
2
7
5
Comstock Manson
M
Son
S
Jan 19
1879
22
2
8
5
Comstock Eliza
F
Daughter
S
Mar 10
1882
19
Comstock hearse circa 1912
Picture courtesy of Peterborough Centennial Museum and Archives, Balsillie Collection of Roy Studio Images
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 13
The Comstock hearse circa 1912. Taken by the Roy Studio, this picture shows that this hearse was still being used in 1912. Not
long after this date the first motorized hearses came to Peterborough. The introduction of motorised hearses was introduced
gradually, as the public in general were unwilling to give up the use of the horse drawn hearse. Sleigh hearses were particularly
useful in wintertime and it was a great hardship to give up their use. The first time a hearse on wheels was documented as being
used in a funeral procession was in 1648 for the burial of Colonel Rainsborowe during the English Civil War. Later, horse-drawn
hearses were known to be in used in New England before the Revolutionary War. In the early days only wealthy families could
afford such extravagant service. Poorer farmers in the Peterborough area conveyed their deceased to the cemetery using wagons.
Horse drawn hearses were still in use in Peterborough until after World War One.
The Comstock Ambulance 1914
This motorized ambulance was used by Comstock in 1914. Notice the name COMSTOCKS on the side of the vehicle and the
1914 license plate for Ontario. Notice also that there were no windshield washers in that era. This picture was taken by the Roy
Studio and the location was outside the Peterborough courthouse. With the introduction of two hospitals in Peterborough in the
early 1900’s. it was a natural evolution that undertakers who were quite used to handling deceased persons were the companies
who becamethe suppliers of the ambulance. It was remembered by one of his descendants that although Aaron Comstock never
drove an automobile, he was fascinated by automobiles and loved to be taken out for a drive.
Picture courtesy of Peterborough Centennial Museum and Archives, Balsillie Collection of Roy Studio Images
Comstock Funeral Coach 1928
Picture courtesy of Peterborough Centennial
Museum and Archives, Balsillie Collection of Roy
Studio Images
Comstock Funeral Coach (Photo taken near
Victoria Park in Peterborough on August 9
1928. Please notice “Funeral Coach” in the
front windscreen. The man in the picture has
not yet been identified. By the 1920’s horse
drawn hearses were no longer seen in
Peterborough.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 14
Aaron Comstock
One of the Few Pioneer Merchants Remaining
Was Eighty Years Old Last Sunday / Came to Peterboro’ in 1852, and Became an Apprentice / In the Art of Cabinet Making
Bought Out His Employer in 1873 and Built His Own Store in 1886/ Tells of a Few of His Experiences
From the Peterborough Examiner October 24, 1914
Aaron Comstock at Burleigh Falls before 1925
Picture courtesy of Niclole Fortin
“The old order changeth . . .” The frequent repetition
of this quotation lends to diminish its effectiveness.
Particularly when our years form but a comparatively short
span, and our experience has not been sufficiently
mellowed to prompt searching retrospection.
But when you look back through a long vista of years with
one who has journeyed down them, observantly, the ever
changing customs and conditions, gradual though they have
been, can be easily and clearly traced. Even in the stretch
of half a century a world of progress is presented in
revision, and the development of our own Peterborough has
passed through phases most interesting, but too numerous
to touch upon in a brief review.
In this regard, the Examiner recently enjoyed an
interview with Aaron Comstock, the senior member of the
George Street firm of undertakers and furniture dealers.
Sunday, October 18
th
, was Mr. Comstock’s eightieth
birthday, and as a business man of this City during the past
forty-one years, he holds the distinction of being a
surviving link with merchants of Peterborough of the early
seventies.
Both Parents Died
He was born in Colborne on Lake Ontario, and at a
tender age was left an orphan. When he was four years old
he lost his father, and his mother died when he was nine.
Mr. Comstock’s uncle, John Cox, received him into his
home, where he continued to live until he was seventeen.
The late Hon. Geo. A. Cox was a first cousin to Mr.
Comstock. The latter’s mother was a brother of the late
Senator’s father, the first stock their native town, the first
stock coming as pioneers to the settlement from England.
A Cabinet Maker
Note the circumstances which guided Mr.
Comstock into the occupation of cabinet making. John Cox
had married a Miss Tanner. Her brother, George, had a
cabinet-making shop, where D. Belleghem and Sons are
now located. Mr. Tanner married a Miss Stewart, a
Peterborough girl who had gone to Rochester, and after the
wedding they visited Colborne. Mr. Tanner proposed that
young Comstock accompany him to Peterborough, to learn
the art of cabinet-making, and pressed the offer so warmly
that the youth decided to go.
Arrived in 1852
It was on January 2, 1852, that Mr. Comstock first
arrived in Peterborough and immediately began to learn his
trade. Everything went smoothly until June of that first
year when one Saturday the apprentice had a difference
with his employer and threw up his position. That
afternoon he had packed his belongings and prepared to
leave by boat for Harwood and cross to Colborne. While
waiting in a hotel which decorated the corner of George and
Hunter Streets where Mr. Madill’s store now stands, Mr.
Comstock met a farmer who needed a helper to handle the
hay crop. That casual acquaintance gave the young man an
idea of practical farming, according to the methods then
employed Mr. Comstock remained “on the land” until the
fall work was completed, and returned to Peterborough on
his way home.
Winter at Railroad Building
Once more circumstances disposed of him contrary to
his plans. At that time the work of building the railroad
from Port Hope to Beaverton was under way and the offer
of work was thrust at Mr. Comstock the very day he
returned to town. He thereupon engaged to drive a team in
connection with the road building and remained at this
work during the winter, On March 17
th
two sleigh loads of
Irish Catholics were coming in to Church and Mr.
Comstock drove in with them, accepting the opportunity of
getting back to Peterborough and of bidding farewell to
railroad building.
Back to Cabinet Making
Thos. Poole with his sons, Edwin Charles and
William, conducted at that time a large cabinet-making
shop on the north side of Sherbrooke Street, directly over
the creek. The flow of water was heavier than the present
trickle and afforded power, which was harnessed and
utilized in the factory. Even now there are traces of the
wooden work of the ancient structure, but the younger set
would require a keen imagination to picture the activity
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 15
Sherbrooke Street once promised. At any rate in 1853, Mr.
Comstock was engaged by Mr. Poole (afterwards best
known as Col. Poole who was one of Peterborough’s
prominent volunteers against the Fenian Raiders), and
returned to complete an apprenticeship in cabinet-making.
First Advancement
Mr. Poole had up-town showrooms and undertaking
rooms, situated below the Grand Central Hotel, or about the
present position of the Bank of Nova Scotia, or thereabouts.
Mr. Ryan conducted a leather business in the other section
of the building. When Col. Poole responded to the call to
repel the Fenian invasion, he took Mr. Comstock from the
Sherbrooke Street shop and put him in charge of the retail
business uptown. This advancement opened a new field to
young Comstock and the knowledge he gained provided the
equipment with which he was ready to act for himself when
the opportunity was presented. On the 29
th
day of
December, 1869, he married, and in 1873, with twenty
years’ experience behind him he bought the Poole business.
Builds His Own Store
In the meantime fire had swept out the Sherbrooke
Street shop, and later Mr. Comstock moved into a building
south of where Moore’s monumental works now stand.
However, the owner would not give a long lease and at the
expiration of every term there would come the
announcement of considerable rental increase, which finally
forced Mr. Comstock to purchase his present property.
Hence it was in 1886, that he built his own store, the north
half of the present Comstock building. Some years later,
when the growth of the business rendered it imperative, the
size of the building was doubled. At the present time every
foot of its space being required for the furniture and
undertaking business which Mr. Comstock and his sons
have developed. Looking back from the present flourishing
business which Mr. Comstock steadily and industriously
accomplished, one cannot fail to remark on the influence of
his uncle’s marriage to the sister of a Peterborough cabinet-
maker in determining his life work.
Development of Furniture
The development of the design and manufacture of
furniture in this country has been confined to the years Mr.
Comstock’s experience. Down in the Poole shop on
Sherbrooke Street, tables and chairs were made according
to the pattern then in vogue. Plainness was their principal
feature. Good furniture was not made in this country in
those days, and it might be remarked, the choice woods
were not utilized. Quartered oak, mahogany, etc., were not
employed as now, the labour saving machinery had not
been invented. There were a few turning lathes but that was
about the limit. Hand work was called upon more widely
than now. So Mr. Comstock declares that in the vast
majority of homes, the tables, chairs and beds are
exceedingly plain and bare, and lacked finish. Bsasswood
was largely used and finishing expert stopped with a cost of
varnish. The contrast with the present-day furniture
manufactured in Canada is apparent to everyone. Four-
poster beds of the old days without cast iron in their make-
up and with ropes instead of wooden slats, are decidedly
rare, but Mr. Comstock states that the odd one is heard of in
different parts of the country where they chiefly as
heirlooms. The old four-posters with the sides screwed into
the top and bottom with a straw mattress over the rope
“slats” and a big feather tick composing the top surface was
the design favoured in the earlier days and they possessed
their own features of comfort.
Good Furniture Imported
Mr. Comstock states that the only good furniture in the
town was brought from the Old Country by people of
means moving here. And the development of home
furniture might be detailed in the same way, but the few
examples mentioned suffice to show the vast changes that
have taken place accompanying the growth of the business.
First to Little Lake
Central Park, in the old days was used as a burial
ground, and having learned the business from Mr. Poole.
Mr. Comstock had charge of funerals to the ground, and to
the best of his knowledge, he had the first funeral to the
Little Lake Cemetery.
Listening to his recital of the conditions of the
City when the new cemetery was selected one must admire
the work of the citizens who chose that beautiful ground.
To begin with George Street had it southerly limit at
Dalhousie Street. At that point it was lost in whatever was
left of the forest primeval. Of course it had been cleared
out but was not a regular highway. There was a knoll at the
C.P.R. station site, but proceeding south, there was swamp
land that promised big obstacles to circumvent. Also, the
present Crescent Street was exposed to the water of the lake
and every year was being gradually washed out.
Crescent Street Cribbed
The late Jas. Stevenson was Member of Parliament at
that time, and his advocacy of a proposal to protect
Crescent Street with cribbing and his work in the House
secured a grant toward this venture. The Town had to pay a
large share of the cost and the big squared timers were
offered at a bargain price by George Hilliard, a lumber man
then operating in Peterborough. Mr. Comstock did not
remember the details of securing the Little Lake Cemetery
but in any case the wisdom of their selection will always be
acclaimed by Peterborough’s residents.
Roundabout Trip
Road building was doubtless known by the citizens
fifty years ago but it was not widely practiced. Hence, at
some seasons of the year the streets were reduced to the
consistency of ploughed fields. Recalling the funeral of the
late Sam Dickson, who was drowned in the year of the
Peterborough flood, Mr. Comstock stated that to reach the
cemetery he had to drive out Sherbrooke to the Boundary,
south to Lansdowne Street, and east to the Cemetery
entering from the south side. For many years Aylmer Street
was used until George Street was opened
south of Dalhousie Street.
A Big Distillery Plant
Recalling the industrial promise of Sherbrooke Street,
Mr. Comstock remarked that opposite the Poole shop John
Glenn erected a distillery. At least the building was
intended for that purpose. It was on the south side of the
street and also over the creek. A big spread of a building, it
was prepared for distilling operations but the actual work
was never commenced. The lumberman, George Hilliard,
secured possession of it and converted it into a storehouse
for his lumbering supplies. Behind it he erected stables for
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 16
his horses. With many other of the old wooden structures it
disappeared in the maw of the voracious fire fiend.
George Street Buildings
Those were the days when bricks were scarce. George
Street, when Mr. Comstock was a youth, was but a
collection of shacks. At least the buildings were little better
than shacks according to present day standards. They were
practically all of wood, and let none of the young people
imagine that they were contiguous. There were open spaces
of land between stores and taverns the latter being quite
numerous. Nicholls and Hall, proprietors of one of the
most flourishing general businesses of that time, boasted
but a long wooden building where the Bank of Montreal
now stands. Yet fortunes were gathered therein without the
assistance of the present day methods so necessary for
success.
Mr. Comstock a Fireman
That entire block, bounded by Water, Hunter, George
and Simcoe streets, was swept by fire during the time that
Mr. Comstock served as a volunteer in the fire engine
department. Only two buildings remained, that of Nicholls
and Hall and the other where the Bank of Toronto is located
today. The Fire Department was a vastly different
department then. Thos. Rutherford, the last Chief of the
Volunteer Fire Brigade, was a young stripling in the hook
and ladder section, when Aaron Comstock was one of the
youths who manned the pumps. The fire referred to was
responsible for the purchase of a power pump much bigger
than that which had been in use here. They were only fire
engines then to the extent that they were used at fires. The
present ideas were un-thought of, but the force pump
pattern, especially the big new pump had long handles that
required as many as twenty men to work. Quite a stream
was thrown but height was not seriously demanded for
reason buildings were only one and two storeys high. A
few might have been loftier.
The Old Post Office
The first post office in Peterborough remembered Mr.
Comstock, was a small building on Simcoe Street, where
the office of the Peterborough Cereal Co. is situated. It was
only a little shack, about six feet square, with scarcely
sufficient room for the Postmaster to turn around. J.S.
Carver, father of Osway Carver North Monaghan, was the
Postmaster. After a time the officer was moved to a
building on Water Street on the ground now occupied by
Bennett and Goodwill’s office.
Some of the Merchants
Contemporary clerks and businessmen remembered
Mr. Comstock were the late John Maloney, who conducted
a grocery store; Robert Hamilton, hardware store, about
where Longo’s fruit store is located on Hunter Street;
Robert Walton, general store on the site of Payne’s drug
store; John Brown and a man named Chartrand in the
furniture and undertaking business. The late Peter Connal
was a clerk and Nicholls and Hall, referred to above.
Other Recollections
Mr. Comstock’s recollections include the lumber
wealth of this section. On occasions he has seen the Little
Lake covered with huge squared timbers, floated down
from the north country on their way to Montreal via the
Trent River and Lake Ontario. The huge trees were felled
and the squaring was done back in the woods. They were
owned by W. A. Scott, who cribbed them to Montreal.
But the days when the City was a marsh, south of
Dalhousie and all woods, west of Alymer Street had its own
compensations. To the pioneers were given many
opportunities for work and a fair reward for industry
coupled with wise living. Today Mr. Comstock insists
upon following the work which he began more than a half
century ago and takes pleasure in the fact that he is able to
continue his life’s occupation after passing the four-score
mark. He bears his eighty years lightly and to him also will
be borne the assurance that his friends extend to him their
best wishes for the future.
Aaron Comstock at age 90. His wife died in 1919.
Picture courtesy of Niclole Fortin
.
The death of Aaron Comstock
Aaron Comstock passed away on October 11, 1925 a
few days short of his ninety-first birthday. Upon the death
of Aaron, his sons took over the business and later his
grandson.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 17
Peterborough’s Centennial Fountain
Elwood H. Jones
The welcome news that General Electric will refurbish
the Centennial Fountain prompted questions about the
origins of the Centennial Fountain between 1966 and 1970.
The pertinent archival files are at hand, and there are quite
a few remarkable things worth noting.
The city was prepared to look after the invoices, but
wanted the project to be paid by the community at large.
Jim Turner, the accountant at McColl-Turner, agreed that
the Peterborough District Historical and Art Museum
Foundation (PDHAMF) could collect the funds and issue
income tax receipts. At that time, municipalities could not
issue charitable receipts, and the Foundation proved a good
vehicle.
The Centennial Fountain Committee, chaired by C. W.
Fisher of Fisher Gauge Works, in 1966 approached the
Peterborough Chamber of Commerce (PCC) and the local
branch of the Canadian Manufacturers Association (CMA).
Stanley Shippam was the manager of the PCC, and Roy
Knight, of DeLaval, was the president of the Peterborough
CMA. The two organizations agreed to canvas their
memberships with the view of raising about $15,000 each,
which would cover the projected cost of Phase One of the
project, which was the building of the fountain. Phase Two,
which included the installing of jets and lights and costing
$10,000, was paid for by David Foster and his restaurants,
which included the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants.
Canadian General Electric was credited with $2,800 for
equipment donated to the project, and so the total cost,
entirely covered by donations, was about $43,000.
Altogether, over 350 donors contributed from $1 to
nearly $11,000. Most of the donors were local
manufacturers or businesses, but there were several
lawyers, doctors and people from various walks of life who
made contributions, sometimes as groups. Individuals were
counted toward the Chamber of Commerce portion.
Fourteen companies and the Peterborough Foundation
each gave over $400. After Fosters, in order of support,
they were CGE, Outboard Marine, the Peterborough
Foundation, Quaker Oats, De Laval, Peterborough Lumber,
Nashua Paper, General Time (Westclox at other times),
Fisher Gauge, Sealright, Ethicon Sutures, Holiday Inns, and
Sargent Hardware. Most of the major businesses gave
between $100 and $300; all the banks gave $150. Important
companies such as the Peterborough Examiner gave $250.
The drawings were prepared by Fisher Gauge Works,
and the drawing in the archives is dated January 30, 1967,
and signed by W. F. F., which would be William F. Fisher,
the president of Fisher Gauge.
To produce four colours (amber, red, yellow and
green) required 18 coloured light sources, three auxiliary
pumps, and special pipes and nozzles. The drawing shows
four anchors.
In the presentation to City Council, April 17, 1967, the
Centennial Fountain Committee commented that “the
fountain would be symbolic of the water resources that
provided transportation and later were harnessed for the
generation of electric power and launched our present era
of industrial development.” The water, of course, was also
symbolic of the cottage country and tourists. According to
the presentation, “Today, the beauty of the Kawarthas
draws tens of thousands of tourists and the ever changing
vistas of the Trent Waterway beckon increasing scores of
yachtsmen to our ‘land of shining waters.’”
City Council was asked to accept this gift from the
donors on behalf of the citizens, “and operate and maintain
it for the enjoyment of all the people.” Gordon T.
Farquharson for the city, W. B. “Pete” Gordon for the
donors, and R. H. Carley for the Foundation prepared the
agreement. The Technical Committee, which included Jim
Hooper, the city engineer, made changes to reduce the
maintenance costs.
The progress on building the fountain was well
advanced, and it was expected that the fountain would be
officially opened on June 14, 1967, to coincide with the
city’s official Centennial Day celebrations.
It was believed that this would be the highest jet
fountain in Canada, and this was probably true; it shot
water 150 feet into the air. However, when maintenance
was done later the height of the jets was lowered and the
direction shifted as the fountain had caused problems at
Little Lake Cemetery. The additional moisture from wind-
blown fountain water had increased the growth of lichen on
the oldest monuments, which had been built with soft
stones. The Little Lake Cemetery, which did not donate to
the fund, has recommended that new monuments be of
granite and bronze.
The fountain rested on a floating platform, constructed
by Charles Huffman Construction, that was foam filled for
permanent buoyancy. The total weight was 35 tons. CGE
supplied the control panel, air control breaker, and cable.
DeLaval supplied the stainless steel. Concrete came from
Peterborough Ready Mix. Lights came from Kesco
Electric, while Central Steel supplied the nine lamp bases,
and Ruddy Electric the wiring. The 300 feet of chain came
from Dominion Chain. Several other local suppliers helped
as needed.
An article in the Heavy Construction News said the
platform was built on the bottom of the emptied Trent
Canal and then towed to its site in May. For winter, the
lights would be removed and the pump nozzles filled with
antifreeze and capped. The platform would be towed for
maintenance every four or five years. Pumps and nozzles
could be raised in emergencies by a hoisting tripod.
The members of the engineering technical committee
were William F. Fisher, John G. Lucas, W. Howard Powell,
Garth S. Wade, Jim Hooper, Donald J. Gormley, and Alex
R. MacGregor. These represented respectively Fisher
Gauge, CGE, PUC, Nashua Canada, the city, the Trent
Canal, and Sealright Canada.
There were several other committees. The Steering
Committee was chaired by Chester Fisher, with John G.
Lucas as vice-chair. Karl R. Hines of Nashua represented
the CMA, and Gerald F. McKinnon of DeLaval spoke for
the Chamber of Commerce. Ivan Ashbury (CGE), Jim
Turner, Willard Chapman (Guaranty Trust), Stan Shippam
and William Fisher rounded out the committee. Robert J.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 18
Garner of the Peterborough Examiner was in charge of
publicity, while fundraising was headed by Les Reichardt
(Great West Life) and Jack Haldimand (Peterborough
Lumber). Jim Turner headed the Finance Committee.
According to the Technical Committee, the fountain
would modestly combat water pollution in the lake.
“Oxygen is nature’s purifier and the exposure of thousands
of gallons of water per minute to the air will increase the
oxygen content of the water.” The committee also noted
that spray would be no problem, as the fountain was some
distance from the shore, and water can be turned down
automatically by a “wind sensing instrument.” It was
expected that the fountain would run from May to October,
and usually from mid-morning to 11 p.m.
Donors to the Centennial Fountain Fund
Alexander Fuels Ltd
Allen Eastwood & Heideman Ltd
Anderson, Angus
Andrus, A. R.
Bank of Montreal
Bank of Nova Scotia
Banks Bicycle Shop
Barclay & Crawford Ltd
Barker, R. J. Dr
Barrick, D.
Barrie's Limited
Batten, R. B.
Beaver Lumber Co Ltd
Belch, W. Dr
Bell Telephone
Beneficial Finance Co of Canada
Bennett, George
Benninger, W. A. OLS
Bert Austin Jewelers
Blacks of Peterborough Ltd
Boucher, O. F.
Bowes & Cocks
Bowler, Norman D.
Bradburn Securities Ltd
Braund J. T. Realty
Braund, J. Dr
Bright Wines Ltd
Brinton Carpets Ltd
Broadhurst, J.
Brookside Markets
Buchanan's
Buckham Transport
Calvert, Leslie, Dr
Canadian General Electric Co Ltd
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canadian Pittsburgh Industries
Canfor Ltd
Card & Paper Works Ltd
Carling Breweries
Carter VW & Co
Cathcart Freight Lines Ltd
Cavanagh, I. Mrs
Cavanagh, T. J. Ltd
Central Steel Works
Chenoweth, Roger Dr
Cherney Bros Ltd
Chute, Roy
Clay, Charles Enterprises
Coca Cola Ltd
Collins Safety Shoes
Collis, Allan B Ltd
Commercial Press
Complete Rent-Alls
Comstock Funeral Home
Consumers Gas Company
Co-Operators Insurance Agency
Copson, Len
Coros & Sproule
Cragg, C.E.A. Dr
Craig, C. A. Dr
Craig, Zeidler & Strong
Crescent Finance Corp
Crown Dairy supply
Culligan Water Conditioning
Currier, T. E. Dr
Dairy Queen
Daly's Flower Shop
Daniels, Mr. The Gallery
Darling Insurance & Realty
Davis Thompson Co
Deeth & White Ltd
DeLaval Company Ltd
Diamond, Al Men's Wear
Doig, Harold F.
Dominion Stores Ltd
Domtar Packaging
Don Earle Limited
Doney, A. J.
Doughty Concrete Products Ltd
Doughty, T. F. Ltd
Doyle, Philip Dr
Duffus Motors Ltd
Dunford Bros
Dunn, Clarke & McCarney
Dunn, McCarney, McNeely & Moldover
Eastwood Construction
Elco Lumber Co Ltd
Elliott, Alex QC
Elliott, G. W. OLS
Elmsley & Co.
Engineering Institute of Canada
Peterborough Branch
Ethicon Sutures Limited
Faller, Hans
Fanning's Launderers
Farquharson, G. T. QC
Fin Wood Holdings Limited
Findlay McLachlan Limited
Fisher Gauge Works Ltd
Fitzpatrick, W. S. Dr
Flak, Edgar Dr
Foldaway Furniture: Timber Structures
Fontaine, Keith, Ltd
Ford Plumbing & Heating
Forde Wholesale Foods
Fosters Restaurants Limited
Fraser, John Dr.
French, Les
G.A.C. International Finance Corp. Ltd
Galvin, Clare
Galvin, P. D.
Gell Travell Agency
General Time of Canada
Georgies Refreshments Limited
Ginsberg, Harriet R.
Golumbia, M. CA
Goodfellow, Ralph
Goodwin Metal Products
Goodyear Service Store
Gordon & Lillico
Gordon, W. J. Dr
Graftons Ltd
Greer Galloway Associates Ltd
Hall, Gordon & son
Hamilton, W. B. Shoes Ltd
Harvie, John Ltd
Heimbeurger, Hans (Peterborough Deli)
Heine, H. Dr.
Hill, Weddell & Hills
Hi-Tops Restaurant
Holiday Inns of Ontario
Hooper, James G.
Household Finance Corp of Canada
Howell, John T.
Howes, J. Dr
Huffman, Charles Ltd
Humpage, Taylor & McDonald
Hunt Bros. Ltd
Huycke, W. F. QC
Imperial Oil Ltd
Imperial Optical Co Ltd
Industrial Acceptance Co Ltd
Ingraham Shoes
Innis Service Station (Keith Innis)
Irwin, Sargent & Lowes
Ivey Trailers Ltd
Jack McGee Chevrolet Ltd
Johnston, W. D.
Johnstons Flower Shop
Kawartha Pharmacy Co Ltd
Kayser, G. T.
Keith Brown Motor Sales
Kelly, D. B. Dr
Kerr, McElderry, Howell, Fleming
Kesco Electric Supply
Kingan Hardware
Klentworth, Harry
Knox Jewellers
Labatt's Breweries
Lakeview Bowl Ltd
Lancaster Lumber Ltd
Larkin Lumber
Larry Electric Motor Service
Leslie George Construction Ltd
Lewis, George A., Dr.
Lloyd Morrow Florist
Loftus, Barnet D.
London Life employees
Lovick, Philip Dr
Lucky Strike Bait Works Ltd
Lyda Telford Specialty Shoppe
Marchen, J. A.
Marr, Donald
Matthews, R. M. Dr
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 19
McColl Turner
McDougall, A. F. Dr
McGrath, Harold
McIntosh, Clifford A.
McKeown's Appliances Centre Ltd
McKone, Barc, Dr
McWilliams Motor Sales
Merchants' Credit and Collections
Midtown Paint & Wallpaper
Millard's Sports
Milliigan, John
Milltronics Limited
Milne, David Dr
Moffat, A. K. Dr
Molson's Brewery
Monkman, Cyril
Moore Business Forms
Morgan, Russell, Dr
Mortlock Construction Ltd
Muttart Builders Supplies
Nashua Canada Limited
National Grocers
Nelson, Robert Dr
Newson, A. D. Co Ltd
Norman, David Dr
Nornabell, J. A.
Norwich Union Life Insurance
Nugent and Hancock
Nyberg Plumbing & Heating Supplies
O'Keefe Foundation
O'Leary, Michael
Ontario Marble Co Ltd
Ontario Public School Teachers Assn
Outboard Marine Corp.
Outboard Marine Foremen's Assn
Pacific Finance
Parks, Gordon B. ltd
Parnell Office Supplies
People's Credit Jewelers
Permanent Concrete
Peter, J. E. Dr
Peterborough Auto Wreckers
Peterborough Automotive Supply Ltd
Peterborough Credit Jewelers
Peterborough Examiner Co Ltd
Peterborough Foundation
Peterborough Fuel & Transfer
Peterborough Guns Ltd
Peterborough Life Managers
Peterborough Lumber
Peterborough Metal Co
Peterborough Mobile Homes Sales
Peterborough Monument Works
Peterborough Office Supply
Peterborough Pet Hospital
Peterborough Photo Service
Peterborough Power Squadron
Peterborough Ready Mixed Concrete
Peterborough Safety Service
Peterborough Tool & Machine Co Ltd
Pierce & Pierce OLS
Pilon Marine Limited
Preston, Wilfred Dr
Pulver, Fred Ltd
Purdon, Andrew CA
Purvey's Jeff Ltd
Quaker Oats Co of Canada Ltd
Raybestos Manhattan
Rehill Company
Reid, J. Walling
Reid's Transfer & Storage
Restwell Upholstering
Review Printing Ltd
Richardson, O. Dr
Rishor Barnes Dietrich Ltd
Roche, J. M.
Rock Haven Motel (Peterborough) Ltd
Roland's Steak House
Ross Armstrong Wholesale
Routley, Lloyd E.
Royal Bank of Canada
Ruddy Electric
Russ Martin Real Estate
Sackville, E. L.
Sandy's Department Store
Sargent Hardware of Canada Ltd
Schneider, Alexander Ltd
Scotman Point Lodge
Seal Spout of Canada
Sealright Canada Ltd
Select Furniture Ltd
Selkirk, V. A. & Son ltd
Shea Masonry Construction Ltd
Silver, Harry G.
Silverwood Dairies Limited
Simmons, Edgar
Simpson Sears
Sinclair, J. R. Insurance Ltd
Singer Company of Canada
Site Investigation Services
Slattery, Joseph T.
Smith & Smith Drugs
Speller, Stuart Dr
Spencley's Florist
Standish, R. O. QC
Stewart, Hugh
Stewart, J.T.R. Dr
Swartz Furniture
Swish Chemicals
Symons, T. H. B.
Thom, R. J.
Thompson, J. L.
Tilco Plastics
Toronto Dominion Bank
Toronto Peterborough Transport
Trans Canada Credit Corp
Traveler Mfg Co Ltd
Trent Glass
Trent Valley Excavators (Peterborough)
Trussler, R. C.
Turner JJ Co Ltd
United Co-Operatives of Ontario
Uptown Silk
Vanessa Fashion Shoes
Victoria & Grey Trust Co
Waddell, Hugh
Wade, Garth S.
Walker & Sons
Walsh, S. Y. Dr
Warne, E. V.
Warren Bituminous Paving Co
Wedlock, W. C. Dr
Wenonah Motor Court
Whitakers, G, and Co.
White, Donald Dr
Whiteside's Foodmaster
William Lech & Sons Ltd
Winslow Motors Ltd
Wishart, J. Dr
Wonder Bakeries
Woodside, James, Dr
Woolworth FW & Co
Young, H. L.
Young, Herbert Dr
Yule, H. M. Dr
Zacks, Louis Dr
Zellers Limited
A version of this article appeared in the Peterborough Examiner, June 2013.
Sandford Fleming’s journals: a source for you?
Peter Adams
Because of Sandford Fleming’s association with
Peterborough, many of us have a reasonable knowledge of
his accomplishments and contributions. We know about
Standard Time, the Canadian Pacific Railway and many
know that he was a founder of the Canadian Institute,
today’s Royal Canadian Institute. I think that we are less
aware of his roles in developing that Institute’s academic
journals which represent an extraordinary record of creative
endeavour in Canada from the decade before Confederation
well into the 20
th
century.
Fleming founded the Canadian Institute (since 1914,
the Royal Canadian Institute) in 1852, not long after he left
Peterborough. It was a major outlet for “…many branches
of pure and applied science, Economics, Art, Literature
etc.” (Patterson, 1914, preface). Members of the Institute
held well-attended meetings at which they presented
research work to their fellows. Fleming’s work for the
Canadian Institute in its early years is well covered in Jean
Cole’s book, Sir Sandford Fleming His Early Diaries,
1845-1853 (Cole, 2009, see note eslewhere in this volume).
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 20
In 1852, with strong leadership from Fleming, the Institute
began to publish journals as a vehicle for members’ work.
These grew to become the major academic journals of their
time. Over the years, Sandford Fleming had various roles in
connection with the journals, including that of member of
the Editorial Committee with special responsibility for
Engineering and Architecture.
Four principal series of journals were published: The
Canadian Journal, A Repertory of Industry, Science and
Art and a Record of the Proceedings of the Canadian
Institute (1852-55); The Canadian Journal of Science,
Literature and History (new series) (1856-78); Proceeding
of the Canadian Institute (1879-90); and, Transactions of
the Canadian Institute (1890-1912). A minor series,
Proceedings of the Canadian Institute (new series), was
published from 1897-1912. Patterson (1914), an index of
journal articles up to that time, organized by topic and
author, provides easy access to decades of published
papers.
I discovered the journals while researching a paper on
lake ice and, using Patterson (1914), I quickly discovered a
wealth of literature on ice in its many forms. It was during
this search that I came across an item of interest in the
Trent Valley region, the research work of J.H. Dumble who
was engineer and Lessee for the Coburg and Peterborough
Railway. Concerned about the effect of lake ice on his
railway’s causeway across Rice Lake, Dumble conducted a
series of careful experiments on a covered mill pond to
determine the expansion and contraction of ice in response
to fluctuations in temperature (Adams, 1992). His articles
in the journals (Dumble, 1858, 1860) document this study
and work associated directly with Rice Lake. His scientific
efforts did not prevent that extremely expensive causeway
being destroyed by ice during the winter of 1860-1861, a
few years after it was built.
Readers of the Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley
will find their own interests, in the arts or sciences, local or
Canada-wide, reflected in these wonderful journals. Have a
look at them through Patterson (1914)!
A full set of the journals is deposited in the University
of Toronto Library and Trent University has a number of
them. The Royal Canadian Institute of today can be found
at www.royalcanadianinstitute.org
.
Adams, W.P., 1992, J.B. Tyrrell and J.H. Dumble on lake
ice, Arctic (Journal of the Arctic Institute of North America), 45,
2,195-198.
Cole, Jean Murray, 2009, Sir Sandford Fleming, His Early
Diaries, 1845-1853, Natural Heritage Books, Dundurn Press,
Toronto, 327p.
Dumble, J.H., 1858, Ice Phenomena, from Observations on
Rice Lake. The Canadian Journal of Industry, Science and Art,
New Series, No. 17: 414-423
Dumble, J.H., 1860, On the contraction and expansion of ice.
The Canadian Journal of Industry, Science and Art, New Series,
No.29, 414-425.
Patterson, J.,1914, Canadian Institute, General Index to
Publications, 1852-1912, University of Toronto Press, 518p.
Fleming And The Canadian Institute From Jean Cole (2009)*
Peter Adams
Sandford Fleming’s roles in the founding and
operation of the journals of the Canadian Institute (CI),
now the Royal Canadian Institute are discussed above. The
journals are a remarkable record of intellectual life in
Canada from the 1850s well into the 20
th
century, easily
accessed today through Patterson (1914), a well-sorted
index to decades of Canadian Institute activity. It is clear
from Jean Cole’s book (Cole, 2009) that the journals were
only one of Fleming’s contributions to the CI.
Cole (2009) is a fine presentation of Sandford
Fleming’s diaries for the years 1845 to 1853, from life in
Scotland, through his stay in Peterborough to his early
years in Toronto when he was establishing himself as a
national figure in Canada. One of the chapters in the book
is “The Canadian Institute 1849”. In this chapter and
elsewhere, Jean Cole brings out Fleming’s seminal roles in
the establishment of the Institute and the importance of it in
the life of Fleming as an up and coming young man. Work
for the Institute and attendance at its meetings form
frequent diary entries. While Fleming held important
positions in the Institute (such as member of its Council,
framer of its rules, Secretary, member of its Museum
Committee), he also performed mundane duties such as
auditing the books, paying bills, having flyers printed for
meetings and being one of a crowd of two at one CI
meeting. We can all relate to such volunteer work!
However, he was particularly influential in the
establishment of the CI journals and felt very proud when
he presented a paper to the Institute and was rewarded with
a motion that it be published in the first of those journals,
the Canadian Journal (Cole, 2009, p.242).
Sandford Fleming did all of this while working very
hard to establish himself in Canada and keep contact with
Peterborough, where his wife-to-be, Jeanie Hall lived. I
found it interesting and touching that while struggling to set
up his professional life, and very conscious that the CI was
an entrée to an extraordinarily influential network, Fleming
had a real vision that the tiny new enterprise as something
very special for Canada. In his diary entry for 4
th
January,
1853, He writes: “I do not regret the time I have spent…in
bringing into existence… the …’Canadian Institute’
because I believe it is calculated to do great good for my
adopted country…(I).. have now resolved to provide for it
an endowment of 1000 Pounds when all that is mortal of
me returns to its mother dust...” (Cole, 2009. p. 252). This
was a remarkable gesture for a young man at that stage of
his career.
The journals of the CI, first published in 1852, make
thoughts and ideas of 19
th
and early 20
th
Century Canada
available to us today. Cole (2009), through Fleming’s diary
entries and Jean Cole’s commentary, provides wonderful
insight into the nuts and bolts, as well as the vision, of the
early days of the CI and its journals.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 21
The Transports of Peter Robinson
Part I: Identification
Students of the Trent Valley’s early settlement will undoubtedly recognize their names – the Albion, Amity, Brunswick,
Elizabeth, Fortitude, John Barry, Regulus, Resolution, and Star – the nine transports that conveyed over 2,000 Poor People from
the South of Ireland to the Newcastle District in 1825 under the superintendence of Peter Robinson. But what more, besides their
names, can we say about these vessels?
We know that Robert Wilmot-Horton, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, first asked the Navy Office to secure
conveyance for the Irish Emigrants on January 6, 1825, and that the Government soon gave public notice that any merchant ship-
owners who were interested in bidding on the contract should submit their tenders by March 16.
1
On April 4th, Navy Office advised Wilmot-Horton that nine merchant ships had been hired for the job.
2
One of these vessels,
the Syren, was driven on shore and wrecked near Southend in the late afternoon or early evening of April 8th, and the Navy Office
had to replace her quickly with the John Barry.
3
Robinson’s transports were supplied and fitted out at Deptford, and then passed through Deal on their way to the Cove of
Cork. The Fortitude was the first to be readied, and sailed from Deptford on April 3.
4
The John Barry was the last to arrive at the
Cove of Cork, on May 7.
5
A primary source of information about merchant shipping is the annual Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, which appeared in two
competing versions in 1825 - a “Red Book” published by the Ship-owners and a “Green Book” published by the Under-writers of
maritime insurance.
6
The typical entry for a merchant ship included:
• her origin (location and year of build)
• her seaworthiness, based on the condition of her hull and rigging
• her physical characteristics (e. g. burden and draught, the finish of her hull, her decking and fastenings, history
of repairs and upgrades)
• her current Owner and Master
• her recent arrivals and departures
Lloyd's Register listed 59 Albions, 29 Amitys, 12 Brunswicks, 127 Elizabeths, 17 Fortitudes, 1 John Barry, 1 Regulus, 33
Resolutions, and 14 Stars among the thousands of merchant ships that were insured in 1825!
7
Identifying Robinson’s transports from among these 293 candidates proved relatively straightforward, for we found a reliable
matches for the surnames of Masters listed in the Lloyd's Register and the Masters of Robinson’s transports (Albion - John Mills;
Amity - William Arrowsmith; Brunswick - Robert Blake; Elizabeth - Donald Morrison; Fortitude - Thomas Lewis; John Barry -
Peter Roche; Regulus - George Dixon; Resolution - Anthony Ward; Star - Joseph Becket).
Table 1 presents facsimiles of the entries for Robinson’s transports in the Lloyd's Register of ships sailing in 1825.
Our next step was to work our way backwards through the annual issues of Lloyd's Register, to identify the original
ownership of Robinson's transports and their early history in the merchant service.
Table 2 presents facsimiles of the entries for these vessels at their first appearance in Lloyd's Register. An index to digital
scans of the Under-writers' edition of Lloyd's Register is available at http://www.maritimearchives.co.uk/lloyds-register.html.
And our final step – to be carried on, we hope, by some of our readers – was to begin filling in this outline by drawing upon
other primary reference materials (e.g. shipyard records, newspaper articles, parliamentary papers), and relevant secondary sources
(e.g. contemporary works on naval architecture, convict transportation, whaling, etc.)
In our next installment, we will reconstruct the early histories of Robinson's transports; meanwhile, readers may learn
more about Robinson’s transports on their own - using this key to Lloyd’s Register:
Lloyd's provides a number of on-line resources
- especially helpful here is their InfoSheet No. 34 Researching the Earliest Registers.
1
Navy Office to George Baillie, March 1, 1825; Navy Office to Wilmot-Horton, March 7, 1825, C. O. 384/13.
2
Navy Office to Wilmot-Horton, April 4, 1825, C. O. 384/13.
3
Lloyd’s List, April 12 and April 15, 1825; Navy Office to Wilmot-Horton, April 25, 1825, C. O. 384/13.
4
Navy Office to Wilmot-Horton, April 4, 1825, C. O. 384/13.
5
Movements of the Robinson's transports were reported sporadically in the April 8 to May 23 issues of Lloyd's List, the leading source of
shipping news at the time.
6
For the story of how these competing versions of Lloyd's Register of Shipping came to be, and the difference between them, see Annals
of Lloyd’s Register, being a Sketch of the Origin, Constitution and Progress of Lloyd’s Register of British & Foreign Shipping, London,
1884; G. Blake, Lloyd’s Register of Shipping 1760 – 1960 (1960); and Lloyd's, Researching the Earliest Registers, Infosheet No. 34
(2006).
7
Lloyd's Register, Under-writers (1825-26).
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 22
Column
1
Sail Plan (e.g. Bg=Brig, Bk=Bark, S=Ship, Sw=Snow)
Hull (e.g. s.C=sheathed with Copper, P.F.=Patent Felt)
Column
2
Master(s)
Column
3
Carrying Capacity (tons burthen)
Decks (e.g. 3Ds=Three Decks, SDB=Single Deck with Beams)
Column
4
Port of Build
Timber (e.g. BB&P=Black Birch & Pine)
Recent Repairs (e.g. grp=good Repair, lrp=large Repair, trp=thorough
Repair) and the Year(s) of Repair(s)
Column
5
Year of Build (Ship-owners) or Years of Age (Under-writers)
Column
6
Owner(s)
Column
7
Draught (feet)
Column
8
Voyages: Surveying Port (abbreviated, e. g. Co=Cork, Lo=London) and
Destination
PIC=Proved Iron Cables
Column
9
Seaworthiness (e.g. A=First Class, E=Second Class, I=Third Class)
Materials (e.g. 1=First Quality, 2=Second Quality)
Figures from 1 to 12 under the Characters, denote the Month of the Survey.
Key to the Lloyd's Register.
Entries for Robinson's Transports in Lloyd’s Register (1825-26)
Albion
Amity
Brunswick
Elizabeth
Fortitude
John
Barry
Regulus
Resolution
Star
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 23
Table 1. Facsimiles of entries for Robinson's transports in Lloyd's Register (1825-26). Ship’s entry in the Under-writers’
edition appears above the Ship-owners’ edition. Sources: Albion: 1824-25U Supplement, 1824-25U Supplement; Amity: 1824-
25U, 1825-26S; Brunswick: 1824-25U, 1825-26S; Elizabeth: 1825-26U, 1825-26S; Fortitude: 1825-26U, 1825-26S; John Barry:
1825-26U, 1825-26S; Regulus: 1826-27U, get 1826-27S; Resolution: 1825-26U, 1825-26S; Star: 1825-26U, 1825-26S. (U =
Under-writers' edition; S = Ship-owners' edition).
Original Entries for Robinson's Transports in Lloyd’s Register
Albion
Amity
Brunswick
Prior to publication of Ship-owners edition.
Elizabeth
Fortitude
John
Barry
Regulus
Resolution
Prior to publication of Ship-owners edition.
Star
Table 2. Facsimiles of original entries for Robinson's transports in Lloyd's Register. Ship’s entry in the Under-writers’ edition
appears above Ship-owners’ edition. Sources: Albion: 1823-24U Supplement, 1824-25S Supplement; Amity: 1799-1800U
Supplement, 1799-1800S; Brunswick: 1790-91U Supplement; Elizabeth: 1809-10U, 1809-10S; Fortitude: 1811-12U, 1811-12S;
John Barry: 1814-15U, 1814-15S; Regulus: 1812-13U, 1812-13S; Resolution: 1782U Supplement; Star: 1809-10U, 1809-10S. (U
= Under-writers' edition; S = Ship-owners' edition).
Editorial note: Paul Allen expects to have a discussion of the early history of these ships - including when, where and by whom
they were built, and some of the highlights of their service in the merchant marine prior to recruitment to Robinson's expedition;
this will be in the November issue. A third and final instalment, in the February issue, will detail and illustrate major aspects of
the ships' physical characteristics (sail plan, decking, carrying capacity, etc). Allen’s more extended discussion of these matters
will release under his ePublishing biz Allen's Upper Canada Sundries before Christmas. As we have more details we will share
them with our members. We are really excited about the work that Paul has done, and the creative use he has made of the Lloyd’s
registers and of the Wilmot Horton materials in C.O. 384, now with the British National Archives. Some of these volumes are
available on microfilm at the Trent Valley Archives.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 24
Mossom Boyd...Belcher?
Shelagh Neck
Many of us have heard of Mossom Boyd, the
great lumber merchant who came to this country in
1834, eventually built a timber empire and put the
Village of Bobcaygeon on the map. But how many of
us are aware of Boyd’s connection to Peterborough’s
leading architect and engineer of the 19
th
century, John
Edward Belcher?
It all begins with John Belcher’s marriage to
Mossom Boyd’s niece, Clementina Macdonald, a
daughter of Boyd’s only sibling Anne. Census records
indicate that John and Clementina Belcher had
emigrated from England to Canada in the year 1870.
Evidenced by Canada’s 1871 Census, it appears the
young couple had taken up residence with Clementina’s
uncle Mossom in the “Big House” in Verulam
Township. Boyd’s Big House was ever evolving with
numerous additions constructed over several decades.
There was always plenty of room to house several
generations of the large family and everyone was
welcome, including friends. Some stayed for months,
some even for years.
Anyone who loves historical research needs a
nice little mystery to solve every once in awhile, just to
keep things interesting. In October of 2012, I found
myself one of those mysteries. While researching the
Macdonald and Boyd families, I was reviewing
Canada’s 1871 Census records online when I noticed
that instead of a single page document typically entitled
“Schedule 1, Nominal Return of the Living”, there was a
second page below, somewhat overlapped by a partial
sheet not unlike the first. In actuality, that second page
was “Schedule 2, Nominal Return of the Deaths within
the Previous Twelve Months”.
I was unfamiliar with Schedule 2, so I scrolled
down to examine it more closely. Had this page been
scanned in error when the Census sheet was being
transferred to microfilm? Whatever the case, I could not
ignore a name that jumped off the page at me. That
name was Mossom B. Belcher, an eight month old baby
who had died in April of 1871, likely just days before
the Census was taken. His cause of death was listed as
“Debility”, a medical reference to becoming weak or
feeble. Who was Mossom B. Belcher and why hadn’t I
heard of him? What had actually contributed to this
baby’s premature death? Was this John and
Clementina’s first born child?
As a member of the Board of Directors at Trent
Valley Archives, there had been rumblings of a future
tour featuring architect John E. Belcher, a personal
favourite of the late Martha Kidd. Like Martha, I too
was beginning to develop a fondness for the handsome
Mr. Belcher and his work. Needless to say, I am very
familiar with Belcher’s monument at Little Lake
Cemetery, as my volunteer group, “Friends of Little
Lake Cemetery” spent much time last summer tending
to the nearby sites of Lieutenant General John
Macdonald and Anne Boyd (parents of Belcher’s wife
Clementina) as well those of his brothers Samuel,
Thomas and Alfred Belcher. During that summer, I felt
it important to educate my volunteers on the importance
of John Belcher and his career, the beautiful buildings
and landmarks he designed that still stand proudly in our
city today, such as Market Hall and Clock Tower,
Peterborough Collegiate Vocational School, the Morrow
Building and the Pagoda Bridge in Jackson Park. The
personal life of John Belcher is just as fascinating. It
contains its share of tragedies as well as successes, such
as the devastating summer of 1913. Tragically in July,
Belcher’s son John Jr. died from sun stroke just days
before his 36
th
birthday. Three weeks later, on August
20
th
, the Turnbull building at the corner of George and
Simcoe Streets collapsed, a project Belcher was
overseeing as he was approaching retirement. Belcher’s
own life would end ironically on the very day of the
second anniversary of the Turnbull disaster, being
August 20, 1915. Now here I stood, having discovered
evidence of yet another tragedy in Belcher’s life, the
loss of his first born child, Mossom Boyd Belcher. I felt
compelled to dig deeper and find out as much I as could
about baby Mossom. What were the circumstances
surrounding his death? Why was he not buried with the
rest of the Belcher family at Little Lake Cemetery?
Where in fact was he buried?
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 25
The Belcher family monument at Little Lake
Cemetery
I began with the obvious; speak with local
historian Elwood Jones. After doing so, Elwood
suggested I contact Grace Barker, author of “Timber
Empire: The Exploits of the Entrepreneurial Boyds”, but
she too was unfamiliar with baby Mossom Boyd
Belcher. I decided to contact the Boyd Heritage
Museum in Bobcaygeon, who had quite an extensive
ancestral record of the large, extended family.
Unfortunately, their records didn’t indicate any
reference to Mossom Boyd Belcher. Knowing full well
that baby Mossom had both been born and died in the
Big House, I knew that there had to be more. Thus, I
began my search through the Boyd Family Papers at
Trent University Archives. There I read through dozens
of personal letters to Mossom (Mossie) Martin Boyd
during the 1870’s. Mossie Boyd was then the 16 year
old son of Mossom Boyd and cousin to Clementina
Belcher. Finally, in a letter dated April 27, 1871 to
Mossie from his sister, Anne Irwin, I found the reference
I was hoping for. She had written, “I was so very sorry
to hear that poor Clemmie has lost her little boy. How
very sad it was.” Anne also mentioned, “We heard from
the Macdonalds (Clementina’s parents) the other day,
they are busy preparing for Canada, they are to sail
about the first of June.”
I also searched through the Christ Church fonds
and found both Mossom Belcher’s baptism and burial
records. However, the burial record did not indicate
where he had been buried, only that he had been interred
on April 3, 1871 with Rev. Charles Paterson, also a long
time resident of the Big House, officiating.
As I continued to search for answers to my
questions, I realized that it was necessary for me to visit
Verulam Cemetery in Bobcaygeon. It was December by
that time and it gave me a wonderful excuse to have a
few of my volunteers tag along with me to Bobcaygeon
for a trip to the Boyd Museum. Certainly they would
not mind stopping by the cemetery! After reviewing
original records, I discovered that Mossom Boyd
Belcher had been buried in Grave 3, Range 12, Lot 40
and had died from “Inflammation (Coryza)”. In other
words, most likely due to complications arising from a
common cold. Baby Mossom was the tenth burial that
took place in the new cemetery that had opened a few
months before his death in 1871, and for which his great
uncle Mossom Boyd had generously donated $24.00
towards its start up. The records also indicated that John
Belcher had paid $4.00 for four gravesites, although he
and Clementina would never actually be interred there.
Instead, the four graves were used for family members
Alfred Beaufort Belcher (John Belcher’s nephew) and
his wife, Mollie Doreen Belcher, who shares a grave
with baby Mossom, and her parents, Charles Edward
Clement and Adeline Clement.
As I stood at the very place Mossom Boyd
Belcher is buried, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled that
his grave is unmarked and his existence unknown to
those who have a passion for local history and a keen
interest in these families. Did a marker ever exist for
baby Mossom? It seems strange to me that there would
not have been one, at least at some point in time.
Although it was not uncommon for very young infants
or stillbirths not to have been named or monuments
erected on their burial sites, I felt Mossom Belcher’s
circumstances were quite different. After all, over eight
months had passed since his birth. Still his short life
would have brought much joy, new experiences, hopes
and dreams for his first time parents. Secondly, he had
been the namesake of his prominent great uncle,
Mossom Boyd. Why would his memory not have been
honoured with a monument? The Boyd and Belcher
families certainly had the financial means to afford one.
Perhaps it had been vandalized and removed from the
site? This we may never know.
What we do know is that this is just a glimpse
into the personal life of John Belcher, a man of many
great accomplishments, but also a man who like many
others of his day, suffered some great tragedies along
the way.
John Edward Belcher, 1913
The Burial Register of Verulam Cemetery confirming
the burial of “Mossom B. Belcher on April 3, 1871, age
8 m, son of John E. & Clem. Belcher of Bobcaygeon”.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 26
The Esson and Eason Family
Richard Eason
1
GEORGE ESSON was born in July 1776 in Scotland. He married Margaret Shaw Thompson in 1805. Margaret was born
1785 in St Andrew & St Leonard, Fifeshire, Scotland. daughter of Robert Thompson and Janet Roger.
I don’t know where George and Margaret were married, but they were living in the Town of Kincardine as the children, who
were born in Scotland, were all baptized in Tuliallan Parish, Perthshire.
George was a Weaver by trade. In the early 1800’s, the Industrial Age had begun, steam power and machines were
changing the economic situation and the first to be hit were the weavers as machines took over. Wages dropped from 30-40
shillings a week to about 7 shillings and 6 pence for top quality material to 4 shillings and 6 pence for less skilled weavers. The
introduction of cotton was also hurting the business.
To further compound the problems facing George, was the fact that the Battle of Waterloo ended in 1815 and returning
soldiers added to the work force, making finding of a job very hard and wages very low. Seeing his world crumbling around him,
George decided to emigrate to Canada to begin a new life.
JOHN FIFE SR (1775 – 1853), was married to Agnes Hutchinson. He worked with his brother-in-law, James Hutchinson,
Land Surveyor to Admiral Lord Keith. Lord Keith negotiated the surrender of Napoleon and Napoleon was a prisoner on his ship
at one time.
John Fife Jr, worked as a Post boy on Lord Keiths estate in Scotland. He had the pleasure of riding a white horse through
the neighbouring villages, blowing a bugle, announcing the end of the Napoleonic War in 1815.
By 1819, upon meeting with his neighbour George Esson, John Fife talked it over with his family and decided to also
emigrate
Plans were made that both families would leave in the spring of 1820.
In May, George Esson was 44 years old. Margaret his wife was 35, and three months pregnant. They had six children;
Thomas 14, Alexander 12, Robert & Daniel (twins) 9, Janet 6 and Helen was 4. They sold everything and prepared for the New
World, needing food and supplies to last at least until the summer of 1821, when they might have crops and a garden. They
would need tools to clear the land, build a cabin and make furniture or implements along with seeds to plant.
On Wednesday, May 24, 1820, the Esson and Fife families boarded the good ship ”HOPE” at Greenock, and bade old
Scotland good-bye forever, as the only one to ever again see Scotland was David Fife, the fifth oldest Fife boy, (discoverer of
Red Fife Wheat).
The ship was a Brigantine, temporarily converted for passengers, as these ships were primarily used for shipping furs, etc,
back to the Old World. The Captain was J. Duncan, there were 44 Settlers on board. Ship was consigned to Irvine & Co
There were no
dining salons or
cabins for
passengers.
Passengers had to
fend for themselves,
cooking on deck,
staying out of the
way of the sailors,
helping out when
needed, sleeping
quarters were in the
hold amongst the
supplies and trade
goods.
After enduring
storms and illness for
51 days at sea they
landed at Quebec on
Monday, Aug 14,
1820
They then
travelled past
Montreal and
Kingston to Port
Hope, this part of the
journey was by ferry
sometimes being
pulled up the St
Lawrence River
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 27
through the rapids by human forces and sometimes by horses on the shore.
It was originally intended that the party would settle in Cavan Township, but a minor mishap on the trip altered the fate of
the Scottish settlers. Mr. Esson, so John Fife used to tell the tale, aroused the ire of several Irish women immigrants by
accidentally breaking some of their dishes. These women were going to homes in Cavan. With that in mind, the canny Mr.
Esson suggested to John Fife: “We’ll nae gang to Cavan, settling with a lot of Irish. I hear there are lots of guid Scots in
Otonabee. Let us go there.”
And so the plans were altered, but the men later regretted it, for both Miss Phoebe and Miss Elizabeth Fife remember their
grandfather saying that things were much more difficult in Otonabee than if they had held to the Cavan destination.
George Esson received a location ticket for Lot 21, Con 4, Otonabee Township on Wednesday Sept 13, 1820.
The women and children were left in Port Hope, possibly living in tents on the outskirts of town. John Fife Sr., John Jr. and
George Esson walked north to Rice Lake, guided by the blaze of the axe. An Indian took them across Rice Lake in a small boat.
At this time crossing the lake was rather a costly matter as a man and a boat could seldom be secured for less than $4.00. Boats
were often upset, lives endangered, and luggage lost. They landed upon what is now the 4th line of Otonabee, about September
14, 1820. They struck their flint, kindled a fire, and mixed some flour with Rice Lake water, using the fine powder of the ashes as
a leaven for their cake. They baked their cake in a kettle buried in the ashes and covered with coals. John Sr. often said that it
was the sweetest cake he ever ate.
Again following the blaze of the axe, they made their way to John Stewart's shanty where they received a 'guid' Scotch
welcome. They spent the night sleeping on the hearth with Stewart and his guest, Sandy Speirs. The next morning they walked
up to the locality of Lot 21/22 on the Fourth Line. The Township of Otonabee was surveyed in 1819 in 10,000 acre lots. On
arriving here, being hungry in a vast wilderness, they again built a fire and set their oatmeal to boil. 'Alas', they had left their
spoons behind at Mr. Stewart's. They whittled spoons from wood. While busy, the shavings caught fire and before they were
aware of it, a stub was burned, which fell on their fire upsetting the porridge and leaving them without food. They decided that
they had gone far enough. Mr. Esson said, "We may as well take this land where we are. I will take this on the south”. Mr. Fife
took the land on the north, thus establishing homes for themselves and future generations. They then returned to Mr. Stewart's
for the night.
Returning to Port Hope, George Esson and John Fife Jr. walked straight on to Toronto through the forest for patents of the
land which they secured on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 1820. In those days, the first thing required of a settler was to go before the land
agent who resided in Toronto and take the oath of allegiance. For administering this oath, the fee was seven (7) shillings and six
(6) pence. He was furnished with a location ticket for any land he might select. This ticket entitled him to a free grant of fifty
(50) acres on performing certain settlement duties, payment for fourteen (14) of the fifty (50) acres and an additional grant of two
hundred (200) acres on payment for one hundred and thirty-six (136) of them. These rates were later lowered. Originally the
road allowance was on the north side of the property, but at present, Hope Mill Rd runs along the south side.
Settlement duties consisted of chopping and clearing out the trees and brushwood in front of the lot on the line to the width
of two (2) rods and slashing down the timber to a width of four (4) rods, thus making an opening six (6) rods wide. In addition, a
clearing of two (2) acres had to be made and a house or shanty ten (10) by twenty (20) feet had to be built. These duties had to be
performed within twelve (12) months.
The men including their sons. returned to Otonabee, to construct shanties, leaving the women and children in Port Hope.
Three shanties were built of logs with poles on top covered with green boughs. Beds were made by placing poles in the walls
and covering them with hemlock boughs.
Food was porridge, cakes made with flour, apples, crabapples, wild raspberries. Meat was anything from rabbits, squirrels,
partridges and occasionally deer, or they did without. Sometimes they had tea, but often they had wild Peppermint or Hemlock
Tea.
The first winter they worked cutting and clearing the lot line and the land around the shanty. They had to be ready in the
spring to plant their gardens and any crops so the more land they cleared the more crops they would have to supplement their
food supply. Their main crop would be wheat for flour, also corn for corn meal and the usual garden vegetables carrots, potatoes,
onions, turnips, parsnips, cabbage, etc.
Animals would have to be purchased as horses were needed to plough the land and clear logs, cows were needed for milk
and butter, pigs, poultry and sheep.
EMIGRATION CHRONOLOGY
• Wednesday May 24, 1820 set sail from Greenock, Scotland
• Monday Aug 14. 1820, arrived in Quebec, Canada
• Wednesday, Sep 13, 1820, George Esson received a location ticket for Lot 21, Con 4, Otonabee Twp. He
had been in the province for 1 week at that time.
• Sep 14, 1820 landed in Otonabee near the Fourth Line (Loucks Point) and walked to John Stewarts shanty
• Sep 15, walked from Stewarts Clearing to have a look at their property and back to Stewarts for the night
• Sep 16, walked back to Port Hope.
• Sep 17 &18, went to York (Toronto)
• Tuesday, Sep 19, 1820 received his Free land Grant
, MARGARET ESSON, one of the first white children born in Port Hope, was born on November 10, 1820. According to an
early newspaper clipping credited to Jean Campbell, when Margaret was only six weeks old, the Esson family moved up into
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 28
Otonabee. The arduous journey was performed in the early part of the winter. The older daughter, 4 year old Nellie, was placed
on her father's back with her blanket wrapped around both, without which he surely would have frozen to death. Thence they
tramped through the snow to their new home. The mother, with her new baby on her knee was drawn on a hand sleigh across
Rice Lake.
When Margaret was seven (7) months old, her mother became ill with the ague (a very prevalent disease at that time), and
remained so for nine (9) months. During this time her chief food was potatoes and occasionally gruel made with flour and water.
Also, a woman from Cobourg gave her a hen which laid an egg every day. This was always given to the sick mother, who said it
was that which kept her alive. To add to their discouragements, one day in March while at dinner, the shanty took fire. George
Esson picked up his wife and babe, carrying them out and laid them on a flat stone in the snow. The shanty burned to the ground
and only a few things were snatched out.
A second log house was at once built on 'Fairy Glen Farm'. The babe was attended to by her brother, who first chewed the
food himself and then fed it to her. He said she became just like a little bird, opening up her mouth to receive it. After a while,
Margaret was taken to the home of Rev. Mr. Hayden at Cold Springs in the Township of Hamilton as they had a cow and she
could be fed properly on milk. There were no cows in Otonabee at this time. As her father was carrying her there, he became
hungry and laying her down, began to eat huckleberries growing around; but he wandered off and lost the child. After a
desparate search he found her, but she was just the colour of the earth, so covered was she with mosquitoes. When the second
log cabin was completed, Margaret was returned to her parents after an absence of six months.
As there were no oxen, the men had to draw the logs for their shanties (and for burning) themselves. It took twelve men to
pull one log, so one can imagine the tedious work. The men and women both worked skidding the logs into heaps, while the
children gathered chips and flung them on top to be burned. After a time some tried to make money by selling the potash made
from the ashes in the burnt fallows, but they did not succeed very well. Money was so extremely scarce that the settlers forbade
their relatives at home writing, as they could not afford the postage, which was one shilling and four pence per letter.
When the logs were burned, the ground was hoed
between the stumps and potatoes were planted. They
grew abundantly in the rich, new soil. As long as the men
had money, they got flour from Cobourg by tramping
thirty miles along a blazed trail and carrying a bag home
on their back. But when the tiny supply of money was
done, they got no more credit at Cobourg and had to
thresh the little wheat they grew themselves among the
stumps by beating it with flails on the hard ground. This
was done by the men at night after logging in the woods
from early morn. They separated the chaff by throwing
the grain in the air on a windy day and thus letting the
chaff blow away. This was called 'winnowing'. They took
the grain, one bag at a time, to the lake shore and on a
tiny boat of their own making, went up the Otonabee
River to Peterborough (then called the "The Samps"),
pulling their boat overland past the rapids where the locks
are now. As this was a good day's work, the grinding had
to be done at night and on the next morning they started
home again with their precious freight.
George and Margaret Esson
When George Esson got oxen, his son made a
wooden sleigh called a 'jumper', and took wheat to
Cobourg, four bags at a time. For a bushel of wheat he
received not money, but the princely exchange of one
yard of factory cotton or a red bandana hand-kerchief.
The reason for this was that on the front, they grew
enough wheat for their own use and had not yet begun to
export (Note 1. The front was that area which fronted on
Lake Ontario).
George Esson had the first horse in Otonabee, and so was considered rich. Then he bought three sheep at Cobourg and drove
them up on the frozen lake. They were placed in a tiny pen directly in front of the door, but alas, a wolf came one night and
devoured the three. After a time, he got a cow and so had the luxury of milk and butter. They tapped the trees and made maple
syrup and sugar. Fortunately they had a large pot for "boilin' down" which was very slow work when done in the house. One old
woman, a new arrival, was told how to make sugar, but as she was not succeeding quickly enough to suit her, she glowered into
the pot of boiling sap and impatiently exclaimed. "I dinna see however ye mak' sugar out o' that stuff. I hae' been boilin' at it for
twa long 'oors and I dinna see anything like sugar yet." If there was a good run of sap during the day they had to work till
midnight boiling it down to be ready for the next day.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 29
Until Margaret was nine years old, she had no boots or stockings. In winter she and the other children used to go out in their
bare feet and see which could go deepest into the snowbanks. When they became cold, they ran into the house and stood beside
the fire, with the melting snow running down their limbs.
When she was ten years old, she and a number of other children were driven down in a big wooden sleigh to Stewart's
Clearance to be christened. The cause of the delay in baptism was the infrequent visits of a minister from Cobourg. As the
sleighload was passing over a still existing corduroy road, the sleigh upset and all were thrown out except Margaret who held fast
to a rope joining two corners of the sleigh.
Just about the same time she went to school in Keene for six weeks. That was all the schooling she received. Even so, she
was possessed of a wide knowledge of affairs which home teaching had developed. Morning and evening she walked a distance
of five and one-half (5 1/2) miles. The teacher was very brutal. He held that the only way to teach a child was by beating it
continually. His favourite mode of punishment was to have the children hold the tips of their fingers together and then strike them
with a heavy ruler. Every time they drew back the hand and he fanned the air they received two strokes to atone for his loss in
dignity. He never whipped them but they went home blistered. The only book used in the school was the New Testament and
pieces of slate were used to write on. To help occupy the time, the teacher used to teach dancing. If the person applying for the
teacher's position could read the tenth chapter of Nehemiah, he was accepted.
Until she was married, Margaret always worked outside, always doing a man's work. She once said to me, "What would you
think of starting to cut a ten acre field of grain with a sickle?"
Margarets' bridal party rode to Peterborough on horseback, the bridesmaid being chosen because she was the only woman
around, excepting the bride, who could ride on horseback. On the way the bride's horse became beyond control and dashed on,
with the bride clinging in terror to its mane and the rest of the party in hot pursuit. However, there was no accident and the
wedding took place in St. John's Church. This was the first English church built in Peterborough. They were married Oct. 15,
1839. Margaret went to live with her husband on the Fife homestead, for her husband had been the youngest son of John Fife Sr.
and he remained at the old home. John Fife Sr lived on the E1/2 and Margaret and Alexander were on the W1/2 of Lot 22 Con 4,
Otonabee.
2
George and Margaret Esson had eleven children: Thomas, Alexander, Daniel, Robert, George 1, Janet, Helen, Margaret,
George 2, Jane and Isabella.
THOMAS ESSON
Thomas Esson (1806-
1881) was born in
Scotland. In Otonabee in
1830 he married the
English-born Elizabeth
Carr (1807-1883). They
had 13 children, and lived
on Lot 22, Concession 6,
Otonabee ‘Castletown’ on
Esson Road. Their
descendants included
Francis Slattery m Paul
Nelson; the Davis’s eg
Dick, Russ, Isabel m Harry
McIntyre, Don, Allan &
Dorothy m Stan Hossack;
the Manley’s eg Duke;
Preston Armstrong family;
Easson’s in Saskatchewan;
and Easson’s in Harvey
Township
ALEXANDER ESSON
Alexander Esson was born in Scotland in 1808 and married Jane Gillespie about 1834 in Otonabee. They lived in Otonabee
Lot 22, Concession 1, and also owned Lot 23, Con 1 for a period of time. They constructed the stone house on Lot 22, on the
north side of Elmhirst Line, east of Blezard Line. We will look at his descendants, shortly.
DANIEL ESSON
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 30
Daniel (1811-1894) married in Otonabee to Mary Isabella Wood (c. 1816-1894). They lived at Lot 23, Con 6, E1/2
Otonabee on ESSON Road. They had ten children; two daughters married their first cousins. The descendants include Mary
Adeline Esson m Wm Chapman & family Alice Davidson, Lillian McIntyre, Bill Chapman & Dorothy Garnett; Tom Alexander
Easson & family lived on 8
th
Line; Myrtle Esson married Percy Manley; Gavin Shearer and his descendants; Wellington Fife; and
Ron Esson
ROBERT ESSON
Robert (1811-1888), the twin of Daniel, was married in Otonabee to Nancy Anne Ingram, born 1819 in Ireland. They lived
on Lot 24, Con 6, W1/2 Otonabee, and had ten children. Their descendants include Mary Adeline Esson m Wm Chapman &
family Alice Davidson, Lillian McIntyre, Bill Chapman & Dorothy Garnett; Tom Alexander Easson & family who lived on 8
th
Line; and many descendants in the Barrie area
GEORGE 1 ESSON
George Esson the younger was born in 1813. He must have died either in Scotland or on the trip over.
JANET ESSON
Janet Esson was born in 1814 in Scotland, died 1879. She married in 1831, in Otonabee to David Nelson, born 1807, in
Scotland, died 1882. They lived on Lot 18, Con 5, W1/2 Otonabee, and had 14 children, 12 of whom reached maturity. Their
descendants include Dave McIntyre and siblings; Bobby Nelson and family eg Janet Loucks, John Worral; and Audrey Renwick
who married Don Davis.
HELEN (NELLIE) ESSON
Helen Esson was born in 1817 in Scotland and died in 1882 in Otonabee. She married John Dixon who was born in 1809 in
Scotland and died in 1888 in Otonabee. They had no children and lived with Johns’ brother James Dixon and his family in
Otonabee. Both James and his wife passed away at a relatively young age and Aunt Ellen and Uncle John raised the children
MARGARET ESSON
Margaret Esson was born Nov 20, 1820 in Port Hope and died in 1909 in Otonabee. She was married on Oct 15, 1839 in
Peterborough to Alexander Fife, who was born in 1815 in Scotland, but died June 12, 1852, leaving Margaret with seven small
children to raise. The youngest daughter married Robert McConnell and moved to North Dakota. Margaret was able to visit them
on three occasions. Margaret died on Jan 12, 1909. Their descendants included Mary Jane Fife who married Richard Bond Esson;
many Easson descendants in Saskatchewan;
the McConnells/Woodards in San Jose,
California; Wellington Fife; and the Fifes in
Yakima, Washington.
GEORGE 2 ESSON
As was Scottish custom if a child died,
the next child born of the same sex was given
the same name. George Esson the younger
was born in 1823 in Otonabee and died 1877
in Peterborough. He was married in 1847 in
Otonabee to Sarah Eleonar Anderson, who
was born in 1822 in Ireland and died in 1865.
They had seven children. Their descendants
were in Oregon, Kansas and Missouri.
JANE ESSON
Jane (Jeanie) Esson (1825-1916) never
married. She lived at home Lot 21, Con 4.
After the farm was sold, she moved in with
her sister Margaret Fife, in a cabin on the W1/2 of Lot 22, Con 4.
Mrs Gladys Fife Walter, the great-grand-daughter of Margaret Esson and Alexander Fife spent her summers as a youth on
her Grandfather’s farm, which was the original John Fife Sr farm. These are her stories.
Great Aunt Jeanie was I think a bit “tetched:” and insisted on wandering around the countryside in all sorts of weather in her
bare feet. One cold October day (it must have been Thanksgiving, because I was at the farm), just as grandfather and I were
starting out for Lang. I have a vivid memory of her returning to the cabin. “Now Johnnie” she said “ye needna’ cast the eye on
me, because I’ll no wear the shoos no matter how ye look at me”.
Another story concerns Becky Fife who was the daughter of John Fife Jr “Auntie Becky was living with her son Jimmy, Lot
21, Con 5, bed-ridden and being nursed by Liz and Phoebe. Auntie Jeanie Esson was in the habit of going up most mornings to
sit with Auntie Becky. This particular morning I was with grandpa in the barnyard when Auntie Jeanie came flying down the
road, bare feet as usual (though she was in her 80’s she could run like a deer). She tore into the yard and came up to grandpa
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 31
shouting “Oh, Johnnie, I’ve kilt Becky, I kilt her!! I gied her the pison you throw down the water closets. Oh Johnnie shes’
deed! Shes’ deed! Oh Johnnie what’ll I do?”
Grandpa jumped on a horse and took off to find out what this was all about. It turned out that on the washstand in Beckys’
room, there was a bottle of Lysol and a carafe of drinking water, each covered by a clean white cloth. Aunt Becky had asked for
a drink of water and Auntie Jeanie had given her a drink of Lysol, forsooth. Aunt Becky had choked and sputtered and Auntie
Jeanie, realizing what she had done had shouted for Lizzie and then, terrified that she had killed Becky, had run home. In the
meantime Lizzie had administered the antidote and in a few days Becky had recovered from her drastic drink. What a to-do it
was!!”
ISABELLA ESSON
Isabella Esson was born in 1827 in Otonabee and died in 1894 in Peterborough. She was married in 1850 to Evans Ingram,
and they lived at E1/2 Lot 26, Con 11, Otonabee. According to Charles P. Mulvany in his “History of the County of
Peterborough” (1884): “Evans Ingram was born near Belfast, Ireland in 1816. He emigrated with his father\s family, in 1832,
which consisted of the mother, four daughters and one son (Evans). They came first to the Town of Peterborough, where they
resided about seven years. Mr. Ingram, went to the State of Mississippi, where he lived till 1847, and then returned to this county
and bought 100 acres on Lot 26, Concession 11. He has been reeve of his township about six years: was warden of the county in
1866, and was a J.P.” Evans Ingrams’ sister Nancy Ann married Robert Esson. Another sister Ellinor (Ellen) married William
Chamberlen (my Great Great Grandparents).
3
ALEXANDER ESSON and his wife Jane Gillespie, my grandparents, had twelve children: Isabella, George,
Jenny, Alice, Peter, Alexander, Richard G, Thomas S, Daniel, Robert Henry, David and Jack.
ISABELLA ESSON
Isabella Esson was born 1835 in Otonabee, died 1887. She married John Gebbie and they had eleven children,
of whom five died between 1881 and 1886. Their descendants include the Barries in Saskatchewan, and the Gibbies’
in Claresholm, Alberta.
GEORGE ESSON
Skip over George for a moment
MARGARET (Jenny) ESSON
Margaret (1839-1908) married
William Eaton, a tailor and they lived in
Norwood with five children.
Descendants of this line, the Barries
and the Scotts, are living in the Norwood
area.
ALICE ESSON
Alice (1840-1870) married John
Cameron Nelson from Asphodel; they
Lived in Percy Township, and had no
children.
PETER ESSON
Peter (1850-1914) married Margaret
Kidd. They had four children and lived at
Paisley Lot 15, Con 5, Elderslie Twp,
Bruce County.
ALEXANDER ESSON
Alexander (b 1843) married Helen Dayton in 1869; they lived in Newark, Kendal County. Illinois, and had at
least one child
RICHARD GILLESPIE ESSON
Richard Gillespie Esson (1847-1917) married Jane Wood in 1875, and they had eight children. After Jane died
in 1887, Richard married Mary Ann Hawkins and moved to Rainy River.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 32
THOMAS S. ESSON
Tom Sandy (1848-1908) married Occeila Gebbie, “Aunt Sally”, and they lived on Lot 8, Con 1, Asphodel Twp,
with three children. There are descendants living in Colorado and Ohio.
DANIEL ESSON
Daniel (1849-1891) married Anna Evangeline O’brien in 1874 in Fenelon Falls. They lived at Essonville in
Monmouth Twp. where he was the first Postmaster, and they had four children. There are descendants in the
Norland area.
Daniel was a twin brother of Robert. Daniel moved to Coboconk and in 1875 to Monmouth Township and
settled on Lots 16 & 17 Con 4. This is related in Mulvaney’s book.
In 1875, a man named Daniel Esson, who was married to Anna O'Brien lived on what is now Randal McCrea's
property. Mr. Esson became the first postmaster. While looking for a name for their Post Office, it was suggested
that they name it after their first postmaster. Hoping that it might become a village they added 'ville. Thus Essonville
got its name. It never quite became a village, but those who have settled here in the past and present years are proud
of their heritage. [From 'Monmouth Township' 1881-1981 Collected Views of the Past.]
In the 1885 Directory, he was listed as the Postmaster.
ROBERT HENRY ESSON
Robert (1849-1887) ,married Marion Jane McColl. They had no children, and are buried at Westwood.
DAVID ESSON
David (1850-1844) married Margaret Ann Porter 1903; they lived at Paisley, Bruce County, Ontario.
JOHN (Jack) ESSON
Jack, born 1854, never married; in the 1891 census he was a Mail Carrier, living with his brother David. My
grandmother (Mrs. Fred Eason) used to talk about him. He was born with very short legs, she said his feet were
about his knees. For a while he drove the milk wagon, picking up the
milk cans and delivering them to the cheese factory. When he drove the
wagon, he always had a blanket over his legs, so not everyone knew of his
short legs. One time he had made a date with one of my grandmother’s
older sisters. When he came along to pick her up, he jumped down off the
wagon; well, she shrieked in horror and ran back into the house, and
would have nothing to do with a midget.
4
GEORGE ESSON
George Esson (1838-1903) was married in 1866 to Jane Chamberlain
daughter of William Chamberlain and Eleanor Ingram. In 1865 he
purchased the W ½ of Lot 14, Con 5, Otonabee (Larry Craighead’s
property), they owned this property until 1903. They lived in a cabin in
the field
directly north
of where the
barn is now
located. After
a few years
they rented
the Mark
Burnham property; NE ¼ of Lot 11, E ½ Lot 12, E ½
Lot 13 and the E ½ of Lot 14 all in Concession 6,
Otonabee. They then moved down to this location.
They were living at Lot 13 on the 1884 Directory.
They had ten children, five of whom died before
their eighth birthday. Four of these children died
between 1881 and 1885, Remember their first cousins,
the Gebbies had five children who died between 1881
and 1886. The five children who lived all moved away; Fred was the only one to come back to the farm.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 33
DAVID EVANS EASON
David (1869-1930) was a teacher for awhile before going back to school and
graduating from the University of Toronto in 1902 with a BSc in Engineering He then
went to work for the Trent Canal in Peterborough, where he was Superintending Engineer
in the 1920’s. He lived at 190 Barnardo Ave in Peterborough. David was an avid
photographer and took a lot of photos for the Trent Canal and also around Keene. David
married Clarice McClennan in September 1920. In October 1922, Clarice, while placing
more wood in the furnace, had her dress catch fire and she was burnt from her neck to
halfway between her knees and her ankles, causing death from shock. David died June
1930.
EDMUND GEORGE EASON
Edmund (1870-1929) married Sabina McGill. They lived in Vancouver and had two
children, Maud and David.
ALBERT RICHARD EASON
Albert (1871-1930) married Nellie McKitrick in 1905; they had two daughters and one
son. There are descendants in Calgary, Vancouver and also in Washington State.
MAUDE ELINOR EASON
Maude (1878-1938) never married. She moved to Prince Rupert B.C. where she ran a gift
shop.
FREDERICK ALEXANDER EASON
Fred was born in 1877. In the early 1900’s he was in Saskatchewan working on his
cousin’s farm. After his father died in 1903, Fred moved back home to run the farm. He
married Adeline Victoria Hope, the youngest daughter of Richard Hope, in 1910. They purchased the farm in 1912.
They had two children George Alan and Richard Frederick
Richard, born 1916, was very musical. In 1938 he was in a local orchestra. 1940 he was a member of ‘The
Mose Yokum Orchestra’. (Note: Del Crary was also in this band) They played all over south-eastern Ontario. Dick
enlisted in the RCAF in Feb 1942, training for the air crew at Toronto, Lethbridge,
and Pearse Alberta, where he received his wings. He went overseas in June 1943.
He was attached to an
R.A.F. crew as an Air-
Bomber. His crew
went out in a
Lancaster Bomber on
a training exercise on
April 30, over the
English Channel. On
the return trip, they
encountered enemy
fighter planes and
were shot down off
Dover. There were no
survivors. He was
officially listed as “Lost at Sea” on May 1, 1944.
Pilot Officer R. F. Eason was posthumously awarded his Operational Wings of the Royal Canadian Air Force on
Nov. 2, 1946.
Alan, born in November 1913, married Edith May Nelson in January 1939. They lived at the home farm which
consisted of the NE ¼ of Lot 11, E ½ Lot 12, E ½ Lot 13 and the E ½ of Lot 14 all in Concession 6, Otonabee. They
have four children: Betty, Pat, Dick & Ted, and five grand-children and 13 great grand-children.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 34
Summer of 1926:
Life at Stoney Lake from Juniper Island
Letters from Jean Fairbairn to Max Mackenzie
Editor’s note: Thanks to Blair Mackenzie who shared the correspondence from his parents’ courting year 1926. Jean Fairbairn,
whose family cottage was on JupiterIsland, writes with interesting details about what was happening around Stoney Lake while
her boyfriend Max Mackenzie was living and working in Montreal. Both had attended McGill University but the families had
been long connected with Stoney Lake. By the way, Jean always spelled it Stoney, even though I have been lectured that people at
the centre of the lake and west always preferred Stony. The letters give insight into ways people lived the cottage life 87 years
ago. This is another way of showing the importance of letters. There have been some editing but we have tried to retain the
substance of the original letters.
1 July 29, 1926
Dear Max:-
…
I can’t help needing to be cheered up at times, Max,
even though I am enjoying myself. I seem to get some
dreadful slaps in the face, so to speak. I remember telling
you that I thought John W-- was one of the nicest boys on
the lake, because he was, as yet, young and unsophisticated
– last Saturday at the dance, although he wasn’t “tight” it
would have taken very little more to make him so. And last
Sunday night we were asked to a bonfire. It was given on
our island (no permission asked), the reason being, as Jack
said, that chaperones wouldn’t be needed. Everyone
coupled up or piled together and gradually got as far as
possible from the fire to do their stuff – except Jack and
Marg and I who left early when things had hardly begun.
Such parties, I find, last until dawn. And then more woes!
Kay writes to me, a note, because she has so many people
to write to, and the whole thing tells about the candy, cakes,
etc., that she has sent to Don! So you are the only person
who writes me nice letters, and that always helps to make
you the only one that I like writing to. …
Marg left at noon today, and everything seems very
quiet, as Mother and Daddy are in Montreal, and Betty is at
the McCracken’s regatta whither Jack and I will precede in
a little while. Margaret was great fun, and we got on
together quite well, our ideas on many subjects being very
similar. One night we talked till all hours, and could hardly
get up in the morning, and another time we slept on the
verandah of the boat house, a wind came up – which was
“not so good” for I caught cold, and have developed a sore
throat and a headache. Please don’t catch them from this.
Mldne[?] and I haven’t found the swimming very nice,
lately. Today we didn’t, and the last day or two have been
cold and windy. Tomorrow we hope to try again.
Time off – while Jack and I sailed to the regatta and
the store. The regatta was just like all other regattas, and
our family did not figure very largely, not entering. I don’t
think your young cousin Billy won the swimming, or
anything else, which is rather a change.
…
After the fire episode last year, Daddy decided to
make the roof fire proof, so it is being shingled with Johns-
Manville shingles, which arrived on a huge big enormous
tug. (The three adjectives are to make you realize how
large the tug was as compared with the shingles.) The
shack has been done, and although it makes you feel more
comfy, it looks rather like a railway station in a prairie
town. Real shingles look bumpy and hang over at the
bottom, but this roofing doesn’t have the same effect. At
present the men are doing the roof at the back, near the
dining table and we eat our “peck-of-dirt,” to say the least!
Every time they hammer, splinters and dirt showers down
and we have to carry all the food through the bedroom
which I used to occupy. In ways I hope Mummy doesn’t
get back tomorrow, for the rainy weather keeps the men
from working, and I want to get the place clean before she
comes.
…
I am almost forgetting to tell you the greatest
excitement of the week. I have recently been elevated to
the position of eldest aunt of John William Beresford
Hamilton. (I’m not positive about the Beresford.) I
haven’t seen my nephew yet, but I hope I will soon. I was
so excited I couldn’t talk properly and said, “Jack is an
‘ankle’, Betty an ‘unt’.”
It is now time to get the milk, and I must away with
Amelia and run the horrid boat. I am a hard-working
woman, though I fear I don’t equal you. I’m sorry I have to
stop, for I could ramp on for hours. Only your family
would look askance at the fatness of your mail, and you
would get tired reading. Also, the mosquitoes are arriving
in hordes….
2 July 31, 1920
Dear Max:-
Don’t you get shocked at this sudden effusion, but I
burble with excitement and I’ve got to let it out.
It’s all decided – I hope for sure. I’m coming down on
Tuesday – motoring with Mr. Larmouthe, who is up for the
weekend and wants someone to keep him company on the
way back. As the family knew that I wanted to go, they
offered me, and Jack may or may not come. Golly whiz!
I’m thrilled.
I was mistaken about your young cousin when I wrote
on Thursday. After I left the regatta she came second in the
ladies swimming race, and first in the diving. And today at
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 35
the children’s regatta, she got a first and a second prize for
paddling I think. I beg her pudding.
Our camp seems more like its usual self, for Mother
and Daddy are back, and Mr. Larmouthe and Dick P---, a
son of one of Daddy’s old friends, are here. It makes things
more lively (though Dick is rather dumb) especially as I am
feeling very silly with excitement. You can see that by my
writing, which is even worse than usual.
Yesterday, I discovered where the Martins have gone.
There were hordes of them round my boathouse verandah,
and I find that there are nests under the eaves, just near one
of the windows. I wish I could watch them, but I’m afraid
to. Last night there was a lot of squawking and squealing
about two in the morning (I like that timing) which I think
was caused by a chipmunk or something that ran across the
roof. And irony of ironies – there is a cocky wren
occupying the top apartment of the martin house – even
though Daddy made a wren house. Ah – a funny thing is
that the board Daddy used to make the front of the wren
house has printed on it “Do not accept if not clean and in
good order!”
I must away and clean my shoes and do up old-joe
hair for the dance tonight. How I wish you were taking me,
it would be so much more fun, but such is fate – or
something like it.
I don’t know how long I’ll be in town, but we expect
to get there sometime about eight in the evening, as we
leave here about eight A.M. I do hope I will see you
sometime to make up for the two weeks in September.
Lovingly - Jean
3 August 6, 1926
Dear Max:-
Such a hectic time I’ve had in my waking hours since
I left you on the platform at Westmount Station.
When I got off the train I decided that, for the sake of
Jack’s “gurgles,” I would take my suitcase to the
Stevenson’s and sit on their verandah until I heard them
getting up, then go downtown for breakfast. However, as
soon as I got there I heard the voices of rising men, and so,
slightly hurt that they should get up so early, I went down
town to wait for the Chinaman. But after walking the
streets of Peterborough from six until seven-thirty, I lost
my pride and dragged my weary bones back to the
Stevenson’s, where I found that they weren’t up at all. So I
thought I’d wait again, and sat down. Next thing I knew, I
found Alan and Walton Stevenson gaping at this creature
asleep on their verandah – their faces were the funniest
things I’ve seen for ages, because neither of them
recognized me at first, and perfect blankness, broadening
into grins gave me the giggles. And of course when I tried
to get up my foot was asleep, and I landed with a bang on
the floor. As it was nine o’clock I had to eat breakfast with
them.
Of course it rained all morning and when I got to the
landing I waited for Betty, who brought a raincoat which
was one big slit all the way up the back!
The first thing I heard when I got to the island was
from Jack – “Are you ready to come to this picnic?” And
being an affable creature I started off without even
unpacking my things. The horrid things never told me
what sort of a picnic it was going to be, and you can
imagine my joy when Don Myers picked up a broken egg
and hurled it at Spud Andrews who was in the motorboat
with us (not our boat fortunately!). Spud got a paddle in
time, and most of the egg that didn’t go into my hair went
into Happy Myer’s – and her canoe. Sweetness itself – the
egg was far from pure.
Max, I’ve never been on such a rowdy and tiring
picnic. I’m sure they threw away over five dozen eggs –
and in trying to get away from the eggs, I got into a canoe
with Jean Burritt, at the store (there were about six canoes
being towed) and as I was getting in, an egg hit my wrist
and broke all over my middy. It was disgusting. One lad
tried to put one down my neck, but fortunately it came
through without breaking until it reached the wharf. And
even then there was no peace. Don Myers attached his
canoe behind ours and he and Jack Livingston filled bags
with cornmeal, and a broken egg, and then landed them in
our hair and tummies[?] without mercy. When we got to
White Lake the canoe was disgusting and so was I –
covered with egg and cornmeal. I could go on for hours
with descriptions but I’m still so dead that I hardly know
what I’m saying. The picnic ended at the Myers where
there was a lovely fire and music, but I was so dead, I
wondered if I would ever get home. All the way from
White Lake to the Myers I sat in three inches of water, with
Elsie Burritt and Spud lying on top of me, and I’m sure
there is a hole in my back from the thwart of the canoe.
Jack, in trying to save Mary Livingston from an egg,
dumped Mary and himself into the lake, and made the
journey in sodden clothes. Helen MacGachen and Bill
Lindlay, who is staying with Jack, were the only ones who
escaped whole and clean.
And today, when I came up for breakfast, Jack asked
if I had everything ready for the picnic – there is one today
again, but as the Lockhart’s and Russell’s are giving it –
instead of the Myers and May’s – I hope it will be quieter.
Anyone who saw us yesterday would say we were all
drunk.
I’m afraid that I didn’t thank you for the wonderful
evening we spent together. Those last four minutes went so
quickly that I hardly said goodbye – though perhaps ‘twas
just as well, for I might have disgraced myself. But you
know I loved every minute and it would have been perfect
if I hadn’t come away.
Frances Warren was on the picnic yesterday, so I gave
her your best, and she sent her love to you and Amy and to
your Mother. I can’t let her get ahead of me, Max; mine
comes to, but not to Amy, for I fear she wouldn’t
appreciate it.
Tomorrow is going to be another busy day for we all
have to get our costumes ready. Jack wants to go as “Sleep
Tight” for he got some wonderful pyjamas in town, and
have Bill as “Very Tight,” Helen and me as “A Pair of
Tights,” and make Frances Warren go as “Skin Tight!” But
somehow I think we’ll leave everyone out but Jack and
Bill. I’ll have to tell you all about it next week. There is so
much doing nowadays with masquerades and regattas, that
I should have plenty to tell you, though just at present there
isn’t much, except the horrible details of the picnic.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 36
The water is wonderful, though – except when it is in
the bottom of your canoe! – and as we are going to Perry’s
Creek it should be fun, for I think that they swim down the
rapids. I don’t suppose I will, for after the bangs I got
yesterday, I feel that a quiet pool would be much more
comfy than all the rocks you hit going down rapids.
Helen and I are so stiff today that we are just
staggering around, and Jack and Bill have hardly appeared.
I think we are all trying to get some rest before this
afternoon’s picnic. I think I will go and lie down, too.
I hope I hear from you soon – the sooner the quicker –
and you may send as much love as you like for no one
reads your letters, but me, and I welcome them, and it.
There is a very great deal of love going to you in this letter
– every space is full of it – and more than that, for the
spaces couldn’t contain all I’m sending.
So goodbye for now, Maxie-mine, and thank you so,
so much for our wonderful evening. – Jean.
Stoney Lake. Photo by Jack Fairbairn, Jean’s father. (TVA, Fonds 375, Fairbairn photos)
4 August 9 and 10, 1926
Dear Max:-
Why oh! why can’t you be here tonight. It’s so
perfect here – thousands of stars and wonderful northern
lights that shoot way up and almost meet in the middle of
the sky. And I’ve managed beautifully this evening.
Tonight is the Regatta dance, and as Helen & Elsie Burritt
(the Burritts are staying here now) wanted to go, I had to
go, too. But I was so dead that after the first three dances I
departed to the motorboat to try & sleep. But Dean
Andrews saw me go and told Daddy, who appeared and
paddled me home – and here I am by myself all ready for
bed, though I won’t do much sleeping until they get back.
This afternoon was very strenuous – for I went into the
regatta, for the first time in my life. I was feeling very
foolish, and we thought it would be fun to go into some
crazy race, and we found a mixed canoe fours, paddled
with pie-plates! So Spud Andrews got Happy Myers and
Bob Leeving, and the Myers heavy canoe that couldn’t
possibly dump, and we decided to be the over-a-thousand
pound race. We paddled away with our pie plates and to
our great surprise came in first. But sadly, we found that
there were to be two more heats! And in the end we came a
close third.
Then, getting enthusiastic, we hit upon the mixed-
skiff-sevens, and Helen, Louise Lockhart, Spud, Bob, Jack
Langley, Mr. Heward, and I started off, coming in third
again, which was really very good because the first and
second places were won by canoes manned by men only –
and people like Bluett and Fitzgerald who are out for all the
prizes.
….
Good morning, I’m so stiff today it’s positively
ludicrous. Everywhere I move there seems to be an ache!
I’m rather pleased, however, that my gym tunic didn’t
shrink after its swim at the regatta. I’ve had to wear it since
the egg episode of last week for my bloomers are still
unbearable and unwearable, and I have to see Miss
Cartwright’s face when I appear next year.
I feel so queer this morning. Last night Jean Burritt
got in before the others, and began to confide in me.
Although she doesn’t want the whole lake to know, I don’t
think she would mind my telling you, for I have to talk to
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 37
someone about it, and I know you won’t talk about it.
She’s just become engaged to Jack Creasor and she’s so
thrilled. It was so hard for me to be thrilled, too, for though
Jack is an awfully nice chap, he is twelve years older than
she is, and I can’t exactly see them together – and he’s been
engaged two or three times already, while Jean seems so
young and innocent in comparison. So many young girls
are marrying men much older than themselves, nowadays.
I hope I get you, and we’ll be different! I suppose that
there seems more such marriages, just because I’m getting
to the age where I notice them, and when my friends are
doing it.
The masquerade was rather fun last Saturday, but it
was a trifle wild. People seem to think that as soon as they
get into costumes they can do just what they please. I
didn’t come in for much of it until someone put a potato
down my neck, and I had quite a tussle. We didn’t go to
the party that was given afterwards, where everyone stayed
until about four A.M. – an alcohol party Jack said it was to
be, and from all accounts I am sure it was a good one.
It was great fun getting our costumes made. Daddy
wanted to go as a Hindu and dyed one of his best pairs of
underwear as black as could be – and then he didn’t think
he looked quite decent, so he had to cover almost all of it
with a skirt – and poor Isabel Lockhart got poison ivy all
over herself, and couldn’t come as my match. The poor
girl had it all over her face, hands and legs – and I can’t
understand how she got it. Her face was so swollen up that
she couldn’t see out of either eye.
I had a letter from Frances Innes yesterday, and she
wants me to go to Simcoe sometime. So I think I will go for
the first part of September since I can’t go before that. Of
course it will be essential for me to go to Montreal first – so
I’ll probably see you before you go away.
This letter is very disjointed – I had to call a halt and
get dinner – today is washday, so I’m cook, and then we
played bridge and finally got the mail and your letter,
which I will now proceed to answer if the tea-bell doesn’t
ring too soon.
The Fairbairn family didn’t carry off any prizes this
year, though Mrs. Cook got one again – I’m back at the
masquerade. We didn’t think about our costumes very
much, but we had great fun.
We had the same storms that you had on Friday and
Saturday. On Friday we all went up to Perry’s Creek on a
picnic, and just after we got home there was a very bad
storm, which fortunately was not very near us, for it hit two
barns near Warsaw, and we sat out on the boathouse
verandah and watched the glare. There was very little
thunder, but heaps of lightning of every description.
From the story of your harrowing ride it would seem
that Tim has not changed his car yet – but I think that even
when he gets his new one, fifty-five miles an hour is a wee
bit nerve-racking. It’s really too fast for comfort, too. I’m
glad you are not fond of speeding, Max, for I’d have to get
accustomed to it, and it is hard for I get the giggles
whenever I go very fast.
I’m rather weak at present from much exertion and
giggling. The Watherspoon’s are having a regatta
tomorrow, and Helen and I got into canoes and decided to
try and race on the gunwales. I was more successful than
Helen, who dumped twice – but I’m as slow as molasses.
We did crab races and then swam, and we were so weak we
could hardly stand up. Jean and Elsie lay on the wharf and
writhed with laughter. I believe they took some pictures of
us on the gunwales which will be far from flattering owing
to our rather grotesque positions.
Jack and Bill went down yesterday. It was such fun
having Jack with us, that I miss him dreadfully. He will be
home at Christmas, though which seems to be coming very
soon. I can’t really realize that today is the tenth of August
– just think it will be the first of September in twenty more
days. Every night I feel like jumping around because
another day has passed, and I probably would if I were not
so tired, and if I was not afraid that I might land on the
motorboat.
Maxie-mine, I must apologize for this letter – it has
three kinds of colours – black ink, pencil and blue ink, and
it’s very messy. From my letters and writing I’m afraid
you will think I’m the most untidy thing that ever lived –
but really I’m not. Your letters are so neat that you make
me ashamed. But please don’t stop them on that account.
We must now proceed to a bonfire, so I must close at
last – please excuse the rather morbid ending in the corner
– and write soon - Lovingly, Jean
5 August 10, 1926
Dear Maxi:-
I had hoped to give this to Daddy and Mother to mail
in Peterborough, so that you would get it when you
returned from Manitou – but they left much earlier than I
expected, and with the silly mails we have up here I don’t
suppose you will get it for ages.
There is nothing much to tell you except to repeat that
I think you are without exception the most adorable person
on this earth – I got both installments of your last letter
yesterday, and I was so excited that I could hardly see
straight. But I managed to read them all right, and I almost
know them by heart!
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday took ages to pass,
because I only got one small letter – and that from Patsy
Fisher, but I feel as though the next two weeks were going
to fly by – and it is a wonderful feeling.
You must have had great fun this weekend at Marsh’s
– I thought of you dancing last night – I didn’t go to the
dance (r.s.p.) and wasn’t a bit put out about it. I find the
chairs here more comfortable than the benches at the
pavilion, and I managed to get two letters off.
It has been very hard to do any writing with all my
guests buzzing around. But Elsie Burritt has gone back to
Ottawa, now, and Jean is staying with Mrs. Grahame and
being greatly entertained owing to the announcement of her
engagement.…
Yesterday Helen, Betty and I went on a spree to
Peterborough. Elsie Burritt was going down, so we
decided to put her on the train, and do some shopping.
When we arrived, the “Lakefield-Peterborough Express”
had left us only ten minutes in which to get Elsie from the
C.N. to the C.P.R. station. Of course there was no sign of a
taxi, so the four of us fell on to the rear end of a trunk-
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 38
transfer, and were hurtled round the streets of Peterborough
at a terrific speed. Tim and Joan should have been with us
– the corners were excellent.
I am basking, at present, in the renown of being the
Fairbairn Champion prize winner, for I managed to get a
consolation prize at the Juniper Regatta (donated, however,
by Spud and Bob) and at the Watherspoon’s regatta, I got
two prizes! A leather stamp-case for winning the double-
gunwale race with Jack Langley, and a mousetrap for
winning the tug-o-war, with Louise Lockhart and Mr.
Heward. Both prizes, may I add, came from the fifteen-
cent store and are of no use whatever, for the stitching
came out of the stamp-case – and you know how much use
Daddy has for cheap wooden mousetraps!
Regattas are all very well, but they were not invented
for the improvement of one’s knees. Mine were quite
brown about a week ago, but now are black and blue, and
delightfully puffy. And I have a bruise the size of a saucer
on my leg when I scraped it when we dumped at the
Juniper regatta. At present it is green with purple stripes –
having recently changed from being blue, with red stripes!
I had great fun the other day, making a picture frame
out of cardboard and gold paper. It really is very swell, but
somehow I always seem to notice the person inside it more
than the frame. I put in the nice picture of you standing on
the rock, and I love it. I wish someone would take as nice a
one of me, and if my wish ever comes true, I will get you to
tear up the things you have now.
Mummy went off to Toronto to stay with Isabel, and
Daddy went to Montreal, so we are left alone again –
Helen, Betty and I, chaperoned by an aunt and uncle who
are nice, and who don’t sit in fear and trembling on the
wharf when anyone ventures into a canoe – as the one aunt
of mine did! I wish I were going down with Daddy, but I
console myself by the thought that I will probably be there
in two weeks.
Helen and I think that we will go to Ottawa for a day
on our way home, and perhaps stay overnight at the
Burritt’s. We wanted to go for a spree sometime this week,
before Jean Burritt gets home, but that can’t be done, so we
thought we’d go later. Helen desires to go there, for a
reason somewhat similar to that which makes me want to
go to Montreal all the time, and as I sympathize with her
I’m all for going to Ottawa. I think it should be fun, as I
haven’t been there since I was seven, and I don’t remember
it at all.
…
I’m getting more accustomed to running the boat at
night. Although I still would prefer to paddle, I have come
to the philosophical conclusions that if I run into anyone, I
will just have to pick them up, if the boat blows up or
breaks to atoms on a rock, I’ll either swim to shore or
drown. If I can’t make it go I will sleep in it, and if I get
too strong a shock from the spark plug, I can only be
electrocuted. Nevertheless it is not so pleasant for the
passengers.
Helen is getting restless and I’m very weary, so I will
stop now as I have to get up early to get this to the mail in
time. I hope you can write soon, but if you can’t I will try
to keep from thinking that you have forgotten me. I’ll just
read over all the letters you have written me so far, and
hope for the best. So goodnight, my Max - With lots
of love - Jean
6 August 10, 1926
Max dear:-
Tonight Helen got a letter from her “reason for
wanting to go to Ottawa” and I think he is coming up to
stay with us for the weekend – Saturday and Sunday. How
I wish you could come too – don’t you think you could!
It’s a long way to come for just two days, even if you could
get Saturday morning off – and as for your relations, they
need never know that you were here if you kept away from
Church and from the dance. I had to write and ask you
though – I suppose it’s impossible for you to come – but if
you can, just get in touch with Daddy and let us know.
Please, of please, come.
Helen and I have just had a delightful yet harrowing
swim. I couldn’t let you come “Mldhe,” for we had a
Monday night bath and went in “a la naturelle.” The
harrowing part was in the fact that during our wash we
heard burbles, and peering into the darkness noticed a
canoe lurking in the shadows near the boathouse. Let us
hope that the occupants were too wrapped up in each other
to notice us. For if they saw us they probably know who
we are, while we can never tell who they are. Even so, it
was worth it.
I won a bridge prize today at a party for Jean Burritt –
a whisk which will be very useful. Helen being boobie got
a pair of “garters” which were exactly what was desired,
since she is always using mine. Isn’t it nice that we are
both satisfied, for Betty Livingstone, who got first prize,
had her choice of whisk, “hud-huts” and some silk flowers,
which neither Helen nor I wanted, and she took them.
Pauline had a party tonight. There are three other
coloured girls up here, and one coloured gent, who rows or
paddles them round to see each other. They are perfect
screams, always laughing, and their voices are so funny
anyway.
…
I do so hope and pray you can come, Max, dearest – it
would give the summer such a wonderful ending, and I
would be so happy. Lovingly - Jean
7 August 19, 1926
Dear Max:-
I almost don’t want to write because it seems as
though I had given up all hope of your coming for the
weekend. But I haven’t given up, though I suppose it’s
useless, and I’m writing because I want to in case you don’t
come.
Your weekend sounds most energetic, but it must have
been fun. I hope Tim’s car is none the worse for wear, and
that none of you are purged for the amount of swearing that
was aimed at the Irvine brothers. I was so anxious to get
some news of you that I ran all the way to the store – with
disastrous results, for a stone went right through the sole of
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 39
my running shoe! There is a huge big hole, now, and I’ll
wear out my stockings in no time, for I don’t want to get
new shoes so late in the year.
The last three days have been very September-like –
cold and very windy. Our canoes have had to stay on the
wharf to keep from being bashed to bits, which makes it
very awkward when we want to paddle. And when you go
in the motorboat the waves come right in without being
asked, so you get wet anyway.
I felt very energetic this morning so I decided to try
and make Mary Reator[?] walk off her cold. The poor girl
arrived yesterday on the boat with hardly any voice, and as
she won’t go to bed, I ran her all over the island to warm
her up. I’m sure exercise was better than huddling over a
stove all day – and it was better for Bobbie, too. He adores
going for runs, and is looking much better although his coat
is not quite itself as yet. He is so affectionate, too, and gets
so excited when you ask if he wants a walk that I wish I
could take him more often.
A cousin of mine was up a day or so ago. She reads
handwriting quite well and we started talking about all sorts
of writings and I showed her several – among them yours.
She said the nicest things, Max, and as far as I know they
are all true. She said you were immaculate, and had great
force – if you started a thing you would see it through –
though you would rather get it done quickly if possible. She
said you were ambitious and should do well in life, but
unless you pushed yourself a little more, men of less ability
might get ahead of you – men who didn’t underrate their
abilities. I can’t think of all the things she told me – and
she said it was hard to tell because she only had an address.
I gave her some of my writing to try and decipher my
character, but she couldn’t do it at once, and I’m waiting
patiently for the mail.
We’ve been playing bridge morning noon and night,
and we have the queerest cards! We play for a whole
morning and one person hogs all the cards. After lunch
we’ll start again, and another one has them. I have just
been the one which, of course, makes me feel rather joyful.
I made six no trumps doubled, having bid two – and my
only woe is that I didn’t re-double.
It has been wonderful fun out in the motorboat with all
the waves. I love dodging waves and trying to keep from
getting water in. Last night we took Amelia to visit the
VanAtta’s coloured girl, and coming home we had to
plough into the most immense waves. Poor Amelia was
frightened stiff. It was fortunate that she didn’t get wet,
too, or I’m afraid that she wouldn’t want to venture out
again.
I love it windy like this, though it is disgruntling when
you shake salt and pepper onto your meat, and find it
parked onto your bread-and-butter! Or else, as I sit in
Mother’s place, it lands in my lap, nose and throat! But it
shows that it is almost September, and although I hate to
think that the summer is almost over – you know why I’m
glad.
…
And now I’ve simply got to stop, for there is no use
writing any more – I’m expecting to see you on Saturday
morning. Lovingly - Jean
8 August 23, 1926
Dear Max:-
I’m sorry you didn’t get here this weekend – and yet
just to console you, I’ll tell you that you would have been
horribly disappointed if you had come. This last weekend
has been the worst of the summer – cold, windy, and
pouring rain.
On Saturday morning Helen and I woke about two
A.M. and wondered if we were in the midst of an
earthquake. Our boathouse is all very nice, but the wind
was ferocious and the place rocked on its foundations. We
really expected any minute to find ourselves sailing up the
channel in a houseboat. Of course, it poured rain all
Saturday until it was time to go to the dance, and it rained
almost all Sunday. Certainly Alan Stevenson, Helen’s
friend, didn’t choose a good weekend. We weren’t sure
whether he was coming or not – at least, I said he was, but
Helen didn’t know – and there was great disappointment
when the boat went by without stopping. But an hour later
I heard Bobby barking and there was Steve. He had asked
to go to Juniper Island and they had put him off at the store,
and he had walked all the way in the rain with a suitcase.
Can you imagine any better way to get a good impression
of a place? I fear he won’t come back again. You should
have seen us at meal times. Everyone had wet hair, and
wore about three sweaters which they clutched around
them. We all had red noses and ate as much hot stuff as
possible, then jumped up and cleared off the dishes to keep
warm, to the tune of the “Popular Populous Arctic.” The
kitchen is much the nicest place these days.
I’ve found a new thing that can happen to the
motorboat – and it almost happened last night. It almost
blew up. After I had taken Daddy to the Landing, I noticed
that the handle was warm, and then I felt the engine – it
was almost red hot. So I turned it off. The pump wasn’t
working and the engine couldn’t cool off. It was a wonder
that the gasoline tank didn’t explode, for the tank was so
hot that I couldn’t touch it. It’s all fixed now, but I will
always look out before I start off, and see that the pump is
going, for Dean Andrews gas tank once exploded, and
engine and all went to the bottom of Stoney Lake.
I’m getting quite worried for I haven’t heard from
Frances yet, and as I was thinking of leaving here on
Thursday, I can’t write her and get an answer by then. But
I’m not going to stay up here even if I don’t go there. I’ve
decided I’ll get to Montreal and then announce whether I’m
going or not. I’m in desperate need of being somewhere
where I can look respectable – I have managed to get white
paint on my coat and to put my heel through the lining.
And in starting the boat, the rope came round behind my
back and cracked the crystal of my watch into umpteen
pieces – imagine doing a thing like that behind my back!
The rain is most depressing. My head and my feet
have been wet for four days, now, and when you get into
bed it feels as though you had left the sheets out in the dew!
This morning it was wonderful and I did a huge washing,
but by noon it was clouded, and by two o’clock, there was a
horrid storm – and it has been raining ever since. I rather
enjoy it if you don’t care about it – I mean if you are not
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 40
trying to get anywhere, specially, or do anything important.
The only catch is that when you get wet, you stay wet.
Time is just tearing by these days. I’m so glad. It is
really going too fast for I have so much to do before I
leave, that I’m afraid it won’t get done at all. Helen wants
to leave on Thursday, go to Ottawa and on to Montreal on
Saturday, but I don’t think Daddy is very keen about that.
So we may have to stay until Sunday and get home either
Monday or Tuesday – depending upon whether or not we
go to Ottawa. Personally, I would just as soon go to
Montreal. Although it would be nice to see Ottawa. I
haven’t been there since I was six or seven, and I can
remember very little about it.
Kay has picked out a dreadful course for next year, as
far as I can see. Nine o’clock lectures on Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday, and from ten until one on the other
mornings, with two afternoons a week, from two until five
– not to mention her gym and dancing. I’m afraid I’m lazy,
but I don’t want any such hours if I can help it. I hate to
think of choosing a course, because I will probably have to
take all the horrid subjects that I managed to escape last
year. I think I will have to go back to college and do post-
grad. work if I graduate this year. I never realized how
much I missed college until last spring – not that I am so
fond of work – but when you consider that I saw you on an
average of every second day, at least, you can realize how
dull the days became when college stopped. I will really be
glad to get back, especially if I can wangle a nice course.
…
It seems to me that washdays never cease – almost
every time I write to you I say that tomorrow is washday.
Tuesdays are not the nicest days here, unless I get some
specially nice mail to end the day well. I always do all my
own washing, and when Amelia does the family’s stuff I
cook – so I seem to miss out on it! It all helps to pass time,
however. Anyway, it’s time for bed, and though I’d love to
go on it cannot be.
Goodnight Maxie-mine – With lots of love – Jean
P.S. – “No fooling”…
The Queen Mary Public School 100th Anniversary Celebration
Matthew Griffis
In an age of educational funding cutbacks (and in some cases, school closures), it was a delight to see on June 1st two local
elementary schools celebrate one-hundred years of service to the community. Queen Mary and King George public schools,
“west” and “east” ward public schools respectively, opened in fall of 1913 to serve the children of those parts of the newly (1905)
incorporated City of Peterborough. One hundred years later, the “royal” pair celebrated their centennials on the same day (June
1); and I, being a proud Queen Mary alumnus, attended that school’s celebration.
The day-long event was a well-planned series of activities,
speeches, lectures, and exhibits, not to mention many
chance meetings with old friends and former teachers.
Morning festivities included introductory speeches in the
auditorium; MPP Jeff Leal congratulated the school on its
centenary, while MP Dean Del Mastro presented the school
with a certificate on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen
Harper. A dramatic presentation followed, choreographed
by retired teacher Cathy Rowland, where students enacted
one-hundred years of Canadian cultural history through
slides, popular music, costumes, and dance. Lunchtime in
the sunny schoolyard included three-legged races, hot dogs
and sandwiches, and vintage automobiles on display. Inside
the school, classrooms offered exhibits filled with old
photos, school memorabilia, and other artifacts. Each
classroom represented a different decade: for example, in
the “1913-1920” classroom, four original wooden desks
from 1913 showed what classroom life would have been
like for the school’s first students.
In the afternoon, Elwood Jones gave a lecture on the history of the Old West End, while Andrew Elliott spoke about the
history of the school building. Queen Mary and King George Public Schools were twins—not just architecturally, but also in
terms of their location. Both were constructed on high ground at opposite ends of the city, and were landscaped with spacious
yards for children to play. Both schools accepted their first classes in September of 1913, and officially opened to the public on
December 5, 1913. Queen Mary replaced the former Park Street School on the corner of Park and Murray streets. In 1948, to
accommodate the postwar baby boom, the school opened the single-storey, red-brick wing to the north, which added several
more classrooms and one of the first public performance spaces in the city, the school’s spacious auditorium. In 1965, the school
completed the modern wing to the south, which included a “general purpose room” (the gymnasium) at the bottom with several
more classrooms above.
The identity of the schools' architect has caused some confusion among local researchers, however; while contemporary
news reports credit Fred Bartlett, who was the eastern provincial architect for schools, more recent sources suggest that William
Blackwell was somehow involved. The Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, an online resource, lists both schools
(by name) in Blackwell's entry date the King George plans 1911 and the Queen Mary plans 1912; however, in Bartlett's entry
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 41
(where the schools appear as "West End" and "East End" schools) both plans are dated 1912. It is possible that Bartlett designed
the schools himself while Blackwell supervised. Bartlett may have joined the Blackwell firm, while still being responsible for the
schools. More research is needed.
Throughout the day there was frequent mention of some of the school’s most illustrious alumni: dancer Evelyn Hart,
hockey player Zach Bierk, Herb Raglan, Jack Defoe, and even recent Olympian Susan Coltman, among others. Other famous
names turned up; an exhibit about the school’s theatre history displayed playbills for some of Robertson Davies’s Peterborough
Summer Theatre productions, including the summer 1950 premiere of At My Heart’s Core, his play about the Strickland sisters
(which starred Brenda Davies in a lead role).
The afternoon program concluded with the presentation of a short DVD of videotaped recollections from many of the
school’s surviving staff and alumni. At noon, just outside the school’s historic auditorium, former Principal Guy Thompson cut
the school’s birthday cake while a crowded foyer of alumni and former staff applauded.
There were many souvenirs available to attendees. Volunteers sold Queen Mary t-shirts and other memorabilia in the main
hall, and many attendees proudly wore their shirts for the day. The school distributed a complimentary 20-page, 8” x 8” softcover
book about the school’s history, which included dozens of historical photos in original black and white and colour. A copy is now
available in the TVA library.
Several TVA members were involved in helping organize and run the event, namely Guy Thompson, Doug and Mary
Lavery, Elwood Jones, and Andrew Elliott. Both the school and its Celebration Committee are to be commended for organizing
such an engaging day, and Trent Valley Archives would like to congratulate both Queen Mary and King George schools on
turning one full century old.
Origins of Peterborough through the eyes of the Allens of Douro
Our part of Ontario has a special place in the settlement history of the Province. There are a number of reasons for this. The
settlement record hereabouts is relatively fresh as this region was settled later than places with better access to Lake Ontario.
Also, some of our early settlers (like Anne Langton, Catherine Parr Traill and Susanna Moodie) left wonderful observations of
first settlement. And, one of our major settlement phases was the elaborate, government-sponsored, Peter Robinson project of
1825 which left a clearer historical trail than the migrations of individual families.
In her recent book, Call Back Yesterday: The Allen Family History, 1825-2013*, Rosemary McConkey makes full use
of these advantages to paint a wonderful picture of the first European settlement of the Peterborough region through the
experience of the family of Edmund Allen and his descendants in Douro. This is a family which has occupied the land assigned
to it by Peter Robinson down to the present day.
In addition to being a meticulous genealogy of one family, the book is a detailed account of the Peter Robinson settlement
project, made more vivid by being viewed through the lens of the Allens.
The origins and recruitment of prospective settlers in Ireland are described against the backdrop of difficult times in that
country where the population was increasing at an unprecedented rate. Peter Robinson was commissioned to organize groups of
settlers by a British government that wanted both to reduce the population of Ireland and increase the rate of settlement in
Canada. We see the technical and personal sides of this migration.
While settlers were being lined up in Ireland, preparations were being made for their arrival in Upper Canada. The arduous
work of the surveyors and land agents in this part of Ontario is described in some detail, partly through the eyes of Frances
Stewart, “the first settler of Douro” (p.3).The focus on Douro and the Allens helps the reader appreciate the extraordinary effort
that the European settlement of the Province entailed.
When Peter Robinson had assembled a party of around 2,000 for settlement in this area, we follow their voyage across the
Atlantic in the sailing ship Resolution (one of nine such ships), their accommodations and rations, with one child born en route. I
found the description of the settlers’ journey from Québec City to Douro particularly interesting. Using rivers, canals and lakes,
steam ships and 30-40 person, rowed, bateaux, via a tent city in Kingston and Cobourg they eventually arrived at Scott’s Plains, a
shanty town, site of present-day Peterborough.
We then follow the Edmund Allens to Douro and the property allocated to them by Robinson. There were no real roads,
only quite recently cut survey lines. With their official quota of supplies and rations, and access to an ox, they faced years of
work, clearing the 100 acres which form the family’s home farm today. Winter was upon them.
A feature of this book is the sense of the influence of physical geography on all the early settlement of Ontario. For example,
travel by water was vital for the settlers and First Nations in those days. The settlers came from Ireland to Douro almost entirely
by water and they used waterways to get around the region. Those same waterways greatly influenced the pattern of settlement,
for example, the boundaries of Douro are the Otonabee and Indian Rivers and Clear Lake. Also, each settler, on arriving at their
new property and beginning to clear it, was faced with the terrain hidden by the forest. McConkey brings this out by focusing on
the drumlin that is a major feature of the Allen farm. This hill was, and of course still is, a barrier between the homestead and
most of the farm’s best land, blocking the way to what became (in 1827), Peterborough. For generations this has been a challenge
for humans, horses, oxen and tractors. Edmund Allen was lucky as properties allocated to some of the Robinson settlers were
much worse, involving exchanges of title which, in some cases, took decades to settle
The city and county of Peterborough form a remarkably coherent, self-identifying, region. Personal and economic links
remain strong to the present day. One of the reasons for this is the shared settlement experience of the city and the townships of
the county, such as Douro.
This book is a treasure for not just the Allen family but the whole community. It is an example of the light that those
interested in family history can shed on the origins of Peterborough.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 42
*Call Back Yesterday: The Allen Family History, 1825-2013 by Rosemary McConkey and Suzanne Allen, published
privately, $75.00, 2013, 879 pages...
Peter Adams, member of the board, Trent Valley Archives and former MPP and MP (Peterborough).
Michael Towns, While Mindin’ the Store
Michael Towns, the third generation of his family connected to the P.G. Towns country store in Douro, has been gathering photos
and stories of the area since the 1970s. He is preparing a lavishly illustrated book about the people of Douro, Indian River and
places in between. It is planned for publication this fall, and can be purchased from the store. By October, the book should be
available at Trent Valley Archives, just in time for Christmas shopping.
Peterborough Journal
Trent Valley Archives is publishing Peterborough Journal, a book that captures moments in time in our area as identified by
Elwood Jones and F. H. Dobbin. To this we have added about 150 illustrations drawn from our rich archives.
Elwood has developed listings of events, including his Peterborough Chronology which was posted on the webpage for
Trent Valley Archives. His lists have featured stories that appeared in his dozen books and 300 columns, although chronologies
by their nature are selective. Dobbin developed several chronologies, which were known as his Historical Index, and were
available in typescript at the Peterborough Public Library and the Trent Valley Archives. The Peterborough Journal combines
aspects of these works in a handy and attractive volume. Anybody interested in Peterborough history will find this to be an
essential addition. Nothing similar is in print for Peterborough and area. Dobbin and Jones have been our most prolific writers.
Peterborough Journal will be nearly 200 pages, and retail for $25. However, members of the Trent Valley Archives may
reserve prepaid copies between now and September 10 and receive a discount of 20%. Pay only $20.
This has been an exciting project that has developed over the past ten years.
For details and invoices call Trent Valley Archives, or drop in.
Pub Crawls Are Back
Greg Conchelas is leading our famed pub crawls every Friday during July. Join the fun which begins at the local bus terminal on
Simcoe Street; meet at the east end, closest to George Street, at 7 p.m. Price is $15, and at three stops it is possible to get
refreshments, at your own cost. We have received great feedback on the walks. Some people love the curious encounter with the
past. Others like to see places they would never visit on their own. All are captivated by the interesting people who continue to
run these historic places. Reserve your spot, 705-745-4404.
Eerie Ashburnham
During the five Fridays in August we will be visiting some sights tied to unusual happenings in East City. The tour covers
from Quaker Oats and the sporting fields to the Lift Lock. We are always adding fascinating stories to the tour, and this year with
the opening of the Ashburnham Ale House we have gathered information about one of the most widely known characters from
Peterborough’s past: the famed weight lifter, Daniel Macdonald who died in 1871, the “victim of his strength.” Reservations
recommended, only $10.
Peterborough Examiner
We are pleased to announce that we are making progress in the organizing of the Peterborough Examiner archives. The
microfilm copy of the Peterborough Examiner, over 1,000 reels covering from 1847 to 2002, have been arranged and are getting
heavy research interest. Our volunteers, including Betty Wells, Owen Rubio, and others had to replace a large proportion of the
reels, which were archaic metal reels that caught on the equipment, or were otherwise inflexible. We had to rebox some
microfilms, and we have shelved the Holliner microfilm boxes with 24 reels to the box. We have duplicate copies of the reels
before 1900, and also reels from the Review and the Times, broken runs, the Examiner’s two competitors.
As well, we have completed the sorting of the biographical vertical files, series D1. The series runs 35 feet, and contains an
estimated 4,000 biographies of people who lived in the area, as well as research files on people in the news from the 1970s to the
1990s. Many of the features on local people are profiles of their careers, and many are tied to profiles of their working life or
moments in the community life, captured for the occasion. This is a great resource that we know will fill gaps for many family
historians and remind us of engaging stories long forgotten.
We have completed the photographic series, Series B3, which contains feature photos of event around the county, and one of
the key features of the Peterborough County Photographic Collection. There are about 4,000 photos in this series. Series B1 and
Series B2 are biographical photos, varying only by size.
Our super volunteers, Colum Diamond and Eleanor Darling, have nearly completed the first phase Series C1 which contains
about 15,000 negatives from the period 1959-1965. We also have several volunteers making headway on the remarkably
comprehensive series C2, featuring the work of Examiner staff photographers, 1970 to 2002. There are envelopes for every
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 43
working day, and we are hoping to put the negatives, mostly 35 mm, into protective sleeves that will make the work of
identifying and describing immensely easier.
We still need more volunteers, but we are making incredible progress. Thanks to the fifty or more people who have made
this possible. We really needed your help.
We have made some changes to make life easier for volunteers. The envelopes for the subject vertical files have been moved
into our five inch boxes. This has had advantages already. It is now easier to assess what subjects have been covered. As well, we
have a better idea of the size of the project. We think there are more than 10,000 files, but it is looking good.
We are grateful to the County of Peterborough for generous financial support that made this project possible. Its support has
allowed us to make headway on other major photographic collections as well. The Peterborough County Photographic Collection
is without peer.
Talk to Elwood about ways to help on the Examiner projects. Ejones55@cogeco.ca
Financial support as well as time and
energy are required at every turn.
The Trent Valley Archives Web Page
Amelia Rodgers, our archival assistant, is working with a committee that includes Heather and Elwood as well as
Rick Meridew to redesign the Trent Valley Archives webpage. We want to cover the diversity of our activities more
completely, and we want to make the experience of visitors more rewarding. We are excited, and we hope you will
be when we unveil the pages … in the near future. The webpage will have all the usual features including
information about us and our events. However, we are also beefing up the research possibilities for the web page.
We will have finding aids to different collections, we will have our library catalogue on line, we will have photo and
archival research exhibits, and countless other features.
Our Annual Open House is September 14, 1 pm
Trent Valley Archives is celebrating fifteen years at the Fairview Heritage Centre and you and your friends are
welcome to join us. We are working on some spectacular ideas that draw attention to the many people over the year
whose archival treasures have become part of the legacy of the Trent Valley Archives. We are very proud of our
holdings, and this is a great opportunity to sample what we have. This year, our theme will be on cottage life from as
early as the 1890s. We will also be launching our newest publication, Peterborough Journal.
Bound copies of the Heritage Gazette
We wish to announce a special arrangement that has allowed us to offer copies of bound volumes of the Heritage Gazette. We
find this is a great way to keep the magazine shelf neat, and the books were bound for our reading room, editorial and archival
purposes. But we always have two or three copies bound extra, which we sell to cover the cost of our own binding. The deal price
is $20 for two-year volume. Each volume contains eight issues of the Gazette, and at the moment we have copies for volumes 5-
6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-16. The earlier volumes are out-of-print.
We welcome donations of books, photographs and manuscripts
We accept donations to our library and archives collections. We have had some exciting additions. To the library, we have
added books on the CCM by John McKenta and a book on the development of libraries in Ontario. We received a large family
tree that goes back to 1066. On the archival front, I have been excited to see the 1825 map of Douro used by Peter Robinson for
placing settlers.
Updates on creating finding aids and processing documents
Alice MacKenzie and Don Willcock have been working diligently for probably ten years on the creating of an
alphabetical index to people connected with the Peterborough County Land Records. The project was defined in-
house and supported by the Peterborough Foundation. The abstract registers were designed to let people view all the
transactions related to specific pieces of property. While this is still useful, we found that inquirers were more
interested in knowing where their ancestors owned land. Our volunteers have completed the abstract registers for the
major townships and are currently working in North Monaghan and Douro books. This has been a great help to
researchers, and has made the job of finding ancestors in Peterborough County comparatively easy. Moreover, it has
helped us to identify people in the mortgage business, and also to identify some wills that were tied to the transfer of
family farms. Thanks Alice and Don.
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, volume 18, number 2, August 2013 44
Robertson Davies Centennial Bus Tour
We are very excited to celebrate the 100
th
birthday of Robertson
Davies with a bus tour of sites in Peterborough that had connections
with Robertson Davies who lived in Peterborough from 1941 to 1963.
Some of his most important writings had links to Peterborough. We
also explore the connections with Samuel Marchbanks, the
curmudgeon alter ego of Davies and with Howard Pammett.
Robertson and Brenda Davies were key players in the local drama
scene, and we will try to recreate some of that excitement as well. The
tour will be led by Elwood Jones. We are requesting that people
reserve their place on the tour by August 7. The price of admission
includes a theme luncheon and a souvenir publication.
August 28, 2013
9:30am-3:30pm
• begins at Trent Valley Archives
• $75 per person
567 Carnegie Avenue, Peterborough ON K9L 1N1
www.trentvalleyarchives.com
705-745-4404
Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley
ISSN 1206-4394
Get your tickets before it’s too late!
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