YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY THE SUSAN A. E. MORSE AND WILLIAM INGLIS MORSE FUND For the purchase of Canadiana THE HISTORY OF THE CO v_y -L BRANT OlsTT^A^iEilO, CONTAINING A History of the County ; its Townships, Cities, Towns, Schools, Churches, etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men ; History of the Six Nation Indians and Captain Joseph Brant (THAYENDANEGEA); HISTORY OF THE DOMINION of Canada, Miscellaneous Matters, etc, etc., etc. TORONTO : WARNER, BEERS & CO, 1883. PREFACE. |FTER surmounting many unlooked-for obstacles and overcoming unexpected difficulties, the publishers are enabled to present to the public the History of the County of Brant, which has been in preparation for the past ten months. To procure the ma terials for its compilation, many hundred pages of manuscript and written records have been explored, and every other avenue of reliable information has been diligently searched. He who expects to find the work entirely free from errors or defects has little knowledge of the difficulties attending the preparation of a work of this kind, So numerous are the sources from which the facts have been drawn, that no attempt has been made to indicate them in the foot-notes. The data has been culled, item by item, from sources widely scattered — in books, pamphlets, periodicals and newspaper files ; in manuscripts, church records, court records and justice's dockets ; in local laws ; the charters, manuals and minutes of .societies ; in private letters, journals and diaries, especially of intelligent ob servers ; in funeral sermons, obituary notices and inscriptions on tombstones ; in the memory of living persons, of what they have themselves witnessed ; and last, and least valuable of all, traditions where they could not be supported by some record or contemporaneous document ; these have been received with the utmost caution. In matters of doubtful authenticity, the writers have assumed AS a guiding principle that the record of a false statement as the truth would be a greater evil than the loss of a true statement. The publishers have been fortunate in securing the services of efficient and painstaking historians, who have been greatly assisted by many citizens of the IV PREFACE. county. The Dominion History was prepared by Dr. C; P. Mulvaney, of Toronto. The history of the county and county seat was prepared by the publishers' staff of historians, with local assistance. The township histories were prepared by Dr. C. P. Mulvaney, John Bingham, Esq., George A. Baker, Esq., and G. A. Graham, Esq. The biographical sketches were prepared by efficient writers from notes collected by the solicitors, and a copy of each biography has been sent by mail to the several subjects, giving to each an opportunity to correct any errors that might have crept into their sketches. Where the copies were not returned, the publishers were obliged to print the^ originals. Acknowledgments for valuable services rendered are due to M. J. Kelly, LL.B., M.D., Wm T. Harris, M.D., Prof. A. H. Dymond, T. S. Shenston, James- Wilkes, A. Robertson, of the Bank of British North America, Rev. William Cochrane, D.D., James Woodyatt, City Clerk, Rev, F. R. Be^ttie, B.D. ; to the editors of the Expositor, Courier and Telegram, for the use of their files, and to the city and county officials, and to other citizens, all of whom most gene rously assisted to the full extent of their ability. In submitting their work to the public, the publishers trust that it will be received in that generous spirit which is gratified^at honest and conscientious. efforts, and not in that captious spirit which refuses to be satisfied short of Unattainable perfection. CONTENTS. PART I. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. - „ . Paoe I Page Our Beginmng— Prehistoric .' 1 The War of 1812 38 The French Colony 4 The Family Compact '.'.'.'.'.'. 44 The Indian Wars 9 Mackenzie's Revolt 48 The Conquest of Canada 19 Lord Sydenham's Ministry 62 Canada durinpf the American Revolution 27 Statistics 67 The Settlement of English-speaking Canada 32 | Churches, Journalism, etc 76 PART II. INDIAN HISTORY. Capt. Joseph Brant (Thatendaseska) — Parentage 85 Education 87 Brant as a Warrior 89 Chieftainship ; 90 Wyoming 98 Brant's Civil Career 114 Capt. Campbell's Trip from Niagara to the Grand River 121 Brant's Genealogy — Domestic Relations 130 Brant a Freemason 132 John Brant (Ahyouwaeghs) 133 The Brant Memorial 141 The Six Nation Indians 145 PART III. COUNTY OF BRANT AND CITY OF BRANTFORD. ¦ Chap. I. — Introductory — Geological.-Formation — First Provisional Council Proceedings, 1852— Address at First Meeting of County Council 149-162 Chap. II. — County Buildings — Turner and Sinon mat ter—Presentation of Flag 163-173 Chap, III. — Pioneer Life — Clearing the Land — Dwell ings — Horseback Travel — Character of the Pioneers — Early Settlement — Pioneer Biographies 174-188 Chap. IV. — County Officers and Representatives to County Council 189-194 Chap.V. — Educational — Institutefor the Blind — Young Ladies' College of Brantford 195-204 Chap. VI. — The Press — Medical Profession — Bench and Bar 205-215 Chap. VII. — Agricultural Societies — Bow Park Farm — First Provincial Exhibition held in Brantford, 1857 216-238 Chap. VIII. — Township Statistics — Assessment Rolls — Census of 1881— List of Post Offloes. 239-249 CITY OF BRANTFORD. Chap. I. — Location — Incorporation— The A ward — Town Councillors and Oiiicials — City Aldermen and Offi cials — City Charter — Notes — City Buildings — Vic toria Square — Market Square — Water- Works — Gas- Works — Fire Department — Bridges — Public Halls— Hotels 260-278 Chap. II. — Grand River Navigation Co. — Industries — Customs and Revenue — Banking Companies — Board of Trade 279-299 Chap. III. —Lodges, Societies and Bands— Y.M.C.A.— The Duff erin Rifles 300-324 Chap. IV.— The Churches 326-336 Chap. V. — Celebration of the Crimean Victory — Recep tion of the Prince of Wales — Celebration of the Prince's Wedding— Railway Celebration— Gover nor-General's Visit— Destructive Fire, 1860— Mur der of Mail Carrier— The Fenian Raid of 1866. ..337-3S8 PART IV. TOWNSHIP HISTORY. Bkantford Towhship 361 Cainsvllle 367 The Churches 367 Personal Histories 369 Villages 370 BURTORD TOWKSHIP 372 The Roads 373 Bdrpord TowsamT— Continued. Education and Public Schools 376 Organization 377 The Burf ord Revolt in 1837 377 Villages 383-389 Churches 385 Medical Profession 386 CONTENTS. RFORD Township — Continued. Page Agricultural Society 386 The Volunteers of Burford 387 Societies and Manufactories 388 Personal Histories 390 Oakland Tow.vship 397 Organization 397 Census 402 Scotland 403 Churches 404 Societies 40.5 Settlement 406 Oakland Village 406 Rebellion in 1837 408 Onondaga Township 409 The Indiana 409 Description 411 0N0ND.4OA Tov/same—Contimied. Paoe Early Settlement 412 The Lumberman 413 Early Buildings— Organization 414 Courts and Officials *16 Schools 416 Mills 419 Ferries. 420 Churches 421 V^illages 426 Incidents 427 South Dumfries Township 430 " The Plains" 444 Villages 459 Town of Paris 463 TuscARORA Township 489 PART V. BIOGRAPHICAL. City of Brantford 495 Brantford Township 551 Burford Township 613 Oakland Township 625 Onondaga Township 634 South Dumfries To\vnship 648 Tuacaroi-a Township 636 PORTRAITS. William Watts 41 Capt. Joseph Brant 83 Joseph D. Clement 165 Alfred Watts 183 Rev. Wm. Cochrane 201 Wm. Buck 219 Robert Henry 237 Wm. E. Welding 255 M. D. Baldwin 273 John Elliott 291 L. B. D. Lapierre 309 Wm. T. Harris, M.D 327 Ebenezer Roy 345 James Reid 363 Hon. S. J. Jones 381 Norman Hamilton 399 Wm. Burrell 417 Morris Loundsbury 435 John Workman 453 Charles Jarvis 471 PART I. DOMINION OF CANADA, Part I -THE DOMINION OF CANADA. Our Beginnings. — Prehistokic. The history of Canada begins with its diBcovery by civilized man. For untold ages previous to this event our forests and rivers had lield a sparse population of savas;es, who in the fifteenth century had not advanced beyond the manners of the age of stone. Of these there were three principal tribes : the Iroquois, which at that time, however, were settled on the region south of Lake Ontario, although they frequently invaded central Canada ; the Algon- quins, who held the Atlantic seaboard and the St. Lawrence and Ottawa valleys ; and the Hurons, from Montreal westward, previous to their utter extir pation by the Iroquois two centuries ago. The Iroquois were the fiercest, and had the virtues as well as the vices of savage life most fully marked ; they have been called " the Eomans of the West," the most Indian of Indians, and they seem to have reached the nearest approach to civilized life among the red men. But they had not advanced beyond the prehistoric age of stone, beyond the men who wrought the implements and drew the rude sketches of animals that we find in caverns among the bones of the Mammoth and cave-bear. But they formed a strong political organization,, the Iroquois League, which drove every other tribe before it ; in the wars between the white men the Iroquois were the most dreaded foes and the most valued allies. Their force never amounted to more than 2,000 warriors, but they had tactics terribly effective in the dark and tortuous forests through which they followed the war-path. Unlike the wandering hunters of the Algonquin race, the Iroquois lived in settled towns, surrounded with palisades, and containing a number of bark- covered dwellings often 240 feet high. Along the sides of these were a num ber of bunks four feet in height, where the members of some twenty families slept promiscuously together; provision for decency there was none. The building was perpetually reeking with a pungent smoke, a fertile cause of eye disease ; other annoyances were the filth, the fleas, the cries of children. Out side these " towns" patches of ground were laboriously, and after the toil of months, cleared by cutting down a few trees ; a laborious work, hard to be effected with stone hatchets. Then the squaws toiled with their rude hoes, pointed with stone or clam-shell, stirring up a little light earth to receive their crop of corn, tobacco, pumpkins or Indian hemp. This the women spun by the primitive plan of winding it round their thighs. There is no pleasant aspect in the life of an Iroquois woman ; her youth was wantonness, her after life drudgery. In the summer, at dances and religious festivals, girls who had never learned to blush went naked save for a skirt reaching from the waist to 1 2 HISTORY OF BRAlfT COUNTY. the knees. When permanently married, she was her husband's slave ; " the Iroquois women," said Champlain, " are their mules." The chiefs, or sachems, fared no better than the humblest brave or hunter ; Tecumseh and Pontiac hunted and fished for their sustenance, and were as filthy, greasy and repulsive as any of their tribe. Of metals they had hardly any use. Except for a few ornaments of gold or copper, the knives that carved the venison for Cartier, the arrowhead that whizzed past the ears of Champlain, were of chipped flintstone. One work of perfect art the Indian produced. Civilized man has devised nothing more exquisitely graceful than the Indian birch canoe. A genuine offspring of the forest and the lake, it floats, an exquisite combination of symmetry and lightness, through scenes whence, like its builders, it is soon destined to disappear. So the Indian lived for ages amidst the works of nature without an effort to understand her laws ; their religion not as some have explained it, a monotheistic cult of the Great Spirit, but a childish animism attributing personality to all phenomena of the outward world. Life was supposed to pervade all nature, the silence of forest or lake, the thunder of the cataract. When to the squaw, worn out with blows and drudgery, to the hunter marble-frozen in the snowdrift, Death, the deliverer, came, he brought neither terror nor hope. Good and bad, the dead passed unjudged into the shadowy hunting ground, each accompanied by the ghost of his pipe, his moccasins, his bow and arrows, his kettles and ornaments. The discovery of Canada by Europeans was one of the many great results which sprung from the new birth of modern thought out of the darkness of the Middle Ages ; it came when Greek literature arose from the dead after the cap ture of Constantinople. In June, 1497, seventeen months before Columbus set foot on the American mainland, John Cabot, sent by Henry VII. of Eng land, discovered Newfoundland and the Gulf of the St. Lawrence ; although there is every reason to believe that the fisheries off Newfoundland had long been known to Basque and Norman fishermen. In 1524, Francis I. of France sent Verazzani to America. He merely coasted along the country from Florida to Newfoundland, and named it " La NouveUe France," a name which was afterwards applied to Canada by the French. Hence both the French and English claimed the country, though for two centuries England paid no attention to a claim which was after all a mere feudal quibble. In 1534 Jacques Cartier, the true discoverer of Canada, sailing from St. Malo, circumnavigated Newfoundland, and scanned the dreary coasts of Labrador. He entered a spacious bay, which, from the heat of the Canadian summer day, he called Baie des Chakurs, and ascending the St, Lawrence till land could be seen on either side, erected on a commanding promontory a huge cross engraved with the fimrs-de-lis of the French king, as a token of his sovereignty, in spite of the opposition of an aged Indian chief — an opposition which was a symbol of the ultimate failure of the red man before the white. Once more King Francis, in May, 1535, sent out Cartier, better equipped for the voyage, with three ships, the largest named La Grande Eermione, and 110 men. On the 10th of August he entered the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he named after the Eoman martyr, whose festival it was, for French colonization was from the first religious. Along tlie river's course, with its banks of forest, he sailed past the sombre entrance to the Saguenay ; and in the hope, common to DOMINION OF CANADA. 3 all discoverers' of that age, to find a passage to the Indies, sailed on. He was told by Indian fishers that he would soon reach a country called Canada or Canata, an Indian word signifying " town," passing several islands gay with summer birds and flowers, and so covered with grape-vines that he named it " The Isle of Bacchus." Near this, on the site of Quebec, was an Indian fort or town, Stada- cona, where lived a chief, Donnacona by name, whom the French, applying their own feudal ideas to the merely personal and very precarious dignity of an Indian chief, styled " The Lord of Canada." Although the Indians tried hard to bar their further progress, this dauntless explorer sailed on through the unknown waters,. tiU at length he anchored under a hill which he named Mount Eoyal. There, where is now a stately citj-, no unfit occupant even of that splendid scenery, was a rudely-built Indian town called " Hochelaga," where he and his men were welcomed by the Indians as superior beings, overwhelmed with feasting and presents, and intreated to heal a crippled invalid chief, over whom Cartier read the " Passion " from the gospel ; but the age of miracles being past, the old chiefs rheumatism remained as it was ! After three days' stay, Cartier returned to his fort at Stadacona, where he had the courage to brave the rigours of the winter. This was a severe one, and the garrison sufferred terribly from cold, hunger, and 'the increasing ravages of scurvy. A friendly Indian told them the remedy, a decoction of spruce bark. With the summer the explorers returned to France, having kidnapped the friendly chief Donnacona and nine of his people, who were exhibited at Court, and baptized with great pomp at Rouen Cathedral, but who died in their exile. This action was not only a crime but a mistake ; it alienated the Indians, and was the first step in a long series of mutual wrong-doings between the white man and the red. Cartier made two other voyages, which, however, led to no important re sults ; his search for the coveted precious metals and gems led only to finding some worthless crystals in that part of the Quebec prornontory which, has thence been named " Cape Diamond." These voyages, however, served the purpose of familiarizing the French with the St. Lawrence region, and with the Indians. A considerable traffic in furs and peltry was now carried on. Besides the voyage of Cartier to Canada, several French expeditions visited Sable Island, a barren strip of land off the Coast of Nova Scotia. The first of these was by a nobleman named De Lery, who landed some cattle ; as the island, otherwise sterile, was covered with a coarse grass, and had a small lake of fresh water, the cattle survived, and were the means of preserving the lives of a few out of forty convicts landed there eighty years afterwards by the Marquis de la Eoche. Out of forty, twelve remained alive when a ship was sent twelve years afterwards to ascertain their fate. At the beginning of the seventeenth century Chauvois, a sea captain of Eouen, brought out sixteen settlers and established them for the winter in a small fort at Tadousac, where till lately the remains might be seen of a small house, built by him, the first stone building in Canada. The French Colony. It was the custom of the French monarchs at that period to give some great nobleman nominal charge of Canada, with the title of Lieut.-Governor or Lieut.- 4 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. General. One of these, De Chaste, conceived the idea of organizing a company of merchants who should undertake further exploration, and be given a mono poly of the fur trade. As his lieutenant in this enterprise he selected, in a good hour for Canada, Samuel de Champlain, a naval officer, who, though young, had already done good service in the West Indies and elsewhere. Champlain belongs to that type of essentially Christian heroes under which we class Columbus, and very many of Champlain's successors, from Montmagny to Montcalm. For the gains of trade he cared nothing ; for the glory of France, or rather of its King, he cared much ; but his highest aim was the glory of God, by which he understood the extension of the Catholic faith. For these two supreme objects there was no toil, no labour or danger, that he did not endure during more than thirty years devoted to founding the colony of New France,, ;the germ of the Canada of to-day. During this period he made many voyages between Canada and France to procure reinforcements, and to represent the result of his explorations and the prospects of colonization. In the first of them, in 1603, he ascended the St. Lawrence, being favourably received by the Algonquin Indians ; all was changed since Cartier's visit. Where Stadacona and Hochelaga then stood, both town and people had vanished. He was arrested in his course by the Sault St. Louis rapids, to which, from the notion of the river being a water-highway to China,. he gave the name of La Chine, but from the summit of Mount Eoyal he looked forth over forest and river of this new land of promise. In a second voyage from France soon after, being better equipped with men and supplies, he sailed with a nobleman named the Sieur de Monts, first exploring the Coast of Nova Scotia, which De Monts preferred to Canada. A Fort was built at Port Eoyal, now Annapolis, and leaving a small body of settlers, who, after enduring great hardships, were about to abandon the colony when a ship arrived with supplies from France. Acadia, as the colony was called, flouiished for some yeais, but was under the disadvantage of repeatedly changing masters, according to the fortune of war between the French and English. It was finally ceded to the latter in 1713. • Champlain's sagacious judgment perceived the superior advantages of Canada. He was allowed to commission two .ships, and on July 3rd, 1608, he founded the future capital of French Canada on the north shore of that part of the river which the Indians called " Quebec," or " Strait." There, beneath the now, historic hill, he raised a few huts, a magazine for stores, a wooden fort,. and on the rocks above a barrack for the soldiers. There he remained with his'^ settlers for two years and a half. During the winter all suffered severely from cold and scurvy. His men were mutinous ; wretched Indians hovered about his settlement, ready to beg or steal : but Champlain's firmness crushed rebel lion ; his faculty for government held the discordant elements of the little colony together ; the lofty piety of his nature seemed like that of one of the old heroes of Christian romance, Godfrey or St. Louis, come back to life again. Languor was not in his work, Weakness not in his word, Wearv/icss not on his hrovj! THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 5 But, saint as he was as well as soldier, the saintliness had some alloy of Loyola, teaching that the end justifies the means. The end, so persistently worked out by the politicians and Jesuits wlio succeeded him, was by taking sides with one of the hostile Indian races to subdue their opponents, and win Iboth at last as subjects of France and vassals of the Church. He chose the weaker and less organized tribe of Algonquins, and in 1609 joined a party of their warriors in exploring the beautiful lake that bears his name, and in attack ing their foes, the Iroquois. The white man's firearms won an easy victory; but a false step had been taken, the wrath of the implacable Six Nations was once and forever aroused, to break out again and again in massacre and the torture of settler and priest, missionary and delicate maiden; till at last the Iroquois, joining the foes of France, helped to conquer Canada for England ! In 1511 he marked out the present site of Montreal as a post to be occupied, and surrounded it with an earthen rampart, naming it Place Eoyale. As every memorial of our earliest Canadian hero interests Canadians, it is well to note that St. Helen's Island is named after Champlain's wife. Soon after this, guided by some Algonquin braves in their birch canoes, Cham plain — first of white men — ascended the Ottawa. Alone with savages, whose friendship he could not trust, he passed day after day ascending that 'silent high way, with its unvarying fringe of primeval forest, inhabited only by wild beasts now scarcely to be found but in museums. He followed the difficult portage where the terrific cataract of the Chaudiere, the abode of a malignant spirit, to whom his guides were fain to throw their offerings of tobacco, a cataract which now mingles its voice with the tumult of a great city. Thence through the clear stream of the Upper Ottawa to yet another portage, he saw stretching across the river the ridge of limestone precipice, over which the whole force of the Ottawa thunders. Thence over the broad Lake of the Wild Cats on to the Indian settlements, where the most difficult of all the Ottawa portages stops the way at the Allumette rapids. Here Champlain was entertained by a friendly chief. Thence he returned to Quebec, and proceeded to France, where the greatest interest was now felt in the new colony. Champlain was freely supplied with stores, arms, settlers and artisans for Quebec. On his return he found the colonists prosperous ; the Indians had been friendly, and the crops planted in the virgin soil had yielded an encouraging return. Anxious for the conversion of the heathen arouud him, Champlain without difficulty induced four priests of the Eeformed-Franciscan Order of EecoUet Friars to come as missionaries to the Indians ; they were received with enthu- siam by the pious settlers, and the astonished Algonquins watched with wonder the vested priest, the altar with its mystic lights and crucifix, as the first mass was intoned and the strange-smelling incense mingled with the odours of pine and cedar in the summer woods. But a mightier Order than the EecoUets was to be the seed of the French Church in Canada by the blood of its martyrs. Champlain was led in 1615, by the importunities of his Algonquin allies, to repeat his mistake of joining in the horrors of Indian war'. Once more he ascended the Ottawa, again labouring to drag canoe and baggage over the numer ous portages, struggling for life amid rapids which are still dreaded by our lumbermen. At the difficult and tedious Allumette portage a storm had blown trees across the only track, the woods were blocked up, Champlain had to carry 6 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. his baggage, much of which he lost. A few years ago an ancient rapier, and an astrolobe or astromonical instrument then used by travellers, were found in this very place ; they are believed to be relics of the founder of Quebec, Thence tliey passed in their birch canoes, gliding through forests kindled by the touch of autumn into gold and crimson, or camping at night by watch-fires that might haply scare away the wolf and bear. At length they reached the region, still wild as in Champlain's day, where now the locomotive of the new built Pacific Eailway out-screams the eagle amid the lonely hills of Mattawa. By this they took their way to Lake Nipissing, where they were welcomed by seven or eight hundred Nipissing warriors, who escorted them by canoe and portage to the great inland sea of the Hurons ; coasting this for some forty-five leagues, they struck into the interior, and Champlain at last beheld a Huron town, so different from the solitary huts of the Algonquin hunter. Here there was more comfort, better crops, plenty of vegetables, corn, and venison and bear flesh ; savage life in a better aspect, but still savage life. For three days Champlain witnessed with wonder and disgust the interminable feast, the warriors as they gorged like vultures, the naked and painted braves, their black hair sleek with the oil made from sunflower seed, their faces hideous with wfir paint ; the leapings and ges ticulations of the war dance, and the dances, not less disgusting to the piou.s Frenchman, of shameless and robeless wantons. At last it was over ; they marched against the foe, by whom at first they were repulsed, but througli Champlain's aid and advice they won a victory disgraceful and disastrous to the Christian colony. Champlain urged them to follow up the success by an immediate storm of the hostile camp, but he soon found that these savage war riors would only fight as it pleased themselves, yelling their curses against the enemy, and firing their flint-pointed arrows at the strong wooden ramparts. Champlain received two wounds in the leg ; his allies were driven to retreat. In vain Champlain urged them to fulfil their promise of sending him home. He learned the value of an Indian's friendship and promise, except as may suit the caprice of these grown up children, changeable as the wind. A friendly chief, however, sheltered him during the winter ; he is believed to have crossed the isthmus now called "Carrying Place " to the shores of the Bay of Quinte, where he could spend the winter in safety from the Iroquois. His host's house fortu nately was a more comfortable one than those of most Indians. On the 20th of May he proceeded to Lachine, and got to Quebec by the end of June. Again he proceeded to France, where he found divided counsels as to the management of the colony from the internecine quarrel between the Huguenots of Eochelle, then on the eve of rebellion against their country, and the Catholic French. Efforts were made to deprive Champlain of his position. The Fur Trade Company, which had promised to send out a large number of settlers, had neglected this part of the contract, and thought only of furs ; this had been all along a great hindrance to the growth of Quebec. Worst news of all, Champlain learned that certain Huguenot traders from Rochelle had set the fatal example of selling firearms to the heathen foe. At this time two wealthy Huguenots named De Caen gained a position of authority in the colony, which they used to thwart Champlain's plans and stir up religious dissension ; they cared little for the good of the colony, and only troubled themselves with the fur trade. Cardinal Bichelieu, then all powerful in THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 7 France, for this reason revoked their appointment, and organized a company, that of the " Hundred Associates," who undertook to furnish supplies, and in particular to send and support a sufficient number of priests, who were to have lands and the necessary supplies of food and seed. Champlain was to be Governor of Canada, which was now named " New France." But next year, 1628, war broke out between France and England, when the profligate Duke of Buckingham's influence at Court caused aid to be sent to the rebels at Eochelle. A fleet was sent out under Kirk, who, in spite of a determined resistance by Champlain, gained possession of Quebec, which was forced to surrender by want of provisions. But neither England nor France cared much about the possession of Canada, and it was only Champlain's representation that caused its restoration to be insisted on at the peace of 1632. Champlain was now, at the end of his long and checquered life, rewarded by being appointed Governor, and still more by taking back with him a number of settlers of means and repute. With these were four Jesuits, setting out to join their Superior, Le Jeune, who had already sailed from Eouen with two companions. These men, clad in long black cassocks, with rosary hanging from the girdle, and with broad looped-up black hats, were destined to illustrate the better side of Jesuitism — the Jesuitism of the martyrs, not of the political intriguers ; their missionary work was to call all that was noblest and most chivalrous in France to a new crusade against heathenism, and to emulate the sufferings, the martyrdom, the love for souls, the patience of the first Christians. To Champlain remained two years more of life, during which his rule, under the Jesuit keepers of his conscience, made Quebec seem like a monastery. All day long the church bell was going. Every one, from Champlain down to the youngest drummer boy, went through the unceasing round of mass, penance, and confession. The more serious were delighted ; New France was so holy a place that if any one from there failed to be saved, he deserved double damna tion ; so Le Jeune said. Even the amusements were of an ecclesiastical cast ; a display of fireworks on a saint's day, a dramatic entertainment, in which an Algonquin who persisted in paganism was dragged away by demons. Thus piously and peaceably the last days of this true saint and soldier ebbed away. He died — a fitting day and hour for such a life to close — while the bells were tolling for mass on Christmas Day 1635. The Jesuits. History, which is non-partisan and non-sectarian, seldom deals in unqualified praise or blame. We know what use Jesuitism has made of its founder's teach ing that it is lawful to do evil in order that good may come ; that sin is no longer sin if done to the glory of God. The evil results of Jesuit rule have been proved before the world. While Jesuit martyrs were patiently enduring in Canada the tortures which we see emblazoned on the walls of their church at Montreal, a Jesuit priest at Versailles was directing, through the King's conscience, the destiny of France by means of his good-natured tolerance of his penitent's mistress. The great Order, like all other products of human nature, had 8 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. its twofold aspect, good and evil. Let us not refuse to face the facts which make for either ! As the Order has sown, so it has reaped ! In France it was a factor, no inconsiderable one, of the Eevolution which threatens to become world-wide ; in Canada, by the direction it gave to French rule and its aliena tion of the Iroquois, it helped to produce the English conquest, American in dependence, its consequences, the peopling of Upper Canada, and who shall say what further changes therefrom resulting. Le Jeune's first efforts were for the conversion of the Algonquin hunters ; from one of them, who was disabled from hunting, he obtained instructions in the language in return for food and occa sional tobacco. He passed a winter of the most extreme discomfort with a lodge of hunters, day by day helping to carry the bark for building the hut at each fresh halt, tormented with the filth, the vile talk, the heat of the huge fire round which they sat, while the piercing cold gave equal pain. A pagan priest, or sorcerer, with true professional jealousy, endeavoured to disgust and annoy the Christian. Yet he persevered. But recognizing the greater advantage of attempting missionary work among a race like the Hurons, who lived gre gariously in towns, the celebrated Brebeuf led a mission to the far distant Hurons. He was at first received kindly, and assisted to build a mission house that served also as church. The Hurons looked with awe and delight at the church ornaments and vestments ; above all at the ticking and striking clock. But, savage-like, they soon changed. It was a dry season, the new rites had scared the thunder-bird who brings the rain 1 Brebeuf exhorted them to repent and be baptized, and promised that he would pray for rain ; the prayer was followed by a miraculous rain-fall. But anon came a pestilence of small-pox, a new plague, fatal above all to Indians. This was the result of the Christian " medicine," baptism and the sign of the cross. The lives of the missionaries were daily threatened as they wandered from one pest-stricken dwelling to another, offering help. They were obliged to witness horrible indecencies, dreadful and shameless nude dances, such as St. Anthony saw the beautiful girl- demons tempt him with. They had to be present at the loathsome Feast of the Dead, when the Hurons collected the festering corpses of all who^had died during the last nine years, when these were taken from the grave and wrapped in robes of honour and kept in the house of each relative for days before, with horrible ceremonies and the feasting as of ghouls, they were thrown into one of those vast bone pits still found in the country of the Hurons. The narrative of these sufferings is told with a touching simplicity and absence of self -consciousness in the " Eelations des Jesuites," a copy of which scarce and valuable book is preserved in the Parliament Library, Toronto. But these were only the beginning of sorrows. Thirty -two years since Champlain first shed Iroquois blood, the Indian war broke out. The Jesuit priest, Jogues, had gone to Three Rivers and Quebec with the Huron traders to represent the utter destitution of the Huron mission. He had been given freely what was required, and was returning in one of the leading canoes. Jogues is described as being a man of singularly winning address, with oval face and gentle manners. He was also an excellent scholar. As the canoes passed through the shallow waters at the western end of Lake St. Peter, the war-whoop rose from among the tall bulrushes, a volley of muskets THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 9 followed, and canoes filled with Iroquois warriors surrounded that which bore Jogues. The Hurons, as usual, fled. Jogues leaped among the reeds ; he might have fled, but woald not desert his Huron converts ; he gave himself up. His companion, a French lay Jesuit, Couture, was thrown down by four Iroquois, who stripped him naked, tore away his finger-nails with their teeth, and stabbed his hand through with a sword. Jogues sprang to his friend and embraced him. The Iroquois beat Jogues with fists and clubs, and tore away his nails and gnawed his fingers with fury, as of the wolves after whom they named them selves. An old Huron, whom Jogues had that moment liaptized ivith his mangled hand, was clubbed to death ; the other Hurons were spared — for the present. Then they marched their captives south, fainting and athirst, under a burning sun. The torture of the wounded men was increased by the swarming mosquitos. As they reached the town the Iroquois were met by 200 of their tribe, who, forming in two lines, forced the prisoners to run the gauntlet, striking them so hard with clubs and thorny sticks that Jogues fell, covered with blood. Again they mangled his hands ; then applied fire to his flesh. At night the j'oung warriors mocked their efforts to rest, and tore out their hair and beards. Once more they embarked in canoes ; were conveyed to another Iroquois town ; then again the tortures were applied ; the Jesuits ran the gauntlet. Jogues calls it, characteristically, " The narroiv road of Paradise." They were mounted on a platform, when a Christian Indian woman was ordered to cut off Jogues' thumb with a clam-shell knife ; she did so. At night they were tied on the floor of earth, each with extended limbs and wrists fast bound to stakes. Then the Iroquois children playfully set red-hot coals on their bodies. It is needless to repeat the horrible detail of cruelties inflicted again and again at every Mohawk town. Strange to say, Jogues escaped through the humanity of a Dutch trader. A year afterwards a strange and worn-looking traveller asked speech with the Superior of the Jesuit College at Eheims, in France, saying that he brought news from Canada. Eagerly the Superior asked if he knew Father Jogues, who had been taken and murdered by the Iroquois ? Jogues fell on his knees to ask' a blessing, with the words, " I am he." These Jesuit missionaries were not religionists compelled to fly fioin home to the wilderness to secure freedom of religious opinion ; they had the sympathy and homage pf all France. Jogues was summoned to the King's court ; the French Queen, Anne of Austria, kissed his mutilated hand ; but he would not be persuaded to remain away from his missionary work, and returned to be again tortured, and at last killed, by the demons he sought to save. We have civen his case simply as a specimen. There are many similar. De Noe, chased by the heathen, was found in the snow-drift, kneeling, his face turned heavenward, his hands clasped, frozen while he prayed. Brebeuf, the founder of the Huron mission, was tortured to death, boiling water poured over him in mockery of baptism. Death had no terrors for men like these. The Indian Wars. To Champlain succeeded a governor of similar temperament, Charles de Montmagny, who as a member of the Order of Knights of Malta, was half a monk, half a soldier. The Jesuit regime in La Nouvelle France was well sus- 10 HLSTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. tained. The Order was all-powerful. Meanwhile the mission work they had been at such pains to build up among the Hurons was swept away with the extermination of their converts by the Iroquois. The latter had purchased firearms from the Dutch and English settlers at New York, and now fought with white men on equal terms. The Hurons were all but destroyed from the face of the earth ; their fate had broken the courage of the Algonquins so much that they were useless as allies. But in France, the sufferings of the Jesuit missionaries, as the story was spread throughout the land in the famous " Relations des Jesuites," published year by year, aroused a new enthusiasm. The age of faith seemed to revive the age of miracles. .Men of wealth and good repute for worldly wisdom saw visions commanding them to establish a colony, and found religious houses " on an island called Montreal, in Canada." Stranger miracle still,, these wealthy gen tlemen gave up their bank accounts as readily as the early Christians who laid their all at the Apostles' feet. A society of nobles and gentlemen was formed " to plant the banner of Christ in an abode of demons ;" that is, to found at Montreal three religious bodies : one of priests to teach, direct and convert ; one of nuns, to nurse the wounded and sick ; a third, also of nuns, to tend and teach the children, French and Indian. Eeligion became for the day the fashion ; mcJney poured in ; the sum of £75,000, according to some double that amount, was soon contributed. A free grant of the island was made to the founders of the new settlement, which, from its commanding position at the confluence of Canada's two greatest arteries of navigation, must in the future be the centre of commerce, and would at pre sent serve as a second centre of defence against the Iroquois, and as a point of vantage for missionar}'- effort in the heart of heathendom. Their anticipations were based altogether on religious zeal, on visions, on apparitions and voices from heaven. They have proved as true as if they had been the cool calcula tions of statesmen and capitalists. A rich young lady. Mademoiselle Jeanne Marie, was super.naturally called to join the settlers at Montreal, and devote her wealth to God. All Paris praised her, prelates and Jesuits made much of her. Forty soldiers were to accompany the band of enthusiasts. Paul de Chomechy, Sieur de Maisonneuve, a nobleman resembling Champlain both in devoutness and valour, was to be governor of Montreal. They were to be joined and aided by one who makes one of the most winning figures in that marvellous group. Marguerite Bourgeoys, destined to labour for years among the little ones of the new colony. She was given a miraculous image of the Virgin. It still stands overlooking the river, in a gable niche of the quaint old seventeenth century church of Notre Bame des Bonnes Succours, in Montreal, and many a pious man ner and anxious mother find comfort as they invoke " Our Lady of Gracious Help." In February, 1642, the associates, numbering forty-two, stood in the Church of Notre Dame at Paris, before the altar of the Virgin, after whom the town was to be named Ville Marie de Montreal. When Maisonneuve, with the soldiers and the religious women, reached Quebec, the approach of winter made it necessary for them to stay at Quebec till spring. Jealousy arose between Quebec and the new colony. Montmagny thought Maisonneuve's appointment an infringement of his own authority. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. II During the winter, however, Maisonneuve and his men built boats to carry them to their destination, and in May they embarked, their boats heavily freighted, and passed safely through their dangerous course of sombre forests and wooded isles ; when, on May 17th, they came in view of Mount Eoyal, dark with woods against the sky, all voices joined in a hymn of praise. With them arrived a new accession to their ranks, the celebrated Madame de la Peltrie, a French lady of fashion and wealth, whom a miraculous vision had sent across the ocean to Quebec, and who now desired to join the new and more perilous adventure in behalf of religion. An altar was raised, she and Jeanne Marie decorated it with faultless taste ; before it stood Father Vincent in his costly vestments, Maison neuve in glittering steel amid his soldiers; mass was sung, and the priest addressed them in words of promise that events have made seem prophetic. Montmagny erected a small fort, and secured it by a garrison so as furh er to hold the Iroquois in check. To this the great Cardinal Eichelieu, then the real ruler of France, sent out supplies and forty men, a happy reinforcement, as 200 Iroquois soon afterwards attacked it. There was a gap in the palisades, and the savages were pouring in, when a corporal with a few soldiers held them in check till Montmagny came to their relief from his brigantine on the river. The " Hundred Associates " had neglected their duties as much as the former trading companies, and in 1647 sold their rights to the colonists of Three Eivers, Quebec, and Ville Marie. A peace which lasted but a year .was obtained by Montmagny's clemency to some Iroquois whom their Huron captors were about to put to death. There were endless feastings and speeches ; belt after belt of wampum was presented by the Iroquois chiefs, each belt synibolizing a separate clause of the treaty of peace. At this time the Iroquois seem to have intended to maintain peace, but the credulous and capricious savagfes were excited against the Christian missionaries by their sorcerers ; a pestilence fell on their towns, a plague of caterpillars devoured the corn ; all was brought about by the " medi cine" of "the men of the black robe." The tribes were divided ; some clung to peace, but a band of Mohawks seized the Jesuits, Jogues and LaXande, whom they put to death with tortures as horrible as those mentioned in a preceding sec tion. War was now raging again ; the lust for blood spread all through the tribes ; they plundered and destroyed Fort Eichelieu ; on Ash Wednesday, while the garrison were at mass, they carried off all the property of the neighbouring settlers, which had been brought there for safety. They then pursued and captured two large parties of Christian Indians, whom they put to the usual horrible tortures. One tried to escape ; they burnt the soles of his feet to prevent a second attempt. A little child they crucified by nailing it with wooden wedges to a cross of bark. Amid the tortures a Christian Indian exhorted them to be steadfast, and prayed aloud, all joining in the prayer. One woman, an Indian named Marie, escaped after incredible hardships, to tell the tale at Three Eivers. ¦ In 1648, Montmagny, who had done his duty well but had perhaps been para lysed by the breakdown of the Hurons and the insufficient means at his dis posal to resist the Iroquois, was recalled to France ; his successor was Louis D'Ailleboust, one of the Associates of Montreal, a brave soldier, and an enthusiast in religion. A change was now made by which the Governor-General, with the Superior of the Jesuits and three of the principal colonists, formed a council in which was vested all the powers of government. A provision was made for the soldiers' pay. 12 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY'. The Indian war went on with unexampled fury ; not an inhabitant of a single French settlement dared venture beyond the limits of the fort. Attack after attack was made on the Algonquins and the miserable remains of the Hurons, a few of whom found refuge at Lorette, a village near Quebec. De Lauson (1651) and D'Argenson were thenext governors. The horrors of Indian war •continued. So hard pressed was the garrison of Montreal that Maisonneuve, the Governor, went to France for reinforcements. He could only obtain a hundred men, whose arrival, however, was sufficient to make the Iroquois sue for peace. 'This was effected through Father Lemoine's persuasive eloquence. In 1655 the Iroquois of Onondaga expressed a wish that a French settlement might be made in their country. Accordingly Captain Dupuis was sent with missionaries and an escort of fifty men. But this action aroused the jealous hate of the savages, and Dupuis was warned that their death was resolved on. Dupuis, by a pardonable stratagem, supplied the Iroquois with liquor, and thus he and his party managed to escape in canoes, De Lauson had neither energy nor firmness for the crisis. The day that D'Argenson landed at Quebec, the Iroquois massacred a party of Christian Indians close to Quebec. These wolves of the wilderness had now overrun New France, when Dulac des Ormeaux, a young Frenchman of Montreal, resolved at the sacrifice of life to check the advance that it was known the united force of the Iroquois was meditating on Montreal. No more remarkable story exists in the chivalrous annals of French Canada. Dulac with the seventeen companions who volunteered to share his adventure, solemnly attended church for the last time. Well armed and with some fifty Hurons to support them, they took up position in an old palisade fort near the Long Sault rapids. Some six hundred Iroquois warriors surrounded their post, and again and again swarmed up to the palisade, to be as often repulsed by the brave defenders. The base Hurons deserted to the enemy who had all but destroyed their race, an act of cowardice such as has never stained the record of ±heIroqucis! New reinforcements at length enabled the savage hordes, after having been held at bay for ten days, to force their way within. Ouly four of the Frenchmen were left alive ; these shot the few faithful Hurons to save them from Iroquois tortures. The four died at the stake. But the Iroquois had lost enormously, and the moral effect of so great a check from eighteen Frenchmen prevented for the present any attack on Montreal. Surely Dj.lac deserves to rank with any hero of antiquity ; and the place where he died, within the roar of the Long Sault Eapids, is the Thermopylae of Canadian history. Baron D'Avaugour came to succeed D'Argenson. We do not dwell on these mere names of governors, to whom no national, and therefore no historical interest attaches. However, it deserves record that D'Avaugour's representations saved Canada from abandonment by France as a worthless burden. At this 'Governor's urgent request the colony was now taken under the direct care of the French King, and a force of 600 men sent to Quebec. Their arrival found the Governor engaged in a quarrel with M. Laval, whose name, surviving lionourably in Laval University, survives with yet greater honour in his efforts to suppress by penal law the ruinous practice of supplying liquor to the Indians. Laval proceeded to France and urged his case ; as a result D'Avaugour THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 13. was recalled, and on Laval's representation, De Mesy sent in his place (1663). This year there occurred a succession of slight earthquake shacks all over Canada, which caused no loss of life or property, but greatly alarmed the Indians, who thought that the bodies of their braves, buried unavenged, were reproaching their inaction ! The great Finance Minister, Colbert, had at this time turned his attention tO' the social and political condition of Canada. The modern view of history is that it ought not, in order to be really instruc tive, to consist of mere lists of kings or governors, or the intrigues of statesmen, or the dates and details of battles. It should, above all, give a clear idea of the life of the people, and of all those causes, as far as we can trace them, which are factors in social and industrial progress. At this point, then, we shall placu before the readers a few particulars as to the life and social condition of the Canadian people as they were when Colbert turned his attention to the subject.. The entire population of New France at this time did not exceed, by more- than three or four hundred, some two thousand. These were scattered here and there, from the Quebec settlements to Montreal. The population grew slowly ; it continued massed to a great extent in Quebec, Three Eivers, and Montreal,, from fear of the Iroquois. The fur trade was still the chief industry, but its value had diminished, the market being lessened by two -causes-— the invention of a new fabric which took the place of the beaver skin, and the fact that the Iroquois of New York not only preferred to sell to the English of New York and Connecticut, who gave better prices than the French, but even diverted the traffic of other Indians. Still a considerable quantity of peltry passed into the hands of the Frencli traders. In spite of all difficulties, agriculture had so greatly developed that De Mesjr was able to tell Colbert that supplies of food need no longer be sent, as Canada could now raise all the grain needed. Trade must have been beginning to move in other directions than the fur export, for Colbert is told that what is required is specie, as there is no coin for purposes of exchange. All land tenures were of the feudal kind, then in use in France. These practically subjected the occupiers of land to the seigneurs, or lords paramount. All this has only been abolished long after the English conquest. The form of government which Louis XIV. consented that Colbert should institute was, in truth, an absolute despotism. First in rank was the Governor. With him. acted a Council, including the Intendant, or Minister of Justice, the Bishop, and leading colonists. Owing to the constant strife between the Governor and the Bishop, or Intendant, there might seem to be the elements of an opposition. Such, however, was not the case in any true sense. The exertions of the Jesuit missions, although seemingly so often quenched in blood, had by this time taken root even among many of the Iroquois. It must be said to their credit that the French knew how to manage the Indians- better than the two other great nations who came into contact with them, the Spanish and English. The Spaniard neglected the Indian and oppressed him ; the Englishman neglected and despised him ; but the French took the Indian by the hand, made much of him, intermarried with the Christianized and edu cated Indian girls. The good nuns of the Quebec Ursuline convent, and those 14 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. of Montreal, had not laboured in vain. The Indian girl learned to be neat, thrifty, modest. The story is told that a little Indian girl at one of these schools, when it chanced one day that a man had shaken hands with her, ran to wash her hands, as if touched by an unclean thing. Then, the French loved -hunting, as the English colonist agriculture and trade, and the courier des hois, and voyageur with his Indian wife, became in habits almost one of her people. An example of this type of men was one whose tomb we have visited within the roar of the Alumette cataract, on the Upper Ottawa. Cadieux was a mighty liunter, a wise man too, the legend goes, and a composer and singer of the " chansons " which New France has with such grace inherited from her Norman and Breton ancestors. One day as he and his companions were packing the large canoe whichwas to go on the yearly trip with furs to Montreal, the word was given that the Iroquois were at hand. Cadieux and a few others remained to keep the wolves at bay, while all the others launched their canoe down the terrible rapids, which rush from the height in a single shaft of water to break into a sea of foam belOw. It was a desperate chance ; but the wife of Cadieux was a Christian, and from her place in the canoe she invoked the aid of St. Anne. And the legend tells how a foam-white figure moved before the canoe, and wherever she glided the waves grew calm, and the canoe passed safely to the stream below. It was good St. Anne who came to save her votaries. Poor Cadieux died in the woods of exhaustion. A " lament" of some poetical power was found written by him as he lay dying ; we heard it sung by our Indian guide beside his grave. Such were many of the hardy French woods men ; we may see their descendants in the gay and stalwart lumbermen of the Ottawa region at this day. De Mesy's constant quarrels with the Council, and his having exceeded his powers by sending back to France two of its principal members, led to his being recalled. He died at Quebec, however, before the news of his deposition reached him. Under Colbert's influence a step was now taken of the utmost benefit to the French colony. The Marquis de Tracy, a nobleman of great wisdom and knowledge, was empowered to regulate the affairs of the colony as Viceroy, with Talon, celebrated as a financier, as Intendant, and De Courcelles as gov ernor, to succeed the Viceroy on his return to France. De Tracy's extraordinary mission to ascertain the true state of the country resembled that afterwards undertaken by Lord Durham ; both were of the greatest benefit to Canada. De Tracy, as well as Talon, his Intendant, were carefully instructed by Colbert, that great minister, who, even under the despotism of Louis XIV., pursued such an enlightened and liberal policy. De Tracy was received at Quebec (July, 1665) with the warmest welcome from all classes. Mass and Te Deum were sung, and the Viceroy, who had been instructed to put a stop to the perpetual friction between the Bishop and the Executive, showed the utmost respect to the Church authorities. He had secret instructions to depress, without openly quarrelling, the exorbitant pretensions of the Jesuits, and to favour their rivals, the EecoUets, who were now restored and reinstated in the possessions of which they had been deprived at their expul sion. With De Tracy arrived a veteran regiment of the French army, which had fought under Turenne, that called the Carignan, with their colonel, De THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 15 Salieres. A number of settlers of the most valuable kind accompanied them — carpenters, blacksmiths, and other artisans. Live stock were also sent. The Indians gazed with wonder on horses, never seen before in Canada. In place of the old fort which the Iroquois had destroyed, three stone forts were erected and garrisoned on the Elver Eichelieu. The Iroquois were intimi dated by these formidable measures, and the farmers of Canada that year enjoyed an unaccustomed security. Talon meanwhile was proceeding with his measures of reform at Quebec. He found the country rife with complaints against the Jesuits, with whom, however, he judged it prudent not openly to interfere, except to lower the rate of tithes. His method of settling the new colonists was to arrange the farm lands granted as close together as possible, so that the people might help each other in case of attack. But the most important benefit which the colony received from this great administrator was being taken once for all out of the hands of the trading company, free trade being allowed to all, both with the Indians and France. Now for the first time in Canadian history was attention directed to our country's mineral and lumber resources, spars and masts from our forests being sent to France for the King's dockyards. An engineer sent by Talon discovered iron in abundance, also copper and silver, at the Bay of St. Paul. Near Three Eivers iron mines were constructed, still yielding in large quantities iron superior to the best found in Sweden. Talon set on foot new manufactures and new improvements in agriculture. He started the seal and porpoise fisheries ; the latter — now scared away by the frequent passing of steamers — then abounded at the mouth of the St. Lawrence. This trade proved most lucrative. By the year 1688, 1,100 merchant ships anchored in the port of Quebec, and when the Viceroy left the colony its population had doubled. Three out of five of the Iroquois nations now offered peace. Against the two that held aloof Courcelles and De Tracy took the field in separate direc tions, although it was mid -winter, Courcelles in command of some Canadian militia. Our national soldiery, since then so often victorious, showed valuable qualities of patience and endurance in that trying march. But the Iroquois everywhere fled before them, the villages being abandoned. De Tracy ex perienced the same thing, but found large stores of maize and other supplies, all which, except what was needed for the army, they_ destroyed, burning also the villages wherever theymarched. Terror-stricken at such a blow dealt in mid-winter, the Iroquois now made peace for eighteen years. As a further security, most of the Carignan regiment settled in Canada, the officers and men receiving grants of land, the former as seigneurs. De Tracy returned to France in 1667, De Courcelles succeeding him. It was now that serious difficulties arose between Canada and the colony which England had wrested from the Dutch, and named New York. The English were perpetually intriguing to get the entire fur trade into their own hands, even that with the French Indians, whom they were able to influence through the Iroquois, now as always the firm allies of the New York English. The latter even resorted to the unfair expedient of underselling the French so as to divert the fur trade to New York. 16 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. It had become known through the Jesuit missionaries, who during this century had made their way everywhere, that a large portion of the tribes east of the Mississippi, and north of Lake Superior, had, through the influence of their priests, become favourable to the French. M. Talon, therefore, sent a travelling merchant named Perrot, well skilled in Indian usages, to gather a great meeting of chiefs, which accordingly met at Sault Ste. Marie, at the foot of Lake Superior, where they were addressed by M. de St. Lussen as plenipoten tiary for the King of France. The chiefs were flattered into acknowledging themselves the vassals of Louis thq Great. Before leaving Canada, on account of failing health, De Courcelles held another convention at Cataraqui (Kingston) with the Iroquois chiefs, whom he induced to consent to his erecting a fort at Cataraqui. This he represented as a mere trading depot. The next Governor was Louis de Buade, Count de Frontenac, a haughty but firm as well as prudent leader of men, to whom Canada owes much. He was struck with the grandeur of Quebec. " I have never seen any thing which for beauty or magnificence could compare with Quebec," he said. He found the colony prosperous, the Iroquois at peace. The population of New France was now 45,000. Frontenac had much trouble with the Jesuits and their partisans, the Bishop of Quebec and Perrot. The latter he sent to France, where for a time he was imprisoned in the Bastile. A report had reached the French Mission from their Indian converts of a " great water " far to the south. Frontenac, induced by Talon, sent the famous explorers Joliet and Marquette on an expedition, which resulted in the dis covery of the Mississippi. This great event in the annals of mankind belongs, however, to American or French rather than to Canadian history. The brilliant and unfortunate La Salle was afterwards sent in the same direction, and ranks among the earliest explorers of the Father of Waters. La Salle's expedition so far belongs to the scope of our history that, having been appointed Seigneur of Cataraqui, he rebuilt the Fort of Frontenac with stone walls. All trace of La Salle's fortalice has long vanished, but in the barrack yard of the aitillery barracks at Kingston some portion of an old bastion may still be traced which marks its site. He also built a fort at Niagara, and may be regarded as the founder of the town of that name. A few miles above the Falls, then for the first time gazed upon by civilized man, he built a vessel, the first constructed in Canada, called the Grifln. She soon afterwards foundered in a storm. The rest of this ill-fated expedition, which resulted in the mutiny of the men and their leader's death, belongs to American history. Through the machinations of the Bishop and the Intendant, Frontenac wa.s' recalled, in an evil hour for New France. He could not have held his position so long but for the influence of the King's mistress, Madame de Maintenon, to whom he had the doubtful honour of being related. 'The new Governor-General, De la Barre, arrived at Quebec in 1682. He found that the Iroquois were about to make war on the Illinois allies of the French, and that the English Governor of New York was using every means to incite the Iroquois against New France. He wrote home urgently for succour. He temporized with the Iroquois; flattered them; and let them see that he feared their power. A force of 200, and subse quently a much larger one, arrived from France ; but he had proved himself so thoroughly incompetent for his post at such a critical time, that he was recalled. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 17 and the Marquis de Denonville sent in his place (1686). He brought a reinforce ment of 600 soldiers. He endeavoured to conciliate the Iroquois chiefs; they heard him with silent disdain, although fresh troops were sent from France, and De Denonville had thus an army with which he could have struck a crushing blow at the Iroquois confederacy. De Denonville had recourse to an act dis graceful to his nation, and certain to excite irreconcilable hatred in the Iroquois. Through the agency of Father Lamberville, missionary in the Iroquois country, he enticed a number of Iroquois chiefs to a conference, had them seized, put in chains, and sent them to France to serve as the king's galley slaves. A savage hatred was thus aroused in the minds of the Iroquois. Far and wide they prepared to revenge this breach of faith. With a capricious gener osity seldom recorded in their annals, they sent Father Lamberville, who they knew had been no accomplice in the kidnapping, with the other " men of the black robe " who had missions among them, safe to Montreal. King Louis was ashamed of the breach of international laws, and sent back some other Iroquois prisoners whom De Denonville forwarded. Denonville took the field but accom plished nothing. The colonists, knowing that determined action alone could check the Iroquois, watched with angry discontent Denonville's inaction. Mean while, as the enemy seemed on their part to be inactive, it was hoped that the restoration of their chiefs had pacified them ; but the black cloud was gathering, soon to burst with the deadliest blow that had yet fallen on New France. The summer evening had fallen peaceably on the meadows and gardens of Lachine ; the cattle had been driven home ; all was still in the little village, in whose quaint wooden cottages the hardworking farmers slept sound, wife and children secure beside them. But late in the night a storm of rain and hail blew from the lake, and during the storm, fourteen hundred Iroquois, their faces smeared with war paint, disembarked from their canoes. Silently they sur rounded every house in the village ; with morning dawn the war-whoop was raised, and the inhabitants woke to their doom ; each house was set on fire ; the inmates, if they tried to escape, were captured for further torture. Women and children as they leaped from the flames were speared amid loud laughter. Then began the pillage of the stores, then a feast and orgies held around the opened brandy casks of the Montreal merchants. Had but a small force of Frenchmen come to the rescue, the drunken wolves might have been slaughtered like swine. At nightfall they withdrew to the opposite shore, first uttering yells repeated ninety times to signify the number of prisoners they were carrying away for torture. All through that fearful night the terrified inhabitants could see on the opposite shore the kindled fires and moving figures, for what purposes of nameless horrors they knew too well. The colony seemed paralyzed by this massacre. French power seemed limited to Montreal, Quebec, Three Eivers, and a few fortified posts. The fort built at Cataraqui in Frontenac's time was blown up as untenable. De Denonville gave orders that no attack should be made in reprisal, though several opportunities presented themselves. Denonville was at once recalled, and, happily for New France, the Count de Frontenac was sent to replace him. On October 18, 1689, Frontenac landed at Quebec, and was received with the greatest joy, especially, strange to say, by his old opponents the Jesuits, who 2, 18 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. had long been anxious for his recall. In the meantime, under William and Mary, England had declared war against France, so that to strike a double blow at the Englisli, as well as the Indian enemies of France, Frontenac invaded their colonial territories with three bodies of troops. The first of these surprised and burned Schenectady on the border of New York, and put the inhabitants to the sword". The second marched from Three Rivers upon New Hampshire, and on their return joined forces with the Acadia,n militia, who formed the third division. They then possessed themselves of Kaskebe, a for tified town on the seacoast of Maine. In reprisal the English sent out two squadrons : one took possession of Port Eoyal and Acadia ; the other sailed from Boston with a considerable force of marines to attack Quebec. A land force marched from New York against Montreal. The land expedition, under Sir William Phipps, was a failure through want of supplies and from the vacillation of the Indian allies. But Count Frontenac showed such energy in defending Quebec, which was now the most strongly fortified place in the north, that the British had to retire baffled, leaving their cannon. The Iroquois were now tired of fighting, and permitted Frontenac to rebuild the fort at Cataraqui without hindrance ; but to teach them a further lesson, another force was sent into their country to burn villages and destroy grain. The war with England, " King William's War," ended with the Treaty of Eys- wick in 1697, by which France retained Canada, Cape Breton and the Lauren- tian Islands : Newfoundland, Acadia, and the Hudson Bay territory were ceded to Britain. The loss of these latter was in no way attributable to the people of New France, but to the reverses which the ambition of King Louis had brought upon him in his contest with England and her allies. In the fullness of fame De Frontenac died, 78 years old, at Quebec, where he lies buried. Under his successor, De Callieres, a general meeting of the Iroquois and other chiefs was held at Montreal. After the usual speeches and feasting, a treaty of peace and alliance was signed by the chiefs, who, as they could not write, made a picture of the animal which his tribe took for its sign or totem, a wolf, a bear, or porcupine. This took place in 1701. In 1703 the Marquis de Vaudreuil came to Canada as Governor, when although " Queen Anne's War " broke out between England and France, Canada enjoyed all the blessings of peace. The Iroquois also ceased their incursions. It was found necessary, however, to add considerably to the strength of the fortifications of Quebec and Montreal. An attempt was made by the English under General Nicholson to march from Albany to the Canadian frontier, but they returned home on hearing that the fleet sent from England to co-operate with their movement had been wrecked. Great v;as the joy of the Quebec people, who volunteered a large sum towards adding to the defences. This war ended with the peace of Utrecht, by which Canada was, as before, retained by France. In 1717 another tribe, the Tuscaroras, joined the Iroquois, who since then have been known as the Six Nation Indians. Many reforms were carried out by De Vaudreuil, and the colony under his rule grew in prosperit}^ and popula tion ; he divided the entire country into 82 parishes, apd did much to reform THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 19 and facilitate the administration of justice. The population of Canada now amounted to 25,000. Commerce with France had very much increased. Canada sent furs, lumber, tobacco, grain, peas, and pork ; receiving in exchange wine, brandy, and dry goods. There was no system of education, but the numerous convents to some degree supplied that deficiencj^ In 1726 Baron de Beauharnois succeeded as Governor to Vaudreuil, who had died after a rule of twenty-one years. The Indians were now no longer formidable ; they lived on friendly terms with the French settlers, and the labours and martyrdom of the missionaries were bearing rich fruit in the great change brought about in the conduct and manners of their converts. In 1731 some traders from Montreal explored the region now known as Manitoba, and built a trading fort near where Winnipeg now stands. They also went as far as the Eocky Mountains. The Conquest of Canada. The Marquis de la Jonquiere, Admiral of France, having been defeated and captured in an engagement at sea by the English, the Count de la Galissonniere was appointed until his release could be effected. Just before the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, ended the war which had broken out again between England and France in 1745, this Governor had the boundaries of the French colonial possessions defined by sending an officer, with three hundred men, who marked the limit from Detroit, running south-east as far as the Ohio Eiver, leaded tablets, bearing inscriptions, being buried at intervals along the line. In 1745 this Governor succeeded in inducing many of the Frencli inhabitants of Acadia to remove to Isle St. Jean, now Prince Edward Island. Their place was supplied by threa thousand eight hundred colonists sent from England by the Earl of Halifax, in honour of whom the city then founded was called Halifax. In 1749 De la Jonquiere, being released, came out to Quebec as Governor. He was, unlike the noble-minded men who had preceded him since Count Frontenac, of a grasping and mean disposition. His last days were embittered by quarrels with the Jesuits, who transmitted such accounts of his unfair dealing to France that he would have been recalled but that he died at Quebec, where he was buried beside Frontenac and Vau dreuil, 1752. In this Governor's time, and as a military counterpoise to Fort Oswego, acquired by the English, a fortified post was constructed on Lake Ontario, called Raioulle, after the French Minister of JNlarine, or by its Indian name, Toronto, " the harbour." Scarce any remains of it can now be traced, except a mound, where there was once a rampart. Its site was west of the present city, near the Toronto Exhibition grounds. The Marquis Duquesne de Menneville next held office. It was plain that war between France and England was imminent, and that the battle-ground would be either Canada or the New England colonies. Munitions of war, artillery, and soldiers were sent from France in abundance. It was the wish of Duquesne, as it had been of the ablest French politicians, since the rapid and ¦vigorous advance to power of the English colonies, to connect Canada with Louisiana and the French possessions in the south, and thus prevent the English colonies from advancing westward. 20 history of brant county. With this view Duquesne sent a detachment of soldiers to fortify posts on the Ohio and the Alleghanies. The Governor of Virginia considered this an encroachment by the French on English territory, and with the aid of the Virginian House of Burgesses, raised a body of militia, which was sent to hold the forks of the Ohio and the Monongahela. They were under the com mand of a young Virginian surveyor and soldier, who had several years before traversed all that region on a surveying expedition. They had began to work at constructing a fort, when the French troops arrived in superior force and drove them away. The French finished the work, and named the place Fort Duquesne. Washington then erected a post, which he named Fort Necessity, but from the small force at his command he was compelled to surrender it. Thus began what is called the "French War," but as the formal declaration of hostilities broke out in 1756, it is known in English history as the Seven Years' War. The Iroquois Indians wavered much as to which side they would take, wishing, as usual, to take the part of the winners. Washington, on his sur veying expedition shortly before this, had come into contact with these Indians, and had a narrow escape of his life. At length, however, the savages made^ up their minds that the sword of King George would weigh heaviest in the scale, and sided with the British. Duquesne's efforts at reform, and his devotion to the real interests of the colony, made him many enemies. But, in fact, public morality had fallen to a very low ebb in New France. The pay given to ', public officers was so small and so irregularly paid, that they considered themselves justified in reimbursing themselves at the public expense. Then the Governors-General held a monopoly of granting licenses to sell spirits to the Indians, which of course brought enormous profits. The finances were in hopeless confusion, the Indian trade was in the hands of corrupt officials. The Intendants had the greatest opportunities of all for enriching themselves at the public expense ; and the woi'st of all Intendants — he who has been well called by our Lower Canadian historian, Garneau, " the evil genius of Canada " — was now in power. It is on record that in the course of his corrupt administration this man amassed no less a sum thau £40.0,000 sterling. Meanwhile preparations for war went on. The French were at a disadvantage because of the bankrupt condition of the treasury of Louis XV. The Iroquois would be a formidable addition to the English arms ; still, there were sufficient troops in Canada, and a large number of the friendly Indians were reliable. On word being sent to the colonies to prepare for hostilities, a congress of the colonials was held, at which Benjamin Franklin proposed a confederation of the colonies. His project was not, however, entertained ; but the colonial militia were armed and trained, and the Mother Country sent out subsidies, and two regiments under General Braddock, who had seen service in the late wars under the Duke of Cumberland. Mortified at the annoyance caused by Bigot and others, Duquesne requested to be recalled, in order to re-enter the naval service. His successor, the last French Governor of Canada, was Pierre Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil His father, the Vaudreuil whose rule had been so beneficial, was very unlike the son. He allowed wheat to be shipped off to the West Indies for the benefit of Bigot THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 21 and other officials ; the fur trade was getting poorer, all the men in the colony were under arms, and in consequence agricultural work of the most necessary kind was left undone. There was not sufficient food ; what there was rose to starvation prices. The people not unjustly laid the blame of all upon the Government, and it was probably the English conquest alone which saved New France from a miniature French Eevolution. But news came that Braddock's expedition, his two English regiments and the Colonial Militia, had been surprised amid the woods by a party of French and Indians. Braddock was killed, and the few who escaped were enabled to retreat only by the coolness and courage of Colonel Washington. This gave heart to the French, and secured the support of their Indian allies. An English expedition failed to take Fort Niagara. The French, on the other hand, when from their entrenchments at Ticonderoga they attacked the Eng lish position on Lake George, -were routed with the loss of their general. In 1756, Lonis XV. sent out the Marquis de Montcalm as commander-in-chief for Canada. This gallant defender of a hopeless cause was the representative of one of the oldest families in the French noblesse. He had served with honour in many of the European wars. He brought to Canada a large body of reinforcements, with provisions and abundant supplies of arms and ammu nition. With him came the Chevalier, afterwards Duke de Levis, also M. De Bougainville, who was destined to win fame in future years as a navigator. At the same time the British Government sent out, as commander-in-chief, the Earl of Loudon, with a force of regular troops. The first success was with JNIontcalm, who reduced and demolished the forts at Ontario and Oswego. It is to be regretted that the murder of many of the English captured on this occasion should stain an illustrious name. All along the English colonial frontier now raged the horrors of an Indian war. No farm house, no village on the border of New England or Maine, was safe from the scalping-knives of Indians, or of Canadians as savage as Indians. Fort Henry too was captured by Montcalm, and the Iroquois, false as ever to unfortunate allies, were on the point of deserting to the French. From this, however, they were restrained by the influence of William Johnson, afterwards so distinguished by the suc cess achieved by the force under his command in the military operations on Lake George. This extraordinary man held a position with regard to the Indians without parallel among English-speaking men of any position in society. Among the French colonists it was common enough that a gentle man of good lineage should marry an Indian wife. Such marriages were, as a rule, happy, and from them are descended some of the best known families in French Canada. But most Englishmen would have thought it a degrada tion to admit a daughter of the red race to a higher position than concubinage. William Johnson, however, lived among the Iroquois, and had so perfectly assimilated their language and customs, that they regarded him as one of themselves, a great chief, a bold rider, a sure marksman, powerful on the war path and in the council. He was to them a combination of Achilles and Ulysses. In order to protect the position he had won, Johnson built a fort, which he named Fort William Henry. But notwithstanding this success, it was felt that during the years 1755-1756 the advantage had been mainly on the side of France. 22 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Meanwhile, distress increased throughout Canada. Bigot and his accom plices made the ruin of their countrymen the extortioner's opportunity. " Bigot," Montcalm wrote, " has got the whole trade of the colony in his hands. He orders from France whatever Canada is likely to need, and in the name of the ' great society,' which consists of himself and his creatures, he retails the public stores at whatever price he chooses to put upon them." Meantime, famine was pressing hard the women and children whose bread-winners were fighting with Montcalm's army. Even in the cities articles of food had risen in price a hundred and fifty per cent. In Quebec the whole population were put on starvation allowance, and it was a common thing to see people fainting in the city streets from the want of food. Meanwhile, the extreme scarcity of specie gave Bigot an excuse for issuing paper money, by which device he robbed the colony wholesale. It was repudiated by Louis XV. several years afterwards. In fact, everyone among the officials saw that the coming of the British armies was the beginning of the end, and made haste to get rich while there was yet time. It is satisfactory to know that Bigot, on his return to France, was thrown into the Bastile, and afterwards exiled. A change of Government meantime was taking place in England. The un popular Court favourite, Lord Bute, was displaced, and the great and liberal- minded statesman, William Pitt, became Prime Minister. The public spirit of England, depressed by the late reverses in Canada, responded to his call, and the nation stood united as one man in the resolve that, cost what it would, the French should be driven from North America. Supplies were cheerfully voted, fleets and armies sent forth to conquer. In France a very different spirit prevailed. The infamous Madame de- Pompadour, the chief mistress in the French King's harem, hated Canada. It cost more than it was worth, she said. Money was sent out there which could have been more pleasantly spent in Paris. And here was the Governor of Canada again piteously asking for money and soldiers. He was refused, for Madame so willed it. That was the Reign of Prostitution, and it was succeeded by the Eeign of Terror. At this time a fleet was sent against Nova Scotia and Cape Breton under Admiral Boscawen, with General Amherst, and a young officer, whose genius Mr. Pitt's sagacity had discerned under a modest studious demeanour and a fragile constitution. They sailed for Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. Louis- burg was taken after a determined resistance by M. De la Tour, the Gov ernor. The fortifications were in a state all but ruinous ; the walls between the bastions had crumbled away ; there was but a single bombproof casemate and one magazine. The chief defence of the place was the harbour, which could be easily barred against an enemy's entrance, while^ even should an entrance be effected, the difficulty of disembarking troops was great. The Governor took measures to avail himself of these natural advantages, but the British by a feint effected a landing. Wolfe, by a remarkable anticipation of his tactics at Quebec, with a hundretl men scaled a height hitherto thought inac cessible, and undismayed by the waves that threatened to dash their boats on the rocks, and facing the storm of flame and lead, they effected an orderly debarkation, and took up a position commanding the town. For days the defenders of Louisburg returned the fire of the batteries erected by the English, THE DOMINION OF CAN.A.DA. 23 and fought with determined courage in sortie after sortie. Madame De la Tour, a high-born lady, the Governor's wife, passed and repassed among the batteries amid the storm of shot and shell to cheer her country's soldiers. But in vain ; the Governor, at the prayer of the town's people, who feared a general assault by the English general, and that their homes would -be given up to the horrors of a sack, consented to capitulate. Honourable terms were given to these brave men ; and thus did Louisburg, with the whole of Cape Breton and Prince Edward, pass into the hands of Great Britain. Meanwhile General Abercromby, who had succeeded the less capabls Loudon, advanced on the chain of forts which were the key to the St. Lawrence. He had with him the largest army that had ever gathered in America, over six thousand regular troops and nine thousand militia.. Montcalm, to meet the British advance, moved from Carillon towards Lake George. A skirmish took place in which the gallant Lord Howe lost his life. Montcalm, perceiving the intention of Abercromby -to move on Canada by Carillon, defiled his troops in that direction — it was there he had determined to give battle. His force was much inferior in numbers, his men were ill fed and dispirited, yet, like the Spartan hero of old, he resolved not to give up the pass that protected his country without a struggle. The outlet of Lake George, called La Chute Eiver, and Lake Champlain, into which it flows, form a triangle, called Carillon, on 'the river side of which the banks form a steep precipice, while the land slopes gently towards the lake. At the apex of the triangle was a small fort commanding the water approach. On this position ^Montcalm entrenched his army ; his men worked with a will ; the front of their lines was defended by a line of felled trees whose truncated branches, stripped of their leaves and pointing outwards, constituted a sort of natural chevaux-de-frise. On Abercromby's observing Montcalm's movement, he was misled by information received from prisoners' into supposing that Montcalm's object in thus intrenching his force was to gain time, as he expected large reinforcements. Under this mistaken impression Abercromby resolved to storm the intrenched position at once. He led the attack with four columns, supported by armed barges on the river. The British advanced supported by a heavy fire, to which the French, by Montcalm's order, did not reply till the enemy had come within three hundred yards. He was well obeyed. As the British line reached the appointed distance the deadly volley flashed upon the assailants, so that, brave as they were, their line reeled before it in disorder. Meantime the cannon from the fort had sunk the barges advancing to support Abercromby from the river. Again the brave English reformed their ranks, and sprang to the attack, again to be repulsed. With the dogged courage that "does not know when it is beaten," the British twice returned to climb the slope ; later in the day, Abercromby advanced to the assault with his whole army, each time to be swept back by the deadly rain of bullets. At length the defeat was complete, great as had been the gallantry shown by the British, especially by the Highlanders under Lord John Murray. For Montcalm it was a glorious victory. With a force of 3,600 men he had beaten back in utter rout a well appointed army of 15,000. All through the battle he had thrown himself where the fight was hottest, supporting every weak point as it was hard pressed. 24 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Abercromby's defeat was in part redeemed to the British by the surprise of Fort Frontenac, successfully accomplished by Colonel Bradstreet about the same time. The fort was only held by 70, the British force was 3,000, but the French Commandant, M. de Noyau, refused to surrender till shelled out by the British mortars. Bradstreet released his prisoners and demolished the fort, which was a most important acquisition, the key to Lake Ontario. During the year 1758, though the material advantages were on the side of the British, the military glory of Montcalm was incomparably greater. Meantime the shadow of famine and financial ruin grew darker over New France. Food became even more scarce than the year before. It is painful to read the description of the prevailing destitution, of the want of supplies for his men, of the patient courage with which the soldiers of Canada fought, though unpaid and scarce fed. He passionately begged for more troops. In vain. The France to which he appealed was ruled by a harlot. The British well knew the dissensions and destitution that prevailed in Canada, and wisely resolved to strike a blow at the centres of the French power. Already Fort Duquesne had fallen into the hands of General ForbeS; It was well known to the French ministry that the British forces far outnum bered what France could possibly bring into the field. Again and again did Montcalm plead with the selfish voluptuary who wore the crown of St. Louis the urgent need of help. The Canadian colonists, to the .number of ten thou sand, stood to their arms in the face of famine. Neither men, money, nor food were sent from France. Mr. Pitt had devised a plan for a simultaneous attack on the three most vital points of New France — Niagara, Montreal and Quebec. General Amherst drove the French, first from Ticonderoga, then from Crown Point, but was prevented by the approach of winter from attempting further oper ations. At the same time. Sir William Johnson, who had been knighted by the English king for his victory over the French in 1755, attacked Niagara. Here also the French were defeated, and the ancient fort, whose ruins are still among the sights of one of our pleasantest summer resorts, passed into the hands of the British. In February, a fleet under the command of Admiral Saunders sailed from England for Quebec, the chief command being assigned, by Mr. Pitt's special choice, to Major-General Wolfe. The latter was a young officer, the son of a distinguished soldier of the armies which had fought under Marlborough. Of thin, slight figure, with more of the student than the warrior both in his dis position and appearance, with a refinement and delicacy of taste only too alien to the manners of the " army from Flanders" which he was called on to command, Wolfe had yet the instinct of genius, already tested at Louisburg, and appreciated by the great minister who redeemed the future of English liberty. The fleet touched at Nova Scotia for reinforcements, and on July 25 8,000 men were landed on the Island of Orleans. Within the city founded by Champlain, and consecrated by the sainted founders of the Ursulines, were Montcalm and 12,000 men. Everything was against them ; insufficient food, clothing and ammunition, and the enemy's force so overwhelming that it was a'cknowledged by both Bigot and Montcalm that Canada could not be held for another year. Already the English artillery THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 25 had occupied Point Levis, and were cannonading the lower part of the city with their heaw ordnance. There is something touching in the loyalty of these French colonists to a country and a king who desired nothing better than to get rid of them. The Eiver St. Lawrence seems to dwarf everything else except Montreal and Quebec. But Quebec can assert its own individuality eyen against Canada's mightiest river. On the evening of July 1, Wolfe sailed past Cape Diamond almost within musket shot of the city, enjoying the tranquil beauty of the scene, and from time to time reading a newly published poem by one Mr. Gray, of Cambridge, entitled " An Elegy in a Country Churchyard." There were probably few officers under his command who could have shared his tastes. For five weeks, Wolfe's army lay inactive before Quebec. At last a most ill- advised attempt was made to force the French intrenchments above the Mont morency at Beauport ; it was a movement which had nothing but its audacity to recommend it. And lastly, a Colonel Townshend devised a plan of scaling the heights above Quebec by a narrow winding pass which had been discovered, and when Wolfe had risen from his sick-bed this plan was generally considered to be worth trjang. It suited well with the General's adventurous disposition. Had the geese that saved the Roman Capitol been on the scene when company after company climbed the narrow stairs that skirts the precipice, the English con quest might have been delayed though not averted. But this time Wolfe's rash move succeeded. Eegiment after regiment stood formed in battle array. The' only question was, what were they to do ? They had no artillery wherewith to attack a fortified city, and were in fact at the mercy of Montcalm's troops, and out of the reach of support from their own fleet, -wdiich was now at Cape Rouge. But by some inexplicable impulse, Montcalm played into the hands of the enemy by meeting them in the open field. A desperate struggle ensued, fought mostly at the bayonet point ; at four in the afternoon it was found that the am munition of the French was exhausted, and that the brave Montcalm was mortally wounded. Wolfe too was shot, and died on the battlefield. Montcalm was carried to the convent of the Ursulines ; there, in the garden where Marie de I'ln- earnation and Madame de la Peltrie gathered the white roses, the conqueror of Carillon rests. Four days after the battle on the plains of Abraham, Quebec was surrendered to the English. The garrison was allowed to march out with the honours of war, and were conveyed to the nearest port in France. . Meantime the French force at Montreal, numbering upwards of ten thousand, moved upon Quebec, and General Murray, who had been left in command of the British army at Quebec, repeated Montcalm's mistake of meeting a superior force in the open field. The result was that the English were defeated with great loss, but were able to secure their retreat within the city. The French were preparing to besiege Quebec when the British fleet came to its relief During the night of May 16, 1760, the French army raised the siege of Quebec, having ' thrown its artillery into the St. Lawrence. With the abandonment of the last siege of Quebec ended the resistance of French Canada to the English conquest. The men of the Canadian Militia returned to their homes to share with the French soldiers billeted upon them the scanty food that was left. Not only had the French King refused to send 26 HLSTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. soldiers, but his bankrupt treasury was even reduced to the meanness of refus ing to repay the advances which the Canadian colonists had made to the Go vernment. The paper money put into circulation by Bigot was worthless, and there was no other currency in circulation. The French General, M- de Levis, wrote to King Louis XV. : " The paper money is entirely discredited, and the people are in despair about it. They have sacrificed their all for the conserva tion of Canada ; now they find themselves ruined, resourceless." Even gunpowder had failed when three large armies were about to move on Quebec, Montreal, and Three Rivers.. The French Canadian colonists had loyally upheld the white flag of Bourbon France till food and the materials for fighting failed. While King Louis threw diamonds to the danseuses of the Pare au Cerfs, the descendants of the Breton and Norman settlers in Canada, amid starvation, the oppression of unjust taxes, and the presence of a rich and well-equipped enemy, upheld to the last the supremacy of the ungrateful Mother Country. At last even Bigot and Vaudreuil said that the time for capitulation had come. On September 8, 1766, Canada passed under the rule of Britain. Madame de Pompadour laughed at the cession of a few thousand acres of ice. But never did a subjugated people receive better terms. They were not only guaranteed immunity from all injury or retaliation, but free exercise of their religion, and what amounted to a virtual establishment of the Catholic Church, with all its religious organizations. The officers of the French army who had been in charge of Detroit and other posts withdrew to Europe. The small number of these — 1 85 officers, 2,400 soldiers — shows how slight were the efforts made by France to retain a colony, of which, when leaving Canada, M. de Vaudreuil wrote : " With these beautiful and vast countries France loses 70,000 inhabitants of a rare quality, a race of people unequalled for their docility, bravery and loyalty. The vexations they have suffered for many years, more especially during the five years preceding the reduction of Quebec, all without a murmur, or importuning their King for relief, sufficiently manifest their perfect submissiveness." So Canada changed masters after a century and a half of French rule. The French clergy had conquered heathenism. The French, or rather the native Canadian army, had held its own against the English troops, which out numbered it tenfold, from Louisburg to Lake Erie. The Chevalier de Levis returned with the remnant of Montcalm's army to France, when he was created a Duke, and lived in great honour and prosperity. His letters to the French Minister pay a marked tribute to the soldier-like qualities of the native Canadian Militia. Had the Canadians been matched on equal terms with Mr. Pitt's well-fed and well-paid soldiers, had the English not numbered ten to their one, the result might have been otherwise. Thus was virtually decided the question as to whether England or France should possess a country as large as half the European continent. Either nation was worthily represented by the opposing chiefs. It is to be hoped that war will be banished from the future of our country. Should it be otherwise, there can be no nobler traditions of heroism than those associated with the names of Wolfe and Montcalm. The command of the French army now devolved on the Chevalier de Levis, an officer of great ability, who had been Montcalm's most trusted lieutenant. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 27 His wish was to advance, under cover of the woods, on the English position' but this was frustrated by the sudden and unexpected capitulation of Quebec, now almost reduced to a heap of ruins by the long-continued bombardment. Thus closed the eventful campaign of 1759. Great was the rejoicing in England over this important conquest, for although the contest was continued for some time in Canada, the decisive blow had been struck, and Canadian history has no further concern with the details of a lost cause. If France had been willing to help New France in her determined resistance to the English invasion, the contest might have ended otherwise. But the corrupt French Government was already bankrupt. The worn out noblesse, clinging to their privilege of exemption from taxation, were no worthy peers of Montcalm or De Levis. On September 8, 1760, the capitulation was signed which placed Canada under British rule. The free exercise of their religion was guaranteed to the subjugated people. Certain religious orders were secured in the possession of their property and privi leges ; the seigneurs retained their feudal rights. M. de Vaudrueil and M. de Levis returned to France ; the latter served with distinction in the French army, was created a Duke, and died in 1787, while presiding at one of their provincial meetings which preceded the Eevolution, at Arras, the city of Eobespierre. Madame de Pompadour and her creatures rejoiced over the loss of Canada. " The English have gained a few thousand acres of ice." Strange to say, Voltaire, in his luxurious exile at Ferney, celebrated the capitulation of Quebec with a banquet. The philosopher foresaw in the loss to France an incalculable gain to humanity. He foresaw the American Eevolution and all its train of results, yet perhaps undeveloped, in Europe. Canada During the American Eevolution. The next twenty years were passed under a military government, which, however, gave the Canadians a security and freedom from the evils of warfare and conscription long unknown to them. The British rule became identified with peace and prosperity. Never before had the Canadian people enjoyed such advantages. Their numbers, on the capitulation of Quebec, were esti mated at 69,275, and the Christianized Indians at 7,400. Now, at last, the fraudulent transactions of the late Government were brought to light ; frauds, it must be remembered, by which not the French King, who simply repudiated his debts, but every farmer who had used the paper money circulated in the French King's name, had to suffer. The ruin, worse than that of war, inflicted on Canada by this royal fraud is estimated at £3,000,000. Shortly after the capitulation, and under the military rule of General Murray, some of the» French officers left, in Canada succeeded in persuading an Ottawa chief named Pontiac to attack the British posts at Detroit and the other frontier posts. Pontiac, like Tecumseh and Thayendanegea, was one of those remarkable men who seem to have overstepped the gulf between savagery and civilization. In his plan for a simultaneous attack on every British out post, from Lake Michigan to Niagara, he showed a power of combination and a faculty for planning extensive operations rarely exhibited by his people. His measures for supplying his army with provisions, his wisdom in protect- 28 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. ing the farmers from his marauding followers, his issue of a birch-bark cur rency, faithfully redeemed with its equivalent in furs, mark this wonderful savage as one of those figures which rebuke our civilized contempt for their race. But with all his gifts, Pontiac was an Indian ; his tactics were those of his race. A combined movement was to be made on every English post, Pontiac to lead by surprising Detroit. Fortunately, the English commandant had an intrigue with an Indian girl, who gave him warning of the intended surprise. But many of the other forts were taken, with the usual atrocities. One English lady, the wife of an officer, was struck in the face with the reek ing scalp of her husband. She escaped by some miracle, and returned to the ruins of her home to bury her husband's body and then seek refuge in Detroit. Never in the history of Indian warfare was an attack on the power of the white men so ably conceived and so steadily carried out as that which the brilliant American historian, Mr. Parkinson, has well designated " The Conspi racy of Pontiac." But it failed. The Indian scalping-knife was no match for the British bayonet. Wherever the outposts were weak, where a few men and a few women could be surprised, the Indians succeeded. But Detroit, Niagara and Pittsburg repulsed every assault of the savages. In 1764, General Bradstreet relieved the siege of Pittsburg. Pontiac lost credit with his followers, and had to fly from Canada. He sought shelter among the Indians of Illinois, and this last chief of independent Indian warfare died at the hands of one of his tribe in a drunken quarrel. The growing prosperity of Canada did much to reconcile the people to English rule, although there was some discontent at the continuance of mili tary government, and the substitution of English for French law. It is difficult to ascertain the true condition of public opinion in Canada during the latter part of the decade which succeeded the conquest. It is true that the first issue of the Quebec Gazette appeared on June 21, 1764, containing printed matter in English as well as French, but its publisher was enjoined to confine its columns to a mere summary, of events, no editorial comment being allowed. The French Canadians were very much depressed by the heavy loss caused by the repudiation of Bigot's paper currency. They also felt severely the abro gation of their language and of the native legal forms and courts, and the virtual exclusion of those professing the Catholic religion from office. In 1765 there were in Canada 70,000 Catholics to 500 Protestant English. The latter from the first formed a party hostile to French interests, and indisposed to permit any measures of religious toleration. General Murray, who may be regarded as the first Governor-General,- uniformly sided with the cause of the French Canadians, and endeavoured to secure them in the possession of what liberty the laws allowed. He represented to the English mmistry the absurdity of choosing all the public officials from the ranks of a small Pro testant minority, mostly traders and men who were uneducated, and that allowing these persons to assume supremacy as a privileged class must alien ate the French, especially the seigneurs. Every year the influx of colonists of British blood continued to increase. As a result of this, we find that in 1771, 471,000 bushels of wheat were exported, an amount double that of any former year. The British colonists desired to Anglicize everything ; to force on the minority their own church, language and customs. Had England permitted THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 29^ they would have treated the Canadians much as the Anglo-Irish Protestants had treated the Catholic Celts, and with the same odious and bitter results. Their policy of persecution was thwarted by the good sense of Governor Murray, who incurred thereby their bitter hatred. To such a degree was- this carried that the home authorities were forced to recall him. In one of the representative assemblies which were allowed to meet, as occasion i arose, on petition from the people, Murray allowed Eoman Catholics to sit, where upon tierce attacks were made on his personal character. He went to England, where he triumphantly vindicated his policy before a committee of the Privy Council, but Canada was to lose his valuable services. He returned to our country no more. In 1766 Sir Guy Carleton was appointed Governor, and by direction of the English ministry pursued Murray's policy of conciliation to the Canadians. In 1770,' reports furnished by Murray and Carleton were examined before a commission empowered to investigate the condition of Canada, and such lawyers as the able and tolerant-minded Wedderburn pleaded the right of Canadians to enjoy entire toleration in religion, the exercise of their own laws and cus toms, except in criminal cases, and the use of their own language in all public business. In 1774, the celebrated " Quebec Act " was passed by the Imperial Parlia ment, by which the French Canadians were granted the jurisdiction of the old French law, as laid down in the edicts of the French Kings and of the Colonial Intendants. This law is founded mainly on the old Roman civil law, as codi fied by the Emperor Justinian, and is in many respects simpler and more in accordance with free institutions than the English common law, which is essen tially feudal. Judges were henceforth to be chosen from among the French Canadians as being competent to administer these laws, and the French lan guage was directed to be used in all courts of law. But in criminal trials the English criminal law was to be used, with its invariable accompaniment, trial by jury. The Governor retained supreme executive power, but he was to be assisted by a council appointed by himself, of not more than twenty-three nor less than seventeen. All legislative power was given to the Governor-in- CouncU, except the right of taxation. Equality before the law, and the right. of holding office, was" given to Catholics as well as Protestants. The feudal privileges of the seigneurs were expressly guaranteed to them. By this well- timed concession the British Government secured the support of the two ruling- classes in French Canada, the priests and the seigneurs, and Canada was retained as a stronghold for English power afnid the rising flood of American revolution. It was not the native French Canadians but the British born protected settlers who sympathized with the revolt. We of English speech cannot but regard the British Canadian colonists as in the right, in spite of their religious intolerance. It will be g.ood for Canada to be Anglicized and to have the reactionary influence of the Church and the feudal system swept away ; the day will come yet, we believe, when the change wall accomplish itself by the infiltration of French Canadians with English-speaking settlers, and by the tide of modern ideas, with which a mediaeval theology is incompatible. But the time was not ripe for the change, nor were these the men to work it out. They -wanted personal objects, not 30 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. political, and sought to overthrow Catholicity not in the interests of modern enlightenment but of an established State Church. Before a genuine move ment for liberty could take place, the great American revolution had to run its glorious course, and to bring with it to our country its consequence — the settlement of English-speaking Canada. The American Revolution. The great political event of the century was the Eevolution, which began with the meeting of the first Congress, in September, 1774, whose direct result was the French Eevolution and the revolt of the modern intellect against feudalism throughout the world. The Congress, among other addresses, sent one to Canada, inviting their co-operation. An American partisan, who was also a Jesuit priest, was sent to win over the clergy to the cause of the thirteen colonies. But, with a true instinct, the men of the black robe dis trusted a movement which based itself on the rights, of man. England had secured to them the supremacy of their Church, which a Eepublican success might endanger. The seigneurs did not approve of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. These two classes, the clergy and the colonial noblesse, adhered steadfastly to British connection, and their' influence over the uneducated peasantry was such, that not even when later in the war their ancestral France sided with the Republic, not when Lafayette appealed to their French loyalty and to the old traditions, did any considerable section of them desire inde pendence. One reason of this, no doubt, was the fact that Congrtess, among other statements of grievances against the British Government, had declaimed against the toleration granted to Catholicity by the Quebec Act, thus making an impression on the Canadian mind not to be effaced by any subsequent pro testations of good-will. There were other minor causes — the power of Britain, the probable failure of the American armies, even the attempt to introduce a paper currency among the people, who had suffered a loss not to be forgotten by Bigot's fraud ; and there is evidence that the Americans, true to the self- assertion of our English-speaking race, were apt to deal in a somewhat peremptory manner with Canadian prejudices. But of the English-born settlers in Canada a considerable number sided with America. In viewing from the stand-point of the Canada of to-day the events of that great controversy, our sympathies must be given, and given without reserve, to the men who led into the field the brave soldiers of New England, rather than to the dull-witted Hanoverian King, who tried to play in America the part of Charles the Fifth or Philip the Second. The present writer's grand father fought as a midshipman in a brigade from the Eoyal Navy in the attacking force, which learned to respect the marksmanship of the Massa chusetts farmers, with their heavy pea-rifles, at Bunker's Hill. So few generations separate us from scenes that have become part of the historic past. Some of the actors in the War of Independence pass over the stage of Canadian history. Congress resolved on an invasion of Canada from two directions. Lake Champlain and the Kennebec Eiver. The rash and impetuous Arnold, the Judas of American independence, offered to take all Canada with some ten THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 31 thousand men, having by his seizure of Fort Ticonderoga secured the command of Lake Champlain and then of the entrance to the Laurentian Valley. The Congress expected that the Canadians would be discontented with the British rule, and only too glad to exercise their well proved valour against the alien conquerors. Three thousand men were gathered at Lake Champlain under the gallant General Montgomery, one of Wolfe's old officers at Quebec. Montgomery was charged to pay every respect to the feelings of the French Canadians, and to pay for all supplies. The latter, however, was not in his power, as the Canadians refused to take the paper currency issued by Congress even at its depreciated value. Montgomery was a leader well calculated to win the confidence of the Canadians, whom he treated with the utmost courtesy. His first move was on Fort Chambly, in which parish the majority of the inhabit ants sympathized with the Americans ; this and Fort St. John he took after a determined resistance. Meantime the Catholic Bishop of Quebec, true to absolutism even in a heretic king, fulminated a proclamation exhorting all Catholics to be loyal to England and to oppose the American invader. The seigneurs too, without exception, sided with the monarch who had secured to them their privileges. The Chambly parishioners, however, joined an American force under Brown and Livingston, which effected the reduction of the Fort of Chambly. A daring attempt by Colonel Ethan Allen and Major Brown to surprise Montreal failed from want of sufficient force to effect it. Allen was taken prisoner and sent to England in irons. In the meantime, Colonel Benedict Arnold marched from Maine by the River Kennebec with over one thousand men. He was so insufficiently provided with supplies throughout the difficult and toilsome march, that his men subsisted mainly on what wild fruit they could gather. They were even glad to make use of dogs as food. On November 9, 1775, after some delay from want of transports to cross the river, and seeing that he could not surprise the Quebec garrison, and that Colonel Maclean was fully prepared to resist him, he marched up the north, shore of the St. Lawrence to Pointe aux Trembles. Sir Guy Carleton was, however, drawn by this movement of Arnold's to repair at once with the only force at his disposal to the defence of Quebec, on which Montgomery immediately took possession of Montreal. This brilliant success of the American aims was attained with small loss of men, and greatly raised the prestige of the armies, whom an English member of Parliament had described as " cowardly colonists." From captured Montreal the victorious Montgomery marched east to effect a junction with Arnold. The united armies proceeded to assault Quebec. Carleton had a very inferior force wherewith to conduct the defence ; stUl, he held the strongest fortress on the continent, and was well supplied with provisions. The Americans lacked everything — food, clothing, artillery. Those who are familiar with the soldier-like blue and grey uniforms of the United States army of to-day, will hardly realize the appearance in 1775 of the soldiers who invested Quebec. Uniform properly called they had none ; a branch of cedar worn in their hats, or a white kerchief tied round their neck, alone distinguished the soldiers of Congress. Their ranks were at this time thinned by an epidemic of small-pox, to meet which they had neither medical aid nor 32 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. hospital accommodation. And in addition to other annoyances, Montgomery had to bear with the jealous and contentious temper of his subordinate, Arnold. The night of the last day of 1775 was unusually dark, not a star visible, and a heavy snow-storm falling. This was chosen by Montgomery for an attack on the city with the entire force of his army, now not numbering more than thir teen hundred available men. Two divisions were formed and led by himself, the other by Arnold. They were to send two detachments which should distract the attention of the garrison by a feigned attack on St. John's gate, while they were to penetrate the Lower Town, and thence mount to the citadel. But deserters from their ranks had told the English governor that a sudden night attack was intended, and the garrison were well on the watch. Montgomery had marched with difficulty over a narrow pass where but two men could walk abreast between cliff and strand ; he had, however, reached the outer barrier of Pres-de- Ville, but on rea-ehing the next found his way barred by a battery of seven cannon, each artilleryman expectant at his post with lighted match. 'There was but one hope : foUowed by his officers and men, Montgomery charged the foe. When they were but a few yards from the battery, the officer in command gave the word to fire. Facing the storm of grape-shot and flame, Montgomery rushed on sword in hand. But the terrible volley of grape-shot did its work. Montgomery lay dead, with his two aides-de-camp, and a number of officers and men. Most of Arnold's divisions were compelled to surrender. It is pleasant to record that the English Governor had the remains of Montgomery interred with military honours. Arnold was now appointed by " Congress, to the chief command in Canada,'^ and -with his diminished and almost starving troops continued to invest Quebec. The tactics of the British were those of Fabius ; they sustained the siege being certain of reinforcements, which arrived early in May, when Arnold, who though a soldier of some dash was not able to play the part of Wolfe," hastily retired from besieging the capital of Cana'da. When France resolved on aiding America with men and money, a French expedition to Canada was contemplated ; but it never had any chance of success- in winning the support of the French colonists, who had learned to appreciate the freedom and prosperity which they enjoyed under the mild rule of England,. as compared with the harsh military sway of a despotic monarch and his lieu tenants. With the war which ended in the victories which established the freedom of the greatest of republics, Canadian history has no further connection. The Settlement of English-Speaking Canada. The keen-sightedness of Voltaire, who foresaw in the British conquest of Canada the separation of the American colonies from Britain, and, as a further result, a mortal blow to despotism in every part of the world, was fully justified by events. Another consequence followed which the great prophet of persiflage djd not foresee, the formation in the wilderness between Montreal and Lake Erie of a new Canada of Anglo-Saxon speech, indomitable energy, and in all matters of religion and politics persistently asserting individual freedom. The United Empire Loyalists were Americans as much as Washington or Franklin. They were simply the Tories who opposed and were out-manceuvred by the Whigs in the great struggle for independence. The word " Loyalist '" the dominion of CANADA. 33 hardly expresses the full significance of their position, for we may feel sure that the heat of political rivalry on the part of the defeated Tories was a stronger motive than mere sentimental devotion to the House of Brunswick. Party feel ing in the War of Independence ran high ; either side did not scruple to use the most extreme measures, and seemed only anxious to terrorise each other. Among many instances told, in which extremely severe ill-usage was sustained by Tory leaders in American prisons, is that of the ancestor of thfe U. E. L. family of Nagel, now settled in Burford, Brant County, in his case resulting in death. Equally angry passions were aroused in the minds of those whose properties had been seized by the partisans of the victorious republic. Lonsj after peace was proclaimed by the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, a border warfare was maintained by the ^refugees. This was not directly countenanced by the more law-abiding citizens, but it went on unrebuked by those who should have prevented such brigandage, and the use of the Indian scalping knife was not too curiously investigated. It may be truly said that English-speaking Canada had no existence before the immigration of the Americans, which began in 1783. Immediately after the conquest of Canada smkll detachments of English soldiers, generally accompanied by their wives and children, were placed in charge of the outposts and forts about the frontier. As far back as the attack on the British posts by Pontiac, we have evidence that some thirty of such posts were held by English soldiers with their families. These men invariably re ceived grants of land, as sparse beginnings of settlements were beginning to form around Fort Frontenac, at Niagara, and along the water-highway of the Ottawa. But inland, and through the trackless forest country north and west, the pioneer's axe had yet to mark out the sites of the towns and cities of to-day, most of which have arisen from the primitive grist miU and the group of log huts built within living memory. The venerable William Eyerson, who lately died at the age of ninety-six, informed us that when serving as aide-de-camp to a British general, he was sent on a message from the Eiver St. Clair to " Little York," now Toronto, and his road through all that country was but an Indian track, through unbroken forest. Of this settlement of English-speaking Canada by these American refugees we possess ample details and family monographs of well-known authority, nor are the personal memories and tradi tions of those who accompanied the first settlers into the wilderness yet extinct in many parts of the Province. Indeed, it is one of the objects of a work like the " History of Brant County " to collect and conserve these and other invaluable materials for history. Among the woods of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, along the winding recesses of the Bay of Quinte, by the promontories and bays of Prince Edward County, where harvest fields and harbours lie close together on every farm ; westward along the Ontario shore wherever a good-sized river tempted settle ment; among the peach orchards of Niagara, the emigration spread to the number of ten thousand families. Thence the adventurous sons of the Loyalists pushed their way inland ; in almost every town that was founded we can trace their presence. They brought to Canada, as it were, the materials for a nation ready-made. They were a race peculiarly well suited for the work of settle ment of the New Canada. Unlike immigrants from the Old Country, who have to get acclimatized to the conditions of life in America, these men were the very 3 34 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. children of the soil, possessing a common type of nationality already different from that of the Old World, more versatile, more self-reliant, at home with horse and kine, with axe and rifle, and by no means weaned, by the^then condi tion of American civilization they had left behind them, from the primitive habits of pioneer life. We are able to realize with sufficient distinctness the lives of these first settlers of our country. The British Government, under the wise directions of Haldi- mand, a distinguished Swiss officer in the English service, gave grants of land to the new settlers, and endeavoured to supply farming implements, seed and pro visions for the first two years to all who required it. But in many cases they were most scantily equipped for a settlement, every acre of which had to be won by their own labour from the forest. Years of hard toil were passed, in which wife and daughters often took part. Luxuries they had none ; food was often scant and always coarse ; game was brought down by the ancient flint-lock pea-rifle, for the use of a shot-gun was an effeminacy reserved for those more ambitious sportsmen of a later day, who were contemptuously designated "snipe-shooters." To have a mill within three miles distance was a godsend to the settler, who rejoiced to carry thither on his shoulder his sack of grain. In many cases recorded by early settlers much suffering was endured by actual want of food. Yet the American refugee was at home in the Canadian forest. Unlike the immigrant from the Old Country, he had not to undergo the painful process of learning to shift for himself He had nothing to learn of the secrets of wood craft ; he understood the log dwelling, the snake-fence, the birch canoe, the first primitive furniture and cooking utensils. His wife could make moccasins and coats from the abundant supply of peltry. Soon the persevering industry began to tell. Crops came in abundantly from what proved to be some of the finest wheat-producing land in the world ; cattle, and the produce of dairy and garden, throve. Here and there the general store, of a type still to be seen in remote districts, arose beside the grist mill, and supplied finery for the girls' go-to-meet ing dress, a'nd tea for the wife. Now and then some discharged soldier or other " waif and stray " would be engaged in teaching, and a log hut be built by com mon effort for a school during the winter. In some such humble shelter as the fragrant aisles of the summer woods, the almost gratuitous zeal of the Methodist missionary would supply an intellectual stimulant especially needful in the total absence of books or newspapers. Not seeking reward, these itinerant preachers have gained a rich one — a preponderating influence among religious bodies in our division of Canada, so great that Methodism might almost be regarded as our National Church. In 1784, Governor Haldimand settled the celebrated Iroquois chief, Thayen danegea, with his Indians, who had followed the fortunes of Britain in the war, on a reserve granted to them upon the banks of the Grand Eiver. Full particulars of the life and services of this remarkable man will be given elsewhere in the present work. The total number of inhabitants of Canada, in 1783, is given as 125,000. Another reserve was assigned the Mohawk tribe of Iroquois on the Bay of Quinte. When Christianized and civilized, the descendants of these most ferocious of savages live in peaceful industry. The last act of Governor Haldimand was to give to Canadians the inestim able privilpge of a law of Habeas Corpus. He was a stern and austere ruler, apt THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 35 to suspect treachery in every one, but his management of the settlement of Upper Canada in 1783-84 entitles him *o be regarded with gratitude by all Canadians. He was succeeded by Henry Hamilton, next by Colonel Hope, and then by General Carleton, now Lord Dorchester ; indeed, our history for the next twenty years is nothing more than a list of governors and lieutenant-governors. The first territorial division of western Canada was made by Lord Dorchester, who made four districts, named Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nassau and Hesse, while to the settlement of the American Loyalists in the Lower St. Lawrence was given the name of Gaspe. Very soon the difference in habits, laws, and lan guages of the English-speaking and of the French colonists, made itself so stronglj' felt, that in 1791 a Constitution was framed under the title of the Constitutional Act, and the old Province, of Quebec was divided into Upper and Lower Canada by an imaginary line running from a point on Lake St. Francis along the seigniories of Longueil and Vaudreuil to Point Fortune on the Ottawa. In each Province there was to be both a Legislative Council and an Assembly. The Council was to consist of life members chosen by the Crown through the Governor-General — in Upper Canada to consist of not less than seven, in the more numerously populated Lower Canada of not less than fifteen members. The division of the two provinces was made with the hope of each having a great majority in its own country. Eepresentative institutions were introduced, at least in the germ, by the enactment that the laws in force should be alterable by each Assembly at pleasure. The Act contained also a clause as to the means of maintaining " the Protestant religion" by a permanent appropriation of certain portions of land. By the vague phrase " the Protestant religion," the Act no doubt contemplated the Church of England, and thus a State Church, with all its attendant evils, might have been foisted on western Canada, more especially from the analogous position of the French Canadian Catholic establishment as guaranteed by treaty. This Act was the work of the younger Pitt. It was the result of the liberalizing movement that assumed increasing weight in Europe just before the outbreak of the French Revolution. Mr. Lymburner, a Quebec colonist, was heard at the bar of the House of Com mons in behalf of some of the British settlers in eastern Canada, who took exception to certain clauses of the bill, especially to one clause which contem plated the introduction into Canada of hereditary titles. To this they demurred because in an infant colony such titles were objectionable, and quite unsuited to the condition of Canadian Iffe ; that clause was therefore struck out. An Executive Council was also to sit in each Province, to consist of the Governor and eleven others nominated by the Crown. Thus, of the three legislative bodies, one only was elective ; still a great advance had been made towards freedom, as great as the infant colony could bear. The work of that generation was practical, not political ; the builders of the nation had to fell the forests, and the duty of electing members was discharged in a very primitive fashion. We cannot but believe that Pitt framed the Act of 1791 with an honest desire to give the Canadians free institutions. But the Constitution he framed with such care became the instrument of much wrong-doing in the hands of an unscrupu lous oligarchy, for nearly half a century. In Lower Canada a clique of British aristocrats oppressed the dearest interests of the French Canadians and of their 36 I HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. own countrymen, while race and creed antipathies intensified and envenomed the contest to a degree never known in Upper Canada. But in our country, though evil days came, and the struggle for responsible government was a bitter one, these questions had not yet arisen before the minds of our people. It was the age of Ontario's settlement, a work well forwarded by the successive governors ; and the more despotic the authority, the quicker and more directly was the parcelling out of land to new colonists effected. At the division of the provinces east and west of the Ottawa, the population of Lower Canada was 130,000, that of Upper Canada, 50,000. On September 18, 1792, Lieut.-Governor Simcoe, one of those admirable administrators who are the foster-fathers of colonization, opened the first Parliament of Upper Canada, numbering sixteen members, which met in a hut within hearing of the mighty roar of Niagara. It was a gathering to which we may well look back with sympathetic pride. Around them lay the bound less forest, before them the majestic torrent, not yet profaned by the impedi menta of vulgar tourists. They were met in the little town of Newark, now Niagara, which has been the scene of so many battles, in which the fortitude of their race has been proved. The pioneers of Upper Canadian legislation were earnest, laborious men. Their first act deserves notice ; it was to repeal that part of the Quebec Act which enjoined the supremacy of French law in civil suits, and that in all matters of legal controversy resort should be had to the laws of England. The second session of the Parliament of Upper Canada. was memorable for the abolition, by a unanimous vote, of negro slavery. By the 47th article of the capitulation the French Canadians had been allowed to retain their slaves, and the poison of this ever-accursed traffic might have continued in full play all through Lower Canada, but for the introduction, through the settlement of Upper Canada, of the emancipating spirit of English law. Our Parliament, at a time when labour was priceless, when the forests had to be fought against for dear life, determined to make the free air of their forests more free, by " An Act to Prevent the further Introduction of Slaves." Such was the first utterance of the voice of our national life, ever hereafter to speak with no uncertain sound where the interests of freedom and humanity demand expression. By another sensible enactment, Dorchester's absurd German designation of the four districts were changed to the more suitable names — Eastern or Johnstown, Western or Detroit, Home or Niagara, and Midland or Kingston. Upper Canadian Progress from 1792 to the War of 1812. The Lower Canadian Parliament refused to follow the noble example of the Upper Canadian Parliament in abolishing slavery. This was, however, effected by a decision of Chief Justice Osgoode that slavery in any part of Canada was contrary to law. As Niagara was too near the frontier to be secure. Governor Simcoe projected a town of London on a river which he called the Thames. But -Lord Dorchester preferred the central position of Kingston,, commanding the outlet of the lakes, and from its situation easily defended. At length it was decided to fix the seat of Government at York, a few miles- the dominion of CANADA. 37 east of old Fort Toronto. This was in 1796. A group of wooden houses rose near the banks of a muddy and tortuous stream called the Don, sufficient for the residence of twelve families. The first Upper Canadian newspaper, the Niagara Gazette, appeared at Newark at this period. As an Act of Parliament was passed offering a reward for killing off wolves and bears, it is evident that the number of these wild beasts was then great. Old people still live in our most settled districts, even in towns like Picton, who tell how the wolves used to howl round the farmer'l^ hut at night ; how the bears might be knocked on the head when they got stuck foot-fast in the ice ; how lynx, and wildcat and wolverine, warred against the good wife's poultrJ^ In 1796 Governor Simcoe was recalled, Peter Russell acting as Governor ad interim. There is no greater proof of the prosperity of a colony than the statis tics of its trade. It is worthy of note that one-eighth of the revenues of the ports of Montreal and Quebec, which had been assigned to Upper Canada, as it was thought to equal her share of export trade,' which in 1796 amounted to X5,000, in thirteen years' time increased to X28,000, and Upper Canada's share of the export trade was raised to one-fifth. Besides the trade with Lower Canada, a new and rapidly extending commerce had grown up between Upper Canada and New York. It was, therefore, advisable to open ports of entry from Cornwall on the St. Lawrence, along the shore of Ontario to Sandwich, opposite Detroit. The Upper Canada Gazette was published at York in 1800. Meanwhile the work of settlement went on. The troublous times of 1798 sent many, both Protestant and Catholic, from unhappy Ireland, and no citizens are more law-abiding than the industrious Celtic colonist, if only he will let the rancorous traditions of race and creed animosities die out in a land where there is neither landlordism nor established Church. In 1803 a benevolent but eccentric cadet of the noble Irish house of Talbot founded the Talbot Settlement on the shores of Lake Erie. He was granted 5,000 acres on condition of planting a settler on each two hundred acres. In those days large grants of land were often given to persons who had interest with the Govern ment, without any stipulation being made as to the duties of colonization. Thus Mr. Ingersol had a grant of the whole township of Oxford, and a person named Daton, of the township of Burford. But Colonel Talbot carefully ful filled his agreement. He was a very rigid Tory, and those who desired political reform met with scant favour at his hands ; but he was kind-hearted, except to itinerant Methodist ministers, newspaper editors, and other impugners of the powers that be. In the early days of the Talbot Settlement, this, as well as other parts of Upper Canada, was largely peopled by Highland Scotchmen, inured to hardship in their own country, who, as well as the Lowland Scotch, formed a most valuable class of colonists. Indeed, the Scotch as well as the Irish accent may be heard in every part of our country, although it invariably disappears in the third generation, to make room for the pure Eilglish accent that belongs to educated Americans on both sides of the frontier. Colonel Talbot died at an honoured old age in 1853. In 1793 an English Church Bishop, Dr. Mountain, came to Quebec. He was appointed by letters patent from the Crown, and therefore had a claim to the title " My Lord," to which the present bishops, who are elected by the Canadian clergy, have no title. A cathedral was built for him at Quebec on 38 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. the site of the old Church of the EecoUets. Dr. Mountain deserves credit for endeavouring to direct attention to the need of education in Lower Canada, and Parliament gave directions that free schools should be established and main tained from the funds forfeited by the Jesuits. To this the Roman Catholic clergy offered such opposition that the only grammar-schools opened were in Montreal and Quebec. In 1806 a paper called Le Canadien appeared, in opposition to the Government and the_ English-speaking race. This paper embittered those antipathies which had been acrimonious enough before. In Upper Canada, always'the first to take the forward step of progress. Parliament made a grant of £800 to establish a grammar-school in every district of the Province. The social condition of the French Canadian seems to have degenerated since the days of Montcalm. We read of official frauds that recall the regime of Bigot, of Judges drunk on the bench, and openly avowing their maladministration of justice. Society in Montreal saw everything belonging to the conquering race with jaundiced eyes ; their political history at that time is a series of disreputable brawls with the successive governments, from which neither party came out with any credit. But the material condition of the Lower Canadian improved every year. New branches of industry were opened, the trade returns were much increased, shipping thronged the noble harbours of Montreal. In November, 1809, the first steamer plied between Montreal and Quebec ;she was called the Accommodation,&nA was built bythefounder of the wellknown Montreal firm, of Molson. The troubles between the Legislative Assembly and Governor Craig came to a head in 1810. A majority of the Assembly had resolved that Judges should not be eligible to hold seats in the House, as being liable to be influenced by the Executive Council; and being thwarted by the conjoint action of the Governor and the Council, expelled Judge De Bonne from his place in the Assembly. In retaliation the Governor took high-handed measures : he abruptly dissolved the Assembly and forcibly suppressed the Canadien, a proceeding so arbitrary that the period in which it occurred was known as the " Reign of Terror." It is pleasant to turn from these scenes of mutual outrage to the very different picture presented by Upper Canada. The War of 1812. As war was now imminent between England and the United States, governors were chosen with a Adew to the military requirements of the crisis. Sir George Prevost, a veteran Swiss officer, who had been Governor of Nova Scotia, was appointed to govern Lower Canada, where he won golden opinions from the oppressed people, and reversed the arbitrary jiolicy of his contentious predecessor. The good effect of this was seen in the action of the Lower Cana dian legislature, which passed a bill to raise 2,000 militia; it voted £12,000 to defray the expenses of these troops, £20,000 to provide for the security of the Province, and £30,000 more to meet emergencies. It also passed a motion for inquiry into the cause of the late troubles, the motion being seconded by a youthful member already known for his eloquence, named Louis J. Papineau. In Upper Canada .General Sir Isaac Brock succeeded Lieutenant-Governor Gore. Here, too, a Militia Bill was introduced and passed on a liberal scale.. THE DO.MIXION OF CANADA. 39 With the cause of the W^ar of 181 2 Canadian history has no concern ; our inter ests were directly in favour of peace, and we were as guiltless of the demand of the British for the right to search American vessels, as of the embargo by which a virtual war was waged against American commerce. But, as usual, our country was made the battle-field for the contending powers, and the war was mainly carried on by Canadian blood and treasure. Yet in the end the benefits derived from the war were great ; it drew the two races of Canadian settlers more closely together, and made each conscious of the good qualities of the other ; it brought a good deal of money into our country, and was the direct cause of the prosperity of much of Upper Canada, besides giving us some valuable acquisitions of military settlers when the war was over. This war led to the construction of that expensive but useless public work, the Eideau Canal, and hence to the foundation of Ottawa. General Hull, with 2,500 Americans, invaded Canada from Detroit, taking possession of Sandwich. He issued a proclamation which displayed some ability ; General Brock marched in pursuit with a somewhat inferior force, half of them Indians from the wilds of Ohio. Hull retired to Detroit. The Indians were led by a remarkable warrior, who, with Thayendanegea and Pontiac, are the great historic figures of Indian warfare. Tecumseh had some talent for military engineering ; before the troops left the Canadian shore, he had traced, with sufficient accuracy, on a piece of birch bark, a plan of the fortifications of Detroit. After a brief resistance that town surrendered to Brock, and Hull and his entire force were sent captives to Montreal. Mean while Captain Eoberts, operating in the west, had taken possession of Fort Mackinaw, or Michilimakinac. The Americans resolved to strike a heavier blow on the Niagara frontier. On October '13th, Colonel Van Eensselaer commanded 6,000 men on the Niagara River. Of these he sent over a detachment of 1,000, who attacked the British position on Queenston heights and succeeded in forcing their way to the heights despite a heavy fire from the English cannon. Brock hastened to the scene of action, and rallying his soldiers, led them to charge the Ameri cans, and the success of his attack was assured had he not been shot down in the moment of victory. Dispirited at his loss the troops received a check, but a force of 800 regular troops, militia, and Indians came up under General Sheaffe. In the battle that ensued the Americans were defeated with a loss of 400 men ; the rest surrendered. The British loss was 70. Near Black Eock, General Smythe, with 4,500 Americans, crossed the river, but was repulsed and withdrew from the enterprise. In Lower Canada a force of 1,400 Americans, who had invaded the frontier, were defeated with much promptitude by Major De Salaberry. Disconcerted at this. Dearborn, the American Commandant, withdrew his troops from the Canadian frontier. As Britain was now engaged in the heat of her gigantic duel with Napo leon, it was impossible for her to send an adequate number of troops till just before the conclusion of this war, when the overthrow of the French despot set her armies at liberty. But her part was well sustained by the colonists, French as well as Upper Canadians, and the glory gained by such officers as De Salaberry did much to bring about a better state of feeling 40 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. between the people of the two Provinces. The Indian braves too were faithful to Britain, although it was a sinister alliance, the chivalrous soldier's sword with the savage scalping-knife. One Captain Macdowell having crossed the frozen St. Lawrence, made a raid on Ogdensburg, whence he carried to the Canadian side some artillery and supplies. The Americans had more success in naval warfare, but the gallant exploits achieved by their ships against those of the first naval power in the world do not come within the scope of our history. In 1813 Colonel Proctor, destined to meet such a disastrous defeat at Thamesville, defeated the American- General, Wilkinson, near Detroit. The American plans were now limited to the conquest of Upper Canada, for which purpose they built a naval armament at Sackett's Harbour, in order to com mence the labour. General Dearborn had also a considerable land force, which in April embarked in Commodore Chauncey's fleet, and sailing to York, easily took a place that had no defences. The garrison of 600 men retreated, an act for which General Sheaffe was .superseded. Some 200 militia surrendered, the cannon and stores were carried off, and most of the town was burned down. The American force next attacked Fort George at Niagara, which they captured after a gallant defence, continued till the defences were destroyed, when the British General, Vincent, fell back upon the works at Queenston. Vincent then destroyed the defences of Chippewa and Fort Erie, and withdrew to Burlington Heights. Thus the Americans were now masters of the whole Niagara frontier. General Prevost, attended by Admiral Sir James Yeo, with a naval force and officers, planned an attack on Sackett's Harbour, while the main force of the American troops were away at Niagara. But the result was, from some bungle of the attacking party, a disgraceful failure. At Detroit General Proctor attacked the American General, Harrison, who, however, was able to intrench his troops, and Proctor could not dislodge him. But a force of 1,200 men, advancing under General Clay, was attacked by Proctor, who took some 500 prisoners. Generals Chandler and Winder were sent by Dearborn to dislodge the British from their position on Burlington Heights. But a night attack by Colonel Harvey at Stony Creek caused a speedy retreat of this force, with the capture of both Generals and 116 men ; and 500 men, with Colonel Boerstler, at. Beaver Dams surrendered to Lieutenant Fitzgibbon, to whom a lady of the well known Niagara family of Secord, by a great effort, gave warning of the approach of the Americans. Yet it was impossible to deny that the American army had in some degree gained the advantage, since they had effected a lodgment on our soil, and had still possession of Fort George. On Lake Champlain a slight success was gained by the British, who took two armed vessels, but a heavy defeat was sustained by the fleet commanded by Captain Barclay, on Lake Erie, every ship of which was captured by Com modore Perry. Meantime Harrison moved on Detroit in such force that Proctor recrossed the river and retreated along the valley of the Thames. The pursuing army of Harrison greatly outnumbered Proctor's force. They were overtaken near a village of Moravian Indians on the banks of the Thames, between Thamesville ^^y/.^/^K£^ the DOMINION OF CANADA. 43 and the village of Bothwell. Here Tecumseh 's Indians refused to follow the army any further from their village. A confused fight took place all along the valley ; as Tecumseh was about to attack an American officer with scalping knife and tomahawk, the officer drew a pistol and shot the redoubtable savage. The rout was soon complete, and Proctor made the best haste he could to Bur lington Heights. After this success, the Americans resolved to make a movement on a large scale upon Montreal. But their General, Hampton, with 6,000 men, was defeated at Chateauguay by Colonel De Salaberry 's skil ful handling of his small force of 400 ; a feat worthy of the compatriots of Frontenac and Montcalm. This gallant action saved Montreal. A drawn battle took place at Chrysler's Farm, in which the Americans lost 200, includ ing their General, Boyd, and were obliged to abandon their position. The year 1813 closed with other successes for the British army. Niagara was once more retaken by Colonel Murray, and an English force under Eiall gave to the flames Lewiston, Manchester, Black Rock and Buffalo, in retaliation for the burning of Niagara by the Americans. The burning down of farm houses, villages and towns, of which both sides in this most unhappy war were guilty, caused the most bitter feelings, and gave the contest a sinister aspect of brig andage. In 1814, the war operations consisted of an unsuccessful attack by General Wilkinson, with 5,000 men, against 500 British at Lacolle Mill ; a second attack by the British fleet on Oswego, which was once more plundered of its stores, and the fiercest combat of the war, when 5,000 Americans under General Brown, while operating in the Niagara region, were defeated with great loss by the British under Drummond, with 3,000 men, at Lundy's Lane. In this battle the British loss was 900, that of the Americans, 1,200. In conse quence of this defeat the latter withdrew across the river, having blown up Fort Erie. England was now able to send large reinforcements to Canada. Sir George Prevost, with 11,000 men, marched to attack Plattsburg. But, as the English flotilla had been destroyed, he thought it best to withdraw from his design. For this he was severely censured in England. Prevost was inferior as a general, but as a governor had attained great popularity in Lower Canada. In Upper Canada the American General, Brown, had once more occupied Fort Erie, and for some time held General Drummond's force in check at Bur lington Heights. But Drummond receiving reinforcements of the newly arrived troops, had compelled Brown to retire across the Niagara River. The sack of Washington, and the subsequent defeat of the British at New Orleans, are of course events outside the scope of Canadian history. Peace came at last by the Treaty of Ghent, 1814. So ends the weary record of this unhappy war, a war distinguished by no great military operations on either side. The native Canadian troops fought bravely in both the Provinces. But the operations consisted of a number of marches and countermarches, mostly to gain petty forts and posts of no per manent importance. It may, we think, justly be said that equal courage, and on the whole equal success, may be assigned to Americans and Canadians ; and to those who look to this great and self-sufficing continent becoming more and more removed from European politics and quarrels, it is a comfort to know 44 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. that never more will hostile sword cross the line between the Canadian nation and the great Republic. The Family Compact. The original settlers of 1783, forming a separate body, with distinct alliances and traditions of their own, kept aloof from the later immigrants from various parts of Great Britain. Such as the rudimentary governmental system was in Upper Canada, it naturally came to pass that the representa tives of some of the more distinguished and succes.sful of the U. E. Loyalist families held public offices in their hands ; they formed a sort of aristocracy in the Province. And the Constitution of 1791 directed that the Governor should be advised by an Executive Council, whose members were chosen from those of the Legislative Council, members of a clique which, being non-elective, looked to the Government rather than to the people. Such men were the salaried officials; the sinecurists— -of whom there were not a few in either Province — Judges, and the military officers whom the war had left in Canada, and other waiters upon the providence which distributes the Government loaves and fishes. These men were neither responsible to the Assembly — the only elective body of the Legislature — nor to the people ; they ruled in both Provinces, forming an oligarchy known as the Family Compact. By their social position, and by the natural tendency of absolute rulers to favour those who support absolutism, they got control of governor after governor, till a tyranny as odious as that of Charles the First and James the Second drove our countrymen also to rebellion. At the beginning of the War of 1812, Sir George Prevost was directed to use conciliatory measures. He assured the French Canadians of being secured in their religious and political rights, which the so-called British party — that of a small but influential minority in Lower Canada — incessantly endeavoured to trench on and destroy. But when peace was restored, are action took place, and through the oligarchic Executive and Legislative Councils a steady encroachment on French Canadian rights was pursued. Again and again the Assembly, led by the eloquent and popular Papineau, pleaded for popular rights. A determined stand was made on the question of the right of voting supplies after^ — by Lord Bathurst's acceptance, in 1818, of Lower Canada's offer to defray the whole expenses of Government — the control of the grant of the supplies fell into the hands of the House of Assembly. This gave the popular party the power of the purse, and a means of checking, by their yearly vote, the uncon stitutional acts of an Executive. And this the oligarchy of the Council opposed as revolutionary ; a dead lock ensued in the legislative machinery, and public feeling became every year more bitter. There were other grievances of an odiously oppressive nature. The Judges were dependent on the Executive, to which many of them were notoriously subservient. No public official was held accountable to the popular Assembly; in 1823 one Caldwell was found to have embezzled £96,000 of the public money, and escaped unpunished. It was demanded that the Jesuits' estates should be applied to purposes of public education. In 1814 a formal impeach ment was brought in the Lower Canada Assembly against Chief Justice Sewell, of Quebec, for having given unconstitutional advice to Governor Craig to the dominion of CANADA. 45 dissolve the Assembly. Another charge was complicity in the disgraceful secret mission of the spy, John Henry, to excite treason against the Union in certain northern States previous to the war, of which Henry's mission was a leading cause. Similar charges were brought against Chief Justice Monk, another member of the oligarchy. Both these officials escaped justice ; the Tory aristocratic party were in possession of all power in England, and Sewell got highly recommended to Lord Bathurst, and to Sir J. C. Sherbrooke, who was made Governor in 1816. Meanwhile in Upper Canada discontent was already active against the tyrannic rule of the Family Compact. Eobert Gourlay, a Scotchman of some literary power, was bold in calling attention to abuses, to which the Executive afterwards replied by imprisoning him in Niagara jail, where he was treated, with extreme harshness. Gourlay was supported by Peter Perry, member for Lennox and Addington, who had risen to considerable wealth by industry and shrewdness, and who is remembered in the Province as the founder of Oshawa and Port Perry. These men drew public attention to the injustice of the Clergy Eeserves, one-seventh of the whole Province being set apart for the ministers of one Church exclusively. And these Clergy Eeserves did not lie in one tract ; they were dispersed among the lots occupied by actual settlers ;. and being left unreclaimed, full of wild beasts and untaxed, lowered the value of adjacent land. It was felt intolerable that the selfish claims of one Church should thus exclude from one-seventh of our country the farmer's plough and the axe of the settler. The remonstrances of these early pioneers of reform made no impression on the despotic Executive ; but with the Legislative Assembly it was otherwise ; and in 1817, when the Upper Canada Assembly resolved to take into their consideration the internal state of the country, Major-General Eobertson, a staunch Family Compact partisan, imitated the evil precedent of Craig and other Lower Canada Governors by proroguing the Assembly. Thus began a contest between the Assembly and the Family Compact, which did not ^acken till the overthrow of the latter, and the establishment of responsible government. Meantime the material progress of Upper Canada steadily advanced. Th& "Army bills," a paper money issue during the War of 1812, were scrupulously repaid. In 1815 a grant of £25,000 was made to construct the Lachine Canal, thus furthering the advance of Canada's commerce by rendering the St. Lawrence navigable for other craft than the clumsy battoaux of former times. Liberal measures were passed by the Upper Canada Parliament for relief of farmers who had suffered in the war or from failure of the wheat crop. But the Province quickly recovered these temporary checks. In Lower Canada the first banks were opened, those of Montreal and Quebec, in 1817. The lumber trade now began to be a source of national wealth. In the year 1818 the first ship laden with Canadian lumber sailed for an English port. The rapid extension of this industry peopled the depths of our winter forests with the peaceful camps of the lumbermen, thus affording healthy and most remunerative employment for all men in our country who were willing to work. There was another important consequence, the stimulus the lumber trade gave to civilization. The settler's farm followed the lumber shanty in order to sell produce to the shantymen. The saw-mill sent up its steam beside- 46 HISTORY OF BRAN'T COUNTY. the nearest river. Ottawa, which was selected by the late Duke of Wellington as a sufficiently out-of-the-way place where the seat of government could be safe from invasion, owes more of its growth to the mills that make its lumber than to the Parliament that makes laws. The lumber trade moved up the Ottawa, founding towns and villages at each ten miles. , Thus the settlement of the Upper Ottawa valley began about 1821. In 1818 Sherbrooke's ill health caused his recall. He was succeeded by the Duke of Richmond, an impoverished participator of the profligacies of George, Prince Regent, who was glad to recruit his fortunes by coming to Canada as Governor. He treated the just grievances of the Lower Canada Assembly with aristocratic disdain, and his rule might have strengtheried the Family Com pact in our own Province ; but in 1819, having been bitten by a tame fox, he was affected with hydrophobia, and breaking loose from his escort, ran violently along the river which flows by the village called after him, Richmond, near Ottawa. He died at the village, and was succeeded by Sir Peregrine Mait- land. In 1820 the Bank of Upper Canada commenced operations, and in 1824 the Welland Canal, between Lakes Erie and Ontario, was begun, a work due to Wm. H. Merritt, who designed it in 1818. The trade in ship-building was greatly fostered by the growth of the lumber trade ; at Kingston, on the Bay of Quinte, and at Montreal and Quebec, it was carried on with vigour. In 1825 the rank of a University was given to Queen's College, Kingston. In Upper Canada, as far back as 1816, an Act of our Parlia ment was passed to establish common schools, a grant of £6,000 being made for the purpose. Every effort was made to encourage immigration, grants of land and Government assistance being given to settlers. A large number of Irish came out at this time, sent by a Government only too glad to sweep its surplus pauperism into the hold of an emigrant ship. In spite of our Government's efforts to enforce quarantine, these unhappy people wandered everywhere, carrying with them fever, and leaving the care of their diseased and dying relatives to our farmers. It is true they were helped according to our people's ability, and many of them survived to be useful labourers and farmers. In 1821, five new members of Council were added, among them the Rev. John Strachan, who afterwards became Bishop of the English Church in Tor onto. He was our Canadian Laud, the only mitred statesman we have had or are likely to have. Of a somewhat arbitrary temper, he had also much shrewd ness and a kindly nature. He was a leader of the Family Compact obstruc tives, and for some time was the chief power in Upper Canada. At this time the population of Tapper Canada had risen to 120,000, and the number of mem bers of the Assembly being for that reason doubled, its popular character and influence increased. Attempts were at this time made by the Church of Scotland to secure a share of the Clergy Eeserves, in which, after strong opposition from Dr. Strachan, they were at length .successful in 1832. In 1823, the Canada Trade Act of the Imperial Parliament became law. By it was established the claim of Upper Canada to £30,000, arrears of her share of the importation dues ; for the original share of one-eighth of the duties had, by the growth of Upper Canadian commerce, risen to one-fifth. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 47' The two Provinces were also advised to unite, but to this the Lower Canadians- were vehemently opposed, as they dreaded that their race and customs might be superseded by the superior energy of English-speaking Canada. In 1827, King's College, York, now our Provincial University, was founded. It was then an English Church seminary on the Oxford lines, and was promoted mainly by Dr. Strachan. In the same year. Sir John Colborne came as Gov ernor of Upper Canada. He was a stern absolutist, of few words and haughty demeanour. All this time the disputes between the Executive and the Assembly became more and more embittered. In 1823, a new official Gazette was established under the direct patronage of the Governor, Lord Dalhousie, as a slight to the old Quebec Gazette, now edited by Mr. Neilson, an eloquent leader of the popular party. This unconstitutional use of public money gave just offence.. Next session the Assembly reduced the money granted for the Civil List one- fourth. An eloquent denouncer of these and other abuses was M. Papineau.. The Governor tried to gain over this patriot by appointing him a member of the Council, but Papineau, knowing well that his influence would be powerless in that clique, never took his seat. Sir John Colborne treated the Upper Canada Assembly with equal disdain. He would reply to their addresses in a few curt contemptuous words, and turn away to the more obsequious members. Hitherto the solitary advocates of popular rights had been crushed as Thorpe, Gourlay and S. Bidwell had been by the power of the Executive. But now the caustic eloquence of a new leader swayed the Assembly more than ever to resistance. William Lyon Mackenzie was one who, whatever his faults, knew no fear of wrong-doers in power. In. the columns of his paper, the ablest that had yet appeared in Canada, he handled the vices of the Family Compact without gloves. So keenly did the oligarchy feel his caustic criticisms, that a mob of their adherents attacked and wrecked the office of the Colonial Advocate, and threw the printing materials into the lake. But this outrage only increased Mackenzie's influence with the Assembly, and above all with these earnest-minded haters of the prevailing tyranny who began to abound in all parts of the country. Meanwhile in Lower Canada, in 1827, M. Papineau had been elected Speaker of the Assembly. Lord Dalhousie refused to sanction the appointment, and. the Assembly to elect any other Speaker ; the Governor at once prorogued the Assembly. The trouble went on to such a degree that in 1828, 87,000 of the people petitioned the Crown, urging their grievances, and citing the tyrannical conduct of Lord Dalhousie and his predecessors. A committee of the English House of Commons emphatically asserted the constitutional right of the Assembly to control the public revenue of the Province, but decided that, to avoid collision with the Executive, the salaries of tRe Governor, Judges and Council should be secured to these officials. They also recommended that the Legislative and Executive Councils shoidd be made elective. This was in 1828. Lord Dalhousie being recalled, Sir James Kempt was sent to arrange the Lower Provinces in accordance with the recommendation of the committee.. He accepted Papineau as Speaker, and assented to a provisional Supply Bill. Meanwhile Lord Goderich, the English Colonial Secretary, sent a statement as. 48 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. to his proposed bill. It seemed that in place of the Assembly getting the right to control the entire revenue, certain sources of income were excepted. When this was laid before the Assembly, the old discontents revived in full force, and they resolved never to accept less than the control of the entire revenue. For the next five years there were endless disputes as to details of the revenue, now of no interest, all grievances having been long ago redressed. But they aggravated the distrust of the British Government, and fanned the fire of Papineau' s eloquence. At last an Act, seconded by Papineau and opposed by the more moderate Constitutionalists, was -passed by the Assembly, known as the 92 Resolutions. It embodied, in som,ewhat inflammatory lan guage, the popular grievances, and was widely circulated as the basis of an agitation which it was now fully contemplated might become an armed revolt. It is but just to Papineau and his colleagues to say, that they did not resort to extreme measures till, after the forbearance of years, it seemed plain that there was no hope of redress. In Upper Canada, the town hitherto known as York, more familiarly as " Muddy Little York," became a city, of which William Lyon Mackenzie was elected the first Mayor. His popularity was increasing, especially throughout that part of the country north of Toronto. Instigated by Dr. Strachan, the Council resolved to secure a large proportion of the Clergy Reserves by creat ing fifty -seven rectories of the Church of England, to be supported by the lands of the Reserves. This act, stealing a march beforehand on what the popular party hoped to effect, excited the greatest indignation. Sir John Colborne being recalled. Sir Francis Bond Head took his place. There was at this time a commercial crisis which, however, the Upper Canada banks got over without any stoppage of payment. The population of Upper Canada then numbered 390,000. About 1835, finding it vain to hope for justice by constitutional means, as far as the Upper Canada Government was concerned, and lacking patience to wait the action of Canada's truest friends in the English ministry, Mackenzie resolved on armed insurrection. For this purpose he communicated with Papineau and the Lower Canadians, who promised co-operation. Mackenzie's Revolt. Meanwhile Sir Francis Head, who had been sent from England to conciliate, rather exasperated the popular party than otherwise. He appointed members of the Family Compact to high salaried positions of trust. He sought to gain popularity at the time by appointing three members of the popular ranks in the Assembly, Dr. Eolph, and Messrs. Baldwin and Dunn, to seats in the Council ; but as he never consulted them, they resigned. He was an impulsive man, but a fairly smart writer of magazine articles. At last, what had never occurred before in Upper Canada, the Assembly stopped the supplies ; this was in 1836. On this Head obtained a majority of Tories in the Assembly. Meanwhile, Mackenzie was holding meetings throughout those parts of Upper Canada where his following was strongest. He had many sympathisers among the more educated class in the towns, but his chief adherents were the sturdy Scotch and Dutch farmers in the " back townships." Old flint-lock muskets and THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 49 rifles were got ready, pike-heads were forged and mounted on stout ash poles' and it was resolved to march on Toronto and proclaim Canadian independence. Meantime, Sir F. Head had sent all the regular troops to Lower Canada, an out break having occurred on November 6, 1837. A rising took place under Dr. Nelson at St. Denis, in Lower Canada. A proclamation had been issued declaring Papineau, Nelson and others, guilty of high treason. Papineau, however, was persuaded to escape to the States. Nelson was personally popular, and when the alarm-bell sounded 800 men answered it, only 120 armed with muskets, the rest with pikes and. pitchforks. They were attacked by five companies of regulars under Colonel Gore, a Waterloo veteran. But Nelson being soon afterwards reinforced with some better armed insurgents, and posted in a strong position, after a fight of two hours the British retired. But the insurgents were afterwards routed with great loss by Colonel Weatherall, near St. Charles. The last stand of the Lower Canadian insurrection was at St. Eustache, when the Canadian fire was sustained with spirit while they had any ammunition, but the houses where they had been posted were set on fire, and the parish church, into which they were driven for refuge, caught the flames. Not one of Chenier's men escaped the slaughter that followed. The village was burned, as was that of St. Eustache and of Benoit, where no resistance was offered. (Garneau, Vol. II.) The Lower Canadian insurrection, although suppressed, was a more serious matter than that which took place in the Upper Province. It opened the eyes of the Liberal Government in England to the fact that the people of Canada had grievances which they were willing to risk their lives to get rid of If prompt and full redress has been the result, some gratitude is due to men like Mackenzie and Nelson, who, to gain no personal object, took their lives in their hands to obtain the privileges we enjoy to-day. Toronto being thus left without troops, it seemed quite feasible that Mac kenzie's force might surprise the Capital. In the first week of December, 1837, his adherents mustered on what is now Yonge Street, but which was then a road through the woods. There were some eight hundred of them, armed with muskets and pikes ; but Dr. Rolph had sent contradictory orders to three of the other leaders about the day of outbreak, and the enterprise was thus checked at the outset. Their outpost on Yonge Street arrested Colonel Moodie, who was riding to give information of their advance, and he, attempting to escape, was most unhappily shot. An advance was made on their position, whose central point was in a house on Yonge Street, called Montgomery's Farm, where a fight, or rather a skirmish, consisting merely of an exchange of a few musket shots, took place. Although so-called histories of Canada state that thirty of Mackenzie's men were killed, careful inquiry among old men who were present convinces us that at most one man, a Dutch farmer, was seen to drop as he stood firing on the Royalists. The latter were volunteers, not in uniform, armed with flint-lock muskets, like their opponents. Mackenzie and his colleagues fled, a price being set on their heads, to the United States, whence they returned in after years, after receiving free pardon. Mackenzie resided in Toronto, and lived to see most of the reforms for which he fought freely conceded. 50 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. In the counties of Middlesex, Oxford and Brant there had been a section of the people prepared for revolt; but Colonel MacNab fortunately prevented this, and exercised great clemency towards those implicated. Their leader, Dr. Duncombe, escaped to the States. A second attempt was made by Mackenzie, in conjunction with the American, Van Rensselaer, who occupied Navy Island, above Niagara Falls, and fortified it with about 1,000 men from Canada and the States. But Colonel MacNab, with a force of more than double the nurn- ber, prevented their landing, and a small steamer, the Caroline, employed in carrying supplies to the island, was captured by MacNab, and being set on fire; was sent down the Falls. There were other bands of insurgents gathered at Detroit, Sandusky, and Watertown. These were not the movements of Canadian insurgents, but of some restless spirits on the United States frontier. In a raid made on Windsor from the American shore opposite, Colonel John Prince captured four of the raiders, and, constituting himself "judge, jury, and executioner," ordered them to be shot in cold blood, without even the. form of a court-martial. To use his own characteristic words, " they were shot accord ingly." For the leaders of the Family Compact in too few instances shopped the merciful and conciliatory spirit which enabled Colonel MacNab to prevent rather than suppress a revolt the rendezvous of which was to have been at " Scotland," in the county of Brant. Even then numerous arrests were made, but the sons of these " suspects" bear witness at the present day to the kind ness with which MacNab dismissed them on their own undertaking to keep quiet. A final attempt was also made about the same time to invade Upper Canada at Prescott ; the raiders seized a stono mill, such as in the old Indian wars were often used as fortresses. Here they were assailed by a force of militia far out numbering their own and better armed, and, though they defended themselves while resistance was possible, they were overpowered, and at last surrendered. A reign of terror prevailed in 'Toronto ; five hundred insurgents were crowd ing the prisons. Two leaders, Lount and Mathews, died on the scaffold at Tor onto, meeting their fate calmly. Meantime Lord Durham was sent to Canada, to make a searching inquiry into the causes of discontent. For in England the Tory power, which had ' been unquestioned since Waterloo, was virtually overthrown by the passage of the Reform Bill of 1834. The Liberal Government of Lords Grey and Mel bourne was destined to accomplish many reforms ; amongst others the first great steps to popular Government in Canada. The Imperial Government for a time suspended the Canadian Constitution in order that Lord Durham, aided by a special council of his own appointment, might be empowered to adjust difficulties. The new Governor acted in the wisest and most conciliatory spirit. He composed a report which ranks as a classic in Canadian political literature. It is mainly owing to this report, and to his impartial and lumin ous statement of the circumstances of the case, that the union of the two Pro vinces is owing, and above all, that the Legislature in every branch should be so constituted that a really responsible Government should result. Lord Durham pardoned the greater part of the insurgents ; their leaders, now in prison, he induced to put themselves unreservedly in his hands, so as to avoid the popular excitement attendant on a State trial, and exiled them to Bermuda. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 61 The English Government, and the Parliament especially, urged on by Lord Durham's bitter personal enemy. Brougham, considered this action unconsti tutional, and set aside the sentence of banishment, thus giving the prisoners their liberty. On learning this Lord Durham resigned, and left for England in November, 1838. A second insurrection now took place in Lower Canada, led by Dr. Nelson's brother. It was, however, suppressed. Sir John Colborne routing Nelson's force with great loss at Napierville. The insurgents were again defeated at Beau harnois by the Glengarry Militia. Colborne made an unsparing use of his success over men in every respect at a disadvantage in numbers, arms and discipline. Twelve executions took place, and three Judges, who had the courage to condemn these butcheries as unconstitutional, were suspended from office. It is consolatory to know that ten years afterwards thej' were rein stated in their offices by Lord Sydenham. It being now the wish of Lord Melbourne's Ministry to bring about the amalgamation of the two races in Canada by the union of the two Provinces, it was thought necessary to obtain the full concurrence of each Province through its Legislature. For the task of arranging this the ministry chose as Gover nor-General Mr. Charles Paulet Thomson, an English merchant trained in the strictest Toryism, yet one who had inclined in the Liberal direction, and was the friend and associate of Bentham and Mill. A Radical as Radicals were at that time, he was yet regarded as an eminently safe man, an adroit politician, and one eminently fitted to carry out the scheme outlined by Lord Durham. The Lower Canadian Special Council had been appointed by Sir John Colborne, and did not in any way represent the French Canadians. It therefore at once consented to a union of the Provinces, and to rendering the members of the Executive for the future dependent for their tenure of office on the support their policy might obtain in the Assembly. The French Can adians regarded the union as a measure intended to efface their nationality, but they had no legislative voice to express their sense of wrong. In Upper Canada no trouble was likely to come from the Assembly, as it had already consented to a union of the Provinces, and had been for years endeavouring to win responsible government. But the Council, the last strong hold of the Family Compact, was also a part of the Constitution. How could they be asked to efface themselves ,? Mr. Thomson, however, managed this with great address, publishing in the Upper Canada Gazette a despatch from the English minister, in which the determination of the English Government that the Canadian Executive should be responsible to the people was in unmis takable terms declared to be final. The Family Compact bowed to their fate, but they had not yet said the last word when the Union Act passed in 1840. The next elections were the first battle-ground ; at least ten members were returned by illegal means, yet the new Governor found that a majority of the new members were pledged to support the changes he was sent from England to carry out. " Only seven members of the. Compact had seats." (Dent.) The Assembly was to meet in Kingston in June. At the time of the Union in 1846, the entire population of Canada was reckoned at 1,600,000, of which 470,000 belonged to Upper Canada. Although the people of Lower Canada had advanced in many respects, although in 4 52 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Montreal and Quebec new industries such as shipbuilding had arisen, still the Lower Canadian people, as compared with those of the Upper Province, were in a state of retrogression. Their agriculture was carried on with implements that belonged to the France of the I7th century. The habitants had scarcely advanced beyond the modes of thought of the Middle Ages. They were, as they are still, the devoted subjects of a mediceval Church. Of the 87,000 signers of the petition sent to England from the Lower Canadians in 1828, Mr. Dent finds that 78,000 were unable to write. ("Last Forty Years," Vol. L, p. 54). The financial condition of the Lower Province as regards revenue was, however, better than that of the Upper. There was little public debt, and in 1840 a surplus of revenue over expenditure. But in Upper Canada the energies of its active and ambitious population were not confined to farming. Statistics show that while in a period of twenty years Lower Canada increased her amount of acres under cultivation by l'9,the increase of those of Upper Canada was 4-5. The Upper Canadian agriculture was progressive, energetic, never satisfied with old, worn-out methods, ever eager to have in use the last improved appliances of England or the States: Wheat for many years was the main crop, for the reason that it was the readiest sold. The entire wheat crop of the Upper Province in the Union year is estimated at three million bushels. The towns of Upper Canada were at that time small, and with scant pre tensions to beauty, compared with the two historic cities of the other Pro vince. 'Toronto was the best in 1840. Then, as now, it was the intellectual centre of Canada. It had a population of 15,000. Kingston and Hamil ton came next. London, since its foundation by Governor Simcoe, was the military station and most progressive town of the west, having eclipsed St. Thomas. Bytown, the nucleus of Ottawa, was a lumber shanty by the Chau diere. In 1840, the Victoria College, Cobourg, took rank as a university, and Queen's College, Kingston, was founded. In care for education, as in all else, the Upper Province led Canada's advance. Lord Sydenham's Ministry. Mr. Thomson had been raised to the British peerage as Lord Sydenham for his services in Canada, and summoned the first Parliament since the Union to meet at Kingston in June, 1841. It was the first Canadian Parliament which was representative of the people. The ministry included men of opposite politics, who agreed to act together for a time in order to enable the Governor to inaugurate the new system. Draper as Attorney- General, though a Tory,* was yet for a time the colleague of the leading constitutional reformer, Robert Baldwin. But the latter from the first declined to consent to any sort of coalition with the Conservative members of the ministry, and on Lord Sydenham * The word " Tory " appears to have first occurred in English history' in 1679, during the struggle in Parliament occasioned by the introduction of the Bill for the Exclusion of the Duke of York from the Line of Succession, and was applied by the advocates of the bill to its oppo nents as a title of obloquy and contempt. Afterwards, the leading principle of the Tories became the maintenance of things as they are. The Tory is now an almost extinct genus, and must not be confounded with the Conservative of the present day, whose liberality in politics has met with so much popularity under the administration of Sir John Macdonald. THE dominion OF CANADA. 53 declining to reconstruct it in accordance with the wishes of the people, he resigned. The first important debate drew from the Family Compact Attorney-Gen eral, Mr. Draper, the admission that his ministry ought to resign office if want of confidence in its policy were voted by a majority of the Assembly. The Parliament met in the large stone building now used as the General Hospital, directly opposite the University of Queen's College, the Governor- General residing at the handsome mansion of Alwington, overlooking the lake shore, and now the home of one well known in Canadian literature, Mr. Allen, of Kingston. The debate on constitutional questions was followed by some practical legis lation as to public works, municipal corporations, and public education. The latter subject was introduced by Mr. Day, and provided $200,000 for maintain ing primary schools throughout Canada. Although the provisions of this Act were insufficient, it was a good beginning of a work destined to be an inestimable blessing. A disposition to evade the true spirit of the new Constitution being suspected on the part of the Government, this great question was unremittingly pressed by Mr. Baldwin, a Reform statesman to whose integrity Canada owes much. He entered on political life in 1829, as member for York, and was son of Dr. W. Baldwin, a gentleman of liberal and enlightened views. As a Reformer, Mr. Robert Baldwin's career was marked by high principles, moderation, and the absence of mere party prejudice. He kept aloof from the Mackenzie revolt, and, with Mr. Francis Hincks, was among the first to raise the depressed spirit of the popular party. On September 4, while Lord Sydenham was riding up the hill leading to Portsmouth, his horse fell, causing a fracture which brought on lockjaw, from which he died, much lamented in Canada. He was one of the last and best of our personally-governing Governors, a class of officials soon to become extinct with the growth of that responsible government which Lord Sydenham, like Durham, did so much to foster. His grave and monument are in the Church of St. George, Kingston. It was his own wish to rest in Canadian earth. At the close of 1840 some trouble had been apprehended from the imprison ment of one Alexander MacLeod, a zealous Loyalist, who had fought against Mackenzie at Montgomery's Farm, and had hastened to join MacNab's force at Navy Island. In the seizure and destruction of the Caroline, an act of a some what questionable character, there seems evidence that he took no part what ever. But in the skirmish that took place with the Caroline's crew, one of the latter, Amos Durfee, had been shot through the head. MacLeod seems to have been a talkative braggart ; he was known to be fond of boasting that he " had shed the Yankee's blood." Not unnaturally, he was arrested at Lewiston, N.Y., on a charge of murder and arson. But happily, as the matter led to great excitement, and might have caused war, the United States authorities allowed him to escape. The next Governor was Sir Charles Bagot, a descendant of Viscount St. John, the brilliant freethinker of Queen Anne's reign. In English politics, Bagot had been known as a pronounced Tory, and the Family Compact clique calculated to gain his aid in wrecking the newly-granted and as yet scarcely established 64 history OF BRANT COUNTY. Constitution. But they had to do with a high-principled gentleman and an experienced diplomatist. He had been instructed to maintain the new Con stitution of Canada, and he withstood every effort to induce him to swerve from his duty. In 1842 the Ashburton Treaty decided the various questions, which had been for some time under dispute, with regard to the boundary line between Canada and the United States. It also determined, what was perhaps of still greater importance to both countries, the extradition of criminals proved guilty of murder, piracy, arson, robbery, or forgery. In this year Mr. Francis Hincks entered the ministry in charge of the Finance Department, for which this statesman, still spared to us (1883), has always shown such exceptional talent. The Conservatives were indignant against Bagot for permitting this. He was accused of a leaning towards radicalism. Their papers, with the absurd vituperation which both parties then indulged in, called Hincks " a rebel." Mr. Lafontaine, for many years leader of the French Canadians, and Mr. Baldwin, soon afterwards took office, the Draper Ministry resigning. The two political parties were now definitely forming on the lines of the new system of government, and the French Canadian members seemed likely on most questions to hold the balance of power between them. A most important Act was passed by the new Government, prohibiting bribery, treating, brawling, and the display of party badges at elections. The Tory newspapers railed at this as a treasonable measure intended to forbid the hoist ing of " the Union Jack of Old England." Sir Charles Bagot had left England with a w^eakened constitution and the germs of a malignant disease. 'These were still more impaired by the rigours of our winter climate, and the incessant calumnies of the Family Compact press. He bade farewell to the Canadian Ministers, who left his sick chamber in tears. He died in June, 1843. The Family Compact organ in Toronto called him " an imbecile and a slave." There can be but one opinion among Canadians of all parties to-day as to his services to this country. Sir> Charles Metcalfe succeeded him in 1843. Although a Liberal in Epg- land, no sooner had he arrived in Canada than he formed a hard and fast alliance with the Family Compact Opposition, and did his utmost to wrest from the Baldwin-Lafontaine Ministry their constitutional right to the official patronage of Canada. They resigned accordingly ; all but Mr. Daly, who has been called " The Canadian Vicar of Bray," and was for some time the sole Minister in office. He was afterwards joined by Mr. Draper and Mr Vigor, a French Canadian, who, it was vainly hoped, would draw his compatriots with him. But such a Government could not last. In 1844 there was a new election, at which, in defiance of law, the Metcalfe party resorted unscrupu lously to all kinds of violence to secure victory at the hustings. They did succeed in obtaining a small majority, but by means that attach a sinister memory to the Governor-General and the elections of 1844. Never since have the Canadian people tolerated such interference with their rights as electors. A Tory, or rather Family Compact, Ministry was formed under Mr. Draper and Colonel, now Sir Allan MacNab. Mr. Hincks, who had given up his editorship of the Examiner, and- had assumed that of the Pilot at Montreal, was not now in Parliament, having been defeated at Oxford. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 55 An event in Canadian journalism occurred on March 4, 1844, when the first issue of the Globe appeared in Toronto. It was conducted by Mr. George Brown, then twenty-five years old, the son of Mr. Peter Brown, a builder and contractor in Edinburgh. Having been introduced at Kingston to several members of the Baldwin Ministry, he advocated the cause of responsible government with such vigour in the new^ journal, that it speedily became what it still remains — a, political power of no mean order. Among the members of the new Parliament were John A. Macdonald, a young but rising lawyer of so-called Tory views, and Wolfred Nelson, so late the leader of the Lower Canadian insurgents. He had served as a military surgeon in the War of 1812, and so learned somewhat of soldiership, siding with Papineau in the long struggle for popular rights which preceded the insurrection of 1837-8. Nelson endeavoured to restrain the violence which he foresaw would end in revolt. He won by his personal integrity and magnet ism the warmest affection from the French Canadians, and when the village of St. Denis, where he lived, was attacked by Colonel Gore with his troops. Dr. Nelson defended the place with a skill and resolution which compelled the soldiers to retreat. Dr. Nelson nursed with the utmost kindness the wounded whom the Eoyalist troops left behind them. He was now returned for Eichelieu, defeating even so powerful an opponent as Metcalfe, President of Council. The rest of his life was passed in honour, and in the service of his country. In 1844 the seat of Government was moved from Kingston to Montreal. Metcalfe was now as much attacked by the Liberal or Eeform press, and with the same sillv rodomontade of invective, as the Tory press had employed against his predecessor, Bagot. He was called "a false-hearted despot," ' Charles the Simple," " Old Squaretoes," as if such mud-throwing did not degrade those from whom it came more than the statesman attacked by it. But Metcalfe did not lack defenders. Dr. Egerton Eyerson defended the Governor in a series of articles in The British Colonist, the servile tone of which would hardly at the present day suit the taste of any political party. In 1844, however, the pamphlet had its effect on public opinion, and Dr. Eyerson was rewarded for his zeal with tine valuable appointment of Chief Superintendent of Schools for Upper Canada. For many years he was the autocrat of our Public School system, in building up ¦which, if he made some mistakes, mischievous enough in their way, he was still of great and lasting benefit to our country's system of education. The management of the Com mon School system of the Province by Dr. Eyerson commenced in 1846. The Draper Ministry continued during the governorship of Sir C. Metcalfe and his successors. Earl Cathcart and Lord Elgin. William Henry Draper, who with Sir A. MacNab led the Tory party in Upper Canada, was the son of an English clergyman, born in 1801. He had run away to sea, and at last settled at " Little York " as a lawyer. He had great personal magnetism and suavity of address, and his musical and experienced voice added to the effect of his otherwise not brilliant oratory in the Assembly. He lived till 1877. In 1845 one of those terrible fires, which seem peculiarly the curse of Can adian cities, visited Quebec ; twice in succession it sw^ept over the city until twenty-four thousand people were made homeless. The English people gener- 56 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. ously subscribed £100,000 for their relief, to which the Parliament of Canada added £35,000. Lord Metcalfe — for the Governor had been raised to the peerage — was a sufferer from that most terrible of all diseases, cancer. He was obliged to return to England, where, under sufferings borne with affecting fortitude, he died. The most important political event of this Parliament was a bill introduced by the Draper Ministry, to pay all losses occasioned to the private property of Loyalists in Upper Canada. This was no doubt intended as a bonus to the Draper party in the Province, and was to be defrayed from the revenues arising from tavern and hotel licenses, The French Canadian members agreed to this proposal provided that similar indemnification was given to the Loyal ists in their own Province. Six commissioners were accordingly deputed to make an estimate of the bonus so incurred in both Provinces. But they found their task a difficult one. It was in many instances impossible to determine whether the losses caused by military operations had befallen Loyalists or insurgents, and the amount of compensation claimed mounted much higher than the ministry had anticipated. When (1 846) the commissioners sent in their report, it appeared that at least £100,000 would be required. Mr. Draper endeavoured to compromise matters by a bill proposing to issue, in Provincial Debentures, £9,986, to be repaid by the duty on Marriage Licenses. With this no one was satisfied. Lord Elgin, the new Governor-General, relieved Lord Cathcart in 1847. The Draper Ministry were getting more and more unpopular ; the champions of responsible government were far abler men than any in the ministerial ranks, and such journals as the Montreal Pilot and the Toronto Globe exposed the weakness and unconstitutional character of Mr. Draper's policy. The country was against them. The other burning question which the earlier Reformers had urged, the secularization of the Clergy Reserves, was now agitated anew. The power of the Family Compact, which had been the bul wark of the Reserves, had by this time all but vanished. Dr. Strachan, who had wielded that power, was relegated from his place as a politician to his true position as a clergyman. During this year our countrymen did much to give aid to the famine- stricken people of Ireland, when a continuous stream of emigration set in to Canada as well as the United States. In 1847 fully 70,000 Irish emigrants had landed at Quebec before August. They were the least fit to survive either the tropical summer or the arctic winter of Canada, and too often they were fever-stricken as they landed from the crowded steerage. Again and again as they wandered through the land, these hapless sufferers carried the germs of death into the houses where they received shelter. When Parliament met at Montreal in June, 1847, the Governor announced that the English Government was willing to put into the charge of Canada the entire control of the Post Office department, and he also made the import ant communication that the duties which England had imposed on Canadian imports would henceforth be removed. He advised, for military reasons, the construction of a railway between Halifax and Quebec. This is the line no'W called the " Intercolonial." It has never yet paid its expenses, is likely to THE DOAIINION OF CANADA. 57 pay less now that a shorter route can be had, and it is satisfactory to think that it will be the last " military railway" in peaceful Canada. A dissolution of Parliament now took place, and as the election was this time held in accordance with law, the popular feeling found expression ; the Liberal or Reform members had the majority, and such men as Hincks, Robert Baldwin, Hume Blake and Malcolm Cameron, were returned. Louis Papineau, who, like the other leaders of the movement of 1847, had come back to Canada, was elected, with Dr. Wolfred Nelson, from Lower Canada. Accord ingly, when Parliament met, Mr. Draper's Ministry resigned, and the Baldwin and Lafontaine Cabinet assumed their place. Although Papineau reappeared in political life, he never regained the prestige which he possessed in the early part of his career. His undeniable eloquence did not compensate for a petu lant vanity and a certain lack of political common sense. Henceforth he all but disappears from Canadian history. His memory is still revered among his compatriots, and he rests, not without honour, in the shadow of the elm trees at Montebello. During this year measures -w^ere passed in connection with this Imperial renunciation of ditierential duties which ensured to Canada entire freedom in controlling her own trade. Thus early had responsible government brought with it a second important step towards nationality. In the course of the following year the completion of the St. Lawrence Canal gave an immediate impulse to the Canadian export trade. In January, 1847, Parliament met again at Montreal, when the Governor delivered an address of the congratulatory kind, vulgarly known as " taffy," about the general prosperity of the country, with which we have been familiar since the titular Governdt ceased to govern and learned to flatter. Then the real Government work of the session began by Mr. Lafontaine bringing up the subject of the rebellion losses, and introducing a bill to pay the moiety of the Lower Canadian losses left unpaid by Mr. Draper's Bill. This put a telling weapon, that of appeal to "loyalty," into the hands of the Tories. They loudly maintained that it was unjust to require Upper Canada to pay any portion of the Lower Canadian losses, but that the injustice became an insult to all they most venerated if they were to pay actual rebels. It was main tained that now rebels like Drs. Eussell and Papineau were in power — that Lafontaine, who had been in prison as a rebel in 1837, was governing the country — was it to be expected that they would neglect this opportunity to reimburse their .followers ? To this it was replied, and seemingly with truth, that the ministry were only carrying out the policy of their predecessors in office ; that the object of the bill was simply to pay for all bona fide losses in curred by non-combatants, and that the Upper Canada losses had been paid from a license fund to which Lower Canada also had contributed. But the Opposition had at last got hold of a good election cry ; all the loyalist feeling was enlisted on their side on a question which was not one of "loyalty," but of simple fair play. The Orange body, in particular, were so mistaken at the time as to think Protestantism endangered by the Govern ment doing a simple act of justice. In Pakenham, near Ottawa, a clergyman named Mulkins was known to have written in favour of the measure ; he was an Orangeman. The fieeling was so intense that he had to give up his parish. 58 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. The Government gave him in recompense the lucrative post of chaplain to Kingston Penitentiary. Worse still, the old race hatred broke out anew, and to be rid of Lower Canada, many of these ultra-loyal Tories demanded annexation to the States. However, all this was not the outcry of a minority in Canada, and the Rebellion Losses Bill passed by a majority of sixteen ; and having, as a matter of course, passed the Upper House, received the formal assent of the Governor-General on April 26,1849. A mob of the defeated faction had gathered around the Parliament House. A.s the Governor-General left the building he was insulted and pelted by these zealous " Loyalists ; " his life was at one time in serious danger. The members of the Assembly were hustled and beaten. At last the Parliament House was attacked ; a zealous Tory member from the Eastern To-wnships — alas! the disgraceful fact is historic — applied the torch ; the dry woodwork was soon in a blaze that threatened to fire the city. So the Parliament House was destroyed ; with it perished a literary treasure never to be replaced, the library containing many hundred volumes bearing on the history of Canada. It was an act of sheer Vandalism, of which men like Mackenzie and Wolfred Nelson would have been incapable. The partisans of Mr. Draper repeated similar scenes elsewhere ; in Toronto Baldwin and Lafontaine were burned in effigy, a practice derived from the witchcraft of the dark ages. In Montreal the troops had to be called out ; the mob threw stones, were fired on, and one man killed. Disgusted at the insults of the Tory '' Royalists," the representative of royalty wished to resign his position as Governor-General, but the authorities in England warmly approved of his, action in thus sustaining constitutional government, and entreated him to remain in office. 'Addresses from all parts of Canada, especially from the Eeform party, were presented to Lord Elgin, expressing their regret for the treatment he had received from a minority of Canadians. In view of this outrage, it was resolved to remove the seat of Government from Montreal to Toronto for the next ten vears, and afterwards that Parliament should meet alternately in Quebec and Toronto. About this time Canadian farmers began to feel the depressing effects of the abrogation of the system of protection in England, for the Canadian producer had also been protected against American and other grain. Now that this had ceased to be the case, the St. Lawrence trade was seriously damaged, and a depressing effect produced on business all through the country. But this was to a great extent remedied by a measure, first proposed in 1850, for reciprocity or free trade with the United States. In this year also an important muni cipal reform Avas carried, extending the principle of local self-government, both in Upper and Lower Canada. By this most salutary measure, each county and township •w^as charged with the control of 'its local taxation and expendi ture. At this time our present county and township system was formed, thus relieving Parliament of the care of a multitude of local details, and the general revenue from expenditure as to which the municipalities them selves could best judge. The agitation on the Clergy Reserves abuse now became more intense ; it produced a difference though not a division in the Reform ranks, those who held uncompromisingly to the abolition of the Reserves being known in political slang as " Clear Grits." Meanwhile the prosperity of the country was being advanced by the construction of the THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 59 Grand Trunk, Great Western, and Northern Railways. The first of them was projected by Sir A. MacNab, who had great personal influence in the western part of Upper Canada. Numerous lighthouses were also erected at various noints on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the year 1851 Canada made a very creditable appearance at the Great Exhibition in London, the first of a series of such exhibitions which, held in the chief countries of the world, have greatly promoted international commerce. All Canada, and especially the English-speaking Province, was rapidly developing her industrial resources. One of the foremost to use steam vessels on her lakes and rivers, she was now energetically interpenetrating her vast plains with the great lines of railway above mentioned, which, in the course of thirty years, have branched out in every direction, covering the face of the land with a network which connects wdth every industrial centre. In October, 1851, Mr. Hincks became Premier. His keen practical sense and financial tact led him to take great interest in the foundation of the Grand Trunk Railway, to which, in 1852, aid was given by Parliament ; the session of that year being known as the railroad session. The year 1852 is marked by a great fire in Montreal, 10,000 people being made homeless. The year 1854 witnessed three remarkable events in Canadian politics. The Reciprocity Treaty with the United States procured for our people the right to send most of the products of Canada free of duty to the United States ; it was to be in force for ten years. Yet more important is the step made by this Treaty to Canada's commercial independence ; for the first time we were allowed a voice in framing a treaty that concerned Canadian interests. The long-vexed question of the Clergy Reserves was now set finally at rest. These wild and at the time unprofitable lands were to be sold, and the fund thus obtained to be at the disposal of the different municipalities, and to be used for the benefit of the local schools, or for any other purpose of municipal improvement. But in order not to act harshly, such portions as were already occupied for church use were toKform a small fund for church endowment. And in Lower Canada the Seigniorial Tenures Act abolished the incumljrance, long felt as an obstacle to progress, of the feudal tenures of property. It was now arranged that each seigneur should receive a certain sum from his tenant, the balance being made up from a sum granted by the Canadian Parliament. England being this year at war with Russia, Canada sent a gift of £20,000 as a contribution towards the reMef of the wives and children of soldiers and sailors killed in battle. It is to be hope 1 that such offerings of Christian charity may soon be all the share Canada will take in European wars. In 1 855 Sir Edmund Head came as Governor-General. The first regular volunteer corps was formed in consequence of an amendment to the Militia Act passed this year. In 1856 a further advauce in the freedom of our institutions was made by applying the elective principle to our Legislative Council. The change was to be made gradually ; the nominees of the Crowm at the time living were to retain their position for life ; as they dropped off their successors were to be elected. At this time our Parliament subsidized a line of steamers between Montreal and Quebec and Liverpool, to compete with the American line subsidized by the English Government. The seat of Government was now proposed to be changed finally to Ottawa, a change made by suggestion of the 60 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Crown, and, for entirely military reasons, the suggestion of the Duke of Wel lington at the conclusion of the War of 1812. This change was, for obvious reasons, unpopular with the people of the older and more central cities, and caused much opposition to the Cartier-Macdonald Ministry, now in power. In 1857 a commercial crisis came over the country, and, together with a suc cession of bad harvests, much depressed our commerce. To remedy this a new Customs Act was passed, imposing heavier duties on certain imported goods. In 1858 attention was turned to the proper protection of our fisheries. The beautiful edifice of our Toronto University was now completed ; it is in the Norman Gothic style, but treated with an elaborate luxuriance of rich decora tion. The coinage was this year changed ftom the (51d cumbrous system of pounds, shillings and pence to the more facile decimal system. In 1858 the removal of the seat of Government to Ottawa broughi about the downfall of the Cartier-Macdonald Ministry. Geo. E. Cartier, who had succeeded to Lafontaine's influence in Lower Canada, was the ablest leader his compatriots have yet known. Sir John A. Macdonald, the most notable of the Conservative leaders whom this extraordinary ministerial movement brought into power, was born in Sutherlandshire, Scotland, in 1815, and came to Canada in 1820 with his father, who settled at Kingston. He was educated at the Kingston Gram- mar-School, where his chief taste seemed to be for mathematics. At twenty-one he was called to the bar. As has been mentioned, he defended, with beneflt to his own skill, in a cause where acquittal was hopeless. Von Schultz, the leader of the raid on Prescott in 1838. At the age of thirty-one he became member for Kingston in the Conservative interest. For some years we can find, in the old files of newspapers preserved in the Parliamentary Library, Toronto, but scant mention of J. A. Macdonald's speeches in Parliament. He was biding his time, and maturing both the skill in constitutional law and the extraordinary know ledge of men, especially political men, by which he has been distinguished evei since. Although his political education was acquired in turbulent times and under the Family Compact Opposition, which did its best to wreck the cause of responsible government under Sir C. Metcalfe, Sir John Macdonald's good sense and naturally liberal tendencies have caused him to take up every really needful reform just as the public mind became ripe to receive.it. Indeed, political tact and adroitness in discerning the right moment and the right man are the chief characteristics of this statesman. He has passed through every office in the Administration. He was Receiver-General under Mr. Draper in 1847. Again he held a portfolio under the MacNab-Morin Coalition in 1854, which carried the two important Reform measures — the abolition of feudal tenures and secularization of the Clergy Eeserves. Having superseded Sir Allan MacNab, whom age and gout had unfitted for active leadership, as the chief of the Conservatives, he was supported by the influence, all-powerful as long as he lived, of George L. Cartier with the people of Lower Canada. Mr. George Brown, editor of the Globe, was then called on to form a minis try, as being the leader of the party opposed to that of the late Administration. This was at length accomplished, Mr. Brown being Premier, with Mr. Dorion to represent the Lower Canadians. But, according to our constitution, the ministers lost their seats in Parliament on accepting office until re-elected by the people ; their numbers in parliamentary strength were thus so much weak- THE DOMINION OP CANADA. 61 ened, that on the Conservatives moving a vote of want of confidence, the Reformers were defeated. Of course the Eeform Ministry would at once have appealed to the constituencies, but by a very arbitrary use of the power left with a Governor-General, Sir F. Head refused to sanction this. In conse quence of this action of the Governor, the Macdonald-Cartier Ministry were reinstated in power, the Brown-Dorion Government having held office only three days. Much bitterness was caused by this adroit but not very high- principled manoeuvre. In August the Atlantic cable was first laid, an event attended with great rejoicing in Canada. But in this, the first effort, the success was not perma nent as yet. On the 9th of September of this year that patriot, Robert Baldwin, died at the homestead his father had built at Spadina, in west Toronto. In 1859, Parliament held its session in Toronto. It was now found that there was a continual deficiency in the revenues of the Province, and as it was considered inexpedient to reduce the expenditure on railways and other public works, the duties on exports were considerably increased. On October 13th, the monument of General Brock on Queenston Heights was unveiled in the presence of a vast assemblage, including the volunteer Qorps, with whom were many veterans who had fought under Brock in his last battle. As the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence was now approaching completion, our Parliament sent an invitation to the Queen of England to visit Canada and preside at its opening. Next year .she replied, declining the visit to Canada for herself, but intimating that the Prince of Wales would take her place at the opening ceremonies. It had long been felt that while in progress, educa tion, and all intellectual and industrial results. Upper Canada was far ahead of the French Province, yet according to the constitutional arrangement, whereby the two Provinces had an equal representation in Parliament, the interests of the English-speaking Province were on all occasions made subservient to those of the French by the fact that, while in Upper Canada there were two political parties whose numbers were, as a rule, equally balanced, the French members voted as a unit, and were thus enabled to hold the balance of power. To remedy this a Reform Convention was held in Toronto this year (1859), in order to devise means for establishing the principle, on which all the late parliamentary reforms in England have been based, of representation by popu lation. But the French Canadians had always been successful in their opposition to this measure, which they knew would weaken their political importance. It was therefore proposed to establish a Federal Union between the Provinces, in place of the existing system of Legislative Union. This suggestion, first proposed at the Toronto Convention of 1859, was the germ of the great constitutional change since carried out so successfully in the Con federation of Canada. In November of this year. Sir J. B. Macauley, who had so long held with honour the position of Chief Justide of Common Pleas, died, aged sixty-six. The year 1860 opened with what was felt as a national calamity — as it tended to impair confidence already shaken by previous losses of our Canadian line steamers — the foundering of the mail steamer Hungarian off Cape Sable. All on board were lost. Since that time increased vigilance has happily prevented 62 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. the recurrence of such disasters, and the Allan line steamers have never for feited public confidence. In August of this year the magnificent Victoria Bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales, who, on visiting this country and the United States, was received by both nations with the most generous hos pitality. The Victoria Bridge is one of the wonders of the New World. As a work of human art it is not unworthy of comparison with the great works of nature amid which it stands, spanning our mightiest river, with its multi plied arches of massive granite. Such a work is a token of our national progress. " Ever reaping something new, That lohich it has done but earnest of the things that it shall do." In the same summer the Prince of Wales also laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament Buildings at Ottawa, which, from being, as a great M'riter re,sident in Canada has called it, " An Arctic lumber village," was even then assuming the proportions of one of our leading cities. In order to illustrate the vast growth of all Canada, and the greater relative growth of Upper than of the Lower Province, it needs but a .glance at the census returns of the population : Census of 1841.— Upper Canada, 465,000 ; Lower Canada, 691,000. " " 1861. " " 1,396,000; " " 1,111,000. In October, 1861, Sir Edmund Head was replaced as Governor-General by Lord Monck. On August 28 the stormy and chequered career of William Lyon Mackenzie closed in peace in the city of which he had been the first mayor. Now that the Family Compact and the generation that upheld it are gone, it is increasingly felt that a debt of gratitude is due to this* single-hearted patriot. Few other statesmen can show a record so stainless as regards political morality. In this year also began the calamitous war in the American Republic. At first and for some time the people of the North seemed scarcely alive to the importance of the situation. When awakened from inaction, army after army swept through the Southern States, and after many a hard-contested field — for there were no better soldiers than those of the South — peace followed the capture of Richmond. During the war there was in England a strong sympathy with the rebels. Indeed, considering the national desire to avenge the wars of 1776 and 1812, it is doubtful if the triumph of the Republic was really pleasing to any class in Great Britain excepting the Irish. But in Canada, with very insigni ficant exceptions, the good-will of the entire nation -n^ent with the armies of the North, and we rejoiced when a difficulty, caused by the seizure by an American commodore of two Confederate envoys on board the Trent, was happily settled by their release. A considerable number of Canadians enlisted in the Northern army. The demand for horses, grain, and food supplies of all kinds among our Northern neighbours led to the circulation of a considerable amount of money in Upper Canada, and thus proved a stimulus to trade, the withdrawal of which, when war prices were no longer offered, produced a corresponding depres sion. While on the subject of the war, we may mention, although the occurrences took place some three years later, that Canada was well nigh involved in trouble with the United States by the lawless and ungenerous action of certain refugees from the South. These men, while coming to our land as guests seeking a THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 63 peaceful shelter, abused our hospitality by acts of brigandage, for which they attempted to make Canada their base. One piratical expedition effected the seizure of two small craft in Lake Erie, which, however, were abandoned; another, led by Mason, son of the Envoy, seized on the Trent steamer, and made a raid on St. Albans, a small town in Vermont. Tlie Canadian authorities apprehended the raiders, who, however, succeeded in obtaining their release on some legal technicality. In this year died Lafontaine, who had been the repre sentative of Lower Canada in the Ministry of Eobert Baldwin. In 1864, a Convention of thirty-three representatives from both Provinces met at Quebec to discuss the question of Confederation. It was unanimously voted that a proposal for effecting this great measure should be submitted to the Legislature. In this year, the Sandfield Macdonald Ministry having resigned office, and that of Sir E. P. Tache, which succeeded, not surviving more than two months, overtures were made by the ministry to George Brown, leader of the Eeform Opposition, that in order to get rid of difficulties which threatened a political dead-lock, a Coalition Government should be formed, of which three Eeformers^ in eluding Mr. Brown, should represent the Opposition element. This was agreed to, and the Coalition Administration was formed. The principal m'embers ofthe Coalition were John A. Macdonald, G. E. Cartier, and George Brown, with Messrs. McDougall and Gait. Mr. Brown then moved for the appointment of a Committee on Constitutional Difficulties, and very soon a scheme was brought before Parliament, which was based on that of the Eeform Convention of 1859. In 1865 this proposal, embodied in seventy-two resolutions, was adopted by the Parliament of Canada, and by those of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, fearing to lose political importance by such a union, declined it for the time being. In the same year John A. Macdonald, G. E. Cartier, Alexander Gait and George Brown, were sent as delegates to represent the wishes of the colonies to Lord Palmer- ston, then at the head of the Government. In England the scheme was received with full approval. As the Eeciprocity Treaty with the United States was now about to expire, Mr. Gait and j\Ir. Howland were sent to Washington to negotiate as to its renewal, in connection with which transaction a difficulty arose in the Cabinet, and Mr. George Brown resigned. The negotiations for renewing the Treaty failed. In 1866 occurred the raid called the Fenian inva sion. The Fenians, an Irish organization for the purpose of achieving the independence of Ireland, very absurdly resolved to invade Canada, a country which was the home of thousands of their countrymen. They did not consider that if Canada could be blotted from the face of the earth, it would not lead a step nearer to the independence of Ireland. But there is every reason to believe that this invasion was projected not from any patriotic motive, but to get up a sensation among the American Irish, and thus fill the pockets of the Fenian leaders. On June the first twelve hundred Fenians, well armed, and led by an ex-officer of the Anierican army named O'Niel, crossed the Niagara Eiver near Buffalo, occupied the dismantled ramparts of Fort Erie, and marched to a place called Eidgeway. A body of regular troops was sent to meet them with nine hundred volunteers, from Hamilton and Toronto, commanded by Colonel Booker. Too impatient to await the co-operation of the regulars, Colonel Booker advanced towards Eidgeway. Here th-e Fenians were found strongly entrenched; 64 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. a smart skirmish took place ; and upon a false, and, under the circumstances, absurd alarm of cavalry, the order was given to form square. This movement being inefficiently carried out, threw our force into confusion, of which the enemy took advantage by firing on the disordered ranks. The volunteers had to retire, No. 1 Company, Queen's Own Eifles, Toronto, covering the retreat with coolness and skill. Our force lost an officer, Ensign McEachren, of No. 1 Company, Queen's Own, and six men killed, and four officers and nineteen men wounded. Several attempts at a raid were also malde on the Lower Cana dian Frontier, but the Volunteer Militia were there in such force that the Fenians effected nothing, until the United States authorities took cognizance of the matter, and seized the arms of these brigands. The Fenian prisoners were tried and sentenced to death, but this was commuted to imprisonment for life in the Penitentiary, whence, however, they were released after several years confinement. A public funeral was given to our brave volunteers, and a monument to their memory has been set up in the Queen's Park, Toronto. On the 8th of June, 1866, our Parliament met in the new Parliament Build ings, Ottawa. This magnificent palace is a fit mansion for the true governing power of our country, and it is fitting that the free nations of the New World should erect for their Legislatures edifices as beautiful as any palace of Old World despotism. Our Parliament Buildings form three sides of a square, the central and largest being built in the twelfth century Gothic style. The stone is a cream-coloured sandstone from the Ottawa quarries, and the arches of doors and windows are of a warm red sandstone. In the centre is a lofty tower of stately proportions, and the library, a circular structure with flying buttresses, is one of the most beautiful features of all. Two disasters befell Canada in this year. First, a terribly destructive fire occurred in Quebec, -with loss of 2,500 houses and not a few lives. Secondly, the failure of one of our oldest banks, the Bank of Upper Canada, took place. As almost all the banks in the country had taken the Upper Canada Bank's paper, quite a panic ensued. However, the other banks stood their ground, and the crisis passed over. At the elections held in New Brunswick that year, it was found that a con siderable majority pronounced in favour of Confederation, in spite of a persistent opposition to it, kept up in both the Maritime Provinces by the popular states man, Joseph Howe. An Act was now passed in the English Parliament determining the 1st of July, 1867, as the date when the Confederation should become an accomplished fact. This was carried out amid gatherings of our Volunteer Militia corps, and general festivities. And ever since that year, the 1st of July, the birthday of the United Canadian Nation, is kept as a festival by every true Canadian. By another Act of the British Parliament, passed at the same time, a loan of £3,000,000 was guaranteed for the Intercolonial Rail way connecting the Maritime Provinces with Canada. By this important change in our Constitution, the legislative power for Canada is vested in our Parliament, which meets at Ottawa, and consists of a ¦Senate and a House of Commons. The latter is the really governing body, and consists of a hundred and eighty-two members ; eighty-two from Upper Canada, or Ontario, as it is now named, sixty-five from Quebec, nineteen from Nova Scotia, fifteen from New Brunswick, and one from Manitoba. The Speaker is THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 65 elected by the House, and the Premier and other ministers must be members. The Government is conducted by a minister able to command the votes of a majority in the House. He, as representing the will of the people, is the true ruler of Canada, and if the House of Commons votes a want of confidence in his administration, it is the usual course to dissolve Parliament and hold a general election, so that the people may express their will. With the ministry rests the disposal- of all patronage that does not belong to the ministry of each Province. The Senate consists of seventy-two members, appointed nominally by the Governor-General of Canada, but in reality by the administration for the time being. The Speaker of the . Senate is nominated by the Governor- General, and has a deliberative as well as a casting vote. As the new senators are appointed only by death vacancies, it is obvious that it depends on pure accident whether any particular administration may have the opportunity to appoint so many of its own supporters that a future adminis tration would be hampered with a Senate of its opponents fixed there for life. But the Senate has no real power ; no interest is taken in its debates, which are never printed in the papers ; it is a survival of irresponsible Government. The Speaker has no vote in deliberation, but has a casting vote when the votes on both sides are equal. The Governor-General has, in name, the power of dissolving Parliament, but this is now always exercised at the request of the Ministry : the Governor-General has other powers which he only exercises as a matter of form, and as carrying out the wishes expressed by the ministers and Parliament. An injudicious or incendiary Governor-General might possibly do some mischief, but with the prudent and courteous gentlemen whom the English ministry have for some time sent, there can be no thought of interference with our free Constitution. Each of the Provinces has a Legislature of its own, meeting once a year for four years. These local Legislatures have control of all matters which are strictly confined to the Province and do not affect the whole of Canada, such as Education, Police Regulation, Direct Taxation for Municipal Purposes, and Local Public Works. All Canada, now styled the Dominion, from this time assumed all debts previously contracted by the several Provinces, Ontario and Quebec undertaking the debt of the ; former Province of the United Canadas. Between the several provinces, from the Pacific to the Atlantic sea-board, the most absolute free trade prevails. In the Constitution thus happily established, slight changes, which to some seem desirable, may be made as time goes on and experience teaches new lessons of political wisdom. The constitution of the Senate may be made elective or otherwise amended. The Civil Service, it is to be hoped, may be reformed, and the Provinces saved the expense of each maintaining a petty king, who does nothing but go through obsolete ceremonial forms, and give entertainments, which those who desire them ought to provide at their own expense. The history of Canada since Confederation, belongs so much to the heated arena of modern politics, that we shall but glance over the leading events that are its landmarks to the present day. In 1868 John A. Macdonald obtained the title of baronet for his colleague, who now became Sir George E. Cartier, Bart., being content with knighthood for himself. In 1869, Francis Hincks, now Sir Francis, entered the Conservative Government as Finance Minister, and rendered Canadian commerce an important service, in contriving the disuse, in the traffic of this country, of the depreciated American silver. He ¦ issued a temporary paper o- 66 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. currency 25 cents, which effectively answered its purpose. In 1870, British Columbia was admitted into the Confederation, agreement being made by the Dominion Government that the Pacific Eailway should be completed. In 1872 Sir George Cartier, who since Confederation had been less necessary to his Lower Canadian supporters, inasmuch as there was no longer a grievance for him to champion, was defeated for Montreal East, and had to seek political refuge in the distant Manitoban county of Provencher, where he had never set foot. In 1873 a sudden storm burst on the hitherto prosperous ministry of Sir John Macdonald. It was suspected that Sir John had taken, for party election purposes, a large sum of money from Sir Hugh Allan, who had an Atlantic Mail contract with the Government, and who was the favoured applicant for the Canada Pacific Eailroad contract. Against Sir John's personal character not a word can be said ; he has never made money for himself out of politics, but it was felt, even among some Conservatives, that Sir John's action in this matter was wrong. Since that time the Canadian people, by twice choosing Sir John to lead their Govern ment, have shown that they place confidence in him once more ; but though the " Pacific Scandal," by some called the " Pacific Slander," has been condoned, it cannot be justified. On November 5, 1873, Sir John Macdonald's Government fell, after a brilliant speech from Sir John in his place in Parliament, which however failed to avert political ruin, at least for the time. Many Conservatives voted against him. Lord Dufferin thereon sent for Mr. Mackenzie, who formed a Eeform Government, including Eichard J. Cartwright as Minister of Finance, and Edward Blake as Minister of Justice. The Reform party continued in office tni 1878, when a reaction took place in favour of the Conservatives, in conse quence of their advocacy of Protection as a remedy for the hard times which, unfortunately for the Reformers, had prevailed during their term of office. Sir John Macdonald's Ministry was coincident with a return of commercial pros perity ; which so completely impressed on the minds of the majority of the electors the belief that prosperity and protection were related as cause and effect, that they again returned Sir John and his party into power at the last elections— 1882. Such has been our political history since 1868 gave us Confederation. The other most noteworthy events have been the adjustment of the griev ances which made Nova Scotia a malcontent partner in Confederation. This was effected in 1869, through negotiations with Mr. Howe. The Dominion Government then undertook to pay the Nova Scotia debt. In 1870 an abortive insurrection, headed by one Eiel, took place at Red Eiver, when Dr. Schultz, Scott, and other Canadian citizens were seized and imprisoned by Riel. Schultz contrived to escape, whereon Riel had Scott brought out into the courtyard of Fort Garry, and after the mockery of a trial, most barbarously shot. A military expedition was sent to Red Eiver. and the fiasco of an insur rection, which was mainly got up by some half-breed French Canadians, was easily put down. How to act with regard to Eiel was a difficult political crux. The deepest indignation at the murder of Scott was felt equally by both parties in Ontario, but if Eiel were hanged, the Lower Canadians would turn against the Government which ordered that act of justice. Sir John's Government tem porized with the matter ; that of Mr. Mackenzie, which succeeded in 1873, put a stop to the vexed question by pardoning Eiel. The wretch survived in obscure THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 67 poverty amid the utter execration of all good men. At the same time a Fenian raid took place near Stanbiidge, but was utterly repulsed with the loss of ten men by a handful of the Montreal and Huntington Militia under the command of Colonel Bagot. This battle, a skirmish, took place at Eccles MUl, near Stan- bridge, in the Eastern Townships, Lower Canada. In 1878, Canada sustained a loss in the departure of Lord Dufferin, who had been perhaps the most popular Governor-General ever known in our country. Of course, since responsible Government was established, the Governor- General ceased in any true sense to govern, yet Lord Dufferin's tenure of the position showed how much social benefit could be gained by the presence among us of a highly cultivated, genial, and most sagacious .statesman. Our literature in parti cular has reason to regret his departure, and the kindly interest taken by him in literary work. He was succeeded in November of the same year by the Maiquis of Lome and his wife. Princess Louise. The Dominion of Canada now includes the North-West Territories, ceded to Canada by the British Government in 1870, and admitted into Confederation in 1872. To this vast territory, teeming with the elements of industrial and agricultural prosperity, a continuous tide of emigration has set in for the last several years. Cities which only existed on paper ten years ago, are now tHriv- ing towns with newspapers and churches. Winnipeg has become the focus of a - marvellous colonization movement, attended with an eager energy unknown in any enterprise of Canadian colonization, from the days of Samuel de Champlain until now. It seems not unlikely that the enormous increase of English-speak ing population certain to people what is now unbroken prairie, will make the Englisli-speaking Canadian vote supreme in the Government of our country, and that thus we shall be delivered from the political domination of the French wedge which is driven in between the Maritime Provinces and Upper Canada, between the Liberal-Eeform and the Liberal-Conservative parties which have so long conceded to it the balance of power. Statistics. In order to estimate the vast growth of the Canada of our day, we need but glance at the following statistics, taken from the last census returns : Census of 1881, Dominion of Canada. Proviiice. Area. Population. Prince Edward Island 2,133 i 20,907 27,174 188,688101,733 123,200 341,305 2,665,252 square miles 108,891 440,572321,233 Nova Scotia New Brunswick tt Quebec tt 1,359,027 1,923,228 65,954 49,459 56,446 Ontario tt tt British Columbia tt Territories tt ti G-rand totals 3,470,392 4,324,810 5 68 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Population of 1871 and 1881, compared by Electoral Districts, within their present limits (1881). Electoral Districts. Territorial Superficies in acres. Population. 1871. 1881. Repre sentation. {Prince Edward Island.) Prince . . Queen's . King's . . Totals of Prince Edward Island. 467,000486,400412,000 28,302 42,65123,068 34,347 48,111 26,433 1,365,400 94,021 108,891 (Nova Scotia.) Inverness . . . . Victoria Cape Breton . Richmond . . , Giiysborough . Halifax Lunenburg . . . Queen's Shelbume Yarmouth . . . Digby Anuapolis . . . King's Hants •Colchester . . . Pictou Antigonish . . . Cumberland ¦ Totals of Nova Scotia 886,800 767,000748,000 398,880 1,060,000 1,342,032 714,000 681,900607,000 471,000 653,500 837,000519,000753,000 837,000 720,496 35.3,520 1,031,875 13,382,003 23,415 11,346 26,454 14,268 ¦ 16,555 56,963 23,834 10,554 12,41718,55017,037 18,121 21,510 21,30123,331 32,11416,51223,518 387,800 25,65112.47031,258 15,121 17,808 67,917 28,58310,577 14,913 21,284 19,881 20,598 23,46923,35926,720 35,535 18,060 27,368 440,572 21 {New Brunsmck.) Albert St. John, City St. John, County Charlotte King's Queen's Sunbury York Carleton Victoria Westmoreland . . . Kent , Northumberland . Oloucester Restigouche . 'Totals of New Brunswick 429,000 810 374,000847,000 901,000 947,0(10 770,000 2,222,000 772,000 2,234,000 822,000 1,101,000 3,046,640 1,077,9601,849,000 17,393,410 10,67228,80523,315 25,882 ¦24,593 13,847 6,824 27,140 19,93811,641 29,335 19,10120,116 18,810 5,575 12,329 26,127 26,839 26,087 25,61714,017 6,651 30,39723,365 15,686 37,719 22,61825,109 21,614 7,058 285,594 321,233 1 16 the dominion of CANADA. Population, &c. — Continued. 69 Electoral Districts. Territorial Superficies in Population. 1871. 1881. Repre sentation. (Province of Quebec Bonaventure Gaspe Rimouski Temiscouata Kamouraska L'Islet Montmagny Bellechasse Levis Dorchester. Beauce Lotbiniere Megantic Nicolet Urummond and Arthabaska .. . Richmond and Wolfe Compton Sherbrooke Stanstead Yamaska Bagot Sheflford Brome Eichelieu, St. Hyacinthe Rouville Iberville Missisquoi Vercheres Chamoly St. Jean Laprairie Napierville Chateauguay Huntingdon Beauharnois Soulanges Vaudreuil Chicoutimi and Saguenay. . . . . Charlevoix Montmorency.; Quebec, East Quebec, Centre Quebec, West Quebec, County Portneuf Champlain Trois-Rivieres St. Maurice 2,106,6812,909,940 3,156,2801,178,290 651,235507,625398,953 430,370 164,140 583,330 1,175,595 460,640475,740 379,320838,019761,621883,400 143,300260,600 167,200 214,840 357,762300,455 124,215172,823 157,635 120,960 229,173124,812 87,319 112,106 110,606 97,120 159,840 255,350 89,280 87,820 117,034 59,745,821 1,233,000 1,376,000 5,270 897 1,219 1,696,000 1,068,800 5,856,000 11,300 1,614,080 15,923 18,908 18,729 25,001 27,418 33,791 22,491 25,484 21,254 22,181 13,517 14,917 13,555 15,268 17,637 18,068 24,831 27,980 17,779 18,710 27,253 32,020 20,606 20,857 18,879 19,056 23,262 26,611 31,892 37,360 20,036 26,339 13,665 19,581 8,516 12,221 13,138 15,556 16,317 17,091 19,491 21,199 39,077 23,233 13,757 15,827 20,048 20,218 18,310 20,631 17,634 18,547 15,413 14,459 16,922 17,784 12,717 12,449 10,498 10,858 12,122 12,265 11,861 11,436 11,688 ¦10,511 16,166 14,393 16,304 15,495 14,757 16,005 10,808 10,220 11,003 11,485 22,980 32,409 15,611 17,901 12,085 12,322 28,305 31,900 18,188 17,898 13,206 12,648 19,607 20,278 23,216 25,175 21,643 26,818 8,414 9,296 10,658 12,986 70 HISTORY OF BRaNT COUNTY. Population, &c. — Continued. Electoral Districts. Territorial Superficies in a^res. Population. 1871. Repre sentation. Maskinonge Berthier Joliette L'Assomptiou Montcalm Montreal, Centre Montreal, East Montreal, West Hochelaga Jacques-Cartier Laval Terrebonne Deux-Montagnes Argenteuil Ottawa, County Pontiac Totals of Quebec (Province of Ontario.) Olengarry Cornwall. . . . : Stormont Dundas Prescott Russell Ottawa, City Grenville, South , . Leeds and Grenville, North Carleton Brockville Leeds, South Lanark, South Lanark, North Renfrew, South Renfrew, North Prontenac Kingston, City. Lennox Addington Prince Edward Hastings, East Hastings, West Hastings, North Northumberland, East Northumberland, West Peterborough, East Peterborough, West Durham, East Durham, West 2,073,600 1,555,2001,713,920 158,761 3,084,800 749 1,153 1,397 52,31267,91254,202 348,302165,187 599,700 4,277,120 13,451,520 15,079 19,99323,075 15,473 12,742 23,903 46,291 37,031 25,640 11,179 9,472 19,591 15,615 12,80637,892 16,547 17,493 21,83821,988 15,282 12,966 25,078 67,506 48,163 40,079 12,345 9,462 21,89215,85616,062 49,432 19,939 120,762,651 1,191,516 1,359,027 65 295,894 65,600 196,160 244,744313,916 439,335 1,755 146,460 233,408 414,066 78,200 415,481375,348 390,680 2,606,154 7,892,242 205,096 1,644 201,008 1,316,623 248,130250,910 73,760 1,390,721 304,992 170,384 1,830,693 117,255 207,835 203,370 20,524 7,114 11,87318,77717,647 18,344 21,54513,197 13,530 21,73910,475 20,716 19,190 13,830 14,93514,83316,310 12,407 16,396 21,312 20,336 17.39214,36516,607 21,758 17,328 18,706 11,76719,06418.316 22,221 9,904 13,29420,598 22,85725,08227,41213,52612,92924,68912,514 22,206 20,032 13,94319,160 20,965 14,993 14,091 16,31423,47021,044 17,31317,400 20,479 22,299 16,984 23,956 13,310 18,710 17,555 the dominion of CANAD.i. Population, &c. — Continued. 71 Electoral Districts. Territorial Superficies in acres. Population. Repre sentation. Victoria, South. . . . Victoria, North . . . Muskoka ¦Ontario, South .... ¦Ontario, North Toronto, East Toronto, Centre 'Toronto, West York, East York, West York, North Simcoe, South Simcoe, North Peel Cardwell Welland Niagara Monck Lincoln Haldimand Wentworth, South. Wentworth, North. Hamilton, City . . . Halton Wellington, South . Wellington, Centre Wellington, North . ¦Grey, South Grey, East Grey, North Norfolk, South... Norfolk, North.... Brant, South Brant, North Waterloo, South. . Waterloo, North. . . Elgin, East Hgin, West Oxford, South Oxford, North Middlesex, East . . . Middlesex, West.... Middlesex, North.. London, City Perth, South Perth, North Huron, South Huron, Centre Huron, North Bruce, South Bruce, North 264,136 571,412 3,226,320 147,660 402,206 2,002 791 3,165 144,886137,717 295,627 367,048 698,155172,177243,421 164,290 24,522 238,786 107,501 228,840 142,776145,367 2,380 237,953 227,827 230,390 359,644286,652 497,923 367,163224,526182,160 165,706 105,540 169,184172,092234,896 231,539 229,163 256,446272,520249,627 275,598 1,907 212,458 326,735256,297253,087315,330427,018621,141 19,244 10,956 6,919 19,923 25,967 15,090 20,647 20,355 19,36016,260 24,262 23,670•33,71916,369 16,500 20,572 3,693 16,179 20,672 19,04214,63816,245 26,71622,60623,43121,11818,740 18,62222,19318,580 15,37015,390 20,766 11,493 20,99519,25620,87012,78623,67824,55925,05520,195 21.51915,82621,159 25,37721,512 22,791 21,86231,332 17,183 20,813 13,799 27,20420,378 28,43424,867 22,98338,565 23,312 18,884 24,502 26,891 49,238 16,387 16,770 26,152 3,445 17,145 22,96318,619 14,99315,998 35,961 21,919 25,40022,26525,870 21,12729,66823,334 16,374 17,219 21,975 11,894 21,754 20,986 28,147 14,214 24,732 25,361 30,600 21,49621,239 19,746 20,77834,207 23,39326,474 27,103 39,80324,971 1 1 1 1 11 1 11 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 11 11 1 2 1 11 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 11I 11 11 1 1111 72 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Population, &c.^Continued. ¦ Electoral Districts. Territorial Superficies, in acres. Population. Repre- 1871. 1881. Bothwell TjOrnbtOTl 379,006 510,671 412,019 450,394 27,605,802 20,701 • 31,99426,83632,697 7,018 27,102 42,616 36,62646,96220,320 Xent Essex Alcoma Totals of Ontario 65,111,463 1,620,851 1,923,228 88' (Province of Manitoba.) Selkirk Provencher Lisgar 688,040 2,159,760 783,689 4,519,368 70,697,143 3,093 2,147 3,254 3,734 12,771 11,496 5,786 19,449 ' 16,452 11 1 1 Extension Totals of Manitoba 78,848,000 *18,995 65,954 4 (Province of British Golumhia. ) 114,502,400 62,982,400 30,710,400 1 10,240,000 1,356 1,955 1,316 4,540 1,419 15,417 7,550 9,2007,301 9,991 1 Yale 11 Vancouver 2 1 Totals of British Columbia 218,435,200 t36,247 49,459 6 1,705,761,280 56,446 Grand Totals of Canada 2,221,059,407 3,635,024 4,324,810 206 * Including 6,767 Indians. + Including 25,661 Indians. Population of Cities and Towns having over 5,000 inhabitants compared. Names. Montreal.Toronto... Quebec. . Halifax . . Hamilton Ottawa . . , St. John. London... Provincfs. Quebec Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia.. Ontario Ontario N. Brunswick Ontario Population. 1871. 107,225 56,092 59,699 29,582 26,71621,545 28,80515,826 1881. 140,747 86,415 62,44636,10035,961 27,41226,12719,746 Increase. 33,52230,323 2,747 6,518 9,245 5,867 3,920 Decrease. 2,67& Names. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. Population, &c. — Continued. 73 Portland Kingston Charlotteto wn Guelph St. Catharines Brantford Belleville Trois-Rivieres St. Thomas Stratford Winnipeg Chatham Brockville Levis Sherbrooke Hull Peterborough Windsor St. Henri Fredericton Victoria St. Jean Baptiste (Vil lage) Sorel Port Hope Woodbtock St. Hyacinthe Gait Lindsay Moncton Provinces. N. Brunswick Ontario Prince Edward Island . Ontario Ontario Ontario Ontario Quebec Ontario Ontario Manitoba Ontario Ontario , Quebec Quebec Quebec Ontario. ;„ Ontario Quebec N. Brunswick British Columbia. Quebec Quebec Ontario Ontario Quebec Ontario Ontario N. Brunswick. Population. 1871. 12,520 12,407 8,8076,878 7,864 8,107 7,3057,570 2,1974,313 241 5,873 5,102 6,691 4,432 4,611 4,253 6,006 3,270 4,408 5,636 5,1143,9823,7463,827 4,049 15,22614,09111,485 9,8909,6319,6169,5168,670 8,367 8,239 7,9857,8737,6- 7,5977,2276,8906,812 6,561 6,415 6,218 5,9255,874 5,791 5,585 5,3735,321 5,1875,0805,032 Increase. 2,706 1,684 2,6783,0121,767 1,509 2,211 1,100 6,170 3,926 7,744 2,000 2,507 9.16 2,795 2,201 2,308 212 2,655 1,466 155 471 1,391 1,575 1,360 1,031 Decrease. Religions of the People. Advent- ists. Baptists. Brethren. Catholics, Rriman. Church of England, Provinces. Baptists. Free Will. Tninkers. Menon- ites. Congrega tional. P. Edward Island. Nova Scotia New Brunswick . . Quebec 13 1,536 738 4,210 696 8 10 5,588 73,149 49,489 5,988 88,948 1,638 424 12 648 10,612 31,603 2,865 4,274 35 10 8 ' 13,458 7,776 17 218164 682 7,714 29 7 47,115 117,487 109,091 1,170,718 320,839 12,24610,043 4,443 7,192 60,255 46,768 68,797 366,539 14,297 7,8043,166 20 3,606 1,372 5,244 Ontario Manitoba 16,340 343 British Columbia.. Thp Territories. 75 Grand Totals .. 7,211 225,236 50,055 21,234 8,831 1,791,982 574,818 26,90ft 74 history of brant county. Eeligions of the People — Continued. Disci ples. Episco- Reform- ed. Jews. Luther ans. Methodists, Provinces. Church of Canada. Episcopal. Bible Chris tian. Primi tive. Other. Pagan. P. Edward Island. Nova Scotia New Brunswick . . Quebec Ontario 594 1,8261,476 121 16,051 102 23 1399 478 423 989 1 593 ""w 55 989 1,193 33 104 4 5,639 324 1,003 37,901 984 491 4 11,052 50,214 34,30238,026 436,987 8,508 3,416 458 21 148152729 101,505 641 73 3 2,403 436 43 357 23,726 257 14 29 42 25,555 64 8 9 11 8 67 3,730 5 2 6 1,499 2,173 437 361 Manitoba British Columbia. The Territories Grand Totals . . 20,193 2,596 2,393 46,350 582,963 103,272 27,236 25,680 3,830 4,478 Presbyterians. Pro test ants. Qua kers . Unitar ians. Uni versal is ts. 78 673375 2,0211,333 8 29 Other De nomin ations. No Religion Provinces. Church in Canada. Church of Scotland Reform ed. Other. Not Given. P. Edward Island Nova Scotia New Brunswick.. Quebec Ontario 29,304 94,760 39,102 45,651 402,572 13,928 3,488 475 4,004 15,567 1,626 3,246 7,964 63 330 34 163 2,150 2,136 1,0346,912 277251 22 364 1124 356301 2426 15 15 50 2,4322,978 45 292 692 6,519 5 7721 86 6,307 43 13 1 6,553 16 68 140610 1,213 20 54 5 139 355311234 10,983 68 2,128 1 14 121 114 432 1,756 16 180 1 100 1,618 1,260 2,608 12,965 2,327 19,131 46,760 Manitoba British Columbia The Territories . . Grand Totals.. 629,280 32,834 12,945 1,106 2,126 4,517 14,269 2,634 86,769 Birthplaces of the People. British Isles. Canada. PROVINCES. England, Wales. Ireland. Scotland. Prince Edward Island. Nova Suotia. New Brunswick. Quebec. Prince Edw ird Island. Nova Scotia New Brunswick 1,728 4,8134,174 12,909 139,031 3,457 3,294 98 2,915 5,600 16,355 27,379 130,094 1,836 1,285 62 3,425 10,851 4,168 10,23782,173 2,868 1,204 136 95,234 1,639 2,719 586 686154 23 6 2,507 405,687 6,160 813 3,706 820 379 16 1,346 4,482 277,643 1,2722,801 341 374 6 177441 3,127 1,269,075 50,407 4,085 396 101 Ontario Manitoba , .. . British Columbia The Territories Grand totals of Canada 169,504 185,526 115,062 101,047 420,(188 288,265 1,327,809 the dominion of CANADA. Birthplaces of the People. — Continued. 75 Canada. Other British Possessions. PROVINCES. Ontario. Manitoba. British Columbia. The Ter ritories. Newfound land. ChannelIslands. other Pos sessions. Prince Edward Island. 105 333310 10,379 1,435,647 19,125 1,572 517 671 2,058 262809 771 16 81 12 5743 342 345 4 10 1 63 Nova Scotia New Brunswick Quebec i' 33 62 18,020 24 1.450 63 194225 32,175 5 1 2 48 158 6,422 14 51,785 460 131 339 Ontario 1,490 52 193 5 Manitoba British Columbia The Territories Grand totals of Canada 1,467,988 19,590 32.275 58,430 4,596 814 2,733 PROVINCES. France. Ger many. Italy. Russia and Psland. Spain and Por tugal. Sweden, N. and Den mark. UnitedStates. OtherCoun tries. At Sea. Not given. Prince Edward Island. Nova Scotia New Brunswick Quebec 15 222 63 2,239 1,549 81 193 27 14 254203 1,023 23,270 220344 9 3622 231 378 23 78 2 10 6 231 444 5,651 32 1 23 1450 103 1 23 11 114 444 358 852 121 170 6 609 3,004 5,108 19,415 45,454 1,752 2,295 116 11 166 52 545 1,298 771 4,611 1 8 45 23 30 256 7 11 28 270200665 Ontario 2,211 Manitoba British Columbia .... The Territories 102 751 2,107 Grand totals of Canada 4,389 25,328 777 6,376 215 2,076 77,753 7,455 380 6,334 The total population of the Dominion of Canada in 1881 will be found to be 4,324,810, nearly five millions, the amount of population with which the United States Eepublic began its marvellous career. The number of immigrants into Canatia we find, by the Eeport of the Minister of Agriculture for 1881, to be 30,238 for that year. A valuable colony of the Quaker-like Eussian secta- riel^, the Menuonites, have settled in the North-West, and the attention of English statesmen and philanthropists is being increasingly turned to Mani toban emigration as a preventive— it cannot be a remedy — for pauperism and discontent. The churches of Canada have risen in numbers and efficiency with the general growth of the country. The historic Church of England, which had but one Canadian bishop fifty years ago, has now twenty or more colleges like the Universities of Trinity, in Toronto, and of LennoxviUe, in the Province of Quebec. Her congregations have multiplied in every county ; her clergy have no need of " Eeserves ;" she has not even felt the withdrawal of the liberal 76 history of brant county. yearly subsidy given in former years by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. In Toronto the evangelical section of her communion have lately built and endowed a second college, thatof Wycliffe Hall. The Eoman Catholic Church retains her ancient hold on the pious habitants of the Province of Quebec ; within the last twenty years the Jesuits have raised in Montreal the " Jesu," one of the most beautiful churches on the continent, a building worthy of the order and its glorious missionary traditions. In Toronto, the Metropolitan Church is a monument of the impulse for good communicated to Canadian Methodism by the ministry there of Mr. Morley Punshon, Our Upper Canada Methodism, the pioneer church of the yet un settled wilderness, began by preaching in barns and backwoods log-huts ; it now builds cathedrals for services remarkable for classical music and cultured preaching. The other Protestant churches are pretty well balanced in numbers and popularity. The census shows that the Eoman Catholics number 1,791,982 ; the Church of Canada Methodists, 582,963 ; the Episcopal, 103,272 ; the Bible Christian, 27,236 ; the Primitive, 25,680, and others unclassed, 25,680 ; the Church of Englanti has 574,818. Of Pagans it appears there are still amongst us 3,830, The church spire of one or other of the Protestant denominations rises from every village, and now that the old leaven of uncharitableness, caused by the Clergy Eeserves controversy, has died away, the various divisions of Protestant Christianity are learning to dwell together in unity. It has been mentioned in the course of this history that the first territorial division of Upper Canada was into four districts. These succeeded a number of smaller districts, such as the Talbot District, a division which we find in maps as late as 1838. But in referring to the Ee vised Statutes of Upper Canada, we find, for the year 1798, a division into counties for the most part identical with those of the present day, although in some cases both names and boundaries have since been changed. Thus we find it enacted "that the triangular tract of land heretofore called Townsend Gore be added to the town ship of Burford, and form part thereof" And again, " that the townships of Burford, Norwich, Dereham, Oxford, Blandford, and Blenheim, do constitute the county of Oxford." The next territorial division is a rearrangement of these counties in the Statutes of 1849, wherein the present county of Brant forms part of the county of Oxford. Again, in the Statutes for 1849, the first mention of the County Brant is made. It consisted then of six townships, Brantford, Burford, South Dumfries, Onondaga, Oakland, Tuscarora, and of the towns of Brantford and Paris. In estimating the intellectual progress of the Dominion, we must take into account these main aspects of its evolution, the educational advance, journalism, literature in its various forms, and the fine arts. As to education, some account of its progress has been already given. Although the Jesuits, who were esteemed the best educators of their day, did something, the Duke de Eoche- foucald could write, in 1787, that the Canadian who was able to write was a phenomenon. In 1807 the first Education Act, passed in Upper Canada, estab lished grammar schools in each of the eight districts of the Province. The history of the public school has been already given. The University of Toronto was opened in 1847; Upper Canada College, which once did work that has now passed to all the Collegiate Institutes, opened at the same time. In 1834 the the dominion of CANADA. 77 Wesleyans founded Victoria College, now one of the most flourishing of our denominational colleges, under the able direction of Dr. Nelles. The Kirk of Scotland opened Queen's College, Kingston, in 1841 ; the Presbyterian Church of Canada, Knox College, Toronto, in 1844. Trinity College, Church of Eng land, was the outcome of the secularization of our Provincial University in 1849. The Baptists established the Woodstock Literary Institute in 1857; the Methodists, Albert College, Belleville, in 1878 ; and the evangelical party in the Church of England, the Western University at London, in 1878. In Nova Scotia, King's College, at Windsor, goes back as far as 1788. Dal housie College at Halifax dates from 1820. Acadia College, in Horton, was instituted by the Baptists in 1831. In 1843, the Wesleyan University of Sack- ville was founded at Sackville, New Brunswick. In the census of 1881 the following very gratifying summary of our educational statistics is found : — Total number of educational institutions in the Dominion, 13,000 ; number of pupils in attendance during the year, 925,000 ; amount annually contributed for purposes of education by the State and the people, $6,700,000. As to journalism, some account has already been given of its early struggles in Upper Canada, and of the influence exercised by Le Canadien in the Lower Province. In looking over the files of the journals on both political sides, preserved in the Parliament Library, Toronto, one is struck with the coarse per sonality, the frequent solecism, and the badness of the writing both in form and matter. Eegularly arranged, methodical news editing there is none. It is witty in a Eeform journal to call Lord Metcalfe "Old Squaretoes;" in a Tory paper to speak of M. Lafontaine as " a rebel fattening for the gallows." We have changed all that, it is to be hoped may truly be said, though there is still far too much bitterness, and too little "sweetness and light," in our best journal ism. The ablest editorial writing we find in the Colonist (Tory), in Mackenzie's Colonial Advocate, and Sir Francis Hincks' Examiner and Pilot. At last in 1844 appeared a really first-class newspaper, a title which no political partizanship can withhold from the Globe. In 1852 Mr. Beaty established the Leader, an able Conservative journal. In 1857 the lamented McGee came to Canada, and displayed his brilliant versatile talents in the columns of the Montreal New Era. In 1867 the Conservatives of Upper Canada had for the first time the advantage of being represented by a really first-class paper, the Toronto Mail. In illustrated papers Canada is as yet poor, the only good one being the genial and witty comic paper (jrrip, edited by an artist who is also a poet and a humorous writer, and who never sneers at religion or stoops to carrion. As to literature, viewed distinctly from journalism. Lower Canada has pro duced nothing before the conquest, and but a scanty list of really good original works since, except the historic works of Le Moyne and Garneau. The latter has given us, from a point of view very partial to the Catholics and the French, the history of the French Canadian from the earliest times. His hero is M. Papineau, in whose favour damaging facts are a little too gently treated. In fiction, the " Jean Eivaud " of M. Geru Lajore, and " Les Ancien Canadien " of M. de Gaspe, are pleasing local tales. In poetry, a far greater success has been won by M. Honore de Frechette, whose two volumes of lyrics, crowned by the French Academy, have furnished a type of poetry unknown before even to the rich literature of Frai:ce, by their }>iesentation, in a graceful style, instinct 78 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. with local colouring and tradition, of the scenery of Canada. MM. Le May, Cremazie and several others have also published some commendable poetry. D. Larue and M. Ernest Gagrien have lately given us a valuable collection of the chansons of the Lower Canadian peasants, many of which are peculiarly sweet and piquant, and belong to a form of ballad, unique in itself, which ought not to be allowed to die out. Early in the history of Upper Canada we find mention of bookstores and circulating libraries. In 1836 Mrs. Jameson, authoress of " Legends of the Madonna," spent some time in Toronto ; the Stricklands, Judge Haliburton and Mr. John Gait, are names more or less associated with our Eng lish-speaking community. The first experiment at a literary serial was the Canadian Magazine, in 1823 ; but a far abler publication was the Canadian Magazine, in 1833. For the last ten years a review of a very high class Vas edited by Mr. G. Mercer Adam, and only" discontinued a year ago. In science we can boast of two writers of European reputation, Principal Dawson, of McGill College, and Professor Daniel Wilson, now President of the University of Toronto. The best poetry yet written in Canada has appeared in the columns of the Cana dian Monthly Bevievj, and the works of Kate Seymour McLean and Miss Machar, of Kingston, of Charles Eoberts, of New Brunswick, and the dramas of Charles Heavysiege, show that poetic power is not wanting amongst us. Of these names, by far the highest is that of Mr. Eoberts, whose " Orion " is a picture of Greek life drawn with a strength of hand which no other writer in Canada is capable of. Mr. Eoberts has been for some years a leading contributor to Scribner. His " Brother Cuthbert " is a dramatic lyric of great power. In the manipulation of new metrical combinations, and in wealth and force of imagery, this poet has attained to a rare excellence. He always " draws from a full ca,sk," and we feel inclined, like little Oliver Twist, to ask for " more." The presence in this country of so original a thinker, and so brilliant a writer, as Mr. Goldwin Smith, has given a powerful stimulus to literature in Toronto, and his Bystander, published quarterly, gives us the comments of one of the ablest of the writers the England of our day has produced, on the passing events of our history. In miscellaneous literature we have, in a special de partment. Colonel Denison's work on cavalry, which gained a prize from the Emperor of Eussia. In biography Mr. Lindsey's " Life of William Lyon Mac kenzie " is an interesting and vivid presentment of a remarkable career. Mr. Fennings Taylor has written some readable biographies of Episcopal and other worthies. The late Mr. Watson, of Toronto, has left in his " Constitutional History of Canada," a work remarkable for its lucid style, and clear insight into our constitutional history. Mrs. Moodie's " Koughing it in the Bush " is a pic ture, valuable to the future historian, of the hardships of pioneer life in the backwoods. Her style is graceful, and often displays much humour. Mr. Alpheus Todd, who holds the position of Librarian to the Dominion Parliament at Ottawa, has written a " History of Parliamentary Precedent and Constitu tional Usage," which has already been regarded as a classical authority in England. " The Canadian Portrait Gallery," by Mr. Dent, is a valuable and pleasantly-written series of short biographies of our leading public men. " Pic turesque Canada," * published by the Art Publishing Co. of Toronto, is a work * Note. — Several of the best articles in this work were written by Dr. C. Pelham Mulvany. — The Publishers. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 79 to the artistic merits of which it is impossible to give too high praise. Of the literary part, those articles written by Principal Grant, Miss McLean and Mr. G. Mercer Adam, are an honour to Canadian literature. The artist to whom this work is most indebted is Mr. O'Brien, President of the Canadian Aca demy, several of whose pictures, illustrating Canadian scenery, have been pur chased by Queen Victoria, and hung up in Windsor Castle and others of the royal palaces. Princess Louise has herself some taste for art, and has given encouragement to Canadian artists. The last.two exhibitions of the Academy held in Toronto show a great improvement in the number and ability of our artists. Mr. Verner, Mrs. Schrieber, Mr. John Fraser, and Mr. Watson, with many others, might be mentioned. To return to literature. In the department of history we have a good and original work on Canadian annals, " The Last Forty Years in Canada," by John Charles Dent. This is well written, often eloquent, and always, we believe, reliable. Withrow's " History " is a mere compilation ; McMuUen's is better, but having been written at Brockville, the writer had not sufficient access to original authorities and documents. " The Scot in British North America," by Mr. W. J. Eattray, is one of our best historical works. A pleasing historic monogram appeared lately, the " Life and Speeches of the Hon. George Brown." It is somewhat hastily put together, and does not give — what would have been so useful to students of Canadian politics — a thorough analysis of the conditions of the times in which George Brown and his newspaper fought the battle ot Eeform. While this portion of our work is preparing for press, Mr. J. E. Collins has given to our literature what we believe is sure to prove the most brilliant and exhaustive of political biographies published in this country. It has, like all great historical works, the interest of truth stranger and more captivating than that of fiction. We must not close this brief sketch of Canadian literature without giving a meed of well-earned praise to Mr. G. Mercer Adam, editor for many years of the above-named Canadian Monthly. This gentleman, without hope of reward, has given all his time to the encour agement of our struggling literature. Neither of the party chiefs have helped or thanked him. The same disregard of high literary excellence has been shown by the Conservative party to Mr. E. W. Phipps, who put into their hands the talisman which gained them office, the " National Policy ;" Mr. Phipps is par excellence the pamphlet writer of Canada. His command of ver nacular illustration and of telling and exhaustive invective, is unrivalled by any writer in the " groat party organs." Some of his letters have been known to sell 300 extra copies of a small and impecunious local daily, to which Mr. Phipps was generous enough to afford the too occasional aid of his pen. Harvey's " Acadia " is an interestbig monograph. We consider that all such local glean ings of incident and personal recollections, if not collected now, must soon be lost by the death of the older generations, and most important materials for the future historian thus pass into oblivion. From this point of view the " His tory of the County of Brant " may, we trust, be found useful. No pains have been spared in gathering up the precious and yet perishable material, which exists in the memories of the old, the records of churches and public institutions, and personal observations of those who have been professionally or otherwise active in the country during the last fifty years. PART II. INDIAN HISTORY Captain Joseph Brant CAPT. JOSEPH BRANT (THAYENDANEGEA), The Distinguished Mohawk Indian Chief, Sachem and Warrior. Parentage. The birth and parentage of this celebrated Indian leader, whose Career' is a part of the general history of two great civilized nations, as well as an important factor in the local history of the particular county which bears his name, is involved in uncertainty. His biographer (Stone), who wrote as late as 1865, thus alludes to the circum stance : " The Indians have no heralds' college in which the lineage of their great men can be traced, or parish registers of marriages and births, by which a son can ascertain his paternity. Ancestral glory and shame are therefore only reflected darkly through the dim and uncertain twilight of tradition. By some authors, Thayendanegea has been called a half-breed ; by others he has beea pronounced a Shawanese by parentage, and only a Mohawk by adoptibn." He has also been mentioned as a son of Sir William Johnson ; Drake, the well known writer of Indian biography, calls Brant an Onondaga of the Mo hawk tribe. Other writers have allowed him tfhe honor of Mohawk blood, but have denied that he was descended from a chief. During the year 1819, the Christian Recorder, then published at Kingston, presented a brief account of the life and character of Brant. In that memoir it was stated that he was born on the banks of the Ohio, whither his parents had emigrated from the Valley of the Mohawk, and where they are said to have sojourned several years. * " His mother at length returned with two children — Mary, who lived with Sir William Johnson, and Joseph; the subject of this memoir. Nothing was known of Brant's father among the Mohawks.^ Soon after the return of this family to Canajoharie, the mother married a respectable Indian called Carrihogo, or news- carrier, whose Christian name was Burnet, or Bernard ; but by way of contraction he went by the name of ' Brant'." Hence it is argued that the lad who was to become the future war chief was first known by the distinctive appellation of Brant's Joseph, and in process of time, by inversion, " Joseph Beant." * " There is an approximation to the truth in this relation," says Stone, " and it is in part sustained by the family tradition. The facts are these : The Six * Christian Register, IS19, Vol. 1, No. 3, published at Kingston, and edited by the Rev. Dootor> afterwards the Honourable and Venerable Archdeacon Strachan, of Toronto. Dr. Strachan wrote the sketches upon information received from the Rev. Dr. Stewart, formerly a missionary in the Mohawk Vallev. 6 ¦ 86 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Nations have carried their arms far to the west and south. .... To the Ohio and Sandusky country they asserted a peremptory claim extending to the right of soil, at least as far as Presqu'isle. From their associations in that country, it had become usual among them, especially the Mohawks, to make temporary removals to the west during the hunting seasons, and one or more of those families would freqliently remain abroad among the Miamis, the Hurons, or the Wyandots, for a longer or shorter period as they chose. One of the consequences of this intercommunication was the numerous family alliances existing between the Six Nations and others at the west, the Wyandots in par ticular. It was while his parents were abroad upon one of those excursions, that Thayendanegea was born, in the year 1742, on the banks of the Ohio. The home of his family was at the Canajoharie Castle, the central of the three castles of the Mohawks, in their native valley. His father's name was Tehowaghwengaraghkwin, a full-blooded Mohawk of the Wolf Tribe. Thayen danegea was very young when his father died. His mother married a second time to a Mohawk ; and the family tradition at present is, that the name of Brant was acquired in the manner assumed by the publication already cited. There is reason to doubt the accuracy of this tradition, however, since it is be lieved that there was an Indian family of some consequence and extent bearing the English name of Brant. Indeed, from the extracts from the recently dis covered manuscripts of Sir William Johnson, it may be questioned whether Tehowaghwengaraghkwin and an old chief, sometimes called, by Sir William, Brant, and at others Nickus Brant, were not one and the same person. The denial that he was a born chief is likewise believed to be incorrect. It is very true that among the Six Nations chieftainship was not necessarily obtained by inheritance; but in regard to Thayendanegea there is no doubt that he was of royal blood." " The London Magazine for July, 1776, contains a sketch of him, probably furnished by Boswell, with whom he was intimate during his first visit to England, in 1775-6. In that account it is affirmed as a fact without question that he was the grandson of one of the five sachems who visited England in 1710, during the reign of Queen Anne. " In the life of the first President Wheelock, by the Rev. Messrs. McClure and Parish, it is asSerted that the father of Joseph Brant was Sachem of the Mohawks after the death of the famous King Hendrick." Much other evidence might be added to support the generally accepted state ment of a recent local writer, to the following effect : " Thayendanegea, or Joseph Brant, as he was called in English, according to tradition was born on the banks of the ' Belle,' or Beautiful River, according to the French, or ' Oh-he-oh,' according to the Indian vocabulary, about the year 1742. " He was the youngest son of a distinguished Mohawk chief, mentioned in various records and traditions, under the English or German name of ' Nickus Brant,' between whom and Sir William Johnson it is said a close intimacy subsisted." Boyhood. " Of the early youth of Joseph Brant there are no accounts, other than that he was very young when first upon the war-path." INDIAN HISTORY. 87 " Three sons of ' Nickus Brant ' accompanied the expedition against Crown Point in 1755, which was commanded by Gen. William Johnson. Joseph was the younger of the three, and could not have been over 13 or 14 years of age at that time. This expedition was successful, and procured for Sir Wm. Johnson his title of Baronet, and a gratuity of five thousand pounds from the King." The Mohawks in this engagement were led by their celebrated king, the brave old Hendrick, who was slain. Education. That Thayendanegea was to a certain extent benefited by the Christian izing and civilizing efforts of the influential representatives of the royal authority with whom he was associated, is substantiated by every unprejudiced source from which information can be drawn. That Sir William Johnson was deeply interested in the success of the philanthropic efforts which were then being made in behalf of the Indians, is sufficiently illustrated by the following letter, which has been preserved among the papers of that gallant officer : " Fort Johnson, Nov. 17th, 1761. " Rev. Sir, — Yours of the second instant I had the pleasure of receiving by the hands of Mr. Kirkland. I am pleased to find the lads I sent have merited your good opinion of them. I have given it in charge to Joseph (Brant) to speak in my name to any good boys he may see, and encourage them to accept the generous offer now made them, which he premises to do, and return as soon as possible. I will, on return of the Indians from hunting, advise them to send as many as is required. I expect they will return, and hope they will make such progress in the English language and their learning, as may prove to your satisfaction and the benefit of those, who are really much to be pitied. My absence these four months has prevented my design of en couraging some more lads going to you, and since my return, which is but lately, I have not had an opportunity of seeing old or young, being all on their hunt. When they come back I shall talk with and advise their parents to embrace this favourable opportunity of having their children instructed, and doubt not of their readiness to lay hold of so kind and charitable an offer. " Mr. Kirkland's intention of learning the Mohawk language I most approve of, as after acquiring it he could be of vast service to them as a clergyman, which they much want and are desirous of having. " The present laudable design of instructing a number of Indian boys will, I doubt not, when more known, lead several gentlemen to contribute towards it, and enable you thereby to increase the number of scholars, with whom I shall not be backward to contribute my mite. " I wish you all success in this undertaking, and am with truth and sin cerity, "Rev. Sir, " Tour most humble servant, " Wm. Johnson." 88 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. • " The exertions of Sir William Johnson to improve the moral and social con dition of his Mohawk neighbours were not the least of his praiseworthy labours- among that brave and chivalrous people. Having aided in the building of churches, and locating missionaries among them, at the request of the Rev. Mr. Kirkland and others he selected a ;iumber of young Mohawks, and caused them to be sent to the Moor Charity School at Lebanon, Connecticut, under the immediate direction of the Rev. Doctor Eleazer Wheelock, afterwards President of Dartmouth College, of which, by its transfer, the Moor school became the foundation.* " Among the Indian youths thus selected was young Thayendanegea. The precise year in which he was placed in charge of Doctor Wheelock cannot now be ascertained. The school was opened for the reception of Indian pupils, avowedly as an Indian missionary school, in 1748 ; the first Indian scholar, Samson Occum, having been received into it five years before." The various writers who have treated of the deeds and cjiaracter of Captain Brant, differ widely as to his scholastic attainments, and the length of time which he passed at the Moor school. One authority (Dr. Stewart) says |he made but little proficiency in his studies. His chief biographer. Stone, after what appears to have been a thorough consideration of all the available docu mentary and traditional evidence, thus concludes : " The fact, however, that Charles Jeffre}' Smith, a missionary to the Mohawks, took Thayendanegea as an interpreter in the year 1762, and gave him an excellent character, presents a much more favourable idea of his progress in learning." From McClure's " Life of Wheelock," the following extract is made, as bearing upon this point : " Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in North America, was very friendly to the design of Mr. Wheelock, and at his request sent several boys of the Mohawks to be instructed. One of these was the since celebrated Joseph Brant, who, after receiving his education, was par ticularly noticed by Sir William Johnson, and employed by him in public business," etc. Among the Indian youths who accompanied Thayendanegea to the Moor school were several Mohawks and two Dela wares, the latter having preceded the others some little time. One member of this party was a half-breed named Wil liam, who was supposed to have been a son of Brant's friend and patron. " Only two of the number remained," says Stone, " to receive the honours of the future College (Dartmouth). The others, impatient of the restraints of school, and delighting more in the chase of game than of literary honours, returned to their hunter state in about two years. Thayendanegea probably left the school at the same time." From Dr. Wheelock's " Narrative of the Indian Charity School," published in 1765, it is learned that " Joseph Brant, a Mohawk Indian of a family of distinction in that nation, was educated by Mr. Wheelock, and was so well accomplished that the Rev. Charles Jeffrey Smith took him for his interpreter when he went on- his mission to the Mohawks, now three years ago. But the * The Moor Charity School was established with the philanthropic design of educating Indian boys, and was continued for a length of time, but with indifferent success, so far as the original object was concerned. It was originated and principally supported by the patronage of English philanthropists. INDIAN HISTORY. 89 war breaking out at that time between the back Indians and the English, Mr. Smith was obliged to return ; but Joseph tarried and went out with a company against the Indians. He behaved so much like the Christian and the soldier that he gained great esteem. He now lives in a decent manner, and endeavours to teach his poor brethren the things of God, in which his own heart seems much engaged. His house is. an asylum idv the missionaries in that wilderness." It is not stated which particular campaign it was that the young warrior was engaged in at the time, but a passage contained in a letter from Sir William Johnson to Dr. Wheelock, and dated April 25, 1764, affords a clue to the desired information: "J is just returned from an expedition against the enemy," etc., etc. It was therefore early in the spring of 1764 that he returned from the war-path ; this makes it probable that the war was none other than that against the great Ottawa chief, Pontiac, who in 1763 attempted to dispossess the English of the country of the lakes. That Brant was possessed of at least a fair degree of culture is established beyond doubt. The English historian, Weld, in his " Travels through the States of North America, and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, during the years 1795, 1796 and 1797," has the following notice of Capt. Brant: " Brant, at a very early age, was sent to a college in New England, where, being possessed of a good capacity, he soon made very considerable progress in the Greek and Latin languages. "Uncommon pains were taken to instil into his mind the truths of the Gospel. He professed himself to be a warm admirer of the principles of Christianity ; and, in hopes of being able to convert his nation, on returning to them he absolutely translated the Gospel of St. Matthew into the Mohawk language ; he also translated the established 'Form of Prayer' of the Church of England. ***** " Whenever the affairs of his nation shall permit him to do so, Brandt declares it to be his intention to sit down to the study of the Greek language, of which he professes himself a great admirer, and to translate from the original into the Mohawk language more of the New Testament." Many other proofs of his ability might be added to those already given, but enough has been produced to disprove the charge of illiteracy or the lack of culture. Brant as a Waeeioe. Mention has already been made of his having been a participant in the expe dition against Crown Point, in the year 1755, when but thirteen years of age. It is reported that in relating the particulars of this engagement to Dr. Stewart, the youthful warrior acknowledged that this being the first action at which he was present, he was seized with such a tremor when the firing began, that he was obliged to take hold of a small sapling to steady himself ; but that after the discharge of a few volleys he recovered the use of his limbs and the composure of his mind, so as to support the character of a brave man, of which he was exceedingly ambitious. His next experience appears to have been with the expedition against Niagara in 1 759. This important post was then in possession of the French. The move- 90 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. ment was organized under the command of Gen Prideaux, and consisted of a little over two thousand men, who left Oswego for Niagara on the 1st of Sep tember, 1759. Sir WiUiam Johnson joined the expedition with about six hundred warriors of the Six Nations. This number was increased to about one thousand before reaching the vicinity of the fort. . The youthful warrior accompanied Sir William in this expedition. The French had drawn all their available forces of ever}' description from their western posts for the defence of Niagara. A large detachment arrived in the vicinity during the siege, consisting of both French and Indians. These Indians were friends and allies of the Six Nations. A parley between the Indians" was held, the western Indians]declaring they did not come to fight their brethren of the Six Nations, but the English. The result was they detached themselves and joined their brethren. In the early patt of the siege General Prideaux was killed by the accidental discharge of a " cohorn," and the command devolved upon Sir William Johnson. Upon the withdrawal of the western Indians, the French were attacked, and all either killed, taken prisoners, or put to flight. Upon learning the fate of this reinforcement, the French commandant sur rendered the fort, himself, and all his forces prisoners of war.* His connection with the Pontiac war has been mentioned as having taken place in 1763-4. It was probably his third venture upon the uncertain field of combat. In what particular battles he was engaged does not appear ; but he was in the war, and his courageous and enterprising spirit offered the best evidence that he was promptly on hand, regardless of obstructions aijd danger. From all accounts now at hand, it appears that the Pontiac war was the last import ant campaign in which Brant participated, until the outbreak of those pre monitory mutterings, which terminated in open rebellion by a portion of the American colonies. By reference to that portion of this sketch which treats of his social and domestic relations, it will be seen that this period of his career was exceedingly tranquil. - That he was, by his associations with Sir William Johnson, most thoroughly tutored in the details of the relation which his people bore to both the loyal and disloyal elements of the English dependencies in this country, is certainly established by what transpired later. Chieftainship. " About this time " (1771), says one authority, " Brant was made Principal War Chief of the Confederacy."-]- Stone's language is altogether inferential, but as his statements appear to be the foundation of all that has been written since the publication of his work, they are given entire : " Thayendanegea had now been advanced to the situation of Principal War Chief of the Confederacy. (I am aware that the dignity of Principal Chief has * Mr. Stone expresses the opinion that Brant entered the " Moor Charity School " soon after' his return from this Niagara campaign. t Mrs. Carey, Brantford, 1872. INDIAN HISTORY. 91 been denied to Captain Brant by several writers, and expressly by Rev. Mr. Stewart, who says he was not a war chief by birth, and not so often in command as has been supposed. It will be seen, however, from the speech of a Seneca chief that Thayendanegea was the head chief of the Six Nations, Mr. Stewart to the contrary notwithstanding). This important office was uniformly filled by a warrior selected from the Mohawks. How or in what manner Brant arrived at that dignity history does not inform us. Hendrick, the last of the Mohawk chiefs, who bore the title of ' King,' fell at Lake George twenty years before. He was succeeded by Little Abraham, who has been designated by some writers as a brother of Hendrick, but whether he was or not, he was uniformly friendly to the colonists, and refused to leave the valley with Thayendanegea and the majority of the nation who accompanied Guy Johnson in his flight. It is not improbable that Brant assumed the superior chieftaincy from the force of circumstances. "From certain letters of Sir William Johnson to Arthur Lee, it is learned that the sachems of each tribe of the Six Nations were usually chosen in a public assembly of the chiefs and warriors, whenever a vacancy happened by death, or otherwise. They were selected from among the oldest warriors for their sense and bravery, and approved of by the whole tribe. Military services were the chief recommendations to this rank, but in some instances a kind of inheritance was recognized. " We have seen that Thayendanegea was descended from a family of chiefs, and his birth may have contributed to this elevation. His family and official connection with Johnson, whose name was so potent with the Indians, without doubt facilitated his advancement. "The inquiry is, however, of little importance. The fact that he had now become the chief sachem is unquestionable, and from this point he becomes a principal personage in the liistory of the English-speaking people of America. " He was ordinarily called by his other name of Joseph Brant, or ' Captain Brant' — the title of 'captain' being the highest military distinction known to the Indians; and that, moreover, being the rank conferred upon him in the army of the Crown." In much of his correspondence, when wishing to be formal, and when writing to distinguished men, he was accustomed to write his name " Joseph Brant — Thayendanegea," the latter being his legitimate Indian name. When Col. Guy Johnson evacuated the Mohawk Valley, and moved west- wardly to Ontario, thence to Oswego, and" later to Montreal, he was accom panied by Brant, and a portion at least of the Mohawk warriors. One account contains the following : " Colonel Johnson arrived in Mont real July 14th, 1775, accompanied by Joseph Brant with two hundred and twenty Indians, by way of Lake Ontario, expecting soon to organize a force sufficient to return and take possession of the homes and property he and his retainers had left behind. But failing in these endeavours, and finding his official standing and powers were interfered with to some extent by the appointment of Major Campbell as Indian Agent for Canada, Colonel Johnson decided to go to England to get the question of his powers and jurisdiction settled." At Montreal he appears to have met Generals Carleton and Haldi mand, who courted the services of himself and follow^^'?, and soon induced 92 history of brant county. them to join the standard of the King. " For the prosecution of a border warfare, the officers of the Crown could scarcely have engaged a more valua ble auxiliary." On the 11th of November, 1775, Colonel Johnson sailed from Quebec on a visit to England ; he was accompanied by Joseph Brant and a Mohawk war chief, named Oteroughyanente. Brant was much noticed a,nd courted in London, and made a speech before Lord George Germain, setting forth the grievances of the Six Nations in general, and of the Mohawks, his own nation, in particular ; to which Lord Germain made a brief reply. This speech, which is the first of Brant's we have on record, seems to have been delivered in London, March, 1776. It is not known whether the chief visited the Indian country of the Six Nations during the summer previous to his journey to the English capital, in company with Colonel Johnson. The precise object of that journey is also enshrouded in uncertainty ; many speculations have been indulged ^n by different writers concerning the matter, but none have been able to arrive at any important conclusion. That he went to England is, however, beyond cavil. There are several incidents recorded, here and there, in connection with this flrst London sojourn, which illustrate the character of the brave old chief ; and as some of these seem to be in order here, they are introduced without further explanation. " He had but little of the savage ferocity of his people in his countenance, and when, as he ordinarily did, he wore the European dress, there was nothing besides his colour to mark wherein he differed from other men. Upon his first arrival in London, he was conducted to the inn called ' The Swan with Two Necks.' Other lodgings were soon provided which w^ere more suitable to his rank as an Indian king ; but he said the people of the inn had treated him with so much kindness, that he preferred to remain there during his stay in London, and he accordingly did so." Although he was dressed in the European habit, he was not unprovided with a well selected wardrobe of Indian costumes, and he always appeared at Court, and upon occasions of ceremony, in the dress of his own nation. The tomahawk worn by him in London was a very beautiful article, polished to the highest degree ; upon it was engraved the first letter of his Christian name, with his Mohawk appellation, tlius : " J. Thayendanegea." It was during this visit that he procured a gold finger-ring, with his full name engraved thereon. This ring he wore until his death. It was kept "as a precious relic by his widow for four years, when it was lost. Strange as it may seem, however, during the summer of 1836 the identical ring was found in a ploughed field near Wellington Square. The venerable Indian Queen was at that time upon a visit to her daughter, the accomplished wife of Oolonel Kerr. As may well be supposed, the aged widow was overjoyed at the unexpected recovery of the memento, after its having been lost for twenty-six years. Brant did not remain in England many months, but in company with Cap tain Tice, who had been a member of the party during its entire journey, he sailed for America in the spring of 1776. INDIAN HISTORY. 93 There is much confusion among the statements of various writers concern ing the date of this event. May and July are both given as the time of his arrival, but as he is known to have been in the battle of the Cedars, above Montreal, which was fought in that same month, it is altogether probable that he arrived during the end of March or early part of April. He was cautiously and privately landed somewhere in the neighbourhood of New York harbour, whence he performed a very hazardous journey to Canada, having, of course, to steal his way through an enemy's country until he could hide himself in the forests beyond Albany. During his stay in the British capital, the question of his attitude towards the rebellious colonies was effectually settled; he pledged himself most heartily to the cause of the King, and returned to his native forests to execute the re quirements of that pledge. In a letter to Sir Evan Nepean, which was written after the peace of 1783, Brant iSaid : " When I joined the English forces in the beginning of the war it was purely on account of my forefathers' engagements with the King. I always looked upon these engagements, or covenants, between the King and the Indian people as a sacred thing, therefore I was not to be frightened by the threats of the rebels at that time. I assure you I had no other view in it, and this was my real cause from the beginning." The b^tlfi of the Cedars was the result of a movement by General Carleton to dislodge the Americans from a point of land extending far out into the St. Lawrence River, about forty miles above Montreal. The British commander had a force of six or seven hundred men, the greater part of which were Indians under the leadership of Thayendanegea. This affair terminated most successfully for the British, by the surrender of Major Sherbourue, on the 20th of May, 1776. The name of Captain Brant does not appear in any of the books in con nection with this affair at the Cedars, but there is positive evidence that he was not only there, but that he exerted himself, after the surrender of Major Sherbourue, to cpntrol the Indians and prevent the massacre of the prisoners. The reader is referred to the story of Captain McKinstry, in another part of this sketch, for the particulars of an important event in the career of Captain Brant. It was not supposed that any considerable numbers of the Six Nations took part in the battle of the Cedars other than the Mohawks, and their kindred tribe, the Caughnawagas, or, as the latter tribe chose to call themselves, the Seven Nations of Canada. Among the papers preserved in the family of Colonel afterwards General Herkimer, is a speech from the Oneida chiefs to Colonel Elmore, who at the commencement of the year 1777 was in command of Fort Schuyler. * This document announces the final extinguishment of the great council fire of the Six Nations, at Onondaga, New York. As the most central of all the tribes of the Confederacy, their castle had been the assembly ground for all general councils from time immemorial, and here, according to their own figur ative language, the council fire was ever kept burning. * The letter is too long to insert in this work; the reader is referred to Stone's "Life of Brant," Vol. I., p. 176. 94 history of brant county. The cause of this abandonment of their time-honoured council place is wrapt in much uncertainty, but is supposed by those who have investigated closely to have been the extensive prevalence of small-pox, or other pestilential disorder. The event is mentioned for the purpose of marking an important occurrence in connection with the life of Brant, and with the history of the Six Nations, as it was the occasion of their final exit, as a national body, from the council grounds of their ancestors. Neither tradition nor history furnishes any account of Thayendanegea's movements until the spring of 1777, when he appeared among the Indians of the Mohawk River country, having separated from Colonel Guy Johnson, with whom he had had some difficulty. He penetrated the country as far south as the northern settlements of the Susquehanna River, in Pennsylvania, and was undoubtedly active in his endeavours to unite the various Indian factions in support of the royal cause. The presence of the crafty chieftain did not improve the pacific disposition of the natives, nor diminish the fears of the scattered and unprotected settlers of that neighbourhood. In June, 1777, he, with seventy or eighty warriors, appeared at Unadilla, and requested an interview with the principal men and militia officers of the settlement. He stated that the object of his visit was to procure provisions, of which his people were greatly in want, and if these could not be ol^ained by peaceable means he would take what he required by forf e. The visit continued two days, during which time the Indians were well supplied with provisions, and on their departure they were permitted to take away some live cattle and sheep. The Indian forces of Captain Brant continued to increase, and the anxiety of the whites became correspondingly greater. General Herkimer determined to obtain an interview with Brant, for the purpose of at least ascertaining de finitely the temper of the Indians in ragard to the issues of the period. For this purpose Herkimer dispatched a messenger to Brant, with an invitation to a mutual conference, to be held at or near Unadilla. There has been much speculation in regard to the real object of General Herkimer's call for this meeting. The different accounts of the affair which have been published from time to time tend rather to confuse than enlighten the historian of to-day. The following is from the " History of Schoharie County : " " It appears that in July, 1777, Joseph Brant had then, with some eighty warriors, commenced his marauding enterprises on the settlements at Unadilla, by appropriating their cattle, sheep and swine to his own benefit.* To obtain satisfaction for those cattle, and if possible to get the Indians to remain neutral in the approaching contest, General Herkimer, in the latter part of June, with three hundred and eighty of the Tryon County Militia, proceeded to Unadilla (an Indian settlement on the Susquehanna River), to hold an interview with Brant. That celebrated chief, then at Oquago, was sent for by Gen. Herkimer, and ar rived on the 27th, after the Americans had been there about eight days waiting. " Col. John Harper, who attended Gen. Herkimer at this time, made an affi davit on the 16th of July following the interview, showing the principal griev- * This is probably an error, as the cattle were given to the Indians, as previously stated. INDIAN HISTORY. 95 anoes of which the Indians complained, as also the fact that they were in covenant with the King, whose belts were yet lodged with them, and whose service they intended to enter. " The instrument further testified that Brant, instead of returning to Oswego, as he had informed Gen. Herkimer was his intention, had remained in the neigh bourhood on the withdrawal of the American Militia, and was proposing to destroy the frontier settlements. " The following, relating to the interview between Gen. Herkimer and Brant, is obtained from the venerable Joseph Wagner, of Fort Plain. He states that at the first meeting of Gen. Herkimer with Brant, the latter was attended by three other chiefs — William Johnson, a son of Sir William Johnson by Molly Brant, which son was killed at the battle of Oriskany the same year ; But, a smart looking fellow, with curly hair, supposed to be part Indian and part Negro ; and a short dark-skinned Indian. "The four were encircled by a body-guard of some twenty noble looking warriors. When in his presence Brant rather haughtily asked Gen. Herkimer the object of his visit, which was readily made known. But seeing so many attendants, the chief suspected the interview was sought for another purpose. " Said Brant to Gen. Herkimer, ' I have five hundred warriors at my com mand, and can in an instant destroy you and your party ; but we are old neighbours and friends, and I will not do it.' Col. Cox, a young officer who accompanied Gen. Herkimer, exchanged several sarcastic remarks with Brant, which served not a little to irritate him and his followers. The two had a quarrel a few years previous about lands around the upper Indian castle. Pro voked to anger. Brant asked Cox if he was not the ' son-in-^aw of old George Clock ? ' ' Yes,' replied Cox in a tone of malignity, ' and what is that to you, you d — d Indian ? ' " At the close of this dialogue. Brant's guard ran off to their camp firing several guns and making the hills echo back their savage yells. Gen. Herkimer assured Brant that he intended his visit for one of a pacific character, and urged him to interpose to prevent anything of a hostile nature. A word from Brant hushed the tumult of passion, which a moment before threatened serious con sequences. The parties, however, were too much excited to procmed with the business which had convened them. Brant, addressing Gen. Herkimer, said, ' It is needless to multiply words at this time ; I will meet you here at precisely nine o'clock to-morrow morning.' The parties then separated to occupy their former position in camp. They again met on the 28th of June. Brant was the first to speak. 'Gen. Herkimer,' said he, 'I now fully comprehend the object of your visit ; but you are too late ; I am engaged to serve the King. We are old friends, and I can do no less than to let you return unmolested, although you are in my power.' After a little more conversation of a friendly nature, the parties agreed to separate amicably. The conference ended, Gen. Herkimer presented to Brant seven or eight fat cattle that had just arrived, owing to obstructions on the outlet of Otsego Lake, down which stream they were driven or transported. For three days before the arrival of the cattle the Americans were on short allowance. It is said that at this second interview of Brant with Gen. Herkimer, the latter had taken the precaution to privately select four reliable men, in case any symptoms of treachery should be exhibited, to shoot 96 history of BRANT COUNTY. down Brant and his chiefs at a given signal, but no occasion to execute these precautionary measures occurred." The conference being ended. Brant turned proudly away and buried himseM in the forest. " It was early in July, and the morning was clear and beautiful. But the war-whoop had scarcely died away before the heavens became black, and a violent thunder-storm obliged each party to seek the nearest shelter." This was the last conference held with the hostile Mohawks. Brant very soon drew off his warriors from the Susquehanna and united them to the forces of Colonel John Butler and Sir John Johnson, who were concentrating the Loyalists and refugees at Oswego. It was about this time that the officers of the British Indian Department summoned a general council of the Six Nations, to be held at that place. It is probable that Brant arrived at this post with his warriors for that occasion. This council was an important one in the affairs of America, as it terminated in the complete alliance of the greater portion of the Six Nations with the British forces. At the conclusion of the proceedings the Indians were pre sented with clothing, arms, ammunition, cooking utensils, etc.; some of the brass kettles which were among the gifts of that day are said to be in existence among the descendants of the Indians at the present time. It is now generally conceded among students of American history that Captain Brant's first " raid " upon any of the New York settlements was made in the month of May previous to his interview with General Herkimer, which, as has been stated, took place in July ; this fact was not established with any degree of certainty until after the close of the Revolutionary War. The affair referred to was tjie waylaying of Lieutenant Wormwood and Peter Sitz, near Cherry Valley. " The next we hear of Brant is at the head of three hundred warriors at Os wego, 1777, to join the expedition of Gen. St. Leger against Fort Stanwix. The Indians under Brant met with a severe loss in an engagement, and on their way home committed some depredations upon the Oneidas, whom they considered rebels for their refusal to join the expedition. In retaliation, the Oneidas plun dered Brant's sister, ' Molly Brant,' who resided with her family at the Upper Mohawk Town, together with others of the Mohawks who accompanied Brant in this expedition. " Molly Brant and her family fled to tlie Onondagas, the council place of the Six Nations, and laid her grievances before that body. The information given to Gen. St. Leger of the approach of the reinforcements of the rebels under Gen. Herkimer, was through the instrumentality of Molly Brant, and led to the surprise and almost defeat of the entire party under Gen. Herkimer. Capt.^Brant, with a strong force of Indians, with true Indian sagacity, formed an ambuscade in a position admirably fitted for the purpose. The whole rebel army, with the exception of the rear guard, fell into the trap, and would have been destroyed had not a severe storm of thunder, lightning and rain, put a stop to the work of death." This engagement was none other than the historically famous battle of Oriskany, which was one of the most bloody of all the strug gles of the Canadian frontier. The whole Indian force was led by Thayendanegea in person, " the Great Cap tain of the Six Nations," as he was then called; and as the Cavugas had now INDIAN HISTORY. 97 joined the Mohawks in alliance with the arms of England, while the Onon dagas also were practically against the Provincials, although professing a doubtful policy, he must have had a large force in the field. Of the Senecas alone thirty-six were kDled and a great number wounded. Captain Brant was accustomed, long years afterward, to speak of the sufferings of his " poor Mohawks " in the battle of Oriskany. Among the spoils captured by the American troops was the baggage of Sir John Johnson, with all his papers, consisting of memoranda, journals, orderly books, correspondence, etc. These papers have been an authentic and fruitful source of information to the historian and biographer since then. The victory at Oriskany was claimed by both British and Provincials ; in fact, the issue was of such a peculiar character, that neither combatant had gained anything decisive, while each had lost heavily, in men and materials. The military operations of 1777 closed with the British army in winter quarters at Philadelphia, and the Americans at Valley Forge. Early in 1778, the American Congress made another strenuous effort to con ciliate the Indians of the Six Nations, or such of them as had thus far claimed to be neutral ; the scheme failed, and was never again attempted during the Revolutionary War. About the same time, various symptoms of change were perceptible among the Indians of the Mohawk Valley, and such other tribes as w-ere affiliated with them ; the Indians of the remote west were manifesting a disposition to unite with the nations already allied with the British forces against the Provincials. The master spirit of these combinations and movements was Captain Brant, whose winter quarters were at the central and convenient point of Niagara. Sir John Johnston, Colonels Glaus and Butler, and their co-workers, were active in their preparations for an early and forward movement from Niagara, while Colonel Hamilton, who commanded the British post, at Detroit, was equally energetic in the same work in his own department. Omitting many interesting particulars of the period under consideration, which have no direct connection with the career of Brant, we find him at the opening of the season for active operations, in 1778, at his former haunts on the Susquehanna, below Unadilla. He soon proved himself a dreaded partisan ; no matter what were the difficulties or distances, if a blow could be struck to any advantage, Thayendanegea was sure to be there. Frequent were the instances in which individuals, and indeed whole families, in the outskirts of the settlements disappeared, without any knowledge on the part of those who were left that an enemy had been near them. " The smoking ruins of their dwellings, and the charred bones of the dead, together with the slaughtered carcasses of the domestic animals, were the only testimonies of the course of the catastrophe, until the return of an escaped captive, or the rescue of a prisoner, furnished more definite information." There is no good evidence that Brant was personally a participator in secret murders, or attacks upon isolated individuals or families. In support of the foregoing opinion concerning Brant, the subjoined inci dent, which happened in the summer of 1778, is given. A lad in Schoharie County, named William McKown, while engaged in raking hay alone in a field, happening to turn around, perceived an Indian very near him. Startled at his 98 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. perilous situation, he raised his rake for defence, but his fears were dissipated by the savage, who said, " Do not be afraid, young man, I shall not hurt you." He then inquired for the house of a Loyalist named Foster. The lad gave him the proper direction, and asked the Indian if he knew Mr. Foster. " I am par tially acquainted with him, having once seen him at the Half-way Creek," was the reply. The Indian then inquired the lad's name, and having been informed, he added, " You are a son of Captain McKown, who lives in the north-east part of the town, I suppose. I know your father very well, he lives neighbour to Captain McKean." Emboldened by the familiar discourse of the Indian, the boy ventured in turn to ask his name. Hesitating for a moment, the unwelcome visitor replied, " My name is Brant." " What ! Captain Brant ?" demanded the youth. " No, I am a cousin of his," was the rejoinder, but accompanied by a smile and a look that plainly disclosed the transparent deception. It was none other than the terrible Thayendanegea. The first movement of Brant in the spring of 1778 was upon the settlement at Springfield, a town at the head of Otsego Lake, lying directly west of Cherry Valley, and about ten miles distant. Those of the men who did not fly were taken prisoners. The chieftain then burnt the entire settlement, with the exception of a single house, into which he collected all the women and chil dren, and left them uninjured. It was reported in June that Brant was fortifying his post near Unadill^ and Captain McKean, with a small patrol, was sent to reconnoitre, but was obliged to return without making any important observations. During the jour ney McKean wrote a letter to Brant upbraiding him for the predatory system of warfare in which he was engaged, and challenging him to single combat, or to meet him with an equal amount of men and have a pitched battle, adding that if he would come to Cherry Valley they would change him from a " Brant " to a " goose." This missive was fastened to a stick and placed in an Indian path. No modern post office could have transmitted the letter with greater speed or safety ; the " contents were noted " by Brant, and he resolved to fight the ' rebels " as well as he could. Wyoming. Of all the names which grace the record of events upon this side of the Atlantic, none are perhaps more familiar to the readers of English literature than this synonym of all that is bloody in war or beautiful in peace ; it has been the subject of picture, song and story, during four generations of men. To such an extent has the ideal Wyoming been treated, that its real historic position has, to a great degree, been obscured by a mask of fanciful imagery, while the characters which cluster around its memories have been more or less deformed by prejudice and by " poetic license." Inasmuch as the name of Thayendanegea has been almost inseparably linked with a principal event in the history of Wyoming, over which no small amount of controversy and misunderstanding has arisen, it is deemed both just and proper to introduce an outline sketch of the relation which Wyoming bore to the other colonial settlements of the north in general, and to the Six Nations in particular. INDIAN HISTORY. 99 " Wyoming is the name of a beautiful section of the Susquehanna Valley, situated in the north-eastern part of the State of Pennsylvania. It is twenty- five miles in length by three or four miles in width, lying deep between two parallel ranges of mountains crested with oak and pine. The scenery around is wild and picturesque, while the valley itself might be chosen for another paradise." The possession of this valley appears to have been a " bone of contention " among the prehistoric races who disappeared before the Indian's time. The remains of earthworks and fortifications, so ancient that the largest oaks and pines were rooted upon the ramparts and in the entrenchments, indicate that it may have been the seat of power of a race of men far different from the Indians. Within the white man's time, but before his possession, various Indian tribes converted it into a field of strife, in the controversy over the right to its scenes and its soil. " It was here that Count Zinzendorf commenced his labours as a missionary among the Shawanese." Originally it lay within the territory of the Delaware Indians, but the Six Nations claimed it by right of conquest. In 1742 a grand council of chiefs was held in Philadelphia, to settle a dispute concerning the title to certain lands lying within the forks of the Delaware River, Avhich the proprietaries of Pennsylvania alleged that William Penn had bought of the Delawares, but which they had never given up, while at the same time the Six Nations claimed the ownership. " The Governor of Pennsylvania having explained the state of the case to the council, reminded the chiefs of the Six Nations that inasmuch as they had always required the Government of Pennsylvania to remove such vjhites as intruded upon their lands, so now the Government expected the Six Nations to remove the Indians from the lands which it had purchased. Old Cannassateego was the master spirit of the Iroquois delegation on this occasion, and after due consideration he pronounced his decision. He rebuked the Delawares for their dishonesty in first selling land which they did not own, and even then retaining possession of it themselves. He taunted them with tlisir degraded position as having been made women of by his people, and ordered them to remove to Wyoming or Shamokin. " The commands of the Six Nations (Iroquois) were neither to be questioned nor disregarded, and the Delaware clan straightway packed up and removed to Wyoming, then in partial occupancy of a band of the Shawanese. The latter were suffered to remain on the west side of the river, while the Delawares planted themselves on the east side, and built their town of ' Maughwauwame ' — the original of Wyoming." The close proximity of these two clans was no addition to their happiness, and no long period elapsed before their animosities were sharpened into actual hostilities. Upon the breaking out of the old French War, the Shawanese espoused the side of the French, while the Delawares united with the Six Nations as allies of the English. The Indian communities at Wyoming finally came into open conflict over the catching of a grasshopper, by a Shawanese child, on the Dela ware side of the river ; the children began a petty quarrel, their respective mothers took up the contest, and an Amazonian battle was the result. L^pon 100 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. the return of the warriors of the respective tribes, they too became incensed, and a bloody battle was fought ; in this several hundreds were killed, and the Shawanese were vanquished and obliged to leave the valley. They then joined the main body of their tribe on the Ohio, This victory of the Delawares over the Shawanese, restored them, in a great measure, to their caste as warriors, and enabled them to retain their claim to the Wyoming country, although the Six Nations held jurisdiction over it. These conflicting claims of Indian title were the cause of rival negotiations between white land speculators, which ultimately led to many and serious evils. The first movement towards planting a white colony in the Wyoming Vallej' was made by Connecticut, in 1753. It was justly held that this section of country belonged to the grant of James I., in 1620, to the old Plymouth Company. The Earl of Warwick having purchased the right of the Plymouth Company to the territory of Connecticut, and the lands beyond New Jersey, west " from sea to sea," within certain limits, Connecticut claimed these lands under that grant. But no sooner was a company formed to plant a colony in Wyoming, called the Susquehanna Company, than Pennsylvania preferred a claim to the same territory under a grant from Charles II., to WilHam Penn, in 1681. A rival association, called the Delaware Company, was organized in like manner to settle it. The first which each company undertook to accomplish was to circumvent the other in purchasing the Indian title, it being conceded that the Six Nations were the rightful owners. For a time the territory was refused to both parties, but ultimately the Susquehanna Company were successful in their negotiations, and in 1755 the Connecticut colony was commenced ; but on account of the French and Indian wars their settlers were compelled to return to Connecticut, and it was not until 1762 that they were enabled to obtain a foothold. The Pennsylvanians immediately prepared to resist the Connecticut enter prise. A case was made up and submitted to Attorney-General Pratt (after wards Lord Camden), of England, who delivered an opinion in favour of the successors of Penn. Connecticut likewise sent over a case, and on her part obtained a like favour able opinion from eminent counsel. Thus far the relations between the colonists and the Indians had been of the most pacific character. The old Delaware chief, Tadeuskund, had embraced the Christian religion and was their friend, but he had given offence to some of the Six Nations in 1758, and in 1763 a party of warriors came down and murdered the venerable chief by setting fire to his dwelling, in which he was consumed. The murder was charged by the Indians upon the settlers from Connecticut, who, unconscious of any wrong, remained in fancied security. The consequence was, the sudden destruction of their settlement by a party of Delawares, on the 15th of October, 1763. The descent was made upon the town while the men were at work in the field. Many were killed and others taken prisoners, while those who could fled to the woods and wandered back to Connecticut, destitute and on foot. In 1768 the Delaware Company took advantage of a treaty holden at Fort Stanwix, and purchased of the same Six Nations the same territory of Wyoming. The Pennsylvanians entered upon immediate possession, and when, in the ensu- INDIAN HISTORY. 101 ing spring, the Connecticut colonists returned, they found others in occupancy of their lands, with a block -house erected, and armed for defence, under the directions of Amos Ogden and Charles Stewart, to whom a lease of a section of land had been granted by John Penn, for the express purpose of ousting the Connecticut claimants. Here was a new state of things. Some of the leading Connecticut men were arrested, and sent off to a distant prison. But recruits coming on from Connecticut, they in turn built works of defence, and went on with their labours. The Governor of Pennsylvania sent a detachment of armed men, in the summer of 1769, to dispossess the Connecticut people by force. The colonists prepared for a siege, but one of their leaders was captured and sent to jail in Phila delphia, and they soon capitulated and agreed to leave the territory, except seventeen families, who were to remain and secure the crops. But no sooner had they departed than the Pennsylvanians, led by Ogden, plundered the whole colony, and drove them off in a state of destitution. In February, 1770, the Connecticut people rallied, and marched upon Wyoming, under a man named Lazarus Stewart. They took Ogden's castle and his single piece of artillery, and in turn obliged him to agree to evacuate the place, which he did, leaving six men to take charge of his remaining pro perty. But the conduct of Ogden the year previous had not been forgotten, and the " law of revenge " was speedily executed. In September, 1770, a force of one hundred and fifty men, under Ogden, took the Connecticut settlers by surprise, and the whole colony were again scattered and devastated. But Ogden's triumph was brief. In December the fort was again surprised and captured by Captain Stewart, and the Pennsylvanians driven out into the forests. The State of Pennsylvania now took the matter in hand, and sent a posse to arrest Stewart, who resisted, and made his escape with many of his followers. The place again fell into the hands of the Ogdens, but not until one of them, Nathan Ogden, had been killed. In July, 1771, the fort was again invaded by the Connecticut colonists, under Colonel Zebulon Butler with seventy men, who joined forces with Captain Stewart. Ogden retired to a new fort and prepared for fight, but finding such a course useless, he made his escape to Philadelphia, and obtained the co-operation of State forces, under Colonel Asher Clayton. Colonel Clayton advanced to the attack, but was ambushed by the Connec ticut men and completely vanquished, whereupon he and Ogden agreed to evacuate the Wyoming country. The matter had now assumed such important aspects that the Governors of the two States began to try to solve the disputed question, but all to no practical purpose. Meantime, the people of the colony proceeded to organize a government, and to exercise almost all the attributes of sovereignty. Connecticut extended its broad wings over it, and attached it to the county of Litchfield in the parent State. The States of Pennsylvania and Connecticut kept up a war of edicts upon the subject, while the settlement advanced in population and extent with unexampled rapidity. Thus matters proceeded until the year 1775, when just after the outbreak between the British troops and the colonists at Lexington, the old feuds between the settlers of the rival companies suddenly broke forth afresh. 7 102 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. The entire militia of the Connecticut settlements was soon in the field, while Colonel Plunkett, at the head of seven hundred Pennsylvanians, marched against Wyoming. The contest was severe, and resulted in the retreat of the Pennsylvanians, nor did they attempt to rally again. This was the last effort of the Government of Pennsylvania against the Valley of Wyoming. At the risk of being charged with tedious irrelevancy, the foregoing sketch of the history of Wyoming has been extracted, mainly from Stone's " Life of Brant," in order to explain the peculiar condition of things which existed there during the Revolutionary War. The reader will see that in no other part of America was there such an amount and kind of fuel wherewith to feed the fires of partisan hatred. Wyoming had been the scene of strife, and her soil had been drenched in blood, for more than a quarter ot a century before Thayendanegea had attained special prominence as a warrior. The already divided and embittered portions of that beautiful valley were all the more highly incensed by the events which marked the Revolutionary period. Those who adhered to the Royal cause, and those who were struggling for independ ence, were pitted against each other, in niany instances with more than fiend ish hatred, and neither failed to improve any opportunity which presented itself for inflicting all the penalties of a semi-barbarous warfare upon the other. " The population of the Wyoming settlements at the beginning of the war was about five thousand. Three companies of regular troops had been enlisted for the United States service, and their militia numbered eleven hundred man, capable of bearing arms. So prolific was their soil, and so well was it tilled, that they were enabled to furnish large supplies of provisions for the Provincial army." All these circumstances and conditions combined to make Wyoming a tempting objective point to those who had espoused the cause of its enemies. Some demonstrations had been made during the summer of 1777, while St. Leger was besieging Fort Schuyler, but after some skirmishing with the in habitants the intruders dispersed ; yet the impression prevailed that there was mischief brewing, and the people were pot altogether at ease, and in January, 1778, twenty-seven suspected inhabitants were arrested. Nine of these were discharged for want of evidence to warrant their detention ; the remaining eighteen were sent to Hartford, in Connecticut, and imprisoned. The nine set at libertj' immediately fled to the enemy, and were soon followed by others of their friends. It was but natural that these proceedings should still more em bitter the feelings of the Loyalists against the Whigs, and the effect was soon perceptible in the behaviour of the Indians and their allies who patrolled ¦ the borders. During the spring of 1778 several petty incursions were made upon the settlements, and some plundering and loss of life resulted therefrom. Towards the close of June of this year Col. Guy Johnson, writing to Lord Germain from New York, suggests the plan of employing the Indians in a " petit guerre" in their own way. The first expedition under this new mode of warfare was organized at Niagara under Col. John Butler, consisting of Loyalists and Indians, and was directed against Wyoming. Arriving at Tioga Point, they procured floats and rafts, and descended the Susquehanna to a place called the Three Islands, whence they marched across the country, and INDIAN HISTORY. 103 entered the Valley of Wyoming through a mountain's gap near its northern extremity. On the 2nd of July they took possession of two small forts, one of which was called the Exeter Fort, the other the Lackawana Fort (Col; John Butler's headquarters). The inhabitants were alarmed, and began immediate preparations for defence. They assembled at Fort " Forty," about four miles below the head quarters of the British troops, and resolved to make a quick dash upon the invaders, and vanquish them before the arrival of their rearguard, and thus take them in their weakest numerical strength. Colonel Zebulon Butler was the commander of the Wyoming forces, and was not favourable to the attack, preferring to await the arrival of reinforcements from Washington's army, but he was overcome by the counsel of his fellow-officers, and finally con sented to the advance. An engagement followed, which resulted in the defeat of the Provincials, and the sacking and pillaging of the entire district known as Wyoming. The inhabitants were dispersed and destroyed by all the means known to a ruth less foe ; atrocities were committed which can only be accounted for as accumulations of '' wrath against the day of wrath," wherein brothers were slain by each other, and flesh was pitted against its kin. Colonel Zebulon Butler collected his scattered and broken remnants, and united them to a detachment of the continental army : with this force he repossessed himself of the valley, the British commander having retired to Niagara, and the Indians to their homes. Other minor affairs were enacted on the same ground before the close of the Revolutionary War, while the dispute over the land title was not settled until many years later, after much more strife of the kind already mentioned. At the time of the invasion of Wyoming, Brant was probably the most noted Indian in America. As a powerful auxiliary of the Crown, he had been encouraged by praise and laudation, until in England, as well as here, his name was a symbol which expressed in a breath everything connected with the parts played by the Indians in the military operations of the times. Furthermore, he was known to have been a principal actor in many of the scenes which transpired upon territory immediately adjoining the Wyoming country. Thus it was both natural and easy to associate his name with every deed which was in any way obscure, just as Tecumseh and Sitting Bull, and other noted leaders, have been charged with the doings of those who were absent from them in person and purpose. Immediately after the Wyoming affair, there went up a wa,il and a cursing from every Provincial hearthstone. "Mother" England caught up the souqd, and echoed it back in the songs of her bards, and the lamentations of her statesmen and philosophers. So firmly were these impressions noted, that Thomas Campbell, after a lapse of 'more thai; thirty years from the engagement, made a popular " hit " in the publication of his celebrated poem, entitled " Gertrude of Wyoming." The poet made Brant the leader in this expedition, and heaped great obloquy upon his good name and character, for his more than savage barbarity on that occasion. 104 HISTOEY OF BEANT COUNTY. The particular stanzas, wherein Thayendanegea was so unjustly stigmatized, are as follows : — " • But this is not the time,' — he started up, And smote his heart with woe-denouncing hand — ' This is no time to fill the joyous cup, The mammoth comes — the foe — the monster Brant, With all his howling, desolating band ; These eyes have seen their blade and burning pine Awake at once, and silence half your land. Red is the cup they drink, but not with wine : Awake, and watch to-night ! or see no morning shine ! ' " Scorning to wield the hatchet for his tribe, 'Gainst Brant himself I went to battle forth : Accursed Brant ! he left ot all my tribe Nor man, nor child, nor thing of living birth. No ! not the dog that watqhed my household hearth Escaped that night of blood, upon our plains ! All perished — I alone am left on earth ! To whom nor relative nor blood remains ; No, not a kindred drop that runs in human veins !" This poem was not published until a year or two after the death of Captain Brant, but it gave great offence to his family and friends, who stoutly denied his connection with the Wyoming affair. His son and successor, John Brant,. visited England in 1821-2, and having procured the necessary documents to prove his father's innocence, he waited upon the distinguished author (Campbell) and obtained from him the following statement, which has been incorporated with the notes of every edition of the work since then : " I took the character of Brant in the poem of ' Gertrude of Wyoming,' from the common histories of England, all of which represented him as a bloody and bad man even among savages, and chief agent in the horrible desolation of Wyoming. " Some years after this poem appeared, the son of Brant, a most interesting and intelligent youth, came over to England ; and I formed an acquaintance with him, on which I still look back with pleasure. He appealed to my sense of honour and justice, on his own part aud that of his sister, to retract the unfair aspersions which, unconscious of their unfairness, I had cast on his father's memory. He then referred me to documents which completely satisfied me that the common accounts of Brant's cruelties at Wyoming, which I found in books of travels, and in Adolphus' and similar histories of England, were gross errors, and that in point of fact Brant was not even present at that scene of desolation. It is, unhappily, to Britons and Anglo-Americans that we must ^ refer the chief blame in this horrible business. ¦ I published a letter expressing this belief in the New Monthly Magazine, in the year 1822, to which I must refer the reader if he has any curiosity on the subject, for an antidote to iny fanciful description of Brant. Among other expressions to young Brant, I made use of the following words : Had I learned all this of your father, when I was writing my poem, he should not have figured in it as the hero of mischief. " It was but bare justice to say this much of a Mohawk Indian who spoke English eloquently, and was thought capable of having written a history of the Six Nations. I also learn that he often strove to mitigate the cruelty of Indian INDIAN HISTORY. 105 warfare. The name of Brant, therefore, remains in my poem a pure and ¦declared character oi fiction." It has been reported that Campbell promised to expunge the objectionable lines, but he never did ; and the somewhat obscure note is all the satisfaction ever given for a great wrong, as the poem lives through succeeding generations, while the note, if read at all, makes little impression, and is soon forgotten. Much has been written and said concerning Brant's participation in the expedition against Wyoining. The efforts to establish his absence from that desolating scene weie not made until after his death, or at least not until many years after the close of the Revolutionary War, and of course were difficult to accomplish. The venerable Seneca chief, Kaoundoowand, commonly called Captain Pollard, was in the battle of Wyoming, and he declared most unequivo cally that Brant was not there. Several other survivors of that battle were equally positive in their assertions. The Indians were chiefly Senecas, and were led by a chief named Gi-en-gwah-toh. The late Philip E. Frey, of Palatine, New York, was an ensign in H. B. M.'s Eighth Regiment ; he served in the campaign and battle of Wyoming, and bore uniform testimony that Brant was not there, neither were there any other chiefs of much notoriety with the Indians on that expedition. His statement was to the effect that one Captain Bird, of the Eighth, was the commander of the Indians, who united with a detachment of that regiment at Detroit, and proceeded to Niagara, where they were attached to Butler's Rangers. Ensign Frey further states that " Bird had been engaged in a love affair at Detroit, but being very ugly, besides having a hair-lip, he was unsuccessful." The affair getting wind, his fellow-officers made themselves merry at his ex pense, and in order to drown his griefs in forgetfulness, he obtained permission to lead an expedition against the American frontier. After his union with Butler's forces, they arranged the expedition against Wyoming. Bird was cross and iU-natured during the whole march, and acted with foolhardiness at the battle." " Rarely indeed does it happen that history is more at fault in regard to facts thau in the case of Wyoming. The remark may be applied to nearly every writer who has attempted to narrate the events connected with the inva sion by Colonel John Butler. Ramsay, and Gordon, and Marshall, nay, the British historians themselves, have written gross exaggerations. Other writers, of greater or less note, have gravely recorded the same fictions, adding, it is to be feared, enormities not even conveyed to them by tradition. No regular troops surrendered, and all escaped who survived the battle of the 3rd. Equally untrue was the story of the burning of houses, barracks and forts, filled with women and children. " There is still another important correction to be made to the history of this battle, and that is in regard to the name and the just fame of Joseph Brant, whose character was blackened with all the infamy, both real and imaginary, ¦connected with this expedition. " Whether Captain Brant was at any time in company with this expedition is doubtful, but it is certain, according to evfery British and American authority, that he was not present at the battle, but that he was miles away at the time -of its occurrence." 106 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. In the controversy which formerly existed over the correctness of various historic details, it was claimed by some that Brant's friends should prove for him an " alibi," i.e., show where he was, if not at Wyoming. This would be difficult indeed, if it was at all necessary. There is no doubt about Brant's being at or near Niagara when Butler and Bird planned the movement on Wyoming ; it is equally certain that he was displeased with the position assigned him, under those whom he chose to regard as inferiors, so far as that kind of fighting was concerned. This placed him in a semi-neutral frame of mind, so that he did not enter into the scheme with anything more than a show of acquiescence ; he therefore took his own course, and followed the movement independently, over his old and familiar war-paths, until he arrived at, or in the vicinity of, the Indian towns on the Susquehanna, below Unadilla. By doing this he could co-operate with Colonel BVitler without taking any active part in the battle proper, or being present personally. It is altogether probable that Brant commanded the " covering force," or rear guard, which never had occasion .to enter the Wyoming Valley, in conjunction with the main body under Butler. \ Those who insist upon making Brant a party to the bloody deeds at Wyom ing, should in all fairness bring forward the evidence of his presence there,, and if possible disprove the statements of Brant himself, and those who, by situation or kinship, are prepared to deny his participation in that affair. In the absence of any authentic evidence to the contrary, he should at least be given the benefit of the grave and reasonable doubts which surround the popu lar and " poetic" charges against him. Brant's next exploit was at Andrustown, a small hamlet about six miles south-east of German Flats. This settlement consisted of seven families, planted upon a lot of one thousand acres. On the 18th of July, 1778, a small band of Indians, led by Brant in person, made a descent upon this little settlement and wiped it out of existence. A few people were killed, and the remainder carried into captivity. The object of the enemy appears to have been plunder. The news of this affair started a band of Whigs from German Flats in pursuit of the enemy. They followed as far as Young's Settlement and abandoned the chase, but not until they had avenged the Andrustown raid by plundering and burning the property of two Loyalists named Young. and Collyer. German Flats was the name of an extensive and populous settlement in the Mohawk Valley. It was the home of General Herkimer, and had been an important pioneer station for many years. At the close of August or early in September of this year (1778), this fine station was laid waste, and the buildings burned, and live stock driven off or killed ; but two lives were lost, however. This dash was under the personal leadership of Captain Brant. The next event in Brant's carrer as a warrior appears to have been in con nection with the invasion of Cherry Valley, in November, 1778. This expedi tion, too, was organized at Niagara, at the instigation of Walter Butler (son of Colonel John Butler), and was placed under his command. Captain Brant,. who, with his Indian warriors, had been employed on the Susquehanna during most of the summer, was on his return to winter quarters at Niagara. Meet ing Butler with his forces, bearing an order for Brant to join the expedition with his force. Brant was reluctant to do so, displeased at being placed ^under INDIAN HISTORY. 107 command of Walter Butler; but he was too much a soldier to refuse to obey orders. Colonel Ichabod Alden was in command of the post at Cherry Valley, and had disregarded frequent warnings from the old frontier men who were with him. When the onset was made by the British and Indians, Colonel Alden fell by the tomahawk of a warrior. It is not necessary to recount the details of the attack on this station ; it was another complete destruction of life and property, accompanied by all the bloody and cruel particulars of these times. Brant's humanity was conspicu ously displayed in the attack upon Cherry Valley, at which he was present, but was not in command. History has recorded to the credit of Joseph Brant that on this occasion he exhibited traits of humanity which seemed to be wanting in some at least of the white men present. " In a house which he entered he found a woman engaged in her usual avocations. ' Why are you thus engaged ?' said Brant to her, ' while your neighbours are being murdered all aroui id you ?' ' We are king's people,' she replied. ' That plea will not avail you to-day. They have murdered Mr. Well's family, who are as dear to me as my own.' ' There is one Joseph Brant,' she said, ' if he is with the Indians he will save us.' ' I am Joseph Brant,' he said, ' but I have not the command, and I know not whether I can save you. But I will do what I can.' While speaking, several Senecas were observed approaching the house. ' Get into bed and feign yourself sick,' said Brant, hastily. When the Senecas came in, he told them there was no person there but a sick woman and her children, and besought them to leave the house, which, after a short consultation, they did. As soon as they were out of sight Brant went to the corner of the house and gave a long shrill yell. Soon a small band of Mohawks were seen crossing an adjoining field with great speed. As they came up, he addressed them : ' Where is your paint ? Here, put my mark on this woman.' As soon as it was done, he added, ' You are now probably safe.' " The reader will remember the letter which Captain ]\IcKean had left in the Indian trail, inviting Brant to visit Cherry Valley, and get himself transformed into a " goose." After the battle was over. Brant inquired of one of the captives for Captain McKean, who was absent at the time of the attack. " He sent me a challenge once. I have now come to accept it ; he is a fine soldier to retreat thus. . . . . He is a brave man, and I would have given more to have taken him than any man in Cherry Valley ; but I would not have hurt a hair of his head." The following letter from Brant to Parcifer Carr, written in July previous to the capture of Cherry Valley, is interesting in this connection, while it exhibits, probably, a fair specimen of his epistolary style : — " Sir, — I understand by the Indians that was at your hou»e last week, that one Smith lives near you, has little more corn to spare. I should be much obliged to you if you would be so kind as to try to get as much corn as Smith can spared. He has sent me five skipples already, of which I am much obliged to him, and will see him paid, and would be very glad if you could 108 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. spare one or two of your men to join us, especially Elias. I would be glad to see him, and I wish you could sent me as many guns as you have to spare, as I know you have no use for them ; as I mean now to fight the cruel rebels as well as I can ; whatever you will able to sent'd me, you must sent'd by the bearer. " I am your sincere friend and humble ser't, "Joseph Brant." " P. S. — I heard that Cherry Valley people is very bold, and intend to make nothing of us. They call us Wild Geese, but I know the contrary." Minisink, Orange County, New York, was the scene of Brant's next per formance. On the night of July 19, 1779, the crafty Mohawk stole upon the slumbering town, at the head of sixty Indians and twenty-seven Loyalists ; such was the silence of their- approach, that several houses were in flames before the inhabitants were fairly awakened. Ten houses and several barns were burnt. Many persons were killed, and others carried away captive. The usual desolation was spread over the whole settlement, after which Brant and his forces made a hasty retreat. They were followed by a force of militia, which overtook them the next day, and a desperate fight ensued ; the militia were defeated, and most of them killed. Major Wood, of Orange County, was made a, prisoner, but saved his life by using a masonic sign, which Brant promptly recognized ; Wood pledged his word to Brant that he would not attempt to escape, if permitted to go without being tied. That night he was placed between two Indians, and told that if he tried to escape he would be tomahawked instanter : duiing the night his blanket took fire, and he dared not put it out for fear of a "jolt " on the head ; finally, when it burned up to his feet, he kicked it out. It was Brant's blanket. Brant treated him rather harshly after, and when Wood asked him the reason, he replied, " D — n you ! you burnt my blanket." The truth was that Wood had made a fraudu lent use of his knowledge of freemasonry, and Brant knew it. That was probably what ailed the blanket. The prisoner finally returned in safety, after a long captivity. He after wards joined the freemasons, and lived many years as an influential citizen and public official of Orange County. From Minisink Brant made a rapid movement, and fell upon a settlement on the south side of the Mohawk River, where, on the 2nd of August, he made a few prisoners. The name of one of them was House, who soon became too lame to continue the journey. The Indians proposed to kill him, but Brant interposed, and the prisoner's life was spared : he ultimately returned to his friends. In the summer of 1779, the American forces, commanded by Generals Clinton and Sullivan, were ordered to make an aggressive expedition against the Seneca country. The two armies united at Tioga, New York, on the 22nd of August, and advanced upon the British and Indians, who were established at Newtown (now called Elmira). At this point a severe engagement took place, which resulted in the defeat of the Royal forces. The Indians in this battle were com manded by Brant in person, who conducted them with great skiU and bravery. This affair is generally known as the battle of the Chemung. INDIAN HISTORY. 109 Shortly after this. Brant's party captured Lieutenant Boyd of the American army, who fell into the hands of the Indians at Beardstown on the Geuesee river. Brant interceded and saved the officer's life, but he was subsequently exe cuted after the Indian fashion, by order of one of the Butlers during the absence of Brant on other duty. The campaign of General Sullivan against the Senecas, in 1779, proved very disastrous to the Indians. Although vigorously opposed by all the available British force, both English and Indian, Sullivan penetrated into the Senecas' country, destroying their towns, and all their property and provisions, and driving the Indians under the protection of the guns of Fort Niagara. Capt. Brant accompanied the expedition from Niagara against Gen. Sullivan, having the immediate command of the Indian?, and again distinguished himself by his valour and humanity. The winter of 1779-80 was one of extraordinary severity. The snow fell to the depth of eight feet over all Western New York and in Canada. The Indians suffered greatly by sickness and destitution. Numbers died from exposure and starvation, and the carcasses of dead animals were so numerous in the forests the next summer, as to fill the atmosphere with the pestiferous odour of their decay ing bodies. Capt. Brant returned to Niagara, and took up his winter quarters with Col. Guy -Johnson, the Butlers — father and son — and other officers of the Indian Department. About this time Brant and his Indians made an expedition against the Oneida Indians, which tribe had refused to join the Mohawks in behalf of the King. Their castle was invaded, their crops destroyed, and they were thrown upon the United States for provisions and shelter. Aside from the destruction of the Oneida country, it is believed that Brant undertook no important expedition during the winter of 1780. The month of April found him on the war-path, at the head of a small party of Loyalists and Indians, whom he led against Harpersfield, which was taken by surprise and entirely destroyed. Proceeding from Harpersfield, it was Brant's design to make an attack upon the upper fort of Schoharie, but this part of his project was prevented by an unex pected dccurrence. Capt. Alexander Harper, the ancestor of the Harper Brothers, the well known publishers, had been sent out with a small party of men to keep an outlook over certain parties, and at the same time to make a quantity of maple sugar, of which the garrison were much in need. Brant, in wending his way from Harpersfield to Schoharie, fell suddenly upon Harper and his party, and immediately surrounded them ; so silent and cautious had been the approach of the enemy that the first admonition Harper received of their presence was the death of three of his little band, who were stricken down while engaged at their work. Capt. Brant knew Capt. Harper well, and on recognizing him among the prisoners, rushed up to him, tomahawk in hand, and said, " Harper, I am sorry to find you here." " Why are you sorry, Capt. Brant ? " " Because," rejoined Brant, " I must kill you, although we were schoolmate.^ when we were boys." As scalps were much easier carried to Niagara than prisoners, the Indians were for putting the prisoners to death, but Brant's influence was exerted successfully 110 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. to prevent the massacre. When they arrived at the Genesee River and encamped for the night, Capt. Brant dispatched a runner to Niagara with infor mation of his approach, and the number of his prisoners. His friend, Capt. Powell, who married Miss Moore, the Cherry Valley captive, was at the fort. Capt. Brant knew that Capt. Harper was uncle to Miss Moore, now Mrs. Powell, and it had been agreed, in consideration of sparing their lives, that on arrival at the fort the prisoners should go through the customary Indian ordeal of running the gauntlet. Before arriving at the fort two Indian encampments had to be passed ; but on emerging from the woods and approaching the first, what was the surprise of the prisoners and the chagrin of their captors, at finding the war riors absent, and their place filled by a regiment of British soldiers. A few Indian boys and some old women only were visible, who offered some violence to the prisoners, which was quickly suppressed by the soldiers. At the second encampment nearest the fort, they found the warriors absent also, and their place occupied by another regiment of troops. Capt. Brant led his prisoners directly through the dreaded encampments, and brought them in safety into the fort. The solution of this escape from the gauntlet was, that Capt. Powell had, at the suggestion of Captain Brant, enticed the warriors away to the "Nine-mile Landing " for a frolic, the means for holding it being furnished from the public stores. Colonel Harper was most agreeably surprised at escaping the gauntlet with his party, and at being met, by his niece, the wife of one of the principal officers in command of the post. Harper knew nothing of her marriage, or even of her being at Niagara, Capt. Brant having kept it a secret from him. He was held as a prisoner of war for a long period, but was finally exchanged and returned to his friends. Brant's next expedition was against the Saugerties settlements. This was in May, 1780. It was upon this occasion that Captain Jeremiah Snider and his son, of Saugerties, N. Y., with others, were taken prisoners. Those prisoners were .taken over the same route as Capt. Harper and his party, but did not escape as fortunately when they arrived at Niagara, as they had to run the gauntlet between long lines of Indian warriors, women and children. But their captors interposed to prevent injury. Capt. Snider, in his narrative of this event, describes Fort Niagara as a structur-e of considerable magnitude and great strength, enclosing an area of from six to eight acres. Within the enclosure was a handsome dwelling house for the residence of the Superintendent of Indians. It was then occupied by Col. Guy Johnson, before whom the captain and his son were brought for examination. Col. John Butler, with his Rangers, lay upon the opposite side of the river. Capt. Snider describes Gen. Johnson as being " a short, pussy man, about forty years of age, of a stern, haughty demeanour, dressed in a British uniform, powdered locks and cocked hat, his" voice harsh, and his brogue that of a gentleman of Irish extraction." While . in the guardhouse the prisoners were visited by Capt. Brant, of whom Capt. Snider says, " He was a likely fellow of fierce aspect, tall and rather spare, well spoken, and apparently about thirty years of age." (He was actually thirty-seven.) " He wore moc casins elegantly trimmed with beads, leggins and breech-cloth, of superfine blue ; short green coat, with two silver epaulettes, and a small laced, round hat. By his side hung an elegant silver-mounted cutlass, and his blanket of blue cloth, purposely dropped in the chair on which he sat to display his epaulettes, was INDIAN HISTORY. Ill gorgeously decorated with a border of red. He asked the prisoners many ques tions ; indeed, the object of their capture seems to have been principally for the purpose of obtaining information." Upon being informed where they were from, Capt. Brant replied, " That is my old fighting ground." In the course of the conversation Brant said to the younger Snider, " You are young, and I pity you ; but for that old villain there," pointing to the father, " I have no pity." On the 2nd of August, 1780, Brant again made his appearance in the Mohawk Valley ; the south side of the river, for several miles, was completely devastated ; the town of Canajoharie was burned, its inhabitants carried off or killed, and their property destroyed. In accomplishing this work Brant had outflanked the American officer. The result was deplorable enough ; but it added another plume to the crest of " the Great Captain of the Six Nations." The 16th of October, 1780, was made memorable by the invasion of the Schoharie country. The expedition was successful to the British arms. In this movement Brant was the leader of the Indians, and several anecdotes concerning his personal actions, in connection with the affair, are found here and there. Among the captures made by him at that place was a man named Vrooman, with whom he had been formerly acquainted. He concluded |o give Vrooman his liberty, and after they had proceeded several miles he sent Vrooman back about two miles alone, ostensibly to procure some birch bark, expecting of course to see no more of him. After several hours Vrooman came hurrying back with the bark, which the captain no more wanted than he did a pair of goggles. Brant said he sent his prisoner back on purpose to afford him an opportunity to escape, but he was so big a fool he did not know it, and that consequently he was compelled to take him along to Canada. Those who study the details of the history of that period will find much more concerning the Vrooman family, of which no less than six or seven were made prisoners at one time or another. After the close of the war Captain Brant visited Hudson, New York ; he was waited upon by many old acquaintances, and among the rest was a loquacious Dutchman who had known him before the Revolution. In a boasting and rather uncivil way the Dutchman told him if he had met him in the laorder wars he would have put an end tojiis career. Brant parried the attack with a pleasant anecdote. " And if you had met me," said he, " it would have been with you just as it was with your neighbor . He had boasted just as you are boasting now. In a skirmish I happened to meet him ; he took to his heels, and hardly stopped to take breath until he arrived in Albany, where a fire had just broken out, and the Dutchmen were in the streets, crying ' Braunt ! braunt !' (fire ! fire !). Stopping short, he exclaimed in amazement, ' The d d Indian has got here before me !' " This story is supposed to be founded upon an incident of this campaign, but whether it occurred in the Schoharie or Mohawk Valley, both of which were devastated, is not known. The British forces were finally met by a body of American troops under General Van Rensselaer, and a battle was fought at Flock's Field, in which engagement the Americans were victorious and the invading alUes were obliged to make a rapid retreat from th'S" valley with General Rensselaer push ing after them. At Fort Hunter the plundered inhabitants crowded around him with their tales of loss or grief Among them was a woman whose 112 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. husband and other relatives were missing. She was in an agony of grief over the loss of her infant, which had been snatched from the cradle. Early next morning a young Indian warrior came bounding into the room like a stag ; he bore an infant in his arms, and with it a letter addressed "to the Commanding Officer of the Rebel Army." The letter was substantially as follows :, " Sir, — I send by one of my runners the child which he will deliver, that you may know that whatever others may do, I do not make war upon women and children." The letter was from Thayendanegea, and the baby was none other than that of the disconsolate mother who has been mentioned. In this engage ment Brant was wounded in the heel, but not seriously enough to prevent his escape. Concerning this little circumstance several absurd anecdotes have been narrated by careless or misinformed writers. One of these stories was to the effect that Brant despatched an American prisoner who was in conversation with Col. Johnson at the time, and that his heel felt easier for the deed. 'The close of the season of 1780 found Capt. Brant in his old winter quarters at Fort Niagara, with Col. Butler and Col. Guy Johnson. The forces at Niagara were stated at this time to consist of sixty British regulars, commanded by a captain ; four hundred Loyalists, commanded by Col. John Butler ; twelve huiidred Indians, including women and children, commanded by Guy Johnson and Capt. Joseph Brant. The particular parts enacted by Captain Brant during the continuance of the Revolutionary struggle were in no way different from those already recorded ; he was active, able and successful in all he under took in behalf of the Royal cause. In the spring of 1781 an expedition against the revolted Oneidas in the Mohawk Valley was planned under the approbation of Gen. Haldimand, to be commanded by Brant, but {%r some unexplained reason was never executed. Vigorous incursions were kept up by small parties of Loyalists and Indians during the season, sometimes under Capt. Brant but often under the command of others. This state of things continued with varying fortunes until the news of an agreement for the cessation of hostilities between the United States and Great Britain was received. After the cessation of active operations, Thayendanegea turned his attention to the pressing needs of his people, as will be more fully treated of further on. The end of the Revolutionary War, properly so called, did not terminate the military career of Captain Brant, but; on the other hand, bid fair at one time to extend his fame as the chieftain of the united tribes of North America. Not only the greater part of the Six Nations, but a majority of the tribes of the west and north-west, had been friendly to the British cause during the war; and when a principal portion of the lands of these Indians was conveyed by treaty to their late enemy, the United States, they very naturally mani fested much discontent, more especially as Britain had, for some unexplained cause, neglected to make any provision for them in her treaty with the new- fledged Republic. Among the prominent Indian characters of that period were Red Jacket, Corn Planter, Black Hoof, and many others of lesser note, but above all these towered the consummate genius of Joseph Thayendanegea; the eyes of his race seemed to be turned towards him as their deliverer from the fate of banish ment from the hunting grounds of their fathers. Brant has been charged with being ambitious for the leadership of a confederacy of all the principal INDIAN HISTORY. 113 Indian tribes, but the facts, which are too numerous to relate in this connec tion, do not warrant so strong a conclusion. The Indian war, which followed in a few years after the War of the Revolution, was waged by the combined tribes of the old North-West territory again.st the United States for the pur pose of resisting the tide of emigration which began to roll westward over their country upon the approach of peace. That Brant was both an active and an influential agent in those well known campaigns is undisputed. He visited England in December, 1785, and it has been frequently asserted that his mission there was to secure the co-operation of the British Government in conducting these campaigns ; while the result demonstrated that he was in a measure successful, yet there was no open declaration of such a purpose. He returned to America in 1786, probably in July, and devoted himself to various matters pertaining to the Six Nations in particular, and to his scheme for a confederation generally. In the last-named interest he was much absorbed, and was present at many of the more import ant councils and treaty meetings which were held throughout the west. It is not known that he was personally engaged in any of the battles of that bloody frontier conflict across the lakes, but many of his Mohawk warriors were. Efforts were made to secure peace by both the Government of Great Britain and that of the United States, and the acknowledged ability and influ ence of Captain Brant was sought by both, and led to an active and extensive correspondence with the officers and agents of both Governments. Early in 1792 Captain Brant was invited to visit the city of Philadelphia, the then seat of Government of the United States. The newspapers in New York announced his arrival in that city in the following terms : " On Monday last arrived in this city from his settlement on the Grand River, on a visit to some of his friends in this quarter. Captain Joseph Brant, of the British army, the famous Mohawk chief, who so eminently distinguished himself during the late war, as the military leader of the Six Nations. We are informed that he intends to visit the city of Philadelphia," which he did in June, 1792, and was received by the President of the United States with cordiality and respect. There is no doubt that strenuous efforts were made at this time to engage his active interposition with the Indians to bring about peace, and also to con ciliate his friendship to the United States. Although nothing could divert him from his loyalty to the Government of his choice, yet the visit seems to have given mutual satisfaction to himself and the President. The Secretary of War wrote to General Chapin, U. S. Superintendent of Indian Affairs, as follows : " Captain Brant's visit will, I flatter myself, be productive of great satisfaction to himself, by being made acquainted with the humane views of the President of the United States." The Secretary also wrote to General Clinton : " Captain Brant appears to be a judicious and sensible man. I flatter myself his journey will be satisfactory to himself and beneficial to the United States." Still, however, the war raged until the victorious arms of General Wayne, in August, 1794, compelled the Indians to surrender all hope of hold ing their coveted territory. In the language of Captain Brant, in one of his speeches delivered long afterwards : " The Indians, convinced by those in the Miami Fort and other circumstances, that they were mistaken in their expec tations of any as.sistance from Great Britain, did not longer oppose the 114 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. Americans with their wanted unanimity. The consequence was that General Wayne induced them to hold a treaty at his own headquarters, in which he concluded a peace entirely on his own terms." ^With this event the career of the great Mohawk chieftain as a warrior ended* Brant's Civil Career. When the Mohawks flrst abandoned their native valley to join the British standard. Sir Guy Carleton had given a pledge that as soon as the war was ended they should be restored, at the expense of the Government, to the con dition they were in before the contest began. In April, 1770, Gen. Haldimand, then Commander-in-Chief in Canada, ratified the promise of his predecessor, pledging himself under hand and seal, so far as in him lay, to its faithful execution, " when that happy time should come." Long before the close of the Revolutionary War, the Mohawks, with their Loyalist neighbours in the Valley of the Mohawk, had fled to Canada. Their beautiful country, together with that of their brethren of the Six Nations, had been desolated by the ravages of fire and sword. At the close of the war the Mohawks were tempo rarily residing on the American side of the Niagara River, at what was then called " The Landing," now called Lewiston. Their brethren, the Senecas, offered them a portion of their lands upon the Genesee River. But as Captain Brant said, " The Mohawks were determined to sink or swim with the English ; " the generous offer of the Senecas was declined ; and the Mohawk chief pro ceeded to Quebec to arrange for the settlement of his people in the royal dominions. A tract of land upon the Bay of Quinte was designated for their settlement. But upon the return of Captain Brant to his people, the location was ilnsatisfactory to their brethren, the Senecas, who, apprehending that their troubles with the United States were not at an end, desired their settle ment near the Senecas' territory. Under these circumstances. Captain Brant convened a council of his people, and the country upon the " Ouse," or Grand River, was selected, lying upon both sides of that stream from its mouth upon Lake Erie, to its head ; which was conveyed to the Mohawks, and others of the Six Nations who chose to settle there, by a formal grant from the Crown. It was at this period that Brant resolved to visit England a second time, for the purpose of perfecting all necessary plans for the settlement of his people on the soil where he had so faithfully served to maintain the honour of the British flag. Sir John Johnson, who had visited England immediately after the war, returned to Canada during the summer of 1785. He seems to have been ¦charged with the settlement of the Indian claims, but accomplished nothing to their satisfaction. Johnson was strongly opposed to Brant's mission across the Atlantic, and wrote, on the 6th of November, strongly dissuading him from the undertaking. But the chief was not to be diverted from his purpose, and he sailed in time to arrive about the 12th of December. A notice of his arrival in Salisbury was published in London, in December, 1785. His reception at the British capital was all that he could wish. He was treated with the highest consideration and distinction. Many officers of the army whom he had met in America recognized him with great cordiality. His arrival was thus announced : ¦" Monday last. Captain Joseph Brant, the celebrated King of the Mohawks, INDIAN HISTORY. 115 arrived in this city from America ; and after dining with Colonel De Peister at the headquarters here, proceeded immediately to London. This extraordinary personage is said to have presided at the late grand congress of confederate chiefs of the Indian nations in America, and to be by them, appointed to the conduct and chief command in the war which they now meditate against the United States of America. He took his departure for England immediately as that assembly broke up, and it is conjectured that his embassy to the British Court is of great importance. This country owes much to the services of Captain Brant during the late war in America. He was educated at Phila delphia ; is a very shrewd, intelligent person, possesses great courage and abilities as a warrior, and is inviolably attached to the British nation." The Baroness Riedesel thus speaks of him, having met him at the provincial court : " I saw at times the famous Indian chief. Captain Brant. His manners were polished, he expressed himself with fluency, and was much esteemed by Gen. Haldimand. I dined once with him at the General's. In his dress he showed off to advantage in the half-military, half-savage costume. His countenance was manly and intelligent, and his disposition mild." Many little incidents which occurred during this second visit to the British capital, have furnished the basis for several anecdotes of Brant. Preliminary to his introduction to the King, he was receiving instructions in regard to the customary ceremonies to be observed. When he was informed that he was to salute his Majesty by dropping on the knee and kissing the King's hand. Brant objected to this part of the ceremony, saying if it was a lady it would be a pleasant and proper thing to do ; but that he, being himself a king in his own country, thought it derogatory to his dignity, and contrary to his sense of propriety, to perform such a servile act. During his stay in London, a grand fancy dress ball, or masquerade, was gotten up and numerously attended by the nobility and gentry. Captain Brant was also present, richly dressed in the costume of his nation, wearing no mask, but painting one half of his face. His plumes nodded proudly in his head-dress, and his silver-mounted toma hawk glittered in his girdle. There was likewise present a stately Turkish diplomat of rank, whose attention was particularly attracted by the chieftain's singular and, as he supposed, fantastic attire. The pageant was brilliant, but amongst the whole motley throng of pilgrims, warriors, hermits, shepherds, knights, damsels and gipsies, there was, to the eyes of the Mussulman, no character so picturesque and striking as that of the Mohawk, which, being natural, appeared to be the best make up. The Turk scrutinized the chief very closely, and at last attempted to handle his nose. In an instant Brant, who had watched the prying eyes of the Oriental, and was in the mood for some fun, raised the war-whoop and brandished his tomahawk over the astounded Mussulman's head. Such a piercing and frightful cry had never before rung through those halls ; there was a general scramble of all hands to fly from the blood-curdling scene — it is said that some of the affrighted ones even tumbled down stairs in their confusion. The matter was explained, and was accounted a good incident in the affairs of the evening. But neither the pleasures of society, nor the special business of his mission, nor yet the views of political ambition which he was cherishing at the time, made him forgetful of the moral wants of his people. He had found time to 116 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. translate the Gospel of Mark into the Mohawk language ; and as most of the Indian Prayer and Psalm Books had been destroyed during the war, he assisted in bringing out a new and superior edition of that work. After accomplish ing much of what he desired in England, he returned to his people in the early part of the year 1786. In the grant of the land to the Mohawks, such other of the Six Nations as were inclined to make their settlement upon it were included. Thie led to some difficulty and dissatisfaction, by the intrusion of individuals of the Six Nations who did not fully sympathize with the Mo hawks in their loyalty to the British Government. The whole weight of these difficulties seemed to fall upon Capt. Brant; and his friends were at one time anxious not only for his personal safety, but also for his popularity and influ ence. But he ably sustained and defended himself, and his conduct was ap proved by a full council of the Six Nations at Niagara. About this time he was engaged in various matters connected with the general policy of the Indians of the north and west, which has been mentioned under the title of his military experience. A change in the Government of Canada about this time brought new men and new measures upon the stage of action. Col. J. G. Simcoe was appointed Lieut.-Governor. The new Governor brought out letters of introduction to the Mohawk chief. They became fast friends, and in all the peace negotiations with the Western Indians, Capt. Brant became an active participant in the interests of the Government of Great Britain. The beautiful tract of country upon the Grand River, which had been designated for the settlement of the Mohawks, attracted the cupidity of white men, as their equally beautiful country in the Valley of the Mohawk and western New York had done before ; and Capt. Brant exerted his influence with his people to induce them to exchange their hunting for agriculture. In furtherance of this idea, he conceived the plan of making sales and leases of land to skilled white agriculturists. But the Colonial Government interposed objections, claiming that the donation from Government was only a right of occupancy and not of sale. Capt. Brant com bated this idea, but was overruled by the officers of the Government, including his friend. Gov. Simcoe. Very general dissatisfaction seems to have prevailed among the Indians in regard to the legal construction of the title to their lands, and attempts were made to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the difficulty, but with indifferent success. Capt. Brant was anxious to encourage and promote the civilization of his people ; and, in his negotiations with Gen. Haldimand, stipulated for the erection of a church, which was built upon their lands upon the Grand River, and furnished with a bell and communion service brought from their former home in the Valley of the Mohawk. This church is believed to be the first temple erected to the worship of Almighty God in the Province of Upper Canada. It is fully mentioned elsewhere in this work. The contro versy was long and determined on both sides. It resulted in the confirmation by the Government of the sales and leases made by Brant, in many cases at least ; but the Indians were not granted the title to their lands in fee simple. They could hold and use them, but could not deed them away without the consent of the Government. Capt. Brant continued to be the unyielding advo cate of the lights of his people, as an independent nation, to their lands, to the end ot his life. His views, and the arguments by which he sustained them, INDIAN HISTORY. 117 may be gathered from an extract of a speech which he delivered at a meeting of chiefs and warriors at Niagara, before Col. Sheafe, Col. Clans and others, on the occasion of a Government proclamation forbidding the sale and leasing of any of their lands by the Indians. " In the year 1775," said he,'" Lord Dorchester, then Sir Guy Carleton, at a numerous council, gave us every encouragement, and requested us to assist in defending their country, and to take an active part in defending His Majesty's possessions, stating that when the happy day of peace should arrive, and should we not prove successful in the contest, that he would put us on the same footing on which we stood previous to joining him. This flattering promise was pleasing to us, and gave us spirit to embark heartily in His Majesty's cause. We took it for granted that the word of so great a man, or any promise of a public nature, would ever be held sacred. We were promised our lands for our services, and these lands we were to hold on the same footing with those we fled from at the commencement of the American war, when we joined, fought and bled in your cause. Now is published a proclamation forbid ding us leasing those very lands that were positively given us in lieu of those of which we were the sovereigns of the soil, of those lands we have forsaken, we sold, we leased, and we gave away, when and as often as we saw fit, without hindrance on the part of your Government, for your Government well knew we were the lawful sovereigns of the soil, and they had no right to interfere with us as independent nations." Capt. Brant entered into an extensive corres pondence with his friends, men of distinction both in the United States and England, principally in regard to the title of the lands of his people, and their settlement and civilization, an object which seemed to lie very near his heart. Among other vexations which beset his efforts were the, machinations of " Red Jacket," a sort of nondescript chief of the Senecas. This pretender appears to have been a tool in the hands of sfteculators to undermine the influence and authority of Thayendanegea, but the scheme failed, and its instigator appaars to have passed into oblivion with his base designs. Brant was again vindicated, and from that time until his decease he was the undis puted head of all the tribes of the Six Nations. Among the strongest efforts of Brant's life were the exertions made by him to provide for the Christianizing of the pagan individuals of his people. His correspondence in relation to the settlement of a missionary at Grand River, shows that he considered it of great importtmce to the realization of his wishes, in regard to the moral and spiritual interests of his people. He was opposed in this matter, but finally succeeded in procuring the settlement of the Rev. Davenport Phelps, who had married a daughter of the Rev. Dr. Wheelock, the early friend and preceptor of Capt. Brant. Mr. Phelps was a graduate of Yale College, and became a missionary of the Episcopal Church in Western New York. He was ordained in Trinity Church, New York, in December, 1801, and immediately entered upon the active duties of a missionary. He had settled in the Province of Upper Canada ; his residence being upon a farm near Burlington Bay, at the head of Lake Ontario. Captain Brant urged him to accept a lot of land near the Mohawk village on Grand River, but he declined the offer, and in 1805 he removed his family from Canada to Onondaga, N. Y., and subsequently to Geneva, N. Y., where he died. 118 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. From Welds' " Travels through the States of North America," 1795 to 1797, the subjoined extract is made, as illustrating the character of' the chief, in addition to what has already been said : — " When the war broke out the Mohawks resided on the Mohawk River, in the State of New York, but on peace being made, they emigrated into Upper Canada, and their principal village is now situated on the Grand River, which falls into Lake Erie on the north side, about sixty miles from the town of Newark, or Niagara. There Brant at present resides. He has built a comfortable habitation for himself, and any stranger who visits him may rest assured of being well received, and of finding a plentiful table well served every day. He has no less than thirty or forty negroes, who attend to his horses, cultivate his grounds, &c., &c. These poor creatures are kept in the greatest subjection, and they dare not attempt to make their escape, for he has assured them that if they did so, he would follow them himself though it were to the confines of Georgia, and would tomahawk them wherever he met them. They know his disposition too well not to think that he would adhere strictly to his word. Brant receives from Government half-pay as captain, besides annual presents, &c., which in all amounts, it is said, to five hundred pounds per annum. We had no small curiosity, as you may well imagine, to see this Brant, and we procured letters of introduction to him from the Governor's secretary, and from different officers and gentlemen of his acquaintance, with an intention of proceeding from Newark to his village. Most unluckily, however, on the day before that of our arrival at the town of Newark, he had embarked on board a vessel for Kingston at the opposite end of the lake. You may judge of Brant's con sequence, when I tell you that a lawyer of Niagara, who crossed Lake Ontario with us from Kingston, where he had been detained for some time by contrary winds, informed us the day after our arrival at Niagara, that by his not having reached that place in time to transact some law business for Mr. Brant, and which had consequently been given to another person, he should be the loser of one hundred pounds at least. Brant's sagacity led him early in life to discover that the Indians had been made the dupe of every foreign power that had gained footing in America, and indeed could he have had any doubts on the subject they would have been removed when he saw the British, after having demanded and received, the assistance of the Indians in the American war, so unjustly and ungenerously yield up the whole of the Indian territories east of the Mississippi and south of the lakes, to the people of the United States, the very enemies, in short, they had made to themselves at the request of the British. He perceived with regret that the Indians, by espousing the quarrels of the whites and espousing different interests, were weakening them selves, whereas, if they remained aloof, guided by one policy, they would soon become formidable, and be treated with more respect. He formed the bold scheme therefore of uniting the Indians together in one grand confederacy, and for this purpose he sent messengers to different chiefs, proposing that a general meeting should be held of the heads of every tribe to take the subject into consideration. But certain of the tribes, suspicious of Brant's designs, and fearful that he was bent upon acquiring power for himself by this measure, opposed it with all their influence. Brant has, in consequence, become ex tremely obnoxious to many of the most warlike, and with suc^i a jealous eye INDIAN HISTORY. 119 do they now regard him, that it would not be perfectly safe for him to return to the upper country. He has managed the affairs of his own people with great ability, and leased out their superfluous lands for them for long terms of years, by which measure a certain annual revenue is insured to the nation. He wisely judged that it was much better to do so than to suffer the Mohawks, as many other tribes had done, to sell their possessions by piecemeal, the sums of money they received for which, however great, would soon be dissipated if paid to them at once. During the last few years of his life. Brant had many journeys to perform- to the Lower Province, in the interests of his own people ; to the Upper Lakes, to keep the chain of friendship with his old confederates from becoming rusty ; to Canandaigua and elsewhere, upon matters of business or friendship. In 1797 he made another visit to Albany and Philadelphia, striking into New England by way of New York on his return. While in Philadelphia he was made the especial guest of the celebrated Colonel Aaron Burr, who had been in corres pondence with him previous to his arrival. On leaving Philadelphia for New York, Colonel Burr gave the chief a letter of introduction to his youthful and gifted daughter, Theodosia, afterwards Mrs. Aliston. For the purpose of show ing the estimation in which Brant was held by so distinguished a gentleman as Aaron Burr undoubtedly was, the letter above mentioned is here given : " Philadelphia, February 28, 1797. — This will be handed to you by Colonel Brant, the celebrated Indian chief I am sure that you and Natalie will be happy in the opportunity of seeing a man so much renowned. He is a man of education, speaks and writes the English perfectly, and has seen much of Europe and America. Receive him with respect and hospitality. He is not one of those Indians who drink rum, but is quite a gentleman ; not one who will make fine bows, but one who understands and practises what belongs to pro priety and good breeding. He has daughters ; if you could think of some little present to send to one of them — a pair of ear-rings, for example — it would please him. .You may talk to him very freely, and offer to introduce him to your friend, Mr. Witbeck, of Albany. Vale, et amo. — A. B." Miss Theodosia enter tained the forest chief with all the courtesy suggested by her father, as is evidenced by her letters to him immediately after Brant's departure. His stay in New York was pleasant enough, as it also was in New England, but in Albany he was treated rather coolly, and even threatened with violence. On this account Governor Jay directed a guard to be detailed, which escorted him through the Mohawk Valley, on his way to Upper Canada. The correspondence of Brant, after his retirement from military to civil life, besides that pertaining to the current business which engaged much of his attention with literary and scientific men, was considerable. His replies to letters of this class show him to have been a man of deep reflection, independent thought, and of intelligence above most of the white men of his time, and are characterized by good common sense. The education of his children seems never to have been lost sight of amid all the cares and perplexities of his public Iffe. The following letter, written by Capt. Brant to James Wheelock, son of the President of Dartmouth College, his former preceptor in the Moor Charity School, will best illustrate his viewi on that subject : 120 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. " Niagara, 3rd October, 1800. " Dear Sir, — Although it is a long time since I have had the pleasure of seeing you, still I have not forgot there is such a person in being, and now embrace the kind offer you once made me in offering to take charge of my son Joseph, whom I certainly at that time should, have sent out, had it not been that there was apparently a jealousy existing between the British and Ameri cans ; however, I hope it is not yet too late. I send both my sons Joseph and Jacob, who I doubt not will be particularly attended to by my friends. I could wish them to be studiously attended to, not only as to their education, but likewise to their morals in particular. This is, no doubt, needless mention ing, as I know of old, and from personal experience at your seminary, that these things are paid strict attention to. Let my sons be at what schools soever, your overseeing them will be highly flattering to me. I should, by this opportunity, have wrote Mr. John Wheelock on the same .subject, but a hurry of business at this time prevents me. I shall hereafter take the first opportunity of dropping him a few lines. Until then, please make my best respects to him, and earnestly solicit his friendship and attention to my boys, which, be assured of, I shall ever gratefully acknowledge. " I am. Dear Sir, wishing you and your family health and happiness, " Your friend and well-wisher, "To Mr. James Wheelock." "Joseph Brant." The two boys, Jacob and Joseph, were sent to school at Hanover, and pro secuted their studies quite to the satisfaction of their teachers, exhibiting not only excellent capacity and diligence, but good deportment, and great ami ability of character. Unfortunately a difficulty sprang up between the boys, which resulted in Joseph leaving the school and returning to his parents. Jacob remained a while longer, when he too visited home, but subsequently returned to the school to resume his studies. On the occasion of his son's return, Captain Brant writes to his friend, Mr. James Wheelock, the follow ing letter : "Niagara, 14th December, 1802. " My Dear Sir, — I received your very polite and friendly letter by my son Jacob, and am very much obliged to you, your brother, and all friends, for the great attentions that have been paid to both of my sons, and to Capt. Dunham for the great care he took of Jacob on the journey. " My son would have returned to you long before this but for a continued sickness in the family, which brought Mrs. Brant very low. " My son Jacob and several of the children are very ill. My son returns to be under the care of the President, and I sincerely hope he will pay such atten tion to his studies as will do credit to himself aud be a comfort to his friends. The horse that Jacob rides out I wish to be got in good order, after he arrives, and sold, as an attentive scholar has no time to ride about. Mrs. Brant joins me in the most affectionate respects to you and Mrs. Wheelock. " I am. Dear Sir, with great respect, " Your sincere friend and humble servant, " Joseph Brant." " To James Wheelock, Esq.'.' INDIAN HISTORY. 121 The following extract from a book entitled, " Travels in the Interior of the Uninhabited parts of North America, in the years 1791-2, by Alexander Camp bell, Captain 42nd Regiment," will serve perhaps to throw some light upon the every-day life of Captain Brant while he was living at the Mohawk village, near Brantford. The plain story of Captain Campbell is vigorous enough to be refreshing, and so frank withal that its truthfulness cannot be doubted : " From. Niagara to the Grand River. "On the 9th of February I set out with a parLy-of gentlemen in two sleds on an excursion to the Grand River. Put up for the first night at Squire McNab's, and next day dined at the house of one Henry, who had only been here for six years ; put up at night at the house of one Smith, who came from the colonies two years ago. ' " The land as we came along seemed extremely good — heavy timber, consisting of oak, walnut, chestnut, hickory, maple sugar wood, ash, pine and a variety of others, all lofty of their kind, particularly in that space which lies between the long stretch of precipices called the 'mountain,' and the side of the lake. This space is from one to four miles broad and from fifty to sixty miles long from Niagara to Lake Geneva. This mountain begins in the Genesee country and stretches along until it crosses the River Niagara at the Grand Falls ; from thence in a serpentine form to the head of the small lake called by the Indians ' Ouilqueton,' and known to the white people by the name of ' Geneva,' and from thence to the Bay of Toronto, opposite to the Fort of Niagara on the north side of Lake Ontario, a stretch of between two and three hundred miles long. We stayed that night with Mr. Paisley, who enter tained us with the greatest hospitality. " February 11th. We set out from Mr. Paisley's. For several miles on the way to the Grand River the lands are so open as to have scarce a sufficiency of wood for enclo.sures and the necessary purposes of farming; but towards the mountain the wood becomes thick and lofty, as is common in that country, for several miles along the mountain. Towards evening we fell down on a gentleman's farm, where we stopped to w^arm ourselves and bait our horses. No sooner was our repast over than we bade adieu to the family, mounted our sleds and drove down to the Indian village ; alighted about nightfall at the house of the celebrated Indian chief and warrior. Captain Joseph Brant. This renowned warrior is not of any royal or conspicuous blood, but by his ability in war and political conduct in peace has raised himself to the highest dignity in his nation, and his alliance is now courted by sovereign and foreign states. Of this there are recent instances, as he has had within the last three weeks several private letters and public despatches from Congress soliciting his attendance at Philadelphia on matters of high importance ; but after consulting Col. Gordon, commandant of all the British troops in Upper Canada, he excused himself and declined to accept the invitation. He just now enjoys a pension and captain's half pay from the British Government, .and seemed to keep quite staunch by it, but a person of his great political talents ought to be carefully looked after ; at the same time, I am convinced that he bears no good-will to the American States, and seems to be much b 122 history of BEANT COUNTY. rejoiced at the drubbing their troops got from the Indians on the 4th of last November, when, by the Indian account, 1300 of them were killed on the spot, but by the American, only 800, including the wounded ; the former is nearest the truth and gains most credit here. By comparing the numbers brought tO' the field with those that remained after the action, which is the surest way to judge, their loss must have exceeded 1600. I saw a muster roll and returns of some of the companies, and examined if there were any Scotch names among them, and could find none but one Campbell, who it would appear by their orderly book was among those that deserted, of whom there were a great many. My reason for examining this so particularly was that I was informed the American army was mostly made up of Scotch and Irish emigrants, to whom Congress promised free lands at the close of the Indian war in the event they would engage in it. '^Capt. Green, of the 26th regiment, who held the orderly book, made the same remark in regard to names, so that I am happy that the report was ill-founded. Captain Brant, who is well acquainted with European manners, received us with much politeness and hospitality. Here we found two young married ladies with their hu,sbands on a visit to the family, both of them very fair complexioned and well looking women. But when Mrs. Brant appeared, superbly dressed, in the Indian fashion, the elegance of her person, grandeur of her looks and deportment, her large mild black eyes, symmetry and harmony of her expressive features, though much darker in complexion, so far surpassed them as not to admit of the smallest comparison between the Indian and the fair European ladies. I could not in her presence so much as look at them without marking the differ ence. Her blanket was made up of silk and the finest English cloth, bordered with a narrow strip of embroidered lace ; her sort of jacket and scanty petti coat of the same stuff, which came down only to her knees ; her garters or I'eggins, of the finest scarlet, fitted close as a stocking, which showed to advantage her stout but remarkably fine formed limbs, her moccasins (Indian shoes) ornamented with silk ribbons and beads. Her person is about five feet nine or ten inches high, as straight and proportionable as can be, but inclined to be jolly or lusty. She understands but does not speak English. I have often addressed her in that language, but she always answered in the Indian tongue. They have a fine family of children. I remarked of one fine-looking boy, about eight years old, that he was like his mother. His father said he was so, and that he was glad of it ; that he was a good scholar and a good hunter ; that he had already shot several pheasants and other birds ; that he and two other boys of the same age had been lately in the woods with their guns ; that they supposed they had found the track of a deer, which they followed too far, got wet, and became cold ; that, however, young as they were, they put up a fire and warmed themselves and returned home ; that before they arrived their toes were frost-bitten, of which he was then not quite recovered. I mention this circumstance to show how early the young Indians are bred to the chase, and the instance of their early being bred to war is, that I myself saw a rifle- barrelled gun taken by an Indian boy from an American, whom he shot dead in the action of the 4th of November last, and he was allowed to keep it on account of his gallant behaviour. Tea was on the table when we came in, served up on the handsomest china plate, and & INDIAN HISTORY. 123 every other furniture in proportion. After tea was over we were entertained with the music of an elegant hand organ on which a young Indian gentleman _ and Mr. Clinch played alternately. Supper was served up in the same genteel style. Our beverages were brandy, port and Madeira wines. Capt. Brant made several apologies for his not being able to sit up with us so long as we wished, being a little out of order ; and we, being fatigued after our journey, went timeously to rest ; our beds, sheets and English blankets were fine and comfortable. " Next day being Sunday, we, the visitors, went to church. The service was given out by an Indian in the absence of the minister, who was indis posed, and I never saw more decorum or attention paid in any church in all my life. The Indian squaws sung most charmingly, with a musical voice, I think peculiar to themselves. Dinner was just going on the table in the same elegant style as the preceding night, when I returned to Gapt. Brant's house, the servants dressed in their best apparel. Two slaves attended the table, the one in scarlet, the other in coloured clothes^ with silver buckles in their shoes, and ruffles, and every other part of their apparel in proportion. After dinner, Capt. Brant, that he might not be wanting in doing me the honours of his nation, directed all the young warriors to assemble in a certain large house, to show me the war dance, to which we all adjourned about nightfall. Such as were at home of the Indians appeared, superbly dressed in their most showy apparel, glittering with silver in all the variety of shapes and forms of their fancies, which made a dazzling appearance. The pipe of peace, with long white feathers, and that of war, with red feathers equally long, were exhibited in their first war dance, with shouts and war-whoops resounding to the skies. " The chief himself held the drum, beat time, and often joined in the song with a certain cadence to which they kept time. The variety of forms into which they put their bodies, and the agility with which they changed from one strange position to another, was really curious to a European eye not accustomed to such a sight. " Several warlike dances were performed which the chief was at particular pains to explain to me, but still I could not understand, or see any affinity excepting in the ' eagle attack,' which indeed had some resemblance. After the war dance was over — which took up about two hours, as the whole exhibition was performed in honour of me, being the only stranger, who they were told by my fellow travellers meant to publish my travels on my return home, which they judged of by the notes I took of everything I saw, though in reality I had no such thing in view at the time — I was desired by Mr. Clinch to make a speech, and thank them for their handsome performances. As this could not be declined without giving offence, I was obliged to get up, and told them I would address them in the Indian language of my own country, and said in Gaelic, ' That I had fought in many parts of Europe, killed many men, and now being in America, I did not doubt that I would fight with them yet, par ticularly if the Yankees attacked us.' My worthy friend, Capt. McNab, explained in English my speech, as also did Capt. Clinch, in the Indian tongue, at which they laughed very heartily. No sooner was the war dance over than they began their own native and civil ones, in which Capt. Brant and I joined. He placed me .between two handsome young squaws, and himself between 124 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. other two. In this way we continued for two hours more, without coming off the floor, dancing and singing, he himself keeping time all along, which all the rest followed in the same 'cadence. The serpentine dance is admirably curious ; one takes lead representing the head, and the others follow one after the other joined hand in hand, and before the close of the dance we were put in all the folds and forms a serpent can be in. After this and every other dance peculiar to their nation was over, we began Scotch reels, and I was much surprised to see how neatly they danced them. Their persons are perfectly formed for such exercise. The men, from the severity of their hunting excur sions, are rather thiu, but tall and straight, and well proportioned, extremely agile and supple. The women are much fairer in their complexion, plump and inclined to be lusty. " Here we continued until near daylight. I told Capt. Brant that in my coun try at all country weddings and frolics it was customary to kiss both before and after every dance. He said it was a strange though agreeable custom, but that it would never do here, I suppose owing to the jealousy of the men. I had bought two gallons of rum to entertain them, and he had ordered six bottles of Madeira wine from his own house, and would hardly allow the other gentlemen and myself to take any other liquor. By my being in a manner under the neces sity of drinking grog with the young Indians and squaws, I got tipsy, though I and one young Indian w^ere the only persons present in the least affected. As for the squaws, I could hardly get them to taste, however warm they might be with dancing. " When Captain Brant observed the young Indian was affected with what he had drank, he requested I should give him no more, taxed him with being drunk, and said he must turn him out of the company if he did not take care what he was about. " On the whole, I do not remember I ever passed a night in my life I enjoyed more. Everything was new to me and striking in its manner ; the old chief entered into all the frolics of the young people, in which I was obliged to join. But the other gentlemen, to whom none of these things were new, looked on, and only engaged now and then in the reels. After passing the night in this agreeable manner, and I being a good deal fatigued with drinking and dancing, we retired to rest. " Captain Brant showed me a brace of double-barrelled pistols, a curious gun, and a silver-hilted dagger he had got as presents from noblemen and gentlemen in England, when he was in that country on an embassy from his own and other Indian nations. Each of the double-barrelled pistols had but one lock, the hammer of which was so broad as to cover the two pans and two touch-holes, so that both shots would go off at once ; and when he had a mind to fire but one barrel at a time, there was a slip of iron which by a slight touch covered one of the pans so as that only which was uncovered would go off. The gun being sufficiently charged, would fire fifteen shots in the space of half a minute. " The construction of this curious piece was, as near as I can describe it, as follows : There was a powder chamber or magazine adjoining to the lock, which would hold fifteen charges, another cavity for as many balls, and a third for the priming, and by giving one twist round to a sort of handle on the left INDIAN HISTORY. 125 hand side opposite the lock, the gun would be loaded from these magazines, primed and cocked, so that the fifteen charges could be fired, one after another, in the space of half a minute, at the same time he might fire but one or two shots, less or more of them, as he chose. He said there was something of the work within wrong, so that he could not get it to fire more than eight shots without stopping. He tried it at a mark, and said it shot very well. Of the dagger, he said it was the most useful weapon in action he knew — that it was far better than a tomahawk ; that he was once obliged to strike a man four or five times with a tomahawk before he killed him, owing to hurry and not striking him with the fair edge, whereas he never missed with the dagger. Others told me that he was not over scrupulous or sparing on these occasions. Another instance he said was that he had seen two Indians with spears or lances attack a man, one on each side ; that just as they pushed to pierce him through the body, he seized on the spears, one in each hand ; thej^ tugged and pulled to no purpose, until a third person came up and dispatched him. This could not be done to a dagger, and of course it was by odds the better weapon. " Mr. Clinch, who is a young man of liberal education, served through the last war in the Indian Department, and was on many expeditions along with Capt. Brant. They put one another in mind of many strange adventures ; among others that of having once brought boys and a number of women and girl= prisoners to Detroit, and so served that whole settlement, which was much in want of females. The description of the consequences gave .me a lively idea of the rape of the Sabine women by the first settlers of Rome, but the difference was great, for here the former husbands and lovers had been killed. A tailor in this place told me he was one of the boys captured on the occasion; that his eldest brother and father were killed. The latter, after he had been taken prisoner and brought a great part of the way, had got fatigued and could not travel, on which he was tomahawked by the Indians. I cannot see how the necessities of war can warrant such barbarities to women and children, independent of the cruelty shown to men and prisoners. " Another story of Capt. Brant's relating to hunting was, that himself and another being on an expedition with a large party to the south, and nearly run out of provisions, and dreading the consequences, had gone a hunting on horseback ; that they preferred small to large game, as the small would be the exclusive property of him who killed it, whereas the large game must be equally divided among the party ; that they rode on through the woods, and at last fell in with a large flock of turkeys, and galloped after them as fast as they could, until they obliged the turkeys to take wing and get upon trees, when the party alighted from their horses and shot seventeen fine turkeys, with which they returned to camp. They all shot with rifles. Lieut. Turner, of the first regiment continental troops, was the only officer taken prisoner by the Indians in the action of 4th November, 1791, who survived the slaughter of his countrymen. He said that when he was taken prisoner among the Indians he was one daj- permitted to go along with them to the woods on a hunting party ; that they soon fell in with turkeys. The Indians pursued on foot as fast as thej' could, running, falling and hallooing all the time to frighten the birds, and when they had thus got them on trees, they shot many of them. Several other persons have said that this was the surest way to get 126 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. them. They are so tame, or stupid, when they are in the trees, as to stand perhaps till the last be killed. Whereas, on the ground, they were so quick- sighted and fleet, that in an instant they were out of sight. An old turkey cock will outrun any man on the ground. Another method practised is that of watching them on the ground until they get up to roost in the trees in the evening, when the sportsmen may shoot on until the last in the flock be killed. "With Capt. Brant I had a conversation upon religion, inti'oduced by him indeed, and not by me. He said that we were told everyone that was not a Christian would go to hell ; if so, what would become of the miserable souls of many Indians who never heard of Christ ; asked if I believed so, and what I thought of it ? I frankly told him that if all the saints and priests on earth were to tell me so, I would not believe them. With such as were instructed in the Christian religion, and did not conform to its precepts, I did not doubt but it would fare the worse ; that I believed that it might be so with those of any other religion ; but I supposed it was a matter of little moment in the omnipresent eye of the Creator of the universe, whether he was worshipped on Sundays in the church or on Saturdays in the mosque ; and that the grateful tribute of everyone would be received however different the mode of offering it might be ; that everyone has only to account for those actions which he knew to be wrong at the time of committing them ; but for these, that surely a time of reckoning would come. He spoke of the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph, and even of our Saviour, in a way that induced me to waive the subject. It, however, showed the difficulty of converting these people from the early prejudice of education. But his discourses brought to mind a conversation on traditionary rumours that passed between Ossian, the son of Fingal, and Patrick, the first Christian missionary he had seen. Before I take leave of this charming country and the honour done me by the renowned chief and his warlike tribe of handsome young warriors, all of the Mohawk nation, I must not omit saying that it appears to me to be the finest country I have as yet seen ; and by every information I have had none are more so in all America. The plains are very extensive, with few trees here and there interspersed, and so thinly scattered as not to require any clearing, and hardly sufficient for the necessaries of the farmer. The soil is rich, and a deep clay mould. The river is about 100 yards broad, and navigable for large bateaux to Lake Erie, a space of sixty miles, excepting for about two miles, of what are here called rapids, but in Scotland would be called ' fords,' and in which the bateaux are easily poled up against any little stream there may be. Abund ance of fish are caught here in certain seasons, particularly in the spring, such as sturgeon, pike, pickerel, maskinonge, and others peculiar to this country ; and the woods abound with game. "The habitations of the Indians are pretty close together on each side of the river, as far as I could see, with a very few white people interspersed among them married to squaws, and others of half- blood, their offspring. The church in the village is elegant, the schoolhouse commodious, both built by the British Government, which annually orders a great many presents to be distributed among the natives : ammunition and warlike stores, of all the necessary kinds; saddles, bridles, kettles, cloth, blankets, tomahawks with tobacco-pipes in the end of them ; other things and INDIAN HISTORY. 127 trinkets innumerable, provisions and stores, so that they may live, and really be, as the saying is, ' happy as the day is long.' " February 13th. When Capt. Brant found that we would be away, he ordered his sled to be got ready, and after breakfast he and Mrs. Brant accom panied us the length of ten or twelve miles to the house of an Indian who had a kitchen and store room, clean floors and glass windows, crops, and cattle in proportion, where we put up to warm ourselves. Capt. Brant brought some wine, rum and cold meat, for the company. After refreshing ourselves, we bade adieu to our hospitable and renowned host and his elegant squaw, and bounded on our journey along the banks of the Grand River. The land seemed extremely good as we came along. The first village of Indians, the next of white people, and so on alternately, as far as I have been, and for all I know, to the side of the lake. The Indians in this part of the country seem to be of different nations, Mohawks, Cherokees, Tuscaroras and Mississaguas. I called at different villages, or castles as they are called here, and saw the inhabitants had large quantities of Indian corn drying in every house, suspended in the roof, and in every corner of them. We put up at the house of Mr. Ellis, who treated us very hospitably. " February 14th. We went a visiting for several miles down the river side, and dined at the house of a half-pay officer, a Mr. Young, who had served in the last war as a lieutenant in the Indian Department, married to a squaw, sister to one of the chiefs of the Mohawk nation, who succeeded Capt. David. This gentleman, of Dutch extraction, used me with marked attention and hos pitality. Messrs. Clinch, Forsyth and I stayed with him that night playing whist, cribbage and other games. Here I for the first time played cards with a squaw. Next morning he conducted us in his own sled the length of Mr. Ellis's. He told us that a few days ago a wolf killed a deer on the ice near his house, and showed us the remains of a tree which, before it was burnt, measured twenty-eight feet in circumference. "February 15th. We set out from Mr. Young's ; crossed a forest of about twenty miles without a settlement ; fell in with Mr: and- Mrs. Andrew Pattoii, a Mr. Henry and his wife, and some sleds loaded with grain going to mill. Here we all stopped to bait our horses at the side of a stream or creek ; made a fire and dined upon such victuals as we brought along with us, in a shade put up by some trading Indians. ,1 saw the track of a deer as we came along, and where one of them was dragged on a hand sled or tobogan, on the snow. Mi-. and Mrs. Patton invited our company to their house, to which we readily agreed. Mrs. Patton is a very well looking, agreeable young lady, and he himself a good, plain sort of man. We arrived about nightfall, and after refreshing ourselves with some tea, and some glasses of Port and Madeira wines, the card tables were produced, on which we played till supper time. In this, and indeed every place we had been in, we were genteely and hospitably entertained. " February 16th. After breakfast we set out from Mr. Andrew Patton's, and bade adieu to him and his amiable wife. Called at Major Tinbrook's, and dined at Squire McNab's. Here we were told that a party of pleasure had gone from Niagara and the barracks, to meet us on our return from the Grand River at a place called the Cheapway, three miles above the Grand Falls, and have a dance there that night, which would disappoint them much in the event we did not 128 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. appear. Capt. McNab insisted on my being there in particular, for reasons he said T could not well dispense- with. I therefore agreed, and my particular friend, the Squire, was good enough to furnish me with his carriage and a couple of good horses. This Mr. McNab is a gentleman of genteel and inde pendent property — is a justice of the peace, which gives him the title of Squire, and a member of the Land Board. After dinner, we all set out. I, with Mr. Johnston Butler, called at his father's (Col. of that name) ; from thence to Captain Clinch's, on Mississagua Point, opposite Fort Niagara. From thence again in one carriage to the Chippewa, where we arrived about eight o'clock at night — two and twenty miles from the place we dined at. Here we drank tea supped, played cards, and danced until daylight. In the morning I took Mr. Forsyth, Lieut. Daniel, and Mackenzie, of the twenty-sixth regiment, into my sled. Breakfasted at Mr. Binckes' house, who has some saw and grist mills on a small stream cut out from the side of the great river. Stopped at the Grand Falls, and saw them for the second time. Called at Mr. Hamilton's, aud arrived in the evening at Niagara. " March 4th. Before I take leave of Niagara, I must not omit to express my obligations and acknowledgments to my very particular friends Messrs. McNab, Mr. Hamilton and family, Mr. Dickson, merchant. Poets Moore and Kerr, Messrs. Crooks and Forsyth, Mr. Clark, storekeeper, Mr. Farquharson, commis sary ; Mr. Johnson, Indian interpreter, Mr. Chnch, Captain Law, and his son and young Mr. Alexander McNab. Did I particularize every mark of atten tion and hospitality of these gentlemen to strangers which I myself experienced to a very high degree, and how many happy nights I spent with them in that place at assemblies, entertainments and card parties, I should make a diffuse narration of it ; but I therefore suffice to say that I am extremely sensible of their politeness, and will always make grateful acknowledgments. Near the village of New Johnstone is the seat of the late Sir William Johnson, Baronet, of whom the inhabitants speak to this day with the highest gratitude and respect. He died a year or two before the breaking out of the war. He was a man of unbounded power in this country. Affability and generosity were his distinguishing qualities. He had a large property in land, and was to the Indians, as well as to the Scotch inhabitants, a father and a friend. To him they looked up for relief in all their distress and wants. He kept a squaw, now called 'Old Miss Molly,' sister to the famous Captain Joseph Brant, by whom he had several children, male and female, now in life ; to each of whom he bequeathed at his death £1,500, besides leaving a large sum to the mother, who now lives at Niagara. " It is said the sons are somewhat wild, and savour a little of the Indian ; but that the daughters have the mild dispositions and manners of the Europeans. One of them is well married. I have often been in her house and been very genteely entertained. She is the best dancer I think I have ever seen perform. Her husband is a particular friend and countryman of my own, is surgeon to the Indian Department in the District of Nossa, with a salary of about £200 a year from the Government. To cross the breed of any species of creatures is deemed an advantage, but I am convinced it can be to none more than the human species. I do not remember to have seen an instance where a white man and an Indian woman did not produce handsome children. Thousands of INDIAN HISTORY. 129 examples of this kind might be given. The famous and handsome Capt. David and the present Mr. Brant afford striking instances of this kind, aud of whom I have spoken in another place. The greatest warriors and most conspicuous characters among the southern Indians now at war with the Americans are half blood. They retain the expressive features, the fine large black eyes, hair and eyebrows of the Indians, with a much fairer tint of skin, which are easily dis cernible even to the third generation, if not longer. Sir William lived in great splendour in this place. In his family were slaughtered 100 fat hogs and 24 oxen annually, and everything else was in proportion. Sir William was wont to say that'he was born in Ireland, but that his father when a boy came from Glencoe in Scotland, and that he deemed himself of that country. The Johnsons, or, as they were called in Gaelic language, McDons of Glencoe, now McDonalds, were anciently a very warlike race, and in times of barbarism not the least so of their neighbours ; but it is somewhat singular that scarcely one of them who left his country in early life, and issued out into the world to push his fortunes, but made a distinguished figure in it. Their vein of poetry was such that any one of them who could not compose extempore in rhyme was deemed a by-leap, but that practice, which was then much in use and shone very conspicuous in them, is now discontinued, and their genius in that line is no better than others. Sir William had the distribution of the King's gratui ties and stores to the Indians, and his manner of distributing them was very different from what is now practised. When au Indian came for his presents he was carried into the store and allowed to choose for himself, which pleased him mightily, and he often went off with a few trinkets of little value. At pre sent I have seen saddles, bridles, &c., given to Indians who had never crossed a horse, and many other things given in the same way of as little utility to them ; and the flrst use the possessors made of them was to dispose of them to the first bidder at half value. Sir William was so remarkably beloved, that if he had been m life when the war broke out it was supposed the whole inhabit ants of the back parts of the Province of New York would have risen in arms along with him. His son. Sir John, was more distant, and not so affable in his manners, and of course not so well liked. However, the greatest part of the young Scotch settlers, besides some Irish and Germans, adhered to his fortunes ; and he raised a corps of the smartest, liveliest, and the most useful troops in the British service. Their sufferings were very great ; they were often obliged to eat horses, dogs and cats, and yet were never heard to complain, if they could distress their enemies. They and the Indians went hand in hand : the former led on by a son of Colonel Butler, a gallant young officer, who was killed in the war, and the latter by the intrepid Captain Brant. This chosen corps, this band of brothers, was rarely known to.be worsted in any skirmish or action, though often obliged to retire and betake themselves to the wilderness when superior forces came against them. Sir John's corps and Butler's Rangers were very distressing to the back settlers. Their advances and retreats were equally sudden and astonishing, and to this day the Americans say they might as easily have found a parcel of wolves in the woods as them if once they entered it. That the first notice of their approach was them in sight, and of their retreat, their being out of reach. These two bodies were chiefly made up of Indians and Scotch Highlanders, who adhered closely to their country's cause, and such 130 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. of them as survived the war are now settled in Upper Canada. I have known many of them, both officers and soldiers, and the account they gave of the fatigue and sufferings they underwent is hardly credible, were it not confirmed by one and all of them." The Brant Genealogy. — Domestic Relations. As has been explained at some length in another part of this section, Brant's origin is not quite clear ; yet from all the facts and circumstances which are known, it is believed to be fair to assert that he was a lineal descendant of one of the regularly acknowledged chieftains of his people. According to this understanding, the genealogical record of Brant would assume the following order : — "Tehowaghwengaraghkin," a Mohawk of the Wolf tribe, whose home was at Canajoharie, the central castle of the Mohawks. This chief was descended from one of the sachems who visited England in 1710. He is supposed to have died while on a temporary sojourn in the west, probably in Ohio. The children of Tehowaghwengaraghkin were : 1. A son, whose name is unknown. 2. A son, name unknown. 3. Joseph Thayendanegea, called Joseph Brant, from Nickus Brant, whom his mother took for a second husband, after the death of No. 1. Thayendanegea married first, Margaret, an Indian woman, who died probably in ' 1771. His second wife was Susanna, a half- sister to Margaret. He was united with this woman by a German clergyman, in the winter of 1772-3. Susanna died shortly after marriage, without issue. In the winter of 1780, while present at the wedding of Miss Moore and Captain Wm. Powell, which took place at Fort Niagara, he was regularly wedded to his third wife, Catherine, with whom he had been living according to the Indian f a.shion for some time previous. 4. Molly, known in history as " Miss Molly," and who became the second wife of Sir William Johnson, the com mandant of H. B. M. forces in the Mohawk country, and also the Superintend ent of Indian Affairs in Canada. The children of Captain Joseph Brant were : 1. Isaac, born probably at Canajoharie, married, and died at Burlington Heights in 1802, from the effects of a wound received at the hands of his father, whose life he had attempted to take while in a fit of drunken frenzy. 2. Christina, born at Canajoharie, married, and died. The above children were by Brant's first wife, Margaret. 3. Joseph, Jr., died in 1830. 4. Jacob, died in 1846. 5. John, was' never married ; died in 1832. 6. Margaret, married Powles, and died in 1848. 7. Catherine, married Peter John, and died at Wellington Square, January 31st, 1867. 8. Mary, married Seth HilL 9. Elizabeth, married William John son Kerr, Esq., a grandson of Sir William Johnson. The marriage of this lady took place at the Mohawk church in 1828 ; she died at Wellington Square in April, 1844. The children of Isaac Brant were : 1. Isaac, Jr.; 2. Margaret; 3. Ellen, married Lotteridge. The children of Christina were four sons and three daughters ; one of the latter was Mary, who married Joseph Sawyer, deceased, late chief of the " New Credit," or Mississagua band of Chippewas. INDIAN HISTOEY. ' 131 Joseph, Jr., was the father of Catherine, who married Aaron Hill. Jacob Brant was the father of — 1. John ; 2. Squire ; 3. Christina, married the late John Jones ; 4. Jacob, Jr., married Mary Jones ; 5. Peter; and 6. Charlotte, married Peter Smith. Margaret (Powles) Brant was the mother of several children, whose individual history has not been traced. Catherine (Jones) Brant had three children, whose history is unknown. Mary (Hill) Brant was the mother of one child, living in 1873. Elizabeth (Kerr) Brant had four children. Their history ha.s not been traced. The foregoing family record has been arranged from such materials as were at hand, and is not claimed to be complete ; indeed, it would be difficult to collect all the details necessary for an unbroken chain of geneological history, especially as few family records have been preserved. Isaac, the eldest of Brant's children, was partly educated at a school in the Mohawk Valley, aud his education was completed at Niagara. His disposi tion, bad from his youth, grew worse as he increased in years, and was not improved by his associations at the military post of Niagara after the War of the Revolution. He fell into the habit of drinking while at this post, and when in his cups was a dangerous man. Thayendanegea made every effort to reclaim his wayward son, but all to little purpose. He committed several outrages of a grave nature, among which was the murder, in cold blood, of a harness maker named Lowell, at the Mohawk village. In 1795 there was an assemblage of the Indians at Burlington Heights for the purpose of receiving ^ the annual bounty from the Government. Upon this occasion Isaac was drunk as usual, and uttered many threats against his father. Captain Brant had taken tea with a friend, after which he retired to a small inn for the night ; to this inn Isaac followed his father and made an assault upon him, during which both were wounded. Those who were standing by immediately separated them, and the frenzied son was taken care of, and his wound, which was in the scalp, was dressed. The injury was not at all serious, but in his drunken craze Isaac persisted in tearing off the dressings, and on the ninth day he died from hemorrhage, according to some accounts, or brain fever, as stated by others. Capt. Brant immediately surrendered himself to the civil authorities, and resigned his commission, which he still held in the British service. It was not accepted, how^ever. A council of the principal sachems and warriors was held ; all the facts and circumstances were considered with great deliberation, when the following certificate of opinion was signed unanimously, and a copy delivered to Capt. Brant : " Brother, — We have heard and considered your case ; we sympathize with you. You are bereaved of a beloved son. But that son raised his parricidal hand against the kindest of fathers. His death was occasioned by his own crime. With one voice we acquit you of all blame. We tender you our hearty condolence, and may the Great Spirit above bestow upon you conso lation and comfort under your affliction." This circumstance has been related in various ways ; and by those who were inclined to dislike Brant it was peddled about as conclusive evidence of the badness of his character, when the truth of the matter was he acted in self-defence, and that in a comparatively moderate manner. None of the sons of Capt. Brant seem to have achieved distinction, if we except John, the youngest, who succeeded to his father's title. Isaac Brant left 132 ¦ HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. a widow and two children, one of whom, Isaac, Jr., was a counterpart of his father. He served with some distinction in the War of 1812-14, but was killed in a drunken frolic by a blow with a gun barrel, inflicted, as was supposed, by a white man. Joseph, Jr., and Jacob were sent to Dartmouth College, under thp tutorship of John Wheelock, who succeeded the venerable President of early times. They made some progress in their studies, but did not complete the regular course of instruction. Capt. Brant was a " half-pay " officer in the British army, with the rank of ' captain, though he was called " colonel " by many who addressed him, after the close of the Revolutionary War ; in fact, he appears to have been generally so called during the latter years of his life. He was inclined to dress in the Indian fashion, or in a semi-civilized style ; at times this seems to have degen erated into something bordering on negligence. It is said that Brant upon one occasion waited upon Lord Dorchester, then Governorof Canada, who promptly reminded him that uuless he assumed the uniform of a captain, which rank he held, he (Dorchester) would cause his pay to be stopped. It is added that he thereupon changed his style of dress, and habitually wore the uniform of an army officer. The Crown made donations of lands, and in some cases, money, to those who had served in the Revolutionary War, especially to those who had suffered losses of property on the other side of the lakes. Brant was given a valuable tract of land, at the head of Lake Ontario, occupying a fine commanding emi nence, and affording an extensive view of the lake and surrounding country: this place is now called Wellington Square. A few years before his death. Captain Joseph Brant built a fine dwelling on this tract of land. Here he removed with his family, and here he closed his extraordinary and eventful life. Until his removal to Wellington Square, Captain Brant's principal resi dence was at the Mohawk village, in what is now Brant County. The 24th day of November, 1807, is the date which marks the ending of his great career. For more than half a century he had been active in the fields of conflict and diplomacy, during which time he proved himself to be far in advance of any other representative of his race in all that goes to constitute the fabric of Christian civilization. He was a firm adherent to the faith and doctrines of the Episcopal Church at the time of his decease, and during his last illness, which was painful, he manifested that fortitude and resignation which characterizes the true Christian. The interests of his people, which were ever uppermo.st in his mind, while in the fullness of health and strength, seemed to be foremost in his thoughts to the end. His last words were, " Have pity upon the poor Indians : if you can get any influence with the great, endeavour to do them all the good you can." With these sentiments para mount in his thoughts, Joseph 'Thayendanegea died. His remains were brought to the burying grounds which surround the old Mohawk church, and there interred among those of many of his kindred. Brant a Freemason. There is every reason to suppose that Captain Brant was, at an early period of his life probably, made a member of this ancient fraternity. Neither. INDIAN- HISTORY. 133 record nor tradition informs us concerning the particular lodge to which he belonged, or the number of degrees which he received ; that he was at least a master mason is probable from the incidental evidence which has floated down to the present generation. In those early days it was not uncommon for such officers and soldiers as were in good standing with their respective lodges at home, to open and work temporary or "field " lodges while absent on long and distant campaigns ; this was one source of social pastime and amusement to those who were isolated from society for months and even years at a time. One report has it that Brant was initiated at a "military" lodge at Niagara, but this hardly agrees with certain well known incidents in his career. It is more than probable that he was made a mason in the Mohawk River country either by a regular lodge of master masons, or by one of those nomadic bodies already mentioned. Mrs. Carey, in her pamphlet of 1873, gives the following : " The late Jonathan Maynard, Esq., formerly a ,member of the Senate of Massachusetts, was saved by Brant, who discovered the symbols of free masonry upon the prisoner's arms after the Indians had partially stripped him to put him to death. Mr. Maynard lived to an advanced old age, an upright and faithful magistrate." In the account of the battle of the Cedars, mention has been made of the capture of Captain McKinstry ; the subjoined account was reserved for this section. Among the prisoners captured at the battle of the Cedars was Captain John McKinstry, who commanded a company on that occasion. His command was sharply engaged with a body of Indians, before whom his troops were several times compelled to retire. Rallying, however, with spirit, the Indians were frequently driven back in turn. The Americans were finally overpowered and compelled to surrender. Captain 'McKinstry, being wounded, fell by the side of a tree and was there taken prisoner. He afterwards learned that he had been marked as a victim by the Indians, who had actually made the u.sual preparations for putting him to death by the torture of fire ; and that he was rescued by the personal exertions of Captain Brant, who in connection with some humane English officers made up a purse and purchased an ox, which the Indians roasted for their cardusal, instead of the gallant prisoner. Captain McKinstry was treated with kindness while a prisoner, and contracted an inti macy with Brant which continued until the chieftain's death. Biant never visited the Hudson after the Revolution without spending a few days with Colonel McKinstry at Livingstone Manor ; and at the time of his last visit, about 1805, he with his friend attended a lodge of freemasons, which met in the city of Hudson. Brant's presence at this meeting of the fraternity attracted great attention. Tradition has it that Brant was buried with masonic honors, but there is no very reliable evidence that such was the case. Masonic lodges were not common in Upper Canada in 1807, and the few which were in exist ence were far distant from the Mohawk church, and would hardly have undertaken a long journey over bad roads unless for some great occasion, which would surely have left a record which some one of the many writers about Brant would have found long ere this. John Brant (Ahyouwaeghs). According to the unwritten law of the Mohawks, the inheritance descends through the female line exclusively ; as a consequence, the chieftainship does 9 134 history of brant county. not descend to the eldest male, but the eldest female, in what may be called the royal line, nominates one of her sons or other ! descendants, and he thereby becomes chief. If the choice which she makes does not fall upon her own sou, the grandson whom she invests must be the child of her daughter. The widow of Thayendanegea was the eldest daughter of the head chief of the Turtle tribe — the first in rank among the Mohawks. In her own right, therefore, on the decease of her husband, she stood at the head of the Iroquois Confederacy, alone clothed with the power to designate the succeeding chieftain. The official title of the principal chief of the Six Nations is Tekarihogea, to which station, John, the fourth and youngest son of Captain Joseph Brant, was appointed. On the removal of Captain Brant to Wellington Square, he had adopted the English mode of living. Mrs. Brant, however, preferred the customs of her own race, and soon after the death of her husband she returned to the Mohawk village, on Grand River, where she ever afterwards resided. John Brant was born at the Mohawk village, on the 27th of September, 1794. He received a good English education at Ancaster and Niagara, under the tuition of Mr. Richard Cockrel ; but through life he improved his mind greatly by the study of the best English authors, by associations and by travel. His manners were those of an accomplished gentleman. When the War of 1812-15, between England and the United States, broke out, the Mohawks, true to their ancient faith, espoused the cause of the former, and the young Chief Tekarihogea took the field with his warriors. His first effort was at the battle of Queenston, where Colonel (afterwards General) Scott, of the American regulars, was made a pris oner of war. John Brant and another Indian, named Captain Jacobs, attempted to capture Scott, and even went so far as to attempt a personal inspection of him while he was detained at the headTjuarters of the British General, Sheaffe ; this insolence was promptly resented by Colonel Scott, who seized a heavy sword, and promptly assumed the defensive. At this juncture Colonel Coffin, with an armed guard, appeared upon the scene, and the Indians vanished, much to the satisfaction of all concerned, especially General Sheaffe, who was anxious to render every courtesy to his captives in arms. John Brant served with great credit through the campaigns of Niagara. He was at Fort George, Beaver Dams, Lundy's Lane, Chippewa, Fort Erie, and a score of other minor move ments, in all of which he behaved with valour. After the declaration of peace he settled down at Wellington Square, and became noted for his hospitality in the keeping of the " Brant House," as the mansion which his father had estab lished was called. In this he was ably assisted by his youthful sister Eliza beth, who won the esteem of all who were fortunate enough to find themselves guests under this friendly roof. In 1819, certain articles appear'ed in the Christian Recorder (Kingston), which were offensive to the descendants of Thayendanegea ; the young chief was prompt to rally in the support of his father's good name. This duty brought him out in good light, and displayed much ability on his part in the conducting of correspondence, and the preparation of letters and papers to sustain his position and the integrity of his family. His efforts were crowned with success, and the offensive statements were clearly shown to have arisen from mistakes and misrepresentations. The difficulties between the Canadian Government and the Mohawks, respecting the titles to the lands of the latter. INDL4N HISTORY. 135 had not been adjusted by the efforts of Thayendanegea. Accordingly, John Brant was sent to England to make one more appeal to the Crown in behalf of his people. The visit was made in 1821, and continued for some time, during which he obtained an interview with the author of " Gertmde of Wyoming," and obtained a modified retraction of certain expressions in that celebrated poem. These have been referred to at some length under a previous heading ; and in addition, the following lengthy epistle was developed. Inas much as the letter has an important bearing upon the character of the elder Brant, as well as the faithful services of his son, it is given entire, or essen tially so at least, as the few omitted lines are of no value in the matter. This letter is not usually published with the trade editions of Campbell's poems, and is somewhat rare, although it is to be found in the appendix to the second volume of Stone's work, and in the " Annals of Tryon County," New York. "London, January 20th, 1822. " Sir, — ^Ten days ago I was not aware that such a person existed as the son of the Indian leader. Brant, who is mentioned in my poem, ' Gertrude of Wyoming.' Last week, however, Mr. S. Bannister, of Lincoln's Inn, called to- inform me of your being in London, and of j'our having documents in your possession which he believed would change my opinion of your father's memo ry, and induce me to do it justice. Mr. Bannister distinctly assured me that no declaration of my sentiments on the subject was desired but such as should spontaneously flow from my own judgment of the papers that were to be sub mitted to me. I could not be deaf to such an appeal. It was my duty to inspect the justification of a man whose memory I had reprobated, and I felt a satisfaction at the prospect of his character being redressed, which was not likely to have been felt by one who had -ndllingiy wronged it. As far as any intention to wound the feelings of the living was concerned, I really knew not, when I wrote the poem, that the son and daughter of an Indian chief were ever likelv to peruse it, or be affected by its contents ; and I have observed most persons to whom I have mentioned the circumstance of your appeal to me, smile with the same surprise which I experienced on first receiving it. With regard to your father's character, I took it as I found it in popular history. Among the documents in his favour, I own that you have shown me one which I regret that I never saw before, though I might have seen it, viz., the Duke of Rochefoucault's honourable mention of the chief in. his travels. With out meaning, however, in the least to invalidate that nobleman's respectable authority, I must say that even if I had met with it, it would have still offered only a general and presumptive vindication of your father, and not such a specific one as I now recognize. On the other hand, judge how naturally I adopted accusations against him which had stood in the ' Annual Register ' of 1779, as far as I know, uncontradicted, for thirty years. A number of authors had repeated them with a confidence which beguiled at least my suspicion, and I believe that of the public at large. Among these authors were Gordon,. Ramsay, Marshall, Belsham, and Weld. The most of them, you may tell me,. perhaps, wrote with zeal against the American war. Well, but Mr. John Adolphus was never suspected of any such zeal, and yet he had said in his ' His tory of England,' &c. (Vol. III., p. 110), ' a force of sixteen hundred savages and 136 history of brant county. Americans in disguise, headed by an Indian, Col. Butler, and a half Indian of extraordinary ferocity, named Brant, lulling the fears of the inhabitants (of Wyoming) by treachery, suddenly possessed themselves of two forts, and massacred the garrison.' " He says farther, 'that all were involved in unsparing slaughter, and that even the devices of torment were exhausted.' He possessed, if I possessed them, the means of consulting better authorities ; yet he has never, to my knowledge, made any atonement to your father's memory. When your Cana dian friends, therefore, call me to trial for having defamed the warrior Brant. . I beg that Mr. John Adolphus maj'^ be also included in the summons. And, after his own defence and acquittal, I think he is bound, having been one of my historical misleaders, to stand up as my gratuitous counsel, and say, ^ Gentlemen, you must acquit my client, for he has only fallen into an error which even my judgment could not escape.' In short, I imbibed my conception of your father from accounts of him that were published when I was scarcely out of my cradle, and if there were any public, direct and specific challenge to those accounts in England ten years ago, I am yet to le'arn where they existed. I rose from perusing the papers you submitted to me certainly with an altered impression of his character. I find that the unfavourable accounts of him were erroneous, even on points not immediately connected with his reputation. It turns out, for instance, that he was a Mohawk Indian, of unmixed parentage. This circumstance, however, ought not to be overlooked in estimating the merits of his attainments. He spoke and wrote our language with force and facility, and had enlarged views of the union and policy of the Indian tribes. A gentleman who had been in America, and from whom I sought information respecting him in consequence of your interesting message, told me that, though he could not pretend to appreciate his character entirely, he had been struck with the naivete and eloquence of his conversation. They had talked of music, and Brant said, ' I like the harpsichord well, and the organ still better ; but I like the drum and trumpet best of all, for they make my heart beat quick.' This gentleman also described to me the enthusiasm with which he spoke of written records. Brant projected at that time to have written a history of the Six Nations. The genius of history should be rather partial to .such a man Lastly, you affirm that he was not within many miles of the spot when the battle which decided the fate of Wyoming took place, and from your offer of reference to living witnesses, I cannot but admit the assertion. Had I learned all this of your father when I was writing my poem, he should not have figured in it as the hero of mischief. I cannot indeed answer by anticipation what the writers who have either to retract or defend what they may have said about him may have to allege : I can only say that my own -opinion about him is changed. I am now inclined exceedingly to doubt Mr. Weld's anecdote, and for this reason : Brant was not only trusted, consulted and distinguished by several eminent British officers in America, but person ally beloved by them. Now I could conceive men in power, for defensible reasons of state politics, to have officially trusted, and even publicly distin guished at courts or levees, an active or sagacious Indian chief, of whose private character they might nevertheless still entertain a very indifferent opinion ; but I cannot imagine high minded and high bred British officers forming individual and fond friendship for a man of ferocious character. INDIAN history. 137 " It comes within my express knowledge that the late Gen. Sir Charles Stewart, fourth son of the Earl of Bute, the father of our present Ambassador at Paris, the officer who took Minorca, and Calvi, and who commanded our army in Portugal, knew your father in America, often slept under the same tent with him, and had the warmest regar4 for him. It seems but charity to .suppose the man who attracted the esteem of Lord Rawdon and Gen. Stewart, to have possessed amiable qualities, so that I believe you when you affirm that he was as merciful as brave. And now I leave the world to judge whether the change of opinion with which I am touched arises from false delicacy and flexibility of mind, ?r from a sense of honour and justice. Here, properly speaking, ends my reckoning with you about your father s memory; but as the Canadian newspapers have made some remarks upon the subject of Wyoming with which I cannot fully coincide, and as this letter will probably be read in Canada, I cannot conclude it without a few more words, in case my silence would seem to admit of propositions which are rather beyond the stretch of my creed. I will not, however, give any plain truths which I have to offer to the Canadian writers the slightest seasonings of bitterness, for they have alluded to me, on the whole, in a friendly and liberal tone. But when they regret my departure from historical truth, I join in their regret only in as far as I have unconsciously misunderstood the character of Brant, and the share of the Indians m the transaction, which I have now reason to suspect was much less than that of the w^hite men. In other circumstances, I took the liberty of a versifier to run away from fact into fancy, like a school-boy who never dreams that he is a truant when he rambles on a holiday from school. It seems, however, that I falsely represented Wyoming to have been a terrestrial paradise. It was not so, say the Canadian papers, because it con tained a great number of Tories ; and undoubtedly that cause goes far to account for the fact. Earthly paradises, however, are but earthly things, and 'Tempe' and 'Arcadia' may have had their drawbacks on happiness as well as Wyoining. I must nevertheless still believe that it was a flourishing colony, and that its destruction furnished a just warning to human beings against war and revenge. But the whole catastrophe is affirmed in a Canadian newspaper to have been nothing more than a fair battle. If this be a fact, let accredited signatures come forward to attest it, and vindicate the innocence and honour- ableness of the whole transaction, as your father's character has been vindicated. An error about him by no means proves the ,whole account of the business to be a fiction. Who would not wish its atrocities disproved ? But who can think it disproved by a single defender who writes anonymously, and without definable -n'eight or authority. In another part of the Canadian newspapers my theme has been regretted as dishonourable to England. Then it was, at all events, no fable. How far was the truth dishonourable to England? American settlers, and not Englishmen, were chiefly the white men, calling themselves Christians, who were engaged in this affair. It will be remem bered, perhaps, that they called themselves " Loyalists." But, for heaven's sake, let not English loyalty be dragged down to palliate atrocities, or English delicacy be invoked to conceal them. I may be told that England permitted the war, and was therefore responsible for its occurrences. Not surely, universally, nor ditectly. I should be unwilling to make even Lord North's 13.S history of brant COUNTY. Administration answerable for all the actions of Butler's Rangers, and I should be still more sorry to make all England amenable either for .Lord North's Administration or for Butler's Rangers. Was the American war a unanimous and heartfelt war of the people ? Were the best patriots and the brightest luminaries of our Senate for or against it ? Chatham declared that if America fell she would fall like the strong man — that she would embrace the pillars of our constitution, and perish beneath the ruins. Burke and Fox and Barre kindled even the breasts of St. Stephen's- chapel against it ; and William Pitt pronounced it war against the sacred cause of Liberty. If so, the loss of our colonies was a blessing compared with the triumph of those principles ftiat would have brought Washington home in chains. If Chatham and Pitt were our friends in denouncing the injustice of this war, then Wash ington was only nominally our foe for resisting it " If my Canadian critic alleges that a poet may not blame the actions of his country, I meet his allegations and deny it. No doubt a poet ought not forever to harp and carp upon the faults of his country, but he may be her moral censor, and he must not be her parasite. If an English poet under Edward III. had only dared to leave one generous line of commiseration to the memory of Sir William Wallace, how much he would have raised our estima tion of the moral character of the age. The t-v\rentieth century will not think the worse of the nineteenth for regretting the American war. I know the slender importance of my own works. I am contending, however, against a false principle of delicacy that would degrade poetry itself if it were adopted, but it will never be adopted. I therefore regret nothing in the historical allusions of my poem except the mistake about your father. Nor, though I have spoken freely of Anierican affairs, do I mean to deny that your native tribes may have had a just cause of quarrel with the American colonists. And I regard it as a mark of their gratitude that they adhered to the royal cause " I could say much of European injustice toward your tribes, but in spite of all that I could say, I must still deplore the event of Christians having adopted their mode of warfare ; and, as circumstances then stood, of their having invoked their alliance. If the Indians thirsted for vengeance on the colonists, that should have been the very circumstance to deter us from blending their arms with ours. " I trust you will understand this declaration to be made in the spirit of frankness, and not of mean and inhospitable arrogance. If I were to speak to you in that spirit, how easily and how truly coald you tell me that the American Indians have departed faster from their old practices of warfare than Christians have departed from their habits of religious persecution! If I were to preach to you about European humanity, you might ask me how long the ashes of the inquisition have been cold, and -whether the slave-trade be yet abolished ? You might demand how many — no, how few generations have elapsed since our old women were burned for imaginary commune with the devil, and whether the houses are not yet standing from which our great-grandmothers may have looked upon the hurdles passing to the place of execution, -whiLst they blessed them selves that they were not witches ? . . . .1 have been thus special in addressing you, from a wish to vindicate my own consistency, as INDIAN HISTORY. 139 well as to do justice to you in your present circumstances, which are peculiarly and publicly interesting. The chief of an aboriginal tribe now settled under the protection of our Sovereign in Canada, you are anxious to lead on your people in a train of civilization that is already begun. It is impossible that the British community should not be touched with regard for an Indian stranger of respectable private character, possessing such useful and honourable views. Trusting that you will amply succeed in them, and long live to promote improve ment and happiness amidst the residue of your ancient race, " I remain your sincere well-wisher, "Thomas Campbell." During his stay in London he appears to have improved every opportunity for observing and learning the habits of English society. Among the entries in his diarv was the following, not very complimentary to the ladies whom he met: " Thursday evening May 16th, 1822.— I went to Mr. C. A. Tulk's, M.P., party to hear a little music. There were twenty-two ladies — ^one only pretty ; Casweighten, said to be the best violin player in Europe ; and Solly, celebrated for the guitar and piano. I met a gentleman well acquainted with my father, formerly of the Queen's Rangers." The War of 1812 had a most unhappy effect upon the Mohawks. It diverted their attention from the usual employments of peace, and seriously affected the establishment of schools and churches. John Brant procured an appropriation in 1822 from the New England Corporation for the Civilization of Indians, which body had been chartered as far back as 1662. After his return to Grand River, the young chief devoted much of his energy to the application of this fund to purposes for which it was designed. His letters and papers .show that he was deeply interested in the work of progress for his people. Many of these epistles are full of the spirit of broad philanthropy, and would do credit to any repre sentative of the white race. So eminently were these services performed and appreciated, that the young chief was made the recipient of a memento from the managers of the ancient association above mentioned. This gift was a finely- wrought cup of sterling silver, which bore the following inscription : " Presented by the New England Corporation, established in London, by Charter, A.D. 1662, for the Civilization of the Indians, To JOHN BRANT, Esq., AHYOUWAEGHS, One of the Chiefs of the Mohawk Nation, in acknowdedgment of his eminent services in promoting the objects of the Corporation. A.D. 1829." In the year 1827 the Earl of Dalhousie, then Commander-in-chief of the British American Provinces, appointed Brant to the rank of captain, and Super intendent of the Six Nations. It was early in the same year (1827) that 140 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. certain American newspapers took the liberty to -publish his name as one who had been indirectly implicated with the band of over zealous masons who were charged with the abduction of William Morgan in the year previous. It appears that the first plan was to seize Morgan and convey him out of the country ; but no definite plan of procedure was agreed upon, and having abducted their victim the problem was what to do with him. One idea seems to have been to enlist Morgan as a seamsCn on board of a British man-of-war at Quebec ; another plan was to get the Indians to transport the captive to the far North-West and leave him with the fur-traders. This latter arrangement was based upon the supposition that John Brant, like his father, was a free mason, and being in a convenient position and in a foreign country, and also in full connection with the Indians of the west and north, it was concluded that he would be an efficient tool for the execution of their purpose. The sugges tion that the Mohawk chief was or might have been available for this business, became public, and worked no small amount of moitification to himself and his friends. The imputation was repelled with a spirit becoming the man and the race from which he descended. The subjoined letter will explain itself: " Wellington Square, Feb. 29th, 1827.— To the editor of the New York Observer : SiR, — -I have read a paragraph in the New York Spectator of the 16th instant, wherein it is stated that the fraternity at Niagara had sent for me to receive and sacrifice the unhappy Morgan, of whom so much has been lately spoken. You will oblige me by contradicting this report, which is wholly false. Neither in that instance nor any other has such a barbarous proposal been made to me ; nor do I believe the man exists who would dare to wound my feelings in such a heinous manner. I know nothing of the man, nor of any transaction relating to him, and I am much surprised that my name has been called in question. — I am. Sir, yours respectfully, J. Brant." In the year 1832, John Brant was returned a member of the Provincial Parliament for the county of Haldimand, comprehending a good portion of the territory originally granted to the Mohawks. The right of the Indians to this territory yet depended upon the original proclamation of Sir Frederick Haldi mand, which, according to the decision of the courts of Upper Canada, conveyed no legal title to the fee of the land. The Indians had been in the practice of conveying away portions of their lands by long leases — for nine hundred and ninety-nine years — -and a large number of those persons by whose votes Brant was elected had only such titles to their real estate. As the laws of Upper Canada required a freehold qualification for county elections, Mr. Brant's return was contested by the opposing candidate. Colonel Warren, and ultimately set aside, and the Colonel declared to be duly chosen. It was of small moment to either candidate, however, as that fell destroyer, Asiatic cholera, swept over this country, and among its victims were both contestants for parliamentary honours. Brant's remains were buried by the side of those of his father, in the Mohawk cemetery, where they rested until the reinterment of both father and son in 1850, Singular as it may appear, the date of the death of John Brant is not given by any of his biographers, so far as is known. INDIAN HISTORY. 141 The flight of time, and the corroding hand of neglect, were fast obliterating the little mounds of earth which marked the last resting place of Thayendanegea and his son and successor, Ahyouwaeghs. In the year 1850, a few interested friends of the Indians, together with the leading spirits of those of the Six Nations, who were residents upon the soil, united their efforts, and with one ceremony reinterred the dust of both chieftains in one common vault. The tomb is a plain rectangular pedestal, surmounted by a flat slab, upon which is engraved the following inscription : " This tomb is erected to the memory of Thayendanegea, or Capt. Joseph Brant, principal Chief and Warrior of the Six Nations Indians, by his fellow-subjects, admirers of his fidelity and attachment to the British Crown. Born on the banks of the Ohio River, 1 742. Died at Wellington Square, U. C, 1807. It also contains the remains of his son, Ahyouwaeghs, or Capt. John Brant, who succeeded his father as Tekarihogea, and distinguished himseff in the War of 1812-15. Born at the Mohawk village, U. C, 1794. Died at the same place, 1832. Erected, 1850." The old grave-yard was suffered to remain open to the inspection of any one who chose to visit it, and in course of time the slab became marred by the vandul hands of relic hunters, until its destruction was threatened. A few years since an iron fence was erected, which in a measure protects the tomb from injury. The Brant Memorial. The erection of a suitable memorial, which shall do honour to the great chieftain from whom the county was named, has been the subject of much attention by many of the most influential citizens for several years past ; and though the matter has thus far assumed no final form, it is believed to be emi nently proper to record the progress which has been made. The subjoined sketch of the movement from its inception is taken from a local paper, the title and date of which are not at hand. " In August, 1874, His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, paid a visit to the Six Nations, at their reservation in this county. On this occasion the chiefs and warriors of the Six Nation Indians presented His Royal Highness with a fine portrait of their former chief. Captain Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), at the same time asking that he would graciously become their patron in an attempt to establish a fitting monument to their chieftain's memory. To that end the subjoined address was presented to His Royal Highness. . " To His Royal Highness, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, &c., iScc, iSsc, " The chiefs of the Six Nation Indians residing on the Grand River, in the counties of Brant and Haldimand, in the Province of Ontario, British North America, in Council assembled, have, on behalf of themselves and their people, resolved to avail themselves of the gracious opportunity presented by the first visit of His Excellency the Governor-General to them, to convey to your Royal Highness, through him, the assurance of their remembrance, with pride and satisfaction, of the very distinguished honour conferred on them by the visit you were pleased to make to them when in this country, and of the considera tion and condescension manifested by your Royal Highness on that occasion, resulting in your becoming an honorary chief of their confederacy; also to 142 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. convey to your Royal Highness their grateful thanks for the kindness which placed in their possession the highly prized portraits of their no less illustrious than good Queen, your royal mother, of your no less distinguished than justly lamented father, and of yourself, all of which now grace and adorn the walls of their Council House, animating and inspiring them with that zeal for and loyal attachment to the Crown and Empire which characterized their fathers in troublous times, now happily passed away. They would also respectfully repre sent to your Royal Highness their anxious desire to see performed their too long delayed duty of worthily perpetuating the memory of their great chief. Captain Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), who, during the great struggle, which resulted in the creation of two supreme authorities on this continent, where only one existed, loyally and gallantly led their fathers as allies of the Crown in defence of it and the Empire, and when all was lost, with them maintained his allegiance, sacrificing and giving up all and finding his way to the then wilds of Canada, where he remained to the end of his eventful career, animating and inspiring them with the same loyalty and attachment to the Crown and its institutions which always characterized him and them whenever their services were required. They would further respectfully refer your Royal Highness to the important part the said Six Nations performed in the ever memorable War of 1812, when it was sought to destroy the last vestige of British authority on this continent, and ever since that time, when similar attempts have been made, and express the hope that your Royal Highness in view of past services to their country, may be graciously pleased to aid them in their contemplated efforts to raise a fitting monument to and worthy of the memory of the distinguished chief of whom they have been speaking, by permitting yourself to become the patron of the undertaking, as it would be greatly promoted thereby, and it is one in which they would assure your Royal Highness they feel a profound and lively interest. They would also be permitted to beg the acceptance of your Royal Highness of a likeness of their said lamented chief, made from a portrait of him taken on the occasion of his visit to England, in the year 1786, and also one of the accom panying volumes, giving a history of his life and the events in -which he took a conspicuous part. They would also be permitted to request that your Royal Highness would be graciously pleased to convey to Her Gracious Majesty their assurances of continued fidelity and attachment to Her Royal person and Govern ment ; and, finally, expressing the hope that the Great Spirit may ever watch over and protect your Rcyal Highness and all the members of the Royal Family, they would subscribe themselves, " Your Royal Highness's Faithful Servants. " Council House, Ohsweken, August, 1874." " To this request his Royal Highness was pleased to return a favourable reply. The many friends of the Indian tribes resident on on the Grand River Reserve, in this county, and who had their homes in Brantford and vicinity, at length, in April, 1876, concluded that the time had come when they should unite their efforts with those of their Indian friends, and take decided measures to help on the construction of a national monument to the memory of Great Britain's great Indian ally in the Revolutionary struggles, and after whom INDIAN HISTORY. 143 their county and city were named. Accordingly on the 14th of April, 1876, county and town were flooded with circulars calling for the formation of a large local committee, from which to select an executive committee to forward the monumental project. It speaks well for the intelligence and patriotism of town and county when we can say that a very large proportion of the leading men gave a hearty approval to the enterprise. From this local committee the following Executive Committee was finally chosen. The Honorable David Christie, Speaker of the Senate, Canada, Chairman ; Allen Cleghorn, Esquire, Vice-Chairman ; C. A. Jones, Esquire, Secretary ; Alexander Robertson, Esq., Bank of British North America, Treasurer; William Patterson, Esquire, M. P. ; A. S. Hardy, Esq.. Q. G, M.P.P. ; His Honour, S. J. Jones, County Judge, Brant ; William Tliiompson, Esquire, Warden, Brant ; James W. Digby, Esq., M.D., Mayor, Brantford ; The Reverend Canon Nelles, Mohawk Parsonage ; John Elliott, Esq., Reeve, Brantford ; George H. Wilkes, Esq., Deputy Reeve, Brantford ; Lieutenant-Colonel J. T. Gilkison, Visiting Superintendent Indian Affairs ; M. J. Kelly, Esq., M.D.i LL.B., County School Inspector ; R. Hen- wood, Esq., M.D. ; Henry Yates, Esq. ; Robert Henry, Esq. ; Henry Leiiimon, Esq. ; W. C. Trimble, Esq. ; Josh T. Johnson, Esq. ; William Watt, Jr., Esquire, LL.B. ; Alfred J. Wilkes, Esq., LL.B. ; Arthur B. G. Tisdale, Esq. ; George Lindley, Esq. ; John Turner, Esq. ; and the following chiefs, nominated at a council of Six Nation Indians, for the Executive Committee : John Car penter ; David Thomas, Mohawks ; John Hill ; John Gibson, Jr., Senecas ; John Buck, Levi Jonathan, Onondagas ; John General, Nicodemus Porter, Oneidas ; Joseph Henry, William Wedge, Cayugas ; Moses Hill, Richard Hill, Tuscaroras. Chief George H. M. Johnson, Chief Interpreter ; Peter Edmund Jones, M.D., Head Chief, Mississagua, New Credit. This committee imme diately placed themselves in communication with the leading men and news papers of the Dominion. The result of this appeal for vice-patrons and public sympathy was very encouraging, nearly all the public men of Canada, noted in Church, State and letters, lending their names for the advancement of the cause, while the press of the Dominion, without exception, gave the project a hearty approval. In the meantime His Excellency the Earl of Dufferin, Gov ernor-General of Canada, had expressed great interest in the movement, and had graciously allowed his name to be used as a patron thereof. On proper representations having been made to his Eoyal Highness, the Duke of Con naught, through the Earl of Dufferin, that distinguished Englishman, also kindly consented to become a patron of the fund. " On the 2nd of August, 1877, at their Council House, Ohsweken, the Six Nation Indians voted ^5,000 of their funds toward this laudable movement. On the 3rd of September, 1877, at the request of a large number of ratepayers of the city of Brantford, the Mayor held a public meeting in the City Hall, for the purpose of considering the advisability of the city contributing to the Brant Memorial. At this meeting a motion was passed requesting the city Council to make a grant of S5,000 toward the object named. This motion is now in the hands of the City Fathers, and it is expected that a vote of the ratepayers of Brantford will shortly ratify the motion, and thus be the means of placing in one of our public squares a monument whose estimated cost is ),000, and which will form at once an elegant and artistic ornament to the 144 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. city, and a worthy monument to one whose memory is closely connected with Brantford and Brant County history." The proposition above mentioned was made legal and operative by an Act of Parliament, and was never submitted to the ratepayers. Considerable money was expended in preliminary arrangements, and at last a design was submitted,. which had for its estimated cost the sum of $20,000. The Indians of the county had vouched for S5,000, the town of Brantford for $5,000 more, and the same, in round numbers, had been pledged from outside sources ; but the extent of the investment had been rather overplaced, and the popular enthusiasm began to ^cool before the work was even begun. Various efforts have been made from time to time, since then, to revive the enterprise, and it is believed by many friends of the undertaking that a monument will yet be ereated. The subjoined description of the design was prepared by a member of the local press, at the request of the artist who produced it. The article was printed in February, 1880. An exquisitely beautiful design of the proposed monument was drawn some time since by C. E. Zollicoffer, one of the most accomplished artists in Canada, whose name is connected with the finest designs and carvings on the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa. From the original design the same gen tleman has prepared a model of beauty, accurately proportioned, showing, on a moderately small scale, what the monument will be when completed. The memorial structure will be hexagonal, representing the six tribes. The base is thirty -four feet in diameter, with nine steps leading to the superstructure. On each corner is a pedestal fourteen feet from the ground, on which stands an admirably executed representative of each tribe in costume, and of life size. On each side of the column there is a panel with a coat of arms, being the escut cheon of all the different tribes. Surmounting the top of the column is a statue of Joseph Brant in his war costume, and of proportionate height to suit the elevation of the memorial. The steps are intended to be either of Montreal limestone or Cleveland • sandstone. The whole superstructure to be of Nova blue leverock, or Beria sandstone. The panels are to be of No. 1 Vermont marble. The seven figures are also to be of Vermont, Sicilian, or Carara marble. The height of the column, including base, will be forty-five feet from the ground, and will be built on the Victoria Square in front of the County Buildings, opposite the Court House, the best site that could have been selected in the city of Brantford. The model, of which we have given a short descrip tion, based upon the specifications for the monument, is on exhibition in one of the large rooms of the Kerby Block, and has been admired by thousands of visitors. It is indeed a rare .specimen of the beautiful art, and reflects , the highest credit on the genius of Mr. Zollicoffer, who designed and executed it. The taste displayed by this gentleman in the design of the intended structure is hardly less to be appreciated than the artistic skill and genius of those citi zens who designed the memorial to be erected in grateful acknowledgment of the patriotic services of one of nature's truest noblemen, and his compatriots whose manly and heroic action adorn British colonial history on this continent. During the year 1882, another design of equal worth, but much less elaborate in detail, and consqueently in cost of production, has been chosen, and it is hoped that it will be possible to complete the work ere long — " a consummation devoutly to be wished." indian history. 145 The Six-Nation Indians. The scope of this work will not permit of even a summary sketch of the extent and location of the principal Indian nations as they were found when European adventurers began the settlement of America. Certain great tribes, each with a different language, and differing also in many other of their habits and traits, were scattered over the continent from the Gulf of Mexico to the far north. Without attempting any Indian history of an earlier date than that of the settlement of Lower Canada and what is now the State of New York, it may be stated at once that this territory was in possession of two of the great prin cipal Indian nations of the continent. The Hurons, who were a part of the great Algonquin combination, were, in a general way, the occupants of the northern borders of Lakes Ontario, Erie, and on the eastern margin of Lake Huron. To the eastward of this people were several other small tribQg, who occupied the country along the St. Lawrence Eiver toward its mouth. The Iroquois were located on the south of Lakes Ontario and Erie, and on the southern side of the St. Lawrence as far east as the River Richelieu. The great central home of this body of Indians extended from near where the present city of Albany stands, up the valley of the Mohawk River, and westward to the vicinity of Buffalo. A glance at the map will demonstrate the situation to be a prolongation of a line which passes directly eastward through Brant County. This old home of the Iroquois was in all respects one of the most attractive sections of country north of the equator, and was, at an early period of American history, a coveted spot by the emigrant and frontiersman. The name Iroquois is a general term, used to define a particular subdivision or group of Indians, and is, so far as this sketch is concerned, synonymous with Six Nations, which is commonly used to 'designate the main confederate body of the Iroquois people. The Six Nations were composed of the following tribes : Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, Tuscaroras. The " Mohawks " were the ranking tribe, and were at the eastern extremity of the nation, on the Lower Mohawk River. The Oneidas were next west, and were settled in the neighbourhood of the head of Oneida Lake. Next came the ¦Onondagas, whose country was included in the triangle of which Syracuse, Oswego, and Auburn are the respective corners ; it is also probable that the country to the south of this triangle, including »Skaneateles Lake, was common to this tribe. The Cayugas were next west of the Onondagas, and occupied the neighbourhood of Cayuga Lake. On the extreme west were the Senecas, whose country extended from the head of Seneca Lake to Lake Erie. The original confederacy was composed of the first five of the above tribes, and was known in early times as the Five Nation's, but about 1712 the Tusca roras, who had been driven out of the Carolinas by the inhabitants of that country, were admitted to the confederacy ;, after that event the body was known as the Six Nations. The Tuscaroras appear to have been, at the time of their reception into the Iroquois nation, a sort of unimportant and weak tribe, whom the Five Nations adopted more on account of their kinship than any valour which they possessed. Their principal home seems to have been to the south and west of the Senecas. The Six Nations were firmly allied with the English long before the Revol utionary War ; and upon the outbreak of that conflict, they were beset by 146 history of beant county. both British and Americans to take up the hatchet as co-workers in the bloody- work of death. The Six Nations, as a body, became a part of the British forces which engaged the colonies along the northern frontier, and having resolved to " sink or swim " with the English cause, they very naturally did their best against the common enemy. Having cast their lot with the Eng lish, these Indians felt reluctant to return to their own lands in the States after the declaration of peace, so the British Government ceded a large tract of country to their use and benefit, as wards of the nation. This tract of land is along the course of the Grand River, and comprises a large part of what is now Brant County. In due time the Indians established themselves upon this new tract of country, and began the slow but profitable journey toward civilization. It may not be out of place here to remark that the Oneidas, and, to a certain extent, the Tuscaroras also, remained neutral during the war ; and in course of the final settlement of things between the two great powers, these Indians were provided for by the United States. The Indian reservation in the State of New York, known as the " Cattaraugus " country, is based upon that final adjustment of the results of war. About the year 1867 the Six Nation Indians of Brant County formed an agricultural society, giving to it the name of the " Six Nations' Agricultural Society," The society has existed and prospered from that time, holding each year a fair which is largely attended by the jjeople. On January 10th, 1883, being the second Wednesday in January, as provided by the constitution of the above society for the election of officers, the result was as follows : Wm. Smith, President ; Peter Miller, Vice-President ; A. G. Smith, Secretary ; G. E. Powless, Assistant Secretary ; James Styres, Treasurer ; Isaac Davis, Foreman of Committee. Committee : Henry Clinch, Wm. Wage, John Hill, Josiah Hill, Jacob Davis, Jno. F. Martin. One hundred and eighty of the Six Nations enrolled themselves as members of the above society, the largest by far since the society started sixteen years ago. An increasing interest is being taken in the society by the Six Nation community, and consequently it must succeed. PART III. COUNTY OF BRANT AND CITY OF BRANTFORD, COUNTY OF BRANT. CHAPTER I. Introductory. — Geological. — Formation, — First Provisional Council Proceedings, 18^2. — Address at First Meeting of County Council. Introductory. The settlement of this county commenced in 1793, in what is now the town ship of Burford, but the process can hadly be said to have been completed until quite recently. The latest settled township is Onondaga, into which the first settlers entered in 1836 ; the land was rapidly taken up, and settlement may be said to have been completed in seven years, with the exception of some 1600 acres held then, as now, as an Indian Reserve. The soil is described as being generally a rich clay, and a mixed clay and sand loam, much in favour with agriculturists, because adapted to a variety of crops. The county is well watered, the Grand River flowing through its. centre and affording excellent facilities for drainage. Brant also possesses exception ally good railway facilities, together with good local roads gravelled and mac adamized. Its market facilities are first-class, both within and without its limits. Brant ford and Paris, the principal centres, are hardly more in favour with the farming population in their immediate localities, than are Hamilton and Woodstock in the adjoining counties, with the farmers on the borders of Brant. The township acreage of Brant amounts to 223,215, or an average of 44,643 per township ; the cleared acreage amounts to 170,311, or an average of 34,062 per township ; according to the census of 1871 the total population of the county was 32,259 ; but the city of Brantford now has a population of about 10,688, and the town of Paris 3,098. The townships sustain 14,737 horned cattle, 7,363 horses, 18,766 sheep and 5,009 hogs — over two-thirds of the whole being in the older-settled townships of Brantford and Burford. In some town ships live stock of improved breeds has been imported, but in most cases farm animals are native and ordinary. Though facilities for improving stock may be said to be at the very door of the farmer, yet too little advantage has been taken of them. Nine cheese factories, an iron foundry (in which fifst-class stoves are manu factured), an agricultural implement factory and six flouring mills, all doing a 10 150 HISTORY of brant COUNTY. good run of business ; also a large number of mechanical industries dependent on the agricultural population, attest the fact that Brant possesses all the elements necessary to ensure permanent prosperity. The township of Brant ford is especially adapted for grain raising ; the other townships, Burford, South Dumfries, Onondaga and Oakland, are equally suitable for grain raising, stock raising and dairying. The land is generally weU watered and timbered — the former by springs,^ creeks and wells, the latter with maple, beech, elm, oak, pine, cedar, bass wood, tamarack, hickory and ironwood. The price of fuel varies from $2 to $4 per cord, and the prospects of supply are good for many years. A large area is under cultivation for cereals and roots. The average yield of fall wheat is 18 bushels to the acre, and the average proportion of arable land '^evoted to its growth is 19 per cent. ; of spring wheat 9| bushels and 8J per cent. ; oats, 30 bushels to the acre and 9J per cent. ; rye, of which very little is grown, 15 bushels to the acre ; peas, 15 bushels per acre and 6 per cent. ; corn, 28 bushels per acre and 4 per cent. ; buckwheat, of which very little is grown, 20 bushels per acre ; potatoes, 118 bushels per acre and 2^ per cent. ; turnips, 460 bushels per acre and 2f per cent. ; hay, 1 J tons per acre and 20 per cent. Few roots are grown, and the quantity of land taken up for their cultivation is inappreciable. About sixteen per cent, of the cleared acreage is under pasturage, and nearly two per cent, is taken up for orchards. A large proportion of the uncleared land — nearly 58,000 acres — is suitable for cultivation. The farms are well cleared of stumps, and there is an ^Imost total absence of stony or rocky land, and a very small proportion of such as may be regarded as too hilly for profitable cultivation. Indeed, nearly the whole county may be described as exceptionally good cultivable rolling land — the proportion coming within the category of flat, bottom, wet or springy lands, being insignificant. About 70 per cent, of the cleared acreage may be designated first-class for agricultural purposes ; the remainder may be equally divided into second and third classes, leaving out of consideration the small proportion just adverted to. The proximity of extensive beds of gypsum at Paris and in the neighbouring county .of Haldimand, and of salt wells in Huron — in direct railway communication with Paris and Brantford — enables the farmers to use at cheap rates salt and plaster for grain and roots, and on grass lands. These fertilizers are used to a con siderable extent, and as their value becomes more thoroughly understood they will doubtless be employed in larger proportions. A majority of the farm houses are either brick, stone or first-class frame — only a few are of log or inferior frame. While about one-fourth of the outbuildings are described as indifferent, three-fourths are reported to be first-class. Hardly anything has been done in this county in the way of farm drainage, the rolling nature of the land rendering it less necessary than in some otheii districts. Still, there are some tracts which might be considerably improved by tile drainage, and it is probable the owners may yet see the advantage of doing so, with or without Government assistance. The desirability of econo mising labour, by the introduction of improved farm machinery, is generally and practically recognized. Nearly every farmer in the county drills in his grain, and gathers his harvest by the aid of labour-saving machines. Nevertheless, in the spring there is always a demand for good agricultural labourers, aud female LOCAL HISTORY. 151 servants are also generally in request. The former can earn from $12 to $15 per month, with board and lodging, and the latter secure permanent places at $5 per month. But the class of mechanics usually found in agricultural com munities, such as blacksmiths, carpenters, masons, shoemakers, etc., are suffi ciently represented. The city of Brantford is, by common consent, one of the most picturesque in the Dominion, and the scenery of the county more nearly resembles that of the south-western counties of England than is to be found perhaps in any other part of Ontario. Quite a feature in the agriculture of Brant is the well known stock farm, called Bow Park, formerly owned by the Hon. George Brown, and now belonging to a joint stock company. Upon the farm, which consists of 900 acres, a system of mixed husbandry has for several years been carried on, and much attention has been devoted, with considerable success, to the breeding and raising of horses, cattle, sheep and pigs. The proprietary has recently decided on confining itself in the future exclusively to the raising and breeding of shorthorns. Almost every description of non-tropical fruit known to culturists is success fully raised in the districts surrounding Paris, in this county. Apples, pears, cherrier, grapes, plums, strawberries, raspberries, are grown in profusion, and large quantities of winter apples and pears are annually shipped to home and foreign markets. Peaches are also grown to some extent. Fruit culture here is, in fact, capable of almost indefinite extension. Of the total area under fruit culture, two-thirds is growing apples and one-third other fruits. According to the last published Municipal Statistics of the Province of Ontario (1878), the total number of acres assessed, in the county of Brant, exclusive of the city of Brantford and the town of Paris, was 215,902 ; the total number of ratepayers assessed, 4,999 ; while coming under the head of " assets," we find that the assessed value of real estate was $9,472,769 ; the assessed value of personal property, $1,033,621 ; the amount of taxable income, $40,060 ; total amount of arrears of taxes, $3,532 ; other assets, $102,021 — making a grand total of $10,652,003. On the other hand, the " liabilities " only amount to $20,938, of which $25,370 is due by the township of Burford, and $1,568 by the township of Onondaga, under the head of " corporation debentures." The total revenues for all purposes and from all sources, during 1878, amounted to $97,454. In the city of Brantford the number of acres assessed is 1,781, and the number of ratepayers assessed, 1,848. Under the head of assets, $2,891,050 is set down as the assessed value of real estate ; $480,680 as the assessed value of personal property ; $117,400 as the amount of taxable income ; $19,418 as the total amount of arrears of taxes, and $24,576 as " other assets " — making a grand total of $3,533,124, or considerably more than one-third of the countj- assets. The liabilities are : Corporation debentures, $20,000; principal amount. due to the Municipal Loan Fund, $194,018 ; other liabilities, $10,395 ; in all, $224,413. The total revenues, for all purposes and from all sources, in 1878,,. amounted to $114,592. Paris has 685 acres assessed, and 816 ratepayers. The assets consist of $833,340, real estate; $141,577, personal property; $19,515,. taxable income ; $1,661, arrears of taxes ; aud $27;267, other assets. There are no liabilities. The total revenue for all purposes and from all sources, in 1878, amounted to $19,225. & 152 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Stock by-laws exist in this county, but they are practically inoperative, except in Brantford and Burford townships. Animals are sometimes impounded when damage is done, but cows, sheep and other animals run at large in the other townships. Geological. It is only in the Onondaga formation that workable combinations of gypsum are known to occur ; it is interstratified with peculiar dalomites and dalomitic marls; the outcrop of this gypsiferous formation extends from the Niagara River to the'Saugeen and Lake Huron, a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles- but the gypsum mines at present known are all found within about thirty-five miles on the Grand River, extending from Cayuga to Paris. It is probable, how ever, that as the country to the north-west of Paris becomes more settled further discoveries of gypsum beds will be made in that direction. To the south-east of Cayuga, the overlying drift conceals any gypsum beds that may be present. .Twenty miles above Brantford gypsum is again found, and on both sides of the river. A bed of three feet in thickness is here found, and above this place gypsum is quarried in several places as far as Paris. Near this town, the mass of gypsum is divided into two portions of four or five feet in thickness, by a bed of four feet of shale. The amount of gypsum annually raised from these various quarries on the Grand River is about 14,000 tons, which is for the most part employed for agricultural purposes, and is consumed in western Canada. Nothing certain is known of the geological relations of this deposit, but it is perhaps, like the extensive beds of gypsum that are wrought in Nova Scotia, of carboniferous origin. Formation. An Act to make certain alterations in the Territorial Divisions of Upper Canada, passed 2nd August, 1851, recites, that " Whereas it is expedient to make certain alterations in the present territorial divisions of Upper Canada, for judicial, municipal and other purposes : Be it therefore enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, constituted aud assembled bj'' virtue of and under the authority of an Act passed in the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and intituled ' An Act to reunite the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, aud for the Government of Canada,' and it is hereby enacted, by the authority of the same, that from and after the time when this Act shall come into force. Upper Canada shall be divided into the counties in the schedules to this Act marked A, which counties shall respectively include and consist of the several townships mentioned in the said schedule as forming such county, and the cities, towns and villages and the liberties of the said several cities therein." Section IV. continues : " And be it enacted, that at any time after the first day of February next, it shall be lawful for the Governor of this Province, by an Order in Council, to issue a proclamation under the Great Seal of the Province, with reference to any of the counties of Elgin, Waterloo, Ontario, Brant, Grey, Lambton or Welland, naming a place within such county for a LOCAL HISTORY. 153 county town, and erecting the town reeves and deputy town reeves of such county then elected, or thereafter to be elected for the same, into a provisional municipal council under the authority of the Act last above cited, until the dissolution of the union of such county with the other county or counties to which it is by this Act united ; and each and every such provisional municipal county shall, with regard to the county for which it shall be erected by such proclamation, have, possess, exercise and perform all and singular the rights, powers, privileges and duties conferred, granted or imposed upon provisional municipal councils erected by proclamation under the said recited Act, which shall apply to it in the same manner as to any provisional municipal council erected under the said Act ; and the first meeting of such provisional municipal council shall be held at the county town appointed by such proclamation, and at such time as shall be thereby appointed, but if not held at such time, then at any time on which a majority of the members shall agree." Section V. — " And be it enacted, that so soon as the Court House and Gaol in any of the said counties shall have been erected and completed at the county town of such county, according to the provisions of the fifteenth section of the Act last above cited, and the other provisions of the said fifteenth section shall have been complied with by such county, it shall and may be lawful for the Governor in Council to issue a proclamation dissolving the union between such county and the county or counties with which it is united, according to the Schedule B of this Act ; and if it be so united with more than one county, then the remaining counties shall form a union of counties under this Act until they be separated in the manner by the said Act provided ; and all provisions of the said Act or of this Act applicable to unions of counties in general, shall be applicable to such union, to all intents and purposes as if such remaining coun ties had been set forth as such in the said Schedule B to this Act." Section XIII. — " And be it enacted, that for the purpose qf representation in the Provincial Parliament, the counties mentioned in the schedule to this Act marked C shall respectively be united under the names therein assigned, and each such imion shall be represented by one member . . . but the seat of any member elected before the commencement of this Act shall not be affected by its coming into force." The following is an extract from Schedule A above spoken of: "26. Tha County of Brant shall consist of the townships of Brantford, Onondaga, Tus carora, Oakland, South Dumfries aud Burford, and the village of Paris." In Schedule B. — Counties united for municipal, judicial and other purposes. Mention is made of the counties of Wentworth, Halton and_ Brant. Schedule C has the counties of Wentworth and Brant united as the county of Went worth, for purposes of representation. This Act also^provides, in Section XIV. of the same, for the formation of new townships, and in Schedule D we find the following : " 4. North Dumfries, which shall include and consist of the six northern concessions of the present township of Dumfries. 5. South Dumfries, which shall include and consist of the residue of the present township of Dumfries." First Provisional Council Proceedings, 1852. « The following are the minutes of the Provisional Municipal Council of the County of Brant, one of the United Counties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant, 154 history of brant county. passed at the first meeting held in the Town Hall, Brantford, on the 1 5th day of April, 1852 : — -The Town Reeves and Deputy-Reeves, representing the various Municipalities within the new County of Brant, one of the United Counties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant, met at the Town Hall, at the, Town of Brant ford, this day, at 2 o'clock p.m., under and by virtue of a proclamation of the Executive Government of the Province', of date 28th day of February last Joseph Duffett Clement, Esquire, Reeve of the Town of Brantford — Presiding Officer appointed under and by virtue of a warrant to him directed by Edward Cartwright Thomas, Esq., Sheriff of the said United Counties, under and b)' virtue of the Statute in that behalf — presiding, and Jno. Cameron, Esquire, Acting Clerk. The members present were : Joseph D. Clement, Esq., Reeve of the Town of Brantford ; Philip C. VanBrocklin, Esq., Deputy-Reeve of the Town of Brant ford ; Herbert Biggar, Esq., Reeve of the Township of Brantford ; Benson Jones, Esq., Deputy-Reeve of the Township of Brantford ; Eliakim Malcolm, Reeve of the 'Township of Oaklands ; George Yonell, Esq., Reeve of the Township of Onondaga ; .Daniel Anderson, Esq., Reeve of the Township of South Dumfries ; Wm. Mullen, Esq., Deputy-Reeve of the Township of South Dumfries ; Chas. Perley, Esq., Reeve of the Township of Burford ; I. B. Henry, Esq., Deputy- Reeve of the Township of Burford ; John Smith, Reeve of the Village of Paris. The proclamation and warrant having been read by the Clerk, the Presiding Officer called upon the Reeves and Deputy-Reeves to elect their Warden, where upon it was moved by Wm. Brant, seconded by D. Anderson, that Joseph D. Clement be appointed Warden of the Provisional County of Brant. Moved in amendment by Benson Jones, seconded by Charles S. Perley, that Eliakim Malcolm be the Provisional Warden for the County of Brant for the. present municipal year. The amendment having been put and lost, the original motion was carried, and the Yeas and Nays being called for, were as follows, viz.: Yeas : Messrs. Yonell, Mullen, Biggar, Anderson, VanBrocklin, Henry, Smith and Malcolm. Nays : Messrs. Perley and Jones. On motion of Mr. VanBrocklin, seconded by Mr. Biggar, John Cameron was appointed Clerk of the County for the current year. The Warden and Clerk having taken the oath of office, the Warden took the chair, and having called the Council to order, it proceeded to the following iDusiness, viz. : Moved by Mr. Malcolm, seconded by Mr. Anderson, and resolved, that Hamil ton Biggar is a fit and proper person to fill the office of Treasurer, and that he be now appointed to the same. Moved by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Henry, and resolved, that the Stand ing Rules of the late Gore District Council, published in 1848, be adopted by the Provisional Council of the County of Brant until otherwise amended. Moved by Mr. Yonell, seconded by Mr. Smith, that the Council go into Committee of the Whole to appoint Select Committees. — Lost. Moved by Mr. VanBrocklin, seconded by Mr. Anderson, and resolved, that the offer made by resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Brantford, of 28th of March last, in reference to the use of the Town Hall, be accepted by this Coungil. Moved by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Jones, and resolved, that Messrs. Biggar, VanBrocklin, Malcolm and Smith be a Standing Committee on Printing. LOCAL HISTORY. 155 Moved by Mr. Yonell, seconded by Mr. Perley, and resolved, that the Warden do put himself in communication with David Thorburn, Esq., Commissioner of Indian Lands, and ascertain what lands, if any, have been set apart by the Indian Department for County purposes in the Town of Brantford, and, if any, to request that a patent or grant may issue for the same as soon as possible. Moved by H. Biggar, seconded by W. Mullen, and resolved, that the Warden be requested to procure a set of books for the use of the Council. Moved by E. Malcolm, seconded by I. B. Henry, and resolved, that the Building Committee for the erection of County Buildings shall consist of five, and that in appointing said committee each member of the Council shall name one, and those having the greatest number of votes shall compose said com mittee. The committee being struck in accordance with the foregoing resolution, is composed of Messrs. Malcolm, Jones, Smith, Perley and VanBrocklin. Moved by P. C. VanBrocklin, seconded by D. Anderson, and resolved, that Messrs. Perley, Anderson, Mullen, Henry and VanBrocklin be a Committee on Finance. Moved by J. Smith, seconded by C. Perley, and resolved, that the Warden be requested to apply to David Christie, Esq., for the subscription list of sundry inhabitants of the County of Brant towards the erection of County Buildings. In accordance with the foregoing resolution, David Christie, Esq., being present in Council, delivered the said subscription list to the Warden. Moved by E. Malcolm, seconded by I. B. Henry, that the subscription list for the erection of County Buildings be placed in the hands of the Building Committee. Moved in amendment by J. Smith, seconded by G. Yonell, that the subscrip tion list of sundry inhabitants of the County of Brant towards the erection of County Buildings be referred to the Committee on Finance. — Carried. Moved by E. Malcolm, seconded by I. B. Henry, that the Building Committee do advertise for plans and specifications for the erection of the Court House and Gaol for the County of Brant, and report the same to this Council at its next session, and that the plan approved of, should the owner not undertake the buildings, entitles him to the sum of ten pounds. Moved in amendment by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. VanBrocklin, that the Building Committee be instructed to advertise for plans and specifications for the erection of a Court House and Gaol for the County of Brant, offering a premium of £15 for that which this Council approves of, in the event of the architect not having the erection of the buildings, and report to this Council at the next session. The amendment having been put and lost, the original motion was carried. Moved by G. Yonell, seconded by J. Smith, and resolved, that the Warden be requested to procure a seal for the municipality, and that Messrs. Clement, VanBrocklin, Smith, Biggar, and the mover, be a committee to prepare a plan and suitable device for the same. On motion of E. Malcolm, the Council adjourned until to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock. Jas. D. Clement, John Cameron, Warden. County Clerk. 156 history of brant county. At the meeting on the following day the standing rules of the United Coun ties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant were adopted for the guidance of the Council pro tern., the resolution of the previous day, adopting the Rules gf the Gore District Council, being rescinded, and the Council went into a Committee of the Whole on the amount necessary to be raised for the erection of County Buildings, and also the time and manner of raising the .same. The following resolution was reported, viz. : — " That the sum of £5,000, including the subscription list, be appropriated for the erection of a Court House and Gaol for the County of Brant, to be raised by assessment on all the ratable property in the said county, in six annual payments, from this date." This report was received and adopted. The Chairman also of the Committee on Public Buildings submitted a report, recommending the adoption of a certain plan and specifications for a Gaol and Court House, exhibited by Mr. John Turner, which was received and adopted. Tenders were at the same time ordered to be advertised for for the erection of these buildings, on the following conditions of payment, viz. : — " That the buildings are to be finished by the first day of December next ; that the terms of payment be one-sixth of the amount on the first day of January next, and the amount available on the subscription list as soon as collected, and the remainder in five equal annual instalments, on the first day of January in each year, with interest after the first day of January next ; that each party tendering be required to state the deduction he or they would be willing to make by having payments made at shorter dates-; and also that it may be admissible for any party to tender on such other plan which may be submitted to the Council, reserving to the Council the right to submit to competition such other plan to parties who may have tendered for the one already adopted." Received and adopted. Tenders were accordingly ordered to be advertised for in all the county news papers and in the Hamilton Spectator, and 150 bills printed for same purpose. At the meeting of the Council on May 1st following, on motion of E. Mal colm, a memorial from that body to the Governor-General, praying that the Grand River navigation be made a Provincial work in connection with the Welland Canal, was received, read and adopted, and the contract for printing for the Council for current year was awarded to Messrs. Eacey & Mair, they tendering lowest. At the same time the Committee of the Whole recommended that the second plan for the Court House and Gaol Buildings, presented by Mr. Robert Turner, be adopted, which on motion was carried. For this plan the Council awarded Mr. Turner the .sum of £10. Tenders for the erection of these buildings having been advertised for, " The Chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings reported that the committee have examined the various tenders for the erection of the Gaol and Court House for the County, and the furnishing all materials for the same, and that they find that the tender of Messrs. Turner and Sinon is the lowest by forty pounds, teu shillings, currency, their tender being for the sum of four thousand, four hundred and four pounds, ten shillings, currency, and the terms of pay ment being better, they recommend the adoption of the same." It was further moved by E. Malcolm, seconded by B. Jones, and resolved, " That in entering into contract with Messrs. Turner and Sinon, a condition be LOCAL history. 157 inserted, reserving to the Building Committee the right to make such altera tions in the plan and erection of the public buildings as they may think necessary, which alterations, with reference to the amounts thereof, whether to lessen or increase the expense, shall be left to the appraisal of two competent persons, one to be chosen by the committee and one by the builders ; and in case of any disagreement, the said appraisers to choose a third, and the award of any two of them to be final." At the same time the committee was instructed to employ some competent person to superintend the erection of the buildings, the expense of which was not to exceed twenty-five pounds. At the Council meeting, 15th May, it was agreed to raise a sufficient sum by tax in each year, for six years, to pay off four thousand pounds, with interest,. then appropriated for the erection of County Buildings. The By-law (No. II.) provided that " Joseph Duffett Clement, Warden of the said Provisional Municipal Council, and Eliakim Malcolm, Benson Jones, John Smith, Charles ' S. Perley, Philip Cady VanBrocklin, and Isaac B. Henry, Esqs., members of the Council, do form, compose and constitute a committee to superintend, man age and see faithfully carried out and completed, the construction and erection of said Couit House and Gaol," etc., etc., and Frederick J. Rasferick, Architect,. was also appointed to superintend in his capacity. The first By-law passed by the first Provisional Municipal Council of the County of Brant was as follows : — By-Law No. I. — To provicie a Corporate Seal, or Common Seal, for the Muni cipality of the County of Brant, one of the United Counties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant. Whereas it is expedient or necessary that a Common or Corporate Seal should be adopted and provided for the Municipality of the County of Brant ; Be it therefore enacted by the Provisional Municipal Council thereof, in Council assembled, under and by virtue of the Upper Canada Municipal Corpo ration Acts, and it is hereby enacted by authority of the same, that the Common or Corporate Seal of the Municipality shall be one inch and a half in diameter, bearing the following device, figures and inscriptions thereon, that is to say, bearing upon it the words in its margin, " County of Brant, C. W.," with an oak tree, and an Indian standing erect, with a bow and arrow in his hands, and a deer in the distance, which shall be the Corporate or Common Seal of the said Municipality of the County of Brant. Passed in Council the first day of May, A.D., 1852. Jno. Cameron, Jos. D. Clement, County Clerk. Warden. At the same meeting it was also agreed " that a true copy of the subscriptioa list for County Buildings be put into the hands of the contractors, with instruc tions to them to collect one-fourth that quarter, and quarterly as the work progresses, or as the said subscription requires, with an assurance from the Council that whatever sums may be paid should be credited upon the said list." And it was further agreed " that Messrs. Perley and VanBrocklin do, as soon as the by-laws might be published, put themselves in communication with capitalists, with a view to raising money upon the county debentures so soon as 158 history op brant county. they could be legally issued, or to take such steps as they may deem necessary for "raising the ways and means required for the erection of the County Build ings." At the meeting held on June 19th, John Cameron, Esq., was appointed Solicitor to the Council. Mr. William Mellish was appointed Architect to the Council to superintend the erection of the County Buildings, the amount of his subscription of £25 being allowed as payment of such service duly rendered. The sum of £350 was borrowed from H. C. Baker, Esq., and a note was handed him, payable in debentures on the first day of September following. On the 24th of June the Committee on Finance reported that in their opinion there would require to be raised from all the taxable property in the county, to meet expense of current year, the sum of £1,095 13s. 3d. currency, as follows, viz. : — To pay one-sixth of the debt created for County Buildings, £667 : to pay the salaries of the county officers, £100; to pay incidental expenses, £95 13s. 3d. to pay interest on debentures, £2,200, for four months, £44 ; to pay interest on; ¦debentures, £2,200, for six months, £66 ; to pay for assessing and collecting, and to meet any deficiency or losses that may arise in collecting the taxes, £123. Total, £1,095 13s. 3d. This was to be apportioned as follows : Township of Brantford, £323 6s. 4d.; Township of Onondaga, £72 lis. 8d.; Township of Oak land, £40 15s. 7d. ; Township of Dumfries (South), £192 15s. 8d. ; Township of Burford, £215 3s. 4d. ; Town of Brantford, £177 12s. 3d. ; Village of Paris, £73 8s. 5d. The Committee on Public Buildings reported, November 6th, that the Gaol, with some slight exceptions, was completed, and that the gaoler's house would be ready for occupation within one week; also that the Court House was advanc ing rapidly, and was in so forward a state as to warrant it being pronounced fit for county purposes. The Clerk submitted to the Council, November 6th, the following draft of a memorial or petition to the Council of the United Counties on the subject of a separation. " To the Municipal Council of the United Counties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant, in Council assembled, humbly sheweth. That by a proclama tion' issued and tested on the 28th day of February, A. D. 1852, the Town Reeves and Deputy Town Reeves of the County of Brant, one of the Junior Counties of the aforesaid United Counties, were formed into a Provisional Council, under the authority of the Statute 14 and 15 Victoria, cap. 5, and the Town of Brant ford was thereby fixed as the County Town of the said County ; that in such County Town your petitioners procured the necessary property, and have erected thereon a Court House and Gaol, adapted to the wants and requirements of the said County. Your petitioners would therefore make application to your honourable Council under the provisions of the Act of Parliament, 12 Victoria, ¦6ap. 78, section 15, for an immediate adjustment and settlement of the propor tion of any debt due by the said United Counties which it would be right and just that your petitioners should take upon themselves, with the time and terms of the payment thereof, and that you would also be pleased by resolution of your honourable Council to direct your Warden to grant a certificate setting forth such adjustment and settlement in order that the dissolution between your petitioners and the said United Counties may be carried into effect with out delay. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray." On motion. LOCAL history. 159 this petition was adopted and ordered to be laid before the Council of the United Counties at its next meeting. At the same time, on motion of Mr. VanBrocklin, seconded by Mr. Yonell, it was resolved, " That this Council, in coming to a final adjustment and arrangement of the debt, with a view to a separation from the United Counties, do assume and take upon itself the payment of the deben tures of the Paris and Ayr road, or any other debt created for any other road or work within the limits of the County of Brant, and that although this Council is of opinion that the sa,id Junior County of Brant is entitled to some consideration in the loss of the public property of the said United Counties in consequence of such separation, nevertheless it is, under all circumstances, willing to overlook that and retire from the connection, with the understanding that the Senior Counties of Wentworth and Halton do assume and take charge of all the debts, and liabilities which have been created and are existing on account of public works, or anything else within their limits." The following requisition was sent to the Provisional Warden of the County of Brant : " We the undersigned Councillors of the Provisional County of Brant, request that you will call a special meeting of the Provisional Council, on Fjiday the 24th instant, at the hour of 2 o'clock p.m., at Burley's Hotel, in the town of Brantford, to take into consideration matters relating to a separation of the County of Brant from the United Counties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant. Given under our hands at Hamilton, on this 28rd December, 1852. Signed, Eliakim Malcolm, Benson Jones, Charles S. Perley, William Mullen, David Anderson, George Yonell, P. C. VanBrocklin. " In pursuance of the above requisition, I hereby call the said meeting as above requested. Signed, J. D. Clement, Provisional Warden." The Council met, pursuant to the foregoing requisition and appointment, at Burley's Hotel, Town of Brantford, at 2 o'clock p.m., the Warden, and Messrs. Malcolm, Perley, Jones, VanBrocklin and Biggar, being present. On motion of Mr. Malcolm, seconded by Mr. Perley, it was resolved, "That the Provisional Warden be and he is hereby instructed to sign all requisite papers on behalf of the Council that may be necessary to effect a separation of the County of Bra-nt from the United Counties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant." On motion of Mr. VanBrocklin, seconded by Mr. Biggar, it was resolved, " That the Treasurer do correspond with the collectors of the different towns, townships and villages comprising this municipality, requesting them to pay over to the Treasurer thereof all moneys now due and belonging thereto. Signed, John ¦Cameron, Provisional County Clerk ; J. D. Clement, Warden." Town Hall, 13th January, 1853. At the Council meeting of this date, the Provisional Treasurer submitted his statement of the financial affairs of the County of Brant, embracing the period between the 19th of June, 1852, and the above date, debiting and crediting himself as follows, viz : — 1852. To sundry cash from Canada Life Assurance Co., £2,100 ; cash on assessment from Town of Brantford, £173 3s. 5Jd. ; cash on assessment from Township of Brantford, £250 ; cash on assessment from township of Onondaga, £72 lis. 8d. ; cash on assessment from Township of Burford, £209 15s. 9d. ; cash on assessment from Township of Oakland, £39, 15s. 2^d. ; cash on assess ment from Township of South Dumfries, £170 lis. 6d. ; County debentures, Thrner and Sinon, contractors, £850. 1853. To cash and draft on assessment 160 Hlfe-TORY OF BRANT COUNTY. from Paris, £67 8s. 9d. ; draft on assessment from South Dumfries. £14 7s. lO^d. Total, J3,949 14s. 2id. 1852. By paid Turner and Sinon, £2,950 ; by paid sundry salaries, expenses etc., £151 3s. 6Jd. ; by paid Debenture No. 1, $666 133. 4.d. ; by paid interest on Debenture No. 1, £46 2.s. ; balance in treasury, £135 15s. 3Ad. Total, £3,949 14s. 2Jd. Debentures issued for Court House and Gaol, £3,150 ; assessment for 1853, £999 14s. 2|d. ; Messrs. Turner and Sinon, contractors, £2,950 ; debentures, £666 13s. 4d ; Hamilton Biggar, Treasurer, £135 15s. 3^d. ; salaries, £75 ; sun dry under the Council, £6 3s. 7d. ; Councillors' accounts, £28 2s. 6d. ; discount account, £200 ; interest account, £46 2s. OJd. ; printing account, £41 17s. 5Jd. Total, £4,149 14s. 2Jd. On the same date the Warden transmitted a telegraph message to the Hon. A. Morin, Provincial Secretary, urging the necessity of issuing the proclamation separating the County of Brant from the United Counties " before the fourth Monday of the present month," and on motion of Mr. VanBrocklin, seconded by Mr. Perley, it was resolved, " That this Council cannot allow this its first regular meeting after the last meeting of the Council of the United Counties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant, to pass, without an expression of the high sense and estimation in which it holds the conduct of the members of the Senior Counties of Wentworth and Halton, in relation to the dissolution of the con nection between those counties and the County of Brant ; and that a vote of thanks is due and is hereby tendered to the members representing the said Senior Counties in the said Council, for the honourable disinterestedness and handsome manner in which they received and treated the applicationof this Council for a separation ; and that the Provisional Warden do transmit a copy of this resolution to the Warden of the said United Counties, to be laid before the Council at its next meeting." The Warden, having been voted twenty-five pounds for his services, vacated the chair, and the Council rose. Address at First Meeting of County Council. • The first session of the Municipal Council of the County of Brant was held in the Town Hall, Brantford, on January 24th, 1858. The members present were Messrs. Malcolm, Woodyatt, Mc Michael, Yonell, Jones, Chapin, Perley,. Henry, Whitlaw, Anderson and Mullen. A telegram announcing the separation of the County from the United Coun ties, together with certain correspondence between the Provincial Warden and the Executive Government on the same matter, having been read by the Clerk of the Provisional Council, the Warden, Eliakim Malcolm, Esq., addressed the Council as follows : " Gentlemen, — I thank you for the honour you have conferred upon me by appointing me Warden of this county, which situation I will endeavour to fill to the best of my humble ability, and I trust, by our united exertions, that the business of the county will be conducted to the furtherance of the interests of the county generally. I have to congratulate you and the inhabitants of the county that ^e are now about to realize the much-desired object which has for several years past occupied the mind of the several townships now comprising LOCAL history. 161 the County of Brant. We are now, by proclamation, set apart from the union which lately was known as ' The^ United Counties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant,' and are become a separate county. Gentlemen, taking into consideration the extent of territory comprising this county, its equal for natural advantages is not to be found in united Canada. Its soil for the growth of wheat (which is the principal article of export), can not be surpassed ; and all other grains, culinary roots and grass, are produced in luxuriant crops. The County of Brant, also, in proportion to its territory, I think I am warranted in saying, possesses more hydraulic power than any other county in Canada. This power is not confined to one locality, but is so ordered by an all-wise Providence as to be beneficial to the whole county. As to the improvements, I would ask. What was the town of Brantford, now your County Town, at my earliest remembrance ? What is it now, and what are its future prospects } 1 have passed through this place when there was only one log hut in it, and that was kept as a substitute for a tavern. Look at it now with its beautiful public buildings, iron foundries, steam engines, numerous brick stores (both wholesale and retail), flour mills, machine shops of all descriptions, well kept public houses, splendid public residences, printing establishments, and, I am sorry to say, distilleries, breweries and low grog shops, the enemies and destructives of a portion of the human race ! The town of Brantford is most admirably situated in the centre of an extensive farming country, at the head of the navigation of the Grand River (one of the most splendid rivers in Canada), and when that navigation is completed, which we trust will not be long, it will afford a cheap and easy mode of conveying the products of the surrounding country to market, and bring in return such articles of merchandise as are wanted by the inhabit ants. The main thoroughfare from the eastern to the western sections of the Province passes through Brantford, and leading roads intercept it from all parts of the surrounding country. A railroad is now in a state of forwardness, approaching completion, from Buffalo through Brantford (where, no doubt, a depot will be located), to intersect the Great Western at Paris, and thence to Goderich. We are looking forward to the time, which we trust is not far dis tant, when, if not thwarted by the narrow-mindedness of our Legislature, we may expect to have a railway from the western extremity of the Province via St. Thomas, Norwich and Burford, to intersect the Great Western between this town and Hamilton. Gentlemen, it has fallen to our lot to commence the local affairs of our new county, and I trust that our united deliberations will be governed solely for the benefit of the county. The principal thing is to guard against unnecessary expenditure of the county funds. A steady and progressive course of improve ments can be made without overburdening the people of the county with taxes. My motto, while I had the honour to be a member of the District and County Councils, has been to guard against unnecessary expenditure of public money. I would say further that I need not confine myself to the town of Brantford in relation to improvements. Take a view of the whole county, and see the improvements in agriculture, and the numerous villages and towns springing up in all directions, and you will at once see that the County of Brant is all that I have represented it to be." 162 history of brant CdUNTY. The Special Committee to which was referred this address, submitted the following report at the Council meeting on the next day : " To the Municipal Council of the County Brant. Your committee, to whom was referred the Warden's address, beg leave to report that after a careful perusal thereof, they are happy to state that they do fully concur in the eulogium passed upon our new county, as regards its natural advantages, and with regard to its hydraulic power, the Grand River, in all its pristine magnificence, together with the vast improvements that are being made. Your committee are of opinion that if the county is not the most, it is at least one of the most favoured portions of Her Majesty's dominions. Your committee would also state that they do not deem that the railroad from the western extremity of the Province, via St. Thomas, Norwich and Burford, is at present required to develop our natural resources, however much it may be at a future period, nor would they attribute to the Legislature for an instant a narrow-mindedness in their not incorporating said road in the event of a charter being applied for, but are of opinion that what ever action they may take in the matter will be done through a belief that they are doing that which, in their opinion, is just and equitable to all parties con cerned. All of which is respectfully submitted." Signed, on behalf of the committee, George Yonell, Chairman. . V^s^' LOCAL history. 163. CHAPTER II. County Buildings. — Turner and Sinon Matter. — Presenta tion of Flag. County Buildings. These are situated immediately to the north of Victoria Park, and are- bounded on the north by Nelson Street, on the east by George, on the south by Wellington, and on the west by Market Streets. The site on which they stand is paxt of the land obtained as a gift from the Six Nations Indians through Capt. Brant, at the time the original survey of the town was made. They were erected in 1851-52, John Turner being the architect, and Turner and Sinon, the contractors. The residence of the gaoler, attached to the main buildings, was built at the same time, as well as the first Gaol, which was a small, antiquated, square construction, on the north side of the Court House, capable of holding about twenty prisoners. A new addition to the Gaol was made in 1865 by John . Elliott, contractor, which provided an accommodation for forty prisoners, the cells in the old gaol quarter being dispensed with. Other alterations and improvements were subsequently made by Strickland, to the extent of an outlay of from three to four thousand dollars. The first enclosure to the Gaol and gaol-yard was a high wooden fence, but this gave place in about the yera 1865 to the present massive wall. The Court House portion of the buildings has, on the ujiper story of all, four rooms used for various purposes. Next below are the Court Room, in dimensions about forty-five feet square. In this room all judicial and County pouncil courts are held. Immediately adjoining are the judges, cleiks, grand jury and petit jury rooms. On the same flat also is the Office of Clerk of the Township of Brantford, R. M. Willson. On the lower flat are the offices for the Sheriff, County Judge and Master in Chancery, Local Registrar of the High Court of Justice, Clerk of the County Court and Registrar of the Surrogate Court, County Clerk, County Treasurer, Inspector of Public Schools, Governor of the Gaol, and the Law Library Association Secretary, together with the Law Library. The original contract figure paid to Turner and Sinon, after deducting an allowance of .£158 18s. 6d., was, with extras, £5,181 13s. 6d., and on adding the amounts for the Elliott contract, the building of the wall, the Strickland and other permanent improvements from time to time, the total cost to the County of these public buildings will not fall short of $50,000. C. Edwin Smith, the present Governor of the Gaol, received his appointment on the 2nd November, 1871, having as his assistant, Andrew S. Keachie. George C. Keabhie was the first gaoler, with A. S. Keachie as deputy. The only executions that have so far taken place in Brant ford were those of two coloured men, John Moore and Robert Over, on the 7th June,. 1850, for the murder of Launcelot Adams, mail carrier, on the Paris Road,. 164 history of brant county. Thursday, April 14th, same year. The next and last execution was that of Benjamin Carrier, an Indian, for the murder of his wife with an axe in the woods of the Reservation. He was hanged on 11th June, 1880. The indi vidual -who had the honour of being first incarcerated and formally opening the Gaol was one Edmund Casey, who was committed on a charge of assault, by Geo. S. Wilkes, Esq., J. P. The Registrar's Office is situated on the south-west corner of the ground immediately in front of the County Building. The office of Registrar was estab lished on the 22nd January, 1853, but the building itself, which is of brick, was not erected for a year or two afterwards. In the meantime the Registrar had the use of a room in the County Buildings. In 1880, a considerable addition was built to the west end of the office, and the total cost may be estimated at about $4,000. Turner and Sinon Matter. The following agreement was entered into between the contractors and the Municipality, viz. : " It is hereby fully understood and agreed upon, by and between John Turner and William Sinon, contractors, for the building of the Gaol and Court House for the County of Brant and the Municipal Council of the said county, that in taking possession of any portion of the said buildings by the said Council, it is not to be considered as accepting the said building from the hd,nds of the said contractors, or in any manner to have the effect of discharging the said contractors from the performance of their contract, or the completion of the said buildings, according to the terms thereof. Dated this twenty-fifth day of January, AD. 1853." {Signed,) John Turner, Witness, John Cameron, William Sinon, County Clerk. Eliakim Malcolm. On June 22nd, 1853, the Committee on Finance and Assessment submitted the following in their report to the Council : " Having examined the account of Messrs. Turner and Sinon for extra work on Court House ^nd Gaol, and certain articles of furniture, are of the opinion that the said account is unaccountably high; therefore recommend the same to the consideration of the Council in Com mittee of the Whole. {Signed) Chas. Whitlaw, Chairman. On the following day, June 23rd, on motion of Mr. Whitlaw, seconded by Mr. Anderson, the Council went into Committee of the Whole on the account of Turner and Sinon. Report received and adopted, and on motion of Mr. Whitlaw, seconded by Mr. Woodyatt, it was ordered " that Messrs. Turner and Sinon be paid the sum of seven hundred pounds currency on account of contract and extra work, and that the Wardeij do issue his order upon the Treasurer for the same." On September 13th, 1853, the committee to whom was referred the subject of the completion of the County Buildings and the account of Turner and Sinon, brought in the following report : " Your committee to whom was referred the 1 i A ^^^A^^^vft- LOCAL history. 167 matter relating to the erection of the Court House and Gaol beg leave to submit the following report, viz. : Amount of contract, £4,404 10s. ; amount for extra work, £777 3s. 6d. , interest on sum unpaid, £37 10s ; total, £5,219 3s. 6d. By sundry payments, £4,535 5s. ; leaving balance due contractors of £683 18s. 6d. : less deduction made by contractors, £158 18s. 6d. ; balance paid to contractors, £525." At the Council meeting on the 11th December, 1854, the Warden in his address referred to the Turner and Sinon matter as follows : " The settlement ¦which took place between the Council and the contractors for the erection of the County Buildings was done by the following resolution, which was accepted, as then understood, by the contractors. The resolution reads as follows : ' Resolved, that Messrs. Turner and Sinon receive the further sum of five hun dred and twenty-five pounds as a full consideration for the balance due thereon, for the erection of the County Court House, Gaol, yards and outbuildings, with the understanding that the said Turner and Sinon make the doors to the safes secure against fire, make another cistern to hold forty barrels of water, and complete the two wells according to first contract, the said amount to be paid on the first of December next, if the said work shall then be completed.' In the resolution you see that the contractors were to perform certain work before receiving the amount of money contained in the resolution. By some means or other the contractors received the amount without performing the work, all of which is very much needed ; in fact, actually required. The Council so far saw the necessity of securing the titles to real estate in the county that they ordered a door to the safe of the Registry Office at a cost of about fifty pounds, which amount ought to have been borne by the contractors and not by the County. It would be better for the County if the contractors would not acknowledge this as a settlement, as the contractors, in my opinion, have in many instances come far short of their agreement. In the first place, they have not put two feet of hammered stone in the foundation above the surface of the earth before putting in the brick, the lack of which has completely failed to give the building proper elevation. I could mention to you many other shortcomings of the contractors if necessary ; they are too apparent. Had the work been done in a workman like manner, as they were bound to do in their contract, the great expense the County has been put to in repairing the roof and other parts of the building would have been saved. No action has as yet been taken by the Council to accept the buildings under the contract. An agreement is entered in the County book, signed by the Warden on the part of the County, and the contractors, to the following effect : That the County occupying any part of the buildings is not to be considered an acceptance thereof under the contract. A considerable time having elapsed since the supposed settlement, and no part of the work having been performed by the contractors, I would recommend to the Council to appoint a committee of three to wait upon the contractors to know if they acknowledge the settlement ; if so, also to know if they intend to perform the work, and if so, at what time, in order that the Council may know what course to pursue." the Council having then gone into Committee of the Whole on this subject, the chairman thereof reported the following resolution : " That a committee consisting of the Warden, Messrs. Henry and Anderson, be appointed to confer 11 168 history of brant county. with Messrs. Turner and Sinon, to learn whether they intend to complete the Gaol and Court House, &c., according to agreement," and on the 12th December the said committee submitted this report, viz. : " Your committee appointed to wait on Messrs. Turner and Sinon, contractors for erecting the County Build ings, beg leave to report, that having last evening addressed a note to Messrs. Turner and Sinon, requesting them to meet the committee this morning at nine o'clock in the Court Room, a meeting took place accordingly, and that the con tractors then admitted that they considered that the resolution passed by the Council on the 13th September, 1853 — which is as follows : ' That Messrs. Turner and Sinon receive the further sum of £525 as a full consideration for the balance due thereon for the erection of the County Court House, Gaol, yard, and outbuildings, with the understanding that the said Turner and Sinon make the doors to the safes secure against fire, make another cistern to hold 40 barrels of water, and complete the two wells according to first contract, the said amount to be paid on the first day of December, instant, if the work shall then be completed,' — to be a final settlement of all matters connected with the pub lic buildings ; and also that they consider that they are bound to perform the work mentioned in said resolution ; but as to the time that they will complete the work they have not as yet given a decisive answer. Your committee would therefore recommend to the Council to urge upon the Building Committee the necessity of having the work completed with as little delay as possible. All of which is respectfully submitted. Signed, D. Anderson, Chairman. Committee Room, 12th December, 1854." At the same time H. Phelps presented a petition from the contractors, pray ing that the Council would take into consideration losses sustained by them in the erection of said buildings, and remunerate them for the same, which peti tion was referred to a committee composed of the Warden and Messrs. Tennant and Matthews. This committee submitted the following report next forenoon : " Having examined said petition, your committee finds that it contains matter that deserves deep consideration, which at the late period of the present meet ing of the Council your committee are unable to bestow. Your committee, therefore, must decline taking any action therein at present, but would recom mend that the same be taken into consideration at the next meeting of the Council. Signed, John Tennant, Chairman." Accordingly, on the 23rd January, 1 855, a committee of three was appointed to examine the claim of Messrs. Turner and Sinon, and in submitting their report they recommended the said petition to the favourable consideration of the Council, and set forth their reasons for such recommendation, at the same time produced a certificate from the Treasurer of the County of Elgin to the Warden of this county, setting forth that the costs of the County Buildings of that county amounted to £11,051 13s. On the mo|;ion being put, however, to have this report adopted, the same was lost. On the 19th of June the Council met, when it was moved by Mr. Malcolm, seconded by Mr. McNaught, as follows : " That in all the representative bodied it is the duty of the representatives to guard the rights and interests of those whom they represent ; it is also their duty to do justice to all whose interests are identified with those whom they represent. That Messrs. Turner and Sinon, the contractors who erected the County Buildings, having made formal applica- LOCAL history. 169 tion to this Council for remuneration for losses sustained in the erection thereof, owing to circumstances beyond their control ; that the Council upon said appli cation appointed a committee to investigate the prayer of the petitioners ; that the said committee, having duly examined the same, and made due inquiry into all the circumstances connected therewith, reported to this Council that they were strongly impressed with the conviction that the said contractors have sustained a loss of not less than from £2,500 to £3,500 ; that the said report of the committee was summarily disposed of by the Council without having taken time to give it that careful consideration which its merits and importance deserve. Therefore, be it resolved that the said report be rescinded in Committee of the Whole, and that any rule of this Council to the contrary be rescinded, so far as relates to said report." The same being put, was carried in the affirma tive by a majority of one. On the day following, on motion of Mr. Ross, seconded by Mr. Elliott, the Warden and Messrs. Malcolm, Finlayson, the mover and seconder, were appointed a committee to get two competent, practical persons to value the County Buildings, in order to ascertain the amount of loss sustained by Messrs. Turner and Sinon, and report to the Council as soon as possible. This motion was carried by a majority of two. At a special meeting of the Council called for the 17th July of same year, the committee to whom was referred the duty of procuring two competent, prac tical persons to value the County Buildings, reported as follows : " That after giving the subject their mature consideration, they think it would only be adding expense on the County in employing two persons to value the buildings, and recommend that the sum so saved, with such other sum as the Council may think proper to give, be-^at once handed to Messrs. Turner and Sinon. The committee are aware that the contractors have no legal claim on the County, because they have already been paid in fuU according to the contract, but in consideration of the great rise in all articles of building, with the extra charge for labour, the committee would press upon the attention of the Council the propriety of giving such a sum as would, in some degree, help to reduce their loss. Signed, Allen Good, Chairman." This report was adopted by a majority of two. The opinion of the City Solicitor having been obtained in the matter, the Warden submitted it to the Council at their afternoon sitting of the same day. The following is a copy of it : " Brantford, July 17, 1855. Allen Good, Esq., Warden, &c. Sir, — In accordance with a resolution of the County Council, passed this day, requiring my opinion as to the legal right of the Council to vote the county funds for the purpose of remunerating Messrs. Turner and Sinon, con tractors for the erection of the County Buildings, for certain losses alleged to have been incurred by them in the fulfilment of their contract, such contract being complied with and carried out by the contracting parties, and consequently at an end for all the purposes it had in view, I would inform the Council through you, that after a careful perusal of all the Acts of Parliament conferring powers upon municipal corporations, and giving them the best consideration in my • power, I can discover no authority or means, even by implication, by which the Council can le-vj' or raise any sum of money, either by assessment or other wise, under the circumstances, unless indeed the alleged losses can be looked 170 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. upon in the light or nature of a debt, which is not, as I understand it, pretended here. If this view could be taken of it, then no doubt could arise, because express authority is given by the 177th section of the Municipal Act, 12th Victoria, cap. 81, for the paj-ment of debts, and the mode pointed out for raising the means to do so. I cannot, however, put this construction upon it, as the term debt implies a legal right to receive and liability to pay. I have the honour to be, &c. Signed, John Cameron, Solicitor." It was then moved by Mr. Mullen, seconded by Mr. Whiting, " that as we have had the legal opinion of our solicitor in relation to making a grant of money to Messrs. Turner and Sinon, and said opinion is that we have no legal power to make such a grant, be it therefore resolved that the subject be dropped." Car ried. The matter was again brought before the Council on the 29th January, 1856, when a Committee of the Whole reported the following resolution, which was adopted by a majority of one : Resolved, that the committee are fully aware that Messrs. Turner and Sinon, the builders of the County Buildings, sus tained a severe loss in the erection of the same ; that a committee of three be now appointed, consisting of Messrs. McNaught, Whitlaw and Algar, to inquire what inducements were held out to them by the late Provisional Building Com mittee for remuneration, and to report to this Council at its next meeting." On 4th March the Council again assembled, when it was moved by Mr. Malcolm, seconded by Mr. Girvin, and resolved, that a petition be addressed to the Legislature, signed by the Warden, asking the Legislature to extend to the Council the power to remunerate the builders of the County Buildings of the county of Brant, with an addition, after the word remunerate, of the words " should the Council deem it right, on examination of the accounts, to do so." The motion was carried by a majority of only one. On the 16th June Mr. Whitlaw gave notice to the board that he would, on the Monday following, bring forward a motion to pay Turner and Sinon " such sum as the Council may deem right to compensate them in part for their loss on County Buildings contract." Accordingly, on the 23rd June, it was moved by Mr. Whiting, seconded by Mr. Girvin, " that Messrs. Turner and Sinon be paid the sum of seven hundred, pounds currency, at the end of three months, conditional upon the representatives from each municipality handing ih a majority of yeas, and that when such is done the Warden shall issue big order for the same." The motion being put, and the yeas and nays called for, resulted as follows: Yeas : Messrs. Algar, McNaught, Girvin, Patton, Whitlaw, and Malcolm — 6. Nays : Messrs. Anderson, Mullen, Hedgers, Whiting, and Good — 5. Carried by a majority of one. The Deputy Reeve of South Dumfries then laid before the Council a protest from the Council of that municipality against the Council's granting from the county funds any sum of money to remunerate Messrs. Turner and Sinon for alleged losses in the erection of the County Buildings. Similar protests were at the same time handed in from the municipalities of the townships of Brantford and Oakland. The next meeting of the County Council was held on 1st December, 1856, when it was . moved, seconded and resolved, by a majority of one, that the proper steps for legalizing the grant to Messrs. Turner and Sinon, of seven local HISTORY. 171 hundred pounds, be taken by the Warden on behalf of the Council. Yeas : Messrs. Malcolm, Algar, McNaught, Girvin, Whitlaw and Patton. — 6. Nays : Messrs. Anderson, Mullen, Whiting, Good and Hedgers. — 5. Also resolved, with the same yeas and nays, that " should a suit be entered against any member of the County Council in reference to the grant made to Turner and Sinon of seven hundred pounds, this Council pledges itself and authorizes him to defend said suit, and to protect him from any loss in the matter." And against this resolution the following protest was entered : " The undersigned, representing the township of South Dumfries and the township of Brantford, in said county, solemnly protest against such resolution as improper and illegal. The undersigned declare their opinion that the Council has no right to expend the funds of the County in protecting one or more of its members in any course which may, by the proper law tribunals of the country, be declared illegal." Signed, Daniel Anderson, Reeve of South Dumfries ; William Mullen, Deputy-Reeve of South Dumfries ; Allen Good, Reeve of Brantford Township ; John Whiting, Deputy-Reeve of Brantford Township. On January 26th, 1 857, the Council went into a Committee of the Whole on the subject of the Turner and Sinon grant, and the chairman reported the fol lowing resolution, which was adopted : " The Committee of the Whole on the subject of the grant of £700 to Messrs. Turner and Sinon, beg leave to report, that having had under consideration the letter of Dr. Connor in relation thereto, and the action already taken, with a view to cause that sum to be restored to the treasury of the county, they are of opinion that the best course for this Council to pursue under all the circumstances connected with the said grant, is to assume the further and final prosecution of the matter themselves, by placing themselves in the position of the municipalities which have already taken action, and thus relieving them of any further responsi bility connected therewith ; and that the Clerk be instructed to communicate to Dr. Connor all such information as he may require to enable him success fully to carry out the object in view." A suit was then entered in the Court of Chancery by the County versus those members of the County Council who voted in favour of the grant, the plaintiffs obtaining a decree in full with costs. At a special meeting of the Council held on 27th May, 1858, a communica tion was read from Messrs. Turner and Sinon, setting forth that they were unable to pay back the sum of £700 received by them at the present time, and expressing a hope that the Council would extend the payment of the same over a period of seven years, in equal annual payments, and calling the attention of the Council to the serious lo.sses they sustained in the erection of the County Buildings, and the sum of one hundred and thirty-nine pounds which was deducted from their account on account of yard fences, etc., and also expressing the hope that the Council would not enforce the payment of the said sum of £700. The Council went into a Committee of the Whole on this petition, but made no report thereon. On the 22nd of June following, the Council went into a Committee of the Whole on a proposition of Charles Whitlaw ar^d others, as follows : " To the Warden. — The prayer of your petitioners humbly sheweth that the grant made by the County Council of 1856, and paid to Turner and Sinon having been 172 history of brant county. declared illegal by the Court of Chancery, and Turner and Sinon being unable to repay the said amount in ca.sh, but being in a position to secure the County on real estate, should the payment be divided over five years, payable with interest. We desire that you will take their propo.sal under consideration and act in this matter as your wisdom may dictate. And your petitioners, etc. Signed, Charles Whitlaw, Wm. Patton, W. N. Algar, John McNaught. To which the chairman of the committee reported as follows: Resolved, " That the proposition made this day by Charles Whitlaw, Esq., and others, asking for time to refund the £700 granted to Messrs. Turner & Sinon, be granted, provided always that the security to be given is ample, and that the Council can legally do so ; and to ascertain which, the Clerk be directed to obtain the opinion of Dr. Connor, who conducted the Chancery proceedings on behalf of this county." Which report was adopted by a majority of four. The opinion of Dr. Connor having been received, the chairman of a Committee of the Whole reported, on 5th August, the following resolution, viz. : " The committee of the whole having taken into consideration the opinion of Skef- fington Connor on the subject of the grant of £700 made to Messrs. Turner and Sinon, in 1856, would recommend that time be given to the defendants in the suit for the payment of the amount of the decree in the Court of Chancery in favour of this county as follows, that is to say : The costs attending said suit, and one hundred and thirty-five pounds of the debt to be paid down, and the remainder in three equal annual instalments, with interest, and any further costs that may be necessarily made in connection with this matter, to be paid by the defendants, and that the said S. Connor and the Solicitor of this county be employed to draw up the legal documents to carry out the recommendation of Dr. Connor as conveyed in his letter, for the securing of the debt to the County ; and also, that the defendants in said suit enter into a bond with the members of this Council to indemnify them or any of them from and against all costs or any other liabilities that may grow out of this matter, and that the Warden, and Messrs. Mullen and Hamilton, be a committee to have the sureties offered by the parties valued, the assessed value of which is to be at least double the amount of the debt and costs." The said report having been received, on motion, the same was adopted. It was further resolved that should the defend ants in this case fail in complying with the conditions of the report of the Committee of the Whole, the Clerk should instruct Dr. Connor to let the law take its course in the matter. It appears the Council became amply secured on properties of Turner and Sinon, who ultimately paid back the much debated £700, with all costs. Presentation of Flag. At the County Council meeting held on the 23rd June, 1853, the following address was read, on the occasion of the presentation of the national flag to- the County of Brant. The address was delivered by His Honour Judge Jones,. and the flag was presented by Mr. Sheriff Smith in behalf of the public officers of the County of Brant. " To the Warden and members of the Municipal Council of the County of Brant, in Council assembled. — We, the undersigned, public officers of the County ot Brant, would respectfully approach your honourable body, and express the local history. 173 hope that it will not be deemed either amiss or obtrusive in us in having con sidered that the public buildings of this -flue county should, in common with those of the other counties of this noble Province, be provided with some emblem by which our nationality on all public occasions may prominently appear, and in having procured that which we have deemed most appropriate and expressive for such a purpose, viz., ' The flag that for a thousand years has braved the battle and the breeze,' with a view to present the same to the said county. Presuming that we are right in the expression of our hope, we would approach your honourable body as the proper medium through which to carry out the object we have in view, to present to the County of Brant, and pray its acceptance through you, of this our national flag, which we now do, trusting that it may long proudly wave over a free, prosperous and happy people. Signed Stephen J. Jones, Judge County Court ; John Smith, Sheriff ; S. S. Shenstone, Registrar; John Cameron, Clerk of the Peace ; William Murphy, Inspector ; E. B. Wood, Clerk County Court and Deputy Clerk of the Crown ; Wm. H. Burns, Registrar of the Surrogate Court. Dated June 22nd, 1853." The flag presented -w^as the British " ensign," or, in the words of Campbell, " The meteor flag of England." , The Warden's reply was as follows : " Gentlemen, — As the head of the Muni cipality of the County of Brant, on behalf of the inhabitants of the county, I thank you for the presentation of our national flag, through me and the mem bers of this municipality, to the County of Brant, as an emblem to be hoisted upon the splendid edifice, the Court House of the county, by which our nation ality on all public occasions may prominently appear ; the flag which is the national emblem of the most powerful and sympathising nation under the sun, to which the oppressed of all nations flee for succour and protection, ' the flag that for a thousand years has braved the battle and the breeze ;' and may it, as you well express it, long continue proudly to do so over a ' free, prosperous, contented and happy people ; ' and that it will do so under our noble constitu tion, faithfully administered, no one can have any reason to doubt." Eliakim Malcolm, Warden. 174 history of brant county. CHAPTER III. Pioneer Life. — Clearing the Land. — Dwellings. — Horse back Travel. — Character of the Pioneers. — Early Set tlement. — Pioneer Biographies^. Pioneer Life. A truthful account of the mode of life among the early settlers of the Cana dian forests cannot fail to interest and instruct. As the backwoods period recedes its interest increases. It is to be regretted that more of the traditions of the pioneers, giving homely but faithful pictures of the every-day life of the early settlers, have not been preserved. Their recollections of their journeys from the older states across the lakes, the overland voyages to their future home, the clearing in the wilderness, the first winter in the rude cabin and the scanty stores of provisions, the cultivation of corn among the roots and stumps, the cabin raisings and log rollings, the home manufacturing of furniture and clothing, the hunting parties and corn huskings, their social customs, and the thousand scenes and novel incidents of life in the woods, would form a more interesting and instructive chapter than their wars with the Indians or their government annals. Far different was the life of the settler in the Canadian forests from that of the frontiersman of to-day. The railroad, the telegraph and the daily newspaper did not then bring the comforts and luxuries of civilization to the cabin door of the settler ; nor was the farm marked out with a furrow and made ready for cultivation by turning over the sod. Clearing the Land. The labour of opening a farm in a forest of large pines, oaks, maples and hickories was very great, and the difficulty was increased by the thick growing underbrush. Not only were the trees to be cut down, but the branches were to be cut off from the trunk, and, with the undergrowth of bushes, gathered together for burning. The trunks of the large trees were to be divided and rolled into heaps, and reduced to ashes. With hard labour the unaided settler could clear and burn an acre of land in three weeks. It usually required six or seven years for the pioneer to open a small farm and build a better house than his first cabin of round logs. The boys had work to do in gathering the brush into heaps. A common mode of clearing was to cut down all the trees of the diameter of eighteen inches or less, clear off the under growth, deaden the large trees by girdling them with the axe, and allowing them to stand until they decayed and fell. This method delayed the final LOCAL HISTORY. 175 clearing of the land eight or ten years, but when the trunks fell they were usually dry enough to be burned into such lengths as to be rolled together with ease. Dwellings.- The first dwellings of the settlers were cabins made of round logs notched at the ends, the space between the logs filled in with sticks of wood, and daubed with clay. *The roof was of clapboards held to their places by poles reaching across the roof, called weight poles. The floor was of puncheons, or planks split from logs, two or three inches in thickness, hewed on the upper side. The fireplace was made of logs lined with clay or with undressed stone, and was at least six feet wide. The chimney was often made of split sticks plastered with clay. The door was of clapboards, hung on wooden hinges, and. fastened with a wooden latch. The opening for the window was not unfre- quently covered with paper made more translucent with oil or lard. Such a house was built by a neighbourhood gathering, with no tools but the axe and the frow, and often was finished in a single day. The raising and the log rolling were labours of the settlers in which the assistance of neighbours was considered essential, and cheerfully given. When a large cabin was to be raised, preparations would be made before the appointed day, and early in the morning of the day fixed, the neighbours gathered from miles around ; the captain and corner men were selected, and the work went on with boisterous hilarity until the walls were up and the roof weighted down. The cabin of round logs was generally succeeded by a hewed log-house more elegant in appearance, and more comfortable. Indeed, houses conld be made of logs as comfortable as any other kind of building, and were erected in such manner as to conform to the tastes and means of all description of persons. For large families a double cabin was common ; that is, two houses, ten or twelve feet apart, with one roof covering the whole, the space between serving as a hall for various uses. An eminent speaker in referring to the different kinds of dwellings sometimes to be seen standing on the same farm, as an indi cation of the progress of the people, said " I have often witnessed this gratifying progress. On the same farm you may sometimes behold standing together the first rude cabin of round and unhewn logs, and wooden chimneys ; the hewed log house, chinked and shingled, with stone or brick chimneys ; and lastly, the comfortable frame, stone or brick dwelling, each denoting the different occu pants of the farm, or the several- stages of the condition of the same occupant." The furniture of the first rude dwellings was made of puncheons ; cupboards, seats and tables were then made by the settler himself Over the door was placed the trusty flint-lock rifle, next to the axe in usefulness to the pioneer, and near it the powder horn and bullet pouch. Almost every family had its little spinning-wheel for flax, and big spinning-wheel for wool. The cooking utensils were few and simple, and the cooking was all done at the fireplace. 'The long winter evenings were spent in contentment but not in idleness. There was corn to shell and tow to spin at home, and the corn huskings to attend at the neigh bours'. There were a few books to read, but newspapers were rare, and the Bible generally constituted the whole of the family library. 176 history of brant county. Horseback Travel. With the early settlers almost the only modes of locomotion were on foot and on horseback. The farmer took his corn and wheat to mill on horseback ; the wife went to market or visited her distant friends on horseback. Salt, hard ware and merchandise were brought to the new settlements on pack-horses. The immigrant came to his new home not unfrequently with provisions, cooking utensils and beds packed on horses, his wife and small children on another horse. Lawyers made the circuit of their courts, doctors visited their patients, and preachers attended their preaching stations on horseback. The want of ferries and bridges made the art of swimming a necessary quality in buying a horse for the saddle. "Is he a good swimmer?" was a common question in buying a saddle-horse. Character of the Pioneers. The early immigrants to Brant County may be described as a bold and resolute rather than a cultivated people. It has been laid down as a general truth that a population made up of immigrants will contain the hardy and vigorous elements of character in a far greater proportion than the same number of persons born upon the soil and accustomed to tread in the footsteps of their fathers. It required enterprise and resolution to sever the ties which bound them to the place of their birth, and upon their arrival in the new country the stern face of nature and the necessities of their condition made them bold and energetic. Individuality was fostered by the absence of old familiar customs, family alliances and the restraints of social organizations. The early settlers of Brant County were plain men and women of good sense, without the refinement which luxury brings, and with great contempt for all shams and mere pretence. A majority of the pioneers belonged to the middle class. Few were by affluence placed above the necessity of labouring with their hands, and few were so poor that they could not become owners of small farms. The mass of the early settlers were U. E. Loyalists, who were compelled by the indignities heaped upon them to relinquish comfortable homes in the States and seek homes amiong the pine forests north of the great lakes. The backwoods age was not a golden age. However pleasing it may be to contemplate the industry and frugality, the hospitality and general sociability of the pioneer times, it would be improper to overlook the less pleasing features of the picture. Hard toil made men old before their time. The means ot culture and intellectual improvement were inferior. In the absence of the refinements of literature, music and the drama, men engaged in rude, coarse and sometimes brutal amusements. Public gatherings were often marred 'by scenes of disorder and fighting. Post roads and ppst offices were few, and the scattered inhabitants rarely saw a newspaper or read a letter from their former homes. The travelling preacher was their most cultivated teacher. While some of them had books and studied them, the mass of the people had little time for study. Early Settlement. He who attempts to present with unvarying accuracy the progress of settle ment in a country, the history of which extends back through a period of more local history. 177 than three-quarters of a century, imposes upon himself a task beset with difficulties on every hand. In the absence of records these difficulties are often augmented by statements, widely at variance, furnished by early settlers and their descendants as data from which to compile a true record of the past. To claim for a work of this character perfect freedom from the slightest or in some cases even grave inaccuracies, would be implying to one's self that degree of wisdom which alone exists in the councils of the Omniscient. If, then, the time and place of recorded events in the following pages do not in every instance agree with the individual opinion of the reader, please bear in mind we have always inclined to those statements that seem the best supported. In presenting a list of the early settlers of the county, we feel that injustice is involuntarily done to others as deserving of mention as those whose names appear. While using every right endeavour to have the list complete, there must necessarily be some who were only temporary settlers, and after improving a tract of land, for some reason known only to themselves passed on into other lands ; and others who, after settling in the country, died, leaving behind them no record and no descendants from whom a knowledge of them could be obtained. Of these, if such there were, the most diligent inquiry fails to discover even their names. When the settlement of this county began cannot be definitely stated, as the sources of information differ on that more perhaps than on any other point. The census returns of 1880 fix the date of the first settlement in the year 1793, while people yet living tell us of emigrants who entered the country as early as 1780. All agree, however, in the statement that the Township of Burford, or the territory now known by that name, was the first to receive the attention of our pioneer fathers. Many causes tended to influence the tide of emigration toward the Dominion of Canada. But of all these probably the greatest impetus was given by the people of the States, whose treatment of the King's loyal subjects in their midst was so cruel and unjust as to cause a general removal of all those who refused to bow to the " Stars and Stripes," to a country still shadowed by the Union Jack. Many of these patriotic heroes crossed over at Niagara and settled in Brant County ; but of these the greater number, after remaining a short time, proceeded elsewhere. In the following list we mention the pioneers in the order of their settlement, without prejudice and with the aim of giving to each the credit that is justly due him. Yet when we remember that nearly a century of time has rolled its weary way along, is it any wonder if perchance our sources of information fail to fix a date exactly ? Prominent among the early settlers we find the Westbrooks. Two brothers, Alexander and John Westbrook, were captured by the Indians in western New York or Pennsylvania, while in the woods hunting their horses, about the time of the American Revolution ; about 1776 they were brought to the territory now known as Brant County by the Mohawk tribe of Indians, with whom they lived about three years. They were then taken to the frontier at Niagara and turned over to the Americans in exchange for prisoners. They at once returned home, where they had long since been given up as dead, and soon rejoined their family. Shortly after their return home, and about the year 1780 or 1781, they persuaded their father to settle on the northern side of the lakes, and 178 history of brant county. accordingly the family, consisting of the father, mother, three or four sons and the daughters, set out for their northern home, which they reached in due time, settling on Fairchild's Creek. The father and one son here died, and were interred. Alexander, another son, settled at Brant's Ford, where he built the first house ; he afterwards moved to Oakland township, and there died. Haggai, the other son, settled and lived in Oakland township, where he raised a family and died. John File, a native of near Albany, New York, of German descent, was one of the first settlers of the county. When a boy of sixteen years he was ordered by his father to deliver some beef cattle to the troops of the Revolutionary army. He was captured, and served through the war. About 1790 he mar ried in Canada, and was one of the first settlers on Fairchild's Creek. During the ninth decade of the last century he was intimately associated in the building of two Indian grist-mills, one a half mile west of Brantford and the other near Newport. The first named mill was where the railroad crosses the Burford Road, on a small creek only a few feet wide, and was destroyed some time prior to 1816. John File, the builder, was a pioneer woodsman, and was among the first to transform the dense forests into open and productive fields. While thus clearing he at times was so limited with rations that he only had three potatoes per day, making one for each meal. The father of the late Bishop Reynolds was one of the earliest settlers of the county of Brant. With his family he left the Hudson River and came into Canada by the " Mohawk route," and after leaving Lake Ontario, travelled through the wilderness to the township of Burford, and settled there in the year 1796. He was a sturdy, robust man, full of energy, and with the determination that seldom allows itself to be balked even by the hidden and untold dangers of the wilderness in a new and sparsely settled country. The journey from the Hudson to Burford occupied a little more two months ; it would now occupy about as many days. Here the family remained until the year 1803, when they removed to the township of Dorchester, and erected a saw-mill not far from ¦what is Dorchester Station. W. K. Smith, another old settler, came from New York State while a young man, and in the latter part of the eighteenth century settled in the territory now comprising the County of Brant. He settled in the neighbourhood of Wheeler Douglas, who is mentioned in this connection. Mr. Smith while here married one of the daughters of an Indian chief, and by her had two children, viz.: The late Abram K. Smith and Margaret, wife of William Kerby. Mr. Smith got a grant of 1,200 acres in Brantford Township, on the Grand River, and here lived to the end of a long and useful life. He built the first mill on Smith's Creek in connection with Wheeler Douglas, and from this mill the creek derived its name. The mill was situated up Smith's Creek, just beyond the Brant County line. Wheeler Douglas was born at Stephentown, New York, April 10, 1750. He married in 1771, Martha, daughter of the Rev. John Eathbone, and settled in Stephentown. In 1780 he removed to Albany where, in company with a cousin named Wheeler (a nephew of his mother's), he opened a store, and tor several years continued in business, the firm's name being Douglas & Wheeler. About 1798 the property in Albany was destroyed by fire, and he made a journey to local history. 179 Brant's Ford, Canada, where he remained about a year with Capt. Joseph Brant. In 1799 he removed to Canada with his family, and settled on the Grand Eiver, in the midst of Indians, where the City of Brantford now stands. After a few years he removed about eight miles to the west, where he took up a tract of about 500 acres, receiving his lease from Capt. Brant. There he carved out a home in the wilderness, and was able to spend his latter years in comparative comfort, leaving the homestead to his son Stephen. Wheeler and his wife were staunch Methodists, and their house was the home of itinerant preachers. His son Stephen, at the age of nineteen, brought into this home, in 1809, the daughter of au old and prominent itinerant minister who was only sixteen years of age, and for sixty years they dispensed the same generous hospitality that had been found when the older ones had control of the farm and mansion. For many years preaching was held in their house, and several of their children were named after the preachers and their wives. Wheeler Douglas died at the home of his daughter, Harriet, in Smithville, in January, 1829. His wife died at the same place, Nov. 28, 1837, age(? eighty-four years. They had ten chil dren, viz.: Content, Martha, Dr. John Hancock, Alanson,Mary, George, Charlotte, Minerva, Stephen Van Rensselaer and Harriet. Of Oakland Township's earliest born sons, Mordecai Westbrook probably comes first on the list. He was born on the 6th of November, 1800. On the 31st of January, 1825, he married Mary Ann Shaver, who died on the 6th of October, 1847. Mr. Westbrook followed the occupation of farming, and lived to attain the great age of almost 102 years. He died on the 27th of March, 1882. The next record of the birth of a prominent citizen of Oakland, is that of Eliakim Malcolm. He was born in the township on the 19th of December, 1801, and married Samantha Sexton in 1822. She was the daughter of Jonathan Sexton, a native of Vermont, who came to Canada in 1806. Mr. Malcolm occupied a prominent position as a citizen of his native township, and when the district system of muuicipal government was abrogated in 1852, and counties organized in their stead, he was chosen the first Reeve of Oakland to represent it at the Brant County Council — a memorable event, indeed, for his posterity to treasure in their memories. He followed the calling of a farmer, and having passed the allotted span of life, death closed his career of usefulness on the 26th of September, 1874. Eliakim Malcolm's name will never cease to figure prominently in Oakland Township history. Henry Ellis, another early settler, came from " Big Bend," Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, in 1800, and settled on Lot 7, east side of Mount Pleasant Road, on a farm of 200 acres ; he was a weaver by trade, an occupation he fol lowed up to his death, in 1831. His farm was the first to exist in the 4,000 acre tract of land, surveyed and laid out by Capt. Joseph Brant, and was at that time a portion of the Gore District, Township of Haldimand, County of Wentworth. Mr. Ellis was a Welshman by birth, and a descendant of the Earl of Strambean. He married Margaret Mahan, a native of Donegal, Ireland, by whom he had several children, four of whom came to Canada, all now being deceased. Mrs. Ellis died during the War of 1812. A full and complete sketch of the family appears in the biographical section of this work. Allin Ellis, son of the above, came to this Province with his father at the beginning of this century, and was reared on the home farm at Mount Pleasant. ISO history of brant county. He was born at " Big Bend," Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, in 1788. As he grew to man's estate he evinced a natural talent for medicine, and in those days, when the locality was sparsely settled and regular physicians necessarily few, he proved himself a valuable friend to many of the sick and afflicted in health. When the War of 1812 broke out he volunteered in the militia, and at the battle of Lundy's Lane had charge of a team in the supply train. He afterwards actively participated in many succeeding events of the war. He was under the command of Captain Thomas Perrin, facetiously styled " Capt, Barefoot," from the fact that on training days he indulged in the extraordi nary custom of drilling his men in his naked feet. This incident gives us a glimpse of the humorous features of those days, which went far to relieve the monotony of our forefathers' every-day life. Mr. Ellis married Hannah Sturgis, a native of Upper Miriam, Chester County, Pa., whose father was a captain in the War of Independence, under General Washington. They had a family of twelve children. Mr. Ellis followed pastoral occupations all his life, and died in September, 1849. His partner in life followed him, February 15th, 1872. Contemporaneous with the Ellis family came Thomas Sturgis, in 1800. He was a native of Philadelphia, Pa., and on migrating to this country, took up land, and during his life engaged in farming. Amos Sturgis, son of the above, came to Canada with his father and settled in Brantford Township, near Mount Pleasant. He was born at Upper Miriam, Pa., and served in the Revolutionary War under Washington. He was the ¦father of Mr. Allin Ellis, and by occupation a farmer. Probably the earliest settlers in Oakland Township were the Malcolms, but following closely after, if not contemporaneous with them, came a family named Brown, of whom the subject of this brief allusion is a descendant. Malcolm Brown and his wife, Mary Fairchild, were both born in Oakland, the former on the 17th of November, 1803, and the latter February 15th, 1810. They were married at Brantford on the 5th of February, 1828. Mr. Brown has hewn himself a comfortable home out of the wild and rugged forest, and is yet living to enjoy his well-earned competency. He is fast approaching the ripe age of fourscore years, and has always followed the occupation of a farmer. Long before the City of Brantford existed, and the County of Brant had the -shadow of formation, Thomas Perrin arrived at Brant's Ford. All there was then of the now flourishing city was one log hut, in which Alexander Westbrook kept a miscellaneous stock of commodities in the grocery line, chief among which was whiskey. It was located in what is now called King's Ward, or West Brantford. A rude ferry was the means used to cross the Grand River .at that point. Specimens of this boat, with but slight improvements, are still in existence, and are the only means by which the river can be crossed in ¦various places to-day. Mr. Perrin came with his father in 1804, and through industry and perseverance became the owner of 1,400 acres of land in Brantford Township, near Mount Pleasant. Choosing commercial rather than pastoral pursuits, he embarked extensively in milling enterprises, and was the owner of a grist-mill and two saw-mills on Highland Creek. These he subsequently sold, and in 1840 removed to the neighbourhood of Mount Vernon. Five years' later he erected a flouring mill on his Mount Vernon property, and for a mumber of years did a thri'ving trade in that line. Railway facilities at that local history. . 181 time were not available in this county, and teaming was the means by which he transported his products to Hamilton, the nearest trade centre. Mr. Perrin, in 1816, married Mary A. Peet, a daughter of Arnold Peet, their union being blessed by seven children: Caroline (deceased), David, Mary A. (deceased), Eliza J., Andrew (deceased), William, Mary and Daniel. At the time of his death, Mr. Perrin was a colonel of militia. Among the earliest settlers in this county were the Westbrooks, and their ¦descendants are yet among the oldest and most prosperous citizens. Hiram Westbrook, the subject of these remarks, was born in Oakland Township on the 12th of August, 1808, and is a son of Haggai Westbrook, who came to Canada from New York State about 1780. He married Mary Gates on the 24th of March, 1831, and had six children, two only of whom" are now living. Mr. Westbrook started out in life on his own account when he was but 16 years of age, and with nothing but strong hands and a dauntless determination for ¦capital, has succeeded in converting what was at that date (1824) a trackless forest into one of the flnest farms in the township. He is still living to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Ezra Hawley, a U. E. Loyalist and a native of New York State, came to Brant County in 1810, and located on 240 acres of land, purchased of a man named Crume, one of Butler's Rangers, who obtained it of the Indians. Mr. Hawley brought his wife and a nephew, Abram Hawley, whom he had adopted, not having any children of his own. . They suffered a great deal from the treachery ¦of the Indians, who thought they were " Yankees," during the first year of their residence here, and were frequently forced to put themselves under the pro tection of their neighbours. Abram Hawley was born at Catskill, New York, in 1806, and was four years of age when brought to this country by his uncle. He inherited his uncle's land, three miles east of Brantford, and resided on it luntil his death. He married Jane Barton and raised a family of ten children, three boys and seven girls, of whom all are surviving except one girl, and three are residents of Brant County. At the time of their settlernent here Mr. Haw- ley's nearest neighbours were the Westbrooks, who lived on Fairchild's Creek, where they had located many years previous to his entrance into the county. J. R. Ellis, Postmaster of Mount Pleasant, was born near that village, Sept. 11, 1811. He is a son of Allin Ellis, and was reared on the Ellis homestead at Mount Pleasant. Eventually he learned the carpenter trade, at which for a number of years he continued with success, and erected several fine residences in his neighbourhood. Subsequently he applied himself to the business of ¦cabinet-making, which occupied his attention for upwards of forty years. In September, 1880, he received the appointment of Postmaster of Mount Pleasant, ¦under Sir John A. Macdonald's administration. He married, Dec. 25, 1844, Janet Carlyle, a native of Cumberland, England, by whom he had six children. Mrs. Ellis is a near relative of the late Thomas Carlyle, the renowned English philosopher and essayist. In politics Mr. Ellis is a Conservative, and a member .of the Methodist Church. In the year 1812 the Winegarden family emigrated to Oaklafid Township. They were natives of Switzerland. Through hard work and thrift they suc ceeded well at farming. Isaac Winegarden, of Scotland Village, is a descendant ¦of this family. 182 history of brant county. During the stirring times of the War of 1812-14, in which Oakland Township has historical mention, Isaac Brock Malcolm was born. He was a son of Findlay Malcolm, a native of Nova Scotia, who came to this Province early in the pre sent or the latter part of the last century. The subject of this paragraph was born in Oakland on the 4th of August, 1812. He married Charlotte Smith, daughter of Isaac Smith, of Ancaster Township, Wentworth County, on the 2oth of November, 1835. At that time a great portion of Oakland was still in its primitive state, and the forests abounded with bear, deer and other game. Mr. Malcolm was a prominent pioneer citizen, a Reformer in politics, and a member of the Congregational Church. He was a successful farmer, owning at the time of his death a splendid farm of 280 acres, upon 100 of which his aged widow is still living. His children numbered six : Findlaj'-, Charlotte, Fannie, Abbie, Henry and Isaac. He died on the 2nd of May, 1856. Another of the pioneer fathers of the county was John Oles, who settled in Brantford Township at the time of the War of 1812. He took an active part in the war, and afterwards became a pensioner of that war. He has always, since his return from the army, made his home in Brantford Township. A sketch in detail of his life appears elsewhere in this work. Jacob A. Smith, a native of Pennsylvania, arrived in this county about the year 1813, and took up 131 acres of land in Burford Township. By industry and energy, this hardy pioneer made for himself and family a comfortable home, and left an honoured name for emulation by future generations; He died in 1853, having attained a hale old age. Along with the hardy pioneers who . arrived- in Canada early in the present century, and laid the foundation of the finest county in Ontario, came George Cunningham. He settled in Oakland Township, and did his part in clearing up the wilderness in an eminently successful manner. His wife, when a little girl, was taken from her parents, who in those turbulent times resided in the United States, and carried into captivity by a party of Indians on the war-path. How she was released has not been stated. Mr. Cunningham married her at Little York, now the City of Toronto. She died several years ago. After experiencing the vicissitudes of an early settler's life, the subject of this bio graphy succeeded in carving a substantial homestead out of the wilderness, and is to-day living in the enjoyment of* the results of a useful life. Somewhere about the year 1812 the Messecar family came to the territory that subsequently formed a portion of this county. They settled in Oakland Township, and set to work bravely to clear the forest. To-day their .descendants are very numerous in the vicinity of the Village of Scotland. Matthew Mes secar, the subject of this brief sketch, must have been very young when he came to Canada. He first settled in Norfolk County. His wife was a native of the State of New Jersey, her maiden name being Mary Clouse. He died in July, 1867. Stephen Burtch, farmer, Brantford Township, one of Brant County's sturdy pioneers, migrated to this Province in 1799, first locating at Niagara. He was born at Balltown, Mohawk River, New York State, in 1796, and came to this county in 1813. About the year 1807 he married Margaret Belanger, daughter of Jacob Belanger, a native of Germany, and had nine children born to him. He was one of those who in the early history of the county struggled with the 1^ -tSSi? ^¦ W -3 Alfred Watts. LOCAL history. 185 giants of the forest, and moulded a splendid homestead from the wilderness. Burtch Post Office, in the neighbourhood of his early settlement, was named after his family. He died in 1833, aged 66 years. Burford Township numbers among its early settlers Laurence Daniels, a native of Nova Scotia. He was born in 1800. When he arrived in the town.ship, in 1813, it was a complete wilderness. He, however, was equal to all emergencies, and, by unremitting effort, succeeded in overcoming the giants of the forest, and gained for himself and family a splendid homestead. He was one of the foremost men in the township during its early history, and for many years filled the office of Justice of the Peace. Wellington McAllister is another pioneer of Burford Township. He was born, in 1815, in the township, and as soon as he arrived at years of discretion, took up land, which he cleared and converted into a homestead for his family. He was married three times. His first wife was Samantha Brown, married June 20th, 1836 ; died July 2nd, 1842, leaving two children, viz., Welby E. and Albert H. His second was Elizabeth Smith ; married September 6th, 1843 ; died April 6th, 1861, and left seven children — Lewis, Sabina (deceased), Owen, Obedience, Elizabeth, Robert, and Arthur M. His third was Catherine Silverthorn ; married May 6, 1862 : have four children — Charles, Anna, Edith, aud Clara. Mr. McAllister and his two first wives were members of the Baptist Church ; his third wife is a Methodist, and is still living. David Burtch, J.P., farmer, Brantford Township, is one of the county's early born sons. He resides on the farm, where he was born November 23, 1815. On the 30th June, 1835, he married Anna Smith, daughter of Amos Smith, a native of New York State, to whom were born six children. Mr. Burtch is a prominent citizen, and received his appointment of Justice of the Peace from the Dominion Government. He is a son of Stephen Burtch, who came to Brant County from New York State in 1813, and a member of the Baptist Church. In the early part of the present century, about the year 1806, the Biggar family arrived in Canada. They came from a place named Biggar, in Scotland, and first sojourned in Lincoln County, Niagara District. Robert Biggar, of whom we write, subsequently removed his family to Stony Creek, Wentworth County, where he remained during the eventful years of 1812-13-14, and finally, in 1816, migrated to this county, and purchased 100 acres of land near Mount Pleasant, where he permanently resided. He was too advanced in years to serve his adopted country in the war, but three of his sons actively participated in the momentous events of that epoch as volunteers in the Militia. His advent to Brant was an important event, inasmuch as his name has since became a pro minent one, and must ever mark the pages of not only the pioneer but general history of the county. His sons have held positions of honour and trust in the county, one of them having been a member of the Legislature of Assembly ot Canada for the South Riding ; another an honoured minister of the Methodist Church, and for a number of years Treasurer of the county ; and still another, a useful member of Brantford Township's Municipal Council ; and they Were otherwise largely identified with the material and general progress of Brant. He married in Scotland Amelia Lauder, who bore him eleven children, of whom James Hamilton and Herbert are still residents of the county. After breasting successfully the privations and perils incident to pioneer life, and wresting 12 186 history OF brant county. from its primeval wildness a substantial homestead and comfortable surround ing, this hardy old settler laid down the burden of life in 1837, and was gathered to his fathers, leaving behind him an honoured record for emulation by his posterity. James Biggar was born at Biggar, a town in Scotland, in 1803, and came with his fathet to Canada in 1806. After halting for a number of years in the Niagara District, and a six years' sojourn at Stony Creek, Wentworth County, his father removed to this county, settling near Mount Pleasant, in the year 1816. In 1825, our subject marrieid a lady of the same name as his own, Jane,. daughter of one William Biggar. To them were born seven children : William (mentiohed elsewhere in this work), Robert L., Charles, Mary, Eliza, Jane and Nancy. Mr. Biggar was engaged in farming, having reaped abundantly the fruits of his labour up to the time of his death,, which occurred in August, 1879. Rev. Hamilton Biggar, ex-Treasurer of Brant County, another son of Robert Biggar, was born at'Queenston, in the old Niagara District, June 6, 1806. He came to the county with his father in 1816, remaining only a short time, when he went to Bay of Quinte to reside with an elder brother. He remained there until he became of age, and in the meantime attended the District School at Cobourg, and improved his advantages, limited as they must necessarily have been in those days, so that he was enabled to enter the ministry of the then existing Methodist Episcopal Church, with which he continued until the year 1833, when the two great bodies of Methodists — Episcopal and Wesleyan — united in one society. The early years of his ministry were devoted to mission ary work, a field of labour for which his natural talent and knowledge of the requirements of the times peculiarly adapted him. Among his marked achieve ments in this work was the successful establishment of the Chippewa Indian Mission at Rice Lake, in 1827. He remained there two years. Subsequently,. for a period af fourteen years, he was stationed on various important circuits, when he was appointed to the Mohawk Mission, labouring there for four years. He then became Treasurer of Cobourg College, a position which he filled for two years. After four years more of ministerial duties on the Grimsby and Dumfries circuits, Mr. Biggar, in 1852, retired from the regular ministry, and took up his residence in Brantford. When the County of Brant was created, 1853, he received the appointment of first County Treasurer, an office he held until 1867, when he resigned, owing to bodily infirmities, and retired from active participation in the cares of life. In 1832 he married Eliza Racey, of Mount Pleasant, and had born to him nine children. He died, from the effects of an accident, on the 20th of February, 1883, in the seventy-seventh year of his, age. Herbert Biggar, farmer. Mount Pleasant, also a son of Robert Biggar, was born at Queenston, Canada, January 6, 1809. Upon the removal of his father to Brant County in 1816, he grew to manhood on the homestead at Mount Pleasant. About 1838 or 1839 fie was engaged in mercantile pursuits in Brantford, but upon the death of his father retired to the home farm, and has since devoted himself to agriculture. He has been a member of the Township Council, and for seven years previous to 1860 represented the South Riding of Brant in the Legislative Assembly, to which he was elected in the Reiorm LOCAL HISTORY. 187 interest. For many years he has been a member of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, and a prominent member of the Canada Methodist Church. In April, 1831, he was united in marriage to Jane Ellis, of Mount Pleasant, by whom he had six children. She died in 1868, and Mr. Biggar subsequenth" married Mrs. Marian Long, of Brantford, who also died, December 15, 1882. Mr. Biggar still resides on his farm at Mount Pleasant. One of the most prominent pioneers who held positions of honour in the county was James Lacey. He came from England to Canada in 1803. In 1816 he settled at Mount Pleasant, where he erected a dwelling or cabin, which in those early days was considered an elegant affair. He was a Justice of the Peace for Brantford Township, and has filled the honourable office of Deputy Judge of the then Gore District. The exalted positions of trust and honour which it was his privilege to hold stamp him a man of more than ordinary talent, and his name will ever take a prominent place on the pages of pioneer history in Brant County. Mrs. Charlotte Elliot, relict of the late Rev. Adam Elliot, now residing near Onondaga Village, was his daughter. Her husband was in charge of the Church of England Tuscarora Indian Mission Church in Onondaga Township at the time of his death. Constan Eddy, and Ann Emmonds, his wife, were born in Oakland Township, the former on the 1st of April, and the latter, September 21st, 1817. They were married in Oakland on the 7th of November, 1837. Mrs. Eddy died on the '21st of September, 1848. Mr. Eddy is a successful farmer, and is still living. He was the father of Mr. John A. Eddy, the present Postmaster of Scotland Village. Daniel Southwick, a native of the State of Massachusetts, emigrated to Canada, and settled in Burford Township, in 1818. He was born on the 7th of June, 1794. He took up land on his advent to this county, and carved him self a fine homestead out of the forest, and engaged in farming until his death, September 30th, 1866. Thomas Armstrong settled in the Township of South Dumfries in 1818. His wife was Clarinda Rosebaugh, daughter of John Rosebaugh, of South Dumfries. She died on the 9th of September, 1861. Their children were John, Benjamin, Samuel and Thomas (deceased). Mr. Armstrong followed the business of farming. He died on the 20th oi January, 1868. About the year 1815 Jonathan Thomas came to Canada from Rutland^ Vermont, and in 1818 settled in the Township of South Dumfries. He pur chased land from the Hon. William Dickson, who owned the greater part of the township at that time, and commenced his career as a farmer in this county. His son Sidney Thomas now resides on the same farm. He died in April, 1869. Mrs. Thomas was a native of the State of New York. Henry Cunningham, son of George Cunningham, whose sketch appears elsewhere, was born in Oakland Township in 1819. On the 3rd of March, 1858, he married Hannah Shetland, who still sur^vives him. 1 hey had one son, Charles, at present residing with his mother. Mr. Cunningham died October 30th, 1860. Zacharias Clump came to Canada about 1819, and located on a farm in the Township of South Dumfries. He was a native of the State of New York, as was also his wife, who came to this Province about the same time. They were 188 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. married here. Their son, Cornelius Clump, is now residing on the old homestead. Another early settler in South Dumfries was Andrew D. VanEvery. He was a native of New York State, and came to Canada early in the present century. Some years later, 1819, he located on a wild lot in South Dumfries Township. His wife's maiden name was Nancy VanSellas,. She died on the 2nd of December, 1880, having been the mother of 14 children, of whom Samuel, John, William N., Jane, Malinda, Lemuel, Rachel, Ellen, George and Mary Ann are still living, and Sarah, Martha, Mary and Wilhelmina are dead. Mr. VanEvery carried on the operations of farming through a long and not uneventful life, and died July 25th, 1873. A year later Lewis German came to the Province and settled in South Dumfries, 1820. He was a native of New York City. Mr. German was mar ried and had four children. His wife died on the 1 0th of May, 1 841. He spent his life in pastoral occupations, and died on the 13th of December, 1859. Francis Fairchild is a native of Oakland Township. His father and mother both emigrated from the United States. The subject of this sketch was born on the 11th of April, 1820. He married Priscilla J. Harris on the 16th of June, 1842, the children by this union being Melissa, Helen M., James H., Francis A., Isaac E., Ruby A. and Alberta, all living. His wife dying April 27th, 1862, he married a second time, in 1867, his wife's former name being Eliza Margins. There are no children by this marriage. Mr. Fairchild is a farmer, has held a commission as first lieutenant in the Canadian Militia, and for fifteen years filled the office of deacon of the Baptist Church, of which both his ¦«dves were members. Jacob Bonham emigrated to Canada in the year 1806, and settled in the Township of South Dumfries in 1820. He was a native of Pennsylvania, and farmed successfully ih the land of his adoption until he died, October 9th, 1871. His widow, nearly 73 years old, still survives him. Peter Malcolm settled in Burford Township some time previous to 1820, and took up land near the Village of Scotland. He married Elizabeth Slaught. They have eight children, viz., Augustus, Myra, Belinda, Hugh, Mary, Henry, Ezra and Abigail. Mr. Malcolm is a farmer. Edwin Sayler was a native of Oakland Township. He was born prior to 1820, and carried on farming successfully. His wife's maiden name was Cath arine Mclntyre. He died on the 24th of July, 1856. ¦Jonah Howell settled in South Dumfries in 1820, and took up a new farm. Mrs. Howell's maiden name was Mary Waugh. They are both dead. Nathaniel E. Mainwaring located on a new farm in South Dumfries in 1820,' having come frorn the State of Connecticut in the spring of that year. He was a successful farmer, and died June 7th, 1852. Nathaniel E. Mainwaring, M.D., of St. George, came with his father to South Dumfries from Connecticut on the 1st of April, 1820. He was born on the 14th of October, 1814, and married Rebecca Stimson, daughter of Dr. Elam Stimson, of Gait. He chose the medical profession for his career through life, and has succeeded in establishing a large practice in South Dumfries. He is still living at St. George. LOCAL HISTORY. 189 CHAPTER IV. County Officers and Representatives to County Council. Sheriff. — John Smith, of Paris, Ontario, wa.s commissioned first Sheriff, under Lord Elgin'i administration, on the 21st of January, 1853, and is Sheriff at the present day. County Judge. — Stephen James Jones was appointed to this office on the 21st January, 1853. At this time he was a partner of the law firm in Hamilton, in which the late S. B. Freeman, Q.C., was associated. Mr. Jones still fills the office. County Attorney. — George R. VanNorman, Senr., Q.C., received the appoint ment in March, 1859, and still holds office. Clerk of the Peace. — The late John Cameron was appointed Clerk of the Peace on June 15th, 1853, which office he held up to the date of his death, June loth, 1875. He was succeeded by George R. VanNorman, Senr., Q.C. Deputy Clerk of the Crown. — The late Edmund Burke Wood, for some years Chief Justice of Manitoba, and who died there in 1882, received the appoint ment to this office in January, 1853, and held it for only two years, when he was succeeded by Duncan Cameron (brother of the late John and Honourable Matthe-w Crooks Cameron), in 1856. On the death of Duncan Cameron, in 1861, John M. Goodson was appointed as his successor, and was superseded by Mr. Walter Rubidge, the present Deputv Clerk of the Cro-svn, on June 4th, 1868. Clerk of the County Court. — [The notes to the "Deputy Clerk of the Crown" are applicable throughout to this office.] Registrar. — Thomas S. Shenston, the present Registrar, obtained his appoint ment in 1853. The following is a list of County Officers and Representatives to the County Council, from the date of the organization of the County up to 1883 ; Year. Wardens. County Clerks. Treasurers. 1853 18541855 18561857 1858 Eliakim Malcolm tt Allen Good Chas. S. Periey Daniel Anderson tt John Cameron . ittt Hamilton Biggar 190 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Year. Wardens. County Clerks. Treasurers. 1859 Charles Hedgers .... John Cameron. Hamilton Biggar. 1860 Thomas Conboy tt tt 1861 William Patton .... it it 1862 Arch. McEwen tt tt 1863 William Mullen .... it ti 1864 Charles Hedgers it a 1865 John Lawrence .... It ** 1866 William Turnbull . tt a 1867 I. B. Henry . . . . a Charles R. Biggar. 1868 S. D. Malcolm tt it 1869 F. H. Leonard .... tt it 1870 Matthew Whiting . tt " 1871 L. B. D. Lapierre it a 1872 Andrew H. Baird . tt a 1873 W. S. Campbell . . . . It it 1874 Arch. Harley .... It a 1875 Robert Burt . . . . H. McK. Wilson. it 1876 William Thompson . (( Wm S. Campbell. 1877 Matthew Whiting it li 1878 C. Edmondson it (1 1879 Matthew Whiting li (t 1880 Thomas O'Neail . It ti 1881 Thos. W. Charlton a li 1882 William Devlin it It 1883 William Roddick tt « Mr. Hamilton Biggar resigned the office of Treasurer on the 22nd June, 1866, and was succeeded by Mr. Charles R. Biggar on 1st July following. Mr. John Cameron died on 15th June, 1875, and was succeeded as Clerk on the 1st of the same month by Mr. Hugh McK. Wilson. For six or seven months previous to Mr. Cameron's death, and during his illness, the office of County Clerk was filled by Mr. R. M. Willson, the present Clerk of Brantford Township Council. Mr. Chas. R. Biggar resigned the office of Treasurer on the 11th of March, 1875, and was succeeded by Mr. Wm. S. Campbell on the 17th of the same month. Year. Auditors. Solicitors. • 1853 1854 1855 A. B. Bennett, R. R. Strobridge, R. R. Strobridge, Franklin P, Good . . James Wilkes, Wellesley Johnstone, . John Cameron. ti ti local history. 191 Year. Auditors. Solicitors. 1856 Wellesley Johnstone, Thomas Bothan 1, . John Cameron. 1857 Wm. H. Morgan, G. Varey, It 1858 Thomas James, James Grace, it 1859 Douglass Stevenson, W. B. Hurst, ti 1860 W. D. Soules, it 1861 John C. Shultz, it 1862 ti t{ a 1863 James McKay, Eobert McLean, tt 1864 Allen Good, Wm. D. Soules, it 1865 " Samuel Stanton, " 1866 cc (( tt 1867 tt it ti 1868 ti it it 1869 11 a a 1870 U 11 tt 1871 it (t 4 1872 it %i • ii 1873 a a a 1874 C( ii ii 1875 David R. Dickson, Wm. Turnbull, . Wilson & Smyth. 1876 (( a ii 1877 " Archd. Harley, tt 1878 Arehd. Harley, E. M. Willson, a 1879 it tt (C 1880 Thomas Newton, " ti 1881 R. M. Willson, Thomas Newton, u 1882 (( c* IC 1883 tt ti It On 6th March, Mr. James Woodyatt was appointed County Auditor in the place of Mr. James McKay, removed to United States. Town of Brantford. — Reeves. — 1853, James Woodyatt ; 1854, D. McKer- lie; 1855-6, John McNaught; 1857-8, Joseph D. Clement; 1859-60, Thomas Broughton ; 1861-2, James Wallace ; 1863, James Wevms ; 1864, Jos. Quinlan; 1865, John Elliott; 1866-7, George Watt; 1868, Alfred Watts ; 1869, Francis H. Leonard; 1870-71, Alfred Watts; 1872-3, Wm. J. Inilach; 1874, George H. Wilkes ; 1875, Alfred Watts ; 1876, Robert Phair ; 1877, John EUiott. Deputy Beeves. — 1853, James McMichael; 1854, "^V^. Matthews; 1855, John Elliott; 1856, Alex. Girvin; 1857-8, Henry Racey; 1859, John Comerford ; 1860, James Wallace ; 1861-2, Ebenezer Roy ; 1863, Wm. B. Hurst ; 1864, Jno. Montgomery ; 1865, George Watt ; 1866, John Montgomery ; 1867, J. Hum- burch, H. B. Leeming ; 1868, F. H. Leonard, John Comerford ; 1869-71, Wm. Paterson, W. J. Imlach ; 1872, Robert Phair, Geo. H. Wilkes, WiUiam Watt ; 1873, R. Phair, J. J. Hawkins, B. Hunn ; 1874, J. W. Digby, B. Hunn, George 192 history of brant coixtv. Watt ; 187-5, W, J. Scarfe, B. Hunn, E. Brophey ; 1876, E. Brophey, G. H. Wilkes, T. Palmer ; 1877, J. Ormerod, W. J. Scarie, J. J. Hawkins. Township of Brantford. — Reeves. — 1853, Benson Jones ; 1854, H. Phelps; 1855, Allen Good; 1857 to 1863, Arch. McEwen; 1863, James Campbell; 1864, Wm. Turnbull ; 1865, James Campbell ; 1866 to 1873, Wm. Turnbull ; 1873 to 1876, Wm. S. Campbell ; 1876, Arch. McEwen ; 1877 to 1880, Christopher Edmonson ; 1880, John Strickland ; 1881, James Reid ; 1882, Wm. Biggar ;. 1883, Wm. Roddick. Deputy-Reeves. — 1853, Lyman Chapin ; 1854, John Tennant; 1855-6, John Whiting; 1857 to 1860, John Tennant; 1860, Wm. Hunter; 1861, James Campbell ; 1862, Wm. Hunter ; 1863, Wm. Turnbull ; 1864, Wm. Hunter ; 1865, Wm. Turnbull ; 1866, Wm. Hunter ; 1867, H. G. Townsend, Geo. Bryce ; 1868, H. G. Townsend, Wm. Hunter ; 1869 to 1873, H. G. Townsend, Wm. S. Campbell; 1873 to 1876, H. G. Townsend, Chris. Edmondson; 1876, Chris. Edmondson, Alex. Duncan; 1877, Alex. Duncan, Thomas Sanderson; 1878, Wm. Roddick, James Reid ; 1879, Wm. Roddick, John Strickland ; 1880, James Reid, Wm. Biggar ; 1881, Wm. Roddick, Wm. Biggar ; 1882, Wm. Roddick, Daniel Whiting ; 1883, James A. Smith, Daniel Whiting. Township of Burford. — Reeves. — 1853, Charles S. Perley; 1855 to 1871, Charles Hedgers; 1871 to 1876, Arch. Harley; 1876-7-8, Wm. D. Bennett; 1879 tp 1883, Charles Hedgers ; >883, Thos. Lloyd Jones. Deputy -Reeves. — 1853-4, Isaac B. Henry ; 1855, Dr. Ross ; 1856, Charles S. Perley ; 1857 to 1860, Henry Taylor ; 1860 to 1863, Isaac B. Henry ; 1863 to 1867, William Hersee ; 1867 to 1871, J. B. Henry, Chas. Perley; 1871, Jacob Binsjham, Peter Doran ; 1872, Arch. McDonald ; 1873, Wm. D. Bennett, Ed. H. ParSell ; 1874, Wm. D. Bennett, Paul Huffman ; 1875, Wm. D. Bennett, Wm. Lumsden ; 1876, Isaac B. Merritt, Paul Huffman ; 1877, Paul Huffman ; 1878, Paul Huffman, Alex. Mclrvins ; 1879, John T. Muir, Alex. ]\lclrvins ; 1880-81, Wm. Bonney, Thomas Lloyd Jones ; 1882-3, Alex. Mclrvins, James Harley. Township of South Dumfries. — Reeves. — 1853 to 1870, Daniel Anderson; 1870, Wm. Mullen ; 1871 to 1876, Robert Burt ; 1876-7, James Deans ; 1878, L. B. D. Lapiere ; 1879-81, Thos. W. Charlton ; 1882-3, Alfred Kitchen. Deputy-Reeves.— 1853 to 1869, Wm. Mullen ; 1869 to 1875, Lewis B. D. Lapiere ; 1875, James Deans ; 1876-7, Alfred Kitchen ; 1878, Thomas W. Charlton ; 1879-81, Daniel Burt ; 1882-3, John McRuer. Township of Onondaga. — Reeves. — 1853, Geo. Yonell ; 1854, W. N. Algar ; 1855, Mulligan; 1856, W. N. Algar; 1857 to 1861, Thos. Conbov; 1861, Matthew Whiting ; 1862, Richard Harris; 1863 to 1866, Matthew Whiting ; 1866, Bradshaw McMurray ; 1867-8, Wm. Hamilton; 1869 to 1883, Matthew Whiting ; 1883, Alexander Douglas. Township of Oakland. — Reeves. — 1853 to 1857, Eliakim Malclom ; 1857,. Gharies Chapin; 1858 to 1863, William Thompson; 1863, John Eddy;. 1864, S. D. Malcolm ; 1865, Eliakim Malcolm ; 1866, Wellington McAllister ; 1867-8, Shubael D.Malcolm; 1869, Charles Chapin; 1870 to 1874, William Thompson; 1874-5, Smith Beebe; 1876, William Thompson; 1877, Smith Beebe ; 1878-9, Eliakim Malcolm ; 1880, William Devlin, present incumbent. Town of Paris. — Reeves. — 1853, Charles Whitlaw; 1854, Hiram Capron;. 1855, Hugh Finlayson ; 1856, Charles Whitlaw; 1857, Hiram Capron; 1858,. LOCAL HISTORY. 193 Hugh Finlayson; 1859, Norman Hamilton; 1860-61, Wm. Patton; 1862 to 1867, John Lawrence, M.D. ; 1867-8, Norman Hamilton ; 1869-70, John Law rence, M.D. ; 1871-2, Andrew H. Baird ; 1873-4, Henry Hart ; 1875-6, A. H. Baird ; 1877, Thomas Hall ; 1878-9-80, Thomas O'Neail ; 1881, David Brown ;, 1882-3, Robert Thomas. Deputy Reeves. — 1853 to 1856, none ; 1856, Wm. Patton ; 1857-8, Norman Hamilton ; 1859, Charles Arnold ; 1860-61, John Lawrence, M.D. ; 1862, Nor man Hamilton ; 1863 to 1867, Robert Thomson ; 1867, Henry Hart ; 1868 to 1871, Andrew H. Baird; 1871, Eobert Thomson; 1872, Matthew X. Carr; 1873-4, Geo. Angus ; 1875, Robert Patterson ; 1876, Thomas Hall ; 1877, Thos. O'Neail; 1878, Henry Hart; 1879-80, David Brown; 1881-2, John Arnold;. 1883, James H. Hackland. 194 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. CHAPTER V. Educational. — Institute for the Blind. — Young Ladies' College of Brantford. Educational. By M. J. Kellt, LL.B., M.D. The progress of public education in Ontario during the last thirty years has been very great. Nowhere else on this coiitinent is the system of popular instruction more satisfactory and symmetrical. In 1851 the corner stone of the present Normal and Model School buildings in Toronto was laid by the Earl of Elgin, then Governor-General of Canada, and one of the most accom plished Viceroys we have ever had. In 1852 they were opened with imposing ceremonies. Another Normal School — a fine stone structure — was erected in the City of Ottawa a few years ago to supply the wants of the eastern section of the Province, and subsequently a Model School was added. From these Normal Schools thousands of teachers have been . graduated to supply the schools of Ontario, and to introduce therein the latest and most approved methods of instruction. The number of Public Schools in the Province is about 5,000. These are all free ; the number of High Schools and Collegiate Institutes about 100. In some of these a small term fee is charged the pupils ; in others the tuition is free. In the Public Schools pupils are prepared for entrance to the High Schools and Collegiate Institutes, and in the latter for matriculation into the Universities and learned professions. The chartered Universities are eight in number : The Ottawa University (R.C.) ; Queen's University (Kingston, Presbyterian) ; Regiopolis (Kingston, R.C.) ; Albert (Belleville, Methodist, E.) ; Victoria (Cobourg, Methodist, CM.) ; Toronto University (Toronto, non-denominational) ; Trinity (Toronto, Church of England) ; Western University (London). In addition to these a School of Practical Science has been established in Toronto, the structure for its accom modation being adjacent to University College, and costing something over $30,000. This is for the better instruction of engineers, surveyors and mechanics in technical knowledge. Upper Canada College, in the same city, is our oldest, best known and most richly endowed institution of the High School class. These, together with St. Michael's College, Knox College, Wycliffe College, and the McMaster Hall, recently erected in the University grounds, mostly through the munificence of Senator McMaster, are now in affiliation with the University of Toronto. local history. 195 In 1871 the total number of students connected with the University was 244, of whom only 172 were matriculated ; in 1881 the number had risen to 351, of whom 295 were pursuing the full course for the degree of Bachelor of Arts. This increased attendance at our highest Provincial seat of learning {and the attendance at the denominational universities has been pari passu) serves to show how much the efficiency of the High Schools of Ontario has improved in the interval. But this is not all. To the same period are we indebted for the foundation of the Agricultural College at Guelph, the Insti tute for Instruction of the Blind at Brantford, the Institute for Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb at Belleville, the Royal Military College at Kingston, all, except the last. Provincial institutions; Pickering College, and colleges for the higher education of young ladies at Ottawa, Whitby, Brantford and St. Thomas, denominational institutions. These evidences of Provincial progress in education are apparent in every county. In the matter of Public and High School accommodation there has been a remarkable change for the better. Take the County of Brant as an example. In South Dumfries, in the ten years interval mentioned above, new brick school houses of a very superior class, and of varied styles of architecture, have been built in school sections Nos. 2, 6, 10, 7 and 27; in Brantford Township, in No.s. 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20, 22, 23 ; in Onondaga, in Nos. 5 and 6 ; in Oakland, in No. 4 ; in Burford, in Nos. 4, 8, 9, 11, 20, 21, 22 and 23. Many others have undergone repairs, The school grounds, too, have for the most part been enclosed and much improved by the planting of maple and evergreen trees. As further evidence of progress, consider the increase in school libraries. During the same time new libraries have- been established in school sections Nos. 3, 5, 6, 10 and 27, South Dumfries ; in Nos. 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,' 22 and 23, Brantford ; in Nos. 2 and 6, Onondaga ; in Nos. 1 and 4, Oak land ; in Nos. 3, 8, 16 and 25, Burford. The equipment of the schools, outside of the libraries, has also been much improved ;, museums (in a few instances), clocks and bells, better maps and globes have been furnished, and books of reference, such as Worcester's Pronouncing Dictionary, and Beeton's or Cassell's Biographical Dictionaries. The number of volumes in the Public School Libraries of the county is 5,678. The Mechanics' Institute Library at St. ¦George has over 600 vols. The Paris Mechanics' Institute Library has 3,500 vols., and that of Brantford about 4,500 vols. To the last two reading rooms are attached, which are well supplied with magazines and newspapers, are open to subscribers and strangers every week day, and are well patronized. Before 1852, what is nowthe County of Brant had no existence as aseparate and distinct municipality. Previous to this time the Public Schools (then called ¦Common Schools) were under the supervision of District Superintendents, of whom the late Patrick Thornton, Esq., of Dundas, is the best known. Mr. Thornton had been for many years an exceptionally successful teacher in Hamilton and elsewhere, in the old Gore District, before his appointment as superintendent. He was a well informed gentleman, of a fine presence and agreeable manners. After the formation of the county, local superintendents were appointed usually one for each township. Of these, the Rev. John Dun bar, late of Glenmorris, and now resident in Dumbarton, County of Ontario, was longest in office, and held for a number of years the position of Chairman 196 history of brant county. of the County Board of Education, of 'which the principal duty was the exami nation of teachers. In 1871, an Act was passed by the Provincial Legislature,. which has made great and radical changes in the system of public instruction in Ontario. This Act provided, among other things, for the appointment of County Inspectors of Public Schools ; and on June of the same year. Dr. M. J. Kelly, of Brantford, w^s selected for that office. Of the teachers in the county at the time of its formation and before that period, the following may be men tioned : Messrs. W. E. Wilding, Jno. McLean, Senr., John McLean, Junr., T. B. McLean, C. Devine, Wellesley Johnson, Thomas James, Thomas Potts, Senr., Orpheus Robinson, David Baptie, Oliver 0. Kenny, and John Patton. None of these are now in the profession. The Township of Onondaga and a large portion of the Township of Brantford were originally an Indian Reserve, and therefore the history of education in these dates somewhat later than in the other townships. Captain White was the first teacher in the Township of Burford. He taught in a log school house which stood near the residence of C. P. Fowler, on Burford Street. This was from 1808 to 1811. In Onondaga,. the first school was established on the farm of Thomas Gilmore in the year 1841, and was taught by a Mr. Shannon. The second was founded in 1842, near the mouth of Big Creek, and was conducted by Mr. David Dick. The first school in what is now the City of Brantford was held in a two-story frame building erected on the market square, and which served for town hall, court room, meeting house and .school house. This was about 1826. In 1850, the west wing of the present Central School was erected, and three years later the three ward school houses. The first Grammar School (the names " Grammar " and " Common Schools " were changed to " High " and " Public Schools " by the Act of 1871) in Brant ford was held in a small frame cottage on Nelson Street, where the fine resi dence of J.' H. Stratford, Esq., now stands. This was taught by Mr. .Tyner, an honour graduate of Toronto University, in 1853-4-5. In 1857, the Grammar School was united with the Common Schools of the town, and remained so for nearly ten years, when a separation took place. Since then the High School has become a Collegiate Institute ; the small brick cottage in the East Ward, with its two teachers, has been exchanged for the present elegant and com modious structure on George Street, with a staff consisting of a head master, a first and second classical master, a first and second mathematical master, a master for the modern languages, an English master, and a teacher of paint ing and drawing. The number of students in attendance is nearly 300. In 1852, there were three public school houses in Brantford, with six teachers, and a total enrolled attendance of 785 pupils. In 1882, there were four school houses — superior brick buildings— with twenty-nine teachers, and an enrolled attendance of 2,038 pupils. The average attendance at the first date was 324, or 41 per cent. ; at the last date it was 1,400, or 69 per cent. The amount paid in salaries in 1852 was $1,860 _; last year it was $9,027.78 ; the amount received from Legislative and Municipal grants was $1,272, against $14,485 from the same sources in 1882. The Town of Paris has four school houses, three of brick and one of concrete. The High School has been for a great number of years united with the Public Schools. The head master of the High School, Mr. J. W. Acres, B.A., has held the position since 1857. The Central local history. 197 School building in which the High School departments, two in number, are situated, is erected on an elevation of considerable height, and commands an extensive and beautiful view of the town and surrounding country. Of the three ward schools that in the King's Ward, a two-story brick building, recently erected, is much the best. There are nine departments in the Public Schools, with nine teachers. The amount paid in salaries 30 years ago (Paris was then a village), was $1,237; now it is $4,677.97. In the rural schools of the county in 1852, the amount received in Legisla tive and Municipal grants was $3,080 ; last year it was $5,070. Salaries paid then, $11,402 ; salaries paid now, $23,851 ; total enrolled attendance then, 3,334, now it is 4,375 ; average attendance, 1,762 in 1852 ; in 1882 it was 2,302. In 1852, two rural school houses were brick, forty-six frame, and ten log. In 1882,there were, brick, foity-five; stone, two; concrete, four; frame, nine teen ; log, one. About 25 years ago. Grammar or High Schools were established in the Villages of Mount Pleasant and Scotland ; these were closed about seven years ago. In addition to the Public and High Schools of the county, there is in the immediate vicinity of the City of Brantford, the Institute for the Blind, a provincial establishment well worthy of a visit ; and within the city, the Brantford Young Ladies' College, most delightfully situated on Brant Avenue. The buildings and grounds, in architectural finish and artistic beauty, are unsur passed in Ontario. The College is in a very flourishing condition. The record of the schools of the county would not be complete without some reference to those established for the instruction of the Indians on the Reserve. These scliools are supported by the New England Company, the Six Nations, and the Indian Department at Ottawa. The first grant of the New England Company for Indian school purposes was made to Captain .John Brant, son of the great chief, in 1822. This was for the erection of the "Mohawk." school house, near the old cfourch, and the "Oneida" school house in Cainsville. The school master's house is still standing on the right-hand of the road as you go from Brantford. In 1832, at the time of Captain John Brant's death, the New England Company supported seven schools on the Reserve, In 1850, the Mohawk Institute was established " for teaching handicraft trades." In 1853 it became a boarding school for ten boys and ten girls. Rebuilt in 1859, it was subsequently enlarged, and it has for many years accommodated forty-five boys and forty-five girls, who are all boarded, lodged, clothed and educated free of charge. During the four years ending 31st December, 1881, one hundred and fifty-six Indian boys and girls Lad passed through the Institute. Of this estab lishment and the schools on the Eeserve, the missionaries (C. E.) appointed by the Company had control. The Rev. Robert Lugger had charge from 1827 to 1837 ; Rev Archdeacon Nelles from 1837 to 1872. Since the last date Mr. E. Ashton has been superintendent. The number of school houses on the Reserve at present, and supported by the Company, is eight. The total number of pupils enrolled for 1882, was 477 ; average attendance, 155 ; number examined, 197; number promoted, IIG. The expenses of these schools are defrayed as follows : NcM^ England Company's Annual Grant, si, 500 ; Six Nations' Annual Grant, $1,500 ; Indian Department, Ottawa, Annual Grant, $400. Attached to the Institute is a large farm on which the bays are taught practical agriculture. The expenses are kept well within the receipts. 198 history of BRANT COUNTY. Ontario Institution for the Education and Instruction of the Blind. A rising ground to the north-west of the City of Brantford, at the distance of a mile from Colborne Street, is the site of one of the noblest public institutions of the Province, the Ontario Institution for the Education and Instruction of the Blind. Shortly after the confederation of the British North American Pro vinces and the concession of local self-government to each and all of them, it became evident that the revenues of Ontario from the public demesne, and the subsidy received annually from the Dominion, would exceed for some years to come the expenditure for current purposes of government. It was the proba bility — soon to become an accomplished fact — of a considerable surplus accru ing in the hands of the Provincial Treasurer, that suggested the alleviation of human suffering on the one hand, and the amelioration of private and municipal burdens on the other, by the erection of additional asylums for the lunatic and idiotic, and of institutions for the education of the blind and the deaf and dumb population, to be supported largely, if not altogether, at the expense of the pub lic treasury. At that period the accommodation for lunatics was far too limited;. for the care and training of idiots there existed no public provision whatever, and the education of the blind and the deaf and dumb, was left entirely to private enterprise on a very small scale, wholly inadequate to the wants of the community. The first vote of the Legislative Assembly for the purchase of a site and the erection of an Institution for the Blind, amounting to $75,000, was submitted to the Legislature by the Government of the Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald in December, 1869. One of the vexed questions of the day was whether the sites of and estimates for the projected public buildings should be presented beforehand for the approval of the Legislature, or whether the Govern ment should effect purchases and issue contracts as executive acts, subject only to their general responsibility to the House and country. The. journals of 1869 contain evidence of this controversy, in which, however, the Government was sustained by large majorities. The Treasurer of the Administration was the Hon. Edmund Burke Wood, the late Chief-Justice of Manitoba, who then represented the electoral division of South Brant in both the local and federal Parliaments. It was probably due to Mr. Wood's influence that Brantford was selected as the site of the Institution for the Blind, although the soundness of the judgment which ratified his choice has scarcely been called in question. The estate purchased by the Government was known as the Digby Farm, 65J acres in extent, the southerly and larger portion being flat and suited for agri cultural purposes, while the rear, or north-westerly portion, is on an elevation which commands a view of the city to the south-east, of the Grand River, which forms a bold curve at a short distance from the western boundary, and, as a whole, of one of the loveliest landscapes in Canada, which, if the blind are debarred from its contemplation, is a never-ceasing object of delight to all others. Of the healthiness of the situation, with its dry, sandy soil, there is no doubt, and even a little bleakness and inclemency are more than atoned for by the invigorating and bracing influences that are secured in return for these slight drawbacks. The main building, with its frontage of some three hundred feet and central tower, is in the " Tudor " style of architecture, having to the rear an extension local history. 199- two hundred and fifty feet in length, in which are situated the servants' apart ments, kitchens, store-rooms, bakery, laundry, and engine and boiler rooms, the latter being the source from which the whole of the vast edifice is warmed by steam, and supplied throughout with hot water. A little to the west and rear of the main building are the workshops, where the male pupils are instructed in willow-chair and basket work, and behind these again are the farm baildings. To the east of the main building at some little distance, and near to the Paris Road and Grand Trunk Railway, are the houses of the Principal and Bursar, while at the entrance to the grounds from Palmerston Avenue is the cottage of the Chief Engineer. Ten years ago the hill on which the Institution stands was a treeless waste. But great progress has been made in its ornamentation, and in summer, when the numerous trees are in leaf, it presents a delightful and picturesque appear ance. Travellers by the Norwich and Tilsonburg Railway, or upon the Burford Road, obtain the best view of this beautiful site and its commanding structure. From half to two-thirds of the estate is under cultivation, and produces, besides a quantity of fruit, all the roots and vegetables required for the Institu tion and the farm stock. A spring on the gTounds gives, by means of tanks filled by a powerful pumping engine, an inexhaustible supply of the purest water. The circumstances of the blind require arrangements of a special nature, in which ample space and perfect safety are combined, for their exercise and recreation. These are secured by broad plank walks traversing the grounds in various directions, and used by the male and female pupils respectively. The latter are, under certain restrictions, allowed to visit the city, and the whole of the pupils, in charge of guides, attend Divine Service at the churches of their several denominations on Sunday forenoon. The staff of the Institution consists of a Principal, Bursar, five teachers in the literary department, five in music, two instructresses, and two assistants in machine and hand-sewing and knitting respectively ; a trades instructor at the head of the male pupils' industrial department ; a matron who takes charge of the whole domestic arrangements ; two nurses, thirteen domestic servants, an engineer with two assistants, a carpenter, baker, gardener or farmer, and two - farm hands, and a physician who attends daily to all cases requiring his advice or assistance. The annual appropriation for maintenance amounts to nearly $33,000, and up to the close of the last financial year the expenditure on capital account had exceeded $200,000. 'While any improvements suggested by experience ¦Bre effected in a liberal spirit, the building as a whole is well adapted for its designed purposes. The wide and well-ventilated corridors, numerous class rooms, and warm but airy dormitories, the large music hall, with its tine pipe- organ, meet, in a large degree, the necessities of the class in whose behalf the Institution has been established. The Institution opened in May, 1872 (the Hon. Edward Blake's Government being then in power), with 7 pupils, and at one period contained a pupil popidation of no less than 182. At the present time the latter consists of 77 males and 64 females, or a total of 141. The first Prin cipal was Dr. E. Stone Wiggins, now of the Finance Department, ' Ottawa ; he was succeeded in 1874 by Mr. J. Howard Hunter, M.A., formerly well known in connection with the High School system of the Province, and now "200 history of brant county Inspector of Provincial Insurance Companies ; and that gentleman again, in April, 1881, by the present Principal, Mr. A. H. Dymond, for some years on the editorial staff of the Toronto Globe, and member for the North Riding of York in the Dominion Parliament. In common with other public institutions, the Blind Institute is under the direction of the Department of Prisons, Asylums and Charities. From a table appended to the Inspector's Report for 1881, it appears that up to the 30th September of that year 168 male and 140 female pupils — 308 in all — had been admitted to the benefits of the Institution. Of these, 77 were returned as having been born blind ; 62 became blind when less than one year old ; 157 at ages from one to twenty, and 9 when over twenty, while of 3 there is no record. The object of the Institution is, not to provide an asylum for the aged and helpless, but to secure for the blind youth of the Province instruction they cannot, by reason of their physical defect, receive at the Public Schools. The Institution is, in fact, supplementary to the admirable Public School system which has made Ontario famous, and done her statesmen so much honour; Any young person between seven and twenty-one years of age, resident in the Province of Ontario, in reasonably good health, and without any other physical defect than blindness, who, by reason of such blindness or impaired vision is unable to be educated by ordinary methods, may claim admission. Adults are only admitted under very special circumstances and by the direct authority of the Government Inspector, their presence being found objectionable in most cases in an institution primarily devoted to the education of the young. From the report recently issued for 1 882, it is shown that during the present session 77 of the pupils receive instruction in music, vocal or instrumental ; 31 are instructed in machine and hand knitting, 41 in sewing and needle work, and 30 youths in willow work, while, with the exception of about five- and-twenty, all the pupils take lessons in some or other of the literary classes. The subjects embraced under the latter head are : arithmetic ; grammar and correct languge; geography, taught objectively by the aid of raised sectional maps ; reading in embossed type and point print ; English literature, com prising a knowledge of leading authors and poets, from Chaucer onwards ; writing in point print and ordinary letter ; history ; object-lessons, including natural history in its various branches ; and chemistry as applied to common things. In the musical department are classes in the pipe organ, in vocal music, in composition, harmony, theory, etc., in music writing by the point print method, and in the pianoforte, reed-organ and violin. The industrial work comprises machine-knitting, which is found to be a most useful and practical form of employment for the blind ; hand-knitting, in which most of the female and a few of the male pupils take an interest; machine-sewing, including the use of all the machine attachments ; hand-sewing, cutting-out and fitting ; bead, crochet, and other fancy work ; pianoforte-tuning, for which many pupils have a decided talent ; and willow work. The latter is a specialty of the Brantford Institute, the system of models by which blind persons are enabled to make chairs and baskets of various kinds being largely due to the ingenuity and enthusiastic devotion to the work of blind instruction of Mr. Thomas Truss, the Trades Instructor. Blind youths who graduate as skilled workmen from this department receive, subject to general good conduct, an 6la<^ //^ ^<^^^dA^i^€^4^jz^ local history. 203 outfit of models and materials, of from $80 to $100 in value. Not a few young men in different parts of the Province are earning an excellent livelihood in this line of business, their success having its origin in the training and encour agement received at Brantford. The original intention of the Government was to exact an annual jpayment for each pupil's maintenance from friends or from municipalities. But these arrangements were so often abrogated in practice that nothing beyond a provision of requisite clothing and travelling expenses is now required, board and instruction being virtually free. The institution is an object of great interest to the citizens of Brantford, who are ever ready to exchange courtesies with its officers and pupils, and attend the periodical concerts given by the latter in large numbers. The session lasts from early in September to the middle of the following June. A three months' holiday is given in the summer. All the pupils are removed during the vacation. During the session visitors are admitted in school hours on simply presenting themselves any day in the week except Saturday and Sunday, and are conducted through the whole building and class-rooms by a blind but most intelligent lady attendant. The Young Ladies' College. The Brantford Young Ladies' College (in connection with the Presbyterian Church of Canada) was organized March 24, 1874, and incorporated by Letters Patent, dated Sept. 16, 1874, with an authorized capital of $60,000. A public meeting was held in the City Council Chamber on the 24th March, 1874 — Rev. Wm. Cochrane, D.D., in the chair — to consider the advisability of establishing such an institution. Several prominent gentlemen of the city favoured the undertaking, and the followdng resolutions were unanimously carried : " That in the opinion of this meeting it is highly desirable that a Ladies' College be established in Brantford ; that it is desirable that as a guarantee of the edu cational and moral training of the pupils, said College should be in connection with one of the Evangelical denominations; and that as the Episcopal, the Methodist and the Baptist Churches have already successfully established such institutions in Ontario, it is considered advisable that the said College should be in connection with the Presbyterian Church." A committee was appointed, with Mr. A. Robertson as chairman, to give effect to the above resolution, and on the 12th May following the College was formally organized, with the follow ing as the first Board of Directors: — A. Eobertson, Manager Bank of British North America, President ; H. W. Brethour, Vice-President ; James Ker, Treasurer; B. F. Fitch, Secretary ; Wm. Watt, Senr., Rev. Wm. Cochrane, Alex. Robertson (Brant Avenue), George H. Wilkes, and Thomas McLean. The handsome residence and grounds of the late Hon. E. B. Wood, Chief Justice of Manitoba, were purchased for College purposes, and the building extended so as to give suitable accommodation for about eighty boarders, at a cost of about $50,000. The inscription stone of the building was laid by Her Excellency, the Countess of Dufferin, on the 24th August, 1874, and the Col lege was formally opened in the following October. The first Principal was Wm. Clarke, M.D. He was succeeded by Rev. A. F. Kemp, M.A, LL.D., who was followed in 1878 by the present Principal, T. M. Macintyre, M.A., LLB. 13 204 HISTORY OF brant COUNTY. For several years the Rev. Wm. Cochrane, M.A., D.D., who took a very active part in the founding of the College, was associated with the staff as President of the Faculty. The College is now well established and equipped, and both in its literary course and in the departments of music and fine arts, it has taken first rank as an institution for the higher education of ladies. The literary course extends over three years, and students completing their course satisfactorily are awarded diplomas. The usual examinations are conducted by outside examiners ap pointed by the Board of Directors ; and since 1879 the Urnversity of Toronto has held local examinations in the College for students who prepare themselves for the University groups of study. During the past four years twenty-five young ladies have passed this satisfactory test of scholarship. His Excellency the Governor-General gives annually a silver medal for competition in the Uni versity studies, and the College was visited in 1880 by the Marquis of Lome and Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise. On that occasion the Princess presented the Governor's medal to the successful candidate. The session now in progress is the most prosperous in the history of the College; Students are attracted to it from all parts of the Dominion, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and from the United States. The following is the present Board of Directors : President, A. Robertson, "Manager Bank of British North America ; Vice-President, William Buck ; Secretary, H. B. Leeming ; Treasurer, Thomas McLean; William Watt, Wm. Nichol, M".D., Robert Henry, Charles B. Heyd,. and George Foster ; Visitor and Honorary Director, Rev. 'Wm. Cochrane, D.D. LOCAL HISTORY. 205' CHAPTER VI. The Press. — Medical Profession. — Bench and Bar. The Press. The first journal published in Brantford was a small paper called the Sentinel; it represented the Conservative interest, and was edited by Mr. Keeler. It lasted two years. On December the 5th, 1834, Mr. Thomas Lemmon arrived in Brantford from Ireland, and the Sentinel was merged in a larger and more ambitious paper, the Courier. In the columns of this paper appeared many clever articles from the pen of Mrs. Keeler, a daughter of Mr. Thomas Lemmon, now Mrs. Hart. Mr. Keeler subsequently went to the States ; Mr. Lemmon, the elder, survived some ten years, the Courier being- carried on in the names of Thomas Lemmon & Son. The Conservative party in the neighbourhood of Brantford was at that time by no means the strongest, yet the Courier steadily won its way ; several of the ablest writers in this part of Canada contributed to its pages. The Courier has held its own for forty- six years, and has had to compete with other Conservative papers. This paper has been several times enlarged. At its first appearance it was a small sheet of six columns ; it has been enlarged several times, and at last attained such success that it was issued as a daily paper on October 16th, 1871. The Weekly Courier is the largest newspaper in Canada, four immense sheets, each with ten columns of reading matter. In quality this pioneer paper of Brantford excels as well as in quantity. By 1840 Brantford had grown sufficiently thriving to warrant the establish ment of a second newspaper. It must be remembered that the absence of those conditions which are the most important aids to progress in the Canada of to-day, the railway and telegraph, assisted the local development of the journalism which was one of the most important factors in the progress of the Canada of forty years ago. What newspapers there were had the field all to themselves, and had not to cope with their big brothers, the great twin brethren of the Toronto press. The local newspapers came at a time when there were few books obtainable, and then only at great expense. The newspaper was the first means of popularizing literature, and all honour is due to those of our citizens who first, at some risk in the venture, introduced into our rising cities the honourable functions of the Fourth Estate. The Herald was edited by a gentleman of marked literary ability, Mr. Wellesley Johnson, who now holds a high position among the journalists of Ottawa. The time was one of great political excitement ; the thunder of 183T was still in the air ; the new experiment of constitutional government was on its trial ; the stormy turbulence of the election of 1844 was throwing its shadow ¦206 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. before it. The Herald ¦ysras issued twice a week, and opposed with much vigour the Conservative majority, which, aided by the good-will, somewhat emphatically expressed, of the Governor-General, was about to triumph at the next elections. Mr. Wellesley Johnson's facile and caustic pen rendered signal service to his party, and it soon became manifest that the Brantford Herald was one of the very best newspapers west of Hamilton. Another editorial writer in the Herald of those days was Mr. Michael Foley, now the Hon. Michael Foley, who entered Parliament and became Postmaster-General in the Government of the Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald. As with many other statesmen, journalism formed his political education. Those were days of strong passions and strong language, and the Herald did not hesitate at a hard saying against the " tyranny of Toryism," and more than once insinuated that "the representative of Her Majesty in Canada was a despot compared with whom Nero might be considered a benevolent and sagacious ruler. In 1853 the Herald passed by purchase to Mr. Peter B. Long and Mr. Wm. Pigot. Mr. Grayson, now of the Brantford Telegram, who had then newly arrived in the city, was engaged first as business manager, then as editor. Mr. Grayson is a graduate of Toronto University, and a journalist of marked power and originality, and the Herald continued to hold the high place it had so deservedly won. Mr. Grayson continued to edit the Herald for ten years, when he left for Hamilton to take editorial charge of the Times of that city. Mr. Foley wrote editorials from time to time, as also did Dr. Kelly, whose accom plished pen contributed much to its literary reputation. In 1855, the Herald passed into the hands of George S. Wilkes, aided by Mr. B. Hazelhurst, under whose regime the journal was promoted to the rank of a daily newspaper. It was next edited by a Mr. Moon, who had been proof-reader in the Toronto Leader. Under this gentleman the journal's reputation began to wane, and many ill-natured remarks were made about the Herald being " moon struck" and "" moonshine." Then it was purchased by two gentlemen residing in Paris named Oliver and Humphries, and Brantford's interest in the paper was lessened from local jealousy at the editorials being written in Paris, where Dr. Oliver, brother of the proprietor, lived. Then Mr. John Decew bought the paper, being aided in editorial work by Mr. Ewer. Lastly the Herald became one of the many speculations of James Kerby, who built the Kerby House. Mr. Kerby's capital was limited and inadequate to the many ventures in which time after time he risked it ; the subscription list grew " small by degrees, and beautifully less ;" and the Herald died, after an honourable career, with only fourteen subscribers. This was in 1861. Previous to this a second reform paper was started in Brantford by one of the leading Reformers, the late Mr. Steele. At that juncture there was a ten dency to a division between the more moderate Reformers and that Old Guard of Gritism to whom political slang gave the sobriquet of Clear Grits. The Tribune was the organ of the latter. In its columns Mr. J. D. Clements wrote many trenchant articles. He was one of the staunchest of the Reform standard- bearers, and is still living to see many of the changes for which he did battle, carried out. Mr. Christie also contributed to the Tribune. But its career, which promised to be a success, was cut short by the untimely death of its proprietor. Mr. Steele had been a successful merchant,,^ the owner of a distillery LOCAL HISTORY. 20T and much other property in Brantford, of whose municipal body he was elected a member. The late Mr. Henry Racey, Clerk in the Brantford Division Court, and his Assistant Clerk, Mr. C. E. Stewart, issued a paper called the Conservative Ex positor, in October, 1852. But soon after, Mr. Racey retired from its direction,. which had not been very successfully carried on, and Mr. Stewart, dropping the prefix Conservative, made the Expositor a Reform organ. In 1857, that paper had the advantage of being edited by Mr. Grayson, and of receiving editorial contributions from the pen of Dr. Kelly; it soon began to prosper. Mr. Stewart removed to Hamilton, having purchased the proprietorship of the Hamilton Times. Mr. Samuel I. Jones, as his representative, edited the Expositor. To Mr. Jones succeeded Mr. William C. Trimble, an -able writer, but whose ill-health soon compelled hiiu to withdraw from his position as editor of the Expositor. This was in February, 1867, when Mr. Robert Mathison succeeded him. On Mr. Mathison being appointed Accountant and Bursar of the London Lunatic Asylum, a firm now known as W. C. Trimble & Co. purchased the Expositor. Mr. William Watt, Jr., is now the editor, and under his management the paper has acquired a higher reputation than ever, both for its presentation of news and for its ably written editorials. It is a staunch reform organ, but it is pleasant to see that in Brantford at least the virus of political quarrelling exists,. if at all, in a very mild form. Brantford has boasted a comic paper, the Snapping Turtle, a lively little sheet, printed at the Expositor office, and sold by Mr. Wanless, then a book seller in this city, at present in Detroit. Comic papers, as a rule, do not suc ceed, except when they have the additional attraction of being illustrated. Ch-ip has been a success, it is true, but nine out of ten purchasers buy it for the cartoons; very few appreciate for its own sake the often humorous aud occasionally brilliant printed matter. The Snapping Turtle deserves the credit of avoiding what to a local humorous or society paper is as the temptation to a 'oesetting sin, the tendency to become a mere chronique scandaleuse, to indulge in personalities, and to retail the doubtful and often more than doubtful gossip. The Snapping Turtle's brief existence ended in 1857. About the same time the Baptist Messenger was published in Brantford by Mr. White, who was a deacon of the Baptist Church in this city. It was printecl at the Herald office, and the editorial work was mainly from the pen of Dr. Davidson, at that time pastor of the First Baptist Church, Brantford. It has been questioned by Matthew Arnold and others whether religious journals have a healthy influence either on religion or journalism ; but in looking over the files of the Messenger one is struck by the marked absence of odium theolo- gicum, the tolerant and Christian tone adopted towards other churches, and the scholarly style of the leading articles. But the headquarters of the Baptist Church organ was soon removed to Toronto, and Brantford knew it no more. Mr. William Trhnble opened a printing office in Brantford in 1869, and having soon afterwards fallen into ill health, which compelled him to give up all active business, he disposed of it in June, 1870, to" Mr". E, G. Hart. Mr. Hart began the publication of the Brant Union in June, 1872. The Union was a strictly Conservative paper, well edited, and from the first enjoying a fair .share of popularity, although by this time a local newspaper had to contend not oidy 208 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. against local journals of the same political stripe, but against . the mammoth Toronto newspaper which every morning's train brought down hot from the press. A year after this the Union was disposed of to Mr. VanNorman, who after another year leased the property to Mr. Joshua T. Johnston, a journalist who had been editing a newspaper in Petrolea. Mr. Jaffray was the next editor, and in 1878 the Union also was made a daily newspaper. In October, 1881, the Union, was purchased by a chartered association called " The Telegram Printing Company," its name being changed to the Telegram. It is a bright and lively sheet, edited with marked ability by Mr. Grayson. The strangest chapter in the annals of the Brantford press is that of the Daily News and its editors. Mr. Joseph T. Kerby, brother of Mr. Kerby of 'whom mention has already been made as the founder of the Kerby House Hotel, set up a printing office in Brantford, and began to issue a daily paper under the title of the Daily News. Mr. Joseph Kerby has since that time .given evidence of no ordinary talents for literature, and, had his means availed, no doubt he would have raised the Daily News to a fair position among Brantford newspapers. But capital began to fail, and without capital, com positors and foremen cannot be induced to work. Mr. Kerby therefore sold out to an American, Mr. Edward A. Percy. He at once inaugurated a new •state of things at the Daily News office, which he refurnished with colouring and decorations unknown to the humble sanctums of the ordinary Brantford editor. All was sumptuous and superb, gilding, painting and furniture. Mr. Percy was a man of decided talent, and except that his pen was somewhat too ¦caustic, had every requisite for making his paper a success. But he had not patience to wait for the comparatively slow process of legitimate journalistic .gains. Beginning with first one and then another of the leading citizens of Brantford, he sometimes said openly, and more often insinuated in a way which there was no mistaking, that this and that horrible suspicion attached to Mr. So-and-So's character ; that a certain married lady on Street entertained for Mr. X. Y. Z. an affection warmer than that required by the golden rule, &c. Most of the citizens so attacked got frightened, thought discretion the better part of valour, and paid the black-mail which it was hinted would secure immunity from further mud-throwing. But there were men who were not so weak-kneed. One of them met Percy, and administered such a drubbing to the black-mailer that several of his teeth were knocked out, and, bruised and bleeding, he was fain to slink away to a .surgeon. Again and again the thrash ing process was repeated, but with no result. That kind of beast which prej^'s on the good names of good men cannot be reformed even by kicking, though on general principles of justice it is always good to kick them. Mr Percy also saw the inside of a prison cell, but still continued his infamous trade, while many people, who should have had more sense of decency, encouraged him by purcha:sing his vile paper, out of a morbid curiosity "just to see who the Daily Neivs will be down on next ! " At length it became known that Percy had married two wives, who, being contemporaries, only agreed with each other in resolving to bring Mr. Percy under the penalties assigned by law to the too much married. The game being evidently lost in Brantford, Mr. Percy precipitately withdrew from the city, to the joy of the respectable public and the intense grief of his numerous creditors, to whom the paper, plant, and office furniture, LOCAL HISTORY. 209 ¦although it had been very costly when purchased a year before, only brought a dividend of some twenty -ifive per cent. Most of the plant of the Daily News was bought by the Union. On the whole, the career of the existing newspapers of Brantford has been z pro.sperous one, but for a loss by fire sustained by the Courier office. On the morning of February the 17th, 1860, a fire broke out either in McLean's dry goods store or Wendon's drug store, and spreading with unchecked rapidity, it threatened the Expositor office, which was in great danger, as the conflagra tion raged on both .sides of it. The Expositor, however, escaped with a pretty severe scorching. The flames then spread in the direction of the Courier office, which occupied the other part of the brick building then used by Judge Jones. The entire machinery of the Courier printing office was destroyed, presses, type, etc. ; some of the files of the paper, with the books, were saved, but the older files, and therefore those of the greatest interest, perished. The Courier was the first daily newspaper published in Brantford, preceding b)' several months Mr. Kerby's Daily News. Its birth as a " Daily " took place •on the 16th of October, 1861. The first cylinder printing machine was that used by the Expositor. Of all those engaged in Brantford journalism, two have achieved public honours, one the Postmaster- Generalship of the Dominion, the other the important position of School Inspector. Such has been the history of the Fourth Estate in Brantford. The existing papers, the patriarchal Courier, the austerely Reform Expositor, and the genial and youthful Telegram, on the whole get on amicably together; and if the Millennium has not yet brought the day when the Conservative lion shall lie down with the Grit lamb, still things go on as well as could be expected, and nowhere more peaceably than among the newspapers of the fair city of Brantford. Medical Profession. Bt William T. Harris, M.B., M.D. Owing to the superior standard of education required, the medical profession in Canada has always held a high position as compared with its standing in many other and older countries ; and Brantford and the County of Brant have been exceptionally favoured in having a staff of physicians of a high order of education and ability. The following are the names, alphabetically arranged, of the medical men now residing in the city and county, with their degrees. The year named is the one in which they respectively received the Provincial License : — Brantford.— John J. Bown, M.D., St. Andrew's; M.R.C.S., Eng., 1851. Henry J. Cole, M.D., Toronto Univ., M.C.P. & S., Out., 1871. William C. Corson, M.D., Victoria College, 1858. James W. Digby, M.D., McGill College, 1862. Egerton Griffin, M.D., Trinity College ; M.D., Univ., N. Y., 1 853. Wm. T. Harris, M.B. and M.D., Trinity College ; M.C.P. & S., Ont., 1874. Reginald Henwood, Prov. License, 1846. Alfred J. Henwood, M.D., McGill College; M.C.P.&S., Ont., 1882. M. J. Kelly, M.D., LL.B., Toronto Univ. David Lowrey, M.C P. & S., Ont., 1879. John J. Mason, M.R.C.S., Eng., 1851. Wm. Nichol, Certif. Homo3opathic Medical Board, 1869. David L. Philip, M.D., McGill College, 1861 . Robert Thompson, M.D., McGill College, 1852. Wm. E. Winskel, M.D., Trinity College ; M.R.C.S., Eng., 1877. 210 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Paris.— Wm. Burt, M.B., Toronto Univ. ; M.C.P. & S., Out., 1870. William Clarke, Prov. License, 1860. Silas W. Oooke, Prov. License, 1843. Jas. W. E. Dickson. L.R.C.S., Edin., 1854. Miles O'Reilly, M.D., Victoria College, 1868. Arch. J. Sinclair, M.D., Trinity College, M.C.P. & S., Ont., 1875. Burford. — Charles M. Aikman, M.D., Victoria College, 1862. Wm. M. Chrysler, M.D., Toronto Univ., 1865. Geo. W. Clendenon, M.C.P. & S., Ont.,. 1882. Robert Harbottle, M.D., Toronto Univ.-, 1867. Mount Pleasant. — Duncan Marquis, M.D., Victoria College, 1863. Tuscarora.— Robert Hill Dee, M.D., Univ, Buffalo, 1852. St. George.— Edwd. E. Kitchen, M.D., Toronto Univ, 1865. Edwd C. Kitchen, M.C.P. & S., Ont., 1877. H. E. Mainwaring, M.D., Univ., N.Y., 1842. Franklin J. Patton, M.D., Victoria College, 1868. Scotland.— Wm. C. Freeman, M.C.P. & S., Ont., 1877. J. R. Malcolm, M.D., McGill CoUege, 1861. Jas. W. Renwick, M.C.P. & S., Out., 1875. Edwin W. Tegart, M.D., Victoria College, 1860. "The Brant County Medical Association embraces a large majority of the phy- .sicians in the city and county. The inaugural meeting was held at Brantford on the 23rd day of August, 1870. A committee (composed of Drs. Henwood, Griffin, Corson, and Kelly) was appointed at this meeting to draw a Constitution and By-laws, and the report was adopted on the 6th of September following. This society, besides being of great practical advantage, has done much to pro mote the agreeable harmony which has especially distinguished the medical profession in this county. The meetings of the Association are held quarterly — r three times during the year at Brantford, and once at Paris usually. The following is a list of the officers, from the inauguration of the Society until the present : — President.— 1870-71, Dr. Lawrence ; 1872, Dr. Henwood ; 1873, Dr. Clark ;, 1874, Dr. Griffin ; 1875, Dr. Mainwaring ; 1876, Dr. Digby ; 1877, Dr. Philip; 1878, Dr. Burt ; 1879, Dr. Marquis; 1880, Dr. Dickson ; 1881, Dr. Kitchen;, 1882, Dr. Clark. Vice-Fresident.— 1870, Dr. Hipkins ; 1871, Dr. Dee ; 1872, Dr. Clark ; 1873, Dr. Griffin ; 1874, Mainwaring ; 1875, Dr. Digby ; 1876, Dr. Philip ; 1877, Dr. Burt ; 1878, Dr. Marquis ; 1879, Dr. Dickson ; 1880. Dr. Kitchen ; 1881, Dr. Sinclair ; 1882, Dr. Harris. Secretary and Treasurer. — 1870, Dr. Griffin, Dr. Harbottle ; 1871-2,Dr. Griffin,. Dr. Philip; 1873-4, Dr. Hipkins, Dr. Philip ; 1875, Dr. Philip ; 1876 to 1882, Dr. Harris ; 1882, Dr. Winskel. Dr. Thomas was the first medical man in Brantford. He remained but a short time, and built a small log house near where the Institute for the Blind now stands. Dr. Gilpin settled here about the year 1832 or 1833, and was in active prac tice for years. He built a house on the lot now occupied by Dr. J. W. Digby. Dr. Alfred Digby succeeded him about the year 1835, who from this time until his death, in 1866, was one of the most prominent physicians and citizens of Brant County. Dr. Martyr came soon after Dr. Digby, and was a leading practitioner for many years. He died about the year 1860. One of his daughters is the wife of Walter Rubidge, Esq., Local Registrar of the High Court of Justice, and another the widow of the late Chief -Justice Wood. local history. 211 Dr. Keist practised in Brantford for some years, and died of cholera, con tracted in the practice of his J)rofession, about the year 1850. Dr. Theodore Bown, who died in 1873, came to this city about the year 1855, and was for the intervening period a very active member of the profession. The names of the other members of the profession deceased, who were prac titioners in the county are : — Charles Duncombe, Burford ; Elam Stimson, St. George ; Hipkins, O'Carr, Brantford ; Lawrence, McCosh, Christie, Paris ; Keith, Brantford ; Witcher, Middleport ; Ross, Burford ; Skinner, Brantford. Dr. R. H. Dee, the present physician to the Indians, residing in Tuscarora Township, has occupied this position for upwards of 30 years, and his experi ence with some of the hardships of the first medical men in the county will perhaps be that of all old physicians here, the majority of whom are deceased. The roads in Onondaga and Tuscarora Townships were, at the time of the Doctor's settlement here, in many places just cut out, and often while riding on horseback (the customary mode of travel by the physician in those days), it was necessary to dismount, walk a log over a mud-hole, and let the horse wade through the mire. There was no ferrj^, except at Tuscarora Church, between Brantford and Caledonia, and consequently in crossing the river it often necessitated the physician's paddling over in a canoe, the horse swim ming alongside the boat. The Indians, before the whites settled here, and many even to this day, believe the sick are bewitched or possessed of some e'vil spirit, and call the medicine-men, who dance around the sick person, throw hot ashes about and leap on him. These medicine-men are dressed in false faces and all sorts of hideous costumes to frighten the sickness away. Some Indian women as well as men are reputed to be good doctors, and are called to see the sick, when they often prescribe decoctions of bitter herbs and barks by the quart. Others have a powder and ask for a cup of cold water, then dust a small portion of this powder into the water, pr-etending to tell by the sinking or floating thereof whether the sick person will live or die. At other times the Indian doctor will pretend that he draws feathers, hairs, etc., out of the patient's flesh, and attribute the disease to this cause. Often the sick are put on a very sparse diet, and not allowed to see any person except the doctor or nurse for a week or nine days ; then he must be fed on broth made from a pure white hen ; after this he can be seen. Since the Six Nation Indians have employed educated physicians, they have- taken much less medicine from the native doctor, having learnt that a smaU powder from the qualified medical-man is much more efficacious than the quarts of the Indian medicine. These people do not object to vaccination, hence setting a noble example to many of their white neighbours. In the year 1882 about 900 were .successfully operated upon by their two medical attendants, Drs. Dee and McCargow. The Indians are seldom anything but kind and respectful to the white doctor, even if they decline his advice and medicine. Some Indian men are believed to have a medicine that will cause bones which have been broken to grow together in a wonderfully short space of time. Malarial fever is the prevailing disease among them. Dr. Dee has walked many miles, often 20 a day, owing to the bad state of the roads and not being able to use a horse. Sketches of the most prominent medical men will be found in the Biographical Chapter. "212 history OF BRANT COUNTY. Bench and Bar. In a nation of freemen, where the Government is supposed to be an expression of the people's will, the influence of subh a vast body of men as the legal pro fession now contains, whose study leads to a correct understanding of the nature, principles and machinery of the civil compact, cannot be overrated. The Canadian lawyer, not content with the routine of court and professional duties, directs his efforts to a wider field ; following the path to which his position, requirements and tastes strongly tend, he eagerlj' enters the political arena, seeking assiduously' the honours of a parliamentary career, with what success our history plainly testifies. From the organization of the Provincial Government, four-fifths of the high est offices have been filled by lawyers. The Bar stands high in public estimation, and the time has never been when political office or influence was more liber ally accorded to its members than at the present day. In the most important trusts they are to be found. The Dominion legislative halls and the executive departments are filled with men whose claims to distinction, to a great extent, originated in legal excellence and acquirements. The several Provincial Governments are in the same hands, while all the acknowledged party leaders, and nearly all who are thought of as candidates for high political positions, have been educated in the same great school. The lawyer who prides himself on his profession cannot avoid a feeling of complacency as he surveys its present condition in the Dominion of Canada, always prominent and always honoured ; and, as we believe, more at the present time than ever before it occupies a position and wields an influence such as no other profession or calling can for a moment aspire to. It is the nature of the profession of the law, when pursued by congenial minds and in accordance with its inherent spirit, to elevate and liberalize the social principle. Those who attain eminence in that profession necessarily take deep and wide visions of human conduct, obtained by living, practical observation of the motives of men, the objects they pursue, and the uses of those objects. Hence it is that men of that profession are ever found in the front rank of those who devote themselves to the interests of the age, evidenced by noble exertions and personal sacrifices in support of the great principles upon which the rights of liberty and property depend. Great as is the fame of many who in ages past have won themselves renown by their attainments, the power of their reason, and their eloquence as advo cates, we believe their equals are now living. We are not of those who are ever deifying the past, and unable to recognize any merit or ability in the present age. Though none are more willing to pay tribute to the well-earned fame of those who have been the glory of the Bar in periods that are gone, yet while we give the fathers all just praise, we would not depreciate their sons ; and because we honour and respect the great lawyers of the past, we see no reason to forget those who are present with us. / The history of the Bench of Brant County must necessarily be brief, as Judge Stephen James Jones, the present incumbent of the office, is the only officer of the kind the county has had since its organization in 1852. Judge Jones was educated in Hamilton, where he read law under the preceptorship of Miles LOCAL HISTORY. 213 O'Reilly aud S. B. Freeman, Q.C. In February, 1846, he was called to the Bar, and afterwards practised his profession with Mr. Freeman until 1853, when he received the appointment of County Judge. In August, 1875, he received the additional appointment of Master in Chancery, and is now per forming the functions of both offices. His ability as a judge, and the satisfac tion given to litigants by his decisions are best evinced by his long term of official service. An extensive sketch of him may be found in the Biographical Chapter of this work. The Bar of the County of Brant now consists of the following named gentle men, many of whom have devoted long years of their lives to the study and practice of their profession in the courts of this county, while others are com paratively young in the calling they have chosen : Hon. A. S. Hardy, Alfred J. Wilkes and Charles S. Jones, of the firm of Hardy, Wilkes & Jones, Brantford ; Hugh McKay Wilson, Robert C. Smythe and George H. Muirhead, as Wilson, Smythe & Muirhead, Brantford ; Benjamin F. Fitch and James E. Lee, as Fitch & Lee, Brantford ; George R. VanNorman, Q.C., and Peter Purves, as Van Norman & Purves, Brantford; Valentine McKenzie, Brantford; William H. ¦C. Kerr, Brantford ; Daniel Brook, Brantford ; John W. Bowlbey, LL.B., Brantford ; Thomas S. Wade, Brantford ; Thomas Woodyatt, Brantford ; Louis F. Heyd, Brantford ; James Hardy, Brantford ; and Viscoa, Brantford ; John McMillan, Paris ; and Charles M. Foley, Paris. At the time of the organization of the county, thirty years ago, we find the names of Stephen J. Jones, John Cameron, Daniel McKerlie, W^ Rubidge, JDaniel Brooke^ M. H. Toby, Archibald Gilkison, William E. Alma, John H. Moore, George S. Wilkes, James Wilkes, John Smith, Thomas B. McMahon, 'G. R. VanNorman, Henry A. Hardy, E. B. Wood, Peter B. Long, Geo. W. Wattock and F. T. Wilkes, associated together in the formation of a society to be called "The Brant County Law Library Association." At a meeting held on 13th November, 1853, they adopted the declaration following, to wit : " Be it remembered that on the 13th day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, we the undenigned stockholders met at the office of Daniel McKerlie, in the Town of Brantford, in the County of Brant and Province of Canada, Esquire ; and resolved to form ourselves into an association to be called and known by the name of ' The Brant County Law Library Association,' according to the provisions of a. certain Act of the Parliament of this Province, entitled, ' An Act to provide for the incor poration and better management of Library Associations and Mechanics' Institutes,' for the purpose of forming a Law Library at the Town of Brant ford, within the said county ; and we do hereby declare that the capital stock of the said association shall be £500, to be divided into shares of two pounds and ten shillings of lawful money each ; and we the undersigned stockholders do hereby agree to take and accept the number of shares set by us opposite to our respective names or signatures ; and we do hereby agree to pay the calls thereon according to the provisions and intentions of the said in part recited Act, and of the rules, regulations and by-laws of the said association to be made and passed in that behalf ; and we do hereby nominate and appoint Stephen James Jones, John Cameron, Frederick T. Wilkes, Henry A. Hardy a,nd Peter B. Long, all of the said Town of Brantford, Esquires, to be the first 214 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. trustees of the said association ; and we do hereby further declare that the- mode in which the successors of the said trustees and their successors in con tinued succession shall be appointed, and new members of the said association shall be admitted, shall be provided for and be in accordance with the by-law or by-laws hereafter to be passed, and by virtue of the provisions in the said in part recited Act mentioned and set forth." Here follows a list of the members as above, with the amount of stock taken by each. On December 10th, 1853, by-laws were adopted in which the number and rank of officers were fixed, and the mode of succession in office provided for. The first officers (at this meeting elected) were S. J. Jones, Chairman, and P.. B. Long, Secretary. The present officers of the association are : Judge S. J. Jones, President ; H. McK. Wilson, Vice-President ; J. E. Lees, Treasurer ; C. S. Jones, Secretary ; and G. H. Muirhead, Librarian. This library, which is the property of the association, is kept, by permission of the County Council, in a room in the County Buildings. It was first es tablished soon after the association was formed by donations from the legal profession in the county, and since that date has been supported by an annual assessment on each member practising in the County of Brant. The Law Society of Upper Canada also makes an annual grant to this library in propor tion to the amount that may be subscribed by members. The library receives all current reports, both Canadian and English, and also takes all the best law digests published. There are at present some eight hundred volumes on the shelves. Among the early members of the Bar mention might be made of Alexander Stewart and Esquire Cameron, of Cameron & Bethune, one of the first law firms in the county. It is said that Alexander Stewart was the fir^fe resident attorney of the county, but he was so soon followed by Esquires Cameron, Bethune and McDonald, that it is well enough to say that the four gentlemen named constituted the first attorneys of the county. The members of the Bar who began their professional career at the Bar of the County of Brant, and afterwards attained high positions in the profession, or became the incumbents of important political offices, were Messrs. Wood,. Wilkes, Hardy, McKerlie and Rubidge. Hon. Edmund B. Wood, who practised law in Brantford many years, became a leading partizan leader, and occupied successively the prominent offices of Provincial Treasurer, member of the House of Commons for West Durham County, and Chief-Justice of Manitoba,. the latter position having received his attention until the time of his death, as noted elsewhere. A. S. Hardy, an attorney of "Brantford for some years, gave up his professional duties to accept the position of Provincial Treasurer, of which he is still the incumbent. Frederick T. Wilkes, an early lawyer of the county, practised at the Bar for a period of many years, but afterwards accepted the Judgeship of the County of Grey, in which position he died. He was boj n in England, and came to this country in 1820. David McKerlie, one of the legal fraternity of the county, occupied a seat in the old Parliament of Canada, and became a man of considerable political strength, and a favourite of the people. LOCAL HISTORY. 215 W. Rubidge, the present local Registrar of the High Court, Clerk of the County Court, and Registrar of the Surrogate Court, was a member of the county Bar, and an active practitioner for upwards of seven years. He was for a time associated in partnership with Esquire Cameron, after the death of Esquire Bethune, the junior partner of the original firm. Other Brant County attorneys died while in active practice in the courts of the county, while still others, after practising here for a time, removed to other parts of the Dominion or to the States, and many of them are now leaders of their profession ih the places of their adoption. 216- HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. CHAPTER VII. Agricultural Societies. — Bow Park Farm. — First Provin cial Exhibition held in Brantford, iS^y. Agricultural Societies. The early books and records of these societies having long since disappeared,, and. not having access to the books of the more recently organized societies, we are enabled to treat this subject only in a general and very unsatisfactory way. This is to be regretted, as the societies exert a powerful influence in the county, and add very materially to the growth and development of the agricultural interests. The first agricultural society in the county was organized in 1835, under very unfavourable circumstances, and with very little means but a considerable membership. All the agriculturists of the county took a deep and active interest in this society, and all came with their families to attend the annual meetings, which partook the nature more of a social than of a fair. For many years the society owned no ground, and held their meetings in a different place each year. Land was then very plenty, and large tracts of it were yet unoc cupied. On these vacant pieces of ground the society would erect their shades, under which the grain and fruit were exhibited. These shades consisted merely of poles driven into the ground, on which a temporary roof was supported. Money at that time being a very scarce article, and extremely hard to get, the premiums on horses and products were so small as to hardly merit the name of premiums ; indeed they were not sought for on account of the profit realized in them, but merely to enable the recipient to say that he had ob tained the premium at the fair on his horse, pig or what not. This society continued to increase in numbers and interest, and in 1860 a lot of thirteen and a half acres of ground was purchased off of what was called the " Meyer's Tract," for which $80 per acre was paid. About ten years later five acres more were added to the tract at $100 per acre ; the ground being that on which the South Brant Society now hold their fairs. On the 4th March, 1868, an Act was passed, entitled "An Act for the Encour agement of Agriculture, Horticulture, Arts and Manufactures," which provided for the organization and incorporation of township societies and societies in each electoral district. The Act also provided for the payment of an annual sum by the Government to each district society, which in its turn had to divide a portion of the sum thus received among the various township societies. This sum was to be proportionate to the work done by the society, but in no case' could exceed $700. Under this Act four societies exist at the present time in Brant County, namely : The North Brant District Society, The South Brant District Society, local history. 217" The Burford Township Society, and The Onondaga Township Society, the two first named now consisting of about five hundred members. Each of these local societies will be mentioned in their proper places in this work. Bow Park Farm. Bow Park Farm is situated four miles from the City of Brantford ; it con tains 900 acres, all under a high state of cultivation, with the exception of a. small belt of ornamental timber. It lies on the west bank of the Grand River,, which takes its rise in the County of Bruce, and flows into Lake Erie a short way above the Niagara River. At this spot the Grand River makes a series of most curious deflections, by which sixteen hundred acres are all but cut off from the mainland and sur rounded by the river, forming it nearly into an island. The shape of this peninsula is that of an Ox Bow ; and from this it takes its title. Ox Bow Bend. Bow Park Farm embraces nine hundred acres, forming the head of this bow,' and a more beautiful spot would be difficult to find. For more than seven miles the Ouse, or Grand River, runs round the estate, twisting about in most eccentric fashion, and presenting at every turn jutting points, grassy knolls,. and wooded banks highly picturesque. The one great purpose of the farm is the rearing of thorough-bred farm stock — short-horn cattle. Everything in the working of the place tends to this end. The great aim, never lost sight of, is to find in what manner live stock can be best and most profitably carried to the highest perfection, and by what mode of cultivation the largest amount of succulent and healthful food found best adapted for the stock can be judiciously and economically taken from the land. As you enter the property by the macadamized road from Brantford, you' find yourself driving along a gravel road on the top of a beautiful wooded bank, with the Grand River flowing peacefully some sixty feet below you. For over two miles this high bank continues, but there it begins gradually to descend, until at last, at the other side of the estate, it is but a few feet above the level of the river. The width of the property, at its narrowest point, is about half a mile across from bank to bank, and at its widest about a mile and a half. At the latter point an excellent road, known as the " Three Mile Circle," has been formed, for carrying on the operations of the farm, and from it access can be had to all the fields. The road is fenced in on both sides with a substantial fence of cedar posts and sawed pine boards, and shaded along a large portion of it by belts of ornamental and useful trees. Outside this circle, aud all round it, is a range of large fields, having the river for their other boundary ; and inside the circle are several very large fields of great fertility, separated from each other by belts of bush-land, rejoicing in all their primitive luxuriance of oak, elm and ash — walnut, hickory, and cherry — hazel, maple, and sumac — all bedecked with beautiful wild vines, clematis and Virginia creeper, and strewed with ferns, roses, and all manner of wild flowers indigenous to the soil. Of the 900 acres constituting the estate, 780 are under the plough, and the balance is devoted to roads, building sites, orchard ground, belts of wood for ornament and shelter, with a number of well shaded runs of broken land in all. 218 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. its original wildness, where the cattle take their daily recreation. The whole of the land is loam of a most fertile character on a clay subsoil. The fields along the bank on the west side of the estate are light loam, but towards the east they become gradually heavier, until the range of rich deep alluvial flats on the east bank is reached. Of course, all the fields along the river bank are amply supplied with water from the river ; but in addition springs of clear cold water abound all over the estate. The fields are large — from 40 to 110 acres each — they are well fenced, thoroughly worked, and in high condition. Large beds of limestone gravel are found on the place, and render the maintenance of good roads upon it an easy matter. The Grand River is navigable from its mouth to Brantford, and manures, coal, and other heavy commodities can be delivered from the boats on the farm bank. The first point towards the successful establishment of a great stock farm is to have land of the right soil, well watered and well shaded ; but the second and no less important point is to have farm buildings suited for the special ends to which they are to be applied. Both of these essentials are amply found at Bow Park. The farm buildings, for extent, completeness, and convenience, are probably unsurpassed anywhere. As he approaches the farmstead, the visitor finds, standing at the top of the road leading to the buildings, the snug cottage of the farm manager ; and the commanding view obtained from this elevated point, of a large portion of the estate, and also of the beautiful and fertile plain stretching out for miles to the westward, will not fail to arrest his attention. Passing through the gate and down the road the buildings are soon reached. There is nothing of the shed about them. They are all substantial brick build ings (mostly two story), erected on stone or concrete foundations, with metal eave-troughs, perfect drainage and ventilation. The buildings and the small yards attached to them cover some six or seven acres ; and though gradually extended to its present dimensions as necessity from year to year arose, the whole estabhshment has been got up on a compact and systematic plan. The first building reached on the left hand side of the road is the implement and cart-house, with a corn loft above. It is 200 feet long by 24 wide ; and is filled with all sorts ot implements and machinery for carrying on effectively and economically the daily work of the farm. Nearly all the instruments are in duplicate, so that the work shall not stand still while a break is being repaired. The corn-loft above extends the whole length of the building, and is of a con venient height from the ground to enable the grain to be received from the waggons or loaded into them by the loft doors. Passing along the front of the implement-house, and turning round its north-east corner, you come to the stable, which stands at right angles to the implement-house, so as to form together two sides of a square, and is 180 feet long by 24 feet wide. There are in it twenty-four stalls — all occupied — and a hay-loft above, the full size of the building. The horses used are useful animals, kept in good condition, but, with the exception of a few Clyde mares, not of special breeding. The intention is that a step in advance shaU be soon taken in regard to this department of the farm, by the introduction of a number of brood mares of high class. Coming back from the stables to the main road, and going east in a direct line with the implement-house, stands the great barn. It is 220 feet long by 48 feet wide, and of great height. The lower story is built of stone, with corlcrete floor, LOCAL HISTORY. 221 .and is entirely devoted to the storing of mangolds, carrots and swedes, for the winter supply of stock. It contains over 20,000 bushels of roots, and the ven tilation is effectually secured by box-vents carried up to the top of the building, and opened or shut at pleasure. This barn conveniently stands on a gentle descent ; so that while the main cellar door at the east gable-end of the build ing is on a level with the ground, the main entrance at the west gable-end to the threshing floor is also on a level with the higher ground at that end. This upper part of the building is annually filled to the ceUing with sheaves of unthreshed grain ; but there are also seven large barns in different parts of the farm, where large quantities are stored ; and what cannot be got inside is stacked in the barn-yard. Attached to the centre of the great barn on its north side is a building 60 feet long by 30 feet wide, which contains a twenty-horse power engine and boiler, with efficient machinery for cutting into chaff all the hay and straw used on the farm, crushing the com and oil-cake, pulping the roots, cut ting the fire wood, pumping water into the cistern, and steaming the food for the cattle during the winter. Continuing further dow'n the road on the same line, we come successively to three short-horn houses, each of them 270 feet long, and with enclosed yards on each side of them into which the cattle run. The first one is the winter abode of the cows whose calves have been weaned. It is 32 feet wide, with an eight-feet waggon-passage up the centre from end to end, and a range of boxes 12 feet by 10 feet on each side. Each box has an outside door opening into the yard ; each animal has a box to itself, and none of them are tied up. The second of the three buildings is the only remaining stall-house on the place, and it is held to be a model of its kind. It is 34 feet wide, with an eight-feet waggon passage in the centre, a row on each side of 62 stalls, and a footway behind each row next the outside walls. The cattle are ranged with their heads to the centre passage, and each stall has a convenient feeding trough and hay-rack which are rapidly supplied with food and water from a cart driven along the passage. But experience has shown that boxes are vastly superior to stalls for the accommodation of a grand race of animals. The boxes leave them free to move about at wiU ; there is no strain on the .sinews or muscles ; the temper is less ruffled ; the health is more vigorous ; acci dents are of rarer occurrence ; and by the box system only can be assured that free and elegant gait and carriage that stamp the true short-horn wherever found. The last of the three buildings is the bull-house, and it is fitted up writh large comfortable boxes throughout for animals of different sizes. There is an outside door to each box ; and an open yard for each is now being constructed, to which the animals can resort at pleasure. Crossing the road we come to the pig-house, where may be seen several scores of Berkshires that would be hard to beat anywhere, luxuriating in their com fortable boxes. This house is 170 feet long by 24 feet wide, with an eight- feet passage up the centre, and boxes ranged along both sides for 100 hogs. There are runs on each side of the building for the pigs to enjoy themselves, and convenient sliding doors to let them out and in. Next comes the calving- house, a snug erection 80 feet long by 20 wide, with a long tier of large, com modious boxes, and a hay-loft above. At one end of this building is fitted up a comfortable apartment for an experienced herdsnian, who is always on hand, and ready at night to start up at a moment's notice. The building that comes 14 222 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. next is the most attractive part of the establishment to visitors. It is 270 feet- long by 34 feet wide, with an eight-feet passage up the centre, and 12 x 12 feet boxes ranged on each side... Here the cows and their calves are brought from the calving-house, and there they remain for a period of from six to nine months, according to circumstances. Each cow and her calf have a box to themselves ; the cow is amply supplied with nutritious food, and the calf gets the whole of its dam's milk. Every one knows that if you would raise good stock of any kind you must feed the j'oung ones liberally with the right kind of food. With horned cattle, neglect during the first year can never be made up ; and this fact is kept carefully in remembrance at Bow Park. There are fifty-two boxes in the house ; usually each of them is inhabited by a cow and her calf ; and it is a most interesting sight to pass along the boxes and mark the varied appearance and bearing of the different animals. Some of the cows are dignified and reserved, as becomes an aristocratic race ; while others are frank and courteous, like the innate gentlewoman of high or low degree. Occasionally,. too, there happens to get into every herd a mean-looking subject that can't look you in the face, and that you strongly suspect had been convicted (of course before she came into your possession) of stealing her neighbour's newspaper, or some equally heinous offence. But, of course, these improper characters are packed off at the earliest opportunity, to be sold to the, highest bidder without a shadow of reserve. But pass we on to the long range of substantial sheds that run up the road. for fifty feet until they reach the cross-road (on which stands the stable), and then turn south at right angles for 250 feet. These are the open houses that were erected when Bow Park first passed into the hands of Mr. Brown, and which were used to test practically the comparative merits of open air versus in-door cattle-raising, and had a final verdict unanimously recorded against them. They are now, however, found useful adjuncts to a higher and better system. Let us now cross the road and enter that large door at the south end of the long building next us. It is the calf-house, 200 feet long by 24 feet wide, with cart-road up the centre ; boxes (smaller than those we have left) ranging along both sides, and a spacious hay-loft above. Into this house are brought the heifer calves when first weaned ; and with a daily run in the pad dock attached, and good wholesome food, they don't suffer much from the change to it. We now pass from the calf -house through the large door at the opposite end from where we entered, and find before us the gable-end of what is the yearling short-horn heifer-house in summer. It is a substantial two- story building like the others, 250 long by 20 feet wide — 50 feet of it being on the west side of the cross-road, in line with the calf -house and stables, and the remaining 200 turning to the west at right angles, and forming the parallel building on the south side of the main road to the implement-house on the north side, with which we started. There is a large yard attached to this, with a never-failing well of fine spring water in the centre. The heifers are all sent to the pasture runs for some hours every day ; but they are brought home in the afternoon, and well fed when they come in and before going out in the morning. They are kept in good growing condition, and at twenty-two months are drawn off for service, and placed with the other young stock "needing attention." LOCAL HISTORY. 223 The good health maintained in the herd is a remarkable feature of it. Rinderpest, pleuro-pneumonia and foot and mouth disease, so fatal in Europe, are unknown in Canada. No serious epidemic has ever assailed the cattle of Ontario. The dry bracing air of Canada seems well adapted to the raising of a vigorous race of short-horns ; the cheapness of building timber enables com fortable stables to be provided at much less cost than in other countries ; and the comparatively low cost at which fodder can be raised or purchased, gives the Canadian breeder great advantage over his competitors in other countries. The utmost care and attention are devoted to the daily management of the animals. The feeding, watering, currying and exercising are systematically arranged and seen to at the right time. Every animal is inspected every day; no defective animal is reared ; only those are brought up that are of sound constitution, in vigorous health, and well formed. The male animals especially are severely culled. Not only must the constitution, form and vitality of the young bulls be thoroughly up to the mark, but the style of the animal and his colour must be satisfactory to save him from the butcher. The reward of the care bestowed on the animals, is a steady improvement in the character and appearance of the herd every new year, in comparison with the last. From the opening of spring until the hay and grain are taken from the fields, not a hoof goes on the meadows or arable fields. The animals are kept in the sheltered paddocks, and green crops are specially grown for them, and carried and fed to them there. The amount of food that can thus be obtained is enor mous ; it is only limited by the quantity of manure applied, and the prompti tude with which the field work is carried on. Let us try to describe as nearly as possible the summer system at Bow Park. When the spring opens, a large amount of the work too often left to be done then has already been accom plished the previous fall. For example, over four hundred acres were ploughed last fall, and over two hundred of it sown with rye. This crop is invaluable on a large stock farm. Its certainty, its early maturity, the large amount of nutritious green food it provides, the great bulk of straw obtained from it when ripe, and the convenience of sowing it in the fall when the pressure of field work is over, give it a place which no other-grain can supply. The green rye is ready for cutting almost as a regular thing in the first week in May ; and by varying the times of sowing, the cuttings can be made to extend over five weeks, or until the second week in June. Towards the end of the time it begins to get hard, and it is well to pass it through the chaff-cutter. The volume of this succulent food obtained from an acre varies from 15 to 25 tons, according to the season and condition of the soil ; and from 23 to 28 acres of it have always been sufficient to carry the whole herd at Bow Park over the period indicated. The second soiling crop of the season is oats, peas and tares mixed, The land for it is manured and ploughed the previous fall, and with the first movement of spring, the cultivators, harrows, seed-drills, rollers and plaster-sowers, are set to work with all vigour, and from 40 to 50 acr^s soon completed. The first sowings of this crop are fully ready to cut when the green rye becomes too hard to be palatable, and the acreage named is usually more than suificieut to supply the entire herd luxuriously until the ead of July. In a moist season, the volume of succulent food obtained from this crop is enormous, and the cattle delight in it. The third soiling crop of the season is Indian corn, and 224 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY, whether for use as green fodder in August and September, or as dry fodder from October to May, there is nothing equal to it. At Bow Park, great reliance is placed upon it, and large quantities of it are annually grown. Two kinds of it are used — the eight-rowed yellow Canadian corn when the grain is to be matured, and the large western corn when fodder only is desired. The planting commences with the western corn about the 20th of May, and over 100 acres of it are usually sown to be cut late in the season, and kept for winter supply. All sorts of ways of planting it have been- tried, but that now adopted at Bow Park as the best is to manure the land very heavily, to drill in the seed in rows 25 to 27 inches apart, with a Bachelder's Corn-sower, to sow broadcast over the land with a Seymour's Plaster Machine from 200 to 300 lbs. of gypsum per acre, when the plant is fairly up, and to keep the horse-hoes steadily going until the growing corn debars it. To cut corn for winter suply, it is important to do it at the time when the saccharine matter is at its highest point. An acre of it taken from a large field was carefully weighed at Bow Park, and found to contain 36 tons of green fodder. The practice after cutting is to tie it up in bundles, gather these into half ton stocks, allow the stooks to stand in the field during winter, and draw them in as required. It is estimated that the corn so treated shrinks to one- fourth its green weight, but its weight and value are very great at that. As the winter advances, the dried corn is cut up into chaff, mixed with Indian corn meal and pea straw, thrown into large vats, and thoroughly steamed by pipes led into them from the boiler. The cattle eat this mixture with great relish to the last when properly steamed, and three tons per day of it are con sumed during the winter. Early in June the sowing of the Canadian corn commences, and from 60 to 70 acres of it are usually planted. In the County of Brant it is usually a successful crop, and when it is so, the returns from it of grain and fodder are highly satisfactory. Even when early frosts prevent its ripening, the amount of excellent fodder obtained gives a profitable return. Immediately after the planting of the Canadian corn, come catch-crops of western corn for consumption in August and September. The first of these is taken from the land on which stood the green rye first cut. The moment the ' rye is off the ground, a good dressing of barnyard manure is quickly applied, the ploughs and planters are set to work, and the same practice followed as already described. In the same maimer, catch-crops of western corn are taken from the land on which the second soiling supply of peas, oats and tares was grown. About 70 acres are thus found amply sufficient to carry the whole herd from the first week in May to the last in September, when the after-math of the meadows and the range of the harvested fields furnish abundant supplies until the time arrives for going into close winter quarters. And when that time does arrive, the whole of the early planted western com, and of the Canadian corn, and the hay, and the Hungarian grass, and the roots, and the oat, pea, barley, and rye straw, and the grain from all these crops, are to the fore and more than suffi cient for winter necessities. Oilcake, bran, Indian corn and oats for fodder, and straw for bedding, are the only supplies for the animals that have to be purchased. The whole amount annually thus expended is not a large sum; and it is in great part balanced by sales of rye and barley grown upon the farm. The Association owning the farm at present gets the name of " The Canada LOCAL HISTORY. 225 West Farm Stock Association," the principal shareholders being Thomas Nelson, of Edinburgh, Scotland, and his sister, widow of the late Senator Brown, of Toronto. The herd now comprises 150 thorough-bred females and 50 males, and is probably the largest and most valuable short-horn herd in the world. It is the intention of the proprietors to continue to enlarge and improve it as opportunity occurs. First Provincial Exhibition held in Brantford, 1857. The Twelfth Annual Provincial Exhibition of the Agricultural Association was held at Brantford on September 29th and 30th, October 1st and 2nd, 1857. The ground chosen was an elevated piece of dry, sandy land, immediately adjoining the Brantford station of the Buffalo and Brantford Railway, overlooking the town, and commanding an extensive and pleasant view of the surrounding country. Temporary buildings, pens and fences were erected by the local committee. The ground, about twenty acres in extent, was planted with trees. Nearly opposite the entry gate, in the shape of a Gieek cross, stood a large building, one hundred and fifty feet long by forty feet broad, with an octagon tower rising in the centre. This was the Floral Hall, devoted to floriculture, horticulture, the educational department, ladies' work and the fine arts. Behind it, hidden from view on entering, was another building of the same shape, for the agricultural, dairy and other products. Between the fence and these buildings the space on the right hand was devoted to the exhibition of the horses. To the left on entering were placed the ploughs and other implements and machines, and the refreshment booths. All around the inside of the fence were pens for cattle, sheep and pigs. For the convenience of people having animals or heavy articles for exhibi tion, the Railway Company made a temporary switch to the lower corner of the grounds. The contributions from municipalities and societies to defray the local expenses were as follows : — The Town of Brantford, £1,000 ; the County of Brant, £500 ; the County of Waterloo, £50 ; the County of Oxford, £100 ; the County of Wentworth, £50 ; the County of Norfolk, £50 ; the County of Norfolk Agricultural Society, £50 ; and the whole of the funds of the County of Brant Agricultural Society. The amount of prizes offered in the list published in June was £2,500, being nearly £200 more than was offered the preceding year. Some new prizes were offered in various classes. The Canada Company continued their liberal prizes for wheat, hemp and flax. The President offered a prize of £15, to be given to the horse which should receive the first prize as a stallion for agricultural purposes, if imported from Europe since the Exhibition of 1856, ami the treble prize for such imported animal as in accordance with the list, to be increased to £35, making the whole prize the sum of £50. There were also a number of sweepstake prizes offered for horses, cattle and sheep, as noticed at another place. The numbers of entries of animals and articles for exhibition was over 4,400, being about 600 in excess of any previous year. However, owing to the difficulty of getting forward by the railway, a large number of articles and animals entered in the books did not appear upon the ground, and many of the things that did appear did not arrive until a late period of the fair. Still, upon the whole, the entire 226 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. number of animals and articles exhibited probably exceeded any previous year. The weather, during a great part of the time of the Exhibition, was extremely nnfavourable, and of course affected the result. Tuesday, the first day of the Exhibition, on which day the judges were to commence their inspection, and members to, be admitted after 12 o'clock, the weather was all that could be desired, but the articles had not nearly all arrived, and the arrangements were incomplete. Wednesday, the first day of admitting the public, was generally wet and cold, with occasional sunshine. Owing to detention by the railway, articles which should all have been upon the grounds the previous day before noon were arriving all day, and the judges consequently could not get through with their duties so promptly as was desired. On Thursday, the principal day, rain fell heavily all day, the air was cold and disagreeable, and the ground, although a sandy porous soil, became, from the trampling of the crowd of visitors, deep mud. Nowithstanding, visitors arrived in large numbers from all quarters, and these, added to those already in the town, made the number of persons on the grounds very large, and in spite of the rain and cold the animals and articles exhibited were industriously examined. In the afternoon. Sir William Eyre, Administrator of the Govern ment, and other distinguished persons, arrived. On Friday, the closing day, the weather was more propitious, and visitors were numerous. After the holding of the annual meeting of the Directors of the Association, the delivery of the President's Address and the reading of the prize list, the payment of the prizes and the removal of articles from the grounds commenced. A brief notice of the several departments of the show is herewith subjoined : The show of blood horses was small, about equal to previous years ; some very good animals. Of agricultural, draught, carriage and saddle horses the show was very large, considerably in excess of previous years ; some very superior animals. The show of Durham cattle was rather larger than at any previous show, and the animals of as good quality; of Devons, also larger; of Herefords about the same as at previous shows, a very meagre display ; of Ayrshires, a smaller display than formerly ; of Galloways, nearly the same number as in 1856, and larger than at any other previous exhibition ; of grade cattle the number entered and exhibited was about the same as at either of the two pre vious exhibitions ; and of fat and working cattle, the number was a little greater. The number of Leicester sheep was greater than at previous shows ; of ¦Cotswolds greater ; of Cheviots about equal to the show of 1856 ; of Southdowns greater than previously ; of Merinos and Saxons greater than in 1856, but less than in 1855 ; of long-wooled sheep, a new class introduced in the list, not being any of the above mentioned pure breeds, sixty-two entries and a good show ; and of fat sheep a larger show than formerly. Of pigs the entry was less than in 1856, but larger than in 1855; the entry of the small breeds was the most numerous, and of these some specimens of Essex breed appeared to be the favourites. The number of poultry entered was not quite so large as at King ston, and of those entered not much more than half came forward ; still the show in this class was large and interesting. " In the whole department of live stofek," a Toronto newspaper said, " The entries are much more numerous than formerly, and the quality of them very LOCAL HISTORY. 227 superior, a feature in the exhibition especially desirable, as a proof of the pro gress of the Canadian farmer, and the growing interest taken in the improve ment of farming stock." The entries of grain and seeds were not so numerous as in 1856, but more so than in 1855 ; the season having been a very unfavour able one for the production and harvesting of grain, the exhibition in this departmen.t could hardly be expected to be very superior; there were, however, some very good samples, and in wheat the display was better than was anticipated. The entries in re ots, etc., were more numerous than at either of the two pre ceding shows, and the specimens of good average quality. Of fruits, plants and flowers the entries were more numerous than formerly, and the specimens good, A considerable part of the display in this department came from Montreal, and from Rochester, N. Y. The display of open-air peaches, principally from Niagara and the neighbourhood of Hamilton, was very fine. In the department of dairy products, domestic groceries, &c., the number of entries was not so large as at Kingston in 1856, but more than double that at Cobourg in 1855. In agricultural implemeiits the number of entries was double that at either of the exhibitions of the two previous years, there being fifty entries of ploughs alone. Some of the celebrated Howard ploughs, from Eng land, were exhibited by Rice Lewis & Son, Toronto. The entire department exhibited an improvement in a proportion equal to the improvement of the whole exhibition. There were not many cultivators or implements of that description, but of straw cutters and fanning mills there was a great abundance. The competition in reaping machines was very close, and in the straw cutters the judges found it expedient to separate those in which horse-power was em ployed from the rest of the class. The following notice of the trial of the implements is taken from a Toronto daily newspaper : " This (Wednesday) morning a trial of ploughs, mowing machines, and com bined mowers and reapers, took place upon Mr. Good's farm, about two- miles from town. A very nice piece of sod was selected for the ploughs, which were set to work, and the judges then went on to test the reapers in an oat field adjoining. Some twenty-eight or thirty ploughs were taken out for trial ; many of them were remarkable specimens of nice workmanship both in iron and wood ; and there was presented every variety of shape and pattern, some new, and others of old and approved make. " The number of entries in Fine Arts exceeded that at either of the two pre ceding shows, and the display was highly creditable. Amongst the specimens perhaps the photographs, coloured and uncoloured, attracted the greatest atten tion ; they exhibited considerable advance in the style of execution. There were but few professional exhibitors in the Fine Arts Department ; many of the amateur performances possessed considerable merit, while others were of a very indifferent or inferior order. Of Indian specimens there were but few entries of manufactured articles enumerated in the prize list. The things shown were principally heirlooms and relics, some of them of an interesting character historically. G. H. M. Johnson, or ' Onwassyshon,' chief of the Six Nations, was the largest exhibitor. " An entire transept of the Floral Hall was occupied with the various educa tional requisites which may be obtained for public schools from the depositories in connection with the Education Office ; this part of the exhibition attracted 228 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. much attention from the beautiful finish of the apparatus and its general appearance ; the educational coat of arms, in relief, displayed in front, and the whole decorated with evergreens and suitable mottoes. The maps were sus pended from a stage erected on the centre of a platform, and 'comprised not- only those of an elaborate character, such as raised or embossed physical maps, but also those in use in our Grammar and Common Schools. Various zoological, botanical and geological charts, showing the principles of those important sciences in a clear and instructive manner ; most of the maps were. on so large a scale that the most numerous class can be instructed with the same ease and facility as the single student. The object and tablet lessons were an interesting display of themselves ; they embraced zoology, botany,, natural phenomena, scripture history, and reading and arithmetic. The exten sive collection of philosophical instruments and apparatus had been selected with much care, in order to obtain those of practical utility as well as scientific interest, thus ensuring intellectual improvement and enriching the mind with a. love for philosophical observations. The selection consisted of apparatus for mechanics, hydraulics, pneumatics, optics, astronomy, electricity, galvanism, chemistry, &c., showing the laws of matter and motion, centre of gravity, fall of bodies, gyroscopes, instruments illustrating the centrifugal forces and the ten dencies of bodies to revolve upon their shorter axis, mechanical powers, forcing and lifting pumps, Hire's fountain, hydrostatic bellows, Archimedes' screw pump,. and air pumps of various sizes, with numerous instruments for experiments in pneumatics, microscopes, models of the eye, magic and phantasmagoria lanterns with appropriate slides, planetariums, with other astronomical apparatus of a new and novel description, electrical machines, electro-magnetical and galvanic apparatus, instruments for exhibiting the properties of heat, chemical labor atories prepared for the use of schoolmasters and lectures, mineralogical and geological specimens, with models showing the formation of strata, crystals, &c., terrestrial and celestial globes, varying in size from two and a-half to thirty-six inches in diameter, plaster casts and other drawing models, sectional models of machinery, including stationary and locomotive engines, and that greatest of wonders — the electric telegraph. In this department there was a Canadian section displaying school furniture, map stands, reading tables, bent levers, sub stitute for black-boards, geometrical forms and solids, and sectional models of steam engines. These are of much importance to the teacher, as the difficulty of explaining the interior and exterior of the machine is removed, the whole of the interior being laid open, the entire machinery exhibited, every valve opening and closing, the pistons rising and the whole moving in the same maimer as a. complete engine. The entire collection was well fitted for philosophical research and experimental demonstration, thus meeting the aim of the department, as expressed in a circular addressed to Local Superintendents and others by the Deputy Superintendent previous to the exhibition, comprising a fuU view of the most important practical applications of the sciences to education ; and it is by these things only that impressions of lasting utility can be given, and which alone can promote the intellectual welfare of our country." The twelfth annual exhibition, considered as a whole, was certainly not inferior to any one of its predecessors, and had it not been for the exceedingly unfav ourable weather, in collection with the want of sufficient railway accommoda- LOCAL HISTORY. 22& tion, it would have far surpassed anything of the kind previously witnessed in the Province. The cash receipts were about £8,000, which is more than at any previous show. On Thursday, October 1st, His Excellency Sir Wm. Eyre, Commander-in- Chief of the Forces and Administrator of the Government, arrived at Brantford by special train, accompanied by his suite and several members of the admin istration. He was received at the railway station by the Mayor and a number of other gentlemen, who escorted him to the Town Hall, where the following address was presented by the Town Council : "To His Excellency Lieutenant-General Sir William Eyre,K.C.B., Adminis trator of the Government of the Province of Canada, and Commander-in- Chief, etc. "We, the Municipal Corporation of the Town of Brantford, in the County of Brant, in Council assembled, would Approach your Excellencj' in the language of congratulation, to tender to your Excellency a hearty welcome on this your first visit, as Administrator of the Government, to our young and rising town, to honour and encourage by your presence those great and noble pursuits, some of the results of which are about to be exemplified on this the occasion of the Twelfth Annual Provincial Exhibition, under the auspices of the Agricultural Association of Canada West, an institution which reflects the wisdom of its founder, a wisdom which is annually proclaimed by presenting to the world an honest rivalry and competition in the improvements and progress that have been made in all those things which constitute the wealth and bespeak the intelligence, wisdom and true greatness of the people of this fine Province" Your Excellency is now within the precincts of the territory of the ' red man," granted by an ancestor of our present most gracious and beloved Sovereign to him and his posterity, as a reward of that fidelity, valour and attachment to the British Crown which characterized his race in perilous times past, from which, unused to the arts and appliances of civilized life, he has gradually retired, leaving it to the genius, industry and enterprise of the ' pale face ' to use and cultivate in such a manner as to produce those happy, encouraging and cheering results we are about to witness. " Your Excellency, conversant with our history, will readily perceive that the inhabitants of this town and county, in selecting a name, actuated by the recollection of the valour and attachment which gave birth to a monarch's grant, adopted that of an illustrious and distinguished chief of the ' red man,' Joseph Brant, whose last resting place is within sight, and whose funeral obsequies were a short time ago a second time attended by thousands of his white brethren from all parts of the Province and neighbouring Republic. We hail in your Excellency an old and faithful servant of our noble Empire ; one whose fame is inseparably connected with the deeds of prowess and success which characterized the arms of England and her allies in the recent struggle against the encroachments and bad faith of a government, the leading feature of which has always been implacable and uncompromising enmity to the great principles of freedom which we enjoy under our government and excellent municipal institutions, of which we are justly proud, and which, in the course of events, your Excellency has been called upon to administer and maintain. ' Ji30 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. "While congratulating your Excellency and ourselves on this most auspicious occasion, we would also express our unfeigned regret that in other lands scenes of atrocity and barbarism are being perpetrated, which are altogether at vari ance with and repugnant to the peaceful and ennobling pursuits, to witness the results of which has brought us together. And we would express the hope that, in the good providence of God, the day is not far distant when our brothers in arms, now engaged in the suppression of those acts of atrocity and barbarism, may, like your Excellency, be witnessing scenes more congenial to the true and great interests of the human family, similar to those that are ^ about to engage our attention^, and which we hope your Excellency may be long spared in health and happiness to enjoy." His Excellency replied verbally in fitting terms to the address, after which another was presented by the Mechanics' Institute of Brantford, as follows : — " To His Excellency Lieutenant-General Sir William Eyre. K.C.B., etc. " May IT please Your Excellency : "The President and members of the Brantford Mechanics' Institute beg leave to welcome your Excellency to this town on the auspicious event of the first exhibition being held therein of the agricultural, manufacturing, educational and artistic productions of the Province. We assure your Excellency that it is with feelings of gratitu(:e that we observe the interest manifested by you on this and other occasions in the industrial arts and prosperity of this Province. As a Mechanics' Institute our special concern is in the advancement of the various classes of manufactures and handicrafts of every kind ; and we think we have reason to be proud of the progress we have made therein, as well as in population, commerce and wealth, during the last twenty years, a progress with which the surrounding country has kept pace in its improved agricultural implements and farm buildings. We name the period of twenty years, because some of us old residents remember with pleasure that at that distance of time your Excellency dwelt amongst us; and we therefore venture to hope that it wiU not be without personal interest and a gratifying reminiscence that you wit ness the rapidity with which towns grow in Canada. " We shall only just allude to' your Excellency's service during that period as & distinguished warrior, but though men of peace ourselves, we trust we shall never fail in gratitude to those who peril their lives to defend the honour of •our mutual country when assailed by foes ; though we rejoicj when they can ' beat their swords into pruning hooks,' and share with us the quiet enjoy-' ments of home. This happy state of things is for the moment interrupted by the Indian revolt ; but a swarm of hornets, though it may sting and irritate us for a time, has no power to inflict any enduring injury, so we solemnly trust that the Providence which has hitherto favoured and protected the British nation will remove these threatening eastern clouds, and restore us peace, as a happy omen of which, and a complete epitome of human life, we regard the scene presented here to-day, where agriculture, mechanics and arts combine to offer to our view their varied productions, under the patronage of a soldier like your Excellency. In conclusion, we beg to present our best wishes for the continued health and happiness of your Excellency and all connected with you." local history. , 231 His Excellency replied, and expressed his high gratification at receivmg such an address, for there was no institution more honourable to its promoters than the Mechanics' Institute. Nothing could be more gratifying than to see all classes assembled to cultivate their minds, making other important matters subordinate to these higher interests. He then proceeded to the show ground, where he was received by the President and officers of the Association. His Excellency was first conducted to the Committee Room, where the President, Mr. Alexander, read the following address : "To His Excellency General SirW. Eyre, K.C.B., Administrator of the Government, &c. &c. ""May it please Your Excellency : " We, the directors and members of the Provincial Agricultural Association, -desire to assure you that we hail with great pleasure your Excellency's presence at our great Annual Exhibition. The farmers of Upper Canada are always happy to have an opportunity of paying homage and respect to Her Majesty's Representative in this Province, and we tender to you a warm and cordial wel come in that honoured position ; but we also recognize in j'ou a distinguished representative of that gallant and devoted army which so nobly sustained the renown of British arms in the Crimea. Your Excellency has returned amongst us clothed with the honours of the battlefield, and we earnestly pray that yon may long be preserved to render further services to your country, and to enjoy .all the honours conferred upon you by our beloved Sovereign." His Excellency replied as follows : " I am very much obliged to the mem bers and directors of the Agricultural Association for their kind and hearty reception, and for the address presented to me. I was very much afraid that I shoidd not have had the honour of attending on this occasion, but nothing would have prevented me from doing so but positive necessity. I have heard very frequently of this great grain-growing country, and I saw something of it in passing through on a former occasion, and although I looked then rather with a military eye, I could not be otherwise than struck with the appearance of the country. It is very gratifying to me, in the high position in which accident rather than my own merits' has placed me, to be able to act in a civil capacity, and to encourage the arts of peace, of which this society is one of the chief promoters. Especially upon this occasion I am proud of being present, and I am very much obliged to you for the manner in which you have received me." . Several gentlemen were then introduced to His Excellency, among whom were the Hon. Washington Hunt, ex- Governor of the State of New York; Mr. Allen, of Black Rock; E. W Thompson, J. B. Marks, W. B. Jarvis, Hon. A. Ferguson; the Sheriff of the County of Brant; David Christie, M.P.P.; D. B. Stevenson, M.P.P.; F. W. Stone, and others. His Excellency then proceeded round the grounds and inspected, as well as his limited time and the very un- propitious weather would permit, the various articles that were exhibited. ¦The following are extracts taken from the address delivered at Brantford, Ont, October 2nd, 1857, by George Alexander, President of the Agricultural Association : 232 history OF brant county. " Gentlemen of the Provincial Agricultural Association, — If ever there was a scene calculated to make the heart rejoice, and inspire us with feelings of gratitude to an all-wise and beneficent Providence, it is that which now greets our view. While revelling amidst the richest productions of the earth, and the multifarious inventions of mechanical skill which proclaim loudly the triumph of industry and human enterprise, our attention is arrested by the beauty of the surrounding districts, but more especially of that magni ficent valley in the distance, which was for ages the haunt and the home of the Delaware and Mohawk, with its wild associations of deep interest. But we pause to inquire by what magical influence the marvellous changes have been effected which we now behold and over which we rejoice. It is the unswer-ving industry of our population, and their devotion to the hardy and ennobling pursuit of agriculture, which has transformed those vast forests into the green pastures and rich cornfields now furnishing such abundance for man aud beast. It would ill become us, who are living in the enjoyment of so many advantages,. to forget the honour that is due to the early settlers of this land, whose endur ance and toil have contributed so much to our present position. It is the increase flowing from their labour which has brought the cheering whistle of the locomotive into the finest portions of our country, giving such value to every district — that great harbinger of busy activity and industrial progress which almost annihilates distance, and gives immediate vitality to the most sequestered spots. Where are the old scenes of former days ? We search in vain for them amongst the lingering vestiges of the forest, but we behold everywhere around us happy and independent homes ; and, while the red man is rapidly receding to other regions, we find civilization scattering broadcast her thousand comforts and the blessings of a higher enlightenment. Never did a country dawn into- existence with brighter prospects than this, and, if its conquest has been achieved at the cost of many hardships and severe toil, its inhabitants have acquired the rich possession of a territory justly distinguished for the enduring fertility of its soil and unlimited natural resources, while our climate has been found most congenial to the growth and perpetuity of man's best energies. It is also- worthy of observation, as a distinguishing feature of our progress, that through the judgment and moderation, the vigilance and foresight of our people, insti tutions admirably adapted to our growing wants have been secured, under which we enjoy every privilege and right which the most ardent lover of liberty can desire — institutions eminently calculated to diffuse the blessings of knowledge, even to the verge of the most remote settlements, and which are designed to- foster the growth of all those arts of civilized life, upon the progress and improvement of which not only man's immediate wants but our future wealth and greatness must depend. "What are the great objects which have brought this vast multitude together ? We have come here to pay a just tribute of homage and respect to the enterprise of our fellow-citizens who have carried off the highest honours of the day, and to behold and admire the results of their industry, as displayed in the rich production of the earth, and in all the inventions and beautiful handiwork designed to grace and adorn life. We claim for great annual gatherings that they give vigour and vitality to the aspirations of our people, and that, while they are the best public introduction to our importers and improvers of stock, to the scientific husbandman, to our own LOCAL history. 233 mechanics and manufacturers, extending far and wide the fame of their superior skill, they cannot fail to raise in- the public mind higher standards of excel lence, and exercise a salutary moral and social influence. "I have felt deeply, gentlemen, my inability to do justice to the position of trust and responsibility in which your kindness has placed me, and I fear, with all our endeavours, many important means have been overlooked of furthering the great object we have in view. In a country where the chief harrier to good husbandry is the expense and scarcity of labour, there is not a more important matter than the improvement of our harvesting and other la]30ur-saving implements, which it is peculiarly the province of this institu- tution to promote in every possible way. The trial of the United States Agricultural Society, at Syracuse, was a movement in the right direction, although the results may not have equalled the expectations of those present. There is a diversity of opinion as to the best method of accomplishing this object, but we doubt not that our association will next year adopt that which is considered the most practical, and whereby the respective merits of the best implements may be fully tested and afterwards made known for the benefit of all. Another great function of this society should be to elicit, by such means as are likely to be most successful, and publish in a properly digested form, the local experience of our best farmers — illustrating their respective systems — while contributions should be obtained showing the practical bearing of science upon this most important pursuit, and the money value of such know ledge to the farmer. " How many do I now see around me who are eminently qualified to raise the status of our Canadian agriculture ? And where, gentlemen, is there a nobler object of ambition than to have one's name identified with the advance ment of a rising country such as this ? Man has invaded every province of nature, and made every element tributary to his wants. We now travel by steam, and employ as our daily messenger the electric fluid. As a modern writer of great force exclaims : ' Into how many channels is human labour pouring itself forth ? What a rush into all the departments of trade ! What vast enterprises agitate every community ! And while industry pierces the forest and startles with her axe the everlasting silence, commerce penetrates into every inlet, girdles the earth with railroads, and breaks down the estrange ments of nations.' One cannot regard but with admiration and wonder the skiU and science displayed in the varied improvements of British husbandry, the greater part of which has been the work of scarce half a century. ' Prior to 1798,' observes a writer in the Edinburgh Journal of Agriculture, ' hardly any wheat was attempted to be grown in Scotland ; few potatoes were raised, and the artfficial grasses little known ; but we have lived to beh old a great change Waving fields of wheat are now to be seen ; drilled green crops everywhere abound, and whole parishes of waste lands have been transformed into rich cornfields, yielding heavy crops per acre and heavy weight per bushel.' Scot land has, by the industry and science of her sons, become one of the richest and most productive countries in the world. Let such results animate us to con tinued exertion, and if the soil is the treasury from which the largest portion of our future welfare must flow, our material progress will depend upon the skill of the husbandman. Agriculture may be followed as a simple, rude art, yielding 234 history of brant county. but a scanty return, or it may be practised as one of the noblest sciences which can engage man's physical and mental energies, furnishing material plenty and. abounding wealth. If there is dignity in labour and human industry, that industry becomes ennobled under the guidance of enlightened judgment, and brings in its train a thousand blessings. As the poet observes : ' Life without work is unenjoyed ; The happiest are the best employed ; Work moves and moulds the weightiest birth. And grasps the destinies of earth. ' " It is not the extent of cultivated surface, or the amount of expended toil, that will ensure great results ; and if we aspire to become distinguished for our agriculture, and to attain to a position of wealth, we must abandon that most fallacious of all ideas that the farmer needs no education or science. We see what modem science has done to ennoble and enrich Britain, many districts of which were originally barren and -worthless. How favourable should our prospects be, commencing our career with the accumulated fertility of ages. But -while agriculture is and will continue to be our chief and leading interest, there are other objects which must enlist the enterprise of our people. The husbandman raises more than he can consume, while, in this age of high civih- zation, he is the creature of a thousand wants. We must look to com merce and manufactures to supply those wants, and to give a. marketable value to all our surplus produce. 'We must foster in every way those branches of industry which will give population to our towns and cities, secure to us a home market, diminish the amount of our imports, and consolidate our wealth. There is a marked spirit of enterprise abioad in our country ; and when we look at our noble St. Lawrence, and those great inland seas which, along with our railways, afford such facilities for carrying on all our commercial exchanges — when we regard the boundless extent of water power, the certain local demand for all manufactured products, while we have territory that can sustain a dense and teeming population — I say that we cannot behold all this without feeling that our country presents an unlimited field for human enterprise. We are living in a state of society where the invidious distinctions of rank and wealth are little known, and industry and integrity command everywhere respect, while the highest posts of honour and emolument are fairly and equally opened to all. We have thus every natural incentive to honourable ambition, and a thousand considerations to animate us to strain every nerve for our country's advancement. It would, perhaps, not be out of place to observe that we cannot unfold the pages of history without perceiving that every nation which has risen to eminence in ancient or modern times has been distinguished for the patriot ism of her sons. What led to the boundless conquests, the renown of ancient Greece and Rome ? What absorbing passion animated the immortal Wallace to such deeds of heroic valour and seK-sacrifice ? His memory will be warmly cherished to the end of time. What noble enthusiasm led the British soldier (for those regiments were composed alike of men from the rural districts of England, Scotland aud Ireland) to scale so gallantly the heights of Alma, and rush into the sanguinary but triumphant struggle at Inkerman ? We unhesitat ingly reply, a far higher honour than that of gain. The fame of British valour. LOCAL HISTORY. 23.> the integrity of the Empire, the future peace of Europe, and the cause of liberty throughout the world hung upon the issue. But in this utilitarian and wealth-amassing age, or at least in this region of the globe, our swords have been turned into ploughshares and our spears into pruning hooks; and we behold in the great neighbouring Republic and elsewhere this spirit of nation ality warming into life a general zeal to excel in all the arts of peace, and a thirst for national pre-eminence. May this great public virtue continue to manifest itself amongst us, stimulating the improvement of our agriculture, the increase of our manufactures, and the extension of our commerce, and im buing all with anxious concern for the public interests of our country. ' Zeal for the public good,' says Addison, ' is the character of a man of honour, and must take place of pleasures, profits and most other private ends. Whoever is wanting in this motive is an open enemy or inglorious neuter to his race, in proportion to the misapplied advantages with which nature and fortune have blessed him.' " Let all therefore be ready when called upon to fill with diligence and honour the various offices of public trust and responsibility. Let our leading practical farmers rally round our agricultural societies, support liberally our agricultural journals, and persevere in such efforts until a thirst for improve ment pervades every homestead. Let nothing, gentlemen, dampen j^our ardour in upholding our national school system, which has been framed and intro duced with so much ability and judgment. In giving education to the young, I mean in its highest sense, we leave the richest legacy which one generation can give to another. Let us make every sacrifice to secure the best methods of our country for our public teachers, and in addition to all the other branches of knowledge, let the elements of agricultural and mechanical science be taught in our more advanced schools, which, if only to a limited extent, will be sowing the first seeds from which an after crop will spring up. But above all, let us uphold our great depositories of science and learning, — I mean our academic and collegiate institutions. To them it is that we must look for that higher mental discipline which makes the pathways easy to the great ocean of kno-«'- ledge and truth. The chairs of our universities are at this moment filled by men of the highest attainments. But above all, it is important that the Canadian character now forming should be moulded upon the noblest founda tions, and be imbued with the virtues of the races from which we have sprung. And if we wish to see our country accomplish its highest destinies, we must have loftier objects of ambition than the mere attainment of wealth. It was observed of Britain by an American statesman, that the sun never sets upon her dominions, and that the beat of her morning drum makes one unbroken sound round the world. But the immensity of her wealth and the extent of her dominions have . been powerful instruments in her hands to accomplish good. Where are we to look for the real elements of her greatness ? In the soundness of heart and principle pervading the great mass of her people. "While luxury has never palsied her enterprise, her sons have contributed largely to the treasury of science and art, and to the general enlightenment of the world. Her wealth, her energies and her strength have been devoted to some of the noblest objects. She has given liberty to the slave, and has been the messenger of the glad tidings of peace from pole to pole. Shall it be said that 236 HISTORY OF brant COUNTY. our Canadian soil is unfavourable to the growth of intellect and genius, and of those virtues which have cast so bright a halo around the parent country ? Who can behold our township and county libraries, which have justly been pronounced ' the crown and glory of our institutions,' carrying to one's door the accumulated wisdom of ages, or witness the earnestness -with which throughout our rural districts, the great mass are anxious to further every good object, and not feel inspired with the hopes of a bright future ? But we must guard the young against the shoals and quicksands which beset our path, unfold to them the higher enjoyments of the mind which will elevate them; give them self-respect, aud enhance the value of all their other possessions ; teach them that a nation's honour is a nation's greatness, and that its true, greatness consists in the virtue of its citizens ; but above all, we must teach them that it is to the bounty of an all-merciful Providence that we are indebted for all the blessings we enjoy." :Wt LOCAL HISTORY. 239 CHAPTER VIII. Township Statistics. — A ssessment Rolls. — Census of 1881. List of Post Offices. Township Statistics. From the Census of 1881 we gather the following information relative to the different townships of the county. Brantford Township began to be permanently settled about the year 1806, and is now all settled, the real settlement of the land having been completed about the year 1851. The soil is very good, with no stony, hilly, low, swampy or wet springy land, and the whole township is rolling and cultivable. Six- eighths of the area could be called first-class land, and the rest second or third class. Of heavy clay soil there is one-eighth ; three-fourths clay bottom ; and one-fourth' sand and gravel bottom. Of clay loam there is two-eighths ; three- fourths clay bottom, and one-fourth sand and gravel bottom. Of sandy loam there is four-eighths ; three-fourths clay bottom, and one-fourth sand and gravel bottom. There is one-eighth equally divided of sand ; one-eighth gravelly, and one-eighth black loam. The township is generally well watered, water being found at the depth of from ten to forty feet. First-class farms are worth $80 per acre; second-class, $55 per acre; and third-class, $40 per acre. One- twentieth of the land is now stumpy, and the rest clear, the stumpy being generally pine; Nine-tenths of the farms are under first-class rail and board fence ; about nine-tenths of the buildings are first-class, and about three-fourths of the outbuildings could be called first-class. The land being rolling, very Uttle tile is used. All the farmers use improved farm machinery, and two- thirds of them use salt and plaster for fertilizers, other fertilizers not being used much ; plaster is used upon clover, salt upon all spring grains and roots.. Of the area two-tenths is sown in fall wheat, which yields 18 bushels to the acre ; one-tenth in barlej', 24 bushels to the acre ; one-tenth in oats, 35 bushels to the acre ; one-twentieth peas, 20 bushels to the acre ; one-twentieth corn, 30 bushels to the acre ; one-eightieth potatoes, 150 bushels to the acre ; one-fortieth in turnips, 600 bushels to the acre ; one-twentieth other roots, 600 bushels to the acre ; two-tenths hay, one and one-half tons per acre ; pasture lands, two- tenths ; orchards, one-eighth. The stock raised is principally short-horn cattle, Berkshire and Suffolk pigs, and Clyde and blooded horses. The population of the township numbers 5,421; acreage cleared, 56,678; stock raised — cattle, 512 ; horses, 2,599 ; sheep, 6,162 ; hogs, 1,954. Burford Township was the first township in which settlers began to locate. The first settlement was made during the latter part of the last century, but 15 240 history of brant county. the whole township could not be said to have been settled until about I860. The soil consists of clay, sand and mixed clay, and sand loam ; one-eighth being heavy clay, one-eighth clay loam, one-fourth sandy loam, one-eighth sand, one- eighth gravelly, and one-fourth black loam ; the subsoil being clay, sand and gravel. The land is ''generally rolling, with very little bottom land, swampy, wet or springy soil, and none stony, hiUy or uncultivable. The land is about equally divided between first, second and third-class farm lands, worth about $20, $40 and $80 per acre, and through the whole township is very variable. It is well watered, a good supply of excellent water being always procurable at a depth of from five to fifty feet. About half of the farms are under first-class board, rail or stump fence, and as large a proportion of the buildings are brick, stone or first-class frame. Very little of the land is underdrained with tile. About three-fourths of the farmers use improved farm machinery. Plaster and salt are used for fertilizing, from 80 to 200 pounds being used per acre ; plaster for clover and grass, and salt for cereals. 'The proportion of land sown with the different crops, and the yield per acre is about as follows : Fall wheat, one- sixth, 15 bushels ; spring wheat, one-twenty-fourth, 10 bushels ; barley, one- twenty-fourth, 25 bushels ; oats, one-twelfth, 35 bushels ; rye, one-fiftieth, 15 bushels ; peas, one-twelfth, 20 bushels ; corn, one-forty -eighth, 40 bushels ;. buckwheat, one-forty-eighth, 20 bushels ; potatoes, one-forty-eighth, 150 bushels ; turnips, one-twenty-fourth, 400 bushels ; hay, one-sixth, one and a haff tons. One-sixth of the land is pasture, and one-forty-eighth orchard. The timber consists of beech, maple, black ash and elm ; used for fencing, fuel and lumber. There is an area in the township of 43,310 acres cleared land, and a population of 4,861. There are 4,214 cattle, 2,169 horses, 4,609 sheep, and 1,540 hogs raised annually. South Dumfries Township received its first settler about 1812, and was all settled by the year 1840. The soil, which is generally very good, consists of clay and sand loam — two feet clay loam, three feet sandy loam. The south eastern portion is clay loam ; the south-west sandy logm ; and the north-east,. north-west and centre, clay loam. The land is generally rolling, with about one thousand acres of low or bottom land, about one thousand acres so hilly as to be objectionable for purposes of cultivation, and about nine hundred acres swampy. Two-thirds of the land is first-class, worth $70 per acre, the other third being about equally divided, second and third-class, worth $50 and $40 per acre. Water is obtained always at a depth of from seven to seventy-five ' feet, but generally at a depth of about thirty feet. Most of the farms are well fenced, and most of the buildings are what might be termed first-class. AU the farmers use improved farm machinery, and three-fourths of them use salt and plaster for fertilizers. Fall wheat yields 18 bushels to the acre ; spring wheat,. 6 bushels ; barley, 25 bushels ; oats, 30 bushels ; peas, 10 bushels ; corn, 35 bushels ; potatoes, 100 bushels ; turnips, 400 bushels ; and hay, one ton. About 4,671 acres are pasture land, 700 acres orchard, and 6,995 acres timber. The stock raised is Clyde, English blood horses, Durham cattle, Leicester, Cotswold and Southdown sheep, Berkshire and Suffolk hogs and poultry. Of the first named, 1,472 are annually raised ; of the second named, 2,796 ; of the third, 5,116 ; and of the fourth, 595. The township comprises 42,041 acres of cleared LOCAL history. 241 land, and has a population of 3,474. There are within its limits tsvo saw-mills. three flouring mills, and an agricultural implement manufactory. Onondaga Township, which was the last in the county to receive the atten tion of settlers, did not begin to be settled until 1836, but it was rapidly taken up, and in the year 1848 was all settled, except 1,690 acres, which is held as an Indian reserve. The soil is very good, three-fifths being clay loam, four inches deep, with a subsoil of clay ; three-twentieths sandy loam, six inches deep — subsoil, red clay and sand mixed ; one-twentieth gravelly soil, four inches deep — subsoil, red clay and sand mixed ; and one- tenth black loam, eight inches deep — subsoil, clay loam. A plentiful supply of water can be obtained any where in the township at a depth of from twenty to thirty feet. About four- fifths of the land is rolling cultivable land, and the rest is low, flat, or bottom land, with none hilly, swampy, wet or spongy. Three-fourths of the acreage is first-class land, worth $50 per acre ; the rest is second and third-class, worth from $35 up. A third of all the farms are under first-class rail and board fence, and two-thirds of the buildings are first-class stone, brick or frame. Fall wheat yields 15 bushels to the acre ; spring wheat, 12 bushels ; barley, 25 bushels ; oats, 35 bushels ; peas, 20 bushels ; and potatoes, 150 bushels. There are 17,332 acres of cleared land in the township, and a population of over 1,500 souls ; 1,649 cattle are raised annually, 716 horses, 2,016 sheep, and 592 hogs. Oakland Township settlements began in 1800, and the whole township was settled in fifty-five years thereafter. The soil consists of clay loam and sandy loam two feet deep, with a subsoil of clay and limestone ; clay loam predomi nates in the east, and sandy loam in the west. The whole township is first- class land, worth about $65 per acre, and is entirely free from stumps. The farms are all under fence, principally rail fence, and nearly all the buildings are first-class. All the farmers use improved farm machinery, and nearly all use salt or plaster, for fertilizing. Fall wheat yields 25 bushels per acre ; barley, 30 bushels ; oats, 45 bushels ; peas, 20 bushels ; corn, 100 bushels ; potatoes, 150 bushels ; turnips, 500 bushels ; hay, one and a half ton. About 7,950 acres of the land is cleared, one-fifth pasture lands, and one-fiftieth orchard. The chief product of the township is wheat. There are raised annually 769 cattle, 407 horses, 863 sheep, and 328 hogs. Assessment Rolls. The following is a statement showing the equalization of the Assessment Rolls for the different municipalities of the county, from 1853 to 1882, both inclusive, by which a basis was found on which to levy the rate necessary to meet the expenditures of the county for each current year. The figures are given entirely in Decimal Currency, in order to facilitate comparison of one year with another. In 1853 the ratable property of the county amounted to $5,647,640.00. To 1870 the amounts given are per acre; after 1870 the sum total of the assessment is given : 242 history of brant county. wo -^ w Ha; 030303 § CO 712,000 00 712,000 00 688,06000 668,00000 620,000 00 05 600,00000 600,000 00 624,000 00 610,000 00 610,00000 g § .58888888 lO W CD CC 00 O O r-l OJ:-COnHOOCOi.O iO_iO^C0 IM__-;iH_I>^-^__CO_^CD_CD_oq^t-_oO^ CO cT cf oT oT of co" .h" o~ o" i-h" rH T— 1 rH j—i oooooooooo o o oooooooooo o o O3coooooq-*ioooooo O lO gjCDiOl^-^CDCOeOt-O o o OT-.OOouooqlOJ^-^0 o o< 10GSQOr-^»OOOOCOOiO o -^ C010C35COO-0^ 00^1-^ rH^ oq' od" o^ ocT CD- cD^ cT 00 cor- o C5 lO o T-l CO O 00 OB 00 -^ r-T T-T --<~ r-T i-T of CO oooooooooo o o oooooooooo o o ^iiOO-:t^»^)Oq.-^CDt-cqcO r^ 00 o-^t-oor-cooocrsco OS -* ooo^o — cooqoqcoi^ ¦* lO mooqoqocoosiocooj to OS oqiooi^i^t-ojoq^cs :-' CS COCOl^»CDCX>00000000 OS OS oooooooooo o o oooooooooo oo oo^ocqoqooo-*iooo 01 CO -TtiioocoioiOi-Htqoor^ CO CO 0^0_0_ i-^O^tN^TH^r-^OQ^CD^^ tH^CD_^ of co^o co'-TfTt-rcroT'-f-rtr ^¦^ CD^-*,HCDr-f-*C5C0CO Ttl CO O00 1"^0300-*^10CCG5 OS 05 ,-ir-i-Hr-irHoqcqoqoqeq oq^of oooooooooo o o oooooooooo oo CDCDOOOqCCCDOt^r-liO rH rH OOCOOOCOOqOCOCOCDOl I> OS 00 -H^ T|H^ 00^ oq_ C0_ 05_ C5_ co^ co^ rH__05_ -drr-rH-C^-T-Tcfi-r^OcTrH^ cfof lOCOlr-T-HCOCOiOiC^O OI CO COCOCO-st'CO^-J'-^^lO lO lO OOOOOOOOOO o o OOOOOOOOOO oo COO-^OTtii-H01>.-^*rH «DOS r-lr-tCOCOOOO-HOTtlOq - oqoqoqoqiMcocoeococo co CO Oi oooooociooot-oo oooooooooooooo lOUO-HOCOt-r-iCOOqC:! r OiCOQOrHCDIMTtfiat^Cq.rt Tti lO CO CO cqoocoiOr-HTtii^wtooo i» oco_ l-lCinCO-:ti^v}iT^ascO-t3 cd'o" OO^OO— toOOOl^Ol:^ :i cq ^ OCDCOOOCDOrHrHcq^ O O lO THr-i.-(T-ii-I^000000 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOXGO rH r^ LOCAL HISTORY. 243 Statement of County Assessments. To Provide for Expenses of each current year, other than for School Purposes. — The first year's expenses and proportions of assessment levied upon the various municipalities within the county are here given in detail, so as to furnish an idea to the reader of the nature of current expenses and necessary assessment. It will be seen that amounts for debentures, interest thereon, and money paid to contractors swell the sum total for 1853, to an apparently exorbitant figure. Although the old system of financing in Halifax Currency did not give place in the county accounts to the more simple innovation of Decimal Currency till 1858, the following tables are given on the latter system, in order to facilitate comparisons : — 1853 — Debentures .... Interest on Debentures Clerk's and Treasurer's salary Warden and Auditors Lunatic and Wolf Scalps Printing, Stationery and Advertising Administration of Justice Councillors' Pay .... Balance due Contractors, and interest . Contingencies, Building, Paris and Ayr Road Debentures Township Ofificers' Fees Gaol Furniture, &c. Total the following proportions :— Brantford Township Burford Onondaga " Oakland South Dumfries Township Brantfoid Town . ' Paris Village . Total From 1854 to 1882, both inclusive ; 1854 .... 1855 .... 1856 1857 .... 1858 .... 1859 .... 1860 .... $2,666 66 928 00 550 OO 180 00 340 00 320 00 3,182 75 275 00 2,440 00 aentures 5,227 59 1,560 00 600 OO $18,270 00 ies within the county in $5,416 25 3,529 25 1,011 25 627 50 3,543 25 3,010 75 1,123 75 $18,270 00 $16,636 00 15,780 00 14,440 00 8,026 75 9,707 04 9,100 oa 10,360 00 244 history of brant county. 1861 $10,541 00 1862 . . 9,492 00 1863 . 10,006 00 1864 10,006 00 1865 9,380 00 1866 . 14,580 00 1867 11,330 00 1868 , • • • • 9,318 26 1869 10,029 72 1870 . 10,210 00 1871 12,047 00 1872 . . 13,950 13 1873 13,326 00 1874 . 17,767 23 1875 16,585 36 1876 ^ , 20,208 94 1877 Less amount received from Dominion Governrhenton account of Adminis . ' $23,007 70 tration of Justice on Indian account, $2,512 70 Re Award from City of Brantford, 1,995 00 4 507 70 $18,500 00 1878 1879 Less for Criminal Justice from Provin cial Treasurer . . $4,500 00 From Dom. Gov't on account of Criminal Justice on Indian Ace... From Auction Licenses From Fines and Jury Fees From Registrar's Fees From City of Brantford, Re Award From City of Brantford rent of Court House and Gaol Less for Criminal Justice from Provin cial Treasurer For Criminal Justice on Indian Ace. From Auctioneers' Licenses From Fines and Jury Fees From Registrar's Fees From City of Brantford, Re Award, From City of Brantford, Rent of Court House and Gaol $22,618 00 1,000 00 100 00 50 00 190 00 2,000 00 44S 00 8,288 00 i \J\J • 519,954 00 $4,000 00 1,300 00 100 00 50 00 140 00 2,000 00 448 00 8,038 00 $14,330 00 $11,916 00 local history. 245 1880 $19,433 11 Less for Criminal Justice from Provin cial Treasurer . $4,000 00 From Criminal Justice on Indian Account . . 1,000 00 From Auctioneers' Licenses 100 00 From Registrar's Fees . 75 00 From City of Brantford, Re Award 2,006 00 From City of Brantford, Rent of Court House and Gaol . 448 00 7,629 GO $11,804 11 1881 $17,252 57 Less for Criminal Justice from Provin cial Treasurer . $3,500 00 For Criminal Justice, Indian Account 1,000 00 From Auctioneers' Licenses 140 00 From Registrar's Fees and Fines, 75 00 From Interest on balances, etc., 75 00 From City of Brantford, 2,460 00 7,250 00 $10,002 57 1882 ¦ $16,651 76 Less Amount from Provincial Treasurer $3,000 00 Criminal Justice on Indian Account, 1,000 00 City of Brantford . . 2,481 00 Auctioneers' Licenses . 100 00 Registrars' Fees and Fines . 120 00 Interest upon balances, rents, etc., 75 00 6,776 00 $,875 76 The Town of Brantford withdrew from the jurisdiction of the Council of the "County of Brant at the termination of the municipal year, 1876. The amount for 1867 was exclusive of the sum .of $1,000 voted iji aid of the erection of a Battalion Drill Shed in the Town of Brantford, for the use of the Volunteer Militia of the county. The following table shows the statement of assessments upon the various township municipalities in the county for the support of Common Schools, and the payment of salaries or allowances to superintendents thereof, from 1853 to 1882, both inclusive. As on other occasions in this work, the figures are given here in Decimal Currency throughout, although that system was not employed in the county books till 1858 : 246 HISTORY' OF BRANT COUNTY. 1 OOOiOOOOOOOOOOOOOO o'^ O O O o o o ^oocqooooooooooooooocsooooo^cooqoocDooo-HOO>ooooo>ioosoiOioioo>o COOO^rHCOiOrHCOiOCO^rHoqiOCDrHr-t-OOrHCO-3<051:-CD0S^OrHrHGqcD^CDC0lCOl>lr-t-.iH0SCDt-0000Q000C0001>- ^rH^of oq"of (M"of oq"csioiooooooooqiMi?ioqo>o>oCDrHl^-^CDI^OSOSOOOOOqOOOOOrHrHrHrHI^OqOq ft o 53m oooioooooooo oooooooooooooo OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cDo^ooqcooooooooooooooooocqoo ir-cooococot-on-rfiJOioiccqoqoqoooocqiMtNoqosoo tococDi>j:^r-ooQOQOoooocsososoqoooooooi:-oo w= — p T- r. r. r. r. r r.^r-^ i lO rH t;- IN CO^iOCOt^OOOSOrHOq^COt-OOCsPo^CO^iO^QOOSOrH 1010lOlO^OlOlOCDCOCD|^otOCOCOCDS7l-i:-^-J^-S^l>l:-0000ooooooaooooooooooooOcoOOooooooSSooooooao^oOoOoooo rHrHrHrHrHr-lrHr- simply drawing a lever the whole rink can be flooded in a very few minutes. The contract was given to Mr. A. Grantham, and has been performed in a very workmanlike manner, creditable alike to the company and the contractor.". This rink is devoted mainly to the game of curling. 19 312 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Brant Lacrosse Club. — Of the many associations for recreation and pleasure which have a home in Brantford, none probably have contributed more to her fame than the " Lacrosse Club." Composed of young men of mature and well developed physical constitutions and cultivated tastes, who possessed a keen appreciation of the advantages which the game affords as a medium through which to gain both exercise and amusement, it is not surprising that the club should have won not only the favourable opinions of those abroad, but the hearty support and confidence of the best citizens at home. The present organization had its origin in a body formerly known as the " Young Canadians," which was formed in 1870, and contained the following named gentlemen among its prominent players the first season : Robert Welsh, Presi dent ; Charles Waterous, Vice-President ; Horace Hale, Secretary ; John Lewis, Treasurer; R._M. Orchard, Captain; James Watt, Charles Stratford, R. W. Bennett, W. Walsh, G. F, Sproule, J. Harrington and Joseph Craig. This opening campaign of the new club was sufficient to demonstrate its value as a party of successful lacrossemen, for out of five matches they were fortunate enough to win four. The season of 1871 found the club again in the field, where it made a clean sweep by winning every one of the ten match games in which it took part during the campaign. About this time the general interest in the game of lacrosse declined, so that but few clubs in the country remained intact. The Young Canadians, however, turned their attention to cricket playing, and thus preserved their organization until February, 1877, when they resumed their former practice, and became known as the Brant Lacrosse Club, with the following as officers and members : W. A. Wilkes, President ; Frank Howell, Vice-President ; J. A. Wallace, Secretary and Treasurer ; R. M. Orchard, Field Captain ; J. H. Simmons, R. M. Copeland, H. Carroll, R. A. Watt. For 1882: John Workman, President ; H. C. Montgomery, Vice-President; A. T. Stewart, Secretary ; E. Hart, Trea.surer ; R. M. Orchard, Field Captain. The members of the Brant Lacrosse Club have been highly successful in their career as sportsmen, as appears from the subjoined record of their work for a period of six consecutive years : 1877 6 matches. 5 won. 1 lost. 1878 . . 7 . 5 " . . . 2 " 1879 11 9 " 2 '¦• 1880 . . 10 . 7 " . . 3 " 1881 15 13 " 2 " 1882 . . 8 . 7 " . . . 1 " Total . . 57 " 46 " 11 " None of the original members have died, although many of them are absent from Brantford in the various duties of life, while three retain their active membership. As will be seen from the list of officers, Mr. R. M. Orchard has filled the position of Field Captain from the first, and to him is awarded much credit for the high degree of proficiency which the club has attained. Messrs. D. S. Sager and J. H. Simmons have also been continuously active since the organization of the club. The " Brants " now hold the National Association LOCAL HISTORY. 313 Medal for the championship of southern Ontario. In 1881 they won the championship of western Ontario without a single defeat; this trophy is a beautiful Silver Cup, and is highly prized by the members and their patrons. In the autumn of 1880 they sent a "team" to Detroit, Michigan, where they won two matches out of three. The next season the team took a trip to Mont real, stopping by the way to engage with the clubs at Cobourg and Kingston. At the latter places they were easily victorious, but were defeated by the Montreal men. By steady attention and harmonious good management this local body of players has arisen from the status of a fourth rate rural club to that of an " A No. 1 " group of sportsmen, who are second to none in the Dominion of Canada, save the champions at Montreal and Toronto. The Brantford Golf Club. — There is perhaps less known of this very ancient pastime than any other of the many athletic sports which receive attention in these modern times. Something concerning its history may be gleaned from the following extract from the sporting columns of the Toronto Mail : " It may be new, and of some interest to lovers of golf, now deservedly becoming popular, to know that in the reign of James I. of Scotland, the ' game ' was put down by Act of Parliament, in 1424, in order, it was said, ' to encourage the shooting at the butts with bow and arquebuse.' So far as we know this Act stands unrepealed at the present day, although, like the game itself, it is somewhat ancient." The original home of this game was Scotland, whence so many of the sports of nowadays have been derived ; no wonder then that the sons of that well remembered land should seek to preserve from oblivion the amusements and frolics which their fathers loved. Brantford Golf Club has the honour of having been the first one organized in Ontario. This was accomplished in the year 1879, under the leadership of Alexander Robertson, Esq., with whom were associated several other well known prominent gentle men. The subjoined exhibit shows the personnel of the cliib as at first organ ized : Alexander Robertson, Captain ; W. Lindsay Creighton, Secretary ; John W. Stratford, Treasurer; George H. Wilkes, James K. Osborne, James Y. Morton, Alfred J. Wilkes, members of Council ; Hon. A. S. Hardy, T. Lord Whitehead, S. W. McMichael, Theo. J. Wilkes, James E. Lees, James W. Digby, M.D., G. Charles Patton, John Clay, Jr. The list of officers remains unchanged to this date. The grounds (technically called the " links ") belonging to this club are beautifully situated along a crest of hills which overlook the City of Brantford, and are justly acknowledged to be the finest of the kind in the Dominion. Besides this local organization there are clubs in Toronto, Niagara, Montreal and Quebec, with a growing tendency to inaugurate others in several of the principal cities and towns. As stated elsewhere, this particular game is little known among the people ; as its features and advantages 'become un folded by these pioneer clubs, it is believed that it will become one of the most popular means of promoting out-door exercise and amusement. The Brantford Horticultural Society. — The society as it now exists was organized in the year 1868, under the Act authorizing the formation of such societies, and providing certain benefits to accrue to the organizations so formed. Previous to this, as early as about the year 1852, a society was organized, largely through the instrumentality of the elder Dr. Digby and the late A. B. Bennett. Mr. Bennett was an enthusiastic horticulturist and the prime mover 314 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. in the organization of the society, in which he remained an active and efficient member for many years. The society held meetings at stated intervals, usually in September of each year, the place of meeting being for a long time Young's Hotel on the south side of Colborne Street. Subsequently two meetings were held each year, in the last of June and first of September, and still later in the first part of July and in September. Since the reorganization in 1868, the annual meetings are held on the second Thursday of January, and other meet ings are held on the call of the president or secretary. The society makes no ostentatious display, but holds its meetings quietly, and pursues the even tenor of its way without any endeavour to attract public attention. The meetings are well attended and interesting to a marked degree. Prizes are given for the best display, and the collections of fruits, fiowers, &c., are usually very fine. The present board of officers consists of the following named gentlemen: Robert Russell, President ; J. S. Hamilton, Vice-President ; J. B. Hay, Secre tary ; and E. C. Passmore. There are now about fifty members enrolled. The Grand Trunk R. R. Literary Association and Library. — This associa tion may be said to have had its conception some ten years ago in the estab lishment of a circulating library, reading-room and dramatic company. The latter institution commenced with from fifteen to twenty members, who dis solved on the opening of Stratford's Opera House in 1881. The circulatiug library boasts of about 1,200 volumes, while the reading-room is supplied with nine daily and several weekly newspapers, general, scientific, agricultural and humorous. There are also hot and cold baths in connection with the reading- room ; in fact, everything that might militate to the comfort and intelligence of the large body of artisans employed at the Grand Trunk Works. The library, reading-room and baths are in a large building in the yard to the rear of the present G. T. R Station. The Grand Trunk R. R. Fire Brigade was organized in 1876 with a strength of thirty members, and has the same number at the present time. The brigade has a fire engine, but its services are hardly ever required, as there are powerful hydrants placed all over the yard convenient to the several workshops and other buildings. The men are drilled from time to time in the handling of the hydrants, hose, &c., and have proved themselves an efficient body. The present officers are : John Kerr, Captain ; James Coyle, 1st Lieutenant ; Maxwell Craig, 2nd Lieutenant ; John Savage, Secretary. Grand Trunk Band. — This excellent band, which numbers, under the leader ship of R. Quilly, some twenty pieces, both brass and reed instruments, is the outgrowth of the enterprise of one " Tom " Paterson, at one time foreman of the locomotive works of the G. T. R. in this city. It was the occasion of the visit to Brantford of Mr. C. J. Brydges, General Manager, previous to fhe pur chase of the Buffalo and Lake Huron line by the Grand 'I'runk R.R. Company. " Tom," fully realizing the immense importance of such an event, had mus tered a big drum and one or two brass instruments, which he forthwith drilled day and night in the soul-stirring strains of " Rule Britannia." On Mr. Brydges' arrival at the station this band gave him a gush of " Rule Britannia," and wherever he betook himself the remorseless, unrelenting drum and collaterals, close at his heels, ceased not, till refreshments were happily suggested, to remind him in agonizing strains that " Britons never shall be slaves." The band is now allowed to be one of the finest, of its strength, in the Province. LOCAL HISTORY. 315 Stratford's Opera House Orchestra. — This orchestra, which was organized August, 1882, under the conductorship of R. R. Wimperis, is acknowledged to be one of the best west of Toronto. The instruments are : 1st violin, R. R. Wim peris ; 2nd violin, W. West ; pianoforte, Mrs. Wimperis ; double bass, Frank Schlonpka ; flute, W. Edwards ; Cornet, Gillespie ; and trombone, D. Cal lahan. The Dufferin Rifles' Band was reorganized from local musicians in June, 1882. It has a numerical strength of twenty-one members, with R. R. Wim peris as leader, and is in all respects equal in organization and discipline to a full military band, and stands second to few in the Province. Brantford Young Men's Christian Association. — The corner stone of the handsome edifice for the Young Men's Christian Association of Brantford, was laid at noon, July 1, 1874, with appropriate and imposing ceremonies. The day was all that could be desired, and the attendance proportionately large. Occupying more or less prominent positions on the platform erected for the occasion were observed W. Wilkinson, Esq., President of the Association, who presided ; W. P. Crombie, Secretary ; Dr. Nichol, Vice-President ; Ignatius Cockshutt, Esq. ; Wm. Paterson, Esq., M.P. ; A. S. Hardy, Esq., M.P.P. ; Mayor Matthews, Rev. John Wood, Rev. John Alexander, Rev. Wm. Coch rane, M.A.; Rev. W. H. Porter, M.A. ; Rev. B. B. Keefer, and Messrs. Alfred Watts, Geo. Foster, D. R. Blackader, James Mills, Thomas McLean, T. S. Shen ston, James Wilkes, Geo. Watt, W. E. Welding, Wm. Buck, Wm. Mcintosh, James Ker, H. B. Leeming, and the leading business men of the town. The exercises were begun by singing the following appropriate lines, composed for the occasion by the Rev. Mr. Wood, Mr. Tutt presiding at the organ, and Mr. Hamlyn acting as chorister : " Head of the Church, to Thee we bow. Our Saviour and our Master Thou, \ Behold and blesa our deed this day. While in Thy name this stone we lay. Type of that precious Corner-stone Which God shall build His Church upon. May this we lay Thy token be Of strength, and peace, and unity ! To Thee we trace each goad design. The praise and glory all be Thine ! Accept Thine own, our cause maintain. For without Thee we build in vain . Bring Thou the topstone forth with joy, Then own the efforts we employ To save the young from Satan's sway. And lure them to Thy heavenly way. '' Rev. Mr. Porter then read the scriptures, the passages selected being 8th chapter of Proverbs, and portions of the 28tli chapter of Isaiah and 22nd chapter of Revelation, and the Rev. Mr. Alexander offered up the dedicatory prayer. The Treasurer, Mr. D. R. Blackader, then read the following historical statement of the association from its establishment in 1859 to the present date: 316 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. The first Young Men's Christian Association of Brantford was organized at a meeting held in the basement of Zion Church, on Monday, the 19tli of April, 1860. The following were the officers of the association : President, Judge Jones ; Vice-Presidents, Messrs. H. Cox, G. Foster, E. C. Passmore, and James Woods ; Treasurer, Mr. T. S. Shenston ; and Secretary, Mr. James T. Boyd. A room was rented in Mr. James Moore's building on the south side of Colborne Street to be used for their meetings and as a reading-room. A Sabbath school was conducted by its members in West Brantford, and the work of tract dis tribution and cottage prayer meetings was carried on. This association was kept up for about three years, when, owing to the removal of some of its active members and other causes, it was for the time given up. At a meeting held in the Congregational Church, in November, 1868, the subject of reorganizing the association was discussed, and at an adjourned meeting, held in Zion Church on the 16tli December, it was formally organized, and a constitution and by-laws adopted. A suitable room was engaged on Market Street, opposite the Market, and at the first regular meeting, held there on the 28th of December, the following officers were elected : President, Mr. G. R. VanNorman ; Vice-Presi dent, Mr. George Foster ; Secretary, B. W. Craig ; Treasurer, C. B. Moore ; and Librarian, S. Tapscott. The regular meetings of the association were held weekly during the winter months and monthly during the summer ; the exer cises, in addition to the regular business, consisting of essays, debates, &c. During the winter months of each year a course of lectures was given under the auspices of the association. 'The reading-room was well supplied with the leading papers and magazines, and kept open from 8 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. At the first annual meeting held in November, 1869, Mr. VanNorman was re elected President, holding that office for two years, when he resigned, and Mr. C. B. Moore was chosen. At the meeting in November, 1871, the Rev. G. H. Bridgman was elected ; but being removed from the town in June, the duties again devolved on Mr. Moore, the 1st Vice-President, till the meeting in Novem ber, 1872, when he was succeeded by Mr. W. Wilkinson, who still holds office. In June, 1870, the first cottage prayer meetings in connection with the asso ciation were organized, and a Sabbath afternoon prayer meeting held in the rooms. In October, 1872, the association removed to its present rooms on the south side of Colborne Street, in Mr. Cockshutt's new block. During the year the reading room, which had been nominally reserved for the use of the mem bers and strangers visiting the town, was thrown open free to all. From this time the meetings of the association were held weekly all the year round on Monday evening. Reunions, the entertainment of which consisted of readings, addresses and music, were commenced. The temperance work was taken up and meetings held in the ward school houses and in the Town Hall. A Sabbath evening service was also held for the winter in the King's Ward school house, conducted by the members. During the month of August, 1873, a Young People's Sunday evening service was commenced in the rooms ; but as the • attendance increased, the Town Hall was kindly granted for the purpose. This still continues to be one of the best meetings of the association. In the winter a preaching service on the Sunday evening was begun in the Village of New port, which is well attended. During August of last year our association was visited by Mr. Wilkie, Secretary of the Toronto Association, and Mr. Morse, of LOCAL HISTORY. 317 the Executive Committee of the Association of the United States and Canada, who strongly urged the necessity of a general secretary for our work. The appeal for the necessary funds was promptly responded to by the friends of the association, and Mr. W. P. Crombie, our present Secretary, engaged. The annual meeting in November, held in the Baptist Tabernacle, was a large and enthusiastic gathering. Towards the close it was announced that Mr. Cock shutt was willing to give $2,000 towards a building fund, provided other $4,000 could be raised ; other friends of the association came forward with subscrip tions, and before the close it was announced that $7,000 had been subscribed. This amount was increased during the next few days to over $12,000. The ladies of the town also kindly came to our assistance, and raised funds by bazaar to furnish the building. A Building Committee, consisting of tw* mem bers from each denomination, was appointed to select a suitable site and go on with the work. After carefully examining a number of suitable places, Lot No. 23 on the south side of Colborne Street, opposite the Market, was selected. Suitable plans having been procured, the work was com'menced on the 18th May. An Act of Incorporation was obtained for the association on the first dayof April, 1874. The corner stone was laid by Ignatius Cockshutt, Esq., on the first day of July, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, in the year of our Lord, 1874, in the 38th year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria; His Excellency the Right Honourable the Earl of Dufferin, K.P., K.C.B., being Governor-General of Canada ; the Hon. Alex. Mackenzie being Premier of the Dominion ; Hon. John Crawford being Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario; and Hon. Oliver Mowat being Premier of Ontario ; Wm. Paterson, Esq., being member of the House of Commons of Canada ; and A. S. Hardy, Esq., being member of the House of Assembly for South Brant; audWm. Mathews, Esq., being Mayor of the Town of Brantford. The large assemblage then joined in singing the hymn — " Builder of mighty worlds on worlds. How poor the house must be That with our human, sinful hands We may erect for Thee." Mr. Wilkinson then introduced the special work of the day in a few appro priate remarks. . . . . This building was intended for no sect, but for all who loved the Lord Jesus Christ. It was erected by the contribu tions of young and old — the widow's mite and the larger offering of the wealthier citizen had been alike generously offered. He called upon all present to have some part in the completion of the building. ..... Mr. Wilkinson then called Mr. Cockshutt to the platform, and presented him with an elegant silver trowel, expressing the hope that many wealthy men like Mr. Cockshutt might disburse their means, while living, towards such good objects as the present. The trowel bore the following inscription : " Presented to Ignatius Cockshutt, Esq., On the occasion of his laying the foundation stone of the Young Men's Christian Association Buildings. Brantford, July 1st, 1874." 318 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Mr. I. Cockshutt then proceeded to lay the stone in the usual form, during which a photograph of the scene was taken by Messrs. Campbell & Smith. In the stone were deposited, in addition to the historical statement given above, lists of the officers and committees of the Y. M. C. A. for 1874, the names of the Building Committee, Architects. Superintendent of Works, County Judge and Officials, Ministers of the town, &c., and copies of the Globe^ Mail, Expo sitor, Courier, Brant Union, Montreal Witness, and denominational papers, with the coins of the realm. Mr. Cockshutt having returned to the platform, then addressed the assembly Mr. Barnfather then sang " Fair Canada," after which Mr. Wilkinson introduced the Rev. Mr. Wood, remarking how sorry the association were at the prospect of his leaving town. , The next speaker was Mr. Cochrane. .... Mayor Mathews then addressed the assembly in a few words, expressing his great pleasure at being present on such an interesting occasion. The erection of such a building was creditable to the association and to this the largest town in the Dominion. W. Paterson, Esq., M.P., having been next called upon, in his usual happy and vigorous manner spoke of the auspiciousness of the day and the entire circum stances connected with the ceremony. In warm terms he eulogized Mr. Cock shutt, wdio, unlike many rich men, devoted his means while living to the cause of God. ..... Mr. Clark, the Secretary of the Woodstock Young Men's Association, then made a few remarks, after which the proceedings were brought to a close, the audience joining in the National Anthem, and the Rev. Mr. Porter pronouncing the benediction. Iu due time the building was completed and opened to the public for the purposes for which it had been erected. Below will be found some interesting details and facts concerning its structure ; also an account of the opening exercises; both of which have been transcribed from articles found in the issues of the local press which were published at the time. Wycliffe Hall, the Y. M. C. A. Building. — As this beautiful structure has now been brought to completion, we lay before our readers a full description of what has been appropriately named and is henceforth to be known as Wycliffe Hall, which for taste, elegance and completeness in all its parts, will be readily conceded to be not only the finest public building in Brantford, but one of the finest structures erected by the Y. M. C. A. in the Dominion. The dimension'' of the building are one hundred and ten feet deep by sixty feet wide. Height three stories, with mansard roof and surmounted by a dome. The material is white brick, from the yard of Hugh Workman, Esq. The style of architecture is peculiar, and is very handsome. Entire cost, includ ing site, about $22,000. The main entrance leading up to the lecture-room and down to the gymnasium is fourteen feet wide by forty- eight feet in depth. The lecture-room is a well-proportioned rectangle sixty-eight by fifty-seven feet, and, with the gallery which stretches across the entire rear of the room, has a seating capacity of about nine hundred. The room is chastely finished in stucco-work, and the walls are decorated, on the right, with the mottoes, "God is love," " Christ died for our sins ; " on the left, the association mottoes, " Our Aim, God's Glory," " Our Strength, God's Grace," " Our Guide, God's Word" The platform is semicircular, eleven by twenty-four feet, and is to be richly furnished by the ladies. The ceiling over the platform is vaulted, and is well LOCAL HISTORY. 319 adapted for throwing the sound forward to the audience. Directly in the rear of the platform a door opens into a narrow hall connecting with two anterooms, and immediately over this door stands in relief the British crown and coat of arms, above which, in a recumbent position, are the Cross and Crown, and the motto, " Stand up for Jesus." ' Six large windows flood this hall with light by day, and at night a magnificent gasalier, with a six-feet refiector and thirty-six jets, illumines every part of the room. The seats, consisting of comfortable forms, each adapted for five, were furnished by Mr. John Builder. The plaster ing and stucco-work has been done by Messrs. Wood & Fisher, and reflects creditably upon their taste and ability. At the head of the stairway, to the right, a door opens into the reading-room, fifty by twenty-one feet. This connects by folding doors with the lecture-room, and can be made available as an auditorium, thus making the seating capacity about one thousand. To the left of the main entrance is the parlour, a fine room forty-one by twenty-one feet. Between these two rooms, and directly over the entrance hall is the Sec retary's room, a square of eighteen feet, in the rear of which is a gorgeous, stained glass window from the Stained Glass Works, London. This is a present from a prominent citizen. We now proceed to the third flat, from which the gallery opens, and upon the right front we enter a room forty-two by twenty- one feet. This is to be occupied by the Mechanics' Institute. On the left front is a similar room to be used for evening classes, lecturing and debating purposes. These are all well adapted to the uses for they were designed. From the third story, it you are of an aspiring and inquisitive turn of mind, you may ascend to the dome, where, Charon-like, you survey the entire town and all the country round about ; but it is advisable to have some Hermes along to whose hand you may cling. Descending to the first floor, and off the passage leading to the gymnasium, are two bathrooms. The gymnasium itself is an immense square of sixty feet. Here it is supposed the great feats of the gymnasts of ancient Greece and Rome will be enacted anew ; or, possibly, in accordance with the modern notion, it will be made the theatre for the development of muscular Christianity. Off this room there are two bathrooms, two closets, a washroom and a dressing-room ; and in the rear of the gymnasium are the caretaker's apartments. There is also a balcony overlooking the gymnasium. The plans and specifications were furnishel, in part, by John I'urner and, in part, by Mellish & Son, architects, of this town. The brickwork was done under the superintendence of Thos. Broughton, Esq., and the moulding and wood-finishing by Mr. James Tutt. The painting and graining has been done by Mr. John Tainsh, and is certainly a creditable piece of workmanship. The slating was done by the Brown Bros., slaters, of this town ; and the iron and tin work by T. Cowherd & Sons. The front of the first story is to be occupied as stores, one on either side of the entrance. A beautiful stone arch, containing the words " Wycliffe Hall," spans the doorway. The facade of the building presents an imposing appearance, containing sixteen large windows, besides six smaller ones in the attic and four in the dome. Brantford may well be proud of Wycliffe Hall. It is " a thing of beauty," and will doubtless prove a joy to many for many a day. The Y. M. C. A., and especially their indefatigable Sec retary, W. P. Crombie, Esq., deserve not only the thanks but the substantial support of the people of Brantford, and we have no doubt a generous public 320 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. will evince its appreciation of their zeal, and of the benefits which through their instrumentality have been confeired upon the town by the erection ot Wycliffe Hall From the Expositor we also take the following account of the opening services : Last Monday evening this beautiful edifice was formally opened as the home of the Young Men's Christian Association of Brantford. At an early hour the capa cious hall was filled with an appreciative audience of the citizens, together with a large number of persons from the country round about, and not a few from Paris, Ingersoll, Woodstock, Dundas, Hamilton, Toronto and other places. And by the time the exercises commenced the gallery and aisles were crammed, many being obliged to stand. Upon the platform were Wm. Nichol, M.D., President of the Association ; Wm. Wilkinson, M.A., Vice-President ; Daniel Wilson, LL.D., University College, Toronto ; Rev. A. T. Pearson, of Detroit, Rev. John Wood, of Toronto, formerly of this town ; Rev. B. B. Keefer, Rev. Wm. Cochrane, M.A., Rev. Canon Salter, Rev. Thomas Lowry, Rev. Mr. Chance, Rev. W. H. Porter, M.A., His Honour Judge Jones, Rev. A. Langford, Rev. W. C. E. McColl, M.A., Rev. J. P. Bell, Rev. H. P. Cutter, and Messrs. Plewes, Wilkie, of Toronto, T. S. Shenston, I. Cockshutt, Geo. Foster, and W. H. C. Kerr, M.A. The opening hymn was a doxology, " Praise God, from whom all bless ings flow." This was followed by old " Coronation," the hundreds of voices, led by the choir, filling the immense hall with the melody of this grand old hymn, after which the Rev. Mr. Porter read the scriptures, being suitable selec tions from different portions of the Word of God. The Rev. John Wood led in prayer; and that popular hymn, " Hold the Fort, fqr I am coming," was sung with fine effect. Then the President made a few brief remarlts. I. Cockshutt, Esq., Chairman of the Building Committee, was next introduced. Ho considered it was a proud day for Brantford, when, by the favour and blessing of God, the Y. M. C. Association had been permitted to see their fond hopes realized in the dedication of Wycliffe Hall. After the singing of a hymn, the Pre.sident introduced to the audience Daniel Wilson, LL.D., who, he said, was ever found ready to assist the Y. M. C. A. by the munificence of a richly-stored mind, and the warmth of a noble Christian heart, whenever called on. . . . The choir next sang, " Whiter than Snow," in which the congregation united. Mr. Kimpton rendered a solo, " Remember now thy Creator," Miss — Kimpton playing the piano accompaniment. Miss Glassco sang a solo also, Mr. Harpin presiding at the organ. Both were well rendered. The Rev. Mr. Pearson followed in a very able and eloquent address. . . . T. J. Wilkie, Esq., next addressed the meeting. He looked upon the present building as a token of divine favour, and as an evidence that good work had been done by the association for the glory of God in the salvation of souls. After the collection had been taken up, subscriptions were circulated, during which brief remarks were made by the Rev. Mr. Cochrane, Mr. Plewes and others ; and it was half-past ten before the audience had dispersed. The collections and subscriptions amounted to $604. This sum was perhaps milch less than had been anticipated ; but it must be borne in mind that, apart from the pressure in commercial matters, within the past year the citizens of Brant ford have been called upon for large sums for one object or another. Zion Church has just completed important changes and improvements internally as LOCAL HISTORY. 321 well as externally. So also of the Primitive Methodist Church. Brant Avenue people have their hands fully occupied yet in connection with the finishing of their munificent church. The First Baptist Church are just on the eve of remodelling the present building, besides the further cost of erecting a new house of worship in the East Ward. Socials and bazaars for some cburch or charity are of almost daily occurrence. "^Tien aU these things are considered in relation to the large amount originally subscribed, the result cannot be sur prising. The evening was all that could be desired ; so that upon the whole we think the Young Men's Christian Association of Brantford may be congratulated upon the successful opening of Wycliffe Hall. The Dufferin Rifl^.— By General Order of 28th September, 1866, the Com mander-in-Chief of the Forces — the Right Honourable Charles Stanley, Viscount Monck — was pleased to authorize the formation of the 38th Brant Battalion of Infantry, with headquarters at Brantford, and composed of the following independent companies, and numbered as follows : Gazetted. Company Designation. June 26th, 1856 Rifle Company . . . Dec. 13th, 1861 No. 1 Rifle Company . . July .3rd, 1862|No. 2 Rifle Co'y (Highland) Jan. 30th, 1863 Infantry Company . June 1st, 18661 " . . Aug. 17th, 1866: " . . June 30th, 1863 " . . Company HeadqaaTters. Captain. Paris . . Andw H Baird [Brantford. David Curtis. iBrantford. John J. Inglis. Mt. Pleasant 'Crossly Heaton. Brantford. iHenry Lemmon Burford. . |Edmund Yeigh. Drumbo. . .John Laidlaw. The Field Officers and Staff appointed were : Lieutenant-Colonel, Captain William Patton, from No. 1 Company, appointed October 12th, 1866 ; Major, Captain Hiram Dickie, from No. 2 Company, appointed November 30th, 1866j Adjutant, Lieut. S. W. Fear, from No. 4 Company, appointed November 30th, 1866; Assistant Adjutant and Drill Instructor, Emsign David Spence, from No. 3 Company, appointed April 19th, 1867 ; Paymaster, Capt. William Grant, from No. 3 Company, appointed November 30th, 1866 ; Quartermaster, Sergt. B. Felmingham, appointed November 30th, 1866 ; Surgeon, Edwin Theodore Bown, M.D., appointed January 25th, 1867 ; Asst .-Surgeon, Duncan ilarquis, M.D., appointed December 13th, 1867. The Mount Plea-sant Company having been removed from the list of the Volunteer Militia, the remaining companies of the regiment were, on the 5th January, 1871, renumbered as follows : No. 1 Company, Paris ; No. 2 Company, Brantford ; No. 3 Company, Brantford ; No. 4 Company, Brantford; No. 5 Company, Burford; No. 6 Company, Drumbo. On the 24th March, 1871, by General Order, the regiment was changed from infantry to rifles. By General Order of 3rd July, 1874, and by special permission of His Lordship the Earl of Dufferin, then Governor-General of Canada, the regiment was permitted to a,ssume the additional design of " The Dufferin Rifles." The regiment was one of the first to re-enrol omder No. 1, Headquarters at Brantford No. 2, it (I No. 3, i,c <.¦: No. 4, a it No. 5, it If No. 6, " '' 322 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. the provisions of the Militia Act of 1863. The following have been the com manding officers of the regiment since its formation : Lieut.-Colonel William Patton, from 12th October, 1866, to 3rd September, 1875 ; Lieut.-Colonel Hiram Dickie, from 11th February, 1876, to 28th January, 1881 ; Lieut.-CoL, Charles S. Jones, from 3rd June, 1881 (at present commanding). Since the appointment of Colonel Jones to the command of the regiment, the headquarters of No. 6 Company have been removed from Drumbo to Brantford, by General Order of 16th December, 1881 ; the headquarters of No. 1 Company from Paris to Brantford, by General Order of 15th September, 1882 ; and the headquarters of No. 5 Company from Burford to Brantford, by General Order of 11th May, 1883 ; the regiment now being gazetted a " City Battalion," all the companies have their headquarters in the City of Brantford. The companies now stand as follows : , no Captain as yet. George Snartt, Captain. George H. Young, Captain. Burrows H. Rothwell, Captain. Solon W. McMichael, Captain. George Hervey McMichael, Captain. The regular badge and ornaments, by permission of Lord Dufferin and as authorized by General Orders of 3rd May, 1878, and 1st March, 1879, are given below : Badge. — The badge and device of the battalion shall consist of the Earl of Dufferin's crest, comprising a cap of maintenance surmounted by a crescent, underneath which are the numerals 38 ; the whole encircled by a scroll or garter, clasped with a buckle, and bearing the legend " Dufferin Rifles" and his Lordship's motto, " Per vias rectas," the whole surmounted by the Imperial Crown. The badge shall be silver for officers, and bronze for non-commissioned officers and men. The Cross Belt Ornaments are lion's head, chain and whistle, in silver, with a centre ornament on a polished silver plate between two wreaths of maple leaves, conjoined at the base, encircling a Maltese cross of frosted silver, fim briated with polished silver ; between the arms of the cross four lioncels pas- sant-gardant ; charged upon the cross a plate of frosted silver, inscribed with the numerals 38, surrounded with a border, also of frosted silver, inscribed ¦with the words " Dufferin Rifles ; " over all the Imperial crown in silver resting upon a supporting tablet of the same. A centre ornament of silver on pouch back of belt, consisting of the numerals 38, surrounded by a bugle ; the whole surmounted by the Imperial crown. The list of officers for May, 1883, are : Field and Staff Officers : Lieut-Col Charles S. Jones ; Major, John Ballachey ; Adjutant, William Henry Hudson, Capt. ; Paymaster, Frank J. Grenny, Hon. Capt. ; Quartermaster, John D. Pettit, Hon. Capt. ; Surgeon, Wm. T. Harris, M.D. ; Asst. Surgeon, Wm. E. Winskel, M.D. Company officers : No. 1 has no officers yet. No. 2, George Snartt, Captain; George Glenny, Lieutenant; Louis F. Heyd, 2nd Lieutenant; No. 3, George H. Young, Captain ; Thos. Henry Jones, Lieutenant ; No. 4, Bur- LOCAL HISTORY. 323 rows H Rothwell, Captain ; Charles L. Daniel, Lieutenant : Thomas S. Wade, 2nd Lieutenant ; No. 5, Solon W. McMichael, Captain ; Wm. D. Jones, Lieu tenant ; No. 6, Gieorge Hervey McMichael, Captain ; Richard R. Harris, Lieu tenant ; John H McLean, 2nd Lieutenant. On December 23, 1864, during the civil war in the United States, the Brant ford Rifle Company, under command of Capt. Wm. Grant, with Lieut. Inglis and Ensign Spence as his subalterns, was ordered into active service and was stationed in barracks at Sarnia for five months, and during their stay mate rially assisted in maintaining neutrality between Great Britain and the United States. On March 8, ISoG, at the time of the Fenian excitement, all the com panies ot the regiment were called out for active service, and remained under arms for some time, the Brantford companies guarding numbers of Fenian pri- sonere who were confined in the Brantford GaoL On .September 9, 1879, the regiment had the honour of being invited to take part in the Grand Military Review in Toronto, before Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise, and attended in full force, its appearance on parade and manoeuvres in the field being most favourably commented on by the press of Toronto. The regiment of late years has taken a good place among the most efficient and best equipped of the force, and is held in high esteem by its sister inibtia regiments As a mark of this the regiment wa5, on the thirtieth of March, 18S3, presented by the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto — -Canada's crack corps — with a very chaste and hand some silver cup and case and an illuminated address, the preseutatiou being made by Col. Utter, in the Opera House, which was filled with the eli.te of the City of Brantford, on which occasion CoL .Jones of the Dufferin Rifles replied to the address, and accepted the cup on behalf of his regiment The regimeut at the present time is in a most efficient shape, the officers being well up in their duties besides being very popular with the men of the regiment, while the ranks are filled with a class of men of which anv regiment mieht well be proud. The fine regimental brass and reed band, under the leailership of Mr. Wimperis, adds much to the popularity of the regiment. Tli_e Dufferin Rijlcs' Rifle Association. — The above association in connection with the regiment is well organized and complete in every respect, and is con sidered in point of efficiency one of the best in the country. At the last annual prize meeting of the Ontario Rifle Association, the Dufferin Rifles' team obtained one of the five team prizes offered by the association, competing against the best association teams in the Dominion, the individual members of the team also standing well up in the grand aggregate prize list. The association has been fortunate in being able to secure one of the best ranges in the Province, a short distance from the city ; the use of the range having been granted to the association by Robert Ashton, Esq., the Superintendent of the New England Company. Adjoining the range Ue the remains of the gallant Indian warrior, Capt. Joseph Brant, from whom Brantford derives its name. Here also stands the old Mohawk Church of historic renown, with its sohd silver communion service presented to the Indians by Queen AJnne. In this church Prince Arthur was made a chief of the Six Nation Indians. Many valuaole silver cups and medals belong to the association, the same being competed for at the annual matches — the Merchants' Cup, Officers' Cup, Company Cup (presented by Judge 324 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Jones), Bull's-eye Cup and Queen's Own Cup (presented by the Queen's Own Rifles). Through the kindness of Lord Dufferin (the patron of the association), a bronze medal, with the profiles of Lord and Lady Dufferin thereon, is shot for annually, a new medal being forwarded by his Lordship for each annual match. The first medal presented by Lord Dufferin was won at the last annual matches by Surgeon Harris with a good score. The officers of the association are: President, Lieut.-Colonel Jones ; Vice-Presidents, Major Ballachey and Surgeon Harris ; Secretary, Lieut. Daniel; Treasurer, Lieut. Glenny; Range Officer, Capt. Young. Council : Lieut.-Col. Jones, Major Ballachey, Capt. Snartt, Lieut. Har ris, Lieut. Glenny and Lieut. Daniel. LOCAL HLSTORY. CHAPTER IV. The Churches. Grace Church (Episcopal^'. This is the oLlest congregation in the City of Brantford, and probably had its origin among the very earlie.st efforts to establish sixiiety here. For several year; previous to 1830, the Christians of this persuasion worshipped in the old Mohawk Ghnrch, on the then Indian Reservation ; Chief Brant, who was a con sistent member of the Church of England, proposed that if the people would build a church in the ViUage of Brantford, he would set apart a block of ground containing about three acres for the use and benefit of said church, either as an endowment or for immediate disposal This offer was accepted, and in the year 1S31 the late A. K. Smith and ^Mrs. Margaret Kerby gave several lots on the comer of Albion and Cedar Streets, the same to be used as a site for the church edifice and for a burial ground. In 1832 a ffamed church was erected on this ground ; the building would accommodate about four hundred people, but by the addition of galleries, which was made in time following, its capacity was increased to seat about seven hundred. The church was used until the year IS 56, when more room being necessary, the original part of the present build ing was erected. This is one of the handsomest churches in the Dominion ; is purely Gothic, with full clear-story elevation ; the original cost was twenty-two thonsand dollars. During the year 1882 several improvements were made, among which was an extension of the chancel, and a general renewal of the interior. This work cost nine thousand dollars, and so enlarged the structure as to give sittings for one thousand persons. There is in this church one of the finest organs in central Ontario, which cost something over four thousand dollars. The first Rector was the Rev. James Campbell Usher, afterward Canon Usher. This able divine served the congregation of Grace Church for a period of forty years ; his memory is cherished by many worthy members of his former flock, as having been a faithful and devoted worker in this pioneer field of Christion advancement. He was succeeded by the Rev. Arthur Sweatman, MA., the present Bishop of Toronto, who tilled the position for two years, when the Rev. Reginald H. Starr, M. A., was called to the rectorship, and remained three years. The present Rector is the Rev. G. C. Mackenzie, Rural Dean of Brant, who entered upon the duties of his charge \n 1879. The first Church-wardens were Beaben Leonard and William Richardson, whose official career began in 1832. The present Wardens are Thomas Botham, Esq, and Charles S. Mason, Esq. : there is also a select Vestry of eight members. The Building Committee of the present church was composed of Thomas Botham, Archibald 326 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Green, Charles Watts, Abner Bunnell, Henry Lemmon, and James Smith. The last named gentleman had the entire charge of the work as Superintendent on behalf of the Committee. Mr. Botham has been a member of this church for forty years, during which time he has held the office of Church-warden eighteen years. He also served as auditor of the accounts of the church for a long period of time. St. Jude's Episcopal Church Is situated on Peel Street, corner of Dalhousie, in the East Ward. It is of Gothic style of architecture and built of brick, with a square tower of the same material, having a bell in it. Owing to the increase of Church of England members in the East Ward and neighbourhood, it was deemed necessary some twelve .years ago to organize a church in that ward, and as a result, in 1872, St. Jude's was erected at a cost of about $6,000. It has a seating capacity of about 400. The several clergymen appointed to this church are, in rotation as follows : Revs. Moffatt, Canon Salter, C. D. Martin, T.' R. Davis, and the present incumbent, Mr. Young, who succeeded Mr. Davis, May 1, 1882. The First Presbyterian Church. This congregation was the first organized Presbyterian body in Brantford. The property on the corner of Wellington and George Streets, consisting of two lots, was originally the property of the American Presbyterian Church. This church for only a short time had a pastor, and about the year ] 844 it became the property of the body called United Associate Missionary Synod of the Canadas, which afterwards, in 1847, became the United Presbyterian Church, which in time, by union v;ith the Free Church in 1861, became the Canada Presbyterian Church, and now, by the union of all the Presbyterian Churches in the Dominion, is the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The follow ing facts may be interesting regarding the history of the congregation : On the 9th of December, 1845, the members of the congregation of the LTnited Associate Presbyterian Church, St. George, in and around Brantford, who occasionally had service in a school house which stood on what is now the Market Square, Brantford, petitioned the West Flamboro' Presbytery to be formed into a congregation in Brantford, under the inspection of the pastor of St. George, the Rev. James Roy. The petition was granted, Mr. Roy being apppointed to take the necessary steps to organize the congregation and form a session. The mem bers of the first session then appointed were Messrs. John Dodds, David Christie (afterwards the Hon. D. Christie), and Charles Steward, the latter acting as Clerk. On the 13th July, 1847, Rev. J. Roy resigned the oversight of the congregation, the congregation having in the meantime become part of the United Presbyterian Church, and on the 17th of August of the same year the congregation gave a call to the Rev. A. A. Drummond, who was ordained on the 20th of October, 1847. The members of the West Flamboro' Presbytery present at the ordination were Messrs. Caw, Christie, Roy, Ritchie, Barrie, Torrance and Fisher, ministers ; with Messrs. R. Christie, J. Millar and D Christie, ruling elders. Rev. Mr. Caw preached, and Rev. Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Barrie addressed the minister and people. The congregation at that time local HISTOEY. 329 numbered about forty communicant member. The congregation had in the meantime purchased the property on which the present church stands. On this property there stood a church building which was not completed, and the congr^ation set to work to complete the place of worship, and soon effected their purpose. Under the Rev. A. A Drummond, now of Newcastle, Ont., the church prospered. The congi-egation increased, and a manse was built for the pastor. Additional elders were elected — .James Crawford and D. McNaughton, in 1850 ; James Johnston and George Clark in 1855 ; W. Renwick and W. Turnbull in 1855. In the year 1857 Mr. Drummond received a call to the con gregation of North Easthope and Mornington, and on the 15th of December the Presbytery of Brant agreed to the dissolution of the pastoral tie between Mr. Drummond and the congregation in Brantford. Aff«r a vacancy of several months the Rev. Joseph Young was inducted into the pastorate by the Pres bytery, on the 6th of July, 1S5S. In 1859 Messrs. Kerr, Muir and Morice were elected and ordained additional elders, who, with Messrs. Dodds, Crawford, McXanghton and Turnbull, constituted the session of the church at that time. In the year 1861 the union between the United Presbyterian and Free Churches in Canada took place, and in connection with this proposals were made for union between the two Presbyterian Churches then in Brantford. The nego tiations, however, failed, and the union was not effected. In the early part of the year 1863 Mr. Young was laid aside from his pastoral work by illness, and towards the end of the year died. After a long vacancy the Rev. Thos. Lowry was inducted into the pastorate in the year 1866, on the 25th December, by the Presbytery of Paris. In the year 1867 Messrs. McArthur and Randall were elected elders, in 1870 Messrs. Russell and Lyle, and Mr. Charles Green in the year 1881. In the year 1877 steps were taken to build a new church edifice on the same site as the new one. The congregation in the meantime worshipped in the Court House, which was kindly put at its disposal. On the 20th January, 1878, the present neat and commodious place of worship was opened. In July, 1881, the Rev. T. Lowry, who for some months had been in poor health, resigned his charge, after a faithful pastorate of nearly fifteen years. Mr. Lowry at this date is still alive and in much better health. He resides in Toronto, and is able to preach still. After another vacancy of several months, the Rev. F. R Beattie, B.D., of Baltimore and Coldsprings, was called as pastor, and inducted on the 9th of ^lay, 1882. He is the present pastor of the con gregation. Zion Church Tresbyterian). In 1854 Zion Church congregation was first organized, the Rev. John Alex- ander, of Niagara, being called as minister. At that time services were con ducted in the Town Hall, until a suitable edifice cotdd be erected. It was necessarily some time before the building was thoroughly completed ; and the congregation met in the present lecture room until 1857, when the church was formally opened. In 1860 Mr. Alexander resigned his pastorship, and for some two years the chnrch wai without a minister, when the Rev. Dr. Cochrane was called from New York. From that time nntU now the reverend gentle man has faithfully fulfilled his arduous duties, nntU at the present he presides over one of the largest and most influential congregations on this continent. 20 330 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. His sterling worth and ability is acknowledged throughout America, and for ovidence of the great respect in which he is held by the ministers of his own denomination, it is only necessary to refer to his appointment last year as Moderator of the General Assembly. In 1867 it was found that the church was overcrowded, and the seating accommodation was accordingly enlarged by the addition of galleries. In 1876 an alcove was added, and the pulpit and present handsome organ (made by Warren & Son, Montreal) put in. Since that time the demand for additional seats and other improvements has been forced from year to year upon the Board of Management, until last year it was definitely decided to enlarge, refurnish and redecorate the church throughout. For some months past workmen have been busily engaged in effecting the desired alterations, and it is safe to say that for beauty and elegance Zion Church is now unsurpassed by any other in the Dominion. The edifice has been enlarged by the addition of sixty by thirty-one feet at the rear portion. The organ has been placed on the right hand side, while on the left the light streams through two beautifully stained glass windows, the gift of Mr. J. K. Osborne. The instrument has been considerably improved, and with its re modelled exterior now presents a most handsome appearance. The pulpit has been richly decorated with iron work, and the platform ornamented hj two handsome urns for flowers, the gift of Mr. W. E. Welding. The seats, which throughout are new, are made of native butterwood highly polished. The iron work at the ends is especially designed. The pews have been arranged in semicircular form, with an inclination of twenty-one inches from rear to front. This arrangement enables all in the church to obtain an equally good view of the pulpit. The church has been recarpeted and recushioned throughout. The carpet, which was especially woven in Scotland, is of two shades in crimson, and the cushions of rep, imported from England, are of a like colour. The galleries all round have been brought forward eighteen inches, thus enabling the seats to be removed six inches further apart. Three new hand some gasaliers, with sidelights to match, have been placed in position at a cost of about $400. The new ceiling has been delicately pannelled and frescoed. In the down-stairs portion of the building four new class rooms for Sunday School purposes have been added, together with a handsome vestry for the minister. This room has been suitably carpeted and furnished throughout with secretaire, dressing stand and other appurtenances. The addition to the church was built by Mr. William Watt. The estimated cost of the whole improve ments is $14,000. The carpets and cushions were provided by the ladies of the church at a cost of $1,700. Methodist Church. A quarterly meeting was held at Woodhouse on 6th September, 1836, Rev. Wm. Ryerson in the ch,air. The time of the meeting was taken up almost entirely in electing trustees to fill vacancies. At the second quarterly meeting, held at Governor's Road on the 12th day of December, 1836— Rev. W. Ryerson in the chair — the following officers were nominated by Rev. Joseph Messmore : Francis G. Swayze, Recoiding Steward ; Wesley Freeman, Joseph Carpenter, Alva Townsend, Circuit Stewards ; J. Horton, Matthew Whiting, David Smalley local history. 331 The first quarterly meeting of the Brantford Circuit was held at Brantford on the 19th September, 1835, at which meeting it was reported that they had pmxihased two lots at the Crown Lands' sale, one for a chapel at £16 55., and the other for a paKonage at ^61 5. The committee appointed to solicit subscrip tions having secured £215, it was decided to erect a chapeL On February 7th, 1845, the quarterly meeting adopted a resolution to sell the parsonage lot, and apply the funds received towanls the chapel fund. At a quarterly meeting held on September 11th, 1851, Rev. K. Creighton was authorized to take out the deed for a lot for a church site. It was also resolved " that it is deemed advisable to sell the pews in said church." At a special quarterly meeting held at Brantford Parsonage, 2nd July, 1853, it was resolved that Robert Sproule, Herbert Biggar, Thomas 0. Scott, Lewis Burwell, William Hockinsr, .lohn H. Moore, William H. Morgan, Rev. Hamilton Biggar, Rev. Peter Jones, Samuel Morphy, James Moore and John Gardham, be and are hereby appointed a committee to secure the deed of a lot for the purpose of erecting a new Wes leyan Methodist Church thereon. The old church which stood on the site of the present Park Hotel, and fronting the square now called " Victoria Park," having been burned down by lighted cinders, carried by the wind from a fire near the iron bridge on Colborne Street, in the spring of 1853, services for the Methodists were held in the Court Room imtil the completion of the present Wellington Street Church. At a meeting held on 8th April, 1S53, having previously obtained the lot on Wellington Street from L. Burwell for £200, and having asked for tendei-s for the erection of a church, the following were received: W. Hocking, mason and plasterer's work, finding materials, £1,259 14s. 6d.; Mellish & Russell, for completion of the building, £2,180 ; Messrs. Turner & Sinon, £2,600. The tender of Messrs. Mellish s Russell, being the lowest, was adopted, after which it was resolved to sell the old church and property, and apply the proceeds to the construction of the new one. Conse quently, on the 22nd -June, 1853, it was sold by auction to Messrs. ^lellish & Russell for -8700. In order to complete the building, it was resolved to raise the sum of £500 sterling, to be bon-owed on ten years' credit, the trustees to be personally responsible with the mortgage on the new property. The following names were added to the Trustees as a Building Committee : A. K. Smith, R. R. Strobridge, John Heaton, Judge Jones, William Matthews, John Kendall and Thomas Glassco. On April 3rd, 1854, the Trustees and Building Committee appointed -John Turner as architect during the erection and completion of the church, at the sum of £70 for his services. This church underwent a thorough repair, and was reopened on the 27th December, 1874, by Divine services on the Sunday, which were followed by a tea meeting on the following evening. Br.vnt Avenue Methodist Church. The society of the above church was organized in July, 1870, with a very large and successful membership, and has continued to increase in numbers and interest to the present. The membership now numbers over two hundred. In 1S71 the members built a handsome brick church building on the corner of Brant Avenue and Richmond Street, at a cost of about $25,000. The building is handsomely furnished in the interior, and has a seating capacity of 650. 332 history of brant county. In 1875 the society build a church in West Brantford, on Oxford Street, which was dedicated during the same year. It was built to meet the demand of the rapid growth of the church membership in that section of the town. It has since, however, become an independent organization. The Brant Avenue Church is under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Manly Benson. Emmanuel M. E. Church Was established fifteen years ago by Rev. W. G. Brown. Services were first held in a hall opposite Market Square, at the hour of 9.30 a.m., before the other church services in the city were held. About thirty people attended the first services. During the first year a site for a church building was purchased in the East Ward, and $700 iu subscriptions procured towards its erection. This project was abandoned the following year, and an old church building, formerly occupied by the Presbyterians, and situatsd on the north side of Wellington Street, Queen's Ward, purchased. Worship was held in this church until the fall of 1878, when the church property known as Emmanuel Congregational Church was purchased by the congregation. This is a comfortable brick structure, situated on the corner of Queen and Wellington Streets, capable of seating 250 persons. There is now a membership of over 100 persons, and a congregation of over 200. The following have been pastors in the order named : Rev. W. G. Brown, Rev. J. A. Livingston, Rev. D. Pomeroy, Rev. B. Bristol, Rev. Thoipas Athoe, Rev. J. S. Williamson, Rev. E. H Pilcher, D.D., Rev. J. A. Combs, Eev. G. C. Squire, Rev. C. Creighton, and Rev. C. M. 'Thompson. The latter, who is the present pastor, was born in Addington Co., Out., and educated in the Dominion. He came to this congregation from the church at St. Marys in 1882. The congregation and Sabbath School are growing numerically, financially and otherwise under his care. Preaching services are held at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. each Sabbath, and the Sabbath School at 2.30 p.m. The following are the Board of Trustees : John R. Kerr, Esq., James Harley, Esq., H. A. Hartley, Esq., J. R. Van Fleet, Esq., Wm. E. Kerr, Esq., Rev. T. S. Linscott, and Abram Van Sickle, Esq. Methodist Church of Canada. This denomination in Brantford erected a small frame church on Oxford Street, west side of the Grand River, in October, 1876, at a cost of $1,600. Considerable additions and improvements were made to it in 1882, at an outlay of $1,350, and the building now presents a prominent and substantial appear ance. The inside of the church has been elegantly fitted up, and will hold a congregation of about 300. The membership numbers about 70. For two years after the opening the pulpit was filled by local supply, and the first regiUar pastor was Rev. A. Broadway, who officiated for fifteen months, when he was succeeded by the present pastor, Rev. Mr. Boyd. The Primitive Methodist Church Is a brick building on the west side of Market Street, near Marlborough, and was built in the year 1856. The cost was about $3,500, and it has a seating local history. 333 capacity of 300. This organization was formed in 1854, and numbered at that period some 76 members. At the present time the building is used only for lectures and occasional services. The British M. E. Church (Coloured). The society of coloured ^Methodists was organised in 1835 with but a handful of members. Meetings were held whenever and wherever opportunity offered, and the church continued weak until 1865, when the society, having received frequent acquisitions to its membership, decided to erect a church building. Accordingly a lot was purchased on Murray Street, between Dalhousie and Darling, and a frame church buUt, with a seating capacity of about 300. The society is now in a more promising condition, and numbers about fifty members. The Fip^t Baptist Church. This church was organized in 1833 by Rev. Wm. Rees, agent of the Ameri can Home Missionary Society, who laboured in this place for a period of eight years, and was succeeded by Rev. John Winterbotham. Since then the pastors have been Rev. S. L. Davidson in 1850 ; Rev. John Alexander, Rev. Wm. Stewart, Rev. Dr. Hurd, Rev. — Porter and Rev. J. B. Tuttle, the latter having assumed the pastorate in October, 1880. For more than twenty years the con gregation worshipped in a frame building on Cedar Street. In 1855 a brick church was erected at a cost of $7,000, which in 1857 burned down, and thus gave way to the present beautiful edifice which occupies the same site. The cost of the church building was 818,000. It is buUt of white brick with cut stone trimmings, and is one hundred feet long by fifty -six feet wide. The auditorium is divided into three aisles and six tiers of pews, with a gallery at the end, and has a seating capacity of 800. The basement, which is used as a Sabbath school room and lecture room, is thirteen feet high, the ceiling, which is twenty-seven feet from the floor, being of panel work with stucco ornaments, and the walls represent bonded masonry. The windows are of stained glass ; the spire is 160 feet high ; and the building, which is of Romanesque style of architecture, reflects great credit on the architect. Notwithstanding the large dimensions of this building, it can hardly afford ample room for the present congregation, the membership of the church being the largest of any church of this creed in Canada. The Tabernacle Baptist Church Was organized by those interested in the formation of a new church on the twenty-fourth of February, 1870, and an appointment of officers made. In the month of March following, a call was issued to Rev. John Alexander of ^lont- real, who preached for the congregation on the last Sabbath in April and the first Sabbath in May, and accepted the call, his acceptance to take effect the following autumn. In the meantime a temporary call was extended on May 15th to Rev. — Gaines, of Montreal. On the first of April a movement was made toward the organization of a Sunday school, and soon afterwards books were 334 history of brant county. purchased, officers elected, and the school permanently established. On April 10th the male members of the church were constituted a committee to prepare articles of faith for the government of the new organization, and after due deliberation they adopted the articles of faith from the " Baptist Church Manual " published at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first sacrament was administered April 29, by Deacon R. Morton, in the absence of a pastor. On May 17th the first meeting was held i^n the new room, Kerr's Music Hall, and on the sixteenth of the following August, the pastor elect assumed his pas torate. In November, 1870, a committee, consisting of the pastor and ten laymen, was appointed to buy Kerr's Music Hall for $6,000, he to give off $1,500. The building was remodelled to some extent, and changed into a tabernacle. In October, 1875, Rev. Robert Cameron, of New York, accepted a call to the pastorate. In the spring of 1881 the tabernacle was sold to Mr. Stratford for $5,000, and the church began worshipping in the Y.M.C.A. Hall. Soon afterward a lot was purchased on the corner of George and Darhng Streets of Dr. Cochrane, and the erection of the present church edifice was begun in the fall of the same year, by the laying of the corner stone with appropriate ceremony. The church began the use of the chapel in the new church in September, 1882. The building is one of the finest in the city, and reflects great credit on the congregation, as well as on the Building Committee, which was composed of five men of undoubted ability. The congregation is one of the most prosperous and enterprising in the city, and now numbers 272 souk. The Congregational Church. During the early days of the city a worthy minister from Buffalo was accustomed to preach occasionally at various places in this part of the Province. His labours in Brantford were rewarded by a deep awakening of the people, who became desirous of forming a cburch, but as there were but few compara tively, and they not fully of one mind concerning the particular denomination which they would like to represent, the reverend gentleman advised them to wait until such time as they could unite in their action by common consent. These meetings were held in the waggon shop of John M. Tupper, a well- known citizen of that period. At that time Henry Wilkes, now the Eev. Dr Wilkes, of Montreal, was a student of theology in the schools of Scotland ; it was agreed to a.sk him to secure the services of some fit clergyman in that country to come over and take charge of the organization and growth of a church which should be formed from the material prepared by the evangelist from Buffalo. Accordingly the Rev. Adam Lilly, D.TX, arrived in course of time to assume the duties of pastor to the new flock. Upon his arrival, how ever, he found that the people had become divided over the question of denomi national form which they would adopt. This division appears to have been brought about by the efforts of a certain over zealous clergyman who visited the people before the arrival of Dr. Lilly; at all events, those who had been instrumental in bringing him here felt it to be their duty to support him in his labours now that he was one of their number. Of course the separation of the originally small body of Christians into two distinct parts weakened both, and for the time bid fair to defeat all efforts at local history. 335 successful organization ; but in that, as in everything else in those days, the moie difficult the task the more energy was applied to its accomplishment. The followers of Dr. Lilly proceeded as uest they could to embody themselves as a Congregational Society. Previous to this event, and before any division of the people had taken place, an effort had been made to erect a house of worship ; but now came the real trouble. As there had been some doubt about the united ability of all interested to build a church, it was decidedly doubtful about being a'ole to provide two such structures. After the organiza tion of the society it met habitually in the upper portion of a large ware house, which belonged to that sturdy pioneer, -lohn A Wilkes, Esq. About the year 1836-7 the congregation had becoma so thoroughly united and .strengthened as to be able to build a comfortable church on Dalhousie Street. This building was burned in 1864, after which the present edifice on George Street was erected. Concerning the persons and incidents connected with the early history of this church, there is no record to give interesting facts and data Rev. Dr. Lilly, after serving several years as pastor of the church, became connected with the Congregational College at Toronto and Montreal, in which capacity he was engaged until his death. The present church building was dedi cated to the worship of Almighty God on Sunday, November 19, 1865 ; the dedication hymn was composed for the occasion by the Pastor, Eev. J. Woods. Rev. Dr. Wilke-, of Montreal, preached a beautiful discourse from 1 Tim. i. 11. In the afternoon Rev. F. H. ilarling preached from Eph. ii 20, 22, and 1 Peter, ii. 4, 5. Dr. Wilkes preached again in the evening from 2 Cor. ii 14. The Third, or " East Ward," Baptist CmjRCH Began its existence as a distinct Christian body on Friday evening, August 27th, 1875, at which time a meeting was held in the new Mission Chapel (now the place of worship of this congregation) in the East Ward of Brantford. This meeting was held in response to a call to determine whether the new building should be used for a mission school, or whether a new church should be organized to occupy it as a regular meeting place. There were some two hundred persons present, most of whom were members of other churches. The meeting was presided over by Mr. John Harris, of the First Baptist Church of Brantford, and Mr. T. A Moore was chosen as secretary. " Hold the Fort, for 1 am coming," was effectively rendered, after which several brethren offered prayer, and the bu.siness of the meeting was proceeded with at once. The question of the desirability of organizing a new church was carried unani mously, and the sum of .SS69.0i) pledged in a few minutes. After this public meeting was ended au assembly of those who had signified their desire to unite with the new enterprise was held at the same place for organization. The Rev. John Alexander was called, by the unanimous vote of those assembled, to assume the pastorate of the new flock, at a yearly salary of 81,000.00. A deputation was sent to inform the rev. gentleman of the call which had been given him, and in a short time his formal acceptance was the result. The new body took the name of the Ea^i Ward Baptist Church. This movement originated with the people of the First Baptist Church in April, 1875, and was carried to a quick conclusion by the committee into whose hands the work wa.s 336 history of brant county. given. They had_ secured a beautiful site, and had erected thereon a neat brick chapel, 63 feet by 35 feet, with a seating capacity for about four hundred persons, in time for this new offshoot from the established church of this denomination in Brantford. On Sunday, the 19th of September, 1875, the opening services of the church were held. The Rev. Dr. Davidson, of Guelph, preached a powerful discourse from the text found in Psalm cxviii. 25. In the afternoon the Rev. W. H. Porter, of the First Baptist Church, delivered an effective sermon from Col. i. 18. The evening service was conducted by Rev. Wm. Stew^art, M.A., of Hamilton ; the text selected was Proverbs ix. 1, 5. The original body of this congregation was composed of twenty-four members from the First Baptist Church, and forty-eight from the Second. The chapel building, which has been mentioned, was built mainly under the supervision of Mr. Thomas S. Shenston and the Messrs. J. & A. Harris. It was enlarged and refitted for church purposes soon after its purchase by the new society. St. Basil's Catholic Church. This imposing edifice is located on Palace Street, and is a very fine building of white brick, with cut stone dressings. The corner stone was laid on November 4, 1866, under the pastorate of Rev. August Carayon, the services being conducted by the Right Rev. John Farrell, D.D., Bishop of Hamilton, assisted by Rev. P. Bardon. The ceremony was very impressive, and a large concourse of people assembled to witness and participate in the services. A.a appropriate inscription, together with copies of newspapers, coins, &c., were enclosed in a glass jar and depo.sited in the stone. The building is 155 feet long by 64 wide, exclusive of the buttresses. The transepts are 90 feet in width, and the nave is 52 feet high. The ceiling of the auditorium is groined, with moulded ribs and basses. The church consists of nave, aisles, north and south chapels and sanctuary, with vestry in the rear. The front of the build ing is finished with two towers, the larger one rising to the height of 180 feet. The windows throughout are of handsome, stained enamelled glass. The total cost of the building was about $25,000. It is now being remodelled at con siderable expense, and will be when completed one of the handsomest churches, in the interior, of any in the Dominion. It has a seating capacity of about 1,200. The Church Society numbers about 2,500 members. Rev. Peter Lennon is the present pastor of the parish, and Rev. James Lennon curate. local history. 337 CHAPTER V. Celebration of the Crimean Victory. — Reception of tlie Prince of Wales. — Celebration of the Princes Wedding. — Railway Celebration. — Governor-GeneraT s Visit. — De structive Fire, i860. — Murder of Mail Carrier. — The Fenian Raid of 66. Celebbaticin of the Great Ckdee.\n Victory. After bombarding the stronghold of the Crimea, Sebastopol, for a long period, a final and successful assault was made by the allied armies on the 8th September, 1855. On the receipt of this intelligence the joy and gratitude of the people of this town were universaL A spirit of loyalty throbbed in every bosom, such as was never witnessed before by even the oldest inhabitant. Bonfires were kindled to manifest the loyalty of the inhabitants to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, and to illustrate their satisfaction on account of the capture of the great Russian fortress, and the consequent humiliation of the Northern Autocrat. On the next day, Friday, 28th September, 1855, fiags were displayed on the Court House and other buildings. Streamers of different colouis were extended across Colborne Street in several places. The afternoon was kept as a holiday, all places of business being closed. About 4 o'clock p.m. a procession was formed, under the supervision of H. Racey, Esq., which, headed by the British flag and the Brantford band, traversed the principal streets, and finally assembled on the square in front of the Court House, where an intellectual treat was provided for the patriotic multitude. His Worship the Mayor occupied the chair, and after delivering an appro priate speech, and proposing three cheers for the Queen and an equal number for the Emperor of France, introduced the Hon. W. H. Merritt, the worthy representative of the County of Lincoln, to address the people. The hon. gentleman took a common-sense view of the war that was being waged in the East. Had Poland, Hungary and Italy been aroused to struggle for their independence, had the question been based upon universal liberty, so that the contest might be one in behalf of pure freedom against the absolutism and despotism of Europe, he would be actuated by a greater degree of enthu siasm than under the present circumstances. He would pitch Austria to Russia and not crave her support, for instead of being a benefit to the Western Powers she was a clog-wheel to retard their progress. He desired to see the entire Continent of Europe enjoying the glorious boon of freedom.' \Mien in France he 338 history of brant county. found the liberty of the press crushed, the rights of Habeas Corpus not recog nized, and travellers necessitated to have passports to travel through the empire. Nearly the whole of the Continent was in a similar condition, but in the British Empire matters are quite different. After the hon. gentleman took his seat, J. A. Wilkes, Esq., addressed the assemblage. The aged patriarch manifested a deal of patriotism, but differed from the preceding speaker in regard to the method of conducting the war. He deemed it advisable to conquer the Czar first, and then to subjugate the other countries one by one. He would have the canker-worm of despotism eaten by piecemeal. The venerable patriot sat down with his heart ready to burst with loyalty and gratitude. D. M. Gilkinson, Esq., was the next speaker. Although his speech was not lengthy, it was truly loyal and patriotic. 'The Rev. T. L. Davidson, A.M., then came forward and delivered a flaming oration. He spoke with deep pathos about the great victory that had been gained by the allies. He read history to a considerable extent, but never found recorded on its pages an achievement as brilliant as the capture of the great fortress of the Crimea. It far surpassed Jena, Lodi or Austerlitz. He abhorred war, for he was decidedly a friend of peace, but he could not feel otherwise than like a man on that momentous occasion. He hoped to see the sun of peace rise in the East, and the bloody sun of war set in the West. E. B. Wood, Esq., entertained the multitude with a very appropriate speech. He entered with deep feeling into the subject, and sent a thrill of patriotisin through the vast throng. His powerful appeals bespoke a spirit deeply imbued with the principles of universal freedom. The Rev. J. Alexander did not consider that he was out of place, as a minister of the Gospel, in standing before the people on that important occasion. The victory gained was a triumph of liberty and civilization over the barbarism of Muscovy, a conflict which would eventuate in the amelioration of the down trodden masses of Europe. On the other hand, the prodigious slaughter on the field — the woe and anguish of bleeding thousands — and the numerous widows and orphans caused by the scene of blood, excited emotions of grief iu his soul which counterbalanced those of joy. The Mayor closed the meeting with a few remarks, and dismissed the assem blage. Up to a late hour in the night bonfires blazed, cannon roared, the town was illuminated, and every one was enraptured over the great victory. Reception of the Prince of Wales. The following communication, addressed to the County Clerk, from the Warden, who was absent in Toronto, was the first official notification to the County Council of the intended visit of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to Brantford : " Toronto, 8th September, 1860. " Dear Sir, — His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is to lunch at Brant ford on Friday next, the 14th instant, at one o'clock, and I think it would be proper to call the Council together for Wednesday next, at 10 o'clock, a.m., in order that it may have an opportunity of taking into consideration what part LOCAL HISTORY. 339 it would like to take in tire reception of the Prince on the occasion of his visit to the county ; and as the time is short, and some of the members live at a distance from their post offices, it would be well for j-ou to send a special messenger to them, to ensure their getting notice of the meeting. It will be an important occasion, and any demonstration that may be decided on should be worthy of the county and it. I would .suggest that it would probably be well for the Reeves and Deputies to in\-ite and induce the members of the Councils they represent, and as many of the inhabitants within their respec tive localities as possible, to be present on that most important and interesting occasion. You will act for the best in the matter. " Yours respectfully, " Thomas Conboy, " To John Cameron, Esq., " Warden. " County Clerk, Brantford." In accordance with this communication, the County Clerk called a meeting of the Council for the Wednesday following. The Council having gone into a Committee of the \Miole, the chairman reported the following resolution, viz. : " That it be resolved that the Council do contribute to defraying the expenses that may be incurred in giving to His Royal Highness a proper reception on the occasion of his approaching visit, an amount not exceeding four hundred dollars, and that the members of the Legislative Council and Assembly, the Warden, the Judge, and the Sheriff of the County, be included in the Reception Committee appointed by the Town of Brantford." This exceedingly loyal and sensible report was adopted, without any motion of amendment, by the startling majority of One ! the yeas and nays being as follows : Yeas. — The Warden, Messrs. McEwen, Hunter, Elliott, Thompson and Wallace — 6. Nays. — Messrs. Anderson, Mullen, Henry, Lawrence and Pat ton — 5. Though it was only known three or four days before his arrival that the Prince intended making a stop of an hour and a half at Brantford, on his way to Niagara Falls, yet his reception was all that could have been expected had the time been much longer. In the interval before his arrival the city was a constant scene of activity, excitement and bustle. Determined to evince their loyalty and to give a cordial and hearty welcome to their future king, the heir apparent to the British throne and son of their Sovereign, the people, with one accord and without distinction of sect or creed, united to do all that could be done, in the short time allowed for preparations, to make the visit of the Prince an occasion long to be remembered, both by the rising generation and the royal personage whom they delighted to honour. Repeated delegations were sent by the Town Council or by committees appointed to make the necessary arrangements for the Prince's reception, not only to ascertain the precise time of the visit, but to induce, if possible. His Highness to make a longer stay in the city than was originally intended. Though they failed to accomplish the latter object, no sooner was it announced that the royal cortege would arrive at one o'clock on Friday the 14th Sep tember, than the work of preparation was commenced with a will and energy characteristic of the people of Brantford. Ordnance were placed on^the hills 340 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. surrounding the city to welcome the Prince with their voices of thunder, as soon as his train should appear in sight. ]\Iagnificent arches of evergreens and appropriate devices were placed across the railroad track at the depot, and others crossed the streets at intervals along the whole route to be traversed by the royal party. Union Jacks and patriotic mottoes floated from the spires of churches, from the roofs of public buildings and from nearly every window. The town was in its gala dress, and everything betokened the joy the people felt in receiving in their midst the son of the best and most virtuous of the long line of sovereigns that have shed lustre on British constitutional history. The weather on the eventful day was clear and cool, and most favourable for the events that were to take place. A multitude of twenty thousand people had assembled at the depot to await the arrival of the train bearing the royal party. Carriages, buggies, the old family-spring waggon and every class of vehicle was pressed into service to bear the people of the district for miles around to the centre of attraction, where each hoped to get a glimpse of Eng land's future king. At one o'clock precisely His Royal Highness and suite arrived under the beautiful quintuple railway arch. His arrival was greeted with a chorus of ten thousand voices — with ten thousand hearty, enthusiastic British cheers ; and over all was heard at short intervals the prolonged echoes of a royal salute from the cannon on Terrace Hill. The school children added to the interest of the occasion by singing some stanzas of the National Anthem. Immediately after the presentation of the addresses the procession was formed, and in the order following marched through the streets : Programme of the Procession. Henry Racey, Esq., Marshal. The Buffalo and Lake Huron Band. St. Andrew's Society. St. George's Society. Chief G. H. M. Johnson, Marshal. Indian Band. The Old Warriors of the Six Nations. The Chiefs of the Six Nations. The Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Tuscororas, Delawares, in full Indian War Costumes. H. Yardington, E-q., ilarshal. The Keller Band. Clergymen of different Denominations. Veterans of 1812. The Reeve and Council of Simcoe. Warden and Council of Brant, with the County Officers and Members of £ Parliament. 3 f^ f^ F. P. Goold, Esq., Marshal & I g H. R. H. The Prince of Wales, and Suite, in Carriages. 3 "& &* Officers of Militia, mounted. " o W. N. Alger, Esq., Marshal. h S •^ o W. N. Alger, Esq., Marshal. - ^ ^ The Prince of Wales' Young Canada Guard. 5' ^ Citizens. B local history. 341 Arrived at the reception canopy, the heads of corporations and societies having addresses to present were introduced by His Excellency the Governor- General. Addresses were presented by J. D. Clement, Esq., Mayor of the Corpora tion, in behalf of the citizens ; T. Conboy, Esq., Warden of the County of Brant, in behalf of the people : Hon. S. J. Jones, Esq., County Judge, in behaff of the Quarter Sessions ; W. W. Simcoe, Esq., Reeve of the Town of Simcoe ; Thomas Batham, Esq., President of St. George's Benevolent Society ; Allan Cleghorn, Esq., President of St. Andrews Benevolent Society ; C. A. .Jones, son of the late Rev. Peter Jones, Missionary and Chief, in behalf of the Mississagua Indians ; and lastly, an address was presented by the Six Nation Indians. To all of these the Prince returned addresses, thanking the people in his own and in his mother's behalf for their cordial welcome, their loyalty, etc. A magnificent lunch was prepared at the Kerby House, which was said by the Prince's followers to have 3ur|jassed anything of the kind they had seen since the Prince first landed on Canadian sod. After toasts were drank, the Prince retired to his carriaije aud was driven at the head of an irregular nro- cession to the depot, where he again took the train for Fort Erie. The people were amply repaid for all their trouble and work by the very evident signs of pleasure which the Prince took no pains to hide. He expressed himself well pleased with the city, and especially so ¦with the grand ovation tendered him on so short a stay. Celebration of the Marriage of the PpvInce of Wales. In response to a petition numerously signed, the Mayor issued a proclama tion requesting the citizens to observe the 10th of March, 1S63, being the day fixed for the royal marriage, as a general holiday. The committee appointed to make the necessary arrangements for the due celebration of the day resolved to have a grand procession, and to conclude the day's proceedings by a supper at the Kerby House. The morning of the 10th, one of the most delightful of the winter, was ushered in by the booming of cannon on Smith's HilL The ^e^¦e^be^ations aroused the inhabitants, and indicated that the Railway Artillery Company was early at its post. At haK-past ten o'clock the procession was formed on the Maiket .Square, under the direction of Col. A Bunnell, of the 1st Battalion of the Brant Militia, assisted by Capt. Curtis, Messrs. H. Raeey and H. Lem mon, in the following order : 1. The Juvenile Drum and Flute Band. 2. Boys of the Public Schools.' 3. The Sons of Temperance. 4. The Good Templars. 5. The Indians, with their Band. 6. Rescue Fire Company. 7. Washington Engine Company, No. 5. S. Hook and Ladder Company. 9. Railway Artillery Company, 1(1. Highland Rifle Company. 342 history of brant county. 11. No. 1 Brant Rifle Company. 12. Officers of 2nd Battalion Brant Militia. 13. St. George's Society. 14. St. Andrew's Society. 15. Other Citizens. 16. The Mayor and Corporation. The procession had a very imposing appearance, even more so than that formed on the occasion of the Prince of Wales' visit to Brantford in 1860. The Volunteer Companies and Fire Companies showed off to great advantage ; aud the various temperance and benevolent societies, wearing their appropriate regalia and with banners unfurled, constituted, with the innumerable small flags, an important feature in the pageant. But the most attractive of all was the Juvenile Drum and Flute Band, composed of about fifteen or twenty lads, from about six or seven to twelve years of age, dressed in a neat uniform, and executing a number of pieces of music with a taste, skill and effect which would have done credit to many a band of adults having years of experience. On their arrival at their destined place, Victoria Square, about noon, the royal standards of Britain and Denmark, were run up, a royal salute was fired by the Railway Artillery Company, and a, feu de joie by the Rifle Companies. In the evening about seventy or more persons sat down to an elegant supper prepared at the Kerby House. J. D. Clement, Esq., Mayor, presided with his usual urbanity and efficienc.y, assisted by Col. Bunnell as 1st Vice-Chairman, and G. H. M. Johnson as 2nd Vice-Chairman. The following toasts were proposed and accompanied by appropriate intro ductory remarks by the Ciiairman : 1. " The Queen," drunk with the usual honours and followed by the National Anthem by the juvenile band. 2. " The memory of His Royal Highness the late Prince Consort ; " drunk in solemn silence. 3. " The Prince of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family," followed by " Rule Britannia " by the Indian band. 4. "The Army and Navy," responded to by Ma,jor Alger, Col. Bunnell and Drill Sergeant Ross, all of whose speeches were characterized by* brevity, the proper and usual peculiarity of military men. The " Red, White and Blue " was admirably sung by Mr. Wonham, all present joining in the chorus. 5. " His Excellency the Governor-General." This toast was most eloquently responded to by Wm. Matthews, Esq., whose remarks drew forth rounds of applause. It was followed by music from the Indian band and " The Days when we went Gypsying," by H Lemmon, Esq., editor and proprietor of the Courier. The Chairman then introduced at considerable length, and with much good judgment and felicity of expression, 6. " The health of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, the newly married couple." After appropriate music by the Indian band, D. C. Sullivan, Esq., Principal of the High and Public Schools, responded in a very happy manner, adverting with much effect to a number of historical inci- local history. 343 dents in the history of England and Denmark, and prognosticating a glorious future from the present alliance of the two royal families. 7. CoL Bunnell, Vice-Chairman, proposed " The Rose, the Shamrock and the Thistle." Song by Sergeant Clark. Major Alger responded on behalf of the St. George's Society, Sergeant Robertson for the St. Andrew's, and James Weyms, Esq., for Ireland. " A Life on the Ocean Wave " was given by the juvenile band with much spirit and accuracy of execution, 8. G. H. Z\l. Johnson, 2nd Vice-Chairman, gave " Canada our Home." A. S. Hardy, Esq., responded, and his speech was considered by many the speech of the evening. Music by the Indian band. 9. The 1st Vice-Chairman proposed " The Agricultural Interests of Canada." J. D. Clement, Flsq., responded in his usual pleasing and effective manner, and was followed with music by both bands. 10. The 1st Vice-Chairman also proposed " "The Commercial and Manufac turing Interests of Canada," and Messrs. Stmter, Paterson, Grant and Bellhouse responded. 11. " The Educational Institutions of the Country ' was responded to by D. C. Sullivan, Esq., LL.B., Principal of the Grammar and Central Schools. Other toasts and speeches followed, interspersed with music by the bands and songs by several gentlemen present. ^Ir. J. Fkigar was deemed worthy of the highest commendation for his energy in organizing the juvenile band, and Mr. Witty, their teacher, did himself no little credit in bringing them forward so rapidly, and in imparting to them so successfully a knowledge of the principles of music. The Indian brass band added very materially to the pleasure of the occasion. Many of the people of Brantford and vicinity \\ ill long remember the pleasure they enjoyed on the occasion of the nuptials of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Grand RAttWAY Celebration. Friday, January 13, 1854, the day appointed for the opening of the central section of the Buffalo k Brantford Railway, was a gala day to the inhabitants of Brantford and surrotmding country. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather and the sloppy state of the .streets, caused by a downfall of snow which melted as soon as it fell, the congregated multitude, numbering some 12,000 persons, a large proportion of which were ladies, were found at the depot anxiously awaiting the arrival of the trains containing the invited guests from Buffalo and intermediate points. Shortly after noon a procession, consisting of the Sons of Temperance, the Oddfellows and the Fire Companies, was formed in front of the Town Hall, and, headed by the Philharmonic Band, marched to the depdt, marshalled by- Geo. Babcock and his assistants. Shortly after two o'clock, p.m., the trains arrived and were received with loud cheers, firing of cannon, and every demon stration of joy and rejoicing that could possibly be indulged in. About 500 came from Buffialo, including many of the Buffalo firemen, who made a fine appearance in their splendid uniform. The cheering having subsided and the visitors landed, the ^layor ot Brant ford, Mr. G. S. Wilkes, invited the large assemblage to enter the Round House, 344 history of brant county. for the purpose of listening to the addresses from himself and others. The Mayor in his address, which was an extempore one, jocularly alluded to the fact of the salubrity of the climate of Buffalo, at the same time pointing to the fair forms and beautiful faces which had arrived a few minutes before by the train. Mr. Wadsworth and the Mayor of Buffalo severally replied, and in very feeling, appropriate and eloquent terms thanked the people of Brantford for the very cordial reception which had been ' given them. Both were evidently very talented men — the former especially was an exceedingly forcible speaker, and his address, as well as that of the latter, was entirely devoid of that ful some twaddle which is so often inflicted upon the public on such occasions. The procession having reformed, marched to the public square opposite the Town Hall, when the parties connected therewith quietly dispersed. The Odd fellows and Fire Companies entertained the Buffalo Firemen at a dinner in the large new building erected by Messrs. Cartan and Dee, on the corner of Market and Colborne Streets. The number assembled around the festive board was estimated at 200. The dinner was furnished by Mr. J. Tripp, and was every thing that could be desired. The dinner given by the Mayor and Corporation of Brantford came off in the Town Hall, which was crowded to excess, room having to be made for the invited guests, who were duly accommodated. Mr. Burley, the caterer on this occasion, exceeded all anticipation in the elegance of the repast furnished. At 8 o'clock, p.m., there was a grand display of fire works in front of the Court House, which, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, went off admirably. The grand railroad ball took place in the large room, in the second story of the depot machine shops, which was very tastefully decorated and admirably fitted up for the occasion. Not less than 1,500 persons were pre^nt, most of whom "tripped the light fantastic toe " until the " wee sma' hours ayont the twal'." There were two bands of musicians present, one a cotillion band from Buffalo, under the direction of Mr. Delvechio, and the other the Brantford " Philharmonics," under the direction of Herr F Beyer. Both played exceed ingly well. About 10 o'clock on the following morning the Buffalonians took their de parture, evidently well pleased with their visit. The Governor-General's Visit. On Friday, 19th October, 1855, Sir Edmund Head paid a visit to our town, and the glorious manner in which he was received evinced the loyalty, sound judgment and energy of the inhabitants. The day was beautiful, being one of the loveliest days of autumn. No shower, no cloud, no dreary mist marred its course. The horizon was of a hazel hue, in beautiful contrast with the russet, yellow leaves of autumn. In splendour the monarch of day arose, and in his rosy chariot pursued his ethereal race. All appeared happy, hilarious and agreeable on this auspicious day. At an early hour flags were elevated on several buildings, where, fanned by a gentle breeze, they waved gracefully, and awakened pleasing recollections in the minds of many; streamers of various colours were suspended across Colborne Street in different places, and LOCAL HISTORY. 347 triumphal arches were erected on several streets. Significant emblems of loyalty and gratitude were displayed in rich profusion on the Manchester House ; these consisted of the Crescent, Tricolour and Union Jack unfurled together. Everything bespoke the satisfaction of the people. A procession was formed at the Public Square — now called Victoria Park — about noon, and proceeded to the depot of the Buffalo, Brantford and Goderich Railway to await the arrival of His Excellency the Governor-General, who was expected at that hour, but owing to unforeseen causes did not arrive till a quarter to two o'clock. The assembled crowd waited with great patience, and manifested the greatest anxiety to get a glimpse of His Excellency. When he and his suite arrived a dense multitude pressed tow-ards the cars and gave him hearty cheers. Several volleys of cannon were also fired in succession, which echoed through the vale, and attested the presence of Her Majesty's representative. A procession was immediately formed, the front of which was occupied by a number of carriages, one of which contained the Govemor-Greneral, Lady Head, the Sheriff of Brant, and the Mayor. The pupils of our Public Schools, the different companies of firemen, aud the Corporation, came next in order after the vehicles. The procession, with flags waving and music playing, marched through King, Colborne and Market .Streets, aud finally assembled on the .Square in front of the Court House, where a series of addresses were presented to His Excellency. After the illustrious guest and attendants ascended the platform, his Worship the Mayor stepped forward and read the following address : '' To Hii Eyxellency Sir Edniurtd Walker Head, Bart., Governor-General of British Xoiih America, Via-Adriiiral of the sanie, etc., etc., etc. " May it please Your Excellency : "We, the Mayor and Corporation of the Town of Brantford, haU with plea.sure the arrival of Your Excellency in this portion of Canada, and most cordially welcome you to the Town of Brantford, whose inhabitants, we assure Your Excellency, are ever ready to extend to the representative here of the honoured and beloved .Sovereign of the British Empire that large degree of respect which is justly due to Her Majesty by a loyal and truly devoted people, who rejoice at all times to evince their strong and unwavering attachment to the British Crown and Constitution, and their deep interest for the success of the British arms, in conjunction with those of her allies, in the prosecution of a war for the suppression of Russian despotism and the extension of the area of human freedom. "In the general prosperity which has of late years characterized the Upper Province, we are glad to be able to point to the steady progress in wealth of this the County Town of what has been justly termed ' The Garden of Canada.' With the prospect of soon seeing our railways and Grand River navigation thoroughly completed, we think we can perceive at no distant day our youthful and progressing town take its proper position among the cities of Canada. " We trust that Your Excellency s tour through Western Canada may be ont of pleasure, and that Your Excellency and family may long remain in the enjoyment of health and happiness amongst us. " (Signed), W. ^.Iathews, Mayor." 21 348 history OF brant county. His Excellency replied as follows : " Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen of the Corporation of the City of Brantford : " The fertility and progress of this section of Upper Canada has made me anxious to visit it, and I only regret that my present visit is so short a one. Here, as elsewhere, I find the strongest evidence of attachment to the Queen and British Constitution, whilst I have to thank you cordially for the reception with which you have honoured me. The completion of your railways and other public improvements will no doubt give an additional stimulus to the prosperity which marks the present condition of Brantford and the surrounding country. I trust on my next visit to see undoubted signs of the maintenance of this pros perity, and of the honourable progress making by the good Town of Brantford.'' Allen Good, Esq., Warden, read the following address on behalf of the county ._ "To His Excellency Sir Edmund Walker Head, Bart, Governor-General of British North America, etc., etc. " May it please Your Excellency : " I have the honour to appear before you as Warden of the County of Brant, aud to tender to Your Excellency, on behalf of the county, a hearty welcome within its precincts. The short notice which we have had of Your Excellency's arrival, and the limited time which you can spare from your other duties to remain amongst us, have prevented me from calling the Council together — residing as the members do in different parts of the county — to meet you in the manner 1 should have wished. " I have no hesitation, however, in stating to your Excellency that the inhabit ants of this county yield to no portion of this valuable appendage of the British Crown in loyalty to our Most Gracious Queen, and in devoted attach ment to the free constitution under which we live. The untiring industry of the inhabitants, and the efforts made by them to promote their own and the county's prosperity, have under Providence made the county what it now is ; and I cannot entertain a doubt that when the national advantages as to soil, water-power and other privileges shall have been fully developed aud worked out, the County of Brant will be behind none in the Province in everything which can make it one of the richest and most respectable in the land. " The great facilities afforded by the railways for the conveyance of produce to the markets of the United States, with the free admission of our agricultural productions into that country, have very materially assisted to promote this state of things, by affording to the farmers of the county all the advantages of a large and increasing demand. The inhabitants fondly cherish the hope that nothing may prevent the reciprocal feeling on all matters of trade which now exists between the two countries from being more fully carried out and acted upon, fully impressed as they are that the more intimate the connection in all matters of business, the more rapidly and the more fully will the resources of Canada be developed. The inhabitants of this county have viewed with anxiety, and have watched with solicitude, the various phases and movements of the struggle now pending between Her Majesty and her august ally the Emperor of France, against the despotic power of Russia. Never in the history of the country has a war been more generally supported in the length and breadth of local HISTOEY. 349 the land. It may indeed be called a struggle between liberty and despotism, between free institutions and unmitigated thraldom. That the efforts of the allied troops may be crowned with success is, I may venture to assure Your Excellency, the prayer of every inhabitant of the County of Brant. " Signed on behalf of the county, "Allen Good, Warden.' The following address from the ^lechanies' Institute was presented by ^Ir. James Woodyatt : " We, the President and Committee of the Brantford Mechanics' Institute, hail with pleasure your visit to our rising town, and gladly avail ourselves of the opportunity thus afforded of tendering, in behalf of the members of the Institute, a warm and heartfelt welcome. Believing as we do that the happiness of a people is inseparably connected with the im provement of the mind, we feel the greater readiness in approaching Your Excellency with the gratulations of an institution which seeks to promote this object, and thereby the happiness of the esteemed Governor of this country. The great benefit of such institutions to the working classes has been abun dantly tested in the mother country, for they are found in every city, town and village ; and some of the greatest men of the age have not thought it beneath them to lend to them the influence of their name and their talents. This pleasing fact leads us to hope that our own country, which is making such rapid progress in other respects, may in this be equally favoured. Indeed, we cannot refrain from referring to the valuable assistance the Government of this Pro\-ince has given to our own Institute, in common with others throughout the country. Nor can we neglect this opportunity of tendering our gratitude to your Excel lency, the head of the Government. The Mechanics' Institute of this town would most respectfully solicit the honour of enrolling the name of your Ex cellency as an honorary member of this Institute, that there it may stand beside the name of the late Governor-General, Lord Elgin, as an encourage ment to the young mechanic to seek to be great by being wise and good, and as a fondly cherished memorial of this first aud welcome visit to our town. And may the hand of a kind overruling Providence be around you in all your joumey- ings ; may He grant you and Lady Head health and happiness ; and may you long rule over a peaceful, contented and intelligent people. " Jajies Woodyatt, " President Brantford Mechanics Institute." After the addresses were delivered a series of cheers were given for the Queen, the Governor-General, Lady Head, and the allied army. The procession, after being again organized, proceeded to the Town Hall, where an excellent lunch was prepared, to enjoy which about sixty of our leading men sat down. At the conclusion the usual loyal toasts were proposed and drank with enthusiasm, after which His Excellency and suite were escorted to the depot, leaving about 4 o'clock for Toronto. The Governor-General left with very favourable impres sions regarding the prosperity and beauty of the town, and the loyalty and hospitality of the inhabitants. During their visit here Lady Head was enter tained at Dr. Digby's. 350 HISTORY OF brant COUNTY. Destructive Fire. On Friday morning, the 17th I'ebruary, 1860, between 3 and 4 o'clock, a fire broke out in either Thos. McLean & Co.'s dry goods store or in Brendon's drug shop — for it could not be definitely ascertained which — and rapidly extended its ravages over a large area of the best business portion of the town, leaving it covered with blackened ruins. It must have made considerable progress before it was discovered, as two young men who were sleeping over McLean's store had barely time to escape before the building was filled with fire and smoke. The flames extended rapidly westward, destroying in their course many of the best build ings in the town. The following is a compiled list of losses and insurances i Costello & Young, brick block, estimated loss, $4,500 ; covered by insurance in Phcenix Insurance Co., of London. Cartan & Dee, brick block, estimated damage, $8,000 ; insured in Equitable Fire Insurance Co. for $5,000 ; groceries and dry goods, estimated damage, $2,000 ; insured in the Gore Mutual for $4,000. Bank of British North America, the Emporium Building, estimated damage, $4,000 ; insured in the Royal for $4,800. Lovejoy's Buildings, estimated damage, $13,000 ; insured in the Western for $4,000 ; Liverpool & London for $2,000 ; Royal, $2,600. Judge Jones, brick buildings, estimated damage, $2,500 ; insured in the Royal for $2,400. Mrs. Colmer, frame building and furniture, estimated damage, $800 ; no insurance. Mrs. Smith, frame building and stock of groceries, estimated damage, $800 ; insured for $600 in Great Western, of Philadelphia. Mr. Brendon, stock of drugs, chemicals, etc., estimated damage, $4,000 ; no insurance. S. Morjjhy, building, furniture and stock of jewellery, estimated damage, $4,000 ; insured in the State Insurance Co. for $2,000. Ford & Brother, stock of groceries and store fixtures, estimated damage, $1,000 ; insured in Phoenix Co., of London, for $1,600. Oddfellows' Lodge, fixtures, etc., estimated damage, $1,000 ; insured in the Equitable Co., of London, for $800. R. Schackell, fixtures and stock of groceries, no insurance ; loss unknown. N. Devereux, removing stock; damages, $182. T. McLean & Co., fixtures, stock of dry goods and books of the firm, estimated damage, $12,000 ; insured in Phcenix, London, and Equitable for $4,000 each ; State, $2,000 ; total, $10,(J00. Expositor office, removing stock, estimated damage, $300 ; insured in Western and Provincial. Nimmo & Co., stock of wines, liquors and groceries, estimated damage, $10,000 ; insured in the Phoenix, London, for $4,000. Dr. Preston, office fixtures, about $200. G. Malloch, law office, books, etc., estimated damage, $400 ; covered by insurance. G. R. VanNorman's law office, fixtures, books (papers saved), estimated damage, $800 ; no insurance. W. H. Morgan, Indian Commissioner, office fixtures and papers, loss not estimated. P. B. Long's law office, fixtures, etc., loss about $50. Division Court Office, fixtures (papers saved), loss, $100 ; no insurance. J. Wilkinson's jewellery stock, partial loss, $300 ; no insurance. Mr. Gorman's shoe store, loss trifling. Mr. W. Long's shoe store, loss trifling ; no insurance. Donald McKay's harness-shop, damage to stock, $800 ; covered by insurance. Mr. George Newton, innkeeper, furniture, damage, $200. C. Stewart's cabinet shop and furniture, damage, $400 ; covered with insurance. Bank of Montreal, frame buildings, damage, $400 ; no insurance. Johnson, barber, loss trifling. Norwood, barber, loss trifling. Mr. P. L. Allen's grocery store, nothing saved — damages, $1,400 ; no insurance. LOCAL HISTORY. 351 E B. Wood's law office fixtures, loss trifling. Dr. Sutton, dentist, fixtures and stock, damage, 8200 ; no insurance. A. Wanless, bookbinder, shop fixtures, books and tools — all lost — damage, -SSiJU : no insurance. Courier office, type, presses, etc., damage, $3,000 ; insurance, .?2,400, in Gore Mutual Insurance Co. James Smith, saddler, damage removing stock, $240 ; covered by insurance. Ritchie & Russel, grocery stock destroyed and damaged, estimated loss, 81,400 ; insured. R. McLean, grocery, loss, 81t)0. Some of these lost all they possessed ; others suffered only a partial loss. The fire gained a strong headway before any attempt could be made to arrest it. It raged in different directions at the same time ; it was carried across the street by an explosion of some chemicals in Mr. Brendon's drug store ; these circum stances taken together increased the difficulty of checking its progress at any one place. The firemen and citizens generally turned out with the utmost promptitude, and made almost superhuman efforts to arrest the progress of the flames ; but their labours were rendered abortive for some time by the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient supply of water, as well as from some bad sections of hose, which prevented the engines from being brought promptly into operation. ]\Iurder of a Mail Carrier, and Robbery of the Mail Bag. A double crime was perpetrated on the night of Thursday, April 14th, 1859, on the Paris Road, about three miles from Brantford. The unfortunate victim's name was Launcelot Adams ; he was upwards of sixty years of age. and was the father of J. Q. Adams, who keeps a tavern in Oakland Township. An inquest was held before Coroner Balfour on Friday afternoon. The following per.sons acted as jurors : Allen Good, Foreman ; George Smith, Henry Movie, Wm. Moyle, Wm. Smith, Geo. McVicker, James Randall, George Brown, D. W. Hart, Wm. Irvine, John Snider, Jr., and R. Quay. After hearing evidence with regard to the particular way in which the body of the deceased was found, as well as that of Drs. E. T. Bown and R. Henwood, who made a post mortem examination of the body, and pronounced the man to have been killed by being shot in the left side of the head, the Coroner adjourned the inquest to Saturday. In the meantime the following coloured people residing in the East Ward were arrested on suspicious circumstances ; Harriet Moore, Emeline Sinclair, John Moore, Robert Over and Joseph Arm strong. The premises in which they lived were searched, and a double and a single-barrelled gun were found, the former being loaded. After extracting the charges from the barrels the shot was found to correspond in size to that taken from the head of the murdered man. An examination of these persons was held on Saturday afternoon, before the Coroner, the ^layor, T. Broughton, John Elliott, John Turner, Esqrs., and others. Moore said he had not used the gun for a month, but afterwards admitted having used it on the preceding Wednesday ; he said positively he had not been out hunting for three months. Over .said he had not been out of the house a single night during the whole week ; but witnesses were produced whose veracity could be relied upon, and who testified to the fact of ha^'in2; seen Moore and Over walking out towards 352 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. the Holmedale Mill on Friday morning, between six and seven o'clock, having a single-barrelled gun, and that they returned in about twenty minutes or half an hour, having each a gun, one of which was double-barrelled. But in order that the reader may readily comprehend the manner in which the crime was traced to the ,guilty parties, the following evidence is given verbatim, as taken before the Coroner. Emeline Sinclair, sworn : " Never saw the deceased to my knowledge ; have known Moore for six months ; he is my brother-in-law ; he was at home Thursday night ; am sure of that ; he has not been out shooting for two weeks ; am sure he went to bed between ten and eleven o'clock on Thursday night ; know Over ; he lives in the same house as Moore ; am acquainted with Arm strong ; Over was at home on Thursday evening ; took tea at home ; saw Moore and Over that night between ten and eleven o'clock ; have no clock; heard the clock strike ten (the witness probably meant the town clock) ; saw them at six o'clock next morning ; neither Moore nor Over had any money in the beginning of last week ; they h.ad no money on Friday morning ; the Dorcas Society kept us all winter ; we got about two shilling'^ a week ; Mr. Weyms told me he found part of a bank bill in the house ; Moore did not give Armstrong any money on Friday morning ; swear this positively." Dr. Bown then said to witness that Moore told him he gave Armstrong $1.50 on Friday morning, and Armstrong acknowledged that he received it. Witness : " It is a lie ; Moore slept on the floor on Thursday night ; he pulled his bo ots off mother was up during the night ; Moore and Armstrong were seen in town during the day ; they had not their guns out." Dr. J. Y. Bown, sworn : Saw the prisoners in the cells ; examined their (finger) nails to see if he could discover any blood ; held up Over's nails to the light ; discovered something red ; looked at it through a microscope, and swear that what I took from his nails was sealing-wax ; the wax was of a resinous nature, and could be dissolved ; Over said positively that he had not used sealing-wax that day. On April 20th Moore and Over were subjected to .another examination before Magistrates Weyms, Mathews and Pruyn, on which occa sion the accused adhered to their former story, while some six witnesses swore to the fact of having seen them pass with one gun and return in about twenty minutes wdth two guns. On April 21st Armstrong, one of the suspected parties, after a solemn admonition from the Magistrates, Messrs. Mathews and Weyms, made a confession ; but as he, on the occasion of the trial of Moore and Over, under oath stated that he was not on oath at the time he made the confessiou, and wished to screen their respective families from any participation iu their crime, it is deemed prudent to omit his confession, as his evidence was taken at ¦ the trial which took place at the Assize Court held here, commencing on the 26 th of April — Chief- Justice Draper presiding. The verdict of the Coroner's Jury was as follows : " In the opinion of the Jury the said Launcelot Adams came to his death by being shot through the head on the night of Thursday, the 14th day of April, 1859, on the road leading from Brantford to Paris, in the Township of Brantford and County of Brant, by a man known to the Jury as Robert Over, and that the said Over was assisted in the said murder by two other men, named respectively John Moore and Joseph A. Armstrong. The Jury therefore consider it to be their duty, on LOCAL HISTORY. 353 a careful iuvestiiation of all the circumstances and evidence laid before them, to return a verdict of wilful murder against Robert Over, John Moore and Jus A. Armstrong. (Signed), Allen Good, Foreman." At the Assize Court, on the 29th April, 1S59, the piisoners Moore and Over were arraigned, and on their arraignment pleaded not guilty. M. C. Cameron, Esq., Q.C, prosecuted on behalf of the Crown, and E. B. Wood, Esq., and Mr. Freeman, of Hamilton, defended the prisoners. The case was opened by .il. C. Cameron, Esq.. on behalf of the Crown, in a lucid statement of facts to be piroved in evidence against the prisoners. .Jonathan Hale proved the position the deceased held with regard to the Post Office Department, the finding of the body, etc. Alex. Clement testified to the facts that he was a clerk in the Brantford Post Office, saw the letters which were opened when the mail was robbed : they had been variously sealed with gum, sealing-wax, etc. Dr. E. T. Bown, sworn, said he was an Associate Coroner for the County of Brant ; never saw Adam.^ till after he was killed ; went up to the spot in the morning, made but a slight examination then ; in the afternoon assisted at the //"•ff nwrtem ; have no doubt the deceased came to his death from a gunshot wound, inflicted a little above and in front of the right ear. There were several peri orations of the bone into the brain, and one large one about the size of a half-dollar ; .some of the shot passed through the brain, and lodged on the opposite side. The jugular vein was pierced by the shot, also the parotid arterj-. A part of the jaw-bone was torn off as well : and a quantity of No. 4 shot was found lodged in the base of the brain. By the Court. — Examined tlie rest of the body% but found no other wound or injury. A part of the cap he wore was torn off on the side the wound was inflicted ; a part of the wool from the inside of the cap. and some fur, were driven into the brain. Should think the muzzle of the gun, when the shot was fired, was about six or eight feet from the head of the deceased ; had the shot been fired by the deceased himself, the course of the shot would have been upwards, and in a different direction. By Mr. Wood — The shot must have been fired a little in front of the mail carrier, and with a slight elevation, as the course of the shot must have been upwards and backwards ; it must also have been fired from the east or north east side of the road ; the person who fired the shot must have stoo I nearly opposite the driver on the side of the road, but, as before observed, a little in front ; the cap was not singed Have no doubt that he was kiUed instantly. Only one charge could have struck tiie deceased. John Good and Matthew Brophy corroborated the statements of the other witnesses as to the finding of the body, the space of time which elapsed be tween each shot — not more than five minutes, etc. Joseph A. Armstrong, sworn : " Know both prisoners at the bar, one of them very well and the other slightly. Recollect the 14th of April. Saw both the prisonei-s that day at their own house. I saw Moore tliat afternoon in town at Eiggs'. Saw him that day at his own house. Saw Over first that day between five and six o'clock. The two prisoners and myself went out that evening about 8.30 o'clock. Went across to the railway, passed up to the Paris Road, up that road to the toll-gate, and past the brick tavern. We went out to steal potatoes, but we took a double-barrelled gun with us. Over carried the gun. 354 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. After we passed the brick tavern on the Paris Road, Over asked me if I was a man ? I replied, I was. He then asked me if I could be depended upon. I said, yes. He then proposed to rob the mail. I asked him what we should do with the man. Over said he would make him get out of the waggon, or tumble out. I asked him how he would make him tumble out. He put his hand on the gun and said, ' This old thing never lies.' I said, 'You wouldn't shoot the man ? ' He said, ' Dead men tell no tales.' Moore and I said it would be a shame to shoot the man, and that it would be strange if three of us could not manage one man without killing him. He said if he saw us we should be sold. I replied I would rather run the risk of his knowing me again than that of killing him. He then agreed not to shoot the driver. We then went on, passed the toll-gate, and heard a buggy coming. Over said, ' I guess that's the buggy coming now.' He then placed Moore and me on the left side of the road, about ten yards apart, while he took a position on the right side of the road, nearer Paris. Over said he would hail the man, and if the horse started, we were to catch him, take the mail out of the waggon, and let the man go." He (the witness) next heard a shot fired, and sprang across the road, and just as he was getting over the fence he heard another. He ran about forty rods up Mr. Good's field, and then stopped, thinking that if he did not go back Over would shoot him, for fear he would be a witness against him ; he then returned. When he got back Over was leading the horse down the ravine, ]\Ioore having not yet come up. Over said to witness, " You are a pretty man to run." "I said, 'You promised you would not shoot the man.' He said, 'It is done now, and it is no time to talk.' As he led the horse down the hill the man fell out. Over led the horse about ten yards further, and then stopped him ; he then went back to the man and appeared to examine his pockets. I said to myself a man who could do that could do anything. Over returned to the waggon and we took the mails out. He said, ' Armstrong, you and Moore take these two bags, and I will carry this with the gun.' We took the bags down near the railway towards the ravine, cut them open and commenced examining the mails. Over cut the bags open, and Moore and I opened and examined the letters for money. While we were at this we saw a buggy pass ing towards Paris, and a man walking up hill in front of it. This was about three-quarters of an hour after the mail driver was killed. When Over saw this he said, 'Boys, we can't roost here any longer; they may see the horse and buggy standing, and come down the hill to see what is the matter, and may get on the track and follow us. We then took the bags which were not opened, and went across the railway towards the bush, and continued examining the letters. We found some money in the mails ; it was all Canada money except a hundred dollar American bill. We stopped there a while, and then went to another place and finished opening the letters. Then we went home to Over's house, where I stayed from five to ten minutes." By Mr. Cameron. — "There was no light there at the time ; either Moore or Over lighted a candle ; I had the $100 bill, but on Friday night I gave it to Moore ; I stopped at Mr. Wilkes', near the distillery, towards Holmedale ; the place is generally called " Whiskey Hollow ;" I had $10 besides the $100 bill ; I had one $4 'uill, one $2 bill, and three $1 bills ; Moore had $20, and Over $21; there was one $20 bill ; it was a bright moonlight night ; had some conversation LOCAL HISTORY. 355 with the other prisoners, Moore and Over, after I made my confession. Both Moore and Over said if we stuck out that we were innocent we should get off, as there was nothing gainst us. On our return home we brought the double- barrelled gun as far as G. S. Wilkes' bush, and Over hid it. ' By Mr. E. B. Wood — " Have been in gaol before for stealing ; got out on the Monday before the murder was committed ; had a conversation with Mr. Nelson before I left the gaol, and told him I wanted a pistol ; did not tell him what I wanted it for ; I wanted the pistol because I was going to Eraser's River ; did not know Over till after I got out of gaol ; have known Moore since last fall ; never went stealing %vith Moore ; got out of gaol at 6 o'clock in the morning and went to Moore ; did not go to see him for anything particular ; did not steal anything since till the occasion of the mail robbery ; went to Moore's that Monday about 11 or 12 o'clock, and remained there till afternoon ; we strolled through the town ; don't remember what I did on Tuesday ; Thursday morning left home about 1 0 o'clock ; was about town ; saw Moore that afternoon at Eigg's, near Wilkes' old mill ; he and I went to Over's ; much of what I stated before the magistrates in my confession was false ; knew nothing of the mail passing between Paris and Brantford till Over told me ; nothing was said about robbing the mail before we started ; we took the gun along to shoot geese if we saw any ; we went out to steal potatoes : Over took his position on the north side of the road, and Moore and myself on the south side ; Over was about forty yards from me, and !Moore about ten yards when the gun was fired ; I ran over into the field fearing Over would shoot me ; Over stood on the right hand side of the road going towards Paris, and shot when the mail carrier was nearly opposite ; I helped to pillage the mails ; I had 810 of the money as my share and the 8100 bUL On Friday evening I gave back to jloore all the money I had except a 82 bill ; I gave the hundred dollars back to Moore on Friday evening ; don't know whether Over was present then or not ; don't think any other person was present when I gave the money back to Moore ; when I said in my confession I did not go further than the Kerby Mill I- told a lie; was not then under oath ; no person intimated to me that I sliould be more leniently dealt with if I confessed the truth ; I told only one lie in my confession ; I went into the house with Over and Moore on the night of the murder ; we divided the money at Oyer's ; when we returned the door was opened by some one inside ; think it was Mrs. Sinclair ; I remained there about ten minutes ; I =avv Mrs. Sinclair there, at least I supposed it was her by the light from the stove ; did not see her after the candle was lighted ; nothing was said about the robbery while I was there ; I took the 8100 bill and the 820 bill from the same letter ; it was agreed that nothing should be said to any other person about the matter ; I said nothing about it ; I spent the 82 bill I had ; a young man whom I did not know changed it for me near the canal ; he was a stranger, and I asked him to change the bill ; I gave a one dollar biU to a woman and she said it was bad, and that, I suppose, led to my arrest ; the statement in my confession that we divided the money at Lake's farm is false." By Mr. Cameron. — A part of a 8100 bill found in Over's house was shown, and the witness said it looked like the one he found in the mail ; " the reason . I said we did not divide the money at Over's house was that I did not want to involve Moore's and Over's families. Had no conversation with Moore and 356 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Over within a few days ; have had conversation with them since my confes sion. Over and Moore asked me if I was sworn when I made it ; I said no. They then said it amounted to nothing, and wanted me to swear it was false ; think it was last Monday or Tuesday that this conversation took place; it was since the Court commenced. It was about 12 o'clock when we returned from the robbery to Over's." Other witnesses corroborated the evidence of Armstrong, and after examin ing four or five witnesses for the defence, Mr. Wood, counsel for the prisoners, addressed the jury on their behalf with great force and eloquence, and argued with much ingenuity to weaken the effect of the testimony for the Crown ; but in vain ; their guilt was too clearly proven. Mr. Cameron, Q.C, followed on behalf of the Crown, and summed up the evidence with more than his usual ability, which is of the highest order. His Lordship having read over the evidence to the jury, spoke for over an hour, commenting upon every fact adduced in testimony, and pointing out its bear ing upon the case. His charge was clear, dignified, impressive and impartial. The jury having retired to consider their verdict, returned in an hour with a verdict of " Guilty." In breathless silence, his. Lordship, Chief -Justice Draper, then said: "Robert Over and John Moore, the jury have found you guilty of murder. Have you, or either of you, anything to say why seiitence of death should not be passed on you according to law ?" To which Over answered, " I am not the per.son who shot the man." His Lordship then addressed the prisoners at the bar in a strain of impi'essive eloquence, and with a dignity never before surpassed on a similar occasion. He expressed his full concur rence in the verdict of the jury, and concluded by sentencing Moore and Over to be hanged on Tudsday, the 7tb of June, 1859. On Tuesday, May oth, 1859, Joseph Armstrong was arraigned before the Court as an accomplice in the murder of Launcelot Adams, to which charge he pleaded guilty. He was sentenced by the Court to be hanged on Tuesday, the 7th day of June, 1859. After conviction, Armstrong stated that himself and Over had attempted to throw a train on the Great Western Railway off' the track, between Paris and Harrisburg, with intent to pillage and rob the passengers. They placed an iron rail, a three-inch plank, and some fence rails across the track. The engine, a heavy English one, snapped the iron rail in pieces, and ran over the plank without getting off" the track ; the engineer then stopped the train. Several Great Western officials corroborated the statement of Armstrong as to the find ing of the obstructions on the railroad on the night of the 12th of March, 1859. On or before May 20th, 1859, Moore admitted that Over shot the mail carrier. On Monday, Oth of June, the day previous to the one named for the execution of Moore and Over, they, in the presence of W. Mathews, Esq., J.P., S. Mair, J.P., and James Weyms, J.P., made a full confession as to the murder; this did not materially differ from that of Armstrong. Furthermore they con fessed to having placed the obstructions on the Great Western Railway on the 12th March, 1859. Over 8,000 people were present to witness the execution, which took place a little after 9 o'clock on Tuesday, 7th of June, 1859. After hanging about 20 minutes, the Gaol Surgeon, E. Griffin, Esq., M.D., pronounced them to be dead. Neither of their necks were broken, so that they must have died from strangulation. LOCAL HISTORY. 357 Armstrong, whose sentence had been commuted to penitentiary for life, was removed thither on the following day. By order of the Sheriff, J. Smith, Esq., he was conveyed in a private vehicle to Harrisburg, thence by Great Western and Grand Trunk Railways to the Provincial Penitentiary at Kingston. He remained in prison for about 20 years, and for having assisted the guards in quelling an uprising of the prisoners, was pardoned on condition that he left the country. The Fenian Raid of 1866. No city in the Dominion exhibited warmer feelings of patriotism, or exerted itself more zealously in behaff of its country and flag during the disgraceful and lawless raid of the Fenians, than did the little City of Brantford Money was freely appropriated by the city and subscribed by citizens to provide for the comfort of troops quartered here ; volunteer companies were raised from among the young men of the city, and a large number of the city's children, who were engaged in business at Chicago and elsewhere, threw up their position and has tened to their homes to take part in the effoit to suppress the threatened inva sion of a host of foreign ruffians. These returning loyalists were met at the railroad depot by a deputation of citizens with a military band, and received in a way characteristic of the warm-hearted people of the city. On the first of June, 1866, intelligence reached the city that the Fenians had crossed the Niagara River fiorn Black Rock near Buffalo, and had established themselves at what was known as Fort Erie, and that more were constantly arriving. The troops here were ordered to be ready to march at a moment's notice. When it was reported that another column of the Fenians had effected a crossing at or near Windsor and were marching on London, the greatest excite ment prevailed. On the day following, the Royal troops attacked the enemy near Fort Erie, and succeeded in capturing fifty-nine prisoners and a quantity of arms and other munitions of war. The prisoners were brought to Brantford under a strong escort of troops, and with great difficulty lodged in the county gaol. Their arrival at the depot w,^.^ met by an immense throng of the excited populace, who might, but for the presence and determination of the militia, have executed summary punishment on the miscreants. Such acts of violence in civihzed communities are of course not to be countenanced, but if ever the acts of a tumultuous congregation of outraged people were justifiable, it would be under circumstances such as the above. On Monday, June 18th, 1866, No. 1 Company, Brantford Rifles, was ordered to march to Niagara, but when they reached Fort Erie the order was counter manded, and the troops, much crestfallen, returned home. After all immediate trouble with the Fenians was at an end, it became known that a regiment of militia would be stationed at Brantford, and movements were at once put on foot for the reception of the troops and to provide them with quarters. The Town Council rented the Kerby House and buildings belonging to it, which were repaired and quickly put in order. The large brick stable at the back of the house was transformed into a comfortable barrack capable of holding about two hundred men. An appropriation was also made for the erection of a drill shed. 358 history of BRANT COUNTY. On September 29, 1866, the Volunteers, who had been encamped at Thorold, returned home, and on the same day about sixty men of the Seventh Eoyal Fusiliers arrived. The main body of the same regiment arrived on the seventh of October, and the remaining portion on the eighth of the same month. They were accompanied by their band of thirty-eight pieces. " H " Battery, which had been stationed at London for two years, passed through the city en route for Toronto, and camped on the Agricultural Society Grounds on the night of Friday, July 5, 1867. On the Monday night follow ing, the battery that was to replace " H " Battery at London encamped on the same ground. The Seventh Fusiliers left Brantford on Wednesday, March 24, 1867, after a pleasant sojourn of several months, and on the same day the left wing of the Seventeenth Regiment, consisting of five companies, in all about 300 men, took up their quarters in the city. They remained until September 4, when they were replaced by the Sixty-ninth Regiment, which was fresh from Ireland. This regiment favoured the people with their presence for an extended period, and since their departure no other regulars have quartered in the city. PART IV. TOWNSHIP HISTORY, BRANTFORD TOWNSHIP This township, the large.st and most central of the County of Brant, is a level surface of seventy-nine thousand two hundred and forty-seven acres, thoroughly well cleared, and containing some of the best wheat-growing land in Canada. It is bounded on the north by the Township of South Dumfries ; on the south-west by the Township of Oakland ; on the south-east by the Townships of Tuscarora aud Onondaga ; on the east by the Township of An caster, in the County of Wentworth ; on the west by the Town.ship of Burford. It contains the Villages of Cainsville, Moimt Pleasant, Mount Vernon and Lingford, and is watered by the tortuous current of the Grand River, which enters the township at Paris, on the northern town line ; also in its western district by the smaller stream known as Whiteman's and Mount Pleasant Creeks, with several tributary brooks ; and on the eastern side by two rivnlets, once famous for the trout which have since unaccountably disappeared, and named Hynd's and Fairchild's Creeks. Since the destruction of the forests these creeks have considerably decreased in size, but are still of use in irri gating the country through which they flow. The settlement of this towns'nip dates from the commencement of the present century. The first white settler was Mr. John File, who found the entire region covered with forest, oak, pine and maple, and used as a hunting ground by the Six Nation Indians of the Iroquois tribe, who considered the whole region on each side of the Grand River as their indefeasible property. The earliest settled district of this township was among the oak openings on the banks of the brook known, from the name of the first settler along its margin, as " Fairchild's Creek." There the land reclaimed from the primeval forest repaid the labours of its first cultivators by a return of forty bushels of grain to the acre. The fame of its fertility became known, and a sprinkling of settlers soon gathered on either side of the creek and to the eastern bank of Grand River. Among these pioneers of Brantford Township were John Oles, Senr., and Isaac 'WTiiting ; also Major Westbrook. The Ir.tter was the son of one of the veterans of the War of the Revolution, Mr. Anthony Westbrook, the representative of an old English family of high Tory and Cavalier principles, who settled for two generations in New York State, but refused to acknowledge the new order of things, or change the Union Jack for the Stars and Stripes. He cast in his lot with the other Loyalists who gave up a settled home in a prosperous country to seek a precarious sustenance in the unsettled wilds of the Canadian forest. Such men were no ordinary immigrants. Under the stroke of their stalwart arms the forests disappeared, the land gave forth its increase, the wild beast and the painted savage receded, English-speaking Canada, with 362 history of brant county. all its wealth of cultivated soil and settled country, came into being.. Among the earliest of these settlers, as has been said, was Mr. John Oles the elder, who came to Brantford Township in 1806, and found himself in a wilderness, without a track through its forest except the trail known to Indian hunters, and no white neighbours nearer than the few dwellers in the log shanties around the mill at Brantford. In 1810 there were but three families settled in the region between Brantford and Ancaster, to the eastern side of the Grand River. Where the undulating ground beside Fairchild's Creek indicates the alluvial deposits of some mightier water-course in prehistoric ages, several settlers took up land which amply repaid their labours ; and in twenty-five years from its earliest settlement, the entire township had become a well cultivated and thriving settlement. In fact, Brantford Township has an earlier and more prosperous history than Brantford Town. Where now a stately city of over ten thousand inhabitants extends its brilliant streets, a village by the curvature of the Grand River con tained a few Indian huts and two log houses, owned by John Stalts and Enos Bunnell. The site of this first rude beginning of Brantford was called Mississ agua Hill, from the fact that it was a favourite camping ground of the Mississ agua Indians of the Iroquois tribe, settled on the neighbouring reserve of the Grand River. Such was the condition of Brantford as late as 1810. In that year, however, the Government of Upper Canada opened what is now the principal road leading through the County of Brant from Hamilton to London. When the war broke out in 1812 a considerable sum was expended in improving this road for military reasons ; it was throughout crosswayed with logs in order to render it available for the transport of troops and militarj^ stores. This road was in 1815 much improved, being planked for a considerable distance, graded, and, when the requisite labour could be obtained, levelled up with gravel. Although still the leading thoroughfare of Brant County, the " Old London Road " has never been a pleasant or satisfactory highway. A tradition survives among the last survivors of the older generations that in the first decade of the present century an American traveller from Boston passed through this region and gave to several of the villages the names by which they are at present known. Thus the hamlet now called Boston owes its ambitious designation to the fact that the explorer in question found there four families, all of whom were immigrants from his native city who had been venturous enough to seek a home in the untrodden wilds of Western Canada. This part of Brant County was settled by men who had no capital beyond a few necessaries and theii own strong self- reliance and sturdy arms. They had to endure privations and encounter hard ships which at the distance of sixty years seem like the fictions of a DeFoe. Une of the oldest residents in Cainsville has related how he had to drive to Hamilton with an ox-team, through almost unbroken forest, in order to attend at bis post as juryman. The jury was at that time convened from a region as large as a German principality, and so strong was the sense of public duty, that although obliged to travel at their own expense and exposed to great hardships, the jurymen of those primitive days never failed to answer to their names. When the last verdict had been rendered and the court closed, the ox-team was hitched up and the two days' drive through the woods was resumed. Well was it when the wolves, hunger-driven through the oak forest, failed to over ^^^^^yvL&ii -e^ ;/ BRANTFORD TOWNSHIP. 365 take the slow-moving equipage. As late as 1830 the entire area of what is now Brantford Township remained in the possession of the Six Nation Indians, but at that date the town plot of Brantford and the north part of the township of the same name were deeded away, and further surrenders were made from time to time until the whole town.ship was ceded and settled. When a subdivision was effected of the four original districts into which the Province of Upper Canada was divided, this township was made a part of the Gore District, and was incorporated in the County of Wentworth, until it was attached to the new County of Brant on the formation of the latter in the year 1852. The regular concessions in this township number from north to south ; the lots are counted from west to east. The shape of the township is exceedingly irregular, the settlement having been effected by purchases of land contracted with the Indians through their representative. Captain Brant, and arranged without the slightest regard to regularity. The son of the Township of Brantford is almost without exception admirably adapted for agricultural purposes. West of the Grand River, and south of the town line of South Dumfries as far as the second range east of the Mount Pleas ant Road, it is a fine sandy soil, level and with a gravel subsoil, very productive, and with seemingly exhaustless wheat-growing power. This plain country ex tends on the east side of the river north of the Town of Brantford as far as Paris, and for three or four miles on each side of the Grand River. To the south of this region the soil is stronger, consisting of a rich clay loam. All through the township the geological formation is limestone, with occasional formations of gravel. A leading episode in the history of this township is the raid of the American General McArthur, who with some seven hundred cavalry, chiefiy the Kentucky Mounted Riflemen, invaded Canada by way of the Thames Valley, and on through Oxford County and Burford Township, with the object of relieving an American force then besieged by British troops at Fort Erie. Mr. John Oles, already referred to as one of the oldest settlers of this township, was present at the repulse of this General at the bend of the Grand River. The river, although the month was October, was unusually high, so much so that it would have been hazardous for the invading army to attempt a passage. The eastern branch was held by a force partly made up of Indians and partly of Canadian malitia, who showed such a bold front to the invaders, several of whom fell at the first fire exchanged across the river, that General McArthur abandoned all idea of marching on Fort Erie, and at once retreated through Burford and the Thames Valley to his own country. It is not the least noteworthy incident in the annals of our county that this repulse of a well disciplined body of regular troops was achieved by native Canadian soldiers unsupported by a single com pany of the old country regulars. There was at that time no bridge over the Grand River at this point, the only means of crossing being an old scow navi gated by an Indian. Mr. Oles, who used to delight in fighting this battle over again, was wont to tell how the Canadian soldiers entrenched themselves under the shelter of an abutment of a bridge which had been 'swept away by a spring freshet some years before, the Americans being posted in a farm-house and its outbuildings on the other side Mr. Oles witnessed the death of a Kentucky rifleman who had crept into a disused oven on the river bank, from 22 366 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. the vent hole of which he maintained a galling fire on the Canadian troops. But a Canadian militiaman, taking aim at the vent hole of the oven, fired with so accurate an aim that one loud cry was heard, and the American's fellow soldiers dragged out his dead body, which was buried on the spot. Disheartened at this repulse the raiders retired ; and thus, unaided by the boasted prowess of foreign armies, Canadians defended Canada. Since that memorable day, the township which we are describing ranks with those happy countries which have no history. Unlike the Townships of South Dumfries and Burford, Brantford Township took no part in the insurrectionary move ment of 1837-38. Like the capital of Brant County, this township takes its name from the remarkable Indian chief whose capacity for receiving the lessons of civilization did so much to promote the well-being of his own countrymen, and the peaceful settlement of the country around the reserve which had been so generously granted to them by the British Government. It is but seldom that the cession of American soil from the aborigines, who claim by priority of tenure the right of ownership, has been so peaceably accom plished as by this redoubted chief of the once terrible Iroquois. And it is remarkable that all the transfers of land effected in this township by the sole agency of Captain Brant were conducted with an unimpeachable integrity which, in 1811, drew forth from the members of a Government Committee appointed to investigate Indian affairs, the following testimony : " Whether Captain Joseph Brant did or did not on all occasions execute the trust reposed in him faithfully towards the Indians, the trustees are unable to judge, no evidence having been laid before them on that subject; and it is only right to observe that no improper conduct whatever has been imputed to him before the trustees ; and they are therefore bound to assume that he discharged his duty with due fidelity." About three miles from the Town of Brantford stands an old frame church built by the Mohawk chief who has given his name to town and township. It has no pretensions to architectural correctness, being built in the " carpenters' Gothic " style common to country churches of the period. But it is remarkable as being the first edifice erected for Christian worship in Upper Canada. It was built by the benefaction, and in part by the manual labour of the extra ordinary man whose remains are interred in an oblong tomb, covered by a single stone slab, beside the church. * Much of the prosperity of Brantford Township is derived from the railways, which afford its farmers such convenient access to the great markets east and west. The Harrisburg branch of the Great Western Railway passes through the township in a north-east direction from the Town of Brantford, leaving the township at the north-east corner. The Grand Trunk Railway runs through the centre of Brantford Township, into which it enters on the south east town line, close to the Village of Cainsville, and having passed through the Town of Brantford, takes a north-west direction, and leaves the township on its north border, near Paris. The Brantford, Norfolk and Port Burwell Railway runs in a westerly course from the Town of Brantford, leaving the township between the fourth and fifth concessions on the Burford town line. The hardships endured by the early settlers in Brantford Township, as com pared with the easy times and accumulated conveniences now enjoyed by their BRANTFORD TOWNSHIP. 367 successors and descendants, may be estimated by reading a passage from an Act of Parliament of the year 1793 (83 George the Third, chapter sixth, section fourth), in which it is enacted " that the Court of General Quarter .Sessions of the Peace for the Western District of L'pper Canada shall commence and be holden in the towTi of Detroit, on the second Tuesday in the months of January, April, July and October." Detroit is situated one hundred and fifty miles from the 'Town of Brantford. Exclusive of the Town of Brantford, the population of Brantford Township is 6,555. Village of Cainsville. This is the most important business centre in the Township of Brantford It is named after Peter Cain, an American, one of the first settlers, and the pro prietor of the first hotel in the village. It is a post village on the old Hamilton and London Road, is three miles distant from Brantford Town, and is a flag station on the Grand Trunk Raflway. It contains two churches, one Episcopal Methodist, the other Church of England. This village was laid out in 1837 by the Grand Eiver Navigation Company, an undertaking in which a large amount of the capital was subscribed by the Indians of the Grand River reserve. It contains two hotels, a very handsome white brick school house in the ItaKan renaissance style, several stores, a match factory, four waggon shops, four black smith shops, a groceiy, cheese factory, and about three huncbed inhabitants. The Churches, As has been stated, are two in number. The Church of England edifice is much out of repair, and owing to the accident that the leading members happen to have lately removed from the neighbourhood of Cainsville, its services are but insufficiently attended. The Cainsville Methodist Church is the hand somest and most commodious public building in the township outside the Town of Brantford It is built on a lot donated by the late Peter Cain, the father and godfather of the village,,in 1851. The building of the church was given out by contract, and after some difficulties with the Building Committee, was entrusted to Messrs. Mellish iz Russell, of Brantford Town. The first Pastor was the Reverend Thomas Jeffers, whose zealous labours and eloquent sermons are stiff remembered with gratitude by the survivors of a generation now rapidly passing away. In 1876 the increasing membership of the Methodist denomination in this locality was such that the church accommodation became quite insufficient for the worshippers. Aorangements were accordingly made to secure a lot for building a new church in a more convenient location in the centre of Cainsville Village. The site chosen was part of the old school house lot. The school house itself had in former times served as a house of prayer for both the Church of England and the ^Methodist denominations, who had been accustomed to hold service there on alternate Sundays. The Rev. Mr. Usher, of the Town of Bi-antford, officiated on behalf of the Church of England congregation, the Eev. Thomas Fawcett on behalf of the ilethodists. When this the first Cains ville Church was buUt, the trustees were : Captain Joseph Brant (Thayen- 368 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. danegea), D. Lawson, Mr. Lane, 0. Johnson, Abraham Hawley, George Lincoln, E. C. Beams, and Alexander Westbrook. The Cainsville Cheese Factory was established ten years ago by Messrs. Hunter and Paterson ; it is now owned by Mr. E. H. Wilcox. The building and plant used in the cheese factory cost about $1,200. The building is a large and commodious frame house ; it has changed proprietors several times, Mt. Henry Martin having succeeded to Mr. Paterson, and in 1882 he gave place to Mr. E. H. Wilcox, who has placed this factory on a permanent basis of success. His success is the natural result of a considerable past experience in cheese- making. The annual estimate of the business done in this cheese factory is $6,000. The first important building in this township was the mill erected by James Percy, Esq., about two miles east of the Village of Mount Pleasant, which in the primitive nomenclature of those early days was known as " Mud Holler," on lot six, second concession, in the first year of the present century. This mill was, in 1813, sold by private contract to Thomas Perrin. It was burned by order of the American General McArthur on his march, after the repulse sus tained from the Canadian Militia at Brantford, to Thames Valley and th^ Detroit River. Soon after this, in the year 1813, this mill was rebuilt by the same Thomas Perrin. The total value of the exports from Cainsville in 1881 is estimated at $60,000. The Post Office was established in 1854, David Dresser being the first to hold the office of Postmaster. There are now six carriage factories, and a considerable business is done in making the various agricultural labour-saving machines now so extensively used by the farmers of Ontario. The first general store was established in 1839 by Mr. A. Duncan, now of Brantford Town. There is ia waggon factory which has been in operation for thirty-one years, and which does a good business throughout the county. The match manufactory first set on foot by Mr. Allan Blanchard has been in operation for seventeen years. It turns out a total of twenty-eight thousand packages of block matches per annum. The Village of Cainsville promises every qualification of being a pleasant ' summer resort, and at present is largely used by the residents of the City of Brantford. The road, which forms its main street, is adorned on each side with handsome villa residences and picturesque groves of trees. One of the most noteworthy features of the Cainsville scenery is Bow Park on the opposite side of the river, the favourite estate of the late lamented Liberal statesman, the Honourable George Brown. In the "British Farmer's Guide to Ontario," published by the Ontario Government in 1880, it is on record that in this model farm of our Province, there is maintained " perhaps the largest herd of short horns in the world." For an extensive description of this enterprise the reader is referred to Chapter VII. of the General County History. The price of land in "this part of the Township of Brantford ranges from eighty to a hundred dollars per acre. As has been stated, the beautiful white brick church of the Episcopal Methodists is, outside of the City of Brantford, one of the finest ecclesiastical buildings in the County of Brant. There is an average attendance of about a hundred and fifty ; the pastor is the Rev. C. G. Colmore. Cainsville has for some years had an Orange Lodge and a Temperance Society. brantford township. 369 Personal Histories of Brantford Township. Among the oldest residents in this township is Mr. James Reid. of Cainsville Village, an early settler, and for many years a Magistrate in the Commission of the Peace. Mr. Reid was born in 1818, in the Village of Doune, in Perthshire, Scotland. He was the son of Thomas Reid and his wife, Margaret Rossel. In this family there were six children, of whom one survives in Australia, one in Scotland, and one in Canada. Mr. Reid received the excellent common school education for which Scotland is famous, and emigrated to this country in 1848, since which time he has been a resident of CainsviUe. In 1845 he married his first wife, Margaret McLennan, who died in 1855, leaving three children, of whom two are now living. In ten years afterward he married his second wife, Elsie Simpson Tuttle, of Aberdeenshire, Sc.jtland, by whom he had two children. ilr. Reid has been a most influential citizen of the Village of Cainsville, and in 1881 was elected Reeve. In 1882 he was presented with a handsome watch as a testimonial of the respect and good-will of the residents of Brantford Township. Edmund Burke Wood. The gentleman bearing this historic name is foremost among those whose political services have shed lustre on the Township of Brantford. He was of Irish descent, and was bom near Chippewa, in Upper Canada, in the year 1817. His father had for some years resided in the United States, whence he removed into Canada just before the outbreak of the War of 1812. As a boy Edmund Wood had but scanty educational advantages, but he had the benefit of three teachers not to be outdone in these days of competitive examinations on the brain ; these teachers were Nature, the Bible and Shakespeare. The boy spent a healthy youth in converse with the woods and streams, with the noblest lakes and the grandest cataract in the world. The accidental loss of an arm turned his thoughts in an exclusively intellectual direction. Disabled from bodily labour or farming pursuits, he chose as his vocation in life that which in Canada to those who deserve success, leads to the highest positions — the Bar. Having graduated at Oberlin College in Ohio as Bachelor of Arts he became a law student in the office of Messrs. Fieeman & Jones at Hamilton, but returned to Brantford in 1850, aud was admitted to the Bar in 1854. His political career is too well known to need more than a passing reference. The fact that he represented in Parliament a county named after the last and most illustrious chiefof Indian warfare, induced the late Thomas D'Arcy McGee to give him the happily-invented nickname of Big Thunder. To his wisdom and practical common sense the Township of Brantford is indebted for much of its present prosperity. Hudson Cleater. This pioneer settler was of English descent, being the son of John Cleater and his wife, Margaret Hunter. He was a grandson of John Cleater, Senr., and Mary Kenwick, and was born in Brantford Township on November the 7th, 1839. On October the 4tli, 1860, he married Jane, daughter of Samuel Gordon and his wffe, Mary Ramsey, and granddaughter of James Ramsey and his wffe, Mary 370 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Carnagie. This lady was born on September the 24th, 1838, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. They have a family of five children: James, born on the 4th of December, 1866 ; Mary Jane, born August 6th, 1862, nowjengaged in teaching school ; Elizabeth, born on September 24th, 1865 ; Annie, born November 21st, 1868 ; and Agnes, born August 10th, 1872. Other Old Settlers. Among the other pioneer settlers of this township are to be reckoned the names of William Duncan ; of William Simpson ; of William Sears ; of Joseph Thomas, Peter Cain and David Lawson. The venerable John Oles, still resident on his farm at the pleasant Village of Langford, can remember the earliest events of this township. Mrs. Darling, of the same village, has survived a husband who was one of the old landmarks. East of Mr. John Oles' farm is the homestead of the Vanderlip family. Village of Burtch. This little hamlet is situated four miles south of the Town of Brantford. It contains one church of the Canada Baptist denomination ; one general store, a waggon factory, a blacksmith shop, and a population of fifty. The Baptist Church was built in 1869 in the usual country church modification of Gothic, and cost $2,500. It has a seating capacity of two hundred and fifty. There is service every Sunday at 1.30 p.m., and Sunday school at 3 p.m. Besides these services there is a prayer meeting on Thursday. The average attendance at the Sunday services is one, hundred and fifty. Falkland Village. This post village, which was formerly named Beamsville, is situated four miles west of Paris on the township line between Burford and Brantford. It contains a neat frame church, erected twenty years ago by the Primitive Methodist community, two blacksmith shops, two general stores, a tailor's shop, and some hundred inhabitants. Mount Vernon Village. This picturesque village is situated seven miles from Brantford Town, and one mile from the township line of Burford, and seven miles from Paris. It was laid out in 1830 by l/Hr. Thomas Perrin, and for some time bore the appellation of the " Chequered Sheds." The first of the ten taverns at present carried on was opened in 1830 by John VanNorman. The pioneer settler of this now thriving village was Mr. Thomas Perrin, who established the first general store as early as 1835, who built a saw-mill in 1840, and a grist mill in 1845. In 1848, Mount Vernon was raised to the dignity of a post village, Mr. Thos. Perrin, to whom the village owes most of its present prosperity, being selected to fill the office of Postmaster. Mount Vernon contains a Methodist church, erected thirty-three years ago at a cost of $2,000, and having a seating capacity of three hundred. There is braxtford township. 371 service every Sunday at 2-30 p.m., also prayer-meeting on Thursday, and .Sabbath School at 10 a.m. The village contains two hotels, a doctor, a cabinet and a waggon shop, a general store, a tailor .shop, a blacksmith shop, a barrel and stave factory, a carding miU, a yrist mUl and two hundred and fifty inhabit ants. The Mount Vernon Woollen Mills have been carried on with success for forty-three years ; the Stave and Barrel Factory foi' twenty-seven years. Village of Langford. This attractive village is situated on the old London and Hamilton Road. It contains a long and straggling row of houses fronting the London Road, a brick built Metho'iist church, a general store, a post office, of which Mrs. Dowling, a widow, is the Postmistress. The population is estimated at two hundred. It is about two miles east of Cainsville. Village of Mount Pleasant. This delisrhtfullv situated village is five miles to the south-west of Brantford Town, close to the township line between Brantford and Oakland Townships. The name is a misaomer, the "Mount," plea-iant as its appearance undoubtedly is, being an unbroken plain. There are three churches, all of some architectural merit, tliose of the Methodist, the Presbyterian and the Anglican denomina tions. There are also three ireneral stores, as many blacksmith shops, a cabinet shop, two shoemakers, a doctor, a crrist mill and over twu hundred inhabitants. The English Church is a subtantidl frame buildinir which was put up in 1844 ; the congregation has diminished since that time. The Methodist Church, a handsome building of brick, was erected in 1861, and cost .86,000 ; it wiU seat four hundred The Presbyterian Church, a small frame building dating from 1841, will seat one hundred and fifty, and cost .87u0. VILL.A.GE of Newport. This post village, situated on the Grand River, is three miles south of the Town of Brantford ; it contains two brick-yards, a hotel, three stores, and one hundred and fifty inhabitants. It was surveyed by Mr. Burwell, and laid out for settlement by Mr. T. Smith, in 1857. In 1822, a tavern was opened by Mr. A. Brown ; in 1 845 a general store was established by .John Bell. 'The first school, a log building, was built in 1847. In 1855 the village was furnished with a post office, the first Postmaster being ^Ir. Thaddeus Smith. 372 history of brant county. BURFORD TOWNSHIP. In the Village of Burford there still lives, in the full enjoyment of all his faculties, an old man of ninety-eight. He can remember the time when all the region now covered with villages and farms was an unbroken wilderness. The Township of Burford, now one of the finest agricultural districts in Canada, was then tenanted only by wild beasts, or by wandering savages of some of the least civilized Indian tribes. Where now wheat fields, reaped, with little human labour, by elaborate machinery, send their harvest gold into the farmer's treasury, one unvaried forest growth, fed by the creeks and rivers that were its veins and arteries, surged over hill and valley, an immeasurable sea of verdure. The Township of Burford is at the western side of the County of Brant ; it has on the east side the Township of Brantford and Oakland ; on the west the Townships of Ea.st Oxford and Norwich: on the north the Town ship of Blenheim in Oxford County ; on the south the Township of Wyndham in Norfolk County. It extends nine miles east and west, by twelve miles north and south, and contains sixty-seven thousand two hundred acres. The concessions are counted from the north, the lots from the east. Its settlement began in 1793, and was fully accomplished thirty-four years later. Every part of it is now thoroughly cleared. Burford is a purely agricultural district ; there are no manufactures to speak of ; which perhaps partly results from the absence of such water privileges as are possessed by other townships of the County of Brant to .such a remarkable degree. The country is for the most part level, and this is especially the casein the eastern portion; in the centre it is low and swampy ; to the west and south there are slight undulations, the effect of some prehistoric water-courses. The quality of the soil is some of the best in Canada ; a rich sand loam, with clay and gravel sub-soil. The geological formation is limestone of the fossiliferous stratum, which extends all through Ontario. The abundant deposits of gravel are of much use as forming a natural system of drains. The Government estimate of the- value of the land in this township was that it consisted of one-third land of the first quality, mostly in the eastern section called the Plains ; this was valued at eighty dollars an acre ; one-third of the land was second class quality, valued at forty dollars an acre ; the rest was inferior, and valued at twenty dollars an acre. This estimate was made in 1881. Now the best quality land is valued at a hundred dollars an acre. The most fertile part of this township extends from the eastern town line for three miles westward. It is perfectly level land, and the soil is specially adapted for bearing wheat. Tt was originally covered with dense woods of oak. In the centre of the township is a strip of low swampy ground, with woods of black ash, elm, and a little pine and cedar ; but though the timber is poor, this sec- burford township. 373 tion makes good pasture land. To the west of the township, and in the south from the Village of Scotland westwards, the land is excellent. Burford con tains no large towns or business centre, but the Dominion can boast no finer farming country. The homesteads and \dlla residences which dot its expanse are of no little taste and elegance. Every two or three miles we come to a, little village with its neat church and cluster of stores. Two of these, Burford and Scotland, are of larger size and no inconsiderable attraction as summer resorts. Although there is no large river in Burford Township, it is irrigated by a number of small streams or creeks, which fiow in an easterly direction towards the Grand River and its tributaries. The chief of these is " Horner's " or " Whiteman's " Creek, so named from Thomas Homer, the first white man who settled in the township; it enters Burford on the first concession, lot fifteen, to the north-west of the township, and then flows to the south-east from the first to the sixth concession, where it enters Brantford. It affords valuable water privileges, and gives motive power to a number of grist and lumber miUs. " Big Creek," rising in Oxford, fiows into Burford at the southern part of the west boundary, and flows with an exceedingly tortuous and sluggish course east into Wyndham. " King's " and " Landon s " Creeks, with several minor tributaries, intersect the township, adding beauty and verdure to the land through which they flow. But every year since the destruction of the forests which fed and secured them, the streams grow less ; the brook trout and other fish, thirty years ago so a,bundant in these creeks, have disappeared, poisoned, it is thought, by the sawdust from the mills. The Roads In this township are excellent, affording easy communication with the many market centres on all sides of its boundaries. The principal one is the old London Road, leading from Hamilton through Brantford, Burford and Oxford to London ; one branch of it runs from the centre of the townshin, south-west to Norwich ; the other leads in a northerly direction to Woodstock. The Brantford, Norfolk and Port Burwell Railway enters the Township of Burford at the seventh concession from Brantford, and pursues a south-westerly course to Norwich, having stations at the Villages of Burford and Harley. Consider able attention is being paid to the planting of shade trees along the principal thoroughfares, and in general to the replanting of the forests. The settlement of Burford Township dates from 1793, under the regime of one of the most eminent of the founders of English-speaking Canada, Governor Simcoe. He had been captured by the Americans in the War of Independence ; and at a time when party feeling ran high, and the Americans were much embittered against their British opponents. Colonel Simcoe, as he then was, received rhuch kindness from an American named Thomas Watson. When, the war being over. General Simcoe was appointed to be Governor of Canada in 1792, he invited his American benefactor to settle with his family in Canada, promising a grant of land. Watson accepted the invitation and came, bringing his nephew, Thomas Homer, to whom a grant was made of the Township of Blenheim, on condition that he should erect a saw-mill at his own expense, and take other steps to encourage settlement. This he undertook, and 374 history of brant county. had journeyed to New Yor'K to procure the necessary equipment, when on hi^ return he found to his astonishment that " another king had arisen who knew not Joseph," in the shape of Governor Simcoe's successor, who refused to con firm the grant of Blenheim Township — a strange thing, if we remember that a grant ^of a township was not thought such a great matter in those davs. Undeterred by this rebuff, Mr. Horner built bis mill, and entered into possession of land which was obtained by purchase and surveyed by Mr. Augustus Jones, father of the late celebrated teacher and missionary, the Rev. Petei Jones. Mr. Horner was in 1798 appointed Captain in the Militia, and in 1806 Deputy- Lieutenant of Oxford, au appointment most unjustly withdrawn from him on the outbreak of the War of 1812. This, however, did not prevent him from rendering most valuable assistance to the British cause by securing to General Brock tlie support of the Iroquois of the Six Nations. Seventy-five of their warriors were led by Mr. Horner to aid Brock's advance on Detroit. Mr. Horner as magistrate ruled over a district as large as an English county, including what is now Burford, and all through the deeds and documents relatmg to its early history his signaiure is attached. In the early part of the present century other settlers came into the eastern part of Burford, it being soon di.scovered that the " oak openings " of the plains in that district had a soil of exceptional fertility. In 1797 the First White Child was Born in Bukford, The recently-deceased Stephen Landon. In 1808 the late Henry Lester, a native of New York, settled in Burford, where a few pioneer families had already established themselves ; those of Wheeler Douglas, Dr. Allen, John Yeigh, James Rounds, John Fowler, Justus Stephens, Nathaniel Landon, Abra ham Daton, Captain White, Michael Showers, the Foster.s, Lymburners, aud Woodens. Several of the descendants of those " first families " of Burford have kindly furnished us with their recollections of those early days. Tlie Burford settlers by no means endured the same hardships and privations that earlier settlers endured in less easily reclaimed districts. The period of forest clearing lasted but a short time, and the period of agricultural prosperity soon set in. Still much had to be endured. Around them was the desolate forest whence the ox-team, then the only conveyance by which it was possible to travel, could with difficulty thread the dark and tortuous passages cleared among the dense undergrowth by the woodman's axe. Bears and wolves abounded. By the testimony of Mr. Thomas Lloyd-Jones, of Burford, and of Mr. Muir, a magistrate of long standing aud high character in the Village of Burford, it is an undoubted fact that the packs of wolves were at one time so numerous and so daring, that it was impossible for . children to attend school without an armed escort. Mr. Muir, when a young boy, has lain awake in his father's log-house while three separate packs of wolves, wild with hunger, were howling round the farm-yard, sniffing at the crevices for the smell of human flesh, or striving to penetrate with tooth and claw the outbuilding where the cattle were secured. Onpe a settler was attacked, unarmed, by a wolf; powerless to beat it off, he bethought himself of flapping his coat in its face. Fortunately, this scared it away. A still stranger wolf story rests on the burford township. 375 authority of the late Mr. Wopden, of Burford. He with his brother were attacked at night by a pack of wolves. They were unarmed, and saved themselves by climbing a saphng just large enough to support their weight, and more easily climbed than trees of greater size. All night the wolves gnawed and tore at the tree-trunk. It was only the daybreak that saved the hunters ; the tree-trunk had been nearly gnawed through. The bears were not at all so dangerous to human life, but were sliU worse neighbours to the farmer than the wolves. The latter did no damage to the crops, but to Bruin nothing came amiss ; a stray pig, a cow, a hive of bees, a field of grain, a patch of corn. Mr. Thomas Lloyd-Jones well remembers the scene in the village when the advent of a bear was announced. All was hurry and excitement ; everyone turned out to join in the hunt, and with all sorts of weapons. The fauna of Burford at the time did not diffei from that of other parts of Brant County. Beavers abounded, aud their strange hydraulic and architectural cabins were seen on the creeks, and amid the swamps of the central portion of the township. Besides the more common snakes, the deadly rattlesnake was found among the gravelly hdls, but this terrible reptile has now disappeared altogether, extirpated, it is thought, by the introduction of the farmers' hogs, who are said to devour all manner of serpents with impunity. The well- known Canadian writer, Mr. R. W. Phipps, informs the author that several members of his family were for a considerable time residents of Burford Town ship, and that he knows from personal experience that rattlesnakes were then common. At a camp meeting, when the visitors had retired to rest, they were startled by the sinister sound of a large snake's rattle. But an Indian convert, who happened to be present, soon found and killed the reptile, whose body, five feet long, he skinned aud fried for next day's breakfast ! A cou.sin of Mr. Phipps, while ploughing in company with that gentleman, was stung by a rattlesnake whose fangs pierced through his leather top-boots. His life was saved by the copious use of whiskey, which, especially with those not addicted to drinking, is a certain cure for snake bites. As rattlesnakes have now disappeared from Burford, it were devoutly to be wished that whiskey too should cease to exist ! Most of the early settlers of Burford took part in the War of 1812, when, the English troops heir g engaged in European warfare, the brunt of the contest had to be sustained by the brave farmers of Canada, and well did the men of Burford respond to the call of patriotic duty .' One of the oldest settlers, Henry Lester, fought as Quartermaster Sergeant all through the war, and distinguished him- seff at the battle of Lundy's Lane. Jacob Yeigh served as Lieutenant, and both he and his brother acted with much gallantry ; a silver medal of great beauty was to have rewarded his services, which, however, he forfeited by the promi nent part he took in the rising of the Patriots of 1837. His countrymen's regard for his memory as a true Canadian does him more honour than any court decorations. The military history of Burford has a comic aspect owing to the stampede of the Burford Militia, known as " the Races of Malcolm's Mills.' Then, as now, Bnrt'ord was zealous in the volunteer movement. In October, 1814, a company of Burford Militia, consisting of about fifty men, under the command of Captain White, was stationed in the neighbourhood of Mr. John Fowjer's farm, at Burford. News ariived of the approach of the American General, McArthur, with seven hundred cavalry. Lieutenant Jacob Yeigh was 376 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. absent procuring supplies for the commissariat, but Captain White led his men to the rendezvous at Malcolm's Mills in Oakland Township. There Colonel Ryerson, a relative of the late Superintendent of Education, with Captains Salmon and Bostwick, at first determined on resistance, and threw up a breastwork on the bank of the creek ; but cool reflection taught them that discretion was the better part of valour, and that there was truth in the poet's words — "He who fights and runs away May live to fight another day." The entire force made for home with such speed that Captain Bostwick's troop took the shortest way of escape so conscientiously that they rode straight through the mill pond. When General McArthur and his seven hundred came up an hour afterwards, they found the barrack empty. The immense superiority of the invading American force is after all some excuse for this hasty retreat of a militia force which on other occasions, when more fairly matched, showed that it could fight well. Other skirmishes took place during the many irregular operations which characterized this war, and on a farm a couple of miles west; of Burford Village, bullets and soldier's buttons are still occasionally dug up. The war over, the Buiford farmers for a time shared in the depression which prevailed in Upper Canada, on account of the neglect of farming work by men employed in the militia service, and the scarcity of money. This soon passed. under the judicious measures then adopted by the Government, and a fresh influx of settlers poured in, consisting mainly of those who had been engaged in military service during the war. Mr. Charles Perley settled at what was afterwards Bishopsgate Village, Burford. Capt. Michael Showers, who had been a distingushed officer during the war, and had performed special services at the battle of Stony Creek, settled at Burford in 1816. About the same time Mr. Wooden settled at Cathcart Village, and a number of other veterans, of the war at Scotland, a village on the south-east township line near the scene of operations, in 1814. About this time too Mr. Lloyd -Jones, father of the present Reeve of the township, arrived from Denbigh in North Wales. The township was now^ pretty well settled ; the nuclei of the Villages of Cathcart, Victoria, Harley and Kelvin, began to form in the western part of Burfbr4 from north to south, useful centres of exchange to the neighbouring farmers,, although never destined to equal in importance the older Villages of Burford, and Scotland. , Education and Public Schools Began to be attended to. As early as 1808 a rude log school house had been built in Burford Village, where a rough and ready but sufficient primary education was administered by Captain White, a fair mathematical scholar, and a rigid disciplinarian of the old school. He taught there from 1808 to 1811, when he left to take part in the war. Others succeeded, and the log school house being burned down, a neat frame building took its place. About the same time a school house' was built at Cathcart, and several sprang up in the other centres west and south. But that at Burford, then as now, was considered the most efficient and best equipped. After the organization by Chief Superintendent Ryerson of our present school system, Burford Township was divided into its BURFORD township. 377 present twenty-eight school districts. The school at Burford ViUage, School Section No. 8, presents a pleasing appearance of neatness and order. The teachers are Mr. A K Kennedy and Miss Galbraith. The development of this settlement was now, and for some years afterwards, materially aided by the construction of Government roads. In earlier times the only mail was earned once a month from Niagara, by Indians who traversed the trails in the forest. With education and the establishment of easy means of communication with Woodstock, Hamilton, Brantford and Toronto, came an interest iu politics. The Township of Burford has never boasted a local journal, but from the earliest period those of Toronto and Niagara circulated there, and twenty years later ^uc'n newspapers as the Examiner, of ^Ir. Francis Hincks, and the Colonial Advocate, of William Lyon Mackenzie, were eagerly sought after. Legal and ;MrNiciPAL Organization. For the first twenty years of the settlement there existed no means of en forcing contracts, or enforcing the payment of debts. Mr; W. C. Trimble, of Brantford, relates an anecdote his;hly characteristic of the legal proceedings of those early days, how a creditor met a recalcitrant debtor at a logging bee, anl having in vain exhausted all bis powers of persuasion in appeals to the debtor's moral sense, constituted himself judge, jury and policeman by bumping the defendant's head against a log until he consented to an immediate settlement of the debt. After 1812 courts for the transaction of civil business were held at Long Point Bay on Lake Erie. Then London became the capital, at a dis tance of sixty miles, and instances are known of men consenting to pay an UDJu.st debt rather than incur the expense of a long journey and many days' delay. Afterwards Woodstock, a much more convenient distance, became the County Capital of Oxford, of which Burford formed a part until 1852. The first Township Council of Burford met on January 1, 1850. It was held at the tavern kept by Mr. Henry Dorman at the Village of Cathcart. Rams- ford Rounds was elected the first Reeve, and Colonel C. Perley the Deputy Reeve, and George G. Ward was appointed Clerk. The other members of this first Council were : I. B. Henry, Robert Muir and Charles Hedgers. It is remarkable that Messrs. C. Hedgers and Henry continued members of Burford Council for twenty-one successive years. Mr. Muir also had a long tenure of ofBce. In the following year Douglas Stevenson was appointed Clerk, as suc cessor to Mr. Ward, and in 1854 Robert Hunter took the office. In 1855 Mr. Alouzo Foster succeeded, being also Township Treasurer. The present muni cipal officers are : Reeve, Mr. Thomas Lloyd-Jones ; First Deputy Reeve, Mr. Alexander Maclrvine ; Second Deputy Reeve, Mr. James Harley. This gen tleman is a brother of the member of Parliament for Oxford. Councillors : Mr. Thomas Rutherford, Mr. John Rathbum ; Clerk, Mr. Albert Foster ; Treas urer, Mr. Archibald Harley, M.P.P. Mr. Robert Muir, above mentioned, has been on the Commission of the Peace since 1852. The Burford Revolt in 1837. The insurrectionary movement of Wm. Lyon Mackenzie and his supporters in 1837, may weU be considered the central point iu the history of English- 378 history of brant county. speaking Canada, the crisis between a tyrannical local oligarchy and the reforms which led to Responsible Government and nationality. Its importance has been little appreciated by the so-called historians of Canada. One alone — the only historian of our national history whose work aims at being something higher than a mere slipshod compilation — Mr. Charles Dent, in his most ori ginal and eloquently written " Last Forty Years of Canada," has had the insight to perceive and the courage to eulogize the services rendered to Canada by " the grand old rebel." Next in importance to the movement on Toronto, headed by Mackenzie himself, was that of his friend and colleague. Dr. Dun combe, in the Township of Burford. Burford was the scene of a rising the events connected with which have been left unnoticed by those who have written on the events of 1837. The facts are here put down — it is hoped in a spirit remote from partisanship, "nothing extenuated and naught set down in malice " — as gathered partly from the family and friends of Duncombe, and partly from the men or the sons of the men who took part on either side in the various sections of Burford. For the facts in the following account of the part taken by the Burford people in the movement of 1837, we are indebted among others to Mr. Tuf- ford, formeriy of Bishopsgate Village, Burford ; to his wife, daughter of Dr. Duncombe ; to Mr. Gibson, of Bishopsgate, and Mr. Muir, of Burford ; the last mentioned, although a Reformer, having opposed the insurrection. As has been shown in the General History of Canada, for years before 1837 every effort was made by that large majority iu Upper Canada who desired reform to secure Responsible Government. In no part of the Province was this more earnestly supported than iu Burford, where many of those who had been foremost in fighting on the British, or rather on the Canadian side against America in 1813, were deeply implicated in this premature effort to secure Canadian independence. A chief grievance against the Family Compact Gov ernment was the attempt made, under Bishop Strachan's inspiration, to set up a State Established Church. This touched the farming community especially, who felt the injustice and the injury to agriculture of setting apart the large tracts known as the " Clergy Reserves," exempt from taxation, and, by their unimproved state, injurious to neighbouring settlements. At this time the whole of the east centre of Burford Township, from the town line westward to Boston Village, was owned by Dr. Duncombe. This gentleman, an Atiierican by birth, had settled in Burford some years after the end of the War of 1812, and purchased the land on which the present Village of Bishopsgate is built, with about two hundred acres besides. Dr. Duncombe was one of the first to practise the medical profession in Burford and the adja cent t ownships. Being a man of as much energy as professional skill, he was sought after through a v.'ide radius of territory, and acquired both fortune and reputation. In personal appearance he was somewhat below the average height, but with an active muscular figure, pleasing feature and lips and brow expres sive of a resolute, determined nature. His manner in public or private speech is described as singularly winning; he had the true orator's gift of apt illustration and eloquent language ; quite untrained in military tactics, he had, like Mackenzie, of whom the same may be said, determined courage and the faculty for leading others. Such was the celebrated Dr. Duncombe, as we pic- burford township. 379 ture him from the accounts given by those in Burford who knew him, and by those who remember him as a speaker in Parliament at Toronto, and from the portrait now in possession of his daughter. All through the north-western and southern part of Brant County, and above all in his own Township of Burford, Dr. Duncombe acquired great influence. His frank amiability, his readiness to take any trouble in order to extend the beneflt of his professional skill to his poorest neighbours, endeared him to all in Burford. He was also a good practical farmer, and on all agri cultural matters in thorough sympathy with his rural friends, who also had the good sense to appreciate the culture and oratorical powers which they them selves did not possess. Soon he was elected member of Parliament, and there justified the choice of his constituents by his oratorical powers no less than by the determined resistance with which he met the attempts of the Family Compact oligarchy to curb the rising spirit of the Reform movement. The Reformers of Burford had reason to be proud of their representative, who soon became one of the recognized leaders of the Reform movement. Together with William Lyon Mackenzie, Dr. Duncombe was sent as a representative of the demands and grievances of Upper Canada. Through years, and amid the bitterness of patient effort, the Reformers struggled to obtain what are now regarded as people's rights by constitutional means. At length the limit of patience seemed to be reached, and William Lyon Mackenzie resolved to appeal to arms. We have elsewhere recorded in detail the events of Mackenzie's rising in Toronto. Neither he nor Duncombe had any of the qualifications of military- leaders except personal courage. Nor, among Dr. Duncombe's friends in Burford, was the movement organized with any definite shape. It was generally imderstood among those of the Reformers who favoured Mackenzie's bolder policy, that there would be a rising in Burford and the adjacent town ships to support, if successful, Mackenzie's movement on Toronto. The more moderate Reformers held aloof ; Mr. iluir, for instance, then as now a staunch adherent of the Reform cause, exerted all his influence to prevent his neigh bours from taking part in the insurrection. But though there was no con spiracy, and scarcely any settled plan, there was much furbishing up of old rifles and muskets, much melting of bullets ; and a movement was contemplated by all the township led by men who had seen service in 1812, and with a force composed of no ordinary plebeian insurgents, with everything to gain and nothing to lose, but by many of the most .substantial of the Burford farmers, men who risked in the cause for which they were prepared to die not only their lives, but in each case a considerable landed property, reclaimed from the wilderness by the labour of years, and the sole" hope of support for wife and children. Such men were Stephen Landon, a veteran of 1812 ; such were Jacob and Adam Yeigh, who were distinguished officers in the same war, and whose weU-merited military decoration was only canceUed by their patriotism in 1837. These and many others, though armed only with rifles with which they were accustomed to bring down the wild bird on the wing, would have formed the materials of no contemptible insurrectionary force. But as a matter of fact, no insurrection took place. Among other military measures which had been neglected was the necessity for constant communi cation between the force under Mackenzie and Lount, and that which was 380 history of brant county ready to rise under Duncombe. As a consequence, when Mackenzie's ill-fated raid was repulsed in the skirmish at Montgomery's farm, no one knew the result in Burford for two weeks after all had been decided ! Rumours came, conveyed principally by a man who had taken part in the fight but who after wards deserted his cause, one Lount, no relative or connection of the noble bearer of the same name, who died at Toronto ; it was said that Mackenzie had risen, that Toronto was taken. The greatest excitement prevailed ; the " Patriots" gathered round Duncombe, and besought him to -aid a movement which might support their Toronto friends who had risen for Canadian inde pendence. Duncombe does not seem to have approved of Mackenzie's hasty action ; at first he did not wish to head a risi.ng ; but willing to show that he had the courage of his opinions in a cause which he believed to be just, he consented to become their leader, appointing a rendezvous at the Village of Scotland, with the purpose of marching by Oakland Plains and Hamilton. Meetings of his followers were held at a bouse on the township line between Blenheim and South Dumfries, as also at McBain's Mills, a mile beyond the Village of Ayr, and through Burford at several points ; it was resolved to collect arms, and this duty was assigned among others to Mr. Tufford, of Bishopsgate, Burford, husband of Dr. Duncombe's daughter. He did not, as alleged by a witness at his triah make any forcible seizure, but got together what firearms could be obtained from sympathizers. A gathering of about three hundred men actually took place under Dr. Dun combe at Oakland Plains. They were well armed, resolute men, and would no doubt have been largely reinforced for the attempt on Hamilton had not Duncombe resolved to abandon that attempt and disperse the insurgent force on learning not only of Mackenzie's failure at Toronto, but the approach of Sir Allan McNab with an overwhelming force to attack his lines at Scotland. The insurgents scattered in every direction. Jacob Yeigh escaped to the United States ; Duncombe was enabled, after many adventures, to reach the same asylum by the fidelity and courage of Charles Tilden ; Stephen Landon and otheis returned home, keeping more or. less in concealment. Meanwhile Colonel MacNab and his militia regiments arrived at the Village of Bishopsgate in Burford, where they were billeted on the reluctant farmers and storekeepers of that " Rebel Hold," as the village was styled in the " loyal" parlance of the day, A warmer welcome was extended to the Royalist officers and men at the mansion, always a hospitable one, of the late Colouel Charles Perley, a vehement partisan of the Family Compact Government, one who carried his loyalty so far as to consent to sit as a juror on a case where a cousin of his own was being tried for his life. Great were the preparations for baking bread and slaughtering sheep and oxen ; fervent and deep the toasts quaffed to the confusion of the rebels who had not rebelled. In unopposed triumph Colonel MacNab and his warriors marched south through Burford to Scotland, which village they occupied. The history of the reign of terror that followed, until it was promptly checked by the English Liberal Government, and the beneficent measures of reform which followed on England's attention being called to the grievances which had caused the insurrection, are detailed in our chapter on Canadian History. Dr. Duncombe recovered his property, which had been confiscated, except a farm of ''/ '^ L.C^ burford township. 383 two hundred acres winch, with characteristic generosity, he had deeded in the name of the infant child of the friend who had secured his escape, on which farm that child, now grown to manhood, resides. Duncombe lived through an honourable and successful career of .some years in the States. The Bl^rford Villages. — ^Bishopsgate. Bishopsgate is the first \'illage entered by the traveUer as he comes into Burford by the road leading from Brantford to London, and known as the old London Road. It is situated a mUe from the Village of Mount Vemon, and the same distance from the larger and more important Village of Burford Street. With the latter it is almost continuous, there being a line of handsome villa residences and farm-houses all along the road that connects them. This hamlet dates from the beginning of the settlement, and at one time promised to become more thriving than any other in the Township. A foundry was started and seemed to be doing a good business, but the chief partner in the manage ment got into difficulties, and left for parts unknown in the .States some years ago. Others would gladly have utilized the plant and carried on the business, but unfortunately everything had been mortgaged, and the mortgage was so arranged that no foreclosure could be effected unless a summons could be served on the fugitive partaier. This being impossible, nothing remained but to let the property go to ruin. Part of the old machinery has been very lately removed With the foundry went a grist-mill owned by one of the firm. This vdlage was surveyed in 1840 by Lewis BurweU, Provincial Land Sur veyor ; it was laid out by Colonel Whitehead and Mr. Russel SmitL It has neither post office nor schooL those of the neighbouring Village of Burford being used by the inhabitants. The village itself has by no means progressed of late years ; it is picturesquely situated, and has .several unusuaUy handsome gentlemen's residences, surrounded by parks and groves of beautiful majJe, walnut and oak trees, tastefuUy disposed. The village contains two small stores and a blacksmith's shop, that of Mr. Gibson, a most respectable and well-informed resident, who has officiated as blacksmith at Bishopsgate for the last thirty years. There is an exceUent hotel kept by Mr. Smith. The only church is that buUt in 1874 by the Presbyterians ; there is a congregation of eighty, to a seating capacity of two hundred The clergyman, the Rev. Thomas Alexander, has served this church for the last ten years, residing at Mount Pleasant ViUage, in Brantford Township, where also he holds services. He had previou-sly been statioued at Cobourg. Service is held every Sunday, foUowed by Sunday schooL The chief ornament of this village is the mansion erected here four years ago by Mr. Thomas Lloyd-Jones. This is a tastefuUy designed building of white brick, surrounded by handsome and well kept ornamental grounds. On the north-west side of these grounds a grove of oak trees represents the original " oak openings " of this part of Burford A large water-wheel has been put up close to the house. Mr. Lioyd-Jones buUt this residence on the site of Colonel Perley's old house, destroyed by fire a year before he purchased the Colonel's property of two hundred acres. Mr. Iloyd-Jones has a field of twelve acres, which for seventeen years he has planted with one crop of neas, aU the others 23 384 history. OF brant county. with wheat or barley, the average yield for the whole series of years beino- thirty-five bushels an acre. Mr. Lloyd-Jones is a son of one of the early settlers who came to this country from Denbigh, in North Wales. In a ne^t house in this village also resides Mrs. Perley, widow of the late excellent and kind- hearted Colonel Perley; Mr. Coker, an American of Dutch descent, from Penn sylvania ; and Mr. Marsh Philips, a young English gentleman who purchased property several years ago, which he takes enthusiastic pleasure in farming. He has induced quite a colony of young Englishmen of his own class to come over to Burford in order to learn farming. Northward along the township line, about a mile from Bishopsgate, is the farm and homestead of the Landon family, of whose founder, Stephen Landon, mention has already been made. The estate, which is a valuable one, is now held by his son, Mr. Stacey Landon. Here too the land is of the best wheat- growing quality. A new agricultural product has been introduced of late years into this part of Burford — the culture of the Canadian or soft-stemmed sugar-cane. 'This differs from the sugar-cane of the tropics only in not being perennial, but being raised from seed grown afresh each spring. A good crop of this is produced in the eastern part of Burford for the purpose of boiling it into syrup. In the spring and summer the peculiarly fresh green of its long leaf blades has a pleasing effect ; iu autumn its stalk is overtopped by a rich spike of purple blossom. Village of Burford. This village, which has been called Burford, Burford Street, or Claremont, is by far the largest, most picturesque, and most thriving business centre in the township. It is situated on the main road from Brantford to London, about a mile from the eastern township line, nine miles from Brantford, nine from Paris, the same distance from Princeton, and seventeen mUes from Wood stock. It has derived great advantages from being a station on the Brantford, Norfolk and Port Burwell Railway. The present prosperity of the town is mainly due to the railway, which gives it easy access to Brantford and other bu.siness centres. There is no water privilege, and no manufacturing industries have as yet appeared except a small carriage factory. There are four grocery and dry goods stores, all apparently doing good business ; in the largest is the post office, in charge of Mr. Cox ; two bakers ; one carriage factory giving employment to fifteen men, and well patronized in the neighbourhood ; its pro prietor, Mr. James Lloyd, turns out from six to eight thousand dollars worth of work per annum. It has been in operation for thirty -one years. There are also two blacksmith shops ; two tailors ; two undertakers ; two tinsmiths; a harness-maker; a cooper; two butchers' stores; two shoemakers; and a dentist. There is a grain store ; two grist-mills on the creek, within a mile of the village, three saw-mills and two shingle factories. There are two main streets which intersect each other at right angles ; King Street runs east and west of the other street, which extends south towards the raflway station. There is one hotel, situated in a handsome white brick block of buildings at the centre of the village, where the two streets cross each other. The stores are well supplied with wares of aU kinds. Shade trees ornament the streets, gay burford township. 385 with vehicles and weU-dressea pedestrians. Around the viUage there are many prosperous farms, among the best of them that of Robert Muir, Esq., for many years in the Commission of the Peace for the township. This land has a fine sandy soil, mixed with clay loam, and yields wheat crops of from thirty-five to forty bushels an acre. In the centre of the farm is a pond with outlet by a smaU creek, which keeps the water fresh. There are many other handsome residences ; in fact, the viUage has been built up to a great degree by famiers who have realized enough to retire from bttsiness and take up their abode theie. In summer time Burford MUage is as pleasant a holiday resort as can be found in the Province, and the hotel provides most comfortable accommo dation. There are no saloons or liquor stores ; the village enjoys an Arcadian freedom from drunkenness and other offences against law and order. There are three medical men, all in good praetice ; they state that the \Tllage is healthy, but that there is a considerable amount of malarial fever, especially among the occupants of farms towards the central part of the township, west of Burford Village. The more malignant blood-poison fevers, such as typhoid and diphtheria, have been hitherto unknown. Some American army buttons and several bullets have been found on a farm about a mile west of this village, the relics of some skirmish of General Mc- Arthur's force with the Burford Militia, when, after the fight at Brantford and Midcolm's Mill, he resolved to abandon his march on Fort Erie and return home. The Burford Churches. There are four places of worship in Burford Village, those of the Church of England, the Canada Methodist, the Congregational, aud the Baptist. The Church of England people number twenty-five families. The church dedicated to the Trinity is a plain, red brick buUding with lancet •windows ; it was erected in 1850, mainly by the aid of the late Colonel Perley, at a cost of 81,800. It has seating capacity for 300. The burial place for English Church people is kept in good order, and contains several handsome monuments. Services are held in Trinity Church each Sunday. The clergyman, Rev. Mr. Hind, also holds services every Sunday at the ViUages of Cathcart and Mount Pleasant. The Baptists have a handsome frame church, buUt in 1866, with a seating capacity of two hundred. Services are held every Sunday, and a prayer meeting on Wednesday. The cost of the church was $800. The pastor is the Rev. Mr. Hyde. There are about a hundred members. The Canada Methodist denomination has a neat frame church in the usual modification of Gothic common to our country churches. It cost about 81,200, aud is the largest church in Burford, having a seating capacity of 400. Service is held every Sunday evening in winter and summer. There is a prayer meeting and Bible class on Thursday. The average attendance is 300. 'The pastor is the Rev. Mr. Hayhurst. The church was built in 1858. A society of the Congregational Church was organized in 1835 by the Rev. James Hall, who was sent out to Canada as a missionary by the Congregational Missionary Society in England. The church, a handsome Gothic building of frame with a tin-covered spire, was buUt in 1839 at a cost of three thousand 386 history of brant county. dollars. It has a seating capacity of two hundred and fifty. It is neatly fur nished and is well lit up. This was the first church buUt in the Township of Burford. Service is held every Sunday. There is Sunday school in the morning, and a prayer meeting every Thursday. The average attendance at this church is a hundred and twenty-five. The amount raised by contribution for all purposes last year was $708. In 1844 the Rev. W. F. Clarke succeeded Mr. Hall as pastor, which office he continued to exercise till 1846, when the vacant pulpit was filled by the Rev. W. H. AUworth for about nine months. The Rev. James Vincent next occupied the pastorate, and held it for eight years. He then left. The present minister, the Rev. William Hay, was elected by the church members in 1856. Mr. Hay resides at Scotland. The Medical Profession in Burford. There are three medical men resident in Burford Village, Doctors Chrysler, Harbottle and Bradly, and one at the Village of Cathcart, Dr. Aikman. Dr. Harbottle united literature to his professional studies, being the author of several pleasing poems in the newspapers which circulate most in Burford. In this connection it may be mentioned that another Burford literateur is Mr. John A. Smith, who lives a mile north of Burford ViUage. Dr. Chrysler has been some years in practice, and is of opinion that although as a rule Burford is a very healthy location, still there is ample room for practitioners of the healing art. The most marked kind of disease is that of the febrile malarial type, which, however, generally assumes a mild form, and has never yet been attended -with fatal results. As an illustration of the healthy climate of Bur ford, it may be mentioned that in the village, opposite the Congregational Church, reside an aged couple named Frazee, the husband having reached the venerable age of ninety-eight, while his wife is ninety-four. The old gentle man retains all his faculties, except that, like Isaac in scripture, his sight is -waxing dim ; he can converse cheerfully as to long past events in the history of Burford, and takes pleasure in relating his early experience to his visitors. Years have told with more effect on his wife, who is a little deaf, but can still converse intelligently. It is a touching sight to see her stand beside the old man's chair holding his hand in her own. Truly, if earthly love can last so long, there is a hope that it will endure for ever ! The Burford Agricultural Society. One of these most useful associations for the improvement of practical agricul ture has been lately established in this township, and its exhibitions, which are held in the fall, have been attended with much success. The President of the Burford Agricultural Society is Mr. David H. Smith, of Harley Village. Mr. W. F Mills is Vice-President ; Mr. Thomas Lloyd-Jones is Secretary-Treasurer. Other leading members are :. Messrs. W. Johnson, of Cathcart Village ; David Beamer, of Princeton ; J. R. Mc Williams, of Mount Vernon ; J. C. Brethour, of Burford ; PhUip KeUy, of New Durham ; D. FarreU, Paul Huffman, William Rutherford, of Burford ; Captain Marshall, of Harley Village ; and John Mac- leUan, of New Durham. This society was organised in 1863. It has erected a burford township. 387 handsome exhibition buUding at Harley Village, at a cost of 81,000. The entries at the annual exhibition are from two thousand to two thousand five hundred. The Volunteers of Burford Township. The Township of Burford has ever been forward in furnishing volunteers when men were needed for the defence of Canada. In 1812, when Canada's position as a dapendency of Britain exposed our country to an invasion of American armies which would otherwise never have taken place, the British armies were engaged in a great European war, and Canada had for the most part to be defended by Canadians. A force of volunteers was raised in Bur ford to aid General Brock's attack on Detroit, but that city had surrendered before the Burford men could reach Brock's headquarters. Thomas Horner, badly treated although he had been by the Government at the time, gathered around him seventy-five Iroquois warriors for the same purpose. Thomas Horner received a commission as Captain of Militia. In 1828 we find a regular volunteer company fully organized, under command of CoL G. W. Whitehead Their muster-roll includes many names familiar in the history of Burford. Such are those of Joseph Dutcher, Henry Dutcher, Reuben Duteher, Adam Lamp- man, Abisha Rand, Jonathan Ryder, Enoch Ryder, Piatt and Pierce Craink, and the Higsons. The next volunteer organization in this township was effected by the exertions of Edmund Yeigh, the present representative of the Yeigh family, during the apprehension of Fenian invasion in 1866. The company then raised was known as "No. 6, Brant Battalion," and was commanded by Mr. Yeigh for three years. At present Burford Township furnishes two companies to our Canadian Volun teer MUitia, infantry and cavalry. The infantry company belongs to the "Duf ferin Rifles" of Brant County, and is officered by J. T. Whitmore of Burford ViUage as Captain, and R. A Johnson as Lieutenant. Their present strength is thirty-five. The cavalry company rank as No. 5 of the Second Regiment of Cavalry, which has its headquarters at St. Catharines. The Captain is W. MarshaU, and the Lieutenant is Thomas Lloyd-Jones of Bishopsgate ViUage. Their present strength is thirty-five troopers. This company has deservedly earned the reputation of being one of the best cavalry companies in Canada, and has repeatedly received the praise of the inspecting General at camp in Niagara and elsewhere, for thefr excellent discipline, the soldierly appearance of the men, and their weU-trained horses. This is owing in no slight degree to the care bestowed on the company by Captain Marshall, who repeived his mUi- tary training from the Colonel of the Thirteenth Hussars, one of the finest cavalry corps in the English army, when quartered in Canada. Lender his judi cious command the company consists of picked men, the sons of respectable fanners, who take pride in being well mounted and equipped. From Captain MarshaU's long services as an officer of this company, it is confidently expected that he wiU soon be promoted to the Majority of the Second Cavalry. The company wears the same uniform as the Thirteenth Hussars, and is armed with the sword and short rifle. A fine driU shed and two armories have been built at Burford A veteran volunteer officer. Colonel Taylor, resides at Cathcart Village. 388 history of brant county. Manufactories. Of these in Burford it may almost be said, as in the famous Chapter on Snakes in Ireland, that " there are none." There is indeed a carriage factory at Buiford, which was established thirty-one years ago by its present proprietor, Mr. James Lloyd. He employs from ten to twelve men, and turns out $8,000 worth of work yearly. It bears^ a well established reputation throughout the township. The other manufacturing industries are such as are peculiar to an agricultural country. There are four cheese factories, all doing a prosperous business, at the Villages of Harley, New Durham, Cathcart and Burford. Mr, Russel Smith has an extensive vineyard at Fairfield Plain, where he has met with marked success in the culture of grapes and the manufacture of a pure' fruity wine, quite free from alcohol. Mr. Russel Smith came originally from Ancaster. At his vineyard near Fairfield, from nine to twenty thousand gallons of wine are manufactured annually. It is to be hoped that the increased success of producers of pure Canadian wine may do something to check the consumption of more deleterious beverages. Societies, Secret and Other, in Burford. As far back as 1858, the Masonic Order had organized a lodge in Burford. It was known as No. 106, and numbered eighty members. The Master was Forbes D. Wilson ; Aaron B. McWilliams, Secretary. The present officers are: Forbes D. Wilson, Master ; James McWilliams, Warden ; A. E. Kennedy, Sec retary ; F. G. Miles, Treasurer ; Rev. Mr. Hay, Chaplain ; Stephen Wetmore, Inside Guardian ; W. Howard, Tyler. The lodge meets on Wednesday of or before the new moon. The Loyal Orange Body has been organized into a lodge in Burford for thirty-seven years. In 1879 they erected a neat hall in Burford Village, where their meetings are held on the first Monday in every month. The present Master is Mr. Stephen Wetmore, Bailiff of the Division Court ; the Deputy Master is Albert Hall ; the Chaplain, James McAffray ; the Treasurer is J. A. Williams ; the Secretary, William Ford ; and the Director of Ceremonies, Franklin Metcalf. The Ancient Order of United Workmen, a benevolent society, also holds monthly meetings in Burford Village. Of this the Master is Mr. W. G. Nelles ; the Foreman is Mr. Cox, the present Postmaster of Burford Village and a leading merchant of the place ; the Treasurer is Mr. Alfred Ledger ; and the Recorder, Mr. Kennedy, Principal of the Public School. There is also a Woman's Temperance Society, of which Mrs. Hayhurst, wife of the pastor of the Canada Methodist ChurQh, is President. Burford Village possesses an excellent brass band, of which the leader is A. Messam ; A. Muir, E flat cornet; H. Rice and W. Davidson, B flat cornets ; R. C. Muir, C. Whittaker and W. Smith, altos; W. Gibson, tenor; C. Day, W. Messam and W. Landon, bass : J. Day and E. McAffray, drummers. Village of Cathcart. This village, which was formerly named Sydenham, is situated on the same road with Burford Village, of which, although six miles to the west of it, Cath- burford township. 389 cart may be regarded as a continuation. It has no water privUege, and has grown little during the past decade. The village is prettUy situated, and pre sents a neat, well-to-do appearance, surrounded by gardens and trees, and a pleasaut farm country. It possesses three churches, two of which belong to the Methodists, one to the EpiscopaUans ; one physician. Dr. Aiken ; a cheese factory, one hotel, two grocery and general stores, a waggon factory, two black smiths' shops, and about two hundred inhabitants. The Primitive Methodist Church is a neat edifice of white brick, built in 1874, with a seating capacity of three hundred Services and a .Sunday school are held every .Sunday. There is a prayer meeting on Thursdays. Services are weU attended, the farmers' families of the surrounding district driving thither and to the other churches from a radius of several miles. The other Methodist Church was built in 1878, and is also a handsome structure of white brick, with a seatincr capacity of three hundred, and an aver age congregation of one hundred and fifty. The service is held every Sunday in the afternoon and evening alternately. There is Sunday school in the after noon, and a prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings. Harley Is called after the name of one of the leading land-owners of this section of the township. This small but picturesque vUlage is situated almost in the centre of the township. It has one church belonging to the Methodists, a plain frame buUding. A Church of England service is also held on altemafie Sundays, and there is a Sunday school in the afternoon. Harley is a post viUage, and has the advantage of being a station on the B. N. and P. B. Railway. It con tains a cheese factory, estabUshed for eleven years, which consumes the milk of six hundred cows, and turns out fifteen cheese per day. There is one store, a carriage shop, a taUor's and shoe store, the Agricultural Fair Grounds and Exhibition BuUding, and the Granger's HaU. New Durham. New Durham is a smaU viUage on the western line of this township, and contains two small churches, a Congregationalist and a Baptist, one hotel, one store, and a cheese factory. There are about one hundred inhabitants. The village is situated on Big Creek, between the ninth and tenth concessions of Burford. Kelvin. * This is a post \Tllage at the centre of the town Hue between it and Wynd ham. It is sixteen mUes distant from Brantford, and eight from Norwich. It was laid out in 1856 by C. H. Foreman, and surveyed by K Malcolm. It con tains three churches, an ashery, a carriage factory, a saw and shingle mill, a drag store, three blacksmiths' shops, two general stores, a grocery, and a hoteL The Congregational Church is a neat frame buUding, erected in 1868 at a cost of $1,000 ; it will seat two hundred Service is held on alternate Sundays by Rev. Mr. Hay, the Burford Congregational Pastor. The Church of the 390 history of brant county. Messiah was built by the Adventists in 1868, and has a seating capacity of two hundred. It cost $800, and in it services are held on alternate Sundays. Fairfield Plain. This is a post village four miles directly south of Burford, and at the same distance from the east town line of Burford. There is a blacksmith's shop, and near the village the extensive vine-growing estate and handsome white brick mansion of Mr. Russel Smith. There is also an exceedingly well designed Methodist Church, by far tlie most ambitious ecclesiastical structure in the township. It was built, the material being white brick, in 1868, and cost $4,000. It has a seating capacity of three hundred. Service is held every Sunday by the Rev. Mr. Hayhurst, of Burford. A Sunday school is also conducted in connection with the church. Personal Histories of Burford. In this township, where fifty years ago political passions were so heated, it is pleasant to look back on the honourable career of some of the leading men who, though keen partisans, have closed their course amid the applause of both sides ill the political arena. Such a man, on the Loyalist side, was Charles S. Perley, the well-known Colonel Perley of the last forty years of Burford's history. His burly figure, genial face, and brusque manner, the boisterous frankness of Squire Western masking the kindly nature of an AUworthy, will long be remembered by the people of Bishopsgate and Burford Villages, among whom his life was spent. He was born in New Brunswick, of a U. E. L. family, and came to Upper Canada in 1801. At the outbreak of the War of 1812 he went to reside in Norfolk, and though not a member of the Norfolk Battalion of Militia, he rendered it considerable service. Ue was present at the famous " Races of Malcolm's Mill," and was wont to recount with much humour the incidents of that ha'sty retreat. In 1837 Mr. Perley took an active part in raising a company, which he com manded with the rank of Captain, confirmed to him in 1838. He received and most hospitably entertained Colonel MacNab and those " Men of Gore," the Wentworth Militia, in their march against Duncombe's force at Scotland. Captain Perley accompanied the Loyalists when they occupied Scotland, where Duncombe's force being disbanded, they found no enemy on whom to exercise their valour. Then followed the "Tory Terror," which lasted tiff peremptory orders from England and the recall in disgrace of Sir Francis Bond Head gave it a sudden check. But in those days Captain Perley was quite ready and willing to hang a good many of those neighbours to whom for many years of his after life he showed such unfailing kindness. For the Roman poet said truly, Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in tilts. "The times are changed, and we are changed with them." For his many services he was soon promoted to the rank of Lieut.-ColoueL But his life was thenceforward to be that of a man of peace, erecting mills burford township. 391 clearing farms, introducing new agricultural improvements, and by action and counsel aiding in the development of the township in which he Kved. He was elected a member of the first Township CouncU that was formed in 1850, a position which he held for eight years, and resigned from a conscientious scruple which did him honour, because his constituents were opposed to a measure which he was resolved if in office to support. He lived in a goodly frame mansion at Bishopsgate ViUage, on the site of the house buUt several years ago by Mr. T. Lloyd-Jones. In 1877 Colonel Perley's house was burned down, soon after which he sold the site, with two hundred acres, to Mr. T. Lloyd-Jones, the present owner. It is now several years since Colonel Perley died and was buried in the English churchyard at Burford To that church he had been a liberal benefactor. His widow resides among her old friends in a comfortable house, close to the site of her old home. A son of Colonel Perley's was recently kiUed by a kick from his horse which he was tending in the stable. Others of the Colonel's offspring live ; one daughter is the wife of Mr. MacDonald, and one of a Mr. Smith, of Toronto. Robert Muir. This gentleman, for many years a Justice of the Peace for the township, and one of the first members of its Municipal CouncU, is owner of a fine property in Burford ViU^e. He is of EngUsh descent, his grandfather on the mother's side having been Major Winette of the 13th Regiment of Foot, who served with distinction in the European wars of the beginning of the present century. Mr. Muir came to Burford thirty years ago, and found Burford ViUage a group of shanties, with one store and a tavern. Having joined the mUitia, he was pro moted to the rank of captain. His example has been foUowed by several of his sons, stalwart and soldier-Uke young gentlemen, who are leading members of the Burford cavalry troop afready described. Another son is a third year student at the Provincial University, and another resides in Toronto, where he is a member of the Civil Service. Thomas Lloyd-Jones. The father of this gentleman emigrated to Canada from Denbigh, in North Wales, and having settled in Burford, died, his son being only six years old Being well educated, and gifted with much practical sagacity, the latter soon became very successful both as a farmer and otherwise. In 1879 he purchased the estate of Colonel Perley, and in 1880 buUt thereon the handsome and spacious mansion which is his present residence. This is beautifully situated at the eastern town line of Burford, near the VUlage of Bishopsgate. It is sur rounded by a park-like garden, with a grove of oak trees. Mr. Lloyd-Jones is at present Reeve of the Township of Burford, and has been for some time Lieutenant of the Burford Troop of Volunteer Cavalry, which owes not a little to his force of character and genial manners. He is also Secretary-Treasurer of the Burford Agricultural Society. Mr. Lloyd- Jones is married and has several children, all young. His estate is land of the best quaUty, valued at -8100 per acre. He is a staunch Conservative, but is none the less a most popular man in this stronghold of Liberalism, the Township of Burford. 392 history of brant county. The Landon Family. The late Stephen Landon was the first white child born in Burford His birth took place in 1797 at his father's residence, near Burford. Though but fifteen when the War of 1812 broke out, young Stephen shouldered a musket in the Burford Company of Militia commanded by Captain White and Lieutenant Jacob Yeigh. When thus engaged, he took part in the affair at Malcolm'.s Mill, elsewhere described. Mr. Landon was always a staunch Reformer, a per sonal friend of Duncombe, and when the crisis came in 1837, like many another who had fought in the Canadian Militia against an American invasion of Canada, he boldly threw in his lot with those who gathered at Scotland to support Mackenzie. He lived to a good old age, and died at his home a mile north of Bishopsgate Village, Burford. His farm is now held by his son, Mr. Stacey Landon. The Late Henry Lester. Mr. Henry Lester was one of the very earliest settlers, having come to Bur ford in 1800. He was the brother-in-law of Mr. Wooden, another old settler, whose sons and daughters are now living in Burford. Mr. Lester served as Quartermaster all through the War of 1812. He died in 1878, leaving one son. The Yeigh Family. John Yeigh, the founder of this family, came to Burford in 1800, being thus one of the very first settlers. His first location was at tlie intersection of the Norwich Road with the old London Road, which passes through the centre of Burford. Mr. Yeigh came originally from Pennsylvania, and with true American perseverance felled the woods and tilled the soil, till in a few years abundant grain harvests and a flourishing farm rewarded his efforts. There were at that time numerous hordes of the uncivilized Mohawk Indians, lately settled on the Grand River Reserve, who roamed the forest as far as Burford in their hunting expeditions. With these John Yeigh was on most friendly terms— a very desirable state of things for a pioneer settler in those parts ; for although this tribe of Indians was supposed to be friendly, their presence was looked on with dread by the few and isolated white settlers, who imagined that the Indian braves had a lax sense of the rights of property in the matter of pigs, geese and dogs ; and that these stolen dainties were often cooked at a fire made from the owner's fence fails. The Indians were always hospitably received at the Yeigh homestead, and many a time might a party of these naked and painted savages be seen cradling the wheat in the harvest fields, or at night, after such a supper as their wigwams could never provide, smoking the pipe of peace, or coiled up in their blankets asleep before the logs that blazed in the old-fashioned fireplace. In 1811 Jacob Yeigh, Mr. John Yeigh's eldest son, having married, took up his residence on the farm in Burford, where he lived and died. A year after came the War of 18 12. During this year Jacob and his brother Adam took up arms in defence of Canada, then attacked by America on the unjustifiable principle of striking a weak neighbour in order to spite a powerful enemy out burford township. 393 of reach beyond the sea. In that duel Canada, in spite of more than one reverse, held her own. Jacob Yeigh held the rank of lieutenant. So distin guished were their services that a handsome sUver medal was awarded t'nem in ^England by the authorities, but it was withheld for a time in consequence of their active participation in the rising of 1837. When, on a false report of Mackenzie's success, the Nationalists of Brant and Oxford met in arms in Oak land, the two brothers rode, weU armed, to join their ranks. One who saw the scene has stated to the present writer that the then viUage blacksmith of Bishopsgate, the predecessor of Mr. Gibson, seeing with professional acuteness that the horses were gone, and guessing they were gone where they might not return, and that the other property of a " rebel " leader would certainly be con fiscated, was much exercised concerning the payment of a few dollars due to him for blacksmithing. He went at once to demand payment from young Mrs. Yeigh, who had no ready money, but fortunately enough spare barley to satisfy this inharmonious blacksmith. After the disbandment of Duncombe's force Jacob Yeigh escaped to the United States. His brother was captured, imprisoned at Hamilton, where he suffered the most inhuman treatment, was sentenced to die, as Lount had already died, on the scaffold, and lay for weeks expecting his doom. But when the Liberal Government in England sternly rebuked the faction of which Sir Francis Bond Head was the tooL and general amnesty was forced on the FamUy Compact cUque, Yeigh was set at liberty. He returned to his home, where he Uved for some time. His son, Mr. Edmund Yeigh, inherited his estate, which he managed personaUy, residing at the old homestead in Burford. He now lives in Toronto, being attached to the Globe newspaper in a position of trust. His sister, ^liss Yeigh, resides in her father's house. Mr. Edmund Yeigh organized the Burford Infantiy Company of Volunteers, of which he was the first captain at the time of the Fenian raid on our country. The Horner Family. As being the first settler of Burford, the leading events of Thomas Horner's career have been already narrated in our sketch of the township history. It wiU have been seen that he suffeied much injustice, in the first place, from the successor of General Simcoe, who refused to confirm the grant made by that gentleman of the Township of Blenheim ; in the next place, from the unjust suspicions of the then Government of Upper Canada, who deprived Mr. Horner of his official position on the eve of the War in 1812. In both cases Thomas Horner showed a magnanimity of which inferior minds would have been incapable. He carried out the conditions of settlement, the buUding of a. mUl at his own expense, on which the land had been granted ; and so far from showing a petulant disposition to turn against the Government which had in so summary a 'inanner dismissed him from hi» official position as Deputy-Lieu tenant of the County of Oxford, he came to their aid in the critical time of Brock's march against Detroit. At last, though late in the day, Mr. Horner's services were recognized He was chosen to represent Oxford, of which at that time Burford was a part, from 1820 until his death in 1834. He held the Commission of the Peace for many years ; and to aU who have explored the 394 history of brant county. records of Burford, as Mr. Trimble has truly said, his signature to all official documents for a space extending over many years of the early period of the settlement is familiar. . In those days, magistrates often undertook one of the most pleasant duties of ministers of religion, in solemnizing marriage. Many stories are told of Mr. Homer's genial good humour when called in to act as High Priest of Hymen. The first marriage solemnized by him was that of James Smiley and Eunice Martin, in 1801. Mrs. Smiley lived to the venerable age of ninety-two, having died at her home in Brantford, in August, 1875. This township seems excep tionally favourable to longevity. Michael Showers. This representative of the earliest pioneer days of Burford was, in the truest sense of the word, a United Empire Loyalist. During the War of the American Revolution, he and his family suffered much from their " Whig " opponents, and when the latter triumphed so gloriously in achieving the independence of their country, Michael Showers, like many others of the old Tory party, found that he was not wanted in the new United States, and accordingly made his way to Nia gara, then the capital and principal settlement of Upper Canada. Here money difficulties overtook him, and face to face with destitution, he obtained, from the British Governor who then ruled what is now the Dominion of Canada, a pas sage to Quebec, and sufficient help in money. Next year he returned to Upper Canada, where, at the old Niagara Settlement, his son, Michael Showers, Junr., was born in 1798. The elder Michael Showers served in the War of 1812, holding the rank of Captain. He was a brave and judicious officer, one of those Canadians who did good service to their country during the ungenerous and ill- judged invasion to which Canada was subjected in consequence of her position, at that early time, as a colony of a foreign power. This representative of the Showers family is at present resident at Burford Village. Dr. Duncombe. This celebrated popular leader is mentioned in no history of Burford Town ship, although he was for many years a prominent resident and land-owner at Bishopsgate Village, Burford, and exercised an influence unparalleled in the annals of the township. But the time has gone by when the fear of stirring np the mud of party animosity need deter us from facing the facts of history; whatever our political attitude at th§ present day, we cannot ignore the fact that the leaders of the patriot movement of 1837 were at least single-hearted men, with hands unsoiled by " scandals ;" that they risked their lives to win for us the political rights which we now enjoy, like Ught and air, without a thought. But the younger geneijition of Canadians is beginning to read Cana dian history unbiassed by obsolete prejudices of Grit or 'Tory, and is not indis posed to honour those who first conceived the idea of Canadian Nationality. Dr. Duncombe's early career as a country physician has already been de scribed, as also his political leadership in the Legislative Assembly in the long and hopeless struggle against the Family Compact oligarchy. It has been burford township. 395 described bow a false report of Mackenzie's success caused an immediate rush to arms among the Reformers of the two Counties of Brant and Oxford ; how the patriot volunteers gathered at Duncombe's summons at the ViUage of Scotland ; and how, when two days later the true state of things at Montgomery's Farm became known, Duncombe insisted on disbandment. In this he was opposed by Sackrider, a veteran of long^experience in the War of 1812, who pro posed a plan which, if carried out, might have given serious trouble to Sir Francis Bond Head This was to withdraw in full force to the pine woods which then covered the southern portion of Burford, and there make a stand against Colonel MacNab's miUtiamen. They would have had a base of operations, for the whole country around them was full of patriot sympathizers ; provisions and supplies of aU kind could have been easily obtained ; and composed as Duncombe's little army was of brave determined men — not the dregs of a town population like those who in European cities fight for the sake of excitement and under the banner of poUtical chimeras, but sober, earnest farmers who risked much more than mere Ufe, and who fought for the same liberties which animated CromweU's Ironsides — it seems quite pos sible that the patriots might have held their own under the Burford pines. Had they done so for three weeks, two-thirds of the farmers of Upper Canada would have risen to support them. But Duncombe, like O ConneU in a simUar crisis had a horror of bloodshed which unfitted him for military leadership. The force was disbanded. MacNab and his " men of Gore " foUowed close on their tracks to Scotland, and the " terror " began. For a month Duncombe lay concealed at the house of his sister, Mrs. Shennick, a few mUes from London. The story of his escape has never yet been told to the public. The present writer is able to give it from the statement of the gentleman who, by his intrepidity and knowledge of the western part of the Ontario frontier, aided an escape which recalls those of some of Scott's Jacobite heroes a century before. Charles TUden, uncle of Dr. Hagel of Toronto, was, with several of the Hagel family among the Scotland insurgents. Living near Amherstburgh, he happened to be speciaUy weU acquainted with the entire western frontier, and noticed that ^though' Sir Francis Head's agents had placed guards aU along the line to prevent the escape of " rebels," now that a month had passed from the first excitement, the vigilance wa.s much relaxed TUden went to see Duncombe, who, in the depth of winter (January, 1838, was a specially cold season), was kept hid in a hay-loft, and supplied with food by stealth by those who left the house as if to feed the cattle. Tilden urged him to attempt escape disguised as a woman, which Duncombe's smooth round face rendered possible enough. The attempt was dangerous ; a reward had been offered for his head, and all over the country the noble savages of the Grand River Reserve were on the lookout for his scalp and the blood-money it would bring. They left the house next day in an old-fashioned farmer's box sleigh. Tilden drove, Mrs. Shennick and Duncombe sat side by side, the latter disguised as an elderly farmer's wffe. Mrs. Shenuick's little girl, a child of nine, was taught to address him as " auntie." All day they drove along without molestation ; at night they stopped at a country hotel, where there not being sufficient accommodation, Charles TUden had to sleep with one of the hotel-keeper's boys, while the three " womankind " had a room to themselves. Unable to sleep from the excite- 396 history of brant county. ment of his position, Dr. Duncombe sat up all night. At early dawn they drove away breakfastless, and arrived after several hours' drive at the crossing place, which was at a village opposite what is now Marine City, Michigan. They drove into the yard of a tavern where were the soldiers of a party in command of a sergeant, posted there to watch the crossing place, and if pos sible arrest the " rebel " chief. Very calmly Tilden watered his horses, and then addressing the sergeant in command as "Captain," asked if the ice was safe and if he would kindly send one of his men to guide them to the right track. The sergeant asked whence he came. Tilden replied, truly enough, that he came from London, and was going with his aunt and mother to visit some friends, whose names he mentioned, on the opposite coast of Michigan. The sergeant ordered one of his men to accompany them across the ice. When they had got half way across the river, the young soldier said that they could easily find their way for the rest of the track, and was about to leave them. Dr. Duncombe handed Charles Tilden fifty cents for the soldier, and while the latter was thanking them, felt very much inclined to send Dr. Duncombe's compliments to the sergeant who had furnished them with a guide, but refrained lest he should spoil the chance of some other unfortunate who might try the same stratagem for evading the blood-hounds of the Family Compact Government. In a few minutes he stood " a free man on a free soil." They entered a store to buy some food for Mrs. Shenuick's little girl, and Duncombe, now careless of preserving his feminine demeanour, soon attracted attention. When it became known that this was the Canadian republican. Dr. Duncombe, a crowd gathered, and with characteristic American humour insisted on Dr. Dun combe making a speech in his woman's dress. Thus he escaped capture, which in those days would have been certain death. A long and prosperous career in the States lay before him. He was of course included in the general amnesty, and his Burford property was restored to him. Charles Tilden's son lives in possession of a farm of two hundred acres which Dr. Duncombe deeded to him as an acknowledgment of his father's generous friendship. OAKLANT) township. 397 OAKLAND TOWNSHIP. Organization. This township, which is in shape almost a right-angled triangle, was origin ally known as the " Townsend Gore," but was afterwards attached to Burford, and then called " Burford Gore." It was surveyed, in 1796, by Deputy-Sur veyor Thomas Walsh, as an appendage to the Township of Townsend By Act 38 George III., chap. 5, section 34, 1798, which came in force January 1, 1800, it is enacted " that the triangular tract of land called Town- send Gore be added to and become part of the Township of Burford." Again, by Act 2 George IV., chap. 3, section 11, 1821, it is further enacted " that the gore of land attached to the Township of Burford be formed into a separate and distinct township by the name of the Township of Oakland." The name " Oakland" was suggested by a ridge of oak trees running through the township, and which has almost entirely vanished beneath the inexorable axe of the woodman. W. C. Trimble, in " Brant County History," 1875, says the name " Oakland" was given on the township becoming a municipality of the County of Brant. Now, as by Act 38 (1798), above quoted, this " triangu lar tract of land" became a component part of the Township of Burford, and as, again by the same Act, the Townships of Burford, Norwich, Dereham, Oxford on the Thames, Blandford and Blenheim, constituted the County of Oxford, and as by the same Act it was further provided " that the Counties of Norfolk, Oxford and Middlesex, with as much of this Province as lies to the westward of the Home District and the District of Niagara, to the southward of Lake Huron, and between them and a line drawn due north from a fixed boundary (where the easternmost limit of Oxford intersects the River Thames) tUl it arrives at Lake Huron, do constitute and form the London District," so Oakland formed part of the County of Oxford, in the London District, and remained so until the reconstruction of that county in 1851. Oakland having now become a component part of the County of Oxford, it may not be irrelevant to the intrinsicaUty of this history to give a short sketch of the vicissitudes attending the execution of municipal and judicial govern ment in the early days, as far as relates to that county. From the year 1800 tiU 1803, the courts were held in the house of James Mianro, in the Township of Charlotteville. In 1804 they were removed to the house of Job Lodor, inn keeper at Turkey Point, an original Government reservation, selected by Governor Simcoe for a town and garrison, and where a town had been laid out by order of the Government. The courts were continued to be held at Lodor's inn, untU a log Gaol and a two-story framed Court House were erected near the same place, at the expense of the district, by Job Lodor, contractor. The first story of this buUding was used as a court room, while the second 398 history of brant county. was divided off with rough boards for jury rooms. Here Justice held her scales until it became necessary to appropriate the building to the use of troops during the War of 1812 and two following years. The names of the Judges who attended these courts were Powell and AUcock. They always came by water, and were often detained en route by stormy weather. James Bostwick was Sheriff, and Job Lodor Gaoler. The first poor wretch condemned to the gallows was a negro, for burning down a store at Culver's place, Woodhouse, about two miles south of the present Town of Simcoe. In accordance with 55 Geo. III., chap. 9, 1815, the Courts were removed from Turkey Point to the Village of Vittoria, where they were held first at the residence of Thomas Finch, and then at that of Matthias Steel, until the brick Court House was completed at Vittoria, about the year 1822. This structure was accidentally burnt down in November, 1825, necessitating a resort again to private houses in Vittoria, and subsequently at St. Thomas, until a temporary Court House was erected in London. They were then held in such temporary building until the present permanent one in that city was completed in 1826. In 1837, by Act 7 WiUiam IV., chap 30, it is enacted " that so soon as it shall be ascertained that a good and sufficient Gaol and Court House shall have been erected in the Town of Woodstock for the security of the prisoners and the accommodation of the Courts, it shall be lawful for the Governor- General to declare, by proclamation, the Townships of Zorra, Nissouri, Blandford, Blenheim, the Oxfords, Burford, Oakland, Norwich and Dereham, and the Town of Woodstock, a separate and distinct district by the name of the District of Brock." The proclamation promulgating this Act was issued November 30th, 1839, and the first court for the district was held at the Town of Woodstock in April, 1840. In 1845 the County of Oxford was by enactment composed of the Townships of Bland ford, Blenheim, Burford, Dereham, Nissouri, Norwich, Oakland, East Oxford, North Oxford, West Oxford, East Zorra and West Zorra, and all of these town ships were attached to the London District. In 1849, by Act 12 Vic, chap. 78, districts were abolished and counties substituted, coming into force on 1st January, 1850. At this date, by virtue of the Act, the Township of Oakland was set apart for municipal purposes, and its first Council met on the 21st January, same year, at Isaac B. Malcolm's inn, at what is now known as the Village of Oakland. The names of the first Township Councillors were : Eliakim Malcolm, Reeve ; James Malcolm, John Eddy, Charles Chapin, and Wellington McAllister, only two of whom are now living, namely, John Eddy and Wellington McAllister. The late John Toyne acted as Township Clerk. By an Act passed on the 2nd August, 1851 (14 & 15 Vic, chap. 5), to make certain alterations in the territorial divisions of Upper Canada for judicial, municipal and other purposes, it was provided that from and after the 1st January, 1852, Upper Cand,da should be divided into certain counties, and that the County of Brant should consist of the Townships of Brantford, Onondaga, Tuscarora, Oakland, South Dumfries and Burford, and the Village of Paris. Oakland has now been traced to its present position on the map of the County of Brant, where it is discovered as the smallest of the townships, and occupying the centre of the south part, being bounded on the north and east by the Township of Brantford, on the west by the Township of Burford, and Norman Hamilton OAKLAND township. 401 on the south by the Township of Townsend, County of Norfolk. Taxes were payable in London, about sixty-five mUes distant, at one time ; and, about the year 1821, the voting for general elections necessitated two days' travel over terribly bad roads. As the voters had to camp out, they carried their provisions with them. For a long time there was no money in circulation in the town ship, and the only way of getting it readily was by taking farm produce to the distilleries, trading it off for whiskey, and then taking the whiskey to Niagara, HamUton op Toronto, &c., and selling it for cash. 'There was not a great deal of grain raised even in 1837, and the first money paid for wheat, nearer than HamUton, appears to have been by one Jackson, in Brantford, who aUowed fifty cents per bushel, the same price as paid in Hamilton. Old-fashioned wooden ploughs were the only agricultural implements in use tiU a cast-iron plough was introduced into the township in 1823. About sixty years ago, and for some time afterwards, there were three cUstiUeries, two in the township and one on the borders of Oakland and Burford Townships, and until about the year 1836 there was no store of any kind in the township, the nearest being at Mount Pleasant. In 1817 a cow was worth twenty-five doUars, a sheep or an acre of land two dollars and a half. Thus, in those days a sheep could purchase an acre of land. In 1815 land was sold at about fifty cents an acre, and in 1817 it had only increased to two dollars and a half, while in 1851 it may be stated as having been sold at from six to ten dollars per acre. The area of Oakland Town^ip is 10,235 acres of excellent land, studded with fine, prosperous and weU-fenced farms, on which are erected substantial and com fortable dwelling-houses, bams, &c. The undulating character of the profile of this township is a distinguishing trait in its topography, while the nature of its weU cultivated soU asserts its claims to unbounded fertility in the production of wheat and other cereals, as well as stock-raising. A graveUed road, leading from Brantford by way of Mount Pleasant VUlage, provides an exceUent high way to the chief centre of the county. It traverses the township through the Village of Oakland, and strikes the Burford town hue at Scotland. Another gravelled thoroughfare runs across the east end, known as Cockshutt's Road. These highways are the only arteries for travel, as no line of raUway touches the township at any point. The only stream is that known as Malcolm's Creek, and its tributaries, the main stream of which has its source in the swamps that Ue to the northward. This creek runs south tUl it purveys to the milling industries of Scotland, when it assumes a slight deflection eastward, and after extending its privileges to the ViUage of Oakland, leaves the town ship a few mUes west of the " Indian line." 'The tributaries are in.significant, although in their aggregate they add no inconsiderable quota to the main stream. There are mUl-dams or ponds at necessary points, most notable among which is the " Malcolm's MUl-pond " at the VUlage of Oakland. Here, early on a Sunday morning in the year 1814, the American General, McArthur, with over a thousand mounted riflemen, caused some hundred of brave local miUtiamen to beat a hasty retreat. History records how the commanding officers of the Canadian forces, perhaps with commendable zeal in their efforts to excute a masterly flank movement, plunged with their war horses into the pond itseff, and were with difficulty rescued through the energetic exertions of their subalterns ; and history further hands 24 402 history of brant county. down to posterity the casualties in this contest in killed, wounded and missing as — one man ! The Americans on this occasion burned down Malcolm's Mill before leaving, and having fired the mUls at Waterford, magnanimously left the Province by way of Long Point, without gobbling up the whole country. Although differences of opinion exist as to who were the first pioneers to settle in'this township, still it is generally conceded that the antecedents of some of the Malcolm families, who form in themselves a little colony in the southern portion of the township, were at least among the very earliest of the hardy adventurers to undertake the task of clearing the forest and subduing the soil. Among those of the early pioneers and settlers still surviving may be mentioned Malcolm Brown, Squire William Thomson, John Eddy, M. H. Baldwin, Geo. Cunningham, Richard Oowles, Angus Campbell, Samuel Thomson, Hiram Westbrook, Jonathan Plowman, Wellington McAllister, Francis Fairchild and Matthew Megsecar. The first physician in the township appears to have been Dr. Pomeroy, followed by Dr. David Duncombe. The first post office must have been in the neighbourhood of 1 840. Since the erection of the county thirty-one Reeves have been elected to represent the township at the County Council. A list of these will be found under the heading of " County." The Township Hall, which is of white brick, was built in the year 1855 at a cost of $2,400, and is placed on probably the highest piece of ground in the township, and can be seen for many miles round. The Township Clerks of the past were as follows : John Toyne, appointed at date of organization of the township, 1850, resigned 1st January, 1864 ; Wm. Vivian, appointed 1st Jan uary, 1864, resigned 29tli August, 1873 ; 0. H. Lawrence, appointed 29th August, 1873, died October, 1880 ; Wm. Thompson, Senr., appointed 18th October, 1880, to fill vacancy during balance of the j^ear. Henry Key, the present incumbent, was appointed 17th January, 1881. Census. The census of this township for the three past decades, as given below, shows an apparent discrepancy not explainable here, or else affords evidence of a decrease in the population. The figures of the census for the years 1852 and 1861 are taken from indirect official sources, those for 1871 and 1881 from direct official returns. For 1852 the population was 840; 1861, 1087; 1871, 1104; 1881,939. The population in 1881 is divided into the following religious denominations; Baptists, 210 ; Catholics, 37 ; Church of England, 52 ; Congregationalists, 162 ; Methodists (all kinds), 443 ; Presbyterians, 30 ; Quakers, 5. Total, 939. The latest official returns relating to the soil, climate, typographical features, cultivable area and products of, and the progress and condition of husbandry in this township, will be found under the head of " County." There are only two villages in the township, the largest of which is Scotland, Situated on the town line of Burford and Oakland, on a gravelly elevation, com manding a tolerably extensive view, and resting partly in each of those town- OAKT.ANTt TOWNSHIP. 403 ships. It is eleven miles from Brantford, fourteen from Paris, and two west of Oakland Village, and has a thri^'ing population numbering about four hundred. The village was laid out by Ehakim Malcolm, who also surveyed it. The post office, with Henry Lyman as first Postmaster, was established in 1855. Charles Eddy opened the first store in 1836, and Horace Foster the first hotel in 1830. George Malcolm buUt the first grist-mill in 1861, and Eliakim ilal- colm erected the first saw-miU in 1848. Malcolm's Creek runs through a por tion of the viUage, and affords exceUent water-power where required to the several industries, which consist of a wooUen mUl, grist-miU, tannery, cooperage, stave factory, fotmdiy, waggon and carriage works, carriage and buggy works, three general stores, and ten or t%velye other occupations. There Ure also two medical men, J. R. Malcolm, M.D. , F.R.C..S.,and E. W. Tegart, MD., and one at torney, Y. H. Malcolm. Not to be behind in Uterary attainments, the " clachan " boasts of a semi-weekly amateur paper published by A. E. Eddy, under the title of The Scotland. Amateu/r Jov/rnal. Mayhap this modest but -aspiring httle sheet may yet prove itself a nucleus of some future day bulwark of " people's rights," and assert its position among the linguistic heroes that have proven for ages past, and will yet herald forth for ages to come, the legend " The pen is mightier than the sword" , The Woollen "Mill of ilarcus Malcolm & Son was estabUshed by the senior member of the firm in 1865, with a capital of .S5,000.00 It was run as a cus tom mill until 1880, when the business was changed into the manufacturing of flannels and blankets for the wholesale trade exclusively. It is a one set mill, has eleven looms, five narrow and six broad, and gives employment to twenty- five hands. Both steam and water-power are used and an average of three hundred pairs of "shanty" blankets for the North-West, and eight hundred yards of flannel, are weeldy turned out The Tannery owned by Robert GiUespie,and established twenty years ago, is said to be the best west of Toronto. From nine hundred to one thousand dollars' worth of hides are converted into leather annuaUy. The Malcolm Cooperage and Starch Factory, with Mr. Eddy as proprietor, the Foundry and Telephone Plough Works, owned by H. F. Malcolm & W. E. Hooker, the Waggon and Carriage Works of George PhUlips, and the Carriage and Buggy Factory of Albert Hooker, are aU in a most thriving and healthy condition, each affording employment to a large number of industrious and eco nomical artisans. The general storekeepers are : John A. Eddy, Postmaster ; E G. Malcolm, Telegiaph Office ; Charles Van Dusen. The village " smithy " is weU represented in the persons of Charles Stewart and Samuel Hunter & James Hagennan, the two latter being in partnership. In fency wood-turning and designing John Taylor may be said to excel, while Foster Brothers are engaged in an extensive cabinet-making business. The two hotels in the village, both on the Oakland side of the town Une, are the Commercial, kept by George HaU, and the Jackson House, of which EUakim Malcolm is landlord A grist-mill, for many j'ears carried on by Dr. Malcolm, was converted some two years ago into a foundry for the manufacture of ploughs mainly, and before referred to in this sketch. On the 25th July, 1868, a boiler explosion in this miU created much havoc and no little excitement. Classes of iron, weighing in some instances 150 pounds, were hurled to immense 404 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. distances, and the engine itself was lifted away for some thirty feet. No lives were lost, although Dr. Malcolm and the engineer had very narrow, in fact, almost miraculous escapes. The first store in the village was opened by Henry Toyne. It was frame built, and stood on the Oakland side of the town line. A fire destroyed it about the year ] 880, after having been used as a private resi dence for some years by Henry Lyman, but was immediately rebuilt. Some sixty years ago there was a carding mill in Scotland, carried on by the father of Finlay Malcolm. The first village school house, one of a very primitive style of architecture, had been for some time back occupied as a blacksmith's shop by one Thomas Whelan, a transition not unsuggestive of the moulding the young minds into channels of learning to forging the crude metal into imple ments of industry — from the dominie, with spectacles on nose, looking for " The whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school, " to " The smith, a mighty man is he. With large and sinewy hands ; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands." This old school house was recently torn down, and it now mingles with the dust of ages. The earliest tavern is said to have been kept by Finlay Malcolm, father of the present Eliakim Malcolm, and was from sixty to seventy years ago the only one in Oakland Township. , Churches. There are two churches in this village, Congregational and Baptist, the former being situated on the Burford and the latter on the Oakland side of the line. The Congregational Church was organised in the year 1835 by the Rev. James Hall, a minister sent out to Canada by the Colonial Missionary Society, in connection with the Congregational Union of England and Wales. Among the original members were Justus Smith, James Oswald, Quartus Smith, Levi Steinhoff, Mrs. J. Smith, Mrs. Finlay Malcolm, Robt. EUiott, Joseph Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Slumand Bingham, Mrs. Samantha Malcolm, John Kelly, Mrs. S. D. Malcolm, Augustus Malcolm, Mrs. A. Malcolm, Mrs. Geo. W. Bungay and J. Marlatt. Rev. James Hall, the first pastor, resigned his charge in 1843. He is said to be the first clergyman of any denomination in Oakland Township. He held divine service for some time in the old school house in Scotland, already referred to. The Rev. W. F. Clark was installed in his place on Oct. 14th, 1844. He removed in the spring of 1846, and the Rev. W. H All worth offi ciated as a temporary supply, during the following winter. The Rev. Wm. Hay, a student from the Congregational College at 'Toronto, was then called to the pa,storate, on 13th of October, 1847 ; was ordained, and entered upon his minis terial duties on the 19th January, 1848. His pastorate stiU continues over this and the Burford congregation, the largest of this denomination in Ontario. The first Deacons of the church are dead, viz. : James Oswald, Levi Steinhoff, John M. Marlatt, Justus Smith, Chas. Chapin aud Robert Eadie. The acting Deacon OAKLAND TOWNSHIP. 405 are Augustus Malcolm and Alonzo Foster. At the date of Eev. Mr. Hay's caU to the pastorate there was no church building, but the members, who numbered some thirty, were in the habit of assembUng in a school house. The present church buUding, which is situated on the Burford side of the line, on the top of a rising piece of ground.'was erected or rather finished in 1850. Its seating capacity, with gaUery, is 250. In the tower is a good bell, and in the choir a pipe organ. In 1856, a number of the members turned off and formed a church at Kelvin, Burford Township, which is now in charge of Rev. C. S. Pedlej-. The present membership numbers 142. The Sunday school has ten teachers and about one hundred scholars. This was the third or fourth building for wor ship in the county. The minister in charge has resided thirty-two years in the house adjoining the church, and during that period has married 317 couples. The Baptist Church, a frame building erected in 1849, on the Oakland side of the Une, has a seating capacity of 350, with a membership numbering some 120. The Rev. Tt L. Hyde is the present pastor, and is supported by six Deacons. The Sunday school, under the superintendence of J. B. Merritt, has seven teachers with seventy scholars, and holds fifty-two sessions. Secret and other Societee.s. As far back as 1835, a temperance organization seems to have existed in Scotland, and has been progressing ever since. Masonic. — Scotland Lodge No. 193, Grand Lodge of Canada, was organized July 11th, 1867, and originated from a number of members of a Burford lodge, among whom were Fred. ^Mudge, T. 0. Prowse, Marcus IMalcolm, Chas. Whitney, Rev. Wm. Hay, Dr. McLinn and W. S. Walker. Mr. Fred. Mudge was the first W. M. The lodge meets in a hall over the school room. The present officers are : Rev. Wm. Hay, T. P. iL; Lewis Winegarden, W. :M; Albert Foster, S. W.; James Hagerman, J. W. ; Marcus Malcolm, Secretary; Joseph D. Eddy, Treas.; James A. Smith, Nathan Gordon, Deacons ; R. Durham, Tyler. The Rev. Wm. Hay was Grand Chaplain in 1880. A Masonic lodge existed in Scotland in 1839, but does not appear to have existed long. Canadian Ordjer of Foresters No. 4A, Village of Scotland, meets last Saturday of each month in Foster's Hall. This court was organized 13th March, 1880, and was instituted by D. D. H. C. R. Bro. Whale, of Waterford, assisted by other brothers from Waterford There are fifteen charter members, viz.: Joshua Goodwin, Eliakim Malcolm, Marcus Malcolm, WiUiam M. Boughner, WiUiam Foster, WiUiam I. Winegarden, WiUiam McCoombs, Thomas Smith, Abdul E. Eddy, James W. Renwick, William R. Hall, Isaac Stenebaugh, Morgan SUver- thom, James Lindsay and Walter E. Hooker. The present principal officers are : Walter E. Hooker, Chief Ranger ; Eliakim Malcolm, Secretary ; William M Boughner, Financial Secretary ; WiUiam Foster, Treasurer. Scotland Lodge, No. 64, A. 0. U. Workmen, was organized on AprU 15th, 1880, under charter. It was instituted by G. R. Pennington, D. G. M. W., and the original, or charter members, were : Abram Homing, P.MW.; Wm. Foster, M.W.; James Bawtinhimer, Foreman ; John W. Vivian, Overseer ; Horace F. Malcolm, Recorder ; J. R. Malcolm, ]\LD., Financier ; Truman Messecar, 406 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Receiver ; Thomas Waugh, Guide ; Robert Nobbs, I.W.; George Bater, O.W. Thomas Waugh, John Waugh and Abram Horning, Trastees. Above named held office until January 1st, 1882, when the foUowing were elected : Abram Horning, M. W.; Wm. Devlin, Foreman ; George Robinson, Overseer ; H. F. Malcolm, Financier ; George Burtch, Guide ; Thomas Waugh, Watchman. The Scotland Amateur Brass Band, consisting of fourteen members of good standing, was organized on the 14th of June, 1875, and was instituted by J. B. Martin. The original members were A. T. Pollard, J. Martin, Charies Stewart, J. Stewart, R. B. Stewart, — Anderson, — Messecar, Wesley Taylor, J. Hamilton Malcolm, Walt E. Malcolm, with J. B. Malcolm as leader. At this time it was called the Good Templars' Band, and was reorganized on the 16th October, 1876, by Professor Alexander Johnson, late of H M. 78th Regi ment of Highlanders, who is the present conductor. It has some thirteen members, who are handsomely uniformed. The present officers are : Marcus Malcolm, President; W. M.- Boughner, Secretary; and Charles Stewart, Treas urer. Settlement. The date of earliest legitimate settlement may be traced back as far as the latter end of the last century, and thei-e seems to be little doubt but that Finlay Malcolm was among the very first to brave the hardships endured in carving out a future home on the spot that is now a thriving and happy com munity. Indeed, Isaac Winegarden, who was born in Scotland ViUage in 1820, and whose father came to the township in 1812, avers that he can remember only Finlay Malcolm as a man of any consequence living during his boyhood days. The inhabitants of Scotland and neighbourhood may be said to be generally descendants of Canadians and Anierican immigrants, with a sprinkUng of the mother country element. The first settlers, in memory of the native land of many of them, the land of the mountain and the flood, gave the name to the village by which it wiU ever be known. Esto perpetual Oakland Village Is situated in the southern section of the township, about one mile from the county line of Norfolk. It is nine mUes distant from Brantford, two east of Scotland Village, and has a population of about two hundred. Malcolm's Creek, which runs through the village, provides ample water-power. Oakland was laid out in 1810 by Surveyor Thomas Walsh ; but it cannot be said to have advanced in growth in the same ratio as most of its contemporaries ; indeed, some of the old pioneers who came into the township over sixty years ago declare that there were in those days nearly as maqy houses in Oakland ViUage as there are now. The cause of this is not very apparent, as industry and thrift have ever been exceptional characteristics of every portion of that community. The beauty of the surrounding landscape, however, amply recompenses any such desideratum. The village, when in summer sunshine clad, and reposing in the bosom of encircling hills, looks as if it were but nest ling in the valley fondly seeking for nothing more ambitious than quiet peace and the poetic charms of solitude, whilst the babbling brook, like the swell of OAKLAND TOWN.SHIP. 407 some sweet tune, with many merry sallies and dancing onward on its way, seems to re-echo, in tran.iitu, the lines of Tennyson : "For men may come, and men may go. But I go on for ever." Oakland Post Office was estabUshed in 1840, with John Toyne as first Post master, who also opened the first store in company with the late WiUiam Muirhead and Henry Lyman, in the year 1836. On the death of Mr. Toyne, his widow succeeded as Postruistress, which office she held untU a year or two ago, when she was succeeded by the present Postmaster, Geo. Taylor. The first grist-mUl was built in 1806 by F. & J. Malcolm, who also erected a saw -null in 1807. The vUlage contains the following mUIs, factories, stores, etc. : Grist-mUl, owned by Charles Vivian, has a four stone run with a capacity of 200 bushels per day. Cheese factory, established in 1874 by WUUam ^Martin, produces on an average 72 cheese per week, each weighing sixty-five pounds. Saw-miU, owned by T. W. Shavelear & John Franklin. MUford MiU, about two miles east, owned by Horace Wright, has a cider mUl in connection, and both do an extensive business. There are also three general stores, one shoe maker, one harness-maker, one taUor, one painter, one carpenter, two black smiths, two millwrights, and one hotel. Squire Thomson, who came into the township in 1821, carried on the first blacksmith shop in the viUage some sixty years ago. At that time there existed a grist-mill, Finlay & John Malcolm proprietors, a saw-mill, owned also by F. & .J. Malcolm, and at MUford were a grist-mill and saw-miU, both carried on by J. Lodor, a^ weU as a carding miU, run by Henry Gates. The two churches in Oakland Village are the Methodist Episcopal, which was first organized about the year 1834, the building itself having been erected in 1849. It is of framework, and capable of seating three hundred and fifty. Among the earliest pastors of this church were the Revs. Francis Bird, WiUiam Bird, Zachariah 'Taylor, D. Griffin, and Salsbury. Moses Baldwin was the first class-leader, and among the earliest members were Moses Baldwin, Mr. and Mrs. Mordecai Westbrook, Mr. and ilrs. John Malcolm, Mr. and Mrs. James BaUy, and Mr. and ilrs. Charles Bames. The present officers are : the Rev. Thomas Athloe, preacher in charge ; Byron Laing, assistant ; George Brad.shaw, M. H. Baldwin, Thomas MiUs, Mordecai West brook, William Waugh, WUUam McEwan and HamUton Burtch, Trustees. The Canadian Methodist is also a frame buUding, erected in 1857, at a cost of about 81,200. It has a seating capacity of 350, wdth a membership of nearly 100. The pastorate is filled by supply. A Uttle school house was buUt in the vUlage, shortly after the year 1823, in which was placed a sort of pulpit, from which a Mr. Brining, Presbyterian clergyman, held forth to his flock on the Sabbath. This reverend gentleman died some few years after above date, in Mount Pleasant, Brantford Township. The first school teacher is said to have been a Mr. Gough, and this school is by some supposed to have been the first in the township, although one may have existed in Scotland ViUage at about the same period. In 1835 the first Baptist Church was organized in Oakland ViUage, with the Rev. Mr. Harris as pastor. The congregation met n a school house a little tq.the east of the village. This denomination, about the"year 1847, again formed themselves into a body for public worship, with 408 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. the Rev. Mr. Babcock as pastor, but they finaUy merged into the organization formed at Scotland Village. The old cemetery in the vUlage has been in use since the first settlement of the township, and is the only one, save perhaps " Fairchild's burying-gfound," now closed, which is a little further north. Full many a weather-worn tablet in this city of the dead marks the spot where " The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep." Rebellion in 1837. Complaints, as early as the beginning of this century, regarding the working of the Constitutional Act of 1791, had been from time to time, and like the low threatening murmurings of a pent-up volcano, giving voice to a spirit of unqualified dissatisfaction, which ultimately culminated in the so-called " Re bellion of 1837." This same Act of 1791 sought to provide for the maintenance of a Protestant clergy of both Upper and Lower Canada, by setting apart a large extent of wild lands, consisting of two million five hundred thousand acres. This was known as the " Clergy Reserves," and against such act of legis lation three objections were raised, principal of which were, that the Executive Council interpreted the spirit of the Act to mean that these lands should be for the support of the Church of England only, and that the manner in which the reserves were selected — they being surveyed from every seventh lot — prevented the formation of connected settlements, necessary for making and keeping roads in repair. Another source of complaint was the Government retaining what were called " Crown Lands ;" and yet another, the " Family Compact," a monopolizing institution that gave all the chief offices of Government to the members of a few families in each Province. These then, and other abuses of the people's rights, precipitated the Rebellion, in which William Lyon Mac kenzie may be said to have been the prime motor in Upper Canada, and Louis Papineau and Dr. Wolfred Nelson in Lower Canada. This spirit of discontent permeated almost every every corner of the Province, and in no place did it take deeper root than in the Township of Oakland, particularly the southern portion of it. Previous to 1837 several public meetings were called at Oak land VUlage, for the purpose of entering a protest, and expressing a determi nation to pay no taxes until such time as existing grievances should be redresssed. Squire Thomson, it is related, was the only one to oppose the mea sures brought before the first meeting, which was, at his request, adjourned for one week. At the second meeting John Malcolm and Asa Secord were enlisted over to the side of Squire Thomson, and still a further adjournment was obtained. Shortly afterwards, however, a gathering was held in Scotland Vil lage, of from two to three hundred raw recruits, fully officered and equipped for a campaign, and an advance on, and if possible capture of, the Town of Brantford. On learning of the disastrous termination of Mackenzie's action at Montgomery's Farm, near Toronto, and being made acquainted with the fact that militia was approaching, the Scotland patriots quietly dispersed. This insurrection may have been a disloyal and illegal act, but it had the virtue of proving to the Government that the rights of the people were not to be trampled on with impunity, and that the end justified the means, for the causes of all this contention were ultimately removed. ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 409 ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP nr Jobs Biseoui, Sesb., Eaa. To write the history of a single township may to some appear a matter of smaU moment, while others would consider a record of the local events of the past very desirable. How are the many legends, names and memories which enshrine the deeds of our pioneer settlers and friends to be preserved but in such a history ? Who is there that would not be pleased to look upon, or have his children examine, the pages of a book in which are recorded the events of his early days and the cherished associations of departed friends .? And how should strangers settling in a township so readily obtain a knowledge of its affairs as through the medium of such local pubUcation ? Many historical facts of vital importance to our people are now living only in the memories of a few of our early settlers who are fast nearing the evening of life, whose race will soon be run; and after they have passed from among us, these facts will be buried in the obUvion of the past unless rescued now by the pages of history. The object, therefore, of the foUowing pages is to presene for the people of Onondaga Township a lasting record of these facts : and although the full importance of the step may not be realized by the most advanced in years of the present generation, their chUdren and their children's chUdren wUl yet fuUy appreciate the value of this work, which alone retains for them an account of the customs and early days of thefr ancestors, and the country they reclaimed from its primeval wUdemess, over which the untamed Indian had for ages held dominion. The Indians. It is by many supposed that the first actual owners of the lands now form ing the 'Township of Onondaga were the Six Nation Indians, and if common justice had been done them such surmise would have been correct. The facts are, that at the close of the Revolutionary War an arrangement was entered into between the Mohawk Indians and the British Government by which the latter should have assigned to them a tract of land on the Grand River (then caUed the Ouse), comprehending six miles on either side of the stream from the mouth to the source. This tract, which contains some of the most fertUe land in the Province, was formally conveyed to them by an instrument under Governor Haldimand's hand and seal, in which it was stipulated that they should " possess and enjoy " it forever. The Indians, unversed in technicalities, supposed they had an absolute and indefeasible estate in the lands, but they were sadly mistaken. Governor Haldimand's conveyance did not pass the fee, which could only be effected by a Crown patent under the Great Seal It was a great wrong to thus impose upon the too credulous Indian, and a poor reward 410 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. for their loyalty and fidelity to the British Crown in the momentous events which preceded ; and it was not long in working its own evils, as succeeding events in this chapter will demonstrate. It probably would not be amiss to relate here, that in the year 1833, the Reservation was visited by Sir John Colborne, the Governor of Upper Canada,. with the design of having a conference with the Indians. He was accompanied by Lady Colborne, his two sons and an A. D. C. The party were the guests of the Rev. Canon Nelles, of the Tuscarora Mission, and stayed with him over two nights. They came via Ancaster Village on horseback, having only the Indian trail to guide them through the wilderness. WhUe here Governor Colborne called the chiefs of the Indians together, and held a council with them concerning their spiritual 'as well as temporal welfare, and on leaving presented them with $200 to assist them in erecting a saw-mill, of which more will be said hereafter. Onondaga Township took its name from the Onondaga tribe of the Six Nations, their principal settlement being in the eastern part of the township. Other tribes were located in various parts of the township and on its borders, among whom were the Oneidas. In the north-western end there was a settle ment known as the Upper Cayugas, which extended into Brantford Township at CainsvUle, where they had a viUage and burial place. The Mohawks were located in the River Bend, where they had some well tilled farms. Here the Wesleyan Methodists established a Mission Church and school in 1822, under the superintendence of Rev. Alvin Torrey. Along the banks of Fairchfld's- Creek, on the farms of Joseph Charlton and John Hartley, are the remains of what was known as the Kick's Settlement. It was located on the old Whiting and River Roads, where to-day can be seen the remains of some old orchards,. and several chimney-places which belonged to their dwellings. An Indian burying-ground was also in the immediate vicinity. The territory between the mouth of Fafrchild's Creek and Middleport was occupied principaUy by the Tuscaroras. A Mission Church and school was established by the Church of England about a mile below Onondaga Village, under the charge of Rev. Robert Luggar, about 1827 or 1828, and was uniformly maintained untU about five years ago, when it was closed. The Onondagas were located further down. the river, their settlement extending a. mile below the ViUage of Caledonia,. Haldimand County. They were chiefiy pagan. The New England Company buUt a school house for them a little below the county line, but the pagan was too deeply inherent in the breast of the dusky dweller of the forest for either •education or Christianity to obtain a foothold, and the school was comparatively a failure. These pagans had a place of worship on the Hagar farm, Middleport, where they were wont to indulge their peculiar customs. It was many years- ago removed to the opposite side of the river, where every season after harvest may be seen the remains of their barbarous festival. 'The Six Nations formerly held their councils in this township, in a building called the " Long House," until the surrender of that part of the reservation ; it was located on the farm now owned and occupied by Mrs. Mary Dee, daugh ter of Peter Smith, a prominent Indian in his day, and wife of F. 0. Dee, near • Middleport. Subsequently they for some time held their councils in a hall at Middleport, until a proper edifice for that purpose was built in the Tuscarora Reservation. ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 411 The region along the Grand River shows indications of having been long the home of the Indian. ReHcs of great antiqtuty are frequently found on the reservation, and on various farms in the township. They comprise mainly old pipes, pottery and arrow-heads, many of which are in the possession of residents of the township. For a period of about ten years prior to 1841, the Indians experienced the foU force of the iniquities the defective title to the lands they occupied entaUed. When the whites began to encroach upon thefr domain, the Indians attempted to lease or sell the land to them, supposing thefr title to be absolute. But to this proceeding the Government objected upon the ground that the Crown had a pre-emptive right, and that the land belonged to the Indians only so long as they might choose to occupy it. This shameful state of affairs was not loi^ in creeping through the brain of the deluded Indians ; they at once saw thefr helplessness, and the only way out of thefr difficulties with the white settlers was to surrender the territory to the Government, which they did on the 18th of January, 1841. They then retired across the river to the Tuscarora Reservation, reserving, however, 1,700 acres in this township, of which mention is made elsewhere in this chapter. Description of the Township. Although the settlement of the Cotmty of Biant dates back to the end of the eighteenth century, it was not untU the exciting times of 1836 and 1837 that white people began to migrate to Onondaga Township. Previous to that period the township formed a portion of the Indian Reservation in the then Gore Dis trict. It is therefore the youngest member of the group of townships now forming ths County of Brant, andf its history is easUy reached without research ing beyond the elders of the present generation, some of whom were among the earUest settlers. With the exception of Oakland, it is the smallest township in the county, containing 22,282 acres of excellent farming land ; the principal topographical feature being high and roUing. It is drained by Big, Little and Fafrchild's Creeks, which intersect the township at various points, and crossing in a south-easterly direction, empty into the Grand River, which courses along the whole length of the township from west to east. The soil varies, but is principally clay interspersed, especiaUy in the locaUty commonly known as the " Big Bend," on the Grand River, and along FafrchUd's Creek, with a rich sandy loam. The quaUty of the soil is exceUent, weU adapted for raising all the staple cereals, more particularly wheat, and despite its paucity of years, is destined to make some of the finest farms in the county. The boundary Unes of Onondaga are, on the east, Seneca Township, Haldimand County ; north east, Ancaster, Wentworth County ; north. East Brantford ; and west and south, the Grand River. The township is given a very picturesque appear ance by the presence of the Grand River and the steeams which flow into it, and the rolUng and hUly quality of the land is attributable to the same. Along the river front the township is irregularly shaped, as is also the line dividing it from East Brantford, while the boundary Unes between the township and Ancaster and Seneca are straight. The length of Onondaga is about thirteen nules, with an average breadth of about six miles. At a point near the ViUage 412 history of brant county. of Onondaga, in a straight line to East Brantford, the township is only about two miles in width. ' Early Settlement. Settlers began to arrive in the eastern part of the township, near the Seneca line, and took up land under what was then known as Indian or squatter's rights. They at first met with considerable opposition from the Indians and their friends, aided and abetted by some of the authorities whose zeal was too much for their better judgment. Many of the so-called squatters were fined, some as high as thirty doUars ; but, undaunted by these difficulties, settlers began to pour into the township in such numbers, that the Government con sidered it best in 1840 to make a treaty with the Indians for the surrender of all the lands comprised in the township, after which they had surveys made, aud opened the territory for actual settlement. The claims of the whites were allowed, and the Township of Onondaga erected into a municipality. In a remarkably short time every lot was either purchased or occupied by white settlers, except seventeen lots along the river between the VUlage of Onondaga and Middleport. These lots were held in reservation for the Indians, and are calculated to comprise 1,700 acres. There are only five Indian families now residing on the lots in question, the remainder being occupied by white people as tenants. The first actual settlers to arrive were David Jones and his father, in 1836. They located near the Haldimand County line, and were followed immediately by Joseph Brown, who settled on the river front, and opened the first tavern in the township. In the foUowing year came George and Thomas Brown, William Lamb and John Urie. The former is still living, and the latter, who was the father of Mr. John Urie, now residing on the original homestead, is dead. His aged widow is yet living on the home farm. James Ferris, John Patterson and Mr. Quinn came next, and located on the river front, and the same year, 1837, James Chapman and Thos. Conboy, Senr., settled some distance inland. About a year subsequent to the advent of settlers in the ea.st, they began to flock into the western part of the township ; and among the earliest arrivals was Arthur Smith, who settled on Lots 3 and 4, river range. John Dickinson, another pioneer settler, located in the " River Bend," near the Salt Springs Church. William Burrell was also early in the township. He, as well as Mr. Dickmson, came from England and took up the farm on which his sons are now residing. He was a practical farmer, and soon made his farm first-class in every detail. His family have the well-deserved reputation of being excellent stock-raisers, and in this respect have set an example which has been extensively followed by his neighbours. The River Bend is noted for the fine quality of its farms and the superiority of its farmers as stock-raisers, chief among whom are the Hamiltons, Barracloughs, Birketts and Stocks. Having outlined the early settlement of both the eastern and western ends of the township, we now come to the centre, wherein the early arrivals were two brothers Howell, and Messrs. Burns, Dutton, Walker, James and Samuel Simpson, Joseph Matthews and Thomas Baker. To these old settlers— the fruits of whose labours we enjoy to-day, without thinking of the unremitting toil, and in many instances great privations, it cost them to clear and improve ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 413 the land — may aU praise be given. They had many difficulties to contend with but in the few years that have since elapsed they have made " the wUdemess to blossom as the rose," and left behind them comfortable homesteads for the rising generation. James Simpson is the only one of them now Uvincr. FoUow ing closely in the wake of the more adventurous spfrits, there came such a rush of settlers that it is at this day impossible to individualize ; but 1837 and 1838 marked the date of the most considerable influx of the early pioneers. In-dian Tkoubles. Before thus briefly disposing of the first settlers, mention should be made of the late John Solomon Hagar, who figured prominently in Onondaga Township history pre\-ious to the formation of Brant County. His experiences were of a startling character, and of no Uttle danger. He came in 1838, and located on Lots 62 and 63, river range, at Middleport, having purchased his right from an Indian. It so happened that the identical property thus obtained had formerly been in the possession of the pagan Indians, and a portion had been made sacred from the practice of holding on it thefr annual feasts and ceremonies, and when these Indians discovered the land occupied by a white man, they became furious. FaUing to frighten Mr. Hagar, and thus induce him to relinquish possession of his holding, they attempted to drive him from it, and not succeeding, resorted to violence and outrage. His family fled for their Uves down the river in a canoe to his father-in-law's house, but the plucky pioneer remained to brave the storm. He was assaulted, seriously handled, and left for dead by his infuriated foes, but the latter failed to dislodge him, for we find that he subsequently obtained his patent — the first title in fee simple in the township — from the Government. Mr. Hagar entered an action at law against the Six Nations for damages sustained at their hands, and obtained a judgment. He was never afterwards molested by the Indians, with whom he lived on terms of peace and amity to the day of his death. The LUilBERMAN. Always in the van of early settlement wiU be foimd the lumberman, and the first to commence operations was, we believe, James Little, who owned and operated a saw-mUl at Caledonia. He got out mostly saw logs, which he floated down the river to his miU, but he subsequently completed and operated a miU which was partly erected by the Tuscarora Indians in 1833^ and thus became the pioneer mill-owner in the township. Ronald McKinnon, another mUl-owner at Caledonia, was next in the field, or rather forest, and also took large quantities of logs, representing at the present day enormous value, out of the township, which he manufactured into lumber at his mill in Caledonia. In the square oak and other timber for foreign markets, one Britton, from Kingston, Peter McKerricher, from Lower Canada, and Charles Smith, of Cape Vincent, were the principal operators. McKerricher went more extensively into the business, and continued long after the lands were purchased by the settlers. Piior to the lands being sold the CTOvemment granted licenses, for a stipu lated sum, to the lumbermen, and applied the proceeds to the Indian Funds, 414 history of brant county. but afterwards the operators paid " stumpage " to the settlers for permission to cut timber. The township was stripped of all its best timber by the^e spoflers, and as none but the best and cleanest pine and oak were taken, large quantities of what would be to-day valuable timber was left to dry, decay or be burned by the farmers. *• Early Buildings. It seems,in the natural course of events, that immediately in the track of the earliest pioneer comes the dispenser of hospitality and — whiskey. There had scarcely been a score of settlers in the tewnship when a tavern was erected on the River Road, at the conference of Big Creek and the Grand River. It was a small log buUding, kept by Joseph Brown, and later on by members of his family. The original edifice can still be seen as you pass along the River Road, As appears to be the case in all new settlements, the drinking custom has many votaries, and he who deals in the liquid that not only cheers but inebriates generally sustains a hearty support from the hardy pioneer. Onondaga was no exception to the rule, for we find that even in its earliest youth there was no lack of taverns within its borders. A short distance west of Brown's was another tavern. It was also a log building, built in 1838 by George May, chiefly to accommodate the lumbermen, and here it was that the flrst township meetings were held. The old building still stands on the farm now owned by Samuel Ferris. Another hostelry was established further up the River Road, at what is now the Village of Middleport, by Charles Baldwin. It became a favourite resort for the Indians and lumlDermen, and in it a flourishing traffic was carried on. Near Onondaga ViUage was another house of public enter tainment, where liquors were dealt out for an equivalent in current coin or produce. About the year 1845 David Smith embarked in the grocery busi ness in Onondaga Village. He likewise kept, as an adjunct to his business, a liquor saloon, with a bowUng alley attached, and drove a thriving trade. In the year 1838 Captain Murray opened a general store in the neighbourhood of May's tavern, River Road. When Captain Murray arrived at the location of his business operations, there was of course no building in which to store his merchandise, and he promptly organized one of those festive occasions in which the settler deUghts, known as a " bee," and in a single day his shop was erected — a performance in those days which is well worthy of note. At Middleport Arthur Smith had a general store, which for a time was under the management of George YoneU, who subsequently became the proprietor, and about 1845 Robert Soules opened a simUar store at Onondaga, where he also buUt a grain warehouse on the river bank. The latter afterwards received the appointment of Postmaster of Onondaga. Okganization of the Township. Prior to 1851 Onondaga Township belonged to the County of WentWorth, then a portion of the old Gore District, and until 1842 it had not even the form of a municipal government. The settlers were without roads, using only Indian trails, and were obliged to drag their fiour into the settlements on sledges, or ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 415 carry it on thefr backs from the nearest grist-m^U, distant from seven to ten mUes. But this state of affairs was not permitted to continue long. On the first Monday in January, 1842, at a meeting held at May's tavern, Peter McKerricher was chosen to represent the township at the County CoimcU, which held its sittings at Hamilton ; pathmasters, assessor and coUector were appointed, and a semblance of municipal organization established Thomas Conboy, Senr., E.sq., was the assessor, and Frank Walker, Senr., the coUector, selected at this meeting. Mr. McKerricher continued to represent the township for, we beUeve, four years, when he was succeeded by George May, who two Tears later was in turn succeeded by John Solomon Hagar. The latter con tinued in office ttntU municipal institutions were established, and Onondaga 'Township merged into the County of Brant. The new order of events in the destinies of this township took place in 1853, when the first Township CouncU was elected. The municipality was then caUed the " United Townships of Onondaga and Tuscarora ;" but so soon as the Indian Land Reservation was definitely settled, it lapsed into Onondaga Town ship only. The names of the first CouncUlors were : George YoneU, W. N. Alger, George May, Peter McKerricher and WiUiam OUver. ^Ir. YoneU was chosen Reeve, which at that period was done by the CouncU at thefr first meet ing. The present custom of electing the Reeve by popular vote was adopted at a more modem era. We find among the rules that were made for the guidance of the first CouncU of this township, one which commands " that no CounciUor shaU speak disrespectfully of the Queen or any of the Royal FamUy, or person administering the government of this Province ; nor shall he use unmannerly or indecent language against the proceedings of this Council, or against par ticular CounciUors," &c. The township wall now compare favourably with any in the march of pro gress and agricultural resources. The wilderness has given place to smiling ffelds, and what a few short years ago was a dense forest, peopled only by wild animals and Indians, now contains a numerous population, exceUent farms, fertUe meadows, and splendid homesteads. Its finances are well managed, its pubUc buddings are exceUent, its schools and churches flourishing, and its people prosperous and contented. In 1840 the fiKt census was taken by Thomas Conboy, Senr., Esq. The number of white people were at that date 150. In 1850 the census returns showed a population of 1,657 ; in 1861, there were 2,066 ; in 1871, 1,924 ; and in 1881, 1,739. We have been unable to discover the causes of the decrease from 1861, but presume they are susceptible of satisfactory explanation. Courts and Officials. In 1853, upon the establishing of municipal institutions, the appointment of ^lagistrates or Justices of the Peace was made in the presence of Thomas Conboy, Sr., and Abraham Hawley. The next appointment was in 1857, when the following gentlemen were made J.P.'s : Thomas Armour, Samuel Nevins, Pdchard Herdsman, James Graham, and Matthew Whiting. Following these, in 1879 John HamUton, James Grant, William Dixon, Samuel Simpson, WiUiam Walker, Benjamin Squfres and Thomas OUver, were thus honoured. 416 history of brant county. The following are the names of the Councillors for this municipality for the present year : Alexander Douglas, Esq., Reeve, and John Baraclough, John Hamilton, J.P., Frederick Dixon, and Joseph Painter, Councillors. The CouncU sits alternately at Onondaga Village and Middleport. The following are the present township officers : S. J. McKelvey, Clerk ; John Henderson, Treasurer ; Bradshaw McMurray, Assessor ; and James Graham, Collector. On the organization of the county, Stephen James Jones, Esq., of the City of Hamilton, then a barrister in the office of S. B. Freeman, Esq., Q.C, was appointed Judge of the County Court of Brant, and in 1853 established the various Division Courts of the County, that for this township being No. 6, and he appointed Thomas Butler, Clerk, and Elisha B. Huffman, Bailiff. * They resigned in 1855, and Wm. McGruer was appointed Clerk, and John W. Butler, BaUiff, in their stead. On the 26th September, 1856, Robert Wade was Clerk, and James Spencer, Bailiff; 1857, Wm. H. McKinney, Bailiff; 1858, Nathaniel Marlatt, Bailiff, who continued till 1865. On July 20th, 1863, upon the death of Robert Wade, Matthew Whiting, Esq., was appointed Clerk, and 1865, John Schofield, received the appointment of Bailiff. In 1870, Matthew Whiting resigned, and W. S. Buckwell was appointed in his stead, with H. H. VanSickle as Bailiff. Mr. Schofield left the county, H. H. VanSickle: resigned the same year, and Matthew Day, the present Bailiff, succeeded him. Mr. Buckwell was removed in 1874, and was succeeded by John Henderson, who still holds the office. In 1880, when the Provincial Government assumed the privilege of appointing clerks and bailiffs under the Division Court Act, Messrs. Henderson and Day were confirmed in their official positions. Schools and School Houses. The first school house built within the limits of this township was an old- fashioned log edifice, situated on the farm of Henry GUmore, Lot 24, 2nd con. Its first teacher was William Shannon, who remained a short time, and was succeeded by Terrence Jones. The latter now resides in Brantford. Within a few years after it was built it was burned, and another seat of learning was erected on Lot 70, river range, which is stiU used for this purpose. For a few years after settlement began in the township there was a great want of the means of education. The inhabitants being obliged to hire their teachers, and the country being new, they felt unable to take that interest in the education of their children they would have done had they been better circumstanced, or had they been blessed at that time with our present excellent school system. Any further reference to the early disadvantages of schooling seems unneces sary, but, for the information of the reader, it may be well to say that even very good teachers in those days were willing to accept a salary of twelve dollars a month and board round among the people, the amount of board being regulated by the number of pupils each family sent to school. How different now are our facilities for schooling. There are now in this township six school sections and three excellent school houses, the one in the Village of Onondaga, built in 1874, being an ornament to any township. It cost something over three thou sand dollars, and is capable of seating fully two hundred pupils. There is also Wm. Burrell ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 419 a fine house and weU kept school in the western part of the township on Lot 14, river range, section No. 6, which has produced some good scholars ; and another good school house situated on the farm of Robert Mulligan, Lot 19, 2nd concession, section No. 3, has also turned out some excellent scholars. In school section No. 2, there is an efficient school kept in a building erected some years ago, being in close proximity to the ViUage of Middleport ; the attend ance is large, the teachers are well selected, and the advancement of the pupils rapid The building first erected for a school house in section No. 4 is stUl used for school purposes, and the number of pupUs in attendance not being numerous, the school is generaUy taught by a young lady. Some very efficient graduates of this school enter upon the duties of after life. The school in section No. 1 is a Union School, and is situated on the Seneca side of the tovmship line. It ha.s the reputation of being under exceUent management. Mills and Milling Interests. The first mill in this township was a saw-mill erected on Lot 11, in the 2nd concession, having been commenced in 1834 by the Indians, who Ijuilt a dam on Big Creek and erected a frame for the mUl ; but although they received aid from Governor Sfr John Colborne to the extent of two hundred dollars, they were unable to complete it. James Little subsequently obtained possession of the mUl, put it in operation about the year 1838, and after working it at a loss for some time, removed the machinery and abandoned the building. Richard Harris, Esq., now owns the farm on which this old mill formerly stood, where traces of the dam are still to be seen. The next mill, also a saw- mUl, was buUt on FafrchUd's Creek by the late Rev. Hamilton Biggar and William HoweU, Esq., on the farm now owned by William HoweU, son of the latter. It was erected in the year 1839, has since been rebuUt, and is still rmming. It has undergone but little if any modern improvements. This mUl is a water-power and has a Muley saw, with an average capacity of about 50,000 feet of lumber per month. It might be well here to remark that as the supply of timber is becoming exhausted, this would be a capital site for a manufactory requiring an exceUent water-power. A saw-mill erected in the rear of Middleport on Big Creek, and caUed " Glen Aim," has been three times rebuUt. When first put up it was a water-mUl, erected about the year 1841 or 1842, and after being in use for a short time was changed to steam power, there not being at that time sufficient water-power to manufacture lumber with any degree of profit. It has since been again converted into a water- mill This mUl was originally buUt by George YoneU, as was also the present Glen Aim MUl, which Mr. Yonell sold to James ^I. Arthur, who operated it for a number of years, when John Logan purchased, and owns it at the present time. The timber in its immediate neighbourhood is getting scarce, and its removal is contemplated in a short time. There were also two steam saw-miUs in Onondaga ViUage (both having been bumed down), one of which was erected by John Merrill, and owned at the time of its destruction by Henry Fryer. These nulls were never rebuUt. A steam saw-mUl was erected on the farm of the late Joseph Mathews in the New England settlement some years ago b y Thomas Bigham. Afterwards this miU was owned by Henry Yardington, of 25 420 history of brant county. Brantford, when it too was destroyed by fire, and was never rebuilt. The only saw-mills now existing in this township are Howell's and Logan's. There were never more than two grist-miUs in this township, and these were run by steam-power. A mill was at first erected below the banks at the pd»e of the Grand River in the Village of Onondaga. The building was calculated when built for either a storehouse or factory, and was erected by John Merrill, who sold it in 1868 to Benjamin Squires, who utilized it for milling purposes. About twelve years ago he removed the machinery to a brick building, which he greatly improved and converted into a grist-mill. The other building was also erected for a factory, but was never used until utiUzed for its present pur pose. Mr. Squires, realizing the value of his milling interest in the township, went to a large expense in improving and refitting his new mUl, and made it not only a great benefit but an actual necessity to the township and the community at large. This mUl has three run of stones, two for flouring and one for chopping grain for feeding purposes. The engine is a thirty horse-power, and is capable of grinding five hundred bushels of wheat, and the same amount of coarse grain for feed, per week. The mUl is now owned and has been operated for the last three years by Messrs. Dexter & Foulds. Improved Stock. Wm. Douglas has for some time been engaged in the business of raising improved stock, each year adding to their improvement and increasing their number and value. His animals generally are high bred Durhams and im proved Liecester sheep. There are others in the township who have improved their stock, but have not gone extensively into the business. Ferries. Owing to the Indian Reservation being on the south side of the Grand Eiver, there are no bridges in this township spanning that stream, consequently the people have recourse to a system of ferries as a means of crossing. These ferries are located at various points along the river, the boats or scows used having greatly varied in the manner of their construction or means of propul sion since they were first established. Each ferry is capable of carrying two teams and vehicles, and is propelled by an endless chain, which is attached by a windlass and crank to the boat and worked by hand. They are clumsy affairs at best, and the wonder is that they answer their purpose as well as they appear to do, or that they are a safe means by which to cross so wide and deep a stream as the- Grand River. Still there have been no accidents that have come to our knowledge, and until some calamity or loss of life occurs, it is not cus tomary in these days to condemn such a system, however fraught with danger it may appear. The ferries, however, are a matter of necessity, if not of choice, as the township is not able to keep up expensive bridges for the accommoda tion of those who reside upon or visit the reservation ; and thus far the ferries have answered the purpose with tolerable satisfaction. Beginning at the west end of the township, the first ferry is located at Newport, and is owned and operated by Stephen Tomlinson. The second is the old Henderson Ferry, and ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 421 is operated by Wm.. HamUton, the o\vner. At Onondaga VUlage the thfrd ferry crosses, George Butler owning and working it. About midway between Onondaga and Middleport is what is known as the Waterford Road Ferry ; it was established and run by James D. Spencer, of" Onondaga Village, who subse quently sold it ; Samson Thomas now has the management of the ferry at this point. The last ferry is at Middleport, and is under the skUful manipulation of its owner, George Levine. The fare charged is a uniform rate of fifteen cents for vehicles only. Pedestrians can cross only when there is a team on board, there being no fare charged for them. By this it will be seen that anyone wishing to visit the reservation will find it a matter of economy to go on foot. When the ice forms on the river in winter the ferries are drawn out. It is much more convenient for teams to cross the river on the ice, consequently it has not been found necessary to place these ferries on runners to be used as iceboats. ^Missions and Chueches. During the year 1822, the Methodist Missionary Society of the Methodist Church in Canada, seeing the necessity of looking to the spfritual welfare of the Indians, conceived the idea of estabUshing an Indian Mission for the Province, and appointed the Rev. Alvin Torrey^ as ^lissionary on the Grand River. His field of labour extended from the mouth of the river to above Brant's Ford, and he made one of his appointments at the Salt Springs in the " River Bend" His labour having been successful, and having secured the con version and support of such Indian chiefs as James Givens, Jacob Isaac, John Dockstader and others, the mission became permanently established in this county. A society was soon formed, with Chief Givens as the Indian class leader. The next year, 1823, Mr. Torrey had as an assistant the Rev. Mr. Craw ford, and buUt a log structure which was used for school purposes as well as a place of worship, untU the year 1830, when what was known as the Salt Springs Mission Church was built. The Indians did the principal work of getting out the timber, framing and raising the buUding, supplies not on hand being fur nished from the funds of the Missionary Society. It is said, and beUeved to be true, that the Rev. Wm. Ryerson was the first resident missionary at the mission. The Indians gave about 64 acres of land, which was caUed the Mission Lot, for the parsonage, and also partially maintained the resident missionary. This lot is now owned by the son of the Rev. Mr. Ryerson, and remains in the same peculiar shape it was when given by the Indians. The church has attached to it an acre of land for a cemetery, which has been ex tensively utilized for burial purposes by Indians and white people. In the year 1859 the Methodists began to make preparations to buUd a new church, which they finished and dedicated to Divine worship in IStiO, and which has been used for that purpose ever since. The Indians have removed their mis sion to the reservation on the opposite side of the river, where they have a church at present under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Wm. Cross. The Salt Springs Church is now attached to the CainsviUe Circuit. Its present pastors are the Revs. Charles Stringfellow and J. Little, and the class leader is ilUes Birkett ; its Recording Steward being Wm. BurrelL This church has now a membership of 25. Tliere formerly was a larger membership, but deaths and removals have been the principal cause of its decadence. 422 history of brant county. A Methodist Church was built on Lot 8, 2nd concession, now owned by Wm. Taws, but formerly by Henry Fryer, Esq., by whose instrumentality it was erected ; but after a fine church was erected in the Village of Onondaga it came into disuse, chiefiy through the demise of the old members, and the young members joining the Onondaga congregation. There was a log church built on the farm of Geo. Lincoln, on the east side of Fairchild's Creek, near the Howell Mill, a number of years ago, which was used for many years as a place of worship. It also has been abandoned, its mem bers at present being united with the congregation at Onondaga Village. A cemetery at the place where this church stood, owned by the Canada Methodist Church, is still used as a burying-ground by people who formerly had their friends buried there. The Methodist Church at Onondaga Village was erected during the years 1857 and 1858. It is a frame building erected at a cost of over $1,225, principally by funds borrowed from the conference of the then Wesleyan Methodists in Canada. On the 2oth of February, 1857, a meeting was called at the house of Henry Myers, Esq., for the purpose of forming a committee for the erection of the church, at which it was " moved by Mr. Myers, and seconded by Thomas Baker, that the following be a Committee for Building Arrangements, viz.: Henry Myers, Sandford Whiting, George Whitefield Howell, David Sharp, Thos. Baker, John Galbraith and Henry Fryer, with G. W. Howell as Secretary, and Henry Myers, Treasurer." It was then " moved by Mr. Myers, and seconded by John Galbraith, that the church be 46 feet long and 32 feet in width." The Com mittee of Management authorized G. W. Howell to superintend the work according to a plan furnished by David Leonard, architect, and the building was completed. In January, 1868, the church was freed from debt, and in 1876 the Rev. W. W. Shepherd conceived the idea of its removal from where it formerly stood to its present beautiful situation on the bank of the river, the ground being given by Benjamin Squires, who took an active part in its improvement and enlargement. The present structure is an excellent frame church, well finished, and, together with the land and sheds, is valued at about $3,000. The society is now free from debt. Its present pastors are the Revs. Charles Stringfellow and James Little ; class leader, Samuel Deagle ; Church Steward, Wm. HoweU. The members in connection number about 25, with a considerable number of families as adherents. There is an excellent Sabbath school in connection with the congregation, having about 35 pupils, under the superintendence of Elijah Harrison. The first Christian congregation of Indians which assembled under the auspices of the Church of England in this town.ship, was called together under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Robert Luggar, who resided at Brantford in the year 1828, and was visited occasionally by Mr. Luggar, until the year 1829, when the Rev. Abram NeUes assumed the charge of the Tuscarora Mission. The Reverend (now Archdeacon) A. Nelles lived for some years on one of the New England Company's mission lots lying between Onondaga and Middleport, where was erected by that company a log school house, with a rectory attached, for the accommodation of the resident missionary and teacher. Services were for the time held in this school house, and continued until the year 1837, when the present church was built. When the church was commenced the Indians ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 423 aided with wiUingness, and some being clever workmen, the edifice was soon completed. The New England Company furnished what funds and material the Indians could not procure themselves. The church was completed in 1837, and about this time Mr. Nelles was stationed at the Mohawk Mission, residing at Brantford. This reverend gentleman, who is now an archdeacon, has for fifty years laboured as chief missionary to the Six Nation Indians, but is now resting from a life of good works in the cause of Christianity, and is stiU Uving in Brantford, hale and hearty, at the age of seventy-seven years. He was succeeded at the Tuscarora Mission Church by the Rev. Adam ElUott, who remained untU his death, which occurred June 3rd, 1878. The church was then closed, the Indians having all aUied themselves to congregations on the Tuscarora side of the river. For some time previous to his death, the Rev. Mr. EUiott, who had been in failing health, had associated with him the Rev. Albert Anthony, a native Indian of the Delaware tribe, who is now pastor of the lower Mohawk Church in Tuscarora Township. Mr. and Mrs. ElUott wUl always be held in grateful remembrance by the people of this locaUty for their many acts of benevolence and charity, as neither could feel satisfied with seeing the needy unsuppUed. Mrs. EUiott is still living, and her house is the home of charity and benevolence, her labours even extending outside of the mission. She is the main support of her husband's church at Middleport, having Uberally aided in its completion and subsequent adornment. There is a burial place in the grounds of the Tuscarora Mission Church in which a great many Indians have found a sepulchre. It is stiU extensively used. Holy Trinity Church, Onondaga, a Gothic structure of red brick, was built in 1857, and has since had added to it a beautiful tower and beU. This church has a cemetery in connection with it, and is free from debt. In the chancel of this church a beautiful stained glass memorial window, the gfft of the late Rev. Adam ElUott, has been placed, in loving remembrance of his chUdren. The site for Trinity Church was given by Chief Geo. H M Johnson, and David Leonard had the contract for its erection. The BuUding Committee were Revs. Abram NeUes and Adam EUiott, Dr. Dee, and Messrs. Richard Herds man, Robt. Griffith and W. S. BuckweU. The Rev. Frederick Grant was the first incumbent of the pastorate. After the building of the tower for the beU, the church was consecrated in 1876, and the society is still free from debt. Its present pastor is the Rev. John Ridley, and in connection there are about twenty-four famUies, numbering one htmdred and twenty people, including fifty enrolled communicants. Walter Schofield and George Simpson are Church wardens. St. Paul's Church, Middleport, was erected during the year 186b, un an eligible plot of ground, the gift of Robert Wade, Esq. It is a neat frame buUding with tower and beU, its value being -SI, 500. The society is free from debt. There is a beautiful cemetery attached to this church, in which stands a handsome monument, erected to the memory of its patron, Robert Wade. The beautiful memorial window in the chancel was the joint gift of Robert Racey and Rev. Adam EUiott. It was erected in memory of the letter's nephew and niece. The side and north windows were the gift of Mr. Cooper, of the Village of Mount Pleasant. In connection with this church there are about twenty famUies, numbering nearly ninety-five people, including forty enroUed 424 history of bkant county. communicants. The present incumbent of the pastorate is the Rev. John Ridley. The Church-wardens are Richard Cockrell and Adam MitcheU. A short time after the township was first settled, the Rev. B. Hill, a Church of England missionary on the Grand River, found the need of religious services in the settlement, and preached to the people in their private dweUings. People of all denominations flocked to hear him, so anxious were they to hear the Gospel expounded. Mr. Hill was, it is believed, the first minister who preached to the settlers of this township. As there were a number of Presbyterians in the lower end of the township, the Rev. Dr. Ferrier, of Caledonia, held services in the people's houses ; he was the second minister in the township. Before the Indians all removed from this township, the Rev. W. H. Landon, a minister of the regular Baptist Church, came to the Grand River for the purpose of establishing a mission among the Indians, and also to secure a home for himself. He settled on Lot 52, river range, and built a house in which he resided for several years, at the same time labouring for the spiritual welfare of the Indians on both sides of the river. He appears to have been very successful, for we find such men as Revs. B. H. Carrier, Jas. N. Cusick, Joseph Longfish, and Seth Claus, all native Indians, as the fruits of his labour. Elder Landon commenced his mission labours about 1843 or 1844, and therefore lays claim to being the first to form a Baptist Church in this township. The farm on which he settled'was resurrendered to the Indians, and is now owned aud occupied by Isaac Davis, an Indian. The First Baptist Church, Onondaga, was organized in the year 1855, through the instrumentality of Jas. L. Davidson, D.D., and a preliminary meeting was held for that purpose on the 6th of April (Good Friday) of the same year. Rev. Job Moxom, of Binbrook, opened the proceedings with prayer, and was followed by the Rev. Dr. Davidson, of Brantford. There were present at this meeting Revs. Joseph Painter and Benjamin H. Carrier, Thomas Chave, Martha Painter. Elizabeth Carrier, Elizabeth Chave, and Hannah Lindsay. The visiting brethren were Rev. Anthony Scott, agent of the Baptist Missionary Society of Canada, and Thomas Bigham, of Binbrbok. Elder Benjamin H. Carrier was appointed Clerk. At a meeting held in the village school house on the next day, Samuel Simpson, Caroline Simpson, Richard Southwell, Catharine Southwell, Sarah A. Mitchell, Elizabeth Kirkby, Susan Mattice, Ellen Labin and Sarah Painter, presented themselves for the ordinance of baptism, and on the following day were baptized by the Rev. Dr. Davidson. They were therefore the first new members after the church was organized. The society numbered at that time sixteen members. After the organization of the church Rev. B. H. Carrier was called to be its pastor (1855), continuing to occupy that position until the year 1857, when he removed to Tuscarora. The regular meetings of the church were held in the school house until 1858, when a chapel was erected and dedicated to the worship of God by Revs. Joseph Painter and B. H. Carrier, as the First Baptist Church of Onondaga. Mrs. Caroline Simpson and Sarah Painter, now the wife of Matthew Whiting, Esq., are the only persons living in this county who were among its first members. The church has been since refitted and improved, wih commodious sheds attached. It has the Rev. Nathaniel Richards for its present pastor, and a ONONTJAGA TOWNSHIP. 425 membership of about sixty communicants. An excellent Sabbath school is conducted in connection with the church. The Second Baptist Church of Onondaga Township, before its reorganization, was in connection and under the superintendence of the regular Baptist Church in Binbrook, Wentworth County, and prior to 1857 was visited by Elder Wm. Hooper, who was then living in this township. Deacon Alfred Bingham, of Glanford, and Rev. Job Moxom, of the Binbrook Church. They held meetings at the residences of brethren, and also in the school house at the Mulligan Settlement, converting many to Christ. In 1854 Elder Hooper, having the interest of his church at heart, succeeded in buUding a chapel for regular worship on Lot 19, 1st concession, on the farm of WiUiam MulUgan, for which he after wards was paid by the members and friends of church enterprise. A meeting was called on the 13tb of June, 1857, for the organization of the society. In July 1st of the same year it became an established church. There were, previous to and at the time of this church organization in this township, the foUowing regiUar Baptist brethren and sisters : Elder Wm. Hooper, Christina Hooper, Elizabeth Hooper, David -Jones, Elizabeth Jones, John Hicks, Harriet Hicks, Jane Boylan, Ann Elizabeth Creighton, Frederick Ricker, Eleanor Ricker, Catharine Ricker, John Cowie, Isabella Cowie, Mary Hooper, John Peddle (now the Rev. Dr. Peddle), John McConichie, Catherine Mulligan, Margaret Mulligan, Richard IMuUigan and Robert Mulligan, aU of whom became members of the Second Baptist Church after its reorganization, and with others making a total membership at that time of fifty-seven communicants. Elder Job Moxom was also largely instrumental in the formation of this society. Rev. N. Richards is its present pastor, and the members of the church in good stand ing now number seventy-seven. Elder William Hooper was born in England, and emigrated to this country in 1838, and to this township in 1839. He resided a short time in HamUton, where he subsequently received his ordination. ^Ir. Hooper died in the town ship of Oneida, County Haldimand, on the 29th March, 1876, in the 74th year of his age, and in the triumph of his faith, beloved by all for his good works. He is buried in the cemetery attached to the church he was instrumental in buUding. John Peddle, one of the first members of the Second Baptist Church, was a native of this township ; entered the ministry, and is now a Doctor of Divinity, and has the pastorate of one of the most infiuential Baptist churches in New York City. The Methodist Episcopal denomination has erected in this township two churches, one in Onond^a ViUage and a second at Middleport ; as th^fr ministers are non-resident, and thefr records have not been reached, it is impos sible to give thefr adherents the history to which thefr position entitles them. The church at Onondaga was erected a number of years ago, but we are unable to give any information concerning its inception or progress owing to causes above stated It is a substantial frame building, capable of seating, we shotUd judge, about two hundred and fifty people. The church at iliddleport was built during the year 1864, principaUy by the contributions of the members and friends of the connection. At the time the church was buUt the Revs. Messrs. Benson and WiUiam son were pastors, and 426 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. took an active part in its erection, assisting in the work and doing the pai nting. Their zeal in undertaking this church inspired the members to the work, and materially reduced its cost to the society. Mr. Henry Minor, the class leader, also took an active part in the formation and construction of the church, as weU as members of the Hagar family. The members then were Henry Minor and wife. Silas Blanchard and wife, Dennis L. Dennis and wife, and Mrs. Ellen Deagle, wife of D. Deagle, deceased. At the present time Rev. 0. G. Colo- mere is pastor ; Joseph Bresette and Charles Hagar, class leaders ; Jacob Poss, Church Steward. There are twenty -seven members on its class book. Villages. Onondaga is the principal town of the township. About the year 1842, when the lumbering enterprise was at its height in this township, David Smith emigrated from Jerseyville, Wentworth County, and settled at the site of what is now called the Village of Onondaga. He engaged in the grocery business, and also kept a liquor store or saloon, where he dispensed his commodities to the lumbermen and Indians. Not long after this, a log tavern was erected on the farm now owned by Geo. Douglass, and in 1849, the late William Soules opened a general store, which was a decided acquisition to the place. In 1851 Mr. Soules was appointed Postmaster, and thus the second post office was established in the township. The village had heretofore been known as Smith's Comers, but on the opening of the post office the name was changed to Onon daga. About this time John Merrill erected a steam saw-mill in the vUlage, and shortly after another was erected at the mouth of Fajrchild's Creek, both of which were destroyed by fire a number of years ago. The miUs were never rebuilt, and the future prospects of the village sustained a severe blow in their loss, together with the decadence of the lumbering interests throughout the town ship ; for upon these it was that the progress and development of Onondaga mainly depended. The village never recovered from these disasters, and although it still retains its early reputation for thrift and enterprise, it has not increased to any appreciable extent for a number of years past. In 1857, Matthew Whiting opened a general store, an enterprise which he carried on success fully for a number of years, but he subsequently sold out the business, and the store is now in the hands of W. F. Buke. H. H. VanSickle also kept a weU stocked general store in the village, which is at present owned by the eflScient Postmistress, Mrs. W. S. Buckwell. Besides these, the village now contains four churches^Canada Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist and Episcopal Methodist — a fine brick school house, erected in 1874 ; a Township Hall, built of brick in 1875 at a cost of over $3,000 ; cabinet and joiner shop, two blacksmith shops, carriage and waggon shop, two excellent hotels, and a steam grist-miU. The vUlage being situated on a bend of the Grand River, a ferry is established here for the convenience of those crossing to the Indian Reservation. The popula tion is 200. The Grand Trunk Railway passes through the north end of the village where the station is located. The Buffalo, Brantford and Goderich Railway Company, who projected and constructed the line, purchased five acres of land for the station yard upon which it was intended to erect work shops, but they were never enabled to carry out their intentions. Eobert Wallace is the present station agent, and is deservedly popular. ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 427 The ViUage of Middleport is also situated on a slight bend of the river three miles below Onondaga ; it was foimdzd by John Solomon Hagar, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this chapter. The next settler in the vUlage of whom we have any record was Charles Baldwin, who kept a grocery and Uquor saloon ; foUowing him came Arthur Smith (who opened a general store prior to 1845) and George Yonell, who subsequently succeeded to the business. The first tavern in the village was under the proprietorship of — Dutton, succeeded by H. G. RiddeU, and a second, kept by James Sheppard, eventuaUy became the property of Thomas Young. David Dennis was also a popular Boniface in the early days of Middleport, but his house, as well as those preceding it, was in course of time destroyed by fire. John W. Butler afterwards built a good hotel in the village, which has always been weU kept, and is popular with traveUers and the pubUc. He was succeeded in the winter of 1882 by Samuel Arrell. Middleport is beautifuUy situated on elevated ground.commandingafine ^dew of the river and surround ing country. It took its name from the circumstance of its location being midway between " the locks " near Brantford and the ViUage of Caledonia. In its palmy days it was an important port of the Grand River Navigation Company's, lock and river system. Large quantities of timber were shipped from here, which gave the place a brisk, business-Uke appearance, but with the decline of the Navigation Company's fortunes, and the exhaustion of the timber in the vicinity, the prosperity of the viUage was checked. It stUl holds its position, however, as a centre of trade for the farming community, and contains two good general stores, two blacksmith shops, a waggon and carriage shop, bakery, hotel, two churches — St. Paul's Episcopal and Episcopal Method ist — a public hall, and about twenty dwellings, with a population of 100 souls. The first post office in the township was estabEshed here, and named Tus carora, with Robert Wade Postmaster. The present Postmaster is S. J. ilcKelvey, who is also Township Clerk. A ferry is located at this point, which is extensively utUized by people who cross the river ti) and from the Indian Eesen-ation opposite, iliddleport is a flag station on the Grand Trunk Rail way, which passes to the rear of the village, about three quarters of a mUe distant. Incidents and Casualties. At the period when this township began to be settled, those who desired to make a matrimonial aUiance could, after procuring a license, have thefr wish fulfiUed by a clergyman ; but if no such person resided within a radius of twenty mUes of the domicile of either of the contracting parties, the contract could be made by engaging the services of a Justice of the Peace. An incident iUustra- tive of the difficulties and hardships engendered by such a law is related of one of our best pioneer families. The gentleman referred to, with his intended bride and best man, in 1838 went on foot to the Town of Hamilton, a distance of fourteen miles, to have thefr marriage performed by the " nearest clergy man," returning by the same means of conveyance. Such was the indomitable spirit of our forefathers, that we are told they patiently submitted to the ordeal, and were more genuinely happy over the event than are many of the people of to-day who have no such hardships to undergo. How many beaux 428 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. and belles of the present day would undergo a like experience for the sake of wedded bliss ! The hero of this pedestrian and matrimonial adventure lived in the eastern part of the township, near the Seneca line. The hardships endured by the early pioneers were legion, but we give only one by way of comparison with the conveniences and comforts enjoyed by the present generation. There being no roads to the settlements, the only means of ingress and egress was by the Indian trails through the forest ; and one of our prominent citizens relates that he has on several occasions carried a bushel of wheat on his back to the Village of Seneca, seven miles distant, and returned with the product in the same manner. He is still living on the identical homestead he reclaimed from the " forest wild." Illustrating the ludicrous side of the early settler's experiences, it is said that in the eastern part of the township, on an occasion when Divine service was being held in a school house, a sudden rush of wind wafted out the light, which consisted of a single tallow candle. Consternation seized the assemblage, owing to the fact that matches were made in heaven only in those days, and there was apparently no means of relighting the extinguished " glim." The ubiquitous smoker, however, was present, and he came to their relief with his flint, steel and punk, and in a twinkling converted darkness into light. In those primitive days there were no churches in which to worship, consequently assemblages of the settlers and their families were held in school houses and private dwellings. Accidents by " flood and field," 'out few in number, have come to our know ledge, b-ut as these sad events will occur in the best regulated localities, we give such of them" as we have received from authentic sources. Probably the most melancholy occurrence of the kind that ever took place in the township was the drowning of Miss Ann Raich, in January, 1843. The unfortunate young lady, who was a daughter of Geo. Raich, one of the pioneer settlers then living on the Haldimand County line, and sister of Mrs. John Urie, was twenty- two years of age, and had only recently returned home from Hamilton, where she had for a time been living. She was engaged to be married in a short time, and her return home was preparatory to that event, which added poign antly to the sadness of her death. It appears that she went out at night to draw water from a deep well near the house, and not returning after a lapse of some time, search was made and her body discovered in the well. The well was curbed with a square boxing, and it is surmised that in attempting to draw a bucket of water, which was done by means of the old-fashioned wooden hook, she slipped on the ice that had formed abodt the curb, and, losing her footing, plunged headlong to her death. The circumstances attending the sad event cast a gloom over the whole community, in which the young lady was beloved and esteemed. Another drowning accident occurred in 1858, under the raUway bridge spanning FairchUd's Creek at HoweU's MiU Pond. The victim of this melan choly event was a young man named Hamilton. It appears that he, in com pany with a number of other young men, went to the place mentioned to bathe, but the cause of the accident has never been ascertained. He was not missed until his companions had dressed and were on the point of leaving the spot, when his clothing was noticed still lying on the bank of the stream. Search was at once made and his body found in the water under the bridge, but the ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. 429 vital spark had fled. The young man, who was respected by aU his feUows, was a brother of John and Robert HamUton, farmers, who stUl reside in the township. StUl another accident of a similar nature occurred in 1871, about half a mUe further up the same stream, by which a young man named John Harrold lost his Ufe. He had been engaged during the day sheep-washing at the point mentioned, and it seems, for the sake of diversion, attempted to swim to the opposite bank. Being an excellent swimmer, the cfrcumstance of his drowning is accounted for only by the supposition that he was seized with cramp, and the water being from eight to ten feet deep, he sank to his doom. The unfor- tmiate young man was a brother of Samuel Harrold, grain merchant, Brantford, and bore a good reputation. A number of years ago Thomas GUmore was found drowned in the Grand River. The circumstances of his death are shrouded in mystery, but his famUy to this day suppose his death was the result of foul play. The unfortunate man was missed for several days, when search was instituted, and his body found a short distance below iliddleport. He was one of the pioneers of the township, the owner of an excellent farm, and much respected by his neighbours. About five years ago. Rev. Mr. Lawson, a Methodist minister, was drowned at Newport. It appears in attempting to ferry himself and horse across the Grand River, by some unaccountable means the endless chain attached to the boat broke, knocking him into the water, with the above melancholy result. His horse was also drowned at the same time. The xmfortunate gentleman's un timely death cast a deep gloom over his congregation and the community, where he was widely known and greatly respected A fatal accident of a very distressing character occurred a number of years- back to Thomas Brown, another of our pioneer settlers. The causes of his death have not transpfred other than that he fell from a mow in his bam, and sustained injuries which proved immediately fatal. He was a good citizen and kind neighbour. 430 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP, The northern division of the County of Brant is named after the birthplace of the Hon. Wm. Dickson, who was the first to lay it out as a settlement It consists of 46,459 acres, the south-western part of which is an almost unbroken plain of great fertility, the rest being undulating ground of hUl and valley, the remains of extinct water-courses. It is bounded on the north by North Dum fries Township, in the County of Waterloo ; on the south by the Township of Brantford ; on the east by the Township of Beverley, Wentworth County ; and on the west by the Township of Blenheim, Oxford County. Prior to its grant by the British Government to the Six Nation Indians, all this tract of country was an untrodden wilderness. There seems to be good evidence that the Algonquin or Huron Indians made their camp amid the oak woods of South Dumfries at a period anterior to the history of civilized Ame rica ; for in several places in this township stone weapons and implements have beenfound which,f rom their superior workmanship, must undoubtedly be assigned to a date prior to the introduction of iron by the French traders of the six teenth century. But no trace has been left by these prehistoric hunters and warriors beyond the heap of human bones and the stone knives and arrow heads which are still dug up by the farmers of "The Plains." The true history of Dum fries begins with its cession as part of the munificent grant bestowed on the Iro quois Indians under Colonel Brant in 1796. In the duel of two centuries between France and England for the possession of North America, France had chosen the losing side. The first arquebuse fired by Samuel De Champlain against the Iroquois foes of his Algonquin allies, began a vendetta in which the last energies of thQ last effort of Indian civUization were staked on the side of the English-speaking race. The powerful confederacy of the Romans of the New World not only held the French colonial advance in check, but gave material support to the British cause both against the French and the revolted colonies. Among the last chiefs of independent Indian warfare the most conspicuous figure is that of the Iroquois Chief Thayendanegea. Gifted by nature with all the bodily prowess, all the hunter's and warriors sagacity that made him by right Divine a king among savages, Thayendanegea had reaped by education the fuU benefit of the white man's civilization. He had passed several years at a good school, could compose with ease, and was no novice at oratory. He had learned to estimate aright the great power which Christianity and civilization had given the white men ; he had visited England, and the glitter of military services, the pomp of cathedral worship, and the splendour of George the Third's Court, had made an indelible impression on the mind of the Iroquois chief. It was his main object through life to assimilate, as far as , might be possible, among his own people the institutions which made England SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 431 great. All through the Revolutionary War Thayendanegea and his people sided with the servants of the English king. The noble spirits in the EngUsh Par liament felt with Chatham that thefr coimtry was degraded by thefr aUiance with the Li^quois' scalping kmfe ; but war is war, and the Indian did his bloody work well When the war closed with victory for the new-bom RepnbUc, the Sis Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, comprising the ifohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Tuscarora and Onondaga tribes, finding that they could not expect a peaceful settlement among the Americans, against whom they had been carrying on aU the atrocities of savage warfare, applied to the British autho rities for a grant of land in Canada. Thefr petition was generously and promptly responded to. tinder the leadership of Thayendanegea, who now assumed the EngUsh name of Colonel Joseph Brant, the Six Nations of the Iroquois crossed over into Canada. One tribe of the Mohawks was settled on the shores of the Bay of Quinte, where thefr chiefs name designates a station on the Grand Trunk EaUway, and where the Mohawk wolf, carved in stone, overlooks the doorway of the beautiful church built by command of an EngUsh king for thefr benefit. Another settlement was on the fertUe and weU- wooded banks of the River Thames. But the largest of aU the Indian Reserves was that of the Grand River. From its source to its outlet, and six mUes on either side, was the mu nificent grant of the British Government to its savage alUes. The Indians used this territory chiefly as hunting grounds ; thefr chief camp was at a place three mUes south of the present Town of Brantford, where a village of wigwams was erected and a few fields of maize and com were under permanent cultivation. There, too, thefr chief, the Moses of their migration to this promised land, had buUt them a church for the worship of the white man's God. It was the first " chnrch " buUt in what is now Upper Canada, and is stUl an object of interest, together with the grave of the brave savage whose blood-stained hand helped to buUd it. The chuich dates from 1786. The hunting grounds so ceded to the Iroquois were some of the best provided in Canada with fish, game and fresh water. For thirty years the Iroquois hunters roamed at will over what is now Brantford and Dumfries ; where now every acre, cultivated by elaborate machinery, fills the farmer's treasure-house with the finest wheat in the world, the half naked and painted savage subsisted on the flesh of bear or deer, trap ping the wUd creatures that abounded in the primeval forest for the profit that thefr peltry wotUd bring in the markets of York or Newark. In the faU they would make an expedition up the river in quest of the various fur-bearing ani mals ; in the spring they would return down its course, laden with the various trophies of the chase. These expeditions continued to be made till within living memory. Long after the pioneer's axe ha^d cleared the oak groves of the plains of South Dumfries, the older generation of settlers remember the Indian camp amid a belt of wood to the north-west of the river. The Indians would soon have forfeited their title to their lands if it had not been for the provident care of the Government, which restrained them from the sale of thefr reserves. But Thayendanegea, in February, 179S, obtained from the Government permis sion to seU a part of the Grand River Reserve, and acting as had been arranged by thefr representative, sold to PhiUp Stedman, of the Niagara District, that part of the reserve known as Block Number One, consisting of 94,305 acres. This, 432 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. by a special Act of the Upper Canadian Legislature, became henceforth known as the Township of Dumfries. Mr. Stedman agreed to pay to the Indians the sum of £8,841. At the same time Colonel Brant, being fully empowered for the purpose both by his own people and by the English Government, sold several other tracts of land from the Grand River Reserve. In February, 1798, a deed, drawn up in the name of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, formally surrendered all interest in the following possessions : Block Number One, now forming the two townships of North and South Dumfries, containing fully 94,305 acres, was sold to Mr. Philip Stedman for £8,841 : Block Number Two was sold to Richard Beasley, James Wilson and John B. Rosseau, for £8,887; Block Number Three was sold to William Wallace, comprising 86,078 acres, for the sum of £16,864 ; Block Number Four, no purchaser or price named, 28,512 acres ; Block Number Five was sold to WiUiam Jarvis, 30,800 acres ; Block number six, given originally to John Dockstader, was by him sold, for the benefit of his Indian chUdren, to Benjamin Canby, 19,000 acres, for £5,000. Total, 352,700 acres at a cost of £44,867. But as the fee simple of those Indian lands was held by the Crown, consider able delay took place before the transaction could be completed. A petition was formally addressed to King George III., praying him to issue Letters Patent to convey the lands named in the purchase deed to PhUip Stedman. This was granted, and a Crown Patent was duly issued, which declared that Stedman had given security to the Hon. David William Smith, Captain WUUam Clause, and Alexander Stewart, Esq, trustees for the Indians, for the payment of the principal or its yearly interest. But it does not appear that Stedman made any effort to secure his vast possessions. Indeed, they formed but a part of a vast wilderness, the haunt of wild beasts and still wilder men. When Upper Canada, in 1792, was first separated from the Province of Quebec, its entire population was estimated at 20,000 souls, most of whom were centred at Kingston, the Bay of Quinte, Niagara, and the Valley of the Thames. Toronto had just been founded on the muddy banks of the Don by Governor Simcoe ; the pioneer axe had not yet felled the first tree on the site of the towns and cities of to-day. A few years after obtaining the patent frorn the Crown, Stedman died intestate. This interest in Block Number One of the Grand River Reserve was thus inherited by his sister, Mrs. John Sparkman, of Niagara, by whom it was soon afterwards sold to the Hon. Thomas Clarke, of Stamford, in the County of Lincoln. It appears that Stedman had not paid any of the purchase money originally agreed on, as we find Mr. Clarke executing a mortgage for the sum of £8,841 on the property to the Trustees of the Six Nations. Mr. Clarke, however, disposed of his title to the Indian lands in favour of one who must be regarded as the true founder of the Settlement of Dumfries, the Hon. William Dickson. Like the late Colonel Talbot, founder of the Talbot Settlement— like Peter Perry, founder of Oshawa and Port Perry — William Dickson was one of those energetic natures, capable of conceiving and carrying out the extensive operations incidental to the formation of a new community. His tall and commanding figure, little bent with age, is still remembered by men of the elder generation ; his lofty forehead gave token of intelligence ; and his firm lips denoted the resolution and practical sagacity of his character. All through the history of the Dumfries Settlement SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 433 WiUiam Dickson's measures were taken with the most prudent regard to the exigencies of the case, whUe at the same time many a settler was indebted to his enlightened generosity for not only his land but for seed to put into the ground, and food to subsist on in the first year of settlement. Such was the man who now became, in July, 1816, the purchaser from Mr. Thos. Clarke of the entire block of land,which he named after his own native place in Scotland, Dumfries. Born in the year 1 769, he came to Canada in 1792, aud settled at Niagara, where he engaged in practice as a lawyer. Having volunteered his services in the War of 1812, he was taken prisoner by the Americans and nearly got into a serious scrape by shooting in a duel a gentle man named Weeks, who had offended Mr. Dickson's punctUious loyalty by some free criticism of the poUcy of Governor Simcoe. The duel was fought on the American side of the Niagara River, behind the fort ; Mr. Weeks was mortally wounded at the first shot. At that time dueUing was a recognized social institution, and Mr. Dickson fared none the worse in public estimation for having brought down his man. Strongly attached to existing institutions, and being himseff admitted on equal terms within the magic cfrcle of the Family Compact, Mr. Dickson aU through was a staunch upholder of Church and State. In 1816 he became a member of the governing body of L^pper Canada, the Legislative Council, and fox many years continued to exercise a decided influence over the settlement and legislation of this Province. Although personally the kindest and mo.st generous of men to the needy settler, Mr. Dickson was no advocate of popular right, and withstood to the last every concession in the dfrection of responsible government. Toryism was to him a reUgion, and men who, like Dr. Duncombe, demanded their rights for the people, he stigmatised as " rebels," the enemies alike of God and man. Naturally, in the troubles of 1837 Mr. Dickson, though then weU on in years, gathered what force he could muster at Niagara, and hastened to proceed by steamer to Toronto, where he assisted at the memorable fight of Montgomery's Farm. In July, 1816, Mr. Dickson for a sum of £24,000 bought the entfre property now constituting North and South Dumfries, which thus passed into his posses sion at a price of little more than a doUar an acre. Mr. Dickson was at that time Chairman of the Qiiarter Sessions of Niagara, which was then the most important centre in Upper Canada. As the new Court House was about to be erected Mr. Dickson and his colleagues advertised for a contractor, and this eUcited an appUcation from a young builder and carpenter named Absalom Shade, a son of a Pennsylvanian farmer, whose industry and business talents had afready made him a marked man among the Niagara residents. He was a tall, active-looking young man, with keen grey eyes always looking to the main chance, hard close Ups and weU-formed features, with versatUe mind and keen judgment, quick and retentive both in his likes and disUkes. Mr. Shade had made the acquaintance of Mr. Dickson under circumstances which tended to found a friendship that proved life-long. Mr. Dickson was, when he first met Mr. Shade, a prisoner within the American Unes ; Shade was able to procure the British officer many privileges not usually granted to prisoners of war, and finaUy managed to effect his escape. 434 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. Such was the man whom Mr. Dickson induced to accompany him as his steward and general factotum into his new Settlement of Dumfries, where for many years he presided over the allotment of lands. Like Mr. Dickson, Mr. Shade, although an American citizen by birth, became a most loyal subject of the Crown, and the bitterest enemy of anything that looked like rebellion against Tory rule. Woe to the unhappy delinquent who failed in regular pay ment of his instalments of purchase-money ; for such Absalom Shade had no mercy. Having agreed to Mr. Dickson's proposal, Shade, together with his principal, made a visit to what is now Dumfries, but which was then an unbroken wilderness. They arrived at the Grand River, near where Smith's Creek joins the larger stream, and, guided by an Indian, ascended the course of the river through South Dumfries, by a path through the forest so narrow that often it was difficult for a .single horseman to make his way. "The Plains " were over grown with an oak forest ; further on the thick growth of cedar and maple, mixed with beech and oak, showed the good quality of the soil. Everywhere they encountered streams of fresh water, now and then small lakelets of pure blue water, abounding in black bass and pike. Continuing their journey north ward, they made their camp in the ruins of a squatter's cabin, on the site of what is now Gait. Having fixed on this position as the nucleus of the new settlement, they separated. Shade making his way through the woods of South Dumfries to the site of the Village of St. George, at which point he regained the Grand River. This he followed until he reached a small tavern at the ferry over the fords of the Grand River, where Brantford now stands. Having rejoined Mr. Dickson at Niagara, and provided himself with the necessary equipment for pioneer life in the forest — a chest of tools and one hundred doUars cash — he set forth to build the first log shanty in the present Town of Gait, which he thus founded in the year 1816. Mr. Dickson soon had his new territory surveyed. This was efficiently done by Mr. Adrian Mariett, of Ancaster, who held the office of Provincial Deputy Surveyor. The work of surveying was completed in the course of the follow ing year. The remains of a dilapidated shanty on the bank of Mill Creek was converted by Mr. Shade's ingenuity into a grist-mill for the use of the five families who had come in as early as 1816. The settlement slowly progressed. In 1817 the number of famiUes in the township numbered thirty-eight, includ ing one hundred and sixty -three persons. Mr. Dickson removed to Gait from his famUy residence at Niagara in 1827, and continued to reside there tUl 1836, when, feeling the oversight of his vast possessions too much for his strength, he left the charge of his estate to his son, Mr. WUUam Dickson, and removed finally to his native place, the old Town of Niagara. Like his friend Mr. Gait, after whom he named his first settlement, Mr. Dickson was possessed of considerable literary talent, which he employed in several descriptive sketches of the Dumfries region, which, being published in Chambers's Journal, had not a little influence in attracting the attention of his thrifty fellow-countrymen to the new settlement. Mr. Dickson also employed an agent to visit Scotland in order to secure the most desirable class of settlers, a point too often neglected by the founders of new communities, but yet of the very first importance. Thus it was that from 1823 to 1830 the plains and banks of the Grand River were peopled with sturdy Scotch Presbyterian " true / '% --^^^/^^^-^f^^AM^yi^^^ SOtTTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 437 blue" settlers. It very often happens that the first to attempt a settlement are poor and thriftless. They build their log shanties, clear a Uttle land, get discour aged, and generally end by seUing out to some new arrival with more means and self-reliance. Such a settlement was that in the second concession of South Dumfries, and known by the classic name of Cags Lane. It was so named from the cags or kegs of whiskey procured at very frequently rectirring intervals from the distillery at the village which was beginning to grow up at the Forks of the Grand River, as Paris was then caUed. A keg being procured and deposited in one shanty, the neighbours from the adjoining houses held festival nightly tUl its alcohoUc contents were exhausted 'Then another neighbour took it in turn to journey with the keg to the distUlery. This reck less and dissolute Ufe ended in the gradual clearing out of the old settlers. A new and very different class of proprietors took their place, and now no road in western Canada can show such handsome and substantial buildings, such rich and well-improved farms. Owing to Mr. Dickson's exertions a large number of the new settlers were, as has been intimated, Scotchmen. So much was this the case, that when, some yeare afterwards, ilr. Dick son, then about to withdraw from residence in Dumfries, held a grand gathering of the Dumfries settlers at a dinner which he gave them at Gait, he addressed them as his Scotch fellow-countrymen. He said : " It is to your characteristic Scottish thrift and energy that I and mine owe the success that has attended our experiment in colonization. It is you, the farmers of South Dumfries, that have made gentlefolks of me and mine." Among those who attached themselves to the fortunes of ilr. Shade was an American of Dutch extraction, named John Mans. He drove the teams which conveyed the flour from Mr. Shade's mills at Gait ; as soon as the fertUe belt of land known as " The Plains " was opened out for settlement, Mr. Shade suggested that Mans should go down and " prospect," with a view of taking up several hundred acres of what promised to be very valuable land John Mans objected his want of means to find the purchase money, but this was overruled by Mr. Shade, who, hard as he was to the thriftless and dishonest, was generously trustful to any settler in whose industry and integrity he had reason to trust. Both were leading features in the character of John Mans, both were fotmd in the course of his long and successful Ufe, some account of which wUl be given when this history reaches the district of South Dumfries known as " The Plains." The success of the American, Shade, was the means of attracting several of his energetic and adventurous feUow-countrymen to settle in South Dumfries. The name of Capron, originally of French origin, is of frequent occurrence in Ver mont and other parts of New England A cadet of this family, as a young man, had a marked talent for caligraphy. Being employed as a writing master in a young ladies' academy, he unfortunately was so imprudent as to give to one of his fafr pupUs a lesson in a more difficult art than that of penmanship. When it became necessary for him to expatriate himself, in partnership with a Mr. VanNorman he for some time engaged in business at Long Point on Lake Erie, and afterwards, on hearing of the success of the Dumfries Settlement, in which the ViUage of Graft, Paris (the " Forks of the Grand River ") and Brant ford had afready sprung up — ^Paris and Graft at the extremities of the twelve 26 438 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. miles breadth of the new township — young Hiram Capron arrived just in time to secure on favourable terms a property of a thousand acres. This was at the south-western part of the township, and included a consid erable part of the present Town of Paris. Mr. Capron built a large and commo dious stone mansion on the brow of the hill leading to "The Plains," and during many year^ resided there, being well known as a good neighbour, a leading citizen, and famous for his business energy and for the quips and jests, and many stories with which he enlivened an ever-hospitable home. The birth of municipal institutions, that protoplasm of Canadian political life which Francis Bond Head sneered a* as " sucking parliaments," tooJc place at the house of a Mr. Gotlip Moss (such being his uncouth cognomen), on Jan. 4th, 1819, exactly three years after the first inauguration of the settlement. The following officers were chosen — we take the account as given in Mr. James Young's admirable "Reminiscences of Gait and Dumfries," a most reliable source of information on all matters connected with the early history of this region : Township Clerk, Mr. John Scott ; Assessors, Messrs. John Buchanan and Law rence Shammerhorn ; CoUector, Mr. Ephraim Munson ; Wardens, Mr. Alexander Harvie and Mr. Richard PhUlips; Pathmasters, Messrs. Cornelius Conner, Enos Griffith, James McCarty and John Leece ; Pound-keeper, Mr. John Law- rason. The current of political agitation set more and more in the direction of municipal self-government, and under the Liberal Administration of the Hincks-Morin Government, a new territorial distribution of Upper Canada took place, whereby the original Township of Dumfries was divided into two — North Dumfries in the County of Waterloo, and South Dumfries at the northernmost extremity of the County of Brant. The first Municipal Council of the new Township of South Dumfries was composed of the following members: Daniel Anderson, Reeve, and William MuUin, Deputy Reeve ; Robert Burt, William Roy and James Sharp. The positions of Reeve and Deputy Reeve were for nineteen years afterwards filled by the same gentlemen, Messrs. Daniel Ander son and William Mullin. We find in Mr. Young's "Reminiscences" that the first officeis of the municipality were : Messrs. James Geddes, Clerk ; John Mac- Naught, Treasurer ; Robert Ballingel, Assessor for the west side of the river ; William Little, Assessor for the east side of the river ; and Robert Shiel, Col lector. Mr. Michael Charlton was among the first appointed to audit the accounts. , The earliest Parliamentary election in which the settlers of South Dumfries took part was in 1825. As the polling place in Wellington Square was at a distance, there was not much interest in the election ; two Liberals were, however, returned, Richard Beasley and WUUam Scollich, a political selection which has been traditional in the township evei since, with the exception of the general reaction of 1830, when the Reform candidates were beaten, and Messrs. J. Crooks and William Chisholm were returned to Parliament. In no part of English-speaking Canada did the tide of political excitement rise higher, which swept away by its ebb as well as its flow, by its abortive' insurrection as weU as its appeal to English synqiathy, the tyranny of the cele brated Family Compact. In 1828, Wm. Lyon Mackenzie commenced the pohtical education of the Reform party by publishing the Colonial Advocate. In edi- SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 4^39 torials of a literary merit unknown as yet to Canadian journalism, the AdxoeaAe exposed with trenchant but not unjust criticism the nepotism, the arrogance, and the unconstitutional despotism of the oligarchy which governed the Province, and usurped all office and emolument under the name, long since held of sinister import, of the FamUy Compact. AU that Mackenzie contended for has long been conceded to the common sense of pubUc opinion. We are now so thoroughly accustomed to choose our own representatives, to select each for himself his own church without fear or favour, to express with the fuUest hberty our opinions on each and every political question, that we are apt to forget that scarce fifty years ago such privileges were contended for in hope deferred for years, and the bitterness of patient battle by men who were stig matized as "rebels," who were hunted out of the country, and well nigh perished on the scaffold The feeling in favour of the Reform cause was in no part of Upper Canada more strong than in South Dumfries. Dr. Duncombe's personal character, his eloquence as a public speaker, his lofty purity as a statesman, joined to the influence which his professional skiU and generous disposition gave him among his neighbours, made the impulse towards the Reform cause irresistible. He was chosen to visit England in order to lay before Government the popular demands of Upper Canada. Of course, such a " tnimpet of sedition " — for so was the popular leader designated — met with scant favour at the hands of the dominant oligarchy. It happened that Dr. Duncombe had been desirous of porehasiog a tract of land, and indeed had already taken the requisite steps to make the purchase vaUd. But the Family Compact influence interfered, and, contrary to all justice and fairplay, as the English Premier acknowledged when a year afterwards the circumstances were explained to him, Dr. Duncombe's just claim was defeated. It may be imagined that the Scotch Presb}-terian farmers of South Dumfries looked on with a bitter sense of injustice rankling in their hearts when, in order to secure to the use of one favoured Church the coveted Clergy Reser^-es, Sir John Colborne, prompted by the High Church and Tory Bishop Strachan, established fifty-seven endowed rectories in L'pper Canada. In vain did public opinion express itself by returning to the House of Assembly a majority of Reform candidates. As the Government of Charles the First ignored the will of the English people, expressed through the votes of the Parliament: as the Government of the third Stewart tyrant set at naught the representatives of the people, so the FamUy Compact, abetted by such governors as Sfr John Colborne, continued to usurp every office and insult the advocates of Reform tUl it made them the planners of a revolution. Five times was WiUiam Lyon Mackenzie expeUed from the House of As sembly ; five times his constituents in the County of York carried him back triumphant from the poll In every attempt to reseat Mr. Mackenzie the name of Abraham Shade appears on the ParUamentary voting list. AU his interest, all that of Mr. WiUiam Dickson, was exerted on the side of " loyalty " and of the FamUy Compact Government. But very few of those most closely connected with the Dickson and Shade interest sympathized with the enemies of Reform. Mr. John Mans and his connection by marriage, ilr. Lapierre, stood alone or almost alone in thefr advocacy of the Government. In 1833 WUUam 440 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Lyon Mackenzie delivered an address at Gait on the position of Upper Canadian politics, and though the Tory leaders insulted him by burning him in effigy, his speech was none the less effective, and was heard by an excited crowd of electors from every part of South Dunifries. Once more in 1834 the Reform party carried the elections throughout the Province of Upper Canada, but, as before, the Canadian Executive continued to treat with scornful neglect the determined resolve of the people. In an evil hour for Canada, Prancis Bond Head, an ex-army officer and an amateur author of flashy magazine articles of the McGinnes type of Toryism, was sent to succeed Sir John Colborne as Governor of Upper Canada. Obstinate, vain and self-opinionated, he soon became the helpless tool and mouthpiece of the Family Compact. It was evi dent that he threw the entire weight of his official influence on the side of unconstitutional Government. Sent out as he was by the British authorities to redress the grievances which Mackenzie and Duncombe had explained, he made matters worse by a tyranny which left to the Eeform party no hope but in the rash and doubtful experiment of an appeal to arms. From such an appeal few in South Dumfries shrank. At the present day, and in view of the present attitude of public opinion in Canada towards the Mackenzie move ment, there is no reason to conceal that nearly all the most respectable settlers were ready to back Dr. Duncombe, Mackenzie's coadjutor, in the projected revolt. The chief strategic mistake in the plans of the insurgents was the total absence of means of communication between the various districts in which the insurgents expected to muster in force. Mackenzie's move on Toronto had proved a failure days before, and Mathews — a renegade to his cause not to be confounded with that other Mathews who died on the scaffold in Toronto — brought a false report that Mackenzie had taken possession of the capital. We have it on the authority of Dr. Duncombe's daughter, now a resident of Paris, that neither he nor the South Dumfries men were contemplating a rising so early as December, 1837. But carried away with the excitement of Mackenzie's reputed success, the people of South Dumfries, Oxford, Burford and Oakland urged Dr. Duncombe to lead a movement in support of the advance on the capital. Reluctantly, but willing to stake everything as the result of a strike for freedom, he con sented, and appointed a rendezvous at the Village of Scotland. The night before the appointed gathering he slept at the house of his son-in-law, Mr. Tufford, from whom he borrowed a horse. Next day Mr. Tufford attended a meeting of the insurgents, by whom he was charged with the duty of coUectmg arms. Meantime young Hill, son of Mr. Hill, one of the oldest settlers of South Dumfries, summoned a meeting of the Reform party at the house of Mr. Stockton, on the town line of Blenheim and South Dumfries. A crowded gathering took place, filling the house. Mr. Latshaw and other leading men addressed the meeting. These were no needy adventurers, with nothing to risk and everything to gain by a plunge in the muddy waters of insurrection. They were all possessed of valuable landed property, which even by the act of their participating in an insurrectionary meeting was Uable to be confiscated by the spies of the Family Compact. But these hard-headed and stout-hearted Scotch farmers did not pause to calculate the risk, preferring in all things principle to expediency. The chafrman, Mr. Stockton, made a speech in which SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 441 he advocated immediate and decided action. "Of what avaU," he said, "is further hesitation. We are face to face with the tyranny of a Government which no constitutional means at our command can reach. We have tried such means long and patiently, and in vain. Now the time has arrived when it is no longer possible to sit on the fence. Decided steps must be taken by all who are resolved for action. I move, therefore, that this meeting resolves to meet in arms the volunteer force now about to gather under Dr. Duncombe's command at Scotland, and that prompt measures be taken to disarm the Tories and all those who are known to be disaffected to the cause of Canadian inde pendence." This speech was received with loud applause, and almost aU the men present agreed to carry it out. It must be remembered that among those people there was no thought of resentment against England, or of revolt against the British Government as such. Their rising was solely directed against the FamilyCompact.againstadespotic and utterlyunconstitutional system, worsethan that against which the English themselves had risen in insurrection under the first Charles and the second James — against Bishop Strachan's attempt, persist ently carried out in the face of adverse pubUc opinion, to establish in Canada the State Church of Wolsey or Laud. What the general feeUng was may be estimated from the fact that when Francis Bond Head, then at his wits' end for support, wrote to the loyal Mr. Shade to ask if it would be judicious to caU out and arm the militia of South Dumfries, he felt himself compeUed to reply that it would not be safe. Meantime a con.siderable force had gathered at Scotland, armed, some with rifles and others with the old-fashioned smooth-bore musket. Among them were many from South Dumfries. But two men arrived from ilackenzie's force at Toronto with the news of the skirmish at ^^lontgomery's Farm and the sub sequent dispersion. It was therefore of course resolved at once to disband the force gathered under Dr. Duncombe. The latter, after some difficulty and many adventures, in which the loyal friendship of his supporters was tested under circumstances of no ordinary difficulty and hazard, escaped to the States, where, despite the amnesty which would have permitted his return, he passed the rest of his daj's. Mr. Tufford was arrested, chained to another prisoner, brought to trial, and on evidence of a Government spy which he assures us was almost whoUy false, condemned to the scaffold. For nine months he lay in prison ; at last the devoted exertions of his wife. Dr. Duncombe's daughter, backed by the influence of every- magistrate in the district, procured his release. Young Hill was not so fortur ate. He was the favourite son of a most affec tionate home ; his father, Uke himself, was celebrated in South Dumfri'-^s and neighbourhood for his gaiety and light-heartedness. The boy had ev -r been the readiest to do a kind turn to a neighbour, and his impetuosity of spfrit urged him to be one of the foremost in urging on the preparations for a revolt which never took place. He was imprisoned in the Penitentiary at Kingston, where Ul-usage and insufficient food broke down his health. He died within a /ear. Mackenzie's Ueutenant at ^Montgomery's Farm had been Mr. Samuel Lount, for many years member for Simcoe, and one of the staunchest of the champions of Reform. He had sought refuge in South Dumfries, and was concealed in the house of Mr. Latshaw. A magistrate bent on his arrest is said to have entered 442 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. the front door of Mr. Latshaw's house just as Mr. Lount left it by the kitchen door. But there were facilities for concealment in that neighbourhood which induced the Latshaws to advise his remaining amongst them. He would not, however, be persuaded, and at last, under Mr. Latshaw's guidance, left for Niagara, where, at the last moment, when safety seemed certain, he was arrested in the act of crossing the river. A largely signed petition for his release and that of Mathews was sent from South Dumfries. But the Government of the day were merciless in their hour of triumph. Lount and Mathews suffered death on the scaffold at Toronto on April 12th, 1838. They are laid in a place unmarked by any monument in the public cemetery, and a free people, whose right to responsible government, to religious and civU equality, they died to win, pass to and fro unconcerned beside their nameless graves. The Grand River enters this township at the north-east and flows to the south-west, through the VUlage of Glenmorris and the Town of Paris, where it is joined by the smaller river known as Smith's Creek, on the north. Fairchild's Creek waters the eastern part of South Dumfries. There are many smaller water-courses and several ponds. The largest of these, situated on some land called Dickson's Reserve, is Blue Lake, noted for the crystal purity and beauti ful colour of its water, whose shores are a favourite resort for the lovers of beautiful scenery in summer. This township is traversed by the Great Western Railway from east to west, which enters it at Harrisburg, and has stations at St. George and Paris. At Paris it crosses the Grand 'Trunk. The Welhng- ton. Grey and Bruce branch line passes north from Harrisburg, where also the branch line to Brantford connects. South Dumfries comprises the thriving Villages of St. George and Glen morris. The general aspect of the country is hilly, except at the country called " The Plains," five miles north of Paris. At the last census (1881), the total population of South Dumfries is esti mated at 3,490, there being 663 famiUes and 665 inhabited houses. As usual the population of females is in excess of the males. Of religious denominations that which has the largest number of adherents is the Methodist Church, whose members number 1,249. Next to that is the Presbyterian Church, which numbers 1,093. Then comes the Adventists, of whom there are 584 ; the Church of England, with a member role of 246 ; the Roman Catholics, of 228. Besides these there are ten Plymouth Brethren, and eight who have not made up their mind to adopt any religious denomination. 'The political differences which in the troublesome times of 1837 caused so much difference and separated neighbour from neighbour, have long ago softened down, and nothing but harmony and good feeling prevails among those who were once ready to settle their political differences with the sword. But the great body of the electors of South Dum fries gave a solid vote for the Liberal side at the late election. Although the Conservative candidates were men who most deservedly stood high in pubUc estimation, the Liberal member was carried in by acclamation. Mr. James Young, who for some time has most efficiently represented the North Ridmg of Brant in the Ontario Legislative Assembly, is a man of much culture, and his " Reminiscences of the Early History of Gait and the Settlement of Dum fries" is a valuable aid to the historian, written in a lively style, and embodying much valuable information which, but for Mr. Young's care in preserving it, SOUTH DOIFRIES TOWNSHIP. 443 would have been lost. The " Reminiscences " was published by Messrs. Hunter, Rose & Co., Toronto, in 1880. Having given the reader a general sketch of the history of the Township of South Dumfries, we shaU now deal with it more in detaU, taking at first the course of the Grand River northward, then from Glenmorris to St. George, and westward to Harrisburg and the eastern verge of the township. But before leaving the subject of the general history of SouthDumfries.we wish to quote, as endorsation of what has been said as to the goodness of the soU and also the fanning entei'prise of the towmship, the Govemment Agricultural Report for 1881. The judges appointed to examine, under very stringent conditions, those farms to which the prizes par ejrxeRence of farming have been awarded in this Province, describe with great minuteness of technical detaU their ^-isits to several prize farms in South Dumfries. We quote the substance of what is said of one of tliem, the farm of Mr. Barker, near Paris. This farm, situated in South Dumfries on the road from Paris to Ayr, comprises some two hundred acres, described by the judges as " good sandy loam, fourteen acres wood and twelve permanent pasture." It is divided by the road locaUv known as Huson's Road, and part of it is crossed by the Great Western Railway ; the portion towards the Grand is rougher than the rest of the farm, but is well suited for stock and abundantly suppUed with water. The judges describe with admira tion a field of fall wheat which they saw on this farm, the edges of it cut down enough to admit the reaping machine. Besides the faU wheat there were " seventeen acres of barley, fifteen acres of oats, six of peas (' golden vein '), eight of turnips, one of potatoes, one-third of an acre of carrots, two acres of com, thfrty of hay, and fourteen extra of pasture." AU the crops are described by the judges as " good and level, showing every evidence of thorough working and high culture." There was a remarkable absence of weeds, every furrow and drill was mathematically straight " as if laid out by a gardener's Une." There were eighteen head of cattle, several fine specimens of the Durham breed The report lays special emphasis on the neatness and orderUness with which everything was arranged — " a place for everything and everything in its place ;" they also praise the adoption by Mr. Barker of the American system of dupUcating every separate part of the machinery employed, so that if any breakage takes place the loss can be at once repaired Finally, the judges noted the elegance of the house, grounds and driving carriages, remarking very justly on the benefit to the farmer and his famUy of giving some thought to the ele gances and relaxations of life, something else being needed to encourage the young than a life of incessant and monotonous labour. An equally favourable account is given in the grave, matter-of-fact official blue-book of several other farms in South Dumfries, notably that of Mr. Louis Lapierre, which consists of 360 acres, 265 of them under cultivation. Mr. Lapierre's farm is a model of industrious energy, and, as will be seen in our special account of his district of South Dumfries, he was one of the first to intro duce into the township the use of machinery, which has in a few years done so much to revolutionize agriculture. All that was said by the judges of the domestic elegance of the home surroundings on Mr. Barker's farm appUes with equal force to that of Mr. Lapierre. 444 history of brant county. " The Plains." North of Paris, as we enter the Township of South Dumfries, is an extensive stretch of perfectly level land, which is known as " The Plains." This is some of the most fertile grain-bearing land in all Ontario. A similar table-land is found on the other side of the Grand River ; but the soil is poorer, the sub stratum of rock being nearer to the surface. The soil in the part of " The Plains" west of the Grand River is composed of sand, loam and clay, in almost equal proportions on the various farms ; boulders and cobble-stones, relics of the ice age and contemporaries of the mammoth and of the cave bear, are scattered over the land, and are much used in forming a solid but irregular-looking masonry for churches and dwellings. A dark-coloured sandstone is also found, and forms excellent and durable, as well as good-looking material for the many substantial homesteads. These have a solid appearance of comfort that testifies to the farmer's success and the productiveness of the soil. About thirty years ago some of those malcontents at other people's good fortune, who are always ready to blight present enjoyment by their prophecies of evil, seeing the abundant yield of grain from the corn-fields of "The Plains," scornfully predicted that such fertile land must necessarily exhaust its wonderful productive power, and that three years' time would very much depreciate their crops both in quantity and quality. Thirty years have passed for the three of the false prophets of evU ; it is a fine day in the summer harvest time ; let us drive along the " Sprague " or Gait Road ; see those huge machines that move along the close-shorn wheat- growth with the precision of clockwork, mowing down all before them ; nay, gathering and binding each sheaf ; or see those threshing machines, those strong dozen or so of toiling horses, as they tread the magic circle amid the whir of wheels and clouds of dust ; for so gather they in the harvest gold into the farmer's treasury. For the agriculturalists of " The Plains" have kept pace with modern progress. Had they been content with the methods of cultivation used of old, the predicted failure of their crops might have befaUen them years ago. But at present the crops amount to three times as much as thirty years since. As in other progressive sections of the Province of Ontario, the farmers of " The Plains" very early saw the wisdom of introducing machinery. The first reaping machine used in Canada was that used by Mr. John Mans. It had to be fetched in a waggon from Port Dover. This machine, less elaborate than later inventions of the same kind, was not furnished with a driving seat, the want of which was supplied by a piece of plank supported on each side by two other planks fastened to the machine. This rough-and-ready arrangement broke down, and the boy who was driving had a narrow escape from being crushed by the ponderous machine. Twenty years ago Mr. Louis Lapierre was the first to use a seed drill; it was manufactured in Dundas. Rough were the duties, and most unremitting the toils for first settlers who acquired farm settlements in "The Plains " from about 1820 to 1830. As a rule these seem, however, to have been men possessed of some capital ; they came resolved not to spare expense or exertion in making the earth yield forth her increase ; and the result of this, joined with the exceptional fertility of "The Plains" district, made this community a more speedily thriving one than was to SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 445 be found in those older settlements where the pioneers were almost whoUy without other resources than their bodUy labour. Some of the first generation of settlers on "The Plains" died in possession of considerable wealth. From the first the cattle and the horses were of a superior quality, and if labour was un remitting, at least it was aided by many of those subsidiary appUance.s which make the results of labour certain. Nor was the toil of the pioneer famiUes without its compensations ; the raising bee and the quUting bee, the good-feUow- ship of the former and the rustic flirtations of the latter ; the ring of the rifle in the woods, and the gliding of graceful girl-figures over the ice-pool which suppUed the place of a fashionable rink, were the forms under which they knew that happiness of youth and sympathy which began with Paradise and wiU go on tiU Doomsday ! And if with some of these festive gatherings there mingled a misguided hospitality which caused too frequent excess, let us rejoice in the spread of enlightened Christian feeUng, which in our day makes such excess the exception and not the rule. As has been intimated, many of the pioneers of " The Plains" were men of refinement, and set high value on education, and the mental as weU as mone tary preparation of their children for the world and life. Very early in the formation of the settlement the school houses began to rise. The first was buUt in 1830 ; the farms being very close together made access easier for the children ; and great as we consider the improvement effected by the deservedly valued school system of our Province at the present day, many who remember the rough-and-ready extemporized school arrangements of fifty years ago, are of opinion that there was, after all, in many cases a heartiness and a force in the simple methods of the old-time pedago^^ue which somehow seems strangely lacking in the more correct methods of the duly-certificated teacher who has passed through all ordeals of examinations, and answered all the puzzle-papers of the Department at the present day. As an instance, the School Trustees engaged a wandering " waif and' stray," a Scotchman, who had been educated for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church, by name Benoch or Bannoch. He proved an admirable teacher, bating an occasional lapse from duty, owing to his indulgence in the cup that cheers so Uttle and inebriates so much! In mathematics especially was he a valuable instructor, ha\'ing the gift which some of more modern methods and higher pretensions lack, tbat of gaining ready access to the pupU's mind, of appreciating his difficulties, and showing him how they can be removed. So great became the dominie's fame, that many grown up people of both sexes, whose education had been utterly neglected during their youth, were glad to come, 'with a single-minded humiUty that was much to their credit, and sit on the school-benches among the chU dren. Thither came the young farm-hand anxious to learn as much simple ciphering as should serve his turn in reckoning up his wages ; there bent over her copy book's " pot-hooks and hangers " the young " hired girl," desirous of being able to write her signature to that momentous document by which a woman discounts the happiness of her future. The dominie was a strict dis ciplinarian, a ruler who did not bear the sword iu vain, a Uteral interpreter of all that King Solomon has written about the benefit of the rod; He would smite sore the deUnquent at his lessons ; nay, it was a common thing to see him thump the ears and shoulders of grown up lads and even of strong men 446 HISTORY OP BRANT COUNTY. when slow to apprehend his instructions. These chastisements were invariably submitted to without a murmur. The young women he punished more mfldly by pinching the ear, or pulling the long back hair. We have been unable to obtain any information as to whether this no doubt salutary discipline was borne by the fair sex with their usual patience. But the historian has his doubts on this point. This master taught at "The Plains" for four years ; then getting dissatisfied, or from some restless impulse of his Bohemian nature, he moved to Berlin, where he had a school for a year or two ; he then returned to another section of " The Plains," where he taught for two years more. He is not unkindly remembered by his old pupils. A more cultured teaching was at this time supplied by the Rev. Mr. Morse, the clergyman of the English Church at Paris, who opened a private school, to which two pupils, sons of two farmers of "^ The Plains," used to resort daily. " The Plains " have thus enjoyed a healthy intellectual atmosphere, and have been comparatively free from political strife, in part perhaps owing to the fact that the worthy farmers are all of the same way of thinking, and to quarrel is therefore impossible. The place is equally healthy from a physical point of view. No malaria can find a lair in the wide breezy expanse, high above the rapid-fiowing river. Such diseases as diphtheria are unknown, and during the cholera plague of 1835 there were but two deaths from this cause on " The Plains." Among those of this part of the Township of South Dumfries who have attained to official distinction, may be mentioned Mr. Louis Lapierre, son of a Lower Canadian gentleman who, about 1825, settled on the fourth concession. Mr. La pierre has filled many important positions both in the township and the county, having been Reeve of the former and Warden of the latter. It so happened that his father's death took place while Canada was subject to the law of primo geniture, and that by consequence all his late father's property passed without condition into Mr. Lapierre's possession. With a regard to duty as rare as it was honourable, he set aside for his younger brother some two hundred acres, which he knew their father had intended for him, portioned his sisters, and pro vided for his mother. Mr. Daniel Anderson, another of " The Plains" worthies, had the honour of being the first Reeve of the new township. Young Mr. Smoke, also of this section, was for some time one of the staff of Professors at the University of Victoria CoUege, Cobourg, which position, though a most popular and successful teacher, he abandoned in order to prepare for practice at the Bar. There is one church situated on " The Plains ;" it belongs to the Methodists, who were among the very earliest pioneers of religious organization in the district. As early in the history of the settlement on " The Plains " as fifty years ago, the itinerant Methodist missionary held periodical services in the old school house which in those primitive days served to shelter both education and reUgion. One very impressive preacher, a minister who was blind, is still remembered. There was no organ, not even a tuning-fork, but the tune was boldly raised and led by a doughty choir-leader, Mr. James Y. Smith, who for some years taught the tuneful art, in which indeed, after the fashion of those days, he had no little skill ; and if that church music was not very refined, it had at least heart and the courage of its opinions. SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 447 The church of " The Plains," or, as the legend thereon engraved entitles it,. the " Wesleyan Methodist Chapel," was built in 1843. It is an unpretending but neat and substantial country church, built of the cobble-stone masonry mentioned above ; a similar material has been used for the English Church at Paris, but the workmanship of the local masons at " The Plains " seemed to be the better. Old Mr. Mans gave the site for this church ; he, Mr. Lapierre, Senr.„ and a few others, made up the money required for material, which amounted to $1,000 ; but as the people gave all the labour of construction as a free offering, the real cost of the building was far more than the estimate. The dimensions of the church are thirty feet by forty, just suitable to its small but earnest con gregation. To this church, amid a numerous gathering, the body of the elder Mr. Mans was borne for funeral rites. In its little churchyard, commemorated by a modest monument, his remains are at rest. The present Trustees of the Methodist Church on " The Plains " are Mr. John Mans, Mr. Henry Mans, Mr. WUUam Mans, Mr. Egerton Thompson, Mr. Thomas Carr, Mr. Frank Helliker, Mr. Louis Lapierre, and Mr. A. Y. Andrews. Money exchange was unknown in the early days of this part of the township. As in the others, barter prevailed for all commerce that could be carried on ; even the wheat was carried in waggon or sleigh to Dundas and brought back as flour in barrels, minus the very Uberal allowance retained by the miller as perquisite. The same arrange ment prevaUed in every transaction of life ; a young lady's marriage portion was estimated in horses, cows, sheep or real estate ; her wedding-fee partly, it might be, in kind (by a chaste salute), partly in rolls of butter or cords of wood ; even the doctor, when professional assistance came next in order, was rewarded, very liberally as a rule, with food or fuel. Three years ago the church of " The Plains " underwent a process of reno vation. A new ceiling "was provided, the seats were cushioned ; an organ has been procured, and the singing is now worthy of any country church of the day. The scenery along the Gait Road is very cha,rming ; the rich tranquil farm land of those prairies of South Dumfries contrasts with the broad and rapid river and the fringe of woods still left as a memorial of the not very remote past. This Gait Road, which leads northward to the Village of Glen morris, is locally called the " Sprague Road," after an earlier pioneer of that name, who kept a small tavern three miles north some forty years back. We have said that this section of South Dumfries deserves credit for mode ration on religious as well as political questions. The Presbyterians of the western part of the township go to worship at Paris from " The Plains " section^ to the church at Glenmorris from the section north of " The Plains." " The Plains " people form a pastoral community peculiar to the locality ; the families are much allied by intermarriage. Quietly conducted as are the elections of the present day, a different scene was to be witnessed at the elec tions of the early days of the settlement. For then a cask of beer and a keg of whiskey were brought on the scene ; there never was a fight or serious mis chief, as the strong good fellowship and many mutual alliances were able even to counteract the enemy then too frequently put " within the mouth to steal away the brains." The strict election law of the present day, by which the slightest attempt at " treating " is forbidden on the day when the public will is pronounced at an election, has, however, saved much that was to be regretted 448 HISTORY OF BBANT COUNTY. here as elsewhere. During the polling it was the custom to keep one elector whose vote had not been polled in readiness, lest the time assigned by law for the process of recording votes having elapsed without any elector coming forward to record his vote, the poll might be closed. The oratory of those early days, as might be expected, was characterised rather by homely common sense than by lofty fiights of eloquence, and the speaker's personal character and skill as a farmer and man of business had most to do with ensuring the attention of his neighbours. We have mentioned that large formations of clay and loam are found in this level part of South Dumfries ; these occur at times in belts of a mile across, at others in smaller quantities, alternating with each, and with deposits of sand on the same fai'm. Beneath it, at a depth of from one to several feet, lies a stratum of that blue fossiliferous limestone which stretches all through the western part of Canada, till it crosses into the Lower Province in that bar of precipitous rock over which the whole flood of the Ottawa thunders. With the granite are often found deposits of gravel, the relics of some extinct spring or water-course. A stratum of very workable brown-blue sandstone also extends over " The Plains " from east to west, while the limestone runs towards the ¦south-west. From the evidence afforded us by several of the oldest survivors of the earliest times of this settlement, and by the sons of those who have passed away, the country, called from its principal settler, the venerable founder ¦of the Mans' family, "Mans' Plains," and since then shortened into "The Plains," was originally covered thickly with large oak trees. These had short, thick trunks, with spreading boughs and foliage. Now the original oaks of forest growth, like pines and other trees which grow together in the hush, have their boughs and foliage at the top, the presence of " a boundless con tiguity of trees " not allowing their expansion laterally. Therefore the con clusion is drawn that these " oak openings " were a second growth succeeding to the original oak forest which had been burned by lightning, or by the camp fires of Indians ; the latter cause seems the most probable. As has been said elsewhere in this history of South Dumfries, there exists clear evidence that some other Indians roamed these wilds before their cession to the Iroquois Six Nations by the British Government in 1783. In various places on these very Plains, Indian bones and flint arrow-heads have been found, proving that here they had in this region at one time a favourite camping ground. The great size of these oak stumps proved that the destruction of the previous growth must have taken place at a considerable distance of time ; the stone arrow heads also point to an age of Indian warfare when they had not yet adopted iron. 'These arrow-heads were chiefly discovered on the farm of Mr. Sovereign, now of Paris, whose father was one of the earliest settlers in this part of South Dum fries. They are unusually long, from two inches to six and seven, and are keenly edged and pointed. Such fine work in stone weapons became a lost art ¦soon after the French traders of the sixteenth century taught the Indians to use iron. Mr. Sovereign had quite a store of these interesting relics, but he good-naturedly lent them to a traveller from the old country, who forgot to return them. As has been intimated, the settlers of this district of South Dumfries were, almost without exception, men sufficiently well off in the world to put some capital SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 449 into the land which they purchased from the Hon. Mr. Dickson, or his agent and factotum, Mr. Shade. Yet their inheritance when they entered on it was the same tmbroken wUdemess, which had faUen before the axes of the U. E. immigrants of 1783. For the fir.^t several years bears abounded in the woods, west and horth of " The Plains." But these are never known to have attacked a man, although they did great harm to corn-fields and the smaUer cattle. Many stories are told by the old men of Brain being met and slain by boys bold enough to emulate David's hunting-feats, with no other weapons than a staff. But there were other sylvan pests more difficult to fight. The lynx, our Ameri can leopard, cUnging to branch or tree trunk with the strong claws of the feline, waited, unseen but seeing, for the boy or girl who might stray beneath unguarded As fierce in its flesh-hunger and almost as strong, the wUd cat has been known to spring, when brought to bay, full seven feet into the air to her refuge in a tree. These creatures have been known to attack men ; and few dogs could fight them. A farmer of this district tells how, pursued when un armed by one of them, he sought refuge in a bam, and just as he closed the door the ferocious creature sprang against it, endeavouring to tear open the woodwork ¦with tooth and claw. The latest sur^dvors of these pests of the forest were some of the farmers' most dangerous neighbours — the wolves. Long after " The Plains " had been cleared and settled, packs of wolves used to prowl over them to gather with ill-boding cries round the cattle enclosures ; and in many cases they have been seen, gaunt in the moonlight, through the crevices of the farmers' log houses. The last wolf kUled on " The Plains " was a huge dog-wolf, whose entry spread conster nation in the farm-yard of Mr. Hiram Capron, within the Paris limits. It was speedUy shot by ifr. McMichael, who happened just then to enter the farm yard A pack of wolves has been known to foUow a sleigh through Dumfries to Gait, and two men, who were driving a team of oxen laden with wheat from Guelph to Gait, were attacked in the darkness before dawn by several of these animals, who, acting in concert, as is their custom, sprang at the drivers on each side. The men struck at them with their whips, and so with difficulty kept them at bay tUl daylight. As an instance of the eager indtistry with which the process of self-help was carried on, we may mention an anecdote told us by Mr. Conkling. Visiting Mr. Mans' farm, he found that gentleman, who had been lamed by a fall, sitting on horseback and sowing his seed, while in another field his two little boys were ploughing. Hard work was no punishment to men like these. It has been mentioned that the first threshing-machine u.sedon "The Plains " was the common property of Mr. Mans and Mr. Lapierre. The first reaping- machine was introduced by Mr. Showers. The first who imported into the settlement improved breeds of .sheep and cattle were Messrs. Sovereign, Mans and Lapierre. By these South Downs and Merinos were purchased, and were speedUy a success, the neighbours of the settlement crowding to see them. One of the causes of both the general good feeling and of the generous rivalry in all agricultural improvement of the settlers of " The Plains," we trace to the fact of their houses being built so close together. For thefr farms have each a very narrow frontage, stretehing far back from this to the Grand River. In passing along the Gait Road west of the river you see, almost at every few rods' dis- 450 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. tance, a handsome villa-like residence and often a tenant's house on the same farm. A further test of the rapid improvement caused by this friendly emula tion was the number of prizes at the county and other agricultural fairs and shows won by this portion of the township, which may truly be called the garden of South Dumfries. We have mentioned the earliest school, called " The New School," or, " Mans' School," from this universal benefactor of the settlement having deeded the land for its erection. In 1830 it was taught by a Miss Andrews, who afterwards married a Dr. Lowden. As we were informed by Mrs. Conklin, who as a girl of tender years attended there, Miss Andrews was an excellent teacher, although the best of these primitive pedagogues was the Mr. Bannoch already referred to as so strict a disciplinarian with young and old. But before there was any building for the purpose of school teaching, this was carried on chiefly by female teachers, whose acquirements must have been very limited, as they did not include even the elements of arithmetic ! These ladies taught reading, .spelling and writing, in a private house, receiving from each family a doUar a week and " boarding round." But in the winter season, a male teacher of some what greater acquirements was usually engaged at a more liberal salary for some three months. To these teachers of the unknown mysteries of arithmetic, we are assured by the lady from whose reminiscences we have quoted above, it was common for grown up people of both sexes to resort, only too anxious to learn what had, through no fault of theirs, been neglected in youth. Preaching as well as teaching existed in this part of South Dumfries long before even a school house was provided for its accommodation. The Method ist itinerant preachers visited the place every four weeks, although it was not on the Paris Circuit. Thither rode, by difficult and often dangerous paths, the Methodist preacher from Long Point on Lake Erie to Brantford, to Paris, to Blenheim, to Gait and Copetown. The untiring preacher of the Word was a striking picture of self-help as well as Christian piety. Under favourable circumstances the found from station to station might be got through in four weeks. But this could, indeed, seldom be calculated on. In spring and fall the numerous swamps were almost impassable to the deftest horseman, the weary horse sinking knee deep at every step. In summer the swarms of mos- .quitoes were enough to madden steed and rider. In winter the snow rampart, wreathed with ghastly drifts, blocked the way impenetrably ; and the tired missionary and his horse were glad to accept the common but generously shared food and shelter of the nearest squatter's shanty. Our friend Mr. Conklin, formerly of " The Plains," has described to us his first view of one of the West Canadian missionaries. Bestriding a strong, serviceable steed, the good man rode up to " Mans' School House." Across his saddle hung his canvas saddle bags, containing his Bible, hymn book, and a scanty stock of bread or biscuit. We have mentioned the impression still jetained in advanced life, which the preaching of a certain blind preacher made on the mind of one of our informants when a boy. This gentleman's name was Long ; to him are due the most successful of the several revivals held in the church of " The Plains." If the Minister arrived on a week-day, it made no difference. It was the :3chool children's mission to carry round the summons, " You go to the preach- SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 451 ing." Once, we are informed, the preacher arrived at the mid-day dinner time. But these good Christians preferred spiritual to bodUy food, and service was immediately held The names of Pringle and Law are' to this day held in honour as those of two elders who preached the Gospel faithfully. The Bap tists share with the Methodists the honour of having been the pioneers of reli gion in " The Plains." They were kindly welcomed by the tolerant people, as was Mr. DeLong, a Quaker, and crowds attended the preaching of good old Mrs. Long, a member of the same goodly and venerable sect. Old residents have described to us how she would sit in quiet meditation for a few minutes untU, as she beUeved, " the Spirit moved her." Soon came the outpouring of simple, earnest and touching words concerning God and duty. Then she would quietly close the exercises by saying to her audience, " No w, thee may go home." Always ready to be of use to others, the itinerant missionary very often carried the mail bags from station to station. Fortunately these were seldom likely to be a heavy burden at a day when there were few business transactions, and when letters came few and far between. Despite the generaUy acknowledged and practised duty of Christian toleration, it seems that there were exceptional cases. A sect calling themselves "Christians" (pronounced " chreist-ia'^ns," for they were quite distinct from the " Christians," or " Bible Christians," who form such a respectable part of the great Methodist body), held a doctrine of there being " Two Gods," some obscure form, most probably, of Arian or So- cinian speculation. Of this sect two of the settlers, Godfrey and HUden, pro fessed themselves adherents. On one occasion a Methodist minister being about to hold service at the school house, they requested him to give out notice of a sermon, to be deUvered on the next Sunday by one of thefr own preachers. He refused, saying that he could not conscientiously give notice of a sermon to be preached by one who denied the divfruty of his Lord. Such were these pioneer church services, such the earnestness, the intense faith of those who preached and of those who were taught. And as an old farmer from " The Plains " said lately to one who was vaunting the handsome church and fine sacred music in Paris, " Ah, sir ! there were -/iiore tears shed at those old school-room services." Besides the earlier preachers referred to, at a later time the Church of " The Plains " was ministered to by Rev. Messrs. Coleman and Prindle, Barker and Dows, the two last mentioned from Paris. The roads that traverse this district are remarkably good, being worked by statute labour of the settlers along the line, whose houses, as has been men- tioned, are situated more closely together than in most country districts. There are two main roads leading to Gait on both sides of the Grand River, both running due north-east in the dfrection of Glenmorris. No toll-gate or turn pike has ever been found necessary on these roads. At every mile there is a cross-road east and west between the concession lines. All these are kept in good order by the people, and whether in summer among the ripening harvest fields and shady oaks and maples, or iu the good old-fashioned sleighing of a not too snow-drffted winter, our Province can afford no more pleasant drive. The account of the gypsum mines, and of the methods of manufacture of that invaluable fertiUzer of the soU, belong rather to Paris, and will be treated of in our account of that town. But the principal gypsum formations are in South Dumfries, very near Paris, and on the east side of the Grand River. The owner of the land where the gypsum is found is Mr. GUI. 452 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. In the early times of " The Plains " settlement, the farmers had some chance of a^little profit by shooting the abundant game whose peltry, though not so valuable as now, was yet gladly purchased by traders. Beavers were abundant, and on pond and stream they built their industrious villages ; there too the otter was shot for its beautiful soft fur. There were plenty of mink and musk- rat, and for some time after the district was cleared, deer were frequently seen approaching by two and three so close to the farm houses that they were some times brought down from the door by the settler's rifle. In one case, a lady from Paris had been promised some venison by a farmer on " The Plains." He did not come at the time appointed, and she sent to ask the reason. The settler excused himself, but promised that at a set time next day it should be forth coming. He shouldered his rifle, went into the wood, and brought down a fine deer. The venison was duly sent up to time as promised. The only social or reformatory organizations which have been carried on among the people of " The Plains " are those of the temperance movement. The first of these was inaugurated by the Baptist Church, through the instrumen tality mainly of Mr. Latshaw, Senr., and his family. 'This was forty years ago. The society was not organized systematically, nor affiliated with the Sons of Temperance, or any of the great temperance bodies then extant. It was simply a private venture for the good of " The Plains " community, undertaken by a few good men and women on a very simple and unpretending scale. It did not seem to take hold ; the times were unfavourable ; the temperance move ment had not as yet taken hold of the public mind in that part of Canada ; but it deserves to be remembered to the credit of Mr. Latshaw and his friends. Several other efforts at temperance societies have been tried by the Method ist clergy, of which, after careful inquiry among the leading members of the Methodist Church on " The Plains," we have been unable to obtain any particular account. Ther^ has been little drunkenness in this quiet community, and even when whiskey in the good (or bad) old times cost only eighteen cents agallon,there was not much more drinking than at present. It is true that then the black bottle, now condemned to a furtive existence in cupboards or recesses, then put in an appearance on all occasions, public or private. In Homer's description of the scenes of ancient Greek life depicted on the shield of Achilles, there is a picture of a ploughman foUowing the oxen through the furrows of the field, and at the end of each furrow stands a man with cups of wine to give each of them a draught. On the harvest-fields of " The Plains " the strong drink was not quite so liberally dispensed as in Old Homer's time, still it was the custom to produce a jar of whiskey three times a day. Possibly the liquor of that time was too cheap to be worth adulterating, and so was not so poisonous as the decoction of fusel-oil and strychnine now sold as " liquor." Perhaps too those days of harder and more unremitting labour required or excused a stimulant which now can be more easily dispensed with. There were, besides the more well-to-do settlers on " The Plains," several though not many poor famUies, whose hus bands and sons would hire out for daily work at Gait when they were not able to procure it in South Dumfries. When at Gait they would, as each Satur day brought the week's pay, construct a raft, put a week's supply of food thereon, and launching it on the Grand River, float down to their home on " The Plains." uf this class were Messrs. Holding and Godfrey, already mentioned as Hugh Workman SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 455 being members of the strange sect of Christ-ians. These famUies subsequently left " The Plains" for Gait, where they sustained sad loss by the cholera of 1835. The social progress of " The Plains " kept pace with its industrial gains. At first, as in aU new settlements, the girls and boys wore the homely dresses of pioneer Ufe. By degrees bitj of store- purchased flnery appeared at the Sabbath meeting, at the quUting bee, or the apple-paring. The mysteries of the quUt ing bee were for the ladies only ; the material which was to form the ground work of the quilt was stretched on a frame over a long table; the gfrls sat round and with patient skUl worked in the intricate and often beautfftU pattern. But when the evening shades descended and tea was prepared, with the pies and hot biscuits arrived a select body of the farmers' sons, any one of them sure to make a good husband to any one of these industrious young needle women. At the " apple-paring " both sexes assisted; the young men pared the once " forbidden " fruit, the feminine flngers performed the more delicate task of extracting the core and stringing the sections of fruit to form the " apple sass " of the coming winter. At six o'clock came tea, not the languid " after noon tea " of fashionable life, but a genuine substantial meal of boiled pork, hot and cold, of bowls of berries big enough for a giant, and pies huge as cir cular saws. When ample justice had been done to these good things by young ladies who had the courage of thefr appetites, and by young men who did not share the late Lord Byron's opinion that a pretty woman never looks pretty when eating, then came on the grand event of the evening, the " flnal cause," to use metaphysical language, of the " apple-paring," £is of the " quUting " and every other " bee." The room was cleared ; a neighbour, generaUy well up in years and always a Scotchman, produced a weU-worn but not unserviceable fiddle. A quadriUe was played and danced — danced most emphaticaUy, not walked through in the fashionable faineant style, but every step conscien tiously performed in time to the music. To this succeeded faster dances ; the whfrl of the waltz, the rush of the galop, the thump of the polka. At twelve came supper, a glass of wine for the ladies, and a moderate " horn " of a fluid which then cost but eighteen cents a gallon for the boys. Then a merry drive home over the moonUt snow or under the summer trees. The first marriage that took place in anything like the grand style among the denizens of " The Plains" was that of the eldest daughter of Mr. Latshaw, one of the oldest and most influential settles, who was with all due observance and ceremonial united to Mr. Spotiswood. The bride wore a tasteful wedding dress, no home-made article, but the genuine work of the Worth of the period at Gait ; it was of white merino, with glittering trimming of lustrous satin, and sheen of pearls on the neck. On her head was a veil of real lace, in place of the homely white cap which the country-bred bride of " The Plains " had been wont to content herself with. The wedding over, the new married pair, thus welded into one, set the unexampled precedent of going on a wedding tour. For hitherto a wedding had been a matter of great simpUcity. The cerem ony was performed at the house of the bride's father, or if that was not large enough to accommodate the expected guests, at the nearest hotel — (in those days the country hotels were invariably provided with a large hall suitable for dancing parties). Instead of prudishly retreating, the bride presided at the feast, cut the wedding cake, always of home manufacture, and a great deal more whole- 27 456 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. some for that reason, and was the merriest and most active in the dance that continued on those occasions till the small hours. The earliest interments in the churchyard of " The Plains " Church were those of old Mr. Burns and of Mr. Mans, Senr. For some time after the first settlement of " The Plains," it had been the custom to bury the dead in a portion of the farm set apart 'for the purpose. Of course, as the ancient Roman civil law does not prevail in Canada — the law which ordained that any spot of ground in which human remains were buried should remain consecrated from all secular use whatever — it was felt that such places of burial gave no security against that desecration of the last resting places of the dead against which the human mind, even such a- mind as Shakespeare's, naturally rebels.* At the present day old settlers tell us of forgotten graves on farms that have long passed out of the hands of those interested in the persons buried there, and sure sooner or later to be broken up by the ploughshare. This insecurity became felt, and soon Mr. Mans, the universal benefactor and promoter of every good work on " The Plains," deeded an acre of land for a burial ground, to which some time afterwards a public subscription added half an acre more. For physic and for theology " The Plains " were dependent on Paris. Dr. McCosh, the oldest practitioner of that town, used to enter the house of sick ness with the aid of his cork leg ; a truly and deservedly beloved physician, who has presided at the entrance into life of most of the present generation of " The Plains." It remains to record the political history of this part of Brant County. As has been mentioned, " The Plains " were mainly settled by Scotchmen, who, whether from that circumstance or not, were as hard-headed, common- sense, and independent a set of men as could be found at that day in English- speaking Canada. The State Church interest and the Family Compact had no link of connection with " The Plains," since " Church people" (in Bishop Strachan's sense) there were none, and the only representatives of the Family Compact Conservatism in this neighbourhood, Mr. Dickson and Mr. Shade, though both liked and respected, were not on anything like visiting terms with any family except that of Mr. Mans'. For several years since the settlement began to emerge from its ba,ckward struggle into something like prosperity, William Lyon Mackenzie's Colonial Advocate and Mr.Francis Hincks' Examiner had taught men to think on the wrong done to the people of west Canada by being compelled to support an alien Church, and by being denied Responsible Government. These were the two chief grievances which the so-caUed *' Rebellion " of 1837 was intended to suppress, and, as a matter of fact, though not exactly in the way its promoters designed, did suppress. In 1833 William Lyon Mackenzie addressed a large popular gathering at Gait, when most of " The Plains " men attended, with the exception of the famiUes of Mans and Lapierre, who were on the opposite side in politics. With the two exceptions above mentioned, and the families of Nelles, Ames and Sales, aUthe farmers of this district were on the side of Reform, of which, over the heads of * See Shakespeare's epitaph, composed by himself for his tombstone at the Church of Stratford- on-Avon : ' ' Bleat be he who spares these stones, And curst be he who moves these bones." SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 457 more cautious men like Robert Baldwin and Francis Hincks, Mackenzie and one other, yet better known and loved in South Dumfries, were the recognized leaders. Dr. Duncombe had long been in medical practice in this part of Canada. His poUtical career and position as a leader present a striking paraUel to those of Dr. Wolfred Nelson, the insurgent leader of Lower Canada in 1837. Both of these remarkable men had been for years distinguished by success in the practice of their profession, and by the kindness with which they applied its resources to the reUef of their poorer neighbours. Of Dr. Duncombe we find that those who knew him best in his Ufe as a country phy^sician speak most warmly of his great goodness of heart. " He was a fine man, and had a feeUng heart for the poor," said one old farmer ; " whenever he could do a body a good turn, he was the man to do it." In numberless cases he gave physic as well as advice without a fee, and he seems to have been looked up to as a source of help and advice through more thau one county in the neighbourhood of Norfolk. We have examined with care his excellent portrait at the hospitable house of his daughter, ilrs. Tufford, of Paris. The face is an intel lectual one, with a keen, mobUe and excitable expression ; a high and com manding brow, and lips denoting firmness and resolution. It is the face of no ordinary man. After Uving among his country neighbours for years as their most reliable friend and benefactor, it is no wonder that they induced him to become their representative in the Legislature. Once a member of that body, and seeing the utterly hopeless nature of its struggle for the constitutional rights which it was the intention of the mother country should be exercised, aU that was most generous, aU that was most manly, in Dr. Duncombe's nature enlisted him on the side of the patriot Opposition. Among these were leaders whose eloquence, integrity and powers of organization have not been surpassed, if equalled, by the two generations of Canadian statesmen who have succeeded to WiUiam Lyon ilackenzie and his compeers. In the foremost place among them Dr. Duncombe took rank, and through the Counties of Brant and Oxford especiaUy he became the recognised exponent of the policy of those who were struggling against wind and tide to gain the haven of constitutional Reform and Responsible Government. He was a speaker of marked power in ParUa- ment and elsewhere ; his voice, though not strong, had a clearness and distinct ness that enabled him to be heard over every part of a large open-air gathering. If we can judge from the testimony of a large number of those who knew him best in the district of which we are writing, he was, both as a man and as an orator, gifted with singular magnetism, one whom it was impossible to know without loving. It was by no means the intention of Dr. Duncombe to precipitate the insur rection of 1837. StiU he was convinced that the time had come when thfe only chance of arousing the attention of the EngUsh Government to the tyranny of Canadian misgo,vemment was an appeal to arms against the Family Compact. Nothing more opposed to English Liberal ideas, to the spirit of English consti tutional government since the Revolution, can be conceived than the petty despotism which then misruled Canada. It was the extravagance, the favour itism, the despotic government of the Stewart tyrants, carried out for the benefit of a cUque of imitation-prelates, half-pay officers and high-lffe-below-stairs 458 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. aristocracy. Strachan, the Canadian Laud, was balanced by Draper, the Cana dian Jeffries, and Francis Bond Head, who may be left to balancer the sentence as the Canadian Stratford, minus Stratford's splendid intellectual endowments, power of rule and personal courage. The story of 1837 has been told elsewhere in this volume, hence we have but to point out that almost every family of any note on " The Plains " of South Dumfries thoroughly sympathized with the aims of Dr. Duiicombe, and shared his confidence. It will be remembered that exception is made of the two leading families of Mans and Lapierre. Of all who supported the cause of Reform none were more popular than Mr. Hill, one of the earliest settlers on " The Plains." Many stories are told of his merry sayings and stories. His son, a young man of twenty-five, was enthusi- tically attached to Duncombe and the national cause. One day in December, 1837, a renegade to the cause named Mathews (in no way related to the martyr of the same name who suffered death in Toronto at the hands of the Family Compact), with a characteristic desire to make mischief, brought a garbled account of Mackenzie's unsuccessful attempt on Toronto, and the news spread like wildfire over " The Plains " that the leader of the cause had taken the capital. Young Hill at once convened a meeting for the purpose of organizing a force of Auxiliary National Volunteers at the house of Mr. Stockton, on the town line of Blenheim and South Dumfries. A crowded meeting was held ; Mr. Stockton, as chairman, addressed them ; and then it was resolved to arm at once and be in readiness to join whatever force Duncombe might gather around him in order to march on Toronto. The only step, however, that was carried out, and that but partially, was the disarming of some of the more prominent Tories. When news came of the miscarriage of Mackenzie's move on the capital, Duncombe of course gave up all thought of a local insurrection. He might, had he said the word, have surrounded himself with a force which might have gained temporary successes, like those won by Dr. Wolfred Nelson at St. Denis over Colonel Gore and his soldiers, but in the end, as Duncombe well foresaw, a similar ruin would have overwhelmed the families and farms of the Reformers of South Dumfries. With the aid of faithful friends Duncombe, who had now committed himself too deeplj', and was too obnoxious by his talents and his virtues to be allowed to escape the scaffold, made his way to the inviolable asylum of the American Republic. Of his followers in South Dumfries only young Hill suffered severely for having shown the .courage of his opinions. This virtuous and true-hearted young man was imprisoned in the Kingston Penitentiary, where, worn out with insufficient food and hard usage, he died. Glenmorris. Tlie picturesque and thriving Village of Glenmorris was founded in the year 1848 by Samuel Latshaw, of whom mention has afready been made as one of the earliest and most energetic of the settlers in South Dumfries, and as one of the ataunchest Reformers and supporters of WUliam Lyon Mackenzie ; also as the man who, at the peril of his own life, during the height of the Family Compact terror, endeavoured to shield Samuel Lount from his doom. The ground was arranged in accordance with a survey by Mr. D. P. Ball, Provin cial Land Surveyor for Upper Canada. The first store, a general warehouse SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. 459 of the usual pioneer merchandise, had been opened as early as 1845 by Robert Shiel, who also opened the first hotel a few months afterwards. John Darwin had taken advantage of the water privilege to put up a saw-miU in 1831. The first church was erected for the use of the Presbyterian denomination in 1849 ; the ground for the site, as weU as liberal contributions towards the cost of building, were given by Samuel Latshaw, who also deeded four acres of valu able land to form a glebe, on which a commodious and elegant dwelling house was erected as a manse for the pastor's residence. The total cost of building the church was S2,000. The congregation came mainly from the region of South Dumfries north of " The Plains." The viUage is prettUy situated in a valley surrounded by an amphitheatre of wooded hills. It is distant from Paris six mUes, from Brantford twelve miles, from Gait six miles. A daily stage connects it with the last named place. Situated in the midst of a fine farming country, this viUage is quite a business centre for the northern region of South Dumfries Township. It has an active and enterprising population, and though it has not grown with the rapidity of Paris, is quite likely to become an important place. In 1851 Glen morris was made a post village, the first Postmaster bein.n; Robert Shiel. In 1854 George Herbert buUt the first grist-mill ; and in 1857 was founded the distillery of Robert Wallace. The smallest of the South Dumfries villages is ¦ Harrisburg, built on the small stream called Fairchild's Creek, at the south east corner of the township ; it is a junction station of the Great Western Eailway, with its branches to Brantford, and Wellington, Grey and Bruce. It is eight miles from Brantford, ten miles from Paris, and three from St. George. It has four hotels and a few thriving stores. The Methodist Church at Harris burg was built in 1859, and cost 81,500. The village dates from 1853, when it was laid out by A N. Vrooman. The chief business done there is connected with the railway. St. George. The important ViUage of St. George is situated in the south-east section of South Dumfries Township, about ten miles west of the east line. It is a station on the Great Western Railway, the distance from St. George to Brantford being nine miles, to Gait nine mUes, to Harrisburg three. The St. George district was one of the earliest settled in South Dumfries, the excellent quaUty of the soil having attracted settlers even before Mr. Dickson purchased the township. The first house in St. George was built by Mr. Obed Wilson, on Lot No. 7, near where now stands the Methodist Church ; he came, the pioneer settler, in 1814; Messrs. Connors and Dayton put up log houses in 1815 ; Isaac S.iaver and John Brickberry arrived in 1816 ; David VanEvery and J. Fawkes came in 1817. Next year John Pettit erected a distUlery, the firewater manufactured in which was sold, and found a very ready sale in those unsophisticated days, when the voice of J. B. Gough and D. I. K. Rine had not yet been heard in the land, and when it was not uncommon, if any extra work was being done, to set a barrel of whiskey by the roadside, with a tin cup for who so would to fiU and empty. John Pettit's whiskey cost but eighteen cents the gaUon. Christopher, Michael and Henry Muma, arrived in 1819, each of them taltinguished physician, who for two years was President of the Ontario Medical Council. This partnership was continued for three years ; then Dr. PhUip went to Plattesville, in the same county, and was there seven years, enjoying a very large practice. When he left this place the medical profession of Oxford County tendered him a public dinner in the Town HaU, and presented him with an address and a magnificent case of surgical instruments. He came to Brantford in 1872, ami has since been engaged in practice here. He has been very successful, and does a large and lucrative practice,' having made many warm friends. Dr. Philip is weU known 530 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. to the profession in Canada, having contributed many leading articles to the current medical literature. He is a member of Brant County Medical Association, and for one year officiated as President ; he is also a member of St. Andrew's Society, being President once, and Brant Lodge, No. 45, Masonic fraternity. He is connected with Zion Presbyterian Church, Eev. Dr. Cochrane, Pastor, and is one of the Board of Management, and has been one of the Trustees of the Brantford Collegiate Institute for the past six year.-s. D. B. PHILLIPS, proprietor of the Kerby House Drug Store and Notion Emporium, Brantford, was born in County Down, Ireland, March 26, 1845, and is a son of William and Mary Jane (Eennie) Phillips, also natives of Ireland, and descendants of the old Presbyterian dissenters of Scotland. They came to Canada in 1847, and settled in the County of Leeds, Ont. In the mother country William Phillips was a wholesale linen merchant, but on coming to Canada entered farming pursuits. He died in 1 854, but his wife stid lives on the old homestead. They had four sons, all living, the subject of this 'biography being the only one in Brant County, and he was but two years old when he reached this side of the Atlantic. Remaining in Leeds County till he was seventeen years of age, he taught school for five years, and then learned tbe drug busi ness in Hamilton, Ont. A year later he went into business at Caledonia, Haldimand County, and in another year moved to Selkirk, same county. Six months later on he went to Cayuga, and in another six months to Simcoe, County of Norfolk, where he managed a wholesale waggon for Dr. Wilson tor one year. In December, 1872, he came to Brantford, and travelled for two years in the interests of Hyslop & Russell, in stationery supplies. After travelling three years on his own account in the same line, he opened bis present store, and supplemented drugs to his former lines of merchandise, and has met with very fair success. His trade is wholesale as well as retail He has two waggons on the road, travelling over twelve to fifteen counties, selling stationery and notions. Mr. Phillips has been the architect of his own business, and during his six years travelling with the wholesale waggon has covered as many as 30,000 miles, thus having travelled with team 5,000 miles more than the circumference of the globe. Mr. Phillips is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and a Reformer in politics. He was married September 17, 1872, to Priscilla Fry, a native of Haldimand County, by whom he had two children, one surviving, Mary Winifred ; Wesley T. is deceased. Mrs. Phillips is a member of the Wellington Street Methodist Church. SAMUEL G. READ, the leading auctioneer in Brantford, was bom in that city, May 12th, 1843, and is a son of the late Samuel Read, a native of Brockville, Ont., and in early life a Baptist minister, prominent as such in Brantford, but owing to an affection of the throat was compelled to retire from the ministry. He was married to Jane B. Scott, an English lady, brought up in New Brunswick, by whom he had a family of 7 children, four of whom survive, all living in this country, two in Brant County. Their mother is also living, and resides in Brantford. Samuel G. Eead, our subject, was brought up in Brantford, receiving a good common school training, and in early life engaged in the dry goods business for six years. On Nov. 23rd, 1870, he commenced his present occupation, which he has carried on with remarkable success, having extended it into the selling of real estate, dealing in pianos, organs and sewing machines, besides a general commission business. Commencing life comparatively poor, he has given evidence of what may be achieved by perseverance, industry and a faithful attention to business. Mr Read married, Sept. 5th, 1865, Sarah A. Vendle- bury, a native of New York City, and to them have been born 4 children, three of whom survive — Arthur, Frank and Ernest R. Mr. and Mrs. Read are members of the Baptist Church, and Mr. Read himself is deacon in that body, a member of Brant Masonic Lodge, No. 45, an Alderman of the city, and in politics a Reformer. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 531 ALEXANDER ROBERTSOX, Manager of the Brantford Branch of the Bank of British Xorth America, was bom at St Fergus, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1831. He studied law in the office of Gray & Boyd, solicitors, Peterhead. Scotland, where he also learned the banking business. He was in that office over six years, and came to Canada in 1853, in the service of the Bank of British Xorth America. He came to the Brantford branch in 1854, as teller, and shortly afterwards became accountant, and in 1864 was given the management of the branch. The bank was opened here in 1845 with the late !Mr. James Christie as agent, and at the time of Mr. Robertson's coming to Brantford, ilr. C. F, Smithers, now the President of the Bank of Montreal, was Manager of the Bank of British Xorth America here. Mr. .Smithers left in 1856, and was succeeded by Mr. I. C Geddes, who retained the management until 1864, when jNlr. Eobertson became manager. He has therefore been in connection with the baiiking interests in Brantford for nearly thirty years, a much longer time than any other banker has ever been in the city. In 1878, on his return from a visit to Britain and continental Europe, he was presented ¦with an Uluminated address by the citizens, and a very handsome silver dinner and dessert service, as a mark of public appreciation of his long and valuable services to the business interests of Brantford. Mr. Robertson . took an active part in the establishment of the Brantford Young Ladies' College, and has been President of the Board of Directors since its foundation. He is a Director of the Brantford Gas Company, and has been a member of the Board of Managers of Zion Presbyterian Church since coming to Brantford. He has been several times elected President of the St. Andrew's Society, an office he at present holds ; is Presi dent of the Brantford Curling Club, and was one of the original promoters of the Brantford Curling and Skating Rink, and of the Victoria Curling and Skating Eink. He is Captain of the Brantford Golf Club, and introduced this excellent game into Ontario in 1872. He was one of the original Directors of the Brant Memorial Asso ciation, and has for many years taken an active part in most of the public-spirited movements of Brantford. JOSEPH ROBIX'SOX, Clerk of the First Division Court, County of Brant, was born in the City of Armagh, noith of Ireland, June 15th, 1818, and is the oldest of a family of nine children born to William and Mary .Jane (Little) Robinson. The parents were both natives of the north of Ireland. Our subject, with his brother James, came to Upper Canada in 1832, landing at York (Toronto), where he remained four years learning the trade of house-painting, glazing and paper-hanging. After having made and saved a little money, he went to Victoria College, where he remained two winter sessions. He then went to Hamilton, and for twelve years engaged in painting, glazing, jiaper-banging, etc., and in the traffic of the goods of his trade. In 1842 he married Miss Hannah Sanders, a native of Yorkshire, England, by whom he had three children : ^lary Ann, deceased ; Eliza Jane, wife of John W. Jones, bairister, HamUton; and Hannah A., decea-sed. Mrs. Robinson died in 1848. In 1859 he went to California, and continued in the same line of business in .San Francisco for twentv years. In 1852 he married Miss Eliza Jane Jones — daughter of Stephen and Mary (Smith) Jones, of Stony Creek) — by whom he had four children, viz., Stephen James, doctor and graduate of McGiU CoUege ; Clara Kate, wife of Albert B. Briggs, banker, Buffalo, U. S.; and .Tosephine, all surviving. In 1 869 he returned to Brantford, and soon afterwards received the appointment of Clerk of the Division Court, in which capacity he still continues. EBENEZER ROY, J. P., Brantford, is a retired merchant. He was born in the west of Fife, Scotland, Febmary 28th, 1812. His father was a native of the parish of Dunfermline, Scotland, and a manufacturer of bed and table linens ; he employed about sixty hands in his manufactory, and was moderately successful in business. 532 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Some five or six years previous to his death he retired from business, and finally passed away at the age of 67 years. He married Elizabeth Keeler, a niece and ward of Alexander Keeler, of the Royal British Navy. He was a lieutenant in the service, but after retirement became captain by seniority. Alexander and Elizabeth Roy were blessed with a family of five sons and one daughter. Four sons of this family still survive. Mrs. Roy died at the age of fifty-six years. The subject of this sketch grew to manhood in his native country ; he then emigrated to Canada, stopping in Montreal for one year, and thence came to Hamilton. About 1843 he came to Brant ford, and soon after established himself in a general mercantile trade. He carried on this business for a period of fourteen years, and by strict attention to it and com mendable economy, combined with ceaseless energy, he succeeded in building up a large trade, and retired from active business life with a comfortable competence. Mr. Roy is a Reformer in political opinion, but has never been a politician. For about six years he represented the citizens of the ward in which he resides in the Town Council. In religious principles Mr. Roy is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, presided over by the Rev. Mr. Beattie, B.D. Mr. Roy was united in mar riage August 17th, 1848, to Mary Elder, also a native of Scotland. Two children ¦were born to this union, both dying in childhood. Mrs. Roy departed this life in 1878. Mr. Roy is a quiet, practical man, of great force of character, and his name is a guarantee for integrity, soundness and fair dealing. He is distinguished by simplicity of character, purity, frankness and earnestness of purpose. WALTEE BOSWELL RUBIDGE is the youngest son of the late Captain Charles Rubidge, many years Registrar of the County of Peterborough. Captain Rubidge was born in London, England, on 30th April, 1787. In 1796 he entered the Royal Navy on board the Arrow sloop of war, commanded by his uncle. Captain Portlock, E. N., and from that time till the peace of 1815 he saw much active service, having been twice wounded, and engaged in many of the most memorable naval battles of that eventful period. In 1819 he, with his wife and three children, emigrated to Canada, landing in Quebec on 24th June, and proceeding from thence as rapidly as then possible, reached Cobourg on 19tli July of the same year. In 1820 he settled on a farm in Otonabee, in the Newcastle District, where the subject of this sketch was born on 27th July, 1827. Captain Rubidge had a family of three sons and three daughters; the eldest son died some years ago; tbe remainder are all Uving in Canada, married, and have large families. He was appointed first Registrar of the County of Peterborough in 1841, and held that office till his death. He was the oldest magistrate of what formed the Newcastle District, and one of the oldest officers of the navy at the time of his death, which occurred on the 5th of February, 1873, in his 86th year; his -wife (also a native of London) had preceded him to the grave only three or four years, at the mature age of 81 or 82. The family are all members of the English Church, except Mr. W. B. Rubidge, who left that church in 1870, and became associated with the Brethren. Mr. Rubidge was educated at the Peterborough Grammar School under the tuition of Rev. Moses Williamson, and read with the Rev. R. T. C. Taylor, rector, preparatory to his examination for entering the Law Society. On becoming an enrolled student he entered the law office of the late George B. Hall, then M.P. for the Colborne District (now Peterborough Co.), and afterwards County Judge. In 1847 he came to Hamilton, and finished his student life in the office of the present Hon. Mr Justice Burton and Charles A. Sadler, Esq., bis partner. On being admitted to the Bar in 1849, he immediately formed a partnership with the late Geo. S. Tiffany, Esq., of Hamilton, and managed the business of that partnership — Mr. Tiffany being in Wash ington associated with Mr. (now Sir) Francis Hincks in effectuating the Eeciprocity Treaty — for the period of about one year, when he removed to Brantford, and entered BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 533 into partnership with the late lamented John Cameron, Esq., Clerk of the Peace for this county. This firm did a large legal business. In 1856 Mr. Rubidge retumed to Peterborough, where he practised law alone for some years, during a great portion of his residence there assisting his father in the Registry Office, at the same time carrying on his practice. During the Southem Rebellion in the States, the Canadian Government, nnsoUcited, appointed Mr. Rubidge Passport Officer for the County of Peterborough, which office he held till the close of the war. Shortly after this he opened offices simultaneously in Norwich-ville and Otterville, Oxford County. Business there not proving satisfactory, through the influence of his brother-in-law, Hon. E. B. Wood, late Chief-Justice of Manitoba, then one of the Sandfield ^lacdonald Government, he was on the 2nd June, 1868, appointed Clerk of the County Court, Deputy Clerk of the Crown, and Registrar of the Surrogate Court for this county. On 22nd August, 1881, under the provisions of the Judicature Act, the offices of Deputy Clerk of the Crown and Deputy Eegistrar in Chancery (the latter then held by Judge .Jones) were com bined under the title of Local Registrar of the High Court of Justice, which office, along -with those of Clerk of the Coimty Court and Eegistrar of the Surrogate Court, he now holds. On 15th May, 1852, he married Miss H. A. Martin, the elder daughter of the late Dr. P. Martin (the younger daughter afterwards being married to the late Chief-Justice Wood). Mr. and Mrs. Eubidge have had ten children, four daughters and six sons, all now Uving except one son, George Bertram, who was drowned near the Eev. Abram Xelles' residence, in Grand River Canal, in August, 1870. Mr. Eubidge is a Commissioner for taking Affidavits in the Counties of Peterborough, Victoria, Went worth and Brant, and a Xotary Public for Ontario ; and wdth the exception of .Tames WUkes, Esq., is the oldest appointed Commissioner and Xotary in this county. He also held when a young man an Ensigncy in the Colbome District (Peterborough) MUitia and a Lieutenancy, in Captain Henry Racey's Company of the late Gore District MUitia, if we recollect aright. THOilAS S. SHEXSTOX, Registrar of the County of Brant, was bom m London, •England, June 25th, 1882 ; is the son of Benjamin and Mary (Strahan) Shenston, and is remotely related to the poet Shenstone. When Mr. Shenston was about nine years of age, the famUy emigrated to Upper Canada, and after sojourning one year near the Town of Dundas, County of Wentworth, went to the Township of Woolwich, County of Waterloo, ten mUes north of the Town of Guelph, taking t ,vo and a half days to make the journey ¦with two yoke of oxen. There Thomas had ample oppor tunities for exercise in swinging the axe in the compact woodland, without the diversion of hunting up a school-house conveniently, the nearest being at Guelph. Two years later the famUy removed to the Township of Thorold, in the Niagara District, near the " Decew FaUs," on a hundred acre farm, purchased from Nicolas Smith. This farm proved to be a heavy clay and unproductive, and Mr. Shenston became discouraged, and prevaUed on his father, in 1837, to allow him to go to St. Catharines and learn the saddle and harness trade, and while there he became a volunteer, during 1838, to fight the rebels, being in^ Captain Mittleberger's company, under Col. Clark. In 1841 Mr. Shenston went to Chatham to settle and start in business for himself, but the climate not agreeing with him he moved to East Woodstock, where he did an exten sive business at his trade, and erected, among other buildings, the east half of the three-story brick block, known as the '" Elgin Block." In 1848 he had his dwelling house, shop and the Elgin Block, destroyed by fire while uninsured. During 184n, 1847 and 1848, he was a member of the CouncU of the District of Brock, as the repre sentative of the Township of East Oxford, and for several years he was School Trustee for the Town of Woodstock. In 1849, when 27 years of age, Mr. Shenston was appointed Magistrate, and during the last two years of his residence in that county. 534 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. he did more magisterial business than all the other seventy-five magistrates in the county. In 1849 Mr. Shenston sold out his premises and business, and for a year or two before he left that county he was Secretary-Treasurer of the Woodstock and Nor wich Road Company, County Clerk of Oxford, and Secretary of the Board of Educa tion for that county, and a School Trustee for the Town of Woodstock. In 1852 he was Census Commissioner for the county. On January 21st, 1853, when the County of Brant was formed, he was appointed Registrar, and has held that office ever since. This appointment necessitated his removal to Brantford, the county town. In 1853 he was appointed a Magistrate for the County of Brant, and Commissioner in Queen's Bench. From.January 1st, 1869, in a house furnished rent free by Ignatius Cock shutt,. he sustained an Orphans' home for twenty or twenty-two orphan girls, being, however, aided to the extent of one-half by Mr. Cockshutt for the last five years. He is Senior Deacon of the First Baptist Church, and, with trifling exceptions, has been Superintendent of the Sunday school of that church for over twenty-five years, Mr. Shenston, who is literally a self-educated man, holds several other offices, and is ever busy with his pen. He was married, December 30, 1843, to Mary Lazenby, of East Oxford, and their family numbered six children, two of whom died in infancy. Naomi Ann is the wife of Richard R. Donnelly, an extensive publisher, Chicago ; Reuben Strahan learned the drug business, but abandoned it for the art of printing, and is now one of the proprietors of the Brantford Expositor ; Joseph Newton is Deputy Regis trar for his father ; and Ruth Davidson is the wife of Rev. Elmore Harris, pastor of a Baptist Church in Toronto, Ont. SHULTZ BROS, are proprietors of the planing-mill on Albion Street, Brant ford. This industry was established by George C. Shultz as a hand business at the same place, and was carried on by him alctoe for about three years. Two brothers then, Henry. E. and William D., became associated with him under the firm name of Shultz Bros. One or two other men have also, from time to time, been associated with them, but the name of the firm has not been changed. About twelve years ago, they purchased 200 feet frontage on Albion Street, on w^hich they erected the plan ing-mill and office. The miU proper is of frame — 58 x 100 feet square, two stories in height, which also includes the engine-house, and this building has been fitted up with the best improved machinery, run by a 35 horse-power engine. They employ an average of twenty-five men in the business, ranging from ten in winter to thirty- two in summer. They make up and supply all kinds of supplies and material to builders in this and other counties. In connection, they also operate a box factory, and supply box materials to almost all the establishmen-ts in the city using boxes, and make up boxes themselves as well. They have lately erected a two story brick structure, 35 x 48, which adjoins the frame building on the east side, and which en ables them to fill an order for an ordinary frame building inside of twenty-four hours. All the three brothers are practical mechanics, and have the entire supervision of the business themselves, and employ only the best skilled men. The general business for the past year amounted to $50,000. The father of the Shultz Bros., John C. Shultz, was born in Demerara, South America, and came to Brant County about 46 years ago. He was a book-keeper by occupation, and was in the employment of Strobridge & Botham, Brantford, for eight or nine years, after which he lived in retirement tUl his death, which occurred in March, 1867. He married Caroline Lampkins, an English lady, and by her had a family of ten children, seven of whom survive, all in Brantford. Their mother is still living, and also resides in Brantford. George B. was born in Kingston, Ontario, Oct. 28th, 1841. He learned the carpenter trade with William Watt, and then taught his brothers the same trade. He is the senior member of the firm of Shultz Bros. He was married in October, 1869, to EUzabeth BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 535 Squires, a native of England, and to this union there were three children, one only surviving, named Hammill. IMrs. Shultz died May 5th, 1877. ^Nlr. Shultz again married in Ma.j, 1880, the partner of his choice being Jennie S. Hammill, a Canadian by birth, by whom there is one child, Laura. Mr. Shultz attends the First Baptist Church, and his wife is a member of Brant Avenue Methodist Church. JOSEPH SHUTTLEWORTH (deceased), was bom in LancashUe, England, in 1807, and spent his younger days in his native land. In the year 1830 he came to Canada, settling in Brantford, where he was engaged in the distilUng business for some years with ]\Ir. Mawby. By trade he was a baker, and was proprietor of a bakery and general confectionery for several years. Subsequently he was engaged in the butchering trade for many years, and then moved on to a farm. In 1867 he came to Brantford, where he died on December 24th of that year. Mr. Shuttleworth -was a member of the Methodist Church, and one of its charter members. He married in Brantford Ellen Duckworth, also a native of Lancashire, England, by whom there was a family of six children — five Uving. The mother is also living, and enjoying good health in her sixtieth year. James E. Shuttleworth, canner of fruits, Brantford, was born August 7th, 1848, and received his early training in Brantford. When quite a young man he engaged in the grocery and fruit business, and when nineteen years of age bought out E. Sims & Son. This business he carried on for twelve consecutive years, when he entered the wholesale foreign and domestic fruit trade and canning industry. In 1875 his brother Joseph M. entered as a partner, a.nd in 1878 went to England in connection with the business and became a member of the firm of Simonds & Co., fruit brokers, Liverpool, England, for which firm he acts as agent. In June, 1882, another brother, George, became associated in business. Shuttleworth Bros. enjoy an exceUent trade in Ontario, and have established an agency in Chicago. James R. is a member of the A.O.LT.AV. Lodge, a Reformer in politics, and, -with his wife, is an adherent of Brant Avenue Methodist Church. He married, October 1881, ^Martha, daughter of Wesley Howell, by whom he has one child, Hugh R. S. SIMMOX.S, grain dealer and merchant, Brantford, was bom in England, March 7th, 1826, and is a son ot Samuel Simmons, a farmer, of England. He came to Canada in 1834, and after sojourning a short time at Cobourg, Ont., bought a farm in the County of Oxford, Ont., where he died May .5th, 1853. He married Jane Bacon, also a native of England, by whom he had a family of nine children, three StiU Uving, and the subject of this biography is the only one of them residing in this county. Mrs. Samuel Simmons died in 1854, just a year after her husband. Our subject was brought up on the farm in Oxford County with his father from 1834 tiU 1852, a period of eighteen years. He then came to Brantford, and a year later entered the grocery and grain business, which he has carried on -nith sufficient success to enable him always to pay his debts and have something left. He is known through out the county and elsewhere as a large buyer of grain. In 1852 he married Ann Topham, a native of Ireland, and had a family of seven, five of whom survive, viz.: John F., with his father in business ; Mary J.; James H., also with his father ; Margaret L., wife of Wm. E. Mann, coal merchant, Brantford ; and EUzabeth. Mrs. S. is a member of Wellington Street ^Methodist Church, and Mr. S. regularly attends services in the same church. He is a Reformer in poUtics, but is too busy to become an office-holder. CLAYTOX SLATER, proprietor of Craven Cotton MiU=!, Holmedale, near Brantford, was bom at Burnoldswick, Yorkshire, England, January 22nd, 1839, and is a son of John and Mary (Roberts) Slater. Mr. Slater is owner of a large cotton mill at his native place (Burnoldswick), where he also learned the manufacturing business. On May 20th, 1880, the foundation for the Holmedale Cotton MUl was laid, and the 536 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. establishment was opened for business in May, 1881. Mr. Slater erected the buUding, but the business is now owned by a stock company, although he is the heaviest stock holder. He is also treasurer, director, and manager of the mills. Mr. Slater has recently erected and put into operation a wincey factory adjoining the Holmedale Cotton MUls. He is a member of the First Baptist Church, and has a family of two sons and one daughter. JOHN SMITH, Sheriff' of tbe County of Brant since this county, was separated from Wentworth and Halton, was born on the " Grand River Tract " on the present site of the City of Brantford, February 9th, 1808. His grandfather, for whom he was named, was a United Empire Loyalist, and taken prisoner during the Revolu tionary War, and liberated about the time that a British ship, passing up the North (or Hudson) River, broke the chain that was strung across that stream. The parents of our subject were Joseph and Charlotte (Douglas) Smith, both natives of the Empire State. Mrs. Smith is a descendant, in the sixth generation, from William Douglas, who came to America near the middle of the seventeenth century and settled at New London, Conn. Hon. Stephen Arnold Douglas, United States Senator for many years, from Illinois, was of the same branch of the Douglas family. John was edu cated in country schools at Blenheim, County of Oxford, and Smithville, County of Lincoln, losing his father in the latter township about 1838. He farmed until about seventeen years of age, and clerked for a merchant at Grimsby and Hamilton three or four years ; opened a store for himself at Paris in 1831 ; removed to Hamilton in 1837, and after merchandising there for three years, returned to Paris, and was in trade there until 1853, when he was appointed Sheriff of the newly set- off county — all the sheriff' the County of Brant has ever had. He is very punctual and efficient in dis charging his duties. Sheriff" Smith was secretary of the first meeting held at Hamil ton after Lord Durham had made his report on the status of the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, recommending their union, which took place two or three years later (1841), the Hamilton meeting approving of the recommendations of the report. Sheriff" Smith is a member of the Church of England, and served at one time as a Warden of Grace Church at Brantford. He is a man much respected for his good social and moral qualities. In 1834 he married Miss Mary Sheldon, a native of this Province and a daughter of Wm. B. Sheldon, the pioneer merchant of Hamilton, Went worth County, and one of the Commissioners under the Government in constructing the Burlington Canal, connecting the waters of Lake Ontario with the Bay, the pre- ,sent harbour at Hamilton. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have had 6 children, of whom two survive — Charles Edwin, Deputy Sheriff under his father, and Emma Jane, wife of Charles Bruce Nimmo, who resides in Port Huron, Michigan. SAMUEL SNIDER, Assessor of the City of Brantford, was born in the Township of Trafalgar, in the County of Halton, Province of Ontario, October 29th, 1825. He is a son of David Snider, native of Pennsylvania, who moved with his parents to Maryland when quite young. After the Revolutionary War, at about the age of twenty, he came with his parents to Canada. As one of the U. E. Loyalists be became a pioneer in the County of Halton. He lived until his death on his farm, situated on Lot No. 6, 2nd concession north of Dundas Street — old survey — in the Township of Trafalgar. He died Feb. 23rd, 1873, at tbe ripe age of 78 years and 6 months. His wife was EUza Marlatt, a native of New Jersey, who came with her parents to Canada with the Loyalists. Her death occurred Oct. 22nd, 1851, aged 60 years, Mr. Samuel Snider, the subject of this sketch, was the seventh of a family of ten children, of whom eight are still living. He received a provincial education in his native township, and was trained to farming, working with his father until his marriage to Huldah, sixth daughter of Peter Kenney, Esq., of the same township, in January, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 537 1850. After his marriage he carried on lumbering business along with farming, but met -with serious losses by fire, losing mill-house and barns. He removed to Paris in 1858, in the County of Brant, and in 1865 came to the City, then Town, of Brantford. During those years he was engaged in the agricultural and implement trade and grain commission business. He received his present appointment as Assessor in 1872, and because of his faithful service has been retained in that office. His happy marriage has been blessed by a family of five chUdren, viz., Hettie E., widow of the late Geo. P. Batson, soUcitor ; P. Wellington, financial agent of the W. L". Telegraph Company, St. John, X.B. ; George A., photographer, Brantford; D. WUliam, in the ministry of the Methodist Church of Canada, and Ida R., the youngest daughter, in the parental home. Mr. Snider has alwavs been anl is a. staunch supporter of all temperance reform, and has for a long time sustained an official connection -with the Methodist Church, of which he with his family are members, and worship in Brant Avenue Church. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative. A. SPEXCE, manufacturer of buggies, carriages, waggons, sleighs, and general blacksmithing, Brantford, was born in the north of .Scotland, August 8th, 1830, and is a son of Thomas ami Catherine Spence. His paternal grandfather was John Spence, and his mother's father's name was Magness. A. Spence having partially learned blacksmithing in Scotland, left there in 1850 for Canada, and worked at his trade in Quebec and BeUeviUe, and then learned the carriage business in Hamilton with WUliams & Couper, who at that time employed seventy men, and did the largest busi ness in Canada of the kind. He remained there three years, and on April 21st, 1854, came to Brantford, where he first worked for Smith ifc McXought, who faUed during the crisis of 1857. Mr. Spence then rented a shop on a lot near his present stand, and started business with one assistant, soon after employing three or four hands. On June 12th, 1864, he was burned out and then bought his present lot, buUt two brick shops, and was in them five weeks from the time of the fire. He added shops as his business required them, and he now employs twenty hands ; his place is second in size in the city. His sales are mostly local, but he ships a great deal to Manitoba. He is a mem ber of Brant Lodge, Xo. 45, and of the A.O.U.W., Lodge 71, of which he was a charter member, and Master for the first two terms. He has been a CounciUor for many years, and for several years was one of the Board of School Trustees, and in politics is a Reformer, " Clear Grit." Mr. Spence was married in January, 1854, to Sarah Speer, a native of the north of Ireland.' They had two chUdren, both living, but his ¦wife died November 16th, 1858. He was again married in September, 1860, to Mar garet Spence, a native of the north of Scotland, and has had two chUdren by this union. Mr. Spence, wife and famUy, are members of the Zion Presbyterian Church, of which he has been an elder for the past twenty-two j ears. JOHX SPEXCE, collector of Inland Revenue for tbe Brantford District, was bom in Ireland, July 27, 1830, and is a son of Henry and Ellen (Singleton) Spence, who never came to Canada, and are now deceased. They were tbe parents of six sons and two daughters, of whom four sons and two daughters survive. The subject of this biogi-aphy is the only one of the famUy in Brant County. He was brought up and educated in Ireland, and passed his early life on his father's farm. Coming to Canada in 1854, he settled in the County of Peel, Ont., where he found employment as clerk in a general store. Here be remained two years, when he went to London, Out., and acted as book-keeper in a general store for six months. From London he moved to Oshawa, Ont, and was assistant for W. H. Gibbs & Co., for a short time. With an intention of settling in Waukesha, St-ate of Wisconsin, he went there on a visit to his brother, but returned to Canada, and in a short time entered the grocery and Uquor business in Toronto, which he carried on successfully for ten years. During four of 32 538 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. those years he represented St. Andrew's Ward in the City Council, and St. Patrick's Ward for four years in the School Board. In 1 868 he retired from business and entered the Excise office as Second-class Excise Officer, in which he remained 2 years. After an examination, be was promoted to First Excise Officer. Two years later he was promoted to the Deputy-CoUectorship at Kingston, in which he remained twenty months. He was then appointed Collector of the London Division, which position he held for nearly five years, and until March 15, 1880, from which time, on account of Ul health, he had leave of absence, until in February, 1882, he was appointed Collector for the Brantford District. Mr. Spence is a member of St. Jude's (Episcopal) Church. He has five children living, viz., Lucinda Ellen, Francis Henry, Elizabeth Margaret, John Henning and Catharine Frances. Frederick William Alexander is deceased. JOHN H. "STRATFORD, Brantford, was born in Oswego, N.Y., May 13th, 1840, and is a son of William H. Stratford. He came to Brantfoid with his father and mother when but an infant, and was educated in the public schools of this city. When fourteen years of age he joined his father in the drug business, and remained with him until 1869, being at that time general manager of the business, which was entirely wholesale. Previous to this he was engaged in other mercantile operations, and in 1866 commenced the lumbering and oil business in Brantford and other points in Canada and the United States. In 1869 he formed a partnership with Henry Yates, which has been continued to the present time, and with success. Mr. Stratford formed a limited partnership in 1870 with Donald Nicholson, since deceased, and Eobert Chisholm, both of Hamilton, for the purpose of constructing that portion of the Great Western Eailway between Glencoe and Simcoe. That work was completed in 1872, and aff'airs wound up and the partnership dissolved. The contract as performed proved a very difficult one, owing to the construction at the same time of the Canada Southem, but gave entire satisfaction to the Great Western Eailwaj' Company. He has been engaged in numerous other mercantile transactions. He was married in 1868 to Sarah Jason Harris, a native of Toronto, and fifth daughter of the late Thomas D. Harris, a prominent wholesale hardware merchant there. He is a member of the Church of England, and a Conservative in politics. WILLIAM H. STEATFOED, retired druggist, Brantford, was born at Sheorness, County of Kent, England, September 12, 1808. His father, John Stratford, M.D., was bom at Penn Bucks, near Beaconsfield, England ; he was a member of the Eoyal College of Surgeons, London, and Surgeon in Lord Grantley's Eegiment, one of Eng land's home guards during the then wars, while stationed at Sheerness. On the death of his wife Dr. John Stratford came to Canada in 1833, joining his eldest son Samuel. He resided at Bytown, now Ottawa, and there took up the active duties of his profes. sion, and soon built up an extensive practice ; and while at Bytown he also officiated as Military Hospital Steward. Eeturning to London, England, he was summoned to give testimony before the House of Lords in favour of Lord Durham's report of Canada. On his return to Canada he resided at Woodstock, to which point Dr. Samuel John Stratford had removed, and at Brantford with his son. He died at the latter place, and was buried at the former in 1845, aged 73 years. Dr. John Stratford- married Mary Ann Thomas, of Great Marlow, Bucks, and by her had six children, William H., the subject of this sketch, being the only survivor. His eldest brother. Dr. Samuel John Stratford, was educated at Eochester, County of Kent, England, and at St. George's and Westminster Hospitals, London — a pupil of William Charles Bell, lecturer on anatomy, physiology and pathology, Great Windmill Street, London, and also a pupil of the celebrated physician, Zuthrie, at his eye infirmary. Dr. S. J. Stratford was a member of the Royal CoUege of Surgeons, London, and having obtained his diploma, he received a commission as Assistant Surgeon in the 72nd Regiment, Scotch High- BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 539 landers, stationed at Dublin, which commission he sold on coming to Canada. He removed from Bytown to Woodstock, where he resided nearly twenty years, having during that time an extensive practice, being widely known and respected in this part of Canada. Sir John Colborne, then Military Governor of Canada, presented him, as also some other settlers, retired officers, land grants in the vicinity. From Woodstock he removed to Toronto, where he lectured on anatomy for Dr. Rolph. .Subsequently he went to Auckland, Xew Zealand, his letters from there contairung such interesting and graphic reports, and being widely -printed in the English papers, conduced very materi- aUy to the large emigration which so rapidly peopled that beautiful island. He died at Auckland in 1871, leaving a large practice to his son-in-law. Dr. Wright, late of Toronto. Wm. A. Stratford was educated at Eton and Dublin, and was a pupil at the Royal College of Surgeons, D-ublin; also with Mr. Carmichae , M.D., Surgeon to the Eichmond Surgical Hospital in that city. Mr. Stratford preceded his father to Canada, sailing from the London docks with his brother Samuel to New Y'^ork in 1831. In that city he resided three years, and afterwards went to Oswego, where he married his first wife, by whom he had three sons and one daughter. He came to Brantford in 1844, where his wife died, much respected. He carried on a retail drug business up to 1856, when he was joined by his son John, the business after a time becoming retail and wholesale, drugs and groceries. In 1869 his next son, Joseph, came into the firm, and the business became almost exclusively wholesale. In 1871 his son John retired from the business, and in l'^75 W. H. Stratford retired, after a business life of over thirty years in this city. His son Joseph is now an extensive wholesale druggist, keeping a general country store supply of drugs and grocers' sundries, and woollen miU and naval store merchant. B. G. TISDALE, proprietor of the Brantford Stove Works, was born in Ancaster Township, County of Wentworth, Ontario, October 28, 1814. His father. Lot Tis dale, was a native of Freetown, near Boston, State of Massachusetts, whose father being a U. E. Loyalist, moved from his native place to Xew Brunswick. In 1783 he came west and settled in the County of Norfolk, Ontario. In 1806, and during his residence there, married Ann Swain, a native of England, and with her moved into Aucaster Township. From there they moved, in 1830, to Burford Township, where both died. Their family numbered fourteen children, of whom three died young. The subject of this biography was the third child, and was fifteen years of age when his parents went to Burford Township, and remained on the home farm till he was twenty- six years of age, at which period he commenced farming for himself, and so continued until April, 1846, when he came to Brantford and engaged in selUng stoves, on salary. In the summer of 1850 he entered into partnership -with Messrs. Gould & Bennett, -with whom he carried on business for three years, when the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Tisdale taking what they called the up-town business, and continued this business for three years, when he built an extensive foundry of bis own, and has since then been engaged in the manufacture of stoves and castings, his business being known a.s the Brantford Stove Works. On .January 30, 1840, he married Elizabeth Pickle, a native of Xew Brunswick and a daushter of Joseph and Mary (Birdsall) Pickle, and to this union two children were born — Edwin J., who died in infancy, and Arthur B., who is now engaged with his father in business. He was born April 17, 1850, and on Septethber 25, 1878, was married to Mrs. Susie (Coleman) Brocks, by whom he had one child that died in infancy. GEOEGE EOBINSOX VAXNOEMAN, Q.C, "County Crown Attorney, and Clerk of the Peace for the County of Brant, and senior member of the law firm of VanNorman & Purves, was bom March 12th, 1821, at Canandaigua, in the State of New York, and is American born and of American parentage. His parents removed 540 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. to Ontario in the fall of the same year, taking up their residence at Normandale, in the County of Norfolk, where the father, Mr. Joseph VanNorman, with Mr. Tilson, after wards tbe founder of Tilsonburg, and Hiram Capron, afterwards of Paris, established in partnership a blast furnace for the manufacture of iron from the ore found in that neighbourhood. Mr. VanNorman was educated partly at the District School for the then London District, near Vittoria, finishing at the Cobourg Academy. In 1841 he entered the law office at Simcoe, Norfolk County, of the late Judge Salmon, where he remained two years, and finished his career as a student in the office of the late Hon. Eobert Baldwin Sullivan. At the expiration of his time he was off'ered and declined a partnership with Mr. Sullivan. In Trinity Term, 1846, he was sworn in as an attorney, and in Hilary Term, 1847, called as a Barrister-at-law. He began practising his pro fession in Toronto, and continued there until 1849, when being urgently requested by his father, who had become involved in his heavy business transactions at Normandale and Marmora, to assist in tbe adjustment of the large interests involved, he removed to Simcoe. At the time of his removing to Simcoe he was in partnership with Dr. McMichael, Q.C, of Toronto. In Simcoe he practised his profession about 9 or 10 years, having as a partner during the last two or three years of his residence there the late Hon. M. H. Foley, who completed his studies with Mr. VanNorman. In January, 1859, he removed to the City of Brantford, and in March of that year was appointed County Crown Attorney. In 1863 he took into partnership Mr. F. M. Griffin, a former student in his office, severing this connection in 1866. On the 28th February, 1873, he was made a Queen's Counsel by the Dominion Government and by the Ontario Government. In 1874 he became ex officio Clerk of the Peace by the decease of the late John Cameron, the former incumbent of that office. His son, Mr. F. VanNorman, now a practising advocate of Minneapolis, Minn., became a partner in 1873, and re mained in this connection until 1876. Subsequently to this time Mr. VanNorman continued the practice of his profession alone until the formation of his present connec tion with Mr. Purves. Mr. VanNorman's professional career has been eminently successful. As an advocate he holds a high position among his confreres of the Ontario Bar, and is always listened to with attention by the Court. He has strong logical powers, is possessed of a strong common sense, which is seldom met with among the juniors' of the Bar of to-day, who, according to lay opinion, prefer technicality to reason, and rigorous rules to broad equities. Mr. VanNorman's large experience as counsel, his legal acquirements, his devotion to the interests of a client, have secured for him the well-deserved reputation of being an excellent lawyer, and one of the leading counsel in Western Ontario. The distinction given to Mr. VanNorman over ten years ago, by both Federal and Provincial Governments, of his silk gown, when but very few barristers west of Toronto were honored with a Queen's Counsel's commission, is an evidence of his professional character and ability. The Hon. E. B. Wood, the late Chief-Justice of Manitoba, received his commission as Queen's Counsel contempo^ raneously with Mr. VanNorman, and these were the only two gentlemen in Brantford whose professional status was thus elevated. Mr. VanNorman's relations with both Bench and Bar have always been most cordial, and he is held by the profession gene rally in high esteem. ALFEED WATTS, Sr., member of the weU-known mercantile firm of A. Watts & Co., Brantford, was bom iu London, England, in 1830. His parents were Charles and Eliza (Eiddiford) Watts. In 1832 the family emigrated to Niagara, Canada, where they remained two or three years, when they removed to Brantford. Here Mr. Charles Watts engaged at first in mercantile pursuits in a modest way, but gradually increased his business until he controlled a wholesale grocery trade recognized as one of the best in the place. He was a large manufacturer of soap and candles, and being a practical BIOGRAPHICAE SKETCHES. 541 clear-headed man, was very successful, and at the time of his death, in 1868, was one of the leading citizens of Brantford. Alfred Watts, our subject, received his early education from private tutors, and subsequently 'spent a j'ear at the Copper Canada CoUege, Toronto. He then entered his father's store, where he received a good prac tical business training. He was manager of his father's soap and candle manufactory from 1848 until 1851, and then went to England. Returning the same year he started a distUery in Brantford, but in 1863 sold it out. About the same time he bought the BunneU Flour Mills on the canal, and has been ever since actively engaged in the miU- ing business. In 1867 he purchased the mercantile interests of his father, and in 1871 took Mr. Eobert Henry into partnership, since which time the firm has been known as A Watts & Co. They are largely interested in the manufacture of soap and candles, being proprietors of the Brantford Soap Works, one of the largest establishments of the kind in the Dominion. They manufacture a very superior article and supply a con stantly growing trade that extends from the ^Maritime Provinces to British ColuraVjia, their transactions, which are steadily on the increase, amounting to over half a million doUars annually. Mr. Watts owns a large hardware store at Paris, Ont., which is managed by his eldest son, Charles. Although never seeking to be other tlian an active practical business man, Mr. Watts has to bear his share of local official duties. He has been Eeeve, Deputy Eeeve and Councillor, and has held office about twelve years. Since 1875 he has been ineligible for civic offices owing to the terms of his purchase of the water-power previously owned by the city. Under its management there was an annual loss of from S4,000 to -35,000, but since Mr. Watts obtained possession of it, it has become a paying and greatly improved property. That Mi. Watts has been an eminently successful business man is fully attested by the enviable reputation he enjoys wherever known, as well as by his excellent financial standing. He is a staunch adherent of the Conservative party and a firm believer in its Protective Tariff Policy. Mr. Watts married, in 1857, Clara, daughter of T. Richard Brooke, of Toronto, by whom he had four chUdren, two only now Uving. His first wife dying, be married, in 1868, Mary A Brooke, sister of deceased, by whom he has had four children, three of whom are now living. JAMES F. WATT, of Workman & Watt, brick-yards, Brantford, was bom in Brantford, June 12, 1849, and is a son of WilUam A\'^att, whose biography appears in another part of this work. James F. Watt received his early training in Brantford, and at one time was connected -with his father, for thirteen years, in the planing- mUl business, and in 1880 became a member of the firm of Workman & Watt. He studied under an architect, at Toronto, named James Grand, for two years, and be sides being practically engaged in his father's business, has kept the books and managed the financial aff'airs for him for some years. He is an adherent of Zion Presbyterian Church, and in poUtics a Reformer. WILLIAM WATT, ilayor of the City of Brantford, and contractor and proprietor of the planing mills and lumber-yard on Waterloo Street in that city, was bom in Monymusk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in July, 1818, and is a son of the late James Watt, a native of the same shire, and a farmer by occupation, his death occurring in Scotland in 1862. James ^Vatt was married to Elizabeth Steel, a native of the parish of Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, and had a family of eight children, seven sons and one daughter, of whom there survive five sons and the daughter, two of the sons being in Canada. The fifth son, WUUam, the subject of our sketch, was reared in Mony musk, and attended, only during -winter months, the parochial school in the place, tUl he became 15 years of age. In summer time he assisted his father on the farm. At the age of 16 he was apprenticed for four years to the joiner's trade, and then worked for three years as a journeyman for various employers. In August, 1843, he emi- 542 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. grated to Canada by himself, and remained in Hamilton and Dundas, Upper Canada, for but a few days, then came to Brantford, where he was first employed by one David White, for the winter. In the spring he received an engagement with William Mellish, which extended over three years. His next employment came from Van Brocklin & Co., foundrymen, on a job of manufacturing separators, but he shortly established himself in the building business, in which he has ever since been engaged. About the year 1855 he erected a shop near the spot where the present First Baptist Church stands, and ran the machinery for five years by horse-power. Finding his business fast increasing, he bought the land on which the present factory stands, and erected a planing-mill, run by steam-power, which stood for a year, when it was burnt down. This event necessitated the erection of the present extensive planing-mill, which is fitted up with the latest improved machinery. For the last 20 years he has done the largest business in his line of trade in the county. Mr. Watt has been a member of the Mechanics' Institute for 40 years, and Treasurer of it for many years, until two years ago, when he resigned. He is also a member of the St. Andrews' Society, and has been Treasurer of it for nearly 30 years, as well as President for one year. He was one of the promoteis of the Royal Loan and Savings Society, and has been Vice-President and a Director ,since its formation. He took an active part in establishing the Brantford Young Ladies' College, and has always been identified with it as one of its Directors. He has been a member of Zion Presbyterian Church for many years, and Chairman of the Managers' Board for the past 13 years. He was elected a member of the Town Council in 1868. In 1882 he was elected Mayor of the city, and at the end of the second term was re-elected by acclamation, In politics he has always been a Reformer. He married Oct. 2nd, 1844, Elsie Cruickshank, daughter of John Cruickshank, farmer, Gourdas, Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, and Sarah MUne, daughter of Alexander Milne, farmer. Petty, Fyvie, by whom he has a family of eight children, viz. : William, of the firm of Watt & Shenston, publishers of the Brantford Expositor , Elsie, wife of A. A. Allan, wholesale furrier and hatter, Toronto ; James F., of Workman & Watt, proprietors of the brick-yard, Brantford ; Lizzie, wife of Stephen Nairn, coal merchant, Toronto ; Helen, wife of William H. Harvey, general merchant, Meaford, Ont.; Mary, wife of James G. Cockshutt, Presi dent of the Cockshutt Plough Works, Brantford; Robert, travelling salesman of Adam Hope & Co., hardware merchants, Hamilton; and Bella, at home. WM. WATT, Jr., editor and publisher, bom at Brantford, Sept. 29th, 1845, son of Wm. Watt, present Mayor of Brantford ; educated at the public and grammar schools ; matriculated in the University of loronto in 1862, and graduated in 1866 with the degree of B.A., and as silver medalist in modern languages. Subsequently, in 1873, he received the degree of LL.B. from the same institution. Adopting the legal pro fession, he studied in the office of Hugh MacMahon, Brantford, and Strong, Edgar & Grahame, Toronto, and was admitted an attorney, and called to the Bar in Michaelmas Term, 1869. He practised his profession for several years in Brantford, some time in partnership with Mr. Daniel Brooke. In 1874, with Mr. W. C Trimble, the former manager, he purchased the Brantford ^xposito?-, a Liberal journal with which he had been for some time i lentified as a writer. In 1878, Mr. Trimble's health failing, he bought out his interest, and devoted himself entirely to the newspaper and publishing business. In 1882 he took into j)artnership Mr. E. S. Shenston, son of the County Eegistrar, the firm now being Watt & Shenston. He is a Liberal in politics, very active in the promotion and advocacy of Liberal principles, and known in connection with tbe newspaper press as a terse, vigorous writer, strongly attached to and zealously upholding the party with which he is associated. He married November 10, 1875, Eebecca S., second daughter of Robert Balmer, Esq., of Oakville, by whom he has three children, a son and two daughters. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 543 ME. W. E. WELDING, manufacturer of stoneware, whose portrait we give else where, was bom in the ViUage of Caledonia, Livingston Countj', State of New York, Sept. 17th, 1819, and is the youngest son of James Welding, a native of York County, Pa., a farmer by occupation. At the age of 23 years James Welding left the home of his chUdhood and emigrated to the State of Maryland, locating in the city of Baltimore. Heie he married Nancy Agnes Purdy, a native of that city. After a residence of a few years in Baltimore he removed with his family, consisting of his wife and three children, to Caledonia, N.Y., where three more cbUdren were added to his family, when his wife died, 5th December, 1824. Mv. Welding moved thence to HopeweU, Ontario Co., where, 7 years later, he mairied Catharine MOler Gamber. A favourable opportunity offered for more satisfactory results in the pursuit of his caUing, and he subsequently changed his residence, and this time located near the Village of Knowles- ville, Orleans Co. After a few years of moderate success in his farming he chose a more retired life, and removed to Jeddo, near Medina, same county, where be died at the age of 76 years, baring been 25 years a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. W. E. Welding, the subject of this sketch, grew to manhood in the State of X.Y,, and when 18 years of age left his father's home, and with some friends embarked on the Erie Canal and '• took to the saddle." He traveUed between Buffalo and Albany twice in this capacity, when he was promoted to the position of bowsman, and made his third trip to Albany, when, from severe illness, he was obliged to resign his pQst and return to his home. Eecovering his health, and having a liberal education, he commenced teaching school in the vicinity of Brockport, and taught during five con secutive winteis, and emigrated to Canada in 1841, locating 3 miles east of Brantford, where he again commenced teaching, and taught for three years, and was then married. Being early taught the principles and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors, he took the lead in organizing in his school and district the first total abstinence society ever organized in any rural district in the County of Brant. T. e movement met with great favour, and the society grew and prcspered numerically, and in its work of reclaiming the intemperate. Soon after the close of his third year of teaching, he commenced travelling for an agricultural warehouse in Toronto, the society controlling it publishing a monthly farmers' paper, entitled T/ie American Agricultural and Canada Farmer. In this capacity he travelled four years, being very successful He then came to Brantford, and shortly after accepted the position of general traveUing salesman for the firm of Morton & Co., manufacturers of stoneware, remaining with that firm and their successors for 15 years, when he and a Mr. Belding bought out the business and entered into partnership, under the firm name of Welding & Belding. Messrs. Welding ic Belding carried on the business of stoneware manufacturing for five years, when the factory was burned, and a dissolution of partnership foUowed, Mr. Welding retiring from the business. A few months later on he repurchased the old pottery site, and rebuilt the factory in the spring of 1873, and has since carried it on alone, and with more than ordinary success, untU the " Brantford Stoneware Works," by which the factoiy is now known, holds the proud distinction of standing at the head of the list in this department of industry in the Dominion of Canada. The pottery building was originally constructed of wood, but is now substantially built of brick, ha-ying all the modern improvements suggested by years of experience and obser vation in the business. Mr. Welding was married 28th September, 18i7, to ^Mary Jane Hawley, a pupU of his first school in Canada, daughter of Abram and Jane Barton Hawley, who emigrated to Canada from the State of Xew York, and settled near CainsvUle in the year 1810. Mr. and Mrs. Welding's religious procUvities were of the Methodistic order, and they early became allied to the Wellington Street Method ist Church, under whose auspices they worshipped uutU shortly after the breaking 544 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. out of the American Eebellion in 1861, when they withdrew and cast in their lot with the Congregational Church, under the pastorate of the Eev. John Wood, now of Ottawa. Mr. Wood being called by the Missionary Board of the Congregational Union to a new field of labour, and accepting the call, resigned in September, 1874, a pastorate he had held over 21 years. Mr. Welding had for seven years held in this church the official positions of Financial Secretary and Pew Steward, was a member of the Building- Committee, and latterly a member of the Deaconate, and realizing his responsibility, was always prompt in the discharge of his duty. Circumstances which occurred immediately subsequent to Mr. Wood's removal, appeared to justify the withdrawal of Mr. and Mrs. Welding from the church in which they had laboured for many years, but which had now ceased to be a spiritual home to them ; and in August, 1875, Mr. Welding threw off the mantle of official responsibility which he held, and withdrew from the church. In October following he, with 25 other disaffected members of the old church, invited a council of ministers of the Congregational Union to consider their application to " organize a second Congregational Church." The council convened in the parlor of Wycliffe Hall, the " Young Men's Christian Association Building," and after due deliberation organized these brethren, under the authority of the Congregational Union, for regular church work, the society taking the name " Emmanuel Congregational Church." The church on application was duly admitted to membership of the Union, called a pastor, purchased church property, and carried on the work of the church nearly five years, increasing its membership from 25 to 92 active members, when, in 1879, their pastor, Eev. A. Vancamp, suddenly, and without any previous notice or intimation, or any subsequent explanation, resigned his pastorate and left the country. A few months later on the church closed its work, sold its property, surrendered its authority to the Union which gave it, disbanded, and its members sought a spiritual home in different churches in the city, Mr. and Mrs. Welding finding a home in Zion Presbyterian Church, of which they are now members, under the pastorate of the Rev. Wm. Cochrane, D.D. Mr. Welding's early training politically was in the schools of the Democratic party, in whose interest he was characterized by zealous devotion to its principles. Removing to Canada, and being beyond the influence of political strife and partj' animosities, he had time and inclination to consider the various party developments growing out of the issues of the American Rebellion, and was not long in discovering the utter demoralization of the Democratic party iu its efforts to wrest the reins of Government from the Republican party by making common cause with the South in her defence of slavery and the doctrine of state sovereignty ; and being anti-slavery in ])rinciples, and strong in his sympathy for the slave, he gave his moral support and influence to the then Government in its efforts for the maintenance of the Union and the emancipation of the slave. Here he found a congenial spirit in the Reform party, which was outspoken in its regard and firm in its allegiance to the Administration of Abraham Lincoln in its struggle for the abolition of slavery. Mr. Welding's adhesion to Reform principles has ever been marked by consistency in his use of the franchise, always maintaining and exercising the courage of his convictions. Through a long business career he has commanded the respect of the community by his unbending integrity, force of character, and unmistakable adherence to principle. On the great questions that excite the jiolitical and religious world, he has never given an uncertain sound, and can always be relied upon in the cause of right. H. T. WESTBROOK, proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, north side of Market Square, Brantford, was born in Oakland Township, Brant County, Feb. 15th, 1844, and is a son of Abram Westbrook, who was one of the early children of this county, having been born in Oakland Hollows in 1798. He was a farmer in Oakland Town ship all his life, and died in October, 1874. He was married to Angeline Fairchild, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 545 of Brantford To'wnship, and their famUy numbered thirteen children, seven of whom are now living. Their mother stiU resides on the old homestead. The subject of our sketch, H. T. Westbrook, was brought up on the home farm, and in early Ufe kept a hotel in Drumbo, twenty-two years ago, for six months, when he moved into a hotel at Mount Pleasant, where he remained eighteen months. He next came to Brantford and kept the Farmers' Exchange Hotel, on Dalhousie Street, for three years, at which time (1876) he rented the Commercial Hotel, and five years later bought it out. It is buUt of red brick, three stories high, with a frontage of 132 feet. In this hotel Mr. and Mrs. Westbrook, w ho are far-famed for their excellent hospitaUty and the comforts they extend to their guests, have met with the success that is justly merited by good hotel-keeping. Mr. Westbrook is a member of the Grand Lodge of Masons of Ontario, and in poUtics is a Conservative. He is an excellent sportsman both in hunting and trapping, and during the six or seven years he was a member of the Dufferin Rifles, he was always " to the front" in rifle matches. He was married in October, 1863, to Esther .J. HaU, a native of Oakland Township, and daughter of Thomas Hall, a pioneer of Oakland Township, by whom he had three chUdren — Frederick, Jennie and Munson. FRED. WESTBROOK, eldest son of H. T. Westbrook, is the champion bicycUst of Canada. He was bom August 2nd, 1864, in Oakland Township, and resides in Brantford. In 1882 he won, in bicycle riding, eleven gold medals, one revolver, two sUver cups and one clock. One medal was for the five-mUe championship of Canada, one for the two-mile championship of Canada, and one medal for the championship over all Canada. Ten of these are first prizes and one a second prize. The clock was gained in fancy riding and the two cups for fast riding. JAMES WEYMS, Police Magistrate, and an old pioneer resident of Brantford. He was bom in Kingscourt, County Cavan, Ireland, May 16th, 1815, and is a son of Thomas Weyms and Anne Whaley, the former of whom died in the old country in 1827 ; his mother and five cbUdren, four boj's and a girl, came to Canada, locating at Kingston, where she died the foUowing September. When our subject was twenty-one years of age he parted with his bro '.her, who was City Surveyor, and came west to Toronto, which was a smaller place than Kingston at that time, and taking a boat there to HamUton, arrived in Brantford, August 30th, 1836. He once to.<5sed b^ penny to see whether he would go to London or remain in Brantford, and it decided his remaining in this place. He had only one dollar and fifty cents on his arrival here. He engaged with Mr. A. Huntington, and remained with him for some years ; and from Mr. Hunting ton, who was the wealthiest man in Brantford, he received a good business education. Mr. Weyms then entered into the sale and manufacture of boots and shoes near the Iron Bridge, that engaging his attention until 1856 or 1857. About 1860 he retired from active business, and in 1858 was appointed Magistrate, and Police Magistrate in 1865, holding that position to the present time. He was councUlor for two or three years, and also Reeve and Deputy Eeeve, and subsequently Mayor for three terms. He has been much interested in improving the city, and has built sixteen residences and one business block on Colborne Street. For twenty-two years he has been a chief of the Six Nation Indians, and is held in high esteem by them ; they repair to him for advice and counsel ; they have implicit confidence in his judgment. When a misunderetanding takes place between husband and wife, the woman wiU immediately apply to his Worship, who w Ul send for the man, and after admonishing both, setting forth the duty the one owes to the other, a reconcUiation will take place, and the resiUts are many happy families on the reserve through- his instrumentality. In 1860 he was called Rugy- stondya ; by interpretation, " The Lightning Flash." Mr. Weyms was married in 1840 to Mary O'XeaU, a native of Ireland, and seven children were bom to them, three now 546 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. living ; she died in August, 1863. He was again married in 1865 to Mary Gray, a native of Ireland, and two children were born of this union. Mr. and Mrs. Weyms are members of the Wellington Street Methodist Church, oi which he is one of the trustees. W. T. WICKHAM, grocer and proprietor of " Crystal Hall " (crockery and glass ware), Bra'ntford, was born at Norwich, Ontario, March 8, 1847, and is a son of James Wickham, a native of Bristol, England, and a carriage-maker by trade. He (James Wickham) came to Canada about tbe year 1830, and selected Norwich, Ontario, for his future home, where he died in 1850. He married Eliza Trews, also a native of Bristol, England, and by her had eight children, three of whom survive, our sub ject beiijg the only one residing in Brant County. Mrs. James Wickham is still living in Norwich. W. T. Wickham, w-ho was reared and educated at Norwich, came to Brantford in 1864, and was engaged as clerk with Eobert Turner for six years, when be entered the employment of W. D. Catlin, and remained with him two years. In 1872 he went into the grocery business on his own account, at 17 George Street, Brantford, and has continued in it, with marked success, ever since. About October, 1882, Mr. Wickham opened up "Crystal Hall" — crockery and glassware — and has, by energy and hard work, built up a good trade. He employs about six men as assistants. In September, 1871, he married Emily Harris, of Caledonia, Ontario, who died in February, 1875, and by her has one child — Hetry. He again married, in April, 1877, the lady of his choice being Florence Renner, a native of Hartford, Ontario. Their famUy consists of two daughters — Grace E. and Ethel M. Mr. Wickham is a member of Gore Lodge, No. 34, I.O.O.F. ; is a Reformer in politics, and a member of the First Baptist Church. ALFRED J. WILKES, of the firm of Hardy, WUkes & Jones, barristers, Brant ford, was born in tbe City of Brantford, December 15, 1847, and is a son of James Wilkes, one of the oldest and most prominent pioneers of Brant County and Brant ford. He was educated principally in Brantford, and when sixteen years of age com menced studying law with Daniel Brooke, remaining with him four years, and then went to Toronto and completed bis studies with the Hon. S. II. Blake, with whom he was about one year. Mr. Wilkes then retumed to Brantford, and the following three years was in pai'tnershi|) with Mr. Brooke, the firm being Brooke & Wilkes. Subse quently he practised one year alone, and in 1873 became a partner of Hon. Arthur S. Hardy, and has been in constant practice altogether for fourteen years, being admitted to the courts in February, 1869, upon reaching his majority. He is Master of Doric Lodge, No. 121, A.F. & A.M., and is now Chairman of the Board of Public School Trustees for a second term, and has been a member of it for the past seven years. He was Captain of No. 3 Company, Dufferin Rifles, for seven years ; and he is an adherent of the Congregational Ctiurcb. GEORGE H. WILKES, retired manufacturer, Brantford, was born in that city June 8, 1836, and is sou of James Wilkes. He is owner of the greater part of the " Wilkes tract," ¦which was almost entirely purchased by him, none having been in herited. Mr. Wilkesvvas brought up in Brantford, but received his education at the Caradoc Academy. When be left school in 1850, he was engaged in the capacity of clerk bj' John Brethour, and remained with him nearly two years. Next he was clerk of a steamboat plying between Brantford and Buflalo, via Grand River Canal and Lake Erie ; he was forwarding clerk one season ; then clerk of a steamboat next season, ply ing between Montreal and Hamilton. In the following spring he attended the Ameri can College at Buffalo, and went through his course in ten weeks, which was followed by an appointment as book-keeper for a wholesale house for groceries in Buffalo, which position he held till the firm collapsed. Hethen retumed to Brantford, and was book- BIOGRAPHICAI, SKETCHES. 547 keeper for G. S. WUkes, of the firm of Taft & Co., iron founders. This firm failed and became C. R. Wilkes, which house also failed after constructing a cast-iron bridge over the Grand River. Their place of business was the present site of Wm. Buck's foundry. Mr WUkes then taught a class in book-keeping for some Uttle time. At this period the Sheriff and others interested in the estate of H. X. Taft i; Co. intreated Mr. Wilkes to take hold of the old foundry; this he did about the year 1859 or 1860, and for two or three years kept forty men employed, until the old firm of Ganson, Waterous & Co., made overtures to him to accept a third interest in their business. Before accept ing four years elapsed, when he accepted the overture, with a third interest, and the firm l)ecame known as C H. Waterous & Co. At the end of three years he had a half interest. In April, 1874, the firm of C H. Waterous & Co. merged into the Waterous Engine Works Co., and Mr. Wilkes became Secretary-Treasurer, which posi tion he held from 1874 tiU 1879, and from then tiU 1880 he was Vice-President. He then retired from the firm, stUl holding large interest. While in the firm, and when he sold out, he was the largest stockholder, ilr. Wilkes was also President of the Xorfolk Railway when the first sod was turned by Loid Dufferin. He has been con nected with the County Council twenty years, and with the City Council eight years ; is a member of Grace (Episcopal) Church, and in poUtics a Reformer. He is a mem ber also of Doric (Masonic) Lodge, and the Brantford Golf Club. Mr. Wilkes was married in February, 1865, to Ellen M. Bemis, of Buffalo, by whom he had one daugh ter, now living. His -wife died in Dec, 1866. He mairied a second time, .June 10, 1873, the partner of his choice being Isabella B. Fisken, and to this union have been born five chUdren (four Uving), Kate S., George S., Edna Isabel, Helen Louise, and Jessie Fisken. Mre. WUkes is also a member of Grace (Episcopal) Church. Mr. WUkes is the oldest native resident inhabitant of Brantford. He was bom in a house on Colbome Street, below the Kerby House. JAMES WILKE.S, Treasurer of the City of Brantford, was born in Birmingham, England, December 27, 1808, and is a son of the late -John AtSton Wilkes, also a native of England, where he was bom February 25, 1782. He came to Canada in 1820, and settled in ' Little York," now Toronto, where he was engaged in b-osiness as a merchant, and resided till the year L^ic. .James Wilkes (our subject) came to " Grand River Ferry," now Brantford, with John) A. WUkes, Senr., an elder brother, in 1823, and opened a branch store of their father's business. This store was situated on the bluff of the hill on Colbome .Street, near the spot where WiUiam Paterson's confectionery establishment now stands. After a time it was moved to the south side of Colbome Street, about opposite where B. G. Tisdale's stove store is at present. Soon afterwards their father bnilt a store where H. W. Biethour k Co. are, in which he and his sons, John A., Jtmr., and .James, carried on business for some }ears. These were frame buUdings, aud were destroyed during the RebeUion of 1837. Mr. Wilkes, Senr., then built the present store, and the business was carried on under the name of .John A Wilkes (t Son (.John A, Junr., being deceased) ; but he finally retired in favour of his sons James and George S., under the firm of Wilkes Bros., and some years after went to Montreal to live with a daughter, and there he died April 16, Li67, aged 85 years. He was married in Birmingham to Susan Phillips, and their family numbered 13 chUdren, some having died in infancy. Of those surviving are : Eev. Dr. Wilkes, of Montreal ; James, in Brantford; Susan, wife of the late WiUiam Walker, of Mont real; William A., of Buffalo; George S., of Xew York City; Charles E., at Owen Sound, Ont. The latter two were born in " Little York" Their mother was bom October 23, 1782 : died .lanuary 11, 1858, aged 75 years, and the others in Birming ham, England. Mr. Wilkes, of whom we write, has been engaged in the insurance business for almost 20 years -with great encouragement. In March, 1871, he was 548 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. appointed by the Town Council of Brantford to the position he now holds. Mr. Wilkes is a Deacon in the Congregational Church, and in politics a Liberal. He was married May 18, 1835, to Eliza Elliot, from the neighbourhood of London, England, by whom he had a family of six children, four surviving — George H., with 'Waterous Engine Works Co. ; James C, residing at Mount Forest, Ont. ; Annie ; and Alfred J. ; the latter with Hardy, Wilkes & Jones, Brantford. Mrs. Wilkes died March 12, 1848, aged 32 years, 8 months, 12 days. Mr. Wilkes again married, in 1848, the partner of his choice being Agnes Hook, a native of Scotland, to which union there was one child born who survived infancy — Agnes S. M., wife of W. A. McLean (de ceased), of Walkertown, Ont. This second wUe of Mr. Wilkes died January 8, 1852, aged 27 years, 8 months, 14 days. On December 28, 1852, Mr. Wilkes took for his third wife Matilda Carroll, a native of Canada. The two surviving children by this union are Clara M and Walter A., barrister in the firm of Ross, Killani & Haggart, Winnipeg. Mr. Wilkes' brother, J.A., Junr., died in 1837. Mr. Wilkes is now the oldest resident of Brantford. He holds the position of Lieut.-Colonel in the 2nd Brant Re serve Militia, under commission of June 10, 1856, and served actively as Captain in the Brantford Light Infantry near the close of the Eebellion in 1838-9 for a period of six months. He was a member of the first Council of the Town (now City) of Brantford, and held the position of Chairman of the Brantford School Board for a number of years. In 1828, at the organization of the present Congregational Church Sunday school, he was librarian, and has been ever since — a period of fifty-five years. HUGH McKENZlE WILSON, barrister, Brantford, was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, April 9, 1840, and is a snn of Stephen Wilson, a native of Banffshire, Scot land, but now a resident of Burford Township, at Bishojjsgate. Stephen Wilson married Miss Ann E. Melvin, a native of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by whom he has had six sons and one daughter, all living ; their mother is also living. Mr. Hugh McKenzie Wilson was but seven years of age when he came to Canada. He received his education chiefly at the Grammar School in Hamilton, of wbich Mr. George Elmsley was at that time Principal, and Dr. Tassie assistant. He subsequently received private instruction, the Eev. John Alexander, the Rev. Mr. Stott, and the Rev. Mr. Fenn being his tutors at different periods. He commenced the study of law in his present office with the late John Cameron, brother of the Hon. Mr. Justice Cameron, and was admitted an attorney five years later, and called to the Bar in 1866. After his admission as an attorney, he formed a partnership with the late Mr. Cameron, which continued until shortly before Mr. Cameron's death. In September, 1875, he formed a partnership with Mr. Robert Charles Smyth, and the firm enjoys one of the most remunerative practices in Brant County. In 1881 Mr. George H. Muir head became a member of the firm, the present name being Wilson, Smyth & Muir head. Mr. Wilson is a member of Brant Lodge, No. 45, of the Order of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He was Master of this lodge for three consecutive years. During the latter part of this period he was District Deputy Grand Master of the Wilson District, and declined re-election on account of pressure of professional business. He is also a Royal Arch Mason, and in politics is a Conservative. He has officiated as Deputy Judge of this county, having been first appointed to that office in 1872 by the Dominion Government, during a six months' leave from office of Judge Jones, and was again appointed for the third time, and held office until September 1, 1882, when all the commissions of Deputy Judges throughout the Piovince were revoked. In 1874 and 1875 he was appointed Master in Chancery during the illness of the late John Cameron, serving until the appointment of the present incumbent. Judge Jones. In 1875 he was appointed Clerk of the County of Brant, and his firm are also County Solicitors. Mr. Wilson was a candidate in South Brant during the election for member BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 549 of the Local Legislature in 1879, opposing the present member — the Hon. Arthur S. Hardy. He was married on May 5, 1872, to Miss Mary Selina XeUes, a native of Brantford Township, and second daughter of A. H. Xelles, now of Brantford City. They have three children. Mr. and !Mrs. Wilson and family attend the services of Grace (Episcopal) Church. DR WILLIAM EDWIX WIXSKEL, Brantford, was bom in the Township of Windham, Xorfolk County, Ontario, June 22nd, 1853, and is a son of John Winskel, a native of Westmoreland, England, and a farmer by occupation. He came to Canada about the year 1832, settling in Toronto, and subsequently in Xorfolk County seven years later. He died there March 7th, 1879. He married Rebecca Bums, a native of Ireland, who came to Canada when five years of age. They were the parents of two children, son and daughter, the subject of our sketch being the eldest. The mother is Uving and resides vrith her son. The Doctor was brought up in his native county, attending school in the section to -nhich he belonged untU, when seventeen years of age, he went to Scotland High School for two and a half years. He then attended Trinity ^ledicai College, Toronto, for three terms, having spent one year preriously with a country practitioner. He graduated from that coUege in 1877, also from Toronto University, and CoUege of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. He has also spent two years in England in attending the London Hospitals, and took a degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, London. Returning to Canada in 1879, he came to Brantford on October 28th, same year, where he has since practised his profession with good success. He is a member of Doric Lodge, Xo. 121 (Masonic), is Secretary and Treasurer of the Brant County Medical Association, and Assistant-Surgeon to the Dufferin Rifles. He is also a member of the Provincial ^Medical Association. The Doctor is a Trustee of Oxford Street ^Methodist Church, and a member of Wellington Street Methodist Church. JESSE O. WLSXER, of J. O. Wisner, Son & Co., manufacturers of agricultural implements, Biuntford, was bom near Xewburg, Orange County, X.Y., March 24th, 1811, and is a son of Moses ^Visner, a native of Xew York, of German parentage. He was a farmer and resided in Xew York .State, and died in ilonroe County. He married DoUie HoweU, a native of Xew York, of English descent, who died in Roch ester, X.Y. They were the parents of twelve chUdren, five Uving : Jesse O. and four sisters. Jesse 0. came to Huron, Wayne Co , X. Y., when six years of age, and after being educated engaged in farming, remaining at that occupation untU he was forty- five years of age, when he assumed the charge of Wayne County Poor House for six years. He then engaged in the Uvery business for two years, and in 1857 came to Canada, and engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills at Brantford. Since 1857 his business has steadily increased, untU now it is one of the largest establishments of the kind in the County of Brant. Mr. Wisner and Son, W. S. Wisner, and Mr. Edward Goold, are now associated together in the business. He has been a member of the Eeform party, and has never asked for, accepted, or held office For the first fifteen or twenty years of his residence here he traveUed for his house. He was mar ried March 23rd, 1835, to ilargaret Sheldon, a native of Xew York State, by whom he had four children, three yet Uving. She died in Xew York in 1855. He was again married August 25th, 1856, to Francp.s A. Wells, of Lyons, N.Y., and they are the parents of four chUdren, of whom three are Uving, the youngest being over seventeen years of age. ilr. Wisner, -wife, and famUy, are aU members of the Congregational Church. JAMES WOODYATT, Clerk of the City of Brantford, was brm in Putney, in Surrey, now part of London, England, June 20th, 1819, and is a son of Thomas Woodyatt, a native of Hertfordshire, England. The latter, who was a taUor by occu- 550 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. pation, came to America in 1834, and remained in Cattaraugus County until 1835, when he came to Brantford. Here he was engaged at his trade until his death, which occurred April 16th, 1842. He was married to Miss Harriet Gumbleton, a native of London, England, by whom he had two sous. William B., the youngest, resided in Brantford, where he was a business man for many years, and died in October, 1881. Their mother died in 1822. Mr. James Woodyatt, the subject of our sketch, at the age of ten years began to learn the trade of a tailor with his father. He followed that occupation until 1842, having gone into business for himself in 1839. In 1842, on account of ill health, he was advised by his physicians to take a se&, voyage, and accord ingly went on a whaling expedition for two years, after which he passed the following two years in boating on the Grand Eiver. In 1846 be resumed business as a merchant tailor until 1856, when he engaged in the pottery business, with John Eussell for a partnei. Mr. Eussell left the jiartnership in about a year, and Mr, Woodyatt continued the enterprise until 1859, when he closed out, and in February of that year was appointed to his present position by the City Council. He is a member of Gore Lodge, No. 34, I.O.O.F., of Brant Encampment, No. 4, and of the Grand Lodge of Ontario, which lodge he has represented eight terms in the Sovereign Grand Lodge of that Society. He is also a member of the Congregational Church, and a Trustee and Deacon of that body. He is a Reformer in politics, has been a County Councillor for the County of Brant, and from 1850 to 1853 inclusive represented one of the wards in the City Countil. He was member of the School Board for four or five years, and always takes a deep interest in educational, religious, and municipal affairs. Mr. Woodyatt was married June 22nd, 1844, to Martha Woods, a native of the North of Ireland, by whom he has bad six children. JOHN WORKMAN, of Workman k Watt, manufacturers of brick, Brantford, was born in tbe house now occupied as the brick-yard office, December 1, 1844. His father, Hugh Workman, a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, was the only one of his family who came to America, having emigrated to the United States, settling first at Mt. Hope, near Rochester, and some time afterwards worked on the Welland Canal. He then went to Hamilton, Ontario, and afterward came to Brantford and obtained employment with Calvin Houghton, with whom he worked for three years ; he then bought the brick-yard of Mr. Houghton, and operated it till the day of his deatL He died AprU 3rd, 1879, aged sixty years. He was the pioneer brickmaker in the County of Brant, and had the largest yard. In its primitive days the clay was trod out by oxen and moulded by hand, and now, with modem appliances, the yard yields a turnout of 2,500,000 bricks per annum. Mr. Hugh Workman was one of the first members of the Presbyterian Church, and one of the pioneer members of St. Andrew's Society. He married Elizabeth Turner, a native of Bytown (Ottawa) but of Scotch ancestry, and they were the parents of seven children, five of whom survive, three living in Brant County. Their mother has a handsome residence on East Colborne Street, near the yard. John, the subject of this sketch, was reared iu Brantford, and in early life assisted his father in his business, a business he has been engaged in all his life. A year after his father's death (in February, 1860), he and James F. Watt took the brick yard, and have been very successful iu operating it. Mr. Workman attends the services of Zion Presbyterian Church, and in politics is a Reformer. He was married on April 25th, 1871, to Jennie Burton, a native of Burford, who died in September, 1882. To this union there was one child — Ethel May. Mr. Workman now resides with his mother. BIOGRAPHICVL SKETCHES. 551 BRANTFORD TOWNSHIP. THOMAS ADAMS, farmer, CainsvUle. The father of our subject was John Adam?, who was bom in England in 1757, and died in 1852. He was a farmer through Ufe, and accumulated a comfortable competency. He lived single until in the meridian of Ufe, when he married Sophia Pressgraves, of English birth; she died after a union of a few years, of consumption, leaving five chUdren. She and her husband were members of the Methodist Church. Of the five chUdren, one Uves in London, England; three in the L'nited States; and Thomas, of whom we now write, is the only one Uving in Canada, where he came in 1847. He was bom in England in 1832. Five years after reaching Canada he married Elizabeth Kingdon, of Brant County but a native of England. To this union ten children have been given, viz. : Mary A., John T., .Joseph H., WUliam J., Charles A., Walter R. (deceased), George E., Wesley il., Emma E. and Arthur F. When Mr. Adams eame to Canada he had no money, and started empty-handed, but industry and economy have placed him among the weU-to-do citizens of the county, and he now owns a home of 73 acres. He has served three years as School Trustee, and is deeply interested in the education of his chUdren. He and wife are members of the Methodist Church. WALTER ALLAN, farmer, Cainsville P. O., is a son of WUliam and Jane AUan, both natives of Scotland, where they were married in 1819 ; ten years later they came to Canada, settling in the Province of Quebec, but after a stav of nine years pressed on to the Township of Onondaga, Brant Countv, Ont., where thev both died — she, July .3, 1872, and he, August 10, 1878. They had for many years been members of the Presbyterian Church. Of their nine chUdren seven are now Uving. Walter is the seventh of the famUy, and was bom in the Province of Quebec, February 8, 1833, but from the age of five years has been in Brant County, and now owns a good farm of 50 acres in Brantford Township, which he cultivates. He has thus far in life, as weU as his father before him, been a tiller of the soil. He takes special pains in raising good horses, and is one of the well-to-do citizens In 1871 he married Elizabeth Knox, who is, -with him, a member of the Presbyterian Church. Their children are Jane C. C, WUUam, IsabeUe M., Mary, .John K., and Adam M. Mrs. Allan was bom in Oneida in 1852. MORRIS AXDEES, farmer, Brantford P.O., was bom in the .State of Xew Jersey January 11th, 1819, and is a son of WiUiam and Priscilla (Yansickle) Anders, of German descent. Mr. Anders died in Xew Jersey in 1825, leaving a wife and six children, viz. : Margaret, Jacob and Elsie (twins), ^Morris, Sarah and Manda. Mrs. Anders came to Canada with three children in 1836, settling in Jerseyville, where she died in 1865. Morris Anders came to Canada in 1837, and since 1866 has made BrantCounty his home. He has been three times married : his first wife was iliss Sophia Howell ; his secoiid, ^Martha Misner ; and the third, whom he married in October, 1873, was Mary A. Steele, of Brantford. Mr. Anders owns 100 acres of good land, and makes a specialty of stock-raising. MARK aEMSTEOXG, deceased. This gentleman was a brother to Thomas Arm strong, whose sketch appears in this work. Mark was born in the north of England in 1832, but when ten years of age his parents moved to the County of Brant, Ontario, where he reached maturity. From 1852 to 1856 he, with his brother Thomas, was in Australia digging gold, but since the last date mentioned, he was a resident and land owner of seventy-seven acres in Lot 19, first concession, in the Township of Brant ford, until his death. Here he devoted his time to its cultivation. His wife, Sarah, daughter of James Hanson, of Westmoreland, England, was bom in 1836, and they were married in Melbourne, Australia, in 1856. They have had nine children, of 552 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. whom eight daughters still survive. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong belonged to the Baptist Church. Mr. Armstrong died on Monday, the 12th of March, 1883, of pneumonia, after a short illness. He was scarcely past the prime of life, having but recently entered upon his fifty-second year. THOMAS ARMSTRONG, farmer, Paris P.O., is a grandson of Thomas Arm strong, who was of Scotch parentage, and was born near Carlisle. He was raised and spent almost his entire life in the north of England. His occupation was farming. Of his ten children, Mark, the father of our subject, was the youngest, and was born on St. Mark's Day, in April, 1799. He matured to farm life, but after his marriage, engaged in mining, which he followed until 1842, when he, his wife and eight children, started for Canada ; while on the vessel one child died and seven reached the new home in the Township of Nelson, Ontario. In September of the same year he came to Paris, where he became the counsellor of Coleman, Curtis & Capron, owners of the plaster beds, as to the best method of procuring the material. They had previously been unearthing it, but his knowledge of mining enabled him to mine it out, which was very satisfactory to the proprietors. In 1847 he bought land in South Dumfries, but finally he settled near Mount Pleasant, where he died January 13, 1883. On coming to Canada he endured many privations and hardships in clearing up his two farms, although he was a stout hearty man. He buried his wife in 1865 ; she left a family of seven children, six of whom are now living. Thomas is the second eldest son, and was born in the north of England in 1827, but since the age of fifteen years he has resided in the County of Brant, near Paris, where he now owns a good farm of 170 acres, which he cultivates. He married Margaret, daughter of Richard Sanderson ; she was born in the County of Brant, and is now the mother of eight children, seven of whom are living. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong both belong to the C. M. Church. Mr. Armstrong spent from 1852 to 1886 in Australia digging gold, with favourable results. WILLIAM ATKINSON, farmer, Brantford Township, a native of Westmoreland- shire, England, was born October 4th, 1835, and came to Canada in 1846, and located in Brant County. He was a son of Thomas and grandson of Edmund Atkinson, the former of whom settled in this county about 1846, where he died in 1854. Thomas married Eleanor Whitehead, and had eleven children, of whom George, Thomas, WiUiam and Robert are living ; and Maria, Margaret, Mary Anne, Edmund, Isabella, Eleanor and Richard are dead. William, of whom this biography is -written, married June 8tb, 1858, Sarah Bellhouse, daughter of John Bellhouse, granddaughter of Thomas Rycroft, who came to this country in May, 1840, and established himself in the county. Their marriage resulted in nine children, viz., Margaret Ann, born AprU 12th, 1860 ; Sarah E., born Aug. 25th, 1861 ; WilUam H., born Dec. 23rd, 1864; Charles E., born Sept. 29th, 1866 ; Nellie, born Sept. 17th, 1868 ; Hannah, born Dec. 6th, 1870 ; Grace, born Feb. 13th, 1873 ; John T., born June 1st, 1875 ; Maud M., born Feb. 19th, 1877. The family are members of the Church of England. Mr. Atkinson o-wns a farm of 62 acres of excellent land, six mUes south of the City of Brantford, and is comfortable and well-to-do. M. D. BALDWIN is of English extraction, and a native of the State of New York, where he was raised to farm life. He came to Brant County in 1843, at the age of 22 years, and settled on his present farm, where he engaged in hop-gro-wing quite extensively for about 37 years. Subsequently he engaged in sweet corn grow ing and drying, and in 1880 in his present business, which is mentioned in the manu facturing chapter of this work. Mr. Baldwin has been very successful through life, and now owns a fine lot of land of about 220 acres. His family consists of a -wife and four daughters. Mrs. Baldwin is Mary A., daughter of Benjamin Hopkins, who was bom near St. Catharines, and she near the same place. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 553 HERBERT BIGGAR, one of the oldest and most honoured settlers of Brantford Township and Brant County, was bom in Queenston, Out., Jan. 6, 1809, and is a son of Eobert Biggar, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. He was but seven years of age when his father located on the farm now owned by the former, and being reared to farming pursuits, he early assisted his father. At the age of thirty years he went to Brantford, and engaged -with his brother HamUton in mercantUe business. He then moved back to the farm, and drove the first team that ever crossed the bridge over the Grand River at Brantford. He purchased a farm on Whiteman's Creek, Brant County ; but six months later, in 1838, on the event of his father's death, he came to the home-farm, and has since resided there. This farm consists of 114 acres on first range. Lot 10, Brantford Township, ilr. Biggar, who is a Reformer in politics, repre sented South Brant for seven years, between 1850 and 1860, in the Upper Canadian ParUament. He has been a member of the Township and County Councils, as weU as Eeeve of Brantford Township. He is a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and has been Trustee and class-leader of the Church in Mount Pleasant, and is a life member of the OddfeUows fraternity. Mr. Biggar was married in AprU, 1831, to Jane EUis, a native of Mt. Pleasaut, and to this union seven chUdren were born, four living — Mary, wido-w of Ajchibald McCallum, of Hamilton; Hannah, wife of Rev. Mr. Griffin, of Guelph; Herbert, on farm adjoining that of his father ; and .Sarah. Mr. Biggar's first wife died about the year 1868 or 1869, and he again married in 1874, his second wife being a Mrs. Marion Long, of Brantford, who died Dec. 15, 1882. His first wife was an adherent of the Methodist body, and his second originaUy attended Zion Presbyterian Church, but on her marriage with Mr. Biggar joined the Methodist Church. WILLIAM BIGGAR, farmer, Brantford Township, was bom Feb. 23, 1827, and is a son of James and grandson of Robert L. Biggar, a native of Scotland, who came to Canada and settled in this county toward the close of the last century. He died here. James Biggar, his son, was bom in the county in 1803, and married (1825) a lady of his own name, Jane Biggar, daughter of WilUam Biggar, a native of Scotland. Their famUy was seven in number, viz.: WiUiam, Robert L., Charles, Mary, EUza, Jane (deceased), and Nancy. He died in August, 1879. WiUiam Biggar, of whom this biography is written, married Jan. 3, 1854, Mary Jane Clement. She was a daughter of John Clement, a native of Ireland, who came to the Pro-vince early in the present century and settled in Brantford Township, where he died at the ripe age of 95 years. Their marriage resiUted in four chUdren, as foUo-ws : Sarah Eliza beth, bom Feb. 12th, 1856, died May 8, 1861 ; EUza Jane, bom July 30, 1860, died June 24, 1868; James, bom May 28, 1864; WUliam, bom April 18, 1866. Mr. Biggar is one of the leading men of the township, ha-ving for a period of six years been a member of the Township and County Councils. He is a successful farmer, o-wning a weU stocked farm of 200 acres near Mohawk P.O., and another fine farm containing 175 acres in the To-wnship of Burford. TTis famUy has always stood foremost in the ranks of pioneer settlers in Brant County. He is a member of the Canada Methodist Church. THOMAS BIRKETT, farmer, Brantford P.O., is a son of WiUiam Bu-kett, who was bom near London, England, in 1793. He grew up to farm Ufe, but afterwards learned weaving fancy goods, which he foUowed a number of years. He married Eleanor Bateman, of English birth, and about 1835, -with six chUdren, came to Canada, settling below Toronto ; but two years later they came to the County of Brant, where he died ia 1874 ; his widow survived him untU 1879. On reaching Canada he had no means, but he soon engaged in farming, and thereby accumula1;ed a neat competency. He and -wife had a famUy of thirteen chUdren, nine of whom are now living. Of these Thomas is the fifth, and was bom in England in 1828. He now owns a fine 33 554 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. farm of 116 acres in the Eagle's Nest, in Brant County. He spent from 1847 to 1855 in Illinois, but returned to Canada, where he married Lucy Hickox, a native of Prince Edward Island, who was born in 1836, but since 1843 has lived in the County of Brant. Thomas and wife have six children, viz., Theodore L., John W., Frank B:, Robert R., Annie. M. and Nellie B. Mr. and Mrs. Birkett are members of the Baptist Church. ELEM BONHAM, retired farmer, Brantford P.O., was born near Hamilton, in 1819. His father, Jeriab Bonham, was bom in Pennsylvania, and now, at the age of ninety-five years, lives with bis son Elem in this county. He came to Canada before the War of 1812, and served through that war, being'fuow one of the old pensioners. His wife was Mary White, who died in Canada in 1848, leaving Elem and AmeUa, who is now the wife of Rev. Wm. WUloughby. In 1823 Jeriah and family came to Canada, settling near St. George, where he cleared his farm from a dense forest. Elem Bonham since a boy of three years has watched the growth of this section from a bush to its present well developed condition. He married Elizabeth Bausslaugh, of German descent. Mr. Bonham, soon after marriage, settled near Brantford, where he has since lived, and where he now owns 115 acres and a lot of 12 acres. Mr. Bonham belongs to the Methodist Church, and is the father of six children, viz.: David and Dinah, deceased ; Harriet, Peter, Mary and Jeriah. HENRY BOOK, farmer, Langford P.O., is a son of George and a grandson of John Book. The latter was born in Germany, but died July 2nd, 1827 (Aged 73 years), in Wentworth County, Canada, where he bad settled in 1788, having come from his native country to "S'ork State two years prior to coming to Canada. He was married about 1777, bringing with him a family from Germany. His wife, Charity, died in Wentworth County, December 14th, 1822, aged 77 years ; she was the mother of ten cbUdren, viz.: George, Mary and Catharine (twins), Anir, Henry, Adam. Phoebe, John, Margaret and Christina. All were raised and part born in Wentworth County, hut now all are deceased, though some of their posterity are now living in different parts of Canada. Of the entire family it is seen that George, the father of our subject, is the eldest ; he was born in Germany in 1778, and died in Wentworth Coimty, Ontario, August 31st, 1857. From eleven years old he endured the hardships of a pioneer life in the county where he died. His entire life was devoted to farming, and in the War of 1812, as orderly sergeant of the Volunteer Flank Company, in which he was the second man to enlist, be participated in the battles of Lundy's Lane and at Queens ton Heights, where General Brock was killed. He was a man of five feet eleven and a half inches, and weighed 240 pounds, good health and strong constitution. About 1806 be married Mary A. Misner, a native of New York State, who came to Canada at an early day ; she died in 1848. They both worked hard, and accumulated a neat competency. Their family of thirteen children were. Charity, John, Mary, George, Barbara, Lydia, Margaret, Adam, Peter, Henry, Elizabeth A., William and Catharine. Of this number six are now living Henry is the tenth of the family, and was born in Wentworth County October 20th, 1823. He was raised to farm life, and has thus far followed it for a livelihood, but nine years in Oxford County. In 1863 he came to Brant, and one year later bought his present farm. It was in an unimproved condition, but by his own efforts it is now second to no farm in the vicinity, which he cultivates scientificaUy, ornamented with a neat brick house of his own planning. In 1850 he married Nancy, daughter of John Oles; she died August 16th, 1866, leaving six children, viz.: Millicent, Mary J., Margaret A., Marvel, Emervilla and Emerson. Mr. Book's second -wife was Anna Smith, daughter of Allen Walker, a native of Michigan. GEORGE BRAZIER, farmer, Brantford Township, is a native of England; was born Aug. 6th, 1818, came to Canada in 183ff, and settled in this county. He was BIOGRAPHIC.AL SKETCHES. 000 A son of John Brazier, born in West Kent, England, Aug. 6th, 1777, who married, 1816, Harriet Branchley, daughter of Henry Branchley Their chUdren were : Friend, bom June 9th, 1817 ; George, bom August Gth, 1818 ; Emily, bom July 19th, 1819, died AprU 29tb, 1850 : WUliam, bom June 27th, 1822 ; John H., bom Dec. 14th, 1824 ; Jesse, born May 17th, 1827 (deceased) ; Edwin, bom May 17tli, 1830; James, bom Dec. 2nd, 1834. The mother died Oct. 17th, 1853, and the father June 28th, 1855. George Brazier married, March 4th, 1837, Mary Bye, daughter of James Bye. She dying, he married a second time, Mary Ferris, daughter of James and granddaughter of James Ferris, natives of England. They have two chUdren — George, bom Nov. 5th, 1880, and Wallace, bom Sept. 10th, 1882. The subject of this sketch received only a common school education, and started out in life vrith the meagre pittance of SIO, but his energy and frugality have been rewarded by the possession of a fine farm of 100 acres, situated about five mUes from the city. EICHAED BEOOKS, retired farmer, and one of the representative pioneer resi dents of Brantford Township, was born in Berkshire, England, August 14, 1805. His father, Thomas Brooks, waa a native of Oxfordshire, England, and a gardener by occupation. He attended market in Berkshire, and lived there tUl his death, which occurred about fifteen or twenty years ago. He married Eachel Beachey, also a native of Oxfordshire, and their famUy consisted of three sons, two of whom are stUl living. Mrs. Brooks died about ten years after her husband's death. The eldest son Uving is about eighty -three years of age and has never known a day's sickness. The youngest of the three sons, and the subject of this notice, became a slater and plas terer in early life. He came to Canada in 1832 (the first year of the cholera epidenuc), and located at Brantford, where he worked at his two trades for about three years. He then purchased eight acres of land on the ilount Pleasant Eoad, near Brantford, and since that period has made various purchases of land, till he finally possessed a fine farm of 200 acres. He subsequently apportioned a farm to each of his three sons, and retired from active labour some years since, with a competence sufficient for old age. He is a member of Farringdon Independent Church, and has officiated, in his day, as elder and deacon. He was married about 1834. to Elizabeth Holden, bom near Blackburn, England, and had a famUy of six chUdren, five of whom are living — Thomas, ou a farm near his father's residence, and manied to Sarah A. PickersgiU ; Eachel, wife of WiUiam Whittaker, tinsmith in Brantford ; Ann, at home with her father ; Elizabeth, wife of Edwin Bellhouse, and Eichard, a resident of Manistee, Michigan. WilUam is deceased. Mrs. Brooks departed this life November 27, 1846 and Mr. Brooks again married, about three years later, Elizabeth Nightingale, who came from England to Toronto, when quite young, and died July 17, 1864, lea-ving no chUdren. ENSIGN BUCK, farmer, Brantford P. 0., was bom in the State of New York in 1813, and is a son of Lideral and Vashta (Waterhouse) Buck, who were natives of New York State, where Lideral Buck died in 1816. The widow, with her second hus band, Capt. Marshal Le-wis, came to Canada in 1821, settling in Brantford; here the mother of our subject died in 1823. Ensign Buck has, since 1820, been in Brantford County. He was left an orphan at an early age, but by toil and perseverance he has accumulated a neat competency of 1 40 acres of land, after liberally providing for his children. He has taken his farm from a dense wUdemess and made of it a beautiful home. He married Margaret Swartz, of Princeton, Blenheim County. They have the foUowing famUy of chUdren, viz. : WUliam E., Caroline M., James, H., Margaret M., Mary E., George S., Charles W., Edward A., Alice J., Albert W., and Minnie H. — all living. Mr. Buck was associated with the building of tbe first bridge across Grand Eiver. Mr. and Mrs. Buck are members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. 556 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. DAVID BURTCH, farmer, Brantford Township, a native of this county, was born Nov. 23, 1815, and is a son of Stephen and grandson of David Burtch, a native of England, who went to the American colonies about the middle of the last century, and died at Albany, in what subsequently became the State of New York. Stephen Burtch, his sire, was born at Balltown, New York State, in 1767, and came to Canada in 1796, locating near Niagara until 1813, when he removed to Brant County. About the year 1807 he married Margaret Belingar, daughter of Jacob Belingar, a native of Germany, their union being blessed with nine children, viz., Lucy and William (deceased), Esther, David, Adelia, Ann, Mary (deceased), Charlotte, Susan and Jane. After battling with tbe forests of Brant County for twenty years, this brave old pioneer was gathered to his fathers in 1833, at the age of 66, leaving behind him a record of good deeds for emulation by his posterity. David Burtch, the subject of our biography, was twice married. His first wife was Anna Smith, daughter of Amos Smith, a native of New York State, to whom he was married June 20, 1835. The result of their mar riage was six children, as follows : Daniel, bom Nov. 6, lt36; Jane, born Sept. 17, 1838, died May 24, 1867 ; Stephen, born Nov. 3, 1840; David, born Jan. 15, 1842; Silas, born July 16, 1844, died Oct. 6, 1845; Honickel, bom Nov. 23, 1847. His wife dying June 1, 1856, he again married Jun 12, 1861, Nancy Ann Clarke, who is still living. Mr. Burtch is in independent circumstances, being the owner of a splen did farm of 17 2|^ acres, upon which he has resided since his birth, and 92 acres of exceUent land in the Village of Mount Pleasant, all of which is weU stocked and under a superior state of cultivation. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for the past few years, having leceived his appointment from the Dominion Government. He is a member of the Baptist Church. David Burtch, Jr., his son, married Lucretia Clark, daughter of William and/ Susan (Huffman) Clark, of Glanford. He resides on the farm with his father. JEREMIAH BUECH, farmer, Brantford P. 0.. was born in Duchess County, N. Y., Oct. 31, 1827. He is a son of Jeremiah and Ellen (Simpson) Burch, and came to Canada with his father in 1838, settling in this county at what is now called Mount Vemon. The grandfather and grandmother of our subject were of English descent, dying in Canada ; the latter, whose name was Jemima, at about the age of 100 years. His father, Jere miah Burch, was born June 22, 1791, and married Ellen Simpson, of Dutch descent; he was in the War of 1812, and died in August, 1864. They had four children — Titus, Elizabeth, Jerome and Jeremiah, who married January 1, 1850, Elizabeth Waterhouse, of Welsh descent. He has a famUy of five children, ¦viz.: Emma, born March 20, 1851, aud died Sept. 29, 1871 ; Henry L., bom Nov. 10, 1852 ; SUes, born AprU 3, 1855 ; Luther, born AprU 23, 1858, died August 27, 1859 ; Barton, born AprU 2, 1862. Mr. Burch owns 170 acres of weU improved land, located at Back Street of Mount Pleasant, overlooking Brantford City. He received in early life a common school education in New York State, and is a member of the Canada Methodist Church. WILLIAM BURRILL, retired, Brantford P.O., is a son of William and grandson of William, both natives of Lincolnshire, England. The latter was through life a boatman, and while thus engaged he was unfortunately drowned. WUUam, Senr., the father of our subject, was one of 14 sons, 3 of whom fought, bled and died in the Battle of Waterloo. William last mentioned was for about half a century a shepherd on the " Hall Farm," which belonged to Lord Alaby. While thus engaged he was so attentive that as a compensation Lord Alaby provided a home for him in his last days. His wife was Cathaiine Cooper, of English origin also, and both died in their native country, having for years been members of the Church of England. Of their twelve children two are now living, one of which is our subject, and the only one who ever came to Canada. He was born in Lincolnshire, England, June 22, 1808. While BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 557 in minor life he spent a part of the time with a clergyman. He was married July 8, 1830, to Ann, daughter of WiUiam and Mary Brown, of Lincolnshire. She was bom in 1805. On October 10 of the year in which they were married they set saU for the American soil, and on January 1, 1831, landed in Xew York City. Subsequently he was employed as carman, and on the Crooked Lake Canal in New York .State, untU Aug., 1833, when he, wife and one child, came to Canada by way of steamer and wap-gon to Caledonia. Near there this little family started on foot f3r their destination near CainsviUe, through the dense forest, a distance of 14 miles, he carrying their then only chUd the entire distance. Upon reaching their home he began working for an Indian, John HiU. Subsequently he was engaged in the erection of the first bridge across Graud Eiver at Brantford. He laboured as renter and hired man untU 1 840, when he bought his first land in the Township of Onondag-a, but -with good health and management his wealth continued to increase, until he now owns over 400 acres of land in the Brant' and Norwich Count'es. He has served repeatedly in the CouncU of Onondaga, and was prominently identified for a number of years with the schools of his township. In the Agricultural Association he always manifested a deep interest, and served it as President. Until 1838 he and wife belonged to the Church of Eng land, when they took up with the Wesleyan Methodists, to which they stiU belong. Mr. BurrUl and wife remained on the farm untU 1874, when they retired and moved to Brantford. Their chUdren are nine, -viz., Mary, deceased ; Rebecca, Charles, WUliam, Elizabeth, deceased ; Anna, deceased ; Henry, deceased ; Alfred and Ellen. All those deceased, save the son, were married, and the five survivors are married. July 8, 1881, WiUiam BurreU and -wife celebrated their golden wedding. WM. GRAHAME and ROBT. CLOWE C. CARLYLE, Brantford Township, farmers, sons of Alexander, grandsons of James and great-grandsons of Thomas. They now occupy " Bield " Farm, formerly o\vned by their father, who settled thereon in the year 1844. He emigrated with his -wife and famUy, from Dumfriesshu-e, Scof> land, to Xew York State, in June of 1843, and came to Canada in the foUowing spring. He married Janet, daughter of Thomas Clowe, a native of Scotland, by whom he had seven chUdren, -viz., Jane W., Thomas, Jessie, .John, Alexander, Wm. G. and Eobert C. James, father of Alexander, was bom in 1757, and died 24th January, 1832. He was twice married ; the only issue by first marriage was John, who emigrated to Canada in 1837 or 1838, and, settUng near Brantford, resided in the neighbourhood untU his death. By the second marriage were four sons and four daughters — Thomas, the eldest, kno-wn as one of the greatest Uterary men, bom 4th December, 1795, died at Chelsea, London, 5th February, 1881 ; Alexander, born 4th August, 1797 ; John Aiken, Doctor of Medicine, translator of Dante's Inferno, etc., bom 7th July, 1801, died September, 1879 ; Jean, Mary, James and Janet. The first of the Carlyles came to Scotland along -with the Bruces in the time of David II. A Sir John Carlyle was created Lord Carlyle of "lorthorwald, near Dumfries (ruins of old castle stUl extant), in reward for a beating he gave the English at Annan. The name of Michael, the fourth Lord Carlyle, is found on the Association Bond signed by the Protestant Lords when Mary Queen of .Scots was sent to Lochleven Castle. The arms of the Carlyles were two griffiths' heads, and the motto " HumUitate," adopted by Carlyle, the historian. ROBERT A. CHATTERSOX, farmer, Brantford Township, was bom in Ancaster Township, County of Wentworth, March 9th, 1820, and came to Brant County in 1839. His father, Joseph, was bom in Xew Jersey, and came to Canada -with his father, EUas. Joseph married Sophia, daughter of John Kerlin, of English descent. The said John Kerlin was an officer in the Revolutionary War, on the English side. His wife, Susannah Burns, was related to Robert Bums. Robert A. Chatterson was 558 HISTORY OF BBANT COUNTY. one of thirteen children, two of whom died in infancy, the remaining being John Burns, Ezekiel, Elias, Robert A., Susannah, Solomon, Charlotte, Henry, Albert, WilUam and Eliza J. Robert married, November 23rd, 1841, Elmira, daughter of John W. and Laura Cook, natives of Duchess County, New York. They are the parents of three children, viz.: Emily L., born April 4th, 1843, married Israel T. Dawson August 27th, 1867 ; Mary L., born July 11th, 1849, married Chas D. Smith September 6th, 1876 ; Joseph M., born September 25th, 1855, now practising law in Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Chatterson is now owner of ninety acres of fine farming land in Brantford Township. He is a Justice of the Peace, and a member of the Canada Methodist Church, of which body he is a Trustee and Steward. He is also Secretary of the Mt. Pleasant Bible Society, holds a first-class certificate, and has taught school a period of twenty years in the Counties of Brant and Oxford. He is now enjoying the fruits of his labour. SETH CHARLTON, farmer, Cainsville, is a son of Michael and Maria Charlton, who both died in Brant County — -he, September 21, 1854, and she, September 19, 1877. They had a family of five children, three sons and two daughters. Seth was born July 18, 1840, in South Dumfries Township, Brant County, where he was raised to farm life, which he still follows. He now o-wns twenty acres of land near Cainsville, where he is pleasantly and comfortably located. This is the result of his own legiti mate efiorts since arriving at maturity. He and wife are members of the Zion Church and he, since 1879, an elder. For three years past he has been chosen as a magistrate. His marriage with Elizabeth Hunter was celebrated December 29, 1865. SOLOMON CHATTERSON, Esq., farmer, Mohawk, was bom in the County of Wentworth, Oct. 27, 1824, and is a son of Joseph and Sophia (Kerlin) Chatterson. His father was born in Canada and his mother in England ; the former was a pensioner of the War of 1812. The subject of this sketch was twice married. His first wife was Eliza Ann, daughter of Robert McAlister, and was the mother of three children, viz.: Almanza, born Feb. 5th, 1850; Alceona, born May 11th, 1851, died March, 1872; Arrinthea, born Sept. 30th, 1852. He again married Nov. Ist, 1871, Sarah Calista- Terhune, daughter of Garret and Olive J. (Dresser) Terhune, whose biography appears fully elsewhere in this work. She was born, June 29th, 1846, and also has four chUdren, as follows : Leslie M., bom July 14th, 1872 ; Alice E., born Sept. 28th, 1873 ; Emma R, born June 18th, 1875 ; Effie O., born Oct. 19th, 1881. Mr. Chat terson, who came to this county in 1845, owns 395 acres of superior farming land on Mount Pleasant Street, has for a number of years held a commission of Justice of the Peace, and is a member of the Methodist Church. In his youth he received a common school education, and his career through life has been one of probity and honour. HORACE CHISHOLM, farmer, Paris, P. O., was bom in Brantford Township, and is a son of John and Janet (CampbeU) Chisholm. John Chisholm was born in Scotland in 1813, and came to Canada in 1833 ; here he married Janet Campbell in 1837, and in 1839 they settled in Brantford Township, seven mUes from Brantford and four from Paris. Mr. Chisholm resided on this place until his death, March 10th, 1882. He received a limited education in Scotland, and had but 25 cents when he started in life for himself. He had, by his own industry, acquired before his death a neat competency of 150 acres, with good building, which his widow and family now enjoy. His children are James, Horace, Jenny, Jessie, Malcolm- and John, all members- of churches. Mrs. Chisholm, to whom we are indebted for the foregoing facts, is now 73 years old, but she retains all her mental faculties, and possesses the -rigour of a much younger body. JAMES CLARK, farmer, Langford P. 0., is a son of Walter Clark, who was horn in Scotland, and came to Canada in minor life, where, in 1838, he married Ann Holding, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 559 who was bom in England. They settled in Brant County, where he foUowed farming untU his death in 1852, when he was drowned in the canal. His -n-idow still survives him. They were both members of the Church of England. Of their six chUdren James, the eldest son, was born four mUes south of Brantford, October 18, 1840. He was raised to fai-m life, which he has always foUowed. His education was acquired in the common schools, and a? he was the eldest son, much of his time at school was broken by supplying the demands at home. He was married in January, 1867, to Sarah Harrold ; she was bom in England in 1845, but came to Canada in infancy. They have seven children — John W., Emma J., George H., James H., Bertha A., Thomas W., and Sarah J. Mr. and Mrs. Clark are both members of the Canada Methodist Church. GEORGE. COLE, farmer, CainsvUle P. 0., was born in the States, 1830 ; son of Southworth Cole. He came to Canada when a boy, and in 1851 married Mary Johnson. In the war of 1861, he enlisted in the 12th X.Y. Cavalry, and rose to sergeant. Being captured at Hatteras Inlet, South Carolina, he was imprisoned at AndersonviUe, where he died in 1864. He left four children, viz., Joseph B., Frank S., George H., and il. K. Mrs. Cole was a daughter of Joseph Brant Johnson, and a granddaughter of Rolph Johnson, who was born near Albany, X. Y. He served in the ranks of the British army during the Revolutionary War, as ranger, %vith Captain Joseph Brant. He came to Canada after the battle of Bunker's HUl, about 1778. He was the father of five chUdren, viz., John, ^Ahey, WiUiam, Hannah, and Joseph Brant. The latter was father of ilrs. Cole, and named in honour of Captain Brant. He married Catharine, daughter of Jacob File, whose history may be found elsewhere in this work. They had one child, Mary, now the widow of George Cole. .She was 'corn in this county in 1831, and is now living on the old Johnson homestead. Of her chUdren, all are married except George H., who makes a specialty of stock-raising. WM. J. COLEM.A.X, commercial agent, Cainsville P.O., was born in Antrim Co., Ireland, December 28, 1838. His grandfather, John Coleman, a native of Ireland, emigrated to Canada in 1854, at the age of ninety-ttiree years, vis-ting his son John in Wentworth County, where he died in the winter of the same year. John, the father of our subject, came to Canada in 1841, settled in Dundas, where he carried on the boot and shoe business about four years, and then removed to Lot Xo. 10, West Flam boro', Wentworth County, where he now reside.s. His family consisted of eight chil- drcL — Nancy, died Mslj 23, 1880, at the age of fif ly-two ; Joseph, married Mary Jane Pierce; James died, aged nineteen ; William J., who was married tvrice ; EUzabeth married John H. Ciipps ; Sanders married .Vnnie McCoUom ; Andrew married Ma tilda Cripps ; and Samuel now resides in Erin Township. Wm. J. Coleman married Martha Gartley, Xovember 14, 1861, who died, leaving two children — Mary Alice, bom May 24, 1863, married Thomas Nicholl; and Edwin, born November 19, 1865. He married his second wife, Amanda M. Glover, June 30, 1869 ; she was bo:n June 29, 1835, and was a daughter of Wm. Glover, who married Margaret Laitham. They were the parents of two children — William, bom May 18, 1870 ; John, born August 6, 1872. William, the subject of this sketch, received a common school education, belongs to the Presbyterian Chnrch, and is a member of the Independent Order of OddfeUows, and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. CORNELIUS COOK, farmer, Cains'vUle P.O., was born near Montreal, and is a son of Cornelius and a grandson of Silas Cook. The latter was bom in the State of New Jersey about the middle of the last century, and was of English parentage. After marriage he endured the hardships of the Revolutionary War, he and his wife being both captured by Capt. Joseph Brant on the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania. They were brought to the Mohawk ViUage, in this county, with many other prisoners, and 560 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. were the only bnes to escape the death of the scalping knife. After spending three years with this tribe they were released, and settled quietly in the vicinity of Beams- -viUe, and subsequently in Toronto, where he owned at the time 200 acres of land now in the city limits. He died near Prescott, leaving eight children, the father of our subject being tbe second. He was born in Canada in 1788, and died in Brant County in 1855. He had a family of eight children, our subject being the youngest. Corne lius Cook married Catherine Miller, by whom he had five sons. She died in 1876, and he for a seconl wife married Miss B. Spence, of Brantford, but a native of Scotland. They are members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Cook owns the homestead, where he carries on farming and stock-raising. JOHN EDWIN COOK, farmer, Mohawk, was born in this county Sept. 30, 1834, and is a son of John W. and Laura (Marshall) Cook, and a grandson of Daniel and Phoebe (Andrews) Cook. He married, Nov. 3rd, 1858, Euphemia Smith, daughter of John W. and Euphemia (Glover) Smith, who are further referred to in the biography of Daniel Smith, Esq., of Northfield ; she was born April 10th, 1837 ; their chUdren number four, viz., Mary Eliza, born Oct. 25, 1859 ; Ada G., born Nov. 15, 1862 ; Annie L., born Jan. 4, 1867 ; George E., born JtUy 7th, 1872 — all living. Mr. Cook is a prosperous farmer, and resides on the farm where he was born^ adjoining the Village of Mount Pleasant. He owns 140 acres of fine land at Mount Pleasant, and 34 acres of woodland in Oakland Township. He is a Justice of the Peace, and in politics a Reformer. BENJAMIN CCRNWELL, farmer, Langford P.O., is a son of Henry and grand son of Benjamin Com well. The latter was of English parentage, born on Long Island. He was raised in the State of New York, where he married Elizabeth Abrams, who was also of EngUsh extraction. In 1811 they, with their family, came to Canada and settled west of Brantford, but a few months later bought a lot of land, east of Fair- child's Creek, from Captain Brant. This they transformed from its natural to an improved state, and endured many privations in the early part of this century. He was by occupation a cooper, but did nothing at his trade after coming to Canada. He buried his wife in 1836, and he died in 1842. They had bom to them three sons and as many daughters, all of whom lived and died residents of Brant County ; two were in the War of 1812 ; their names were respectively Elizabeth, PrisciUa, Henry, George, Daniel and Deborah. Henry, tbe first son, was born May 28, 1792, in the State of New York, but from the age of 1 7 was a citizen of Canada. He was a farmer through Ufe, of a wiry disposition^ and accumulated a neat competency. He married Fannie Heverland, who was bom in New York State, May 27, 1793, and died in Canada Nov. 11, 1874, having buried her husband on March 9, 1865. They had six children, riz., Lottie, Margaret, John, Daniel, Benjamin and Morgan ; the second and third are deceased. Benjamin was born January 20, 1833, and was raised to farm life, which he continues to follow, in connection with stock-raising. He has been twice married ; first in 1862 to Helen Lampkin, and in 1855 to Ann Warbrick, a native of Brant County but of English parentage ; she is the daughter of James and Elizabeth Fields. Mr. and Mrs. Corn well have six children, viz., Annie H., Martha E., Alice M., Henry D., August B., and Mary C. JOHN COULBECK, farmer, Brantford P.O., is a son of James Coulbeck, and one of ten children. He was bom in Lincolnshire, England, where he matured, but came to Canada in 1851, and two years later married, since which he has been a resident of Brant County, where he now owns 210 acres of land, well improved and under culti vation ; this is mostly the result of his own untiring efforts, coupled with good management. He has been identified with the Agricultural Association for a number of years, and raises good stock. He has always taken an active interest in the cause of education, and has given each of his six children a liberal education. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 561 JAMES COWHERD, famier, Newport, was boin m England Feb. 7th, 1824, and came to Brantford -with his father when 13 years old. He is a son of William and grandson of James Cowherd, who died in England. WUliam was bom in 1790, emi grated to this country in July, 1837, settled in the city, and died in the Township of Brantford in August, 1864. He married Mary Cooper, by whom he had three chU dren, viz., Margaret, Thomas and Mary, the latter of whom died in England. Mrs. Cowherd died, and for a second -wife he married Sarah Tenant, by whom he had one chUd, James. Margaret and Thomas reside in Brantford. James, the subject of these remarks, was twice married. First he married Elizabeth Hartly, their issue being one child, Sarah Jane, now the wife of Henry Green. His second -wife was Jane Broughton, daughter of Richard and granddaughter of Thomas Broughton, a native of England, where he died. Richard is still living in this county. They were mar ried Nov. 18th, 1850, and are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Cowherd has a first-class farm of 79 acres, about five miles from Brantford, under an excellent state of cultivation. WILLIAil COWIE, farmer, Brantford P.O., was bom at HamUton, Ont., May 17th, 1840 ; he is a son of John and Isabella Cowie, who are at present residing in Onondaga Township. The subject of this sketch was married Ma}' 22nd, 1867, to Catharine FUe, by whom he had three chUdren, viz. : John, William Alexander, and Annie EUzabeth. Mrs. Cowie died December 4th, 1873, and for a second wife Mr. Cowie married Eachel McLeUan, bj' whom he has four children, as follows: .James, Anthony McLeUan, Elizabeth Kerr and Isabella, aU members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Cowie resided on a farm of 100 acres on Big Creek for eighteen years, but recently he removed and took up his residence in Brantford Township. THOilAS CRAIG, farmer, Brantlord P. 0. , is a son of Samuel Craig, who was born in the County of Antrim, Ireland, in 1778. He matured in his native land, and about 1800 he came to Canada, settling in Lower Canada for a few years, where iu 1824 he married Jane Roseberrj', who was born in Ireland about the first of the present cen tury, and now lives in Brantford. Samuel and familj', about 1838, reached the limits of Brant County, and four years later the City of Brantford, where he lived untU 1880, when, at the age of 102 years, he passed into the spirit land. He was through Ufe a farmer and distiller. He and wife had bom to them five sons and as many daughters. Of the family our subject, the third, was born in 1831 at St. Catharines, but since 1838 he has lived in the County of Brant, and by occupation is a tUler of the soil. In 1859 he married EUen Edmondson, daughter of Christopher Edmondson, elsewhere mentioned. Mr. and Mrs. Craig have a famUy of eight children, all living. Mr. Craig was born in England in 1837, but since 1844 has been a resident of the County of Brant. THOMAS D. CRAWFORD, farmer, Brantford P.O., was born in Brant County October 28th, 1828. His father, Seth Crawford, was born at Saratoga, New York State, November 1st, 1801, and was of Scotch descent. He came to Canada in 1821 as a missionary among the Indians about Brantford. He did much good among that race, and in 1822, with their aid, buUt tbe first mission house on what is now the Keer Farm. In 1823 he married Laura Mead, who was bom in August, 1822, ia Greenfield, Saratoga Co., New York State. Mr. Crawford followed his ministerial duties up to the time of his death, which occurred May 13th, 1848. His -wife died in 1852. They were the parents of twelve chUdren, of whom Thomas D. weis the second. He followed the mis sionary work with his father untU 1857, when he settled on his present farm, which his father procured from the Indians. In 1851 he married Eliza, daughter of Abel Weaver. They are members of the Baptist Church, and have a family of five children. Mr. Cra-wford has been Assessor and Tax CoUector for two years. JOHN DANIELS (deceased) was a son of John Daniels, Senr., who was of Irish extraction, bom in the State of New York, where he married. About 1812 they 562 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. settled near Ancaster, Ontario, where both died. He was a strong hearty man of large- frame. Of his nine children eight came to Canada, where two yet survive. John, our subject, was born in 1783, in the State of New York, where he learned the blacksmith trade, which he followed mostly through Ufe. He came to Canada at the time his father came, but about 1840 located at Langford, where both he and wife died. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Stills, one year his junior, and born in New Jersey. They were both members of the Canada Methodist Church. Their seven children were Elijah, Phebe, Letitia, Sarah A., Eliza, Lydia H. and WiUiam J. Sarah A. still resides at Langford, and is conducting a millinery store and dressmaking. GEOEGE DAVIDSON, farmer, Paris P.O., was born in England, AprU 11, 1829. He emigrated to America with his parents, Thomas and Isabella Davidson, in 1851, came to Canada in 1861, and settled in Brantford Township. His father was a miner- by trade, and died in 1872 ; his mother died in 1874. George Davidson married, in 1862, Mrs. Ann (Eobinson) Crawford, a widow with three children. They had one daughter, named Maggie IsabeUe. Mr. Davidson has one brother in the State of Ken tucky, and another in the State of Indiana. Mr. Davidson owns a well improved farm of 130 acres, and keeps a good line of stock. His family are members of the M. E. Church. WILLIAM DAWDY, farmer, Langford P.O., was born in WeUand County,. Ontario, in 1833, and is a son of James Dawdy and a grandson of Jeremiah Dawdy, of Irish descent. His father, James Dawdy, was born in Welland County, in 1812. He was through life a farmer and miller, marrying Mary Osbom (now deceased), who was born in Canada in 1810. They were members of the Episcopal Church, and had a family of eight children, our subject being the eldest, and only one living in Brant County. He married Elizabeth Sweazy, who was born in 1835 in Wentworth County. They were members of the Episcopal Church, and had ten children, viz., Mary L., Orton J., Bertha A., Hiram H. (deceased), Laura A., Lincoln, Emma J., Earl A., WUliam- H., and Colborn H. Mr. Dawdy has madie farming his special vocation, and as such has been successful. Mrs. Dawdy died in 1882. DANIEL DAY, farmer, Langford P.O. This gentleman is a son of Isaac W., a grandson of Solomon, and a great-grandson of John Day. The latter, a native of Dublin, Ireland, came to America in minor life, and married an English lady. They came to Canada in the early part of the present century, and both died in Brant County. They had a family of eleven children, three of whom became patriots in the War of 1812. Solomon was born in the States, and came to Canada when a boy with his parents. He followed farming exclusively through life, save a little attention given to his saw-mill, which he erected on FairchUd's Creek about 1840. His wife was Sarah, daughter of Isaac Whiting, an early settler in Brant County. Solomon and wife held to the Methodist Church. He died in Brant County and she near Waterford, while visiting there. Of their family of fourteen children nine are now living, of whom Isaac W. is the second eldest, and was born in Brant County in 1809. He was raised, through the pioneer days, to farm life, and always followed that pursuit and now lives retired. His wife was Susan Barton, who was born in Pennsylvania, and came to Canada m 1821, and died in 1859. He and his wife belonged to tbe Methodist Church. Their children were six, viz., Daniel, Morris (deceased), Anna, Ira, George, and Melina.. Among tbe positions of distinction Isaac had filled in the Cburch we mention that of class-leader. Our subject is the eldest of the family just given, and was born in Brant County in 1835. He was raised to farm life, and remained at home until 1862, when he married Elizabeth A., daughter of P. H. Swartz, an early settler near Niagara, where Mrs. Day was born, but since 1869 she has been a resident of Brant County. Mr, and Mrs. Day are both members of the Canada Methodist Church, of which he had BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 563 been Trustee a number of years, is at present Steward and Treasurer, and Assistant Superintendent of the S.S. He and -wife are pleasantly located on their farm of 70 acre.=, which they have owned since 1866. JOHN DAY, Sr., farmer, Langford P.O., is a son of Solomon and Sarah (Whiting) Day, who are mentioned in Daniel Day's sketch. John was bom in Brant County in 1806, and was raised to farm life, which he has foUowed ever since. He now lives retired. On AprU 12, 1832, he married Adeline, daughter of Allen and EUzabeth Sage; she was bom in Oxforrl County on March 26, 1808, and died in Brant County January 13, 1854. John and wife belonged to the Canada Methodist Church, in which he filled the office of trustee three years. He inherited 136 acres of land, on which he now Uves. His success through life had been good. He and wife had a famUy of five chUdren, riz., EmiUne, Euruce, Sampson, Lydia and Solomon. Eunice died in 1871^ aged 36 years, and of Sampson a sketch appears in this volume. SAMPSON DAY, farmer, Langford P.O. Another of the descendants of a pioneer famUy is Sampson Day, who is a son of John Day mentioned in this work. Sampson was bom in the Township of Brantford March 14, 1838, and was raised on a farm,. imbibing the principles of that noble industry which he stUl continues to follow. He now owns a fine farm of 138 acres, well improved and under a high state of cultivation. He was married in July, 1864, to Hannah Ludlow, who -with husband and children belong to the Canada Methodist Church. Their chUdren are Ariel A., John H. H., Adie E., Fred S. and Frank E. H. Mrs. Day is a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Harris) Ludlow, who were both born in Ireland but were married in Canada. EDWARD J. DENTOX, farmer, Brantford. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is a son of Thomas and Jane X. (Clark) Denton. The latter was a direct descendant of Sir WUUam Wallace, tbe hero of Scotland, and also a descendant of Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron of the 92nd Regiment, who fell in the Battle of Waterloo, Thomas Denton was a direct descendant of General Fairfax, who figures so promi nently in English history. Thomas Denton and wife were both natives of Yorkshire,. England, where they matured, and on November 5, 1841, they were married. In 1845 they came to Canada, purchasing land of Chief Jacob Johnson near Brantford, where he followed farming untU death in 1864, forty-eight years of age; his -widow sur- rived until 1880. Then- children were three in number, viz., Edward, James and Walter. The last two died in infancy, and Edward is the only one surviving to relate the history of so noble a family of Brant County. He is of English parents, but born in Holstein, Germany, near the borders of Denmark, on Sept. 24, 1842. Since three years of age he has been a resident of Canada, and owns a good farm near Brantford, Johnson's Settlement. He has enjoyed two trips to England, one in 1855 and one in ^ 1865. He received a fair education, and is a well-to-do citizen. In 1865 he married Jane 0. Ottley, second daughter ot Captain Ottley, of Stamford, who died in 1871, lea-ving three daughters — Mary, Edith and Jennie. His second wife, whom he married Sept. 1st, 1873, is Mary M., daughter of Abram Law, Esq., Reeve of Richmond HUl. They have one chUd, John Edward, bom in 1874. WILLIAM DEPEW, Paris P.O., was born in Canada in 1830. He was a son of WUliam and Dezire (Goodhue) Depew, natives of Canada. They were the parents of seven chUdren, WUliam being the third. He was married in 1864 to Lydia Steel, a native of Canada. They have a family of five chUdren, viz., Herbert, Alice, Mary, Goorge and Ed-vrin. Mr. Depew received a common school education in Glandford, Wentworth County, in his youth. He now owns 81 acres of land, and is a Reformer in poUtics. JOHN DIAMOND, farmer, Brantford Township, was bom July 30, 1844, and is a son of Abraham and grandson of Joseph Diamond, a native of the United States, 564 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. who died in this Province. John, our subject, married September 16, 1874, Jane Eddy, daughter of John Eddy, of Oakland Township. He owns 35 acres of land five miles from Brantford, in an excellent state of cultivation. Mr. Diamond is a member of the Canada Methodist Church. John Eddy, father of Mrs. Diamond, was born November 25, 1805, and married Abigail Smith, daughter of John Smith, a native of Pennsylvania, who emigrated to Canada. She died February 14, 1881, aged 64 years. Mr. Eddy is still living in Oakland Township, and is one of the oldest surriring pioneer settlers in the county. COL. HIRAM DICKIE, farmer, Brantford Township, a native of New Brunswick, was born October 4, 1826, came to this Province in 1838, and settled on the farm where he now resides. His father's name was Hector, as was also that of his paternal grandfather. The latter was Commissary in Lord Rawdon's Regiment in South Caro lina during the American Revolutionary War, until he was removed to the West Indies, and subsequently to New Brunswick. Hector, CoL Dickie's father, held a commission, and served his king and country as Ensign in New Brunswick during the War of 1812. Col. Dickie married in 1863 Mary Jane Kerr, daughter of Captain George Henry Kerr, and his family consists of two daughters — Mary and Eloner Jane. He has in his possession the rifle that was the trusty companion of Captain Joseph Brant, the renowned Qhief and warrior of the Six Nation Indians. The subject of this biogiaphy received what was at that time considered a good education at the common school and by private instruction. He was commissioned Colonel of the Volunteers February 11, 1876. He owns a fine farm of 150 acres, beautifully situated on the banks of the Grand River, two and a half miles above the City of Brantford, and is at present Uving in the pleasant enjoyment of a retired life. DANIEL DOWLING, farmer, Langford P.O., is a son of Michael DowUng, who was born in the County of Kildare, Ireland, in the early part of the present century, .and died in Brant County, Ontario, Canada, during the eighth decade of the present century. He was of Irish parentage, and his father died in his native land, but his mother came to Canada and died in Brant County. Michael matured in Dublin, Ire land, but came to Canada shortly before the Rebellion, and in 1845 marrieii Mary, daughter of John Whiting. They settled in Brantford Township, where he followed farming until his death, owning the farm of our subject from about the year of his marriage. Michael and wife had a family of eight children, viz., John, Rachel, James, Daniel, Ann, Jane, Mary,^and Elizabeth — all now living. Of the number, Daniel, the fourth, was bom on the farm he now owns, in 1854. He was brought up to farm Ufe, .and still follows that occupation. He was married in 1880 to Ida Daniels, whose father, John, was an early settler and blacksmith in the vicinity of Langford. CHRISTOPHER EDMONDSON, deceased, was a son of Christopher Edmondson, Senr., who is mentioned in the sketch of William Edmondson. The subject of this sketch was bom in Yorkshire, England, in 1829, but from twelve years of age was a resident of Brant County until his death, in June, 1850. WhUe at a bam-raising a piece of falling timber struck him and ended the career of one of the citizens of Brant County. He was through life a farmer and stock-breeder. In 1875 he, with Robert Snider, went to Scotland and imported the first hea-vy horses of the county, also Suffolk pigs, Cotswold sheep, and a superior breed of chickens. Mr. Edmondson, in addition to this enterprising spirit, was a man of honour and abUity, and was repeatedly elected a member of the County as weU as the Township Council ; also served three years as Reeve. He was married about 1855 to Mary Renwick, who was a native of Canada, and died in Brant County in 1871. Of their eight children six are Uring, viz., Jane, Ellen, Alexander, Christopher, Mary, and Maggie. WILLIAM EDMONDSON, farmer, Brantford P. 0., is a son of Christopher Ed mondson, and a grandson of William Edmondson. The latter was a native of England, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 565 and could trace his ancestry in the parish church for many years. He lived and died in his native land. Of his children, Christopher, the first son, was bom in 1800, in Yorkshire, where he grew up to farm Ufe, and married EUen, daughter of Benjamin Lambert, in 1823. They came to Canada in 1841, with four children, viz., Christopher, WUliam, EUen and John. The latter died at Montieal. The famUy settled in Brant ford, where they remained untU 1846, when they bought land and cultivated it untU his death. He died in 1871, lea\-ing a widow, who stiU surrives at the age of 82 years. Of their chUdren, WUliam, the only son living, is a native of England, but from child hood has Uved in Canada, where he now owns a good farm of 115 acres on Lots Xo. 37 and 38, in the third concession. A part of his time he handled blooded stock, but now devotes his time exclusively to farming. His ability has resulted In placing him in the CouncU, and he has recently been appointed Justice of the Peace. His first wife was Cassandra Renwick, who died, learing one child. His second wife was EUen, sister of Robert H. .Snyder. She died, leaving three chUdrem He married for his third wife Magdalena, sister to his second -wife. J. R. ELLIS, Postmaster at Mount Pleasant, Township of Brantford, was born about one mile east of the present post office, Sept. 11th, 1810, and is a son of Allin EUis, a native of " Big Bend," Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, where he was bom in 1788. He again was the son of Heniy Ellis, who came to Canada in 180O, settling on a farm of 200 acres, on Lot 7, east side of tbe Motmt Pleasant Road. He was a weaver by tiade, an occupation he foUowed up to his death in January, 1831. His farm was the first to exist on the 4,000 acre tract of land which was surveyed and laid out by Captain Joseph Brant, and was at that time a portion of the Gore District, in the Township of Haldimand, Cotmty of Wentworth. Henry EUis was by birth a Welshman, and a descendant of the Earl of Strambeau, whose crest was a castle with two swords. He married Mai^aret Mahan, a native of Donegal, Ireland. They were the parents of several chUdren, four of whom came to Canada — now all deceased. Mrs. ElUs died during the War of 1812. One son, AUin, father of our subject, was the seventh son. He was twelve years of age when he came to Canada, and was reared on the home farm. He was a natural physician, and held in much requisition in, early days, as he proved himself a valuable friend to the sick. When the War of 1812 broke out the grandfather and his sons offered their services to assist in repelling the invading foe, but the former was seized with camp fever, and compeUed to return home. His ¦wife, in washing his clothes, contracted the disease and died of it. Allin Ellis was one of these volunteers, and drove a yoke Qf oxen at the battle of Lundy's Lane, serring afterwards during the entire period of the war. He was under the command of Captain Thomas Perrin, nicknamed Captain " Barefoot," because, on training days, he was wont to drill his company in his bare feet. AUin was engaged in farming tiU tbe day of his death, in September, 1849. He married Hannah Sturgis, from Pennsylvania, who died February 15th, 1874. She was a daughter of Amos Sturgis, of Upper Miriam, Chester County, Pennsylvania, who was a Captain in the Continental army, tmder General Washington. Rachel RandaU, her mother, was bom in PhUadelphia, in 1757, died in 1814. Amos Sturgis was a son of Thomas Sturgis, also a native of PhUadelphia, born there in 1722, died in 1802 ; and those two, Amos and Thomas Stturgis, came to Canada along -with the Ellis family. To Mr. and Mrs. AUin Ellis were bom four boys and eight gUls, and of these three boys only are now living — Henry, in Chicago, IU. ; J. L. and A. W., both in Motmt Pleasant. John R. EUis was reared on tbe farm, and worked on the homestead farm tUl he became of age, when he learned the trade of car penter and worked at it for some years. He erected his own residence, as weU as those of George Bryce and Herbert Biggar ; subsequenty he applied himself to the cabinet- making business for a period of 35 to 40 years. In September, 1S80, he received the 566 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. appointment, under Sir John Macdonald's Administration, of Postmaster at Mount Pleasant. Mr. Ellis, who is a Conservative in politics, has never held any other office of consequence. He married December 25th, 1844, Janet Carlyle, a native of Cumber land, England, and daughter of John Carlyle, a half brother of Thomas Carlyle. Her mother was Margaret Bend, an English lady. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis had a famUy of six children, three of them dying in infancy, and three boys are living : John Fitz Allin, the Oldest son, is a member of the firm of Barber & Ellis, bctokbinders and manufac turers of envelopes.; Robert Baldwin, a broker in Toronto, and W. R., manufacturer of mackinaw hats, Detroit. Nettie, an adopted daughter, is at home with Mr. and Mrs. EUis. Mr. E. was formerly a member of the Congregational Church in Brantford, and bis wife attends the Canada Methodist Church, Mount Pleasant. A. W., the second son of Allin ElUs, was born on the home farm. May 11th, 1819, and has been engaged in farming all his life. He Uved on the old homestead until he sold it, when he bought property in Mount Pleasant, a farm of fifty acres. He is a Reformer in politics, and has been Trustee of the ViUage Grammar School for nine years. Has also acted as Returning Officer since 1879, and was married July 1st, 1852, to IsabeUa McDonald, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, who came to Canada with her widowed mother. They have a family of eight children — Isabella, wife of Archibald St. Clair, hardware merchant. Paisley, Ontario ; James, at home ; Alexander, book-keeper for the Canada Paper Manufacturing Company, Toronto ; Albert E., book-keeper for William Patterson, Belleville, Ont. ; William Wallace, -with W. F. Cockshutt, hard ware merchant, Brantford ; Martha S., Herbert H., and Julia M., all three at home. Mrs. A. W. EUis is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Mount Pleasant. STEPHEN FAIRCHILD, farmer, Brantford Township, was born in Townsend, County of Norfolk, Ont., Jan. 15, 1825, and is ason of Timothy Fairchild, a native of Brant County, where he was born in 1799. When five or six years of age, Mr. Fair- child removed to Oakland Township, where he married, and then returned to Townsend, but soon after again made his way back to Brant County. When a young man, he taught school, first at what is now Section No. 7 of the Township of Brantford, and subsequently at Bealton, in the Township of Townsend ; then at Waterford, Ont. In this occupation he was engaged for five winters, and a portion of one summer. He was then married July 7, 1852, to Charity McMichael, of the Township of Townsend, by whom he has five children — E. Melvin, registered practitioner of medicine ; Anna, wife of George F. Miles, agricultural agent on Mr. Fairchild's farm ; Harry A., study ing law with Crear & Muir, HamUton ; May, and Charles C At the time of his marriage, being poor, Mr^ Fairchild put all his energies to his work, and secured a farm of 160 acres, on which he resided 28 years, and which he stiU owns, and then bought his present farm of 80 acres, the old homestead, where he now lives. His father gave him 80 acres of the first farm he owned, and to this he added 80 acres. Mr. Fairchild has always taken an interest in fine stock, but has never made it a specialty in his farming operations until of late. He is a Eeformer, but does not take any active part in poUtics, and has filled the office of Justice of the Peace for about ten years. He attends the Presbyterian Church, and his wife and oldest daughter are members of the Baptist body. PHILIP FAIELIE, farmer, Brantford Township, a native of Eenfrewshire, Scot land, was born in the parish of Erskine, March 17, 1825, and came to Canada in 1852. He is a son of Homer Young and Flora (McDonald) Fairlie, and married, Oct. 16, 1854, Eliza Cleator. She is a daughter of John and Mary (Eenwick) Cleator, the latter of whom was born Feb. 5, 1826, and migrated to this country from Cumber land, England, in 1828. Her father and mother were natives of Whitehaven and Cockermouth respectively. The family of our subject were : Henrietta, bom June 4, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 567 1857; John H., bom Aug. 12, 1858; Josephine, bom Oct. 6, 1860, died Dec. 14, 1864; Daniel H., bom May 1, 1863; PhUip, born Xov. 11, 1866; Jane E., born Sept. 6, 1869. 'John Cleator, father of Mrs. Fairlie, was at one time prominently- engaged in the business of distiUing, and about 1833 erected a grist and oatmeal miU, but subsequently constructed it into a plaster null, and occupied himself largely in the manufacture of land plaster. He owned the plaster beds at the Eiver Bend, in the -ricinity of Brant ford, and was the fii-st white man who owned the farm on which Mr. FairUe now resides. He was a mUler by trade, and died in 1840. CHARLES E. FILE, farmer, CainsvUle P.O., is a son of John J. FUe, and grand son of John FUe, Senr. The latter was of German descent, and born in 1760 near Albany, Xew York. When a boy his father sent him on an errand to the troops of the Revolutionary War, from whence he did not return. He remained with the army. and gradually drifted into Canada when the war was over, and became one of Brant ¦County's first white settlers. He became a strong hearty man, of indomitable per severance, and did much towards the improvement of the county, which is elsewhere mentioned in this volume. At one time while clearing, he was Umited to three potatoes per day. He settled in what is known as Smoky Hollow, in tbe dense unbroken forests, that gave way to the muscle and sinew of a noble pioneer. He married Sarah, slaughter of WUUam Cram, who was in aU respects a helpmate to him. .She was born in the ^Mohawk Valley, in X.Y. .State, but with her father came to Canada at an early day. The Uving of .John FUe and wife was plain as weU as their clothing, aU raised and manufactured at home. He and wife both died in Brant Cotmty at ad vanced ages. Xine of their famUy grew to maturity, viz., Joseph, Malekiah, Benjamin, Mary, John J., Catharine, Elizabeth, Charlotte and Larinia. John J. is one of five now Uving, and was bom in this county in October 25, 1800. He grew up to farm life, and has always foUowed it in connection with stock-raising. He became one of the weU-to-do citizens after many yeara' toU and manual labour. On the 6th of July, 1830, he married Rebecca Clark. She died March 13, 1867, aged 56 years. They had a famUy of seven chUdren — Levi, WUUam H., Charies E., Mary, George A., Morris and Rebecca A. Four are now living. Charles E., the third, was born on June 26, 1841. He was raised to farm life, and now owns and cultivates 109 acres. He was married in June, 1869, to Elsey File, who was born in Brant County in 1843. They have seven chUdren, five living — Asa, Arthur, Theodore, AUce and Orphy. DAVID FILE is a son of John and grandson of Jacob FUe. The latter was bom in N.Y. State, where he matured and married, raising a family of four sons and three daughters. He ¦with bis famUy moved to Canada in 1815, and settled in what is now Brantford Township, be being among the first white settlers in the neighbourhood. He followed farming through life. He and his wife both died on Lot Xo. 2, in the east end of the township ; their children aU settled in the county, and were among the pioneers of the same ; aU were successful in Ufe, and their posterity dot the county here and there. John, third son of Jacob FUe, was bom in Xew York State, 1801, and died in this een put to practice in discharging duties in the Canada Methodist Church, to which he has belonged for twenty years, and in which for fifteen years he has been a class-leader. On April 11th, 1860, he married EUza HoweU; she was bom in Wentworth County, March 24th, 1842, and died December 17th, 1873, being the mother of eight chUdren. Mr. Westbrook's second -wife was Rachel, daughter of Samuel and Ann BothweU, in 1876 ; she was bom in County Down, Ireland, May 1st, 1841. To this union two children have been given. Of Mr. Westbrook's famUy, eight children are Uving, viz., LUlie, Darid, Jessie, Victoria, Anthony, Agnes, Samuel and John W. The two deceased are Frederick, bom January 17th, 1870, died Janu ary 21st, 1872 ; and Anna, bom June 11th, 1873, died September, 1873. WILLIAM WHEELER, farmer, Brantford Township, a native of England, came -to Canada -with his mother in 1833, and is the son of WiUiam and Sarah (Specials) Wheeler, the former a native of Sussex and the latter of Kent, England, where the elder Wheeler died. The mother of our subject had six children — ^Thomas, WUliam, Charles, Elizabeth, Mary, Ann and Maria. WiUiam Wheeler, of whom this sketch is written, was bom on the 19th of March, 1826, and married, January 10th, 1849, Elizabeth Secord, daughter of Asa, and granddaughter of Daniel Secord, a native of 610 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. New Brunswick, who came to this county, where he died. The children of this mar riage were : William, born November 6th, 1849 ; Asa, born August 31st, 1852 • Lyman, born January 16th, 1854 ; Charles, born April 4th, 1858 ; May, born May 14th, 1859, died May 19th, 1859 ; Thomas, bom July 28th, 1861 ; Edith, bom Octo ber :j3rd, 1862, died June 21, 1863 ; Smith, bom June 28th, 1866 ; Sarah M., bom May 17th, 1868. Mr. Wheeler and family are Baptists. He owns 50 acres of well cultivated land five miles from the city, and is in prosperous circumstances. JOSEPH WHETMAN, a native of Germany (Wurtemberg) ; left that country September 12th, 1843 ; arrived at New York December 6th. Was raised in the milling business, and followed the same until he came to America ; not knowing the English language, he followed other pursuits.- Came to Canada in 1845 ; first settled at Paris, then at Mount Vernon, where he commenced farming, and then manufac turing by steam staves, headings, barrels, shingles, etc. His business employs from. ten to thirty men, according to the demand. His father was a native of Germany,. and died in that country. Joseph was married, October 12th, 1848, to Margaret, daughter of Laurence Burnes, a native of Ireland. On her mother's side her grand father's name was David Price. They were the parents of five children, as follows :. Maggie (married John E. McWilliams ; they had one child named Florence ; Maggie died Oct. 12, 1874), James, Celia, Julia and Elizabeth, who married F. D. Mitchell, Paris. Mr. Whetman and family belong to the Methodist Church of Canada. He has been School Trustee and Secretary-Treasurer for a number of years ; also has held the office of Treasurer of the Masonic Lodge, Burford, since 1874. He is an industri ous, enterprising man, making a success of his business ; he is always liberal towards. any work that has for its object the advancement of his adopted country. DAVID WHITE, farmer, Paris P.O., was born in Nova Scotia, March 20th, 181,8. He was a son of Timothy and Mattie (Porter) White, natives of the United States, who took advantage of the British land grant of Nova Scotia after the War of 1812, In their family of twelve children, David was the only one who came to Canada. He came in 1841, landed at Port Dover, on Lake Erie, and from there came by land to this county, where he settled on bis present premises. He married in 1841 Miss Love Rand, of Nova Scotia. Mr. White had but little means ,to commence with, but has always been successful in life. He had a family of twelve children, ten of whom are living, viz., Margaret, WiUiam R., AmasaB., Mattie, Sarah, Caroline, David A., Ruth, Judson J., and John M. — all married but two. Mr. White is now 65 years of age, and has a strong constitution. DANIEL WHITING, farmer, Cainsville P.O., is a son'of John and a brother of Isaac Whiting, whose history appears elsewhere in this work. Daniel is the eighth of the family, and was born in BVant County in 1840. He was raised to farm life, and acquired a common school education. Farming has always been his pursuit, and he now owns a good home on Fairchild's Creek. His a;bility has given him rank among the leading citizens, and for two years he has been a member of the Township Council. In 1866 he married Susanna McCartney, a native of Ireland, born in 1845, but since 1850 a resident of Brant County. Mr. Whiting and wife have a family of seven children. ISAAC WHITING, farmer, CainsviUe P.O., is a son of John and grandson of Isaac Whiting, the latter being of English descent and a United Empire Loyalist from Pennsylvania, who died in Brant County, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in his native county, where he entered in and served through the Revolutionary War. He subsequently married Mary Cooley in Vermont, after which they settled, probably in 1795, in what is now Norfolk County, Canada, but very soon after came into the present limits of Brant County, where they ever after remained, enduring many BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 611 privations that could probably be only properly related by those who passed through them. He was a short, heavy-set, fuU-chested and strongly constituted man, and at- the time of his death had cleared up his first settled farm, on which he spent over half a century. He and his wife both died in Brant County, having had a famUy of ten chUdren, viz., Mary, EUzabeth, Sarah, Anna, Lovina, Susan, Lucy, Matthew, John and Samuel. Of the entire famUy aU save two are now dead. Matthew became a prominent minister of the Wesleyan Methodists in the county. John, the &ther of our subject, was born in Brant County in 1801. He was reared to farm Ufe, and acquired a fair education. His association -with the municipal affairs of the township and county made him one of Brant's weU-informed citizens. He served repeatedly in the To-wn CouncU, and as a Justice of the Peace a number of years. In 1823 he married Rachel Barton, who was bom in Yates County, New York, August 2nd, 1804, and came with her father, Daniel, to Canada in 1821. In 1831 John Whiting- and -wife embraced the reUgion of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which they walked untU death. She died Xev. 7th, 1880, and he, July 7th, 1882 ; their chUdrei» were ten in number, viz., Mary, .lane, Ann, Delilah, Matthe-w, Isaac, Amelia, Daniel, John, and Elizabeth, aU now Uring. Of the family, Isaac, the second son, was bom in Brant County in 1835 ; he has always resided in his native county, save three years in Oxford, and whUe there followed lumbering. From 1873 to 1876 he was engaged in the mercantUe trade in Hartford, Xorfolk County. Since the last date given he has resided on his present farm of 100 acres. In June, 1860, he married Janet McNaughton, who was born in Scotland, and in 1845 came with her father, who was an extensive farmer of Dumfries County, to Canada. They have seven chUdren, viz., Jessie, John A., Rachel, Charles, Daniel, Agnes and AViUiam, aU of whom are Uring. E. H. WILCOX, manufacturer of cheese, Cains-viUe P.O., is a native of Xorfolk County, Ontario, born in 1858, and is a son of Edward S. and Lucy M. (Durphy) Wilcox, who were both natives of Canada. They were married in the birth county of our subject, where Edward S. died in 1871, and the widow stUl surrives. Of their six chUdren, E. H. is the eldest son, and was raised to farm life in connection with the business he now represents. In January, 1882, he came to CainsvUle, and bought the cheese factory of that place. Soon after purchasing it he added steam works to it. In 1878 he married Alice, daughter of Isaac NeUes, Senr., of Went worth County. They had one child, Isaac E., who died February 20th, 1882, aged eighteen months. FRAXK WILSOX, farmer, Newport, was bom .Jan. 6th, 1854, and was a son of George and grandson of George WUson, a native of Yorkshire, England. The father of our subject came from England to this county in the year 1842, and died April 28, .1875. He married Rachel Ellis, and had a fainUy of eleven chUdren, of whom 3ilaiy, Hannah, James, Joseph, Edwin, Henry, Emma, Frank and Sarah are Uving, and Robert and Elizabeth are dead. Frank, of whom we -write, married, May 24, 1876, Margaret Leeming, daughter of James and granddaughter of Robert Leeming, a native of England, who settled in this county, where he died. Two children are the issue of this marriage — Edith ifay, born May 27, 1878, and George WelUngton, Nov. 1, 1882. Mr. Wilson is a successful fanner, owning an exceUent farm of 140 acres, and a fine stock of high gra ie cattle and Leicester sheep. The farm is about five miles from Brantford, upon which his father settled in the year 1 842. PETER WILSOX, farmer, Brantford P. 0., is a son of Obed Wilson, who was bom in the State of Xew Jersey in 1776, and died in Canada in 1847. He grew up in his native State, where he married Hannah Vicebinder, of the same State, bom in 1781. In the year 1800 they, with one chUd, removed to Canada, and finally made 612 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. their home in the Jersey Settlement in the County of Wentworth. He Was through life a farmer, and made a home from the dense wilderness. Of his ten children, Peter is the youngest, and was bom in the County of Wentworth in 1819, where he remained until 1849, when he came to the County of Brant, and now owns 210 acres of good land, well improved. He has been through life a farmer, and his present possessions are the result of his own legitimate efforts. He was first married in 1840 to Elizabeth MulhoUand, who was born near Beverly, and died in Brant County in 1851. Her children were Harriet, George (deceased), Ruth aud Lucinda A. Mr. Wilson's second -wife was Rachel Pepper, who is a native of Wentworth County, and is now the mother of five children — Edward, James F., Ida I., Minnie and Wellington. FREDERICK WOODS, farmer, Brantford P.O., was born in Somersetshire, Eng land, and is a son of George A. and a grandson of Thomas Woods, who was bom in Ireland in 1738. He was Captain in the British army for 27 years, taking an active pk'rt in the destruction of the Spanish floaitihg batteries at the Havana^, in 1781, and the siege of Quebec. He died in 1823, leaving three children, George A. being the second. He was bom on the Isle of Man in 1792. He held the position of Lieut.- Colonel of Marines, and married Annie M., daughter of Rev. "William Coney, of English ancestry; they became the parents of eight children; Mrs. Woods died in 1838. Mr. Woods' second wife was Charlotte Heptenstall, by whom he had four chil dren. Of this family nine children are still living, Frederick S. being the fourth. He enjoyed the privilege of a good education, and in 1841 came to Canada, settling near Dundss. In 1856 he came to this county, where he now owns 60 acres on the Grand River. He married Jane, second daughter of Capt. L. Bailey. She died in this county, leaving four sons — Francis B., Alfred C, Thomas and Albert. Mr. Woods' second wife is Margaret Smith, of this county. WILLIAM WOOD, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was the son of Robert and Jennette (Dean) Wood. Mr. Wood was a land steward by occupation. His family consisted of ten children, viz. : Andrew, who emigrated to Canada, settled in Hamilton, after wards in the County of Brant, where he bought 110 acres of land; Annie, David, Hannah, Mary (all died in Scotland) ; Jennette, Robert, Catherine (still living in Scotland) ; and "WUliam, who married iu Scotland, Mary Gill, daughter of James GiU, a Scottish shepherd. Mr. Wood came to Canada in 1852. Mrs. Wood died Feb. 7, 1868, leaving six children Uring, riz. : Jennette, who married Geo. VanSickle ; Han nah, married Harvey H. VanSickle, proprietor of the Star Washing-Powder Manu factory; Mary, who married William Thompson (deceased); Robert, married Eliza Thompson ; Edmund, Elizabeth, and WUliam, who married Selene Simpson. WU liam and Robert now have 6hatge of the farm, and'lotik after the interests -of their aged father, who lives with them. They are all members of the Baptist Church. JOSIAH WOODLEY, merchant, Newport, a native of this county, was born March 27, 1841, and is a son of George and AbigaU (Brown), and grandson of Matthias and Margaret (Malcolm), maternal descendant of Josiah and Elizabeth Brown. He mar ried, September 29, 1879, Mary Diamond, daughter of John and Mary (Houlding) Diamond, who was born March 13, 1845. They have one chUd — Edna, born May 22, 1842. Mr. W(Jodley has received an excellent practical and business education, the former at the common school, and the latter at a Buffalo, N.Y., commercial col lege. He has taught school in the county for a period of six years, holding a first- class county certificate. Not finding sufficient scope for his ambition in the teacher's profession, he abandoned it for mercantile pursuits, which was his natural inclination, and opened a general store at Newport thirteen years ago. He is now Postmaster of the rillage, and enjoying a flourishing business. He also owns a fine farm of fifty acres in the third range east of Mount Pleasant, and a number of riUage lots. By birth and education he is a Baptist, and in politics a Reformer. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 613 WYLE & TERRIS, proprietors of the Eagle Park Garden, Brantford P.O. This enterprise was established in March, 1876, in a field fuU of stumps, which is now a fine garden of 18 acres, the largest of the kind in the cotmty. The firm raise all kinds of vegetables, flowers and fruits. Their garden has three large hot-houses. They are both experienced men in the business, and natives of Scotland. Mr. Wyle was raised to his present business. Since 1873 he has been a resident of Canada. The next two years he was engaged at Pow Park. In 1875 he retumed to Scotland, and in 1876 engaged in his present business. His -wife was Christina Erskine, of Scotland. Four of their chUdren are living. JAMES YOUNG, farmer, Mohawk P.O., Brantford Township, is a son of David and grandson of Andrew Young, a native of Perthshire, Scotland, where he died; David Young, his son, was bom AprU 5th, 1812, and emigrated to Canada during the spiing of 1837, locating in Brant County. Nine years after his coming to this country he married, May 14th, 1846, Catharine FarreU, daughter of Patrick and granddaughter of Donald FarreU, natives of Ireland, where both died, the former in 1835. They have a famUy of four, riz.: James, born November 14th, 1847 ; Mary Margaret, born Dec. 14th, 1849 ; Darid WUliam, bom Nov. 14th, 1851 ; Sarah Elspeth, born Jan. 27th, 1856. James Young, of whom we -write, owns jointly with his brother an exceUent farm of 225 acres, well stocked and highly cultivated, south from Brantford about five miles. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church. BURFORD TOWNSHIP. JOHN BALLARD was born near Ringwood, in Hampshire, England, 1804. His mother's maiden name was Hayter. He was educated at Christ Church School, of which his brother was master. He came to Canada in 1825, and was for several years assistant in the Post Office in the To-wn of York, now Toronto. Here he mairied in 1834 Prudence McLean, daughter of Captain McLean, of the Nashwaak, New Bruns wick. He settled near Stony Creek, in the Township of Saltfleet, where were bom to him three chUdren — John McLean BaUard, Rector of St. Anne's Church, Toronto ; Prudence Anne, and Henry Allan, who is now U-ring in Burford on the homestead, his father having removed to that township in 1843. Subsequentiy, for a short time, for the education of his chUdren, after his wife's death in 1853, he resided in Toronto. He died in Burford iu 1873, at the age of 69 years. He was a life member of the Upper Canada Bible Society, and took great interest in Sunday school work, having for many years, and up to a very few weeks of his death, walked several mUes each Sunday to superintend a school in a neglected part of the township in which he Uved. No less than four farms acknowledged the power of his arm and the strength of his will, for before his marriage he had already partially cleared up two in distant parts of the Pro- ¦yince — one on Kempenfeldt Bay, County of Simcoe, and another on Lake Erie, in Malahide Township. But, as it was with too many of the pioneers of Canada, he over tasked his strength ; for in 1844 he had an attack of apoplexy, after which he never recovered his former vigour, although he Uved for many years in the enjoyment of com parative health. , JOHN G. BECHTEL, mUIer, Burford P. O., was bom in Waterloo, Out., AprU 1, 1846. His father, John 'Bechtel, was a native of Pennsylvania State, and his mother, EUzabeth Bechtel, was born and brought up in Canada. John G. Bechtel was mar ried in 1871 to EUen Whittaker, daughter of John and Elizabeth "Whittaker, who 614 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. were from Lincolnshire, England. The fruits 'of this union have been five children — Artiiur B., LesteUa E., Emma H., Charles L. and Lillian M. Mr. Bechtel at present owns tbe largest flour mill in Burford. The mill was erected in 1847, and has a capacity of 75 barrels per day. Having made milling bis vocation, he has met with «very success. WILLIAM BONNEY, farmer, Burford P. 0., was bom in June, 1818. He was a «on of John Bonney, a native of England, who died in that country, April 17, 1840. William came to Canada in 1841, and settled in this county. He married July 17, 1841, Philippa, daughter of Thomas Rush, a native of England. His second wife was Mary Ann Millman, by whom he had five chUdren, viz.: Mary M., born April 15, 1848; John, deceased ; Eliza, deceased ; Wellington A., born Oct. 25, 1855; and WiUiam H., bom May 5, 1858. Mr. Bonney and family are members of the Methodist Church. He has been Councillor for a period of ten years, in which time he was Deputy Reeve for four years. He is a Conservative in politics. HENRY COX, merchant. Postmaster, Clerk of the Division Court, and Justice of Peace, Burford, P. O., was bom in London, England, in the year 1835, and is the second son of William James and Mary Ann (Docking) Cox, the latter of Norfolk, Eng., and the former of London, Eng. The early life of our subject was passed in Lon don, England, where he received his education. At the age of 13 he was apprenticed to the grocery business, which he followed in London until 1857, when he came to this country, and for five and a half years he managed the business of Charles Watts, of Brantford ; after which he came to Burford and engaged in the mercantile busi ness. This was in 1862, when business was very dull in the town. Through his ¦energy, enterprise, and correct business habits, he has built up a large trade, and has prospered in all his undertakings. Mr. Cox has been Agent for the Montreal Telegraph Gompany eight years. School Trustee for twelve consecutive years, taking great in terest in educational matters, and was appointed Postmaster in 1875; Division Court ¦Clerk, May 16th, 1871 ; Commissioner of Queen's Bench in 1866, and Magistrate in 1879 ; and he takes an active interest in all of these offices. He and his wife are members of the Congregational Church, to which they have belonged since residing in Burford, aud they are zealous church workers. Mr. Cox has held the position of Superintendent of Sabbath Schools for a number of years. He was married in 1861 to Miss Annie Maria McKitrick, of Brantford, by whom he has had two children — Henry Gordon and Grace Elizabeth, both Uring. Mr. Cox has been a very successful man. GEORGE DANIELS, farmer, Burford P.O., was born in Burford, August 13, 1828, and is a son of Laurence and Lucinda Daniels, and a grandson of Henry Daniels, a native of Nova Scotia. His father, Laurence Daniels, was bom in Nova Scotia, in 1800, and came to Burford Township in 1813, at which time this county was a wilderness. He held the office of Magistrate for several years. George Daniels was married in 1849 to Harriet C. Lampman. They are the parents of three children, namely, Lucinda, born August 27, 1851 ; Charles L., born May 22, 1854, and Acasta Annett, born October 16, 1860. Mr. Daniels has been Assessor and OoUector for about six years, each a part of the time, and is a member of the Congre gational Church. WILLIAM DANIELS, gentleman, Burford P.O., was bom in New Brunswick, September 10, 1814; he is the son of Henry and Esther Daniels, who were natives of New Brunswick. He married October 23, 1849, Ann Pool, daughter of Thomas and Ann Pool, who came to Canada in 1830 from England. Mr. Daniels settled in Bur ford in 1868, where he has since occupied his time, meeting with every success. EZRA E. DISHER, farmer, Burford P.O., was born October 25, 1840, in Lincohi County, Ontario. His father, Henry Disher, was bom January 27, 1815, and mar- BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 615 ried Margareft Pattison, who was born Febmary 10, 1820. Ezra Disher married September 24, 1862, Mary E. Henderson, daughter of John and Mary Henderson, natives of Canada. She was born February 22, 1844. Mr. Disher settled in Bur ford in May, 1873. They are members of the M. E. Church, and are the parents of six chUdren. NELSON ELLIOTT, farmer, Fairfield Plams P. O., was born at Burford in 1857. He was a son of Orlin EUiott, and a grandson, on his mother's side, of E«uben Dutcher. His father was born in 1813, and married Elizabeth Dutcher, of this county. They have seven children, riz., Cecilia, Wellington, Cornelia, Orlin, IS'elson, Alpheus and OUver. Of this family Nelson was the fifth, and married Ethelda L. Howell, October 3, 1882. Mrs. ElUott's grandfather's name was Enoch HoweU, and he lives in Burford Township ; her father lives at Aylmer. Mr. Elliott has a fine farm of 140 acres, pleasantly situated in Fairfield Plains. They belong to the Method ist Church. GEORGE ELVIDGE, farmer, Burford P.O., son of Charles and Hannah Elvidge, was born in England, August 28, 1818, and came to Quebec in 1845. He married November 2, 1847, Lucy Cummings, daughter of Shedrack and Olivia Cummings, of EngUsh descent, who was born April 2, 1824. They settled in Burford Township in IS57, and are the parents of ten chUdren, riz : James, 'bom March 10, 1850, died Ja.nuary 20, 1881 ; Charles, born November 25, 1848 ; Henry, bom January 20, 1852 ; Anna, born September 13, 1853; Mary, born July 31, 1855 ; George, born March 20, 1857 ; Thomas, born January 19, 1859 ; Lucy, bom December 3, 1861 ; William, born January 16, 1863; and Joseph, born Februaiy 15, 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Elvidge are members of the Canada Methodist Church. Mr. Elvidge has held the office of Trustee, and has met with every success as a farmer. JAMES FARRINGTuX, farmer, Cathcart P.O., was a son of Adam and Mary Ann (Trimble) Farrington. Adam Farrington was from Scotland, and one of the earliest settlers of this county, having helped to cut the first trees in his township. He was kUled in 1858, having been thrown from a waggon loaded with brick, and run over. The brick was for the house now occupied by our subject, and one of the firat brick houses in that township. James Farrington was married, October 6, 1879, to Miss Mary E Lang. They are the parents of two children, viz., Joseph W., born July 12, 1880 ; and Mary A., born Dec. 23, 1881. Mr. Farrington has been to California three times. He is a member of the English Church, and a Conservative in poUtics. His farm consists of 310 acres of improved land, well located. RUSSEL O. GAGE, farmer, Scotland P.O., was bom July 14, 1819, in Wentworth County. He was a son of William and grandson of WUliam Gage. The latter settled at Stony Creek, and as an incident of the mode of transportation of his time, we give the following : Mr. Gage used to carry on his back two bushels of wheat from his place to Fort Xiagara, a distance of about 45 mUes, for the miU. Previous to this time, they bumed a hole in a large stump, and used to pound their grain to flour. He emigrated from Ireland to America previous to the Revolution, and in 1776 came to Canada. Of his famUy of sis children, WUliam was the second, and settled in Went worth County. His famUy consisted of ten chUdren, Russel being the youngest. He came to this county in 18'46, settling on his present farm. He married June 6, 1845, Susan, daughter of Frederick Snider, a native of Pennsylvania. They have two daughters, viz., Margaret C, born Sept. 27, 1851 (married WUliam Frederick MUes) ; and Alice S., born Jan. 2, 1857. The family have been life members of the English Church. Mr. Gage owns one of the finest farms in Burford. It consists of 200 acres, beautifuUy situated, and under the highest state of cultivation. PETER HATHAWAY, miU-owner, Burford P.O., was bom in Dundas in 1827, and obtained a practical education in the schools of that viUage. Having natural 616 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. talents for mechanics, he early turned his attention to milling, and his genius in this direction enabled him to construct anything his fertile mind conceived. He buUt a largq steam miU five mUes west of Dundas, which he operated for a number of years. He afterwards worked in Norwichville, then came to his present place of business. Mr. Hathaway belongs to the Methodist Church, and is the father of four cbUdren — Daniel, Samuel, John and Cynthia. Hathaway's mill, in Burford Township, north of the VUlage of Burford, was buUt in 1870. It is a strong and substantial building, 30 by 40 feet, three run of buhrs, an e.xceUent water-power, and has a capacity of about "75 barrels per day. Mr. Hathaway does custom work only. ARCHIBALD HARLEY, M.P. The gentleman whose name] heads this sketch was born at Newcastle, N.B., October 10, 1824.' He is a son of William Harley, who was born in Ireland, and whUe a young man emigrated to Canada, where he married Miss McClean, a native of Scotland. Our subject left New Brunswick while a youth, and with his parents came to Toronto, from whence he afterwards moved to Hamilton, where he attended school for some time. After leaving school he went to the State of Pennsylvania, but after a residence of two or three years in that State, returned to Canada and engaged in the lumber and milling business m the County of Wentworth, in company with his brother-in-law, WUson. In 1867 he moved to Burford Township, where he is now engaged in farming, and where he has since re sided. He married Elizabeth Stewart, a native of Saltfleet, and a daughter of James Stewart, a native of Ireland. By this marriage ten children were born, viz., WUliam, James, John (deceased), Luther, Sarah (deceased), Arthur (deceased), Edmund, Edgar (deceased), Annie (deceased), and Archibald. Mr. Harley has seen much of public life, and has frequently been called by his friends to represent them in some official capacity. He was Reeve of Burford five years, Deputy Reeve one year, and Warden of the county one year. In June, 1882, he was elected to the House of Commons for South Oxford, and in addition to this responsible position, is now serving as Treasurer of Burford Township. He is a Reformer in politics, and a strict partizan, being one of the leaders of his party in the county. He is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. BENJAMIN HA UN, farmer, Burford P.O., was born in WelUngton County, Ont., in 1844, and is the son of Matthias and Eliza Haun, who were both natives of Canada. They removed to this county and township in 1866, and purchased 100 acres of land, where Mr. Benjamin Haun now lives, and 25 acres of woodland near by. Mr. Matthias Haun lived here until his death, which occurred in March, 1880, aged 67 years. He belonged to the Church of England, and was the father of three chUdren — Julia, Ben jamin and Elizabeth. Our subject -was brought up on the farm, and received a common school education. He came here with his parents, and has since resided on the farm his parents bought in 1866. He is a member of the English Church, and is a Con servative in politics. Mr. Haun was a member of CaptainJMarshall's Cavalry troop when it was gazetted in 1866. He has been successful in life, and is respected by all -who know him. JAMES G. HEARNE, farmer, Burford P.O. James H. Heame, the father of our subject, was born in England, where he was also married. He emigrated to this country, with his wife and four chUdren, in 1829, and settled on Talbot Street, West of Simcoe, where he foUowed the trade of carpenter. After the county became more settled he turned his attention to cabinet-making, which he followed, in connection with undertaking, during the remainder of his life. He located on land in Dutch Settlement in this township in 1832, and here he lived for three or four years. He died in 1881, aged 88 years. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Church, and were much interested in religious matters. He was generally successful in aU of BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 617 his undertakings. He had six children — James G, Sophia, Ann, William, George and Martha. George was born on Talbot Street, and Martha on Burford .Street. James G. Heame, the subject of our sketch, was bom in England in 1821, and since coming to Canada has made farming his occupation. He bought where be now resides in 1849, and purchased 25 acres of land in the bush, which he has cleared and improved, and now has 115 acres of excellent land in a good state of cultivation. He was married to Sarah Blackstock Brown, by whom he has had four children — James A., George M., WiUiam T. and Grade Elizabeth. He has been very successful in life ; having begun with no capital, he has acquired a very nice property. His sister Ann was kUled, with her husband, John Russell, of Brantford, a buUder and railroad contractor, at the bridge accident near Hamilton, Out., when the Desjardins Canal Bridge gave way. They left five children — John, Ann, Maria, James and Myrian. Mr. Heame's father was the first person to buy a city lot in Burford or ricinity. In poUtics they are all Conservatives. PAUL HUFFMAN, farmer and lumber manufacturer, Northfield Centre, was bora in Wentworth County, January 25, 1833. His grandfather, Paul Huffman, son of Henry Hufirnan, was of German descent, but was born on the sea when his parents were coming to America in 1766. He came to Canada in 1811, and settled in Went worth Cotmty, and had a famUy of eleven children, the father of our subject, Paul, being the sixth. He was born in the State of New Jersey, in 1802, and married in 1828, Catherine, daughter of Darid Kern. She was bom in 1804, and became the mother of seven chUdren, riz., Catherine, Darid, Paul (our subject), WUliam, Matthias, Samuel and Charles. Paul married, February 28, 1856, Hannah FUe, who was born January 26, 1834 ; she was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Hazle) FUe. They became the parents of eleven chUdren, viz.: John P., born Nov. 25, 1856; Matthew v., born June 19, 1858; George, born July 14, 1860; Amy and Annie (twins), the latter of whom is dead, born AprU 17, 1862; Albert E, bom AprU 21, 1864 ; Russell, bom AprU 2, 1866 ; Francis A., bom Aug. 20, 1868 ; Mary A. (deceased), born July 18, 1870; Catherine E., bom Feb. 6,1874, and Charles W., June 6, 1878. Mr. Huffman is engaged in the manufacture of lumber, shingles and cheese boxes, making of the last named about 22,000 in 1882. He has been connected with municipal matters part of the time for the past twelve years, and has held the position of Deputy Reeve for four terms. He and his ancestors have been adherents of the English Church. He was the nominee of the Conservative party iu the interests of South Brant. Mr. Huffman is a Freemason of 15 years standing. T. LLOYD-JONES, farmer, Burford P. O., was born in Brantford Township in 1840, and is a son of "WilUam Lloyd-Jones and Catherine Lloyd-Jones. His father was born in North Wales, educated at Rugby, and was a barrister, and his mother in England. They emigrated to Canada in 1836, and settled in Brantford Township, where he purchased 120 acres of land, that on which his son Robert now Uves. Here he made a comfortable home for himself and family. His death occurred in 1845, at the age of 45 years. Mrs. Lloyd- Jones died in 1875, in the 74th year of her age. They were the parents of six chUdren, viz., John, Robert, Mary, Thomas, EUen and Beata. Mr. T. Lloyd-Jones Uved at home untU 15 years of age, when he entered a mercantile house in Brantford, where he remained for five years, serring his time at that business. His health failing, he visited friends in England, and was gone two years. He then retumed to his native country and engaged in farming. At present he owns 170 acres of land, which is in a high state of cultivation, and which be is always improving. He was a member of the County CouncU for two years, and is now Reeve of the Township of Burford ; Secretary and Treasurer of the Township Agricultural Society for ten years, nd one of the Board of Directors of th e County Mutual Insurance Company. Mr. 37 618 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Lloyd-Jones also takes great interest in military matters, being 1st Lieutenant in a troop of the 2nd Cavalry. He was married in 1868 to Miss Isabella, only daughter of Fred. G. and IsabeUa Millar, a pioneer family in the Dominion, by whom he has had four children — John B., LUlie C, Mary and Thomas. MRS. MELISSA KANE, Burford, widow of the late Thomas Kane, was born in New Brunswick, May 25, 1838. Her father, David Pressor, was a native of i^ew Brunswick, and came to Burford in 1837. Mr. Kane was son of Thomas and Alice Kane, natives of Ireland. They were wrecked off the coast of Newfoundland on their \'oyage to Canada in 1835. Mr. Kane was proprietor of a saw-mill in Burford, but unfortunately was burned out twice. He died July 13, 1882, leaving a family of thir teen children, two of whom are married ; the eldest, Emma, is married to Wilfred J. Maus, and the second, Nellie, is married to James Lapierre Campbell, the remaining being Josiah P., George Y., SteUa, Wilfred J., Melissa, David P., Mabel, Maud, Thomas A., Daniel D. and Charles R. D. JOHN LATTIMER, farmer, Burford P. O., was born in Galloway, Scotland, in the year 1825, and is the son of James Lattimer, whose sketch appears in this work. Our subject was reared on the farm where he now lives, being 15 years old when his parents settled there. He remained with his father and mother until their death. Mr. Lat timer has been twice man'ied — first to Jane Frills, widow of Reuben Armstrong, who bore to him two children (twins), Sarah and Elizabeth. He married for his second wife, Susanna Brown, by whom he has had two children, James and Mary. Mr. .and Mrs. Lattimer are members of tbe Presbyterian Church, to which they have belonged for a number ot years. He owns 107 acres of land, which is in a good state of cultivation. He has done very well in life. AUGUSTUS MALCOLM, Scotiand P.O., was born April 9th, 1820. He was a ¦son of Peter Malcolm, who was born in Canada in 1793. He was Captain of the Militia, and married Elizabeth Slaught. They became the parents of eight children, -viz., Augustus, Myra, Belinda, Hugh, Mary, Henry, Ezra and Abigail. Augustus, -the eldest, married Sarah Bethina, daughter of Jabez Bugbee, who was born in Ver- anont in 1798, and died in this country in 1873. Their marriage took place September :23rd, 1842. The children by this union were Lyman, Elizabeth, William Henry, Francis H., Lucina and Alonzo McK. Mr. Malcolm owns 84 acres of valuable land in the Village of Scotland. They are members of the Congregational Church, and were brought up to farm Ufe. They settled on their farm in 1825, and have continued there ever since. EUGENE MESSECAR, farmer, Scotland, P.O., was born February 7th, 1857. He was a son of Silas and grandson of Matthew Messecar. The latter came from the State of New Jersey, and settled near Scotland. His mother bought 200 acres of land from •old grandfather Malcolm, which was granted to him by the Government. Matthew settled upon it, and it was there that Silas was born, in June, 1819. He was one of a family of ten childrei;. His father, Matthew, came to Canada between the War of ¦the Revolution ^nd the War of 1812, taking part in the latter at the age of sixteen years. Mrs. Messecar, the mother of our subject, was bom September 3rd, 1821 ; she was the daughter of John Shaver, and was married, October 10th, 1840, to Mr. Mes secar. They were the parents of nine children, viz.: Sarah (deceased), Mary A., Seymour, Lyman, Ellen, Albert, Earnest, Eugene and Edward ; they are all in the •States except Eugene. Mary and Edward. Mrs. Messecar is a Baptist. ¦GILBEET MERRITT, farmer, Scotland P.O., was born January 9, 1838. He is Ti son of Caleb Merritt, who was born in New Brunswick in 1798. He married Hannah Underbill, who was bom in the United States. They came to Canada in 1837, just prioi' to the Revolution, and settled in Brant County, where they bought the farm BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 619 Slow occupied by Gilbert, his son. Here Mv. Jlerritt died September 15, 1874. Gil bert ^Merritt married, February 21st, 1866, Harriett Smith, bom September 21st, 1846, daughter of Benjamin Smith and granddaughter of David Smith. Her mother's maiden name was Martha Cornell. Mr. Merritt's family consists of three children, viz. : Mary J., born September 29, 1867 ; Martha EUen, died in infancy ; and Sarah A., born January 3, 1871; all members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Merritt owns 62J acres of land, pleasantly situated on the town line between Burford and ROBERT H. MILES, farmer, Fairfield Plains P.O., was born August 7, 1844. His father, WiUiam MUes, was born in Ireland, and came to Canada with his father, John MUes. He was one of a family of eight, and married Eleanor Devinney, who came from Ireland when a chUd, with her parents. They had a family of eleven chil dren, viz. : Sarah A. (deceased) ; Robert H., married Harriett UnderhiU ; Charlotte M., George F., Eliza L., Albert L., EUa A., Edmond A., WiUiam F., Emma T., and Clara S. Mr. WiUiam MUes died July, 1882. Mr. Robert Miles owns 100 acres of good land, and is surrounded by a bright famUy and all the comforts of a pleasant home. He is a Baptist in belief. WILLIAM F. MILES, farmer. Mount Vemon P.O., was born July 2, 1848, in Brant County, and is a son of WUliam MUes, whose biography appears in connection •with that of his son, Robert H. Miles. WilUam Frederick Miles was the fourth ¦son of a famUy of eleven chUdren. He was manied, January 1st, 1874, to Margaret C , daughter of Russel 0. Gage, whose history appears elsewhere ; she was born Sept. 27, 1851. They were the parents of two chUdren — AUce Alberta, born AprU 15, 1875 ; and Clarence R, bom July 29, 1877, died May 19, 1882, They are mem bers of the English Church. "Wm. F. Miles is Secretary of the Burford Masonic Lodge, No. 106 ; also Vice-President of the Burford Agricultural Society, and a mem ber of the A.O.U.W. ROBERT C. MUIR, farmer and Justice of the Peace, was born in Renfrew, Scot land, in the year 1812, and is a son of John U. and Diana (Winnet) iluir, natives of Scotland, where they were born aud married. In 1821 they emigrated to Canada, and ¦settled in Lanark County, where he purchased land and resided untU 1834, vhen he sold his property and came to Brant County (then Oxford), in the London District. He purchased 200 acres of wild land on the north side of the present county and in this township, where he made a permanent home. He cleared his farm and improved it as fast as possible, and being prosperous in his business affairs, accumulated a good property. This was the second farm he and his sons cleared in Canada. He always took a deep interest in politics, and was a great Reformer himself. Mr. Muir was a member of the Congregational Church, and Mrs. Muir was a Baptist. Both were much interested in religious matters. They were the parents of seven chUdren, who were all born in Scotland, and who all came to Canada. Their names were Thomas (deceased), Margaret, John, James (deceased), Janet, Robert C, and AUan. Mr. Muir died in 1854, at the age of eighty-two years. Mrs. Muir died the same year, six weeks prerious to his death. R. C. Muir, our subject, was about eight years old when his parents came to Canada, and he has a most rivid recoUection of pioneer days. He is a self-read man, having received a Umited education in the primitive schools of a new country, often going four miles to school, and frequently encountering wUd animals on the way. When old enough, he began assisting his father in the labours of the farm. He was married, in 1852, to Margaret E. Thwaites, daughter of John Thwaites, Adjutant of the Ayrshire MUitia, Scotland. After bis marriage he located in the eastern part of the township for some years ; then selling that property, he bought 325 acres of the best land in tbe county, adjoitUng the Village of Burford, where he now lives. Duiing 620 HISTORY OF BBANT COUNTY. middle life he was a contractor, building a section of several miles of the Great Western Railway of Canada, and rhe Hamilton and London plank road, besides many minor contracts. He was elected Councillor in 1850, being one of the first to have that honour. He filled the office three years, and was appointed Justice of Peace in 1852, a. position he has filled ever since, and he is tbe oldest Justice in the county. He served as Captain of Militia for two years, and was Lieutenant previous to that for three years. Mr. Muir has a great desire for travel, and has visited many different countries on the globe. In 1869, returning from New Zealand to Liverpool, the Blue Jacket, tbe ship in. which he took passage, took fire, and was burned 700 miles from Cajie Horn. The crew and passengers took to the boats, three in number; the one in which tbe passengers were was picked up, after seven days, by the Piermont, a Dutch barque ;. three of the men bad died from exposure. Another boat was picked up after fifteen days, half of the crew having died ; the other boat was never heard of He and his wife are members of the Baptist Church, to wbich they have belonged for many years, and have always been most zealous ui any Christian work. Five sons have beert born to them, viz., John T., Robert C, William K., Matthew F. and AUan D. John is in the Immigration Department, Toronto, an appointment by the Ontario Govern ment ; Robert is a grain-buyer in Burford, and has William assisting him ; Matthew is attending University CoUege, Toronto ; Allan is at home on the farm with his father. Mr. Muir has always enjoyed the best health, and is now almost as strong as ever. JOHN G. PETTIT, farmer, Scotland P.O., is a son of Charles and a grandson of John C. Pettit, who was born in 1762, and died in 1833. He married Martha Bigajars, who was born in 1762, and died in 1821. Their family consisted of ten children, Charles, father of John, being the fourth. He was bom in 1795 in the Township of Saltfleet, and married, in 1817, Anna Bedell, of Staten Island. They had seven children, viz., Susannah, Martha, Joseph, John G., Stephen, Rachel and Mary. John G. married, Oct. 1st, 1861, Lucinda Winegarden ; their family consists of one daughter named Myra, who was born March 2nd, 1863. Charles, the father of our subject, served in the War of 1812, taking an active part in the battle of Queens ton Heights, at which time Gen. Brock was kUled. Mr. Pettit and family attend the Congregational Church ; he has served a term of two years in the Township Council. His farm consists of 195 acres well improved, and Mr. Pettit is doing a good farming business. ARTHUR POLLARD, farmer, Burford P.O., was born April 1st, 1845, in Dur ham County ; he is a son of Zachariah and Mary Pollard, natives of England, who settled in Durham County in 1831. Arthur Pollard married in 1870, EmiUne E. Brand, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Brand, They are parents of three children, viz. : Ellen M., born Sept. 26th, 1873 ; Bertha, born Oct. 4th. 1875 ; and Henry G, born May 13th, 1878. JOSEPH POTTER, farmer, Cathcart P.O., was born in Ireland in 1823. He is a son of John and Jane Potter, natives of Ireland, who came from a little town in Tyrone County named Caledon, from wbich Caledon in Canada is caUed. They had eight children, Joseph being the fourth. He came to Canada in 1843, and settled where he now lives in Burford Township. He owns 133 acres of improved land, and is now a robust bachelor of fifty years. The road upon which he is located was put through in 1842 ; it was at first a plank road, but now is a stone road. The first school organ ized in that section was in 1848, and taught by Mr. Books. Mr. Potter is of the Presbyterian faith, and a Conservative in politics. DANIEL SMITH, farmer, Northfield Centre P.O. John Smith, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a son of Joseph Smith, and was born August 22, 1754. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 621 He came to Canada f.om the State of New Jersey in 1784, -A'ith his wife, Elsie "Wilcox, •and three chUdren and one horse, the mother riding the horse and holding one chUd in her arms, while his other children occupied baskets hung on either side of the horse. He had a family of eight chUdren, riz., Joseph, .Benjamin, Absalom, Daniel, Leri, Hannah, John and Ezekiel. Daniel married Annie M., daughter of John and Annie M. (Young) Beamer, who was bom November 17, 1756, and died December 24, 1851. Daniel had seven children, riz., Dennis L., born July 7, 1815, married ]SIartha J. Darragb, February 14, 1844, and died October 2, 1881 ; Mary was born March 2, 1817 ; Jsaac B. was born July 16, 1820, married Maria Konkle October 22, 1843; WUUam, born M#rcb 13, 1822, married Sarah Kennedy December 30, 1846; George, born February 8, 1824, married October 24, 1849; John K., bom January 2, 1826, died September 22, 1827 ; Daniel, born August 27, 1828, married, May 31, 1853, EUzabeth, daughter of Jesse and Mary Hewry, of Welland County. Jesse was bom August 9, 1799; his wife was born AprU 10, 1804; they had sis children — George, Nancy, Elizabeth (born ilay 31, 1829), Harman, Lydia and Calvin. Daniel and Elizabeth -Smith had three sons, viz., Marcus R., bom April 3, 1854, married Sarah J., daughter of John Kennedy, and now resides in the County of Norfolk ; Augustus F., bom November 6, 1855; and Adrian W., born February 23, 1862. Mary Elizabeth Glassner, the maternal great-grandmother of our subject, was born at Baden, Germany, March 19, 1730, and in the last decade of the 18th century emigrated to America. She was married AprU 9, 1755, to John Beamer, of Heidelberg, Germany. Their son ¦John — born November 27, 1759, at Greenwich, New Jersey — married, April 7, 1782, Anna Young, daughter of John W. Young, of Sussex County, N.J. They had come to Canada in 1790, stopped a short time at Xiagara, and settled at Grimsby in 1791. DANIEL SMITH, the subject of this sketch, and the youngest son of Daniel and A. M. Smith, was born in the Township of Clinton, County of Lincoln, Province of Ontario, on the mountain south and east of the VUlage of Beamsville, brought up on the farm on which his parents settled soon after their marriage, and where they Uved until their death. His father was a member and Deacon of the first church erected in that vicinity, kno^vn as the old Clinton Church on the mountain, holding that position during the remaining part of his life, and was also appointed to the ¦ office of what was then caUed a Commissioner. Daniel Smith, the subject of this sketch, received the most of his education at the common school in the section where he lived, and at a -select school taught by the Rev. R. H. Close, who had been president of a coUege in Utica, N.Y. — this school was supported by private indiriduals, who at much extra cost kept it up for some time — at the close of which he started as teacher, following that occupation for about five years, after which he married and settled in the Township of Burford and County of Brant, on the 9th of November, 1854, on a lot of woodland — the deed of which he had secured from Government, holding the seal and signature of Lord Elgin, and which at the present time is the only deed ever made for said property — foUowing the course of his father and grandfathers, for both his father's father and mother's father lived and died on the property they first settled upon. Having always ¦devoted, his best interest to education and other improvements, was a member of the committee that started the first Sabbath school and library in the section, which was then held in the school house. He was appointed Justice of the Peace, along vrith several others, in the year 1873. In May, A.D. 1875, he succeeded, by the help of the Hon. Wm. Paterson, M.P. for the South Riding of Brant, in establishing a post office in the vicinity by the name of Florence Vale (now called Northfield Centre), which has proven to be a great boon to the inhabitants of the place. JOHN SMITH, farmer, Fairfield Plains P.O., was bom December 1, 1820. His grandfather, John Smith, attained the age of 100 years, and came to Canada in 1787. 622 HISTOltY OF BRANT COUNTY. His father, William Smith, was born October 11, 1786, and married, in 1809, Charity Smith, who was bom July 18, 1791. They were the parents of ten children, viz., Phcebe, Russel, Lewis (deceased), Anna Elizabeth, John, Mary, Madilla, Allen and Margaret. Mr. Smith died December 27, 1856, and his wife, April 7, 1866. John Smith's grandmother, on his mother's side, was the daughter of Henry and Charity Huffman, and was bom September 30, 1762. John, our subject, was married May 24, 1849, to IMary J. Merritt. They are the parents of three children, namely, Wil liam M., born April 15, 1850 ; Myrtilla, born September 12, 1851 ; and John C, bom November 23, 1856. Mr. Smith has a farm of over 400 acres, 300 acres of which are well cultivated. His family belong to the Baptist Church, and his political views- are strictly Reform. JOSEPH H. SMITH, farmer, Fairfield Plains P.O., is a son of Joseph and Mar garet (Hoover) Smith, and was born in Canada in June, 1850. On December 17, 1873, he married Cornelia Elliott, who was born October 7, 1854, and by her has had three children, viz., Edson K., born October 2, 1874; Wilfred H., born May 14, 1878; and Harry E., born November 26, 1881. Mr. Smith owns a farm of 50 acres- under high cultivation, and is industrious and prosperous in his farm operations. H. LAFAYETTE SMITH, farmer, Fairfield Plains P.O., was born in Wentworth. County, Sept. 11, 1848. His grandfather, Jacob Smith, was bom in New Jersey, Sept. 28, 1789, and died in Wentworth County, AprU 12, 1860, Hiram, father of our subject, was born in Wentworth County in 1811. He married Charity, daughter of Obcdiah Taylor, and had a family of four children, viz., Obediah T., Hannah G, Tena A. and H. Lafayette. Lafayette Smith married June 15, 1870, IsabeUe Johnston. They have three children, viz., Eddy B., born July 13, 1871 ;. OUa E., born June 2, 1873 ; and Clarence L., born February 28, 1876. Mrs. Smith was born in Haldimand County, May 30, 1851. Mr. Smith settled in Brant County in 1882. He owns 130 acres of land under a high state of cultivation. He also owns in the State of Delaware, near its capital, an undivided half of 80 acres, for which he has been offered $4,500. MARGARET E. SMITH, Fairfield Plains P.O., widow of Joseph Smith, is a daughter of Harvey and Margaret (Fairchild) Hoover, Her grandfather was Peter Hoover, of German descent, who came to Canada in 1776, and settled near Stamford. Harvey, her husband, was in the War of 1812 during its whole continuance, includ ing the battles of Lundy's Lane, Chippewa and Stony Creek. The mother of our subject, Margaret, daughter of Benjamin Fairchild, of EngUsh descent, acted as in terpreter to the Indians during the War of 1812. Mr. FairchUd lived at Niagara, and was in the Government employ, as Commissioner of the Indian Department. Mr.. Joseph Smith was a son of Chauncy and Mary (Eddy) Smith. He died Jan. 16th, 1861, learing ten children, viz. : Benjamin, Joseph, Thomas ; Maria, who married M. Elliott ; Adelaide, who married Wm. Buchanan ; Mary, who married Charles Rand ; Helen, who married Eli Eddy ; Kate, who married Joseph McMains ; Eliza and Emme- line (deceased). Mrs. Smith is a member of the Methodist Church, and owns a valuable farm of 100 acres, beautifully situated on the town line, between Oakland and Burford. RUSSEL SMITH, farmer, Burford Township, Fairfield Plain P.O., was born in Ancaster Township, June 4, 1812, and came to Burford in AprU, 1833, where he has^ since resided. His grandfather. John Smith, son of John and Sarah Smith, of Eng land, was born in London, England, November 13th, 1747. He married March 10th, 1772, Anna Roy, daughter of Mary and Stephen Roy, who was born April 13th, 1752. They emigrated to the-State of New Jersey, and the following children were born :. Benjamin, Stephen, John, Mnry, Abraham, William, Isaac, James and Samuel. In BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 623 1787 they came to Canada, settled near Grimsby, and finaUy settled in Ancaster, Wentworth County. Mr. John Smith died August 4, 1846, and his wife died Sept. 8, 1830. WUliam Smith, father of our subject, was born October 11, 1786, and married Febmary 21, 1809, Charity Smith, daughter of Lewis and Phoebe Smith, who came from New Jersey, and was born July 18, 1791. She died April 7, 1866, and William, her husband, died Dec. 7, 1856. They were the parents often children, viz., Phcebe, Russel, Lewis (deceased), Ann, Elizabeth, John (whose history may be found in this work), Mary, MadiUa, Allen and iMargaret. Russel Smith's grandmother, on his mother's side, was tbe daughter of Henry and Charity Huffman, and was born Sept. 30, 1762. Russel Smith married, March 12, 1835, Elizabeth Taylor. From this marriage was one child, WiUiam T. Smith, who was born June 5, 1837. Mrs. Smith died June 13, 1837. Russel Smith next married, M%y 1, 1838, Margaret B., daughter of Wm. Kent. They have had seven children, viz., Elizabeth K., Hervy M. (deceased), Hester A., Margaret E. (deceased), Charles D., Caroline A. and Herbert F. (deceased). Mr. Smith owns 200 acres of land at present ; his two sons about the same amount. He has been for about 20 years engaged in producing a pure grape native wine, making from 4,000 to 8,000 gallons per year. He has, during a long active life, been engaged in various pursuits apart from farming. He now cultivates 7 acres of gra]ie vineyard ;. besides, he buys annually many tons of grapes for his wine manufactory. He has been a member of the Methodist Church of Canada over fifty-three years, a Circuit Steward forty-five years, and a Justice of the Peace in the County of Brant over thirty years. He is a life-long Reformer. WILLIAM T. SMITH, farmer, Fairfield Plains, is a son of Russel Smith, whose biography appears in this work. He was born June 5, 1837, in the County of Brant, and was married Xovember 22, 1864, to Margaret M., daughter of Brian Carpenter, a native of Pennsylvania ; she was born in Wentworth County. Their chUdren number four, viz., William R, Minnie E., Margaret E. and Herbert D. Mr. Smith owns a farm of 87 acres, pleasantly situated on Fairfield Plains, having laid it out tastefuUy with shrubbery, &c. He is a member of the Canada Methodist Church, and a Eeformer in politics. DANIEL SOUTHWICK, farmer, Falkland P.O., was born October 3, 1836 ; son of Daniel Southwick, who was bom June 7, 1793. He settled in Burford in 1818. THOMAS STANDING, farmer, Burford P.O., was born in the County of Peel, Ont., January 19, 1830, and was the son of John Standing, who came to Canada ia the year 1827, and settled in the County of Peel. The latter was married in England to Nancy, daughter of Robert Varley. AJl were natives of England. They had eleven chUdren, of whom James, Elizabeth, Ann and Thomas (twins), Robert and Ellen are living, and John, Agnes, Mary, Alice and Margaret are dead. Thomas, the subject of this sketch, married, October 5, 1854, Janet Balmer, daughter of James and grand daughter of John Balmer, natives of Scotland. They had ten children, viz. : John H., bom December 29, 1855 ; James B., born September 23, 1857; Thomas W., born Sep tember 12, 1859 ; Janet, born August 2, 1861 ; George M., born May 2, 1863 ; Robert A., bom May 9, 1865, died December 17, 1874 ; WiUiam H., bom June 18, 1867 ; David J., born May 25, 1870 ; Edgar H., bom May 30, 1872 ; Margaret E., born February 1, 1875, died January 11, 1877. Mr. Standing is a prosperous farmer, own ing 150 acres of exceUent land near Burford VUlage. He is a Methodist. JAMES STEWART, farmer, Scotiand P.O., was born February 15, 1818. He was a son of Allan Stewart, who was born in Paisley, Scotland. He married Catherine Thomson in 1807, and had five children, viz., Jane, Grace, Frances, George and James, who married first, in 1842, Louise, daughter of Silas Metcalf, and had one son, Silas. She died Sept. 15, 1845 ; and Mr. Stewart married for a second wife Sarah Moore. 624 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. They became the parents of five children, viz., Allan, born 1851, died 1853 ; Louise, born 1854 ; Charles, bom 1856 ; James, bom 1859, and Robert B., born 1861. AUan Thomson, a cousin of our subject, came to Canada in the 71st Regiment, in 1847. Mr. Stewart is a member of the Baptist Church. DR. E. W. TEGART, Scotiand P.O., was a son of Edward Tegart, who was born in Ireland in 1780. His grandfather, John Tegart, was bom in England, and held the position of Captain in the English army. Edward, the father, came to this country in 1820, and settled north of Toronto, in Tecumseh. Here he remained about 20 years, when he removed to Goderich. At this time there was not a post office between Toronto and Goderich, nor a store between London and Goderich. Mr. Tegart's mode of obtaining provisions was by taking his grist, with an oxen team, and going thirty miles to the nearest mill, where he also received his mail. At that time a horse was not to be found in all the Huron tract of land. Edward, the father of our subject, claimed as ancestor the Duke of Argyle. He married Martha Colton in 1818, by whom he had seven children, viz., James, Robert, Mary, Jane, Edward W., John and Rachel. Dr. Tegart came to Brant County in 1860, and here he has since resided. He married in 1858, Augusta A. Clement, daughter of Robert A. Clement, and granddaughter of Major Clement, of the British army of 1812. The Doctor has two children, Robert E. and Alma T. J., aged 20 and 17. He owns 200 acres of land, pleasantly situated near the Village of Scotland. At the age of ten years he did not know how to read, there being no schools in the locality where he was bora. At the age of 14 his mother died, after which he left home without a dollar. He has since acquired all his property and a medical education, having graduated from the Medical Departments at Toronto and Cobourg University. He was bom in the Huron tract, on December 21, 1835, and is now doing a large practice in medicine and surgery. JAMES WHEELAND, farmer, 'Scotiand P.O., was born in Scotland, Brant County, March 30, 1844. He was a son of Thomas and Maranah (Smith) Wheeland. The career of Thomas may be found elsewhere in this volume. James Wheeland married November 4, 1868, Margaret P., daughter of James H. Bessey, of St. Catharines. James Bessey is a retired Major of Militia, a J.P., and Township Clerk and Treasurer. The chUdreu by this union are : Mary A., deceased, and M. Bessie, who was born May 12, 1871. Mrs. Wheel and's grandfather was in the War of 1812, and is now apensioner. Her great-grandfather was an officer of the Indian Commissary Department during the war. Mr. Wheeland owns a fine farm of 60 acres near the Village of Scotland, and is an industrious and enterprising farmer. His family attend tbe Congregational Church. THOMAS WINSKEL, farmer, Burford P.O., was born in Cumberiand County, England, in the year 1815. He lived in bis native county until he was 5 or 6 years old, when he went to an adjoining county, where be resided until 1832, when-he emigrated to Canada. Landing in Quebec, he came west to Toronto, and engaged in the work of a carpenter and farmer ; and in 1841 he was married to Ann Trueman. Leaving Toronto, after a residence there of thirteen years, he went to Norfolk County, where he worked at the same business. In 1853 he moved to Burford, and bought 100 acres of partly improved land : to' which he has added 34 acres. It is now in a well cultivated condition, and is continually being improved. Mr. and Mrs. Winskel are members of the Congregational Cburch, and are much interested in matters of reUgion. Tp Mr. and Mrs. Winskel have been born 12 children, 4 of whom are living, viz., Ann J., Martha M., Phoebe C. and Agnes E. A. ; the others died in chUdhood. His parents, Wm. Winskel and wife, Elizabeth, came to Canada at the same time, and settled in this township, purchasing the land on which he died. He was a member of the Church gf England, a;nd was the father of six children, viz., Thomas, William, John, Ann, Eliza beth and Margaret. He died about the year 1848, aged 60 years ; and Mrs. Winskel died in 1850, iu her 62nd year. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 625 OAKLAND TOWNSHIP. M. H. BALDWIN, farmer, Oakland P.O., was bom in New York State, March 26, 1826, and is a son of Moses and Phoebe Baldwin. Moses Baldwin was born August 20, 1790, in the State of New Jersey, and died October 8, 1881. Mrs. Baldwin was bom in New Jersey, October 2nd, 1790, and died October 1st, 1851. They were married in that State November 14, 1812, and came to Canada in 183.3, and settled in Oakland Township, where they remained until their death. He was first a blacksmith and then became a farmer. He became blind in 1838. M. H. Baldwin was married Dec. 4, 1851, to Nancy Smith, who was born in Ancaster Township, Nov. 30, 1835. They are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he has been local minister of the church for about fourteen years. He has held all the local offices in tbe church, and is the oldest Uring member in Oakland. He has also been Township CounciUor for four years, and a Magistrate of Oakland Township two years. Mr. and Mrs. Bald win have had eight children, seven of whom snrrive — Lewis H., Melville N., Carman B., Ella A., WiUiam, Kate, and Emerson. Susan (deceased), was bom June 2nd, 1853, and died September 15 of same year. He and his wife, since their marriage, have resided on the home farm, formerly owned by bis father, consisting of 100 acres, to which he has since added twenty-five acres. He is one of the leading citizens of the township. MALCOLM BROWN, farmer, is one of the oldest living pioneers of the County of Brant. He was bom November 17, 1803, in what is now Oakland Township, as was also his wife, Mary Fairchild, who was born February 15, 1810. They were 'married at Brantford February 5, 1828, by the Rev. Mr. Sugan. Mr. Brown has fol- lywed the occupation of farming, having lived on his present farm nearly fifty years. His third son, Neal, was born December 23, 1837, and married Sarah Ann Diamond, November 23. 1864. Miss Diamond was born in Brantford Township, February 22, 1843. Mr. and Mrs. Neal Brown hive been blessed with twelve children, ten of whom are now Uving, viz., John M., ilary M., Fleta A., Joseph K., Phoebe A., Fred erick A., Jennie, Florence V., Maggie M., and Alice E. Mr. Brown rented for one year from Mr. Pate, and then moved on his father's farm, where he now resides. He is a Reformer in his political vie^vs, and is a member of the Canadian Order of Foresters. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. ALFRED CHURCH, Oakland P.O., was born in Thorold Township, Welland County, Ontario, October 23, 1837. His father. John J. Church, was bom in Con necticut, October 11, 1808, and is now living in Norfolk Count3^ His mother, whose maiden name was Lida Davis, was born in Thorold Township in 1818, and is stUl living. Both parents are quite industrious and spry for people of their yeai s, and are engaged in farming. Alfred's wife, whom he married December 25, 1861, was Mary Ann Chapin, daughter of Charles and Maria (FairchUd) Chapin, and was born in Oakland Towmship, July 7, 1840. She has been a member of the Baptist Church for twenty-four years. Mr. Church is an enterprising and successful farmer and stock- raiser, and owns 150 acres of land. The home place, containing 100 acres, is finely located and improved, with handsome buildings thereon. In politics Mt. Church is a Reformer. One of the children died in infancy ; the other, Charles John, has attended the collegiate course, and at present resides with his parents. RICHARD COWLES, tailor, Oakland P.O., has been a resident of Oakland for thirty-three years, and was bom in the south of Wales on tbe 11th February, 1810. His father, WiUiam Cowles, and his mother, Alice, were born in Monmouth County, Wales, where they lived and died. They were engaged in farming through life. Richard was married. May 2nd, 1850, to Mar^- Tolly ; she was born in England, and 626 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. died in Oakland in 1858. He married, for his second wife, Hannah Messecar, March 31,1860. She was born in Glanford Township, and died December 19, 1881. On the 11th April, 1882, he married his third wife, Charlotte Smoke, who was bom in Brant County in 1832. Our subject has been engaged in tailoring business all his life. Himself and wife are members of the Canada Methodist Church. His only daughter, Eliza, was mairied to Robert Knowles, a carriage-maker, in Michigan. Mr. Cowles has two houses and lots in Oakland, and has been fairly successful in life. HENRY CUNNINGHAM (deceased), was bom in Oakland in June, 1819, and was the son of George and Abigail Cunningham. His father was born in Boston, and his mother was also born in the States. She was taken by the Indians when she was a little girl. Her name was Mary Sett. Henry Cunningham had a common school education, and followed the life of a farmer. He was married March 3rd, 18^8, to Hannah Stuttard, who came from England when five years of age. They had one child, Charles, born January 15, 1859. He is a farmer and was never married, but lives at home with his mother. Henry Cunningham was a successful farmer, and died October 30, 1860. WM. DEVLIN, farnier, Mohawk P. 0., was a son of John and Sarah (Jordan) Devlin, natives of Ireland. John Devlin was born in Dec. 1811, and died Aug. 13, 1881. His wife was bom in 1808, came to Canada with some relatives in 1815, and now resides at Mount Pleasant. John Devlin came to York County, Ont., with his parents at the age of 17 years; afterwards moved to Simcoe County; thence to Ontario County ; and from there back to York County in 1853. He was married in 1836, and in 1863 moved to Brant County, where he remained until his death. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits during life. Wm. Devlin was born at Simcoe, March 20, 1838, received a common school education, and was married Nov. 24, 1862. His wife was Hannah Ransom, born Dec. 9, 1838, and daughter of Thomas and Anna Ransom. Mr. and Mrs. Devlin have three children, viz. : Julia, born May 28, 1864; Annetta, born Oct. 8, 1867; and John W., born March 2, 1876. Mr. Devlin has been successful in life, and is one of the leading citizens in Oakland Township. He is a member of the United Order of Workmen; was School Trustee one year; Reeve for three years, and is at present Warden of the County of Brant. ROBERT EADIE, Je , deceased, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, Oct. 28, 1825, and was a sou of Robert and Eliza (McLaws) Eadie, neither of whom are now living. Robert Eadie, Sr., died May 25, 1882. The subject of our sketch came to Cauada in 1842, and on the 17th of Feb., 1851, married Martha Swift. Miss Swift was born in New York, Jan, 26, 1833, and when ten years of age came to Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Eadie were blessed with a family of eleven children, six sons and five daughters, all of whom are living. Their names are Robert, Emily, Ebenezer, James, George, Andrew, Eliza, Martha, Beatrice, Charles and Ethel May. Of these Robert taught school one year, studied for the ministry, and is now teaching in Guelph ; George is studying to become a dentist; Andrew is studying medicine ; and Eliza is married to Mr. Samuel Eddy. Mr. Eadie was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and himseU and wife members of the Congregational Church in this country. He was a sucessful farmer through life ; he started with nothing, but during his life purchased 200 acres of land in Oakland Township, which is splendidly improved, and remains in the pos session of the family. He was a Reformer in politics, and filled several positions of trust and responsibility. He was a member of the Town Council for one year, and was for several years a Magistrate in Oakland Township, and also a Deacon in the Congregational Church. His death occurred Nov. 25, 1879. ROBERT EADIE, Sr. (deceased), was born in Scotiand, April 13, 1798, and was a son of Robert and Isalael (Sharp) Eadie. He married for his first wife Eliza McLaws, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 627 in Glasgow, and moved to Canada in 1842; she died in 1863. His second wife was Margaret France, born in Scotiand, Nov. 10, 1833, and married Feb. 12, 1864. She came to this country when 30 years of age, and settled in Oakland Township, where she at present resides on the home farm. Mr. Eadie was a prominent and consistent member of the Congregational Cburch in the VUlage of Scotland, as is also jNIrs. Eadie He had seyen children by his first wife and three by his s3cond, who are now Uving. Mr. Eadie was successful in business in Glasgow, and after his arrival in Canada fol lowed the occupation of farming, owning 150 acres at tbe time of his decease. He belonged to the Eeform party. He was for a time one of the old landmarks of Brant County, and died May 25, 1882, in the 85th year of bis age. JOHN A. EDDY, merchant and Postmaster, Scotland P.O., was born in Burford Township July 18, 1855, and is a son of Constant and Ann (Emmonds) Eddy. His father was born in Oakland Township April 1, 1817, and bis mother was bom in Oakland September 21, 1817, and died September 21, 1848. They were married in Oakland Township November 7, 1837. His father was a farmer. John A. Eddy was mairied Aug. 16, 1882, to Alma Messecar, who was born June 15, 1861, and was a daughter of Gilbert and Sussana Messecar. Our subject had a grammar school education, and has bought property in Scotland, where he is keeping a general store such as is kept in a country town, and he has a good country trade. He has been engaged in business for five years, and has been Postmaster for two years. He is an enterprising young merchant, and has been very successful in business. Mr. and Mrs_ Eddy are respected by all who know them. HENRY GILLETT, farmer, Oakland P.O., was bora in Kingston, Dec. 25, 1822, and is the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Crimmon) Gillett. His father was born in Ireland and his mother in Canada ; they were married in Canada. Mrs. (Crimmon)' Gillett died about 1872 at Bearbrook. His father married a second time, and died in the States. He was Paymaster in the British army. The subject of our sketch was married March 5, 1852, to Mary Bigs. Miss Bigs was born in Ancaster Nov. 25, 1822, and was a daughter of Richard Bigs. Mr. Gillett and his wife are members of the Canadian Methodist Church. When a boy he received a common school education, and afterwards engaged in farming. To Mr. and Mrs. Gillett have been born eight children, of whom five are Uring, viz., Ellen, Elizabeth, Richard, Archibald and Louisa. Mr. Gillett has resided in Oakland since his removal from Ancaster in 1880. He has been generaUy successful through life, and is well respected by all who know him. GEOEGE HALL, hotel-keeper, Scotland P.O., was born in Sussex, England, and is a son of Thomas and Emma (Ralph) Hall. His father and mother were born in England, aud came to Canada, wheie his mother died March 15, 1871. His father was born Sept. 15, 1807, and is now living in Mount Pleasant. They were married in England, and came to Canada with ten children. He was a farmer. George Hall was married Jan. 1, 1855, to Frances M. Smith, who was born in England Dec. 28, 1835, and died March 7, 1872. He married for his second wife Mary M. Messecar. She was born in Oakland Township Aug. 25, 1845, and is a daughter of Hiram and Ann A. M- (Armstrong) Messecar. He is a member of the Foresters. He acquired a common school education, first rented the hotel where he resides for one year, then bought it, and has been keeping the hotel for eleven years past. Mr. Hall has eight chUdren, riz.: Susan A., born Oct. 15, 1855 ; Elizabeth, March 15, 1857 ; WiUiam R., Feb. 26, 1859 ; Edward D., Aug. 20th, 1861 ; Hattie B., AprU 9, 1866 ; George E, March 3, 1869; Henry A., March 27, 1875; and Anna M., Oct 31, 1877. Mr, HaU has succeeded well in business. SAMUEL HUNTER, farmer, Scotland P.O., was born in Ireland Jan. 22, 1842, and is the son of Alexander and Mary (Finlay) Hunter. His father and mother wer& 628 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. born in Ireland, and w^ere also married there in 1839. Alex. Hunter, who was afarmer, ^ied Jan. 20, 1882 ; Mrs. Hunter is living, and resides in Belfast, Ireland. Samuel Hunter was married the first time to Sarah Hunter, AprU 20, 1869 ; she was bom in 1841, and died July 20, 1875. He married for his second wife Emily A. Backus, widow of Wm. W. Backus. Her maiden name was Miss Dean ; she was born in Hartford, Norfolk Co., Dec. 21, 1841, and was a daughter of Stafford and Selina Dean. Mr. Hunter and his first wife were Congregationalists, while his second wife is a member of the Baptist Church. He received his education at a common school. To Mr. Hunter and his fiist wife were born two children, one of whom is living — Arthur A., born May 17, 1872; by his second wife he had two children, one surviving, riz.: Alexowna M. S., born July 9, 1879. He first followed the blacksmith trade for 25 years, and then engaged in fruit-growing and bee-keeping on 50 acres, which he owns, near Scotland and where he resides ; his land is well improved, and Mr. Hunter has been very successful through life. He is a member of the School Board of Trastees at the present time. HENRY KEY, farmer, Oakland P.O., was bom in Cumberland County, England, Oct. 11. 1840, and is a son of George and Barbara (Benn) Key. His father was born in England, Sept 18, 1791 ; his mother was born in England, April 29, 1798, and died Dec. 9, 1874. Mr. Key died in Aug., 1848. They were married and came to this country in 1845, and settled in Brantlbrd Township, where they remained about a year, then removed to Oakland Township. He was engaged in farming through life. Mr. Henry Key was married May 21, 1868, to Julia Ann Reynolds, who was born in Copetown, Wentworth County, July 19, 1845, and was a daughter of WiUiam G. and Catherine Reynolds. She is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Key are members of the Royal Templars of Temperance. He is fiUing tbe office of Town ship Clerk, and was seven years in the Council. He was also Assessor in the year 1875, and is a J. P. He acquired a common school education. He owns 100 acres ui Windham Township. He still resides in Oakland Township, on the farm of Mrs. Downs, of Brantford, where he has resided since 1846. To Mr. and Mrs. Key have been bom 7 children, of whom 5 survive : James A., born 16 Dec, 1868 ; Nettie L., born July 15, 1870; Barbara L, Sept 5, 1872; Margaret E, June IC, 1877; and Henry O., Jan. 30, 1879. Mr. Key is one of the most successful and respected citizens in the township. MICHAEL LUNN, deceased, was a resident of Oakland Township. He was born in Ireland Aug. 10, 1816, and was a son of Patrick and Margaret Lunn, who were bom and married in Ireland, where the former was engaged in farming. Michael Lunn was married on AprU 20, 1844, to Bridget Graham. She was born in Ireland on the 5th of August, 1825, and was a daughter of James and Mary Graham. Her mother is still living. Mr. Lunn anl his wife came to Canada in 1847 ; lived in Brantford five years, and then moved to Oakland Township. He received a common school education. To Mr. and Mrs. Lunn were born 7 children, 5 of whom are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Lunn were members of the Catholic Church. Mr. Lunn was successful in business, and was respected by all who knew him. James and Thomas, since their father's death, have managed the farm of 85 acres, while the three sisters assisted their mother at home. ELIAKIM MALCOLM, hotel-keeper, Scotiand P. 0., was born in Scotland, Feb. 11, 1829, and is a sou of Eliakim and Samantha (Sexton) Malcolm. His father, Eliakim Malcolm, Sr., was born in Oakland Township Dec. 10, 1801, and died Sept. 26, 1874. His mother was born in Virginia in 1806 ; she was a daughter of Jonathan Sexton, of Vermont, where she was born. They came to Cauada in 1806, and she was married to Mr. Malcolm in 1822. He died at the age of 73 years and 6 months ; he BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 629 was a surveyor and conveyancer, having been one of the first surveyors in the County of Brant; he also managed a farm. Our subject was married Dec. 22, 1850, to Emily Smith, who was born Jan. 29, 1827, and was a daughter of Isaac and Abigail Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm are members of the Congregational Chuich, aud he is a member of the Masonic Order, and of the Canadian Order of Foresters. Acquiring a common school education, he engaged in farming, then turned his attention to the lumbering business, which he followed for 15 years, afterwards keeping the hotel where he resides. He has been keeping the hotel known as the Jackson House about 7 months. To Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm have been bom 9 children — 6 boys and 3 girls : Walter E., born May 26, 1852; Alfreda S., June 16, 1855; James H., Sept 13, 1857 ; Francis E., AprU 6tb, 1859 ; Isaac R., Feb. 4, 1861 ; Fredie, Dec. 27, 1863; Sophronia L., Oct 1, 1865 ; Esther E., June 23, 1867 ; John, July 4, 1869. Mr. Malcolm has always been most successful in every business. ISAAC BROCK MALCOLM (deceased), was born August 4th, 1812, m what is now Oakland Township, Brant County, Ontario, and died May 2nd, 1856. His parents were Finley and Fanny Malcolm. Finley Malcolm was born in Nova Scotia, and died about the year 1862, his mfe having preceded him in 1859. Isaac married, November 25th, 1835, Miss Charlotte Smith, a native of Ancaster Township. She was the daughter of Isaac and Abigail Smith, and was born February 20th, 1844. When Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm were married the country was new, and bears and deer were abun dant. But Mr. Malcolm was a successful farmer, and at the time of his death had 280 acres of land and a pleasant and comfortable home, which he left to his family. He was a Reformer in his political views, a member of the Congregational Church, and an excellent citizen. Mrs. Malcolm is at present living on 100 acres of the original home stead. They have had six children, all of whom are living, and are named as follows : Finley, Charlotte, Fanny, Abbie, Henry and Isaac C. MARCUS MALCOLM, woollen manufacturer, Scotland P. O., is one of the pro prietors of the wooUen mUls, and is also one of the firm known as M. Malcolm & Son. He was bom in Oakland To^wnship, March 6, 1830, and is a son of George and Eliza beth Malcolm. George Malcolm was born in Brant County, August 5, 1806. His mother died a number of years ago. George married for his second wife Miss Sarah Beemer, who was born in Norfolk ; both are now living in Paris. He has been engaged in farming and tbe woollen business, but has now retired from active Ufe. Marcus Malcolm was married in January, 1851, to Huldah Ann Bugbee, who was born in Vermont in May, 1830, and was a daughter of Jabez and Angelina Bugbee. They are both consistent members of the Congregational Church ; he is a member of the Masonic Order and Canadian Order of Foresters. He acquired a common school education, and has always been engaged in the woollen business. Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm have had four chUdren, of whom two surrive, viz.: George H., born August 3, 1853, and who is engaged with his father in wooUen goods manufacturing — he is married ; August G., born October 30, 1864, is attending the Collegiate Institute at Brantford. The firm of M. Malcolm & Son have been very successful. They manufacture from the raw material into cloth, which they wholesale and retail, but principaUy the former. Mr. Malcolm has fUled the office of J. P. eleven years, has served in the Council twelve years, and is Commissioner in B. E. for taking affidarits. WILLIAM C. MALCOLM, farmer, Scotland P.O., was bom in Burford Township, October 12 1826, and is a son of Duncan and Jane (Heron) Malcolm. His father was bom aboard ship August 1, 1798, between the United States and Canada, under the American flag and in British waters; he died Oct 31, 1866. His mother was born in Niagara, Canada, August 16, 1802. They were married in Canada, March 29, 1825 ; he was a farmer. Wm. C. Malcolm was married, June 24, 1855, to Amanda J. Hark- 630 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. inson, who was bom in Hamilton, September 12, 1832, and was a daughter of WUliam and Nancy Harkinson. Mrs. Malcolm is a member of the Congregational Church. He has filled the office of Councillor and Constable of Oakland ; he acquired a com mon school education, and then engaged in farming ; he bought 50 acres from his father, and has succeeded in making a nice home for himself and family. To Mr. and Mrs- Malcolm have been bom two children, viz.: Mary Malvinia M., born May 14, 1856, \vas married November 26, 1879, to Josiah Bennett Terryberry — they live in Burford Township ; and Eugene G., born June 7, 1860. JOHN MARKLE, farmer, Scotland P.O., was bom in the Township of Chingua- ¦cousy, Canada, Jan. 20, 1831. His father, John Markle, Senr., was born in Pennsyl vania, Dec. 5, 1794. His mother's maiden name was Anna Boughner, bom July 27, 1793. Both parents died in Canada. Our subject was married Dec. 23, 1852. His first wife, Mary C. Markle, died June 17, 1867. On Oct. 17, 1867, he fiiarried Jane Murray, who was born in Burford, Jan. 27, 1847. At the age of 35 he began life for iiiinself on a farm of 100 acres, given him by his father. This he afterwards sold, and bought 50 acres, where he now resides. He at one time kept a hotel for 18 months at Bracebridge, Himself and wife are members in good standing of the Baptist Church, as was also his first wife. He has bad five children, of whom three — Mary Ann, Sarah Jane and John McCoy — are now living. He has been prosperous and successful through life. ROBERT MARKLE, farmer, Scotland P.O., was bom in Chinguacousy, Peel Co., Ontario, on 28rd March, 1822. His father, John Markle, was born in Pennsylvania, and his mother, whose maiden name was Anna Boughner, was a native of New Jersey. JBoth parents died in Canada. Mr. Markle was married June 20, 1848, to Miss Sarah •C. Longshiel, who died May 22, 1860. On 16th Nov., 1862, he married Nancy J. Elliot, a native of Canada, born in 1828. He had four children by his first wife, of whom Eliza Ann and Lewis B. are living, and both married. By his present wife he liad two children, of whom one, Archibald, is living. At the age of 26 Mr. Markle began farming for himself. His father gave him 100 acres, which he sold, and after wards bought 50 acres ; this he sold, and bought 100 acres, where he now lives. As a farmer he has been quite successful. Mr. Markle is a Conservative in politics, and himself and wife are consistent members of the Baptist Church. BENJAMIN B. MERRITT, farmer, was born in New Brunswick, AprU 28, 1835, and is the son of Abraham and Sarah (Hendry) Menitt Abraham Merritt was bom in New Brunswick Jan. 12, 1796, and died in Oakland Township June 30, 1861. He married for bis second wife Mrs. Sarah (Hendry) Van Wart. He was a farmer through life. Benjamin B. Merritt was married May 31, 1859, to Rhoda M. Clarke. She was born in New Brunswick, Oct. 27, 1838, and was a daughter of Benjamin and Maria J. Clarke. They were married in New Brunswick. He and his wife are members of the Baptist Church. He acquired a common school education. He first •engaged in farming, and bought 100 acres of land, where he now resides. His farm is in a high state of cultivation, and has nice buUdings on it. To Mr. and Mrs. Merritt have been born three children, of whom two survive, viz., Clara A., born June 18, 1861 ; and I. Clarke, born Aug. 30, 1880. Effie J. was bom Nov. 5, 1875, and died Aug. 21, 1876. Caleb merritt, deceased, was born in Queen's County, New Brunswick, March 14th, 1798, and is a son of Gilbert and Phoebe Merritt. His father and mother were born on the Hudson River, New York ; they were married in New Brunsv/ick, where he was a farmer, and died there ; his mother attained the age of 97 years. "Caleb Merritt was married Oct. 24th, 1826, to Hannah Underbill, who was bom July 26th, 1809, in Queen's County, New Brunswick, and was a daughter of Thomas and BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 631 Mary Underbill. He had a common school education. Both Mr. and JMrs. Merritt were members of the Baptist Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Merritt have been born ten children, of whom seven survive — Robert, Isaac B., Mary, Thomas, Sarah A, Gilbert and Phcebe E. He first engaged in farming, having bought 150 acres, where his widow resides. He died Sept 16th, 1874, very much respected by all who knew him, and leaving to his family a nice home, where they yet remain. MATTHEW MESSECAR, farmer, Scotland P.O., was bom in Oakland Township, Sept. 6th, 1826, and is a son of Matthew and Mary (Clouse) Messecar. His father and mother were born in New Jersey, and from there they moved to Canada when they were quite young. After being married they first settled in Norfolk County, and then removed to Brant County, where they were among the first settlers. He was a farmer, and died in 1867; she is also dead. Mr. Matthew Messecar, our subject, was married April 5th, 1852, to Alfreda Smith ; she was born April 25th, 1832, and was a daughter of Isaac and Abigail Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Messecar are members of the Congregational Church at Scotland, and he has been a School Trustee for nine years. He had a common school education given him. He first engaged in brickmaking for two years, then turned his attention to farming. He rented for a number of years, then bought 25 acres; he also inherited 100 acres, where he resides. To Mr. and Mrs. Messecar have been born two children, viz. : Malvena, born July 24th, 1854; and Anderson, bom June 28th, 1858 ; both are married and doing well. Mr. Messecar is a prosperous and highly respected citizen. TRUEMAN MESSECAR farmer, Scotiand P.O., was born AprU 3, 1836, and is a son of Matthew and Lida (McCombs) Messecar. Matthew Messecar was born in New Jersey, March 7, 1792 ; Mrs. Messecar was born Feb. 24, 1816, and died AprU 2, 1843. He came to Canada when a boy, first settling in Norfolk County ; then moved to Brant County, where he remained until his death. He was a farmer by occupation. Trueman was married Nov. 12, 1852, to Ellen Hall, who was born in England, Oct. 13, 1832. She is a daughter of Thomas and Emma Hall. Mr. and Mrs. Messecar hold to the Baptist Church. He is also a member of the United Workmen. He had a common school education given him, and then he rented a farm for three years. He afterwards inherited 50 acres, where he now resides, and has since purchased 50 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Messecar have been blessed with five' children— Charles L., born Oct. 20, 1863; Ida E., June 28, 1865; Rhoda, March 11, 1867 ; Elvira, AprU 1, 1869; and AJetta E., July 13, 1880. Mr. Messecar has a nice home, where he resides, and has succeeded very well in life. WILLIAM MESSECAR, farmer, Scotiand P.O., was born in Oakland Township, where he reside^., Nov. 2, 1835, and is a son of WUliam and Anna (Slatt) Messecar. His father was born June 5, 1805, in Pennsylvania, whence he emigrated to Canada ; settUng first in Norfolk County, where he remained for a while ; then removed to Brant, where he settled permanently. He died August 27, 1868. His mother was bom in Norfolk County, May 4, 1807 ; she is still living with her son. Mr. William Messecar, Sr., was a farmer, and was married in Norfolk County in 1825. Our sub ject was married Jan. 28, 1858, to Mary A. Clark, who was born in England, Sept. 25, J-835, and is a daughter of Joseph and Margaret Clark. Mr and Mrs. Messecar are members of the Baptist Cburch. He has filled the office of School Trustee for 12 years. He first engaged in farming, haying rented for 14 years ; he then inherited 42 J acres and bought 63 acres, making in all 105J acres. Mr. and Mrs. Messecar have two children, viz., Jennie, born July 14, 1863, and Josephine, born August 29, 1868. He has prospered in lUe, and is very imuch respected by all who know him. THOMAS MILLS, farmer, Oakland P.O., was born in England October 16, 1828, and is a son of Richard and Hannah (Wilson) Mills. Richard Mills was born in 632 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. England in 1800, came to Canada in 1842, and settled in the County of Hastings. He was a farmer by occupation, and died about the year 1876. Hannah, his wife, was born in England, and died about 1854. Thomas Mills was married January 1, 1856, to Melissa Smith, who was born in Oakland Township, September 5, 1837, and who died February 17, 1872. For his second wife he married Carlotta, daughter of Isaac and Charlotte (Malcolm) Brock. Carlotta was born January 18, 1840, and married Oct. 15, 1876. Mr. Mills had four children by his first wife, all living, viz.: Mary M., born December 19, 1856: George W., born August 12, 1863; Frederick, bom Sept 3, 1868; and Susan H., born July 9th, 1870. Mr. MiUs followed the car penter business for seven years, then turned his attention to farming, and has been fairly successful in life, Mr. and Mrs. Mills are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has been a leader for about eight years. Steward about twenty-five years, and Recording Steward over twenty years. He held the office of Township Councillor four years, and has been Justice of the Peace for the past three years. GEORGE PHILLIPS, Scotiand P.O., was born in New York, April 10, 1829, and is a son of Thomas and Bridget (O'Dea) Phillips. His father and mother were both born in Ireland ; they were married there, and came to America about 1826, and finally settled in Burford Township, Brant County. Mr. Thomas Phillips, who was a tailor, died Aug. 29, 1867; his vrife died February 4, 1877. George Phillips, our subject, was married November 14, 1854, to Mary Ann Gage, who was born in Glan ford, March 17, 1831, and is a daughter of Charles and Phcebe (Smith) Gage. He was born Oct 17,^ 1808, and died May 1, 1878. Her mother was born Nov. 7, 1810, and is living with Mr. Phillips. Mr. Phillips is a member of the Roman Catholic, and his wife is a member of the Methodist, Church. He filled the office of Postmaster for two years, having received his commission in 1870; he resigned in May, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have been blessed with nine children, of whom six are living, viz.: Phcebe Z., born Sept. 23, 1858; Russel M., Nov. 4, 1860; Mary Ann, AprU 29, 1863; George W., Oct 21, 1858 ; Charles E., June 30, 1869 ; and Fred. A., Aug. 17, 1875. Charles G, born AprU 1, 1856, died June 28, 1877; Ida M. was bom Nov. 29, 1867, and died Jan. 18, 1868; Margaret E. A., born July 31, 1873, died June 3, 1874. Mr. Phillips acquired a common school education, and he owns ten acres and three houses and four lots in town, and has been altogether very prosperous through life. Wp subjoin an article on the death of Mr. Charles G. Phillips, who was dead and interred in the State of Louisiana over a week before his parents knew of it. Louis iana paper : "A man by the name of C. G. PhilUps cUed about a week ago. He was a native of Canada, and has been in Louisiana about - nine months. He was highly spoken of by all who knew him, and was well educated." T. W. SHAVELEAR, landlord, Oakland P.O., was the son of K. W. and Frances Shavelear. His father was born in New York September 25, 1799, and died in Norfolk County, Canada, December 19, 1872. His mother was a native of Canada, bom March 29, 1805, and died March 4, 1876. They were married December 9, 1821. The father was a farmer, and came to Canada when quite young. The subject of this sketch was born February 24, 1840, and on the 13th of March, 1861, married Melissa, daughter of Henry and Hannah Haines. Melissa was bom October 6, 1845. They were engaged in farming until about 1870, since which time they have been keeping hotel. Mr. Shavelear purchased a hotel in Norfolk, which he sold, and buUt another in the same place. This he sold, and about three years ago rented the Union Hotel at Oakland, where he now resides. His wife is a member of the Disciples Church. They have had five children, three of whom survive, viz. : Alice, born April 29, 1867 ; Daisy, born July 30, 1873 ; and Clarence, born February 22, 1881. Mr. Shavelear has been moderately successful in business, is a member of the Order of Orangemen, the United Workmen, and the Canadian Order of Foresters, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. tiSS: WALTER SMITH, farmer, Mohawk P.O., was born in Oakland Town.ship, Brant County, May 11, 1834, and was a son of Isaac and Abiaail Smith. Isaac was born in New Jersey, December 20, 1788, and died in Canada, March 22, 1869. Abigail, his. wife, was born in Port Dover, Canada, May 12, 1789, and died May 16, 1862. Our subject, when twenty years of age, learned the carpenter trade, an avocation he has followed most of his life. He owns a smaU farm in Oakland Township, splendidly located and well improved. He was united in marriage May 15, 1860, with Jane Smith, who was bom in Oakland Township May 6, 1842. He has been a member of the United Workmen for two years. Mr. and ]Mrs. Smith are the parents of five children, viz., Ida ^1., Charles W., Lewis H , Susan E., and Frederick W. GEORGE TAYLOR, merchant, Oakland P.O., ¦was a son of Richard and Eliza Taylor, and was born at Grimsby, November 5, 1831. His father, Richard Taylor, was a native of the United States, and was bom in 1798. At the age of fifteen, Richard enlisted in the army and participated in the War of 1812-15. He was twice married, his second wife's name being Mary Holton. His occupation was principally that of farmer, although he at one time was engaged in the tanning business with Mr. Smith Griffith, and at another kept a hotel near the Gaol at Niagara. He was engaged in a skirmish at Stony Creek, and drew a pension for a few years previous to his death. He died at TUsonburg in February, 1 879. George Taylor was married in May, 1867, to Augusta Starr, a granddaughter of Major Westbrook. She was born at Brantford in 1850. They had two children, viz.: George J., born July 11, 1868; NeUe EsteUe, bom April l7, 1881. Mr. Taylor has been Postmaster for eighteen years, first keeping at Burtch. He has kept store twenty-one years, and carries a full line of groceries, diy goods, and everything usually kept in a country store. He began with nothing, and has been quite successful, having a good trade, and owns the build ing in which the store and residence are located. He is a pleasant and agreeable gentleman, and a good business man. WILLIAM THOMPSON, farmer, Mohawk P.O., was bom in Ireland m May, 1801 ; his father, Michael Thompson, was at that time a soldier in the Royal Meath MiUtia, and in 1806 volunteered for seven years in the First Royal Scots. In the fall of 1811 the regiment was ordered to the West Indies, and in June, 1812, they were ordered to Canada. In the interval war was declared between Great Britain and the United States. The command was then sent west, and participated in the several battles fought in western Canada, particularly at Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, and the siege of Fort Erie. In the two former the Royals were noticed for their valour, and received special acknowledgment from the officers in command at Lundy's Lane. Mr. Thompson was wounded slightly and taken prisoner, but made his escape and joined his regiment again before the close of the battle. In 1815, immediately after the close of the war, he was discharged as sergeant, which office he held for some years prerious. After serring his King and country for over twenty years, soon after his discharge his wife died, and in a short time he too sunk into final rest, leaving three chUdren, two of whom survive, WUliam and Samuel. In 1817 the former came to what is now the County of Brant, and in 1822 learned the blacksmith trade. He estabUshed the first smithy in Oakland Township in 1824. He married Miss Lucinda M. Sayles, a young lady born in the township in 1806. In 1826 he discontinued the blacksmith business, and settled on his present farm of 175 acres. During his resid- ence in Oakland, a term of sixty-one years, he has taken an active part in poUtical, educational, and municipal matters connected with the county and township. He was honoured by Lord Monck 'with a Captain's commission in the Militia, which office- he resigned. He has served as Reeve and Councillor in the township several years, and as Warden of the county one year. He has held a commission as Justice of the 38 '^34 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Peace for many years, and was one of the oldest in the county. Last, but not least, he is the oldest member of the Masonic Fraternity in the county, having been a mem- *ber over threescore years. JOHN WAUGH, merchant, Oakland P.O., born in Ancaster April 21, 1832, was the son of Thomas and Julia (Emery) Waugh, who were married in Canada, his father dying when John was quite small. John married Phoebe Ann Shipman, Sept. 3, 1859. She was the daughter of Paul and Mary Shipman, and was born June 15, 1839, Mr. Waugh was for some time engaged in farming. He rented for five years, then bought 50 acres of land. This he sold, and then purchased a farm of 65 acres, which he afterwards traded for town property and his present store in Oakland. He keeps a general stock of goods, and has a fair country trade. Mr. and Mrs. Waugh have been blessed with 9 children, viz. : Emma J., born July 29, 1863 ; Ida E., born August 30, 1865 ; Anna M., bom AprU 6, 1867 ; Clara, born May 20, 1868 ; Catharine M., born October 5, 1869 ; WiUiam, born December 5, 1871 ; Thomas, bom September 18, 1873; Edith, bom December 5, 1875; and Bertie A., born February 27, 1881. Of these Ida E. died December 20, 1880, and Anna M. died May 27, 1867. Mr. Waugh is a member of the United Workmen, and himself and wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. ABRAHAM "VVESBEOOK, farmer, Oakland P.O., was born in Oakland Township, August 9, 1844, and is "the son of Mordecai and Mary Ann (Shaver) Wesbrook. His father was bom in Oakland in 1800, and died March 27, 1883. His mother was' born in Ancaster September 6, 1806 ; she died October 6, 1847. They were married at the latter place June 21, 1825. He was engaged in farming through life. Abraham Wesbrook was married September 23, 1868, to Hannah E. Brown. She was born October 6, 1848, and is a daughter of Archibald and Rebecca Brown. Her father is dead, but her mother still Uves. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He received a common school education, and has filled the offices of Councillor and School Trustee. He has been engaged in farming through life, having first rented. He inherited from his father 108 acres, and to it has added 27 acres. To Mr. and Mrs. Wesbrook have been born six children, of whom five are living : Albert, born March 1, 1872 ; Robert A, March 13, 1875; Charles H., December 14, 1877; Frederick L., February 19, 1879; and Roy E., January 14, 1881. Archibald, born October 4, 1869, died May 17, 1870. Mr. "Wesbrook has been very successful through life. ONONDAGA TOWNSHIP. JOHN ARMOUR, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., was born in August, 1808, in Cotmty Tyrone, Ireland. He is a son of Thomas Armour and Jane Graham, bis wife, whose history appears with that of her son, Thomas Armour. John Armour married Nov., 1843, Vanicia Arthur. She was the third chUd of Samuel Arthur. They are mem bers of the Presbyterian Church, and are the parents of five children, viz., IsabeUe Jane, died 1875 : Samuel, died 1873 (each received injuries from the running away of a team, from which they never recovered) ; Thomas, now assisting his father at home ; Margaret Eliza, who died 1875 ; and Matilda, who married James Milligan. Mr. Armour has watched the growth of this section from a mere Indian sugar camp to its present population. His history of the old Kirk of England is very interesting. Mr. Armour had a bright family, with whom he took much comfort. He is a Reformer in politics. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 635 THOMAS ARMOUR, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., was born December 25, 1810, in Ireland, and came to Canada with his brother in 1834. They first settled in Halton County, and in 1834 Thomas Armour bought his present farm in this county. In 1844 Mr. Armour married Margery, daughter of John Boylan, natives of Ireland. The •children by this marriage are Andrew, WUliam J., Thomas G., Charles H., Jane A., Martha, Isabella and Margery, three being married and one deceased. Mrs. Jane Robinson, Thomas' mother, lives with her son, at the advanced age of 95 years. She is a remarkable woman; has good memory, and enjoys good health. Mr. Armour owns .a good farm, and is one of the old intelUgent landmarks left standing in the county. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for many years. JOHN BATEMAN, farmer, Cainsville P.O., was born March 14, 1845, in Tusca- Tora, Brant County, Ontario. He was a .son of James and Sarah (Wilkinson) Bateman. T'hey emigrated to Canada in 1833, settled first in Tuscarora, and in Onondaga in 1846, where Mr. Bateman died in 1878. He was born in England in 1804. In his family •of ten living children, John was the seventh. He married, June 1, 1875, Elizabeth J. Walden, by whom he had three children, viz., Morley J., Sarah A. and Mary M. Mr. Bateman is a prosperous farmer, and owns a fine farm, situated on Grand River, com manding a beautiful view. They are members of the Methodist Church. JOHN BARROWCLOUGH, farmer, Brantford P.O., is a son of Thomas and Mary ¦(Nutto) Barrowclough, natives of England, where Mrs. Barrowclough stUl resides. Mv.-. Barrowclough foUowed the tanner's tiade until his death, which occurred February 22, 1870. His son John was married February 19, 1852, to Alice Pickup, and emigrated to Canada in 1855, settling where he now lives, on Grand River. His children are five in number. Mr. Barrowclough received a limited education ; he was enrolled in the Militia of the Dominion, under Captain Carlton. He is a thrifty farmer, and one •of the substantial men of his neighbourhood. He is a member of the Church of England, and a Conservative in iiolitics. JOHN BINGHAM, Onondaga Township and Onondaga P.O., was the son of EUsha and Anna (Huffman) Bingham, and was born in the Township of Glanford, "County of Wentworth, the 19th January, 1819, where he resided untU the year 1851, when he removed to Walsingham, remaining there till 1868, when he removed to this «ounty. He married, 18th September, 1842, Ann Smith, daughter of Henry L. and Elizabeth (VanDrew) Smith, she having been born the 24th May, 1820. There was born unto these parents twelve children, six sons and six daughters, viz., Milton Angelo, born May 28, 1843, lost his life by drowning June 20, 1845 ; Eliza Jane, liv ing at home ; George, printer and publisher ; Minerva and Hiram (twins) — Minerva ¦died September, 1847 ; Hiram was married to Miss EmiUa Waite, now Uving in Brant ford, a machinist by trade ; John, at home, farmer and butcher; Albert, died 29th of July, 1861 ; Alice A., at home ; Almyra, died in infancy; Wm. H., Uring in the Village of "Wiarton, County of Bruce, a printer by trade ; Anna M., at home ; Sarah E. George, the eldest son, was married to Miss Amanda M. Powles, and has one ¦child, May Malvina. Elisha Bingham, the father of this subject, was born 9th of May, 1794, in Lebanon, N. H., came to Canada in 1816, and on the 9th of October, 1817, he married Anna Huflinan, who was born on the 16th of July, 1797, in the Township of Glanford, County of Wentworth ; settled in the Township of Glanford, and remained there untU 1853-4, and remo'v'ed to Walsingham, and there remained until she died, which occurred 30th of AprU, 1871; his foUowed on the 20th of Aug., 1876. Of his chUdren — eight sons and two daughters — eight are now Uving, riz., John and James D., Alfred and Christopher, WUliam G. and Wesley, Melissa and Egerton K. Elisha Bingham was the son of Alfred and Deborah Ticknor, natives of If. H. He came to Canada in the year 1828 or 1829, settled in Ancaster, County of 636 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Wentworth. The wife of Elisha Bingham was the daughter of Christopher aud Nancy Smith (HuflFman), who was born in N. J., and emigrated to Canada in the year 1791-2 as a U. E. L. Mr. John Bingham was in the RebeUion of 1837-8; served under Capt Birney, and for his services received the commission of Ensign and Quarter- Master, dated October 24, 1838. He is of the Methodist persuasion, as is all his family, and is a Reformer in politics. MYLES BIRKETT, farmer, Newport P.O.,was born in tbe Countyof Westmoreland, England, February 21, 1827. He is a son of William and Ellen (Bateman) Birkett, natives of England, who came to America about 1831, first settling in the Township of Cavan, and two years later locating near Brantford, where both died. They had thirteen children, five boys and eight girls, of whom four boys and seven girls- survive. Miles, the fifth child and second son, was raised on a farm in this township, and attended the common schools of the county. He remained on his father's farm until 22 years of age, when he began farming for himself, first renting land which he- cultivated for a short time. He then moved to Illinois, and for ten years engaged in farming in that State, after which he returned to this county, where he has since- resided, now being a resident of Onondaga Township. On April 10, 1849, he married Rebecca, daughter of William and Ann BurrUl, natives of Lincolnshire, England. By this marriage twelve children were born. MICHAEL BROWN, farmer, Caledonia P.O., is a son of Joseph and EUzabeth (Urie) Brown, of Scotland. They emigrated from London, England, to Canada in 1834, first settled in New Brunswick, and in 1839 came to this county. They are the parents of ten children, eight of whom are living, viz., WUliam, Charlotte, Mary, Joseph, Harriet, Elizabeth, John and Michael. They own a good farm of 200 acres. Michael is a promising young farmer, highly respected by all. Mrs. Brown is now 54- years of age. WILLIAM BROWN, carriage-builder, Middleport, a native of Ireland, was born in the year 1836, and emigrated to Canada with his parents in 1847. He is a son of James and Mary (O'Grady) Brown, both of whom were born in County Cork. On the voyage out from the old country the father died, leaving Mrs. Brown with her family of young children to commence the battle of life in the new land alone. She settled in Hamilton, where our subject eventually learned his trade of one Fuller Smith. Of her family three sons and one daughter are now dead, aud a son and daughter, Debina, living. The latter married Bernard Garrick, and is at present living at Oswego, N.Y. WUliam Brown, of whom we write, married, July 29, 1856, Bridget Morrow, daughter of James and Bridget (Calahan) Morrow, and emigrated to Middleport in 1860. They had born to them ten chUdren, viz. : WUliam James, born April 28, 1857 ; Charles Augustine, bom Sept 15, 1858; Mary Frances, bom Sept. 23, 1862 ; Thomas, born Jan. 2, 1865; Rosanna, bom Aug. 4, 1866; Lavina, bom AprU 12, 1868; EUen, bom Jan. 11, 1871 ; John Levi, born Nov. 5, 1873 ; Debina Alicia, bom AprU 19, 1875; Thaddeus, born Nov. 2, 1877. WUliam J. married, 1878, Sarah Kingsley;. has two children, Essie and EUas ; is a blacksmith, and resides at East Saginaw, Mich. Charles A. is a carriage-maker, residing at Bay City, Mich., and Thomas is a law student at Brantford. Mrs. Brown's father is from Ireland, and is stiU living in Brant ford, at the advanced age of 88 years. Her mother died in Ireland in 1843, when Mrs.. Brown was four years old. Their family were John, Thomas, James, Mary, Rosa,. Ann and Bridget, all born in County Cavan. Mary is dead ; Rosa married M. Gum, and resides in Brantford ; Ann is also married, and lives at Detroit, Mich. William' Brown, our subject, is carrying on a prosperous enterprise in his Une at Middleport, and gaining a substantial competency. His family are members of the Roman CathoUa Church, and attend the church ai Brantford. He is a Reformer in politics. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 637 ALEXANDER BUCHANAN, farmer, Cainsville P.O., was bom in Ireland Aug. 16, 1826. He was the son of John and Margaret (Brown) Buchanan. Mr. Buchanan «ame to Canada with his father in 1835. He foUowed carpentry for a time, afterwards taking up farming, which occupation he has since followed. His wife was Margaret Bateman, of Onondaga Township; she died Jan. 4, 1879, leaving eleven children, as follows : George, born Aug. 13, 1852 ; Charles, born Feb. 23, 1854 ; John, born Oct. 1, 1856; Susan S., born Dec. 20, 1859 ; Sarah M., born Oct. 28, 1861, died May 7, 1863; Anna A., bom July 21, 1862; Esther E., bom July 8, 1864; Ida E., born Jan. 12, 1866 ; James 0., born June 5, 1867 ; Robert A, bom Feb. 28, 1869 ; Thos. E., born AprU 22, 1872 ; Albert M., bom Nov. 2, 1873. Mr. Buchanan owns 136 acres of good land. He is giving his children a good education. ALFRED BURRELL, farmer, Onondaga P. 0., was bom November 11, 1856. He was a son of the late WUliam Burrell, whose biography appears in this work. He married Feb. 11, 1875, Elizabeth Henderson, daughter of James Henderson. They are the parents of three children, viz.: Virgil W., bom January 24, 1876 ; James A., born July 16, 1879 ; and LueUa I., born February 19, 1881. Mr. Burrell and family are members of tbe Canada Methodist Church. He owns a fine farm, situated in the valley of Grand River. ALEXANDER CALDER, farmer, Cariuke P. 0., is a son of John and Margaret (Martin) Calder, natives of Scotland, who, with two sons, came to Canada in 1840; the remainder of the family, with the exception of one daughter, came in 1842 — she came in 1846. They settled in Ancaster, Wentworth County, where be died, leaving ten children, all of whom came to Canada. Alexander came to this county in 1849. He was married in 1856 to Mary Forbes, who died in 1869, leaving four children, viz. ; Margaret, Christine, John and William. Mr. Calder is a member of the Unitarian Church, and his family were christened, but are not, as would be considered, members of the church ; Maggie is a Baptist. Mr. Calder has one of the best cultivated and improved farms in the country. JAMES CHAPMAN, farmer, ConboyviUe P. 0., was bom December 8, 1829, and is a son of James and Jeanette (WUson) Chapman. They were married in 1823 in Scotland, and coming to Canada in 1838, spent one year in Montreal, and in July, 1839, settled on the premises now occupied by our subject. Their land was a part of the Indian Surrender Lands, and had been stripped of its best timber by lumbermen. In their family of five children, James, the eldest, married, April 2, 1857, Eliza Ann Ferris, who was born in 1834. They became the parents of twelve children, eleven of whom are living, viz., William, Mary Jane, Jessie, James A., John, Sarah, Anna, Robert, George, Maggie and Andrew, most all of them living at home. Mr. Chapman. and family are adherents of the Presbyterian Church. He is a Reformer in poUtics. Mrs. Chapman died April 24, 1877. JOHN WILLIAM COLMAN, farmer, Newport, was born in Brantford Township, and was a son of Miles and Isabella (Watson) Colman. His paternal grand-parents were MUes and Isabe la Colman, those on his mother's side being WiUiam and Elizabeth (Barrowclough) Watson. He married Sarah Wilson Darnley, daughter of George Wilson and Rachel (Ellis) Darnley, natives of Brant County, and had two children — Ellis Wilson and Miles Garfield. Mr. Colman re-eived a limited education in early life, but has, by industry, integrity and thrift, been rewarded by a large measure of success. He now owns 119 acres of excellent farming land, situated on the Grand River, immediately opposite Newport His farm is weU improved^ and under a high state of cultivation. THOMAS CONBOY, farmer, Conboyville P.O., is a son of Thomas and Bridget (Renolds) Conboy, and was born Sept. 29, 1849. His father came from Ireland in 638 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. 1832, and was one of the early settlers of the county. In his day they were obliged to- carry their wheat and corn on their backs to the mill to be ground. The trials of to-day- have no comparison to those of that period. He had six children, viz.: Frank, a car penter in Brantford ; Lucy, wife of William Swartz, in California ; Charlotte, wife of James Scott; Elizabeth, wife of S. J. McKehey, now in Middleport; James, at home;. Thomas, who married, March 8, 1876, Miss Joanna Cochrell. They are the parents of two children — Mary Augusta, born December 25, 1876, and Alicia Theresa, born December 27, 1878. Mr. Conboy has been Assessor for four years. JAMES COWIE, Caledonia P.O., was born December 29, 1834. He is a son of John and Isabella Cowie, who emigrated to Canada in 1833, and settled in Montreal,. where they remained one year. In 1834 they removed to Hamilton, where they remained until 1842, when they removed to this county. They were the parents of the following children, viz.: sabella A., wife of Robert Poog ; John, who married Eliza Green ; Elizabeth J., married Alexander Howden ; William, married Catherine^ Pile; George, at home; and James Cowie, who married, January 26, 1871, Rachel Jones, second daughter of David Jones. They have no children, and live on his farm, situated on the east line of this county. Mr. Cowie's father, John Cowie, was a soldier in the Rebellion of 1837-8, and for thirty years a Deacon in the Baptist Church. He now lives with his son Jami-s, at the advanced age of 83 years. GEORGE CRANSTON, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., was born in Roxburghshire, Scot land. He is a son of WUliam and Jenet (Goldie) Cranston, natives of Scotland. Mr. Cranston and family emigrated to America in 1830, locating in St. Lawrence County,. New York State; here he remained until 1843, at which time he came to Canada. Mr. Cranston made Haldimand County his home until bis death. He was married twice, George, our subject, being a son by his first wife. George Cranston married Mary Armstrong, a daughter of John Armstrong and Margaret Marshall, who came^ from Roxburghshire, Scotland, to St. Lawrence County, N.Y.,in the year 1833, where Mrs. George Cranston, their third daughter, was born. The Armstrongs subsequently came to Carada, and settled in Oneida Township, County of Haldimand, where the two- families, the Cranstons and Armstrongs, resided in the same locality. George Cranston. came to Brant County in 1864, settling where he now lives. His farm is pleasantly located on the Brantford Road, with a residence built in modem style, showing taste^ and enterprise. Their children are William, Jane, Jenet, John (deceased), Margaret, Robert J., Mary, Peter, Agnes, Elizabeth and George. Mr. and Mrs, Cranston's early days were spent in the States. He is a Reformer in politics, and belongs to the Canada. Presbyterian Church. JAMES CREIGHTON, farmer, Cainsville P.O., was born in Ireland. His father, William Creighton, was a native of Tyrone, Ireland, and came to Canada with all his family, except James, in 1846. He settled in Onondaga, his children, viz., Jane, Ann,. Robert, Isabella, William (deceased), Margaret and Mary, nearly aU living in Haldi mand County. James Creighton married, April 23, 1840, IsabeUa Campbell, daughter of John Cam])bell, of Ireland. They came to America, landing in New "JTork, and afterwards settled in Onondaga, where they occupy a well regulated farm, and enjoy the respect of a wide circle of acquaintances. They have no children. They are mem bers of the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Creighton is a Conservative in politics. ISAAC DAVIS, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was bom in 1824, in Brantford Township, and is a son of David and Elizabeth (Thomas) Davis. David Davis had four chUdren, viz., Mary, John, Peter and Isaac, our subject. He spent his boyhood days in this county, receiving a common school education. In 1838 he visited England, looking up- some blooded stock He married, in 1861, Susanna England, daughter of James Eng land. They became the parents of five children, viz., Sirah A., Maggie, Elizabeth S.,. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 639 Perry and Olive Kate. Mr. Davis has given bis children every advantage of educa tion, his eldest daughter taking honours at the Mohawk Institute. She now holds a position among the teachers of that institution. Mr. Davis owns 200 acres of good land, is surrounded by a bright family, and has all the comforts of a pleasant home. JOSEPH DICKINSON, farmer, Newport P.O., was bom m Lincolnshire, England. He came to New York State iu 1830, and here remained until 1852. He married Sarah Russell, who was born in Sussex Count}', England, and came to the States with her parents. They settled in Brant County in 1852, where they now reside, enjoying the fruit of their early toils. They are the parents of sixteen children, viz., Mary J., bom Sept 14, 1834 ; Eliza, born Dec. 24, 1836 ; Robert D., born July 9,_1838 ; Polly M., born May 30, 1840; Harriet A., born November 24, 1842 ; John S., born July 3, 1844 ; Leander, born March 28, 1846 ; two died in infancy, Marven J., born Dec. 22, 1848; Caroline, born October 28, 1850; Sarah A., born Sept. 3, 1852; Joseph, born Jan. 28, 1854 ; Francis, born July 21, 1856 ; Peter A., born April 22, 1858 ; and George, born August 19, 1861. THOMAS H. DICKINSON, farmer, Brantford P.O., was born in Onondaga, Feb. 24, 1835. He was a son of John and Elizabeth Dickinson, who came to this county at an early period, and have done their share towards its development. Mr. Dickinson was a class-leader in the Methodist Church for thirty years. He now lives with his son, at an advanced age. His looks are no more lofty nor his step proud, but his frame still bears the marks of a vigorous youth. The vigour of his intellect is now wasted and his memory fast decaying, only showing him broken images of the glory that has departed. His famUy consists of five children, viz., William, John, Thomas, George, and Mary Ann. The sons are all at home looking after the interests of their aged parents. Thomas Dickinson was married December 25, 1856, to Jane Kerrison. They have no family, live upon a well improved farm, and are enjoying the fruits of their early labour. George Dickinson is a younger son, who was born January 23, 1837 ; he lived in this county until he was twenty-one years old, then removed to Iowa, where he remained one year ; from there to Colorado, and spent one year there ; from there to Nevada, and afterwards to California, where he remained four years. From Cali fornia to Montana, by the way of Salt Lake ; he remained two years, and then went back to Nevada. In 1874 he retumed to the parental roof, where he now lives. He married, January 21, 1874, and has S' family of three children. WILLIAM DOUGHERTY, farmer, Cainsville P.O., was born in Ireland m 1832. His father, James Dougherty, was born in 1798, and came to Canada in 1833, with his two eldest sons, John and William; they settled in York County. John, who now lives in Haldimand County, was born in 1829. His other chUdren are, Isaiah, born in 1838 — has taught school for some years, and he has also followed the mercantile business ; he now lives in Dacotah, United States — -and Maria, bom in 1841, now Uving in Huron County. Mr. Dougherty came to the county when it was a mere wilderness, and did much towards its improvement He died in the year 1880. William, our subject, was married, October 4, 1865, to Sarah C. Reeker, of the same township. They have had three children, viz. : WiUiam, now at home ; Anna M. (deceased) ; and Mary A. They are members of the East Ward Baptist Church. Mr. Dougherty owns 163 acres of valuable farming land, and is a Reformer in politics. ALEXANDER DOUGLAS, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., was born in Scotland in 1 826. His father, John Douglas, was a soldier in the War of 1812. He settled in Onondaga Township in 1842, following his trade (carpentry) until his death, at the advanced aoe of ninety years. Alexander came to Canada with his father, and married, Decem ber 19, 1872, Miss Jones, of Welsh descent. Their children are Jane, Eliza, Ann, and John, all living at home. Mr. Douglas is an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. 640 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. He owns 104 acres of valuable farming land, and at present is Reeve of the Township of Onondaga. JAMES RACEY, a native of England, came to Canada in 1803, and for a time was in the employ of Clark and Street. In 1816 he located in Mount Pleasant, and here he built a log-cabin, which was looked upon as a mansion at that time. A photo graph of this cabin may be seen at any time, grouped with the photographs of the eminent clergymen of that day, at Mrs. Elliott's. Mr. Racey acted as Magistrate in that section, and the early records which he left now show the marriages of some of the old pioneers with the Indians. He was also Associate Judge in that day. He was the father of eleven children. EDWIN FAIR, farmer, Cainsville P.O., is a son of Alexander and Mary (Carr) Fair. Alexander Fair came to this country from Ireland, with his parents, who settled in Kingston, and, in 1838, in Onondaga. Mr. Fair served his time in the Rebellion of 1837, under Capt. Wilson. He married, November 10th, 1839, Mary Ann Carr, by -whom he had seven children, five of whom are living, viz., William, Peter, Hugh J., Mary A. and Edwin, who now has charge of the old homestead, and looks after the interest of his mother and sister. He is a promising young farmer, and highly respected by all. They are all members of the Methodist Church. WILLIAM FINDLAY, farmer, Conboyville P. 0., is a son of John and Jane (Foresythe) Findlay, natives of Scotland. They emigrated to Canada in 1831, and settled in the Province of Quebec ; in 1837 he came to Hamilton, and from thence to Onondaga in 1838. Mr. Findlay served in the Mackenzie Rebellion as Sergeant in Capt. Usher's Company, Niagara Fencibles. He was also in Hamilton with Capt Tench. He was a mason by trade, and died in 1847, leaving seven children, four of whom survive, viz., IsabeUe, now Mrs. McLane, of Toronto ; Janet, now Mrs. Lees, of Bruce County, J. Miller, of Caledonia, and William Findlay, who married December 2, 1851, Annie Youmie. They have a family of four children, one deceased; the living are, George S., now in Dacotah ; John, at home; and Jame«. Mr. Findlay is a plasterer by trade; he owns a nice farm situated on the Brantford and Caledonia Road. Mr. Findlay has held the position of Councillor for three years, also Assessor. CHARLES H. HAGER, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., was born iu Trafalgar, Halton County, January 30, 1833, and at the age of four years came with his father to Onondaga Township, taking up land known as the Surrender Lands. Mr. Hager was the first settler in this locaUty, which was in 1837, in the midst of an Indian settle ment of the Onondaga tribe. The first birth was Mr. Hager's daughter, Melinda Hager, and the first marriage was that of Ariel Spiers and Mary Hager; the cere- .mony was performed by the Rev. Adam Elliott, the first Indian Missionary of the settlement. Charles H. Hager was one of fourteen children, and married. May 6, 1858, Eliza Hunter. They were the parents of three children, two of whom are liv ing, viz., Susan, born April 12, 1861; and John, born June 28, 1862. Mr. Hager lost his wife, Eliza (Hunter) Hager, in 1866. He again married, October 22, 1871, Ellen Rymal, who was bom September 13, 1842 ; by this union were two children, viz., Celista, born July 2, 1874, and Charles H., bom May 16, 1881. Mr. Hager is a Conservative in politics, and an attendant of the M. E. Church. ALEXANDER HAMILTON, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born AprU 4, 1819, in Ireland ; he was the son of Alexander and Jane (Brown) Hamilton, natives of Ireland. They emigrated to Canada in 1830, settling in Toronto, where Mr. Hamil ton died in 1854, his wife soon following; They had ten children, riz.: Martha, who died near Toronto in 1 870 ; Elizabeth, now a widow, living in Toronto ; Jane, who is living with her daughter, Mrs. Chortton, near Cainsville ; Mary and Eobert, who died in Haldimand County ; Anna, now living in Peel County ; .Margaret lives in Peel BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 641 County ; John lives in Haldimand County ; Sophia (single) lives in Toronto ; and Alexander. He married, in 1841, Jane MoLoohlon. They are the parents of five children, three of them living, viz. : Alexander, who married Miss Renwick, now lives at Port Hope, where he is practising medicine ; Jane married George Deagle, in Onondaga ; EUzabeth, who married Benjamin Squires, now a retired miller (ilr. Squires has a business at Wiarton, and lives at Owen Sound). Mr. HamUton owns 200 or more acres of land, which he cleared mostly himself ; he has a very comfortable house, and is enjoying the savings of his early toil ; he had a limited education, the schools of his day being rather rustic compared with those of to-day. There were no black-boards, no desks, no furniture of any kind ; the seats consisted of slabs and fence- rails, with wooden pins for legs. The balance of the furniture consisted of hickory withes, used to encourage refractory pupils up the hill of science. Mr. Hamilton has risited the old country several times since his removal to Canada. JOHN HAjMILTON, farmer, Onondaga P. 0., was born near Glasgow, Scotland, July 26, 1832, and is a son of Robert and Margaret (Wilson) HamUton, natives of Scotland, where the latter died. The former, leaving his children in their native country, came to America in 1843, and settled in New York State. He subsequently sent for his children, and soon after their arrival he came to Canada and located in Onondaga Township near where his son now resides. He died October 19, 1878. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and the father of two sons, William and John. The subject of this sketch was raised and educated as a farmer, and has followed that honoured avocation through the whole of his life. On March 11, 1863, he married Janet, daughter of Alexander and Isabella (Morton) Hamilton, natives of Scotland, who emigrated to America in 1838 and settled in New York, eleven years later coming to Canada, where the father died. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have had nine children, seven surviving, viz.: Robert, a student of Ontario Agricultural College ; Agnes, Jane, John A., William J., Archibald W. and Janet M. Mr. Hamilton owns a good productive farm of 112 acres, on which he resides, about seven miles north of Brantford. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and a Reformer in politics ; he is now occupying the office of Councillor. JOHN M. HAMILTON, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born July 5, 1843,at Rochester, N.Y. He was a son of Alexander and Isabella (Morton) Hamilton, natives of Scotland. Mr. Hamilton died in 1878; his wife still lives. They emigrated from Scotland to the States, and settled in Oneida County, New York State, where they remained seven years. From there they removed to Rochester, N.Y., for two years; then they came to Canada and settled in Brant County, where he ended his days ; Robert now occupies the homestead. .John M. Hamilton was married in 1866 to Margaret, daughter of James and Mary Hamilton ; she died in 1875, leaving three children, viz., Jane Isabella, Nettie Brownlie, and Alexander Malcolm. Mr. Hamilton owns 90 acres of good land, and is one of the thrifty farmers of Onondaga Township. ROBERT HAMILTON, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born December 22, 1838, m the State of New York. He was the son of Alexander and Isabella (ilorton) HamUton, natives of Scotland. They emigrated to America, settling first in Hillsborough Town ship, Oneida County, New York. Here they remained ten years, and then removed to Rochester. After the expiration of eighteen months Mr. Hamilton settled in Onondaga, where he died, leaving six children, viz. : William, who was drowned while bathincr ; Jenette, Alexander, John, James and Robert, the subject of this sketch. He was married, September 17, 1866, to Mary Hamilton, daughter of William Hamilton. They have six children, viz., Alexander, William, Robert, John H., James M. and Mabel M. Mr. Hamilton owns 90 acres of land, and is a successful and intelligent farmer. 642 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. RICHARD HARRIS, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., was born August 15, 1818, and is a son of William and Alice (Rowe) Harris, natives of Ireland. He emigrated to Canada in 1811, and to the place now occupied by his son, Robert Harris. Mr. Harris. was one of the seventeen who received the first deed of the Indian lands. Richard Harris came to Canada in the spring of 1840. His boyhood days were spent in Tus carora. He married November 5, 1848, Margaret Butler, daughter of Thomas Butler, who was a son of Colonel Butler. The children by this marriage are as follows : Alice, died in infancy ; William T., a physician, whose biography appears in this work ; John, Richard, Robert and Margaret. Upon the death of Mrs. Harris in 1861, Mr. Harris married Sarah Fall is. The children by this marriage are Noble J., Albert E., Theo dore F., Maria J., Mary W., Frederick C. and IsabeUe J., all members of tbe English Church. Mr. Harris owns 200 acres of improved land, upon which he has good build ings. He is a Conservative, and has been Councillor for twenty years. JOHN HARTLEY, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born in England, January 13, 1818. He was a son of Richard and Jane Hartley, natives of England. They emi grated to Canada in 1841, and settled on a farm in Brantford, where they remained until his death, which occurred in 1841. They were the parents of eight children, viz., James, Elizabeth (deceased), John, Hartley, Mary, Mrs. William Canon, Henry and Joseph. T\Ir. John Hartley was brought up to farming, coming to this country when the red man was as numerous as the white man is at the present time. In 1858, be married EUzabeth Field. She died September 23, 1873, leaving four children, viz.: Alfred, born November 1843, married Ruth VanSickle; Mary J., born Oct. 24, 1852, married to James Roloford ; Whitfield, born 1853; and Wallace, born July 18, 1862. Mr. Hartley is a Baptist. ISAAC HODGINS. farmer, Brantford P.O., was bom in Ireland, 1817. He is ason of Isaac and Ann (White) Hodgins, natives of Ireland, where they both died. Their family consisted of seven children, viz.: John, died 1866, in Toronto; William (deceased); Mary, still in Ireland ; Sarah and Ann (deceased). Isaac Hodgins came to Canada in 1834 ; settled for one year in Toronto ; from there he went to Chicago ; while there he engaged as Messenger on the harbour, and finally went to New Orleans. In 1837 he went back to Chicago, where he remained one summer, and then returned to Toronto about the time of the Rebellion, in which he was engaged 18 months. In 1838 Mr. Hodgins married Margaret Nelson, daughter of James Nelson, of Ireland. They settled in this county in 1843, upon his present farm. Mr. Hodgins has spent most of his life in stock-raising, making a specialty of fine horses, now owning the finest Uorse in the county, known as " Little Billy," his pedigree being Clear Grit on the sire side, and old Royal George and Messenger on the dam side. He stands fifteen hands high, and is a dapple bay ; Mr. Hodgins has been offered $5,000 for him. Mr. Hodgins' farm consists of 111 acres, beautifully situated. He has been Commissioner, also School Trustee ; has seven children, viz., William, Ann, Isaac, Nelson, Emma, Minnie and Sarah. Mr. Hodgins is a member of the Church of England. JOHN B. HOPKINS, farmer, Cainsville P.O., was born in Brant County, June 22, 1833, and is a son of Benjamin and Phcebe Hopkins. Mrs. Hopkins was born May 19, 1799, in Niagara Township, near Beaver Dam. Benjamin Hopkins was born July 4, 1798, in Niagara Township, and took an active part in the War of 1812. His widowed wife still lives in Norwich, Oxford County. They had nine children, four of whom are living. John B., the youngest, married Mary J. Jacobs, and has one son, Edmond, who shares the parental roof in Onondaga Township. Mr. Hopkins owns a fine farm of 180 acres, situated in one of the most pleasant parts of the township. ROBERT J. HOWDEN, farmer, ConboyviUe P.O., is a son of Thomas aud Jane Howden, natives of Ireland. They emigrated to Canada in 1826, making Trafalgar BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 643 their home until 1855, when they located on their present farm. Mr. Howden is now 90 years of age. When he first came to this country it was generally a wilderness, the few settlers living in log-cabins, surrounded by a small lot of cleared land. But by industry he has acquired 200 acres of valuable farming land. His family consisted of twelve cbUdren, eight of whom survive. Robert, the youngest of this famUy, has charge of tbe farm, and looks after the interests of his aged jiarents. ISAAC HOWELL, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born in Onondaga March 22, 1839, and is a son of William and Eliza (Day) Howell, natives of Canada. The former was. born in Wentworth County, and the latter in Brant County ; she still Uves on the old homestead with her sou. Her family consists of six children, as follows : Georj^e W., born in Oct., 1833, married Elizabeth Popplewell, and is now living in Oakland ; Jane A., bom in 1835, married Simon Olmstead, and is now living in Townsend ; Alex ander, born in 1837, married, in 1862, Elizabeth Lincoln, who died in 1873, when he married Alice Shuntleworth, in 1875 ; Isaac, the subject of this sketch, married, in 1875, Mary Alice Holmes ; John W.. born in 1841, married Hester Shaver ; William, born in 1843, married, in 1876, Helen Sutton. Mr. Isaac HoweU has three chUdren, riz., Melvin, Harrold, and Edgar ; Mr. William Howell has three, viz., Isabella, Laurie, and Edwin. These two fdmilies /occupy the old homestead, and the heads are two very successful and enterprising men. They have a first-class farm, furnished with good and substantial buildings. Their aged mother makes her home ¦with them. WILLIAM HUNTER, farmer, CainsvUle P.O., was bom March 2nd, 1826. He- was a son of Thomas Hunter, native of Ireland. They came to Canada at an early day, having been nine weeks and three days upon the water. The boat which carried them up the rapids of the St. Lawrence -^as dra'wn by French horses and oxen. If a boat got to reeling any, they were obUged to cut the rope to keep the oxen from being drawn into the river. When this was done, the boat would run back two or three miles ; they were then obliged to reattach their oxen and proceed again. Wbert they reached the rapid caUed the Long Sault, twelve^oke of oxen were attached to one of the main ropes, and two yoke of oxen on the line from the stem ; the boat got the advantage of them, and they cut the main rope, thus saving the twelve yoke of oxen, but the two yoke were dragged into the rapids. After much excitement they reached Hamilton by water, and Jfrom there to Brantford they travelled in an oxen cart. Here Mr. Hunter died in March, 1879, at the age of 80 years. He was a soldier in the Rebellion of 1837, holding the office of sergeant. He was a member and class-leader of the Wesleyan Church. In his family of twelve children, WiUiam was the second eldest. He married, in 1850, Harriet Smith, who was born in New York State. Her father, Christopher S. Smith, taught the first school in this county among the Indians. Ofttimes he came face to face with the red men and their knives, for some little punishment which had been inflicted upon their children. Mr. Hunter has a family of nine children. His farm consists of 112 acres. He has been a Coun cillor for a term of nine years ; also Constable, and is highly respected by all. JAMES JAMIESON, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was bom in Paris, Brant County, Ontario ; his parents were James Jamieson, who was bom at Whiteman's Creek, Brant County, and Jemima Jamieson, his wife, born at CainsviUe, Brant County. They belong to the Cayuga tribe or band. Their family consisted of six boys and six girls. James Jamieson, Sr., was an Indian letter-carrier during the late war, iik which General Brock lost his life. He had no education, his children also being deprived of it, as there were no schools in those days. He used to carry the mail free between St. Catharines and Amherstburgh, usually on foot, horses being scarce at that time. The subject of this sketch married JuUa Ann Jamieson, who was born in Onondaga Township, Brant County. Mr. Jamieson often goes away visiting the 644 HISTORY OF BR.iNT COUNTY. Indians of the Indian Territory and Western States, teaching them how to plough, split rails and make chairs, tables and other useful articles. This he does gratis, receiving no compensation whatever. He has many fossils, stones and other articles used by the old Indians of past days. He owns a farm of valuable land, which he cultivates in a successful manner. He had but little advantage of education, but he has taken pains to educate his children to the best advantage ; so much so, that they have forgotten their own language, and have to be addressed by their parents in English, which is a great disadvantage, as the parents are not thorough-speaking English. The family consists of the following children: Benjamin, Mark, Maggie, Benny (deceased), Sarah, Mary, Julia Ann, James, Robert, Elizabeth, Clara Lady Dufferin, Matthew and Monica. JOHN LYONS, farmer, Onondaga P.O., is a son of David and Mary (Carlton) Lyons, who lived and died in Ireland. Their family consists of thirteen children, four of whom came to America. John settled near Toronto, and remained there fifteen years. In 1835 he married MatUda, daughter of Alexander Dunn, both natives of Ireland. Mr. Lyons was a soldier during the Rebellion, taking an active part in the battle of Callow's Hill. He has two fiint-lock pistols and a sword he used in that war. He was twice married ; by his first wife he had six children — David, Alex ander, Martha, Mary, and two deceased. His second wife was Miss McLaughlan, of Scotland. Mr. Lyons is a spiritualist. OSBERT E. McINTYRE, farmer, Onondaga P.O., is a son of Daniel Mclntyre, on the Mt. Pleasant Road, whose history may be found in this work. He married, Nov. 12, 1879, Augusta Chittenden, of Brantford. They are the parents of two chil dren, viz., Alva, born Sept 4, 1880, and Laura M., born Aug. 5, 1882. They -were married by W. H. Porter, of Brantford. His farm is beautifully situated on Grand River. Mr. Mclntyre is a progressive young farmer, and is esteemed by all who know him. JAMES McLEOD, farmer, CainsviUe P.O., was born in Brant County, March 22, 1858. He was a son of Duncan and Mary McLeod. Mr. McLeod settled in Onon daga in 1837, living on the farm now owned by his son James until death, which took place in 1880. He was the father of three children, viz., James, George H., born Aug. 19, 1861, now telegraph operator in Minnesota, and Joseph A., who died in infancy. Mrs. McLeod's father was a native of England, and afterwards a resident of Brant County. Mrs. McLeod and son are members of the Methodist Church. ROBERT MULLIGAN, farmer, Conboyville P.O., was bom in Ireland, August 4, 1826. -His father, William Mulligan, emigrated to Canada in 1833, and settled in Onondaga Township in 1842, where he remained until his death. His wife, Mary (Jarvis) Mulligan, still survives, being at this writing 86 years of age. This family consisted of eight children, viz., Elizabeth, William, Mary Ann, Richard, Catherine M. James and Robert, who came to Canada with bis father in 1833. He married Eliza beth Atkinson. They are the parents of ten children, one deceased, viz., WiUiam and James, Robert, who married Eliza James, Mary J., Margaret, Thomas, Matilda, Lauretta and Wellington, all at home. Mr. Mulligan lost his first wife, November 29, 1876. He again married January 29, 1881, Mrs. Martha (Olmstead) Evans. Mr. Mulligan owns 200 acres of improved land, and has been Trustee in that district for many y^ars. MURDOCK MUNROE, farmer, Cariuke P.O., was born in Scotland, Aug. 1, 1829. He was ason of John and Margaret (McKenzie) Munroe, natives of Scotland. John Munroe was born December 20, 1789, and died AprU 29, 1872 ; Mrs. Munroe died in 1840. They were the parents of nine children, viz., four died in Scotland ; John died 1846; Catherine, now widow of Daniel Forbes, of Haldimand County; Daniel (deceased) ; BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 645 Alexander, born in 1833, died at Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1863; and Murdock, sub ject of this sketch. The latter married, January 8, 1857, Ann Chapman, who was born October 6, 1833. By this union twelve chUdren were born, five of whom are living, viz., WilUam, bom March 20, 1859, living athome; John, born AprU 3, 1861 (single), now a miUer in Huron County; Alexander, born March 17, 1863, living at Caledonia, a mUler by trade ; Jessie, bom March 3, 1865, living at home ; and George, born Sept. 18, 1871, also living at home. Mr. Munroe has lived on his present farm since 1843. He came with his father to the settlement when it was a wilderness of pine and hard wood timbers; by hard labour they brought it to its present state of cultivation. Mr. Munroe'sfarm consists of 100 acres, well stocked with fine sheep and cattle. He and family are Presbyterians in religion, and he is a Reformer in politics. WILFRED NICHOLS, farmer, CainsriUe P.O.. was bom in Canada, May 29, 1861, and is a son of Henry and Jane (Whitehead) Nichols, both natives of England. Francis Nichols, grandfather of Wilfred, was a cabinetmaker. He came to Canada and settled in Quebec, where he followed his trade. His famUy consisted of six chUdren, Henry, Wilfred's father, being the fifth. He was bom in England, and came to Canada vrith his father, and first settled at Quebec and then Toronto. In 1848, he married Jane Whitehead. They became the parents of nine children, riz., Annie, bom October 21, 1849, now the wife of Levi Lott ; Alfred, bom January 31, 1851, now married, and Uring near St. Thomas ; Fanny, died in infancy; Henry, born May 27, 1859, now cattle-dealer in the States; Eliza, born May 27, 1857, now vrife of Rev. H. J. Fair; Wilfred, now in charge of the farm; Emma, born February 27, 1863, Uving at home ; Jane, born January 27, 1867, now at home; and Fannie, bom June 25, 1869, died, 1881. Mrs. Nichols has taken pains to give her family good advan tages of education, being now rewarded by their support. They are members of the EngUsh Church. ROBERT POGE, farmer, ConboyvUle P. O., was born in Ireland in 1823. , He was a son of John and Lima (Maxwell) Poge, natives of Ireland, who came to Canada in 1828, and settled in the South Gore, and in 1837 they came to Seneca Township. Here Mr. Poge died in 1831, from injuries received by the faUing of a tree. His ¦wife soon followed, learing six children, viz., Nancy Jane, Anna, John, Robert, WUliam and James. Robert, our subject, married, in 1835, IsabeUe Cowie, by whom he had twelve chUdren, ten of whom are Uring, riz., WUliam C. and James, in Kent County; Anna, IsabeUe, Samuel, Robert, George, John, Elizabeth and Alexander, at home; all Baptists in religion and Reformers in politics. Mr. Poge has given his chUdren a good education, and is much respected in bis community. JAMES SIMPSON, Onondaga P.O., was born in England, and was a son of James and Judith (Benham) Simpson, natives of England. Their family consisted of seven chUdren, viz. : John, stUl living in England; WUliam, in Halton, England; Thomas, now in Port Albert ; Samuel (deceased) ; George, Uring in Brantford ; and EUza (deceased); our subject being the seventh. He emigrated to America, landed in New "York State, and by some misunderstanding took a ship to New Orleans. From there he was obliged to return by stage. He stopped at Cleveland until navigation opened, when he crossed the Lake to Port Burwell, and from there through St. Thomas to London, on foot. Securing three horses at London, they came to Brantford, landing at a hotel known as Robinson Hall, then kept by Fred. Vanderlip, there being, -with the exception of log-cabins, but few houses at Brantford at that time. Mr. Simpson the next day engaged a month's board of Mrs. Joseph Squires, after which he bought a supposed Indian claim of fifty acres, which proved of no value. He then took a pre-emption right of land, known as the Indian Surrender Lands, where he still lives at an advanced age. He was a very hard-working man, as his good deeds go to show. His 646 HISTORY OF BEANT COUNTY. wife was Eliza Logoce, daughter of Michael Logoce, a native of France, who acted as messenger in tlie War of 1812. They became the parents of seven children, viz. : George, bom May 11, 1846, married Mary Jane Elliott ; Selena, bom March, 16, 1840, married Wm. Wood; James, born December 10, 1849, married Julia Ann Gardner ; Mary J., born January 30, 1852. now at home caring for her aged father ; -Samuel, born June 5, 1855, at home looking after the interests of the farm ; Michael, born November 18, 1857, at home; Eliza, bom 1860, now Mrs. Wood. Mr. Simpson lost his wife in 1862. He attends the M. E. Church, and is a Conservative in politics. WILLIAM SIMPSON, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born AprU 29, 1849, and is a •eon of Samuel and Caroline (Mitchell) Simpson. Samuel Simpson was bom in the ¦County of Hampshire, England. He came to Canada in 1841, and settled in Onon- ¦daga. In 1842 be married, at Hamilton, Caroline Mitchell, daughter of David Mit- •chell, a native of Hampshire County, England. Mr. Mitchell came to Canada in 1836, and settled in Newport, then called Birch Landing. In this family of ten chil dren, Mrs. Simpson was the second child. Mr. Simpson died April 5, 1880. He was a man of very genial disposition and faithful in his duties as a Christian, serving as a Deacon in the Baptist Church, of which he was a member for a great many years. Their family consisted of seven children, of whom six are living, viz. : Mary A., now Mrs. Broughton, living at Newport ; Thomas F., married Frances Misnor, now carry ing on a blacksmitli shop in Onondaga Village ; Sarah, living at home ; Elizabeth C., who died July 20, 1874 ; Samuel, blacksmith with his brother ; Albert E., who resides on the farm with his mother; and William, the subject of this sketch. He married, April 25, 1876, Mary, daughter of James H. Osborne, M.D., County of Norfolk, Ontario. Their children are : Meta Maud, born July 16, 1877; Judson H, born January 7, 1879 ; Albert E, born January 20, 1880 ; Newton 0., bom March 3, 1881 ; and WilUam Ward, born July 2, 1882. Mr. Simpson is a promising young farmer, resid ing on the homestead, and highly respected by all. JOHN STEWART, farmer, Cariuke P. O., was born in Scotiand, May, 1824. He ¦was a son of Robert Stewart and Margaret (Carrick) Stewart. He came to Canada in 1849, stopped for a short period at Hamilton and other places, and in 1854 he bought a saw mill in Ancaster Township. John Stewart is a millwright by trade, and in 1861 he built a grist mill in addition to the saw mill. Mr. Stewart bought the farm in 1870 which belonged to the late Thomas Brown, which he has conducted since very successfully. In 1857 he married Jessie Harvey, by whom he had twelve chUdren, viz., Robert, Jessie, John, Margaret, Anna, Ellen, 'Walter, Mary, Allison, IsabeUa, Elizabeth and Eachel. Mr. Stewart owns a first-class farm, with good buUdings. They are Presbyterians in religion, and he is a Reformer in politics. "WILLIAM TAWS, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born February 22, 1843, at Cains ville, Brant County. He was a son of Andrew aud Isabella (Walker) Taws, natives of Scotland, Andrew Taws died shortly after he came to Canada, William being but two years old at the time, and when nineteen his mother died. He lived in the family of Mr. Legacy until he attained the age of 22 years. He then lived eleven years with Mr. Fiyers — two years before his marriage, and nine after. Since the death of Mr. Fiyers, Mr. Taws has lived upon the property owned by Mr. Fiyers, a part being willed to him, and the rest he bought. He married Oct. 7, 1878, Emma Fiyers, who was born September 18, 1844. This union has been blessed with five children. Mr. Taws owns 200 acres of land, 170 of which are under cultivation. He keeps good stock, and is a Methodist in belief. JOHN URIE, farmer, Carluke, was born at Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1824, He is a son of William and Barbara (Lochead) Urie, natives of Scotland, who emigrated to America in 1830, and located in New Brunswick, where they remained ten years. In BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 647 1839 they came to this county, and settled in Onondaga Township, and here Mr. Urie died in 1877 ; his wife still survives, at the advanced age of 86 years. In his family of seven chUdren, John, the third, was married in 1852 to ^Miss Ellen Eiach, •daughter of George Riach. They have five children, viz., WiUiam, George, John M., Alexander and Ellen, all weU educated. Mr. Urie has accumulated a nice estate, con sisting of 140 acres, situated thirteen miles from HamUton and eighteen from Brantford. He is Justice of the Peace, and was Councillor for two years. He is a Reformer in politics. GEOEGE VANSICKLE, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born in Ancaster Township ¦on May 30, 1834, and is a son of Abram I. and Annie (Miller) VanSickle, natives of the State of New Jersey. Mr. VanSickle was but two years of age when he came to Canada. He settled in Ancaster Township, where he remained until his death. His wife still resides there, and is the mother of fourteen children, George being the sixth. He married Janet Wood, and now has a family of six children, viz., Alice, Mary, Annie, Abram W., WiUiam (deceased), and Emily; most of them are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. VanSickle owns 220 acres of good land, pleasantly situated on Grand River. ELIJAH WALKER, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., was born in March, 1838, and is a son of James and Jane (Wills) Walker, natives of Ireland, who emigrated to Canada in 1832, settling first in Brockville, N. Y., then in St. Catharines, and finally in Onondaga Township. Mr. Walker was a member of the English Church, and a soldier in the RebeUion of 1837. His family consisted of eight children, five of whom are living, viz., John, who married Rebecca Stubs, now Uving in Lambton County ; Robert, whose biography appears in this work ; and Elijah, our subject, who married, in 1868, Catherine, daughter of James Ferris ; she died Oct. 29, 1875, leaving five children, viz., Sarah J., Ida E., James E., Susan E., and Catharine A. Mr. Walker mamed April -25, 1879, for a second wife, Ellen, daughter of Samuel Johnson ; she came to Canada in 1860 from Ireland. There were no chUdren by this union. Mr. Walker is taking pains to give his children by his first wife a good education. He has been Church Warden for a number of years, and owns 171 acres of well improved land, and is a Conservative in politics. He is also a successful exhibitor at the Provincial and other agricultural exhibitions. ROBERT WALKER, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., was born January 31, 1830. He is a son of James and Jane (Wills) Walker, and was married, Ap-ril 18, 1857, to Matilda Atkinson, daughter of Thomas Atkinson, a native of Ireland. Their union was blessed with seven children, viz., Rebecca, now the wife of Thomas Myerscaugh, of this township ; Thomas, Emma, Eleanor Etta, Robert, Laura May, and John ; all mem bers of the English Church. Mr. AValker's father, James Walker, took an active part in the Mackenzie Rebellion. Mr. Walker owns a good farm, situated on the Brantford and Caledonia Road. He is a Conservative in politics. WILLIAM WOOD, farmer, Onondaga P.O., was born in Berwickshire, Scotland. He was the son of Robert and Janet (Dean) Wood. His father was a land steward, whose famUy consisted of nine children. Andrew, who emigrat'^d to Canada, landed in Hamilton. He afterwards settled in the Township of Turnberry, County of Huron, where he purchased 1 30 acres of land, and died in 1 88 1 . Annie, David, Hannah and Mary, all died in their native land ; Janet, Robert and Catherine are still Uving in Scotland. William, the subject of our sketch, married in Scotland, in 1836, Mary Gill, daughter of James Gill. Mr. Wood came to Canada in 1852 ; landed in Hamilton, from thence to Jerse^wille, in the Township of Ancaster, County of Wentworth, where he lived four years"- be then bought 170 acres in the Townships of Onondaga and Brantford. Mrs. Wood died on the 7th February, in the year 1868, leaving six chUdren living, viz.. 648 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. Janet, who married George VanSickle ; Hannah married Harvey H. VanSickle, pro prietor of the Star Washing-Powder Manufactory ; Mary, married William Thompson (deceased) ; William, married Selina, eldest daughter of James Simpson ; Robert, married Eliza Simpson ; and Elizabeth, the youngest in the family. William and Robert now have charge of the farm, and look after the affairs of their aged father. They are all members of the Baptist Church. SOUTH DUMFRIES TOWNSHIP. WILLIAM E. ADAMS, resident of Paris, and a member of the firm of Adams, Hackland & Co., of the Grand River Knitting Mills, Paris, was bom on January 8, 1828, in England, being a son of Charles and Amelia Adams, also natives of England. They emigrated to the United States in 1832, and on the passage out Mrs. Adams and the eldest daughter were drowned. Mr. Adams afterwards became united in marriage to Elizabeth Collins, of Providence, R. I., where they remained until the year 1865, when they came to reside in .Ancaster, Ont., which they did until his death, which occurred in 1870. His widow is still living, and resides at Ancaster, Ontario. WUliam E., the subject of this sketch, settled in Paris in 1868, and was married, Oct 11, 1849, to Marion L. Hanscome at Portsmouth, N. H. This lady is a daughter of Oliver and Marion Hanscome, and was born in 1830. Of this union there were nine children, of whom six are now living, viz., Charles Edwin (junior member of the firm of A. H. & Co.), Laura, LUlie, WilUam H., John W., and Frank. The names of deceased are George A., drowned Dec. 11, 1869, at the age of eight years, by an accident at the knitting factory, Paris ; Wallace B., aged four ; and Frank, who died in infancy. Mr. A. was Town Councillor in 1878, and is a member of the Masonic Order as well as the Sons of Temperance. Mr. and Mrs. Adams are members of the Canada Methodist Church, and Mr. Adams himself has been a very successful man since entering the business arena. JACOB H. AHRENS, proprietor of the Paris Potteries, is a native of Germany, where he was born on 5th Sept, 1828, his parents, J. H. and Lena (Cook) Ahrens, being also natives of Germany, and both born about the year 1802. They were married in 1826, the former (who was a builder by trade), dying in 1836. The latter emigrated to Canada, and is still living. Her second husband was Henry Doebler, who died about the year 1878. Our subject himself was married on 21st November, 1865, to Mary A. Huberd, born in Wales in 1841, and a member of the Church of England, her husband embracing the New Jerusalem persuasion. To bless this union there were six chUdren, four of whom survive, riz., Caroline, Nelson, Sarah and Lena, all at home at present, and going to school. While in Germany, Mr. Ahrens learnt the pottery trade as well as something of the art of war, for in 1849 he was drafted into the army, and served three years duruig the war ¦with Denmark on the Schleswig-Holstein question. In 1852 he sailed for Canada, making Berlin, Waterloo County, his destination, whence he subsequently moved to Brant County, and engaged in the pottery manufacture in 1859. By industry he made money, but in 1869, the unfortunate breaking away of the dam at Paris caused a loss to him of $2,558. Mr. A. has fiUed the office of Town Councillor for five years. , ROBERT AITKEN, farmer, Glenmorris P.O., was one of the first of the army of pioneers, and settled in Dumfries Township. He was born an Roxburghshire, Scot land, and was the son of George and Esther Aitken, who both died in Scotland at an BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 649 advanced age. Robert Aitken was married on June 7th, 1827, to Elizabeth Little, daughter of Andrew and Agnes Little, Roxburghshire, Scotland. She was born January 30th, 1805, and after an active life, passed away on the 4th of March, 1879. Mr. Aitken is a member of the Presbyterian Church. The first land he bought is the farm on which he is now located, a well improved farm of 108 acres. He is the father of ten children, eight of whom are still living ; their names, according to seniority, are Cecilia, Agnes, Esther, Janet, Mina, John, Mary, George and Jane. Esther was married, 28th October, 1853, to John Miller; Mina was mairied 26th November, 1857, to William Richardson, and is now living in Campbell Township, Ionia Co., Michigan. The great bulk of the land in the immediate vicinity of where Mr. Aitken's farm now is, prior to his settling here, was owned by one Mr. Wm. Dickson, of Gait. A. A. ALLWORTH, editor of the Brant Review, Paris, is a twin son of Rev. W. H. AUworth, who was for seventeen years pastor of the Congregational. Church, Paris. The AUwor'-jh famUy came from Wiltshire, England, in 1830, and settled on a farm at Frome, near St Thomas, Ont. About nine years afterwards the eldest son returned to England for a year, when he recrossed the ocean and became a school teacher at a place called Southwold, County of Elgin. Subsequently be attended the Congregational College, Toronto, as a student for the ministry. The first scene of his labours as a pastor was Stratford, aud afterwards he devoted nine months of his clerical duties in Burford, Oakland and Scotland ViUages. In the latter place he was succeeded by Rev. W. Hay, the present pastor. In October, 1865, Rev. W. AUworth was appointed to the Congregational Church at Paris, and between that time and the latter part of September, 1882, the congregation were enabled to erect the present handsome church and manse, and made great progress, numerically and otherwise. NELSON W. AMES, farmer. Township of South Dumfries, is a native of Blen heim Township, Ont, where he was bora November 12, 1814, and is the son of Brockby and Mary Ames, who were born in the United States. From there they emigrated, in 1804, to Canada, and. settled for about eight years in Waterloo, Ont., when they moved to Blenheim Township, seventh concession. The father wa!s born in 1773, died in 1819 ; and the mother was born in 1771, died in 1827. After the death of her first husband she was united in marriage with Peter Beamer, who sur vived ber. She and her first husband remained in Blenheim Township until the spring of 1819, when they moved into South Dumfries Township, to the farm owned by Leonard Sovereign. Mi-. Brockby Ames was a farmer all his days, with the excep tion of the period during which he was engaged in fighting bis country's battles. He took part in the Battle of Lundy's Lane, the most stubborn fight of the War of 1812- 1815, and received a wound that ultimately caused bis death. He was also present at the engagement of Queenston Heights, where General Brook was kUled, October 13, 1812. Nelson W. Ames, the subject of our biographical sketch, married, October 16, 1838, Ruth Muma, who was born in East Dumfries Township, November 4, 1821. She is a daughter of Christian and Ann Muma. Her father was a native of Pennsyl vania, and her mother of New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Ames are members of the Methodist Church, and are the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living, viz., William N., Ruth J., James A., Alexander T., Emma A., Mary L. and Maggie. The deceased are WUliam N. and Charlotte. Mr. Ames has filled the office of School Trustee, and has met with marked success in his farming operations. From 100 acres of land, on which he first started, he has now 530 acres of well cultivated land, vrith comfortable dwelling houses and substantial outbuildings. DANIEL ANDERSON, deceased, was a native of Monroe County, State of New York, where he was born 2nd April, 1805. His parents, Datuel and Catharine Anderson, came into Canada in 1825, and spent the remainder of their days there. 39 650 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. The former, who had followed the pursuits of farming during his life, died in 1857, and the latter in 1858. Daniel, the subject of our sketch, was married 6th March, 1834, to Christina McPherson, a native of Genessee County, New York State, having been born there 22nd July, 1811. Mr. Anderson died 14th June, 1882, a member of the Dumfries Street Church, Paris, and beloved and respected by all who knew him. He filled for two terms the office of County Warden, and was Township Reeve for eighteen years and Deputy Reeve two years, before the township was divided. As an acknowledgment of their appreciation of his long services as Reeve and Deputy Reeve, the people of the Township of South Dumfries presented Mr. Anderson, in Feb., 1870, with a handsome gold watch and chain. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had a f'amUy of three, two surviving — John and Christina Ann. The late Mr. Anderson had a good early educational training, and built himself up by his industry a fair competence, and left, at his death, a comfortable home for his widow and faniUy. THOMAS J. ANDERSON, farmer,Township of South Dumfries, is a native of Dum friesshire, Scotland, where he was bom Feb. 7, 1827. His parents, James and Jane Anderson, were bom in Scotland, the father dying there about the j'ear 1830, and the mother dying in England about the year 1865 ; the former had been a farmer during his lifetime. Thomas J. Anderson emigrated in 1844, and settled in New Brunswick for a period of five years, when he moved to Perth County, Ontario. Here he remained four years, and, stUl working eastward, found himself next in Blenheim Township, County of Oxford, where he was settled for eighteen years. Finally he removed to the farm in Brant County, where he and his family now reside. He was married, Jan. 24, 1851, to Jane Kyle, born also in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, Jan. 6, 1829 ; she emigrated to Canada with her mother in 1844. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are members of the Presbyterian Church, and have had a family of nine children, seven of whom survive, viz., James, Margaret, Janet, John K., Elizabeth, WiUiam and Jeanie. Christina was born March 10, 1866, died Jan. 21, 1876 ; Thomas was born March 19, 1868, died Jan, 19, 1876. Mr. Anderson has been a very successful farmer all along. He has a fine farm of 150 acres, well cultivated and highly improved land. CHARLES ARNOLD (deceased). The parents of the subject of our sketch, who were married about the year 1814, emigrated in 1883 from England to Canada, and settled in Paris, where they resided up to the day of their death. They brought to Canada with them a family consisting of three sons and two daughters, of whom only John is now living. The late Charles Arnold was born in Bedfordshire, England, 17th December, 1818, and married, 13th February, 1844, Agnes Taylor, who was born in the neighbourhood of Belleville, Ont, 1st February, 1819, and died, 5th May, 1854, a », was born in the County of Norfolk, Ontario, on 29th Dec, 1825. and is a son of WiUiara and Diana (Bloomfield) Sovereign. The former, who was engaged in farming through life, was born in Penn sylvania March 28, 1791, died March 12, 1868 ; the latter was born in Genessee Co., N.Y,, Dec. 23, 1795, died Jan. 2, 1867. They were married in Norfolk Co., Ont, AprU 25, 1819, he coming into Canada and settling in Norfolk Co. in 1799, where they both remained until 1834, when they removed to Brant County for the remainder of their lives. Leonard, the subject of our sketch, lived with his parents up to the time of their death, and came to Paris in 1876. He had a good, sound common school education, and has been engaged in farming most of his lifetime, and met with success. He is a Justice of the Peace, and has filled the office of Councillor for South Dumfries. He had three brothers and four sisters, of whom three are living — Mary, Eliza and Jane ; and the names of the decea.sed are Horace, Jeremiah, David and Levina. ALEXANDER SPOTTISWOODE (deceased) was a resident of South Dumfries Township at the time of his death, which occurred November 4, 1876. He was a native of Stirlingshire, Scotland, where he was born March 17, 1817, and emigrated to Canada about the year 1832, settling first at Windsor, Out., where he remained two years. He then moved to Ambertsburgh, Essex County, and losing his health there, returned to Scotland for a short visit. Agiin arriring in the land of his adop tion, he tried his fortune in the Town of Brantford, engaging in business for a few years with a Mr. Roy. In course of time Mr. Spottiswoode entered into the general store business in the Town of Paris, and went into the manufacture of plaster of Paris. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 683 He was for a number of years one of the largest business men in Paris, and in 1857 he moved into South Dumfries, where he remained till his death. Mr. and Mrs. Spottiswoode were married January 7, 1847. She was a Miss Catharine Latshaw, born in Waterloo ViUage, Out., March 25, 1822, and is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. Spottiswoode, who was educated in Scotland, took an active part during. life in the politics of the country, ranking himself as a firm supporter of the Reform party. He held the office of Justice of the Peace, and was a most useful member of the community in which he lived. To Mr. and Mrs. Spottiswoode were born six chUdren, of whom five are now living — Joseph A., Clara L., Samuel R., Hattie and Isabella B. Mary R, who was born July 1, 1851, died July 9, 1879; she received her education at Hamilton, State of New York. GEORGE STANTON, Postmaster, Paris, is one of the old pioneers of Brant County, having settled there as early as 1831, making St. George his first abiding pla ce, from which he moved to Paris, where he has resided ever since. Mr. Stanton was born in Quebec, on March 13, 1804, and is a son of WUUam and Margaret Stanton, the former of whom was born in Staffordshire, England, on October 4, 1756, and the latter was bom at St. John, Province of Quebec, on May 15, 1775. They were married in St John on Nov. 19, 1791, and settled in Toronto (then caUed York Town) in 1805, then removed to Fort Erie, thence to Amherstburgh, where Mr. Stanton died on June 12, 1833 ; Mrs. Stanton died at Fort Erie on June 19, 1820. In 1812 Mr. Stanton was appointed Assistant Commissary-General, which commis sion he held up to the day of his death. The subject of our sketch, George Stanton, was united in marriage on November 19, 1835, to Sarah VanEvery, who was bom in Flamboro' West on April 5, 1814 ; they are both members of the Church of England. Their family consisted of thirteen children, of whom six survive, viz., WUliam, Fannie„ George, Mary, Sarah and Allan N. Theb eldest daughter, Margaret (now deceased), was the wife of James Zimmerman, Esq., and was born August 15, 1836, died June 5, 1880. Mr. Stanton, who acquired a grammar school education, commencing at the late Dr. Strachan's school, Toronto, in 1812, is the oldest Justice of the Peace in Brant County. He filled the office of Town Councillor for two sessions, and is Colonel of the 4th Battalion of Brant Militia. In 1837 he raised a company of Volunteers at St. George, and served under Allan McNab during the Rebellion. In 1833 he was appointed Postmaster at St George, and subsequently at Paris in 1860, a posi tion he still holds. While a resident of St. George he was engaged in mercantUe business, besides operating a grist mill, a distillery and a farm. He gave the Village of St George its name, at the suggestion of a Mrs. Sarah Barmour, long since deceased. It can be faithfully recorded that no one can be more highly respected in the com munity in which they live than Mr. George Stanton and his family. WILLIAM TELFER, farmer. Township of South Dumfries, was born in Scotland 14th February, 1830, and is a son of the late William Telfer, also a native of Scotland, who emigrated to Canada in 1845, settling in South Dumfries Township. Mr. Telfer, Sr., died December 20, 1880, but Mrs. TeUer is stUl Uving in Paris, Ont. William, our sutiject, was united in marriage, 15th April, 1858, with Elizabeth McPherson, who was born in Halton County, Ont, 2nd March, 1828 ; she is a daughter of the late Duncan McPherson, of South Dumfries. SYDNEY THOMAS, farmer, St. George P.O., was born August 15, 1836, and is a son of Jonathan and Elizabeth Thomas. Mr. Jonathan Thomas was born near Rutland, in the State of Vermont, May 23, 1793, and died September 29, 1860, aged 67 years, 4 months, 6 days ; Mrs. Thomas was born in Niagara County, York State, in the year 1796, died April 25, 1869, aged 72 years, 3 months and 29 days. They came to Canada about the year 1815, and settled near St, Catharines ; three years later 684 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. they moved west into Dumfries, and settled on Lot 13, 1st concession, where Sydney Thomas now lives. The land was purchased from the Hon. Wm. Dickson, who owned the whole township. They were tbe parents of eleven children, four of whom are still living. Mrs. Thomas died April 25, 1869. Mr. Sydney Thomas, the youngest son, is now in the homestead. He was married, December 24, 1863, to Rebecca Ade line, daughter of James and Sarah Jane Potroff, of Binbrook, Wentworth County. They have been blessed with seven children, all of whom are living. Their names and ages, according to seniority, are as follows : James S., born December 21, 1864 ; Frank W., born January 2, 1867; George W., February 24, 1869; Charles E., AprU 11, 1871 ; Elizabeth Ada, September 10, 1873 ; Mary Maud, June 23, 1876 ; and William J., February 20, 1879. They attend the Methodist Church. Mr. Thomas received a common school education, and has made good use of it. He has 2 48 J acres of improved land in his farm. ROBERT WALL, farmer, Dumfries Township, was bom in Somersetshire, Eng land, on January 19th, 1840, and is a son of John and Caroline Wall, both natives of England. The former, who was engaged in farming all his life, was born Jan. 16th, 1814, and the latter on Christmas Day, 1819. They were married in England, and emigrated to Canada in 1848, where they have since remained, principally in Brant County. Robert, our subject, was married, in 1866, April 10th, to Eliza Jane Ash, ¦who was born in Ireland on 30th Oct., 1842, and is a daughter of William T. and Alice M. M. Ash. Both are members of the Wesleyan Methodist body, and have had a family of seven children, of whom there survive five, viz., Anna, Emma, Edwin, William Thomas, and Charles. Mr. Wall acquired but a comparatively limited education, but by industry and integrity has built himself up a comfortable home, with an ownership of 187 acres of well improved land, on which he resides. JOHN WESTWOOD, farmer. Township of South Dumfries, was bom 28th July, 1850, and is a son of Thomas and Mary Westwood, the former of whom was a native of the State of New York, where he was born 25th Jan. 1813, and whose parents were John and Eleanor Westwood. The elder emigrated to New York, from Leeds, Yorkshire, England, and from New York State he came to Canada in 1822, and settled near Beaver Dams, in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, where they resided about two years. In 1824 they moved west, and located on Lot 10, con. 1 of South Dumfries, where he taught the first school in the neighbourhood, and where his son Thomas lives at present Here the elder Mr. Westwood died 5th September, 1833, and his widow on the 18th March, 1846. John Westwood was married in October, 1874, to Alice, daughter of Samuel Armstrong, who is at present in Michigan, and by her has one child, Maud Alice, born 4th July, 1876. Thomas Westwood was married, 2nd July, 1846, to Mary, daughter of John and Dorothy Kitchen, of Dumfries Township, and to this union have been born five children, of whom four survive, viz., Dorothy, John, married to Alice, daughter of Samuel Arm strong, of Dumfries ; Harvey, married to EUzabeth CampbeU, of Brantford Town ship, and daughter of Archibald Campbell ; and David Nathan (deceased) was bom 6th June, 1851, died 8th May, 1856. Mrs. Thomas Westwood died November 8th, 1879, in her 61st year. Thomas Westwood's brother, Samuel, who is three years younger than Thomas, has always resided with him, and is still making his residence at Thomas' home, unmarried. The Westwood family are members of the Methodist Church, in which Mr. Thomas takes an active interest. He received the rudiments of an ordinary rural school education, and has been successful in life. At present he is owner of 150 acres of well improved land. In 1862, the skeletons of fifteen Indians were discovered on the farm, and in 1878, twenty-six more, evidently indicating the locality of an Indian burying-ground. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 685 HUGH WHITE, farmer, township of South Dumfries, was born in that township 21st June, 1827, and is the son of Thomas and Mary (Harvie) White, natives of Scot land. His mother emigrated with her parents to the United States in 1811, and irom there to Canada in 1817. His father first emigrated to the States with his brother about the year 1824, and moved shortly afterwards into Canada. He walked the greater part of the journey, driving a yoke of oxen, with a cart loaded vrith sundry articles essential to pioneering purposes, such as a plough, axe, chains, etc. He first settled in North Dumfries, and was married in Canada to Mary Harvie, in 1826, Squire Ellis performing the marriage ceremony. They remained in North Dumfries a great many years, and in 1844 moved into South Dumfries, where they ended their days. The father, who had been a farmer through life, died 7th Dec, 1870, aged 74, and the mother died 19th January, 1868, aged 78. Hugh 'White, our subject, was married 11th March, 1858, to Janet Wallace, daughter of James and Janet WaUace, and bom 7th April, 1833. Mr. and Mrs. "White are members of the Presbyterian Church, and are the parents of six children, five of whom survive, ¦viz., Thomas, Mary, James W., Janet W. and Henrietta ; the deceased, Hugh, died in infancy. Mr. White filled the office of School Trustee for several years, and has met with marked success in his farming operations. He and his wife and family reside on the old home farm, consisting of 450 acres. He possesses in all 870 acres of land, nearly all under cultivation, with excellent buUdings. JOHN WILSON (deceased), who for a quarter of a century was one of the most prosperous farmers in South Dumfries, was a native of Aryshire, Scotland, where he was bom in 1805. His parents were John and Elizabeth A. Wilson, who lived and died in tbe " land of the mountain and the flood." John Wilson married, about the year 1836, Susan Howell, daughter of Nathan and Susan HoweU, who were natives of the United States, and who emigrated to Canada and settled in Copetown, near Flam boro', Ontario.. Mrs. Wilson, who was born 17th July, 1817, is a memberof the Pres byterian Church, of which her husband was also an adherent. Mr. Wilson settled on the home farm in 1837, where he remained up to the time of his death, which occurred 1st May, 1861. When he first moved into South Dumfries Township he bought the 100 acres where his widow and family now reside. Mr. and Mrs. WUson had a family . of eight chUdren, of whom four are now Uring, viz., Robert C, Ogden (in British Columbia), Elizabeth A., and ElUott, who lives in Paris. The deceased are Durlty, Mary, Rachel and John H. Robert C. manages the farm, and Elizabeth assists in the management of the house. Mr. Wilson, by his exemplary industry and integrity, always developed success out of his undertakings ; and when he left this world, his family lost a kind and affeetionate husband and father, and the community a useful and good citizen. W. B. WOOD & D. BEATTIE WOOD, proprietors of the St. George and Woodvale Flouring Mills, as well as the saw mill, are sons of Alexander and Ann Wood, natives of Scotland, who emigrated to Canada in 1853, and who are still living. Mr. Wood, Sr., is a retired farmer, haring been for the greater part of his life engaged in agricultural pursuits. W. B. Wood was born in 1848, and in 1872 married EUen Malcolmson, a Canadian by birth ; they have a family of three, viz., Maggie, Nellie and Alexander. He has been for the past two years a member of the Dumfries Township Council, and is also a member of the Masonic Fraternity, as weU as an office-bearer in the Presby terian Church. D. Beattie Wood was born 22nd August, 1858, and was united in marriage with Frances Clark, 17th May, 1882. The two brothers, who both enjoyed a good common school training, are, together with their families and parents, members of the Presbyterian Church. They have been partners in the milling business for about three years, and have met with considerable success. W. B. Wood became the owner 686 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY. of the Woodvale Mills in 1876, and did a good business in them alone until 1880, when the fine three-story stone mill was purchased, and the partnership between the brothers entered into. The mdls are driven by first-class never-failing water-power, and this, in addition to their situation in a splendid wheat section, and their proximity to the railway station, makes the property very valuable. If industry, integrity, and good business ability are guarantees of success,. W. B. Wood and D. Beattie Wood are on the safe road to prosperity. TUSCARORA TOWNSHIP. BENJAMIN CARPENTER, teacher, Newport P.O., is a son of Abram and Hannah (Adams) Carpenter, and was born March 26, 1832. His boyhood days were spent in Brantford Township. He received a good education at the Mohawk Institute, and is now engaged in teaching, for which profession he is well fitted. He has a farm of 85 acres, is Chief of the Cayugas, a member of -the Methodist Church of Canada, and an influential Indian in his tribe. HENRY CLINCH, farmer, Ohsweken P.O., is a son of Joseph and Catherine (Green) Clinch, natives of Canada, who were born and raised in Onondaga Township. He is a Chief of the Oneida tribe of Indians, and was married, in 1849, to Miss Ellen Hess, by whom he has had six children, viz., Amos, Joseph, Catherine, Louisa, John and Charles. Amos married Miss Elizabeth Cross ; Joseph married Miss Mary Grear; Louisa married Mr. James Garlow; and all are living in Tuscarora Township. Mr. Clinch has a good farm, and is one of the most industrious Indians in the reservation. He belongs to the Wesleyan M. E. Church. JACOB DAVIS, farmer, Burtch P.O., is a son of Lawrence and Esther Davis, natives of Canada, and members of the Mohawk tribe of Indians. Jacob Davis, the subject of this sketch, was born in March, 1826, and in 1848 was married to Miss Catherine Hill, daughter of Abram HiU. They have the following children living, viz., Mary, John, Lawrence, Sarah, Jacob, Joseph and Francis. All are good scholars, and all have had good school privileges. His farm consists of 200 acres of good land, a greater part of which is being tilled. He is a member of the Church of England, and is one of the Cayuga tribe of Indians. DR. ROBERT HILL DEE, Tusc-arora, Township of Onondaga, County of Brant, was born at Stamford, County of Welland, July 24, 1829, and is a son of Deputy Assistant Commissary and Elizabeth Dee, both natives of England. Dr. Robert Hill Dee was educated at Stamford, and was taught Latin and Euclid by tbe late Rev. Dr. RusseU (Presbyterian minister). He Obtained his degree of M.D. from the University of Buffalo, State of New "5fork, in Feb., 1852, and passed the old Medical Board, of which Dr. Widmer was chairman, in April, 1852, his studies having been followed under Dr. F. C. Mewburn, at Drummondville, near Niagara Falls, Ont. The Doctor commenced practice in June, 1852, at what is now known as the Village of Selkirk, on Lake Erie, County of Haldimand, Ont In Dec, 1853, he came to Middleport, County of Brant, since which time he has been physician to the Indians of Tuscarora Township, and until 1867 he also had an extensive practice among the whites of Onondaga Township. Dr. Dee's experience with the early settlers, bad roads, (fee, of the cotnty, have been per haps greater and more varied than that of any other physician, and we are indebted to him for notes relative to the Indian Settlement which will be found in another part of this history. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 687 JOHN HILL, farmer and merchant, Ohsweken P.O., is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Dixon) Hill, natives of Canada, He was married. May 24th, 1853, to Miss Mary Loft. Their children were six in number, viz.: Albert E., David, Robert, Enos, Thomas E. and Hilton. His father was Thomas Echo Hill ; he was bom in York State, and came to this country with the first settlers. He is a Chief of the Seneca Indians. His wife is a Baptist in belief, while he attends the Plymouth Church. His chUdren are all attending school ; Eobert and Enos attend the Mohawk Institute ; Albert's aim is to be a mUler. Mr. HiU keeps a general store at the Council House, and is a substantial citizen of the reservation. JOSIAH HILL, farmer, Ohsweken P.O., was bom October 22, 1843 ; he is a son of Abraham and Mary (Longfish) Hill, natives of the State of New York, who were among the first settlers of Tuscarora Township. Abraham Hill's father, after whom Whiteman's Creek was named, took an active part in the Revolutionary War, and afterward located on Whiteman's Creek, in this county, where Abraham was bom in 1805. Josiah and Richard Hill are the only surrivors of their father's family of five ohildren. Josiah is a Chief of the Tuscarora Indians, and in April, 1864, married Nancy, daughter of Jacob Hill. To this union four children were born, viz. : Simeon, -who is preparing himself for the miiustry at the Mohawk Institute ; Amelia, Leopold and John Starr. The latter was named after John Starr, Esq., of Ohio, the writer of this biography, and a representative of the publishers of this work. The subject of this sketch is a well-informed and intelligent gentleman, who watches with great pleas ure the progress his race is making in their upward march to civUization and Chris- tianization. He is a prosperous farmer of much natural abUity, and a worthy member of his tribe. He is a Baptist in belief. DAVID JAMIESON, farmer, Hartford P.O., is a son of James Jamieson, a native of Canada, born on Whiteman's Creek. He was married to Susannah Longfish, and they were blessed with six children, five of whom are still living, viz., Wilson, Eunice, Harlow, Annie and Nancy. They are all members of the Baptist Church. They have a farm near Hagersville, Haldimand County, of 200 acres of good land. Mr. Jamieson is one of those fair, honourable Indians, of whom there are many in Tuscarora Township. G. H. M. JOHNSON, Tuscarora, Chiefs Wood, Ontario, County of Brant, was born near Brantford, Ontario, on the farm known as Bow Park, October 7, 1819 ; he was a son of John Johnson, and a grandson of Sir WiUiam Johnson, the first English officer and Superintendent of the Six Nation Indians, who were then in the United States. The mother of our subject was Helen Martin. She was the mother of six children, viz., Joseph, William, Margaret, Aaron, Susannah and G. H. M. The subject of this sketch was married August 27, 1853, to Miss Emily Susannah HoweUs, daughter of Henry and Mary (Best) HoweUs, natives of Bristol, England. Her father emigi-ated to America and settled in Ohio, where be remained until bis death. By his maraage Mr. Johnson has had four children, viz., Henry B., now a resident of Hamilton; Helen C. Eliza, AUen W. and Emily Pauline, all members of the Church of England. Chief Johnson is a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and for a number of years acted as an interjireter for some of the first missionaries among the Indians. He tells many quaint and interesting stories of the manners and traditions of his people, and has a great number of relics and curiosities, which he has gathered during a lifetime of usefulness. Among the latter might be mentioned an idol which was taken from one of the temples of the Indians, when they were pagans, and a knife which was found by digging at tbe roots of a tree, where a conscience-stricken murderer, ninety years of age, confessed to have placed it more than seventy years before, and at the time he com mitted the crime. A visit to the chief is always amply repaid by the interesting facts and sights that the visitor there enjoys. 688 HISTORY OF BBANT COUNTY. GEORGE ALEXANDER MARTIN, farmer, Newport, a native of this county, was bom in Onondaga Township, July 1, 1857, and is a son of Alexander and .^ye (Hill) Martin, and a grandson of Peter and Lydia (Loft;; Martin, all of the bix Nation Indians. He married, October 31, 1881, EUzabeth Agnes Miller, daughter ot Anthony and Sarah (Doxtader) Miller, and granddaughter of Anthony and Catherme MUler, of French descent They have one child — Emma Amelia, born July 26, 1882. The subject of this sketch is a graduate of Mohawk Institute, which he attr^nded four years, and taught school in the Indian Reservation, Tuscarora Township, for two and a half years. He was Secretary of the Six Nation's Agricultural Society for the years 1881-1882. He farms 98 acres in Tuscarora, and is succeeding fairly. He is a mem ber of the Orange Order, and also of the Church of England. Mr. Martin is a nephew of Dr. Oronhytekha, one of the most talented Indians of the Six Nations, who is a member of the Masonic, Foresters, Maccabees, and Good Templar Fraterni ties, and widely known and respected on tbe Continent of America. . JOHN F. MARTIN, farmer, Hartford P.O., is a son of Simeon and Dora (Longfish) Martin, and was born May 24, 1852. He was married in 1871 to Mrs. Russell, a widow having five children when he married her, viz., Joseph, Claiboume, WUson, John and Sarah. Tbe children of tbe second union were five in number, viz., Andrew, Francis, Eliza, Nellie and Ella. They are connected 'with the Baptist Church. Mr. Martin bas 150 acres of good land, is one of the Committee of Arrangements of the Six Nation Indians' Agricultural Society, and one of tbe substantial Indians of the township. PETER MILLER, farmer, Ohsweken P.O., was a son of Anthony and Catherine (Martin) Miller, natives of Lower Canada, born December 23, 1838. He was married April 17, 1864, to Jemima Clause, of Quinte Reservation. His family consists of eight children, viz., Angeline. M., William, Joshua M., Francis, Jemima, Catherine, Emma and Robert, all living at home. His father was in the army at the time of theRebelUon of 1837-1838. He lives in the Township of Tuscaroia, has 100 acres of land, and is among the thrifty and industrious Indians of the township. He received a good common school education, mostly at the White School. They are members of the Church of England and of the Mohawk tribe of Indians. Mr. Miller has a good farm, and is making rapid and steady progress as a farmer. He contemplates improving his place still further. GEORGE POWLESS, farmer, Tuscarora P.O., is a son of George and Elizabeth (Martin) Po%vless, of Canada, born in the county. He is living on the upper part of the reserve, near to and opposite Middleport, on the Grand River, Tuscarora Town ship, and was born March 23, 1851. He was married, on November 26, 1873, to a daughter of Nelson Martin, of Bay of Quinte. His family consists of six children, three living, viz., Edwin P. E., Minnie L. H. and Cyril N. His education and that of his wife were received at the Mohawk In.^titute. He has taught school for seven or eight years, and has now began to build upon a piece of land of 60 acres on the banks of the Grand River, on a splendid site for a beautiful residence. He and his wife are both members of the Church of England, and descendants of Captain Brant, the celebrated warrior. PETER POWLESS, farmer, Ohsweken P.O., was a son of Peter and Esther (Lattridge) F<5wless, the former of whom was, in the War of 1812, a Chief of the Mohawk Indians. Peter, Junr., was born June 10, 1844, and was married to Miss Catherine Henhawk, by whom he has had four chUdren, viz., Isaac, Elizabeth, Peter and WiUiam. Mr. Powless, Junr., is a Chief of the Mohawk Indians, and a member of the Church of England, as were all his progenitors. ALEXANDER G. SMITH, interpreter for St. Paul's Church, Kemyengah, Newport P.O., was a son of George Smith, and was born on April 15, 1849. He was married BIOGRAPHICAL .SKETCHES. 689 in 1871, to Miss Mary Wage. Mv. Smith is interpreter for the St Paul's Church of England, Kemyengah, under the employ of the New England Company, near the famous Sour .Springs. He is also a Chief of the Mohawks. He is one of those men whose desire for education ran so high as to induce him, at the age of 13 years, to apply to a friend of the Indians, Rev. Canon Nelles, for a position in the Mohawk Institute. which he obtained, and from time to time was promoted uutU he received a good edu cation. His family consists of six children, viz., Charlotte, Henrietta, Mary L., Lily N., Alexander, G. E. They are members of the Church of England. WILLIAM SMITH, farmer, and Chief of the Mohawks, Burtch P.O., was a son of Aaron and Deborah (Johnson) Smith; his mother was of the Mohawk tribe, his father of the Oneidas. WUliam Smith, Jr., was born June 22, 1841, in the Johnson Settle ment, near Brantford, and was married September 3, 1864, to Miss Charlotte Miller, daughter of Anthony Miller. Thev have seven chUdren living : Mary Sophia, born July 7, 1865; William, bom Aug. "22, 1867; Charles Frederick, died Dec 3, 1874; James, bom Oct 23, 1872; Elijah, bom Feb. 8, 1875, died JiUy 27, 1876; Alfred George, born June 25, 1877; Frederick S., born Dec. 28, 1879; Minnie Gertrude and Edwin, born Jan. 22, 1883. Mr. Smith is a Chief of the Mohawks by adoption, and President of the Agricultural Society of the Six Nation Indians. He is a member of the Church of England. He has 300 acres of land under the best cultivation. His education was obtained at the Mohawk Institute, and he is one of Tuscarora's best citizens. WILLIAM WEDGE, County Constable and BaiUff of the Indian Forest, Ohsweken P.O., is a son of William and Catherine Wedge, natives of Canada, and is one of tbe Chiefs of the Cayuga tribe of Indians. He is also Bailiff of the Indian Forest, and Constable of the county. He was bom July 12, 1828, and was married in Aug., 1858, to iliss Catherine Jamieson. They have one child, Ellen, who was married to James Bamberly, and has a famUy of two children. Mr. Wedge is a member of the Church of England. He owns a farm of 100 acres. YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 9002 05832 6381 -r : *¦-¦.**' 9 ffi ^"''~/' J