It is somewhat difficult, fifty-five years plus after the fact, to bring to memory clearly, all the features and facts of a memorable character. Nevertheless, because WALTER HUME was one of a kind, and made an indelible impression at the time, he should be remembered.

We moved from Coldwater, Ontario, to the farm, on the Ridge Road, in Oro Township, in September of 1940. The farm was on the corner of the fifth concession and the Ridge Road, and the Public School (S.S. #1, Oro), which we were to attend, was almost at the second concession and the Ridge Road, at Shanty Bay. The distance - in the good old days before metric and s.o.b. Trudeau who destroyed everything of British origin in Canada - was close to three miles; more exactly two and one half miles. To today's generation, that translates to four kilometers, that's kee-lo-meters, not kil-om-a-ters, because we are Canadian and want to be different from the French who invented the metric system.

I am disgressing from the point. Walter was one of three strange men living on the old apple orchard farm, on the third concession of Oro.

There was Professor Hume, the father of Walter and Walter's brother - whose name I can not bring to mind. The Professor, was actually that! He lectured at McGill University in Montreal. It was said that if the Professor ever forgot what he had had for breakfast, all he had to do was check the white bib on his lecture gown. There was always a trace of his last several meals on the gown - eggs, strawberry jam, blueberry juice - he ate well.

The Professor was eccentric - Walter was odd - his brother was crazy! Nevertheless, they brought something to the community that has never been replaced!

The family, I suppose was German. Walter certainly looked impressively German, particularly to impressionable children, in 1940, this the second year of the war in which the Germans were successfully beating up on the British. Every kid knew that everything German was bad, and everything British was good, and that every kid had to be diligent and on the look-out for GERMAN SPIES! They were said to be everywhere!

Our first meeting with Walter was in early September of 1940 as Frances and I were on our way home from one of our first days at the (new to us) school at SHANTY BAY. We were just approaching Watt's Crossing - the railway crossing of the Ridge Road and the fourth concession - and there was one of the biggest men we had ever met.

He seemed big to us. He was probably six feet +, but he wore a huge coat, with immense sized pockets, which stretched from his shoulders to almost his ankles. It was very heavy, and it was the size of those pockets which struck us first.

He looked like a GERMAN! His head was not shaved, but was covered by very short, stubbley, light coloured hair - probably blonde. And blue eyes. A lot of Germans were blonde with blue eyes. Everything about him seemed huge to us. And his skin was pink, not tanned, as almost every other person in Oro Township was at the end of the summer. This must be a German spy who has just been waiting for poor hapless British Subjects on their way home from school.

He asked us if we were British War Orphans! Mr. Churchill, we knew, was sending all the little British school children to Canada to get away from the Germans who were trying hard to kill them all! Maybe he thought that we were a couple of British kids who had got away!

We very promptly, and courteously, told him that we were not BRITISH War Orphans - as if that would save us, that are name was ROBINS, that we had just moved from COLDWATER - everybody knew where Coldwater was - and that we were living on the old Packard Farm!

We both wanted to ask him if he was a German spy! The thought struck both Fran and I at the same time! But as discretion is the better part of valour, we separately - but jointly - decided not to ask the question. After all, everybody knew that German Spies already wore coats with large pockets - in which they hid hand grenades - and that they would lie in wait and throw hand grenades at hapless British Subjects on their way home from school.

We escaped the wrath of the German Spies that day. We found out in time that Walter was quite harmless, and that he genuinely liked little kids. His quirk was that when ever he got his hands on any money, he would head for Barrie and the F. W. Woolworth store, where he would spend all of his money on gifts, toys and trinkets, which he would give away to the local kids.

Tha he preferred to give his gifts to the girls, rather than the boys, caused early concern. But as far as I can remember, there never was any basis for genuine concern. Walter just wanted to be liked!

That Walter spent all of his money in Woolworth's - money that was undoubtedly the family's income, let to an agreement that either Woolworth's would not sell to Walter - if the clerk knew him, or that if he got his presents that they could be returned by the Professor and that the money would cheerfully be refunded.

When this knowledge filtered down to the public school level, the word always spread like wildfire when Walter got his hands on some money and was on his way back from Barrie. The kids then sought out Walter, and Walter was liked!

Hester Ann Gill, eldest daughter of the late Jacob & Sarah (Sutherland) Gill, founder of the well known family in this district

Jacob Gill moved his family from Newmarket to Penetang in 1829. On Monday, October 1st, we started and got to Holland Landing, there we made ourselves as comfortable as we could in one of the old Government Buildings as there was no other shelter for the night to be found. The next morning we got our breakfast as best we could then the goods were put on board a schooner and about noon we were ready to start down the Holland River. We were on that boat until the next afternoon when we came to the head of Kempenfelt Bay now Barrie where we and the goods were landed in a small boat as there was no wharf of any kind at that time. When we got on shore we built a fire and cooked our supper as there was no place we could get in. There was a little store house, kept by a man named Sullinger, which Father got the goods put into. Then we climbed up a hill that seemed very high and long and came to a place where a man named Walker was building a new house and he was kind enough to let us have the use of it for the night. Next day Mr. Walker in a big lumber wagon drove us out on the Penetang Road to where a man named Carriage had a brewery, there we stayed until the afternoon of the next day, father having gone out to Oro to get a team to take us on to Penetang. He got an old coloured man named Smith and it was afternoon on Friday when we started from there. We went onto where some people named Richardson lived and tried for a nights lodging but could not get in so we had to go on in the night and darkness with a lot of little children crying and cross for their supper, ‘til we came to where some people named Craig lived. They were building a new house, it was not very far on but had a floor and a fireplace in it, and the people were very kind to us, helping father to get a fire to warm ourselves by, and we were sadly needing it, we soon had something hot to eat, as we had food and camp kettles with us and while we were busy making ourselves comfortable Mr. Craig had a big pot of new potatoes boiled, bringing them in hot and steaming, and for a lot of such hungrey folk as we were, it was a treat. next morning we were up betimes and had our breakfast before it was light but early as it was, Mr. Craig’s people had been up long enough to bake a loaf of bread, (in a baking kettle) made of wheat ground in a steel mill and used without sifting the bran out. It was the sweetest bread I ever ate. The kindness of these people was great. Well, we were on the road early that day, the wagon going first with the little ones and provisions, the rest of us walking. At noon we stopped to rest, feed the horses and get our dinner. Then we started thru what was called the nine miles of bush, and surely it was a dreary day. The road through the tall dark pines so narrow that in several places father had to get a pole to pry the wagon hubs off the trees. it was long after dark when we came to Mrs. Monday’s where we got shelter for the night. Next morning, Sunday, we arrived at the town of Penetang about two miles from what was called the Establishment, where the soldiers were. Next morning we were taken across the bay to the mouth of the river on which the mill that Father had built for Mr. William Robinson was, where we were intending to live.

When we got on shore we were met by an oxcart to take the things up to the house. We children were a happy lot, running wild through the woods. (I do not think there is anything that makes us feel so free as to get into the woods that are just as the ‘Great Father’ planted them).

We were soon at the house, (just one week from one home to the other) the goods being brought in by batteaux for Nottawasaga Bay, having been brought across the portage from Kempenfelt. This mill was built to saw lumber for the Government buildings that were erected at that time. There was a large stone house built for the soldiers and brick house for the officers. The lumber and timber was made at this mill. Some of it being too long and too large for the mill was sawn by men, the log lying on beams over a pithole in the ground, one man standing on the log and one in the pit, pulling the saw up and down. Then it was taken down and made into rafts and floated down the bay to the place where the buildings were. When this was done Father went too and was bookkeeper and paymaster to the men who were working at the building during the summer of 1831. The next winter we went back to Newmarket. We went in sleighs and were only about three and half days going back.

In the spring of 1832, Father came here (to Orillia, that is) to engineer the building of the chief’s house for the "Indian Department". Here as well as at Penetang the greater part of the lumber was sawn by men with what was called a whip saw. At that time this place called the "Narrows Village". Until there was a Post Office all fathers letters that came were mailed to Penetang and then sent onto him once a month by the soldiers who brought the money to pay the men with. Father came in the spring and the family came in June of the year, 1832. We came to Holland Landing and stayed there all night, in the same old log house as before, then loaded the things on an open schooner and came down the Holland River, got as far as Mr. McVittey’s, where we had dinner. At Eight Mile Point had supper and a run in the woods, then went on the boat again and as there was no wind the man had to paddle all the way from there to the Village. It was about ten o’clock when we got to Orillia and the whart was some trestles put out in the water about twelve feet apart and poles about six inches thru laid on them (the end of one laid between the ends of the other two) so that there was a pole and a space alternating and when we were on them the poles would spring up and down like a weavers treadle so we were very glad when we were on land.

Next morning we were up early to see the new place. There were from twelve to sixteen log houses which had been built for the Indians, the school house forming the centre. They were built in the form of a "V". Above these were two larger houses, one for the farmer kept to teach the Indians and one for the minister. The greater part of these buildings were south of the Coldwater Road and for about three miles toward Coldwater there were at intervals houses on each side of the road the road built for the Indians before we came. Father, superintended the building of the chief’s house and then surveyed the Indian Reserve Lands thru to Coldwater. This reserve lay along both sides of the Coldwater Road. He also built both the saw mill and flour mills here and at Coldwater for the Indians.

In the fall, 1832, the last of the boating, Captain Wood came and settled down where Bay Park is now and Mrs.Wood told me that they lived that winter in a shanty (16 x 12) until after Christmas without a firepalce, building a fire at one end of the room. Money was not wanting but was not much use just then as there ws no way to get away from here after the lake was frozen over and non but Indians to do anything. Then there came one of the hunters down from the north and stayed with them until spring and knowing more about how to make them comfortable, he built a fireplace and filled in between the logs that formed the walls so as to keep out the cold and snow, thus makin the cabin warmer. At that time this place was called the "Narrows Village", afterward "Newtown" and then "Orillia".

My first ride to Coldwater was in 1833. I went over on horse back alone on a pony of Father’s starting about nine in the morning. At that time the road consisted of a track out thru the woods with a log bridge to cross the North River and another at Purbrook without a house of any kind from "Bass Lake" to "Coldwater". My father was then building the mills there for the Indians. (Saw Mill and Flour Mill) The next ride I had to Coldwater was in the fall of 1846. I was then married to Leonard Wilson since August of 1834 and was then living on our farm on the town line between North and South Orillia.

My Father, then living at Coldwater, had been ill for a long time and I received word that if I wished to see him alive I would need to go at once. So there being no conveyance of any kind to be had and only one horse (a three year old colt which had never been saddled) at liberty. I told the neighbours who were trying to help me, I would go to him. So they got a saddle and got it on him with difficulty. When I was mounted they strapped a quilt on behind the saddle and put my oldest little boy, about eleven years old, on it and we started about four in the afternoon. near "Price Corner" we had a long causeway to cross, and in crossing, the horse got his foot in a hole between the logs and fell on his side. how it was that horse or riders were not hurt I could not tell but we were not and I led the horse over to a log and got on myself but could not get the boy on, so we went around to Mr. Fraser’s on the Coldwater Road and he put him on again. By this time it was getting dark but we went on. When we got to the other side of "Purbrook", the horse would keep turning to go back home, so I let him turn but always turned him all the way around so as to go onto Coldwater. We got there about ten o’clock, my father was still living and lived three days after, thus died one of Canada’s pioneers.

He came to Canada in 1812, going first to Nottawasaga River Mouth to build ships for the Government and was left there with two other men to care for the things that belonged to the Government. Sometime before spring their provisions gave out and they could get nothing short of Penetang. After waiting four days they started on a breakfast of one biscuit each. About two miles before they got to the barracks, one of the men gave out and had to be carried most of the way and Father always said he believed it saved all their lives as anxiety about their companion and helping him to walk short distances, kept them all from freezing and gave them something to think about besides their own weariness and suffering.

To these notes by Mrs. Wilson, Mr. Jacob G. Wilson the eldest son, who accompaned his mother on her ride to Coldwater) adds: When mother and I went in the night to Coldwater there were no clearings or houses between where "Warminster" is now and a distance of seven miles. All a dense forest of timber, somethimes inhabited by bears, wolves and lynx. I have had some experiences with bears that I could tell about if it would interest anybody.

When this history of our Caldwell and Luck families was begun, it was intended to be no more than a gathering of statistics. The more information that was obtained, the more it seemed that statistics told very little, about the people. So statistics are at the back of this folder, and the story of our people, as far back as available records go, begins at Crown Hill.
The Township Oro was settled primarily by English and Scots, the Scots more in the north-eastern areas, around Guthrie and Hawkestone, the English around Crown Hill.
The first road, which became one border of Oro, was the Penetang Road, now Highway 92. It was a transport road for the fur-trading North West Company, and for the militia stationed at Penetanguishene. The first settlers of the area began locating themselves along it in 1819.
In 1820, the remainder of Oro Township was laid out in 200 acre lots, with allowances for roads. United Empire Loyalists or their children were eligible for 200 acre grants, free of fees, but subject to settlement duties. (Ontario's wilderness frontier was being steadily pushed west as increasing number of emigrants arrived in the mid-1800's. A settler had 18 months to do his settlement duties, which required that he clear 5 acres of field plus his half of the road allowance; and, that he build a 18 x 20 house covered in shingles. If he located next to a clergy reserve (every 7th lot) then his road would go nowhere. This system of giving land to the Established Church of England was intended to eliminate the need for "tithing" whereby the Church in Britain was allowed to take 1/10th of each year's produce. The hope was that the rent from church lands would fund the church's needs, but with pleanty of cheap land, few farmers wanted to just rent and, thus, these vacant lots held up road development. This system was abolished in 1844 when these lands were given up for sale.}*
*Last paragraph taken from "The Broadwoods", by Roy McGilvray, 1993. However this was the system of settlement in Ontario in the 1800s.
Edward Luck and his wife Martha Jones, came to Oro from Albany, N.Y, in 1819, previously having come from Crown Hill, Devonshire, England, and settled on the Penetang Road in what became Crown Hill, on land which is immediately north of what was Crown Hill Anglican Church.
A school would have been important for the area, but one does not appear to have been established in Crown Hill until 1842. Edward Luck, Jr. was the first teacher, and he taught continally until 1864. At the time of his death he was considered one of the oldest surviving settlers of the district.
All ages and grades were taught in Crown Hill school. The pupils sitting two to a desk. For many of the pupils schooling was far from continuous, and some ended with very little, for the older boys did not attend at busy periods of the farm year.
Water for the school had to be drawn from a spring at the foot of the hill, in a still-forested area. It was the duty of the older boys to fetch the water, but one day they returned with empty pails and much excitement. A large bear had taken over the spring. Which is an indication of how wild the area still was.
Other stories Mother, told dealt with the difficulty of getting capable teachers. One who did not last long claimed the devil was in the room, and locked the door while he bashed away at the corners where the devil was hiding. The pupils climbed out the windows.
The living was undoubtedly hard, and when the few chances for entertainment came along, were enjoyed to the fullest. A work bee would be followed by a party.

The Caldwells produced big families, and the descendants of the first Caldwell, of whom we have record in Canada, add up to well over 100, not including the present young generation.
In 1831 George Caldwell and his wife, Hannah Demeline, with 3 children, sailed from Goole, Yorkshire for Canada.
Mother, (Effie M. [Caldwell] Aconley), told me George Caldwell would not talk about his life before coming to Canada. The port from which he left, Goole, is at the extreme south-east of Yorkshire, and was a good deal busier and more important at that time than it is today. It is possible the Caldwells came from somewhere in the district around it, for they settled by choice in a area of English people.
In the Old Country way, his wife was called by her grandchildren, Grandmother Demeline. She must have been a forbidding woman, for Mother admitted to being scared of her, though she saw little of her.
After arrival in Canada, George and Hannah Caldwell stayed for a short time in Scarborough, then in 1834 took up land in Crown Hill. Four years later they moved slightly father southwest to a more advantageous location, a little closer to Barrie, on the top of the hill at Crown Hill. The present Highway No.11 now passes over where the house was located.
George and his wife had 11 children altogether, the last 8 being born in Canada. All but one of them married.
George Caldwell was an early and staunch supporter of the Crown Hill school. Considering this, plus the fact that their homes were so close that not much more than a roadway separated them, it seems logical that the Caldwell sons should seek wives among the children of the long-time but now retired, schoolmaster, Edward Luck,Jr.
According to my Mother's stories, Alfred Caldwell, the eighth son and youngest Caldwell child, set out to court Caroline Luck, the sixth and third youngest Luck daughter. On a courting visit, Alice, the seventh Luck daughter, offered him a plate of apples. He judged Alice was more thoughtful than Caroline, and turned to courting Alice.
Alice was a blue-eyed blond, with a considerable will of her own, and apparently a fondness for the color blue. When the wedding ceremongy was discussed, Alfred asked Alice to choose a more subdued color than blue for her wedding gown. (White did not become a traditional color for wedding gowns until the 1900's). No doubt Alice sat on his lap and promised she would not do a thing he did not like. She appeared at her wedding in a blue dress, that brought out the color of her eyes, while Caroline, who was her bridesmaid, wore soft dove-grey. According to Mother's tale, Alfred was so angry, he almost switched on the spot to marrying Caroline after all.
Caroline did not remain unmarried. Alfred's next older brother, Joseph, and Caroline "stood up" for Alfred and Alice at their wedding, and later they themselves married. Joseph was Reeve of Vespra Township for 14 years.
Most of George and Hannah's family farmed in and round Oro. However, the third son, William became a blacksmith. He built the third brick house to go up in Barrie, at 147 Collier Street.
The fourth son, Thomas, went to Montana, U.S.A., but later came back to oro to farm. He left two of his sons, Tom Joseph in Wisconsin, and John Miles (Jack) in North Dakota, to practice medicine.

No account of the Lucks or the Caldwells would be complete without reference to their Church. They took religion VERY seriously.
Because of all the English settlers in the Oro district, the Anglican Church was the first one built at Crown Hill. It had an active congregation, and the cemetery for the district was built in the churchyard around it.
Some of the Anglicans began to disapprove of their Church, and left. Land for a new Methodist Church was donated by Alfred Caldwell, and the Church was built in 1880. This Church, now a United Church, is still in use.
The Anglican Church was closed a few years ago, and for a time was used as a store-room for Church publishing. It is now an ethnic Church.
When the Methodist Church joined with other Protestant Churches to become the United Church, the stricter Methodists refused to join, and became the Free Methodists, with even stricter standards. The nearest Free Methodist Church was at Hillsdale, and most of the older Lucks, and some Caldwells, adhered to it.
Alice's daughter, Effie (mother of Verna Aconley), was greatly comforted when a Free Methodist Church was established in Barrie, so that she could easily attend. She was, until she left Barrie, the organist for it.

*The following is taken from "A History of Vespra Township"
Page 348 - Free Methodist Church

The Free Methodist congregation had its beginnings with the revival camp meetings held in Thomas Luck's bush, Lot 16, Conc 1, Oro. A camp meeting made it possible for people from great distances, Muskoka, Toronto, and the Northern United States to meet for a week or two. As support was gathered from the community, a church was built.
In 1892, on land donated by Thomas Luck, the new church was built. This site at Lot 16, Conc 1, Oro, was situated near the corner of the Pentanguishene Road and side road 15-16. The adherents canvassed for money and labour and in a few years had a new brick church. The pastor was Rev. E. Singerland, but Thomas Luck continued as a lay preacher for 30 years. His son, H.B. Luck became a minister.
Thomas Luck also used his team and democrat to transport people to and from church and prayer meetings.
The church closed in the early 1940's. At this time, a church was bult in Barrie, on Bayfield Street. The Crown Hill Free Methodist Church was dismantled in 1948 and used to build a parsonage in Barrie.
In 1949 Douglas Cairns bought the lot that the church had stood on to build a house. He planned his home to incorporate the remaining cement work of the church entrance--the only remaining marker of the Crown Hill Free Methodist church.
On page 349, is a hand-written signed list of the pledges for the new church. Half was to be paid in 1889 and half in 1890. The signatures of Thomas J. ($25.00), Mary ($25.00), Maggie ($2.00), Emily ($2.00) and Edward ($25.00) are on the list. There were 22 pledges of money and work for the church.

Mrs. T. McDermid gave a splendid and decidely informative paper on the early history of Coldwater to members of the Junior Institute when they met for their regular meeting at the home of Mrs. Norris Walker last Thursday evening. The paper is published here in full and will prove to be of great value and interest to the subscribers of THE NEWS.

by E. Lorraine Orr

Mr. and Mrs. James Lazonby, first couple to be married in a Coldwater church (August 4, 1904, in the Anglican Church) for 43 years have marked their honeymoon anniversary with a canoe trip... in which they spent their actual honeymoon.

COLDWATER, Aug 6 (Staff Special) - Paddling along together on a honeymoon canoe trip every year since their wedding in St. Matthias Church here 43 years ago, Mr. and Mrs. James Lazonby are looking forward to their golden wedding trip as they drift along the Severn River today.

"We are going to have a big party at Big Chute with our friends on our 50th trip, "Mrs. Lazonby told the Telegram." We've made a good many friends along the shores of district water in the 43 years we have been paddling together, and we'll all be together at our Golden wedding party."

Admitting they are both getting older, but not very much older, the paddling Lazonbys declare they wouldn't miss their annual canoe trip for anything. Mr. Lazonby is 74 and his wife 72.

"You know, the young fellows today are missing a whole chapter out of their lives when they pass up the canoe in favour of a motor boat, "Mr. Lazonby declared." There's something about the easy, restful feeling you get along a familiar stream in a canoe that you can't get in any other way. Of course, these days you have to watch for the fellows in their speedboats or they'll run you down, but get off the beaten track in a canoe and you'll find contentment and happines."

Today as Mr. and Mrs. Lazonby drift down the Severn River and put in along the route to visit old friends and talk over old times, they are carrying out their recipe for keeping young.

"I've had that canoe for 52 years, as near as I can figure," Mr. Lazonby confided to the Telegram. "I know the waters around here like a book. As we glide along with only the music of the dip of our paddles, we can look back over more than 40 years of honeymoons and there's a lot of contentment in enjoying memories like that."

"Of course," he added, "there have been a lot of lighter spots that bring a smile when you look down memory lane again. We were just chuckling about one of them just before you got here," he admitted. "Mrs. Lazonby had just called me in to read a wire from some very good friends of ours who met us on a trip a good many years ago. It was just a telegram saying congratulations and best wishes, and then it said, 'We hope you'll take a bathing suit this time.' That's what we were chuckling about."

Mr. Lazonby explained that on the trip recalled in the telegram, he had decided to take a quick dip in the water in the evening, miles away from everywhere and alone with nature.

"I had just got nicely in the water when a canoe came around the bend, and did I ever break for cover in a hurry," he related. "It happened to be these people whom we knew very well, and it has been a joke with us all through these years."

Last Friday afternoon as they prepared for an early Saturday morning departure, Mr. and Mrs. Lazonby packed their kit and checked over the canoe and sail in the back yard of their little cottage on the outskirts of Coldwater.

The canoe, which has been a source of pride to Mr. Lazonby for more than half a century, also is the proof of his contention that basswood is better than cedar for a canoe.

"I went and picked out the wood myself, and an old canoe maker, name of W.T. Bush, made it up for me. The ribs are oak, and the deck is butternut, and I've just scraped a couple of dozen coats of varnish off it and it's as sound as the first day I took it out," he declared. "Its had a few bumps, and is getting kind of worn in spots, but we'll take a lot more trips in it yet."

They shun any modern conveniences, and carry a fire-blackened pail in which they have made their tea and porridge for many years.

"There's the secret of that," Mr. Lazonby declared as he pointed to the black coating on the tin pail. "If we cleaned it up it wouldn't last at all. The black preserves it. We cook everything in it right in the fire, and carry a couple of tin cups and plates because everything around here is rock."

"We just tie up wherever we are and pitch our tent and make our fire," Mr. Lazonby explained. "Then we are up with the dawn and away before the wind comes up."

The canoe is rigged with a leg of mutton sail, which is not commonly used on the few canoes you see these days, he pointed out. "There's a lot of canvas there and you get the most of the light breezes," he smiled.

While pointing out they don't travel for distance these days, Mr. Lazonby recalled the longest distance he ever travelled in a canoe in one day was 45 miles.

"It was a pretty long day," he added. "Now we just take it easy and six or seven miles is enough. We go where our fancy takes us and there's enough water over the rock to float us."

They are now on their second tent in 43 years, and while it is a substantial bell tent, Mr. Lazonby assured the Telegram he can handle it in very short order when the occasion arises.

"We don't have to drive pegs in this country, we just hold it down with rocks on the ropes," he pointed out.

(FOOTNOTE: The Lazonbys did celebrate their fiftieth Wedding Anniversary, in Coldwater (and six more anniversaries followed) but not on a canoe trip as was envisioned. Advancing years had their say in the matter. However, they did complete an anniversary trip in all but one year in fourty-eight consecutive years! The canoe, as I recall, went to a museum in Midland. Mr. Lazonby died in September 1960 at the age of 85, at home in Coldwater. Mrs. Lazonby reached 90 years of age, as she said she would. Both are buried in Coldwater. The story of their canoe trips is a feature of "RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT" museum in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I knew them well through my early life. I sailed and canoed with them in the old canoe on many occasions. The most memorable of these "trips" was when Mr. Lazonby and I were locked through the lock at Port Severn. We were the only occupants of the lock at the time!

Mr. Jacob Willson Tells of Orillia's Early Days and Relates Some Bear Stories

The following article titled "My Grandfather's Store" known as "Our House" was written by Bill Hall, grandson of J.H. Wilson. The store, originally opened by Leonard "Yankee" Wilson in 1834 on Matchedash Street South, between Colborne & Elgin, later moving to the corner of Matchedash & Coldwater Streets in 1850. The business was taken over by Joseph Hugh Wilson in 1877. by September 1905 JH Wilson had three brick stores built at the south east corner of Mississaga East and Matchedash (161-165 Mississaga East).

Doors opened in 1834
HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER FOUNDED STORE
By Bill Hall

Groceries, wholesale flour, sugar, feed and seed, and a butchershop in the store to the east.

I started to work on my 13th birthday, 1928, Saturdays and after school other days, full time in the summer. I got a dollar a day and $1.25 on Saturday. A lot of people shopped by phone so putting up orders and delivering them was my main job. Bringing in 1500 lbs of ice, twice a week for the fridge was a heavy job. I sliced cabbage to fill a 60 gallon barrel to make sauerkraut. The barrel was left from year to year with a small amount left in to start a new batch. The barrel was filled with a layer of cabbage and then a layer of salt, until filled. It was then left by the stove to work. Another job was making sausage. The meat was ground in a hand grinder. Grandad always did the seasoning himself as he claimed he had a secret formula. The casings we made from sheep gut. This was pushed on the spout of the sausage press, a hand crank pushed the meat in, after this they were tied. We made about 50 lbs. a week. We also made headcheese, which was made from pigs heads. My job was, after the heads were split and cooked, to separate the good parts and put it in pans to set, a most popular meat loaf. Chicken feed mixing was another of my jobs. Some people had special mixes they wanted. I remember Stephen Leacock always liked the corn cracked twice and lots of buckwheat to make the egg yolks yellow. We had a hand operated corn cracker. Most of the delivery was done with a horse and rig, rush orders delivered on my bicycle. Later we got a Whippet roadster with a box in the back. I learned to drive this when I was 14, which was quite a thrill. I had driven the old Model T Ford chain drive flatbed truck which we unloaded train-car loads of sugar and salt. There was about 30 tons in each car. We supplied other stores in town with this wholesale. Cattle were brought down from the West to Grandad's farm on West Street and Fittons Road, and when they were fattened up we would butcher them. About once a week, we supplied most of the hotels like the Royal, Fern Cottage, Big Chief and many more. A job I didn't like was cleaning chickens and turkeys at Christmas. We had a cheese cellar where about 15 - 20 40 lb cheeses were aged. When ready the cheese was cut into three pieces with a wire and a clothespin on each end. These pieces were about 20" in diameter and about 4" thick. These were put in a cheese dispensor which had a rotating table and a hinged knife to cut the cheese in wedge shaped pieces. We sold 1 cent candies and it was a major decision for the kids what they spent their 4 or 5 cents on. There was 1 cent gum, little candies on a paper, pieces of taffy and many other goodies. The old flatbed truck was loaded with all kinds of meat, bread and other things and driven around the lake to supply the cottagers every Saturday in the summer.

TEA IN LARGE BOXES

Tea came in large leadlined boxes from China and India, black green, orange-peko, leaves only, broken etc. We blended this, some customers having their own special blend. Coffee was roasted and ground in an old hand grinder. The only canned vegetables were peas and corn and pork and beans. We had salmon and sardines in cans. Salmon in a 1 lb. Can was 18 cents and 10 cents a half lb can. Eggs were two dozen for 25 cents and bread 5 cents a loaf, milk 10 cents a quart. The store stayed open on Saturday nights until there were no more people to be seen, usually after midnight. After closing the meat had to be put away in the refrigerator. During the day a lot of meat was hung out in front of the store - sides and quarters. Some of the other things we made to sell were sweet and hard cider. Cider vinegar had the mother kept from batch to batch. Nearly everything was in bulk and had to be packaged when sold. Tallow was made from beef fat and sold to waterproof boots. The layer of fat lining the pigs insides was made into lard. The lead from the tea chest was melted and dropped into water to make shot for shotgun shells. Beef was pickled in barrels to make corned beef. Ham, bacon and some sausage were smoked in the smoke house at the back of the store with hickory smoke. Herring were salted and pickled in barrels. The Indians would catch these small fish in the spring run through the Narrows, sometimes catching a hundred pounds in one day. They also brought in wild mushrooms, puff balls and morrels, which there was a good demand for. They also brought in gentian root which we sent to China.

BUSINESS BY "TRADE"

LETTER FROM MR. J.O. COATES

Some Impressions of Vancouver

From Vancouver Mr. J.O. Coates writes, in part: -

In our search for pioneer history, we called on Mr. James MORE, Dunedin, who was born in Pennsylvania 75 years ago, and was brought to Sunnidale Township during infancy. The family moved into Nottawasaga a few years later, and in this township he has spent his long life and tells many interesting stories of the changes he has seen. During the late forties, a Mr. HUNTER who lived on the Penetang Road, had the contract to carry the mail from Barrie to Owen Sound. Owing to ill health, he re-let the contract to Mr. MORE'S father. James was then about 13 years old, and used to carry the mail for all the country between Barrie and Owen Sound, and ride on horse back in summer, in winter he used a sleigh. He wore thick boots and warm clothing, but never an overcoat or overshoes, and never was frozen, except the tip of his nose. This fact contains much food for thought, and would make a good text for a sermon on the proper care and clothing of the body. The mail route started at Barrie, where the post office was kept by Mr. Sanford (?), the next office was at Sunnidale Corners, kept by Mr. Gillespie. Where Stayner stands was then a howling wilderness, and he, followed a rough bush road through what is now the main street, directly west to Duntroon, where the office was kept by Mr. McNabb. Collingwood's only existence then was a big wet swamp with rabbits running through. From Duntroon he continued west, over the mountain to Beaver River, where the postmaster was Mr. Rorke. Then north to Meaford, where Mr. Burchill kept the office. This called to mind that Mr. Burchill had a brother, Sam, who kept store and made some startling request - one being after death that he should be opened and filled with salt; another that he should be buried crosswise at his mother's feet. The latter request was carried out, but not the first. There was then only one general store in Owen Sound. This was the terminus, and to make the trip there and back occupied a week. The trip was made every week. From Barrie to Sunnidale was nearly all forest, the only residents being a Smith, who kept a public house; Rachel who supplied meals to travelers near New Lowel; O'Connor, who kept hotel five miles south of Sunnidale Corners, and Rogers lived opposite O'Connors. Between Sunnidale and Duntroon, the only clearing was at the 4th line corner, then called Clegg's Corners. Duntroon was first settled by Scotch crofter's, to whom the Government granted 5-acre lots, and those were mostly all cleared east and west along the side road. On one occasion Mr. More has dismounted to walk for a change, and on coming to a mud hole, which extended across two lots, it caused him some alarm to see his horse strike into the woods on the opposite side to which he was going, and colly ignoring all orders to stop or retrace his steps, but he came back to the mail road at the end of the mud hole.

In gong over the mountain the road passed through a ten mile forest. About half way through the forest there lived an old couple names Brock, who supplied meals for travelers. The Brock's adopted a sister of Harry Sherman's and left her all they had to leave. After their death she went to live with a family called Reid, who kept store near by. Mr. Climie, Congregationalist, was the first minister in Nottawasaga. He had kept the Duntroon Post Office before Mr. More Carried the mail. Once when Mr. Climie was walking through the 10-mile forest with an umbrella in his hand, a bear suddenly rose on its hind legs before him. They stood regarding each other in silence for some time, when Mr. Climie suddenly opened his umbrella at the same time springing towards the bear, which disappeared into the woods. Mr. More carried the mail for two years and never encountered wild animals. He once heard wolves on the mountain and once saw a martin cat. It was about twice the size of a common house cat and brown in colour. It climbed to the top of a small tree and seemed anxious to escape. Stepney was the first tax collector in Nottawasaga: Hewson first treasurer, and Angus Bell, first clerk. Mr. More's father was the first school teacher who taught in Duntroon. He was followed by a teacher named Rogerson to whom James More went. Later, Livingstone taught in a building on the corner of the graveyard, used for both church and school. Taylor Campbell went from house to house making clothes.

Johnny Ross, the first white male child born in this township, was born at Pine-tree corner, 8th line. When his father was killed in his mill, a strange incident occurred at Leach's, a mile away, which seems like telepathy. Mrs. More was helping Mrs. Leach to sort over some bags, some of which had been borrowed from More's. They thought they saw blood on a bag, spoke of it and looked again, but could find no trace of it. This occurred exactly at the time that Ross was killed.

Fishing was worth while in those days-it was easy to catch a dozen or two of trout with a hook and line in an hour. Hooks were hard to get, and substitutes were made of bent pins. They used to catch mullets and suckers with nets set at the mouth of Batteau Creek. Some killed trout by striking them in the water with rods.

Lake Mills was on the Bay about a mile east of Collingwood. The mill was built by old Mr. Gooderham and operated by Melville. Mr. More was once returning from Lake Mills when he heard a strange screeching, for which he could not account until he overtook a man driving a yoke of oxen and a cart which he had made himself entirely of wood, the wooden axles caused the screeching sound.

Mr. More remembers the opening of the Indian pit on the glebe lot, first lot east of Duntroon. It was estimated to contain about 200 skulls besides other bones. There were also several copper kettles, tomahawks, and other utensils.

The Indians used to set up camp in different parts of the bush to make baskets, bread trays, etc., but never took to agriculture. They traded their baskets and other wares for food supplies. The Indians usually came in pairs to ask for food. Once (in Sunnidale) about 200 Indians collected in front of the house occupied by the More's and came two at a time for bread until Mrs. More found it necessary to refuse. She sent James (then a little boy) to bring his father and uncle who were building there own house a half a mile away. He had to pass between a double row of Indians and was retarded for some time by an Indian boy jumping in front of him for the amusement of the crowd. Till they chose to let him pass. When he returned with his father and his uncle there were no Indians in sight.

We thus come to Scotch Corner proper and to a man and his family named McCAUSLAND, who in the early sixties, came up from Barrie. He was a carpenter by trade, and a millwright, but a perpetual motion crank. He had an old house or shanty partly underground and his workshop extended away back partly underground also. A sister lived with him, but his sons, as they grew up left the old home and refused to live with their father. Many a time have I visited his shop and at times I was almost awe stricken at the machines he had so fearfully and wonderfully made. The man must have worked 20 hours a day, thinking of nothing but his machine, scarcely taken time to eat, and only doing for many years just sufficient work in little odd jobs here and there to provide himself with potatoes on which he kept himself alive. I might mention here that William MACDONALD, the senior member of that family, was also a perpetual motion crank and many a night they would meet and discuss the capabilit! ies of the machine which were to revolutionize the mechanical world. A curious point is that both these men were more than ordinarily intelligent on any subject but perpetual motion..

Somewhere about the winter of 1853 and '54 at a township meeting held at the Corners an event occurred that it never can forget. It was a beautiful winter's day and the gathering was from all parts of the township particularly Creemore and the 4th and 6th lines. There had always been rivalry between the Highland Scotch element and the Irish, good natured it was, but both sides loved a bit of a scuffle when too well primed with whiskey. On this occasion before the polls closed a race was proposed by some of the men between the Irish and the Scotch champion.

Mr. Fred T. Hodgson has been kind enough to give us some most interesting reminiscences, which were dictated just before our last issue and are not therefore, directly called forth by those given us by an "Old Timer"

In some respects Mr. Hodgson's recollections do not exactly accord published, but the main point are the same.

As nearly as possible we give Mr. Hodgson's own words.

It was 60 years ago this next August that I first landed in what was then known as Scotch Corners, now Duntroon, and it was a tiny hamlet consisting of two taverns, one stable and one dwelling house. The taverns were kept by noteworthy men named WILLINS and McNABB. The later a log building and the other a much more pretentious building of (adobes) sunburned bricks of unburned clay. It had two stories. McNABB might be described as a wild, rough highlander, good natural, bighearted and always ready to befriend a man or fight him. The Township elections were generally held at his place and lasted sometimes two or three days. Duntroon was then the central point of the whole district and Creemore had just commenced, a mill was being erected there. The voting at the elections was open, that is to say everyone knew how every other person had voted. As boys we always looked forward to election time as promising much fun.

The Division Court was also held at Scotch Corners and Judge, now Senator GOWINS, presided with great dignity. He had a natural aptitude for sifting the good from the bad evidence. I am very sorry to say that in those days people were not always careful as to the strict truth of their evidence and this aptitude of Judge GOWINS was most useful and necessary to enable him to arrive at correct decisions. Settlement of court dues was in bills, but for damages or other claims between party and party the payment was in kind. Money was scarce then and a dollar seemed as big as a real cart wheel. There was as you know stores in the village. Whiskey then was almost as cheap as water and flowed more freely. Glasses or cups were hardly in fashion and the liquor was served up in pails and a tiny dipper sufficed in lieu of a tumbler. On election days this was before long discontinued and they had to buy what they required over the bar. About five cents for a tumbler full was the price. But at logging bees, plowing bees or rasing bees and such gatherings the indiscriminate drinking still prevailed for a number of years. It must be remembered, too, that the liquor was not the velvety, innocent Seagram rye of today, but genuine fiery malt whiskey, white as water and with a very high percentage of alcohol, and when I look back to those days and remember the hard drinking of the old settlers and the long lives they had (many living until over 80). I come to the conclusion that it is not the whiskey that kills in drunkenness but something else in these modern times.

You should have notes of some of the folk of those old times and I will endeavor to recall them, most of them originally came out in 1836 and settled on 5 acre lots.

There was "Tally Ho" STEVENS, so called because he named his farm Tally Ho. His wife had inherited the farm from her first husband, Mr. FRAME. Tally Ho STEVENS was the "biggest" man around here. Towards Glen Huron on the 8th there were very few settlers then. John McGREGOR, Mister PYECROFT, who died not long since. Donald BELL among whose descendants are Mrs. FORD of Collingwood and the CARMICHAELS, Duntroon, and Archie FERGUSON, dead now 40 years. Archie FERGUSON's son Peter was a well known figure. He is now a professor at the Agriculture College at Indian Head. At one time he was Reeve and the leader of all the Scotch and with all his advantages might have amassed much wealth, but he had not that bent. It was during his reeve ship that the discussion arose at Barrie amongst the County Council on the question of bonsling? the proposed Simcoe and Huron Railway, the first railroad in Ontario. The votes were even and all hinged on Peter FERGUSON. Contrary to the wishes and en! treaties of his father, his family and many of his friends, he cast his vote in favour of the bonus and to him, therefore, is the credit for the existence of this line today which is now G. T. R. His family and friends feared that the charge on account of the bonus would be to heavy and they feared they would become impoverished and lose the farms which they had. His father at great expense to himself, when he could ill afford it had given Peter a good education and Peter became in turn reeve, postmaster at Collingwood, school teacher and store keeper at Duntroon. The last venture proved disastrous and involved his parents as well as himself in serious financial difficulties. His father came from the Isle of Islay, Scotland and was originally a stone mason.

The Leach family from whom the Hodgsons originally acquired their farm, was founded by an ex-adjutant of the British Army. One of the best swordsmen in the army he was sent in Napoleons time to Portugal to train the Portugese and drill them into shape. He was at the siege of Badajoz and through the Peninsular War, gaining many medals. On returning to England he sold out and took in part satisfaction 700 acres of land at Scotch Corners. It was several years before he came out to his estate of wild Bush. He arrived with his wife and a large family after living a time in the United States. A daughter of his married Donald MacDonald, a son of William MacDonald, another old settler. Mrs. Westcott of Collingwood is a grand-daughter of this same Leach. This now brings me to the MacDonald family. Donald MacDonald settled at Batteau an had a numerous family who should be mentioned. One son is now in Chicago, and engineer to a large firm erecting elevators in the west; one daughter Mrs. Flint, is in Toronto; another married Mr. Elliott of the Batteau and they moved to Saginaw; another son, William is in Toronto and doing well, it was the youngest daughter that married Mr. Westcott.

The Coopers- James Cooper was an enterprising man and just the stamp for a backwoods life. He built the first sawmill at Batteau, later on Tally Ho Stevens built a second mill there and Cooper had a share in it, but the mill finally fell into the hands of the late Wm. Gibbard, whose memorial tablet is in All Saint's Church, Collingwood. Gibbard sold it and eventually it became the property of one BOURCHTER (a brother-in-law of the late C. Macdonald who was killed on the railway a year ago.)

Mr. Mair must not be forgotten; he was the first minister to settle in the township. An old kirk preacher, he generally used Gaelic for his sermons but occasionally tried English, which was very lame and halting. As young boys I remember we used often to laugh at the old man's attempt at the English tongue. He was a good pious man. However, and kept the flock well together. He lived on a small stipend from the Government, the proceeds of a parcel of land and just what his parishioners contributed. The church then was held in a log school house right where the present graveyard lies to the west of the Duntroon Road. A second church was built later on the bank of the Batteau where another graveyard was established in land donated by the William MacDonald mentioned above.

Granny Adair, too was a well known figure. She was a midwife and lived in a little shanty by the roadside

Mary McLean was an old maid. She lived on a 25 acre farm to the East of the road just above the Batteau. I do not know who has the property now. She had some nieces one of whom married Bob Jackson, coachman to the late Mrs. Lett.

Referring to the LEACH family, there were 3 boys and 3 girls-viz- James and George, now living on a farm at Duntroon, Alfred, a druggist, in Millbrook, Betsy, widow of the late Donald MACDONALD, Jane, widow of the first Mr. CAMPBELL, a tanner, and secondly the late Robert STEPHENS of Collingwood, and Mary, widow of the late Mr. GREAVES of Collingwood.

The farm opposite "Tally-Ho" was at one time owned by Mr. TROOT, who was connected with Mr. ROBINSON mentioned last time you were here. Mr. TROOP, also left the farm and went to New York where he became a manufacturer of lead pipe and made money. His family is living there yet.

The farm opposite the southern portion of the LEACH homestead was at one time owned by Mr. LAMONT, who eventually moved to Sunnidale and erected a sawmill here. The adjoining farm was owned by the CARRS, a well known family in the township.

E. M. June 27, 1907 p1

Mr. HODGSON Sr., has kindly given us a further instalment from the well stocked storehouse of his memory and we are thus able to give our readers some historical points which few, if any, others can impart.

We must first make two corrections in our last instalment, vis. the spelling of the celebrated "Tally-Ho" man's name as STEVENS, which should have been STEPHENS, and that the plot of ground which was called "God's Acre" was given by Mr. MACDONALD and not by Mr. HODGSON.

After mentioning these corrections our informant proceeded.

"In speaking of the part which is now called Glen Huron, we must not overlook the family named RAIRDON, a good old Irish name, Mr. RAIRDON was a good Roman Catholic, but one of his greatest delights was to walk with the Orangemen on the 12th of July. He was a quaint old fellow and a practical joker. Another man was McBRIDE, an eccentric man he was and lived a little north-east of the present day Glen Huron in a shanty away in the woods. When I knew him he was over ? years of age, having been among the first settlers in the locality. He had been educated for a priest, but never took orders. Every morning he rose early an bathed in the creek, winter or summer he still bathed. When the thermostat stood 25 below zero he would make a hole in the ice and have his morning dip just the same. Of several sons which he had, one was killed. I think near Creemore while digging a well, a large stone falling on his head. Another became a pedlar and was the oddest fellow I ever met. He used to hump his pack from here to Toronto sleeping just where he was at nightfall, in a wood, or by a fence, or anywhere at all.

Some years after the time just mentioned a number of new families entered the township. The principal of these was Mr. Hugh FRAME from Glasgow, an uncle of the late Police Magistrate FRAME. He was an original character and fond of music. He soon became Justice of the Peace and the principal legal advisor to nearly everybody round, securing a large conveyancing practice. He and the Misses FRAME, his three nieces, the brothers, Donald, William and Walter MACDONALD and myself formed ourselves into a sort of choral club and the first concert ever given west of Barrie was by this club in an upper room at WILLING'S hotel, in aid of a fund to start a circulating library. Not many dollars were netted, but a few books were purchased and they were kept by either Donald or Malcolm BLAIR at Duntroon. Some years later the library was enlarged, 40 to 50 books added, some being presented by the late Rev. John CAMPBELL who had settled in Duntroon. The date of the first library I would place at 1852. When the Town Hall was erected in 1860 permission was given to keep the books in it with W. J. FRAME as first President, Donald BLAIR first Librarian and myself as first secretary.

There were one or two again, on the 8th Line toward Glen Huron, Jimmy LAWLOR, whose wife died last winter, his daughter married Mr. MATTS. LAWLOR'S father lived with him and was an old pensioner with his breast covered with medals of the Peninsular War. At that time he was the only man in the Township who understood anything of the healing art, having been on a surgeon's staff in the army. Many a man had good reason to bless old man LAWLOR. DALLAS was another family up that way. William DALLAS had the farm now owned by the MACGREGORS on the west side.

Opposite "Tally-Ho" farm lived one ROBINSON, who, after clearing a part of his farm gave up and went to New York where he became a rich manufacturer.

The first settlers on the farm near the side line north of "Tally-Ho" and east of Hurontario was William MARTIN, who was a Scotch man from Paisley and had, I well remember, rather agnostic views about religion. He had a considerable education and was well read and I always liked to be in his company and listen to him. His family was smitten with the white plague and I am not aware that one of them is left in the township.

Behind MARTIN'S farm resided a very curious character named BURCHILL, better known as Dr. Sam BURCHILL. He was peculiar in his habits, somewhat of a hermit and liked to live alone, though he had several sisters living. He passed as a herb doctor and would undertake to cure all ailments by means of the most mysterious and gruesome concoctions that his imagination could conjure. I always felt there was a certain something lacking in Sam in spite of the fact that he was pretty well informed and had seen something of the outside world. He had peculiar ideas about death and the precise way folks should be buried. I believe he left peculiar instructions as to his own method of burial. He was living a few years ago and may be eking out an existence somewhere yet, but I think he is dead.

By-the-bye the first horse brought into the township was used on the "Tally-Ho" farm by Mr. FRAME, the father of our Police Magistrate.

The James COOPER mentioned in the first interview, built a little sawmill at the Batteau, where was then no settlement, because the land was considered to poor to cultivate, but all round, where are now flourishing farms, the ground was covered with the most beautiful growth of pine, of the white variety mostly, with a considerable quantity of Norway. Each tree was a straight as a rush with trunks up to 80 to 90 feet long, nearly to the top, where grew a little tuft parallel to each other and no branches of foliage. This forest grew for years after the mill started, and remained untouched until at last dealers came out from Quebec and they were converted into square timber and shipped via the City of Quebec to England.

Some two or three years after the little mill was started a larger mill was built by J. D. STEPHENS and his brother, which eventually fell into the hands of BOUCHIER, LYONS and Company (as I stated before) and COOPER was crowded out of his own mill by some legal process. He (Cooper) ultimately kept a little store "at" Nottawa, when that had become a village of some importance. I clerked for him in that store, and Thomas LONG Esq., then a boy not quite my own age, became chore boy and he and I slept on the floor over the shop. A better boy than Tom LONG to do his work never lived, Cooper had acquired the habit of driving around the country a good deal to speculate on cattle, etc., and it made no difference at what hour he returned, Tom would get up, attend to the horse, and fix at with no sign of grumbling or complaint. There is no doubt in my mind that this strong feature of Mr. LONG'S character was the chief reason for his success in life. Not a bit afraid of work, he was careful of his cash, and it was while I was clerking at this store that the first real estate deal was undertaken that Mr. LONG ever had. He bought 50 acres of land in Osprey Township from a Jim McLAREN (later well known in Collingwood) and had not quite enough cash to pay for the land which was bought under a quit claim deed (see note at foot re this) I drew up the deed myself, a single document, and held it in trust until the balance of the purchase money was paid. I need hardly say that on pay day Mr. Long completed the payment and I handed the deed over to him. Mr. LONG has since told me that he held that property for sentimental reasons for over 40 years.

The first Sunday School held in the township was held in the house of Mr. TROOP, nearly opposite Tally Ho farm. The teachers were Miss. Mary STEPHENS, sister of Tally Ho, Miss Maria FRAME, sister of the late Police Magistrate and a young man named Irah SHARMAN. The scholars consisted chiefly of the families of SHIELDS, LEACHES, WILLINGS. This school did much good and was something more than an ordinary Sunday School, for besides religious services, the young ladies gave lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

This Miss Mary STEPHENS afterwards married Mr. BOYLE of Owen Sound, whose family were very prominent in that town. Mr. BOYLE occupied some Government position. Both are dead.

About 1851 a few young fellows about the CORNERS formed a debating society with J. D. STEPHENS, Hon. Pres., Marshall STEPHENS, late of Glen Cairn, President and Henry STEPHENS, younger brother, secretary.

The committee on subjects were Frank HEWSON and Peter BEVERIDGE, Peter FERGUSON and John LIVINGSTONE, Donald MARSHALL and Malcolm BLAIR. The debates took place in the old log school house by the road-side near the graveyard of Duntroon. I remember the first debate very well. The subject, a common place one, was "Which is the most useful to mankind, the cow or the horse!" The little school room was packed. The leaders were the late John STINSON, of Singhampton, who championed the cow, and Peter FERGUSON, now at Indian Head, who fought a sturdy battle for the horse. Frank HEWSON, Sr., umpired, and the arguments were so well run on both sides that he found it difficult to come to a decision. Eventually the cow won, much to the chagrin of Mr. Peter FERGUSON and his followers. I was on his side. I remember it well, it nearly caused a fight. But these debates did good, in keeping the younger fellows from wasting time and money at the taverns, and they proved an incentive to them to hunt up information on the subjects debated. W. J. FRAME and M. N. STEPHENS were active members. The first store near Duntroon was kept by Tally Ho STEPHENS and his prices would frighten folks of the present day. Tea was often as much as $1.00 to $1.50 per pound, tobacco the same, and common brown sugar 25 to 30cents a pound but as all business was then done on a yearly credit system, it was no trouble to buy at all, no money was needed and frequently when the year came around and the amount became due to the storekeeper it was not money, but a renewal note for another 12 months that was given in payment. Every pound of goods, too had to be teamed from Toronto, so it is no wonder prices ruled high.

This Mr. STEPHENS was a fine energetic person, and quite the right man for the place. He had a large tannery north of the farm where a number of hands were kept busy. He bought all the hides he could for twenty miles around, and established a shoemaker's shop and furnished farmers with long boots, had a saddler's shop and made harness, employing a number of men in the trade. He also bought cattle and fattened them on his own place thus giving employment to a number more. Every year he sent a drove to Toronto and he himself made regular trips to and fro on horseback. Just the man needed for the country. He might have become immensely wealthy, but did not become so, a fact which speaks more for his honesty than a book full of sermons - he died quite poor.

Note. A quit claim deed- Under the government land regulations existing at that time, a settler, before completing the full duties required of him to entitle him to a deed of absolute ownership could transfer his interest to a second party by giving as undertaking not to claim that land from the Government and vesting all his right and interest in that second party, who thus took the place of the original settler so far as the Government was concerned.

E. M. July 11, 1907 page 1.

Origin of names.

We are informed by one of our readers that he thinks the name of BOWMORE must be derived from the name of a Clachan (hamlet) in Argylshire where a celebrated whiskey is distilled.

Duntroon, he thinks, would be the correct spelling of the modern name. There is a little village of this name in Argylshire, also.

By Mr. HODGSON

The first carriage which came into the township was brought by a man named ROSE, who appeared somewhat suddenly and mysteriously, with his wife, daughter and two boys in the vehicle drawn by a fine span of horses.

He was supposed to have driven all the way from some place beyond Buffalo, USA. It was in the summer of 1850, I think. There were of course, no houses to rent, although he seemed to be in possession of plenty of cash to pay rent had one been available.

He, however, went on to a small farm owned by STEGNEY, the assessor, where was a clearing of about two acre, but he neither farmed, nor seemed to have any desire to do so, devoting most of his time to driving about and hunting.

The carriage, of course, was an object of much curiosity to the old settlers, and when the vehicle and its owner were mentioned the old folks shook their heads mysteriously as if there were some meaning about Mr. ROSE and his family. They remained in the township over a year and than left as mysteriously as they came. Twenty five years later I met a man at a hotel in Detroit, who seeing that I had registered from Collingwood, had hunted me up. This was one of Mr. ROSE'S sons and he was then living at Springfield, Ill. Both parents had died and the children had been left well to do.

Another family that lived a little to the northeast of Glen Huron was that of the SMITH'S. They came to the township about the same time that I did, and there was a large family. The old man died shortly after their settled and the mother who was more than an ordinary woman, worked the farm with the children, and they became fairly well off. They had come directly over from near London, England, where Mrs. Smith had been in the employ of Lord Lansdowne, father of the late Governor-General of Canada. As a boy I loved to go to the house because of the cheerful disposition and good nature of all the young folk there. The mother was an excellent cook and was able to serve up a fine spread from the limited choice obtainable at that time. About 1855 or 56 she contracted some kind of disease which affected her eyes so much that she became blind and never recovered her sight, though living to a great age. It is only some 8 or 9 years ago that she died. Her sons were, George, Charles and Reuben. The eldest left home early, the second took care of the farm and remained on it all his life. One of Mrs. SMITH' daughters married William BAILEY, a saddler employed by J. D. STEPHENS. This BAILEY was some relative of the HENRY'S now in Collingwood. Another married George FISHER of Sunnidale, and both are alive yet. Other of the SMITH'S on the female side settled around Glen Huron and Creemore.

I do not know the precise origin of the name Bowmore, probably Mr. Dave JARDINE would. It was in 1854 or "55 that letters began to come addressed to that name instead of Scotch Corners. Later, through the efforts of the Rev. John CAMPBELL, the name Duntroon was substituted.

About 1854 or '55 many of the 5-acre lots changed hands and the older settlers had taken up larger farms. A few of these who may be mentioned are the SWALMS, BIRTLES, MARTINS, and others. About this period the first township officers were elected- the late Angus BELL as Town Clerk, an office held until death and Township Treasurer in the person of Frank HEWSON, father of the present Frank HEWSON of Duntroon. Bill STEPHNEY was the first assessor. Mr. HEWSON was treasurer until he died a few years ago. Another noted election was when Tally Ho STEPHENS ran for reeve and WEBSTER of Creemore opposed him. At this time Creemore had grown to considerable importance owing to the mill put up by the WEBSTERS. An effort had been made by the latter faction to have the township elections made at Creemore but since the place was at one corner of the area, and Bowmore the centre, the latter place has always retained the privilege.

The rivalry between WEBSTER and STEPHENS was often intense and much manipulating was done by the folks around both places to secure the return of their own man. Tally Ho STEPHENS however, held the fort for several years. Before leaving this section of the country I might mention a Quaker family named BOWERMAN which settled near what is now Dunedin. It was then called Bowerman's Settlement. They built a small mill there and another branch of the family moved to the site of the present village of Singhampton and erected another mill there. That locality was then called Bowerman's Mill or Mad River Mill for many years.

The Bowerman's sold out to the RICHMOND family, some of whom live around there yet, and after a short time it passed into the hands of two brothers TANNER who eventually disposed of it to the SINGS, also Quakers. It is from the last named family that Singhampton derived its name. Josiah, the youngest brother lived there until a few years ago when he moved to the North West. Cyrus, the elder, moved to Meaford and for many years might be said to have "run" that town. He was several time Mayor of Meaford. His sons took Government appointments and one of them is now Civil Engineer in charge of the Bay.

Between the 8th and Singhampton lived several families well known in the early times- the STINSONS, LIVINGSONS, (Mrs. WINTER and Mrs. GORDON of Collingwood, are daughters of this house) the RICHMONDS, the MOORES, (This should be MORE) John MOORE died years since, his son John (should be James) carried the mails from Toronto to Owen Sound for a short period, and another son is the maker of fruit baskets at Clarksburg. (This would be Henry MORE) Mentioning the mails reminds me that for a number of years they were conveyed from Toronto to Owen Sound on horseback by one HUNTER. One day in the city a span of horses ran away and HUNTER dashed out to stop them. This he did, but he was killed, a bright bright little fellow he was too. Another family was that of the ALLENS. Baldy ALLEN was the founder and lived just outside of Duntroon to the left of the hill entering from Collingwood. The cellar remains yet and a few plum trees in the old orchard. To Baldy ALLEN belongs the credit of introducing the first threshing machine - about 1840 or 1850.

History of the Negro Population in Collingwood.

A PAPER WRITTEN BY MISS HILBORN AND READ BEFORE THE HURON INSTITUTE ON TUESDAY NIGHT.

As long ago as 1860, the year that the Prince of Wales, now King Edward V11, visited our Town, when Collingwood was thinly settled, the majority of the houses being of the log or board with here and there one of more stately proportions, the Negro population of our town numbered about 16 individuals. Several families of these lived on Beech Street, two in the east ward - then the old village . The names of the head of these families were Mr. PIECRAFT, who for some years rang the town bell; Mr. BRACKENBURY, head waiter in the Armstrong House; Mr. HARDEN, a cook; Mr. Joseph RODNEY, lime burner; Mr. EUBANK, a cook; Mr. David GANT, unmarried, being a barber at the North American Hotel; Mr. Henry HENDERSON, a plasterer, who boarded at the Georgena House, and Mr. PORTER, whose daughter, Mrs. CANE is still living in town.

In these early days the post office was situated on Hurontario Street, near where CAMERON'S block now stands. It was kept by a Mr. Peter FERGUSON. Later this site was on Huron Street, the Postmaster being the late W. B. HAMILTON. The first brick building in town was the Queen's Hotel, on the corner of Huron and S. e. Marie Streets. It was then a store owned by the late Mr. McMASTER, and built by Mr. Beatty.

About 1863-64 these early settlers had their numbers augmented with family by the names of WORKMAN, MASON, RANDOLPH, BROWN, COOPER, CRAWFORD AND LEVI.

A number of the pioneers of Collingwood, among them our colored friends, were what was termed "squatters," living in little shacks, near what is now the Town Park, Mr. RANDOLPH'S home being situated on a part of the present park property.

The late Mr. DUVAL was well known in our town for many years. On Huron Street he kept an ice-cream parlor and made and sold soft drinks. In connection with this he also ran a barber shop. His son, Charles DUVAL, has succeeded his father as a barber in the present stand on Hurontario Street. There are those still living who well remember Huntie PIECRAFT who always wore a large red turban. This, together with her stately form, gave her quite an aristocratic appearance. She was well known for her culinary art, and in her youthful days her strength was such that she could lift alone a barrel of flour into a wagon.

Before the B. M. E. Church was built services were held in the homes of the people. A Mr. WOODS, a local preacher, used to sometimes conduct these meetings.

In 1871 the British Methodist Episcopal Church was erected, Bishop Disney conducting the dedicatory service, the Rev. Robert JOHNSON of Bronte, being the first pastor. He was succeeded by Revs, HALE, O'BAYNAN, CROSBY, MAYO, ANDERSON, HARTLEY, MINTO, LAWSON, CEPHAS, STEWART, HOLDEN, BROWN, LYBURITS, and McCLURE who is the present pastor. His home is in Owen Sound, but he visits Collingwood about once a month. The parsonage which was situated a little east of the church, was built a few years after, the late Dr. I. B. AYLESWORTH having interested himself in raising funds for its erection.

A familiar face to some was that of the saintly Elder, or Bishop HAWKINS, the sweet singer, who used to visit the Collingwood church. His was the Spirit of his Master, and unity and love would follow in his steps. The church and parsonage were burned in 1898, - nine years ago, - and for some time our friends had no place of worship. Another church has been erected on the site of the former one, it has never been completed. In order to make it comfortable more money is needed. A Sabbath school has been established, with a Superintendent, assisted by three teachers. Amongst the scholars you will find bright, pleasing children, who with encouragement and kindness will develop into good and useful citizens.

There are supposed to be about 100 hundred of our colored friends in town, the majority of them living in the south-western section.

ONE OF THE PIONEERS

The Stayner Sun says:- Of the early days none can tell more entertainingly than our fellow citizen Mr. M. GARTLAN, in the history of the Town of Collingwood, and that of the Town of Stayner he is especially well versed, and one day recently it was The Sun's good fortune to hear him talk about this time.

"Forty-one years ago, the 9th of March, I came to Stayner, or as it was then called Cameron, in honor of John Hillyard CAMERON, a prominent lawyer of Toronto in pre-confederation days," he said. "A street, Hillyard, in the eastern part of the town, was also named after that gentleman, but he is almost forgotten by the present generation," added Mr. GARTLAN.

Previous to coming to Stayner Mr. GARTLAN, spent ten years in the Town of Collingwood, whither he had gone from his native village, Wellington Square, now Burlington, to purchase sugar and other commodities from Indians who came there in considerable numbers at different times of the year to trade their products for provisions, tobacco and other goods, and on the side "firewater" or whiskey. Even before this Mr. GARTLAN had been preceded by his father, who had determined to go to the Saugeen district to secure land for himself and family, but who upon reaching Collingwood, ascertained some of the difficulties to be overcome in reaching Owen Sound district, and there decided to return to his former home near Hamilton.

Once in this section our present citizen remained. While in Collingwood he was for a year or so an employee of Messrs. T. LONG & Bros.

In 1850 the firm determined to open a branch in Stayner and Mr. GARTLAN was sent to manage it. In less than two years he became a partner, a position he occupied until 1890, when he purchased the interest of the Messrs. Long Bros.

Upon coming to stayner, Mr. GARTLAN said, "there were few buildings, indeed, our log store was the first. This was erected in the site of the present building, and was destroyed by fire some years after the business was commenced." Continuing he said, "the business grew rapidly in the early days, and with the advent of the railway when the local name CAMERON was changed to the official appellation of Nottawasaga Station, there came more people and incidently more business places. Time has wrought many changes, and but a very few of those who saw the first train come to Nottawasaga Station now remain, indeed nearly all the early ones then engaged in business have since gone.

Within a year or so after the advent of the railway in 1855 the name of the town was again changed to that at present in use. This name was selected in honor of Hon. Thomas Sutherland STAYNER, who was the Postmaster Inspector General in the early fifties. That gentleman or his father was interested in some land in the vicinity and afterwards were several others who later became prominent in the public life of Canada. Sir John A. McDONALD and Hon. Oliver MOWATT being in the number.

This transcript was given to me by one of Burtons' sons. It's some of the research that Burton did while some of the clan was still around to talk about it. So I'll copy it word for word as he had put it on paper.

The year of immigration is not known at this time. The four little Taylor boys that came to Canada were Peter,Thomas, Joseph, James. Where they came from, I myself, have reason to believe was from the North of England, Cumberlin County, others believe they came from Ireland." Burton is a third generation Taylor, his father "Joseph" was the third son of Peter Taylor", Peter being his grandfather. My grandfather was the second son to Peter, his name was William. Peter was my great grandfather.{Wm. J. Taylor} So here is the "Taylor Tale" as penned by Burton in his own words in 1989.

This bit of information I got from Nellie Taylor, wife of Roy, Charlie Taylors' grandmother. The father had been Protestant, the mother, Roman Catholic,The mother having died quite young, leaving four little boys. Now thier mothers' mother was still living, her last name was McCudden and I guess she was having a fair bit to do with helping to raise or look after her grandchildren and after some time the boys' father started keeping company and seeing another woman. This woman was prostestant and the grandmother McCudden, feeling she could see another marriage coming up, and her grandchildren would then become protestant, and as I should have mentioned earlier, thier mother was bringing them up in the Catholic faith.
The country over there at that time, everything was done with a lot of secret. The grandmother McCudden {all in secret} arranged passage on a sailing ship coming to Canada. The boat was to be in certian cove on a certian night. She then arranged with an old chap with a cart and horse, put the four little boys and a few belongings in the cart and covered them up with hay, there by she got them out without any one seeing anything. They were taken out in the boat and sailed out into the night. The grandmother also brought along a young son of her own, along with her four grandchildren. She really took on a fair sized job, she must have had a lot of what ever it took. God bless her.
My grandfather was the oldest at the age of 13 when they came out and owned this farm in 1878 100 acres PAT#L12C7. it had to be quite some years when they immigrated. The lot where the grandmother bought and settled on when coming is marked on a map as widow McCudden 50 acres PAT# L19C7: [ Sutton area ]This place was taken over by one of the first boys, then to his son Roy, then to his son Tom, and now his son Fred, it is still in the Taylor name to this day. Of the four boys who came out, only the families of two of them is known much about, that being Peter, and Thomas. My grandfather, Peter, married my grandmother down in Toronto, her maiden name being Mawhinney. She was from Dublin, Ireland. Thier family, James, William, Joseph, Elizabeth, Margaret,[ Mag], Mary-Jane, Marie.
This part I'm writing down now I got from Aunt Mag, my fathers' sister, she remembered as a little girl as of the moving from Sutton up to this area by horse and wagon with all thier worldly belongings, cows, and a few hens and a pig. They came in early spring just when the ice and snow was nearly gone, they got on the ice of Lake Simcoe down there some where early in the early morning, coming north up the shore in late afternoon the ice had melted way back fom the shore and the water was too deep, afraid they weren't going to get off, they drove miles on the ice looking for shallow water, I believe they finally got off some where in the Hawkestone area.
Now it was the timber industry that brought my grandfather Peter and his wife Jane up into the Matchadash area. It surely must have been a sight to behold this part of the country still heavily forested with very huge trees of white pines over the higher land along with the sugar maple, the lower land, large elm and white oak and ash.
The Taylors were a hardy race, good bush men, good timber men in any of its forms. Peter ran logging camps, his son, my uncle James being a very large well built man was known to be tops with anything to do with timber. He could handle an axe, hue and a broad axe, he built and framed barns by the foot. He ran logging camps mostly in the Sudbury area and was a noted expert on dam building for river log drives in the spring. He was taken all over the Sudbury area building dams and when they were putting in the first power plant on the Severn River, ragged rapids, different people tried to put a dam in but they all washed out with the swift currents. So they brought in my uncle Jim, he put in the dam, the first one that stayed. They were of course log dams.
My uncle Bill, and my dad, Joseph, also were really good bush men too. My dad being the smaller of the three Taylor boys spent all his younger life ( up until he came down and married my mother Grace Borrow ) in a lumber camp and log drives. Mostly in the area from Sudbury to Sault St. Marie. Also spent some time in and around Massey and Blind River area. He also spent a bit of time in logging camps in the state of Michigan, just below the border. I can remember as a lad at threshing, different times during the meals the talk would be of river drives - which was an art. My dad was talked of as being the best man in the country as a river driver, and quick on his feet.
I can remember my father telling me when he left the camp in the spring to come down and get married, some of his friends were kidding him saying " well Joe, you will have Grace at the table from now on".