county of bra nt - Forgotten Books

HISTORY

COUNTY OF BRANT

F. DOUGLAS REVILLE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I .

I I .

II I .

IV.

VI .

VI I .

V I I I .

IX .

X I .

X II .

X I I I .

INDIAN H ISTORY

Th e A t triwand aron . or“Neu tra l” Indian s, wh o are first mention

ed as occupy ing t h e regi on now known as Bran t CountyChi ef v il lage located w here Bran tford now stan ds—Habitsand Customs of t h e Tribe

Bran t, t h e Indian Chief, after w hom C ity and County are

named - Sp lendi d serv ices rendered b y h im and S ix Na t ionsIndi ans t o Briti sh cau sw Vi s i t to Mohawk Vil lage , formerlysituated near Mohaw k Chu rch—H a l d imand Deed g iv ing Si x

Nations s i x m i les of land on each side of t h e Gran d River

Th e Bran t Monument and Unv ei ling Ceremon ies—Mohaw kChurch , t h e O ldes t Protestan t Edi fice in Upper CanadaBran t's Tomb

BRANTFORD HISTORY

Early Beg inn ing s of Bran tford —Some of F irst Sett lers - Surrend er of Town S i te b y Six Nations Indi ans—Bu rwel l ’s M ap

an d Orig ina l Purchasers of LotsComing of t h e Wh i tes —Turbu lent T imes wh en P lace was a

Fronti er Vil lage—~ O ldes t Nati v e Born B ran tf ord i te Te l ls of

Con d iti ons in 1 845—Incorporati on as Town and Fi rs t Asses s

Brantford in 1850 -D r . Ke lly ’s Remin iscences of 1855—Bra.n tfordi n 1870—Incorporati on as City , Mayors an d A ldermenTh e Market Square—Market Fee s “ Brant’ s Ford an d

Bridges

Th e Pres s—Medica l Profes s i on —Bench and B ar

B ran t f ord’s F ire F ighters—Great F ire of 1 860—Th e Story of

th e Hosp ital 's —Hoste lries an d Tav erns—Amu sement P lacesa nd Coming of t h e Movi es—Parks

Trade '

an d Transportati on Highw ay s—Stage Coa ches ~ G ran dRiver Nav i gation Company—Passenger and Freight Boatsran from Bran tford t o Bu ffa lo—Steam Rai lway s—:Bran tfordStree t Railway

Vis its of Members of t h e Roy a l Family and Execu tive Hea dsThree D irect heirs to th e Throne Guests of Bran tford —EarlDu ff erin Makes t h e Longest Stay—Opening of Prov incia lE xhibition an d Dedica tion of Lorne Bridge

Coming of E lectri c Power—F irs t Dev e lopment at Can a l LocksWestern Counties Compan y -Th e Hydro Sy stem - Bran tfordand Hami lton an d Lake Erie an d Northern li nes—S tory of

t h e Grand Riv er—Bran tford '

WaterworksEducati ona l—Bran tford Pub lic Schoo ls —Th e F i rst GrammarSchoo l —Col leg ia te Insti tu te—Industria l C lasses —Schoo l f ort h e B l ind—Young Ladies ' Col lege —Free L i brary

Crimean Ce lebra tion—Fe.n i an Rai d—Regu lar Troops LocatedHere—Post O ffi ce—Customs an d In land Rev enue—Brantford Poi i ce Department —G as W orks

PAGE

21

TABLE OF CONTENT S

CHAPTER

X IV.

XV .

XVI .

XVI I .

XV I I I .

X IX .

XX I .

COUNTY HISTORY

Pioneer L i fe i n t h e County and Homes of t h e Earlies t Sett lersC learing t h e Land—Family B i b le O ften t he one Source o f

Ins truction —Means o f Cooking —No Saturday Bargains in

B rant Coun ty Reminiscences b y an O ld T ime Resident—Someof t h e Peop le and Incidents of Early Day s—Vis it o f an

Observ i ng Scotch Advocate i n 1831 —Prices of L ive StockFarm Labor, Imp lemen ts . e tc .

—T h e Early Ho te ls

Commencement of Brant Cou nty Settlement—Once United w i thtwo Other Counties—Atta inment of Indiv idua l Exis tenceProceedings of F irst Mee ting of separate Counci l -Colat of

Arms—List o f Wardens and Coun ty Counci l lors

T h e Court Hou se and Deed of t h e Sq uare —Sheriffs and otherO fficia ls of Brant County -Sol l and ' Genera l Agricu ltureDeve lopment o f Educati on i n t h e County —Mohawk Institu te—Lay cock Home—B rant San i tarium

Incidents of t h e W ar of 181 2- 1 4 - T h e Engagement a t Ma lco lm'

s

Mi l ls—Some Brant County Pensioners—Rebe l lion of 1 837

Story of D r . Duncombe '

s Leadership of t h e Uprising i n

this Section and Deta i ls of h i s Thril ling Escape

T he Inv ention of t h e Telephone—G raham Be l l t h e Son of 11

PAGE

D is tingu ished Father—Coming of t h e Family to Tu te la '

Heig hts—Early Experimen ts —Inception here o f Grea t D i scov ery i s Fu l ly Estab lished—D is ti ngu ished Inv entor TakesPart i n . Memoria l Unv ei ling

Early Incidents of t h e Tow ns hips —Burford Very Nearly Becamet h e Home o f a Pecu liar Sect—First Se ttlers fo r t h e MostPart Consisted of Sturdy and Capable M en

Poli tica l History o f t h e Two Brants—Names of t h e M en w h o

Hav e Occu p ied Seats i n t h e Domin ion Hou se and Prov incia lLeg i s lat u rH One Premier, a Speaker of t h e Senate and otherMin isters

ILLUSTRATIONS

Facing Page

Brant’s FordJ oseph Brant ( from the pa inting by George Romney )Interior ancient Six Nations HouseHal dimand Deed Containing Grant to Six NationsPerspective View Mohawk ChurchFirst Six Nations Council HousePresent Six Nations Council House

Brant MonumentMoh awk ChurchScriptures in Moh awk

Queen Anne Communion ServiceAn Early Brantford Home and Old View of Market StreetPromi nent Village ResidentsElora, Founded by a Brantford CitizenOld View of One of Present Manufacturing AreasMarket St . 1875—1920Corner of Colborne and Market Streets in the SixtiesCorner of Colborne and Market Streets, 1920First Mayors of Town and CityFirst Owners of Courier and ExpositorEarly Medical M en

Members of Bench and Bar

Hospital and DonorsPrince of Wales Sleeping Car ( 1860)Prince of Wales at Mohawk Charch ( 1919 )

Grand River Near Elora and at Dunnv il leOl d Central SchoolRoyal Fusil iers Parading on Market Square 1867

The Original Gas WorksTh e First Two Wardens of BrantCourt House in 1875

Dr . A lexander Graham Bell , Inventor of the Telephone

Six Nations Council in Session I

Onondaga Long HouseMembers of Early Parliament and Dominion HouseMembers of Ontario Legislature

(Photograph s and reproductions by E . P. Park Co. , Brantford . )

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST VOLUME

Thi s volume deals more with even ts than wi th persons . and in

dividual s have onl y been ment ioned in so far as they have been identifiedwith the ear ly development period. or have held positions of more or

los s publ ic prominen ce .

The plan pur sued in some othe r such product ions of compil ingil lustrated biographica l record of subscribe rs, has not in any sense beenfol lowed in thi s instance .

and the se lection of th e materia l has res tedent irel y with the author .

As far as Brantford is concerned, i ts growth, while never of the

boom order, has always been steady . The progress whi ch has beenach ieved must be ma in ly att ributed to th e fortuitous cir cumstance thatfrom the earl iest days th e mun icipal ity has a lways con ta ined residentspossessed of enterprise and v ision . The inauguration of the Grand Ri verNavigation Co . , was one of the first man ifestations in thi s regard, fol lowedby the reaching after ra ilways, and still later by the attract ing of industries . When there i s added to these things th e fact that Brantford i teshave always had supreme confidence in the future of the communi ty, andhave ever most heart ily co-operated in anything tending to this end, theexplanation is readi ly found as to why the l itt le settlement located on

Indi an land in 1830, should to -day be a thr iving city of wel l overpeople , the four th industria l city of al l Canada in the matter of manufactured exports, the hub of many railroad an d radi al l ines, a place of

we l l kept home s, with not the sl ightest s ign of any slum d istrict withini ts entire borders, and possessed of mun icipal ly owned waterworks, a

mun icipa l ly owned street rai lway , and a mun icipal ly owned Hydro Electr ic System, while e lect ric power and l ight are supplied from Niagaraand DeCew Fal l s and natural gas is also available.

Th e frame structures of . the ear l ier days have given place to mi lesupon miles of fine res identia l stree ts—main ly working men ’ s homes—andto the splendid class

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of men engaged in the loca l industries and thea bsence of trade disputes, must

’

also be attr ibuted much of what wehave become . As for the future , it is ful l of a promise commensuratewith the past and nothing more than thi s need be sa id .

Of the Coun ty it may al so be cla imed that there ar e few agricul turalareas anywhere which can surpass the

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fine farms and the sterl ing qual it iesof their occupants .

From the first arrival of Th ayendanegea and his warriors of the SixNations, to th e successful complet ion of one of the greatest of moderninvent ions—the telephone—Brantford and Branty County possess muchmater ial of historic interest, which it has been the endeavor of thisvolume to preserve .

In the matter of the l ife of Brant, the principa l authority is thetwo volume hist ory with reference to that Chief publ ished by Stone in

im onucn ou

1838, but many other sour ces of information have al so been used inthe compilation of the chapter devoted to that notable man .

Thanks are due and hereby tendered to M cCle l land 81 Stewar t , Publ i shers , Toronto , for permission to quote from

“The Pioneers of the

Cross in Canada, by Dean Harr i s and from the Remin iscences , Pol it ical and Personal , of Sir John Wi l l ison ; to the Publishers’ Assoc iation ,

Toronto, for use of quotation from “Canada and Its Provinces to JudgeErmatinger of St . Thomas

,for permi ssion to use an extract from “

The

Ta lbot Regime, with reference to the Bran t County uprising led by Dr .Duncombe ; and to Major R. C . Muir of Burford, author of that exce l lentwork,

“The Ear ly Po l it ical and M i l itary History of Burford .

Acknowledgment is also made of courtesies ext ended by Mr . A . W.

Burt,Miss Gilkison ,

Lieut-Col . Leonard , City Clerk ; E . Henwood, Publ icLibrarian ; Maj or Smith , Super intendent of Six Nat ions Indians ; Mrs .J . Y . Brown , Mr . J . Hewitt , of the Smithson ian Institute , Washington ; Mr .E . Roberts, Hydromet ic Enginee r

,Hydro-Electric Comm ission ; Mr . S . F.

Passmore , from whom the early Brantford views were obtained ; Rev . Mr .Woodside, Dr . R . B . Or r of the Ontario Prov inc ia l Museum ; SenatorFisher, Judge Hardy, Mr . W . B . Race , Mr . A . E . Wa tts, K .C.

,County

Clerk ; J . Fair, Mr . C . Wh itney , Mr . W . W . Ell is of the Ontario DivisionCourt Department, Toronto ; Mr . L . Pratt , Hamilton ; Miss F . M . Staton ,

Reference Department , Toront o Publ ic Library . The files of the Cour ierand of the Expositor proved of much use and thanks are returned to

Mr . T. H . Preston for acces s to the last named .

This volume is a loca l production throughout, the printing havingbeen done by the Hurley Printing Co . , Ltd . , of this city, and the cuts,almost in the ir ent irety, having been prepared by the engravi ng department of th e Walker Press, Par is .

One we l l known writer, in h is preface to a production invo lvinglaborious detail, said :

“In this work, when it shal l be found that much is omitt ed, let it

not be forgotten that much l ikewise is performed .

”

It is hoped that to a modified ext en t a similar cla im can be madein this in stance and in any event there has been an earnest endeavor todo j ustice to a most interesting record .

F. DOUGLAS REVILLE .

INDIAN msroar 15

CHAPTER I.

THE ATTIWANDARON,OR NEUTRAL INDIANS, WHO ARE FIRST M ENTIONED

AS occuprc THE REGION Now KNOWN as BRANT COUNTY—CH IEF vi i .

LACE LOCATED WHERE BRANTFORD Now STANDS . —HABITS AND CUSTOMS

OF THE TRIBE .

Th e first residents of thi s sect ion of the country of whom there is

any authen tic record, cons isted of a t ribe of Indians who cal led them

se lves the A tt iwandarons . They were not confin ed t o the smal l area

of this County by any mean s, for as a matter of course there were no

del imitations in those early days, and the ir hunting grounds rangedfrom the Genesee Fa l ls to Sarnia , and South of a l ine drawn from Tor

onto to Goderich .

After the first settlement of Europeans in Canada made by the French

navigator, Jacques Cart ier, in 1535 and the naming of the territory as

“New France,

”there came other French expeditions, that of Samuel

De Champla in in 1615, having in h is entourage friars of the Recol lets

one of the three branches of which the Franciscan Brotherhood consisted .

Their Object was tha t of missionary effort among the Indians . One of

the first areas Of the ir operations was among th e populous Huron tribes

of what is now cal led Simcoe Coun ty . From the ir front ier vil lage ex

tended a maze Of forest to the Niagara River -

and beyond, and the regionwas regarded as more or less of a desolate nature . The occupants of thisvast territory were the A t t iwandarons , afterwards named the “Neutra ls”

by the French because they remained neutra l in the fierce and cont inuous

warfare betweenthe Six Nation s, then residing in what is now New YorkState ; and the Hurons , res iding a long the shores of Georgian Bay and

about what is now Ba rr ie .

In 1626 Father La Roche Dai l lon , a Reco l let missionary,Head Vil l age undertook to visit these people , and he found them to be

gil

tfmnt ford

a powerful tr ibe. Dean Harris in his “Pioneers of theCross in Canada

.

has translated the record . given by

Father Dai l lon of his trave ls . He found twenty-e ight vi l lages in the

Neutra l country . The name of the principa l vil lage, occupied by the

head chief, Souhar issen, was Kandoucho , and Dr . Coyne , author of The

Country of the Neutra ls,”

and Adam Hun ter, Secretary of the OntarioHistorical Society , have both located Kandoucho a s being at Brantford .

16 H ISTORY or BRANT COUNTY

Sanson’s M ap of 1656 also shows the site . In 1640 Fathers Breboeuf and

Chaumonot a l so v isited the Neutral s . (Father Breboeuf is the ce lebrated

Jesui t mart yr who was kil led by the Iroqu ois in 1649 at the time of the

dest ruct ion of the Huron Miss ion ) . The head chief, whom Dai l lon had

met in 1626 was sti l l l iving in the head vil lage, to whi ch they gave the

name,“Notre Dame des Anges” (Our Lady of the Ange ls . ) Other

Neutr al vil lages were al so named after var ious Sa in ts—“St . Francis”

near Sarn ia,“St. Joseph” near Chatham ,

“St . Michael” near Sandwi ch

and“St . Alexi s” near St . Thomas . The whole mission was known as

“The Miss ion of the Ange ls to the Neutral Nat ion” and the fact that

the t i tle Of said m is sion wlas bes towed on the vil lage where Brantford

now stands demonstrates that by red men , and early missionaries al ike ,it was regarded as th e most beautiful spot in a beautiful region , a verdict

ful ly sus ta ined by pre sent day es timate .

A According to the records left by Father B ai l lon , as trans

Luxur ian t lated by Dean Harr is , no part of the Ameri can cont inent

furni shed a more healthy or luxu riant growth of st aple

timbers than the entire‘

A t t iwandaron area . The grea t American pine,reaching to the height of sixt y or seventy feet yi el ded large quantities

of gum that served the Indian for seaming hi s canoe , and dres sing his

wounds and sores . Cedars, fir s and spruce grew side by side with the

tamarack and hemlock. Al l over were to be found magn if icent growths

of maple, birch , beech and l inden , or basswood . The oak, ash and elm

with the waln ut tr ee‘

and swamp maple fur nished a safe retr eat for a v ar

iety of wild animals which have long sin ce dis appeared .

Aspens Of al l sorts on whi ch the beavers fed, ba sswood that furn ishedvaluable wood for preserving the Indi an grain , and a species of hemlock

out of whi ch he made his rope, grew at convenient dis tances from each

vil lage . Chestnuts , mulberry and haze l t rees grew side by side withthe e lder, hawthom e and plum . Willows and alders drooped over the“

winding streams . Wild fruit trees of vast variety , gooseberry, currantan d other fruit producing bushes, covered the sides of the slop ing hi l ls .

The raspberry, strawberry and blackberry plants, and wi l d vines rich inthe ir wea lth of grapes , furn i shed to the Indians in season , abundanceand variety of savage luxur ies . Thr ough this rank and luxur ious growthof t imbe r, vine, bush and plant , there roamed countless numbers of anima l s Of great variety and many species . Here in their native forestroamed the elk, caribou and black bear ; deer, wolves , foxes, martens and

wild cats filled the woods, the porcupine, ground hog, hares of differentspecies , squirrels of great var iety, including the a lmost extinct flying

squirrel ,w ere ev erywhere . Every stream gave hospitable shelter to the

mDIAN HISTORY 17

beaver , the ot ter and the muskrat, whi le wease ls, moles and fie ld mice

burrowed under almost every tr ee . Snakes of v arious kinds , l izards of

dif fer ing hues , frogs innumerable, added to the l ife of this wondr ouslan d. The lakes, ponds , and rivers were al ive with swans, brant geese,wild geese , cranes , ducks , teal , di ver s of innumerable kinds , ernes, bit

terns , herons, white pel icans and trumpet er swans .

Bir ds of var ied plumage, the eagle, the wild turkey and different

kinds of par tr idge fil led the woods . Enormous flocks of wild pigeons,star lings , thrushes , robin s and ortolans darkened the heavens when in

fl ight ; swal lows, martin s, jays and magpies, owls of many species, hum

mi ng birds innumerable and myriads of plover and sn ipe added var ietyand li fe to a land already rich in everything that could tempt the covetousness of man . The streams, rivers and - lakes furn ished vast var ie tiesof fish , on which the cormoran t, and gu l l feas ted with the indigenous

savage . Such was the lan d an d such the opulence of animal and

vegetable li fe that lay in the posses sion of the great Neutra l t r ibe .

They numbered in the neighborhood of twenty thousand

Appearanceto th irty thous and souls and as late as 1640 , notwiths tand

And Habits . ing that for three years they had suffered severely fromwar , famine and sickness, they were able to send in to

the fie ld four thousand fightin g men . They were a sedentary people ,l iving for the most part in vil lages, which were constructed with con

siderabl e skil l . The men cut down the trees and cleared the land for

sowin g whi le the women did th e seeding, weedin g, the reaping and

harves ting. They were“

great tobacco raiser s and .u sers . They wer ephysica lly the finest class of In dians on the Amu ican

' continen t, ta l l ,straight and wel l bui lt, remar kab le for their endurance and activity, andas a body so free of any deformity that Dai l lon states that during h i s

s tay am ong them, he di d -

not notice a single lame,hunchbacked or

deformed person . They were inveterate gamesters, often gamb l ing fordays an d n ights . In summer the men wore on ly moccasins , and the

loin cloth or brayer ; they tatt ooed the ir bodies with powdered charcoal .Many of the ir chi efs an d leading warr iors underwen t the trying ordea l oftattooing with fixed pigments from head to foot ; snakes, worms, an imals,monstrosities of ev ery conce ivable nature ornamented, -or disfigured the ir

persons . In winter they clothed themselves in the skins of beasts , butwinter or summer, they wore no covering on the ir heads . They dressed

the ir hair each according to hi s own pecul iar whim , but they nev er

attempted to cur l it and held in contempt the man , who even by the

accident of nature, had cur led hair .

The women always wore the ir hair droop ing, ful l upon the back,


and the men and women frequently smeared the ir heads and bodies with

Oil . They were a ferocious people , g iven over to every form of l icent ious

ness , but whi le pol ygamy was not condemned among them, it was not

customary to have more than one wife . Yet in the grat ificat ion of the ir

brutal passions and desires they were shame less . Ferocious and valorous ,they were cont inual ly at war with the Mascoutins or

“Nat ion of Fire” ,

whom they eventua l ly destroyed as a people .

Each warrior carried a smal l bag around h is neck which was known

as the medicine bag,”

and conta ined one or two Objects , or charms ,which he trea ted with superstitious reverence . When suffering from

colds or kindred a i lments they had recourse to vapor baths . Six or seven

a t a t ime would shut themse lves up , back to back, in a swea t house , hav

ing a lready built the fire and placed the vesse ls of water at a conven ient

distance ; large stones were then heated in the fire, water poured on them

and th e steam arising produced copious perspiration .

The ir princ ipal food was meat and Indian corn , out of

Fond Of which they made a palatable dish cal led sagamite .

Bread , wine , sa lt, vegetables and sp ices were unknown to

them . They were a gluttonous people , who, when not

on the war trail , or hunting , were cont inual ly feasting . A feast was

given on the sl ightes t excuse , and one of these of a superstitious nature,demanded that every man should eat a l l that was put before him, and it

was frequently a very large amount . As a result , the digestive organs

of many of them were se rious ly and permanently impa ired . It is a sing

ular fact that among them , as among most of the tr ibes of North America,paren ts were held in great respect by the ir children .

They were e xceedingly fond of dancing, which partook more of - the

nature of a rhythmic stamp ing than a studied movement . In the ir warand scalp dances their fiendish passi ons found expression in violent

gestures , loud shouting, triumphant song and barbarous feastings, which

were pro longed for many days . The ir sense s reached a deve lopment ofacuteness , and sharpness truly wonderful . They could see objects,and perce ive the smoke of an enemy’ s camp when there was nothing tobe discerned by a white man . The ir touch was pecul iarly sensitive , and

their organs of sme l l developed to a perfection second on ly to that ofan imals . Such was the ir in tuit ive knowledge of loca l ity and places thatit might be said they posses sed a Sixth sense , for if a Neutral was fivehundr ed miles from his home , surroun ded by a dense wilderness of

forest, lake and stream , he would make stra ight for his vil lage throughthe pathless woods . The ir power of endu rance almost surpasses bel iefand they frequently bore fire , heat or cold without complaint. It was

Dancing .

IND IAN HISTORY 19

not exceptional for a Neutra l to'

abstain from food for twelve or fourteen

days to propitiate some Oki or spirit, and such was their contempt for

suffering that even a woman would be despised who compla ined of pain .

Eloquence was he ld in high repute and their orators had developed

powers of memory and expression that excited at times the as ton ishment

of the missionaries . Woman held the same posit ion of gross inferiority

among them as among al l the tribes of the American continent . She

molded the earthen pots, Spun twine from hemp , wove the rush mats,and made fishing nets . She extracted oi l from fish and the sunflower,embro idered moccasins with quil ls of hedgehog, ti l led the fields, and bore

burdens of the chase . She became old very early.

in l ife . The women

were decen tl y clothed, except that in summer they went with bare breasts

and naked arms, wearing necklaces of wampum, and bead work orna

ments.In win ter the Neutral s l ived in da rk cabins with a f ire in the centre

and an Open ing in the roof for the smoke to escape . One or two deer

or bear skins sewn together, served for a door . Here every n ight during

the winter months whole families almost stifled, huddled together from

the bitter cold .

They possessed a rude knowledge o f surgery, and uti lRude ized herbs, sassafras roots and barks of certa in trees for

fggfie

ige medicinal purposes . If in the depths of the forest a

g ry Neutral broke his leg or arm , spl ints of softe st materia l

were at once improvised ; branches of un iform lengt h and thickness were

ou t which were l ined with down l ike moss, or soft material gathe red in a

neighboring marsh“

. If the accident occurred in winter, cedar or hem

lock shavings, interla id with fine twigs, were used for padding and if

near a marsh or cedar swale , wild hay was gathered and a cushion madefor the wounded limb . Withes of wil low osier, or young birch

,bound

the Spl ints to the l imb . The pat ient was then placed upon a stretcher

of four young saplings, interwoven with cordings of basswood, and car

ried to his lodge . Here the spl ints were taken off and the bone examined

and reset by some member skilled in bone setting, and the patient madeas comfortable as the circumstances permitted . Fractured bones soonuni ted, for the recuperative powers of the Neutral s were remarkable .

They amputated limb s with stone,

kn ives, checking the hemorrhages with

heated s tones . Abscesses were cut into with po inted flints, and medi cated

decoctions were made from plants and herbs found in the forests. Theywere familiar with the use of emetics and laxatives, astringents , and emo l

l ient s . The so-cal led Medicine Man , or Shaman, who practised incan

tat ions , and was supposed to be in familiar intercourse with the Okies ,

20 HISTORY or BRANT COUNTY

was on ly cal led in when natural remedi es failed .

For a warrior to put h is hand to any kind of work was demean ing,and to as sist the women in the ir daily labor a degrada tion .

They had no knowledge of God , as we un derstand the word, but recog

n ized supernatural be ings known as Mani tous or Okies , to which they

offered propitiatory sacrifice s . They he ld sorcerers and witches in det es

tati on , and when a sorcerer was accused of practis ing h is m-al ign arts , anymember of the tribe was free to kil l him . They put great faith in dreams,for they bel ieved that their tutelary M -an itous took this method of g iving

warn in gs, and di rections to them .

When one of the ir number died, the corpse if that of a man, was

dr essed in h is be st garments , his face pa inted, and the body exposed at

the door of hi s wigwam . Ar ound him were placed h is weapons , hi s

totem drawn upon h is naked breast,h is medic ine bag suspended from his

neck, and the distin ctive symbol s which he bore during l ife attached to

hi s j erkin . After three days the body was brought into the wigwam and

then reta ined for weeks or months un t il the odor of putrefact ion became

unbearable . His wife and daughters whi le the body remained in the

cabin , blackened the ir faces and gave themselves over to grief and

lam en ta t ion , utter ing cries and groan s, and weeping excessive ly . When

at length compe l led to dispose of the body, they bore it sorrowful ly to

a scaffol d, placed a tobacco pipe in the mouth , and laid h is war club

and bow and arrows by hi s side . In a few months they buried the

bones, then closed the gr ave and covered it with large stones to protect

the remain s from profanation by wild beasts .Ab out 1650 the Iroquois found cause to quarrel with the Neutral s and

by 1653 had practica l ly ann ihilated them. The A t tiwandaron villages

were al l wi ped out , in cluding Kandoucho, and the Grand Ri ver Val leywas among the scenes of massacre . The most att ract ive girl s and probab ly some of the children were saved, but as a people the Neutrals d isappeared, and they are men tioned for the last time as a separate racein Le Journal des Jesuits July, 1653.

The Iroquoi s did not occupy this coun try but s imply used it as a

hun ting groun d . In the ol d maps after 1658 the former Neutral area ismarked the “Beaver Hunt ing of the Iroquois . ” In later years the Mississanga

’

s had acquired occupation of the Bran t Coun ty region , and by themit was sol d to the British Government in connection with the sett lementof the Six Nat ions here.

INDIAN HISTORY 21

CHAPTER II .

BRANT THE INDIAN CH IEF, AFTER WHOM C ITY AND COUNTY ARE NAM ED.

SPLENDID SERVICES RENDERED BY H IM AND SIx NATION INDIAN S TO

BRITISH CAUSE—VISIT To M OHAWK VILLAGE , FORMERLY SITUATED

NEAR M OHAWK CHURCH .—I{ALDIMA.ND DEED GIVING SIx NATIONS

SIx MILES OF LAND ON EACH SIDE OF THE GRAND RIVE R.

At some period during the fifteenth century the league of the Iroquoi s

was founded, according t o tradition . It ant icipated by five cen

tur ies the recent “League of Nation s” and had the same object in View,a

comb inat ion to in sur e peace . The Indian tr ibes participat ing were the

Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga , Cayuga , and Seneca known as the“Five

Nations .

” Later the Tuscaroras we re admit ted, a circum s tance which

led to the wel l known des ignat ion “S ix Nations . ”

The government Of this league was placed in the hands of fifty

sachems , di v ided among the tr ibes as fo l lows : Mohawks , n ine ; Oneidas ,n ine ; Onondagas , four teen ; Cayugas ten and Senecas e ight. The Onon

dagas were at first loath to jo in and only did so upon the basis of extra

representat ion . They were al so given the right , which exists to this day ,to cal l and dismi ss Coun cil meet ings . To each sachemship there was

given an appropriate name, and said name was assumed by each Sachemupon his appointmen t, and borne unt i l h is death, resignat ion ,

or deposi

t ion . The same names have been used by successive generations un til th epresent day and are heredi tary in the severa l tribes to which they belong, passing through th e female l ine . The mother of Brant was certa in lynot of this Indi an ar istocracy . Each sachem was ent itled to an assistan t

chief, or messenger . There were a lso war chiefs, a title given for martia l ardor , and

“Pine Tree” Chiefs, a title bestowed for abil ity , zea l forpublic good and hi gh stan ding .

This brief outl ine is necessary in connection with any sketch of Bran t,and it is al so appropriate to make some in it ial reference to th e patronwho proved such a determin ing fact or in hi s early life .

William John son—afterwards Sir William Johnson—wasA Nota'b le

the eldest son Of Christopher John son , of WarrentownCoun ty Down, Ire land, a family ancien t in its descent,

an d honorable in its al l iances . His mother’s brother , Peter Warren ,

afterwards Sir Peter Warren , rendered d istingu ished servi ce to the British

22 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY

Navy . He marr ied the sister of James De Lance y then the Chief Justice

of the County of New York, and al so for several years Lieutenant Cover .

nor . Will iam Johnson was cal led to America by his uncle , Sir Peter , in

1738 to superintend a large estate which the latt er shortly after hismarriage had purchased in Mohawk Val ley . He was then twenty-three

yea rs of age , and was employed in the arduous task of forming a sett le’

ment upon th e lands Of his uncle , and bringing lands into cultivat ion

for himse lf. He also kept , al though upon a sma l l scale, a coun try store ,in wh ich his uncle was a partner . Al l the evidence goes to Show thatthe means of both uncle and nephew at th is period were smal l . However

Will iam showed himsel f a man of great enterprise from the first , clearing a large farm for himse lf, erecting a store house and immediate ly

open ing up trade w ith both the white inhabitants and the Ind ians .

His style of l iv ing was plain and his industry great . His figure was robust

and h is deportment manly, and commanding . Yet he made himself very

friendly and famil iar among the people , with whom he mingled in their

rustic sports, and speed i ly became popular .Young Johnson l ikewise succeeded

,beyond a l l other men , in winning

the confidence and affection of the Mohawk Indians , whose most cons iderable town ,

Dyiondarogon , was but a few miles distant . His trade

with them Speed ily became considerable and the spirit of enterpr ise whichwas to rapidly raise him to fortune,was man ifest ed

‘

in a letter which hesent to h is un cle in 1739 , and in which he spoke of open ing a trading

house in the settlement of the Six -Nat ions on the Susquehanna river sometwo hundred miles south . Will iam Stone in writing of him in 1865 says

“Coming to America at the ins tance of a relative when he was a veryyoung man

,he threw h imsel f bodily into the w i lderne ss, and wi th but

l ittle assistance , became the architect of his own fort une and fame.

From the subordi nate stat ion of an agent in charge of the landed property of his relative

,he became success ively a farmer , a dealer in peltries ,

a merchant, a government contractor, a general in the armies Of hisadopted country, and a . baronet of the Brit ish realm possessed of an

estate Of great value, and transcending in extent the broadest domains of

the nobles of his p arent land . The hero a l ike of veritable history and

romance, h is actua l career being witha l more romant ic by far than any

Of the ta les which the writers of fiction have succeeded in invent ing forhim .

”

The Mohawks in 1746 adopted him as a member Of the ir nation and

invested him with the rank of a war chief, with the name “War -raghi -ya

gey ,”

(which means“One who un ites two peoples It was em

inent ly characte ristic of Johnson that in the same year, when the M o

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

IND IAN HISTORY 23

hawks pa id a vis it to Albany he marched at the head of them dres sed,painted, and plumed as requ ired by the dign ity of hi s rank.

”

It was in 1748 , then a widower, that be employed as hi s housekeeperMary Brant, or

“Miss Mo l ly” as she was cal led, a sister of Thayendan

egea , with whom he l ived unt il his demise , and by whom he had several

children . She a lways regarded hersel f as married to the Baronet after

the Indi an fashi on .

The tradit ions of the Mohawk Valley state that the acqua intance of

Johnson with Mol ly had a rather wild and roman tic commencement . The

story current at the time, was that she was a very sprightly and beautifulIndian girl of about sixteen , when he first saw her at a regimental muster .

One Of the field Officers coming near Mo l ly on a prancing steed , by wayof banter she asked permiss ion to moun t behind him. Not supposing She

could perform the exploit he sa id she might. At the word she

leaped upon the crupper with the agil ity Of a gaze l le . The horse sprangOff at ful l speed, and , cl ingin g to the Officer, her blanket flying, and her

dark tresses streaming in the wind, she flew about the parade ground to

the infin ite merriment of the col lected mult itude . Johnson was a witness

of the entire spectacle and was much impressed .

The test imony is that they lived in great “un ion and affection a l l h i s

l ife” and that he always t reat ed her with respect and courtesy . The

al l ian ce was a stil l further he lp to Johnson in his influence with the red

men .

He di ed sudden ly in June of 1 774,and was succeeded in h is t it le and

est ate , by h is son John , but the reins Of authority, as General Superintendent of the Indian Department, fe l l into the hands of his son - in -law

, Col .

Guy Johnson . Brant for a while , acted as Secretary to the latter . The

JOhnsons ma intained great style in the ir l iving, and Brant was quite an

intimate participant .

Many have been the writers who have treated of the event

Th ayendam ful l ife of that chief amongst Indians, Brant or“Thayen

danegea”

(Two sticks of wood bound firmly together . )The birth

'

and parentage of the celebrated Ind ian leader, whose car

eer had a part in the general h istory of two great civil ized nat ions, as

wel l as constituting an important factor in the local history of the par

t icu lar County which bears h i s name , is involved in uncerta inty .

Stone, the historian , writing in 1865 said in touching upon thissubject

“The Indians have no heralds col lege in which the l ineage Of their

grea t men can be traced, or parish registers of marriages, and births bywhich a son can ascertain his patern ity . By some writers Brant

,whose


Indian name is Thayendanegea , has been cal led a ha l f breed ; by others

he has been pronounced a Shawanese by parentage , and on ly a Mohawk

by adoption .

He was a lso mentioned as a son of Sir Will iam Johnson, but there is

not a titt le of evidence '

to support thi s assert ion .

In 1819 the Kingston Chr ist ian Record edited by Bishop Strachan ,

contained a brief accoun t of Joseph Brant, stat ing that he was born in

1742 on the banks of the Ohio, whither hi s parents had migrated from

the val ley of the Mohawk . The memo goes on to say that the mother

returned after a lapse of some year s wi th two children , Mary and

Joseph . Her first husband , a full blooded Mohawk had then been dead

a short time, and after her return she married a res pectable Indian by thename of Carr ihogo, a news carrier, whose name was Bum et or Bernard,but by way of cont raction he went by the name of Bran t . Hence it isargued that the lad , who was to become the future war chi ef, was firstkn own by th e distinctive cognomen of Brant ’s Joseph, and in proces s Of

time, by inversion , Joseph Brant .Th is argImIen t , weak as it may seem, is the on ly plausible one

advanced to explain the otherwise unexpla inable appe l lat ion .

While on this subject of birth , it may be ment ioned that pract ica l ly al l

histories of Bran t have conta ined the assertion that “The London M ag

azine Of July 1 776 conta ined a sketch of him affirming as a fact, without

question , that he was th e grandson Of one of the five sachems who visited

England in 1 710 dur ing the re ign of Queen Anne .

”

Boswel l the famous biographer of Dr . Johnson , became intimate

with Bran t on his fir st London visit and , as the probable author Of thearticle spoken of , it has been assumed that he obtai ned such informationat first hand from the Ch ief. By the courtesy of the curator of the

British Museum , the writer has been furni shed with a copy of the sketch,and in so far from having any authority on the poin t under discussion ,

it speaks of a single Chief visiting England in the re ign of Queen Anne,and Brant as h is grandson .

As a lready related there were five sachems and they were in t roducedat Cour t by the Duke Of Shrewsbury, the ir vis it to the O ld Landexcit ing considerable attent ion .

All th e evi dences which coun t point to the fact that Brant was not an

hereditary chief. Nevertheles s, whatever h i s origin , he stands acknowledged as one of the big men of hi s time and the greatest of al l Indians .

Of th e boyhood of young Bran t hi story is a l it tle more sat isfactory in i tsdeta il s. That be early showed sagacity, and intel l igence is evident fromthe fact that he came under th e favorable notice of Sir Wil liam John

INDIAN HISTORY“

25

son, then the representative of the Royal Author ity among the Indi ans ,and this statesman and so ldier had him, wi th two other boys , sent to the

Moor Char ity Schoo l at Le banon , Connect icut . How long Joseph

remained at thi s seat Of lea rn ing, and the proficiency he showed in his

studi es, are matters of contention . It is known however that in 1 762

he was taken by the Rev . Jeffrey Smith , a mi ssionar y, as an int erpreter ,so that it is fair to as sume that he had made good scholasti c progress .

In fact , Weld, the English his tor ian who t ravelled through the States

in 1 795, goes so far as to state that he had made considerable advance

in the Greek and Latin tongues . This is to be doubted, because at a later

period he announced that he had it in mi nd t o commence the study of

Creek.

The first mention Of Brant in the role Of a warrior is

when he was but thirteen years of age . A mere bOy, hetook the warpath at the batt le of Lake George in 1755,

when Johnson laid the foundati on Of his future fame and secured recog

n i t ion from the King in the shape of a baronetcv . and by defeat ingthe French .

In relat ing the particulars of thi s engagement to Rev . Dr . Stuart someyears after, the youthful war rior acknowledged.

“This being the firstaction at whi ch I was present, I was seized with such a tremor when the

fir ing began that I was obliged to take ho ld Of a smal l sapl ing to steadymysel f ; but after the discharge of a few vol leys I recovered the use of

my limbs , and the composur e of my mind, SO as,

to support th e

character of a brave m an , Of which I was especial ly ambitious. Brantwas no doubt A warrior by nature . I l ike,

”he said in later days,

“the

harpsichord we l l , the organ better, but the dr um and the t rumpet bestOf al l , for they make my heart bea t quioHis next experience appears to have been wi th the expedit ion aga ins t

Niagara in 1759 . Gen . Prideaux left Oswego on September l st , withabout men and Sir Will iam Johnson jo ined the exped it ion with

warriors of the Six Nations . Brant, then on ly seventeen , accom

pani ed Sir Will iam , who , after Prideauxhad been kil led, took commandof the expedit ion . In the at tack which fol lowed , the French wereutterly routed .

The Pontiac war next fol lowed, 1763-4 . Brant was in the severalcampa igns connected therewith, and the brave, and courageous spir it ofhimse l f and fe l low warriors helped in the discomf iture of the foe .

Peace tihen nes tled upon the much vexed land and Brant was freeto fo llow a l ife of comparati ve case .

In the year 1 765 he married the daughter of an One ida Chief, and

26 HISTORY or mu m COUNTY

se ttled in his own home in the Mohawk Va l ley . Here , for some years

he spent a quiet l ife , acting as interpreter between his people , and the

wh ites , and lending his a id to missionaries in teaching the Indians,whose conversion and civil izat ion was commencing to engage much

attention . Sir Wil l iam Johnson and the Rev . Mr . Inglis drew the atten

tion of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to the necess ity of

a Church of England missionary among the Mohawks, and in 1770 they

sent out Rev . Mr . Stuart . Brant assisted him in the translat ion of a

portion of the New Testament and the Reverend Gentleman wrote con

cern ing this labor as follows“During the winter of 1 771 , I first became acquaintedwith Brant . He l ived at the Mohawk V i l lage , Canajo

har ie, about thirty miles distan t from Fort Hunter . On

my first visit to the vil lage where he l ived, I found him

comfortably sett led in a good house , with everything necessary for the

use of his family, which consisted of two children ,—a son and a

daughter—w ith a wife in the last stage of consumption . His wife died

soon after, on which he came to Fort Hunter and resided with me for a

considerable time, in order to assist me in adding add it iona l translations,to the Indi an prayer book.

” Dr . Stuart further stated that the work

accompl ished , in the way of tran slation , consisted of the Gospe l of St .

Mark, part of the Acts of the Apostles , and a short history of the Bible,with a concise explanation of the Church Catechism .

Th e son referred to in the above letter was Isaac , who died at Bur

l ingt ou He ights nea r the City of Hami lton in 1795; the daughter ,Christ ina, married Aaron Hil l , a Catechist in the English Church . She

died at the Mohawk Vil lage, Brantford . In 1 772 Brant married a half

sister of his deceased wife.

There is con siderable doub t, as to the date on which

39301

3t f Brant was made Principal War Chief of the Confederacy .

King Hendrick who had held the position ,was kil led at

Lake George, and he had been succeeded by Little Abraham . The l atterhowever refused to fal l in with John son , and a maj ority of the tr ibes ,and he was superseded by Th ayendanegea . Without doubt the lat terowed this preferment in lar ge part to war achievements, a lways

potent w ith the red men . Brant, by this e levation , now became a

prominent personage not alone among the Indians, but al so with the

Engl ish speaking people of Amer ica.

In 1775 the ominous mut terings upon the part of the Colon ists broke

forth in to a regular upheaval , and when Col . Guy John son evacuated theMohawk Va l ley Captain Brant , —he then he ld that commission in the

Scri ptures .

INDIAN I'

rIsromr 27

regular army—and most of the Mohawk warr iors accompani ed him .

Col . Johnson arrived in Montreal July 14th , expectin g soon to organ ize

a sufficient force to return, and take possessi im of the Mohawk Val leyhomes . At Montreal Brant appears to have met Generals Carleton and

Ha ld imand ,

.

who cour ted the se rvi ces of himse lf and his fo l lowers, and

str engthened them in their a l legiance to the King. For the prosecution

of a border warfare , the officers of the Crown could not have obta ineda more valuable a lly than Brant .

0

On November 1 1 th 1775 Co lone l Johnson sailed fromF“81

1

; V

218“to Quebec on a visit to England . He was accompan ied by

Eng anBrant and th e latter was much noticed and courted in

London . One of hi s explo its was to make a speech in Engl ish, settingforth Mohawk grievan ces . It was during this visit that the famous Chief

procured a gold finger ring, with his name engraved thereon , stating that

he in tended the same should provide evidence of h is identity in case

he fel l in any of the battles he anticipated . This ring he wore unt i l h is

dea th . After his demise it was kept as a precious re l ic for years, butfinal ly became lost. Later it was found by a l ittle gi rl , in a ploughedfield, near We l l ington Square, (Burl ington ) where Brant passed the

later years of h is l ife .

Brant did not rema in long in the Old Land, but his visit served tostil l more firmly weld the l inks that bound him to the Engl ish cause .

When he threw in h is lot w ith the British at the commen cement of thetrouble, it was purely on account of the engagements which his forefathers had made with the King, but the royal reception he rece ived inLondon made the cause in which he afterwards fought so va l iantly . a

personal one .

The London Magazine ( 1776) article , already spoken of ,

conta ins th is further reference to the Chiefz—“Th e

present unhappy civi l war in America occasioned his

coming over to England . He was sol icited by both sides to give his assi stance and found himself perplexed amids t a contrariety of argumentsupon a great subject, which he could not wel l understand . Beforecoming to a decisive reso lution be reso lved to go himse lf in to the

presence of the Great King, as the British Sovere ign is styled amongstthe American Indians. He accordingly came to London , accompan ied byCaptain Tice, an officer of Engl ish extraction , born in Amer ica and who

has a settlement j ust in the neighborhood of the Mohawk Nation . By

what mode of reason ing this chief was convinced of the j ustice of the

demands of Great Britain upon her colon ies, and the propriety of

enforcing.

them, we have not been informed, but it is sa id he has

28 H ISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY

promised to give his ass istance to the government by br inging three

thousand men into the field. This chief had not the ferocious dign ity of

a savage leader.“We have procured for the sat isfact ion of our readers a prin t of him

in the dress of hi s nat ion which gives him a more striking appearance.Upon his t omahawkis carved the first let ter of h is Christi an name Joseph

and his Mohawk appe l lati on thus—Thayendanegea . His manners are

gentle, and qu iet , and to those who study human nature he affords a veryconvincing proof of the tameness which educat ion can produce upon the

wildest race. He speaks English very wel l and is so much master of thelanguage that he i s engaged in a transla ti on of the New Testamen t into theMohawk tongue. Upon his arriva l in London he was conducted to the

Inn cal led“The Swan with two Nec in Lad Lane . Proper lodgings

were to be provided for h im , but he sa id the good people of the Inn

were so civi l that he would not leave them, and accordingly he cont inuedthere al l the t ime he was in London . He was struck with the appearanceof England in general but he said he chiefly adm i red th e ladies and thehorses. ”

In company with Captain Tice he sa iled for Amer ica inthe spring of 1776, and was landed cauti ously and

privately in the ne ighborhood of New York harbor , aboutthe beginn ing of April . The journey t o Canada was a very -hazardousone, he having to st ea l h is way through an enemy’s count ry, unti l hecould hide himself in the wcods beyond Albany. The trackless forestswere skir ted in safety, and Brant arrived in Mon treal a sho rt time previousto the bat t le of the Cedar s. This engagement was the result of a

movement by General Car leton to di slodge the Americans from a pointof land extending out in to the St . Lawrence River , about forty milesabove Montrea l . The Brit ish commander h ad a force of some six,or seven hundred men, the great er part of whom were Indians, underThayendanegea . The engagement ended most succes sful ly MajorSherbour ne sur rende ring on M ay 20th 1 776. Brant took a very activepart in thi s affair .

It was in the commencemen t of the year 1 777 that thefinal extinguishment of the grea t council fire of the Six

Nations at Onondaga, New York, took place . Since

t ime immemorial this fire had been kept burn ing, and was the assemb ly

spot for al l general coun cils . The why or the wherefore of thi s aban

donmen t is shr ouded in mystery ; nor is it of present moment

except as marking an epoch in the l ife of Brant, and final exit of the S ixNations, as a national body, from the Coun cil grounds 'of the ir ancestors .


INDIAN nrsronr 29

The spring of 1 777 brought Brant very prominent ly

forward. The great Chief at that t ime had separat edfrom Col . Guy Johnson over some l itt l e di f ference, and

later appeared among the Indians as far south as theSusquehanna Ri ver

in Pennsylvania, in an energet ic endeavor to un ite the var ious tr ibes in

favor of the Royal cause . In M ay he made severa l rai ds on the New

York sett lements, and in June he appeared at Unadi lla. Hi s forces

continuing to in crease , General Herkimer, the American Commander,sought to dissuade him from further demonstrati ons against the Colon is ts .

The interview took place in the summer . One story is that the Genera lcontemplated the capture of Brant on this occas ion , but if so, he was

too wary, and upon an aide-de-cam p speaki ng to h im in an ins ulting man

ner it was with the greates t dif ficulty that Bran t prevented h is warriors

from a ttacking the party . Next day the Chief tol d Herkimer that he had

joined the cause of the King, and both leaders"

then separated amicably,the General pres entin g Brant with some fat catt le . Thayendanegea soonafterwards drew off hi s forces from the Sus quehanna, and un ited themwith t he forces of Col . John Butler an d Sir John Johnson . About thi st ime the Brit ish Indian Department asked for a grand Council of the S ix

Nati ons, whi ch was notable in that it brought ab out a complete a l lianceof the greater porti on of the Six Nat ions wi th the Brit ish forces .

Brant i s next heard of in connection wi th General St.Onskany Legers expedi ti on against Fort Stanwi x . The great Chiefand his warr iors met with a seve re loss in an engagement, and on theirway home ratal i ated by comm itting some depredat ions upon the One idaswho had refus ed to join the expediti on . The One idas in the ir t urnplundered “Mol ly Brant” and other Mohawks . Mol ly fled to the Onondagas, and i t was through her ins trumen tal ity that Gen . St . Leger wasapprised of the approach of an American force under Herkimer . Th e

latter were ambuscaded, and near ly ann ihilated by Bran t and his mena t Or iskany . Thi s was one of the most bloody of a l l the fronti er fights ,the los ses al l roun d proving very heavy . Both sides claimed the

v ictory. Brant in after years was always wont to refer to hi s“poor

Mohawks at Oriskany.

Early in 1778 the American Congres s made another

B a ck to the effort to wi n over the Six Na tions , but without successSusquehanna. and they never again att empted concil iatory measures .

Brant and h is as sociates reappeared in the ir formerhaun ts on the Susquehanna. Whenever a blow could be st ruck, Brantwas there to del iver it . Silent ly, and in the dead of n ight general ly afterthe Indian fashi on , he, and his dusky warriors bore down upon set t le

Greater


ments , and in the morn ing heaps Of smouldering ruins told the tale .

The first movement was upon the se tt lement of Springfie ld, about tenmi les west Of Cherry Val ley. Those Of the men who did not flee were

taken prisoners, and the horses and stock then destroyed . One dwel l ingon ly was left standing, in and about which the Chief had al l the women ,

and children col lected, and le ft them uninj ured .

Wyoming, a beautiful Susquehanna va l ley, had in 1 778

settlements which tota l led some five thousand souls. Itwas in June that Col . Johnson suggested the employment Of Ind ians in a

“pet it guerre in their own way . The first expedition under this mode Of

warfare was organ ized by Col . John Butl er . He en tered the Wyoming

val ley about July l st . through a mountainous gap, and captured two forts .The commander Of the Wyoming forces assumed the aggressive and giving

Butler battle was defeated . Then fol lowed the carnage among the

sett lers and wholesale slaughter and many atrocities occurred . As Brant

was the most wide ly known Indian in America , it was natural thathe should be put down as the leader Of this rapine . His a l leged identi f ication with i t spread to England, and Campbel l, the poet, in later years

when he wrote “Gertrude of Wyoming” made the Oneida speak of

Thayendanegea as follows :

W yoming .

The mammoth comes— the foeh the monster Brant ,With al l h is howl ing, desolat ing hand ;These eyes have seen the ir blade , and burn ing pineAwake at once , and silence half your land .

Red is the cup they drink , but no t with wine ;Awake, and watch to -n ight ; or see no morn ing shine .

Scorn ing to wield the hatchet for his tribeGainst Brant himse lf I went to batt le forthAccursed Brant!he left of al l my tribeNor man ,

nor child, nor thing Of l iving birth .

NO!not the dog that watched my household hea rthEscaped th at n ight Of blood upon our plains ;All perished—I alone am left on earthTo whom nor relative , nor blood remains .

”

a matter of fact al l the testimony goes to show that Brant was not

at the scene at al l . Campbel l ’ s effusion was not publ ished until afterBrant’s dea th

, and it gave great Offence to h is family and friends .

Brant’s son,John

,visited England in 1821 , and ca l led on the poet to

whom he submitted the necessary proofs Of hi s father’s innocence . Camp

be l l issued a statement that the documents submitted had completely“satisfied” him of his e rror .

INDIAN HISTORY 31

Brant’s next authentic exploit was at Andrustown, whichplace he destroyed, as al so the town of Ge rman Flats, a

short time after . In Novemb er of 1778 the battle -of

Cherry Valley occur red , in which the Chief distinguished himself for his

kindness to the vanquished foe , and ef forts to save l ife . On July 19th ,1779 Min isink was la id low by Thayendanegea , and on August 2nd a

settlement on the Mohawk river . During that summer the severe engagement Of the Chemung a lso took place when the Roya l forces were

defeat ed . The Indian s were under Brant who handled them with greatskil l and bravery ; against Gen . Sull ivan in the fa l l Of the year he alsodistinguished himsel f. Dur ing 1 780 be destroyed Harpersfie ld in April ,and in May devas tated the Saugert ies set tlemen t. On August 2md , he

and h is fighting men, made their appearance in the Mohawk Val ley, and

for mi les al l property was destroyed including the Town Of Canojohar ie .

On October 16th , the invasion of Schoharie County took place, the

British proving eminently successful . Brant was the leader of the

Indians . In the Spring Of 1781 the la tter also kept up various i ncur s ions“

un til the news was rece ived Of the cessat ion Of hostil ities between the

Un ited States and Great Britain .

In any estimate of Brant , and his methods as a fighter,it mus t be borne in mind tha t h is was the Indian con

cept ion , a heritage of countless generations, and that forthe per iod in which he l ived the tolerance and consider

ation shown by him at times were l ittle short of remarkable . The

American writer Brownel l says in this regard .

“There is many an

instance recorded Of Brant’s interference , even in the heat Of confl ict,to stay the hand uplifted against the feeble and the helpless .”

He once sent an Indian runner a long dis tance to restore a baby that

, had become separated from it s mother .During the Cherry Va l ley attack i t is recorded that he entered a house,

and found a woman engaged in her usua l avocations . He asked her ifshe d id not know of her neighbors being sla in al l aroun d her . She madeanswer “There is one Joseph Brant, if he i s wi th the Indians he will saveus .” He disclosed his identity, but sa id he was not in command, and didnot know what he could do to save her . Wh ile they were ta lking several

Senecas were seen to be approaching the house .

“Get in to bed and fe ign

yourse lf sick” sa id Brant hastily. When the Senecas came he told themno one was there except a sick woman , and her ch i ldren, and he besoughtth em to leave the house . Th is, after a short consultation

,they con

sented to do, and as soon as they were gone, Brant uttered a long, shr il l ,yel l . In respon se a smal l band of Mohawks appeared . As they came

32 HISTORY or am coum

up he addressed them .

“Where is your paint ? Here, put my mark on

this woman .

”As soon as th is was done he sa id to her ,

“You are now

probably safe.

That devas tation methods were not alone practised by30th S ides the Indians , is exempl ified by this instructi on sent byUsed Washin gton to Gen . Sul livan .

“The exped it ion you are to command is to be directed

against the hostile tr ibes of the S ix Nat ions , the ir as sociates and adherents .

The immediate object s are the tota l destruction , and devastation of the ir

set tlemen ts , and the captu re of as many prisoners of every age and sex

as possible . It wil l be essen tial to ru in the ir crops now in“

the ground,and prevent them planting more Parties should be detachedto lay waste al l the settlements around, with the ins tructions to do it inthe most effective manner, that the coun try may not be merely overrunbut destroyed .

“Af ter you have very th oroughl y completed the destruct ion of their

settlements, if the Indians should show a disposition for peace , I would

have you encourage it, on the cond it ion that they wi ll give you somedecisive evi dence of the ir sin cerity by de l ivering up some of the principa lin stigators of the ir past hostil ity .

”

Brant was especial ly named in the last mentioned respect .

In 1 785 Bran t paid his second, and las t v isit to EnglandSecond for the purpose of adj usti ng the claims of the Mohawks ,V’s“; To

and urging indemn i ficat ion for the ir losses during theEngland .

war . On both h is visits he met with a cordial reception

and became a favorite of the K ing and Royal fami ly. He was a guest of

honor in one great house after another , hi s portrait was painted by the

noted Romn ey whose brush l imned al l the notab les of the day . Fox, the

pol it ical leader , pres ented him with a snuffbox, on which hi s in itial s were

engr aved , and other atten tions were showered upon h im which would

have turned th e head of a less stol id indivi dua l .When informed of the course he should pur sue upon his presentat ion

at Cour t, he objected to dropping on one knee , and kissing th e hand of

the King, saying that he would gladly do that in the case of a lady, for

it would be a pleasan t and proper thing, but such conduct would be

serv i le towards a man .

During hi s stay in London an amusing inciden t occurred . Havingbeen invi ted to a grand masqu erade ba l l he went r ichly dressed, in the

costume of h is nation ,wear ing no mask, but painting one side of h is

face .

“His plumes nodded as proudly in hi s cap as though the bloodof a hundred Percy’ s coursed through his veins, and a tomah awk

INDIAN HISTORY 33

glittered in his gir dle l ike burn ished silver . Among the guests was

a Turk of rank, whose attention was par ticularly att racted by the gro

tesque appearance of Bran t ’s singular, and as be supposed , fantastic attir e .

He scrutin ized the Chief very close ly, and mistaking hi s complexion

for a painted visor took the l iberty of attempting to handle his nose .

Bran t, who had noticed th e observ at ion be excited, was in the humor for

a l ittle sport . No sooner therefore, did the fingers of the Turk touch his

nasa l organ, than he raised a war whoop , and snat ching hi s tomahawk

from h is girdle , whirled it around the head of the aston ished Islamite .

Such a piercing and blood curdling cry had never before rung through

the hal ls of fashion , and breaking sudden ly, and with startl ing wildn essupon the ears of the merry throng, produced a strange sensat ion . The

Turk trembled with terror, wh i le the lady guests screamed, and scatteredin every direction . The j est, however , was soon explained, and al l

became normal once more , although it is doubtful if the Turk sufficientlyrecovered his menta l equil ibrium to enjoy the latter part of the even ingas much as he had the commencement .

Thayendanegea on the second occasion remained in the O ld Coun tryfor quite a lengthy period, but amid the more frivolous demands made

upon h i s time, he also paid serious attention to the ma tters he h ad in

hand, on behalf of his people, with fair ly satisfactory results from his

standpoin t . After h is visit Lord Sidney wr ote“Hi s Majesty, in cons iderat ion of the zealous , and hearty exertion s of

his Indi an All ies in support of h is cause, and" as :a proof of his mostfriendly dispos ition towards them, has been graciously pl eased to consentthat the losses already certified by his Superin tendent general sha l l bemade good : that a favorable {attention sha l l be shown to the claims ofothers wh o have pursued the same l ine of conduct .”

It was S ir Guy Carleton,afterwards Lord Dorchester, who

Th e Set t ling had prom ised the Indi ans, when they joined the British

gratife

Riv erStandard, that at th e close of hostilit ies , they would berestored at the expense of the Governmen t

, to their former pos itions with regard to lands , and so forth . When the war endedthe Six Nations who had thrown in the ir lot with the cause of the King,had no sett led place of habitation , al though many of them had temporar i ly located near the Niagara River at

“The Landing” now known as

Lewiston . The Senecas offered a portion of the ir lands on the

Genesee river, but Brant made answer that the Moh awks, for their part

were determined to “sink or swim with the Engl ish .

”Thayendanegea

then j ourneyed to Quebec where he met Sir Frederick Ha lM and and

other'

leaders , with the outcome that the Bay of Quinte region was named


as the land to be granted . Some of the Six Nat ions Indians did in fact gothere, and the place tod ay con ta ins quite a good sized Mohawk settlement .However, when Brant returned to report the result of the negot iations toh is confreres , there was loud outcry from those Senecas, who werestil l residing in the States and who, in case of further troub le, did not

want the rest Of the Six Nations to be so far away . As the outcome Brantaga in journeyed to Quebec , and the result of the second conference withHald imand was the gran t of “A tract Of land, six miles in depth, on each

side of the Grand River” from i ts mouth to its source . The instrument tothis effect was given under the hand and seal of Ha ldimand on October25th 1 784, and was as fol lows :

Frederick Ha l d imand , Captain General and Governor in Chief of the

Province of Quebec and Territories depending thereon , etc. , etc. , etc . ,

Genera l and Commander in Chief of His Majesty’s Forces in said

Province and the Frontiers thereof, etc. , etc. , etc. ,

Whereas, His Majes ty having been pleased to direct that in considerat ion of the early attachment to His cause man ifested by the Mohawk Indians and of the loss of their settlement which they thereby sustained, that

a conven ient tra ct of land under His protection should be chosen as a

safe and comf ort able ret reat for them and others of the Six Nations who

have e ither lost th eir settlements within the Territory Of the American

States or wish t o ret ire from them to the British—I have, at the earnest

desire of many of these His Majesty’s faithful al l ies, purchased a tract of

land from the Indian s situated between the Lakes Ontario, Erie and

Huron , and I do hereby in His Majesty’s name authorize and permit the

said Mohawk Nation,and such others Of the Six Nat ions Indians as wish

to sett le in that quarter, to take posses sion of and sett le upon the banks

of the river commonly cal led Ouse or Grand River, runn ing into Lake

Erie, al lott ing them for that purpose six miles deep from each side of

the river, beginn ing at Lake Erie and extending in that proportion to the

head of the sa id river which them and their posterity are to enjoy forever .

Given under my hand and seal at arms at the Castle of St. Lewis, at

Quebec, this twenty-fifth day of October, one thousand seven hundred

and eighty- four,and in the twenty -fifth year of th e re ign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Th ird by the Grace Of God of Great Britain, France and

Ireland, Kin g, Defender of the Faith and so forth .

FREDk HALDIMAND,

By H is Exce l lency’

sCOmmand

R . MATTHEWS


INDIAN HISTORY1 31 5306

35

The document i t wil l be noticed gave the Six Nations on ly the right

of posses sion and not a fee Simple . TO remedy this a second deed was

obtained from Governor Simcoe on January 14th 1 793 where in it was

provided that the S ix Nat ions might sur render at any t ime any port ion

of the territory at some publ ic meeting org

assembly of the Chiefs, War

r iors and People convened for the purpose and the Crown should pur chase

same . The latter proviso was‘

made so that His Majesty, thus hol dingthose portions of their lands rel ieved from the pledge which had been

given for their exclusive possession , might make a clear and free grant

in fee Simple, by letters patent, to such persons as the Indian s might

agree to sel l to .

It was Shortly after the Haldimand deed, that Brant decided to makeanother visit to the Mother Land , a lth ough Sir John Johnson, then

Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, strongly objected . In fact

the latt er had j ust returned from a visit to England without accomplishingmuch as far as th e Indians could see . However Thayendanegea was a

very “ determined man , once he had made up his m ind, and thus the

j ourney took place to which reference has already been made .

The end of the Revolutionary War did not witness the

en tire withdrawal of Brant from military ma tters . In

addit ion to the Six Nations, other Indians across the

border had been friendly to the British, and al l of themwere very resentful when in th e treaty between Great Britain and the

States, it was found that conveyance of a large portion of the lands of

the red men had been made to the Un ited States authorIt Ies . There was

l ikewise no mention of any provision for the Indians in the dea l withthe

g

new Republic . As the upshot there was talk of asking Thayendanegeato become leader of a confederacy of a l l the Indian tribes, and thereseems to be reason to bel ieve that, for a period, he was quite incl ined toentertain a plan which natural ly appea led to a man of his ambitioustemperament . In November of 1 786 the hand of Brant was seen in an

addres s sent t o the Un ited States Congres s as the outcome of a Council ofIndian tribes held at Huron v il lage . Meanwhile the whi t e man continuedto encroach on what the Indians regarded as their territory , and they looked with jea lous eyes upon the occupany of cho ice lands by the Saxon .

As the outcome, many tribes went on the war path in a despairingeffort to prevent the western advance of those whom they regarded as

invaders . Brant does not appear to have been in any of the confl ict s ,but many Mohawk warriors were, and h is adv ice was in al l l ikel ihoodconstantly ,sought. Final ly in 1 792 the United States Secretary of Statewrote h im '

from Philadelphia, then the seat of government, st at ing that

A ct iv i ti es .


the President wished to see h im w ith regard to the best means of

composing the d ifficult ies and adding the assurance,“The President of

the Un ited States w i l l be highly gratified by rece iving, and conversing

wi th a chief of such eminence as you are, on a subject so interesting andimportan t to the human race .

” Brant accepted, and fir st went t o New

York, one Of the newspapers there making the announcement “On Monday

last arrived in th is city from h is settlement on the Grand River, on a

v isit to some of h is friends in this quarter, Captain Joseph Brant , of the

British Army, the famous Mohawk Chief, who so eminently distinguished

himsel f during the late war , as the mil itary leader of the Six Nations .

We are informed th at he intends to visit the city of Philade lphia .

”

Upon reaching th e latter place he was received very heart ily by the

Presiden t . He related afterwards that the Uni ted States authorities

offered him one thousand guineas down ,and the doubl ing of h is ha lf pay

and pen sion from the British Gove rnment,if he would take active steps to

check the warring red Skins . Upon refusal he stated he was then Offered

rights over land worth twen ty thousand pounds, and a yearly al lowanceOf fifteen hun dr ed dol lars . His rejection of both offers he based upon theground that he might be asked to act against the interests of the Kingand th e honor of the Six Nations. He promi sed however to u se hisinfluence with the Miamis, then prominent as revol t leaders . His staywas made very pleasant for him, and after his departur e the Secretaryof war wrote to General Chapin , U . S . Superintendent of Indian Affa irs,“Captain Brant ’s visit wil l

,I fla tt er myse lf, be productive of great sat is

faction to himse lf by being made acquainted with the humane views ofthe President of the Un ited States .” and in another let ter to Genera l

Cl inton he sa id,“Capta in Brant appears to be a j ud icious and sen sible

man .

” Whether or no Brant made any move does not appear, but the

warring continued until August 1 794, when the Indi ans Signed a treaty

w ith Genera l Wayne on terms dictated by the latter .About this period an old chroni cler , in writing of Brant ,said

In h is person he is graceful and dignified . He i s

easy and affable in conversation . His stature is five fee t e leven inchesof finest form , possessing great muscular power . His countenance isopen , pla cid and inviting. His eyes are bril l iant and expressive .

Everyt hing re lating to h is person is engaging and prepossessing.

”

In the year 1 779 one of the prisoners at Fort Niagara' thus described

h im :“He was a l ikely fel low,

rather Spare ; wel l Spoken .

_

He woremoccasin s, e legantly trimmed, with beads , leggings, and breech-cloth of

superfine blue ; a short green coat with silver ‘

epaulets, and a”

smal l ,

INDIAN HISTORY 37

l-aced round hat . By his side hung an elegant silver -moun ted cutlass, and

h is blanket of blue cloth dr opped in the chair on which he sat , was

gorgeously decorated with a border of red .

”

H is war experiences having come to an end , Thayendanegea devotedhimse lf most assiduously to the interests of the Six Nations . He had

many di fficulties to so lve , but met al l of them in a comprehensive

manner, and with the ult imate approval Of his compatriots .Writing in November of 1 784, to a Dr . Peyster who seems to have

had matters in hand, Hal d imand sa id“A promise has been made that every assistance wi l l be given to the

new set tlement at the Grand River ; a saw, and gr ist mil l , also a church ,and school are to be erected, and twenty five pounds to be a l lowed to a

schoo l teacher, whom they [are to choose for themselves . Lieut . Tin l ing isto accompany Brant in the Spring to l ay Out a town , and di vide the farms .

A proper person should be sen t to undertake the construction of the mills,church and school and he (Dr . Peyster ) i s to make the best possible

terms .

In accordance with the above , the church and other

buildings were constructed at a bend in the Grand Ri ver

a short distance east of the present city, and Mohawkvi l lage became establ ished . Brant l ived close to the edifice in a verywel l constructed frame house and there was a lso a cluster of fifteen or

twenty other residences built of log and frame . A very ol d Indianwoman many years ago made th e statement that there was al sO'

a largetwo story bui ldi ng near the church and that it was used as a CouncilHouse , for the accomm odation of visitors to the v i llage and for dances . Asaw and grist mil l and also a school were l ikewise included . A s for the

rest Of i t the settlement was Of a very straggl ing nature, the Indians

occupy ing primitive structures at qu ite w ide ly separated distances . In

the winter of 1792-3, Col . J . G . Simcoe who had been appointed Lieut .Governor of Upper Canada, and who had letters of introduction to the

Mohawk Chief, vi sited the vil lage during the course of a trip from the

then capita l of the Province , the l ittle town of Newark, (N iagara ) to

Detroit , then a Brit ish Garrison . H is secretary, Major E . B . Li t tl ehales ,

afterwards Sir E . B . Lit t lehales , for some time Secretary of War for

Ire land, kept a diary from which the fol lowing extracts are taken :“Feb . 7, 1 793— Ab out twe lve o

’clock we arrived at Capt . Bran t’sat the Mohawk Village, going along the ice on the Grand Ri ver w ith great

rapidity , for a considerable way . On our a rr ival at the Mohawk Villagethe Indians ho isted their flags

,and trophies of war and fired a few (16

joie in compl iment to His Exce llen cy , the representative of the King,


their father . This place is pecul iarly striking when seen from the highground above it ; extensive meadows are spread around it , and the GrandRiver rol ls near it, with a terminat ion of forest . Here i s a we l l builtwooden church with a steeple ; a school , and an excel lent house of Joseph

Bran t ’s . The source of the Grand River is not accurately ascertained, butit is supposed to be adjo in ing the waters which commun icate with Lake

Huron . It empties itse lf into Lake Erie , and for fifty or sixty miles is

as broad as the Thames at Richmond, in England . Villages of

Onondaga, Delaware , and Cayuga Indians are dispersed on its banks .

While we were at the Mohawk Village we heard divine service performed

in the church by an Indian . The devout behaviour of the women , the

melody of the ir voices , and the exact tune they kept in singing their hymn s,is worthy of observat ion .

“Feb . lOth—We did not quit the Mohawk

Village unt il noon when we set ou t with Captain Brant and about twelve

Indians . Came to an encampment of Mississaugas, and slept at a trader’ s

house. Feb . N th—Passed over some fine open pla ins, sa id to be frequented by immense herds of deer ; but, as very l itt le snow had fal len

this winter, we did not see them . We crossed two or th ree rivuletsthrough a thick wood, and over a salt l ick, and stopped at four o’clock

to give the Indians time to make a smal l wigwam . The dexterity , and

the alacrity of these people, hab ituated to the hardships incidental to thewoods , is remarkable . Sma l l parties wil l , with the utmost facil ity, cutdown large trees with their tomahawks , bark them and in a few minutesconstruct a most comfortable hut, capable of resisting . any inclemency of

weather, covering it with the bark of e lm .

”

Major Litt lehales in his diary records that the Governor and party left

Detroit on February 23rd . on the ret urn trip, and at noon on March 3rd .

they arrived at their encampmen t of the 14th . February, where they wereagreeably surprised by meet ing Capta in Brant , and a numerous retinue .

A buck and doe , kil led by one of the Indians , furn ished a savorybreakfast next morn ing . Proceeding eastward, the party were muchamused during the ir journey by the chase of lynx by Brant and hisIndians with dogs and guns. At the Mohawk Village there were moreIndian dances and most of the Governor’s suite were persuaded to dressthemse lves in Ind ian garb and , according to Li tt l ehales , were adopted as

Chiefs . Altogether a very merry time was manifestly spent .Before Simcoe left England the Duke of Northumberland,

FromC olon ial Min ister, and who had himse lf been given the

title of an Indian Chief, handed the new Governor a

letter to Brant which was undoubtedly presented on the occasion of the

above visit . It was as fol lows


40 msroar or BRANT COUNTY

February l l filI—We set ou t from Mr . Pa isley’ 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 enclosures and the necessary purposes of

farming ; but towards the mountain th e wood becomes thick and lofty, asis common in that country, for severa l miles along the mountain .

Towards ev en ing we fel l down on a gentleman’s farm, where we stopped

to warm ourselves and bait our horses . No sooner was our repast over

than we bade adieu to the family , mounted our sleds and dr ove down to

the Ind ian vil lage ; al ighted about n ightfal l at the house of the ce lebrated

Indian Chief and warrior Capta in Joseph Brant . The renowned warrior

is not of any royal or conspicuous blood, but by his abil ity in war and

pol it ical conduct in peace has ra ised himse lf to the highest dignity in

h i s nat ion , and h i s al l iance is now courted-

by sovereign and foreignstates . Of this there are recent in stances , as he has had wi thin th e last

three weeks several private letters and public despatches from Congress

sol iciting h is attendance at Philade lphia on matters of high importance ;but after consulting Col . Gordon , commandant of al l the British tr oops inUpper Canada, he excused himsel f and declined to accept the invitat ion .

He j ust now enjoys a pension and captain’ s half pay from the British

Government .“Captain Brant , who is wel l acquainted with European manners ,

rece ived us with much‘ pol iteness and hospital ity. Here we found two

young married ladies with the ir husbands on a visit to the family, both

of them very fair complexioned and wel l looking women . But when Mrs .

Brant appeared, superbly dressed, in the Indi an fashion , the e legance of

her person , grandeur of her looks and deportment , her large mild blackeyes, symmet ry and harmony of her expressive features, though muchdarker in complexion , so far surpassed them as not to admit of the

smal lest comparison between the Indian and the fair European ladies . Icould not in her presence so much as look at them without marking the

d ifference . Her blanket was made of silk and the finest Engl ish cloth , ,

bordered with a narrow stripe of embroidered‘

l abe , her sort of j acket andscan ty pettico‘

at of the same stuff, which came down on ly to her knees ;her garters or leggings of the finest scarlet, fitted close as a stocking,which showed to advantage her stout but remarkably fine formed l imbs,her moccas in s (Indian shoes ) ornamented with silk ribbons and heads .

Her pe rson is about five feet n ine or ten in ches high , as straight andproportionable as can be , but incl ined to be jol ly or lusty . She understands but does not speak English . I have often addressed her in thatlanguage, but she a lways answered in the Indian tongue . They have a

fine fami ly of ch i ldren . I remarked of one fine looking boy, about e ight

INDIAN m sronr 41

years old, tha t he was l ike 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 has 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 gun s ;that they supposed they had found the track of a deer, which they fo l lowed

too far , got wet , and became cold ; that, however, youn g as they were,they put

'

up a fire and warmed themselves and returned home ; that before

they arrived the ir toes were frost-bitten , of which he was then not qui te

recovered . Tea was on th e table when we Game in served up on the

handsomest china plate , and every other furn iture in proportion . After

tea was over we were enterta ined with music of an elegant hand organ on

which a young Indian’

gentleman and Mr . Clinch played alternate ly.

Supper was served up in the"

same genteel style. Our beverages werebrandy, 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

l itt le ou t of order ; and we, be ing fatigued after our jour ney went

timeously to res t ; our beds , sheets and Engl ish blankets were fine and

comf ortable.

“Next day being Sunday , we , the visitors, wen t t o church . The ser

vice was given out by an Indian ,and I never saw more decorum or at

tent ion paid in any Church in a l l my' l ife . The Indian women sung

most charmi ngly with a musica l voice, I th ink pecul iar to themse lves .

Dinner was j ust going on the table in the same elegant sty le as the

preceding n ight when I returned to Capt . Brant’ s house, the servantsdressed in their best apparel . Two slaves attended the t able , the one in

scarlet , the other in coloured clothes , with silver buckles in the ir shoes,and ruffles, and every oth er part of their apparel in proportion . Afterdi nner, Capt . Brant, that he might not

‘be want ing in doing me the

honours of his nat ion , directed al l the young warriors to assemb le in a

certain large house , to show me the war dance, to whi ch we al l ad

journed about ni ghtfa l l . Such as were a t home of the In dian s appeared,superbly dressed in th e ir most showy apparel , gl ittering with silver ina l l the variety of shapes and forms of their fancies which made a dazzl ingappearance . The pipe of peace , with long whi te feathers and that forwar , with red feathers equal ly long, were exh ib ited in the ir first wardan ce, with shouts and war -whoops resounding to the ski es.

“The Chi ef himsel f hel d the drum , beat tim e, and often j oined in

the song with a certain cadence to which they kept time . The varietyof forms in to which they put their bodies , and the agil ity with whichthey changed from

'

one strange position to another, was real ly cur ious

to a European eye not accustomed “

to such a s ight .


Several warl ike dances were performed which the chief was at part i

cu lar pains to expla in to me, but stil l I could not understand , or see any

affin ity excepting the‘eagle attack,

’ which indeed had some resemblance .

Aft er 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 fel low travel lers meant to publ ish my trave ls

on my ret urn home , which they j udged by the notes I took of everyth ingI saw,

though in real ity I had no such thing in vi ew at the t imk l was

desired by Mr . Clinch to make a speech, and thank them for their handsome per formance . As this could not he decl ined without giving offence,I was obl iged to get up, and told them I would address them in the

Indian language of my own country, and said’ in Gae l ic,‘That I had

fought in many parts of Europe , killed many men , and now be ing inAmerica, I di d not doubt that I would fight with them yet , particularlyif the Yankees attacked us .

’ My worthy friend, Capt . M cNab, explained

in English my speech , as a l so did Capt . Clinch, in the Indian tongue .

at which they laughed very heartily . No sooner was the war dance

over than they began the ir own native and civi l ones , in which Capt .Brant and I j oined . He placed me between two handsome young women ,

and himsel f between another two . In this way we continued for two

hours’

or more , without coming off the floor, dancing and singing, he h imself keeping time a l l along, which a l l the rest fol lowed in the samecadence . The serpentine dance is admirably curio

‘us ; one takes leadrepresenting the head , and others fol low one after the other j oined hand

in hand, and before the close of the dance we were put in al l the folds

and forms a serpent can be in . After this and every other dance pecul iar

to their nation was over, we began Scotch ree ls, and I was much surprisedto see how neatly they danced them . Their persons are perfectly formedfor such exercise . The men, from the severity of their hun ting excursions,are rather thin , but tal l and straight and we l l proport ioned, ext reme lyagile and supple . The women are much fairer in their complexion ;plump and inclined to be lusty .

“Here we continued unt il near dayl ight. I told Capt . Brant that inmy country at al l country weddi ngs, and frol ics it was customary to kissboth before and after every dance . He said it was a strange thoughagreeable custom, but that it would never do here , I suppose owing tothe jealousy of the men .

On the whole , I do not remember I ever passed a n ight in my lifeI enjoyed more . Everyth ing was new to me and str iking in its manner ;the Older chiefs entered into al l the frol ics of the young people, in whichI was obliged to join. After passing the n ight in this agreeable manner,and I being a good deal fatigued, we ret ired to rest .

INDIAN HISTORY 43

Captain Brant showed me a brace of double-barrel led p istols , a

cur ious gun , and a silver-h i lted 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

barrel led pistol s had but one lock, the hammer of which was so broad

as t o cover the t wo 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 t ime ,there was a sl ip of iron which by a sl ight touch covered one of the pans

so as that only which was uncovered would go off . The gun be ingsufficiently charged, would fire fifteen shots in the space of half a

minute .

“The cons truct ion of this curious p iece was, as near as I can describe

it, as fol lows : There was a powder chamber or magazine adjoin ing to

the lock which would hold fifteen charges, another cav ity for as manybal ls and a third for the priming, and by giving one twist round to a

sort of handle on the left hand side opposite the lock, the gun would be

loaded from these magazines, primed and cocked, so that the fifteencharges could be fired, one after another, in the space of hal f a minute ,at the same time he might fire but one or two shots , less or more of

them as he chose . He sa id there was something of the works with inwrong, so that he could not get it to fire more than e ight shots withoutstopping. He tried it at a ma rk and said it shot ve 'ry wel l . Of thedagger, he said it was the most useful weapon in action he knew—thatit was far better than a tomahawk ; that he was once obl iged to str ike a

man four or five tim es with a tomahawk before he kil led him, owing tohurry and not str iking him w ith the fair edge, whereas he never missedwith the dagger . An other instance he said , was that he had seen two

Indians with spears or lances att ack a man, one on each side ; tha t j ust as

they pushed to pierce him through the body, he seized on the spears,one in each hand ; they tugged and pulled to no purpose, until a thirdperson came up and dispatched him . This could not be done to a

dagger, and of course it was by odds th e bett er weapon .

“Before I take leave of this charm ing country and the honour doneme by the renowned chief and his warl ike tribe of handsome youngwarriors , al l of the Mohawk nation , I must not omit to say that it appearsto me to be the finest country I have as yet seen ; and by every information I have had, none are more so in a l l America . The plains are veryextensive, wi th few trees here and there , interspersed and so thin ly scattered as not to require any clea ring, and hardly su fficient for the neces

sar ies of the farmer . The soil is rich, and a deep clay mould . The riveri s about 100 yards broad , and navigable f or large bateaux to Lake Erie,

H ISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY

a space of s ixty m i les , excepting for about two miles of what are

here cal led rapids , but in Scotland would be ca l led‘fords , and in which

the bateaux are eas ily poled up against any l itt le stream there may be .

Abundance of fish are caught here in certa in seasons, par ticularly in the

spring,such as sturgeon , pike, pickerel , maskinonge and others peculiar

to this country ; and the woods abound wi th game . The hab itat ions of

th e Indi ans'

are pre tty close together on each side of the r iver , as far as

I could see , with a very few white people inter spersed among themmarried to Indian women , and others of half-blood

,their offspring. The

chur ch in the.

vil lage i s e legant, the schoolhouse commodious, both built

by the British Government, which annual ly orders a great many presents

to be distr ibuted among the na tives ; ammun ition and warl ike stores, of al l

the necessary kinds, saddles, bridles, ke ttles, cloth , blankets, tomahawkswith tobacco-pipes in the end of them, other things and tr inkets innum

crable , provision s and stores, so that they may l ive, and rea l ly be , as

the saying is ‘happy as the day i s long .

’

“February 13th . W'hen Capt . Brant found that we would be away,he ordered his sled to be got ready, and after breakfast he and Mrs .

Brant accompan ied us the length of ten or twe lve mi les to the house of

an Indian who had a kitchen and store room ,clean floors and glass

win dows, crops and catt le in proport ion , where we put up to warm our

se lves . Capt . Bran t brought some w ine, rum and col d meat , for the

company. After refreshing ourse lves, we bade adieu to“

our hospitableand renowned host and his elegant Spouse, and bounded on our journeya long the banks of th e Grand River . The land seemed extremely goodas we came a long. The first vil lage of Indians, the next of white people ,and so on alternately as f ar as I have been , and for al l I know, to the

side of the Lake . The Indian s in this part of the coun tr y seem to be of

different nations, Mohawks, Cherokees , Tuscaroras and Mississaugas.I ca l led at different vil lages or castles as they are called here , and saw

the inhabitants had large quantities of Indi an corn dryi ng in every house ,suspended in the roof, and in every corner of them . We put up at the

house of Mr . Ell is, who treated us very hospitably .

“February 14th . We went a -visitin'g for severa l miles down the r iverside , and di ned '

at the house of a half-pay officer , a Mr . Young, whohad served in the last war as a l ieutenant in the Indi an Depar tmen t ,married to a sister of one of the chiefs of the Mohawk nat ion . Thisgen tleman used me wi th marked attenti on and hospital ity . Next morning he conducted us in his own sled the length of Mr . Ell is’ . He told usthat a few days ago a wo lf ki l led a deer on the ice near his house , andshowed us the remain s of a tree which , before it was burnt, measuredtwenty-e ight feet in circumf erence.

”


IND IAN HISTORY 45

It was not long before th e beautiful GrandRiver area commenced to attract the attent ion of

settlers . Bran t, for h is part was desirous of

leasing, or sel l ing certain sections for the avowed purpose of causin g

the Indian s, by the example of white men , to adopt agricultural pur suits,as he realized that thehunt ing was becoming more and more precarious .

The monies thus obta ined he proposed to have placed in a general fund

for the payment of annuities . The British authorit ias di d not readilyco in cide with this plan . They declared that the Indi an s could hold , and

use sa id lands, but could not deed them away or grant leases w ithout the

Royal consent . The matter led to a good deal of acrimony which it is

not necessary to di late upon . After a proclam at ion forbidding sale, or

lease , a meeting of Chiefs an d wa rriors t ook place at Niagara, in the

presence of Government representat ives, when Brant made an impassioned

Spee ch dur ing which he sa id“We were promised our lands for our services , and those lands we

were to hold on the same footing as those we fled from at the commencement of the American war , when we j oined, fought, and bled in yourcause . Now i s publ ished a proclamation forbidding us leasing thosevery lands that were posit ively given u s in l ieu of those of which we wereth e sovereigns of the so il , of those lands we have forsaken , we so ld, weleased, and gave away, when , and as often as we saw fit, without hindrance on the part of your Government, for your Governmen t we l l knewwe were the lawful sovere ign s of the soil , and they h ad no right to interfere with us as independent nati ons .”

On November 2nd , 1 796, Brant, by an act of the Six Nations Coun cil ,was appointed agent , or att orney, to negotiate with the governm ent forthe disposal of portions of the ir large tracts of land

“to such person or

persons as their brother, and agent, Capt. Brant, mi ght think meet, andproper . ” He was furth er empowered to do th is “in his own name ,

”or in

the name s of others nominated by him . Th e object was “to raise funds

by which an annuity for their ( Indi ans ) comf ort could be formed .

”

Brant sent a record of the matter to th e then Admin istrator of the

Province of Upper Canada, in part as fol lows“And Whereas, by the settlin g of the lands nea r t o and around about

the said river (Grand ) by His Ma j esty’s subjects , the hun t ing grounds

now scarcely afford the said Nations the mean s of support , and are

l ikely to be more contracted by an increase of people ; and whereas, thesaid Mohawks and others of the Six Nations be ing we l l assured of HisMajesty’s benevolen t in tenti ons towards them and the ir poster ity , and

having al l opportun ity of obta in ing by way of annui ty a more certain

Part ingW ith Land s .


and permanent means of support by a sale Of such parts Of the said lands

as are now, as hunt ing grounds, entirely use less” therefore, that he

(Brant ) had been given ful l power and absolute authority to sel l lands

up to the extent Of three hundred and eighty-one thousand , four hundred

and eighty acres. ”

Under this plan s ix blocks were quickly sold comprising what are

now town ships, a nd total l ing acres with average sale price of a

l ittle over 70 cents per acre . In the above lot , Block No. 1 (now forming

Township Of Dum fries ) and then estimated to conta in acres was

secured by P. Stedman for or less than fifty cents an acre .

'

In

other cases 999 year leases were given . Correspondence shows that when

the Domin ion authorities sent advi ces of such transfers, the Secret ary

Of State for the Colon ies, then the Duke of Portland, gave h is consent

with very great re luctance . This was merely the beginn ing of a wholesale disposal Of lands unt il the present area of land owned by the Six

Nations i s as fol lows

A cresTown ship TuscaroraTown ship Onondaga

Township Oneida (County Of

Leased to M iss issaugas

Townshi p TuscaroraTownship Oneida

Represen ting the sa les there is a capital account lodged with the

Government as on March 3l st , 1918 Of The in come Of thelast recorded year was and of this sum was spent inmaintenan ce of school s ; for medical Officer and drugs ;for hospital and asylum

“

cases ; in rel ief and funeral benefits ;Secretary, Pension List, etc. ; Roads and Bridges . The

interest to be distributed over and above expenses amounted in 1919 to

enabling payment per head of in the Spring and

in the Fal l . Land Of course in the early days was held in cheap estimate ,but even so, much Of th at be longi ng to the Indian s went for a mere song,and qu ite Often there was not ev en that effort on the par t of the benef iciary . As far as Brant is concerned , there was never any evidencethat he failed to perform his part with due fidel ity, although in easymoments he was not apt to make much Of a bargain .

INDIAN HISTORY 47

Doubt having arisen in later years as to the val idity of the handing

over Of such lands by Brant, a meeting of the Chiefs and principal men

Of the Six Nations took place in Mohawk vil lage , near Brantf ord, on

January 29th , 1835 and it was decided to peti t ion His Majesty that the

said lands sold, leased or intended to be leased, by the said Capta in

Joseph Brant should have the t itles confirmed .

The serv ices Of Thayendanegea were at al l t imes

in much demand . Not a lone was be greatly con

cerned in the administration Of S ix . Nat ions affairs

including the teachings of the tenets Of the Chr istian re l igion ,

but in addition he had many laborious journeys to perform on mat ters

of business , or friendship, both in Canada and the States , and be main

tained a continued correspondence with ni

any noted people . In the

latter respect he had a private secretary, Epaphras L . Phe lps by name .

One Of his tr ips in 1 797 was to Albany and Philade lphia, returning by

wa y of New York. While in the Quaker City he was the honored guest

of Aaron Burr , American statesman . The lat ter, upon Brant’s departure

for New York, gave him a letter to hi s gifted daughter, Theodosia , in

which he.

adj ured her to rece ive with “respect and hosp ital ity” one so

much renowned. He added : “He is a man Of education , speaks and

writes English perfectly, and has seen much Of Europe and America .

Quite a gen tleman ; not one who will make fine bows, but who under

stands and practises what belongs to propriety and good breedi ng.

”

Brant was very particular with regard to the education of his child

ren , and in sendi ng two of his boys , Jacob and Joseph , to school in the

States, he wr ote Mr . James Wheelock, head of the seminary, and son

of his own former teacher at the Moor school : “I could wish them to

be studi ously att ended to, not on ly as to their educat ion, but l ikewiseto the ir morals in particular .” In another le tter to Mr . Whee lock whenJacob was return ing to his studies, he said :

“The horse that Jacob rides

ou t I wish to be got in good order, after he arrives, and sold, as an ar

tent ive scholar has no time to ride about .Brant as part Of his reward for serv ices in the Revolu

A t t ionary War was given by the Crown , a fine tract of

land acres ) at the head Of Lake Ontario, after

wards cal led Wel l ingt on Square, and now known as

Burl ington . Here he built a fine residence, on an eminence overlookingthe lake and removed there with his family . A sad incident occurred

some twelve years before his death . His eldest son,

’

Isaac, became a

dissolute character , despite every effort Of the father to recla im him, and

when he had been drinking, was a dangerous man , havi ng on one such


occasion kil led a harnes s maker , named Lowe l l , in Mohawk Vil lage .

Dur ing one of these frenzies in 1 795 he attacked h is father with a di rk,and the latter defended himself with a s imilar weapon Both were

wounded, the son in the scalp . The hurt was not at al l severe , but in

h is crazed condit ion, Isaac kept tearing Off the bandages, with fatalresults . Bran t immediately sur rendered himself, and resigned his Com

mission in the British service . The latter was not accepted , and no

charge was ever pressed . At an Indian Council , including warriors ,al l the facts were considered, and a certificate sent to Brant expressing

sympathy and pointing ou t that the son had ra ised “h is parricidal hand

against the kindest of fathers . His death wa s occasioned by his own

crime . With one voice we acquit you of al l blame. We tender you our

hearty condolence and may th e Great Spirit above bestow upon you

consolation ,and comfort under your affliction .

The noted Chief died on November 24th , 1807, when in his sixty

fifth year . During h is remarkab le and romantic career h is exceed

ingly valuable al legiance to th e Brit ish Crown had always been nu

swerving, the truest interests of the Six Nations had ever been near his

heart , and in peace as we l l as in war be displayed capabil ity of a very

high order . The friendship Of Sir Will iam Johnson,and access to the

we l l ordered home of that gentleman , doub tless did much for him during

the impress ionable years of early l ife , but apart from these things heproved h imse l f to be a man of exceptiona l abil ity and power . In very

many respects he was ahead Of th e standards Of h is day , and he can be

legit imately cla ssed as one of the great men of the period . His careerwas not flawless , but it was notably sincere, and efficien t in many big

things, and without doubt the warriors of the Six Nat ion s, under h isleadership , did much to help Great Br itain retain a foothold on thiscontinent .

SubjOined is the commencement Of his will , dated OctoW il l Decl ares her -1 8th

,1805 :

Chr ist ianB el i ef .

In the name Of GOd Amen . 1, Joseph Brant , prInp a l

Ch ief Of the Six Na t ions Of Indians on th e Grand River,in the Province of Upper Canada , resident in the vicin ity Of Flamborough

East in the Coun ty of York and Home Distr ict of the said Province ,be ing in good health Of body and Of sound and disposing mind (pra isedbe God for the same ) and be ing desirous to sett le my worldly affa irswhilst I hav e strength and capacity so to do, do make and publ ish this,my last wil l and testament, hereby revoking and making void al l formerwi l ls by me at any time heretofore made, and fir st and prin cipal ly I

commit my soul into the hands Of my great Creator who gave i t ,. and my

{0 fi t

Thav endanegea— Joseph Bran t . (From a p icture taken in later l ife )



There are many descendents of Bran t res iding on the SixFir“To Fall . Nations Res e rve, and more than one Of them took part

in the recent great war . Of these , the late Lieutenant Cameron D . Brant ,a great grand-son , was the first Brant County Officer to fal l . He was

kil led in act ion at Ypres , and thus died glorious ly for the British

cause , on beha lf Of wh ich h is i l lustr ious great grandfather had , t ime aftertime , al so risked his own l ife .

Brant was always most zea lous on beha lf Of h is com

patr iots and his last words are stated to have been : “Havep ity on the poor Indians . If you can ge t any

'

influencewith the grea t, endeavor to do them a l l the good you

can . In defence Of the Six Nat ions and their met hods, he sent thefol lowing letter to Mr . Thomas Eddy, then Indian Commiss ioner

“M y Dear Sir

“Your letter came safe to hand . To give you ent ire Satisfaction ,

I must, I perce ive , enter into the di scussion of a subject on which I haveOften thought . My thoughts were my own , and being SO different fromthe ideas entertained among your people , I should certain ly have carriedthem with me to the grave , had I not rece ived your obliging favor .

“You askme , then , whether, in my Opinion , civil ization is favorable

to human happiness. In answer to the question , it may be answered, thatthere are degrees of c ivi l izat ion , from Cann ibals to the most pol ite Of

European nations . The question is not , then , whether a degree of re

finement i s not conducive to happiness : but whether you or the native sOf this land , have Obtained this happy medi um . I was , S ir ,born Of Indian parents and l ived while a child among those whom you

are pleased to cal l savages ; I was afterwards sent to l ive among the whitepeople, an d educa ted at one of your schools ; Since which per iod I havebeen honored much beyond my deserts , by an acqua intance with a numberof prin cipa l characters both in Europe and America . After al l this ex

per ience, and after every exertion to divest myse lf of prej udice , I am

obl iged to give my op in ion in favor of mine own people . In the government you cal l civil ized , the happiness Of the people is constant ly sacrif iced to the splendor Of empires . Hence your codes Of criminal andciv il laws have the ir or igin ; hence your dungeons and prisons. I wil lnot en large on an idea so singular in civil ized l ife . Among us we haveno prisons ; we have no pompous parade of courts ; we have . no writtenlaws ; and yet j udges are as highly revered amongst us as they are with

you ,and the ir decisions are as much regarded .

“Property , to say the least, is as we l l guarded and crime s are as

impart ia l ly pun ished . We have among_

us no specia l vil la ins above thecontrol of our laws . Daring wickedness is here never suffered to triumphover help less innocence . The estates Of w idows and orphans are neverdevoured by enterprising sharpers . In a word we have no robbery underthe color Of law . NO person among us des ires any other reward forperforming a brave and worthy act ion, but the consciousness Of having

INDIAN HISTORY 51

served his nation . Our wise men are cal led Fathers ; they truly susta inthat character . They are always accessible , I wil l not say to the meanestof our people, for we have none mean , but such as render themselves soby their vices .

“The palaces and prisons among you form a most dreadful contrast.

GO to the former places and you wil l see , perhaps a deformed piece ofearth assuming a irs that become none but the Great Spirit above . GO to

one of your prisons ; here description utterly fa il s . Kil l them if youplease ; kill them , too, by torture, but let the torture last no longer thana day . Those you cal l savages relent ; th e most furious of our tormentorsexhausts his rage in a few hours , and dispatches his unhappy victim witha sudden stroke . Perhaps it is el igible that incorrigible offenders shouldbe cut Off . Let it be done in a way that is not degrading to human nature .

Let such unhappy men have an Opportun ity by the ir fort itude , Of makingan atonement in some measu re for the crimes they have committed duringthe ir l ives .

“But for what ar e many of your prisoners confined ? —for debt!aston ish ingI

—and wil l you ever again cal l the Indian nat ives crue l ?

Liberty, to a rationa l creature, as much exceeds property as the l ightof the sun does that Of the most twinkl ing star . But you put them on a

leve l , to the everlasting disgra ce of civil ization . Am ong the white people ,many of the most amiable contract debts , and I dare say with the best ofintentions . Both parties at the t ime Of th e con tract expect to find theiradvantage . The debtor , we will suppose, by a train Of unavoidablem isfortunes, fails ; here is no crime, nor even a fault ; and yet your lawsput it in the power Of the creditor to throw the debtor into prison and

confine him there for l ife— a pun ishmen t infin itely worse than death toa brave man! I seriously declare I had rather d ie by the most severetortures ever infl icted on th is cont inent than languish”in one of yourprisons for a single year . Great Spirit Of the Un iversa l—and do you

ca l l yourselves Christians ? Does then the rel igion of Him whom you

cal l your Saviour inspire this spirit and lead to these pract ices . Surelyno . It is recorded of Him , that a bruised reed he never broke . Cease ,then , to cal l yourselves Chr istians, lest you publish to the world yourhypocrisy . Cease , too, to cal l other nations savage when you are tenfol dmore the ch ildren Of cruelty than they.

”—Th ayandenegea.

Stone was not the on ly h istorian to eulogise Brant . F .

W Halsey, in his book on“The Old New York Fron

tier , cal l s him “the most interesting” of al l Indians .

Will iam C . Bryan t of Buffalo placed it upon record that,in h is opin ion ,

the evidence was incontestable that he was a gr ea t man

in,

many respects the most extraordinary h is race has produced since theadvent Of the white man on thi s continent ; and John Fiske, in one Of his

later books, declares that he was the most remarkable Indian known to

h i storv . Schoolcraft cal ls him the J eph tha Of h is tribe and lands h is

firmness and energy of purpose as qual itie s, which f ew among the


American ab origines have ever equal led . But the bes t evidence Of the

man ’ s persona l worth l ies in th e h igh respect and friendship wh ich be

in spired among educated and t itled .Engl ishmen , as shown in many ways

and notably in hi s correspondence .

” “Brant,” says Hal sey ,

”has dese rved

no large part of the load Of obloquy which for many years has rested

upon his name . There was much in the man that was kindly and

humane . If he loved war , th is was because he loved his friends and his

home stil l more. He fought in battle with the vigor and skil l Of a savage ,but we are to remember that he fought where honor cal led h im . To the

story of h i s l ife pecul iar fascinat ion mus t long be att ached, a large part

of which springs from the potent charm of an Open persona l ity . In

Bran t’s character were j oined strength an d human ity, gen ius for war and

that unf ami l iar qua l ity in the Mohawk savage , bonhomie . Mr . H . F .

Gardin er, M . A .

“As a warrior, Brant was cautious , sagacious and

brave, watching with sleepless vigilance for Opportun ities Of

action , and a l lowing ne ither dangers nor di fficulties to divert him from

his wel l settled purposes . His constitution was hardy, his capacity of

endur ance great ; his energy untir ing, and hi s firmness indomitable . He

was at once affable and dignified, avoiding frivol ity on the one hand and

stiffness on the other . His temperament was decidedly'

am iabl e ; he had a

keen perception of the lud icrous , and was both humorous and witt y him

sel f. In h is deal ings and business re lations he was prompt,honorable

and expert,and a pat tern Of integrity . The pur ity Of hi s private mora ls

has never been questioned , and his house was the abode of kindness and

hospital ity .

”

IND IAN HISTORY 53

CHAPTER III .

THE BRANT MONUMENT AND UNVE ILING CEREMONIES .—MOHAWK CHURCH

THE OLDEST PROTESTANT ED IFICE IN UPPER CANADA.—BRANT ’S TOMB .

The first sugges tion of a memoria l came in August 1874,Brant when Hi s Roya l Highness , Prince Arthur , Duke of Con

naught, h ad a portrait of Brant sent to h im by the Chiefs

and War riors, and they, at the same tim e , asked him to become patron Of

such a movement . In an accompany ing address, the fol lowing referencewas made to th e subject

They would a lso respectful ly represent to your Royal Highness the iranxious desire to see performed the ir too long delayed dut y Of worthilyperpetuat ing the memory of the ir great Chief, Captain Joseph Bran t ,(Thayendanegea ) who during the great struggle which resu l ted

'

in the

creat ion of two supreme authorities on th is con tinent where on ly one

existed, loyal ly and gal lant ly l ed the ir fathers , as Allies of the Crownin the defence Of it and the Empire, and when al l was lost, wi th themmaintained h is al legiance , sacrificing and. givi ng up al l and finding h isway to the then wilds Of Canada

,where he remained to the end of h is

eventful career, an imating and in spiring them with the saine loyalty and

attachment to the Crown,and i t s in stitut ions , which a lways characterized

him and them whenever the ir services were requ ired . They would further respectful ly refer your Royal Highness to the important pa rt whichth e said Six Nation s performed in

_

the ever memorable War of 1812

when it was sought to destroy th e last vestige of Bri tish authority on thisContinent , and ever since that t ime when similar a ttempts have beenmade , and express th e hope that Your Royal Highn ess in view Of pastservices to the ir Coun try may be graciously pleased to aid them in the ircontemp lated efforts to ra ise a fitt ing monument to , and worthy Of, thememory of the di stingu ished Chief of whom they have been speaking, bypermitting yoursel f to become associated with the undertaking

, as itwould be greatly promoted thereby and it is one in which they wouldassure Your Royal H ighn ess they fee l a profound and l ive ly interest . ”

In reply the Duke gladly assumed the patronage and the projectcommenced to take tangible shape, so much so that on April 14th , 1876

at a meeting of Brantford an d County residents, the fol lowing executive

Comm ittee was appointed to forward the proposalHonour able David Christie, Speaker of Senate , Cha irman ; A . Cleg

horn , Vice -Chairman : C . A . Jones, Secretar y ; A . Robert son ,Treasurer ;

W. Paterson , M . P. , Hon . A . S . Hardy, Judge Jones , W. Thompson ,


(Warden of Bran t ) Dr . J . W. Digby, (Mayor Of Brantford ) G . H . Wilkes ,

(Deputy Reeve ) Supt . Gilkison , Dr . Henwood , H . Yates, R . Henry, H .

Lemmon , W. C . Trimble , W. Watt, J r . , A . J . Wilkes, A . B . G . Tisdale, G.

Lindley, and J . Turner, and the fol lowing Chiefs nominated by the Six

Nations CouncilMohawks : John Carpenter , David Thomas

Oneida s : John Genera l , Nicodemus Porter .Onondagas : John Buck, Levi Johnson .

Cayugas : Joseph Henry, Wil l iam Wedge .

Senecas : John Hill , John Gibson Jr .Tuscaroras : Moses Hil l , Ri chard Hil l .Chief Johnson ,

Interpreter , P . E . Jones , M . D. , Head Chief represent

ing Mississaugas, New Credit .

Later owing to the death Of Hon. Mr. Christie, Mr . A . Cleghorn he

came President . Oth er changes were Mr . I . Cockshutt, Vice President,Mr . G. H . Muirhead , Secretary and Mr . Robert Henr y, Treasurer .

On August 2nd . 1 877 the Six Nat ions Indi ans while in Council voted

towards a memorial , and at a publ ic mee t ing in Brantford on

September 3rd , the City Council were asked to donate which was

done . Another was promised from outside sources and the

enterprise seemed to be wel l under way . However before anything def in

i te was accomplished popular enthusiasm cooled down and for years the

proj ect appeared t o have lapsed . Final ly at a mass meet ing in Brantford

Opera House March 6th , 1883, a revival was recorded and the enterprise

went ahead to a definite completion . In addition to the Six Nations andC ity gran-t s al ready recorded, the Dom in ion Government votedthe Ontario Government 352 the County of Brant the New

Cred i t Indians and private subscriptions brought the total to

the sum of

In the month Of July 1883, invitation-s were i ssued for the submission

of mode l s and a premium Of was Off ered. for the best work .

Seven artists entered the contest and the various mode ls were placedon publ ic view. A s general ly anticipated , the design of Mr . Percy Woodof London England proved to be the unan imous choice Of the Judges andthe stipulated cost was includin g the premium . He

made two lengthy visits to Bran tford, and spent much t ime on the Reservestudying Indi an types , tokens, and characteri stics, so that h i s work shouldbe absolutely correct in every detail . He entrusted Messrs. F . H . Francis,we l l known architects of London, England, with th e design of the pedesta lof grey gran ite which they produced at a cost of and the

casting was performed by Mace fie ld and Company at a further outlay of

INDIAN HISTORY 55

These two items together with other expenses and the time hedevoted to the work left Mr . Wood scarce ly any rewar d, save that of ! the

artist ic triumph which he undoubtedly achi eved .

The monument is chiefly noticeable for its groupings, and for the dign ified simpl icity with which

the figure of Brant has been treated . Mr . Wood

gives an insight into the character of the Indian as he was before

civ i l ization exercised its effect upon him . He has portrayed the red man

in his primitiveness . The work is not trammel led wi th a mass of deta il ,cal culated to confuse the eye and it must be studied as a whole for the

ful l beauty of the ideas expressed to be thoroughly comprehended . The

artist h as represented each Of the Six Nat ions—Mohawks , Oneidas ,Onondagas, Cayugas , Senecas, and Tuscaroras—by a figure , and these six

figures are arranged in two groups which flank each side of the pedestaI.

The centre figur e of each group is standing, and the two support ing figures seated in gra ceful positions . From whatever point the work is

examined the effects se rve to show how th e sub t let ies of art can be so

arranged as to bring about a thoroughly wel l poised result.The statue of Brant, which surmounts the monument, di ffers greatly

from the others in the fact that there is an utter absence Of specialadornment. The great Chief is p ictured as standing in the act of speaking, with h is robe thrown l ight ly back from his shoulders . The l ikenes s

i s taken from one of the most re l iable of Old pictures and as far as thiscould guide , the artist has secured a remarkably fa ithful representation .

The figur e is n ine feet in he ight , and the others l ife size . The types of

Indian faces introduced are exceedingly good, while the postures thr ough

out are characterized by an ease and naturalness whi ch it would beimpossible to improve uponf There are no hard l ines or forced attitudes .Th e whole pose Of the several figures carries ou t the preva il ing idea inevery gesture and the outcome is a work Of l iving force . From the

easy grace wit h which Bran t with upraised hand and flowing robes , is

depicted as addressing his warr iors , to the minutest detail , the memoria lis throughout marked by the same characterist ics , and it can be affirmedwithout quest ion that Mr . Wood has succeeded in effect ing a work of

consummate breadth and power .The four has rel iefs depict a war dance with sixteen figures, a council

wi th thirteen figures, a bear, and wol f.The rel iefs and figures are al l of bronze, formed from gun s donated

by the Home Authorit ies in the Imperial rea l ization that the Memoria l

is to a Chief, and people , who helped to save Canada for th e Empire .

Many of these guns saw service at Waterloo, and Others throughout the

56 HISTORY or BRANT “ COUNTY

Crimea, truly befitting stuff out of which to mould the '

commemorat ive

figure of th e leading Chief, and the tr iba l figures of the Six Nati ons ,whose whole hearted a l legian ce at a critical period on this Continent

proved Of such value to the British Crown and Empire .

The laying Of the corner stone took place on Wednesday

August 1 1 th , 1886. There was a procession with suit

able band music, and other accessories . Chief Josiah

H i l l occupied the post Of Chairman ,and Mr . Allen Cleghorn made the

Open ing Speech . He pointed out that the monument was destined to te l l

to the world at la rge the good fa ith which had existed in the Observance

Of the treaties between the Six Nations Ind ians , and the Br itish Crown .

He referred to the great rul ing power for good which Brant had exercised,and the laying Of that foundation stone was a befit ting act in commemora

tion of his greatness, and the greatness’

of the Six Nations confederacy .

Chief Clench, deputed by the Six Nat ions to act in tha t capacity, laid

the corner stone which in cluded the usual records. He spoke in Indian .

Chief John Buck, fire keeper, told how their forefathers had left peace,quietness, and happy homes in their preference for the cause of Great

Brita in .

Chi ef John Smoke Johnson (grandfather of Pauline John son ) n inety

four years Old, who was through the war Of 1812-15; gave an addr ess in

a vo ice remarkable for its clearness . He had known Brant very wel l andhad also heard of th e works h e had done in t imes of war . Wh en the

Mohawks l ived in New York State with great privi leges and advantagesthe revolution had sudden ly broken out . Brant immedi ately a l l ied h imsel f with the British troops and when after continuous fighting the British

were forced to retire, Brant and his warr iors guided the Brit ish soldiers'

safel y from the Mohawk river to Niagara, and then ret urned and broughtthe ir wives and children a l so safely to them .

Mr . W . Paterson ,M . P. , and Mr . R. Henry, made suitable speeches, and

the gathering dispersed with war whoops and cheers for th e Queen .

October 13th 1886 was selected as the date of the un

[Thieil ing ve il ing by Hi s Honour Lieut . -Governor Robin son of

Ontar io . There were m any di stinguished guests, including M ajor General S ir Frederick Middleton, who had been in command Ofthe Canadian tr oops during the Rie l Rebe l l ion , and a notable and pictur

esque feature was the attendance Of a de legation of leading North -WestChiefs, whom th e Domin ion Government had deemed it “

advisable to

Impress with th e cordi a l local Indi an re lat ions . The Northwest Red M en

were al l attired in fanciful garb, and in every respect proved the beauideai of the Fenimore Cooper Indi an. The contras t between their prim


INDIAN HISTORY S7

it ive appearance , and that of the members Of the Six Nations was most

Shortly after twelve o’clock the clanging of th e bel ls, and shrieking Of

whist les heralded the day ’s proceedings, and constituted a signa l for the

assembl ing at the Indian Office Of the Chiefs and warriors of the SixNations , accompan ied by the Nort hwest Chi efs, and members Of othervi siting tribes . Headed by the Holmedal e Band, a procession took place to

Victoria Park in th e fol lowing Order :Members of the Brant Memorial Association

D ist inguished guestsLieut . -Governor RobinsonEscort of Burford Cavalry

Genera l Sir Freder ick MiddletonPresident Memoria l Associat ion , Mayor and Corporation , Warden

and County Council .

The route of procession was a long Dalhousie Street to George , thence

to Colborne, a long Colborne to King, thence to Nelson to George and to

Victoria Square .

All the streets named were gaily decorated, and the sidewa lks crowd

ed with masses Of people .

On arrival at a raised platform in front Of the monument, a guard of

one hun dred members of the Duf ferin Ri fles under command of Captain

T. Harry Jones, saluted t he Lieut -Governor and party, and Major Gen

eral Middleton and party .

The platform was occupied by Lieut-Governor Robinson and Mr s .

Rob in son , M ajor Gen . Sir Frederick and Lady Middleton , Mr . C leghorn ,

President Memoria l As sociat ion ,Honorable A . S . and M rs . Hardy, Mrs .

J . H . Stratf ord, Mrs . P . Wood, Mayor Heyd, W. Paterson , M . P. , Judge

Jones , Captain Wyse , A . D . C. , Captain Geddes, A . D . C. , Lieut . -Col . Jones

Rev . G . C . Mackenzie , Rev . Dr . Cooihrane, Chi ef Buck , (Six Nations FireKeeper, ) Chief Wage, Ch ief A . G. Smith , Senator Plumb , Northwest

Chiefs and In terpreters, Hon . James and Mr s . Young, Of Galt, W. Buck ,Dr . Digby, J . Somerville , M . P. , R. Henry, F . Cockshutt, Ald . A . K. Bun

nel l , W. Watt, Ald. B . H . Rothwe l l , Pol ice Magistrate Den ison ,Of Tor

onto, G . R. Pattul lo, Woodstock , H . M cK . Wilson, A . Watts .

There was an a ttendance of many thousands, and proceedings openedwith a rendering of two verses Of the One hundredth Psalm

, the singingled by members of the Mende lssohn Choir under d irection of ProfessorGarrett , then organ ist of Grace Church .

Rev . Dr . Cochrane offered an appropriate prayer and Mr . Cleghornread an address to the Lieut Governor , in which he tendered him a cordialwel come and gave a brief outl ine Of the notable caree r of Brant .

\


The cord comm anding th e covering of the figure of Brant was then

handed to Hon . Mr . Robin son and the drapery (Un ion Jack ) fel l off ,disclosing the bronze to view amid the vociferous plaudits of the assembled host . Mr . Percy Wood next gave six other cords to the Six NationsChiefs previously ment ioned . An other pul l and amidst the renewedplaudits

“ Of th e huge multitude the Un ion Jacks covering the rema inder of

the monument fe l l away, and the memorial became exposed in a l l its

beauty to the adm iring thousands . This event was followed by an

promptu war dance by a number of Indians in ful l war paint and at the

close the Lieut-Governor and distinguished visitors walked around the

statue and appraised it from every angle . H is Honor then gave h isaddress, during which he sa id that He was glad and proud to be withthem upon - so memorable and important a Domin ion and Provincial occasion ; glad on behalf of the people of this whole Province to pay h ishomage and th at of the Government to the memory of the notable Chief,Captain Joseph Brant, for h is great and noble services to the Country .

(Applause ) Had it not been for Brant and h is men there would not ,

perhaps, have been a Canada on the map of this continent today .

”(Loud

Applause. )The Mendel ssohn Choir next rendered a memoria l song composed by

Mr . M . A . Mackenzie , son of Ar chdeacon Mackenzie , now a professor atToronto Un iversity .

“Ra ise to the War Chief, the record of Victory,Lay at his feet al l the trophies of mightForced from his foes as mementos Of conquering,Tokens of strength in defending th e right .“Joy O ye Red M en , rejoice to remember ,Days when your fathers have fol lowed the cal l .Children Of warriors he proudly commandedShout o’

er his foemen , exult in their fa l l .

Ye , O pale faces, rejoice in their gladnes s,Think on the debt that ye owe to the dead,Brant and his braves have defended the Count ry ,Life blood for you and your fathers have shed .

”

Professor Garrett had wr itten most appropria te music for the words .

Then fol lowed this memorial ode composed by E . Paul

ine Johnson and read by Mr . W. F. Cockshutt .

Young Canada with mighty force sweeps on,

To gain in power and strengt h before the dawnThat brings another era, when

' the sun

Shal l rise aga in ,but on ly shine upon

INDIAN HISTORY 59

Her Indian graves and Indi an memories.For as the carm ine in the twil ight skiesWil l fade as n ight comes on , so fades the raceThat unto Might and therefore Right gives place .

And as white clouds float hurriedly and highAcross the crimson of a sun set skyAltho’ their depths are foamy as the snowTheir beauty lies in their vermil l ion glow.

So, Canada , thy plumes were hardly wonWithout a l legiance from thy Indian son .

Thy glories, l ike the cloud , enhance their charmWith red reflections from the Mohawk’ s arm.

Then meet we as one common brotherhoodIn peace and love , with purpose understoodTo l ift a lasting tribute to the nameOf Brant—who l inked h is own w ith Britain’s fame.

Who bade h is people leave the ir Val ley HomeWhere nature in her fairest aspects shone ,Where rol ls the Mohawk River and the landIS blest with every good from Heaven’s hand,To

‘ sweep the tide of home a ffections backAnd love the land where waves the Un ion Jack .

What tho that home no longer ours ? TodayThe Six red nations have the ir Canada .

And rest we here , no cause for us to riseTo seek protection under other skies .Encircl ing us an arm both true and braveExtends from far across the great salt wave .

Tho but a woman ’s hand ’

t is firm and strongEnough to guard us from al l fear Of wrong,A hand on which al l British subjects leanThe loving hand Of England’s noble Queen .

Ch iefswood,October 8, 1886. E . Paul ine Johnson

(TE -KA -HION—WA -KE . )

Miss Johnson was conducted to a place on the platform before the

recita l of the piece , and at the close presented the first copy to M rs .

Rob inson, who warmly congratulated her upon the work. Miss Johnson ,

then in her early twenties , was j ust commencing to take her first stepstowards the fame which later became so secure.

Chief John Buck, Fire Keeper, of the Six Nations Council, spoke in

Indian, Chief A. G. Smi th, acting as interpreter . He returned heartythanks on behalf of the Indians for the signa l honour paid to the ir greatleader Brant, and sa id

“The monument would prove a sti l l further incen

t ive to the Six Nat ions to be ever loyal to the British Crown .

”He did

not know as much about art probably as his white brethren, but he fe l t


that it was a glorious work, and he h ad been deputed to hand to Mr . Wood

a string of Wampum a s an evidence Of the thanks of h imse lf and p eople .

Proceedings closed by Mr . Cleghorn formal ly handing the memoria l

into the cha rge of the City and Mayor Heyd accepting the trust in an

appropriate spee ch .

The ceremon ie s we'

re concluded at about two O ’clock and the crowd

then proceeded to Agricultu ral Park headed by a procession made up as

fol lows

38th Dufferin Rifle BandCarriage wi th Lieut . -Governor, M rs . Robinson , M r s . J . H .

Stratford and A . CleghornEscort of Burford Cavalry

Carr iage with Sir F . Middleton ,Lady Middleton , M rs .

Hardy and Mayor Heyd .

Holmedale BandLacrosse TeamsSix Nations Band

Twen ty warriors in costumeNew Credit Ban d

Mr . Percy Wood, Mr . J . H . Stratford, City and CountyCouncil s in carriages

Guests and Indian Delegates in carriages .

A lacrosse match between two Indian teams and other sports const itut

ed the programm e . One of the spec ial features was the roast ing Of an ox

and another con sisted of an Indian dance in full war pain t . Al l the

factories and shops closed for the afternoon and people were presen t

from far and wide . The total attendance was estim ated at nearly twentythousand .

At n ight Stratf ord’s Opera House was crowded when Indians pro

v ided the programme , and the Rol ler Rink was also we l l fil led for an

entertai nment given under the auspices of the Kn ights of SherwoodForest , and Bran t Hose CompanyThe second day’ s celebration was spoiled by a continuous ra in ,

al

though there was a notable trades procession .

A brill iant banquet was al so he ld on Wednesday n ight at th e KerbyHouse , and the guests included many from the States as wel l as Canad iancit izens .Grace was Offered by Rev . Mr . Mackenzie and the usual loyal toasts

observed . In responding to “His Honour , Lieut . Governor Of Ontario ,

”

Hon . Mr . Rob ins on repl ied in a very happy mood, paying tr ibute to

Brantford as most worthily named in comm emo ration of a gr eat maman d

loya l Br itish al ly . S ir Frederick Middleton replied to “The Army, Navy

and Voluntee rs, and s poke most highly Of the Canadian troops in the

INDIAN HISTORY 61

Nor th West rebe l l ion of the previous year .“The Memory of Brant was

championed by Senator Plumb in a very able speech .

The Vice-Cha ir (Chief Hil l ) gave“Th e Domin ion and Provincial

Governments , eloquent ly responded to by Hon . A . S . Hardy and Mr . W .

Paterson , M . P .

Th e second Vice-chair, (Mayor Heyd ) , proposed“The S ix Nations

and other Indian Tribes .” Chief A . G. Smith , speaking in Engl ish , made

one Of the best addresses Of th e even ing . Among other things he claimedthat “Canada was l ivi ng under a form of Government Copied from the

Confederation Of the Six Nations . Uncle Sam had been first to fol low

the example and then th e Domin ion whee led into l ine .

”

“Our vi sitors from the Un ited States” brought repl ies from Uncle

Sam ’s representatives , and“Th e Scul ptor of the Monumen t” was not for

gotten . The Lieut. Governor proposed the hea l th Of Mr . Cleghorn , and

God Save the Queen ,

” closed a memorable event .The inscript ion on the Memoria l reads“This nationa l monument erected by the Brant Memorial

Association incorporated 41 V ic. Chap . 62 to

TH A YE N D A N E G E A

Born 1 742,d ied 1 807, int e

éred at the Mohawk Church

an to

the S ix Nations Indians for their long and faithful services on behal f ofthe British Crown and the ir strict observance Of treat ies .”

Contributed to by the Six Nations Indian s, the Chippewas, th e Dominion Of Canada, Provin ce of Ontario ,

the City of Brantford, the Counties ofBrant and Bruce , and private subscr iptions .

The British Government provided the bronze cannons for the statue .

Patron s : H . R . H . Duke Of Conn aught , the Marquis of Lorne , th e EarlOf Dufferin , the Marqu is of Lansdowne .

Directors z—Allen Cleghorn ,Pres ident ; I . Cockshutt, Vice President ;

Robt . Henry, Treasur er ; G. H . Muir head, Secretary ; Alex . Robertson , Col .

Gilkison , W. Paterson,M . P. ; Wm . Buck, Dan iel

' Burt, (Warden CountyBrant ) H . M eK . Wilson

, Q . C. ; A . J . Wilkes, L . L . B . ; C . B . Heyd , (Mayorof Bran tford ) R . Henwood, M . D. ; J . W. Digby, M . D . ; J . H . Stratford ,

Inscr ipt ion .

Chiefs : Ska-na-wa-dih ; Ah-wem- in-neh ; Ska-kO-ka-nyes ; Kenehdageh ;Ka -non -kwe -

yO-t eh ; A . G . Smith Interpreter .

Sculptor : Percy Wood, (gained by international compet ition . )Corner Stone la id August 1 1 , l 886,by Ch ief Ka -non -kwe -

yo-teh .

Unve iled Oct ober 13th by the Hon . J . B . Robinson , Lieutenant Governor Of On tario .

”

Mr . Wood was a comparat ive ly young man when he

gale

l ptor .

achieved this work Of art . His father was the celebratedEngl ish sculptor, Mr . Mar shal l Wood, whose gen ius re

ce ived ext ensive recogn ition . The son in early l ife turned h is attent ion


to pa inting, and the Bran t Monument was hi s first effort in the sister art .

So far as known he never achieved any other success of l ike nature .

For a~

considerable period the statement was acceptedthat this, the first Episcopal Church

'

erected in Upper

Canada, was built by Brant from funds col lected by him

on h is second visit to England . In rea l ity the edifice was the result of

the pledge of Haldimand : A church Shal l be buil t wherever the Mohawkssha l l settle and a clergyman be established for them ,

”although Brant

most l ike ly had a hand in that st ipulation , as it is recorded that in 1772-3

he became subject to serious rel igious impressions and was a regular

commun icant . A S the outcome a commencement was made on the

structure in the year 1785 and it must have been nearing completion

when the Chief sa iled for home in November . However it is more than

probable that Bran t ‘

had a part in the greater l iberal ity Of King George

I II . in the equ ipment Of the building and the print ing Of the Mohawkprayer book . The contract was let t o John Smith, a U . E . Loyal ist who ,

together with his son - in - law John Thomas , another loyal ist , had been

persuaded by Brant to come with the Six Nat ions to their new home .

It was to this John Thomas that the fir st “Brant Lease” was issued .

The docum ent bears date M ay 2ud , 1801 and disposes of 200 acres for“e ighty pounds , New York Currency,

” pa id to Brant . The land is

des cribed as beginn ing at a stake “on the Northerly part of the great bend

below the vi l lage, or church on said river” (Grand ) and the term is for

999 years . In addi tion to th e signatures, J os . Bran t and John Thomas ,the names Of the witnesses are “Will iam M cInistry

”and Wm . Hambly .

”

The timber for the church was cut in the ne ighborhood Of Paris andfloated down the Grand river to the existing site where it was sawn

an d the clap boards beaded by hand, as may easily be seen by examin ing

any of the original boards s til l remain ing . When th e church was built

the entrance was at the east end and the pulpit at the centre of the south

wal l facing north ; on the wes t S l de Of that was a large pew for the Brant

fam ily and at e ither side, facing the altar, were two pews reserved for thewhite members of the congregat ion . The remainder of the space was oc

cupied by seats for the Indian s and the pews were of the‘

Old fashioned

hi gh box type .

In 1 788, upon the invitat ion of Brant, Dr . Stuart v isited Mohawk Vil

lage and he thus describes the t rip

I embarked in a bateau with six Indians, commanded by CaptainBran t . We coasted along the north side Of Lake Ontario about 200miles, and from the Head of the Lake (Hami lton ) we went 25 miles byland, to the Mohawk vil lage on the Grand River, which empties into


INDIAN HISTORY 63

Lake Er ie. These people were my former charge, and the society st i l l

ca l l s me their missionary . I found them conven iently situated on a

beautiful river, where the soi l is equa l in fertil ity to any I ever saw .

Their vil lage con tains about 700 souls and consists of a great numb er ofgood houses with an elegant church in the cen tre . It has a handsomesteeple and bel l , and is wel l fin ished within . You will be sur prised whenI te l l yoh that they have a complete pulpit, with the Creed, Commandments, Society

’s and King’ s Coat of Arms , al l very large and elegant, andthat the Psalmody was accompan ied by an organ . The p lace is 90 milesfrom Niagara and was un inhabited four years ago .

In 1816 Lieut . Hal l Hal ls Trave l s visited the church an d te l l s of“Aaron

, a grey haired Mohawk, who would touch his cheeks and foreheadwith a few spots of vermi l l ion in honor of Sunday . He wore a surplice

and preached .

”

When the S ix Nations came here they brought with them the Bible

and a silver commun ion plate, bearing the Royal arms , which had been a

gift to them in their ol d home by Queen Anne . These precious possessionshad been buried during the war and emerged in a good state of preserva

tion as indeed they stil l rema in .

The inscript ion on the bible cover reads For Her Majesty’s Church

of the Mohawks , 1 712. The signatures on the fly leaf now include“Albert Edward (Ki ng Edward ) Prince of Wales , September 14th“Art hur (Duke of Connaught ) October 1 st ,

“George (King GeorgeV . ) October 14th

“Victoria Mary (Queen Mary ) October 14th ,“Patricia (Lady Ramsay , t hen Princess Patricia ) M ay 9 th ,

Edward P. (Prince of Wa les ) October 20th ,“John Young (Gov

cruor Genera l ) October“Dufferin (Earl Dufferin Governor

General ) August 25th ,“John A . Macdonal d (Sir John Macdona ld )

“Lansdowne (Marquis of Lans‘downe , Governor Genera l ) August

10,“Stan ley of Preston (Lord Stanley, Governor General ) Janu

ar y 14,“Mi nto (Earl Minto Governor General ) M ay 24,

“Grey (Earl Grey, Governor General ) M ay 25,“Devonshire (Duke

Of Devonshire , Governor Genera l ) Oct ober 24th 1917.

The Commun ion service has the inscription The Gift of Her Maj estyAnne , by the Grace of God of Great Britain and Ireland and her plantat ions in North America , Queen , to Her Indian Ch ape l of the Mohawks

The first he l l was a lso supposed to have been among the gifts of

Queen Anne , but the in scription ,

“John Warner, Fleet Street , London ,

1786” leads to the , bel ief that Brant secured it while overseas . In 1873


this bel l , the first to soun d the cal l to worship in Upper Canada becamecracked, and it was disposed Of for Old metal . Wh ile it was lying ready

for shipment publ ic in terest became aroused to prevent i t s destructionand it was saved to occupy i ts present position under a wooden canopy

at the left of the ent rance .

There was no regu l ar m in ister in charge , during the first forty years

of the existence of the ed ifice . Brant made every effort to secure a resi

dent missionary but without result, and the supply depended on i t iner

ant min isters, Or the Indian s themse lves such as old Aaron . In 1823

the New England Company became interested . This organ ization , the

oldest for the propagation of the gospe l , was founded in the t ime of

Cromwe l l and establ ished by the Long Parl iament in 1649 . At that

period a genera l co l lection was directed to be made through al l the

Coun ties , cities , town and parishes of“England and Wa les” for the

purpose of ra ising funds and th e sum of twe lve thousand pounds was thuscol lected . The amount was invested in landed property in Suffolk and

Kent and some houses in London . In the t ime of Charles I I a new

charter ( 1661 ) was Obtained . The company, having decided to includethe Six Nat ions in the scope of the ir work, sent th e Rev . John West toreport on th e condition of affa irs, Capt . John Bran t acting as l ay agent .They built two schools near the Mohawk village and a lso the parsonageon the Canal bank . The brick for the latter structure , which is still ina good state of preservat ion , was bought in Kingston and from the latt er

place carried by water to We l land and thence teamed here . Rev . Mr .Hough, the first missionary, did not rema in long, and in October of 1 827Rev . Robert Lugger arrived to take his place and continued in the workfor many years .

In 1829 under his direction the church was thoroughly repaired and

a ltered . The spir e was taken down and rebuilt , with the lower portion

so en larged as to permit of an entrance through the centre . Th e originaldoor at the east was then boarded up . The commun ion table , and tablets

in Mohawk containing the Lord’s Prayer , Ten Commandmen ts and

Apostle’s creed were al so transferred to the east end and other improve

ments carried out . The fol lowing year, (1830) the consecrat ion took

place wi th the Bishop of Quebec Officiating, he then having j urisdict ion

over this region .

As the Indi an s withdrew from Mohawk Village and vicin ity theytransferred the ir attendan ce to the Kanyengeh Chur ch and the

“O ld

Mohawk” fe l l into a condition of decay dur ingi

the sixties but was later

ful ly restored and has been kept in exce l lent condi t ion ever since

Fly Leaf Of St . J ohn ,Mohawk and Engl ish .

Open page of St . John in Mohawk and Engl ish ( 1804 )Reproduced by the k indness of the Upper Canada

B ible Soc iety .

IND IAN HISTORY 65

Inscription tablet on the rig-h t hand side entrance

Sa int PaulsHis Maj esty’s Chapelof the Mohawks

erected byKing Ceorge Il l .

1 785.

The first Churchbuilt in Ontario.

After Mr. Lugger ’s time, Archdeacon Nel les was associated with the

work for some fifty y ears . He was a son of Robert Nel les, a U . E .

Loyal ist, who gave up his farm and mil l in order to at tach himse l f to

th e Six Nations during the Revolutionary War . He afterwar ds became

Colone l of Mil itia and member of Parl iament . The Archdeacon who was

one of nineteen chi ldren was born at Grimsby in 1805. The familyname sti l l continues here through his descendants .

Rev . Robert Ashton during the later years of hi s Principalship of

the Mohawk Inst itute also took charge of the servi ces .

As the result of publ ic agitat ion i t was decided to bring

the rema ins of Bran t here from We l l ington Square and to

reinter them,together with those of his son John Brant

in a stone tomb , the original vault Of the Bran t fam ily, constructed of

wood having become considerably ou t of repa ir. Local tradition has it

that Bran t’ s coffin was carried by relays Of Indians from Wel l ington

Square but th ere is no record of that inc iden t in the fo l lowing reference to

the event in the Brantford Herald of November 27th , 1850. (The Heraldpassed out of existence in

On Monday last the rema in s of Thayendanegea, which had beenpreviously exhumed were

'

placed in the tomb at the Mohawk Church thathad been recent ly prepared for their reception . This was done with no

smal l degree of pageantry.

’

The vast multitude of people who had

as semb led from di fferent qua rters went in procession from the town of

Brantford to the Mohawk Village . Addr es ses were del ivered by Rev . A .

Nel les , Rev . P . Jones, Sir Allan M cNab, D . Thorburn , Esq . , and others,among whom was an American gentleman whose father had many yearsago been most generously treated by Brant . After the speaking was

con cluded the in terment took place , when three vol leys were fired over thegrave of the brave and fa ithf ul Indian soldier, Capta in Joseph Brant .

“In hi s address on that occasion Rev . Peter Jones said that Brant

’sadherence to Great Britain was strong, and sincere ; and in consequ ence of

that attachment the Six Nations lost their extensive fertile coun t ry, nowthe garden of the State of New York . No one can dispute his bravery .


In Indi an language it may be sa id of him : His eye was l ike the eagle’s ,his motions l ike arrows from the how , his enemies fel l before h im as

the trees before the blas t of the Great Spirit.” Brant was the principa l

means of the erect ion of the church, now the Oldest in Canada, and pro

cured the bel l whi ch has so often summoned the people of God togetherto worship in his holy courts ; and has tol led for hundreds of those whosebones now l ie in that sacred yard . I am informed that it tol led whenBrant died, 24 hours . I am happy to lea rn that our white friends haveit in their hearts to erect a monument to the memory of the Indian brave,that succeeding generations may see and know the hero after whom the

town of Brantford is named .

”

Rev . Peter Jones (Chief Kahkewaquonay ) was the son of a Government land Surveyor and Indian mother and was born a t Burl ingtonHe ights . His father, a man of We lsh extraction ,

l ived in Am erica prev ious to the revolut ion and when .he came to Canada and presented a

letter of recomm endation to Genera l Simcoe , was made Deputy Provin

cial Surveyor . He married Tuhbenahneequay, a daughter of Chief Wah

banosay Of the Mississauga tribe of the Oj ibway Nation . The son Peter ,was a man Of great missionary zea l , and upon his death in 1856 at the

age of fifty-four , he was buried at Brantford with befitt ing ceremon iesand later a handsome marble monument was erect ed to hi s memory . On

this occasion , many Indians and whites were present and lraudatory ad

dresses were made by Rev . T. B . Howard, Rev . J . C . Usher , Chief G . H . M .

Johnson , Lewis Burwe l l , Dr . Digby, Mr . Matthews and a Chief of the

Miss issauga tri‘be.

Supplementing the report from the Herald it may be addedi

that

Brantford Masons took part in the ceremony, Brant having been a

member of Barton Lodge No . 10, H amilton and No . 1 1 the lodge at

Mohawk vil lage . The first clue to the origi n of the last named lodgewas discovered in January 1899 . The warrant was issued February 12th ,1 798 with these names of first off icers z—Capt . Joseph Brant, Master,Thomas Hom er, S . W . , W . K . Smith, J . W . While in England the Chiefwas presented with .a Mason ic Apron by King George III . Mis s Carey ina pamphlet publ ished in 1873 says

The late Jonathan Maynard, Esq . , formerly a member of the Senate

Of Massachusetts, was saved by Brant who discovered the symbol s of

free -masonry upon the prisoner ’s arms after th e Indians had partial ly

stripped him t o put him to death . Mr . Maynard l ived to an advancedOld age, an upright and faithful magistrate .

” It may be that the“Amer

ican gentleman” referred to in the Herald report was a descendant of

M aynard.



Dr .

"

Stuart has left it on record that the family of Brant did not

occupy a pre-eminent position in the ir vil lage on the Mohawk . Ri ver and

says that Joseph ’s inf luence was acquired by hi s uncommon talents. “Dis

t ingui shed al ike for hi s address, hi s activity and hi s courage—posse ssingin poin t of stature and symmetry of person the advantage of most men

even among h is own wel l formed race, ta l l , erect and majestic, with theair and mi en o f one born to command—havi ng as it were, been a man of

war since his boyhoodr—hi s name was a tower of strength among the

warriors of the wilderness .

”

Thenotable Ch ief, warrior and admin istrator, sleeps under a stonetomb placed by apprec iative hands in the l it tle chur ch yard not far fromth is city, but his loyalty to the British Crown and achievements on behal f

of the Empire and of h is people will forever constitute his greatest

memorial .

BRANTFORD CITY HISTORY 69

CHAPTER IV.

EARLY BEGINNINGS or BRANTFORD .—SOME OF THE FIRST SBTTLBRS .

—SURRENDER OF TOWN S ITE BY SIX NATIONS INDIANS . - BURWELL’ S MAP AND

ORIGINAL PURCHASERS or LOTS.

Few p laces in Canada hav e a more idea l sett ing than Brantford, and

certain ly no other inland City can compare with it for location . The

fact has already been re lated that the A tt iwandarons had their chief

vi l lage here, and that Father Dai l lon described the Grand Ri ver Val leyas th e most beautiful he had seen in al l his wanderings .

The indications are that the whole of the City a rea was once a lake

of which the surrounding low b i l l s were the banks. This theory is

emphasized by the sand and gravel components of the soil . Th e river

sweep , and the hill s, serve to intercept the view at every turn with fea

tures of interes t whi le the lev el/area is suf ficiently largeto accommodate a

business and manufactur ing centre of great size .

In the natural course of the deve lopment of the Country such a loca

t ion was bound, sooner or later, to at tract sett lement, but the arri val of

the Six Nations Indians undoubtedly hastened the ev ent . The possibil i

t ies Of barter "with several hundred red men natural ly tended to an early

focus of trade at the ford . Said ford, it may he remarked, was not

s ituated at the site of Lorne Bridge as general ly supposed , but“

a l ittle

lower down, not far from the T. H . B . span . It should be remem

bered that a t the commencemen t of the place the land was st il l Indian

territory and so remained for many years.

Apparently the first inhabitant was a man named John Stal ts , and it

is quit e probable that he was a ha lf breed . In 1805 he erected a log

hut, where the memorial now stands to the fal len heroes Of the SouthAfrican

“

War , at the front of the Armouries property facing Colborne

St reet. In later years J . P . Excel l had a tavern there , over the door of

which swung a Sign bear ing the words :“Th i s sign hangs highAnd hinders none .

Refresh and payThen travel on .

Stalt s was probably one of those wandering characters of early days who


did a l itt le fishing and shoot ing, and he had apparently been attracted

to th is spot by the pres ence of Brant and hi s braves .Th irteen years later, 1818, the populat ion consisted of

331

21

1

1333

0“ twe lve people , and then somewhat Of an impetus occurred ; for in 1823 there were nearly one hundred souls. The

completion of the Hamil ton and London road was one ma in cause . Threesmal l trading stores were then owned by John A . Wilkes

,S . V . R . Doug

las and Nathan Cage . The principal customers were Indians and whiskey

was one of the chief articles of trade . There were al so two shoe shops,one kept by Wil l iam D . Dutton and the other by Arunah Hun tington . A

blacksmith shop was also establ ished by Will iam Qua .

John Aston Wilkes came to Canada from Birmingham in 1820 and

sett led in “Little York,”now Toronto, where he was engaged in business

as a merchant . He sent his two sons John A. Wilkes and James Wilkesto this place to Open a branch establ ishment . Mr . Wilkes Sr . , soonfol lowed hi s sons here and pur chased considerable property by such title

as he cou ld get . Jame s from 1872 to 1888 was Mun ic ipa l Treasurer .Ar unah Hun tington was a Character . He came here from the State

Of Vermont and in addition to runn ing a shoe shop he sold tea and

other commodities . He was of a very penurious nature, a lso posse ssing

keen business instincts, and as the years rol led on he amassed a large es

tate , which he greatly increased by loans at high interest . At the time of

the American Civil War he bought Northern Securities and Northern

money at a cheap rate, adding a vast sum to h is fortune by this fore

sight . In appearance he was a typical Yankee with a spare figure, and

keen eye . He used to make hi s boys work at the cobblers benCh during

schoo l hol idays, and after schoo l hours. It! is related of him that he

was once cal led upon by a deputat ion seeking funds for the erection of

one of th e local churches . A good deal to the ir surprise he promi sed

some thing if they would retur n at a certain hour the fol lowing day .

Speculat ion was rife as to the probable amount , and members of the

de legation were promptly on hand. Hun t ington handed them some ou t

lawed notes , and in response to th e crestfal len looks'

of his cal lers r e

marked .

“Surely they are perfectly good, gentlemen , for they were issued

by a membe r of your,own congregation .

”He was t wice ma rr ied, the

s econd time late in l ife, but left al l his large means to the State from

whence he came . His house,a low frame bui lding, was situated in the

rear of the present Y. M . C . A . and was used by the Heather bowlers as

a Club House , when they acquired the property. It was moved to their

present grounds for the same purpose .

BRANTFORD cm HISTORY 71

James Wi lkes was fifteen years of age when he reachedFewer Than the v i l lage and in an interview whi ch he gave in 1899 ,

H

p

un'

lwhen in his n inety-second year, he said :

dr eop e' “When I came to Brantf ord the place did not amoun t

to very much ; in fact there were less than 100 people . At the cornerwhere the Turnbul l -Howard store (now Turnbul l -Cutcl iffe ) stands,there was a sma l l log building used as a tavern, and about where the

Brethour (Crompton ) property stands there was a frame tavern . There

were no buildings on that side of Colborne Street between these two.

On the opposite side I remember a blacksmith shop on the brow of the

hil l,j ust about where Simmons’ feed store now stands . Near the ford

there was a smal l house at the West Brant ford side of the ferry . Opposite

the second tavern there was a small frame store and a deserted log hut ,(ev idently Stalts ) about the site of the Excel l property .

“My brother and myse lf came to Brantford to establ ish a genera lsto

'

re as a branch of my father ’ s business , which was then located in LittleYork, now Toronto .

“

On the bluff of the hi l l , on Colborne Street, nearthe spot where Paterson ’s Confectionery Works now stand, there was a

frame building which was then not quite fin ished . We secured the lowerpart and opened a stock

'

of goods . Later my father came here and we

secured a lot about where Mr . -Whitney’ s store now stands , putting up a

bu i lding. After that we built again on the site of the H . W. Brethourproperty . Another store was run by two men named Wil lson . The

principal trade was done with the Indians, but there was some thro'

ughtrave l on the way to Detro it . This section was know as the GrandRi ver Swamp , and twenty to thi rty miles a day was big travel , so thattaverns were, of necessity, numerous .

“The v i l lage did not go ahead very fast at first

, al thoughNammg The it never stood stil l , the place by the Grand Ri ver ferryPlace .

b d d h 1emg regar e as avmg some enterpr i s in g peop e.

It must have been in 1826 or 1827, when there were two or threehundred people, that the qu estion of nami ng the place arose . There wasa grist mil l then , run by a man named Lewis, and a carpenter and building shop had been started by another man named Crandon . A Mr .Biggar, of Mount Pleasant, owned a lot of land around the ferry, and whena br idge at the ferry was carried away he was inst rumental in gett inganother structure erected, which was cal led Biggar

’

s bridge. He was

anxious to have the place cal led after himsel f .“A meeting was cal led , when Mr . Biggar proposed that the name

should be Biggar’

s Town . Mr . Lewis , the mil l owner, suggested Lewisv i l le, and my father, (who came from that city in the Ol d Land ) , stood

72 HISTORY OF BRANT . COUNTY

out for Birmingham . It looked as if there might be a dead - lock when

some one suggested that as the place was at Brant’s ford this title wouldprove the most suitable and the suggestion took unan imously . In the

nat ural order of things the “s” speedily became dropped, and thus we

have the “Brantford” of to -day.

“The place then consisted of a thin scattering of frame and log houses

along Colborne Street . The Indi an s at that time used to dress more in

the ir origina l garb and our store was often filled with them . All roun d,with the exception of a few acres, there was nothing but scrub oak, and

to the east where the res idence of my son G . H . Wilkes , (Clarence Street,)now stands, there was a swamp fil led with thick cedar trees . These

woods did not contain an imal s of any kind. The original site of the

City of Brantford was the farm of Chief John Hill , my father purchasing

that part of the farm which ran from the present Market Square to the

Water-Works Creek and including Colborne, Darl ing and DalhousieStreet s . Part of this land is stil l knownas the Wilkes Tract .

“There was very l ittle ready cash in circulation in Brantford ’s ear ly

days, principal ly American and Span ish currency . The stores also used

to give due bil ls . Clark Street, of Niagara Fal ls, and Smith Griffin ,

(grandfather of Dr. Griffin ) of Smi thvi l le , were the big merchants of

the district, and a lot of their due bil ls were in circulat ion here .

“In reference to the surrounding places, Toronto, when I first knew it

had people, and Hamilton at that per iod was scarce ly on the map

at al l . Dundas and Ancaster amounted to more than e ither Hamilton or

Brantford .

“The nearest post offices to us were Burford on the one side and

Ancaster on the other, although we soon got a post office of our own .

Brantfordi tes , concluded Mr . Wilkes ,

“were a lways great people to takea pride in their settlement, and it is this Spirit throughout which to mymind has l ed to her present proud development .

Mr . Dutton , who was then runn ing a tavern , purchased theother half of the Hill farm. Most of the hol ding

acquired by Mr . Wilkes cons i sted of swamp and therewas a pond, a sort of appanage to the old creek on the bank of which ,Wilkes, in 1830, erected a distil lery. Next year Wil l iam Kerby buil tanother distil lery, where theKerby mil l later stood ; and in 1832, at a cost

of Will iam Spencer con structed a brewery on the site of the old

Y. M . C . A . building on Colborne Street . The plant ran successful ly fortwenty years. All the ind ications go to show that “Drys” i n those dayswere practical ly unknown .

Th e Wilkes family have always been prominently identified with the


74 HISTORY or BRAN'

If_ COUNTY

open ing off, leads to a summer kitchen and wood house : There are two

ce l lars in one of which there are the remains of a large bake oven, and in

the oth er a large fire place , and inside . cistern . Upsta irs there are three

bedrooms and a Side room . There is not a“brick in the ent ire structure ,

tree bodies , thickly placed support ing beams, and stringers rest ing

'

on

wooden posts , served to evolve a most substant ia l home which for e ighty

n ine years has withstood the ravages of time and bids fair to do so for

many year s yet to come .

Three other wel l known families whose progen itors located here when

the site on which Bran tford stands , was stil l Indian land, comprise the

Cockshutt s, Muirheads and Leonards .

Reuben Leonard, born at Springfield, Mass . , 1791 , and Jul ia Anne

Wel l s, born at Athen s, N. Y. in 1801 , were married in Montreal April

16th, 1822, and came to Cobourg where their O ldest and on ly son FrancisHenry Leonard was born , July 6, 1823. Early in 1830, the family came

to Brantford, and the father, among other things , became interested inchurch affair s, becoming first warden of Grace Church, and havingbeen on the commit tee which received on behalf of the congregat ion , the

grant of land for the erection of the original edifice . He passed away onDecember 26th , 1833, leavin g in addi tion to

‘

th e widow and son, fourdaughters. F. H . Leonard Spent mos t of h is l ife in Brantford fil l ing

many important positions in Coun cil and on School Boards . In 1869

he had the honor of holding the Wardenship of the County of Brant andthe Reeveship of the Town at the same t ime . The first of his many

business activit ies was the forwarding of produce on the Grand River

water route between here and Buffalo. In 1855, Mr . Leonard was

marr ied to Elizabeth the youngest daughter of the late Captain Richard andMary Ca tton , of London , England, and died in 1907, leaving a fiatmil y of

seven children , of whom the majority stil l res ide in the City. Henry

Fran cis, City Clerk of Brantford for the last twenty -five years, Clara A . ,

widow of the late Lt . -Col . Cameron , Superintendent of the Six Nat ion s

Indi ans, Edi th M . , wife of Mr. F . J . Bishop , and Gertrude , l iving at the

old homestead, Mary wife of the late F . Lal ly,resides at Troy, N. Y. ,

and Richar d in Man itoba . The second son , Col . W. R. Leonard, of St. Catharines, fir st of al l taught schoo l in Brant County and then graduated at theRoyal Mil itary Col lege Ki ngston . During the North West rebel l ion heserved on the staff of General Strange , and then jo ined th e C . P . R.

Later he was ident ified with many promi nent engineering and power

projects and was chosen by the Borden Government t o be Cha irman of

the National Transcont inental Board in connect ion with the constructionof the Grand Trunk Pacific . He is the Pre sident and ma in owner of the

The Crandon homestead on Colborne St . The

bu i lding is typ ica l of the structures wh ichused to be scattered a long what is now

Brentford ’ s main business thoroughfare

A view of Market Street near Dalhous ie Street , taken from an

Old photograph


“Con iagas silver mine, and has been very l iberal in a philanthropic way .

. In thi s regard be twice gave to the Bran tford Patr iotic fund dur

ing the war providing a certain object ive was reached, a feat aecom

pl ished in each case, and the handsome tower of Grace Church with i ts

peal of bel ls was a contribution from him .

The Muirhead fam ily, in the persons of two brothers James and

Will iam, came from Niagara about 1828, and settled at“Brant’ s Ford .

About 1835, as the town plot began to take shape, James bought half an

acre of land at the North West corner of Queen and We l l ington Stree ts andbuilt the rough-cast house stil l standing there, in which he resided un ti l

his death in 1 868. It is said that his friends rather made fun of his locating so far out of town , and this may have been one reason why hisbroth er Wil l iam was less venturesome and chose as his place of abode thenorth west corner of Queen and Darling Streets . Later on Will iam set up

to be a landed proprietor on a large scale, and bought th e farm and

built the fine house known as Oakwood,” facing the Mount Pleasan t

road in West Brantford with a long river frontage . This for many yearswas one of the most attractive places in the county . It was subsequentlyacqu ired by John C . Palmer of the Kerby House and used as a summerannex to the hote l , specia l stress be ing laid upon the efficacy of . the

sulphur springs on the property. James Muirhead married Mary Heron

of Niagara, whose father Andrew Heron publ ished the first newspaper

there , (cal led“The Gleaner” ) and was a man of much enterprise and

public spirit as shown by the records of ol d Niagara. Their fami ly con

sisted of five sons and one daughter, the latter becoming the wife of

Charles Edwin Smith, for a long period Deputy Sheriff . The last sur

vi vor of them was Andrew Douglas Muirhead who for many years resided

at 156 Brant Avenue and di ed there in 1910. Will iam Muirhead married

Miss Buckwel l of the English family of that name , who early set tled in

Port Dover, and of whose descendants some stil l l ive there . They al so

had a large fami ly of sons and daughters the survivors of whom residein the West . The on ly representative of e ither fam i ly now associated with

Brantford is Mr . George Heron Muirhead, B . C . L. , son of A . D . Muir

head, h is mother having been a daughter of Rev . George Goodson,a

Minister of the Methodist Church once stationed at Moun t Pleasant . Mr.G . Muirhead was for many years a member of the law firm of Brewster,Muirhead Heyd, and later located in Toron to, as Deputy Master of Titles

for Ontario . While in the Queen City he always maintained a loya l con

nect ion with the old home enterprises and in st ituti ons and has lately

returned here.


In so far as one individua l can be singled out in a gen

M l" Ignat i us eral commun ity as having proved the bigges t factor ,Cocksh ut t .

among many workers, In the early upbu i l dmg of the

place , such recogni tion , in the case of Brantford, must undoubtedly be

given to Mr . Ignat ius Cockshutt . By keen bus iness insight and habits ofthrift

,he was able to accumulate means at a period when few were so

circumstanced, and it is to h is credit and the advantage of Brantford that

he should have spent free ly of his t ime and money in private and publ ic

enterprises , besides devoting much to philanthropic purposes .

.

M r . Cockshutt was born in Bradf ord, Yorkshire , on the 24t h of Augus t

1 812 Hi s father, Mr . James Cockshut t, was at that t ime engaged in the

manufactur ing business in partnership with Joshua Cockshutt, a cousin ,

but the firm, in common with so many others, succumbed in 1816 to thecommercia l depression of the t ime in the Old Land . After other act ivities Mr . Cockshutt determined in 1827 to migrate t o the new world,and in that year he and h is fami ly took passage on the barqu e “Lady

Digby” and sailed from Liverpool to Quebec . In the year 1810 he h admarried

-

Mary Nightingale , the daughter of a large tenant farmer in

Yorkshire, and there were two children , Jane, afterwards Mrs . Laycock,who helped to found the Laycock Schoo l , and Ignat ius, the subject of thissketch , who was fifteen years of age when the voyage w as made . The

original intention had been to sett le in Pittsburg, Pa . , but James Laycock

a friend a lso on board bringing with h im a stock of merchandise, induced

the Cockshut ts to locate with him in Toronto, then a place of

people , , Here they opened a general store, Mr . Laycock in 1828 sel ling

out to Mr . Cockshutt. The latter prospered and in 1829 he decided toopen a bran ch in Brantford . To this end he entered into partnershi p

with Ch ristopher Batt y and the Brantford project was started in the fa l lof 1829 under the title of Batty CO.

” Ignat ius, then seventeen yearsold , was sent along to the vi l lage to he lp in the business . The enterprisehad a very short existence and the son returned to theQueen city wherehe again assisted the father . The young man however, w ith a tenacityof purpose which a lways characterized him, stil l thought that this sett lement he ld Opportun ities, and thus it was that in 1832 it was decided toagain open "a business in Brant ford, this time with Ignat ius as manager .Under hi s guidance the branch grew to such an exten t, that in 1834 the

Toronto project was abandoned and the l ittle Indian v i l lage on the

Grand Ri ver became the res ident ial and bus iness head quarters of the

Cockshutt f amily . The son cont inued as the manager while the fatherdevoted part of h is time to other interests in Cayuga, and outlying di strict s . It was a typical enterprise of the country at the t ime—a general

BRANTFORD crr r H i sroar 77

store in the broadest sense Of the term—and very flexib le in i ts me thods ,so as to meet the needs and condi tions Of its patrons . Every kind Of

mer chandise was sold, and everyth ing was legal tender for the same .

Money was scarce and barter was the medium of business. Baske ts and

st raw work, wood, hay, grain,da iry produce , or labor were taken in

exchange for merchandise , and to this system may be traced the name of“Merchants Exchange ,

” which was given to the block of brick buildings

on the corner Of Colborne and South Market Street , which in time re

placed the frame structure Of the early period .

Recurring cycles Of business depres sion brought down many mer

cant i le establ ishment s in these early days, but the Cockshut t business

cont inued to hold i ts own and advance , even during the crucial year of

1837. In 1840 the father sold the en tire business to hi s son and daugh

ter , and for many years thereafter the firm' traded under the name Of“I . J . Cockshutt . James Cockshutt died January l 0th , 1866. He

was a man Of pronounced theologica l views—views whi ch would beregarded as narrow in these days—but h is sympathies were broad, and

his kindly actions many . His house was always open to those who

came from Lancashire to seek their fortunes in the new world, and he

wil l ingly extended h is adv ice , assistance and encouragement . It wascharacteristi c of h im that in 1840 he went to England and pa id in ful lthe Bradford creditors with whom his firm had previously compromisedby paying so much in the pound .

In 1846 Jane Cockshutt withdrew from the business andit became the sole property of the brother . He con tinuedto evolve the vil lage store into a mercantile establ ish

ment, which he carried on for over fif ty years, residing over his placeOf business and at al l times giving every deta il hi s close personal attent ion . In addi t ion he added many other activi ties . He took part inthe inaugur ation of -the Grand ‘

Ri ver Navigat ion Company, and for a

number Of years was a member Of the Board of Directors of the Buffalo,Goderich and Lake Huron Ra ilroad, the first railway to run throughBrantford. In each case the promotors lost their en tire investment, butthe enterprises served their purpose in giving in itial impetus to the

se ttlement. When the Brantford Gas Company was threatened withcol lapse, he and others came to its aid, evolv ing an efficient l ightingsystem . Of this concern he was the President for a great number of

yea rs . His aid was con tinuous with regard to fire fighting appl iances ,and a hand engi ne pur chased by him was largely manned by h is own

employees . Later he was the prime mover in the es tabl ishment of a


Waterworks Company, in order to provide more adequate fire protec

t ion . Of this Company he was the Pres ident and Mr . T. S . Shenstone

the energetic Secretary. The works were cons tructed in 1874 and helped

to successfully check the constant fire menace. The City final ly took

over the system . Another notable enterprise undertaken by him was the

construction of the Brantford and Oakland Tol l Road (common ly known

as the Cockshutt Road . ) Commenced in 1856, it was completed in 1859

and served to Open up a val uable area. The project was entirely f in

anced by Mr . Cockshutt, and although the year 1857 was one of markeddepression , he held grim l y to his purpose, and despite difficulties , which

would have abashed almost any other man , completed the task . At

least two of Brant ford’

s presen t large manufactur ing establishments

owed much to hi s co-Operat ion . Although not an active member of the

Waterous Engine Works Company, he watched with deep interest theprogres s Of this wel l known enterprise and gave much help and encour

agement to the firm in early years . A portrait of him holds a placeof honour a longside that Of Mr . C . H . Waterous, Sr . , in the Board

room . Wh en the Cockshutt Plow Company was first started by his sonJames, in a very modest way , the s truggling busines s was nur tured and

cherished by the father, who retained the position of Vice -President unti l

the end of his l ife . He was a lso President of the Craven Cotton Company during the short and stormy existence which ended in the sa le of

the mil l to a cott on syndicate .

His philanthropies were many and continuous ; a la rgenumber of them of necessity became known ; it would beimpossible to compute others Of which he never mademen tion

,even to members of h is own family . As a

matter of fact he did not recogn ize the phr ase philanthropist” as applied

to himse lf, for in al l such directions he considered himsel f simply as

steward Of the large means which he had accumulated . In the early daysOf sett lement , when educat ional privileges were inferior, he establ ished,managed, and mainta ined for years, secular schools, in order to givecountry children the advantages Of a common education free of charge .

Together with h is sister, Mrs . Laycock, he also founded the LaycockSchool for orphans and destitute children . He a lso built an orphan ’shome in Brantford for the accommodation Of a l ike class Of children .

Another of his acts was to purchase and deed to trustees a large house on

Sheridan Street for a Widows’ Home , which has always been under thecontrol Of a Board of Management composed of ladies . In company

with Mr . Humphrey Davis, he donated to the County and City, the HouseOf Refuge where the aged poor of both sexes , can find a haven of rest


80 msronr or BRANT COUNT!

verbial , and he was not par ticular as to pedigrees ; any kind of mongrelOf compan ionable disposition was good enough for him . He was ever

fond of an argument, and i f he came out second best , always lost histemper, but not his convictions . Idleness he abhorred , and one of his

axioms was that absorbing work const ituted the best ant idote for sorrow

and depression . He passed away on March l st , 1901 , in his e ighty-n inth

year, and was active up to within a few days of his demise . In fact ,notwith standing a severe cold, he persisted in going his usual rounds,and a dr ive in the country, when a bitter wind was blowing, served to

bring on his last illness .Mr . Cockshutt was twice married . On September 22nd , 1846 , he

espoused Margaret Gemme l , who died the fol lowing year , leaving an

infan t daughter, who afterwards became Mrs . George Kippax . In 1850

he married El izabeth, the e ldest daughter of Francis Foster , Moun tPleasant, a nat ive of Lancashi re, who came to thi s country in 1844. The

honeymoon trip began at the Landing, Newport Village, where they took

a steamer down the Grand Ri ver en route to Buffalo . His strong,bending nature , at t imes almost har sh, was softened by her pl iable a ndloveable disposition , and the un ion thus formed cont inued happily for

a period of almost forty-two years. There were e leven children, of whom

four now survive : W. F. Cockshutt , M .P. , Frank Cockshutt , E . L . Cockshutt and Harry Cockshutt , al l of this city.

There were many resolutions of regret on the part Of the City

Council and other bodies when he was cal led Home, but at the s implefuneral , whi ch took place to Farr ingdon Cemetery, the most sinceremani festations of publ ic sorrow came from th e poor, the affl icted , and

neglected, whom he had so cons tan tly befriended .

A man of liberal education , in the person of CaptainWill iam Gilkison , came to Brantford in the early days .He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, on March 9 , 1777,

of notable parentage, and after leaving school , took service on a mer

chant vesse l . At that period, Great Brita in and France were at war and

the merchantrnan, on which he was serving, fel l into the hands of the

enemy . Young Gilkison was a prisoner in the land of the fleur de lysfor about a year when he escaped in a smal l rowboat, but three month slater was aga in taken . Once more making his way from the land Of h isenforced adoption , he ar rived in New York in 1796, and at the hands Of

John Jacob A stor ,'

to whom he had a let ter Of introduct ion , secur ed thecommand .Of a schooner . on Lake Erie, run by the North-West Fur CO.

Commodore Grant was then'

in command of the British fleet on LakeErie and Captain Gilkison married Isabe l la, the sixth daughter of the

Captai n

G ilkison .

1 , l . Cockshutt ; 2, R . Leonard ; 3. Capt . G ilkison ; 4 . C . H . Crandon ; 5, J . W i lkes ;6,L . Burwe l l . who la id ou t the v il lage of Brantford 7, A . Hunt ingdon ;

8, A . K . Sm ith .



A . l ittle later he announced the name decided upon for the place ina letter sent to his son , Jasper , on November 3rd .

I am thinking Of sending a few goods, under the direction of an

inte l l igent man , to pay for work I must have done in the Village of

Elora— look for that word in the encyclopaedia, or some other di ctionary .

At a future period Elora may become a place for you to manage, mil ls ,etc . , etc . , et c .

”

“No doubt the

‘

son made the suggested reference and found the

name Ellora to be that of a decayed town in the Domin ions of the

Nizam ,India, ce lebrated for it s wonderful rock out temples , part ly

Hindu and partly of Buddhis t origin .

A brother, Capta in John Gilkison , used t o sail from Port Glasgow

to Bombay, and In 1831 , be transferred to a new Ship , which he christened“Elora , in ce lebrat ion of these caves which he was thought to have visited—hence the suggestion of this name for the projected town .

Miss Gilkison , a granddaughter, is in possession of several letterswhich Captain Gilkison sent to h is son , Jasper (Miss Gi lki son

’

s father )when he was a young man in the employ of the wholesa le house of

Ferr ie 81 Co . , Hamilton . Some extracts w i l l prove of interes t in il lus

trat ion of the standards of this early Brantford citizen .

August 12, 1832. I pray you to exercise your talent in '

compOSI

tion ; f ew Of t he powers of the mind which man possesses serve to giveh im more pleasure, or are mo re useful to him , than wr iting thoughtsclearly and distinct ly . Spend your le isure in acqu iring knowledget ime never return s ; a lways recol lect to employ it faithfully and wel l inyouth , then in Old age the reflection will cheer you— friends wil l visit andlearn your tales of other years ; of days and events long gone bye .

”

“November 3, 1832. I know your t ime is ful ly employed and

am glad of it, but stil l there are moments of your own which can be

privately and useful ly employed . You wil l not resemb le the youngfel lows whom I have so Often and so lately seen , wast ing their prec ioustime in the destructive vices of gambling and fol ly . Such an exhib itionto me would distract me .

”

“March 13, 1833. Last n ight I returned from Elora ; everythingis going on wel l there , as wel l as a new coun try wil l permit . I be l ieveI shal l erect my first bridge over the Grand Ri ver exactly at the Fal lsof Elora ; it i s a remarkable and beautif ul spot . In a year or two Ihope for your ass istance to manage the Operat ion s and the various plans1 have in contemplation at that new cit y .

”

“In this country it is absolutely necessary one should be acquainted

with everything go ing on in it, and therefore it is right you should at

tent iv ely read the essent ia l parts of every law which may be made forthe government of the people ; do this when you have leisure . Thosel aws wh ich relate to money, and the dut ies we have to perform to the

publ ic should be studied with att ent ion .

”

Elora , founded by a Brantford c it izen . View shows the Grand Riveras it passes through the place .



sideration of the sum of five shi ll ings of lawful money of Upper Canadaby Our sai d Sovereign Lord the King , we l l and truly paid to the saidJacob Ayonghwah tha , Henry Brant Dekanagwasen, Jacob Shor iahowane ,Lawrence Tharon - tenh -tha, Ioak Teghenn akar ine , Mose Shohsgoarowane,Joseph Dwaserage , Pe tter Kanongwaheye , Otat seghte , Waderieyos , Awennoxsonton ,

Teghatkah thos, Skanawat igh , Onesehaen , Skayent aken .

Oghnawara , Oghr onhregowa , Kahnehdage , Kanowhger itaw i , Kanayegh ,Dekenyough , Dewat iron , Deyotoreghgon , Skawen-atigh , Kahwisdanoro ,

Dekarahgwen , Dayekawehe , Kayonanon , Teatup and Henry A . Hill ,at or before the sea l ing and de l ivery of these pres ents, the rece ipt whereofis hereby acknowledged, they, the sa id Jacob Ayonghwahtha, HenryBran t Dekanagwasen , Jacob Shor iahowane, Lawrence Tharon - tenh th a,Ioak Teghenn akar ine , Moses Shohsgoarowane, Joseph Dwaserage , Pett erKanangwaheye , Otiarts eght e , Wader ieyos, Awennoxsonton ,

Teghatkahthos,Skanawat igh , Onesehaen , Skayentaken , Oghnawara, Oghrenhregowa ,Kahnehdage , Kanouhger i taw i , Kanayegh , Dekenyough , Dewat iron ,

Deyotoreghgon , Skawen'

at igh , Kahw isdanoro, Dekara-hgwen ,Dayekawehe,

Kayonanoron , Teatup and Henry A . Hil l] have and each of them hathgranted, barga ined, sol d, re leased, surrendered and yie lded up , and bythese present s do and each of them doth grant, barga in , sel l release ,surrender and yie l d up unto Our Sa id Sovereign Lord, the King, Hishe irs and successors , a l l that ce rta in parcel or tract of land situate, lyingand be ing l n th e Coun ty of Wentworth, in the Distr ict of Core , contain ingby estimation ,

e ight hun dred and seven acres, be the same more or less,and which sa id parcel or tract of land is but ted and bounded ,

or may be

otherwise known as fol lows , that is to say : Commencing where a stakehas been plan ted on the north side of the road leading from the Grand River bridge , through the Vil lage of Brantford towards Ancaster , now cal ledColborne Street, and fifty l inks on a l ine bearing north five degreesthirty minutes wes t magnet ica l ly from the north -west angle of the MohawkParsonage ground ; thence north eighteen degrees thirty minutes eastmagnet ical ly, seven ty -n ine cha ins forty-five l inks

,more or less, to a

white oak tree ; thence south eighty~ four degrees thirty minutes wes tmagnetical ly eighty - two chains twenty-e ight l inks , more or less, to wherea stake has been planted on the eastern boundary l ine of Will iam KennedySmith’ s land ; thence south twen ty-seven degrees thirty m inutes westmagnet ical ly a long the said boundary l ine fifty-n in e cha ins twenty- sixl inks

,more or less, to a certain stone , and northern extremity of Robert

B iggar’

s land ; thence south fifteen degrees west magnetical ly along theeastern boundary l ine of the said Robert B iggar

’

s land twenty-e ightchain s fifty l inks , more or les s, t o where a stake has been plan ted at

high water mark on the north side of the Grand River, or Ouse ; thencea long the northern bank of the said river with the stream to a certa inwhite oak tree standi ng at hi gh water ma rk, sixty- four l inks be low the

outlet of Nathan Gage’ s saw-mill race ; thence north twenty-five degree sfifteen minutes east magnetica l ly twenty-four cha ins thirty l inks , moreor less, t o where a stake has been planted at high water mark on the

south bank of a cert a in cove ; thence along the south bank of the said

BRANTFORD crrr HISTORY 85

cove‘with the st ream fourteen chains e ight l inks , more or less , to a cluster

of soft maple trees ; thence north thirty - four degree s forty minutes eastmagnet ical l y e ight cha in s, more or less, to a certain white oak tree, standing on the summ it of the ma in bank on the north side of the said cove ;then north five degrees thirty minutes west magnetical ly seven cha insfifty-five l inks, more or less, to within four chains of the south side of

the aforesaid road, or Co lborne Stree t ; thence north e ighty- four degreesthirty minutes eas t magnet ical ly , and para l le l to the sa id road or streetforty -five chains four l inks, more or less, to the eastern l imit of the sa idMohawk Parsonage ground ; thence north five degrees thirty minuteswest magnetical ly five chains, more or less , to the place of beginn ing.

Together with al l the woods and waters thereon , standing or being, and

al l th e estate, right, t it le , interest, trus t , property, claim and demandwhat soever, e ither at law or in equity, of them the said Jacob Ayonghwahtha, Henry Brant Dekanagwas en , Jacob Shoriahowane , LawrenceTharon -tenh-tha, Icak Teghennakar ine , Moses Shohsgoarowane , JosephDwaserage, Pet ter Kanongwaheye , Otatsegh te, Wader ieyos , Awennoxon

ton , Teghatkahthos , Skanawat igh , Oneseh aen , Skayentaken , Oghnawara ,Oghron

'hregowa, Kahn ehdage ,Kanoughger itaw i , Kanayegh , Dekenyough ,

Dewat iron, Deyotoreghgon , Skawenat igh , Kahwisdanoro , Dekarahgwen .

Dayekawehe, Kayonanoron ,Teatup and Henry A . Hill , of , in , to or ou t

of the same , to have and to hold the sa id parce l,

or tract of land and

premises hereby granted, surrendered and yie lded up un to Our sai dSovere ign Lord, the King, His heirs , succes sors and assigns, to the on lyproper use, benefit and behoof of our said Lord, the King, His he irs ,successors and assigns forever .

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we , the sa id grantors, have to these presents , set our hands and se als, the day and year above written.

SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED IN THE PRESENCE OF

I . BRANT, Supt . Six Nati ons .W. HOLME , J .P.

JAMES RA CEY, J .P.

LEWIS BURWELLJOHN NORTON

(Ow ing to many extens ions of boundaries the area of the City in1920 stands at acres . )

It is popularly supposed that Lewis Burwe l l prepared

g figtm the first survey of Brantford, but as a matter of fact,

there was a plan drawn up in 1824, and Burwe l l in a

pre l imi nary sketch, dated October 22nd , 1829 , thus refers to it“First sketch of the Town of Brantford, made for. the purpose of

obtain ing the survey of the Grand River Lands , made up from observations taken at certain points and partly from the plan made by Joseph

Read in

The identity of Read is unknown .


Mr . Burwel l ’s in it ial p lan , whi ch he himsel f says, was taken partly

from Read’s, is very neat ly sketched .

There is one main street, now Col borne, connecting with the greatroad leading from the westward the Burford Road ) and also with the

grea t road leading to Ancaster . What is now Dalhousie Stree t is marked

on the plan as a proposed second st reet .Be low,

where Lorne Bridge now is, were two dams, one supplying a

race on wh ich was a grist mil l , and another a race on which was situated

Asab u l Hulber t’s saw mill . This part of the town back of Colborne ,used origina l l y to be known as Hulbert ’s Flats . On the Holmedale side

of the bridge a di stillery i s marked as having existed . Right at the bridge

a brewery site appears on the plan .

On the north side of Colborne, starting at the bridge, the fol lowing

appear as owners of the lots under Brant leases : 60 ft . frontage, Dutton ;70 ft . frontage, C . Austin ; 120 ft . frontage, W. Ri chardson ; 30 ft . front

age, S . V. Douglas ; 157 ft . frontage , Dutton ; 102 ft . frontage, Dutt on ;70 ft. frontage, J . Muirhead ; 180 ft . frontage , John A . Wilkes ; 177 ft .frontage, J . Lovejoy ; 220 f t . frontage, Asabul Hulbert ; 180 ft . front

age, J . Love joy ; Publ ic Square , 60 ft . frontage, John Lovejoy .

Then comes a large tract of land runn ing down to the old Water

Works Creek, which is mapped ou t in Mr . John A . Wilkes’ name . Onthe Creek is Wilkes ’ dist i l lery .

The south side of Colborne Street seems to have been more popular

in the early days than the north . The fol lowing had lots on the southside, start ing at the bridge

349 ft . frontage, A . Sharpe ; 30 ft . frontage , Anderson ; 30 ft . frontage, Tompkins ; 30 ft . frontage, Houghton ; 30 ft . frontage , Griffin ; 40ft . frontage , S . Hurd ; 72 ft . frontage , Dutton ; 30 ft . frontage, Markwen ;

100 ft . frontage, Emerson ; 99 ft . frontage, J . A . Wilkes ; 70 ft. frontage,M . Willson ; 50 ft. frontage , N . Gage ; 60 ft . frontage , Morgan ; 100 ft .

frontage, Grist Mill Lot ; 60 ft . frontage , M . Lewis ; 90 ft . frontage, N.

Gage ; 300 ft. frontage, J . Jackson ; 120 ft . frontage, J . Reade ; 120 ft .frontage, J . Reade.

After thi s lot , on which now stands the Merchants Exchange Building,at the corner of market and Colborne, Jedediah Jackson owned the balance of the land as far as the old Water-Works Creek, where HoughtonM essecar and Doctor Thomas had property . These names are the lastto appear on th e plan .

It wi l l be noticed from the foregoing that nine men owned al l the

Co lborne Street frontage on the north side, from Lorne Bridge to the

ol d Great Western Stat ion ,whilst there were n ineteen owners on the

south side .



t inuat ion of Oxford . Lots are la id out on ly on one side of Oxford and

Brant Str eets and part ly on one side in the case of Burford . The map

for th is distr ict shows a' double channel of the Grand River with the ma in

body of water flowing at the site of the present Lorne Bridge and a

much sma l ler channe l at about th e present Corporation Yard .

The Terrace Hill region is an absolute blank, except for indicat ions

of trees and the same thing is true of the Eagle Place Distr ict . Th e

canal i s outl ined and the present Mohawk road bears the tit le,“Road to

the Mohawk Village.

”The Mohawk parsonage and Glebe a l so appear

with marshy land much in evidence over the ent ire region .

Northumberland Street is the southerly boundary in th e eastern sectionwith nothing back if it . Stree ts runn ing north are Colborne , Dalhousie,Darl ing, Wel l ingt on , Nelson , Chatham , Seridan , and Marlborough (oneside ) as the extreme boundary. The last named thoroughfare ended at

th e Burying Groun d” (Central Schoo l ) and there was swamp land

beyond. Sheridan, Chatham, Nel son and Well ington also, only had a

short existence before they got into swamp trouble , and no lot s are

marked out on these thoroughf ares beyond Charlott e Street .In the rear of Colborne there is a street marked part ly Water and

partly “Wharf,” then Simcoe Street ( this ran through the site of the

present Massey Harris building, )

“Canal Street and a trifl ing numberof lots on “South Park St .” and East Park In the region of “Cana l”

3 saw mill is indicated . Such then were the bounds of Brantford n inetyyears ago .

Circl ing the North and North -westerly portion of the Burwe l l mapar e large tracts of land marked “Margaret Kerby” and

“Abraham K .

Smith ;”

other smal ler properties are des ignated Will iam Holmedal e”

(after whom Holmedale takes i ts name )“J . C . Dr . ) Digby,

”

(the Schoolfor the Blind is on a portion of this property)

“T. C . Patrick” ;“Hart”

and“J . Winni ett .”

Mr . Philip D’

Acres Har t owned the prope rty of that name. He was

in th e East India Company service and about 1830 ret ired on a pension .

He th en came to Canada with quite a large family and bought land

where the hospital now stands and erected a home . The place was cal led“Steep Hill” and was the rendezvous for the retired army officers whoin those days resided in Brant Coun ty. Not far from “Steep Hill” stooda large frame bungalow on what afterwards became the

\

Woods Lyon sproperty . This was the residence of Major W inn iett of the British ser

vice and after whom'

W inn iett Street is named . About where LangleyPark now stands, Colonel Dickson , another retired officer , located withh is two n ieces , the Misses Perkins .

“ One of them , Carol ine, marr ied

Photo taken in the s ixt ies from the roof of a bui lding on the south side of Co lborneStreet . The cana l is in the foreground and the area dep icted includes that now

occup ied by the Wat erous Engine Works and a port ion of the Massey -Harrisworks ; a lso the T. H . B . Depot . The grounds of a cr icket club,establ ished in 1856,

used to be located here . The road indicated ind istance is the present Er ie Avenue of the populous

Eagle Place d istr ict .



W. pt . 5—Stephen V . R . Douglas .E . pt . 5.

—Wm . D . Dutton .

6, 7—Wm . D . Dutton .

8—James Mu irhead , Jr .9 , 10, l l— John Aston Wilkes .12, 13— John Lovej oy .

14 and W. hf. 15—Nathan Gage.

E . hf . 15—Jedidi ah Jackson .

1 7, —John Lovejoy and Will iam Case, (Not occupied.

J . A . Wilkes’ dis t il lery .

9 lot s each side Of the cross street on the hil l— John WilkesbrOthers .

SOUTH SIDE DALHOUSIE STREETNos . 4, 5—Will iam D . Dutton .

10, l l—John A . Wilkes , (Vacant )l 2—Jo

'

hn Lovejoy,Stabl ing .

1 3 and W. hf . l 4 —N. Gage, Gar den .

E . hf. 14 and l S—Jedi diah Jackson ,Garden .

16, 1 7 —J -

ohn Lovej oy and Wm . Case (Not occupied . )18—Jed idiah Jacks ‘

on .

NORTH SIDE DALHOUSIE STREET.

NO. 4—Wm . D . Dutton,Barn .

From the First to the Third day of June , 1830, BrantSale Of Low‘ sold these lots at the fol lowing prices

No . Lot Si t ua t ion Pr ice Pu rcha ser Occupat ion15 S . S . Col borne £4 1 , 1 75, 6d. John Benjam in , Saddler .16 S . S . Colborne 36 Nathan Gage , Merchant .21 S . S . Colborne 30 Jas . . Cockshutt (York ) Merchant.22 S . S . Colborne 30 John Wright , Laborer .23 S . S . Colborne 30 Alonzo Anson , Laborer .24 S . S . Colborne 30 G i lbert Coats , Painter .25 S . S . Co lborne 30 Josiah T. Allen , Carpenter .27 S . S . Colborne 30 Christopher Hughes . Pedlar .1 S . S . Da lhousie 9 , 5 Cal vin Aust in ,

Watchmaker .S . S . Dalhousie 30, 15 Wm . Richardson ,

Merchant .4 S . S . Dalhousie 22 Wm . D . Dutton , Inn Keeper .6 S . S . Da lhousie 6 John Wh itfie ld, Laborer .7 S . S . Da lhousie 9 Wm . C . Clark, Laborer .N. S . Dalhousie 30, 15 John Boylston (colored ) Blacksmith .

3 N. S . Dalhous ie 20, 1 2, 6 T. Wh itehead Douglass, Merchant .N. S . Da lhousie 39 Seth Hurd, Tailor .

Brantford, 3rd June, 1830.

J . BRANT,

Supt . Six Nat ions

Some of the above sales subsequent ly lapsed because the purchasemoney was not forthcoming.

BRANTFORD CITY H ISTORY 91

Lots 15 and 16, S . Colborne Street, constituted the present ButterworthProperty, lots 21 to 27, from the Cockshutt corner to Crandons . Lots 1

to 4, S . Dalhousie from the garage to the Del l corner, 6 and 7, the George

Watt property and next building . Lots 1 , 2 and 3, N . Dalhous ie, the

Burn ley Property, occupied by M cPhai l Bros . , the headquartersand G. H. Wilkes’ property, lots 9 and 10, the presen t s ite of the PostOffice building.

The first sale by publ ic auction took place M ay 14th,1831 , at an upset price Of £10 resulting as fol lows :

On South side Co lborne Street : 21 , 22, James Cockshutt ; 23, William Spencer ; 24, James Durand ; 29 , 30, James Cockshutt ;31 , Abraham Cook ; 32, James Durand ; 33, John Benj am in ; 34, 35, JamesStorm .

On North side Of Colborne Street : 20, 21 , 22, Nathan iel Ives ; 23,James Durand ; 24, John Ryckman ; 25, Alex. Young ; 26, Henry Foot ; 27,Thos. Gran tham ; 28, Jedidiah Jackson ; 29 , Wil liam Walker ; 30, John

Tupper ; 31 , Thomas Heeney ; 35, John A Wilkes .On South side of Dalhousie Street : 19 , 20, James Gilpin ; 21 , John

Mit chel l .

On . North side of Dalhousie Street : 16, Henry Pear sons ; 17, Jed Jackson ; 18, Warner Nel les , J r . ; 19 , Henry Fay, 20, 21 , Marcus F . Whit ehead ; 22, Calvin Austin ; 23, Pat . O

’

Donohue.

On South side Darl ing Street : 15, Philo Hawley ; 16, Miles Shaw.

On North side Of Dalhousie Street : 15, Alex . Richardson ; 14, John

Cunningham ; 13, John Vanorman ; 1 1 , 12, Jame s Cockshutt ; 10, JohnEmerson ; 9 , Jonathan Wood .

On South side Darl ing Str eet : 8, Will iam Qua ; 9 , John Hopkins ; 10,James Cockshutt ; 1 1 , John Reynolds ; 12, 13, Thomas Storm ; 14, Will iam Lines ; 7, Russe l l S . Stevens ; 6, Reuben Leonard ; 5, Jonathan Wood .

On South side Colborne Street : 46, 47, W. D . Dutton .

The fol lowing were sold at the upset price of £10 by order of JohnBran t, Esq .

South side Col borne Street : 49 , Joseph Howey ; 25, 26, Hy. WilliamPresson ; 50, Sam Carpenter ; 45, John Hainstock; 27, 28, Consider H .

Crandon .

North side Colborne S treet : 41 , Pat . O’

Ri leySouth side Dalhousie Stree t : 1 , Calv in Austin ; 23, Wm . Ri chardson .

North side Dalhousie Street : 1 , 2, El ias B . Smith .

On South side Darl ing Street : 1 , 2, Edward Law ; 3, 4, James Racey .

On North side Dalhousie Street : 3, Thomas W. Douglas ; 5, 6, Ed . C .

Griffin ; 7, Reuben Leonard ; 8, Rus se l l S . Stevens .

92 msronr or BRANT COUNTY

On South side Da lhous ie Street : 7, Will iam Muirhead .

Of the last ment ioned lots there is th e fol lowing report made by Mr .Burwel l , four years later

LIST OF TOWN LOTS IN BRANTFORD

Sold at the upset price by the late John Brant, Esq . , th e day succeed

ing the first sale of lots on the 14th, M ay, 1831 , the occupiers of whichare confirmed in their purchase, so far as their possession and improve

ment s entitle them to it .49 , S . Colborne , Joseph Howey, given up and sold by auction .

25, S . Colborne , Henry W. Presson ,transferred to A . Hunt ingt on .

26, S . Colborne , Henr y W. Presson , tr ans ferred to T . W. Douglas.50, S . Colborne, Samue l Carpenter, given up and sol d by auction .

45,S . Colborne, John Hainst ock, now applying for deed .

41 , N . Colborne , Patrick O’

Ri ley, given up and sold by auction .

27, 28, S . Co lborne, C . H . Crandon , confirmed.1 , S . Da lhousie, Calvin Austin , confirmed .

23, S . Da lhousie , Wil l iam Ri chardson , confirmed .

1 , 2, N. Dalhousie , El ias B . Smith , given up by Mr . Smith , who has goneto U . S . On No . 1 , a negro has built a house and blacksmithshop . On No. 2

, John Kipp has buil t a good frame house and

chai rmaker’s shop .

1, 2, S . Darl ing—Edmund Law , given up by Mr . Law . On No. 1 a negro

by the name of A . Ross, has a house built about three yearssince . On No. 2, Will iam D . Dutton has a good frame housebuilt. This was part of Mr . Dutton ’s fir st occupation .

3, 4, S . Darling—James Racey, Esq . Mr . Racey never took possession;No. 3, forms part of Mr . Dutton

’ s origina l occupat ion , and al soNo . 4, which by consent of Mr . Dut ton went to Jonathan Wood’spossession who has erected a two story frame house , occupiedas a rifle factory .

5, 6, S . Dar l ing—Edward C . Gr iffin , never came into posses sion . JohnM . Tupper and Thomas Heeney wen t into possession of No. 5,and built a large two-st orey frame wagonmaker

’

s shop and blacksmith shop . No. 6, went into possession of M r . Tupper, who h asbuilt a good frame house, besides other improvements .

(Signed )Lewis Burwel l .

Brantford , July 31 , 1835.

SALES IN BRANTFORD, 3IST MAY, 1832

. Darl ing,Augu stus Jones where Yardingt on

’

5 hotel formerly stood .

. Darl ing, Augustus Jones, where Yardington’

5 hotel formerly stood .

. Dar l ing,Sherman Wright, (corner King. )

. Darl ing, Thoma s Douglas.. Darl ing, Ira Bates .

. Darl ing, Calvin Aust in .


94 msronr or BRANT. COUNTY

John Brant, Esq . , as far as circumstances respecting each lot is with inm yknowledge .

1 . Lot No . 1 , south side of Dalhousie Street is occupied by Calv inAustin . He was put in possess ion of the lot by Captain Brant, somet ime previous to the first sa le , with a promise that he should have it at theupse t price. He has occupied the l ot since that t ime as a garden . Hisbuildings are on Lot No . 2, north of Colborne, immediately adjoin ing thislot .

2. Wil liam Richardson occupies lot No. 2, and 3, south side DalhousieStreet . Af ter th e first sale, Capt . Brant sold them to him at the upsetprice . The first instalment was paid on each of the lots, but the moneywas returned .

3. Will iam D . Dutton occupies l ot 4,south side of Dalhousie Street ,

(Lots 4 an d 5 were tho se later owned by Mr . Joseph Strat ford , corner ofKing Street . ) It is a necessary appendage to his tavern stand . He has itplanted wi th fruit trees . Mr . Dutton also occupies Nos . 3 and 4 , northside Dalhousie and Nos . 2 and 3, south side Darl ing. He was in the

occupancy of these lots when you were first in Brantford, and says that inmaking out his memorandum for you he incautiously omitted these lotsa lso . He has a large frame barn on No. 4, North Dalhousie, which hasbeen erected for several years . I am aware that Mr . Dutton has un iform lysubmi tted to the arrangemen ts made for settl ing Brantf ord, and aboutthe t ime the town was surveyed he with some others signed a memorial toH is Exce l lency the Lieutenant-Governor, in which it was stated that hegave up a l l h is possess ions to the arrangements of the Government , andonly asked to be confirmed in the possession of vil lage lots, and he

now desires me to say to you that these several lots form part of what hethen considered his village possessions .

4. John Whitfield, occupies No . 6, south side Dalhousie , (wherestands Watt 81 Sons warehouse . ) He was put in possession of thisl ot by Capt . Brant , at the time the town was surveyed, but had no buildi ngerected on it t il l after you took an account of the occupied lots . But before the first sa le , his house was erected, and at the ins tance of Capt .Brant , h is lot was res erved for sale . Capt . Brant has frequ ently assuredhim that he should have it at the upset price .

5. James An derson , a man of color and blacksmith , occupies Lot 1 ,north side Da lhousie . He took possession a year ago at the suggestionof Capt . Brant, and at the t ime of the last sale had a house erected in

which he st il l resides . It being a smal l lot he was told by Capt . Brantthat he would not be charged more than £5 for it

6. John Kipp, occupies No. 2, North Dalhousie . (Site of Soldier

’sHome . ) He had it enclosed and planted with a garden at the t ime of the

last sale . He has his brick“ and some other material s on it for building,and in the expectation that he may be al lowed to keep it ,. he 18 about toerect his building . He took possession of the lot of his own accord, buthaving made cons iderable improvement on it, desires that he may be

al lowed to keep it without his improvements be ing exposed for sale .

7. Adam Akin , a man of co lor and common laborer, occupies No. 1 ,south side Darl ing, took posses s l on under Capta in Brant, and at the

BRANTFORD cm ? m sronv 95

t ime'

of the last sale had a house erected on the lot . He has a largefami ly of children, and the most of his means has been expended inerect ing his house .

8. Will iam Muirhead occupies lot No . 7, south side of Dalhousie .

After the last sa le, Capt . Brant sold it to h im at the upse t price . He has

occupied it as a garden and lumber-yard ever since . It l ies immediatelyadjoining the lot he own s on Colborne Str eet .

9 . Jonathan Wood occupies No . 4 , south side Darl ing . Finding hecould not get possess ion of the lot he purchased on Colborne Street , heapplied to Capt . Brant, who gave h im l iberty to take possess ion of the

lot . He has it enclosed , and is erecting a gunsmith ’ s shop thereon . Capt .Bran t said he should have it at the upset price .

10. Thomas Heeny occupies lot 5, North Dalhousie . This lot wassold by Capt. Bran t, after th e fi rst sale , to E . C . Griffin ,

who abandonedit , and Heeny took posse ssion in the expectation that it would be con

firmed to h im . He has a large building partly finished on it . The frameof the building was standing at the t ime of the last sale . He says hewould not have taken possession of this l ot h ad not Mr . Wilkes kept himfrom the posses sion of the lot he purchased on Co lborne Street . He has

pa id £3, the first insta l lment, on the lot he purchased on Colborne Street .Not get ting the posse ss ion of that lot necessity obliged him to build somewhere , and chance seems to have led h im to th i s lot .

1 1 . John M . Tupper occupies No. 6, north side Dalhousie . This lot isin the same posit ion as the last .

12. Reuben Le onard occupies No. 7, north side Dalhousie , sold to himby Capt . Brant, at upset price . He has the lot we l l enclosed and occu

pies i t as a garden.

13. Rus se l l S . Stevens oc cupies No . 8, North side Dal hous ie . (Nowfire -ha l l and pol ice station ) . Sold to him by Capt . Brant, at upset pr ice .

He has a good frame house built on th e lot , and is l iving in the house .

He has a large family .

14. . A runah Hun t ingt on occupies No. 25, south side Col borne . Hehas a good house on this l ot . It was occupied by Henr y Presson , but bymi stake Presson gave the wrong number . He was then returned for No .

26. After di scovering h is mi stake he built a lso on No . 26, and appliedto Capt . Bran t, who sold him No . 25 at the upset price . Pres son has leftthe country but before he left, tr ansferred No. 25 to Hunt ington , and No.

26 to Thomas W. Douglas .15. Consider H . Crandon , occupies Nos . 27 and 28 , south Colborne .

Both of these lots h ave good frame buildings on them . He was put inpossession by Capt . Brant previous to sale, and af ter sale, Capt . Bran tconfirmed them to him at the upset price .

16. Samue l Wright, a man of color and a barber, occupied lot 36,south side of Colborne . At th e of sa le had a log house erected

, andl iving on the lot with hi s family . He conveyed the lot to Will iam Muir '

head, who des ires the t itle .

1 7. John Hainstock occupies No. 45, S . Colborne, (S . W. corner of

Alfred and Colborne . ) Put in posses sion by Capt . Brant, and at thetime of the last sa le, h is house was erected on the lot . After the sale Capt .


Brant confirmed the lot to him at the upset price .

The above is a fair statement of the part iculars of each settler referredto agreeably to your reques t . Nearly al l of them had pledges from Capt .Brant, to the full extent which those had , whose names were returned toon .yI beg leave t o suggest that it is important that these case s should be

decided upon soon . In the meant ime your commun ication wi l l be a j ustguide to me in transacting any business relative to the town ,

which youmay please to entrust me with .

I have the honor to be , S ir,Your most obedient humble servant .

(Signed ) Lewis Burwel l ,D . L . Surveyor .

The Honorab le Peter Robinson ,

Commissioner Crown Lands, etc. , York.

Dr . Alfred Digby, (the first Dr . Digby, ) 14 S . Darl ing ,Other Ppr (Cor-net Market ) December 24th , 1833.

(

£38

1

9 1.

s John Bradley, 33 S . Colborne , site of Bradley’s inn ,

y em '

and where the first meetings of the Town council used

to be held, March 26th , 1834.

George W. Whitehead, (of Bur ford ) W1/2 4, S . Colborne, April 15th

1834.

John Lovejoy, 12 N. Colborne, (Bank of Toronto corner ) , March 10,1835.

James Cockshutt , 1 1 , 12, N. Dalhous ie and 10, S . Darl ing, June 25,1835.

Henry Lyman, (Scotland ) , 4 N . Darl ing, November 5, 1 835.

Reuben Leonard, 6, S .

’

Darl ing, December 31 , 1835.

John A Wilkes , 10 S . Colborne, 9 , 10, 1 1 , 20, 32, 33, 34, N . Colborne,8, 9 , 10, 31 , 32, 33, S . Dalhousie, February 3, 1836.

Amos G . Batson, 6 and 7, S . We l l ington , February 3, 1836.

James M cM ichael , 54, S . Colborne , April 7, 1 836.

John W. Tuppe r and Thomas Heany, 5, N. Da lhous ie . A wagon shopon corner King, (Burns block ) June l st , 1836.

Joseph Pilsworth , 3, N. Wel l ington , June 27, 1836.

Henr y Wade , 8, N. Ne l son , October 13, 1836 .

Thos. Lemmon , (father of Henry ) , 1 , N. We l l ingt on , September 6th ,1837.

John Turner, ( late architect ) 7, S . Nelson , March 9 , 1839 .



CHAPTER V.

COMING or WHITES .—TURBULENT TIMES WHEN PLACE WAS A FRONTIER

Vl LLAGE .—OLDEST NATIVE BORN BRANTFORDITE TELLS OF CONDITIONS

IN 1845.—INCORPORATION AS TOWN AND FIRST ASSESSMENT ROLL.

Wi th the excepti on of the excitement o f th e 1837 rebe l l ion and the

visitation of a cholera plague , Brantford inhabitants pursued the even

tenor of their way, making steady, if smal l progress, until 1840, when a

boom took place, as a result of the open ing Of the canal .During earlier years

'

this region was known as the Grand RiverSwamp” and a chroni cler of seventy years ago, thus

“ refers to the cause

of that appel lation“The country on the Grand Ri ver was formerly considered very nu

healthy, and as it would appear, for some time, j ustly so—fevers preva il ing in the hot season to a considerable extent . The cause of this,seems to have been the damming of the river, which, ra ising the waterover a great extent o f low land, some , indeed most , of which was coveredwith decaying wood

,stumps of trees and other vegetable matter, caused

from the action of the sun , an exhalation of malarious vapour, whichproved exceedi ngly inj urious to the health , part icularly of those unaccus

tomed to it. In the course of t ime , however, the cause has subsided ; themalaria has evaporated, an d the country bordering on the Grand Riveris said now to be quite as hea lthy as other port ions of the province .

”

Th e late Mr . J . J . Hawkin s, in a paper read before thelocal H istor ical Society, some years ago on Early Daysin Brantford,

” said“The S ix Nations Indians had been about twenty

years sett led upon their grant Of land along the Grand Ri ver, when the

first few wh ite t raders came amongst them . Mohawk v il lage was the

chief seat, and bein g near the ma in highway from east to west, gave thefirst start to the vil lage of Brant’s Ford . When the survey of the villageof Brant ford, as it was laid out in 1830, was made, a considerable numb erof set tlers began to arrive . The whi tes were English , Irish and Scotch ,chie fly, with quite a sprinkling of nat ive Canadians, Un ited Empire Loyal i st s and Amer icans. There was also a large inflow of escaped coloredslaves from the United States , who fraternized with the Indians , and thevi l lage became a very turbulent and disorderly place . A meet ing of a l l

Coming


th e whites was held, and an urgent request unan imously signed, addres sed

to the Government, requ esting that the negroes be sent to the Queen’s Bush,

and sett led upon the land . Good grounds for such act ion must have beenshown by th e white se tt lers, for a large majori ty of the escaped slaveswere removed and settled in different parts of we st ern Canada . Shortly

afterwards the Indians surrendered al l their lands at Mohawk, and retir ed

to the ir present location , and a considerable inflow Of whites began to

arrive, and the vi l lage to prosper .“At this time

,about 1832, a large number of famil ies , kn own as the

Kingston se ttlers, began to arrive. Among many others the writer re

members the fol lowing : M cDonal ds, Ma irs,Matt hews, Hawkins, Weyms,

Downs , Kendals, Gard-hams, Girvi ngs , Sprou les and M cDougal ls .

~ Mostof these sett lers bought land , and built houses of their own , and at the

time of the rebel l ion of 1837, Brantford had become a flourish ing place .

From the earl iest days the vil lage of Brantford, and al l

TPI bUIent the surrounding district was a hotbed Of po l itica l excit eTimes For ment, and at the time of the rebel l ion , a l l were known

either as Loya l ists, or Rebe ls . Many were the bitter enrnities which . arose , and ex isted, long after the days of pol it ica l t roubles .

“We have stated that the populati on was very mixed, consist ing of

Indians, whites and a large number of colored people, escaped from

slavery, al l of whom, could procure whiskey and other spirits at trifl ingcost,

“ for example,common Canadian whiskey at one York shil ling per

gal lon (12% cents ) . Then , came the di gging Of the canal , and other work

by the Gran d River Navigat ion Company, and it may readi ly be conceivedthat the l aw abiding wh ites , few in number, and help less, had many tr ialsto bear

,in what was real ly a turbulent and at t imes, lawless frontier vi l

lage . To make matters a lmost desperate, the real white settlers were

ranked as sworn enemies, e ither as Tories Of the extremi st type , or B eformers

, who h ad been goaded by the Officia ls of the Family Compactto Open an unsuccessful rebel l ion , while the stipendiary magistrates Of the

di strict,were themselves, the keenes t par tizans Of a l l .

“Take any t ime , from th e lay ing out of the Village Of Brantfo rd in1830, to wel l on in the 4o

’

s , and it can be truthfully stated that the foregoing cond itions , and the added fact that an organ ization known as the“Swampers” east of Brantford, chiefly along the Hamilton Road, and

another desperate gang, wel l known to the ol d t imers, met on publ icand market days, and had it out with clubs and axe handles, Often j oin ingforces to club quiet cit izens right and left , Brantford surely had its tria lsin ear ly days . The writer has on many occas ions witn essed j ust suchscenes, on the market square, and at election and race meetings. After



In connect ion wit h the scourge of Ship Fever, spokenPassed Of by Mr . Hawkins , it is worthy Of note that the fol low

ing resolution was passed by Brantford Town Counc il onMarch 16th, 1848 .

“Moved by Mr . Wilkes, seconded by Mr . Clement.

Resol ved : That as it i s within the knowledge of this Council a ma l ig

nant disease has made its appearance in the Town , the Board of Hea lth

be instructed to look out for a suitable buildi ng for a hospital and report

as soon as possible t o t he Council , and that the Committ ee on By- laws

prepare a By- law for the preservation of the publ ic hea lth -Carried .

It is quite l ikely that the socal led “Ship Fever” was another name forthe Grippe , and Span ish Influenza forms of visitat ion .

INTERVIEW WITH OLDEST NATIVE BRANT’FORDITE

Mr . George H . Wilkes can make Cla im to the t itle of t he

Oldest native Brant fordite . He was born on June 8th,1836, and first sawthe l ight of day, in his grandfather

’ shouse , a large frame st ructu re which st il l stands in the rear of some

stores, on Colborne Stree t, on the left hand side towards the Old Great

Wes tern Station . At that time it was the on ly building on the block, and

was reached by a semi-circular dr ive-way, which made a wide sweep fromth e street around the front of the house . It was a most amb itious resi

dence , for those days, and one which Mayor Mat thews , in one of hisspeeches dubbed a

“Baron ia l Hal l .” As Mr . Wilkes first remembers the

town , about 1845, it extended from Colborne Street on the south to

beyond Marlboro Street, on the north ; to Clarence St reet , or VinegarHi l l , on the

'

east and to the first Bapt ist Church site on the west . The

streets were pretty we l l la id out , Colborne being the principal thoroughfare . There were a number Of bus iness houses in addition to th at [of

John A . Wilkes Sons , the tendency being towards general l ines , in wh ichseveral branches Of trade were combined . Along the creek, runn ing

'

east

of Clarence Street the Wilkes ’ Company al so had a large grist mil l , themill pond of which was locat ed near Chatham St . th e water being drawn

from the creek and raised by a dam , which was constructed near Nelson

Street for that purpose : On the present market square there was a

schoo l and a tower hel l , the hel l being utilized among other purpose s forthe ca l l ing out of volunteer firemen in the event Of a fire .

The ma in business sect ion was on Colborne, in the vic

in ity of the bridge over the river . There was nothing on

the Kerby House block but a log cabin , in which a

negro l ived in a sort of swale , and Mr . Wilkes re lates how the boysin customary boyish fashion ,

used to del ight in torment ing the occupant

Business

Near B ridge.

BRANTFORD cm HISTORY 101

of the l ittle shanty . The churches too, at this time, seem to have been

few in number, includi ng Grace Church, the First Baptist, the FirstPresbyterian and the First Methodist . Mr . Wilkes remembers having at

tended the First Presbyterian Church , at an early date in his career, the

ed ifice being situated where the Young Women ’s Christian Association

now stands . In th is church , the seating arrangement was somewhatun ique . All of the women sat on one side and the men on the other . Mr .

Wi lkes was j ust big enough to run from one division to another, much to

the consternation of some of the ol d attendant s, who were pretty str icton etiquette . When he got home he received specific instructions , suitably emphasized. Even in these early days the torrents of the noble

Grand were wel l known , and both spring and summer the river was a

constant source of danger to the inhabitants . The portion of property

west of the river bridge, suffered most, at t imes being almost completelywiped ou t . The presen t Lorne bridge i s the fourth which Mr . Wilkeshas known , the first having been a wooden cover, the second a wooden

span , the third an iron bridge and the fourth the present struct ure . The

iron bridge as many wil l recal l , was carried away by the col l apw of a

p ier . The others owed their downfa l l to the freshets of the Grand . The

r iver, however, was an important factor in navigation , and in this wayaided in the upbuilding of the town ,

particularly as a grain centre.

Mr . Wilkes re lates that he has seen a l ine of teams ex

tending from the centre of the town to Farrel l ’s tavern ,

which was s ituated at th e Mount Pleasant Road junction . Four d ifferentwarehouses and a flat boat were busy taking in the grain , which waspa id for on the spot . Some of the gra in was brought from with in

twenty miles of London in order to get navigat ion . Before the day of

th e Public Schools, there were a numb er of private schools in the town , a

lead ing one be ing located where the Brant ford Conservatory of Musicnow stands . As showing the extent of the town at that time, it may beof in teres t to note that when Greenwood Cemetery was establ ished therewere many who considered the location too distant from the main part ofthe place . A more cen tral site was desired, but the supporters of the

Greenwood property won the day .

What is now the f l imr i sh ing Eastern end of the City, possessed hardlyany settlers, and there was one house at each side of Vinegar Hil l . Onthe south side of Colborne Street there were very few buildings, and a

brewery stood on the location of the old Y. M . C . A . building. Therewas nothing on Terrace Hill but scrub tree s, and at the foot where thePrat t Le tchworth build ings now stand, there was a swamp . Acrossthe canal , there was no sett lement whatever .

M any Teams .


At this time , Bran tford was growing“

as a trading centre, mainl y be

cause of i ts location and the outle t which the river offered . The town

was on the ma in l ine of trave l , between Hamilton, Ancaster , London and

Detroit . The roads, at first rrferely a blazed tra il, had become passable .

The stage coach was the medium of travel . Mr . Wilkes has witnessed as

many as four trains of coaches pass through here in a day the so -cal led

trains consisting of from one coach to three in number, each ho lding as

many as sixteen passengers . The drivers of the coaches, says Mr . Wilkes ,“were qu ite swe l l .” The mail s were carried on these stages .

In the course of h is interv iew Mr . Wilkes also related a

TWP couple of early railway experiences, which , while theyRai lway concern a somewhat later period than that which hasExper i ences.

been under considerat ion , are neverthe less interesting, as

i l lustrat ive of the primit ive struggles in this section for railway connec

tions .

The Buffalo and Lake Huron road was constructed in 1854, running

from Buffalo to Bran tford and Goderich . Mr . Wilkes is authority for

the statemen t that while it h as never been made clear he a lways under

stood that Buffalo put into the road . This Is a point of someimportance, in that it throws an interesting side - l ight on the abiding fa ith

wh ich the Bison City must have had , in ra ilway connections as a means tocreat ing trade . Later the road was sold to the Grand Trunk . Mr . Wilkeswas one of the committee which got through connections with th e lat ter

road to Harrisburg .

Another road with which Mr . Wilkes was ident ified, was the Tillson

burg Iine, of which he was president . In this connection he relates an

interesting incident , regarding the turn ing of the first sod on the road,when Lord Duf ferin visited the city . The distinguished vi sitor was

brought here by Hon . George Brown for the purpose of inspect ing BowPark, which the latter owned at the time . The people of Brantford fe ltthat the visit should be suitably marked in some way, and so devised

plans of enter tainment . It was arranged that Lady Dufferin ,who accom

panied the Gov ernorTGenera l should pres ide at the dedicat ion of the

Young Ladies ’ Co l lege building, while Lord Dufferin should turn the

fir st sod of the projected l ine to Tillsonburg. The road was pret ty muchin the a ir

,but the ceremon ies were gone through with, in a l l solemn ity,

Mr. Wilkes, as presiden t of the company, readi ng the customary address,and the gathering being held around temporary stands which had beenerect ed in the vicin ity of the present site of Massey-Harris Company. Mr .Wilkes was not very enthusiastic .

“Al l th e time I was reading the

address,”he observed ,

“ I was inwardl y thinking the road woul d



East and North, three members to be elected from each Ward,and f in

al ly the numerica l system was adopted .

The first e lection took place on Monday September 6th , 1 847, and

resulted as fol lows

Dr . D igby, John W. Down s, Wm . Muirhead, James Wilkes , Will iam

Walker, Joseph Gardner, Dan ie l M . Gilkison .

On September 9th , the inaugural meeting was hel d in Bradley ’s Inn ,

situated on the corner of King and Colborne Street s , for the purpose of

e lecting a Mayor ; the early method was for Council lors to e lect one of

their number and the honor fel l to Will iam Muirhead .

Town Counci l lors And

Subjomed IS a complete l i st unt i l the place became a

Off icial s : City in 1877

Mayors : 1847, Wm . Muirhead ; 18489 ,Dr . Digby ; 1850, P . C . Van

Brockl in ; 1851 , John H . Moore ; 1852, A . Hunt ington ; 1 853, George S .

W i lkes ; 1 854, James Kerby ; 1855-56, Wm . Matthews ; 1857, ThomasBotham ; 1858, M . W. Pruyn ; 1859 , Th omas Botham ; 1860 to 1864, J . D .

Clement ; 1864 5, James Weyms, 1866-7-8, John El l iott ; 1869 -70-71 ,

Wm . Matthews ; 1872, Wm . Paterson ; 1873-4,Wm . Matthews ; 1875-6 -7,

Dr . James W. Digby.

The Town became a City in 1877.

Reeves : None until 1850, Wm . Matthews ; 1851 , John Downs ; 1 852,Joseph D . Clement ; 1853, James Woodyatt ; 1854, D . M cKerl ie ; 18556 ,

John M cNa ught ; 1 857 8, J . D . Clemen t ; 1859 60, Th omas Broughton ;1861 -2

, James Wal lace ; 1863, James Weyms ; 1864, Joseph Quinlan ;1865, John Ell iott ; 1866-7, George Watt ; 1868 , Alfred Watts ; 1869 , F .

H . Leona-

rd ; 1870-71 , Alfred Watts ; 1872-3, W. J . Im lach ; 1874, G . H .

Wilkes ; 1875, Al fred Watts ; 1 876, Robert Phair, who was succeeded inMarch by John Ell iott , who se rved until the city charter was Obta ined .

Deputy Reeves : None unti l 1850, John H . Moore ; 1851 , Chas .Mer igold ; 1852, P . C . VanBrockl in ; 1853, James M oM ich-

ael ; 1854, W.

Matthews ; 1855, John Ell iott ; 1856, A . Girvin ; 1857-8, Henry Racey ;1859 , John Comerford ; 1860, James Wa l lace ; 1861 -2, Ebenezer Roy ;1 863, Wm . B . Hurst, 1864 , John Montgomery ; 1865, Geo. Watt ; 1 866,John Montgomery ; 1867, Juo . Humburch , H . B . Leeming ; 1868, F . H .

Leonard , John Comerford ; 1 869 -70, W. Paterson , W . J . Im l ach ; 1871 ,W. Paterson ; 1872, R. Phair, G. H . W ilkes, W. Watt ; 1873, J . J . Hawkins,R . Pha ir

,B . Hunn ; 1874, J . W. Digby, B . Hunn , Geo . Wat t ; 1875, W .

J . Scarfe,B. Hunn ,

E . Brophey ; 1 876, E . Brophey, G . H . Wilkes , Thos .Palmer ; 1877, Jno. Ormerod, W. J . Scarfe , J . J . Hawkins .

TOWN COUNCILLORS

1847—Dr . Digby, John W . Downs , Wm . Muirhead, James Wilkes ,William Wal ker, Joseph Gardner, Dan ie l M . Gilkison .

1848—J Wilke s, W. Wa lker, J . W. Downs, Dr . Digby, J . Gardner ,J . D . Clement, H . Yardi ngton .

Looking up Co lborne Street from Market Street in the sixties . The bu i lding(1 th e left , wi th cr inol ines in the w indow,

i s the present site of the Bank of Ham i lton ,

1d the h igher bu ilding on the r ight hand side is Ker’s mus ic ha l l

, afterwards Stratrd

’

s Opera House . The verandah cover ings Of the store walks eit isted for manyears . Premises became darkened but the plan was considered an advantage in

ormy seasons . On the extreme right can be seen the Ol d Waterou s Engine Works.1 Dalhousie Street now the Post Office s ite ,

and a lso the present fire ha ll .



1863 - Joseph Quin lan , Angus Mur ray, James Weyms , Chr istopherWilson ,

Wm . B . Hurst , Joseph Potts, Andrew M cMeans , Alf . Watts ,F . H . Leonard, John Turner, Henry Wade , G eorge Watt, John Ormerod ,Thomas M cLean , Matthew Butler .

1864—Joseph Quin lan , John Comerford, John Ormerod, ChristopherWilson , John Humburch ,

‘

Joseph Cra ig, John Montgomery , John Ell iottJohn Turner, Thomas M cLean , Joseph Potts , Andrew M cM eans , GeorgeWatt , Ebenezer Roy, Wm . Dal rymple .

1865—Robert Pee l , John Brethour, Joseph Quin lan ,Hugh Spence r,

Wm . B . Hurst , John Humtburch , Thomas Patterson ,Thomas Glassco

,

John Montgomery, John Ell iott, James Wal lace, Thomas McLe an , GeorgeWatt, Jonathan Ha le , James Tutt .

1 866—Joseph Quin lan , Robert Pee l , John Comerford, Wm . B . Hurst ,John Hurmburch , Alfred Watts , Ebenezer Roy , John Montgomery, ThomasPatterson , Jame s Wa l lace, David Curtis, James Smith , Robert Phair ,George Watt , Adam Spence .

1867—John Edgar, John Brethour, John Minore, Wm . B . Hurst ,Andrew McM eans , E . Roy, James Smith , Dan iel Brooke , Robt . Phair ,Adam Spence .

1868—John Edgar, John Ormerod, Wm . B . Hurst, Wm. Paterson , E .

Roy, Wm . Wa tt , Dan ie l Brooke , Andrew Morton , Robert Phair, JamesTutt .

1869—George H . Wilkes , James Ker , John Comerford, John Ott ,Joseph Quin lan , John Minore , John Taylor, Wm . Watt, Dav id Plewes ,Andrew Morton , Thomas Cowherd, Thomas Whitt aker, Robt . Phair ,James Tutt

,James Spence .

1870—John Comerford , John Minore , David Plewes, Will iam W .

Beldin g, Andrew McM eans, W. Watt, J . Taylor, J . Kerr, J . Tutt , A.

Morton , R . Pha ir, J . Quin lan , T . Cowherd , J . Ott, G . H . Wilkes .1871—John Comerford, George H . Wilkes, John Ormerod,

’

Robt .Gray, Wm . Wh itaker

,Joseph Quin lan , David Plewes, Wm . Watt

,John

Taylor, Edward B rophey, Benj amin Hunn , Jame s Tutt , Robt . Phai r ,Andr ew M cM eans

, J .

‘W. Bowlby.

1872—W . D . Cantil lon , J . J . Hawkins, Wm. Whitaker, Robt . Gray,W. J . Scarfe , Jackson Forde , Ben jamin Hunn , W. W. Be lding, AndrewM cM eans , Adam Spence .

1 873— Joseph Quin lan , Thomas Palme r , Wm . Whitaker, ThomasLarge , Jas . W . Digby, M .D . , W. J . Scarfe, Wm . W . Shackel l , W. W .

Be lding , Andr ew M cM eans , H.,

Sutton .

1874 -Joseph Quinlan , Thos. Palmer, Patr ick Dunn , Wm . Whitaker,George Hardy

, Ben . F . Fitch , Fred VanNorman , Dan ie l Costel lo, R . C .

Smyth , J . W. Bowlby.

1875—Joseph Quin lan , Wm .

“Whitaker, Thomas Large, Robert Shan ~

non , George Hardy, Dan iel Costel lo, George King, J . W. Bowlby, ThomasPalmer, John Henry .

1876—Robt . Henry, Denn is Hawkin s, Wm. Stubbs, Thom-as Large ,George Hardy, Robt . J . Forde, Danie l Coste l lo, George Lindley, JohnHenry, Thomas Webster.

1 877—Denn is Hawkins, Peter M . Keogh, Matthew A . Burns , Thomas


Large, George Hardy, George H . Wilkes , George Lindley, Danie l Costel lo,Edward Fisher, George Watt .In the year s where ten names appear, two Aldermen were e lected

from each Ward .

TOWN CLERKS :—1847-50, J . R. McDonald ; 1850, Charles Robinson ; 1851 -57. G. Varey, J r . ,1857-8, Gabriel Ba lfour ; 1859 -1877, Jas .

Woodyatt .

TOWN TREASURERS : 1847, W. Walker ; 1848-51 , D . M cK-

aiy1851 , G. Varey ; 1 852-57, J . Laughrey ; 1857 to 1872, D . M cKay ; 1872-77

Jas Wilkes .

The first assessment rol l . from which was compiled a

F i r“ Voters. Voters’ List for the Town Of Brantford, contained the

fol lowing preface :“I certify that the within is a correct copy of the assessment rol l for

the Town of Brantford, to the best of my knowledge .

(Signed ) GABRIEL BALFOUR,

Town ship Clerk.

Brantf ord, 4th day of September, 1847.

Babcock, George Burch, Titus S .

Bailey, Robe rt Burk, R ichard H .

Baker, Thomas Burley,Luther

Balfour, Gab riel BUN CH, Will iamBal l , Charles Burton , Edwar dBa l lantyne , Will iam Burwel l , LewisBamberger, Mrs. Ca l l is, Thomas

Bann ister, John Carl‘and, JohnB ann ister, Chambers Champion , Will iamBarker, Wil l iam Chatf ie ld, JosephBarnes, Miss Chr istie , JamesBe l l , Francis Clark, Alex .

Be l lhouse , James Cleghorn .Allen

Bent l if fe , James Clement, Joseph D .

Berry, James Cochran , JohnBown , R. R,

Cockshutt , I .Brazier, John Col lar, OrinBrook, Thomas Cole, SouthworthBroughton , Thomas Col l igher , JohnBrown , Charles CoHiDS, JesseBrown , James Colmer

,Will iam

Brown , James M .Comerford, John

Brown ,Michael Cook, Strobridge Co.

Brown ,Will iam Coon , Peter

Brumage , John Cowherd, Wil l iamBryans, John Cowherd, ThomasBuchanan ,

J . K. Cox, John F.

Buckley, Jeremiah Coy, Thomas

Craig, JosephCrandon , C . H .

Cripps, MissCrop, Will iamCulbert, JohnCurrie, JohnDalton , JohnDalton , JosephDalrymple , ThomasDalrymple , RobertDavis, EvanDavis , IsaacDavi s, WilliamDe laney, MichaelDeveril l , JamesDigby, AlfredDickson , EdwardDodds, FrancisDown s , John W.

Dove, GeorgeDunbar, JohnDunkin , F .

Ede , Will iamEdwards, CharlesElwick, GeorgeFair, JamesFa ir , ThomasFarre l l , Charles


Fawcett , ThomasF innessy, Michae lFlanagan , PatrickFol l is, JamesFou lds , Dan ie lFrydenn , HenryFul ler, RobertGage, NathanGardner, JosephGardner, ThomasGilbert , JamesG ilkison , Dan ielGirvin , AlexanderGoodale , GeorgeGoold, F . P .

Grace , PatrickGraham , JosephGreen , CharlesGreen , WilliamGrenny, AbramGrey, Will iamHal l , LewisHa lp in

,John

Haml in , ElizabethHammill , JohnHawkins, JohnHawki ns, Will iamHead, NicholasHeather , ThomasHeaton , JohnHenry, ThomasHicks

,Belden

Higinbotham , A .

Hil l , Benj am in C .

H i l l , CharlesHindman ,

DavidHoughton

,Ca lvin

Houghton ,Sarah

Hou l ding, Josiah J .Hull , T. B .

Huntingt on ,A .

Hyde , HenryIden , HezekiahIrish , Wil liam R.

Jackson , JohnJackson , Robert G.

Jackson , Will iamJakes, Will iamJames, Thomas

J ilks , JohnJohnson , Ab ramJohnson , RobertJOhnstone , Will iamJones, JohnJones, Mrs .Jordan , EdwardJudson , E . A .

Keist, F . W.

Ke l ly, Michae lKerr, George H .

Keys, Mrs . F . L .

King, AmandaKipp , JohnKerby, Andrew J .Kerby, _

Will iam K .

Kirkland, Alex .

La cey, JohnLafferty, John W.

Lal ly, StephenLang,Lee, William B .

Lemmon , ThomasLeonard, F . H .

Lewis, SamuelLines, JohnLines, Will iamLocke, Will iamLof tas , HenryLong, Wil l iamLord, JamesLunn , JohnMadigan, JohnMa ir, JamesMair, Will iamMarter, PeterMartin, JamesM asOn, Dr .Matthews, HenryMa tthews, Henry J .Matthews, Wi l l iamM awbey, JosephMaxwel l, JohnM eiklejohn , RobertMel l ish, Will iamMerigold, CharlesMills

,George

Mitchel l , ThomasMitchell , Wil l iam

Mixer, HoraceMontgomery, EdwardMontgomery, John D .

Montgomery, NobleMontgomery, RobertMontrose, JamesMoore , JamesMoore, J . and J . H .

Morris, HughMuirhead , Will iamMccabe , JohnMcDona ld , J . R.

M cDonald , Michae lMcDougal l , MissM cGu ire, widowM cKay, DuncanM cLaugh l in, Patri ckM cM ichael , JamesM cM u l len , A .

M cM u l len , James B .

M cSherry, BernardM cTurk, Alex .

Nolan, NicholasO’

Banyon , PeterO lwe l l

,Thomas

Ormerod, JohnOl iver , JeremiahPark, RobertParsons, ThomasParson s, JamesPatrick, Mrs.Peatman , HenryPenfold, ThomasPerry

,Jame s E .

Perry, Will iamPickering, ThomasPilsworth , ThomasPo land, GeorgePotts, JosephPratt, El ias N .

Prior, S . E .

Quin lan , JosephRacey SoulesRackham, JohnReed , WilliamRenshaw, Will iamRichards, Dan ie l H .

Richardson , Will iamRicce , Alfred


H ISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY

Wil liam Bal lantyne was a carpenter , and his descendants are wel l

known citizens .James Bel lhouse was a builder and for some t ime Cha irman of the

Schoo l Board .

James Bent l i ffe fol lowed the occupation of a carpenter .R . R. Bown was the stepfather of Drs . John Y. and Theodore Bown ,

and for many years res ided at Bow Park Farm .

John Brazier ran a hote l and so did Thomas Brook, but the latter f in

al ly went into the grocery business.

Thomas Broughton was the manager of the Grand Ri ver Navi gationWorks when they were owned by the Town .

John Bryan s was a butcher and father of Mr . F. Bryans , Wes t Brant

ford .

J . K. Buchanan , a Scotchman , was a land and real estate agent , prob

ably the first here to make a regular business of that cal l ing.

Jeremiah Buckley was a laborer .Luther Burley ran

“Bur ley’s Hote l on Dalhousie Street opposite theMarket .Lewis Burwel l was the land surveyor, and used to res ide in a frame

house on Darl ing Street, for many years afterwards occupied by Dr .

Nichol . Mr . Burwel l p repar ed the first plan of Brantford n inety years

ago and when asked with regard to the existence of the gore irregularities

is reported to have repl ied, that the place would never be much morethan a vil lage in any event . He was a man of quiet habits, and did

much surveying with considerable skill .

Thomas Cal l is was a carpenter and his son is stil l here in the samel ine of business.

Wil liam Champion was a l ive stock dealer, and Iden Champion is a

grandson .

James Christie was the first manager here of the Bank of Briti sh NorthAmer ica.

Allen Cle ghorn a native of Scotland was a wholesale hardware merchant and for six years a director of the Old Buffa lo and Lake HuronRailway; He was a Council lor, School Trustee and License Comm issionerand pr incipa l promoter of the Brant monument . During the late yearsof h is l ife he was Secretary of the hosp ita l . His wh olesa le establ ishmentwas located on the corner of Kin g and Dalhousie Streets . Mr . Cleghornwore a wig and when he was made a chief, in long ago days, it was relatedthat during the ceremony a Six Nations Chief, who had taken hol d of the

forelock was amazed to find the enti re covering in h i s hand . For a

moment or two the red man thought he had done some scalp ing in earnest .

BRANTFORD CITY HISTORY 11 1

Joseph D . Clement was for many year a leading public figure . He

set tled here in 1844 as proprietor of Doyles Inn,

”and in 1847 acquired

another hotel , the“Mansion House ,

” sit uated at the-corner of Market and

Co lborne Streets , a property, which stil l remains in the family . He was

Councillor, Mayor, during a term of years , and the first Warden when

Brant County became a separate entity . Then he became postmaster in

1 850, and discharged the duties in that position un ti l 1866, when he

resigned to contest North Brant with Dr . John Y. Bown , and was de

fea ted by one vote. A son Mr . A . D . Clement, afterwards took over the

post office and held the position un ti l hi s deat h . One of the ch ildr en ,

Of the latter surv ives , M rs . Bruce Gordon , who is sti l l a res ident of

Brant ford.

I . Cockshutt and Southworth Cole , are referred to e l sewhere.

John Comerford was a wel l known merchant and Council lor , and h is

descendants are stil l here.

Cook Strobridge Co . ,refers to a firm composed of Ab raham Cook,

of Mt . Pleasant, R . R. S trobridge and Thomas Botham . They did a goodgeneral bus iness . Mr . Botham was Mayor for a t ime , and in later l iferece ived an Ontario Governmen t appointmen t in Toronto , as Inspect or ofLicense Accounts . Both he and Mr . Strobr idge , built two of the handsomest residences of those days ,

the former, the Buck house on Bran tAvenue , and the latter t he house on Charlotte Street, afterwards acquiredby Ignatius Cockshutt .Thomas Cowherd ran a t in and shee t iron shop Opposite the Kerby

House, and his descendants are stil l here ;Thomas Coy was a carpenter .Joseph Craig ran a fru it store . M rs . We l l ington Hunt was a daughter .C . H . Crandon is referred to e lsewhere .

Wil l iam Crop was a sexton , and John Currie a shoemaker .Joseph Dalton had a butcher shop and later became Market Inspector .The Dalrymples were cabinet makers and undertakers .Will iam Davis was a painter .Michael Delaney and Michael Finnessy both kept grocery stores .

Dr . A . Digby is referred to elsewhere .

John W. Downs was a real estate owner and member of the firstCouncil . The ol d homestead was on the site of the present residence OfMr . R. Ryerson .

George Dove was a hote l keeper .John Dunbar fol lowed the occupation of carpenter, and Will iam Ede ,

that of a laborer .James Fair and Thomas Fair were members of the wel l known Fa ir

family.

1 12 HISTORY or BRANT COUNTY

Charles Farrel l kept a hote l across the bridge.

Thomas Fawcett was a Methodist Min ister, who met dea th in a railway

accident at Copetown in 1 859 .

Dan ie l Fou l ds owned 'a farm on Tute la Heights, and sons are stil l

here.

James Fa l l is was a teamster .

The Gardeners were in the harness business.Dan ie l Gilki son was a lawyer .

Alexander Girvin was a builder who later went to Ca l iforn ia, and didexceedingly wel l there .

F . P . Goold is referred to elsewhere .

Joseph Graham was engaged in the building trade, and Wil l iam Green

was a mechan ic . Two Of Mr . Graham’s sons are stil l on the homestead,corner of Alfred and Da lhousie S treet s .John Hawkins kept a grocery store.

John Heaton was a merchant who later went to Burford .

A . Hig inbotham kept a drug store and B . C . Hil l w as a painter .

Calvin Houghton was in partnership with James Wal lace, and they

owned a tannery .

T. B . Hull was a carpenter, and A . Hun tington is referred to elsewhere .

Hezekiah Iden was for a lengthy‘

period sidewalk repa irer for the

Corporation .

W. R . Irish kept a hotel , and John Jackson was a pattern maker. The

latter bui lt what has for many yea rs been the Widows’ Home .

Robert G . Jackson for many years had a wagon shop on the corner of

Chatham and Market Streets.

Thomas James is referred to elsewhere .

John Jones was a laborer, and Edward Jordan kept hote l .George H . Kerr was a blacksmith and Andrew and Will iam Kerby,

sons of Abraham Kerby.

Alexander Kirkland was a merchant and relative of Hon . A . S . Hardy .

He later removed to Chicago .

John W. Lafferty was the owner of the Lafferty tract in Ward Five,then a waste, but now covered with streets .

Thomas Lemmon is referred to elsewhere.

F . H . Leonard is referred to elsewhere .

Th e Lines kept a grocery store, Wil l iam Long was a shoemaker andJohn Madigan -a laborer .Peter Marter was an early physician who built the Duncan Home on

West Street . H is son Fred became a'

prominent member of the OntarioLegislature.


BRANTFORD CITY HISTORY 1 13

Dr . Mason was a physician who resided at the corner of Queen and

Nelson Street s .William Matthews is referred to e lsewhere.

John Maxwel l was a builder and overseer of streets and walks .William Mel l ish was the sen ior member of the contracting firm of

Mel l ish and Russel l . Mr . Russe l l and h is wife were kil led in the Des

jardins canal accident, 1857, while return ing from Toronto, where they

had been purchasing furniture for a new res idence , on Darl ing Street,later occupied by Dr . Phi l ip .

Charles Merigold was a grocer, John D . Montgomery kept a tailor anddraper shop and Noble Mon tgomery was a blacksmith .

The Moores were merchants , and Will iam Muirhead is referred to

el sewhere.

John McCabe was a cooper .J . R. McDonald was a lawyer, and the first Clerk of the Town .

Duncan McKay ran a saddlery business and was once Treasurer Of the

Bernard M cSherry was a ba il iff.Nicholas Nolan was a ta ilor and the father of Miss Nolan , so wel l

knownin musc ial circl es .Peter O’

Banyon was a patr iarchal Colored teams ter .John Ormerod was a grocer and frequent member of the Council, rep

resenting the old North Ward .

Robert Park was a boot and shoemaker .Henry PeaM an was auctioneer, ba il iff and Court Crier, and Thomas

Padfie ld was a carpenter .

Thos . Penfold fol lowed the occupat ion of a carpenter .Thomas Pilsworth was a builder and Joseph Potts was a manufacturer

of stoves . H is son Thomas, is still in l ike business .Joseph Quin lan kept a grocery store , and enjoyed the di stinction Of

occupying a longer continuous term as Town Council lor than any otherman . He was so honored from 1854 to 1866, or thirteen years in al l .

Mr . Thomas Quin lan i s a son .

Henry Racey, (Racey and Soules ) i s referred to elsewhere .

William R ichardson, the first postm aster of the vil lage built a frameresidence at the corner of Market and Darl ing Streets. It has for manyyea rs been in use as a butcher Shop . He was the father-in - law of H .

Racey .

Robert Roberts was an engineer, Orpheus Robinson , a land surveyor ,and Thomas Robson a miller .E . Roy Company refers to Ebenezer Roy, who had a dry goods store

on the corner of Queen and Colborne Stree ts.

1 14 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY

John C . Schultz was a book keeper for ,Strobridge and Botham , and

was born in Demerara, South America, coming to Brantford about 1837.

He was noted for his fine penmanship and was always asked to prepare

the addresses of the period . His sons have constituted the wel l known

Schultz firm .

Henry Shel lard and Joseph Shuttleworth , both owned farms , the

latter a lso deal ing in cattle . Mr ; Joseph Shuttleworth is a son and two

other son s George and James reside in London,England, and London ,

Ontario, respectively .

A . K . Smith was the principal owne r of the Smith and Kerby tract,whi ch had an area of some acres and included a large part of the

present northern section of the city . Mr . Smi th was quite a character .

The Spencer s were brewers and Robt . Sproule kept a dry goods store .

He built the large house on Terrace Hill , which is now used as a Greek

Roman Cathol ic Church .

Arthur Stamp was sexton of Grace Church for many years, and John

Stee le is referred to e lsewhere .

Charles Stewart was a cabinet maker .W . H . Stratford was a manufacturing druggist, and occupied the build

ing on the corner across from George Watt Sons , Da lhousieStreet . John

H . Stratford and Joseph Stratford were sons .Joseph Squ ire kept a hote l to the east of the v i l l l age , Opposite what is

now kn own as Alexandra Park .

Thomas Stubbs for years had a blacksmi th shop next to the City

Hote l , on Market Stree t—now the site of the Roya l Loan and SavingsCompany building . His o ldest son , Joseph, had a notable career in the

Un ited States and was on the staff Of the Chicago Herald . He lost h is

l ife in the big fire, while performing h is j ourna l istic duties .Obedi ah Swi ft was a joiner, John Tun stead a carter, and John M . Tup

per , a carriage maker .John Turner was a builder, and afterwards became the architect who

did most of that work in the early days .

James C . Usher and P . C . Vanbrocklin are referred to e lsewhere .

Fred Vanderl ip kept a hote l on the site of the presen t Belmont,and

afterwards went to Cathcart.John Vanpatter was a colored citizen . His father was a slave of

Brant ’s, a fine , in tel l igen t negr o who went by the n ickname of“Prince .

”

E . Van sickle was a shoemaker, George Varey a ta ilor, and OnesimusVeal , a carpenter .Henry Wade i s referred to e lsewhere , and a lso Will iam Watt .

Of the two Will iam Walkers one, an ol d bache lor, was a grain buyer,



shi l l ings made to him by the Council , to assess the town for the currentyear, that he be the assessor accordi ngly—Carried .

”

At a meeting of the Town Council he ld on March 28th , 1 848 ,this res

ol ut ion was passed“Moved by J . W. Downs,“Seconded by Mr . Wa lker .“That the petition of Robert Gil len and others praying that cows may

be al lowed to run at large after the first day of April next be granted,and that so much of the by

- law , now in force , res tr icting the ir runni ng at

large until the first day of M ay, in each year, be repealed, and that thefirst day of April be adopted, instead, and that the Bai l iff be instructed

to notify the pound keepers thereof—Carried.Cit izens used to be al lowed to put down sidewa lks and cross ings at

the ir own expense . For ins tance on April 4, 1853, P . 0 . Carr had his

pet iti on granted to construct a t imber walk, from the north west cornerof Co lborne and Market Streets to the walk a lready la id down from the

Town Hal l to Market Street. On March 13, 1854, J . Brooke was a l lowed

to put down a crossing across Colborne Street , opposite the store of Mr .J . Breth our .

On January 7, 1854 , the Town Council gran ted the fol lowing pet itionfrom P . M cKay and others

“The petition of the undersigned Freeholders and Househol ders,

humbly sheweth that they, fee l ing an interest in the we l fare and pros

per i ty of the East Ward, therefore do humbly pray that your Honorablebody wil l gran t them the pr ivilege of fencing the Market S quare in the

East Ward, with a good fence , at their own expense , and to plant a row of

ornamenta l trees a l l around the said square and your petitioners as in

duty boun d wi ll ever. pray.

The above apparently di d not result in anyt hing of a permanent

nature .

Brantford, June 12th 1854 .

I certify that a pub l ic meeting of the qual ified mun icipa l e lectors of

the Town of Brantford was held at the Town Hal l on Thursday the 8thday of June , 1854, for the purpose of approving or disapproving of the

by- law ra ising the sum of one hundred thousand pounds on the credi t

of the Consol idated Mun icipal Loan Fund of Upper Canada to a id in the

comple tion of the Buffalo ,Brantford and Goderich Railway .

The sa id by-Iaw having been read to the meet ing and a vote takenthereupon , it was decided by His Worship , the Mayor, (Chairman ) , that

sa id by-law was approved of by sa id e lectors .

G. VAREY Secretary .


A return of Henr y Cawley for six days tol ls on the“new bridge to

Saturday June 1 7th , 1854, showed total rece ipts of“seven pounds . This

was the covered structure which used to occupy the present location of

Lorne Bridge .

On Februa ry 26, 1835, the Commi ttee on Pub l ic Buildings, reported

the procur ing of plans for engine house, in Market Building, and placing

butcher and other stal ls in the basement, at a cost of £800, and recom

mended that the same be done , providi ng money could be obta in ed at 10

per cent. The report , which was adopted, bore the signatures of JohnEll iott , M . W. Pruyn, Hen ry Racey, Charles Wilkes, John Turner .


CHAPTER VI .

BRANTFORD IN 1850. DR. KELLY’

s REM INISCDNCES or 1855.—BRANTFORD

IN 1870.—INCORPORATION AS CITY, MAYORS AND ALDERMEN .

—THE

MARKET SQUARE —MARKET FEES .—BRANT’S FORD AND BRIDGES .

W. H . Smith , an early Canad ian chron icler, thus refers

In 1 850to Bran tford in his work,

“Canada Past , Present and

Future,” written in 1850

Brantford now contains about three thousand two hundred inhabi

tants , has a large town hal l and market house, built of brick, which cost

nearly twenty-two hundred pounds ; a large publ ic school , al so of brick,with about three hundred scholars attending ; six churches, Episcopal ,Presbyterian ,

Methodist, Congregational ist, Baptist and Cathol ic . There

are four grist mil ls , one of which is a large brick buildi ng ; two foundries ,doing a large business ; a stone-ware manufactory, the on ly one yet in

Operat ion in the west of Canada , ( the clay used is imported from Amboy,in the State of New Jersey ) two tanneries , two breweries, four distiller

ies , a planing machin e and sash factory .

Q

“The Bank of British North America, and the Montreal Bank, have

agents here , and the Gore Di str ict Mutua l Fire Insurance Company has

an office in the town . A substantial bridge has been constructed across

the river, and a block of land, conta in ing about eight acres has been laid

out in the outskirts of the town as a Necropol is , and planted with ornamen ta l trees .

“In addition to being situated in the centre of a fine section of country,

Brantford has the great advan tage , (greater stil l from its be ing an in

land town , ) of water commun icat ion through the Wel land canal , with

bo th lakes,Erie and Ontario . A canal , about a mile and a hal f in length,

has been made from the town , which cuts off a considerable bend in the

r iver .“The Grand Ri ver Navigat ion Company was chartered by

i

Act '

of

Parl iament in the reign of Will iam the Fourth . The capital stock of the

company is fifty thousan d pounds, and the Six Nations Indians are theprincipa l stockholders, (holding stock to the amount of th irty-e ightthousand two hundred and fifty-six pounds . ) They are represented at

the board of di rectors by two gent lemen appointed by the Government .The Indians have made complaints of their money being so invested, as



The late Mr . Wil l iam Matthews was then , and a lso sub sequently,for severa l years, the mayor of the town, and a l ively mayor he made .

He had much of the dash, energy and e loquence which mark the Irishrace . Gabrie l Ba lfour, was the town clerk, and John M cNaught , whosesons Robert and Wil l iam I omitted to include in the l ist of names above

recorded, was the reeve . One of the bes t known council lors at that t ime ,was the late Mr . Dan iel Gi lkison , who, instead of addressing the chair,was wont t o turn round and address the crowd

, which was a lways at

every meet ing large and enthusiastic . The late John Ell iott, afterwardsmayor, was a lso a prominen t member of the corporation . Since those

days many of Brantf ord’

s chief magistrates have “crossed the bourne ,whence no trave l ler ret urns.” Will iam Muirhead, the first of the Mayorsl ived on Darl ing Street . Dr . A . Digby, who succeeded him in the cha ir,was then one of the most notable of Brantford

’

s citizens . He was a

man Of fine presence, six feet“four or five inches high , with urbane man

ners, and much gen ia l ity and ready wit . He kept for years an openhouse an d no one of any prominence ever vi sited Brantford, without

cal l ing on Dr . Digby . P . C . Van Brockl in , another of the mayors, owned

and l ived at Cedar Glen The late Mr . James Weyms , pol ice magistrate ,a friend Of Mr . Matthews, subsequently filled the chair, as did the lateMr . J . D . Clement, who was a prominent figur e in mun icipal mat ters aswe l l as in party pol itics. Mr . Thomas Botham immediately fol lowed Mr .Matthews, and was himse lf succeeded by Mr. M. W. Pruyn , now in Nap

ance , and ex-M . P. for Lennox .

“The prominent lawyers of that day were Messrs Wood Long

,Messrs

McKer l ie Tyner, the late H . A . Hardy, afterwards count y at torney forNorfolk, the late Mr . Archibald Gilkison , Mr . Dan iel Brooke , Messrs .

Cameron 81 Wilson and the late Charles M cGivern . Judge Jones and hisfamily, then , and for many years after, resided at what is now ca l led

G lenhyrst , the property of Mr . J -os . Stratford . Mr . Long and Mr . Wood,the latter afterwards treasurer of Ontario and Chief Justice of Man itoba,Dan iel M cKer l ie , for a short time , member of the north riding of thecounty, H . A . Hardy, Charles M cGiv ern , A . Gilkison , who had be en fora t ime , j udge of Prince Edward County , Christopher Tyner, who developed into an editor and ed ited the Hamilton Times, the Toronto Telegraph,and the short l ived, but brill iant Liberal , and was one of the most accom

pl ished writers on the Canadian press, have al l passed. over to the “silentmajority .

” Mr . John Cameron was then clerk of the peace, master inChancery, clerk of the County Council and clerk of the Township of

Brantford, and was in every capacity a model official . No one was

better known or better l iked, or more free-handed and free-hearted in


Brantford in those days than Mr . Cameron . His brother Duncan ,who

was the younger and a tal l , active fine looking fel low, was then clerk of

the crown, the posit ion now held by Mr . Rubidge . Mr . Graeme Wilson,

Mr . Cameron’s partner d ied some years ago in Bay City .

“Among the prominent doctors of the day were , Dr . Digby al readymentioned, Dr . Henwood , h is son - in - law, then a young man, Dr . Mason,

Dr . Skinner, who was prominent in mun icipal and school affairs, Dr . J .

Y . Bown ,who l ived in a brick cottage on King Street . Dr . Theodore

Bown ,whose residence was that in which h is brother’ s family now dwe l l ,

Dr . Mart er who during a portion of the period was abroad though hisfam i ly was here, Dr . Stratford, who was engaged in the drug business,Dr . Cook of Mt . Pleasant, who had a drug store on the corner of Kingand Colborne, Dr . Griffin , son - in - law of Mr . A . K . Smith, and the two

Drs . Bacon (homeopathic ) , the younger of whom was dr owned, belowHamilton . Dr . Henwood has occupied the mayor’s chair for two years,and his fame as a doctor, (especial ly as a surgeon ) is not confined to

the County of Brant. The late Dr . J . Y. Bown studied law for some t ime

in Toronto before be commenced medicine . His medical education herece ived in Guy ’s and St . Thomas’s hospital s, London , when the two wereclose together, near the Sur rey side of London bridge , where he d i st ingu ished himse lf, having won several pr izes during hi s career .

‘

He becamea memb er of the Roya l Co llege of Surgeons and took his M . D . degree at

the Un iversity of St . Andrew’s . He was a rich man in those days and devoted very l ittle of h is time to practi se . A s a botan ist and microscopisthe had few equals . He sat for two terms in parl iament at Ottawa , one

before and one after Confederat ion , but took no prominent part in the

debates there . Dr. Theodore was one of the most successful practitionersin the county . Dr . Mason did a family practice and the others, I suppose, did their share .

“The min isters of rel igion, not one of whom is now in Brantford,

were the Rev . J . C . Usher, rector Of Grace Church for forty years ; theRev . A . A . Drummond, of the Un ited Presbyt er ian Church, (Y. W . C . A . )the Rev . John Alexander, of !ion Church ; the Rev . John Wood, pastor ofthe Congregational chur ch , then on Dalhousie Street ; the Rev . Mr . Davi dson , pastor of what is now cal led the First Baptist Chur ch, and the Rev .

I . B Howard, min ist er of the Wel l ington Street Method ist Church .

The bank managers at that th e were Mr . James Coffin Geddes , of

the British North America ; Archibald Greer, manager of the Bank of

Montreal ; Mr. Shortt , manager of the Bank of Upper Canada . Th e present manger of the Bank of British North America, Mr . Alex . Robert son

,

who has become in the interval one of the best known and most highly


respected bankers in the province , was then first tel ler, and afterwards ,accountant . Mr . Greer, who afterwards became a General Manager ,and who was a very able and saga cious banker, has been many years

dead. Mr . Geddes retired from banking circles and Mr . Shortt, whosebrother was then rector of Port Hope is, I bel ieve dead .

“The Expositor at that t ime was owned by Messrs . Racey 8: Stewart,

Mr . St ewart having most to do with the management . They afterwards

got control of the Hamilton Times , which, in their hands, became a

valuable property . The Courier , the Oldest of our loca l papers, wasthen the property of Major Lem on

, and had for it s chief editorialwr iter Mr . Wel lesley Johnson , who had been a school master in the town .

The Tri -weekly Henal d was owned by Messrs. Ol iver and Connor , and wasedi ted by various parties . The Snapping Turtle

,projected by the Poet

Wan less, was started imm ediate ly after I left Brantford . It was afterthe kind of the Toronto Grumbler .

“Other notable personages that one was sure t o mee t with, and not

before men tioned , were Sheriff Smith , who l ived at the Kerby House , withh is family, and whose official career was marked by th e greatest care ,courtesy, dil igence and integrity. Mr . William Kerby, the father of al l

the Kerby’ s here, was a fine - looking old gentleman ,with very pleasant

manners, and l ived in the ol d homestead, where Scarfe Avenue now i s .

Mr . A . K . Smith, brother-in -l aw of Mr . Kerby was a l so a wea lthy and im

portant Citizen , who l ived on the corner of Church Stree t and BrantAvenue . Mr . William Walker

,a fine- looking old gentleman , always wel l

dressed, was to be seen every day on the streets. Mr . Henry Yardington ,

was a member of the Council , and an Engl ishman ,with some sense of

humor . Of the last mentioned a l it tle incident which came under thewriter’s observat ion may not be ou t of place here . Mr . Yardington was

a candidate for mun ic ipal honors in the Queen ’ s Ward, and was present inthe pol ling booth , he ld in what had been Orr

’s saloon on Colborne Street .

The Rev . Mr . Winterbot tom entered,and approached the table to have

h is vote recorded “I can ’t vote for you ,Mr . Yardington ,

” sa id the ven

erable clergyman ,for you se l l whi skey,

” “True,Mr . Winterbottom ,

re

pl ied Hen ry,with a pleasant smile and a twinkle in h i s eye .

“True, sir, Isel l s whiskey, but I always waters it wel l .

” Mr . James Wal lace, whosefamily we have stil l with us, was wel l and favorab l y known . Mr . John

Taylor had his store and residence in the Kerby House , and was something of a Shakesperean scholar . With him was Mr . Will iam Grant .Messrs Cox M cLean ,

were wel l -known dry goods merchants, as wereMessrs. Crawford and Brethour . Mr . Allan Cleghorn was in the wholesale hardware l ine

'

in Mr . Jos . St ratford’s building, com er of King and



pol itics, both mun icipal and provincial ; he became Warden Of the County

and had parl iamentary asp irations . He was an Irish gen tleman Of the

Old school , quick - tempered, but hospitable and a friend to h is friends .

He died about twenty years ago . Another Irish gentleman Of good

family and also Of Mr . Good’ s native city was Mr . Will iam Murphy, who

was then co l lector of customs at Paris . Mr . Murphy was a typ ica l Irish

man after the O’

Conne l l style . He was sure to be an invited guest at

every important public dinner , and he was a lso sure to make a speech ,usual ly th e speech Of the evening. In fact, he was the orator par ex

cel lence of this part Of the province . He prepared h i s speeches with

gr eat care, and de l ivered them with remarkable effect . He evidentl y

im itated Charles Phill ips, Of whose school Of oratory he was an excel lent

representative. He died a few years ago , postmaster at Sarn ia . Mr .

Herbert Biggar , of Mt . Pleasant, then represented in parl iament, the

South , or as it was then ca l led the West Riding of the County . Otheractive pol iticians from the l ittle township of Oakland were Messrs .

Will iam Thompson , Eliakim Malcolm and Wel l ington M cA l l ister . FromSouth Dumfries , Messrs. Dan ie l Anderson and Wil l iam Mullen , who he

came Wardens Of the County .

“In these random recol lect ions, I dare say, I have passed over many

I should have mentioned, but my plea in extenuat ion is : (1 ) lubricity Of

memory, and (2) want Of Space . It seems to me , looking backward, that

there was more cheerfulness, more fun (sometimes Of a rather roughkind ) , freer social intercourse , more honestv and less humbug then than

now . However, as people grow ol der, they are apt to underrate the

present and magn ify the merits of the past . Nestor in the Homeric story

is a case in point ; he considered Agamemnon , Achil les and other Troj an

heroes much inferior in every way to the friends and compan ions Ofh is youth .

”

After incorporation as a town ,there was a steady influx

Of residents, whose own citizenship , and that Of the ir

descendants, has contributed to the upbuilding Of the

cit y as it exists tod ay . In 1862 a business directory included the fol lowmg t

Agricultural Implements—Butler 81 Jackson , J . W . Pott s, Wisner

Wilcox.

Bakers—John Douglass, Alexander Glass, J . G . Grierson , Samue l

Weatheral l , Matthew Whitham'

.

Bookse l lers— John Sutherland, Will iam De Lisle , Thomas Evans .

Boot and Shoe Stores—Francis Adams , Robe rt Corman , ThomasGorman

,John Hardie

,Robe rt Hearnden , Will iam Long, John Stapleton ,

Charles Stewart , James Weyms .

S ixty YearsAgo.


Butchers—Will iam Armitage , W. Dealt ry , John Dunne, JO'

hn Kenda l l ,H . M intern , Robert Shackel l , Will iam Watson , John Weinaugh .

Cabinet Makers—Adam Bargy , W. Dalrymple, W. Pierce , C . Stewart ,R. B . Webster .Carpenters and Bu i lders—Alexander Allen , W. Beemer, Be l lhouse

Large , C . H . Crandon , John Henry, M . W. Hoyt , John Maxwe l l, Thos .

Pelsworth , J . Turner, R. Ward, R . Watt, W . Watt .

China—J . G. Hayden , Sun -t er Edgar .

Cigars and Tobacco— C. Doer inger .

Civil Engineers—L. Burwel l , Q . Johnstone, P . Robinson .

Clothiers- H. Gawler, J . J . Inglis, T. McLean J . Mon tgomery, R.

Sproule, A . Strass, Strobridge 81 Botham .

Coach Maker—R. C. Jackson,

Commission Merchants—H. Racey, Pea tman Webster .Confectioners—H. Heather , W. Florence , M . Wh itham, W . Winter .

Copper Smiths—T. Cowherd, C . 81 T. Glassco.

Cricketing Goods—W . H . De Lisle .

Dentists—J . B . Meacham , J . P . Sutton .

Dry Goods—H. Biggar , H . W. Brethour , R . P . Cartan , W. Cle land .

I . Cockshutt, F. 0 . Dee , C . Duncan , H . Gawler, T. M cLean , Duncan

M cPherson , John Montgomery, J . S . Rogerson , Taylor Gran t .Druggists—Freder ick Brendon ,

F . Ellis, W. Stratford .

Farr iers—JOhnson Jex, W. Stubbs .Fish Monger—Wi l l iam Powel l .Flour an d Feed—David Spence .

Game—J . Craig, E. Pye .

Gardeners—Matthew Tyler, A . Peachey .

Grocers—Mary Adam, E . Ashworth, Batty Co . , N. G . Beers, W .

Boyd, John Brown , Thomas Brown , J . Bucklen , Isabe l la Christie , R.

Clench, I . Cockshutt, J'

o'hn Comerford

,W. Cox, F . 0 . Dee, N . Devereux,

P . Dunn , M . Finnessy , J . Forde BrO.,G . Foster , J . R. Gatz , A . Gibson,

H . Griffith , J . G. Hawkins, J . G. Hayden , H . Heather, J . Heaton , B .

Heyd, W. Hurst , Mary Kennedy, Joseph Loney, J . Lowes , J . M cGivern ,

Sam M cLean, Sarah M cLean,A . M cM eans , D . M cPherson , J . Morrow,

O . Myers, John Ne lson , W. Nico l , John O’

Grady, John Ormerod, JosephQuin lan , Margaret Quin lan

, Ritchie 81 Russel l , John Robinson , M . Robson ,

W. Ryan , W. C . Scott , John Smith , Strobridge 81 Botham ,Margaret

Smyth , Henry Wade , James Walburton ,G. Wat t, C . Watts, E . Webl ing.

John Worth ington .

Gun smith—George WeIShOfer .

Hardware—A . Cleghorn Co . , I Cockshutt , A . Morton CO.


Hats—Silas Butters, T. Glassco .

Livery Stables—John Baxter, A . Bradl ey, B . Jones .Mil lers—Enos Bunnel l , A . Ker , James Spence .

’

Pa inters—Alfred Barber , A . Bax, W. F. Chave, E . Down s, CalebHughson , J . Noble, H . Sterne, J . Tainsh .

’

Photographs—S. Park, Smith SI Son ,J . Stephens .

Produce Dea lers—E . Bunnel l , T . Cook, John Humburch , A . Ker .

Restaurants—Joseph James, R . Jarrett,G . Lauterbach, M . Fyle .

Ta ilors—W . Be l l , John Jenkins, J . Lewis,Andrew Mccann ,

J . D .

Montgomery, N . No lan , Caleb Poole, D . Starkey, L . Watson .

Undertakers—W . Da lrymple, W. Pierce,R . B . Webster .

Waggon Maker—George Ingleby, J . M . Tupper .Watches, etc.

—R. Barrett, J . Creyk, A . H . King, S . Morphy, J . Wilkinson , A . Cox.

Private Schools—Mrs . Grace Birn ie, Alexander Channer, Miss Hargrave and Margaret and E l izabeth Maxwel l .

From The Province Of Ontario Gazeteer and Di rcc

tory ,” publ ished in 1870 :

“The County Town Of Bran-t

, is situated on the Grand

River , at the head Of navigation , and i s a station Of the Buffa lo and LakeHuron Railway . Its name is derived from the celebrated Mohawk Chief,Joseph Bran t . The site Of the town , 807 acres, Was surrendered by theIndi ans to the Crown , 19th April , 1 830, and was surveyed the same year .Th e Grand River Navigation Canal , cominenced in 1 840, added material ly

t o the early prosperi ty Of the town ; its Object was t o remove the Oh

Struction caused by the fal l s on the Grand Ri ver . Its length i s about

three miles and it is capable Of admi tt ing vessels Of three and half feetdraught to the town . Brantford is Situated in the centre of one

'

of the

best agricul tura l sections Of the Provi nce and possesses first-class manuf actur ing facil ities , and hav ing direct ra ilway and water comm un icationwith al l parts of the Province and th e Un ited States , must , at no distantdate , become one Of the most important town s in the Western Province .

Stages to Hamilton and Simcoe . Populat ion The fol lowingare principa l manufacturing establ ishments : Brant ford Engine Works ,C . H . Waterou s Co. , established 1844 , employing 100 hands ; s teamengines, saw and grist mil ls , Shingle, lath and Stave machines . Steampower , 40 horse . Victoria Foundry, Will iam Buck, establ ished 1 856,employing 80 hands ; stoves,

“ ploughs, castings, t in and copper ware ,machinery, etc. Brit tan ia Foundry, B . 81 G. Tisdale , establ ished 1851 ,employs 25 hands ; steam power, stoves, etc . A . Spence

,carriage maker,

employs 1 2 hands . James Tutt, plan ing mil l and sash factory, steam


BRAN'

TFORD CITY HISTORY 127

power, 10 horse, employing 35 hands . Money order Office and Sav ings

Bank.

”

THE A'

ITAINMENT OF COMPLETE STATUS

The Town Of Bran tford became a City by virtue of a

Special Act Of the .Provincial Parl iament , assented to

March 2, 1877, and taking effect M ay 31 , 1877, (40

Vic . Chap . Dr . J . W. Digby was Mayor at the

time . The preamble Of the Act recites that “the Town Of Brantford , by

petit ion ,represents that the assent Of the electors of the town having been

Obta ined, the town has final ly passed a By- law (NO. 285) to withdraw

the Town Of Brantford from the j ur isdiction Of the Council Of the County

Of Brant , and also represents that the said town contains a population of

souls, and that its population is rapidly increasing, and that the

said town , by reason Of its increased and extensive rai lway facil ities, its

large manufacturing and mercant ile trade, and its situation in the'

midst

Of a rich agricultura l district, is now and wil l continue to be an impor

tant commercial centre ; and whereas the said corporat ion by their pet i

tion have prayed that th e sa id t own mi ght be erected into a city, to be

ca lled the City Of Brantford, and whereby it is expedient to grant sa id

petition ,

”et c. , etc. The Act goes on to provide for the incorporation

Of the city, and for the Mayor and Council of the town to hold power .

Section two provides that the Council sha l l consist of a Mayor and f if

teen Aldermen, three of the latter to be elected from each ward .

MAYORS

1877 J . W. Digby, M D . W. G . Raymond1878-9 Robert Henry H . Cockshut t1880 Henwood, M .D . D . B . Wood1882-3 Will iam Watt M . K . Hal loran1884-5 W. J . Scarfe C . H . Waterous

1886 C . B . Heyd J . W. Bowlby1887 R. Henry W. B . Wood1888-9 C . B . Heyd R . A . Rastal l1890- 1 S . C. Read C H. Hartman

1892-3 Levi Secord, M .D . J . H . Spence1894-5 George Wa tt J . W. Bowlby1 896-7 Thos . -Ell iott .M . M . M acBr ide

Mr. Raymond wasMayor one and one -half years, resigning to be

come Postmaster, and H . Cockshutt succeeded , holding Office for the

next eighteen months .


CITY ALDERMEN1878z—Benjamin Hunn, J . J . Hawkins, Denn is Hawkins, Thomas

Large, Will iam Wh itaker, August Barche , Will iam Watt , Charles B .

Heyd , George Hardy , George gLindley, Joshua S . Hamilton , Thomas

El liott , Edward Fisher, Robert Phair , George Watt .1879 —Benj amin Hunn ,

Denn is Hawkins, Andrew M cM eans, Wi l l iamWhitaker, Thomas Large , John Ott , Charles B . Heyd, Will iam Watt ,Regina ld Henwood , M .D . , Edward Brophey, Thomas Ell iott, Dan ie l COSte l lo, Thomas Webster, George Watt, Edward Fisher .

1880:—Thomas Large,Dennis Hawkins , James Ker , Wil l iam Wh itaker,

John Ott, Thomas Potts, Charles B . Heyd,George Watt , George Hardy,

M . W. Hoyt, George Lindley, John Mann,R. C . Smyth, Thomas Webster ,

John Whalen .

1881 z—Thomas Large , Jeremiah Wel ls , W. H . C . Kerr, Wm . Whitaker ,Joseph El l iott , Thomas Potts , Chas . B . Heyd

,George Watt , George Hardy,

J . G . Cockshutt , John Harris , George Lindley, R . C . Smyth, Adam Spence ,E . C . Passmore .

1882—Thomas Large, W. J . Scarfe , Denn is Hawkins, Wm . Whitaker,Joseph Ell iott , Thomas Potts , Chas . B . Heyd, Geo . Watt , Robt . Turner,George Lindley, John Harris, M . W. Hoyt, Wm . Armitage, Wm . H .

Hudson , E . C . Passmore .

1883 —W . J . Scarfe , Thomas Large , Denn is Hawkin s , Wm . Whitaker ,Thos . Pott s, John Ot t , George Watt , Robert Turner, Samue l C. Read , W .

S . Wisner, John Harris , George Lindley, Wm . Armitage , W. H . Hudson ,

Adam Spence . June 18. George Lindley resigned as Alderman and

was succeeded by M . W . Hoyt .1884 :—W . Sloan, T. Large , Joseph Bowes , Thos . Potts, W . Whitaker ,

Robt. M cGi l l , S . C. Read, B . H . Rothwel l , Robert Turner, John Harris,W. S . Wisner, M . W. Hoyt , W. T. Harris, M .D . , George W. Wil l iams,Adam Spence .

1885—J . Brown , H J . Jones, W. Sloan , T . Potts , J . P . Excel], A . K .

Bunnel l , S . C. Read, L. F . Heyd , G . Watt , W. T. Wickham, S . Hewi tt, J .

R . Vanf leet , W. T. Harris, M .D ., G. H . Will iams, A . Spence .

1886z—J . Brown , W . Sloan ,A . Harrington, A . K. Bunn el l , T. Pott s ,

W. Wh itaker, S . C. Read, S . Whitaker, B . H . Rothwe ll , W . T . Wickham,

J . R . Vanfleet, S . Hewitt , W . T . Harris, M .D . ,G . H . Will iams, A . Spence .

1887z— J . Brown,H . A . Penfold, W. Sloan ,

A . K . Bunnel l , J . P . Excel],J . Ell iott , S . C. Read, L . Benedict , B . H . Rothwel l , R. R . Harris, J . N .

Shenstone,S . Hewitt , J . Harley, C . S . Bunne l l , G. H . Will iams .

1888 : —J . Brown ,T. Large , D . Plewes , W. Whitaker, J . Ott , J . P .

Excel], 5. G. Read,L . Secord, G . Hardy , J . G. Stewart, J . N. Shen

stone , F. C . Heath , J . Harley, G . Will iams, J . W. Bowlby .

1889 —B Hunn , J . Brown ,Clayton Slater, J . P . Excel], J . Ott, W.

Armitage, S . G . Read, L . Secord, John M cCann , J . G. Stewart , J . B . Holt ,F . C . Heath , J . Harley, G . Wi l l iams , A . K. Bunnel l .

1890: —W . Watt , Ir . ,C . H . Waterous , George Winter, J . Ott , J . P.

Excel], W. Armitage , W. G . Raymond, L. Secord, M .D . , J . M cCann , JamesF. Smith , F . C . Heath , J . G . Stewart , James Kerr, A . K . Bunnel l , G . W.

Will iams.



R . Waddington , C . H . Hartman, S . F . Whitham , F . Corey, J . A . Leitch ,W. Almas, G . Pickl es .

l 905: —Lloyd Harris, A . G . Montgomery, S . Suddaby, W. D . Schultz,J . P . Pitcher, S . Hart ley, R. W . Robert son , W. N.

'

Andrews , R . Waddington ,

T. L. Lyle , J . Muir , F . Corey , J . C . Watt , L. Fisher , J . A . Le itch .

l 906z—S. Suddaby, W . H . Turnbul l , Lloyd Harr is , W . D . Schultz,A . Scruton, Dr . E . Hart, Dr . E . Ashton ,

R . W. Robertson, S .

‘F . Whitham,

F . Corey, J . J . Fisher, J . W . Bowlby , J . A . Sanderson , W . E . Long, L.

M . Clows .1907 —W . B . Wood , S . Suddaby , W . R. Turnbul l , A . Hawley , B . T .

Leggett, J . P . Pitcher , Dr . Ashton, W . N. Andrews, S . R . Stewart, C . H .

Har tman , J . W. Blakney , T . Lyle , J . A . Le itch, R . A . Bas ta l l , R . Drarper ,1908 : -W . B . Wood, J . Wright, S . Suddaby , W. Pierce , J . M . Minshal l ,

R . Hal l , J . Bur ns, J . Moffatt , W . N . Andrews, J . W. Blakney, C . Hartman

, T . Lyle, R . A . Rastal l , R . Draper, L . Fisher .G . Montgomery, J . Ruddy, M . Harris, W . Pierce, J . H .

Min shal l , W. Mil ler, P . E . Verity ,J . Shepperson , J . Moffatt , T . Lyle,

J . Ham , A . L. Baird, R . A . Rastal l , L. Fisher , C. Ward .

1910 :—A . G . Montgomery, M . Harris, J . Ruddy, J . H . M inshal l , W .

M i l ler , ,W . J . Pierce , P . E . Verity, J . Shepper son,R . Waddingt on , C . H .

Hartman , J . Ham , T. Lyle , R . A . Rastal l , C. Ward, L. Fisher .191 1 :—M . Harris, M . M cEwen ,

J . Ruddy, F . Cha lcraft , J . H . M in

sha l l , J . W. Pierce, T. Ryerson , W. A . Ho l l in rake, R . Waddington , C .H.

Hartman , J . H . Blakney, T . Lyle , A . M cFarl and,F . W. Bil lo, C . Cress ,

1 9 12z—M . Harris , M . M cEwen ,S . Suddaby, G . Woolams , F . Cha l

craft, J . H . Minshal l , T. E. Ryer son ,W . A . Hol l inrake , C . Cook , W . J .

Bragg, C. McDona l d , C . H . Emerson , J . H . Spence, A . McFar land, G . A .

Ward .

1913 —S . Suddaby, M . M cEwen , T. Quinlan , S . P . Pitcher , G . WOO]ams , J . H . Minshal l , T. Ryerson ,

A . Hol l inr ake , W . M . Charlton , J . Broadbent, W. Sutch , P . R . Gill ingwater, J . H . Spence, A . M cFarland , C. Ward .

l 914 :—F. J . Calbeck, T. Quinlan , G . A . Sigman , S . P . Pitcher , J . W.

‘

English , C. A . Woolams , W . M . Charlton , A . Hol l inr ake, T. Ryerson , J .

Broadben t, W. J . Bragg, W. Sutch , G . A . Ward,T. L . Wood , W . A . Rob

ms on .

1915z—R. We lsh , S . Suddaby , F . J . Cal'b’

eck, J . H . M in-Sha ll , S . P .

Pitcher, G . Woolams , A . O . Secord, T . Ryerson ,J . S . Dowl ing, W. H . Free

born , W. J . Mel len , W. J . Bragg, C . Cress , G . L . Jenn ings, H . C . Cuff .1916z—F. Harp , P . H . Secord, R . Walsh, J . E . Hess, J . H . Min shal l , S .

P . Pitcher, A . Ba l lantyne, J . S . Dowl ing, A . O . Secord, W. J . Bragg, H .

Freeborn ,W. J . Mel len ,

G . W. Jenn ings, C. Ward, Dr . Wiley .

19 1 7z—S. A . Jones , A . Varey, P . H . Secord, J . J . Kel ly, J . W. Engl ish,J . E . Hess, W. A . Hol l in rake, J . M . Tul loch, J . S . Dowling, W. J . Bragg,M . MacBr ide, W. J . Mel len ,

H . J . Symons , Dr . Wiley, G . L. Jenn ings .March 26, 191 7, Ald . Hol l inrake resigned and F . C . Harp was e lected

in his stead .

1918z—J Hill , A G. Montgomery, F. Chalcraft , J . J . Kell y, J . T . Burrows, J . W. Engl ish

, A .

’

H . Boddy, F . C . Harp, J . J . Hurley, Sr . , W. J . Bragg,W. J . Mel len , A . L . Baird, H . J . Symons, H . Simpson

, J . H . Clement


1

1919 :—J Hill , T. Bremner, W. H . Bal lantyne, J . W. English; J . J .

Kel ly, J . T. Burr ows, F . C . Harp , T . Ryerson , W . N . Andrews, W. H . Freeborn, W. J . Bragg, J . Al len , H . J . Symons, H . Simpson, J . H . Clement .

1920:—W. Ba l lantyne, J . Hil l , Arthur Harp , J . J . Kel ly , A . A . Lister,J . T. Burrows, T. Ryerson , F . C . Harp, S . Stedman , W. H . Freeborn , JAllen, C . Trumper , R. M . Wedlake , H . Simpson , F . Bil lo .

City Clerks— 18789 4 James Woodyatt ; 1894—(stil] holds Office ) ,

Harry F. Leonard.

City Treasurer s—1878-88—James Wilkes ; 1888—(stil l holds Office )A . K. Bunnel l .

STATISTICAL RECORD SHOWING GROWTH OF BRANTFORD

AS A CITY.

Yea r Popu lation


GROWTH OF BRANTFORD—ContinuedTota l Va lueRea l and Per

Yea r sona l property Popu lati onand ta xab le

f

Income1909

19 10

19 1 1

19 12

1 913

19 14

19 15

19 16

19 17

19 18

19 19

1920

Be l lview has Since been added to the mun icipal ity making the total ofthe third tab le and populat ionThe latter figu re is exclus ive Of suburbs stil l exist i ng In the Township

—an overflow from the city proper .

TRADING SPOT FOR OVER A CENTURY

For very many yea rs the impression prevailed that at thetime of the surrender Of the village site by the Indians,they very generously made a gift Of the above square for

market purposes . However the deed to the Crownpubl ished elsewhereconc lusively shows that there was no such stipulation . The assumption

is that the Six Nat ions Indians, shortly after their arrival here in about1 784, natural ly selected the existing square for trading purposes as itwas situated at the crossing Of the north and south tra ils with the east andwest trail s runn ing through what i s now Bran tford . In 1848 a move wasinaugurated to tu rn th e square to practi cal accoun t, the proceeds to be devoted to the subsequent erection Of a Town Hal l . The story is told inthese two reports which were submit ted to the Council during the yearnamed

The commi ttee to whom was referred the petit ion Of Robert Sprouleand others praying t hat the Market Square on which stands the Bel lTower, be laid out into lots and leased, beg leave t o report :That having taken the subject in to careful cons iderat ion they are of

opin ion that a revenue of from £200 to £250 mi ght be Obtained from the

plot in question in the manner proposed , without i nterfer ing with anyMarket buildi ngs which the Corporation may on e future occasion det ermine to erect , and leaving sufficient Space for al l market purposes . Onthe petit ion Of A . Bradley praying that he may be al lowed to take ear th


134 HISTORY or BRANT counrr

Across from the latter a Frenchman, named Danel lete, had a fur store

and next to him George Watt had a grocery, an enterprise which subse

qu ently developed into the present wel l known wholes ale firm of George

Watt and Sons .”

Next to Watt’s there was another saloon , with W. Hunter’s grocery for

a neighbor .

On the corner confronting the Kerby House Wilkes Bros . , had a gen

eral store.

Lots on the Dalhousie Street frontage were leased at about and

did not att ract so much attent ion .

On the corner, there was a large story and a half frame hote l , with

verandah s surrounding it . The place was under the she ltering wings of

Mr . Dove . Behind the host elry was situated the Town pump .

There was quite a space between this structure and the next building,a lso a hote l , kept by a man named Morris . The on ly other buil ding on

this side was T. Webster ’ s furn iture store at the George Street corner . Mr .Webste r also did auct ioneering.

For the most part the tenants l ived over the stores, and a fire inDane l let e

’

s premises in 1856, nearly led to the suffocat ion of h is im

mediate neighbors.

A descr iption of the other build ings around the square

at this period may prove of interes t .

Where the Heyd Block now stands , there was a frame

house occupied by the Misses M cDougal l . The st ruct ure

was surrounded by quite a large garden .

Next came a frame hotel , (Ri ley’s ) on the land afterwards occupied

by the Commercial hotel , and now by the CoM ercial Chambers.

On th e corner Mr . Stee le owned a frame building which was occupied

by a tailor, named Wa lk inshaw .

Crossing to the Market Street corne r the buildi ng there was occupiedby Thomas James , as a grocery, h e a lso manufactured pop in another

build ing, back of the store . He was an Englishman who in 1836, togetherwith h is young wife , migrated to Upper Canada . He was a teacher inmany places , and final l y came to Brantford in 1846 to take charge of a

school in the Ea st Ward . In 1850 he decided t o en ter a mercantile l ife,and acquired the property where the Royal Bank now stands . He was

a lso As sessor for a while . Dr . W. T. James is a son .

Th ere was a vacan t lot next to the James prope rty, and then cameoa

confectionery and soda fountain est ablishment owned by Mr . Whitham ,

who a l so at the time ran a candy plant, on the present site of the Patersonworks .

e rom) a rr nxsroxr 135

Alongside of Wh ithams , George Hardy had a fruit store. He was

born in England, but came to Canada , when very y oung, and final ly located at Brantford in 1847. He was a member of the Town and City '

Councils for some years . The late M rs . J . Montgomery was a daughter .Adj o in ing Hardy’s one Thompson kept a jewe lry store and next to

him J . Heaton had a grocery .

A lane in tervened and on th e spot where th e Imperial Bank now standsJackson and R. J . Forde , had another grocery . Next to them Sam McLean the son of a loca l school teacher, had a cigar and toy store, withGriffith’s jewelry shop,

‘

and Hudson ’s book store, succeeding in thatorder .Next came the smal l Market Street frontageof an L shaped building,

fronting on Colborne Street, occupied by Thos. M cLean (Dry Goods ) , and

Cartan Dee , a lso Dry Goods merchant s, had a large building on th e

corner .

Ignatius Cockshutt had h is store on the corner opposite Brendons,and next came Spencer ’s Brewery . A row of one story frame house ssucce eded until T. Cowherd’ s tinsm ith shop was reached, j ust this sideof the Crandon property.

The George Street frontage of the Market Square was occupied almostentire ly by the Kerby House , which used to ext end nearly the ful l length .

The buildi ng on the corner, now occupied by an Express Company, wasthen the post office .

James Kerby of the Kerby House strenuously objectedOrdered Of f '

to the buildings upon the Square and he final ly decided

t o take legal act ionf After argument the Chancel lor before whom the

ca se was heard decided that e ither the se l l ing or leasing of any portion

of said square was il legal , using the fol lowing language in the course of

his finding

The property in qu estion was dedi cated to the public as a marketplace , as far back as the year 1830, and it was used by the inhabitants ofBrant ford, for that purpose for more than twenty years before the erection of the buildings compla ined of . Under such circumstances, th eMun ic ipal ity of the Town of Brantford had no authority to deal with thisas ordinary propert y of the corporation They had not the power tolease it for building purposes, thereby diverting it from th e use to

which it had been dedicated and to wh ich the inhab itants of the town of

Bran tford had a right to ins ist that it should be appl ied .

”

Accordingly al l the frame structures were ordered off the square,and taken to other port ions of the city .

136 m sroar or BRANT COUNTY

The levying of fees upon those making use of the Brant

ford Market for sale pur poses has been a very old cus

tom, al though at one period Coun ty res idents protes ted

that the Corporat ion had no right to make any such charges . For manyyears t he method was to se l l the right to col lect to the highest bidder,who made what he could out of the bargain , while meat stal ls in the

Marke t building were al so auctioned each year . Fol lowing are the figuresfor 1854.

Fees .

Market fees sold to John BinghamWood fees sold to John BinghamStal l No . 1 . John SowdenStal l No . 2, Wm . WatsonStal l No . 3, Edward YoungStal l No . 4, Jno. Kendal lSta l l No . 5, Juo . DickieSta l l No . 6, Wm . BrownSt al l No . 7, Samue l BaleySt a l l No. 8, Wm . Deal tryStal l No . 9, Peter DiamondSta l l No. 10, W. Deal tryStal l No. 1 1 , Jas . Fa irS tal l No . 12, Jas . Bee l

The sum of over sixty-years ago when the place had fewe rthan four thousand inhabitants certa in ly makes a very favorable showing

with for 1919 , with over th irty thousand residen ts . In addition

M r . Bingham made his own profit so that the entire revenue story for

1854 does not appear .

THE SPANNING OF THE GRAND RIVER

There was a t ime when the Grand River at certa in perBrant

’

5 Ford iods of the year cut off West Brantford from the rest of

B

A

rPidges th e city by two channels . After the ford period , this

necessitated a pair of bridges , the second one of smal l

cal ibre,but in time the westerly channel became dried up and “final ly

fil led in .

In the very early days, as before related, what was knownRemembers as Brant’s ford constituted the po int of cross ing . InB rant

’

s West Brantford, at the corner of Oak and Ba lfour Street sFord .

there resides at this wr iting, a very ol d lady, named MissAnn ie Thompson . She was n inety six years of age in Augu st of 1919 and


138 m sronr or BRANT COUNTY

nea r theresidence of Mr . Gilkison is now completed. The inhabitants ofBran tford are ma in ly indebted to a few enterpr is ing indi viduals for thismuch required conven ience , and it would be onl y an act of j us t ice in our

townspeople and the farmers of this part of the County to re l ieve the debtstill owing by the Company on the same .

”

Another bridge, further up the river, at Holmedale , was carried away,February 17th , 1857 It was rebuilt, but went down aga in in March of

1861 . After the free bridge went down , a temporary foot bridge and a

ferry looked after the needs of foot passengers unt il -1854, when the in

habit ants dec ided to try somethi ng of a more permanent nature, and what

was known as the“Iron Bridge” was erected in 1857 by Jordan Acret ,

contractors . It had a l l the appearance of permanency but only lasted

for a few months . Very heavy rains resulted in a memorable flood on

Septembe r 14t h , 1878, and the structure was seen to be in such danger thatit was roped across at each end and guards placed on duty . However aretired merchan t , named Tyre l l , ins isted on crossing and e luding al l

obstacles he h ad j ust about reached the centre of the structure when it

was swept away and he a long with it, without any chance of rescue .

Thanks to the activi ty of Mayor Henry and the Councillors, a tem

porary bridge, j ust be low the scene of the wreck, was in place wi thin

eight days, and Mr . Samuel Keefer, engineer of Ottawa, was ent rusted withthe task of drawing plans for a bridge, which would be l ikely to stay in

place . How we l l he succeeded is to be found in the fact that it has been

cont inual ly in u se for forty years and is st il l in tact, notwithstand ingmany criticisms as to a

“Fl imsy Device , to which both th e architect and

Mayor Henr y were subj ected at the t ime . John Hickler , secured the

contract . The abutments of finest cut grey l imestone from the quarries

at Queenston and Beamsvil le , were commenced by the con tractors, Hickey

and Clarke of Buf falo, on October, 24th , 1878, and completed in time for

the superstructure on January 22nd , 1879 . The iron work was completedby the Phoen ix Works of Philadelphi a not very long after, and the entirebridge opened for traffic early in March . The superstructure i s of

wrought iron and built on the triangular system, known as the“double

cance l led Whipple trus s .” The entire cost was some and a slab

of white marble bears the inscription

LORNE BRIDGEErected 1879

Robert Henry, Mayor , Samuel Keefer, Engineer,John Hickler , Contractor .

The formal open ing and dedication i s described e lsewhere in the

record of the visit to this city of the Marquis of Lorne .

Bam rronn cm msronr 139

In 1908-9 the westerly abutment was taken down and a pier built in

its place constructed to the rock, th e old abutment having rested on piles .

A new abutment was also erected affording an additiona l channel of one

hun dred feet . The total cost wasIn the mun icipa l election of 1920, the ratepayer s, by a substant ia l ma

jority, carried a by-law for a new and larger bridge at an Est imated cost

of


CHAPTER VII .

THE PRESS, MEDICAL PROFESS ION, BENCH AND BAR

The first paper to be publ ished in Brant ford was a sma l l

TEE-

1

30320! sheet cal led “The Sent ine l .” It was launched by

Mr . Dav id Kee ler, in 1833, when the place had

on ly a very smal l numbe r of inhabitan ts . At that per iod old

Squire Nathan Gage occupied a house and a large garden on Col

borne Street , and it was he who persuaded Mr . Keeler to come from

Rochester, New York State, and start the venture . In the fol lowing year_

Mr . Thomas Lem on,and family, arrived in the vil lage from the Old

Cove of Cork, now Kingston, and Kee ler, who was impetuous in everything

,court ed , and with in a few weeks married the e ldest daughter, Miss

Al ice Lemmon . This p ioneer newspaper man had no l iking for the“Fami ly Compact ,

” spoken Of elsewhere in this work , and he proceeded

to do h is best to smash it into in fin itesimal fragments . He was a prac

t ica l printer , very wel l educated, and it was his custom to set his articles

from the old time case, without a word of manuscript to guide him . He

was an ardent fol lower of Lyon Mackenzie, and became so involved in

the rebel l ion st irred up by the latter that he found it vital ly necessary tomake himself scarce . Warrants were issued for his arrest and al sothat of Squire Matthews, but h is father - in - law

,Thomas Lemmon ,

was

then acting as Deputy Sheriff. The papers were put in his hands toexecute , and it is probably owing to this circumstance that the pa ir es

caped . Both fled to Rochester . Matthews lat er returned,but Keeler

remained in the place named and died in 1849 . Mrs . Kee ler reta inedpossession of the newspaper property, and Mr . Thorpe Holmes , a young

printer from Little York, rented the plan t from the widow. He did not

make a success of the venture , and in 1839 Mr . Lemmon took over thebusiness under the title of

“Thomas Lemmon Son .

”He also changed

the name of th e pub l ication to“The Bran tford Courier and Grand River

Commercial Advertiser . ” It was a weekly edition , pul led off on a handpre ss every Saturday, and the place of publ ication was in a white framehouse, the ol d Lemmon homestead, situated on the exact spot where theBe l l Memoria l now stands . The next locat ion was in the old one storey

building at the corner of King and Dalhousie Streets which st il l exists,and there were also various other locat ions until the erection of the



public speaker, and when cal led on at banquets, used to respond withsong, in a rich bar itone vo ice . The Days When We Went Gypsying”

was a favorite se lection of himse lf and hi s hearers . He was a typical representat ive of the Old newspape r man , very extreme in his pol it ica l l ikesand disl ikes , yet when he passd away in his eighty-fourth year, therewere many who sincerely felt his loss .

Mr . We l lesley Johnson , who had taught school in AncasTh e Heral d .

ter , and then removed to Brant ford in pursuit of the

same avocation, reached the conclus ion t hat another paper would“fil l a long fe lt wan t”— that is the way in whi ch they usual lystart. Accordi ngly in 1840 he launched The Bran tford Herald

,

as an ardent Reform shee t. He was an apt writer, but not

much of a busines s man . Later , Mr. M . H . Fo ley, a lawyer,became edito r. This gentleman in subsequent year s, was a

member of the Cab inet of Hon . John Sandf ield Macdonal d . In 1853

the paper passed into the hands of Peter Long and Wil l iam Piggott, andM r . Grayson and Dr . Kel ly contr ibuted art icles . In 1855, Mr. GeorgeS . Wilkes became the proprietor and the editor was a Mr . Moon , who

had been proofreader on the Toronto Globe. Mr . Moon was an English

man and had a penchant for unadulterated warm water, taking every

morn ing about a gal lon Of the hot l iquid . At th is period, Dr . Robbins,princ ipa l of the O ld Centra l and later principal of the M cGi l l Col legeNormal School , contributed a ser ies of Clever and spicy let ters directed

against the education system . These aroused provincia l at tent ion . The

Hera ld next became the property of Messrs. O l iver and Humphreys, whothen owned the Paris S tar , and they sold to Mr . James Kerby, the founderand proprietor of the Kerby House . In the year 1861 the paper wentout of business, having at the time on ly fourteen subscribers to mournits loss .

While the Courier and the Herald were fightingmattersThe T

ribune.

ou t a third paper made its appearance under the t it le of“Th e Tribune . There had been a breach in the loca l Reform ranks and

the seceders became known a s the“Clear Grit s .” They felt that they must

have a mouthpiece of their own and thus it was that the ven ture was

laun ched with Mr . J . Stee le as owner . Mr . Stee le came here from Glasgow,

Scotland, in 1836 and was very progressive , Besides his Brantford gen

eral store on Colborne Street , between King and Queen Streets, he hadbranch stores in Hamilton ,

St . Marys, Norwich and Burford, and a Distil lery in the Holmedale . Shortly after his arrival in the town he started

a St . Andrews Society, and was e lected first Pres ident . Many Scot tishimmigrants rece ived the benefits of this organ ization . He died shortly


after founding the paper and the publ ication then ceased to exist . Two

years after his arrival here he married Margaret Crichton,

"

also fromScotland, and two of his family stil l surviving are John C . Stee le, of

Bran tford and James Stee le, of Brockvi lle .

In 1852, Hen ry Racey, Auctioneer and Commission

Egositor Merchan t, and Clerk of the Division Court had a

dispute with M ajor Lemmon over some smal l account,and ended by tel l ing the Major in language more forceful than consider

at e , that he would show h im that there were others who could run a Con

serv at ive paper as wel l as himse lf The outcome of thi s trivi al di fference

was that on October 12th , 1852, Th e Conservat ive Expositor”—this Was

the t itle it bore for some time across the front page—made its appearance .

The first wr iter was Mr . John Douglas, who had come from Kingston to

Hami lton to take a position on the Spectator, then j ust star ted, and was

persuaded to come to Brant ford . He he ld the post in an able manner for

two yea-r s and then started a paper in Woodstock on his own account , but

died sudden ly after a year ’s residence there . Mr. Stewa rt , Divisi on CourtAs sistant and afterwards son -in - law Of Mr . Racey, secured control , and in

1 855 the title “Conservat ive Exposit or” was dr opped and a change made

in the pol itics of the publica tion . Mr . Stewart later a cquired the Hamilton

Times . Among other editors in succeedin g years , was Dr . Kel ly, who re

signed as Schoo l Principal and occupied the post for two years, when heres igned to pur sue further studies . In March 1867, Mr . Robert Mathisontook charge and showed al l the executive tact which has since character

ized him in other walks Of l ife . The first issue of the Daily was in

1 873 and Mr . H . F . Gardiner was th en editor . Fina l ly Messrs . W. Watt ,Jr . and R . S . Shenstone became the proprietors . Mr . Watt, while

'

s mem

ber Of the law firm of Brooke and Watt, had published many articlesand became edi tor . He was a very careful and pe l lucid writer, and

a lways had ful l command Of h is subject . Mr . Shenstone was

busines s manager . In 1890 they sold ou t to Mr . T. H . Preston , who

came here from Winn ipeg, and who sti l l reta ins control , under the firmname Of “T . H . Preston and Son s .” .A t this wr iting it is the sole re

g newspaper Of the many start ed in Brantford .

In 1857, Brantford boasted a comic paper cal led The SnappingTurtle , otherwise known as the

“Grand River Roarer .” It was a l ivelysheet, not lacking in wit , or devoid of humor . The propri etors and

conductors were Mr . Wan less, booksel ler and book‘binder, and somethi ng Of a poet , especial ly in the Scott ish dia lect ; Mr . Christopher Tyner,Dr . John Y . Bown and others . It ceased to snap within a few months .In 1857, the publicat ion Of the

“Baptist Mes senger” was also started


in Brantford by Deacon White . It was prin ted from the Herald Officeand the editoria l work was ma inly in the hands of Dr . Davidson ,

for a

time the pastor Of the First Baptist Church . The leading articles werescholar ly in tone and the whole attitude Of the publicat ion was most

tolerant to other denominations. Within a short period Toronto became

the place Of publ icat ion .

In 1 869, Mr . Will iam Trimble Opened a printing Office,

$219 but in about a year, owing to il l health, he disposed Ofg

the plant to Mr . E. G. Hart . The latter had newspaper

ambit ions and in 1872 he commenced the publ icat ion Of the “BrantUn ion .

” It was a Conservative paper, planned t o oust the Cour ier . It wassubsequent ly purchased by Mr. Van Norm’

an , who after a year ’s exper ienceleased the plan t to Mr . J . T. Johnson , a journal ist who came to this cityfrom Petrolea . He in turn sold out to Jaffray Brothers, who changed th ename to that Of “The Te legram ,

”and started a da ily issue in 1 878. It

was a toss up for a long while as to whether the Te legram , or the Couri er would survive, as both , towards the end Of a bitt er fight, were in a veryfeeble cond it ion . It was dur ing t his struggle that the Te legram bestowed

upon the Cour ier the t it le Of th e “Da i ly Ancient .” The Courier came backwith the appe l lat ion for the Telegram Of the “Daily Hard Up .

”The Tel

egram editor sent word to the Courier Office that such a term was l iable todamage his sheet commercial ly. The answer was that for

'

one reference

to“Daily Ancient” there would be two to

“Dai ly Hard Up ,”

and thus

a truce was ca l led regarding these designations. Fina l ly, the bil ls an

nouncing the sale Of the Te legram were on a Courier job press, whensome loca l Conservat ives, as the result of differences with Major Lemmon ,

came to the rescue, and the“Telegram Printing Company” was formed .

Mr . Grayson , one t ime editor of the Expositor, cam e back to fill a l ikeposition on the Telegram, and he was succeeded by Fred Squire , a brill iant Ir ishman . The Company, after a hard time Of it, f inal ly disposed

of the sheet to Mil ler and Bangs, who at the end of few years, gave upthe fight .

The strangest chapter in connect ion with the fourth es

The News'tate here is comprised in the history of the “Daily News .”

Mr . Joseph T. Kerby, brother of the founder of the Kerby House, com

menced the venture, and the Office was situated at the corner of the hote l’

building. He was a capable writer, but matters did not prosper from a f in

anci‘a l standpoin t and he sol d out to an American , Edward A . Percy. The

l-att er’s appearance const ituted a sartorial innovat ion as far as Brantford

edi t ors had been previously concerned . He was a regular Beau Brummel

in his attire, wearing suits of th e latest pat tern and cut, and disport ing ties



and hat s, which .were the envy of al l the young bloods of the day . In

l ike mann er his “den

”was fitted up in the most luxur iant manner .

Brant rdites , however, very qu ickly real ized that in his case the appare l

most emphatica l ly did not procla im the man , for he speedily demonstratedhimse lf to be a most unscrupulous rascal . He had talent, plenty Of it,but was not wil ling to let his influence become fe lt by any slow process .

The motto at the head Of h i s paper was : “Hew to the l ine ; let the chipsfal l where they may . The chips indeed fe l l plen tiful ly, but in most

cases the axe went a very great distance beyond the l ine . Sensat ional ism

he evi dently regarded as the short est_

cu t to circulation , and h e first of

a l l commenced to publish paragraphs which broadly aspersed the char

acters Of wel l known citizens ; that a certain married lady on such a

street, entertained for Mr . an a ttachmm t of warmer mature than that

required“by the go lden rule and so on . From “this sort of thing, it was an

eas y transition to articles of a more direct nature . Th e plan fol lowedby Percy was to write a grossly personal screed with regard to some

prominent member of the commun ity and then to invite the victim to his

Office for a peru sal of the same . Publ ication was withhe ld on paymentof whatever sum he thought the individual in question could afford. In

many instances , cit izens refused to be blackmailed, the article would ap

pear and Percy came in for a long series of thrashings . As the result

Of one of these , he was hurt so badly tha t he had to take to his bed , andwas in the care of a doctor f or a cons iderable period . He was a lso onceplaced in the ce l l s, but stil l continued to ply his nefarious game . Hiscons tant prying into the affa irs of other people natura l ly led some of

them to make enquiries with regard to his own previous career, and theresult was beyond expectat ions . The f act was adduced that he had two

wives l iving, and steps were takeh to have them enter a j oint c harge of

bigamy . Percy got wind Of the ma tter and made -a precipitate fl ight

to the unconcealed joy of the respectable public, and the great grief ofmany credi tors .The latest of the many Brantford publications is the Canadian

Golfer ,” issued and edited by R . H . Revil le . The first number appeared

in M ay , 19 15, and it has enjoyed a prosperous career from the commencement . It is the on ly magazine in the Dom in ion devoted to the interes tsof the

“Roya l and Ancien t” game and takes high rank with the few publ icat ions of the kind in England and the States .

It will thus be seen that Brant ford, in the matter of publicat ions, hashad a more varied experience than almost any other smal l cen tre in

Ontario . In the earl ier times it di d not require much capital to startsuch ventures . Foreign news was clipped ‘ from Engl ish and Un ited


States papers, issues were pulled Off on hand presses , and wages werelow . In i l lustration Of the latter fact,the fol lowing quotat ion from the '

Sentine l ’s (afterwards Courier ) fi rst day book, proves il lum inat ing“Patr ick Duffey comm enced work on Thursday, June at

per week, he boarding h imse lf .”

Patrick, of course, long ago passed hence , together with the currentrates Of pay Of his period .

The busines s me thods were also very different from the

present per iod . Mr . R. Mathison , publ isher of the Expositor, 1867, thus tel ls of them

Th ere was a grea t dea l of truck and trade, and we often had subscribers pay in cordwood that the devi l himse lf could not spl it . Itseemed as though ou r friends who l iquidated their indebtedness in wood,thought anything was good enough for us , and many crooked sticks werepiled up in our back yard . One subscriber ou t in Burford pa id for hi spaper by -a turkey at Christmas time . On many Saturday ni ghts , afterpaying our workmen ’s wages , partly in cash and part in orders on merchan ts

,I have gone home with nothing in my pocket but some due bil ls

for drygoods , drugs , chemica ls and house furn ishings . There was no

possibil ity of gett ing them to j ingle in the pocket, for there was nothingthe re for them to j ingle against . I remember one advertisement that waspa id for in Hair Res torer, but as there were no bald heads about our Office , we gave it to our friends in The Courier office , in appreciation of

the ir journa l ist ic courtesy, and who, even in the hea t of an e lectioncontest , never designated me by any worse name than the “smil ing youthof The Expo sitor . A s a means Of increasing our circulation , itemsfrom various points in the coun try were a dist in ct feature ; the mentionof people’s names seemed to have a tal isman ic in fluence , and the ir appreciation Of the paper was in ratio to the number Of times the ir namesappeared . One circums tance occurred in connection with some corres

pondence from, say—Harley, although that was not the vi l lage . Our

agent at that poin t sent in a number Of very inte res ting items, the firstone be ing : “

The Harley House has a new Sign .

”A s I thought the fact

of the Harley House hav ing a new Sign did not interest people genera l ly,I struck it out , but upon reconsideration , al lowed it to appear . The nextweek a man came in ,

and sa id he wanted to subscribe for the paper,"

as

it was “get ting to be a great deal better paper than it used to be .

”He

paid his -in advance , l ike a l l good subscribers, and then gave hisaddr ess as the Harley House , whereupon I sa id :

“You have been getting

up a new Sign . He sa id yes , that he had been in business for a longtime, and was a good Conservative , but The Courier had never takennotice of anything about his place , and he j ust wanted our pape r sent tohim regularly. Moreover, he would get h is friends to subscribe , whichhe d id, for during the next four or five mon ths, I could trace directly tohis influence , e ight good cas

-h -in -advance subscribers. In the fal l fol lowing, he had a sa le of farm stock and implement s , for which he got

-

a



Dr . Theodore Bown came here about the year 1855, and resided where

the Brantford Club now stands . He had an act ive career up unt il the t ime

of his death in 1873.

Dr . Reginald Henwood was not on ly the leading Surgeon of hi s day

in Bran tford, but he al so possessed a Provincial wide reputat ion . The

son of a medi cal man ,h e was born in Cornwal l , England, and , together ,

with h is brother Dr . Edwin Henwood, came to Canada in 1847. They

were young men at the time and their services were first secured in th e

taking charge Of a hospita l , establ ished in Toronto, in connect ion with

the“ship fever” epidemic which raged in 1847-8, both doing notable work.

Dr . Edwin final ly located in Hami lton while Dr . Reginald came to this

city . Not long afterwards he mar ried a daughter Of Dr . A . Digby and

two sons stil l surv ive , Dr . A . J . Henwood, and E . Henwood, both res i

dents Of Brantford . The doctor passed away May 22nd 1904 . He was a

fine type of man , both mental ly and physical ly, and enjoyed the deep

respect of a l l classes . Mayor of the city for two years, and a generoussupport er of al l worthy objects, he rightly took rank as a leadi ng citizen

and exemplar of the highest traditions of his profession .

Dr . Ege rton Griffin , arrived in 1854. He was the fourth son of E .

C . Griffin of Waterdown , and came from U . E . Loyal ist stock. He was a

man of many diverse act iv ities, Justice Of the Peace, Coroner , Surgeon of

the 2nd Batt al ion , Brant Mil it ia ; member Of the Publ ic School Board and

Medical Heal th Officer . In the latter capacity he did much valuable work.

When he took hold Of the Department, Brantford had no san itary prov isions whatever, and wel ls and cesspool s were the order of the day . The

cons equent result was an outbreak of typhoid fever each year, whichproved appal l ing. Dr . Griffin never rested unt il he had seen sewer and

wat erworks systems establ ished . TO him the place indeed owed a deepdebt in the respects named . His on ly daughter i s the wife of Lt . -Col .

Leonard, City Clerk .

Another early physician , Dr . Kel ly, on ly practised for a few months,as h is bent was alt ogether towards scho lastic and l iterary work .

Other Old time practit ioners in the Coun ty included Charles Duncombe , Burford ; Elam St imson , St . George ; Lawrence, McCOSh ,

‘ Christie ,Paris ; Witcher Middleport ; ROSS, Burford .

As the town and County commenced to deve lop the number Of pract i t ioners became increasingly large, and j ust fifty years ago it was dec ided to form the

“Bran t County Medica l Associat ion .

”The inaugura l

meeting was hel d on August 23rd , 1870, and a committee composed of

Drs . Henwood, Griffin ,Corson , and

'

Ke lly was appointed to draft a con

st itut ion and by - laws . Dr . Lawrence became the first pres ident occupying

the posit ion 1870-71 . His successor was Dr . Regi nald Henwood .

1 , Dr . R . Henwood : 2 . Dr . E . Gr iffin : 3. Dr . A . D igby : 4 . Dr . M . J . Ke l ly ;5 Dr . D . M arqu is .



matter of patients , unable to pay, was proverbial . His wi fe, one son, and

two daughters, stil l res ide at the old homestead . The son, Dr . Reginald

Digby, has l ike his father , a lso seen much war service, having part icipated

in a medical capacity in the recent great world struggle . He st il l con

t innes the practise of his father and grandfather .Dr . Les l ie Phil ip was the son Of Anthony Philip a na tive of Scotland

and a graduate of the Uni versity Of Aberdeen. The father came to Can

ada and Les l ie was born at Richmond in 1839. His career a t McGi l l was

bril l iant he having Obtained the Holmes prize for Thesis, the highestaward then conferred by the Univers ity, and also first prize in the class

of cl in ical medi cine . He first Of al l pract ised in Plattsville and Wood

stock, coming to Brantford in 1 872. He enjoyed the respect of everyone,and hi s se rvices were Often sought in consultation .

Dr . W. T. Harris, was the Oldest son of A . Harris, of Onondaga . He

was born January 7th 1852. After studying at Upper Canada Col lege hegraduated as Bachelor of Medicine from Tr in ity Col lege in 1874, and in

the fo l lowing year rece ived the degree Of Doctor of Medicine . Dur ing

1873 he attended cl in ical lectures in New York City and in 1879 was as

sociate gynecologist at Mount S inai hosp ital New York . He commenced

practice at Langford, Brant Coun ty, in 1874 and,

in 1 875 removed toBrantford where h is skil l attained speedy recognition . He was active

in many direct ions and was a prominent member of the Dufferin Riflesholding the Office of Surgeon His mother was the granddaughter OfColone l John Butler , His Majes ty’s Comm issioner for Indian affa irs, a lsoCommander Of Butler ’s Rangers, distinguishing himsel f at the battles ofLake George , 1 753 and the capitulation of Fort Niagara , 1 759Dr . Levi Secord commenced practice in Brantford in 1884 . He came

here when a child with his parents—the father perished in the DesjardinsCanal. accident—and after securing his degree decided to locate in hishome city . The Doctor found time from his professiona l duties to become act ive ly interested in publ ic affairs ; was Alderman for many years ,and Mayor in 1893-4 . For some t ime he had supervisory charge Of themedica l work on the Six Nat ions Reserve , and he was al so High CourtPhysician , Of the A . O . F. He passed away on M ay 8 , 1 914, leaving a

widow and three sons, Dr . E . R. Secord and A . 0 . Secord, this city and

Dr . W. H . Secord, Winn ipeg.

Dr . Harry Frank, who died January 3l st 1916, was one Of the mostprominent of the younger medical men . He had a very br i l l iant careerat Trin it y Col lege and passed a l l his medica l examinations at so early an

age that he had to wa it six months before the M edical Council couldgrant him a certificate . Wh en still a

_

young man he .was made one of

BRANTF ORD CITY H i sTORY 151

the ir examiners by the On tario Medica l Council , and examiner in Obstet

rics , by his alma mater . He had been a memb er and cha irman of the

Public School Board, and was one Of the ma in workers in the establ ishment Of the Brantford san itarium . In addit ion to practitioner work hisserv ices were Often in request as med ica l adv iser .

Dr . Herb . Minchin , a native Brantf ordi te , was the son of Captain

Charles‘ Min chin , an Officer in the l st Royals, now Royal Scots . The

father was one of the many mil itary men who came to Canada in the

early fifties , and he fina l ly made Brantford his home . After graduatingfrom Port Hope school and Trin ity Medi ca l Col lege , Dr . Minchin first Of

al l pract ised in Brant ford then wen t to Jerseyv il le , and fina l ly Petroleawhere he di ed in M ay of 1909 . H is mother and sisters st il l reside here .

Dr . Marquis of Mount Pleasant was one of the prominent Countymedicos of the earl ier days . His parents were both Scotch , and he wasborn in Argylshi re Scotland, December 6th , 1842. The father died in1850 and the widow and five childr en came to Caledonia ,

N . Y. , and one

year later to Brant Coun ty, where she married Francis Fa irch i lds, son Of

Isaac Fairch i l ds , a pioneer. The Doctor was first Of al l educated at the

Grammar School in Moun t Pleas ant and in 1865 graduated from Victoria Col lege, Toronto and immediately located in Mount Plea sant

,where

he soon bu i lt up a large practice . In later years he removed to the CityHis wife was El iza, daughter of George Bryce Of Mount Plea sant, and

sister of Profes sor George Bryce, Winn ipeg and Dr . Bryce , Secretary of

the Board Of Hea lth of Ontario . Dr . J . Marquis , Of Brantford , is a son .

The fol lowing is the l ist Of City and County doctors at the present

t ime :

BRANTFORDz—C. C . Alexander, G. W. Barber, B . C . Be l l , T . H .

Bier, N . N . Blanchard, N. M . Bragg, C . D . Chapin , L . H . Coates,H . J .

Cole , R . W. D igby, M . N . Faris, C . C . Fi ssette , Frank Hanna , G. Hanna,A . J . Henwood, E . S . H icks, R . Hutton , W. L . Hutton , M . J . Keene, J . A .

Marquis, W. H . Nichol , R. H . Palmer, J . A . Phil l ips , J . W. Robinson ,D .

S . Sager, E . R. Secord, E . Sm ith , U . N . Stan ley, S . B . Stinson , G. Thomson,

G. M . Watts , W. D . Wiley.

ST. GEORGE — J . L. Addison ,W. H . Re id, H . CINash .

LYNDENz—J . L . Gibson :

PARIS —D. Dunton , W. J . H . Gould, F . H . Jeffrey, W. J . Logie,F.

Munroe .

MT . PLEASANT —T. H . Mott.

SCOTLAND—Anderson .

BURFORDz—John ston , Rutherford .


When Brant Coun ty became organi zed as a separate county in 1852, Stephen James Jones was appoin ted

Coun ty Judge . He was born at Stony Creek, WentworthCounty in 1821 , and was descended from Un ited Empire Loyal ist stock .

Having decided to enter upon the profes sion of l aw, he was call ed to the

bar in 1846, and was practis ing with Mr . Freeman in the Ambitious City

when the opport un ity came for preferment to the bench . He was a lsomade Master of Chancery in August of 1 875. The mil itary always appea led to him, and while res iding in Hamilton he held the position Of

Adj utan t in the Third Gore Militia . Not long after moving to Brantfordhe built the handsome residence on the outskirts Of the city known as

Gl enh yrst .” Judge Jones posses sed the j udicia l temperament t o a marked

extent and few successful appeal s were ever made from his decisions . In

1847 he married Miss Margaret Will iamson of Stony Creek a nd Lt . -COl .

Jones , Toronto, and Alfred S . Jones , K.C. , Of th is City, are two Of the sur

v i v ing sons . The late City Enginee r Jones was a lso a son .

Judge Jones , after a long and honorable career Of forty five years

in that capacity, ret ired in 1897, and was succeeded on April 23rd of thatyear

.

by Alexander D . Hardy, the present occupant Of the post .Judge Hardy was born in Mt . Pleasant, the youngest son of Russe l l

Hardy, and brother of Hon . A . S . Hardy. After concluding his l awcourse , he pract ised for a while in London , and then in Brantford as

a member Of the firm of Hardy,Wi lkes and Hardy, until hi s appointment .In 191 1 h e was selected by the Ontario Government as a member Of

a Board of County Judges for the revision of practice and tariffs in the

County, Surrogate and Division Courts of the Province , and in 19 18 wasappointed member Of the Ontario Library Commission to investigateTechn ica l Education in

'Un i ted States l ibraries . He was l ikewise Presi

dent Of the Ontar io Library Associat ion in 1909 , and appointed Judge of

the Juven ile Court in 1915. Judge Hardy a lways takes a prominentpart in matters of public moment . In 1894 he married Mary E . Curtis

and has one son and one daughter .

It is said that Alexander Stewart was the first res ident Attorney of

the Coun ty, but he was so soon fol lowed by Messrs . Cameron , Bethune and

M cDonald, that these four gentlemen can be pract ical ly placed in thatcategory. They a l l lo cated in th e place over seventy years ago, and

others very soon fol lowed .

On November 13th , 1853 at a meeting held in the office Of a barrister named Dan ie l M cKer l ie, The Brant County Law Library Association”

was formed, with a capita l stock Of £500, in shares of two pounds each .

The l ist Of those in attendance at that gathering was as fol lows —Stephen


BRANTF ORD CITY HISTORY 153

J . Jones , John Cameron, Daniel M cKer l ie, W. Rubidge , Dan iel Brooke,M . H. Toby, Archibald Gilkison,Thomas B. M cM ahon , G . R . VanNor

man,Henry A . Hardy, E B . Wood, Peter B . Long, George W. Wattock and

F . T. Wilkes. The first Officers elected, were 5. J. Jones, Chairman , and

P . B . Long, Secret ary .

Ten years later, viz, in 1 863, this was the l ist of legal gentlemen do

ing business here . J . W . Bowlby,Market Street ; Dan iel Brooke , Col

borne Stree t ; Cameron Wilson ,Court House ; Foley Evans, Market

Street ; Hardy Hardy, Colborne Street ; Peter B . Long, Colborne Stree t ;T. B . M cMahon , Colborne Street ; James Mui rhead, We l l ington Street ;Van Norman Griffin , Market Street ; F . T. Wilkes , Colborne St . ; E . B .

Wood, Colborne Street . Quite a lengthy list for fifty seven years ago ,

when the inhabitants numbered some four thousand, but it is general ly

agreed that there was much more l itigation in earl ier days.Of those above mentioned, the noted career of E B Wood has b een

dealt w ith e lsewhere . F . T. Wilkes, became Judge Of the Co'

un ty of Greyand a son was for many years prominen tly as sociated with the Wa terous

Engine Works . Hardy Hardy included A . S . Hardy, afterwards Premier of Ontario . David M cKerl ie occupied a seat in the Old Pa rl iamentOf Canada , and became a man Of considerable pol itical power . T . B .

M cMah on became appoin ted Judge of Norfolk County . M r . J . W.

Bowlby, K . C. , i s the on ly one stil l al ive and in active practice .

During the in terven ing years many other lawyers and law firms havecome and gone . In 1865, B . F . Fitch , star ted practice here, the firmafterwards becoming Fitch and Lees , and enjoying a large connection .

Both have been long since dead .

Valentine Mackenzie was an other Old timer who used to have a law

Office in an Old fashi oned building on Queen Street .Mr . Hugh McKenzie Wilson , K . C. ,

commenced practice in 1 866 in

partnership with John Cameron , and unt il the t ime Of h is demise held thehigh res pect not only Of the profession , but of cit izens genera lly . He

was a son Of Scotch pa rents , and came to Canada , when a child, the familylocat ing in Burford Township . Upon the death Of Mr . Cameron he

formed a partnershi p in 1875 wi th Mr . R. C . Smyth , a most promisingmember Of the bar , who was cut Off in early l ife . Later the firm

‘ becameWilson , Smyth Muirhead ; final ly, Wilson Watts . Mr . Wilson

,more

than once acted as Deputy Judge and in 1874 and 1875, served as Mas ter

in Chancery dur ing the il lnessOf the late John Cameron . In 1879 he was

Con servat ive candidate in this Riding for the Ontario House . Mr . Wilsonwas marr ied in 1872 to Miss Mary Nel les of Brantford Township and the

widow and three children survi ve .

154 msronr or BRANT counrr

Mr. G . R . VanNorm an, Q . C. ,was born in New York Stat e in 1821 ,

but his parents came to Canada in the same year, and he was cal led to

the bar of Ontario in 1847. He and the late Hon . Mr . Foley formed a

par tnership in Simcoe, but Mr . Van Norman came to Brantford in 1858,and was appointed Crown Attorney the fol lowing year, a position which

he held un ti l his dea th . During an active legal career he on one occasion

successful ly he ld a brief before the Privy Council in England . He was

twice married , and the surviving children by the fir st wife are Mrs. J . E .

Waterou s; Brantford, Mrs . Etches , Ott awa ; Dr . H . Van Norman , Co lorado.

Mr . L . F . Heyd, K. C. ,now of Toronto, was also located here for a

considerable period, and in addition to h is legal tasks was, in the earl ier

days of his pract ice , organ ist at !ion Church .

Mr . W. H . C . Kerr 3 man of scholarly attainments, l ikewise removedfrom here to theQueen City, and the late Mr . Mahlon Cowan , who rose

high in the profes sion ,attended the Col legiate In stitute and spent his

student law days here .

Mr . Just ice M cM ahon ,of the High Court of Justice , al so commenced

h is law practice in Brantford .

No reference to the lega l fraterni ty of Bran tford would be complete

without mention of Mr . Peter Purves . He was first of al l associated with

Mr . VanNorman,fina l ly wi th Wilson 81 Watts . A s an office man he was

unequal led and his knowledge of law was profound . In addition he was

exceedi ngly skilful in the preparation of a brief. To him is accredited

the most successful short speech ever made at a Brantford banquet . He

was a confirmed bachelor , and it was for this reason that on the occa

sion in ques tion he was asked to respond to the toas t of The

Slowly he raised h is ponderous form and solemn ly pleaded “Not gu ilty

Other members of th e bar a re referred to e lsewhere in connection

with dif ferent capacities .

The present legal l ist in the city is as fol lowsA . L . Ba ird, K . C. ; J . W. Bowlby, K . C. ; Brewster, K . C.

, and Heyd ;W . M . Charlton ; Harley 81 Sweet, (James Harley, K . C. , Edmund Sweet ,A . M . Harley ) ; Henderson, K . C. , and Boddy ; Jones , K. C. , and Hewitt ;M . F . Mu ir, K .C. ; E . R . Read ; J . A . D . Slemin ; C . S . Tapscott ; M . W.

M cEwen ,T. S . Wade , A . E . Watt s, K .C. ; A . J . Wilkes, K .C.



Calvin Houghton John Jackson Joseph ShuttleworthSamue l Hudson Wil l iam Leem ing Wil l iam ChampionWilliam Matthews Wil l iam Watson Wil l iam LockeJames Walkinshaw J . D . Montgomery Joseph M awbey

John Maxwel l

The first constitution was printed in 1 842. The company imposed

fines upon themse lves , as fol lows

For interrupting any person while speaking in orderFor non -attendan ce on rol l cal l ,For non -

“

at tendance on clean ing committee,For not wearin g un iform ,

For smoking during meetings,-For wearing dirty un iform ,

For non -attendance at fires ,

For disobedience at fires ,For d isobedi ence while on duty, except at fires,For ringing the

‘bel l (false alarm )

Shortly after the in corporat ion of the town in 1847, an engine cal led

The Rescue” was purchased at Boston and another company composed

large ly of the“Goose Neck” roster , was formed . This company was re

organ ized in 1867, and cont inued in act ive work unti l the introduction of

a system Of waterworks . Victoria Hook and Ladder Company was start

ed soon af ter the arr ival of th e Rescue engine and these two compan ies

continued to form the Fire Departmen t Of the town . All the fire ap

pliances were kept in the town ha l l unti l the pres ent engine house was

built in 1862.

The fol lowing taken from the Council minute book , shows that some

apathy with regard to the fire fighters had developed .

Brantford,6th November , 1852 To His Worship , the Mayor and

Counci l of the Town of Brantford :

Gentlemen :I was requested to have the fol lowing resolution published, and I con

sider it my duty to make th e same known to you for your considerationand action .

Moved and carried unan imously“That un less the householders of Brantford wil l un ite with the fire

company to increa se i ts strength and add to the funds of the sa id com

pany, the publ ic are hereby not ified that the first Tuesday n ight in Jan

uary next is the last meet ing of this company .

ROBERT SPROULECapta in Fire Co . No. 1


The apparen t outcome of this was that in 1853, the Exchange Com

pany was organ ized as a Hook and Ladder Company, with Will iam Pat

er son , as Captain , and Thomas Webster, Secretary. This company subsequen tly Obtained the use of the Exchange engine , which was owned by

Mr . I. Cockshutt, and formed themse lves into an engine company .

It was on Monday, December 28th , 1 857, that a meeting of al l the

firemen was held to form a“Un ited Fire Brigade .

”The Council voted

an appropriati on and un iforms were provided . However , th ree years

later, March 12, 1860, the Counc i l minutes record that“The Specia l Com

mi ttee, to whom was referred the petit ion of I . Cockshutt an d one hundredand thi rteen others, respecting aid in the es tablishment of an independentfire company, report in favor of gran ting $500 to sa id company .

A Washington engine was purchased and the attendant organ izationconsisted Of :

President— I. Cockshutt .Vice -President—James Wa llaceForeman—Geo. Hardy .

J . D . M cKay J . J . Ingl isA . D . Clement J . W . Wilkin son T. FosterC . H . Clement Jno. Minore L. A. GageP . B . Hatch J . W . Lethbr idge J as . MontgomeryR. Russel l Wm . Potts G . H . WilkesJ as . Smi th Thos . Morgan John No

'

bleJohn Campbe l l John Ba lfourWm . Grant F. G. Gard inerJohn Jenkin sL. R . Smith Geo. WinterGeo. Lauterbach Henry BabcockC . B . Nimmo J . Y. MortonW . B . M cM i l lan Geo . Welshofer

Frank Ott John M eiklejohnJohn Ott

The un iform consisted of a white shir t, black pants , leather wais t belt

with the name of the company, and white Panama hats with black bands .

Members of the Wlash ingt on Fire Company, when on duty, wore large

sole leather helmets, very heavily ribbed .

Final ly matt ers se t tled down to a Department of which John M cCann

was Chief and there were two compan ies, each consist ing of thirty-fivemen , the Bran t Hose , with George D . Calder as Capta in , and Victoria

Hook Ladder, Captained by James Duncan . The apparatus Was drawn

by ropes and the momen t the fire alarm was sounded the volunteer members of the two

,

compan ies would dr op whatever work they might be en

gaged upon, and make a wild rush to the Fire Hal l . For some years one

Wm . Gibson

Geo . RoyThos . TruesdaleJ . W. BuckJOS . Cra igJas . K er


self appointed member was a dog‘

named Cul ly,”owned by Mr . W. E .

Walsh, who then had a tobacco shop on Market Street . At the first tapof the be l l , Cully would hel ter-skelter to headquarters and make frantic

efforts to pul l on the ropes .

At the time Of d isbandment the Brant Hose Company cons isted of

C . H. Clement, Hon . President ; Geo . D . Calder, Captain ; Geo. Ward , l st

Lieutenant ; N. Cross, 2nd Lieutenan t ; J . C . Montgomery, Secretary ; W .

Mast erson, Treasurer ; A . Bremner and S . Reeves, buglers ; 0 . Wh ite, Cur

ator ; Thos . Bremner, W . Wilson , Geo. Batson , Alf . Brown , Chas. Clark,John J . Quin lan, Wm. Dalton, Denn is Burns, W. Mat tingley, T . Gardner,J as . Daley, Wm . Gillespie , Wm . Gardner, Wm . Maxwel l , John Taylor ,Charles Green , D . Lee , Fred Lang, Charles Wiles , D . J . Lewis, M . Wel ls ,Robt . Pierce, John Powers, Patrick Powers, Jas . Lake, Geo . Bremner,J as . Lowes , Alf. Fleming, Alex McKinnon .

Victoria Hook Ladder z—Jas . Duncan , Foreman ; Wm . Minnes, l st

Assistant ; Geo . Miles , 2ud Assistant ; Geo . M . Crooks, Secy . ; Wm. Syr ie,

Treasurer ; C . H . Hartman , Dril l Instructor ; Frank Calbeck and Wm.

Dav ids on , Torch Boys ; W. B layborough , John Muirhead , Chas . Warner,H . P . S . Crooks , Jno. Fisher 0 . Meyers, Jno . Summerhays, Hugh Henry,J . Davidson , Geo . Rushton JOS . Syrie , G . Henderson , R. Feeley, T . Martin

A . Martin , J . Ki ngswel l , G. Lins ter , W. Roantree , H . Gaffney, J . Beemer,J . Kendr ic, Geo . Hal l , Phil ip Secord, W. Strowger , Geo . Prows, Fred Ryer

son , W. Sigman , W. White, Thos Carruthers .

Under the direction Of Mr . Hartman many fancy dr il l prizes were won .

In Februa ry, 1889 , it was decided to introduce a pa id Department . Theappo in tment of Chief was first offered to Alderman John M cCann , but ata figure which he could not accept . Geo. Calder was then named, and heoccup ied the post until December , 1898, whenupon his demise , Dan Lewiswas selected as his successor . The present chief started in 1 888, as a

driver, then became assistant foreman ,and fina lly foreman ,

which post

he hel d at the t ime of his prefe rment . Dur ing his regime many advanceshave taken place, including the establ ishment of a general electric alarm

system and the substitution Of motor power for horses . The East Ward

Branch Station was Opened in 1 908. On December 25th , 1 919 , th e

platoon system came in force, with the employment of thirty- six men

in place of e ighteen . George Kingswel l is assistant chief at the ma inha l l with F . Howarth and J . Townsen ,

as capta ins . At the East EndHal l , A . Crocker and D . O’

Hanl ey are the captains .A S can very we l l be imagined with the wooden buildingsof the earl ier days, primitive volunteer equ ipment and

lack of water mains, many destructive fires occur red .

Destruct ive



ins on’

s jewel lery stock partial loss , $300, no insurance . Mr . Gorman’

S

shoe store, loss trifl ing. Mr . W. Long’s Shoe store, loss tr ifl ing, no insurance . Donald M cKay

’

s harness-shop , damage to' stock $800. covered

by insurance . Mr . George Newt on , innkeeper, furn iture , damage $200.

G . Stewart ’s cabinet Shop and furn iture, damage, $400, covered by in

surance . Bank of Montrea l , frame buildings , damage $400, no insurance .

Johnson , barber, loss trifling . Norwood, barber, loss trifl ing. Mr . P .

L. Allen ’s grocery store , nothing saved—damages no insurance .

E . B . Wood’s law Office fixtures, loss trifling . Dr . Sutton ,dentist , fix

tures and stock, damage $200 ; no insurance . A . Wan less, bookbinder,shop fixtures , books and tools—al l lost—damage, $500 ; no insurance.

Courier Office , type , presses etc. , damage insurance in

Gore Mutual Insurance Co. , James Smith, saddler, damage removing stock

$240. covered by insurance. Ritchie Russe l l , grocery stock destroyedand damaged , estimated loss insured . R . M cLean ,

grocery, loss

$ 100.

Some n ine years later , there was another severe visitat ion , known as

the“Burgee Fire .

” Mr Burgee kept a Shop on Colborne Street, at the

foot of King Street . One even ing he was making varn ish and there wasan explosion which caused his death from burns, and set fire to the

wooden building in which the varn ish was being made . The conf la

gration spread with great rapidity . There was a good deal Of varni shin the buildi ng and the wooden frame was soaked w ith o i l . The firecrossed Colborne Street and spread r ight through to Dalh otrs ie Street ;the whole block bounded by Colborne , King, Dalhousie , Market and

Queen Streets was practical ly destroy ed, while there was great destruc

tion on the South side of Col-borne Street where the trouble original lystarted .

Perhaps the fire which most tr ied the mettle of the townspeople was that which took place on M ay 9th , 1854,

and was thus described by one of the loca l papers“Between the hours Of 1 and 2 o

’clock, the a larm of

fire ca l led forth many of our townspeople from their peaceful slumbers ,to witne ss the des truction of the magn ificen t new bu i ldings erected bythe Buffalo

,Bran tford and Goderich Railway CO. The buildings were

constructed Of the very best materia l and in the most permanent manner ,(con sidered a lmost fire proof . ) For permanency and architectura lbeauty they were looked upon as an ornament to our flourishing townand could not be equal led by any other buildings of a Similar kind inthe Province . But the people of Brantford did not stand al l the

day idle , nor waste the ir t ime in useless repin ing. Twe lve hours hadscarce ly elapsed when a publ ic meet ing was ca l led by the Mayor to

which a large number of ratepayers crowded , and w ith a degree of


l iberal ity and unan imity, which could scarcely be equal led, loaned the

credit of the town t o the amount of to assist the company tocomplete the road thr ough to Goderich, as wel l as to rebuild the depotand other necessary buildings , SO that ere long we wil l have the sat isfac

t ion

kqf see ing a l l put to r ight aga in and 200 to 300 mechan ics aga in at

wor

This instance constitutes one more il lustrat ion of the“never say d ie

qual ities of Bran tf ord i tes .

FOR THE TREATMENT OF THE SICKA frame building, Situated on the south-west corner Of

Market and Darl in g Streets , j ust across from the site

Of the Bank of Montreal , was the first structure to be

used in Brantford for hospital purposes and then on ly for members of the

73rd Regiment who were here in 1837-38. In 1866 and fo l lowing years,when Br itish Regiments were quartered in the Town , the former Wilkesdwel l ing house was also converted into a hospital for the troops. The struc

ture, when first erected ,was the handsomest house in the vil lage and

was approached by a sweep ing driveway . Mayor Matthews a lways used

to refer t o it as a“Baron ia l Hal l . ” Portions of the building st il l

rema in in th e rear Of stores on the North side of Colborne St . j ust beyond

the Ker and Goodwin factory. In t imes of smal lpox and other epidemicstemporary fram e buildings used to be cons tructed, but the place t e

ma ined without permanent accommodation of the kind for a longerpe riod than the size Of the commun ity warranted . Enterprising in

other res pects, early Bran tford ites were certain ly lacking in th is and itwas not un t il 1884 that a meeting was ca l led in the Old to launcha publ ic subscription campaign . The gathering was wel l attended and

the items included the reading of a let ter from the lat e Mr . John H .

Stratf ord, in which he stated that he might have something of importanceto commun icate wi thin a few days . On this bas is an adjournment tookplace and later the City Council rece ived the splendid Offer on the partOf Mr . Stratford to present a hospita l and some seven acres Of groundto the C ity upon ce rtain conditions

,wh ich included the stipulation of a

Board of five Governors, Of whom Mr . Stratford and his nominee shouldform two , and th e Mayor

, and two members Of the City Coun cil the otherthree . Mr . Str at ford also Offered to grant $400 per annum towardsma intenance dur ing his pleasure . The location selected by the donoradmittedly constitutes one of the finest Sites in Ontario, situated as it isupon the brow Of Terrace H il l , w ith a w ide and un interrupted view of

th e plateau beneath . The original structu re consisted of a buildingthree stories high with frontage of one hund red feet and forty-two feetdeep , exclusive of a rear wing thirty by forty . The capacity was forty

Th e First

Hosp ital .


five bed s and the origina l number of nurses five, as the institution for a

considerable per iod was seldom more than half occupied . The cost of

furn ishi ng was undertaken by M rs . Stratford and with Mrs . Ignatius

Cockshutt and Mrs . A . S . Hardy as associates , the necessary was

speedily raised .

Wednesday, February l 0th , 1885, was the date of the formal Open ing

by His Honor John Beverly Robinson , Lieut . Governor of Ontario, and

the event was characterized by much publ ic interest . The gubernatorial

par ty were met at the Grand Trunk depot by Mayor Scarfe , Mr . Strat

ford and Dr . Digby, wh i le a guard of honor of one hundred men of the

Dufferin Ri fles, stood at attention , under’

command of Capt . Glenny and

Lieu ts . S . Alf. Jones and H . J . M cGlashan . Luncheon was partaken at

the home of Mr . Stratford (now the Conservatory of Music ) and therewas a house guard of twelve men, under Lieut . Sweet . At the Open ing

proceedings in the afternoon , the Mayor read an address of civic we lcome

to His Honor, and Mr . Stratford also del ivered an addres s to the Mayorand Aldermen , at the close of wh ich be handed to Mayor Scarfe “Thesetitle papers whi ch forever make the hospita l and grounds surrounding

it the property of Brantford .

”The Lieut . Governor, who had been

handed a Silver key of the main entrance, final ly declared the structureOpen , amid loud cheers .

To be used as a Hospital only upon the fol lowing con

Clausesd it ions

m.

Deed 1 . Tha t the management of th e Hospital Shal l beOf G l f t ‘ str ictly non -sectarian in its character and the Institutionbe Open to a l l citizens Of the City Of Brantford

,subject of course“

, to the

rules that may be la id down hereafter for its conduct. That no clergyman

,priest or member of any rel igious sect, secret or other society, shal l

hold rel igious or other serv ices within the wal ls or grounds, except inthe case Of a pat ient who sha l l request the attendance of such , and

then on ly for that patient’ s personal benefit .

2. That the sa id lands, tenements and hereditaments, buildings orgrounds

,shal l never be encumbered or mortgaged by any l ien whatever ,

and if so encumbered or mortgaged, Shal l be forfeited at the Option of

the sa id John H . Stratford or hi s he irs , and shal l then become the

property of the said John H . Stratford, or of his he irs, devi see s or appointees , if dead .

3. That the supervision Of the affairs of the Hosp ital shal l be inthe hands of Five

' Governors, the said John H . Stratf ord be ing one for

l ife, h e having the right to nominate yearly another, the Mayor of the

day Of the City of Brantford, be ing the third and the Council to e lectyearly from the ir own body , the other two . At the decease Of the saidJohn H . Stratford

,should h is broth er Joseph survive him,

he i s to takeh is place on the Boar d Of G overnors . And the survivor of e ither of



them, the said John H . Stratford and Joseph Stratford to have the privilege of nominat ing by Will

, one Life Governor on ly, to act with fourothers, selec ted by the City Council , and at the death Of the survivor

’sappointee , or in default of such appointmen t under the Will of the

Survivor, the appointment of al l the Governors shal l rest forever withthe Mayor and Aldermen of the City .

4 . That no emol ument of any kind shal l attach to the Office of

Governor .5. That the buildings shal l always be insured for a sufficien t sum

to replace them in case Of their destruction by fire .

6. The County of Brant to have the privileges of the Institution ,

if the County Coun cil see fit to contribute towards its ma in tenance a

sum sufficient yearly, as shal l , in the Opin ion of the Governors warrantthe enjoyment by the sa id County of such privileges .

7. The Hospital to be ca l led for al l t ime the John H . StratfordHospital .

8. That the said John H . Stratford may contribute towards themain tenance Of the said Hospital , a yearly sum of Four hundr ed do l lars,payable quarterly in advance , such payments to commence at its Opening and to continue for so long

;

a time as he may elect . The sa id partyOf the second part , Sara Stratford , wife Of the said party of the first part ,hereby bars her Dower in sa id lands.

There being five Governors provided by deed of conveyance , (seeclause 3 of Conditions ) and the Warden of the Coun ty of Bran t to havea seat at the Board, but without vote .

Tab let s.In the ma i n hal l there are the fol lowmg tablets

TH IS HOSPITAL WITH ITS SPACIOUS GROUNDSWAS PRESENTED BY

J O H N H . S T R A T F O R D , E S QAs A FREE GIFT TO TH ECity of Brantford .

FEBRUARY 10, A . D . 1885. W. J . SCARFE , MAYOR

BOARD OF GOVERNORSJOHN H . STRATFORD, Pres id ent

JAMES W . D IGBY, M . D . WILLIAM T. HARRIS, M . D .

W. J . SCARFE LOUIS F . HEYDJohn Turner, A rch i tect Schultz Bros . , Cont ract ors .

To

THE GLORY OF GODAND IN AF FECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF

J O H N H . S T R A T F O R D,

FOUNDER OF TH IS HOSPITALWHO DIED FEBRUARY 12TH ,

1888

AGEDERECTED BY H IS WIDow

B lessed is he that cons id ereth the poor and needy,The Lord sha l l de l iv er h im in the t ime of t rouble .


M rs . Strat ford, having passed away in November, 1919 , the Board

of Governors ordered an addition to be placed to this tablet chron icl ing

her demise and recording the fac t of her active par t in the inception of

th e benefaction .

FIRST OFFICERS AND STAFFJohn H . Stratford, Pres id ent Dr . J . W. D igby, Vic e-Presid ent

Alderman L . F . Heyd, Treasu rer, Allen Cleghorn , Secre ta ryGOVERNORS

John H . St ratford, James W . Digby, M . D . W. J . Scarfe , MayorWil l iam T Harris, M .D . , Alderman , Louis F . Heyd, Alderman

Thos . Lloyd-Jones , Warden County of BrantMEDICAL STAFF

Reginald Henwood, M . D . Egerton Griffin ,

James W. Digby, Wil liam C . .Corson , M . D .

D . Les l ie Phil ip , M .D . H . J . Cole , M .D .

Will iam T. Harris, W. E . W inskel l , M .D .

‘A . J . Henwood , R . Thompson ,M .D .

L. Secord, M .D .

In June Of 1900, the ratepayers voted the sum Of for an addi

ti on to the original bui lding and in 1910 Mr . Joseph Stratford consentedto have the name ,

“John H . Stratford Hospita l” changed to“General

Hosp ital , and also to have the composition of the Board of Governors

changed to twelve members, as fol lowsThe Mayor and one other cit izen , to be named by th e City Council ,

but not a member of the la tter body.

The Warden and one other to be named by the County Council , but

not a member of the latter body .

One representa tive from the Bran t Medical Associat ion .

One representat ive from the Woman ’s Hosp ital A id .

One representative from the Trades and Labor Council .

One represen tat ive from the Boar d of Trade .

Two representatives to be named by the Ontario Government, either

residents of the City of Brantf ord, or County Of Brant .

Joseph Stratford and C . H . Waterous , Life Governors .In 1912

, the new Board asked th e ratepayers to vote and

the by - liaw was carried by a Sub st anti al majority . The Coun ty Counciladded and with this a large new wing was btii l t and

other improvements made . In January of 1920, another vote of

was asked for th e pur pose of erecting a new Iso lat ion buildi ng and

making ext ensions to permit the establishment of Matern ity and Children

’ s Wards . Th e measure was carried by eleven major ity, and the

improvement s when completed , will enable the institut ion to contain two

hundred beds.



more populous centres , hostelries were not onl y exceedingly numerous ,but in addition , many grocery stores had a grog shop department . This

condit ion of affair s existed in Brantford and Brant County, as wel l as

everywhe re else .

With respec t to this matter, the fol lowing documentA s It Used

to be found in the city archives, proves of interestTo Be. “Will iam Murphy , Revenue Inspector for the Town of

Brantford , in accoun t current for the Town Council of Brant ford, for theyear 1 854 .

“To gross amount of dut ies on 53 Inn and Saloon Licenses and Shops

Ditt o on Temperance Licenses

Large as,thi s number of l icenses proved , it appears that th e town

was qu ite wil l ing to issue more , for the return of Mr . Murphy conta ins

the fol lowing table in regard to blank li censes rece ived from the Clerk .

Inn s 58 IssuedShops 20 IssuedA le and Beer 10 Issued

53

However , this p lan of issuing l icenses to anybody, shortly afterwardscame to an end , and on February 25th , 1856, By- law Number 1 10 was

passed , which provided .

“Every Saloon , or Recess Keeper taking out such l icense , shal l berequired to have one parlour, bar -room (in front ) and at least threeoyster stal ls sufficiently large to accommodate S ix persons each and sha l l

pay for said l icense the sum of £10 currency a nd no more.

”

This By-law, mani festly was not to the l iking of some of the wet soulsfor on M ay 17th , 1 856, this pe tition was forwarded to the Town Fathers

by Mr . Henry Lem on and two hundred and sixty-one others

To the M ayor and Counci l of the Town of BrantfordThe petit ion of the undersigned inhabitants of the Town of Brantford

That your Petit ioners have heard with regret that it is the intentionof some members of the Counc i l to in troduce a By

- law to repea l By-law

1 10 of this Town , and gran t l icenses t o se l l sp irituous l iquors by theglass to any person who may apply for the same .

Your petitioners are of the op in ion that such a law would have a

very in j urious effect upon our town and facil itate the great evil of

drunkenness , which your pet itioners had supposed it was the intention of

your Counc il to suppress , or at leas t mitigate, by passage of said By-law

1 10.

Your petitioners therefore pray that you wil l be pleased to con siderthe effects that such a law would produce and not pass any act for th e

extension of the great evil of drunkenness .”


The petition had its eff ect and in 1856 the record shows that on ly

n ine tavern and n ine saloon l icenses were issued. As the place grew so

did permits and in 1875 not to“exceed Sixty” was the record,but the growth

of temperance sentiment final ly brought about a gradua l deduction unt il

at the t ime of abol ition in 1916 the l icenses issued tot al led n ine for

hotel s z—Ke rby, American, Be lmont , Prince Edward, Ben

wel l ’s, Bodega , Imperia l and Grand Val ley, and three Shop licenses , on

wh ich premises sale by the glass was prohibited . Fifty-three l icen sesin 1854, when the place contained fewer than four thousand people, andtwe lve in 19 16, wi th a population of was certain l y some changeand now the record stands at none .

Early inh abitants used to mention as the first tavern a

frame building on the west Side of the river , kept by a

man named Hol ly, probably the place near the ford

ment ioned by Miss Thompson . Prior to 1838 the first hotel of any pre

tensions was erected on the corner of Market and Colborne Stree ts andbore the name of the

“British American .

” It was here that later thestage coaches used to stop .

'The landlords were successively —Pearson ,

W. R . Ir ish , J . D . Clement, Jonathan Hale and Burley . During the

tenancy of the latter, it was burned down in 1852. A frame tavern in

exi stence before 1837 stood on the site of the present Be lmont Hote l ,Colborne Street . Fire al so ult imate ly wiped ou t this structure . Somet ime before the town was la id out John Lovejoy had a tavern on what i snow the corner of King and Colborne Streets, and the

“Brant Hotel ,”

located on the south side of Colborne Street, was kept from 1841 unti l1844 by J . D . Clement . From the last named date un t il 1853 “

J oe”

James was the landlord, but another of the old time fires al so put thisplace o ut of business . A . Huntingt on had erected a building on the

oppos ite s ide Of the street,for use as three stores , and James moved into

th is structure, which after occupancy by many landlords, later became the“Bingham House” and is now the Prince Edward Apartments . Mr .Bingham was a typica l landlord of the English type and his place boasted

patronage among prominent c it izens of h is period . He was a we l l readman and scrupulously careful in the matter of checking exce ssive drinkingupon h is premi ses . In 1841 two taverns were established in West Brant

ford by J . M ontrass and W. Wilson . Both places existed for manyyears and C . Farrel l and H . Doyle were among the landlords . The

Eas t Ward) also had two hostelries started about the sam e time, one of

them kept by E . J . Montgomery . In 1859, George Fleming

,gen ia l

Englishm an , opened a hotel in the la rge building, corner Da lhousie and

King Streets, once the wholesale hardware establishment of A . Cleghorn


and now occupied by A . F . Del l and other tenants . It was cal led the“Brant House” and closed as a hote l in 1871 . In 1859 the frame hote l

on Da lhousie Street Opposite the Marke t Square , was burned down while

Job Tr ipp was landlord . In 1861 , a new structure known as the“Pepper

House” took its place and in 1869 , J . C . Palmer, who had come here

from Be l levi l le, became th e purchaser and changed the name to the“Commercial Hotel .” In 1872, Mr . Palm er sold out to H . T. Wes tbrook ,and after many years as a hote l , the property was purchlased by Mr .F . Cockshut t , who turned it into stores and apartment suites . Where the

American Hotel existed on Da lhousie Street, although on a much

sma l ler site, Albert G . Hatch first star ted a hoste lry about 1858. In

1862 the“Montrea l House ,

” corner of Market and Marlborough Streets ,was kept by Benjamin Hunn , afterwa rds Rel ief Officer, and where the“Bodega” st ands there was a smal l church .

There was at one t ime a hotel on the corner"

Of Dalhousie and Market

Streets , where the Bank of Commerce and Royal Loan Buildings now

stand . The bui lding was prev iously used as a chape l at a rental of

$150 per ann um . On Octobe r 6th , 1847, the town council moved intothe Structure and it then had the high sounding tit le of

“Town Hal l . ” Itwas also used as a fire ha l l and became a hostelry when the Council lors

transferred to the present building on the Market Square . In later yearsBen Foster had a fruit and confectionery store where the bank st ands and

the“City Hote l” occupied the Loan Company site . When rai lways came ,

there were hostel ries at the depots .It is the Kerby House which has had the most notable history. For

considerably over hal f a century,’

prominen t visitors have been guestswithin its wal ls ; there have been many notable banquet s and gay dancesin the large din ing room, regular troops have been quartered there,and Sir John Macdonald, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Graham Be l l and other

celebritie s have held cit izens’ receptions in the large dr awing room . Itwas built by James Kerby and Opened on August 24th , 1854, with a man

named Pope as lessee . The property on whi ch it is located at the com erof George and Colborne Stree ts, was at the t ime a swale and there had tobe a lot of fil l ing before a foundati on could be secured . It was a mostambitious str ucture , far larger than the present extens ive premises for the

building extended a considerable distance up George Street ; in fact itwas then the largest hot e l in Upper Canada . In an advertisement of

the t ime it boasted of“accommodat ion for 500 guests ,

”and stated

“The Grand Ri ver flows through the town affording to the Sportsman

and Tour is t ample mean s of gratifying the ir respect ive tastes, for the

scenery on th is noble stream is grand and beautiful , whi le fish of al l

kinds are foun d in its waters, and its banks aboun d with game .



record of the comm ittee appo inted to negot iate for the congregation in

the matter was that his price was but that he was “will ing to give

off Some ten years later the property was a cquired by M r .

Joseph Str atford, and at large expense , he turned it into an Opera House .

Al l up-to-date theatres in those days had bars for the conven ience Of

th irsty ones , between the acts , and one was establ ished at the end of the

entnance way . The Open ing took place in November , of 1881 , and the

fir st play presented was“On ly a Farmer’s Daught er . ” There was a

crowded house and forma l speeches . The place cont inued under the

con tr ol of Mr . Stratford unt i l 1902, when on account of other business

interests he trans ferred the management to Mr . Frank C . Johnson . Asso

cis ted with the lat ter were his three sons, Frank C . Johnson , J r . , Secretary

Treasur er , Walter Johnson, Musical Director, and Harry Johnson .

This theatre was destroyed by an early morn ing fire in 1907 and Mr .

Johnson th en made arrangements to tran sfer the Thespian art to the

present building on West Street . The structure in earl ier days was

erected by loca l enthusiasts as a curl ing and skating rink and many a

t ime have the pleading cries to “Bring her on” been utt ered by anxious

skips, in what is now the auditorium . A large and substant ial building,it lent itse lf readily to the necessary transformat ion and the place was

launched on i ts new career under the auspices of the “Bran tford OperaHouse Company,

” wit h Mr . A . J . Wilkes, as Pres iden t. Mr . John sonwithdrew in 19 15 and was succeeded as Les see and Manager by Mr .James T. Whi taker . Under his auspices stil l further improvements havebeen ma de . The seating capacity is

The first moving picture show to be laun ched in Brant

£111

51

§Ig03f

esford was inaugurated by Mr . B . Allen and his two sons ,Jule and J ay J . They Opened to the publ ic in a store on

the south s ide of Colborne St . , nearly opposite King on November 10th ,

1906, and named the p lace “The Theator ium .

”The so ca l led auditorium,

l ike j ust about a l l of them everywhere e l se , conta ined a few chai rs, a pro

ject ion machi n e that somet imes worked and often did not , and a few

hundred feet of film equipment . The truth of the matter was that inthe early days the vast major ity of those who went into the business

did so with the idea of securin g the ready money while the rage prevailed, and few of them at that t ime sensed the probable growth and

permanency of this new amusement device . The Allen ’s evi dently hadbroader views, and subsequent events have abundantly j ust ified the ir

fa ith in this new form of diver sion . They suffered an early set back in

the matter of the“Theator ium ,

”for one afternoon when the place was

Opened it was found that the buildi ng was ful l of an accumulation of

BRANTFORD c Y HISTORY 171

natural gas and an explosion fol lowed which wrecked the building,causing the dea th of one man and shattering the windows across the

road, of the Paterson Biscuit factory . Nothing daunted, the Al len’s

opened “Wonderland,” located on George Street, across from the Market

and subsequently“The Gem ,

”opposite Cromptons, as a vaudevil le and

picture house . Later they sold out their in terest s and became concernedin film distribut ion . Deciding that the West presented a good field for

movie theatres, they located in Ca lgary and soon established a chain of

houses . The ir a l l round interests reaching large dimensions, headquar

ters were removed to Toronto and in that city they now own , or have

build ing at this writing, ten theatres , with some forty others in variouscities . They have a lso invaded the States with houses in Cleveland and

Det roit involving a four mi l l ion dol lar investment . Such, in brief, i sthe story of a moving picture romance, whi ch commenced in Brantford,and has in it as many e lements Of surprising ach ievement as any film ever

han dled by the Allen ’ s . It is worthy of note that Mr . J . B. Cronk, supervisor of their theatre int erests i s a Bran tford boy, who star ted as an

operator in one of their ear ly branches here.

In December, 1908, Mr . Ernest Moule came to Brantford from Londonand opened a

“Movie” in a store on Co lborne Street, owned by M r . J . Y.

Morton . The vent ure went under the name of“The Lyric . Later he

moved across the road and Opened “The Apol lo,

”next to the Belmont

Hotel .For many years there stood on Da lhousie St reet, a large build ing

next to the American Hotel , known -as the“Hext Carriage Factory.

” Mr .J . O’

Reil ly , then the landlord of the hoste lry named, conceived the ideaof turning the place into a moving picture habitat ion and commencedthe work Of making the necessary changes . The outlay prov ing too largefor him to negotiate, Mr . VanDusen of the vil lage of Scotland became

interested . The outcome was “The Brant,

”and Mr . Moule was offered

the management which he accepted, the Open ing taking place in 1913.

The fol lowing year Mr . Moule assumed entire control , and the sabsequent record was mo st successful .

“The Gem

”had become the property of a loca l company composed

of Messrs. E . Symons , T . Hendry, F . Got t, N. Andr ews and Hunter . Theyalso started an open ai r theatre on King Street which ran for one season ,

and then in 19 1 1 was roofed in and became “The Co lon ia l .” In 19 17

the company in question sold out to Mr . Moule who made many st ruetura l improvements and rechristened the place “

The Rex.

”

In 1919 , the growth Of the city, together with the greater facil ities

afforded outside residents to reach here by radial l ines and autos, com


menced to make Brantfo rd more and more Of an amusemen t centre and

thus the scheme took shape for a much larger movie and vaudevil le es

tab l ishment than had yet been . A company was formed with thi s

execut ive z— P. H . Secord, Roy Secord, (Pres ident ) , Claude Secord (Vice

Pre s ident ) , W. T . Henderson , and E . Moule , Secretary-Trea surer and

Managing Director .

The theatre , erected at an outlay of a quarter of a mill ion dol lars , is

admittedly one of the finest amusement places in Canada . The ma in en

tran ce wa y from Dalhousie S tree t leads to foyer, Offices and lobbies,which occupy an area of 132 by 45 feet and the auditorium is 156 fee t

by 96 feet , w ith accommodation for sixteen hundred people, al l seats

on one floor . The ce il ing i s suspended from the roof by a steel girder

system , so that there are no i ntervening pil lars to mar the view of the

stage . The rest and lounge rooms for the publ ic and the qular ters for

performers are of a most adequate description and the entire des ign of

the place i s one Of di gn ity, and charm . Notab le Open ing ceremon ies took

place on Monday even ing, December 22nd, 1919 .

“The Brant ,

” which had been se cured by th e Allen’s was remodeled

and decorated , the Open ing un der the new auspices taking place Monday

n ight, February 2nd , 1920. Thus in the pl en i-tude of the ir success, they

are again represented in the city where the ir first humble efforts commenced .

In addi tion to its picturesque sett ing and tree l inedParks, P13? “ streets , Brantford is al so richly endowed in these es

andsent ials, a fact for whi ch the Parks Board deserve much

8312'

s .

mg credit .

VICTORIA PARK . Not so very long ago, Vict oria Squarewas the on ly show place” poss essed by Brantford , and for many prev ious

yea rs it was an Open and neglected spot. Very ol d residents can t e

member when Dan Rice ’s cir cus exhib ited there—not in any sense the

e laborat e three ringed performance , demanded by the youth of th e present t ime—land the smal l boys Of that day used it as a play ground, j ustas smal l boys in a l l ages have appropriated al l open space s for a

ilat purpose . It was at about this period that the first Dr . Digby wasusing the pres ent Court House square as a potato patch and for . the

growth of other vegetables . In 1864 the city erected a fence, with an ironrail ing, aroun d the property and there were gates at the four corners .Intersecting paths were laid ou t by Quentin Johnson and a number of

forest t rees were planted an d left to l ive or d ie, as chance might dec ide .

This condition for a length y period characterized what has now becomethe chief beauty spot Of the ~ city, with the Brant memorial as the central



resort . The forma l Open ing under civic auspices took place on Labor

Day, September, 1915, and over four thousand people were in attendance .

AGRICULTURAL PARK , formerly the site of the Southern Fa ir with thetrack surrounded by stables, for horse tra in ing purposes, and the arena,the scene of many fierce lacrosse contes t s ; now the mecca of basebal l andfootbal l enthusiast s , was deeded to the City of Brant ford in 1901 , a s a gift

to the people from the membe rs of the Cockshutt family, in memory of

their father, the late Ignatius Cockshutt . A donat ion was al so added for

neces sary improvements. The original area was n inet een acres , but the

Barks Board, have added to the same by purchas e .

JUBILEE TERRACE, constitut es one of the best i l lust ra tions of what

civic improvement can accomplish . Where the Dril l Hal l now st ands,there used to be a long wooden warehouse abut ting on Brant Avenue ,with a smal l broom factory in one portion of it. In the rear, along ther iver bank, there existed some ramshackle frame dwel l ing places , and

on the corner where the memor ial stands to the heroe s of the Boer War ,

there was the brick hote l and umbrel la shop of J . P . Exce l]. There hadbeen a partial attempt to remedy matters and the const ructi on of the Arm

ouries helped, but it is to the Parks Board that the credit be longs

for t aking ful l advantage of the opportun ity offered . In 1901 , for

they purchased the Biggar property and in 1902, for the Exce l]buildi ng . The many, citizens who in the hot summer days take ad

vantage of the breeze from the r iver in the open space thus created and

a long the terraces, and the countless other resident s who t ake j ust pride

in the unobstructed view at th e foot of Colborne Street , with the memoria l to Boer War heroes silhouetted against th e sky line , can abundantly

real ize what i s owing to the comm issioner s in this one instance alone .

The statue by Mr . M cCarthy, of Ottawa, i s of impressive des ign.

SCHOOL FOR BLIND GROUNDS . Brantford is part icularly fortunate inhaving the magn ificent Schoo l for the Blind Grounds in the Northernsecti on , to add to her notable Open spaces . The Ontario Governmenthas a l lovved four acres , front ing on St . Paul ’s Avenue to be used for a

bowling green and tenn is courts, while the cricketer s also have a creasewithin the property . The outlook from al l port ions of the we l l laidou t grounds is most charming . To the . wes t, the view of the GrandRiver, l ies unobstruct ed ; to th e north are th e rol ling hi l ls and on the

South is the beautiful residential di st rict Of St . Pauls Avenue, DufferinAvenue and the surrounding area.

TUTELA PARK AND PLAYGROUND consists of four acres of land, a lmosta square, enclosing two leve l plateaus w ith a hil l r ising to a height ofabout thirty feet , crossing the land diagona lly . The grounds adjoin one

BRANTFORD cm msronr 175

of the lar ges t public schools in the city. Th is and the fact that it isadjacent to severa l of the larges t industr ia l plants, has made the place

very popular as a playground .

WATERWORKS PARK AND PLAYGROUND . This a rea of five acres was

donated by the Water Comm issioners and is of great val ue in the rapidlygrowing manufacturing district of the Holmedale .

IROQUO IS PLAYGROUND . Th is is a two acre area which suppl ies theneeds of th e youngsters in the far ea stern section of the city .

WEST STREET PLAYGROUND . This consis ts of a property over two acresin extent, j ust beyond Greenwood Cemetery, and serves a large area .

NORTH OXFORD STREET PARK . This is a prope rty of two acres adjacent to the Grand Ri ver, filled in by the Park Commiss ioners . A bathingpla ce is located here .

CONNAUGHT PLAYGROUND . This has an area of s ix acres and has

j ust recent ly been opened on Terrace Hill .TH E BELL PARK , is referred to e l sewhere , and with regard to other

breath ing spots there i s no need to en large . Herewith is a l ist of properties now under the supervi sing care of the Commissioners, who are alsoplann ing very carefully for th e future .

Mohawk Pa rkVict oria ParkAlexandra ParkAgricultur al ParkJubilee Park and Pa rade GroundGore Park, bounded by King, Nelson and West StreetsSt . Andrews Park, Brant Ave .

,and Palmerston A ve .

Iroquois Playground—Chatham StreetTute la Park and Playground

South Oxford Street Park

Waterworks Park and PlaygroundBe l l Homes teadGreenwood Park, West StreetNor th Oxford St reet ParkO . S . B . PlaygroundLake Er ie Northern—West Mil l Street

Conn aught Playground, Grand StreetBel l Gardens, West Street


In al l instances present va lue has far exceeded purchase price . For

instance , Tute la playground of four acres was purchased for Wes t

Street playground two and a half acres for and so on . In al l ,

the various properties are easily worth a quarter of a mil l ion dol lars .This is the materia l aspect ; of their value to this and future generat ions

there can be no computation .

The present Parks Board consists of F . W. Ryerson , (Cha irman ) ,Frank Cockshutt, Wil l iam Glover, Franklin Grobb , T . Quinlan , John

Kerr, and the Ma yor .Mr . J . J . Hawkin s was Secret ar y for many years and upon his deat h

was succeed ed in th at capacity by Mr . W. Glover . Mr . J . C . Wal ler is the

Superin tenden t .



upkeep . In 1831 , every ma le inh abitant not Dated on the assessmentrol l was l iable to two days labour on the road ; .a person rated at not

more than £25, to three days lab our ; if over £50 and less than £75, four

days ; £100 five days ; £200 seven days ; £300 n ine days ;£400 eleven days ; £500 twe lve days . This labor was languidly perform

ed and when possib le, evaded altogether . For quite a period , the modes

of tr avel were by horse back and ox cant . Final ly there came the stagecoaches and they were characterized by la ck of comf ort , and often times

very slow progres s . In 1837, a writer of the period described the Canadian stage coach as being “A heavy lumber ing vehi cle , wel l cal culated tol ive in roads where any decent carriage must needs founder . These werethe better sort on the few ma in roads whi ch then exist ed . Another kind

used on cross country thoroughfare s were Large oblong wooden boxes ,formed of a few planks nai led t ogether, and placed on whee ls, in whi ch

you enter by the window, there being no door to open or shut, and no

springs .” On two or three wooden seats, suspended on lea ther straps, th epassengers were perched . The behaviour of the bet ter sort of coachis described by thi s writer as consisting of

“A reel ing and tumbling a longth e det estable road, pitching l ike a scow among the breakers Of a lakestorm.

”The road was knee deep in mud,

“the forests on e ither side

dark, grim , and impenetrable .

“Bad as this was, there were men who, contrasting it with their rec

o l lect ions and experience might be excus ed for thinking it a very acceptable mode of travel l ing. They could remember the time when it wasimpossible to thread the ir way among the stumps of trees and fal len t im

ber that encumbered the roads , with a rude cart and a yoke Of oxen .

Some were passable on ly on horseback, and , but for the finding now and

then of t runks of trees in swampy place s, the riders would have beenun able to get across many a morass .

The rate at which it was possible to.travel in

stage coaches depended on the e lements . In

Spring, when the roads were water choked and

rut gal led,progress might be reduced to two m iles an hour

,for several

m iles on th e wors t section s . The coaches were l iable to become embeddedin the mud and the passengers had to dismount and assist in prying themou t

, by means of ra il s, obta ined from the fences . Various forms Ofaccidents occur red

,probably more per cent than on the present rail

roads . The cost Of travel l ing, in fares , to say nothi ng Of t ime and ex

pen ses on the way , where the dr iver wa s often in league with the tavernkeepers , was nearly three times what it is on ra ilways . Stories - of in

credible speed are on record in th e matter of sle igh ing. For instance, iti s related that Lord Sydenh am by means of succe ssive relays of horses ,


trave l led from Toronto to Montreal in twenty-s ix hours. Another storyconsists of a race between Boston and Portland drivers as to which couldcarry the English ma il most rapidly to Montreal . The Portland drivermade the distance , which is nearly three hundred miles , in twenty hours .The result Of this con-test is said to have been one of th e causes that ledto the adoption of Portland as the terminus of the Railway from M on

trea l instead of Boston .

As far as Brantford was conce rned the main coach line was betweenHamilton and London , v ia Burford . Mr . J . Y. Mort on , who came herein 1851 from Montreal , relates that he took passage by the paddle whee lsteamer “Pas sport and by canal and lake, reached Hamilton , after a

lengthy voyage . At the last named place the stage was taken for Brantford, a

‘

nd t here were re lays of four horses every t en miles,wit h a tavern

at each stopping place . It was midn ight before the coach drew up at

Brantford headquarters , a frame hotel, then located on the corner of

Market and Colborne Streets, where a drug store has for the past half

cen tury been situated . The landlord of the hostelry a t that period wasMr . Jonathan Ha le, who in lat er l ife became Expres s Agent here.

TO BUFFALO BY PASSENGER STEAMER

During the period that Brant ford was emerging fromGm d Riv er the vil lage state, water became the main channel for

52‘W ganon freight and passenger transportation , in and out of the

place .

This sounds l ike a phantasmal asse rtion to residents of the presenttime, but some seventy years ago

“The Grand River Nav igation Co .

”was

a very rea l and important factor in the daily l ife , and growing importance of the commun ity .

When the Wel land Canal , that notable undertaking for connecting thewaters of Lakes Er ie and Ontario , was in course of construction

,much

difficulty was experienced in the build ing of an entrance lock from LakeErie to the main chann e l of the canal . The excavation work kept f i l l ing

in and to overcome the difficulty a dam was thrown across the GrandRiver . This served t o raise the waters of that stream to a sufficienthe ight for a lat eral feeder to th e main canal and a lso al lowed shipping

to pass through , v ia Port Maitland, into the cana l proper . The success

of the scheme appealed to the wide -awake Brant ford ites of that day,(and the possibil ity Of making use of the Grand for local purposes commenced to be ta lked of . At that period, the river constituted quite a largeand stead i ly flowing stream,

navigable the year round . There h ad not

then been much of a clearance of woodland in the upper reaches,and


systematic dra inage methods were non -existent. A waterway to Lake Erie

and Buffalo certa in ly pres ented great possibil ities , and a project to this

end commenced to take tangi ble shape. A company was final ly formed

and appears to have been composed of the fol lowing shareholders .

Geo . Wash ingt on Whi tehead, 20 shares ; Ab salom Shade, 30 sharesJohn A . Wilkes ,

20 shares ; Wm . Ri char dson,20 shares ; Wm. Muirhead,

10 shares ; Thomas Butler , 2 shares ; Allen N. Macnab , 120 shares ;Thomas M . Jones , 20 shares ; Hon . Wm . Allen , 10 shares ; G . A . Clarke ,20 shares ; Lewis Burwe l l , 8 shares ; A . Hunt ington , 12 shares ; ReubenLeonard, 2 shares ; Henry Liston , 1 share ; Florentine M ayh i l l s , 2 shares ;Jame s Gilp in , 12 shares ; Jededi ah Jackson, 20 shares ; B . Farr , 4 shares ;David Thompson ,

sha res ; Andrew Thompson ,24 shares ; Benj

Canty, 50 shares ; Thomas Merrit t, Jr . 100 shares ; Wm . Fish, 25 shares ;5. R. Squ ires, 20 shares ; James Black , 10 shares ; Wm . Forde , 20 share s ;Wm . Hamilton Merr itt , share s ; Samuel Street , 20 shares ; SethHur d, 4 shares ; Andrew A . Benjamin , 2 shares ; Marcus Bla ir , 20 sh

'

a res ;

Jacob Turner, 25 shares ; Samue l H . Fam sworth , 100 shares ; C . Alexander Foster, 8 shares ; Nathan Gage, 5 shares ; Andrew Sharp , 4 shares ;Hezekiah Dav is, 20 shapes ; Six Nation Indi ans, shares ; J os . M on

tague , 4 shares ; Henry Yates, 200 shares ; Wm . K . Ewing, 16 shares ;W. C . Chase , 50 shares ; Robt . E . Burns , 100 shares ; Geo . Ryke rt

, 20

shares ; Jas . Lit tle , 80 shares ; Capt . A . Drew, 100 shares ; Ri chard Mart in20 shares ; Hon . Peter Robin son , 25 shares ; At ty-Genera l Damson , 25

shares ; A . Brown , 10 shares ; J . H . M cKenzie , 50 shares ; John P . M at

thews, 2 shares ; Francis Webster, 20 shares ; James Matthew Whyte, 160shares ; Wm . Brooks King, 135 shares ; Sarah B . Par ton

,25 shares ; Les l ie

Battersby, 15 Shar es ; Thomas Blakney, 10 sha res ; Calv in Mart in , 4

shares ; George Kafer, 20 shares ; M . M acKenzie , 50 shares .

It was decided to improve the r iver channe l by a suc

cession of leve ls, cal culated to permit of“slack wat er”

navigation ,but when this work was complet ed, the dis

concerting fact was d iscovered that the upper leve l did not afford enough

depth for the passage Of boats nearer than the best part of two milesfrom the se ttlemen t. Not to be thwarted, the projectors decided upon

the digging of the cana l from the town t o the poin t on the r iver where

the locks stil l exist . Then the stream was dammed at the cana l entrance,near the present Lorne Bridge, the water turned in and the job was

complete . That was a red letter day, when the head gates were first Open

ed , and the rejoicing was carried on unt il the early morning hours .Whee l steamers and barges, pl ied between Buffa lo and Brantford and

some of the wheat, shi pped from here , went to large mil ls situated at St .Cath arines, v i a the We l land Cana l feeder at Dunnvil le . The offices and

the landing wharf were on the spot at the Market St . Bridge where the

Wood Mill now stands , and there were other whar fs on the canal back of



began to borrow money, and becoming more and more invo lved, appealed

to the town for assistance . The citizens had al ready lent the ir help

to the Buffalo and Gode rich Railway, but they stil l hel d loyal ly to the

need of water compet it ion and agreed to advance to improve

the works . The By- law had pas sed and was actual ly ready for signature

when fire destroyed the Buffalo Goderich,

Rai lway shops and the

Council withdrew the Navigation grant in order to give a bonus for the

rebuilding of th e rai lway works. Later the Council loaned the enter

prise taking a first mortgage on al l the works. The town f in

al ly forec losed the mortgage and in June, 1 861 , became possessors .

The works were then very much out of repair and the tol ls had dwindled

to a lmost nothing, in fact the main source of the smal l revenue came

from wa ter rents . The Corporation soon concluded that it had secured

a white elephant of large variety. Spring freshets used to make dam,

and other repa irs a frequent nece ssity, and the upshot was that under a

deed of conveyance dated July 9 , 1875, M r . Alfred Wat t s entered into

posses sion of the entire outfit for “the sum of One Dol lar to the sa id Cor

pot ation, wel l and truly pa id by the sa id party of the second part , the

rece ipt whereof is hereby acknowledged .

” Brantford had previously sold

the upper portion of the works to the Hald imand Navigation Company

for Mr . Watts , for his part , agreed to keep in good repair, thedam , locks, and canal banks and also to al low the canal basin to be used

for waste water, etc . , and to afford access over Grand Ri ver Nav igationlands for sewers and drains . Thus for one dol lar and many liabil ities ,works were handed over which had co

‘st hundred s of thousands , but theyhad served an undoubted and val uable purpose in giving Brantf ord i tsfirst commercial impetus . Mr . Watts , whose chi ef interest at the period

Of purchase was vested in what was known as the“White Mil l , situated

j ust across the canal from the foot Of Alfred Street bridge , found that theupkeep entai led a vast amount of h is t ime and money . Subsequent ly thewater power at the upper lock gates was used by a local power and l ighting company, and in later years , the right of way along the canal bankwas sol d for a goodly sum to the Brantford Hamilton Radial Co. , for in

gress to the city . Mohawk Lake is al so a legacy of the canal scheme .

One of the passenger steamers bore the name of The

Red Jacket, and the other that of “The Queen .

” A cit

izen who was at one time purser on the latter i s stil l aresident herch M r . George H . Wilkes, who, despite the fact that he is

in h i s e ighty-fifth year, st il l retains an alert mind and much bodily

act ivity . He was seventeen years Ol d , when he a ssumed the"

position , and

in relat ing his navigat ion experiences, said.


The Queen was a paddle whee l steamer with the wheels on the in

side at the stern . On her ma in deck was situated the bo iler and engine,and the passenger capac ity was a bout forty souls . The crew consisted

of a Master, mat e , one engineer, two firemen , two deck hands, two wheel

men , steward, stewardess, clerk or purser, and cook. We used to leave

Brantford at 7 a .m . and if “

we had good luck, would be in Buffa lo next

morn ing. However, we often got stuck . The Queen was top heavy and

in a high wind it was difficult to ho ld her head , as she on ly drew three

fee t of water . The consequence was that under such conditions, she wouldfrequentl y get on shal lows and have to be poled off . There were two

good staterooms and capital cabins, while the meal s were excel len t. The

wharf, at which passengers embarked, and di sembarked , was back of Col

borne St reet , and the approach was down the al ley way‘

next the premises now occupied by a Chi nese restaurant . There were, of course , otherlanding places at Newport and different v il lages en route .

”

M r . Wilkes sti l l possesses the“Queen” ledger . One item reads ,

George H. Wilkes , shi pped as Clerk 27th April 1853, at $30 per month .

”

Oth er items are as fo l lows“J . C . Haywood, sh ipped as Master , August 14, 1852, a t $50 per

mon th .

“A .

“ B . Sutherland, shi pped as Mate , at $26 per month .

“Will iam Magraw, shipped as stewar d, at $10 per mon th .

N . B . Sutherland,shipped as Engineer, at $20 per month .

“Al . Green, shipped as deck hand, at $1 8 per mon

“James Newstadt , shipped as whee l-man, at $18 per mon th .

“John Magraw,shipped as whee lman , at $16 per month .

”

W. Lamb ier, sh ipped as fireman , at $16 per month .

”

“Robert Weyms , shi pped as fireman, at $16 per month .

“D . Carrol, shipped as cook, at $15 per month .

”

Thos . Smithers, sh ipped as Master, 26 April , 1853.

Sar ah Green , shipped as lady’s maid .

The record does not show that the latter rece ived any stipulated salary,so that the ubiqu itous tip was eviden tly no t an unknown quan t ity in thoseearly days .There was great interes t and excitement at the passenger wharf when

the paddlewhee lers arrived and depar ted— the most notable events of theday l n the then smal l communi ty .

THE COMING OF THE IRON HORSE

Reaching for Although Brantf ordites possessed the Grand River NavRai lways . igat ion Company, they were not slow to recognize the


potential va lue of the rai lways which were commencing to be projected in

Canada . Thus it was that in the early fifties the same enterprising spirit

which had encompas sed a waterway , also led to the planning of a l ine to

Buffalo, with a terminus at Goderich, a route at the period which was ex

pected to develp into a grea t through way. With this end in view, the

citizens borrowed from the Provincial Government, taking stock

to that amount, and a lso interested Buffalo capital ists. In addition

was voted for the shops. The financia l di fficulties were great

and at one t ime , construction gangs , who were short of pay and actual

provisions in their camps, came to town in an excited body. A special

Council meeting was summoned, and when one member suggested the

cal l ing out of the milit ia , Mayor Mat thews, in charact eristic fashion , ex

claimed“We

’ l l shoot those men with barrels of flour ; that’ s the ammun ition

they need .

”

This sens ible plan was fol lowed, and matters tided over . As the rail s

commenced to near the set tlement, there was great int erest , and the late

Sheriff Watt , during the course of some remin iscence s which he wrotetwenty yea rs ago, sa id

“We wonder how many of the pupils rema in who at tended the l itt leschool , which then occupied th e west wing of the ol d Cen tral , or who re

member the occas ion , when th e first whistle of a locomotive was heard inBrantford ? The cons truction train had come up dur ing schoo l hours,through what was then the

“swamp below the cemet ery, to where the“Y”now is. That whistle , you may be sure, aroused the curiosity and

exercised the soul of the sma l l boy, who, as wel l as many of h is

elders, had never before heard the toot of an engine Th e ol d City hel l ,or the Wat erous foundry t riangle, were the on ly cal ls whi ch had h ithertodist urbed h is youthful mind . No wonder th e pedagogue , Robinson byname , a genuine knight Of the birch , could not keep the at tent ion of the

boys,and when recess came there was a veritable stampede down to the

swamp to view the wonderful new arrival . Of course recess did not af

ford enough time to ful ly inspect its many wonders, and take in its tootat short range, so a smal l regiment of boys were greeted with a dose of

b irch when they returned t o the care of the dominie . However, if memoryserves , the smal l boy sentimen t was that the view was worth the puni shment .”

Friday January 13th , 1854, witnessed the final openingA B lg of the

“Buffalo and Brantford Railway,”and it was made

Celebrat lona gala day . Notwi thstanding very in clement weather,

twelve thousand people assemb led at the l ittle depot to await the arriva l

of trains conveying the invited guests from Buffalo and intermediatepoints . Previously there had been a procession h eaded by the Ph i lhar



this that the idea of giving any bonus was roundly scouted, and, as the

result, th is place was left out in the cold .

Th e road was built v ia Harrisburg and Paris, and the former vil lage

was regarded as so certain to become a place of importance that a planwas actual ly prepared showing a market square and many street s .

The lack of easier ac ces s to the Grea t Western ma in l ineTh e was continual ly felt and the ultimate outcome was that

Exits

fiurg the corporat ion carried a bonus of for the con

struction of a branch to Harrisburg, together with another

bonus of to have the Gr and Trunk main tain shops at this point .

The Harrisburg arrangement was a thorn in the flesh to Brant ford ites fora grea t many years . Loca l trains would leave here on time to accord withthe main l ine schedule bu t , especial ly in winter , th ere was often a waitof two, and sometimes three hour s, in quarters whi ch were the reverse of

pa latial . However there was the compens ation that Brant fordi tes , real

izing the ir sidetracked condition ,hustled for industries, while other main

l ine places were conten t to wait for those that didn ’t come .

Another l ine was next projected by enterprising citizens

which was afterwards known as th e“Brantford, Till son

burg and Lake Erie Road .

”Mr . G . H . Wilkes was the

Pres iden t of that project, and e lsewhere in this vo lume

is related the circumstance that during the proceedings

attendi ng the tur ni ng of the first sod , he was inwardly thinking that th e

road would never be bui lt. The town Offered a grant of but the

l ine got into trouble after reachi ng Till-sonburg and the Corporation

withh eld payment of Ultimately negot iations were made for

the Great Western to take hold of the enterprise . Th e late Mr . J . J .

Hawkins , who was then cha irman of the City Counci l finance Comm itt ee,put through an agreement with Sir Hugh Childers under which by payment Of the aforementioned forty thousand his Company as sumed posses

sion , and matters were soon placed in good order . This l ine a l so at a

later per iod fel l into the hands of the Grand Trunk, and the next move for

compet ition was to connect wi th the Mich igan Cen tral at Waterford .

The cit izens who entered upon the project were A . Watts ,Commence R. Henr y, J . J . Hawkins, T. Ell iott, G . H . Wilkes, H . M cK .

I

f ? nTh e Wilson ,

Sheriff Scar fe and s. W . M cM ichael , (Toronto) .

Rfy .

The origina l name was“The Brantford, Waterford and

Lake Erie Railway Company,”and the

'

d irectors worked

hard, and successfully, in securing a Domin ion Government gran t Of so

much a mile, together with in stock ) from Brantford

and other bonuses . The road for a considerable time start ed from a ter


mi nal situated in the outskirts of West Brantford and Mr . A . J . Ne l les was

the genera l manager . Messrs . Nihan ,George Ell iott and Batt le were the

cont ractors . The directors carried on for a year and th en sold ou t , on

certain conditions , to Mr . J . N . Young Of Chicago . The lat ter for a

bonus of offered to bridge th e Grand Ri ver, and to carry the l ine

on as far as Hamilton . The money was voted, but Young failed to get

through in the time specified and never rece ived a cent , although many

citizens felt that the obligation should have been met . At the Ham il ton

end , by superhuman effort, he j ust earned by getting the firsttrain through on the last hour Of the last day of grace . Thi s was in the

year 1895 and the on ly bonus secured by the Company, as there had been

no Government gran t .Mr . Young, who later acquired the of city stock, is un derstood

to have lost not on ly hi s own money, but that a lso of several other Chicago people . He was always a most di fficult man to interview with regardto

"hi s plans and the despair of local reporters, for when he was asked

any ques tions he would at once impart a vast amoun t of information withrega rd to the weather, past, presen t and future . Upon complet ion of the

l ine, it was acquired by the New York Central R. R. , Michigan Cen tralRy. and the Canadi an Pacific Ry . interests , thus forming a connectingl ink between th e Canadian Pacific and the New York Central l ines . For

the first year after constr uction it was Operated by the Michigan Centra lRa i lway, but in December 1897 it was taken over by the present companyand has been operated independently ever since . For nearly twenty yearsthe sur plus earn ings were devoted to improvement s of the property and

it was the first railway in th e world to instal l the electri c block signalsystem for single track operation , the l ine between Brantford and Ham

i lton ,and Hami lton and We l land, be ing under electr ic block signa l pro

tect ion , one mile apart . Thi s system not onl y provides th e maximum of

safety , but enables the Company to handle a very much heavier tonnageover i ts l ine than it otherw ise would “have been able to do, and was of

great a ssistance dur ing the strenuous five year war period. The T. H .

B . , certain ly he lped Brantford in the matt er of competitive fre ight ratesand service and many large f actories have est abl ished themse lves in

proxim ity to the l ine . In 19 15, the Company completed a branch to

Port Mait land, at the mouth Of the Grand Rive r, and in 1916 commenced

a ferry service wi th Ashtabula Harbor , Ohio . The company operates 104mi les of ma in l ine and many miles of termi nal track , owns 36 locomotives ,24 passenger coaches , besides

.

i ts pool interests in th rough l ine coaches ;fre ight cars, 1 1 caboose cars and 50 road service cars, forming the

heavi est equi pped line , per mi le of track in Canada . Mr . J . N. Beckley,

188 msroav or BRANT COUNTY

of Rochester, N . Y. , is th e Pres ident, and Mr . F . F . Backus , Hamilton,General Manager .

Sti l l the hankering was for the Grand Trunk Ma in Line,— that road having long since absorbed th e Great Wes

tern—and many efforts, destined to be futile , were madein this regard . Towards the close of 1900 the matter

again came up before the Boar d of Trade , when Major Hamilton was

President, in the form of a resol ution moved by Robert Henry, and sec

onded by C . H . Waterous. A good dea l of correspondence ensued, theCity Council cc -operating. Main l ines are not changed in a day especia l ly when an a lterat ion of a route mean s added distance , but the upshotwas that at a Board of Trade

“

banquet, he ld January 18th , 1902, Mr .Morse , third Vice Pres ident of the G . T. R. , who came as the guest of

honor in place of General Manager Hays, made the announcement that therailway was wi l l ing to cc -operate with the city in th e matter. Fina l ly a

by- law was sent to the people authorizing a grant of the ra ilway

to return if it defaulted in stopping al l the main l ine trains at

Brantford ; a new depot was another stipulation . On April 27th , 1902 ,the gran-t was carr ied, 1565 to 196. Mr . D . B . Wood was then the Mayor .

Work was commenced almost imme diately, and at a very heavy cost to the

rai lway, the necessary change was complet ed in September of 1905.

0

Saturday, September 30th was chosen as the date for theA B lg Day . ma in l ine celebrat ion , and th e event was ma rked by

cheering crowds , playing bands, factory whistles , gorgeous banners, ap

propriate speeches and auspicious weather . At two o’clock in the after

noon the recept ion commi ttee and other promi nen t Brant ford ites , left

for Harr isburg, where they awa ited the arrival of the train from Toronto ,

bearing many di st inguished guest s, from as f ar as Montrea l . The local

crowd extended a hearty we l come to the visitors and before “al l aboard”

was sounded took the opportun ity of singing “Auld Lang Syne, in part

ing with the Harrisbur g depot . On arriva l at Par i s other guests , from

the West, boar ded the t rain , whi ch was t imed to arri ve in Bran tford s im

u l taneously with a specia l t rain from Buffalo with C . M . Hays, and other

railway officia ls on board . A tr emendous crowd had assembled at the

new depot and speaking took place from a stand tastily decorated with

flags and bunting. Mayor C . H . Waterous presided, and Mr . Hays , . in

making th e forma l openi ng declaration on behal f of the Company aptly

put the case from a Bran tford standpo int , when he quoted th e l ines .

This i s the way we oft have sought,And mourned be cause we foun d it not .



Work wil l commence upon the road from both Woodstock and Bur

ford, September 15th , and the whole l ine must be completed by November

15th .

At the same time he announced the purchase of tons of n inety

pound stee l rai ls , two mi les of cast iron ornamental - fencings, many

thousands of tons of steel for bridge work and so forth . Another asser

t ion was that a l l crossings along the road would be protected by paten t

gates,which would drop when any train was with in half a mi le because of

an electric appl iance set in motion by the tra in itself .” Later he an

nounced that surveyors would soon map out a connect ing l ine from

Brantford to Niagara Fal ls .

Thus di d Middleton begu ile City and County resident s , until publ ic

interest reached a very high point . In fact there were garden parties

in h is honor a long th e propose d route and on August 22nd , Middle

ton and his engineers gave an enterta inment, to the people"

of Burford ,at th eir camp on the flats of J . Y . M cIntee

’

s farm . One of the featureswas a speech by the promoter . After the party, Middleton was s itting

in the Barnea House when he was arrested , on a charge la id by a Wood

stock grocer , for obtain ing goods under f al se pretences . He was taken

to Woodstock, and then events began to crowd thick and fast . Am ong

othe r things, he was denounced by the C . P . R . and the fact developed

that he had been a bigamist on a large sca le . One of'

h is wives had

been wit-h him here,and in Bur ford and in al l it was bel ieved that he

had espoused about half a dozen , going to the al tar with one of them

as Alexander Lawrence M cDonald . At the trial in Woodstock on Sep

tember 28, 1898, two of hi s spouses gave evidence , and he was sentenced

to seven years hard labor , in Kingston Pen itent iary . At the time he

was thi rty-seven years of age and his persona l ity was of the magnet ico rder . There are creditors yet for goods and wages in Brantford ,Woods tock, Bur ford, and in short, wherever he sojourned .

In 1879 some en terprising citizens considered tha t a

B rant ford St reet Rai lway should be established in keeping withStreet

the newly secti red status of the place as a City . Accord

ingl y the necessary s teps were taken to form a company,the names of the following gent lemen appearing on the origina l charter z—Alfred Wat ts, Humphrey Davis, H . M cKenzie Wilson , Robert Twiss

Sutton ,R . Henry

,Alexander D . Clement , Edward Brophey , Joseph Rob

inson , Alexander Fair, W. Buck, C . Jarvis .For various reasons, no active work was comm enced, but the charter

was kept in a state of renewal and on March 20th , 1886, Mr . C . H . Flack

of Cornwa l l , Ont . , made an offer for it which was accept ed. The new


company consisted of the fol lowing d irectorate z—C. W. Bowte l l , Pres i

dent ; D . A . Flack, Vice -President ; Chas . H . Flack, Secy .-Treas . ; A . W .

Flack, R. A . Pringle , J . H . VanArsdale, A. P . Ross, al l outsiders .

The right to construct a l ine on streets designated , was grant ed by th eCit y Council a l though there was quite a fight over the using of ColborneStreet . Ground was broken on July 17th , and the t racks were la ida long Colborne Street from the eastern

,city l imits to Lorne Bridge, cross

ing same to West Brantford ; up Market Str eet as far as the Grand

Trunk tracks ; upon King Street to Dar l ing, to Will iam , to Richmond,and Brant Avenue, as far as the school for the Bl ind entrance .

Th e st ables and sheds were located in West Brantford, with an

equipment Of six cars , four closed and two Open , and four teen horse s .

Eight of th e latter were of the heavy we ight class in order to successful ly

negotiate the grades on Colborne Stree t .

Th e agreement was to give a half hourly service at 5 cents

a trip , and a charge of 10 cents was a l lowed after 10

p.m. The formal Open ing Of th e service took place on

Sa turday even ing September 9 th , 1886, when there was a free r ide for

everybody . Th e proceedings were somewh at marred by the cars quite

frequently runn ing Off the track . However, they were of exceedingly

l ight build, and no troub le was experienced in l ifting them on again .

Th e closed cars had been chr istened the R. Henry, C . B . Heyd, S . G . Read

and A . Harris and th ese names were pa inted On the side . A final halt

took place before the Kerby House where a band played and Messrs .

Henry, BrOphey and Hawkins made congratulatory speeche s from the

ba lcony . Mayor C . B . Heyd was a l so t o have spoken but had to leave

earl ier. Such great interest was taken in the even t that the streets be

came at t imes absolute ly impa ssab le for other traffic a long the route .

Th e rate for tickets so ld in bulk was twenty-two for one do l lar . For

a cons iderab le period there was much Operating difficulty and one of

the local papers, after the system had been runn ing for some time, made

the satisfied comment. “Yesterday not one Of the street cars left the

tracks .” The Flacks, who were in chief charge, made every effort to make

the enterprise succe ssfu l , but without compensat ing result and the sys

tem gradual ly became more or less Of a far ce . Between the narrow and

l ight ra i ls, the horses had hol lowed ou t lengthy trenches , which consti

tu ted not only an inconven ience , but menaced vehicles , and after a snow

storm the system would remain buried sometimes for weeks, before it

was ent irely dug out again .

Half Hour lyServi ce


In 1893, Mr . F . Nichol (now Senator ) , of the TorontoGenera l Electric, became interested, and changed the

system from horse car to electric . He a lso great ly improved the tracks and altered the original route somewhat, havi ng the

l ine turn direct from Colborne Stree t to Brant Avenue and so forth .

Mr . Nichol , sti l l holds a mortgage on the property . Later, Dr .Ickes came here from Pittsbur g and assumed contro l , under the name of

the“Von Echa Company.

”He int erested Mr . Walter Turnbull in the

enterprise and it was decided to extend the l ine to Paris . Ickes at thet ime was thought to be a dreamer, in establishi ng what has since beenone of the best paying portions of the system . Mr . A . J . Patt ison

,and

associates, of Toronto, were the next to assume control , about 1905, andby them the l ine was completed to Galt . Their original scheme em

braced proprietorship of the Grand Va l ley, the Woodstock and Thames

Va l ley and Brantford ra ilways . M . A. Vem er , of Pit tsburg, was the

fina l private ownership man to ar rive on the scene and matters ended

in the appoin tment of a receivership . It was in 19 14, when Mr . J . H .

Spence was Mayor, that an agitation for Mun icipa l ownership commenced

to take defin ite shape . . In this regard the Corporat ion took the necessarylega l steps to show that the undertaking was not be ing operat ed accord

ing to franchise and the rece iver was ordered to make a sale . The City

of Brantford made the successful bid on the basis of assuming th e prev

iously ment ioned mortgage of t o Mr . Nichol , together with

certa in l iabil ities to the Corporat ion ,and making payment of about

to clear up some other matt ers .

On August 5th 1914, a simple - notice appeared in theM uni cipali ty loca l papers stat ing that on the date in question theTakes Hold .

Brantford St reet Ra ilway and Grand Va l ley Railway

had been taken over, without frivol ities , by the Mun icipal S treet Ra il

way Commission composed of C . H . Hartman , (Cha irman , ) W. R . Turn

bul l and A . K. Bunne l l . These gent lemen lost no t ime in the matt er of

improving the equipmen t and service , while Eag le Place and other ex

tension s were planned . The Board has rema ined un changed with the

except ion of Mr . F . J . Cal beck taking the place of Mr . Bunnel l . In 1919

Terrace H i l l was comprised in the service and l ines la id in West Brant

ford in readiness for a resumption there when the proposed new struc

ture to replace Lorne Bridge is completed . At the present time the num

ber of miles of road is twenty four including Par is and double track

sec t ions . The fol lowing table of passenger s and receipts dur ing the last

four year s will prove of in terest

E lectricityInt rod uced .



CHAPTER X .

VISITS OF MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY AND EXECUTIVE HEADS .THRE E DIRECT HEIRS To THE THRONE GUESTS OF BRANTFORD .

—EARLDUFFERIN MAKES THE LONGEST STAY .

—OPENING OF PROVINCIALEXHIBITION AND DEDICATION OF LORNE BRIDGE .

Members Of the Roya l family have at different periods visited Bran t

ford , and also many of the Execut ive “heads of the Domin ion . In the

l ast named regard, it Should be remembered that the title“Governor Gen

era l of Canada,” first commenced with Viscount Monck in 1867 and that

before that date th e Governors were known as Governors in Chief of

the B . N . A . provinces , each of the latt er, 'as now"

, havi ng Lieutenant

Governors of their own .

Th e LateBran tford has upon three occasions wel comed a direct

K ing heir to the British throne .

E dward . The late King Edward, when Prince of Wales, spentabrief period here on Friday September 14th , 1860. Th e Official nOt if i :cation was to the effect that he would

O

make'

a stay Of one and a half

hours, that period to include l uncheon . Despite the short t ith e al lottedthe loyal res idents of the town and coun ty un ited in the determinat i on

to make his visit a memorable one . Cannon were placed on Terrace Hill

to fire a timely sa lute when the roya l tra in should appear in sight,arches of evergreen, bearing

“

appropri ate devices , were erected at the

depot, and across stree ts, while flags and bunting were in evi dence upon

a l l sides It was a clear, cool day, and the loca l papers“

recorded a

wel comin g crowd Of “ten thousand people,

”at the station . In addition

to the town folk, a multitude of people from miles aroun d poured intothe place by carr iages , buggies , and the old family spring waggons, andBrantford up to that period had never witnessed so vas t an assemb lage .

At one o’clock Hi s Royal Highness, and part y, ar rived under a bean

tiful quintuple ra ilway arch, the cannon boomed , th e assembledmultitudecheered, and school childr en sang the Nationa l Anthem. The fol lowingproces sion was then formed

Henry Racey, Marshal .The Buffalo and Lake Huron Band .

St . Andrew’ s Society .

St. George’s Society .

Chief G . H . M . Johnson , Marshal .

PRINCE'

OF W A LE S CAR

1 A 2,S . Gi l l ; 3, R . Holmes ; 4, W . Rowan ' 5, G . Cl ifford ; 6, F . Lundy ;

7 J . N ickelson ; 8 , G . Couch ; 9 , J . Hase l l ; 10, J . Gibson ; 1 1 , Chas . Penfold ; 12, G .

Lowes, the man who carved the feathers ; 13 Thos . Burn ley . The men wh o bu iltthe car wh ich carr ied the Prince of Wa les throughout Can ada . Th is car was bu i ltby the Buffalo and Lake Huron Ra i lway Co .

,at the ir Brantford Shops

,in 1 859 , for

the Pr ince of Wa les . (afterwards K ing Edward ) t o travel in when he v is ited Canadain 1860. The car was pa inted Royal Blue on the

"

ou ts ide , and f itted inside w ithlounges , cha irs and marble slab tables si lk straw - colored bl inds , w ith spr ing rol lers ,and carpets . The car was forty feet long and had brass hand ra i l ings . It had bunksfor sleeping purposes and was the first

“sleeper ever constructed . George M . Pul lman ,

then engaged in moving and ra is ing smal l frame ra ilway depots in th is sect ionof Canada was an intere sted vis itor of the shops at the t ime . It was in the same

year that he al so evolved h i s first sleep ing car . When the Brantford car was d is

mounted M r . T. Burnley secured the Rova i Coat of Arms and presented them to

Bran t M ason ic Lodge .



BILL or FARESOUPOyster

FISHBoiled Trout, Lobst er Sauce, White Fish , broiled ; Lobster , plain .

RELEVES

Round of Beef, Engl ish style .

Roast Turkey, stuffed with Ital ian Chestnuts .Roas t Ham, Champagne Sauce .

Roas t Beef, Made ira Sauce .

Bo i led Turkey with oysters, Boi led HamBoi led Leg of Mutton , Engl ish style

Bo iled Tongue, ornamented .

COLD ORNAMENTAL D ISHESBo iled Turkey, with Je l ly on Pedestal—Lobster Salad,

Parisian styleBastion of Vea l , ornamented .

S IDE DI SHESSma l l Mutt on chops with ‘fried potatoes—larded sweet -breads

Tomato SauceBlanquettes of Veal w ith Rice—larded spring chickens

Gardeners SauceTimbal of Macaron i, M i lanese Style—Croquet tes of Chicken

with fried Parsley

VEGETABLESBoiled pla in Potatoes— Baked mashed Potatoes—Tur n ips, with cream

baked swee t Potatoes— beet s

GAMERoast Grouse , larded . Roast Red Head Ducks . Roast Partridges

Bro iled Woodcock . Broiled Plover‘ on toast .CENTER BOUQUETS

Macaroon Pyramids . Hand Boquet tes . Nugent Baskets .Kiss Pyramids . Flower Vases

PASTRYCharlotte Russe Champagne Je l lyFrench Cream Cake Swiss MeringuesClaret Jel ly Bavar ian CheeseMacedon ian Jel ly Blanc Mange

CONFECTIONSBoston Cream Cake Macaroon sPunch Cakes Frosted CakesBurnt Almonds Ladies FingersKisses Jel ly Tart s

FRUITPeaches , Pears , Apples , Me lons, Plums , Grapes.

Ice Cream . Coffee .


Certa in ly a gargan tuan feas t and it is not surprising to lea rn from a

chron icler Of th e day, that members of the Prince’ s entourage declared it

to have surpas sed anything of the kind they had seen since H . R. H . first

landed on Canadian so il . It is al so recorded that the Prince charmedeveryone with his de l ightful and in formal manner .

On October 14th, 1901 , the Duke and Duchess Of YorkK ing George (now King George V . and Queen Mary ) paid a visit toand Brantford. The ir st ay was only a short one, and al l ofQueen M ary .

the ceremomes took place at the Grand Trunk depot .However in the brief space designated , the people of the City and Countygave them a right roya l we lcome . Long before th e hour of arrival , thestation property and the surrounding streets were packed w ith many

thousands of people and th e school ch i ldren , each l itt le one waving a

t iny flag, were massed in front of a handsomely decorated platform . Afew minutes before th e time scheduled for the arriva l a whistle was heardin the di stance and everyone was upon tiptoe

,but only an unattached

locomotive whizzed by . It was the p ilot engine used to ensure a clearroute . The first indi cation of an approach of the special was an out burstof applause from th e large number who occupied h ighly elevated position s. A few moments later the ten handsome coaches constituting theRoya l train glided in ,

and the future King and Queen were seen bowing,and smi l ing from the rear platform . Mayor D . B . Wood, was first presented and the Duke and Duchess were escorted by him to the stand,the people cheering aga in and again , and the school chi ldren under th econductorship of Mr . Jordan , singing

“The Maple Leaf Forever . The

party passed from the cars , through files of milit ia, two deep,composed of soldi ers of the Duff erin Rifles under command of CaptainAshton . On the ir left were the B . C . I . cadets under the command of

Capt . Schmidlin and the Mohawk In stitute cadets . As the party reachedthe platform,

the representat ive men of the city, who occupied seats,arose and cheered lust i ly ; then the school children caught their firstgl impse and shril l shouts went up from three thousand j uven ile thr oats .It could ea sily be seen that the Duke and Duchess, a lthough fatigu edafter their long t our, thoroughly apprec iat ed the ovat ion and the

Duchess especial ly smiled sweetly on the youngsters. After the reading of the customary address, Prof. Melvil le Bel l , father of the noted inven tor , presented their Roya l H ighnesses w ith a s i lver telephone , suitablyinscribed, as a souven ir from th e city, and Misses Pe l l ing and . Conboy,

the most succe ssful pup i ls of the year in the Public and Separate schools,handed the Duchess a bouquet of beautiful wh ite roses

,t ied with purple

ribbon . Rev . Mr . Ashton,of the Mohawk Institute, presented the Queen


Anne Bible for signature and Superintendent Cameron, and Six Nat ionsCh iefs were in troduced t ogether with the Aldermen and severa l cit izens .

After the chi l dren h ad led in the singing Of the Nat iona l Anthem , the

Royal visitors once more entra ined and departed amid more cheers . The

Duke ’s affa‘

bil ity and courtesy impressed everyone, while the sweet woman'

l iness Of the Duchess won her a permanent p lace in the hearts of Brant

fordites .

On Monday, October 20th , 1919 , Prince Edward, grand

son of the first Kingly visitor, devoted ha lf a day to

Bran tford and captured al l hearts , as indeed he had done

thr oughout his Canadian tour . Almost boyi sh in appearance, he never

the less comported himse lf with infinite tact, and h is cordial ity was as un

affected as it proved pronounced . The date happened to be that of an

Ontario e lection contest and some feared that in the heat of the pol itical

fight the people would not find time to give the heir apparent an

adequate reception . The outcome did not in the smal lest degree warrant

any such apprehension . The e lectors cast their bal lots in the morn ing

and then devoted th e rest of the day to the acclaim of the ir d ist inguished

visitor . The City was in gala att ire and the weather constituted -a glorious autumna l day . The pilot engine , a lways a safeguard for Royalty,foretold the prompt arrival of the specia l tra in at and as it steamed

slowly in , cheers were ra ised by the crowd, and the Great War Vete rans

Band struck up the Nat ional An them . As the Prince emerged from the

rear Of his coach, those present saw a wel l -groomed young man of di s

t ingu i shed appearance , his face il lum ined with a smile Of welcome, andhis fair hair making him seem even more j uveni le than h i s years . The

reception comm ittee cons i sted of Mayor M acBride , Senator J . H . Fisher,W. F . Cockshutt, M . P.

,Judge Hardy, Maj or Gordon J . Smi th , Warden

M cCann ,City Clerk Leonard, U. 0 . Kendrick, John Harol d, M . P. Alder

men J . Hill , W . H. Bal lantyne, J . J . Ke l ly, J . T. Burrows , J . W. English ,T. Ryerson ,

F . C . Harp , W. N. Andr ews, W. H . Freeborn , W. J . Bragg, J .

Allan,J . H . Clement , H . Simpson , T . Bremner and H . J . Symons . To

them, and al l others during the day , the Prince extended his left handwhen in troduced as the right had been placed out of comm ission duringthe infin ity O-f clasps to which it had prev iously been subjected . He firs tOf al l inspected the guard furn ished by the G. W. V . A . and a lso rev iewedother veterans .

Quite a number Of introductions took place and autoswere then taken for the

“Armouries along streets l inedwith thousands of citizens and visitors . Th e Dril l Ha l l

had been very handsome ly decorated fer the occas ion and pret ty flowers ,



Navy veterans, Shaking each by the hand and making many friendly com

ments . By invitat ion of the Loca l Council of Women , the Presidents of

each Of the affi l iated societ ies had assembled on the memorial steps, and

they represented organizations which had done noble work throughout the

war period . M rs . W. Churchil l Livingston presented to the Roya l visitor

a handsome photo gift book planned by Miss Ethel Raymond, and Miss

Gilkison handed h im a col lection of histor ical notes . The road to

Mohawk church was marked by waiting throngs, including a largegroup of schoo l children and each side of the entrance way to that his

toric edifice was l in ed by Indian cadets and Indian girl s of the Mohawk

Institute . In the Queen Anne bible the Royal visitor placed his signature “Edwar d P .

”and was much interes ted in the l is t Of other Royal

names including th ose of hi s grandfather and father . Th e silver com

mun ion service , a l so the gift of Queen Anne ; Brant’ s Tomb, and the

ten commandments written in the Indian language , were object s whichparticular ly aroused the attention of England’ s future King. The Indianchildren sang a hymn in the ir own language and the Pr ince planted a

fir tree near the resting place Of the great Indian Chief.

On the return to the City a lengthy stop was made at

Victoria Park which conta ined the densest mass of hu

man ity of the day . Here the Six Nations Indians were

the hos ts . A platform had been erected under the very shadow of the

monument to the grea t “Thayendanegea, and s ix Indi an girls represent

ing the Nat ions, stood on each side of the entrance way ; attired in whitethey had sashes of maple , oak and pine , emblems of Canada , England,and their own people , while each car ried baskets of r

’

oses decorated withstreamers of Autumn leaves . The Chi efs, in ful l array, remained stand ing

un ti l th e Prince had taken h i s place under a canopy Of royal purple .

Then the red men proceeded to hold a Council , Major Gordon Smith ,Superin tendent, ha ving first in troduced the guest of the day in appro

pr iate terms . The order of business was the discussion of the Indianname to be be stowed upon the Prince in. hi s creat ion as a Chief and he

was fina l ly asked to select from three t itles . The one chosen Was Da

yon-hem- se -ia, (Dawn Of Day ) and when that was conferred h e signed

the council rol l , the on ly white man who had previously done so withthe exception of hi s un cle , the Duke of Conn aught. Secretary A sa Hillread an address , and then the Prince , his hand in that of David John , was

marched up and down the platfo rm ,while the old chief uttered invoca

tions t o the Great Spir it on behal f of the young man newly honored .

Chief “Dawn of Day,”next drew a silk Union Jack from the face Of a

bronze tablet contai n ing the names Of the Six Nations so ldi ers who



and on the auspicious day a constan t stream of vis itors pour ed in to the

city by every train and hi g hway . On the morn ing of Wednesday Sept .

16th , 1 879 , the Vice -Rega l train steamed in to th e Great Western station

am id tumultuous cheers . The distingu ished visitors were welcomed byMayor Henry, Warden Whiting, membe rs of the Cit y and County Counci l-s and leading c it izens . There was a gua rd of horror from the Duffer inRifles under comman d of Capt. Bal lachey and Lieu ts . Burn ley an d

Wilkes ; the Burford Cava lry also added much to the military aspect,

under command of Capt . Marsha l l and Lieuts . Lloyd -J ones and We ir . Acarpeted passage way, passing under a beautiful arch , led to the carriages

in wa iting and‘

the fol lowing procession was formed .

Firemen, with Chief M cCann as Marsha l assisted byCapt . Bat son , Hose Coy . and Capt . Ha l l

Hook and Ladder Co .

Band of 38th Battal ionMayor and Clerk, Warden and ClerkSuite of the Vice Royal Party

Senator Chr is tie and County Members,

Sheriff, Judge, Crown Attorney and Registrar ,Ex-Mayors

Members of the PressCol legiate In sti tute BoardPubl ic Schoo l Board

Members of the Reception Commit tee .

Cheering citizens l ined the route and at one po int a number of love lybouquets were showered upon the Vice Regal carriage . The march

ended at a pavil ion erected on Victoria Square, where schoo l childr en

were mas sed tier upon t ier and rendered songs under the leadership of

Mr . Sims , M iss Nolan , and Mr . Kim pton . The“welcome song” special ly

written for the occasion was a notable feature and 00pies prin ted on

sat in , in blue and gold, were presented to the ir Exce l lencies by two l ittlegirls , Ella Kerr and Reba Hoss ie . A joint a ddress from City and Countywas read by Mayor Henry and the Marqui s made suitable acknow ledg

ment . Alon-

g ga il y decorated streets the way was then taken to the

Young Ladies Col lege where Pres ident Rober tson and Pr in cipa l M cIntyre

headed a reception committ ee . Misses Mackenzie, Li l l ie Cockshutt, Bownand M cM i l len presen ted souvenirs incl uding bouquets . There was a lsoan address .

The newly erected Lorne Bridge was next v isited,and the

Dedi cat ing Marquis crossed, and recrossed the structure , before heLorne stowing the name . In doing so, he made a brief butBri dge .

exceedi ngly apt speech as fol lows


GentlemenI thank you most heart ily for the honor you have done me in

naming thi s noble and beautiful structure after me. When a pe rsonhas a good in tention towards another , he genera l ly hopes that his burdens may become l ighter as years advance ; but at th e present time Ihave a different wi sh to express regard ing this bridge , and t rust thatits burdens may become heavi er, and increase from the const ant growth intraffic to your youn g and rising city . Again ,

I thank you gentlemen ,

for the honor done me.

”

Colborne Street was a blaze of color , and at the depot there was

a handsome arch surmounted by a mode l engine . At the corner of

Darl ing and George Street s a nea t stand was occupied by the Mohawkpup i ls and Registrar Shenstone had also a sight-seeing platform erectedin front of the Registry Office . An other feature which pleased the

visitors was the circumstance that as they passed Thos . M cLean’

s storeCapt . Ingl is and a piper, both in ful l highland costume, occupied a promincut place, the p iper givin g the Marqu is a st ir ring rendition of hisnative music . Mes srs , N . B . Peatman , E . L. Goold, A . K . Bunnel l andC . Bunnel l were the marsha ls . Both the Marquis and the Princess wongolden opini ons by their urbane manner and interested apprecia tion of

the events of the day .

On Saturday, Februar y 15th , 1913, H.RH. , the Dukeof Connaught paid his second visit to Bnant ford . Overforty -years had elapsed since , as a young man , he had

made h is former ca l l under the title of“Prince Arth ur” ; now as

Governor Genera l , he foun d that during the interven ing period th e smal ltown had become a thr iving city. A large crowd had as sembled at the

Grand Trunk depot when at the Roya l train arrived . Th e dist inguished visitor was greeted on behalf of the city by Mayor Hartman ,

and in the stat ion rotunda an address was read by City Clerk Leonard .

In it appreciative reference was made to th e fact that he was doublywelcome, not only as officia l head of the Domin ion , but also as the son of“Queen Victoria, the beloved .

”His Roya l Highnes s made a suitable

reply. After the introduction of members of the City Council and othercitizens, His Excel lency inspected boy scouts under command of Scoutmaster M cFar lane, and inves ted Scout Lloyd Colquhoun wi th the muchprized Wol f medal; An invitation from the Six Nat ions Indians to paythem a visit, was the cause of the al ightin g at Brantford

, and af ter t the

br ief local ceremon ies were over , the Duke was, at once driven to the

Reserve . On a rr ival at Ohsweken , five Indi ans in war costume , carrying

tomahawks, and mounted on grey char ger s, saluted the duca l party . The

Six Nation-s Band played the National anthem while the Mohawk cadets

A ft er FortyYears.

204 H ISTORY or BRANT“

COUNTY

salut ed . Cheers and war whoops fol lowed . The Council house was

found to be crowded, and many hundreds could no t gain admission . Ch iefA . G . Sm ith read and interpret ed the first and principa l address , and

then a pproached His Roya l Highness with the request from the Chiefs,that he would sit with them in Coun cil . . The distinguished guest , in h is

t ruly democratic way , at once complied and , leaving th e da is , sat with

his brother chiefs , while they de l iberated over certain matters .During the course of h is speech the Duke said :“I am indeed happy, as one of the sen ior Chiefs of the Six Nations

Indian s to sit once more in our Council chamber, where I sat with yourfathers fort y- three yea rs ago ,

and I join in your thanks to the GreatSpirit tha t I am spared to visit you agai n after so many years . I am

happy to know that there are stil l among you some who remembered myformer v

i

sit .

”

Other interes t ing ceremon ies fol lowed , and then His Roya l Highnes she ld 1a reception, shaking hands with a large number . A notable lun

cheon was served at the home of Dr . Davis , Medical Superin tendent and

a depart ure afterwards made for the city, with a ca l l en route at Mohawk

Church an d Mohawk Insti tute .

When th e Roya l train pulled out of the T . H . 81 B . depo t at for

Toronto, there was another big and hear t y demonstration .

Th e Duke of Connaught paid his th ird visit to BrantTh e Pn ncess ford and his fi rst officia l visit as Governor General , on

Saturday, May 9 th , 19 14, and this time he was aecom

panied by his daughter, the Princess Pat r icia . So great was the density

of the crowd at the depot tha t pol ice and soldiers had great d ifficulty in

keeping the way clear . The Dufferin Rifles supplied a guard of honorunder command of Capt . Colquh oun ,

the B . C . I . cadets were also on hand

officered by Capt . Cliff Slemin and'

Lieu-ts . Buckborough and Swee t,while Bran tford and Paris Patrols of Boy Scouts , under command of

Commissioner M acfarl -an, also made a good showing. Amid the soundsof band musi c and hearty cheering, the Duke and his daughter al ightedfrom the ir car and were greeted by Mayor Spence . Introductions fol lowed and the inspect ion of th e guard of honor succeeded, His Excel lencyspeaking indivi dual ly to the many men of the Duf ferin Ri fles whom he

noticed to be wearing medals . He also man ifested keen interes t in the

Boy Scouts, frequently stopp ing to pat some l ittle fel low on the head,

or to speak a word of encouragement, or praise , to th e o lder boys . In

the gene ra l waiti ng room an addres s of we l come was read from the

Mun icipa l ity to wh ich the Duke , on behal f of himse lf and daughter,made a hearty reply . During the course of h is remarks, he sa id in



honor . It was a most elab orate affa ir . Officers in the British garrison ,then at London , rode down for the festivities and other distinguishedguests were present from Toronto, London and surroun ding country.Tents were erected on th e lawn and in the orchard, as aux il iary aecom

modat ion ,and the fun ction was pro longed into a large house party of

some days, with picn ics, drives and rides , and evening dances . Lord

Elgin ,was so pleased with h is reception that he asked permission to

name the house , and thereupon bestowed the tit le“Brucef ie ld,

”after his

own family name of Bruce, a t itle which it bears to th is day. The lateChief Justice Armour on one of h is last visits to Brantford

,recalled this

bal l , which he attended as a young man, trave l l ing from Cobourg a

great part of the way on horseback . It was there that he met Miss

Clench , who afterwards became his wife . Mr . and Mrs. Cook had threechildren , Alexander Hardy Cook, who became one of th e prominent

physician s of Chicago, Charles Cook, who married Miss Biggar of MountPleasan t and practised medicine in Toronto ; the ir only daughter mar ried

Sir John Beverley Robinson , and Abraham, a successful High School

teacher .

Sir Edward Head, came here on October 19th , 1855

when M . W. Pruyn was Mayor . A local chronicler of

the t ime wrote ,“the horizon was of a haze l hue, in beau

tiful contrast with the russet, yel low leaves of a utumn .

” Flags werefloated from buildings , and streamers of various colors were suspended

across Colborne Street, together with triumpha l arches . A proces sionwas formed from the square—mow cal led Victoria Park—and proceededto the Buffalo, Brant ford and Goderich Railway depot in order to greetHis Exce l lency . A s the train arr ived, severa l vol leys were fired from

cannon , and another procession t ook place headed by severa l car riages ,one of which conta ined the Governor General , Lady Head, the Mayor

and Sheriff Smi th . The members of the Corporat ion,different com

pan ies of firemen and the school children and many citizens fol lowed

on foot , flags waving and mus ic playing. The fina l p lace of assemblagewas on the Square in front of the Court House, where t hree addresseswere presen ted . That from the Corporation was read by Mayor Matthewsand con tained the prophetic utterance

With the prospect of soon seeing our railway and Grand RiverNavigat ion thoroughly completed, we think we can perce ive at no d is

tant day our youthful and progressing town take its proper positionamong the cities of Canada .

' M r . Allen Good, Warden ,read the second addres s from the County

and'

M r . James Woodyatt the third, from the Mechan ics Inst itute .


His Excel lency made a fel ic itous' reply and an adjournment took

place to the Town Ha l l where an excel lent lunch was served, and

speeches de l ivered . Lady Head was enterta ined at Dr . Digby’s ‘

and the

en tra inment took place at 4 o’clock in the afternoon .

On Oct ober l st . 1857, His Excel lency S ir Wil l iam Eyre,Provmci al

arrived in the town to at tend the Provin cia l Exhibition ,

a four day event to which the Town of Brantford con

tributed and the County There were al so other con

tr ibu tions and the pr ize l ist t otal led or more than on

any preceding occas ion . A report of the day says“The ground chosen was an elevated piece of dry, sandy land, im

mediate ly in rear of the Bran tford station of the Buffa lo and BrantfordRa ilway, overlooking the town , and commanding an extens ive and pleasant view of the surrounding coun try .

”

Th e above refers to Terrace Hi l l , now a thickly populated dis trict,but then to al l inten ts and purposes uninhabited . The grounds werecarefully laid out to the extent of twenty acres , and nearly Opposite theentry gate stood a large bui l ding in the shape of a Greek cross , one

hundred and fifty feet long and forty fee t wide, wi th an octagon towerrising in the cen tre . This hal l was devoted to floriculture, horticul tur e ,educational work, ladi es

’ work and fine a rts. A sim i lar structure sit

uated further back, contained agr icultur a l , da iry and othe r products ,while there were pens for cattle , sheep an d hogs, and large spaces forthe exh ibition of horses and refreshmen t booths . Altogether it was a

most amb itious undertaking, on the part of both the Town and the

County , and poor weather during the en tire period scarcely served to

lessen the expected receipts, as the event-

att ract ed people from far and

near . The vis itors compr ised many notable men, includi ng the Cover

nor of the Stat e of New York and Wi ll iam Lyon Mackenzie . S ir Will iam Eyr e came by special train and was rece ived at the rai lway stat ionby Mayor Botham ,

the Town Council lors and leadi ng c itizens . He was

taken to the Town Hal l where addresses were presented from the Mun i

cipa l ity ,the Mechanics ’ Inst itute and the di rectors of the Provincia l

Agricultural Associat ion . After making a reply, His Excel lency was

su itably entertained, and visited t h e Exhibition . Entr ies of al l kindsreached a tota l of or 600 in excess of the previ ous best occasionand cash taken total led a lso

“

a record up to tha t date .

The Earl and Coun tess of Duf ferinpa id a longer vis itSojourn Of to Brantford than any other Vice rega l representatives .

t

sgf fer ins .

They spent two days here , arriving at two o’clock by

Spec ial train at the Great Western Station,Colborne St . ,


on August 24lb , 1874, and were met by a reception committ ee . A pro

cess ion was at once formed , headed by the Grand Trunk band, with theBurford Cavalry and Grand Trunk Brigade , forming a guard of honor .

Their Excel lencies occupied Mayor Matthews’ carriage and were fol lowed

by members Of the Corporation and Coun ty Official s . Next succeeded

the Fire Brigade in ful l uniform , with the Hook and Ladder cart gor

geously decorated . An immense number of vehicles fol lowed of ev ery

style, for the Coun ty people commenced flocking into the town f rom an

early hour in the morning . The decorations were exceedingly'notable,especial ly on Colborne Street and there wa s a corporat ion arch at the

in tersection of George and Colborne Streets . At the foot Of Dumfries

St . , (Brant Ave . ) the St . George Society had another fine arch, supported

upon two gran ite pil lars and surmoun ted by their beautiful banner .

Beneath said banner was the word “John” in Capital let ters and a pair of

bull ’s horns near by . This conundrum freely interpreted meant “John

Bul l .” On reaching Victoria Square the proces sion halted and th e

Mayor read an address to which Lord Dufferin made a characteristic re

sponse . After numerous introduct ions the procession re-formed and

went to the Centra l Schoo l where the children Of the town, ranged on

raised platf orms on either side of the ent rance, sang in chorus,“God

Save the Queen ,

”and the

“Red , Wh ite and Blue .

” As the ir Exce llencies

arr ived bouquet s of every shape , size and color were th rown . Miss

Gillen , on behalf of the children, read an address and an adjournment

was made to the Kerby for luncheon .

At three O ’clock Earl Dufferin proceeded to the Cock

shutt flats , which had been chosen for the turn ing of

the first sod on the Brantford, Norfolk and Port Bur

we l l rai lway . At th is fun ct ion M r . G. H . Wilkes read an

address. Th e next funct ion was the laying of the inscr iption stone Of theLadies ’ Col lege on Brant Av e, by Lady Duf ferin , Mr . Roberston ,

Presi

dent , reading an address to her ladyship and Lord Dufferin making thereply . The day ended with a visit t o the Institution f or the Bl ind . OnTuesday morn ing the Vice rega l parrty, accompanied by a large numberOf citizens

,journeyed to the Six Nat ions Reserve . A stop was made

at Mohawk church,where Rev . Abraham Nel les read an address and on

the Reserve, where arches had been erected, and great prepar at ion s madefor the notable day, three more addresses were presented

,from th e

Chiefs, the Agr icu ltura l Society an d the Chi ppewas . Formal it ies con

cluded, there was an Indian sham fight and war dance outs ide the CouncilHouse . Aft er a luncheon at Styres Hal l , th e party cros sed over tO‘

Bow

Park where they rema ined the rest of the day as the guests of Hon . George



Addresses, of course , were read and then we shook hands with numbersof people ; among others with a woman who came from Clandeboye(Dufferin Estate ) a year ago and who seemed a lmost mad with excitemen t at see ing us . She asked to kis s “

D’

s” hand but he sa id ; I could

no t al low a lady to kiss my hand,” “Then may 1 kiss your D .

got out of this embarras sing posit ion by saying “Lady Duffer in does not

a l low that .

On August 10th , 1885, Lord Lansdowne arrived here

on a visit to Bow Park Farm ,driving from Wood

stock v ia Burford . On arriva l there he was met by Mr .

J . Y. Read of the farm ,Mayor Scarfe , Ex-Mayor Henry ,

H . M cK .W il son and J . S . Hami l ton . Af ter a boun teous luncheon , His

Exce l lency spent the remainder of the afternoon in an ins pect i on of the

stock and he left here by spec ia l Grand Trunk car at 5. 20 p.m . A

number of citizens as sembled at the depot and he was int roduced to

many .

Lo rd Stan ley of Preston paid qu ite a lengthy visit to the City in 1893.

He arrived at the Grand Trun k stat ion at 7 o’clock on the evening of

January 13th , and was met by a reception commi ttee , composed of the

Mayor, (Dr . Secord , ) the Honorable Arthur S . Hardy, W . Paterson , M .P. ,

Ald . Bunnel l , Ald . C . H . Wat erous , Ald . Ell iott and Ald . Raymond . HisExce l lency was escorted to the Cen tral School , where Mr . Graham

’s

division had been convert ed into a reception room w ith banks of flowers ,handsome portieres and mel low toned lamps . -He was met at the fron t

ent rance by Cha irman Swee t, Prin cipa l Wilkinson and o ther members of

the School Board an d conducted to the scene of the genera l gatherin gwhere the Mayor extended a formal greet ing . Lord Stan ley made an

eloquent response and then for two hour s he met and conversed with

hundreds of cit izens , who had come to pay respect to the representat ive

of the Queen . Later he made a tour of the building.

On Saturday morn ing the various manufactur ing industr ies were inspected and a recherche lunch served at noon in the Kerby Hous e. The

afternoon was devoted to visiting the Hospita l , School for th e Blind,Young Ladi es Col lege and historical places .

On Thursday Sept . 24t h , 1896, Lord and Lady Aberdeen arrived inthe c ity in thei r special car “Victoria” attached to the tra in fromSt ratford . The ir Exce llencies were met by act ing Mayor Duncan ,

Mrs .A . S . Hardy

,Judge Jones, Sheriff Watt and City Aldermen and intro

duced to severa l citizens . The distinguished visitors were then driven to

Agricultural Park, where the Southern Fair was in progress . The

Mohawk’ cadets acted as a guard of honor and escorted the party,amid cheers, to an e levated pla tform, on which a number of the repre

BRANTFORD cm H ISTORY 21 1

sentat ive men and women of the City and Coun ty were seated . As Lord

and Lady Aberdeen ascended the steps, hundreds of schoo l children , underdirection of Mr . Hoye , sang the Nat iona l Anthem. Ald . Duncan , on

behalf of Mayor T. Ell iott, unavoidably absent in Toronto, read the

civic address and President Foulds another on behal f of the Fa ir Board .

A thir d address was read to Lady Aberdeen by Mrs . Brophey, Pres ident

of the W. C . T. U. , not a lone on beha lf of that ins titution , but al so

for the Women ’s Auxil iary of the Y. M . C . A . , an d the Young Women s’

Chr ist ian As sociation . Appropriate reference was made to the we l lknown effo rts -of Her Excel lency to exal t woman and woman ’s work in

every sphere of l ife.

” Lord Aberdeen made a suitable reply, and the vice

rega l visitors were then taken thr ough the exh ibit ion . The ladi es board,

(Mr s . J . Cummings Ne l les , President, and M rs . F . Cockshutt , and Mrs . H .

McK. Wilson, Vice President s ) , entertained Her Ladyship to a tasty

dejeuner in a special tent, and she later gave an address on the “Nat ional

Council of Women . Lord Aberdeen was lunched at the Kerby House ,Hon . A. S . Hardy, taking a leading part. The afternoon was spent insight see ing and the Gover nor General and Lady Aberdeen were given a

not able send off upon their departu re .

On M ay 14th , 1903, the Earl of Minto, Lady Minto and their daughter

Lady Eileen were guests of the City . Wh en the specia l train glided intothe depot at there were loud cheers and as His Excellency, wife and

daughter, stepped on the platform the memb ers of the Dufferin Ri fles

gua rd of honor, under command of Captain Howard, gave th e roya lsalute and the Dufferin Ri f les band played the National An them . Th e

di stinguished visitors were rece ived by Mayor Hal loran and Judge and

Mrs . Hardy, and a procession took place to th e Cen tra l School , moun teddragoons riding on

'

each side of the leading vehicles . At the School B .

C . I . Cadets acted as guar ds of honor, and the school chi ldren led inthe singing of

“God Save Th e King.

” Cit y Clerk Leonard read the

civi c address an d Lord M into made an affable reply and a tour of the

city then took place . Lady Minto and Lady Eileen were guests at the

Y. W. C . A . , where an other reception occurred . The visitors left here at

Lord Grey visited the city on M ay 25th ,1905. His trip was quite in

formal , and at a specia l mee ting of the City Council , ca l led hurriedly

in the morn ing, Mayor Waterous explained that it was on ly late in th e

previ ous afternoon that he received word that the Governo r Genera lwould be here . Under th e circumstan ces an impromptu program was

dec ided upon , and any idea of presenting an address was el iminated . The

representative of H is Majesty arrived on a specia l T. H . B . tra in at


when a rapid v is it was mad e to poin ts of interes t, and luncheon

se rved at the Kerby House . In the afternoon he at tended a succes sfulhorse show at Agricultural Park, and thi s was in rea l it y the ma in Object

he had in View .

The Duke Of Devonshi re visited the city on October 24th . 19 17, for

the purpose of unve il ing the Be l l Memorial . Rai n shortened the pro

gram at the stat ion where His Exce l lency was met by Mayor Bowlby,Dr . Alexander Graham Bel l , Aldermen and representa tive citizens . A

Company Of the 38th Rifles and returned sol diers formed a guar d of

honor and the usual civic address was presented . After the memorial

ceremoni es , which are descr ibed el sewhere, there was a civic lun cheon at

the Kerby House , an d po ints Of intere st were v is i ied . The Duke also

Opened the new soldie rs ’ home .



of December in that year they purchased the Brant ford Grand River Levelfrom Mr . Alfred Wat ts for A large amount of money wasspent on a new dam, repai rs to the Cana l banks and the instal lation of

an other l ight a lternat ing dynamo, and about the year 1894, a directcurrent generator was insta l led, for furni shing direct cur rent powerfor moti ve power purpose s to the ir customers. Th is represented the

in itial development here Of e lectrical energy for power purposes on a

commercia l basis .

During the four year s of the existence of th e Brantford

Electr ic and Power Company a series of disastrous ac

cidents to the Canal level occasioned by the unusual ly

heavy floods on the Grand River , coupled wit h the neces sity for con

stan t ly increas ing expenditure to keep pace with the business , resulted

in the Company going into l iquidation and in February 1896 the asse ts

Of the Company passed into the hands Of t he Bran tford Electric Operat

ing Compan y Limited, whose directorate was composed of Mr . Geo. H .

Wilkes, Presiden t, Mr . A . J . Wilkes, secretary Treasurer, and the late Dr.H . B . Y‘a tes , Mr . B . W. Yates an d Mr . H . R . Yates . This Company wasin existence for nearly ten years during which period it constantly stroveto give the cit izens of Bran tford the benefit Of the lates t developments in

the industry . Shortly after it commenced business the l ighting capacitywas increased from lights to l ights capacity , and early in

the year 1897 the Company commenced de l ivering a lterna t ing currentpower for motive power purposes . The character Of the service was twophase , five hun dred and fifty vol ts , one hundred and thirty - three cyclesIn 1897 the capa city Of the Wa ter Power Stat ion was doubled, but with

the ever in crea sing demand for l ight and power , in 1899 it was foundnecessary t o instal l another Wate r Wh ee l , bringing the capacity up to

H . P . Improvements t o the plant wer e cons tantly be ing made and

in 1905, the Company decidin g to bring the system up- to-date

,scrapped

its entire e lectrica l equipment and insta l led a modern three phase , sixt y

cycle system,whi ch i s the standard to -d'

ay throughout the United Statesand Canada . In order to in sure cont inui ty Of service an 800 H . P . Steam

Plant was ins tal led.

Then history began t o repeat itse l f, the Company com

menced to fin d great difficulty in f inan c ing the ev er

increasing demands for extension s and in October 1905 it

so l d out to the late Mr. John Knox, Hamilton , an enterprising business man and who as a director Of the Hami lt on Cataract

Power Company of Hamilton , and Pres ident Of . , the Lincoln Electric LightPower Company Of St . Catha rines, had considerable experience in the


electric l ight and power busines s . Mr . Knox appreciated the possib il i

t ies of Brant ford as an indus t ria l centre and consequent ly as a largeconsumer of power, and inasmuch as the Brant ford 81 Ham i l ton Elec tric

Rai lway was at that time proj ected , be secured an option on a large blockof power and by util izing the railway transmission l ine the

‘

scheme

of transmitt ing power to Brantford from the Cataract Power Company ’sPlant at DeCew Fal ls became commercial ly practicable . In March 1 906

the City of Brantford gave a franchi se to the Wes t ern Coun ties ElectricCompany wi th John Knox as President, - secur ing to the citi zens of Brant

ford the low rates for both power and l ight which have played a veryprominent part in the rapid strides in growth, and comm ercial importance which the city has made in the l ast ten or twelve years . On the

14th . of March, 1908, power was turned on to the homes , stores andfactories of Brantford from DeCew Falls, 3 distance of fifty- two miles .

The Hydro Electric scheme affords a striking il lustrat ion of the growt h of public sentiment in Brantford ,with regard to Municipal ownership . It was as far back

as 1906 that the plans of the Provincial Hydro System

were first presented to a Brantford audience in Victoria Hall , but at thattime the great Hydro System which tod ay embraces every important pointin Western Ontario, was in i ts infancy, so that whi le the speakers on

that occasi on wer e accorded a sympathetic hearing, the by- la'

w whichwas shortly afterwards submitted to the people was defeated . Subse

quently,the Western Coun ties Electric Company was granted a 10 year

franchise . However,during the next few year s the cit izens of Brantford

had the Opportuni ty of studying the operat ions of the Hydro’

Electr icSystem in other cit ies . In October 1912, the City Council j udged thatthe growth of sentiment favourable to Hydro warrant ed another appeal tothe citizens of Brantford and on th is occasion the by- law to provide theinstal lation of a M imicipal System was carried by a very large maj ority.

In March, 19 13, the operat ions were commenced under the supervisionof Engineer L . G. Irel and, and in December of that year Brant ford

’

s GreatWhite Way made its initia l appear-ance. The first Brantford HydroElectri c Commi ssion was formed consis ting of “ th ree members, Mr .

Andrew M cFarl and , Mr . George Wedlake and Mayor John H . Spence .and arrangements for securing customers for the new municipal depart

ment were soon completed . City Clerk, Mr . Leonard, signed t he firstapplicat ion for l ighting 'servi ce, but the res idences of Mayor John H .

Spen ce and Mr. T. G. Boles , druggist , on Park Avenue, were the firstto be actual ly connec ted in February 1914 . Ryerson Bros . , wholesalers,were the first applicants for power . The first year’s business exceeded


al l expectations of the Commission and indeed since its incept ion the

local system has shown a wonderful development as the fol lowing figures wil l demonstrate.

Including lan ds and buildings, sub station equipment,

giant and distribution system overhead

,l ine transformers

,met ers,

g street lighting equipment, ornamental stree t l igh ting andmi sce l laneous equipment the value of the plant has been as fol lows

THE RECORD OF EARNINGS ETC .

19 14 1915 1916 19 17 1918

Earnings

Surplus

Power

Purchased

DomesticCustomersCommercial

Customers

Power

Customers 1 1 18 26 37 39

The basic principle underlying Hydro operations is ser

vice to the people at cos t.A large increase in general business means a re- sale

of power and consequently prof its z' therefore

,when a municipal ity shows

a large increase in genera l business and a corres ponding surplus the

Ontario Hydro Commission orders a s uitable reduction of rates so that

the principle of serv ice at cost may be maint ained .

During six years of Operation the Brantford Domestic consumers have

received three reductions of rates . The Commercial consumers three,and the Power consumers two . At the present time the l ighting bil ls of

the cit izens of Brantford are as low as any point on the Provi ncial System , or indeed for that mat -ter, anywhere on the continent .Pr ior to 19 16, cooking by electricity was a luxury onl y within the

reach of the more affluent cit izens and at that time there were probablynot more than a score of electric stoves in Brantford, but the l ocal

Serv ice atCost .



The cost of construction was and the passengers carr ied in19 19 totaled thousands . The road, like the Western Counties, is undercontrol of the Domin ion Power and Tran smission Company .

For many years Brantford ites were desirous of an elec

tric l ine th rough the Waterford and Simcoe district to Port

Dover, not al one because more direct connection was

desirable with tha t r ich region , but also because the Port proves thenatural l ake resort for citizens , many of whom have summ er res idencesthere. The late M r . Thomas Ell iott once succeeded in securing a cha r

ter, but fail ed to get enough fin ancia l men interested . In 191 1 , Mr . W.

P .,Kellett , an engineer of much experience

,who was then a compara

t ively new comer to the city, commenced to figure matters in a practical

way, and wi th the cc -operation of Mr . John Muir the foll owin g, in ad

di t ion to th e two gentlemen.

named ; became interested enough to advance

prel iminary expenses—H. Cockshutt, Lloyd Harris , W. D . Schultz, W. S .

Brewster, R . Ryerson , J . Spence, F . D. Revil le, E . Henwood,W . D .

Schultz, J . A . Sanderson, B . Forsayeth , Senator Mccal l , (Simcoe, ) A . C .

Pratt , then M . P . P. , for Norfolk, R . Thompson, (Paris, ) and Mr . Ansley,Port Dover . Mr . Muir was made Pres ident .On May 19 th 19 1 1 , incorporation was secured at Ottawa, the charter ,

bearing the fol lowing names—J . Muir , R . Ryerson , W. S . Brewster, W . P .

Kellett , W . D . Schultz,J . A . Sanderson .

The or iginal proj ect was to cons truct to Port Dover only, but eventual ly the larger scheme was evolved of extending to the north as faras Galt, in order to obtain -C. P . R . connect ion there. After the prep

ara tion of plans , succe ssful meetings were held in the various Municipal ities interes ted in order to get them to guarantee bonds . The by - laws

carried in each instance, but as a ma tter of fact not one cent was ever

cal led for . The next move was the visit of a deputation to Ottawa,in Or

der to secure a Dominion subsidy of a mile,which was obtained

with out any chal lenge in the House . Senator Fisher was a great help at

the Capita l and Mr . W. F . Cockshutt, M . P. , was'

one of the leading

speakers when the Brantf ord delegation waited on Hon . Frank Cochrane,

then Minister of Railways .Finally work was comm enced on the road in 1913, withMr . Kel lett as Chief Engineer and General Manager

,and

no expense was spared, either in th e select ion of a routeor construction . Between here and Galt . the l ine fol lows

the river very cl osely,and the scenery is of . the most p icturesqu e nature .

There were times during the building when the resources of those whoremained to back the enterprise ( some had dropped out ) were very

Lake E rie

BRANTFORD cm msroar 219 .

heavily strained, but the proj ect final ly reached succes sful complet ionand then passed into the hands of the C . P . R. Th e l ine is 51V2 miles

in length and, with i ts'

splendid ly equipped cars and electr ic engines ,represents an outlay of some Another hope of the projectors was that with the dredging of Port Dover Harbor , a ferry system to

Conneaut would become establ ished,enabling a cheaper transport of coal

to the section served by the L . E . N . However beyond some slight Gov

ernment recogn ition, nothing of a tangible natur e has yet resulted .

Later the Brantford and Hamilton,and Lake Erie 81 Northern Com

panics erected a handsome combined depot , adj acent to the easterly ap

proach of Lorne Bridge .

The Grand River, before the forests had been clearedTh e Story and land drained, was a noble stream of wide d im en

Of th e sions, the whole year round. Mr . Charl es Durand many

years ago recal led the fact that when he first knew thestream about 1818,

“the beautiful river meandered in lovely maj esty

along its wooded slopes, flowing in maj estic beauty and silence , underthe bend ing trees .

” The only black mark against it in those days wasthat it overflowed its banks at certain seasons to such an extent as to cam

for this region the soubriquet of the “Grand River Swamp ,” and in later

years“

when West Brantford and “the flats” becam e inhabited, similaroverflows , principal ly in the spring, led to much damage and inconven ience . Before the construction of adequate dykes, it was

'

no uncom

mon experience, at certain periods of the year , for residents in the

regions named to'

be rescued from their homes in boats , and for thestreets to have water pouring down them with almost the velocity of ami l l race . Many present citizens can remember such scenes .

However th e balance in favor of the Grand is most

gig emphatical ly on the right side of the ledger . In thepioneer days of thi s place, Paris and County

,it fur

n ished the motive power for flour and feed mil l s and in 1840 afforded

great impetus to Brantford in connection with the Grand River Navi

'

gat ion Compan y . In addi t ion , it has for many years proved the basicsource of t he water supply of this Municipal ity, besides , below the cityserv ing as a drainage carrier , while in the Holmedale its water s arestil l harnessed to quite an extent for indus trial power, and the winterice crop is no mean item . Added to these thi ngs , there is t he furtherfact that its offspring

, the Canal , furnished power for many years tomore than one milling concern and factory ; at the locks turned themachinery which gave Brantford its first e lectric l ighting system ; inci

dau t ly created the beautiful Mohawk Lake, and furnished a facile


entr ance way to this community for an importan t radial l ine. Thus although the waters of the Grand have been strongly anathematized atva rying intervals, they can also be credited with much advantage.

The river r ises in the Township of Me lancthon , Dufferin

County, with in a distance of almost twenty-five mil

from Georgian Bay. Its source at an elevation of ap

proximately feet above Sea Level may be sa id to mark the highlandsof the Southwes tern plateau . Thi s pl ateau comprises an area of approx

imately square miles, and from or near it, rise pract ical ly al l theprincipal

'

river s of Southwes tern Ontario .

Original ly, half or more of this headwater area was apparently a

dense swamp form ing excel lent natural reservoirs for the maintenance

of stream flow, the Grand River at one time supplying al l the water

used for power and navigation purposes on the Welland Canal .During the last thirty or forty year s, most of this swamp land has

been cleared , and drained , resulting in the present disastrous spring

floods . From i ts source to its outlet into Lake Erie, at Port Maitland,by the river is a distance of 175 mi l es , the drainage area bein g approximate ly square mi les . The drainage basin is wi de at the headwater area

, and narrower in the l ower flat coun try, where most of the

rivers fl ow directly into the Lake .In topographical characteristics th e river may be divided into two

parts— Upper and Lower . The upper part extends well into Waterl oo

Coun ty and incl udes the Conestogo tr ibutary . Here on the flat headwater table lands the decl ivi ty is smal l , then for a distance it becomesquite steep . At Elora , for example, there is a single drop of over 40fee t where the river enters a l imestone gorge. The decl ivity of the lowerriver is gradual and unif orm generally becoming flat towards Lake Erie.The following table wil l show the approximate fal l of the river

Approximate Approximate Lake ErieLocal ity Mileage Sea Level Level

Port M ai t l-and 0

Dunnvil le (foot of dam ) 7

Water above dam

Caledonia (foot of dam )Caledonia (top of dam )15 mi les above damAt mouth of Fairchi ld’ s

Brantford (Cockshutt bridge )Brant ford, foot of lower dam


BM NTFORD CITY HISTORY 221

Brantford, above lower damBrantford, above Wilkes damParis

,below dam

Paris,above dam 76

Glenmorr is at Bridge 83

Galt, at foot of dam 90

Ga lt, above dam 90

Conestogo, at Bridge 120

Belwood, at Bridge 147

In the upper stretches of the river in cludi ng its tribut aries, extending roughly to the vicinity of Paris, the stream bed is rocks and coarsegravel almost throughout , fl owing in places over exposed limestones forconsiderable distances.The river bed consists chiefly of

Paris to Brantford, gravel , sand .

We stern Counties Canal , gravel , sand, sil t and clay .

Brantford to 12 mi les below, grave], san d and clay .

To Caledonia from above point, fine gravel , sand and sil t .Caledonia to York, gravel , exposed limes tone .York to Dunnvill e, fine gravel , sand, . silt .Thi s section of the provi nce, in common with al l Sou thwestem 0u

tario, i s occupied throughout by comparatively un disturbed l imes toneand other Silur ian and Devonian strat a with overlaying drift, clays,sands and more recent superficial deposits . The deep deposit of drift

material natu ral ly lends itself t o erosion and consequentl y the rivercarr ies considerable quantit ies of sand and gravel during. heavy fl oods ,scouring from headwaters to below Brantford .

Be low this point the immense area of the river chann el with a smal ldecl ivity produces a condition that l ight deposits may take place ratherthan scour to any extent . All the t ributaries however bring down large

quantities of material . Below is a table showing approximate flow incubic feet per second . Period 1914, 1915, 19 16.

RecordMaximum Minimum

_Mean flow 1 912Local ity Dra inage

Area sq . M .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0


BRANTFORD WATERWORKS

With the growth of the place the nee d for a better water supply forfighting fires , than was afforded by the river and cistern method

,was

keenly felt, especial ly as there was great difficulty in winter with these

two sources .

In 1849 the Coun cil gave permission to I . Cockshutt and Duncan

M cKay to dig a well and put in a pump on the north side of ColborneStreet for protection against fire and in 1861 the Council provided forthe construction of s ix cisterns, twelve feet in diameter, and the same to

continual ly contain not less than ten feet of water . These were located asfol lows : corner of Queen and Well ington ; corner of Sheridan and Mar

ket ; corner of Cedar and Nelson ; Corner Palace and Crown ; corner Mil l

and Colborne and on Dalhousie, near where the original Congregational

Church stood . Agitation for an adequate system finally resulted in thepassing of the fol lowing resolution at a City Council meeting on February 7th . , 1870

“Tha t this Council , having approved of the Holly System'

of WaterWorks , but not feel ing at present in a position to incur the expense of

erecting said works, deem it advisabl e that such works be erected by acompany formed for that purpose, and that this Council is prepared tooffer any such company eight per cent upon the amoun t expended forfire purposes

,adding $250 for working expens es, providing the company

expend not less than erect buildings, pumps, machinery, l ay notless than feet of four and six inch pipe and eighteen hydrants , andfurnish water at any fire that would be satisfactory to this council ; andthat the Committ ee on Fire, Water and Gas be empowered to have draftsand specif ications got up , also draft of agreement for the inspection ofthe said Waterworks Company .

At a l ater meeting of the Council on February 14th, the amount was

reduced to

A s the outcome a company was almost immediately

formed with a capital stock of later increasedto and the original directors consisted of I Cock

shutt,President ; T . S . Shenstone, Secretary-Treasurer ; Wm . Buck, H . W .

Brethour,and H . B . Leeming . Du ring the same year a smal l pumping

station was erected on Colborne Street at the Clarence Street intersection ,and the necessary machinery was purchased and pipe laying commenced .

Two rotary pumps were at first employed,"

but in later year s a Worth

ingt on was establ ished with a capacity of gal lons per day of

twenty four hours. Any pipe laying for other than fire purposes was not

paid for by the City . Th e commun ity was content to go without water

for drinking and table purposes until 1 886, when an agitat ion came to a



As time went on the first collect ing gallery became in

gifter

l

tdmg adequate to supply the needs of the city, and in 1889pp y '

another gallery, this time of 24 inch tile, was laid . This

gal lery ran paral lel to a hyd raul ic canal which suppl ies power to fac

tories, and about fifty feet from it to a point in the river flats . Part ofthe pipe is la id with closed j oints and the remainder at the river f lats withopen j oints. The system proved inadequate

,and the pipe l ine which

runs to the river flats was extended into the r iver at a point opposite

D ickie ’s Cove . This p ipe was used.

to carry water to the gravel bed and

an infi ltration gal lery was constructed 300 feet l ong to take the waterto the pumping station .

Later it was found that the sedim ent from the river was choking the

filter bed and a screen house was installed with stat ionary screens and a

sedimentation basm . A 10 inch pump is al so instal led at the inlet atpresent and pumps the water into the pipe l ine supplying the natural

fil ter bed . This pump is of the single stage type, and i s driven by afifty h . p . motor . One in take extends into th e river . At the present

time about gal lons of natural ground water are obtained , the

rest having to be dr awn from the river, and fi ltered through the natural

gravel . During the period 191 1 - 14, additional fil trati on gal leries , of a

total l ength of feet were added .

All the water pumped is dr awn from two pump wel ls . The older one

15 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep, supplies the steam pumps, and

the other, 25 feet in diameter by 29 feet deep , suppl ies the electrical lyoperated centr ifugal pumps, and the steam

-

turbine operated centrifugal

pumps . An emergency sour ce of supply exists in th e hydraul ic canaladja cent to the station, and in this connection it may be stated that all

water,both from the emergency supply and filter beds , is chlorin ated .

Dur ing efforts to increase supply, three artw ian well s were sunk , but

the water obtained was either salt, or su lphur laden, and so not suitable .

The pumps consist of seven units , as fol lows

Tfifbl

rifii

zfil

on

Capacity in Gal lons Operated

24 Hours by

Compound Duplex, Double Acting SteamCompoun d Duplex, Double Acting SteamCompound Duplex

,Gaskil l Type Steam

3-Stage,Centri fugal Electric

3-Stage, Centrifugal Elect ric

Twin, single stage, Centrifugal Steam

Twin , single stage, Centr ifugal Steam

BRANTFORD CITY -HISTORY 225‘

Each of the'

electric pumps is operat ed by a Canadian Westinghouse,Synchronous meter, 250 h .p . , and each of the De Laval steam pumps bya 145 h .p. steam turbine .

The t otal pumping capaci ty for fire se rvice i s gal lons ,while for obtaining fi re pressu re in the hil l section of the city, there aretwo booster pumps .In addition to the el ectric equipment there are four boilers and the

lengths and various sizes of th e mains are as fol lows20- inch feet

14- inch fee t12- inch feet

10- inch feet8- inch feet

6- inch feet4- inch feet

Total feet or 61 milesThe total numbe r of hydrants is 331 ,

'

in addition to which there area number of privately owned hydrants in the various factory yards.The domestic consumption, as taken from the pump house records

of the last recorded year , was gallons,giving a daily aver

age of gal lons, or a per capita consumption of 98 gallons .The maximum consumption for any one day was gal lons .

The first year after the city owned the works, the numbe r of gal lonspumped

,was and the revenue from water serv ice

Last year the water pumped was cons iderably over a bill ion gallons , withrevenue of

The surplus earnings for the year 1919 , total led but interest on debentures , sinki ng fund, and instalments and interest on cap

ital advanced, reduced the net surplus to Up to the end of19 19 , the prope rty value and equipment was placed at andthe net debt

,As against this a sinking fund existed of $128,

527, leaving the net debt at The revenue meet s al l charges .The first Water Comm issioners consisted of J . N . Shenstone and C . B .

Heyd . Then for some years,A . Watts and W. Whitaker . Next

,J . Fair

and A . G . Montgomery,and now C . A . Wa terous and D . L. Webster . In

each year the Mayor is a member by virtue of his office. The first Seeretary was James Woodyatt , who was succeeded by W. Frank. For thelast twenty six years, Mr . Fred Frank has been Secretary and Manager .At the inception the late Mr . David Webster was the engineer . He

came to Brantford with his parents from Scotland in 1852, and served

226 msroar or am comvrr

an apprenti ceship with the Waterous Engine Works . While with thatfirm, he installed Waterworks plants, and became as sociated with the

Brantford privately owned system in 1877. He continued as engineerwhen the Municipal ity assumed control and was a most effecti ve publ icservant unt il hi s retirement in 1916, when he was made a presentation by

the Commissi oners and retained as advisory engineer . His son , David

L. Webster succeed ed to his post, but resigned in 1 919 .

M r . Norman R. Wil son , is now Chief Engin eer and Superintendent .He is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, (Engl and ) , and of

the Ameri can Waterworks Associat ion . G . Drury is chief operator , in

charge of the pump house and T. Lamb chief superintenden t of out side

work.



house in the North Ward, and a school house in the Kings Ward of thesaid Town and for purchasing sites for the said school houses .

CHARLES ROBINSON, Chairmanl

W. H . BURNS, SecretaryMay 2nd , 1853.

The upshot of this somewhat tar t communication was

that in the same year the three schools were establ ished ;for the East Ward on

-Darling Street , at the corner of

Wel l ington ; for the North Ward on Albion Street andfor the Kings Ward at

'

the corner of W inn iett and Oak Streets . All wereunpretentious buildings . In 1857 the main port ion of the old Centralwas erected and in 1871 , theeast wing was built .In 1853 the “Publ ic Schools , as they were later designated, of Brant

ford had six teachers and a total enrolled attendance of 785. Thirtyyears later,

‘

1882, there were four much larger school buildings, with 29teachers and the pupils total led The average attendance in 1853was 324, or 41 per cent . ; in 1882, it was or 69 per cent . In 1920

there are nine schools— Central,Victoria

,Alexandra

,King Edward, King

George, Ryerson , Dufferin, Bel lview, Bal lachey and also a manual training school and school for domestic science. The number of teachers is

‘

1 12, number

'

of enrol led pupils and average attendance of

or 74 per cent . The amount paid in salaries in 1853 was for sixteachers and in 1882, for twenty nine teachers . Mr . Wilkinsonwho was then Principal of the Central had a salary of and therewere two other male teachers . The rest were women teachers whosepay ranged from $400 to $200 per annum ,

chiefly the latter . In 1920the salary l ist stands at $1 10,000 for 1 12 teachers .

In 1897 the North Ward, or Albion Street School was supplanted bya modern building at a cost of

'

In honor’

of the diamond j ubilee'

of Queen Victoria it‘

was 'named “Victoria School .”

In 1904 the Kings Ward, or Oak Street School , was replaced at a

cost of by an improved building and named “Ryerson School,

”

in honor of the founder of the Ontario Public Schoo l system .

In 1906-7 the East Ward, or Darling Street School , was rebuilt at acost of and renamed “Alexandr a School , in honor of QueenAlexandra .

In 19 13 the Morrell Street School,previously taken over from the

Township in connection with boundary extension , was abandoned andthe land sold to the L. E . 8: N . Railway . A new school w as then erectedat a cost of and named “Dufferin, in honor of E arl Dufferin , a

former distinguished Governor General of Canada .In 1915 a new school was completed on Rawdon St reet at a cost of



In connection with the other ol d time teachers of the Central Schoolsuch men were prominent as Mr. Hughes , Dr . Kel ly, Rev . D . P . Muir,D . C . Sul l ivan, Dr . J . King, W. Wilkin son .

In 1871 the Ontario Legislature passed an EducationalAct which among other t hings provided for CountySchool Inspectors and in June of the same year, Dr . M . J .

Kelly was selected for that office in Brant . A deep scholar and manysided man was the Doctor . He was born in the City of Quebec in 1834 of

distinguished Irish parentage and after taking the usual school coursein the city named, he attended High School and a French College in M on

treal . Subsequ ently he attended the Normal School in Toronto and

then Toronto University, where he first took up the arts course .

’

Later

he took the medical and law courses and achieved first class honors inal l these holding the degrees of M . A . ; M . D . and L. L. B . He cont inuedhis medical studi es in New York, London, Edi nburgh, Paris and Heidleberg hospitals and returning to Canada, taught in High Schools and later

in Upper Canada College. He then practiced medicine for a short time,next edited newspapers and final ly settled down in the Inspectorship work

of City and County, holdi ng the j oin t position un t il h is ,resignat ion of

the County posit ion in 1 902 and the City in 1904. Dr . Kel ly possessed

a goodly sh are of native wit and his addr esses at school and other conv ent ions were always eagerly anticipated, for al l ied to a vas t store of

knowledge, be man ifested great facil ity of expression . Throughout his

l ife he was a deep reader, selecting his books from a large range ofsubj ects and h is retentive memory was proverbial . As City Inspector he

was succeeded by Will iam Wilkins on , then J . P . Hoag, who resigned andMr . E . E . C . Kilmer was next appointed in 1908 and stil l holds Office .

Prior to 1871 Publ ic Schools were designated as “Com

gm “ mon Schools, and 3“Grammar School

,

” was establishedin

.

each distr ict town , th e master of which received anannual gran t of £100 from the Government . Such a school was inaugurated in Brantford on Septemb er l st 1852, and it was located in a smal l

frame cottage on Nelson Street on the lot where the late Mr . John H .

Stratford later built his handsome residence . A private grammar schoolhad been carried on in the same premi ses some time previously of whichMr . S . Read

,father of S . G . Read and C . H . Read, stil l both residents of

the city, was the first teacher . Mr . Read was born in the Town ship of

Augusta, north of Brockvil le and afterwards becam e a min ister of theBaptist Chur ch, engaging in missionary work . Another teacher was Mr .

Roche. The first teacher of the “Pub l ic Grammar School was Mr . R . J .

Tyner, an Honor Graduate of Toronto University, who remained in charge

Inspectors .

BRANTFORD cm H i e RY 231

of it for three years . On October the 14th , 1856 , a union took place be

tween th e Grammar and Pub l ic Schoo l Boards, and the l oca tion of theGramma r School was transferred to the uppe r part of the North WardSchool , whi ch was fitted up for that purpose, with Mr . Donald John

McLean as Teacher of the Grammar School, with an Ass istant, in the Centra l School . On November the 14th, 1859 , he was succeeded by Mr . D .

C . Sull ivan, L. L . B . , who remained in charge unt il the separation ofthe Boa rds on the first of January

, 1867.

The separated High School was removed to temporary quarters on‘Wellington Street where the Wood and Colter residences now stand . Thestructure was th e old frame edifice which originally did duty for Gracechurch congregation , and W. Richardson was the teacher . A smal l brickbuilding was next erected in the East Ward, now 130 Park Avenue, andtwo teachers were employed with D . Ormiston as Principal . The accommodat ion speedily became too sma l l and in a very short time it was decidedto erect on George Street what a local paper des cribed as an “elegantand commodi ous structure,

”now occupied by Stedman Brothers . In

1882, the staff consisted of a head master, first and second classical mas

ter , first and second mathematical master , modern language master,English master and a teacher of painting and drawing. The tot al salary

wage was the Principal receiving per annum. Pupils i n

attendan ce numbered something over two hundred .

In 1909 the formal opening took place of the present handsome

structure on Brant Avenue,erected with site at a cost of Both

from a clas s room and equipment standpoin t it is conceded to be one

of the finest educat ional buildings in the Province. The average attend

ance for 1920 is 565. The present st aff consists of twenty teachers with

aggregate salaries of

The first principal of the Collegiate was Dr . Mill s, who

afterwards became head of the Ontario Agricultu ralCollege . As a youn g man he l ost an arm whi le engagedin farm work and it was th is mi shap which led him,

quite late in l ife, to embark upon a scholastic caree r . J . C . Hodgson, fol

lowed and resigned in 1882, to become High School Inspector for Ontar io .

Mr . W. Ol iver succeeded,and in 1893, Mr . A . W. Burt was selected, re

ta ining the position un ti l 1918, when after twenty-five years of laborious

service he resigned but stil l remains on the staff as Engl ish master . His

place was taken by Mr . A . M . Overh olt the present occupant who was

Principal of the Sarnia Col legi ate Institute when he received the ap

pointment .


The Chairmen of the Col legiate Board since the inception have been

1867— 71 J . Montgomery 1902— 3 M . F . Muir

1 872—80 B . F . Fitch 1904~—5 Dr . Frank

1881—4 H . B . Le eming 1906~ —7 C . S . Tapscott1885—7 Dr . . Philip 1908 J . Ryan1888—9 Dr . Digby 1909— 10 R . E . Ryerson

1 890—2'

T. Woodyat t 1 91 1 Dr . Palmer1893—4 F . Cockshutt 19 12 J . P . Pitcher1895—6 R . S . Schel l 19 13 E . Hart1897—9 J . Harley 1914 W. Lahey1900 —1 E . H . Sinon

Among other High School teachers was Mr . O’

M eara , who afterwards

became a Church of England Minister and a Canon . Another was LockeRichards on who married a daughter of Canon Usher . He was a Shakes

pearan scholar and reader of international reputation and in later yearsdevoted himself exclusively to this work .

In January 19 15, the Public School Board and that Ofthe Collegiate were, in accordance with a provision of

the Statutes of Ontario 1914, merged into 3“Muni cipal

Board of Education , and the first Chairman was Arthur Cou lbeck with

I . S . Armstrong as Vice Chairman . In 1916 N. Andrews was elected ;19 17, Dr . Gamble ; 19 18, J . W. Shepperson ; 1919 , Dr . Marquis and 1920Lloyd Mil ler .

New Order

In 19 12 free night industrial classes were establ ished atthe Col legiate Institute . The scheme was launched un

der the auspices of a Technical Advisory Comm ittee com

posed of E . Sweet, (Chairman ) R . Ryerson, J . P . Pitcher, W. Lahey, E . C .

Tench , John Kavanagh , H . C . Coles, J . Adams . There was a smal l at

tendance at the commencement,but the growth has been very steady unt i l

in 1920 th e total enrol lment has reached 985. October to March is the

period of instruct ion and the average enrol lment per month has been552 with average attendance

“

of 378. The subj ects taught comprise the

fol lowing : Art and design, automobile mechanics, cooki ng, dr essmaking,English and arithmetic

,electricity

,home nursing, mechan ical drawing,

mil l inery,machine design , stat ionary engineering, woodwork, stenog

raphy and typewriting, bookkeeping .

In more than one instance the appl icants have been so numerous asto necessitate th ree or four classes a week for individual sub j ects .

- The instructors range from eighteen“ to twenty in number , al l expertsin the var ious class ificat ions and the Col legiate pays one half the salaries

and the Ontario Government the other half .



The estate decided upon was the farm owned by Dr . Henwood, sixty

five acres in extent, and situated on the northern outskirts Of the town .

The southerly and larger port ion, consists Of a flat area suitable forfarming from which a large var iety of suppl ies are Obta ined , for the

institution , while the north westerly port ion is on an elevat ion with the

Grand Ri ver Val ley included in the landscape . With the existence Of adry

,sandy soil , the cool breezes from the river in summer time and the

large area for exercise the situation is rightly regarded as ideal from ahealth standpoint . The main building, of Tudor sty le with a ce ntral tower,has a frontage Of some three hun dred feet . It for many years supplied

quarters for the pupil s as wel l as class rooms,but in 1912

two separate build ings were erected wherein th e dormitories of the

two sexes are locat ed . To the rear of the central structure there is anextension 250 feet in length, in whi ch are situated the servants apart

ments , kitchens , store rooms , bakery, laundry and engine and boiler

rooms . A l ittle to the west are the workshops, in whi ch ins truction takesplace with regard to chair can ing, broom makin g and manual training,and behind these are the farm h u i ld ings . To the east are the residencesof the Principal and the Bursar, while at the entrance to the grounds from

Palmerston Avenue is the home of the chief engineer .The school was opened in May of 1872 with seven pupils

and the attendance in 1920 is 1 10. The scholars take

the complete Publ ic School course and al so part of the

High School course, while the l ittle t ots have their kinderga rten . In

addition t o the manual work al ready mentioned , piano t uning is taught

and there is much attention paid to the matter of musica l instruction .

Pupilswho manifes t any aptitude in this regard are taught the piano ,pipe organ and viol in , while there is also voice culture and much etfec

tive choral work . At the Christmas and summ er closing exercises the

diver sif ied talents displayed in these and other respects always serve

to surprise and del ight large audiences Typewriting is another fea

tur e which has lately been succe ssful ly introduced,_

the use of th e dicta

phone figur ing largely in this respect. The gi rls inaddition to the other

studies are taught kn itt ing, sewing, both hand and machine and household

science .Physical recreat ion in the case Of the bl ind i s of course l imited,but the

extent to which this'

can be indulged is a mat te r of astoni shment to the

visi to r . Each day, every pupil must spend at leas t h al f an hour in the

gymnas ium where competent ins truct iOn is given and many games areplayed in the Open, with races and other con tests at cl osing time in


summer. In short these affl icted ones are notable for their cheerinessand varied interests.The present attractive grounds were for many years a treel ess waste

and it was mainly owing to Mr. Dymond, who was an authority on

arboriculture, that the existing tr ansformation took place.The first principal was Dr . E . Stone Wiggins, who later

$28

33; became attached to the finance departmen t, at Ott awa .

One of his fads was weather prognostication with regard

to which he attained Provincial celebrity . He was succeeded in 1874by Mr. J . Howard Hunter, wel l known in connect ion with the HighSchool system of the Prov ince . When he resigned in 1881 to becomeInspector Of Provincial Insurance Compan ies, Mr. A . H . Dymond assumed

th e post of Prin cipal , and occupied the position until his death , May 12,1903. Mr. Dymond was a native of England, and became prominent innewspaper work in London . In 1869 , when in h is fort y second year , he

came to Canada and became identified with the‘

editorial staff of theTo ronto Globe . His prominence in the Counsel s of the Liberal partybecame stil l further intensified when he was elected M . P. ,

for Nort hYork in 1874. He was a prominent Angl ican Churchman and a layreader in Grace Church . Mr . Dymond was an incisive speaker . Hi s

son Mr . Allan Dymond is law clerk of the Ontario Legis lat ure . His suc

ce s'

sor was another newspaper man, Mr . H . F. Gardi ner, who had doneeditorial work in Brant-ford when a young man , and was at the time

of his selection, editor Of the Hamilton Times. He retired in June 1916,and was succeeded by Mr. C . W. James, Secretary Of the Minister of

Educat ion, who temporar ily occupied the post unt il Mr . W. B . Race wasappointed, September l st , 19 17, comi ng here from Sault Ste. Ma rie wherehe was Principal Of the Col legiate Institute . Mr . W. B . Wickens was A ss ist ant Principal un til his death in 1917, when he was succeeded by Mr .G . A . Cole, then Principal of th e Publ ic Schools Oril l ia . M . W . N .

Hoss ie held the post of Bursar“

from 1873 until h i s death in 1913 at theage of 82. He was Deputy Sheriff of Peel at the time of h is selection .

Mr . Hossie, who was an elder in !ion Church , was most active in Sunday\

School work and in 1891 was President of the Ontario Provincial SabbathSchool As sociation . He was succeeded as Bursar by Mr . George Ryerson

.

On March 24th , 1874, a publ ic meeting was held in theYoung Council Chamber with regard to the advisabil ity of

establ ishing a Young Ladi es College in the Town . Rev .

Dr . Cochran'e occupied the chair and there was a largeattendance of repres entat ive cit izens. After favorable d iscussion thefol lowing res olution was passed

Coll ege .


That in the opinion of thi s meeting it is highly des irable that a

Ladies’ College be establ ished in Brantford ; that it is desirab le that asa guarantee Of the educational and moral train ing of the pupils

, sa idCollege should be in connection with one Of the Evangel ical denominat ions ; and that as the Episcopal , the Methodist and the Baptist Churches

have already successful ly estab l ished such ins titut ions in Ontario it is

considered advisable that the said Col lege should be in connectionwiththe Presbyterian Church .

A committee was appointed and on September 16th, 1874, the incor

porat ion Of a company took place with an author ized capital of

The first Board of directors consisted of A . Robertson,Manager of the

Bank Of British North America , Pres ident ; H . W. Brethour, Vice Presi

dent ; James Kerr, Treasurer ; B . F . Fitch , Secretary ; W. Watt Sr Rev .

Dr . Cochrane, G . H . Wilkes and Thos . M cLean .

Purchase was made of the handsome residence and grounds of Hon .

E . B . Wood on Brant Avenue , (site of present Collegiate ) , and the build

ing was extended so as to afford accommod ati on for about eighty boarders .

For the structure and the improvement Of it was Spent. The

inscript ion stone was laid on August 24 , 1874 by her Excel lency the

Countess Of Dufferin, and the col lege was formal ly opened in the fol l ow

ing October . The first pr incipa l was Dr . Clarke, and then Rev . A . F .

Kemp, but neither remained for any length y period . In 1878 Mr . T . M .

M cIntyre was appoin ted a nd held Office for many years . He was succeded by M rs . Rol ls

,Miss Philpotts

,

"

and Rev . Mr . Cruickshank . The

resident pupil s came from al l portions of Can-ada,and there was a lso a

large a ttendance Of day pupils . In addition to the l iterary course

especial at tention was paid to music , the fine art s , and other aecom

pl ishmen ts . From the first, Dr . Cochrane, who had taken a very active

part in the founding of the Col lege,was associated with the staff as

President of the Facul ty .

In later years others who became associated with the directorate

were, W. Buck, H . B . Leemi ng, Dr . Nichol , C . B . Heyd,G . Foster an d

Robt . Henry . After an existence of twenty six years dur ing which a

very hi gh standard of excellence had been maintained,it was decided

that the Col legiate Institute course quite completely met local needs andthe institution was cl osed in 1900. The art and musical departments

were transferred to the Conservatory of Music which M r . W. N. Andrews,who had been musi cal director

,establ ished in the sam e

'

year . Thus came

to a close the career of an establ ishment which for a qua rter of a centuryhad fil led a very important and effective part in the l ife of the communi ty .



Hal l and speeches were del ivered by Dr . Kel ly, Mayor Wood, JudgeHardy

, c. B . Heyd, M . P. , Lloyd Harris, T. H . Preston and W . F . Cock

shutt. All of th e speakers eulogized Andrew Carnegie as a man who waswill ing to spend much of hi s great weal th for the benefit of others .

In 1913 the continued growth of the l ibrary having ren

dered the quarters inadequat e, Judge Hardy, on behalfof the Board again wrote to Mr. Carnegie, and he gen

erously responded with a further grant of The

C ity added more and with thi s the stack room and base

ment were considerably enlarged . From the handful of books prior to

1837, the shelves are now occupied by over volumes . There is inaddit ion, three large and commodious reading rooms, one for men an d

another for women , on the ma in floor, and another for men in the base

ment,where smoking is permitted . There is al so in the basemen t a

separ ate l ibrary complete for children and in this department there are

about volumes In the cat al ogue room there are wr it ing tables an dmaterial for the accommodation of patrons ; a handsome board roomcompletes the equipment . Mr . Henwood has in stituted the Dewey cat

alogue system by which all the books are divided in to ten classes , each

conta ined in a separat e room, with a common entrance from the main stack

room . By this means al l the standard books become easily accessible forreference . Another admi rab le feature is the “Story Hour” provided for

the chi ldren in a l ecture room every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon ;h istor ica l and other works are discussed as far as possible in cons onance

with the pub l ic school work. The read ing rooms are open on Sundayafternoons during th e winter months , from two to five o ’clock , an d the

Brant ford Library led Ontario with reference to thi s innovat ion . Thestaff consist s of Mr . E . D . Henwood, Librarian , Miss Winn if red Matheson ,Assistant Librar ian

,Miss Jennie Drape r, Miss E . Middlemiss, Juvenile

Department.Mrs . S . W . Secord the first lady member of the Board, was appointed

in January 1918.

The Board consists of nine memb ers, three named by theCity

'

Council,three by the Pub l ic School Board and two

by the Separate School Board with the Mayor ex-officio .

First Board, Rev. Dr. Cochrane, (Chairman ) , James Wood

yatt , W . Watt, Sr . , Rev . Dr . Mackenzie, Dr . Kelly, Rev. Maxwel l,Rev.

Father Lennon , D . Hawkin s, Mayor Sca rfe.

Present Board T . Hendry, (Chairman ) , Judge Hardy, Rev.

G. A . Woods ide, D . J . Waterou s, Mrs. S. W. Secord, Lt . -Col . Howard ,J . E . Quinlan, J . C . Wal ler , Mayor M acBride.

saAnrr oan CITY HISTORY 239

From the incept ion the Chairmen

1899—00

1901

Rev. Dr . Cochrane

Dr . KellyR . S . SchellRev. Dr . Mackenzie

Rev . P . Le nn oniJudge Hardy

W. C . Livin gston

Dr . B . C . Be l l

Lt . Col . Howard

It H . Spence

M . K . Hal loran

T .

D . J . Waterous

J . Carl in

F . W . RyersonRev. G . A . Woodside

‘

J . E . Quinlan

Judge HardyLt . Col . Howard

T. Hendry


CHAPTER XIII.

CRIMEAN CELEBRATION .

— FENIAN Ru n— REGULAR TROOPS LOCATED HERE .

—Posr OFFICE — CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE .

— BRANTFORD POLICEDEPARTMENT .

-GAS WORK S .

During the Crimean war the stronghold of Sebastopol was final lytaken by a succ essful assault of the All ies on

'

Sept ember 8th , 1855.

News travel led very Sl owly in those days and it was not unt il Thursday

September 27th , that Brant fordi tes became aware of the capitulat ion .

Flags an d streamers were di splayed and the fol l owing afternoon was

declared a hol iday . At 4 o ’clock a procession was formed, under thesupervision of H . Racey , and headed by the Union Jack and the Brant ford

band the principal streets were traversed . At the conclusion of this

portion of the demonstration there was a large assemb lage in front . ofthe Court House with Mayor Matthews in the Ohair . Hon . W. H . Merrit

,

representative of the County of Lincoln, was the prin cipal speaker, and

other addr esses were given by J . Wilkes , D . M . Gilkison , Rev . T . L . Davidson

, E . B . Wood and Rev . J . Alexander .

The Fen ians have crossed at Buf falo and are now in

possession Of Fort Erie . More of them are stil l arriving .

”

The receipt of thi s despatch in May of 1866 caused

great excitement in the town of Brantford and Coun ty of Brant and one

of the local papers conta ined the fol lowin g announcement

May 31 p .m . The bugle i s now call ing our worthy vo lunteers to

arms , and the men , as usual , are responding with alacr ity, pleased tothink that their. country has need of . their services .”

Later the statement was forwarded that another column of Fenians

had eff ected a crossing at Windsor, an d were marching on London .

Many of the rumors were exaggerated , but the fact of an invasion was un

doubted and troops were h astily got together to meet the emergency .

On Monday,morn ing

,June 18th , No . 1 , Company Brantford Rifles

were ordered to leave for Niagara,and, headed by the band playing

mart ial airs, they proceeded to the station and took the train for FortErie . On arrival there the order was countermanded and they returned

with only the satisfaction of havin g shown a readiness to do their duty .

However, rifle men and volun teers remained in readin ess for any emer


242 ms'roar or BRANT COUNTY

soj ourn of several months, and on the same day five companies of theSeventeenth Regiment, consisting of three hundred men , took up quar

ters here . They remained unt il September 4th , when they were replaced

by the Sixty-ninth regiment fresh from Ireland . O ld timers recal l withpleasure those mi l itary days , for officers and men al ike identified them

selves whole heartedly with the interests and diversions of citizens and

added much gaiet y to the community .

E . Jam es who was a member of the Fusil ier Band, and who remained

in Brantford after the regiment left , sta ted, when recently interviewed,that the num erical strength was about seven hundr ed . They had been

in Malta and Gibraltar and were next transferred to Quebec, coming toBrantford as before related in 1866 . The band used to give concerts

in the square, now known as Victoria Park and each even ing the bugl eband played a t attoo on the Market Square. Grace church was

a ttended as the place of worship and the band at fir st pl ayed en route,but a deputation of citizens waited on the commanding officer and regis

tered an obj ection to Sun day music so that part of the program wasabandoned . The ol d Wilkes homestead was used as a hospital . Dr .Mandevil le

,the regimental surgeon , died here, and was bur ied in Green

wood cemetery,also a band boy named Hi l l , who was drowned in the

Grand River during a bathing parade . In one of the early telephone

tests Mr . James played on the euphonium “The Heart Bowed Down,

” and

Mr . W. Harris, al so of the Fusil iers and stil l a res ident here, a com et

solo,

“Then You’ l l Remember Me .” Thes e were certa inly the first in

strumental pieces heard over the wires .

The official record shows that the first Post Office at theP031: Offi ce. “Ford” was established in the year 1825 but the nameof the settler—th e Indians di d not surrender the land until five years

later—who disch arged the duties of the position is unknown . It must

have been a nomin al position at the best .It is estab l ished that in 1841 the Post Office was in a buildi ng whi ch

used to exi st on a smal l hil l on the North side of Colborne Street a l itt l eWest of King . In 1850 the locat ion was in a st ore on Colborne S treeta few doors west of the tavern which stood on the drug store corner .Some time later it was on the south-west com er of Market and Dalhousie Str eets

,and then on

'

the north east corner of the same thoroughfares . In 1856 the l ocat ion was in the George Str eet end of the Kerbyblock, but a fire in 1869 , led to temporary quarters in the

“MerchantsExchange block . The next location was at the corner of George andDalhousie streets

,in the premises now occupied by the Canadi an Expres s

Company . Finally, in 1 880, it was moved int o the buildi ng across the



reply . Senator Fisher was also called upon and at the close 0 Canadawas sung. Afterwards a luncheon took place at the Y. W. C . A .

The structure i s rightly regarded as one of the handsomest and mostcomplete of Ontario publ ic bui ldings . The sum paid to the Municipalityfor the site was and the building contract so that withequipment the total cost was about In the building, thereare commodious quarters for the Post Office

,Customs and Inland Revenue

Departments, and also for the Indian Office , Inspector of Weight s andMeasures , (J . Thoma s ) , and Inspector of Domi nion Taxation , (H . H . Pow

el l ) .

A s compared with the Postmaster and four clerks who constituted theentire staff in 1880, the total numberof clerks is now 24, with 25 lettercarriers, while mail col lection and other employees make the grand total63. Four sub offices have also been establ ished

,Eagle Nest

,Grandview

,

Tutela and Farrin gdon Hil l . Of the original letter carriers four stillrema i n G. Broatch , W. W. Schuler , W. Lake and A:Aitken .

For the first year, the revenue was published (1869 ) and for 1880and 1919 the reports of the Postmaster General give these figures .

Revenue Money Orders

Issued

3

For very many years Brantford ’

s public building was under the careof Mr . John Squires . His succe ssor is Mr . C . R . Vanfleet .

It was in the year 1 852 that Brantford had attainedenough importance to become a port of entry, withValentine Hal l as first Collector . He resigned the fol

l owing year and David Curtis was appointed to the office . Mr . Curtis

was the youngest of the twelve children OI D.

~Curt is a U . E . loyal ist,who

,after the war

,came to Oxford County, and later fought again for

the British cause in the st ruggle of 1812. The son entered the Customsserv ice and was made Col lector at Dunnvil le, when that was a mostimport ant port in connection with the Grand River and other nav igationsystems . In 1853 he ‘was transferred to Brantford and was active andprominent in public affairs , as

’ well as occupying many offices in theMasonic fraternity. His daughter, Mrs . (Judge ) Hardy still resideshere and two other daughters, Mrs. Hewson and Miss Curtis, togetherwith a son , Capt . Cur tis, reside

'

out Wes t . Mr . Curtis resigned in 1876and later held for some years the position of Secretary of the South

e roao cm r msroav 245

Brant Conservative Association . He was also promi nent in mil itaryaffairs and was Captain of the first rifle company formed here .

The successor of Mr . Curtis was H . B . Leeming . The son of anEnglishman who came to Can ada in 1840 ,

and purchased a farm onTutela Heights, he remained on the homestead unt il he was thirty threeyears of age when he removed to Brantford and entered into the wholesale confectionary business with Mr . Paterson . In 1867 he was DeputyReeve of the town and in the same year unsuccessful ly ran against Hon .

E . B . Wood for the Dominion House . He was also Chairman of the Collegiate Institute Board, and President of the Young Mens

’ Christian Associat ion . His sons Dr. John Leeming an d Dr . Charles Leeming l ive inChicago, Robert and Frank Leeming in Brantford and a lso Mrs . T. S .

Sanderson, a daughter .

Upon the death of Mr . Leeming, Thomas Foster . who had been Ass istant Coll ector, was promoted to the position and upOn h is retirementafter some years A . Harley succeeded . The latter resigned in 1914, andin 19 15 J . H . Spence was given the post . He was Mayor of the Cityat the t ime and had been on the Library and other boards . In additionhe occupied the position of Chairman of the Patriotic Associat ion duringthe war .The growth of the local department is attested by these figures

Fiscal Year Dut y Collected1852 18s . 1 1d .

1880 8

19 19

In 1867 this department was separated from the Customs and D’

Acres Hart became the first Col lector . Hewas the son of the D’

Acres Hart of whom mention ismade elsewhere and a brother- in - law of Maj or Lemm on . Upon theresignat ion of Mr . Hart the post was given to Thomas Alexander and hein turn was succeeded by J . Spence . The latter was a native of theNorth of Ireland and upon coming to Canada embarked upon businessin Toronto . In 1868 he became deputy Collector at Kingston, nextDeputy Coll ector in Toronto and then Collector at London . From thatplace he moved to Brantford and held office here until h is retirement in1901 at the age of seventy years . Mr . Spence i s still l iving, at the age ofninety ; M r . J . H . Spence is a son . Fol lowing his withdrawal Mr . E . H .

Sinon becam e appoint ed . The son of Mr . James Sinon, a well knownlocal contractor

,he was at the time of h is selection a classical Master at

the Col legiate Institute . He continued h is interest in educational matters

246 msronr or BRANT COUNTY

and became chairman of the Coll egiate Institute Board and also of

the Library Board .

Upon the death of Mr . Sinon in 1904, the post was fil led by the

appoin tment of Mr . M . J . O’

Donohue who at the time was a member ofthe Inland Revenue department, Guelph .

The col lecti ons at this port during three periods have been .

Duty Collected

3

103,036. l 7

In the early days, Brantford did not boast of any police

rotect ion beyond that of “ni ht watchmen . Later on

Department . fhere were three or four constag-bles who d ivided day and

night work between them, but they did not wear uniforms. Al l thatthey posses sed to show their authority was a smal l shield, worn on the

vest, and instead of batons they carr ied heavy sticks . An amusing

incident occur red with regard to this primitive force. Early one winter’ s

morning a travel ler for a Montrea l j ewelry establ ishment, who had been

l anded at Harr isburg by a much delayed thr ough l ine train , found himself the only passenger for Brantford . He had samples of value in his

grip and on al ighting he looked through the station yard hoping to finda cab

,but without resu lt . While doing so he noticed a couple of men

watching him and when he final ly started down town at a brisk walk

he became aware that he was being fol lowed . He qu ickened his pace ;so did the pur suers .Final ly the commercial man broke into a run and cutt ing through

Victoria Park he landed in the Kerby House rotunda, wel l out of breath,but able to gasp the information to the “ night clerk that he had beenchased by a couple of suspicious looking men . He had barely finished

,

when in came the pair —~two of Brantf ord’

s finest, who for their part hadentertained susp icions regarding the traveller .

It was not until 1875 that the local force was actual ly

in“

0

0111

31“

placed on any kind of basis when Thomas M cM eans wasppomte appointed chief, and former watchmen Mccartney, Halon

and Dun ne were also cont inued . M cMeans di ed in 1876 and HarryGriffiths was then placed at the head of the department , a position

which he held for many years . In 1885, a re organ ization was decidedupon and J . J . Vaughan was brought here from Toronto as Chief .He was a native of Coun ty Donegal , Ireland, and had established a good

record on the Queen City force. Mr . Griffiths was given the position of


248 Hi st onv or BRANT COUNTY

Squire Matthews and other Justices of the Peace, usedto hear cases in the early days, but in 1 865, Mr . James

Weyms was permanently appointed to the post of Police

Magistrate. A native of Coun ty Cavan , Ireland, h is mother , upon th edeath of the father , cam e to Canada and when twenty one years of age

young Weyms came to Brantford in 1836. On arrival here he en

tered the employ of A runah Hun tington, then the wealthiest man inBrantford , and in 1856 started a boot and shoe business of h i s own

,near

what was then kn own as the' “Iron Bridge .

” In the inter im,he had

been Reeve, Deputy Reeve and also Mayor . Mr . Weyms was a man

of shrewd j udgment and he always endeavored, as much as possible, to

settle cases without having them get into Court . Upon h is death in 1889 ,he was succeeded by the lat e Mr. Thomas Woodyatt , who was born here

in 1845, a son of'City Clerk Woodyat t . He was first of al l engaged

with h is father in the pottery business 'but subsequently decided to enter

the legal profession . Mr . Woodyat t was active in fraterna l work, and

prior to his appointment, secretary of the local Liberal Association . As

an impromptu speaker at“l odge and “other gatherings he enj oyed more

than a local reputation . He was succeeded in 1907 by Mr . W . C . Liv

ingston who at the time was in legal practice here.

During early years the people of Brantford, l ike thoseGa’s W orks . of other Ontario settlements, had to be content withtall ow dips

,then candles

,final ly lamps

,but even this ill uminant

,which

for a period was considered the acme of artificial l ighting discovery,

finally became antiquated . Accordingly on March 19th , 1854, a meet

ing took place in Burley’ s hotel with regard to which the fol lowing item

appeared in a local paper

GAS COMPANY— If the expectations of the proj ectors of this company can possibly be real ized, Brantford wil l soon repudiate tal l ow,

sperm oil,and al l the multifarious and dangerous burning fluids now in

use ; il luminate her streets, and l ight up her s hops and private dwell ingswith gas . Not with that species of laughing gas,

” with which efferv es

cent polit icians have att empted to inflate th e town during the past twelvemonths , b u t with the real S imon pure ; an article useful , cheap anddesirable . The nucleus of a company has already been formed, andal though we think the capital stock has been placed at too low a figure,we heartily wish the proj ectors success in their undertaking, knowing thatif the enterprise be properly managed

,it wil l be a lasting benefit to the

town . T he meeting was largely attended by our businessmen , and those who wil l most probably be the principal stockholders andconsumers .

At the gathering above mentioned , several resolutions were adopted

Photo taken in the sixties of the east end of Colborne Street . The brick building to the left was occupied by Thomas Cowherd as a tinsmith shop and situatednearly opposite the Kerby House . To the right is the canal basin , then of wideextent, and the tow path can easily be seen . The building with the chimney constituted the first gas plant , and the Lubric Oil Works

” housed one of th e enterprisesof Yates Str atford . The frame bu ilding with trees in front, in l ine with Cowherd

’

s .

was the original residence of Mr . G . Watt, Alfred Street , long since replaced bythe present brick structure .


250 HISTORY or BRANT

CHAPTER XIV

PIONEER LIFE IN THE COUNTY AND HOMES OF THE EARLIEST SETTLERS .—CLEARING THE LAND—FAM ILY BIBLE OFTEN THE ONE SOURCE OFINSTRUCTION—MEANS or COOK ING -NO SATURDAY BARGAINS

1N CLOTHES.

Th e l ife of the first comers in this County was ‘a hard one , and yet ,withal , they seem to have been a contented lot . Comforts

,as we know

them, they had none . The settlers usually came in by covered wagons ,and in the absence Of bridges, streams and rivers had to be forded ,oftentimes at much risk . Once arrived, the pioneers had to do much of

their travel l ing on foot, or by horseback, chiefly the latter . Grist tothe crude mill , the visit of the wife to a distant friend or relative, minis

t rat ions Of the few doctors and itinerant ministers—al l such things had

to depend upon tr usty steeds , and the query :“Is he a good swimmer ? ”

was a common quest ion in buying a saddl e horse.The labor of Openi ng a farm in a forest of large pine s ,oaks , maples and hickories was very great , and the dif

f icu lty was increased by the thick growing un-derbrush .

Not only were the trees to be cut down, but the b ranches had to be cut

Off the trunk, and, with the undergrowth of bushes, gathered together

for burn ing . The trunks of the large trees were divided and rol led

into heaps, and reduced to ashes . With hard labour the un aided sett ler

could clear and burn! an acre of land in three weeks . It usually re

quired six or seven years for the pioneer to open a small farm and build

a better house than h is first cabin of round logs. The boys had work

to do in gathering the brush into heaps . A common mode of cl earing

was to cut down al l the trees of the diameter of eighteen inches or les s,

clea r of f the undergrowth, deaden the large trees by girdl in g them with

the axe,and all owing them to stand unt il they decayed . This method

delayed the final clear ing of the land eight or ten years , but when the

trunks fel l they were usua l ly dry enough to be transformed in to such

lengt hs as to be rol led togeth er with ease . The lengthy fences f ormed of

tree roots tel l Of the labor entailed in that regard .

As before related, for a cons iderab le period after set tle

and B adment commenced, roads were few, although GovernorSimcoe proj ected and part ial ly complet ed Dundas Street

from Toronto to Woodstock , and which is yet known as the Governor’s

COUNTY mcmENTS 251

road . Yonge Street was also opened out to the North, while what wasknown as the old Mohawk road ran from Niagara to the Mohawk vil lage,and thence thr ough to Charlot te vil le

,on L'ake Erie. Dundas Str eet was

the art ery of Upper Canada in these early days, designed by Simcoe torun from Kingston to London, which place he had selected, on his firsttrip through in 1793, as the most appropriate spot for the capital of

Upper Canada . The Hamil-ton and London road was not Opened through

this County, except such part of it as was of the old Mohawk road, until1810. The building Of this road and its cros sing t he Grand River wasmainly what changed

“The Ferry” to Brantford,and caused the city to be

l oca ted where it stands to-day .

Neither were they stately homes which sheltered the

first p ioneers . It was not long as a rule before the first

cabin gave place to a second and better, but the first wasrough

,l ike the means at hand for its construction . It was general ly

of round logs notched at the ends, the spaces fil led with sticks of wood

and daubed w ith clay. The roof was of clapboards, held in place bypoles reaching across it,

“ca l led weight-po les . The floor was of plankssplit from logs , while the fire-place, six feet wide, was l ined with clayor undressed stone. The chimn eys were made of split sticks , fastened

with clay, wh i ch often caused the destruc tion of the precious tenement

by fire, careful though the inmates sought to be. The window Openingwas frequently covered wi th paper, rendered more translucent by a

generous coating of oil or lard . These cabins were erected as a rule by“b ees” of the settlers from mi les around . When the newcomer arrived ,

with hi s wife, weans and household goods, the Older set tlers sheltered

them un ti l the neighb ors were gathered, the cabin erected, and the inmatesduly instal led, ready to assist in performing a l ike servi ce for the nextarrival .

The cabin of round logs was general ly succeeded by a hewed log

house more elegant in appearance, and more comfortable. Indeed, l oghouses could be made as comf ortable as any other kind of buildi ng, andwere erected in such mann er as to conf orm to the tastes and means Ofall descriptions of persons . For large fami l ies a double cabin was

comm on ; that is, two houses , ten or twelve feet apart , with one roofcovering the whole

,the space between se rving as a hall for various uses .

An emi nent speaker in referr ing to the different kinds of dwel l ings sometimes to be seen standing on the same farm, as an indication Of the progres s of the people

,said

,

“I have often witnessed this gratif yi ng progress .On the same farm you may sometimes beho ld st anding together thefirst rude cabin of round and un ‘hewn logs , and wooden chimneys ; the


hewed log house, chinked and shingl ed , with stone or brick chimneys ;and lastly, the comfortable frame, stone or brick dwell ing, each denot ing

th e different occupants of the farm,or the several stages of the con

di tion of the sam e occupant .”

The furniture of the first rude dwell ings was made of puncheons ;cupboards, seats and tables were then made by the sett ler h imself . Overth e door was placed the trusty fl int- l ock rifle

,next to the axe in useful

ness to the pioneer , and near it the powder horn and fbu l let pouch .

Almost every family had i t s l itt le spinning wheel for flax,and big spin

ning-wheel for wool . Th e cooking utensils were few and simple, and the

cooking was al l done at the fire-place . The l ong winter evenings were

spent in contentment, 'but not in idl eness . Th ere was corn to shel l and

tow to spin at home, and corn h-

uskings to attend at the neighb ors’

. There

were a few books to read , but newspapers were rare , and the Bibl e genera l ly cons itu ted the whole of the family l ibrary .

In the natural order of thi ngs those who migrated to

Brant Coun ty in the early years were of an independent,and ventur esome nature. A large number of them were

U . E . Loyalists who vacated what were quite comfortable homes and

holdi ngs , in order to stil l l ive under th e grand old Union Jack , and have

their fami l ies brought up in consonance with British institutions . Many

were the ties, and associations which had to be broken , but they did nothesitate and boldly struck out into the new country with its lack of conv en iences , and social env ironment . A number al so came from the

Old Count ry to what was regarded as a land of promise. The hardships

were many, and continuous , and the refinements few . Newspapers werepract ica l ly unknown except occasional copies which came from Great

Brita in and the Stat es . Books were scarce , and in man-

y homes the fam

ily Bible was the one source of instruction whereby the l ittle ones were

taught t o spel l ou t words . In the absence of amusements , and mean s of

culture, the rough and ready life led to much drinking, and oftentimes

rude and coarse d iversions by the mo re lawles s el ements always to befound in backwoods communi ties . Pub l ic gatherings were often marred

by scenes of disorder and fighting .

However,for the most par t , the pioneer Brant Co

'

unty men andwomen were possessed of good common sense . They led plain l ives

and had great contempt for Shams and pretence. Mutual help was atal l t imes will ingly extended

,and in sickness there was ever the ready

offer of nursing aid and th e bringing of such del icacies as!could be

prepared . That their l ives in the main were ba sed upon true and surefoundations, is best attested by their sturdy and capable descendants .



her son ,when she was nearly one hundred years Old . The marriage of

her daughter to Maj or Westbrook took place in 1796. They had a

family Of sixteen children, their numerous descendants constituting many

prominent and well known famil ies in the City and County . Alexander

moved to what is now Brantford , in 1817. He resided on the hil l nearLorne Bridge, in a log hut overlooking the river and for some time

carried the mail on foot, and by horseback, between Ancaster and Water

ford . He finally settled in Oakland . Haggai , another b rother, al so l ived

in Oakland .

One of the earl ier fam i l ies to settle in Burford Township

was that of John Ye igh who came there in June 1 800,accompanied by h is wife, four sons and one daughter .

The family started from their Ol d home in Pennsylvania for the wilds

of Upper Canada, in a wagon drawn bv four horses . It was a month be

fore he reached the “Grand River Swamp ,” and the City of Brantford

at that period i had neither a name nor a location . Reaching Burford

Township , he settled on Lot 8, Concess ion S ix , which he shortly after

wards purchased from the original owner , Davi d Palmer . The sturdy

Pennsylvan ian was not l ong in hewing a clearing ami d the forest, and

erecting a home. A potter by trade he al so commenced to fashion household utensils

,and customers came from far and near . The remains of

this primitive industry are stil l visible on the North side Of the stone

road,about a mi le wes t Of the v i l l age . When he was 27 years Old,

Jacob,the eldes t son , married Ma ry, the daughter of Peter Lossing of

Norwich,and estab l ished a home on land which forms th e site Of the

present vil lage. Both Jacob and Adam Yeigh took part in the war Of

1812 and in the uprising of 1837. Edmund the only son of Jacob , was

also instr um ental in organizin g. the Burford Infantry Company (No . 6

Bran-t Battal ion ) in 1866, when the Fenian excitement was at it s heigh t;He held command as Captain for three years . Th e Ye igh family are at

present represented by Mr . Henry Ye igh , formerly a wel l known Brant

ford busin ess man , now Of Toronto , and Frank Yeigh , also Of the Queen

City . The latter was at one time Secretary Of Hon . A . S . Hardy'

and has

also proved hims elf a wr iter Of no mean abil ity,

Trial s ofIt was the last named gentleman who, many years ago ,

Incomi ngduring the cour se Of a newspaper sketch, told this story

of the manner in which the original family came here

The Yeigh

It is now necessary to go back to the year 1799 and to a cbsy homenear Harrisburg

,Pennsylvania . It is winter, and evening after evening

the family of John and Mary Yeigh discussed earnes tly the proposedmigration to Canada . The sons were Jacob , John , Adam and Henry

COUNTY mcmm s 255

and a daughter , Eve, and the youngsters were enthusiastic in the plan to

go where land was cheap, and there was elbow room for all . The fatherwas an industrious, frugal , honest man , who by years Of toil had fairlyeducated h i s fami ly, and had gathered in gold enough to make a startin the distan t and unknown land .

“The litt le cavalcade commenced its long j ourney on the first day OfMay in the year 1800. The strong Pennsylvania wagon , covered withst rong can vas, was laden with the most necessary household utensils . Itwas drawn by four fine horses

,and a good milch cow brought up the

rear . Th e morning was bright and beautiful when the simple-mindedneighbors gathered to say goodbye to those who thus went out fromthe Old home, and Old friends forever . It is easy to pen the words, andthey wil l doubtless be carelessly read, but one can hardly realize thepain of thus severing the ties of a l ifetime.

“Day by day the al lott ed miles were covered, and at night the friendlycapacious wagon furnished cheap , and .

comfortable sh elter . The milkyielded by the generous cow was chur ned into delicious butter by the jol ting Of the unspr inged vehicle. Thus, in thirty days from the day Of depar tur e, the family arrived in Burford on the first day Of June 1800.

The“ weather had been l ovely before the j ourney began , the grass wasgreen, the rye fields headed and the fol iage ou t ; now the wind sough edthrough the pine tr ees, flakes Of snow fel l , and on the morning Of thesecond of June hoar frost covered everything . NO wonder there weremisgiv ings as to the wisdom Of comi ng to such a region . The Dutchpluck “Of the father and mother, and the enthusiasm of tlhe youngsters,however, could not be chil led by frost or snow, and the work of homebuilding began.

“It seems strange now to be told that the fertile plains of Bur fordwere passed by as being too poor to be worthy of consideration . Thewhole plain wa s covered with scrub oak, and a l itt le beyond the greatp in e tr ees towered towar ds heaven, and this led to the -

“conclusion thatthe soil Of the oak l ands must be poor, or the trees would grow tal ler,and, by a parity of reasoning the l atter must be rich to produce suchgiants Of the fores t. And so it came that the fin e farm owned by Mr .Art hur Pol lard, near Burford Vil lage, was left untouched for severa lyears, and the Ye igh homestead was erect ed ab out two miles west ofthe present vil lage. Th e latch string was always out to the W ayfarer

,

and night after night the cavernous kitchen fire place was surroundedby dusky sons Of the forest . As many as fifteen, or twenty, have beenthus sheltered at a time, and: the family never lost to the value Of acent by the Indi ans .It may be added tha t cold weather prevailed much later in the era

named .

In 1 783, Capt . Joseph Brant, who had been negot iatingSmi th and fOr the Grand River lands, induced John Smith and

31mm“8

John Thoma s to come from New York State on the Hud

son River , to what is now Brant County . Smith was

th en forty - five year s Of age and had served in the Revolutionary War .


Thoma s was a good deal younger man and he afterwards married one of

Smith ’s daughters . Charles and James C . Thomas, direct descendants Ofthe latt er un ion and both res idents Of Brantford Township , upon the

occasion of a meeting Of the Ontario Historical Soc iety in Brantford

some years ago, presented a j oint paper from which the fol lowing inter

esting ext racts are taken

“Capt . Brant persuaded John Smith (great grandfather ) and JohnThomas, merchant , (grandf ather ) to come with them to their new

'

home .

The children Of John Smith, who j ourneyed with him to the Grand

River , were : Will iam Kennedy Smith : Joseph Smith , Eleanor Smith,who mlarr ied John Thom-as , Mary Smith , who married Benj amin Vl’intermute, of Fort Erie ; Harriet Smith , who married Mr . Macklem ,

of Chippewa ; an d John Smith , j un . Taking these up in chronological order .Wm . K . Smith married a sister Of Capt . Jos . Brant and had two children ,Abram Kennedy Smith

,and Margaret

,who subsequently married Wil l iam

Kerby, sen . , who for a great mlany years ran a grist mi ll which was

l ocated nearly Opposite Ker-by’

s Island. He was the father Of James“Kerby who built the Kerby House . TO A . K . Smith and Margaret Kerbythe Six Nations Indians granted the Smith and Kerby tract containing1 100 acres of land, which , in addit ion to the 200 acres previously granted to Wm . K . Smi th , made a total of 1300 acres Of land, part of the siteOf the present City Of Brant ford . Joseph Smith married CharlotteDouglas Of Blenheim Township , and had three sons , viz . , John Smith ,first Sheriff of the County , Joseph

“

and Absal om , and several daughters,whose Christian names we have failed to Obtain

,with the exception Of

Harriet , who married Absalom Griffin , of Waterdown ,and Mary first

wife of George Keach ie , first governor Of the goal , who had four children , two girl s and two boys . Hi s second wife was Miss Yard ington ,

daughter Of the late Henry Yard ingt on .

Grandf ather was married in 179 1 , and father, his sec

An E ar ly ond son was born 23rd January, 1 801 , in the two - storiedFrame House frame house erected by the Smiths and John Thomas,

for John Smith j un . , was a carpenter by trade, and hadbrought h is ches t Of tools with him from the States . Some Of these toolsat the present date are in a good state of prese rvat ion , and are used by

'

us when needed . They must have been located on the lot for some timeprev ious to the erection Of th e house, as most Of the lumber used in

'

i ts'

construction h ad to be whip - sawed, i .a ., by one man under the log and

another above it . Th is house was located on a 200 acre lot fronting atwhere the vil lage Of Cainsvil le is now

, on part Of which lot the Methodi st Church stands. TO be more expl ic it , the house was built a l ittleto the

'

west of the church . The bricks for the chimneys of this housewere made by mixing the wetted clay an d tramping it with oxen, and ,when at the proper consistence

,placin g it in moulds , h andpressing and

sun -drying until they had enough for a'

kiln .


258 m sromr or BRANT COUNTY

of Blenh eim (known as the Queen’s bush at a later peri od ) , takingsuch portions of their furniture as they could conveniently convey.

Am ongst the articles left in the custody of the new-comers was a fal l - leaftable of walnut, the l eaves and top of which we have had placed on anextension di ning-table . An officer, in want of a candlestick, droppedsome of the melted ta l l ow on the table and stood the cand le thereon . Heallowed it to burn so l ow that it burnt a hole in the table, stil l visible.After the close of the war, the family returned from the place of their

retreat, the backwoods of Blenheim, and found their homestead in a verydel apidated condit ion, far di fferent from wh at it was when they left itin 1812. At that t ime they h ad

,forty acres cleared and under cultiva

t ion , well fenced with rails, staked and ridered ; but on their return theyfoun d the house with panes of gl ass out and boards off here and therefrom al l the buildings . Th e planks us ed for approaches to the barndoors were gone, a s wel l as many from the floor ; the nail s used in fencing the cleared land had disappeared, as if by magic, for it seems thesoldiers stat ioned here soon learned that th e well - seasoned fence-rail swere more combustibl e and portable than the standin g timb er near by .

So when they had ascerta ined the sad condit ion of a ffairs,and to a

certain extent real ized the losses they had sustained 'by the oom pat ion of

the premi ses by the British and Indians , they“

made a claim for £1 15,which was paid .

The year 1816 was a memorable one for those l iving atA Summer that t ime . It was usually referred to by the old -t imersless Year . as the year without a summer, for there was frost during

every month of the year, except the month of August .This, fol lowing the close of the war, made itse lf severely felt by the

settlers, for the l itt le grain they had on hand di d not suffice til l theygathered the next harvest, and many people were reduced to a state of

semi- st arvation . The first man to secur e some ri pened sh eaves of rye,fl ailed out the grain and shared it with h is l es s fortunate neighbors .

“The Indi ans suf fered also , but in al l probabil ity in a les ser - degree

for gam e was plentiful . One of the youn ger Indi ans having foun d abee -tr ee was voraciously devouring the h oney, but was stopped by one

of his own race of more ma tur e years and told that by eating it thus itwas l ikely to produce col ic . He got some dry wood, and after cutt ingit as smal l as possible, pounded it in a mortar (home-made ) unt il itl ooked l ike sawdust . The honey was then mi xed wi th it and partakenof with safet y. On being qu est ioned as to why be mixed th e wood withthe honey he repl ied “that he knew of but one reason, and that was thatthe bel ly must be fil led .

”

It is probable that it was on “his return home from a t ripS lav es in

'

to Tennessee that gra ndf ather brought with him two

slaves,a negro and his wif e. They l ived in a log house

canada. on the lo t at Cainsvil le until their death,working forand being cared for by grandfather . The woman died

first a nd .was interred by her husband close to the east side l ine of the

lot where he planted a seedling apple tr ee and a hickory tree at the head

COUNTY momnnrs 259

of the grav e to mark its l ocation . Subsequently the negro d ied and wasburied beside his wife. - In due course of t ime the Hami lton and Brantford Electric Railway was la id out and its course ran d ir ectly over thespot where these two t rees had been planted . Th e men engaged in

gradi ng the l ine found the skul l of the negro to be st il l prett y sol id, butthe remainder of the bones had ret urned to mother ea rth

Grandfather Thomas was a member of the A .F. and A .M . , No . 6

Barton Lodge. Th is l odge held meetings periodical ly in tan uppe rchamber of the two - storied Ihouse on th e lot at Cainsvil le. After theclose of the war of 1812, John Thomas j ourneyed southward to Virginiaand Tennessee t o get his busines s se tt led, but was accidenta l ly drownedwhile fording a river in that coun try, and hi s body could not be traced ,a lth ough many efforts were made with that purpose in view .

Strange t o say, no record can be found of the death of great-grandfather (John Smi th , sen . ) But we have hi s last wil l and testament dated13th September, 1827, and on comparing hi s signature thereto with thatof other documents, we have concluded that he did not l ive many yearsa fter sign ing his wil l . From father we learned that on his demise h iscorpse was interred in the Mohawk Church graveyard, his body beingthat of the fir st white man interred therein .

“About 12 years before Brant County was separ ated from the unitedCoun ties of Wentworth, Halton and Brant, father and the late Willia

‘

mHo lmes, J . P . (from whom we get the name Holmedale ) were gazettedcommis sioners of the Court of Request, a court of equity as wel l as law .

They continued to hold sessions of this court period ical ly until the establ i shm ent of County and Div ision Courts.”

“About 1812 a schoo l house was erected on the site ofEar ly Sch ool the one in what is now known as School Section No . 16,House. but at the time we are speakin g of was fcal led , at least

by the pupils, Bunnel l’s schoolhouse, because the site

was taken from a lot of land af terwards deeded by the Crown to Mr .Bunn el l , grandfather of A . K . Bunnell , Treasurer of the City of Brantford . The first teacher was a Yankee adventurer named Forsyth , who,wi th many others, had followed the army. The textbooks he introducedwere M avor

’

s Spell ing-book,the Engl ish Reader, Morse

’ s Geography andDabol l

’

s Ar ithmet icu -al l works of Yankee origin .

The spel l ing book opened up wi th th e alphabet and gradual ly advan

ced ; a few il lustrations of th e comm onest of our domest ic animals weregiven

,wi th a brief descriptive ar t icle of each . These were intersper sed

nearly to the end,where were found columns of -words of five or more

syl lables , the fir st being“abominableness .” The socal led English Read

er was almost entirely made up of ext racts from the best English authors ,but it also contain ed ext racts from speeches made by Ben . Franklin ,Patrick Henry

,etc . The geography seemed to be made up especial ly to

extol and enlarge the U. S . at the expense of Canada . To gi ve an instance ; the l ittle State of Rh ode Island was all ot ted more space in thatwork than could be spared for Canada, although the latter consisted of

260 m sroar or BRANT coum '

r

two Provinces . The Arithmet ic proved to be the best of the books , andwas a work of decided merit. After the war, father became a pupil atthis school

, and frequently referred to hi s schoolmates—th e late MalachiF i le

,the late John J . Fi le et c . , the last mentioned being the father of

Levi Fi le of the Townshi p of Brantford, and also grandfa ther of Mrs .John D . M cEwen of Mt . P leasant Road. It was not long after theadvent of Rev . James C . Usher, the founder and first rect or of GraceChu rch, Brantford, before he held D iv ine servi ce in the school house onSunday afternoon . These servi ces were hearti ly welcomed by the sett lerswho signified their apprec iati on by the regularity of their attendance .

“Our ‘foremothers’ had no such conveniences as ‘cookM eans of stoves ’ with the numberless utensi ls accompanying them ,

Cooking . but were forced to do their cooking by means of the oldfashioned fire-place, with i ts crane and pot hooks of

various lengths for hanging the pot and tea kett le on . Those who hadnot brick ovens , when they wished to roast meat or bake bread, us ed arefl ector made of bright t in , in shape somewhat l ike an open shed .

When in use this was set upon a frani e of iron with four legs, the openside towards the fire, and the frame fil led with l ive coal s . It is scarcelynecessary to state that the food to be cooked was p laced inside the refleetor . Th e frying pan had long legs an d a long handle for convenience .

The smoothin g irons (sad i rons ) were heated by standing them on endin proximi ty to the red-hot coal s, and cons equently required to have theashes removed from their faces before using . They also provided themselves with a sheet- iron round pan, with an iron handle about six feetin length, for baking short cakes and pancakes of buckwheat, corn mealor wheat flour . To prevent themselves from gett i ng overheated they im

prov ised a j ack mad e of iron, about five feet in h eight, an d havin gnotches at interval s of about six inches apart to res t the handle at sucha height as would keep the pan level . Some bakers became so proficientin its use that they were enabled to grasp the handle with both hands,give it a toss an d turn its contents, (one caike ) upside down , when cookedsuf ficiently on the lower side, and catch it in the pan .

“Some time about the year 1830, a man, J . Van NorSt oves and man by name started a foundry at Long Point . Its chief

products were “The Farmer ’s Cook Stove,

”wi th its at

tendant furniture, and box stoves for heating purposes .

The cast ings in these stoves wer e much thi cker than those in use now -a

days, and rods for holding the stove together were not used, so one had to

be very ca reful in put ting in wood or he might knock the back plate outon the floor. M-any farmers, as soon as bricks could be obtained, erectedbrick ovens at a short di st ance from the ki tchen, and thus were enabledto bake a batch of bread that would last t he fami ly eight or ten days.We have several pots made at Long Point and occas ional ly make use of

Our ancestors had not th e opportun ity to buy at Satu rCl oth ing . day bargains but Were compelled, owi ng to cir cumstances

over which they had no control , to raise sheep whosewool was taken to the nearest carding mil l, where it was made into rol ls.



CHAPTER XV.

BRANT COUNTY REMINISCENCES BY AN OLD TIME RESIDENT .—SOME OF THE

PEOPLE AND INCIDENTS or EARLY DAYS.—VISIT OF’

AN OBSERVING

SCOTCH ADVOCATE IN 1831 .—PRI CES OF LIVE STOCK , FARM LABOR

IMPLEMENTS ETC—THE EARLY HOTELS.

In 1888, Mr . Charles Dura nd, of Toronto, wrote some interesting

let ters regarding Brant County,from whi ch the fol lowing extracts are

taken .

In 1804 my father , the la te Captain James Durand, who died inHam i lton in 1833, owned a large farm in Norfolk County, on whichsome part of the Town of S imcoe now s tands . He also had a storethere, and used very frequently to pass through the site on which Brantford now stands, in go ing to Hamilton and from it to Norfolk . He alsobought a farm , or rathe r several farms, about the year 1 818, in what wasthen cal led the Gran d River Swamp—as it was indeed— six miles fromthe now site of Brantford

, East of Fairchild’s Creek two miles .

’

Herehe his-d a cleai'ed and cultivated farm of near two hundr ed acres, runn ingback, and built two sawmil ls, the first in that part of the country, on thecreek about a mi le back in the woods . The whole neighborhood wasdotted with the most beautiful pine forests and other fores t trees . “On thefarm I l ived unti l 1829-30 with my father, and he h ad five other sonsat the time . I can recal l many pleasant days, many beautiful associations , on this great wooded property of 1 200 acres of land . It was, infact , part of the Indian Reserve and ran back to near three miles from theGrand Ri ver . The Indi ans of the S ix Nations, l iving be low the MohawkCh urch , had a trai l through the woods from their vil lages, which passedthrough the great farm

,. and they used to pass through the cleared part of

our l and and by our door, in going to the then largest, and indeed onlylarge trading vil lage, Ancaster, ten miles east of us, through the swamproad . Often have I watched these peop le

,husbands and wives, many

women hav ing infants on their backs , tramping down towards Ancasterto sel l baskets, berries or furs . Often also have I watched them in theircamps in the woods . They were more

‘

or i'ginal then than now, yet wenever suffered

,to my rememb rance, from any thefts comm it ted . Some

years later, in 1826-7-8, I used at t imes to take a horse on Sunday and

ride to the Mohawk Church,an Engl ish Church Mission then, presided

over by a missionary . You may be surprised at my saying that we hadno postoffice nearer than Ancaster then ; no doctor nearer . We hadp l ai n , simple country schools, taught by schoolmasters, who were general ly Yankee s and

“boarded around, among neighbors, and at one ofthese schools I and my brothers used to go in 1820 up to 1 825. These

COUNTY rNc ENTs 263

are a few of the famil ies I knew—the Westbrooks, the Shavers . theBarlows, the Days, the Vander l ips, the Bunnel ls, the Fongers, the Myers,the Sages, the Vansickles , the Sagers, and old Mr. Augustus Jones , oneof the oldest surveyors in the Wes t, who surveyed many of the WesternCounti es, and who married an Indi an woman. He l ived up the rivernear Brantford . Later on I knew the Raceys, th e Kerbys, the Muirheads,and others . Bran tford was a mere Indian tradi ng point at the time .Beyond Woodstock an d this side of London, was a vas t desert pinery,through which my father used to ride and in

’ which wolves and bearsprowled in hun dreds . The whole l ine of the Grand River was settled byIndians in their

_

or iginal state and the beautiful river meandered in lovelymaj esty along its wooded slopes

,where only th e Indian canoe or water

fowl disturbed its bosom,'and where the stately , yet timid deer slaked

their thirst . Among the bending forest t rees , dipping their pendantbranches in the clear water, the lovely summer birds sang their plaintivenotes .

A Nob leI described in my last letter how beautiful the GrandRiver was in 1820-30, when I first saw it, as comparedwith now . C ivi lization and the march of men onward,

have their good, th eir charms , but they spoi l the simpl icity of the virginityOf natur e, as seen in the ancient woods

,when the birds sang so~ gaily ,

the tal l trees shone in their magnificent greenness,around the Brantford

region of country, and your now obstructed river, flowed,

in maj esticbeauty and silence under the bending trees, the wil lows and the vinesembraced their welcoming branches

,and the Indi ans hunted their game

unmolested.

“Referring Once more to o l d timers. There was the Westbrookfami ly . O ld Maj or Westbrook was a powerful , j olly old farmer, andI have heard that he and his wife went upon their O ld farm with only acow, an axe, and a few simple ma terials nece ssary to build a log cabin .

There they fel led a forest and reared a family, and made the woodedscenes ring with the songs Of old revolutionary times , for he was aRoyal ist, as was O ld Mr . William Vanderli p . I rememb er this O ld farmerwel l . He lived only about four miles, or less, from Brantford in 1 820and belonged to Colonel Butler’ s Rangers. His p lace was at the foot Ofwhat used to be cal led the Grand River Corduroy Road . He was aninnkeeper, as was his son Edward, six miles east of Brantford . Thelatter married a daughter of Mr. Jacob Langs , one Of th e first settlersin the Brantford region

,and who l ived near my fa ther’s p lace . He had

a large family of boys and girls . One of the best known families in1820-30 was the Bunnel l fami ly, who owned a fine farm on Fairchild

’ sCreek, four mi les east of Brantford, and the sons afterwards , between 1830and 1840, built a large flour mil l in Brant ford. Am ong the Indians ofthat time, the Brant family was best known . Two of o l d Captai n Brant’schildren were educated in England in first cla ss style. His daughter

,a

ful l blooded Indian, was a perfect lady and used, prior to 1820, up toher marriage wi th Wil liam Johns on Kerr, to go into the society of al lthe best fami l ies Of Ham i lton and Toronto . Abrah am K . Smith, who


owned a large quan tity of land in Brantford at one time, was as generoushearted and social a fell ow as I ever met .

“O ld Mr . Jacob Langs, whom I knew so wel l , and who lived only on

the next farm to my father in o ld t imes , was la l so of U.E . Loyal ist stock.He was born in New Jersey, and came to Canada at a very early periodprior to 1 790. He married into a family nam ed Fowl er

,in the States .

His son , John Langs , born in 1799 , married Sarah, one of M aj or Westbrook’s daughters, and thev had a large fami ly. Pat ty married PeterWestbrook, a son of the Maj or .

One .

I learn that my father ’s farm, has now been cut up into

Hundr edno less than eight farms . I t was one of the most beautiful in that part of the country in those times and woodedwith noble pine, maple, and beech t rees . A creek ran

through part of it , the lovely wooded val ley was filled with wildplum trees and wild grape vines

,and blackberry patches were seen

in various parts of it . Often when a boy I have helped in the frostydays of March and Apri l to make sugar in these val leys—making maplesugar then was quite common . It was in the old forest s on this farm thatI noti ced the remains of Indi an mounds or works, which must have beenthere long prior to the S ix Nations settlements . On the great farm

,game

of al l kinds in early days was very common,such as deer

, bears, partridges,ducks, quail , etc . , etc . Ducks frequen ted the mil l pond and creek . Atthat time we had no thr eshing machines or reapers . We threshed withthe flai l and with horses , general ly four horses, which were used to treadout the grain on the large barn floors, and often I have helped to do it .

“The ladies, in the old days of Upper Canada, used to ride long

d is tanm on horseback . My mother rode from Hamilton to Norfolk,before the war of 1812, and a Mrs . Bradshaw rode from Hamilton toNiagara and Hamilton to Townsend. The wife of Russel Smith atBurford, was her granddaughter.

Years Ago.

The peop le of those days had to be contented with few pleasuresand those of a very primitive kind.

“Bees” were a popular diversion.

Th ere was the logging bee, quilting bee , apple paring bee , husking bee,and often clearing bees . After the bees were over, there would be aj ol ly dance

,courting of the boys and gi rl s, and a happy reun ion of the

parents . At times horse racing took p lace. I was a t one of thesemeets near Brantford about 1828. Camp meetings in the woods werealso qui te common . In 1 833, in the summ er, I vis ited Brantford witha party of revi val ists . We held a series of meet ings and I stayed atthe house o f old Mr . Wilkes , the father of the present Wilkes family .

O ld Mr . Wilkes was a very intel l igent Englishman . Among others I sawwas a Mr . Lovej oy

,who married one of the daughters of Dr . Case, the

elder, of Hamilton .

“D istances in those days , were not heeded, as now, by

D i stances foot travel lers, or travel lers on horseback . Th e horse

Not Headed . back ride from Hami lton to the Town of S imcoe , or

from the Town of S imcoe to London , or Chatham, would be thought a



hun ting at night . The coons are fond of youn g corn, so a re bears. Thefarmers , with their dogs, in the middle days of August, would on moonl ight nights, start out in the small hours of the morning, s lyly enter thecorn field, near the Woods, or in vales, and tree the coon by the aidof the dogs . Their bark would soon locate the animals in

’

some hightree, and the axe men would soon fel l the tree, whilst the dogs would beheld ready to pounce upon the a nima l amidst the fa l len branches . A ltogether, it was fine sport ; so was hunting bee trees in the late autumnmonths . Your town and the country ar ound was once famous for hazelnuts. Thousands Of the bushes were seen for miles around Brantford .

The streams around your town and in Burford were once famous for thespeckled trout fishing . So, too the creeks (especial ly Fairchild

’s Creek,

that passed through my father s farm ) , were fil led in April with fishcoming up to spawn, such as p ike, pickerel and perch . Fishing at night

,

with l ight ed torches, was no smal l sport for farmers . Another amusement then common on my fa ’ther s and other farms

,was sugar and

molasses making in March and April . The trees were t'

apped i n the deepwoods and the boys and girls had fine fun when ‘‘sugaring Off ’ came on .

Eighty-nine years ago Mr . Adam Fergusson, an Advocate

of Woodhill , Scotland, made a tour of this portion Of

Canada and a part Of the United States. He was a dir

ector of “The Highland Society Of Scotland,

” an institution which mani

fest ly took a keen interest in the growing migration of Caledonia’s sons

to this Continent . Upon h is return he publ ished a book entitled“Practical Notes made dur ing a Tour in Canad a and a portion of the

United States in Th e volume was addressed to “My Lords and

gent lemen,” and issued in - Edinburgh by Wil liam B lackwood in 1832. It

is significant of the time that he deemed it opportun e to devote quite an

amount Of s pace to hi s trip from Manchester to L iverpool by“The far

famed railway,” stating in this regard .

A Long Ago

V isit or .

From the powers of the l ocomotive engines on the railroad, goodsand passengers are conveyed from Liverpool to Manchester, a distance Ofthirty two miles

,in about two hours . As a contrast to this rap id trans

miss i on between the towns, the fol lowing sta tement may not be out ofplace . A stage-coach was first establ ished between Liverpool and Manc‘hester m 1 767. The roads were then so bad that the coach was drawnby six

,and occasional ly by eight horses

,and it required the whole of the

day to perform the j our ney . An O ld gentleman, now res ident in Liverpool ,relates that, between fifty and sixty years ago, he occasionally visitedManchester

,when the coach started early in the morni ng from Liverpool ;

the passengers breakfasted at Prescot, dined at Warri ngt on, and arrivedsometimes in time for supper at M anchester . On one occasion , atWarr ington, after dinner , the coa chman intimated hi s anxiet y to procee d ;when ‘he was reques ted by the company -to take another p int and wait al ittle longer, as they had not finished th eir wine, asking h im at the same

COUNTY ma nant s 267

time if he was in a hurry : “Why, replied John,“I’m not partic

’

lar asto an hour or so .

”

Another lengt hy description was devoted to the tedious sea -voyage by

Packet Ship” , fol lowed by a pen-pictu re of New York and other United

States points of adj acent interes t winding up with embarkation on a

steamer for Canada . Mr. Fergusson vi sited Quebec, Montrea l , Kingst on,the Falls and other places travelling by wagon, stage-coach and horseback and finally reached this section of Ontario . After not ing a visit to

the“Town of Guelph” he relates that he was conveyed by light wagon

to Galt and continues ;“After a very pleasant ride, we came, rather suddenly,

First View a t an opening in the forest, upon the Ouse, or Gran dRiver, where it made a beautiful sweep and a. fine appearance. ‘ A l it tl e farther down, some straggling houses and

extensive mi lls announ ced our ar rival at Galt. A wooden bridge led ust o a commodious st one-buildi ng in the cott age style, the residence of Mr .D ickson, delightful ly placed upon a rising ground, and commanding fin eviews of the river. I found with Mr. D ickson a kind and cordialwelcome and enj oyed the comforts of such a fami ly not a little, afterth e somewhat rough work

'

of th e last two days . Mr. D icks on is a veryextensive landowner , having purchased a large township , whi ch he namedDumf ries , and, in the pres ent ful l tide of emigration, I doubt not thati t wil l rapidly fil l up . The system of d eal ing with settlers here is part icu larly favorable for those who are c ompelled to rely chiefly upon theirpersonal labour. Mr . D ickson opens an accoun t with each indiv idual ,receivin g instalments in money or produce, and frequently where character warrants such confidence, even supplying the means of purchasingoxen , implements, or seed . At an early period of the sett lement heformed a connection with Mr. Shade, an intel ligent, enterprising American, who devotes his at-ten-tion principal ly to the mi l ls, where he carriesforward an extensive concern in the various departments of flour andsaw mil ls, with a cooperage simi lar to the one at Gananoque, and fromwhi ch he turns ou t uncomm only neat and reas onable articles . A son of

Mr . D ickson resides with him,giving his a id in the genera l management

,

and was at thi s time j ust returned from an experimental voyage, in company with Mr . Shade, by whi ch the import ant fact was ascert ained, thatth e Ouse affords a safe communication wi th the Welland Canal, a distance by water of 100 mi les A barrel of flour, which now costs 3s . toreach Ontario, wil l thus be conveyed for I s . and al l other produce

, of

cour se, in like proportion .

— a difference of incalculable value to the distr ict

Mr . D ickson has a very neat garden t ast eful ly laid out behi nd hismansion, and adj oinin g to it a large extent of improved land. The rocksat the river side are of l imestone, which in fact forms the sub-stratumof the whole, or most par t, of Upper Canada .

As my time would not adm it of a long soj ourn, where I shouldotherwise have enj oyed myself so much Mr . D ickson kindly offered me his

268 m sr oar or BRANT coum

horses ; and hi s son, though st il l an inval id from cold caught in hi saquatic excursion, in sisted upon accompanying me to Hamilton , where Icould again rej oin the high road to Niagara .

Saturday, May 15.—We had a white fros t this morning,

Fine Farm fol lowed by a beautiful day . Breakfast being over , weLand s . start ed for Brantford, a vil lage about twenty miles off ,

chiefly belonging .to the Indi ans. I was mounted upona capital steady mare, Mr . Dickson

’s own pad ; his son rode an un

commonly clever , active hackney ; and our baggage and sumptersteed was

bestrode by S imon Mackenzie, a Yankee Celt, a very civil fel low. Ourride al ong the r iver side was del ightful , and the scenery fine, farms andforest in alternate succession . A few mi les below Calt, we turned off

to examine two properties then on sale ; they were contiguous to eachother, and appeared to consist of good usefu l land, w el l -watered by copious springs, on a l im e- stone bottom . The situation was extremely pleasant, extending in front down to th e river

,and intersected by the publi c

road . Each farm contained about 200 acres , of which nearly one -halfwas improved and fenced, with tolerable houses, and the remainder inuseful timbe r of var ious kinds . The price demanded was 40s . per acre .

“Retur ning to our route, we entered upon e u extens ive range of open,grove- l ike woodland, prin cipally ciak, and the trees so dispersed as not

to interfere material ly with the operations of the plough . It had muchof the appearance of some of the wildest parts of Engl ish park- scenery .

An old Indian path conducted us .to a commanding point overhanging theriver, where we found a cool spring gushing from the bank , amidstshrubbery and undergrowth . A smal l '

and verdant knol l marked thespot where gr and council s were wont to be held in olden times, andwhere th e calumet of peace has, no doubt, been often smoked, or thetomahawks sharpened for war . It was a lovely landscape , with a greaterrange open to th e eye than us ual ly occurs in the interior of Canada .

Here we seated ourselves, enj oying the contents of S imon’s wal let and

the spring, with due qualification, while our horses had a l itt le rest inthe heat of the day . Adjoini ng to th is spot l ived a young Scotch settler,who had recent ly purchased a lot of 1 00 a cres from Mr . Dickson . Hehad already got a very snug shanty erected and was labor ing away withhi s oxen

,blythe and cheerful , at a good hazel - colored sandy l oam .

Recognizing at once by his di alect from what part of Scotland he hadcome, I inqu ired if he knew a particular friend of my own on the Borders

,

and the poor fel l ow’s ecstasy was most iamu s ing when he exclaimed thathis own father was a tenant upon my friend’s estate . “I ’m sure

,

” sayshe,

“he’ l l no hae forgot Walter Smith ; but tel l him you met the poacherand he’ l l be sure to mi nd me. ” I of course hinted a suspicion that somemishap attending that lawless character hiad accele rated his movementsacross the Atlant ic, which, however, proved not to be the case. “At al levents,

”I remarked

,

“

you neither need certificate nor qual ification here ;what do you principally shoot ? ” “Indeed,

”says he,

“if you’ l l bel ieve meSir, I scarce ever think about it , for there

’s naebody seeks to hinder us,

”

a remarkable answer and not without its use in forming a clew to the



ual charge of Mr . Lugger, a clergyman of the Church of England, sentout by the Society for Propa ga t ing the Gospel . Next day being Sunday,we resolved to make a small detour, and attend worship in their church .

The institution embraces both spiritual and secular obj ect s . They havea Mechanics ’ School where instruct ion is given in handicraft trades.

“We were favoured with another lovely day, and had aA t M oh awk sweet ride to the Moh awk Village. We found, uponVill age . our arrival , th e Sund ay School at work, and it appeared

to be conducted in an orderly and becomi ng manner.The church is a neat, small building, in which the ma le and

'

female por~

t ions of the congregat ion occupy respect ive divisions . The clergymanrequired the aid of an interpret er in the readi ng desk and pulpit . No

hearers could be mo re att entive or devout than these children of theforest. The old men, with th eir /mi lk-white heads and placid dignifiedcopper countena-nces , would have made admi rable portraits , and al l appeared to j oin earnes tly in the l iturgy, and to l isten with deep attention toa plain, suitable discourse.

“Many of the women pos sess remarkab ly amiab le expressions ; andthe l it t le ones , neatly swaddled up into the sha pe of a Bologna sausage,were the funn iest , comical l ooking bodies imaginable. It is common tohave a flat board, to which the l itt le .animal is strapped, and by which itcan, a t any time, be safely hung up and put out of the way . After service, I was int roduced to two of the chief men , who gave me their handsin; a stately an d somewhat condescendin manner , sayin at the sametime,

“Welcome were all wel l clothed, though the fashions were certainly somewhat grotesque.

M r . Fergusson at the conclusion of his book presentedTh e 0081; the foll owi ng figuresOf Thi ngs .

Prices of Live Stock , Upper Can -adaHorses 7 10 0 to £10 0 0

Oxen for labour , per pair 0 O 1 7 10 - 0

Milch Cows 3 15 0 5 0 0

Implements , Etc.Waggon for pair of horsesHarness for pair of horsesA ploughBrake-barrowLong chains to dragDouble horse -sleighComm on cx-sl eig-h

ProduceWheat per bushelBarley per bushel

Indian Corn,per bushel

Pease per bushelPotatoes per bushelHay per ton

5

3

2

290

2

01

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0a

t6

6

6

6

6

6

0

3

2

1

1

2

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

£

0

COUNTY INCIDENTS 271

Wages and LabourHi re of a man for farm work

,with board per month

Hir e of female for ordinary house-work,per month

Blacksmith on j ob per monthBlacksmith for a set of shoesChoppin g per acreLogging (col lecting and dragging ) per monthOrdinary fencing of split rails

,per rood

Pos t and rail fencing per roodSowing and harrowing per acreReaper ’s wages (find themselves ) per dayCommon laborers at Indi an corn or potato work,Wheat , reaped, and hauled into rick-yard and stacked

per acreThrashing and winnowing

,per bushel

Household Furnitu re

Handsome sideboard two doors, and five drawersSecretary or writing-table 10

Dining tables , thr ee to a setBur eaus, s ix drawersBureaus, six drawers, plainBureaus with f our drawers

I—dCH

M

UI

OOOOOOO

Black walnut cha ir s, ha ir -bottoms, eachCommon Windsor chai rs, eachDr aw ing-room table, claw feetDrawing room liab le , plainBedsteads, hi gh posts 2 O

l 10

Dress ing-tabl e and washstand 1 10

1 10

O 121 IO

These articles are handsomely and substantial ly finished ; and thenat ive woods

,such as bird’s eye maple, black walnut , birch, elm, oak,

cherry etc . ,supply excel lent and beautiful materials. ”

With the advent of stages , smal l hotels, so cal led, comEar ly HOtels ' menced to make their appearance at various points .

They were crude inst itutio ns and qui te frequently“mine host” and hi s

family constituted pretty rough specimens . An early travel ler whomade the j ourney from London to York on foot, passing thr ough Burfordin the year 1820, has left the fol lowing account of the accommodationfurnished 'him at this period .

“At eight o ’clock in the even ing, I arrived a t B oggs ’s tavern where

I put up for the night . Taverns in the country par-ts of Upper Canada

o

wwwp

mq

q HOHO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


consist for the mo st part of smal l log house s, wit h three apartment s , akitchen

,a bed- chamber and a bar room. Th e bar-room is al ike the cofl

'

ee

room,the dram shop and the counting house. The kitchen is the scul

lery, the dini ng room,

and drawing room, and the bed- chamber commonlycontains four or five beds , cl ean and plain , with cotton sheets andl insey-woolsey coverlets, but havi ng neither posts nor curta ins . Theother accoutrements of this apartment are two or three chairs, and aportable looking-glass , so that a sma l l Li l l iputian might put it in hiswa istcoat pocket ; and so far from retur ning a correct representaion ofthe Obj ects which it reflects , if you look at yourself in it length -wise,it will double the longt itude of your visage, and if bread-thwi se, it wi l lequally augment th e lat t itude . Such is the furniture of a Canad ian bedroom . In thi s sort of apartm ent do men, women and children indiscriminate ly seek repose from the fatigue of trave l l ing .

“On entering one of these taverns and asking for a singl ebed, you are tol d that your chance Of gett ing one de

Comf orts . pends ent irely on the number of travel lers who may'

wa nt accommodat ion for the ni ght ; and if you Obtainpossession of a bed by promi s ing 'to receive a Companion when required .

it is impossib le to say wha t sort of a companion may come .“I have already said, that, in the bed-chamber s of Canadian hotels

,

you are -not suppl ied wi th wash stand or any of the paraphernalia of thedressing-table. But les t I shou ld ' be hereafter accused of di sseminatingerroneous or garbled statements, it may be as wel l to inform you thaton descending from your bed-room and walking outside the door,

'

you

will find something in the shape Of a pig-trough , suppl ied with water,in thi s you may wash if you p lease, after you have dressed, or before

,

if vou have any di sposition to walk out in your morning-gown.“In addi t ion to these comforts of a Canadi an hotel , as an example Of

others too numerous to ment ion , I may be all owed to say, if you have ahorse, you are obliged not merely to see him fed and cleaned, but to feedh im and clean him yoursel f.”



A resolution was pas sed author izing the Building Com

'

m it tee to advertise for plan s and specifications for the

erection of a Court House and Gaol in Brantford , and

a subscription l ist was reported to be already in exist ence.At th e session next day this resolution was carr ied z—“That the sum

of including the subscript ion l ist , he appropriated for the erec

tion of a Court House and Gaol for the County of Brant, to be raised by

assessments on al l the ratable property in the said county, in Six annualpaym ents from th is date .”

The Chairman of the comm ittee on Public Buildi ngs also submitted a

report recommend ing the adopt ion of a plan and spec ifications, prepar

ed by M r . John Turner , and tenders were asked .

At the meeting Of the Council on May l st , foll owing : it was reportedthat the tender of Mes srs. Turner and Sinon was the lowest—four

thousand four hundred and four pounds , ten shill ings —and a contractwith them was author ized . The final payment, owing to extras, .was

not including equipment .

The first By- law passed by the Provi sional Coun cil was asSeal Of The fol lowsCounty .

Gaol andCourt House .

“By

- law NO. 1 . To provide a Corporate Seal , or

Common Seal , for the Municipal ity of the Coun ty of Brant, one of theUnited Coun t ies of Wentworth, Halton and Brant .WHEREAS it i s expedi ent or necessary that a Cow on or Corporate

Seal should be adopted and provided for the Municipal ity Of the County

of BrantBe it therefore enacted by the Provisional Municipal Council thereof,

in Council assembled, under and by virtue Of the Upper Canada Municipal

Corporation Acts, and it i s hereby enacted by the authority of the same,that the Common or Corporate Sea l of the Mun icipal ity shal l be one inch

and a half in diameter, bearing the fol lowin g device, figures and in scr ipt ion thereon

, that is to say bearing upon it the words in its margin ,“County of Brant, C . W .

” with an oak tree, and an Indi an standing erect,with a bow and arrow in his hands, and a deer in the distance, whichshall be the Corporate or Common Seal of th e said Municipal ity of theCounty of Brant . Passed in Council the first day Of May A . D. , 1852.

INO. CAMERON, Jos . D . CLEM ENT

County Clerk, Warden .

The said seal did duty for many years when a more appropriatedesign , suggested by the Brant Historical Society, was adopted at ameeting of the County Council , Decemb er 17th, 1913, and the original

by- law repealed in favor of the fol lowing :


“That the Common or Corporate Seal of the Mun icipal ity of the

County of Bran t shal l be two and one-eighth inches in d iameter bearingthe fol lowing figures and in scriptions thereon, namely, bear ing upon themargin of said sea l the words “The Corporation of the Coun ty of Brant,Ontario, 1853 and the motto Fide l itas et Industria, on the inner circlebel ow a shield, which shield shal l be located in the centre of the seal andshall bear thereon an Indian with the Pipe of Peace in his hand , andin the vert of the shield between two sheaves of wheat shal l be a wheel ,and the crest above the shield shal l represent a bear standing upon alog of pine and a log of oak tightly bound together, and the seal so abovedescribed shall be the Common or Corporate Seal of the Corporation of

the County of Brant .”

The bear is th e token of the Mohawk tribe ; the logs of pine andoak representing respectively the Six Nations and Bri tish nation, are supposed to be bound by treaty thongs ; the sheaves of wheat represent agricultur e an d the wheel industry, whi le the Indi an figure 18 represented as

standing at the edge of some water—Brants ford .

EXISTENCE AS A SEPARATE COUNTY.

At a mee ting of the County Council on Novembe r 6th 1852, a

petition was prepared affirmin g the intention of Brant to become a separate Coun ty and the necessary financial an d other arrangements havi ngbeen made, the Provisional Warden was instructed to

“sign al l requisitepapers on b ehalf of the Council that may be necessary to eff ect a separat ion of the County of Brantford from the United Counties of Wentworth,Halton and Brant .”

The fina l meeting of the Prov isional Council took place in the TownHall , Brant ford, Jan. 13th , 1853, when Warden Clement was made therecipient of a hear ty vote of thanks and a grant of £25.

The first session of the 1853 Council took place January24t h , 1853 with the fol lowing members in attendance : J .Woodyat t , Reeve of the Town of Brantford ; J . McMichael , Deputy Reeve of Town of Brantford ; E . Mal

colm, Reeve of Oakland ; G. Youel l, Reeve, Township of

Onondaga ; Benson Jones, Reeve Town ship of Brantford ; L . Ch apin,Deputy Reeve Town ship of Brantford ; C . S . Perley, Reeve, Township of

Burford ; I . B . Henry, Deputy Reeve, Township of Burford ; C . Wh i t law ,

Reeve of Paris ; Daniel Anderson , Reeve of South Dumf ries ; W. Mullen ,Deputy Reev e of South Dumfries .The Clerk of the Provisional Council having taken the Chair

,received

the credential s of th e various members representing the Municipal ity,

276 m sronr or BRANT com

and cal led the members to order . After reading certain correspondencebetween the Prov isional Warden and the Executive Government

,touchi ng

,

and concerning the separation of the Coun ty from the United Counties ,and a telegram announcing the separation he called upon them to electtheir Warden, Wh ereupon

On motion of Mr . Jones , seconded by Mr . Anderson , it was resolved

that El iakim Malcolm, Esq ., be Warden

'

of the County of Brant, for thepresent mun icipal year .The Wa rden elect, havi ng been duly sworn in, b efore Alfred Digby,

Esq. ,M . D. , took his seat and addressed the council as fol lows

Gentlemen

I thank you for the honor you have conferred upon me by appointingme Warden of this County which s ituat ion

'

I will endeavor to fil l to thebest Of my humble abil it ies ; and I t rust, by our un ited exert ions, that thebusiness of th e coun ty wil l be conducted to the furthenance of the interestsof the county general ly .

“I have to congratulate you and the inhabitants of the County , thatwe are now about to real ize the much desired obj ect which has for sev

eral years past occupied the mind of the several town ships now comprising the Coun ty of Brant . We are now, by procl ama tion , set apartfrom the Uni on which lately was known as “The United Counties of Wentworth

,Halton and Brant,

” and are become a separate County .

“Gentlemen — taking into considerati on the extent of territory, com

prising this county, i ts equal for natural advantages is not to be foundin United Canada . Its soil for the growt h of wheat

, (which is the principal article of export ) can not be surpassed ; and al l other grains

,cul

inary roots and grass , are produced in luxur iant crops .“The County of Brant, also, in proportion to its territory, I thi nk I

am warranted in saying, possesses more hydraul ic power than anyother coun ty in Canada . This power i s not confined to one local ity, butis so ordered by an al l -wise Providence so as to be beneficial to thewhole County .

“A s to th e improvements .

'

I would ask, what was the Town of Brantford

,now your County Town, at my earl iest rememb rance ? What is it

now, and what are i ts future prospects ? I have passed through thisplace when there was only one l og hut in it, and that was kept as a subst itute for a tavern . Look at it now, with its beautiful pub l ic buildings,iron foundr ies , steam engines , machine shops, numerous brick stores,both wholesale and retail

,flour mi l ls, machine shops, of al l descriptions ;

well kept public houses,splendid p-ubl ic residences, printing establ ish

ments, and I am sorry to say—distil leries, breweries and low grog shopsthe enemies and destructives of a great portion of the human race .

“The Town of Brantford i s most admi rably situated in the centreof an extensive farming country ; at the head of the

_

nav igat ion of theGrand Ri ver, (one of the mos t splendid rivers in Canada ) and when that



navigat ion is completed , which we trust wi l l not be long, it wil l afforda cheap and easy mode of conveying the produce of the surroundingcountry to market, and bring in return such articles of merchandise as

are wanted by the inh abitants .

The main thoroughfare from the eastern to the western sections of

the Province, passes through Brantford and leading roads intersect itfrom all parts of the surrounding country. A railroad is now in a stateof forwardness, approaching to completion, from Buff alo through Brantford (where no doubt a depot wil l be located ) , to intersect the GreatWestern at Paris, and thence to Goderich . We are looking forward to

the time which we trust is not far distant, when ( if not thwarted by thenarrow-mindedness of our Legislature ) we expect to have a rai lroad fromthe Western ext remity of the Provi nce via St . Thomas, Norwich and Burford, through the town of Brantford, to intersec t the Great Western between this town and Hamilton .

Gen tlemen —It has fal len to our l ot to commence the local affairs ofthe new county, and I trust that our united delib erations wil l be governedsolely for the benefit of the coun ty.

“The principal thing is to guard against unnecessary expenditure of

the county funds . A steady and progres sive course of improvements canbe made without ove

'

rburdening the people of the coun ty w ith taxes . Mymott o

,while I had the honor to be a member of the Distr ict an d County

Council s, has been to guard against unnece ssary expendi ture of publicmoney . . I would say fu rther that I need not confine myself to the Townof Brantford in relation to improvements . Take a v iew of the wholecounty ,

and see the improvements in agriculture, and the num erous vi llages and towns springing up in all directions, and you wi l l at once seethat the County of Brant i s al l that I have represented it to be.

On motion of Mr . Youel l , seconded byMr . Jones ,

Resolved,That John Cameron , Esq . , be the Clerk of the County of

Brant,for the current year .

On motion of Mr . Youel l , seconded by Mr . Jones,

Resolved,That Hamilton Bigga r , Esq . , be the Treasurer for the

County of Brant, for the current year .

At the session on the second day, By- law No . 1 , was passed fixingthe salary of the Treasur er at £100, and the salary of the Clerk at £37.

108 . By-Law No . 2, enacted that the remun eration of County

'

Counci l lors

should be “six shil l ings and three pence currency per day, and that

one day ’s extra pay be al lowed to each of the members of the said Council res idin g three miles from the County town of the said County, for

every session of the said Council , to defray their expenses in coming toand going from the said Council . (The present pay of County Coun

ci l lors it may be noted is $5 a day and mileage . )

278 msronv or BRANT COUNTY

At the County Council meeting held on the 23rd of June

gge

r

sifntat l on 1853, the fol lowing address was read, on the occasion ofag .

the presentation of the national flag to the Coun ty of

Brant . The address was del ivered by His Honour Judge Jones, and the

flag was presented by Mr . Sheriff Smith in behalf of the publ ic officers

of the County of Brant .“To the Warden and members

'

of the Mun icipal Council of the Countyof Brant , in Counci l assembled . We, the undersigned, publ ic . officers ofthe County of Brant, would respectful ly approach your honourable body,and express the hope that it will not be deemed either amiss or obtrusive

in us in “having considered that the publ ic buildings of th is fine county

should, in common wi th those of the other counties of this noble Prov

ince, 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 bat tl e and the breeze,

”

with a view to present the same to the said county . Presum ing that we

are right in the express ion of our hope, we would approach your honor

able body as the proper medium thr ough which to carry out the obj ect

we have in view, to present to the County of Brant, and pray its acceptance through you , of th is 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 ; T . S .

Shenstone, Registrar ; John Cameron , Clerk of the Peace ; Will iam Mur~

phy, Inspector ; E . B . Wood, Clerk County Court and Deputy Clerk of

the Crown ; Wm . H . Burns, Registrar of the Surrogate Court.” The flag

presented was the British “ensign ,” or in the words of Campbell ,

“Themeteor flag of England .

”

The Warden ’s reply was as fol l ows : Gentlemen -As the head of the

Municipal ity of the Coun ty of Brant, on behalf of the inh abitants of thecoun ty, I thank you for the pres entation of our national flag, through

me and the members of this municipal ity, to the Count y of Brant, as an

emblem to be hoisted upon the splendid edifice , the Court House of thecounty, by which our national ity on al l publ ic occasions may promi nently appear ; the flag which is the national emblem of the most powerful

and sympathizing nation under the sun, to which the oppressed of al l 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, prosper ous, contented andhappy people ;

’ and that it wil l do so under our noble const itution faith

fully administered, no one can have any reason to doubt .”

ELIAKIM MALCOLM, Wa rden .


280 HISTORY or BRANT couNTr

ford ; 1869 -71 , Wm . Paterson, W. J . Imlach ; 1872, Robert Phair, Geo .

H . Wilkes, Will iam Watt ; 1873, R . Phair, J . J . Hawkins, B . Hunn ;1874, J . W. Digby, B . Hunn, George Watt ; 1875, W. J . Scarfe, B . Hunn,E . Brophey ; 1876, E . Brophey, G . H . Wilkes, T . Palmer ; 1877, J .Ormerod, W. J . Scarfe, J . J . Hawkins . (Brantford became a City. )

Reeves z— 1853, Ben son Jones 1854, H . Phelps ; 1855,Townsh ip Of Al len Good ; 1857 to 1863, Arch . M cEwen ; 1863, JamesB rant ford . Campbel l ; 1 864, Wm . Turnbull ; 1865, James Campbell ;1866 to 1873, Wm . Turnbul l ; 1873 to 1876, Wm . S . Campbel l ; 1876,Arch . M cEwen ; 1877 to 1 880 Chr istopher Edmonson ; 1880, John Str ickland ; 1881 , James Reid ; 1882, Wm . Biggar ; 1883, Wm . Roddick ; 1884,W . Biggar ; 1885, D . Whiting, 1886, Thos . Brooks ; 1887, W . Biggar ;1888, W. Biggar ; 1899 , Robert L. Hamilton ; 1890, Robert L . Hami lton ;189 1 , Thos. Clark ; 1892, Josiah Woodley ; 1893, Daniel Whiting ; 1894,Dani el Whiting ; 1 895, Daniel Whiting ; 1896, Dan iel Whiting .

Deputy Reeves —1853, Lyman Chapin ; 1854, John Tennant ; 1855-6,John Whiting ; 1857 to 1860, John Tennant ; 1 860, Wm . Hunter ; 1 861 ,James Cam pbel l ; 1862, Wm . Hunter ; 1863, Wm . Turnbul l ; 1864, Wm .

Hunter ; 1865, Wm . Turnbul l ; 1866, Wm . Hunter ; 1867, H . G; Townsend, Geo . Bryce ; 1868, H . G . Townsend, Wm . Hunter ; 1 869 to 1873, H .

G . Townsend, Wm . S . Campbell ; 1873 to 1 876, H . G. Townsend, Chris .Edmondson ; 1876, Chris . Edmondson, Alex . Duncan ; 1877, Alex. Duncan , Th omas Sanderson ; 1878, Wm . Roddick, James Reid ; 1879 , Wm .

Roddi ck, John Strickland ; 1880, James Reid, Wm . Biggar ; 1 881 , Wm .

Roddick , Wm . Biggar ; 1882, Wm . Roddick, Dame] Whiting ; 1 883,James A . Smith, Daniel Whiting ; 1 884, J . A . Smith and D . Whiting ;1885, Thos Brooks and Forbes D . Wilson ; 1 886

'

Forbes D . Wilson andRobert H . Snider and Duncan M cEwen ; 1887 Robert H . Snider, DuncanM cEwen and Robert L. Hamilton ; 1888, Duncan M cEwen ,

Robert L .

Hamil ton and Thos . Clark ; 1889 , Thos . Clark, Richard Pearce, JosiahWoodley ; 1890, Thos. Clark, Richard Pearce, Josiah Woodley ; 1891 ,Josiah Woodley, Be l dun Lun dy, William Edmonds ; 1892, Will iam Ed

monson , Will iam A . Rispin , Charl es Thomas ; 1 893, W. A . Ri spin ,Cha s .

Gurney, Will iam Hou ld ing ; 1894, Wm . A . Rispin , Chas . W . Gurney, Wm,

Hou l d ing ; 1895, W. A . Ri spin , C . W. Gurney , W. Hou lding, 1 896, W. A .

Rispin , C . W . Gurney, Wm . Hou l d ing.

Reeves — 1853, Charles S . Perley ; 1 855 to 1871 , Charles

£°Wmh lp °f Hedgers ; 1 871 to 1876, Arch . Harley ; 1876-7-8, Wm . D .

m ord ’ Bennett ; 1879 to 1883, Charles Hedgers ; 1883, Thos.Lloyd Jones ; 1884, Thomas Lloyd Jones ; 1 885, Thomas Ll oyd Jones ;1 886, Thomas Lloyd Jones ; 1887, Thomas S . Rutherford ; 1888, NilesRathburn ; 1889, Niles Rathburn ;

_

1890, Will iam Bonney ; 1891 , Phil ipKelly ; 1892, Phil ip Kel ly ; 1893, Phil ip Kel ly ; 1894, Phil ip Kelly, 1895,Chas . Van Horn ; 1 896, Frankl in A . Met calf.Deputy Reev es — 1853-4,

Isaac B . Henry ; 1 855, Dr . Ross ; 1856,Charles S . Perley ; 1857 to 1860, Henry Taylor ; 1860 to 1863, Isaac B .

Henry ; 1863 to 1867, Will iam Hersee ; 1867 to 1871 , I . B . Henry, Chas .Perley ; 1871 , Jacob Bingham,

Peter Doran ; 1872, Arch . M cDonal d ;


1873, Wm . D . Bennet t, Ed . H . Parnel l ; 1874, Wm . D . Bennett , Paul Huffman ; 1875, Wm . D . Benn ett, Wm . Lumsden ; 1876, Isaa c B . Merritt, PaulHuffman ; 1877, Paul Huffman ; 1878, Paul Huffman, Alex . M cIrv ine ;

1879 , John T . Muir, Alex . M cIrv ine ; 1880-81 , Wm . Bonney, ThomasLloyd Jones ; 1882-3, Alex . M cIrv ine , James Harley ; 1884, A . M cIrv ine,

James Harley ; 1885, James Harley,T . S . Ruth erford ; 1886, Niles

Rathbun, Thos . S . Rutherford ; 1887 Niles Rathbun , Samuel C . Howie ;1888, David K . Huffman, Will iam Bonney ; 1889 , David K. Huffman, Will iam Bonney ; 1890, Phill ip Kelly, Thomas Costin ; 1891 , Alexander McIrvi ne, Charles Van Horn ; 1892, Alexan der M cIrv ine , Charles Van Horn ;1893, Charles Van Horn , Frankl in A . Metcalf ; 1894, Charles Van Horn,F . A . Metcalf ; 1895, F . A . Met calf, Adam Crozier ; 1 896, Joseph D .

Eddy, John J . Col l ins, John Weir .

Reeves — 1853 to 1870, Dan iel Anderson; 1870, Wm .

TOW IIShip of Mullen ; 1871 to 1876, Robert Burt ; 1876-7, James DeansSouth 1878, L. B . D . La Pierre ; 1879 -81 , Thos . W. Charlton ;Dumf r ies. 1 882-3-4

, Alfred Kitchen ; 1885, Daniel Burt ; 1886 Daniel Burt ; 1887, James Deans ; 1888, James Deans ; 1889 ,

Daniel M cPherson ; 1890, L . B . D . La Pierre ; 1891 , L. B . D . La Pierre ;1 892, L . B . D . La Pierre, 1 893, George Aitken ; 1894, George Aitken ;1895, Dr . Patten ; 1896, Dr . Patt en .

Deputy Reev es z— 1853 to 1860, Wm . Mullen ; 1860 to 1875, Lewis B .

D . La Pierre ; 1875, James Deans ; 1876-7, Alfred Kitchen ; 1878, ThomasW. Charl ton ; 1879 -81 , Dan iel Burt ; 1882-3, John M cRuer ; 1 884, JohnM oRuer ; 1885, W. B . Wood ; 1886, W. B . Wood ; 1887, L . B . D . LaPierre ; 1888, L. B. D . La Pierre ; 1889 , L. B . D . La Pierre ; 1890, GeorgeAitken ; 189 1 , George Aitken ; 1892, George Aitken ; 1893, Dr . F . J . Patten ; 1 894, Dr . Patt en ; 1895, John Folsett er ; 1896 John Fol se t ter

Reeves — 1853, Geo. Youell ; 1 854, W. N. Alger ; 1855,“W hip °f Mulligan, 1 856, W N . Alger ; 1857 to 1 861 , Thos. Con

Onondaga. boy ; 1861 , Matthew Whi t ing ; 1862, Ri chard Harr is ;1863 to 1866, Matthew Whiting ; 1866, Bradshaw M cM urray ; 1867

-8 Wm .

Hamil-ton ; 1869 to 1883, Matthew Whiting ; 1883, Alexander Douglas ;1884 , Alexander Douglas ; 1885, Frederick Axon ; 1886, Will iam Hun

ter ; 1887, Wil l iam Hun ter ; 1888, Will iam Hunter ; 1889 William Simpson ; 1890 Will iam Simpson ; 1891 Thomas Howden ; 1892, Th omasHowden ; 1893 Thoma s Howden ; 1894 Thomas Howden ; 1895, AlbertBart-on ; 1896, Albert Barton .

Reeves .—1853 to 1857, Eliakim Malcolm ; 1857, Charles

Townsh ip of Chapin ; 1858 to 1863, Will iam Thompson , 1863, JohnOakland . Eddy ; 1864, S . D . Malcolm ,

1865, El iakim Ma lcolm ;1866 ,

Wellingt on M cAl l ister ; 1867-8, S . D . Malcolm ; 1869, Charles Chapin ; 1870 to 1874, Will iam Thompson ; 1874-5,

Smith Beebe ; 1876, Will iam Thompson ; 1877, Smith Beebe ; 1878-9

Eliakim Malcolm ; 1880 to 1888, Will iam Devlin ; 1889 to 1896 , JosephM cIntyr e.

282 m s'

roar or BRANT COUNTY

Reev es —1 853, Charles Wh i t law ; 1854, Hiram Capron ;1855, Hugh Finlayson ; 1856, Charles Wh it l aw ; 1857,Hiram Capron ; 1858, Hugh Finlayson ; 1859 , Norman

Hamilton ; 1860- 1, Wm . Patton ; 1862 to 1867, John Lawrence, M .D . ;

1867-8, Norman Hamilton ; 1 869 -70, John Lawrence, M .D . ; 1871 -2, An

dr ew H . Baird ; 1873-4 , Henry Hart ; 1875-6, A . H . Baird ; 1877, ThomasHall ; 1878-9 -80, Thomas O

’

Nea i l ; 1881 , David Brown ; 18823 ,Robert

Thomas ; 1884, J . H . Hackland ; 1885, John Allan ; 1886, John Allan ;1 887, John H . Fisher ; 1888, John H . Fisher ; 1889 , Thomas O

’

Neai l ;1890, Thomas O

’

Neai l ; 189 1 , Andrew H . Baird ; 1892, Andrew H . Baird ;1893, Thos . Evans ; 1 894, Henry Stroud ; 1895, Henry Stroud ; 1896,Thomas Evan s .

Deputy Reev es —1853 to 1856, none ; 1856, Wm . Patton ; 1857-8,Norman Hami l-ton ; 1859 , Charl es Arnold ; 1860-61 John Lawrence

,M .D . ;

1862, Norman Hamilton ; 1863 to 1867, Robert Thomson ; 1867, HenryHart ; 1868 to 1871 , Andrew H . Baird ; 1871 , Robert Thomson ; 1872,Matthew X . Carr ; 1873-4

, Geo. Angus ; 1875, Robert Patt erson ; 1876,Thomas Hall ; 1877, Thos . O

’

Neai l ; 1878, Henry Hart ; 1879 -80, David“

Brown ; 1881 -2, John Am ‘

old ; 1883, James H . Hackland ; 1884, to

1886, W. J . Robins on ; 1887, James Wil son ; 1 888, Andrew H . Baird ;1889

, Peter H . Cox ; 1890, Peter H . Cox ; 1891 , Peter Adams ; 1892, PeterAdams ; 1 893, 1894, 1895, Michael Ryan ; 1896, Scott Davidson .

In 1 897 the Hardy Act came into force . Under thismeasure the Coun ty was composed of four divisions ,and provision made for two representatives to be elected

from each, the men so chos en to form the County Coun cil .

1897, Div . 1 , Thos. Scott Davidson, George Aitkin ; Div. .2, AlbertBarton , Daniel Wh itin g ; Div . 3, Joseph M cIntyre, John Jefferson ; Div .

4, F . A . Metcalf, Jo

'

hn Col l ins .1898, Div. 1 , T . S . Davids on , G . Ai tk in ; Div. 2, A . Barton, D . Whit

ing ; Div . 3, J . M cIntyre , J . J eff erson ; Div . 4, F . A . Metcalfe, J . Col l ins. “

1899 , Div . 1 , G . Aitkin , T . S . Davidson ; Div. 2, Wil l iam Simpson,D . W'hiting ; Di v . 3, J . M cIn tyre, J . Jeffer son ; Div . 4 , J . Coll i ns, F . A .

Metcalf.1 900

,Div . 1 , G. Aitkin , T . S . Davidson ; Div . 2, W. Simpson, D .

Whiting ; Div. 3, J . M cIn tyre , J . Jefferson ; Div . 4, J . Coll ins, F . A .

M etcalf .1901 , Div . 1 , T . S . Davi dson

,James B . Howel l ; Div . 2, A . Barton,

John Y. Brown ; Div . 3, J . M cIntyre, J . Jefferson ; Div . 4, A . G. Ludlow,

John Weir .1902, Div. 1 , T . 5. .Davidson, James B . Howell ; Div. 2, A . Barton,

Daniel Hanley ; Div. 3, J . McIntyre, J . Jefferson ; Div . 4, A . G . Ludlow,

J . Weir .1903, Div. 1 , Henry S . Maus, J . B . Howell ; Div . 2, A . Barton , - D.

Hanley ; Div. 3, J . M cIntyre , John M . Patterson ; Div. 4, A . G . Ludlow,

J . Weir .1904, Div. 1,H . S . Maus, J . B . Howell ; Div. 2, A . Barton, D . Hanley ;

Div. 3, J . M cIntyr e, J . M . Patterson ; Div. 4, A . G . Ludlow, G. Weir .



1905, Div. 1 . J . B . Howel l,H. S . Maus ; Div . 2, Wm . A . Douglas,

D . Han ley ; Div. 3, J . M cIntyre, J . M . Patterson ; Div. 4, Blackwel l L .

Doran , J . Weir .1906, Div. 1 , H . S . MaUS, J . B . Howell ; Div . 2, W. A . Douglas, D .

Hanley ; Div. 3, J . M cIntyre , J . M . Patterson ; Div . 4, B . L. Doran , J . Weir .In 1907 the previ ous system of having Reeves and

330k to Old Deputy Reeves constitute the County Council wasSystem.

restored .

Reeves z— 1907, W. O l iver ; 1908, James Mil ler ; 1909 ,TOWnSh lP °f R. Sanderson ; 1910, J . W. Westbrook ; 191 1 , J . W. WestBrant f ord . brook ; 1912, James Young ; 1913, A . Kendrick ; 1914,H . Jennings ; 1915, Morgan E . Harris ; 19 16, M . E . Harris ; 19 17, A .

M cCann ; 1918, A . M cCann ; 19 19, A . M cCann ; 1920, R . Greenwood .

Deputy Reeves z— 1907, J . Miller ; 1908, Richard Sanderson ; 1909 ,

John W. Westb rook, James Young ; 1910, J . Young, John Hou ld l ng ;191 1 , J . Young, J . Hou l ding ; 19 12, J . Hou lding, Alfred Kendrick ; 19 13,Arthur M cCann, Hudson Jennings ; 1914, A . M cCann , Rupert Greenwood ;1915, A . M cCann , R . Greenwood ; 1916, A . M cCann , R. Greenwood ;19 17, R. Greenwood, James A . Scace ; 1918, R. Greenwood, J . A . Scace ;1 919 , J . A . Scace, R . W. Henry, U. 0 . Kendrick ; 1920, R . W. Henry,J Summerhayes .

T hiReev es — 1907 R . R. Taylor ; 1908, R. R . Taylor , 1909 ,

3mm d_P °f R. R . Taylor ; 1 910, R . R. Tayl or ; 191 1 , Will iam Mil

or mine ; 1 912, Frederick W . Taylor ; 19 13, F . W. Taylor ;19 14, Wi l l iam Milm ine ; 1915, M . Burtis ; 19 16, M . Burtis ; 1917, Blackwel l L. Doran ; 19 18, A . W. Eddy ; 19 19 , M . Burtis ; 1920, A . W. Eddy.

Deputy Reeves — 1907, Henry R . Virt ue ; 1908, Will iam Milmi ne ;1 909, W. Milmine ; 1910, Frederick W. Taylor ; _

19 1 1 , Will iam H . Bonney ;1912, Marshal l Burtis ; 19 13, M . Burtis ; 1914, M . Burti s ; 19 15, AlfredW. Eddy ; 1916, A . W. Eddy ; 19 1 7, A. W. Eddy ; 19 18, Adrian W . Smith ;1919 , John F. Costin ; 1920, W. H . Shel l ington .

Reeves — 1907, W. Al len Kelman ; 1908, W. A . Kelman ;Townsh1p 1909 , George L. Telfer ; 1910, G. L . Telfer ; 19 1 1 , AllanSouth Lesl ie Kitchen ; 1912, A . L. Kitchen ; 19 13, Oscar A .

Dumfm s Wait ; 1914, O . A . Wait ; 1915, Robert J . Aitkin ; 1916,R . J . Aitki n ; 1 917, Archie Crichton ; 1918, A . Crichton ; 1919 , Fred Rosebrugh ; 1920, F . Rosebrugh .

T hiReeves — 1907, W. Peddie ; 1908, W. Peddi e ; 1909 , John

G

own

; p Douglas ; 1910, J . Douglas ; 191 1 , J . Douglas ;non aga .

1 912, Michael N . Simpson ; 1913, M . N. Simpson ; 1914,James E . Wa lker ; 19 15, J . E . Walker ; 1916, Alvi n B . Rose ; 1917, A . B .

Rose ; 1918, Will iam A . Douglas ; 1919 , W. A . Douglas ; 1920, ArthurBarton .

TReeves z—l 907, Jacob A . M essecar ; 1908, George E .

0233151111) Cooke ; 1909 , Jacob A . M essecar ; 19 10, J . A . M essecar ;am

19 1 1 , George E . Cooke ; 19 12, G . E . Cooke ; 1913, G . E .

Cooke ; 1914, G. E . Cooke ; 1915, G. E . Cooke ; 1916, James B . Scott ;19 17, J. B . Scott ; 19 18, J . B . Scott ; 1919 , J . B . Scott ; 1920, J . B . Scott .

284 m sTORY or BRANT COUNTY

Reev es — 1907, J . M . Patter son ; 1908, John Jefferson ;PM 1909 , Will iam T. Thomson ; 1910, W . T. Thomson ;191 1 , J . Brockbank; 19 12, J . Brockbank; 1913, A . L . Davi dson ; 1914,Henry Stroud ; 1915, T . Evans ; 1916, T. Evans ; 191 7, E . Pitts ; 1918,E . Pitt s ; 1919 , T . Evans ; 1920, T . Evan s.

Deputy Reeves— 1910, John Brockbank; 191 1 , Alexander L. David

son ; 1 9 12, A . L. Davidson ; 19 13, J . Rufus Layton ; 1914, Thomas Evans ;1 915, Edward Pitts ; 1 916, E . Pitts ; 1917, Isaac Stewart ; 1918, I . S tewart ;1919 , John P . M cCammon ; 1920, J . P . M cGammon .



and Supreme Court ; County Clerk and Treasurer, County School Inspector

,County Engineer, and Gaol governor. The hal l floors consist of tes

sclated pavement and the stairways and panell ing are of oak. Citizen s

used to crowd the County Chamber in olden days when such legal giants

as E . B . Wood, A . s . Hardy, Matthew Crooks Cameron, B . B . Osler, Ed

ward Blake and Dalton M cCarthy did battle there . Keen argument and

cross examinati on were punctuated with many bril l iant interchanges and

the j ury addresses were of a memorable des cription . Two of many

amusing incident s may be worthy of repetition . In a certain case one of

the above counsel was pressing a witness for an answer which he fa i led to

secure. Finall y he excla imed in exasperation,

“Don ’t ' you under stand

plain Engl ish , Sir ?” “Yes . I do , came back the reply

,

“but if you’d

asked if I understood any other language you’d have had me sure. On

another occasion Mr . Justice Armour was on the bench hearing a suit for

damages in connection with the removal of a house . Mr . M cCarthy was

counsel for plaintiff and he brought out the fact that during the moving

process the residence was intact as to internal equipment . “In other words

it was a full house” interj ected his Lordship .

“Yes , my Lord,

” came back

the reply of Mr . Mccarthy,“and it was raised on four j acks.

The only publ ic execution which ever took place in con

nect ion with the Gaol was on June 7th , 1 859 , when two

colored men,John Moore and Robert Over met the ex

treme penalty. Local papers of the day report that eight thousand people

were massed in the vicinity of the gal lows, the latter erected outside the

Court house buildi ng . Sher ifl'

Smith officiated, assisted by hi s son E .

C . Smith . The crime occurr ed on the ni ght of Thursday, April 14th 1859

when Laun celot Adams , son of J . Q . Adams who kep t a tavern inOaklandTownship

,was Carrying the mail between Paris and Brantford. At a

point on the Paris Road near the Good farm,he was ambushed and shot

to death . The mail bags were then taken to a ravine near the railway and

when the l ett ers were opened there was qu ite a yield of Canadi an and

American bil l s . Another man named Armstrong was also impl icated and

as a reward for turning Queens evidence he was let off with a life sen

tence . Twenty years later he was pardoned because be assist ed the

guards at Kingston penitentiary in quel l ing an uprising of prisoners .

Burwel l ’s map of 1830 had the square marked CountyCourt House

,—a look into the future

'

wh ich was com

mon in thos e days, but it was not until 1852 that the

deed was formal ly acquired as fol lo

Last Pub li c

Bought for

COUNTY INCIDENTs 287

PROVINCE OF CANADA

VICTORIA, by the Grace of God , of the United Kingdom of GreatBritain and Ireland, Queen , Defender of the Faith .

To A l l To Whom The se Present s Sha l l Come'

Greet ing

WHEREAS the lands hereinafter described are part and parcel of thoseset apart for the use of the Six Nations Indians ; and whereas We havethought fit to authorize the Sale and Disposal of the Lands hereinaftermentioned in order that the proceeds may be appl ied, to the benefit, support and advan tage of the said Indians

,in such manner as We shall be

pleased to d irect from time to time ; and Whereas Th e Council of theCounty of Brant hath contracted and agreed to and with Our Super intenden t of Indian Affair s, duly authorized by Us in this behalf, for theabsolute purchase at and for the price and sum of Two Pounds of lawfulmoney of Our Said Provi nce of the Lands and Tenements hereinaftermentioned and described, of which We are seized in right of Our Crown .

NOW KNOW YE , that in consideration of the said sum of Two

Pounds by the said Coun cil of the County of Bran t to Our said Super intenden t of Indi an Affairs, in hand well and truly paid to Our use, at o rbefore the sea l ing of these Our Lett ers Patent, We have granted, soldal iened, conveyed and assured , and by these Presents, do grant , sel l , al ien,convey and assure

,un to the said Council of the County of Brant and their

Successors in office and assigns for ever , all that Parcel or Tract of Land,situate, lying and being in the Town of Brantford, in the County of Bran t ,of Our said Provi nce , containing by admeasurement one acre and sixtenths of an acre be the same more or l ess ; which sa id Parcel or Tractof Land may be otherwise known as foll ows, that is to say ; being composed of the Bl ock of Land bounded by Wel l ington ,

George, Nelson andMarket Streets in the aforesaid Town of Brantf ord .

To have and to hold the sa id Parcel or Tract of Land hereby granted ,conveyed and assured unto the said Coun ci l of the Coun ty of Brant theirSucces sors in office and a ssigns for ever ; saving, excepting and reservingnevertheless, unto us Our Heirs and Success ors, al l Mines of Cold andSilver, and the free uses,

“

passage and enj oyment of , in, over and uponall nav igable waters that shall or may be hereafte r found on or under ,or be flowing through or upon any part of the said Parcel or Tract ofLan d hereby granted as afores aid .

GIVEN under the Great Seal of Our Prov ince of Canada ;

WITNESS , Our Right Trusty and Ri ght Wel l -beloved Cousin JamesEarl of Elgin and Kincardine, Knight of the Most Ancient and MostNoble Order of the Thistle, Governor General of British North America,and Capta in General and Governor in Chief, in and over Our Provincesof Can ada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Island of Prince Edward

,

and Vice-Admi r al of the same, 810 . &C. &c.

288 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTr

AT QUEBEC , th is Twelfth day of July in the year of Our Lord one

thousand eight hundred and fifty-two and in the sixteenth year of OurReign .

By Command of His Excel lency in Council .

A . N . MORIN JOHN ROLPHSecy . Comr . of Crown Lands .

Recorded, 9th August 1852 .

Tho . AmiotDept . Regr .

LIST OF COURT HOUSE OFFICIALS

W. J . Scarfe

W. H . Ross

So l icit orsJohn Cameron

H . M cK . Wilson

Wilson Watts

A . E . Watts

Count y Clerks

John CameronH . McK . Wilson

A . E. Watts

Treasu rersHam i lton Biggar

Charles R. Biggar

W. S . Campbel l

Al bert Foster:

County Regist rars

T . S . Shenstone

W. B . Wood

A . Graham

County A t torn ies



Clerks , Brantford Townsh ipGabriel Balfour 1847— 1849

John Cameron 1850— 1854

H . A . Hardy 1854—1857John Cameron 1857— 1874

R . M . Willson 1874—1904J . A . Smith 1904

The Coun ty adopted the Highway Improvement Act in 1916, with A .

M cVicar as the first Road Superintendent . In 1919 , Maj or Jackson uponreturn from service at the front, was made Coun ty Engin eer .For some year s the offices have been combined of Registrar of the

Surrogate Court of the County of Brant ; Local Registrar of the SupremeCourt of Ontar io and County Court Clerk, and these positions have been

held by W. H . Burns, John Cameron and J . H . Goodson . Upon the deathof the last named, Mr . W. B . Rubidge held the offices j ointly until 1 898when Mr . John T. Hewitt was appointed . Upon his death in 1917 he wassucceeded by Mr . W. A . Hol linrake.

Mr . John Smith of Paris, who became the fir st Sheriff ofthe newly separated County of Brant

,was appointed

under Lord Elgin’s admin istration on the l t .of January 1 853. His grandf ather was an Empire Loyalist and was taken pr isoner during the revolutionary war,

"but subsequently released . Hisparents were Joseph and Charlotte Smith and he was born at the . GrandRi ver Tract ,

”on the present site of the City of Brantford . Mr . Smith

worked on the farm until he was about seventeen years of age and thenentered mercantile l ife at Grimsby and Hami lton . In 1837 he openeda store on his own account in Paris, but at the end of four yearsagain returned to Hamilton . Back to Paris once more

,he started a

mil l there and was so engaged when offered the position which he fil ledwith much acceptance for thirty two years. In 1838 he was se cretary of

the fi rst meet ing held at Hamilton after Lord Durham had made his t eport on the status of the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, recommendi ng their union, which took place in 1841 , the Hami lton meet ing ap

prov ing of the recommendation of the report . Mr . Smith , who passedaway in his 78th year was active until th e day of his death

,August 10th .

1885. On tha t date he was breakfasting at the Kerby House,where he

resided, when seized with apoplexy. He was an ar dent memb er of GraceChurch and a man of fine type. His son, C . E . Smith, Governor of theGaol , predecea sed him by only a few weeks .

Sheriff Smith was succeeded in office by Mr . W. J . Scarfe . He wasborn in Bur rowes, County Ki lkenny, Irel and, in 1 844 ,

and when sixteen


years of age left for Canada . After locat i ng in London and Hamilton

he final ly came to Brantford in 1867, and became iden tified with many

i nteres ts . He was a man of indomitable energy and the founder of the

Scarfe 81 Cc . , industry . Among other activ ities he performed valuablework in tran sforming many old rookeries into comfort able dwell ings

and swept away numerous eyesores . Scarfe .Avenue i s one of the

examples of what he achieved in this regard . He was an Alderman for

many years and Mayor dur ing 1884 and 1885; also President of the

South Brant Agr icultural Society and a director of the B . W . L . E .

and Southern Pacific Railways . He di ed on April 1 1 ,'

1 891 , having dur

ing his forty seven years of l ife accompl ished far more than fal ls to the

lot of most men . The childr en st il l res iding here are Mrs. W. H .

Webling, Mr . R. Scarfe, Miss Sadie Scarfe ; Mr s . W. E . Phin of Hamilton

i s also another daughter .Mr. W. Watt Ir . , became the next Sheriff . Th e son of W. Watt Sr . ,

a pioneer Citizen , he was born in Brantford in 1845 and concluded h is

educational course at the University of Toronto , where he graduated in

1866 with the degree of B . A . , and as silver medal ist in modern lan

guages . In 1873 he also secured the degree of L . L. B . but as related

in the story of the Brantford press el sewhere in this issue, his bent was

towards j ournal ism and he final ly becam e edi tor and part owner of th eExpositor . This association he retained for sixteen years and when thepaper was sold to Mr . T. H . Preston in 1890, he was tendered a public

banquet and complimentary address . He then resumed legal practise

in partnership wi th the late J . T . Hewitt, but a short time lafter was ap

pointed Sheriff . He was twice marr ied ‘ and one of his sons, Balmer

Wat t, is engaged in j ournalist ic work at Edmonton . Mrs . Watt i s st il l

a resident of the City .

Upon the death of Mr . Watt , June 8th 1909 , Mr . F . D . Revil le was

gazetted Sheriff , but for busines s reasons was unable to accept and Mr .

Will iam H . Ross secured the appointm ent . Born in Nelson , County ofTrafalgar, he first of al l farmed extensively, but final ly ente red the in

surance busin ess and in that capacity came here from Hamilton . He wasa prominent member of Brant Avenue Methodist church and Superintendent of the Sunday School . Mr . Ress died August 7th 1914, and was

succeeded by Mr . J . W. Westbrook the present occupant of the post .Mr . Thomas S . Shenstone, the first County Registrar, was

born in London,England, June 25th , 1822, and was re

motely related to the poet Shenstone . Wh en he was nine

years of age the fami ly migrated to Upper Canada, settl ing in the County

of Wentwort h . At the end of a year they located ten miles north of the


292 m sr o'

rir or BRAN'

r coum

Mr . R . Schuyler, Distr ict representative for Brant of theSoil and Ontario Department of Agriculture, has kindly furnishedGene?“ the fol lowingAgr tcul tur e .

The sorl d i ffers consi derably dependi ng on l ocal i ty .

Commencing wi th the Western par t of the Coun ty a sect ion of clay

spreads down from Oxf ord for a distance from two to four miles, in afan shape from a few miles of the southern boundary toward the centre.

East of that is found a rather flat section not easily drained and carrying

in it quite wide st retches of swamp land which dries up fa irly well dur

ing the mid- summer months, but remains wet dur ing the remainder of th e

year . Through this section are narrow stretches of splendid soil mostly

of sand loam or clay loam nature.“The soil in the eastern part of Burford Township from north to

south is general ly a heavy sand loam underlaid with gravel at varying

dep ths, usual ly of sufficient depth to not inj ure the value of the land

mate rial ly .

“Oakland Township , which backs up against Burford to the South ,i s with th e exception of the south eastern part, of a l ighter soil running

from a l ight sand to clay loam with sand so il s prevail ing.

“Bran tford Township which covers quite a large ar ea varies a great

deal . The portion west of the river from a l ine south‘

of the Burford

road is more or less sandy and underlaid with gravel at var ying depths ;some places rather too close to the surface to permit the

‘

soi l to hold the

moisture . Some of this distr ict i s what might be cal led “plain lands .“The eastern port ion of this section, however, from M r . Pleasan t east

including the vill age of Burtch and the east part of Brantford, is quite

rol l ing and runn ing to a heavy clay , and is considered a good f arming

distr ict, the section nearer the Burford and Brantford Road being used

more for trucking and raising of fruit, potatoes etc . North of the Bur

ford road, with the exception of small areas, the land is sl ightly heavier

and gradual ly runs to a heavy clay loam as you near the Governor’ s road

whi ch is the northern border. of the Township . Th e Eastern part of

Bran tford Town ship , other than the sect ion immediately surroundi ngBrantford, is more or less rol ling and changes quickly every few milesfrom a clay loam to heavy clay, usual ly heavier as you go east . All

around Brantford the land is suited to truck farming bein g of {a sandy loamnature.

“Onondaga Townsh ip,with the except ion of the land adj acent to the

Grand Ri ver and for a couple of miles back, is of a heavy clay soil andquite rol l ing. This Town ship so far as the soil is concerned i s possibly

the most uniform and is considered one of the best agr icultural districts .

coiJNrY rNcili ENrs 293

South Dumfries too is a splendid fa rming section , the di st rict eastof the Grand River be ing more rol l ing and in sections heavier than westof the river . This district is noted for its flocks of sheep and herds of

Shorthorn catt le, a number of prominent breeders of both being foundin this section . Eas tern South Dumfries is almost ent irely dairy with

Holsteins predominat ing. There is a condensary and butter factory inthe vil lage of St . George, the only village of any size in that vicinity .

“Onondaga is a beef raising d istr ict f a number of fine herds beingfound there .

“Brantford and Oakland and Burford Townships especial ly are gooddairying sections.

“Th e Powdered Milk Factory in Burford takes the bulk of the milk

produced in the surrounding country. The city of Brantf ord also con

sumes considerable of the milk produced in the adj acent districts .“Th e central parts of western Brantford Townshi p and Burford Town

ship have a great many fine apple orchards,the bulk of the yield handled

through the Brant Fruit Grower’ s Association . With the “ exception of

peaches, suff icient small fruits are raised on the farms for home con

sumption . There are not many commercial orchards of these .“Brantford district also raises a l arge quantity of canning factory

produce whi ch i s manufa ctured in the Burford Cann ing Factory.

“Paris,Burford and St . George are ce ntres of the turnip sh ipping

‘

in

dust ry, while Scotland has~been the centr e of the onion growing distr ict

which until a few years ago was first in the Province of Ontario . Oflate years however, owing to labor scarcity , th is business has fal len away

a great deal . It might be said that practical ly al l the farmers of the

county are fol lowing mixed farmi ng with many making a specialty of

some particular l ine.

EDUCATIONAL MATTERS IN BRANT COUNTY

(By T. W. Stand ing, B . A . )

The development of education in Brant has foll owed the same generall in es as in other parts of the Province . In the pioneer days each sett lement

“

organized its own school , the expense of which was met by the fam

i l ies who used it . Then came the act of 1843 under which every Township was divided into sections and a general rate throughout the section

was levied for the support of the school . In 1871 the present system ofinspect ion of publ ic school s was introduced, M . J . Kelly, M . D. ,

L. L. B .,

being appointed in that year by the County Council as Inspector of thePubl ic School s of the County, including the town of Brantford . When


Brantford became a city, he remained in charge of the city schools as

we l l as’

those of the County . In 1902 on account of advancing years he

retired from the work in the county , but retained for a time his position

in the city of Brantford . The present County Inspector was appointed

in October 1902 and since that time the County and the City of Brantfordhave been separate inspectorates .

From the year 1853, the first year of the existence of Brant as a

separate county, unti l the year 1907, there existed a County Board of

Examiners whose main business was to l icense and examine teachers for

the county . Its functions were gradually absorbed by the Provincia l

Department of Education and final ly the loca l boards were abol ished in

the year above mentioned .

The first meet ing of the Board was cal led on May 3l st 1853, by the

Rev . David Caw, one of the local superintendents, under authority of a

letter from E . Ryerson , Chief Superintendent of Schools for Upper Can

ada . The members present were Revs . Chas . Ruttan and David Caw,

James Keith , M . D. ; Robt . Mccosh, M . D. ; and Herbert Biggar , Esq.

The first general meeting of the Board for the purpose of examin ing

candidates for teachers ’ certificates was held on the 23rd of June. Messrs

Caw and Ruttan were appointed to prepare and have printed one hundred

copies of examination questions for teachers of the first , second and third

class . Some thirty candidates were examined and received certificates

as foll ows

First class, Geo . W. Evans,Brantford ; Wm . Dunn , Onondaga ; James

Baun , Burford ; John M cLean ; Edward Geo . Chaunt, Brantford ; Dav id

Caw, Brantf ord ; John Borthwick, Brantford .

Second Class : Geo . White, S . Dumfries ; Lewis M . Howel l , Blenheim ;J fames Bee, S . Dumf ries ; Patrick O

’

Donohue , Burford ; O l iver 0 . Kenny ,Blandford ; James Phil ips, S . Dumfries ; Peter Robertson, Brantford ;I saa c Conn or, Onondaga ; Robt . Hunter , S . Dumfries ; Ewer Ri ley, Bur

ford ; John Gou in lock, Brantford ; Thos . B . M cLean,Brantford ; Esther

D . Crandon,Bran tford ; John Sharp , S . Dumfries .

Third Cla ss : Robt . C . Moff att, Brant fo rd ; James M cFar lane , S .

Dumfries ; David Bapt ie , S . Dumfries ; Miss Moriah J . Adams, Burford ;Pheobe Ann Salisbury, Burford ; Am anda Adams , Burford ; Sarah A rm

Al len, Bur ford ; Jessie Clark, Brantford ; Mar y Ann Runciman , Brantford .

It would seem from the record that the nervous strain on candidates at

examinations in those days was quite as severe as it is now . The results

were recorded in this case in a tabulated statement showing the candidatesmarks in the various subj ects . Opposite two names the marks were enter

ed for several subj ects, and then blanks appeared with this significant



While the number of rural schools in the County has remained about

the same for many years there has been a decided improvement both in

the school buildings and in the desks, blackboards and other accommoda

t ions . Every scho ol too, is well equipped with a l ibrary, maps andother a rticles des igned to assist in practical teaching . Excel lent modern

school buildi ngs have been erected within the last ten or twelve years

in Nos . 3, 6, 13, 18 and 23 Brantford, in No . 23, Burford and in

Nos . 3 and 13 South Dumfries , while in other sections the buildings have

been altered and brought up to date . In Cainsville the school has cu t

grown the present two-room building an d plans are a lready under way

for a fine new four room structure.

Another featu re of school work indicating a change of attitude ought

to be mentioned before closing this sketch of the School s of the County .

Reference i s made to the teaching of Agricultur e and household science

in a number of schools, and to the fact th at the pupils of nearly al l theschool s undertake some practical agricultural proj ect in connection with

the school fairs which have been so faithfully and ably organized by the

Distr ict Representative of the Department of Agriculture, Mr . R. Schuyler

B. S . A . These proj ects l ink up the rural schoo l with the homa in a . way

that was hardly poss ible under the older course of study, and it is highly

probable that a newly awakened interest in the rural school problem may

lead to much consol idation of these small one-teacher schools into larger

better graded and better equipped commun ity institutions in the near

future .To the above sketch by Mr . Standi ng it may be added that in 1852

there were only two rural schools in the county constructed of brick ; th erest were frame and l og structu res . In that year salaries paid theteachers totaled in 1882, and in 1919, ex

clu s ive of Paris . The fol lowing comparison with regard to rural schoolsbetween the years 1909 and 19 19 will prove of interest .

1909

Teachers salariesBuildi ngs and Permanent ImprovementsEquipment

Repairs, fuel , caretaking, etc .

Teachers SalariesBuildings and Perma nent ImprovementsEquipment

Repairs, fuel , caret aking, etc .

cou’

nrr rNCmENrs 297

Ten years ago the average salary of male teachers was $520 and

female teachers, $445 . In 19 19 the average of male teachers wasand female $755.

0

Mr . T. W. Standing,who became County School Inspector in 1902,

was born in Burford Township and was Principal of the Carleton PlaceHigh School at the time of his selection .

In the third chapter reference is made to the fact that

nearly a century ago the New England Company became

interested in the chr istian welfare of the Six Na tions, andsaid in terest extended - to temporal as wel l as spiritual matters. One of

the first two schools which they established was located cl ose to MohawkChurch . When des troyed by fire in the early days it was rebuilt andi ts operations enlarged . Manual training was always an inherent prin

ciple but at first no boarders were taken , as the Indians l ived in and

around Mohawk Vil lage . In 1844, owing to the dispersal of the redmen to the present reserve, between forty and fifty pupils were given

board as wel l as instruction, and the pres ent number is fifty boys andseventy girls . The original farm lands

'

surround ing the building com

prised some 450 acres, including Glebe land since rel inquished .

In addition a good dea l of the property has been disposed of tomanufacturing plants, although a cons iderable area has stil l been

ret ained for agricultural and gardening purposes . Greenh ouses are alsomainta ined . Children are taken up to nine years of age and are kept

,

clot-bed and instructed until s ixteen years of age . The original regulations, stil l in force, provided that pagans should have first chance, nextorphans and destitute children ; after that, if the accommodation provedsuff icient ly elastic, children on the reserve l iv ing

'

t oo far from pub l icschools to establ ish regular at tendance . The education accorded constitutes the development of mind and hands al ike . Th e boys are instructedin carpentering, farming, gardening and the care of stock ; the gi rls,domestic work, laundering, sewing and so forth while those of the latter,who manifest any ability in that direction , receive piano and organinstruction . Dril l is part of the curriculum in the case of both sexes .The Publ ic School course prevails and Mohawk Institute pupils usua l ly

rank wel l in the Collegiate entrance examinations . Some former pupilshave entered the medical

,engineering and teaching professions wi th

credit and a lso the ministerial arena.In a sketch of the New England Company issued in 1884, it is

stated that Capt . Joseph Brant for many years acted with the Company’s

Missionaries as a sort of lay agent, reporting t o the Company and drawing for remit tances . It was in 1822 that Capt . John Brant secured the


first grant for general school purpose s and at the t ime of his death , in

1832, the New England Society was supporting seven such institutions on

the Reserve. That number was later increa sed to eleven but some twenty

years ago the Six Nations Indians took the entire burden upon them

selves .Rev . R. Lugger had supervisory charge of the Mohawk Institute from

1827 to 1837 and Rev . Archdeacon Nel les from 1837 to 1872. In,

thelast named year Mr . R . Ashton, who later took holy orders and became

Rev . R . Ashton , arrived from England , to accept the post of Super inten

dent . M r . Ashton as a very young man had att ained a high place in

school management and for over forty years he most eff iciently andassiduously presided over the l oca l institution . In fact it became

general ly recognized as the model establ ishment of i ts kind on this con

t inent and h is advice and coun sel were frequently sought by the Canadian

Government, and a l so United States authorities , with regard to Indian

education .

Prospective Superintendents of such schools were also sent to the

Mohawk Institute for resident instr uction . Upon his retirement Mr .

Ash ton was succeded by his son , Capt Nelles Ashton and the latt er takingup a mil itary career, Rev . Mr . Turnel l assumed the position , but l aterresigned . Mrs . Boyce, daughter of Rev. Mr . Ashton, is now in charge.The pupils attend Sunday morning service at the o ld Mohawk Church

and they also have rel igious exercises within the buil ding .

This institution, situated about a mile from Brantford onth e

.Mount Pleasant Road near Farr ingdon church , was

founded by Mrs. Jane Laycock in 1851 , and bears the

title The Jane Laycock Childrens ’ Home . ” It was establ ished for the

care of needy and neglected children , and also to provide them with agood common school education . Prominence is given to rel igious instruotion the wi l l of Mrs . Laycock giving special emphasis to this in thestipulation “that a port ion of every day be given to readi ng the Holy

Scriptures and that the conduct of the children be governed thereby .

” TheHome accommodates thirty children and is presided over by a Matron

,with

a teacher to look after the scholast ic needs. Mrs . Laycock died in theyear 1890 leaving a large part of her estate for the benefit of the school .This was added to by her brother, Mr . Ignatius Cockshutt, and in 1904 theTrust funds of the school and those of the Orphans Home on SheridanStr eet , Brantford, were united and placed under control of a board offive trustees . During its lengthy exi stence the Laycock Home has ful lyachieved i t s splendi d obj ect of fitting children for God fearing and

efficient citizenship .


300 HISTORY or”

BRANT COUNTY

CHAPTER XVIII .

INCIDENTS or THE WAR or 1812- 14.—TH E ENGAGEMENT Ar MALCOLM

’

s

MILLS . —SOME BRANT COUNTY PENSIONERS .—RE BELLION or 1837.

STORY or DR. DUNCOM BE’

s LEADERSHIP or THE UPRIe c IN THISSECTION AND DETAILS or H Is THRI LLING ESCAPE .

In the war of 1812- 14 the di strict now kn own as Brant County was

sparsely sett l ed but the inhabitants , few as they were, did their share on

behalf of British interests . On May 14th , 1814 a force var iously est im

ated a t from 300 to 800 men, under command of Capt . Campbel l , l andedfrom six war vessels at Port Dover and applied the torch to every

building there and in the neighborhood . Twenty dwel l ing houses,three

flour mi l l s , three saw mil ls, three dis-t i l ler ies , twelve barns and a numberof other buildings were destroyed . In fact but one house was l eft stand

ing between Pattersons Creek and Turkey Point —that occupied by the

widow and fami ly of Sam uel Ryerse at Port Ryerse . When word wasreceived of the depredations mil itia were concentrated at Brantford, under

Co l . Talbot , and marched to the scene

’

of the t rouble, but arrived theday after the enemy had set sail for their own - shores . The destruction

subsequently of the Capitol at Washingt on by the British was in retal iation for the conduct of the enemy at Port Dover as wel l as at Newark

and Yo rk previously , although the British spared private property .

On October 22nd, 1814 a force of over one thousandA Rai di ng mounted men set out from Det roit on a raiding expedi

t ion through Upper Canada . They were under command

of Col M cAr thur and in three days had reached Oxford having en route

plun dered peaceable inh abitants of stock and bel ongings . In cases of

resistance houses and barns were ruthlessly gi ven to the flames . McArthur had decided to cont inue the raid as far as Bur l ington and the

latter part of his route was to be through the Village of Burford andthence to what was then the Grand River Ferry . Jacob Wood and GeorgeNichol

,two residents of Oxford who had heard of the plans

,started at

t hree a . In . on November 5th and three hours later reached Burfordwhere the Oxford mi l it ia had assembled under Col . Bostwick . The latter

after consultation with his officers,decided that it would be better with

his smal l force of one hun dr ed and fifty men to march to Mal colm’

s

Mil ls, ten miles distant, to form a j unct ion with the Norfolk mil it ia under

conm'

r mcmm rs 301

Col Ryerson . Meanwhi le a traitor named Bazely had told M cArthur of

what Wood and Nichol had done,and also related the names of many

who were serving with the Oxf ord mil itia whereupon detachments weresent to destr oy thei r homes and belongings . M cAr thur finding al l clearat Burford proceeded to the Grand River but found the waters swol len,while Ma j or A . C . Muir , of the 4l st regiment, had destroyed the scowwhich did duty as a ferry and with fifty mil iti amen and fifty Indi answas prepared to dispute a passage . In addition

,the U. S . General

learned that matters were not going wel l in other directions, so he aban

doned his purpose of conti nuing to Burlington and moved towards Malcolms Mills . Here the Canadians had made entrenchm ents on a sl ightelevation on the wes t side of the creek and had also th rown up somebreastworks . M cAr thur

’

s account of this affair fol lows

We foun d the enemy, consisting of four or five hundred mi l itia, witha few Indians, fortified on a commanding gr

‘

ound beyond a creek deepand d iff icu l t

'

of passage, except at a bridge immediately in front of theirworks , which had been destroyed . Arrangements were made for a j ointattack on their front and rear . The Ohio troops, wi th the advance guardand Indians were accordingly thrown across the creek under cover of “athick wood

,to approach the enemy in the rear, while the Kentucky

troops were to attack in front, as soon as the attention of the enemy wasengaged -by the attack in the rear . The enemy would have been com

plete ly surprised and captured had not an unfortu nate yel l by our Indiansann ounced the approach of the detachment destined to a ttack their rear .They were, however, defea ted and dispersed with the loss, in the skirmisheson that day of one captain

,and seventeen privates killed

,nine privates

woun ded, and three capa ins , five subalterns and one hundred and threeprivates made prisoners

,whil st our loss was only one kil led and six

wounded . Early on the 7th instant the enemy were pursued on the roadto Dover, many made prisoners and five valuable mil ls destroyed .

”

Th ere is every reason to bel ieve that thi s was an exaggerated account,but the fact is certain that

,al though outnumbered four

‘

t o one, the Can

adians put up a good fight and instead of surrendering to a superiorforce conducted a successfu l retreat . In large part the invaders were

lawless free hooters, most of them described as dressed in hun ting outfitsand equipped with scalping knives , tomahawks and longI rifles . Theyexchanged their mounts for good Canadi an horse s and plundered rightand left besides infl icting much damage.

B rant Subj oined are the names of the l st Company of the l st

County Regiment of Oxford Milit ia , (whi ch included BurfordM embers . and Oakland in i ts district ) as on July l st , 1812.

Captain Marvel Wh iteLieutenant Joseph Baker


Lieutenant John Wil l iamsSergeant Pet er MartinSergeant Adam Yeigh

Private Abram RoundsPrivate George RousePrivate Samuel Winkin

Private Herman BarnsPrivate Sam . Chapple

Private George LanePrivate Joseph DavisPrivate Isaac Kipp

Private Ethan BurchPrivate Alanson ReasePrivate John Da vidPrivate John WoodleyPrivate John GreenPrivate John Vol lockPrivate John Emmons

Private Henry Pelton Jr .Private Josiah Rouse

Private Nath aniel Landon

Private Gordon Chappl

Private John Graham

Private Elijah MudgePrivate Jonathan Kipp

Private Samuel Doyle

Private Abraham DeCou

Private Robert GreasonPrivate Jacob StephenPrivate Josiah BrownPrivate Isaac UptergrovePrivate Peter Shorfr i th

Pri vate Henry Wil lseyA number of the Six Nations Indians also enl isted in the

war of 1812 and among them Chief John Smoke Johnson

wh o was then twenty years of age, and who after he wasninety years old could stil l recal l many interesting reminiscences. Sub

j oined is a l ist of the Brant County Militia pensioner s of this war as faras could be obta ined , the figures standing for monthly payments .

Pens ioners .

Peter Buck Bran tford

Ephraim Lowrey

Charles Strange Perley BurfordRobert Carson Cainsvil le

Malachi Files. .Cainsvil le

John Oles LangfordBen St rowbridge LangfordRobert McA l l ister MohawkAsa Secord Mohawk

John M . Sturgis Mohawk

Stephen Landon Mount VernonJohn Beacham OaklandJohn ChambersJohn Pebr ieJ ames Cassad-a



manner his practice and influence rapidly extended . He is described ashaving been a handsome man , somewhat smal l in stature, but of pleas ingand dignified appearance, with a singularly winn ing manner as a speaker

whether in private conversa t ion or in public discussion . He was elected

member for Oxford in 1830 and again in 1834 and there was much inwhat Mackenz ie demanded which enl isted his sympathy . The understanding was that there should he an uprising of sympathizers in the

Townships of Burford and Oakland and other points to coincide with the

move in Toronto , and, although it is said with some reluctance, Dr . Duncom’be final ly consented to become the local leader .

Meetings were held at various houses, arms were col lect

Coll ecteded and a gathering of some three hundred men actual ly

assembled at Oakland Plains under the Doctor , who

possessed nomil itary,

experience whatever . Rumor had it that Toronto

had been taken by Mackenzie and the Duncombe plan is sa id to have

been to encompa ss the capture of the Townof Brantford . Perhaps in thisrespect he was counting on the fact that quite a number of sympath

izers were located here. Howev er word came not only that Mackenzie

was in fl ight , but also that Colonel (afterwards Sir Al len M cNah ) wasat Brantford with a force of nearly 400 men, whose ranks had been stil l

further supplemented here by 150 volunteer towns people, and 100

Indians under Capt . Kerr . The double information led to a speedy

scatt eration , Dr . Duncomb e and h is associate leaders heading for a cross

the l in e and the other participants keeping as quiet as possib l e, althoughmany were later arrested and afforded a t aste of Hamilton and other

gaols . Col . M cNah and h is force marched south through Burford to

Scotland which vil lage they occupied .

Messengers were sent to Simcoe, Woodstock, London and

St . Thomas to have the mil itia cal led out to j oin M cNab’

s

for ce at Oakland . A considerable'

party of volunteersalso turned ou t , horse and foot, although , in certain dis

t r ict s there was no response as feel ing was on behalf of th e uprising .

Judge Ermatinger of St . Thomas in h i s very interest ing work “TheTalbot Regime

” an ampl ification Of the book “Th e Life of Colonel Tal

bot” wr itten and publ ished by h is father in 1859 , gives the fol lowingparticulars as to the experiences of those who went from that district asrelat ed to him by George Kerr of St . Thomas , one of the few survivors,and since deceased

“With such arms as could he coll ected the force of volunteers pro

ceeded by the Talbot road to Delhi and thence through eleven miles ofwoods without a break , until the Open plain in the vicin ity of the vil lage

Dr . Charles DuncombePhoto reproduced from “The Historyof Burford

,

” by permission ofth e author , M aj or R . C . Muir .


.306 HISTORY or BRANT _coufm r

opposite political faith,adm itted him . In answer to queries as to who he

was and what he wanted, he placed his, revolver on the table before himsaying at the same time : “I am Charles Duncombe and I must have food .

”

Though frightened and doubtful at first as to what she ought to do , shegave him food and fina ll y consented to shelter and c onceal him, whichwas successful ly a ccomplished by a l low ing h im the use of a bedroomand a

.

ni ghtcap . With the latter on his head and otherwise covered by

the bed cloth es, he represented a grandmother .of the household , sup

posedly confined to bed by il lness, so successful ly that a party of passingloyal ists who thought they recognized

.his white horse and came into thehouse to search for i ts owner, were thrown off the scent after a gl ance

into the bedroom and at the recumbent figure of the supposed“grandm a”

in the bed . A brother of h is hostess, who was suspected of compl icity

in the-

recent trouble, was also sought for, but concealed in an outhouse ,escaped detect ion.

Dr . Duncombe next under cover of darknes s made for the home of h is

sister,Mrs . Shen ich , near London . In response to a knock she opened the

door , but failed to recognize him .

“Is it possible you don’t know me, sister ?” asked the unfortunate

doctor in amazement .By way .of reply, Mrs . Shen ich led him into the house and before a

looking-glass,which showed to h i s astonished eyes that his ha ir had he

come grey, not from age, but from the bitter experiences and anxieties

of the previous few days! He remained in hiding -at his sister’s until a

Mr . Tilden, from the west, who had come to visit a married sister atLondon

,Mrs . Hitchcock, suggested a means of disguise, in which he

offered to convey him across the border in h is wagon . The suggestion

and offer being accepted the sister cut off a curl of her hair, with the aidof which and a bonnet and female attire, the doctor was tr ansformed, toal l appearances

,into a lady travel ler and was driven without mishap by

Tilden to the neighb orhood'

of Sarni a, where a safe crossing upon the

ice was effected .

Dr . Dun comb e, subsequently removed to California where, after asuc cessful career, he died in 1867 at the age of 75.

In the Dominion archives there i s the copy of a hand bil l

gl

figei

e

d

ward — bel ieved to be the only one now in exist ence —offeringa Large reward for th e apprehension of Dr . Duncomb e .

It is headed by the Royal Coat of Arms , wi th the word“Proclamation”

beneath . Then follows the preamble,“By Command of His Excel lency

the Lieutenan t Governor a reward is hereby offered of five hundredpounds to any one who will -apprehend and del iver up to Justice Charles

COUNTY mcmsn‘

rs 307

Dunc ombe etc . , etc . Had th e Doctor been caught he would have un

doubted ly met with the ext reme penalty, j ust as did Lount and Mathews ,two of the Toronto leaders , who perished on the scaffold in that city . It

is recorded of them th at they both met their end with calmness and fortitude. A number of the Bran t County parti cipants were placed underarrest on the charge of treason . Wh en placed on trial some weregiven gaol terms and stil l others were acquitt ed . It is worthy of notetha t whi le the settlers of Bur ford and Oakland Townships, almost to aman rall ied to the defence of the country in the war of 1812, thes e selfsame Townships were hot beds of the Mackenzie revolt—in fact not afew of th e 1812 veterans were among Duncombe ’s staunchest supporters .

Meanwhile Lord Durham had been sent to Canada tomake a searching enqu iry into the causes of dis content.He found five hundred insurgents crowding the Toronto

prisons, with many more in Hamilton and other gaols . Pardon was extended to the greater number, while the leaders he decided to exile toBermuda in order to avoid the excitement l ikely to be attendant uponState Trials . Later the British Government declared such banishmentsto be un const itutional and set them as ide, thus givi ng the prisoners theirl iberty . Lo rd Durham, who acted throughout in a most wise and conci l

iatory manner, also composed a report which ranks as a classic in Canadi an political l iteratu re. It was mainly owing to his suggestions thatthe Dominion became started on the road to rea ll y respons ible govem ~

ment .


CHAPTERXIX.

THE INVENTION OF THE TELEPHONE —GRAHAM BELL THE SON OF A DIsTINGUISHED FATHER.

—COMING or THE FAMILY TO TUTELA HEIGHTS .E ARLY EXPERIMENTS.— INCEPTION HERE OF GREAT DISCOVERY Is FULLYESTAB LISHED.

—DISTINGUISHED INVENTOR TAK ES PART IN MEMORIAL

UNVEILING .

In the early fifties Mr . Robert Morton, for many years a prominentcontractor in Montreal , decided to spend his years of ret irement near

h is two sons , Mr . Andrew Morton and Mr . J . Y. Morton , who had l ocated

in business in the town of Brantford . On his arr ival he purchased sev

eral beautiful ly situated acres on Tutela Heights, Brantford Township,and erected the house which was afterwards to become

,famous as

'

thehome of the telephone, for this was the property purchased by Professor

Melv il le Bel l shortly after he reached Canadian shores .

It has been the general impression that the invention of

the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell , was one of

those flashes of genius termed inspiration . As a matter

of fact ther e was much continuity of research leading upto the

'

great and final achievement , not al one on the part of Mr . Bel l himself

,but al so in an indirec t manner by his forbears . The grandfather,

Alexander Bel l,a Scotchma n, was an eminent elocutionist and a corrector

of defective speech . He began his work in Edinburgh , but later removed

to London,and for about twenty- five years, unt il h i s death in 1865, was

acclaimed as head of elocutionists in the Metropol is of the world . His

son Melvil le Bel l,father of Graham Be l l, was then recognized as leader

of al l speech instruction in Edinburgh , as was h is other son,David

Charles Bell,in Dubl in Ireland . A few years later, Melvil le was univer

sal ly accredited as“the foremost Of al l teachers of speech science

,and

the use of the voice .” It was he who made the gr eat discovery Of “visible

speech .

” and no less an authority than Alexander J . Ell is, of the Briti shPhilological Society, who gave his whol e l ife to the investigation of the

problem Of speech, said :“Mr . Melvi l le Bel l has brought out the most phil

osoph ical phonetic alphabet yet invented, and has reduced it to a systemOf writ ing far s impler, and eas ier than that in comm on use

”

In 1878 Max Muller, Oxford’s eminent lecturer, wrote : The most

marvelous achievement in this branch of appl ied phone tics may be seen



in Mr . Bel l ’s Visible Speech. When we want to exhaustal l shades of sound , when we wan t to photograph the peculiarities of

cert ain dialects , or mea sure the deviations of the pronunciation of indi vidnal s by the most minute degrees

,we must ava il ourselves of that exquisite

arti stic machinery constructed by Mr . Bell .”

0The plan evolved by Melville Bel l , enables anyone to

£501

9d Observe speech with th e eye, as wel l as ear ; hence theterm “visible speech . The discovery was the outcome

Of many years of study with regard to speech elements , and natural lycaused profoun d interest . This is not the place in which to give a tech

n ical description of the method, suffice it to say that by means of Bel l’ s

symbols the deaf and the speechless are quite readily taught the art ofl ip reading, and are able to art iculate clearly and thus to carry on aconversation

,without any use of the sign language or the finger alphabet .

The met hod has had a world wide adoption , i ncludi ng China , andJapan . In the last named respect Dr . Curry wrote

“Persons without an accurate ear can never learn to speak eitherChinese or Japanese adequately . Certainly they can never preach effectively in such a language Visible speech gives a scient ificbasis for observation

,thus supplementi ng the ear by the eye . By i ts aid

the missionary can master any language in much less tim e than he can

without-

being trained by this scientific method .

”

Mr. Be l l taught the system to h is sons and later gave a publ ic demonst rat ion before many educators . The work of instruction was fir st imparted to classes in conn ection with the University and New College,Edinburgh . After the death Of h is father he removed to London , wherehe received the appointment of lecturer in University College . His firstbook was publ ished in 1845 and during h is long l ife he printed in all ,forty-eight works and also many pamphlets ; in fact h is authorship extended from 1845 to 1898. The titles show how wi de was the range Of h isinvestigations, and how various were the needs which he sought to meet ,from h is “Visible 'Speech

,

” to his book on “Stammering ;”from h is

“Universal Alphabet ics to h is “Emphasized Literature and Sermon Reading ,

”

from his “Principles of Elocution,” to his “Visible Speech Reader ;

” fromh is

“Sounds and their Relations” to h is “Steno-Phonography .

”

In 1870, after the loss _Of two of h i s sons , Professor Bel l ,on accoun t of th e delicacy of h is sole remaining child,determi ned to break away from his impor tant activities

in the Old land and to come to America . His first idea

was to locate in the United States, which he had prev iously visited, andwhere he had given three courses of lectures, two of them at different


times before the Lowel l Inst itute, Boston . However the decision was

finally changed to Brantford , and for some ten years he resided atTutela Heights in close proximity to this city. Upon his departure forWashington

,in 1881 , he was tendered a farewell banquet in the Kerby

House and the story of his coming here is best told in a speech which he

made on that occasion .

Wh en I was a very young man , and somewhat deli cate after a severei l lness

,I crossed the Atlantic to take up my abode for a time with a

friend of the fami ly on an island Of Newfoundland . I was there longenough to see a success ion of al l its seasons and I found the bracingcl imate so beneficial that my visit undoubtedly laid the founda tion of arobust manhood . In 1867 and 1870 I suff ered the gr ievous loss of twofine young men, first my youngest and then my Oldest son , (Charles Edward died in 1867, aged 19 years. Melville J . Be l l , the eldest son , diedin 1870, l eaving a widow who accompanied the family to Canada andhere marr ied Mr . George Ba l lachey ) and the recol lection of my earlyexperience determined -me to try the effect of change of cl imate for myonly remaining son . I broke up my home and brought my family to

Canada . Our plan was‘ to give the cl imate a two years tr ial and mysl im and del icate l ooking son of those days developed into th e sturdyspecimen of humanity with which you are al l famil iar . I was happilyled to Brantford by the accidental proximity of an Old friend, and I haveseen no place within the bo unds of Ontario that I would prefer for apleasant and healthful residence. How is it then that notwithstandingthis declaration I am about to bid adieu to the land that I love so wel l ?

You al l know my son ; the world knows his name, but only his friendskn ow his heart is as good as his name i s great . I can safely say that noother considerat ion that could be named, than to enj oy the society of our

only son, would have induced us to forsake our lovely“Tutela Heights ”

and our kind, good friends of Brantford . He could not come to us so weresolved to go to him . I now confidently feel that my soj ourn in Brantford wil l outl ive my existence because under you roof of mine thetelephone was born .

”

The words because under yon roof of mine the tele

gygbggfizger phone was born” constitute confirmatory test imony of

other fact s which wil l be later adduced in the same

regard . Wh en the Old Boys Reunion was held in Brantford in 1899 , Mr .

Melvi lle Bel l sent this letter in response to an invitation .

“To the President Of the Board of Trade, Brantford,Dear Sir z— I had the pleasure of l iving at Brantford—at Tutela

Heights on the farther side of the river—from 1870 to 1 881 ; and withinthese years the telephone was completed . Many Of the early experimentswere made at my house

,and one of the first l ines ever Operated was

from the porch of my house to the woodshed in a back building. Myson at this t ime l ived in or near Boston, Mass . On one of h is visits to



ham Be l l for th e increa se and diffusion of knowledge relating to thedeaf

.His genial and at tractive personality made many warm friends

for him !am ong the res idents of this community and County, and al l were

genuinely sorry when, after the decade spent at Tutela Heights, he an

nounced h is intention to move across the border, in order to be near

h is son, for the sav ing of whose l ife h e had in the first p lace severedmany dear and important t ies acr oss the seas . His .great achievements

never reached the spectacular fruition of a world famed invention,such

as said son encompassed,but his work in a fundamental way was also of

prime and lasting importance to mankind .

When the family arrived in Brantford,Alexander Gra

Tfifeztc

o‘

f'ng ham Bel l was in his twenty-fourth year . A citizen who

kn ew him in those early days describes him as a “ta l l

young man , with large, dark, intel lectual eyes, pensive coun tenance and

magnetic personal ity .

” For a considerable period after his arrival heused to spend most of h is days swingi ng in a hammock, strung between

two tr ees on the Grand Ri ver height, and from which he could enj oy the

beautiful val ley vista, with the town of Brantford picturesquely outl ined

in the far di stance. The words of one wel l known writer (Katherine

Hale ) with regard to this spot wil l find a re~ echo in the hearts of al l

who have been there“I love this vision of Brantford from Tutela Heights . It is an actual

vision—a moment of great beauty imm orta l ized ; a something seen at it sbest that is fadeless ; a gl impse which time cannot wither nor custom stale,for the municipal ity has very wise l y secur ed as a public park foreverthe thirteen acres of what was the Bel l estate and homestead,

'and so fromthis undi sturbed vantage there wil l always be that panorama of rivermeadow stretching between the eye and the roofs and sp ires of the Telephone City, lying to the south .

”

It was during these days when he was so gradually, butTh ought successfully wooing back h is strength in the great out

of doors,that the mind of young Bel l was busy with the

thoughts and plans which were ultimately to find fruition in one of the

greatest o f world discoveries . Later on , as strength returned, he mingledfreely with town and county folk and became very popular, albeit he

was regarded as the posses sor of eccentric notions Al l sorts of rumorscommenced to circulate with reference to strange experiments at the

house and comment reached a culminat ion when , with the help of others,he was seen tacking stove pipe wire al ong the Township fences .

“I’

veheard tel l of many things

,

” remarked one old dame,” but anything to beat

a man stringing a wire through the coun try to talk through it, is the

sil l iest piece of tomfoo lery ever was . He’ s clean daft .


Criticism however did not balk young,Bell ’s determination, and surely

if slowly he was approaching the solution of the great problem . In thisregard it should be mentioned t hat during the experimental period , 1874-6,

Mr. Bell resided part ly in Boston and partly in Brantford . He went to

th e first named city as a teacher in the city school for deaf mutes, inorder to exemplify h is father ’s system of

“visible speech, and spent h is

summer vacations— from about the middle of July to the end of September—with his parents. That the discovery of th e telephone, both as

to the main principle and first tr ansmission of the human voice, was

made at Tutel a Heights, has t ime and again been affirmed by Mr . Bel l ,and in gr eat detail when in 1885 he gave evidence in an unsuccessful suitwhich was brought in the United States to annul the Bell patents .

It was in 1874, shortly before Mr . Bel l l eft for Canadaon his usual summer vacat ion, that Dr . Clarence J . Blakeof Boston, presented him with a human ear and it was

while experimenting with this at Tutela Heights that thefinal solution was reached . The following summer, while again visit ing

here,h is experiments were stil l further advanced to such an extent

tha t in September 1875 h e commenced to draft patent specificat ions . Thusthe work continued un til in the summer of 1876 demonstrations, on an

exceedi ngly small scal e, were made at the Tutela Heights home.'

It

was on August 5th of the y ear named that a few personal friends were

invited to take part in th e first expos ition of an at al l publ ic natur e . Thosepresent were :

'

Sherifi'

Smi th , Mr . Hun-ter, then Principal of the School

for the Blind ; A . Robertson , Manager A . S . Ha rdy, M . RR ; W.

Paterson , M . P. ; James Wilkes , A . Cleghorn, A . J . Wilke s, B . F . Fitch,Co l . J . T. Gilkison, Dr . Digby, Dr . Corson, H . R . Corson (Markham ) , Dr .Phil ip , W. Wat t, Jr.Mr . A . J . Wilkes, the only remaining citizen of the above assembly,

states that the receiver was l ocated by the river bank an d that between thehouse and the point named there was a coil represent ing five miles of

wire . He first of al l heard some squeaking sounds and finally could

faintly discern a human voice .

Ab out this time also,at a l ittle family gathering, Mrs . Arthur Tisdale,

who then resided close to the Bell s and was a soloist at Farr ingdonChurch, was asked to sing into a transmitter from which the wi res ranto a grape arbor in the grounds . Upon hesitating as to the choice of asong

,Miss Mary Bell

,a niece

,suggested a solo sung by Mrs . Tisdale at a

recent sacred concert “I need thee every hour ,”certam symbolic of the

present status of the telephone. Other citizens also participated in subsequent tests.

314 msronr or BRANT c N'

rr

Likewise in the same year there was the first talk for anysort of distance between Brantford and Mt . Pleasant and

through the kindness of the Dominion Telegraph Company and the cc -operation of Mr . Walter Griffin, then local manager,a st i l l more amb itious trial , on August 10th , between Paris and Bran tford .

Then for the first time a me ssage was tran smitted by telephone overa real telegraph l in e, and the proper relation of the parts of a telephoneto each other was discovered, enabling its use upon a long l ine. The receiv er of the telephone was in Paris, the transmitt er in Brantford, andthe battery wh ich /suppl ied the cur rent, in Toronto . The young inventor had made arrangements with his uncle, the late Prof. David C . Bel l ,then a resident of Brantford, to take charge of the transmitt ing station, ash is father had stated th at he would not be able to be present . Personswere to sing, talk or recite, into the transmitting instrument in Brantford,while he l istened at the receiver at Par is. After observing the eff ects for

some time, he telegraphed by another l ine to Brantford instructing Mr .Griffin as to changing the arrangements of the coils . - As a result of this

a combina tion was at last arrived at which resulted in loud and cleararticulation being heard at Paris . He th ought he could even recognizethe voice of one of the speakers as that of his father . Surprised, becauseof his understanding that his father could not be on hand, he wired backto Brantford to ascertain if h i s father had actual ly spoken into the telephone . When the reply came that the voice was that of his father ,who had been reciting into the telephone for some time, he was delightedbeyond words .

Distance

In 1906 Mr . Bel l was the guest of the Brantford BoardDr . B ell Tel ls of Trade at a brill iant banquet at t he Kerby House .

3:Own During the course of the eveni ng he made a notablery .

speech and these extracts are taken from a report of the

address .“In most interesting language Dr . Bel l next took up the story of the

invention of the phone. He supposed that was the subj ect they wouldlike most to hear about . (Loud cries of Yes, Yes . ) Well, during theperiod he was part of his t ime in Brantford and part of his time inBoston , and he supposed the idea of the phone was where he happenedto be .

“I can affirm to you , however, Gentlemen, that the inception of itwas here.

”

(Loud Applause. )The speaker continued by stating that a certain medical friend in Bos

ton had presented him with the portion of a human ear with which toconduct a certain phase of experiments and that specimen he brought with



The inventor made an eff ort to interest Canadian capita l but without result . More than -one Brantford citizen decl ined the opportunity to invest and so did resi

dents of other Canadian cities. In this regard LordMount Stephen, in sending a subscription to the Brant

Memorial Commi tt ee in 1909 , said dur ing the course of his letter :“I remember in 1875, or 1 876, being then President of the Bank of

Montreal and in Hamilton on the business of the Bank, lunching withMr . Buchanan, then Agent of the Bank of Hami lton , together with anumber of the leading men of the place . During luncheon Mr . Buchanan read a note from Mr . Be l l asking that h e might be al lowed to

show us a model of h is telephone, after luncheon . Mr . Bel l showed ush is model, which we al l agreed was a very

“ingenious toy . Our fores ight,as is always the case, was not equal to our hindsight . That is overthi rty years ago, but I remember it as if it had been yesterday .

”

To Mr . W . F . Cockshutt , M . P. ,bel ongs the credit of

xsuggesti ng the erection of a memorial . He was presi

dent of the Board of Trade at the time and his proposal

took imm ediate hold . There was, of course, much organization work to

be accomplished and this was eff ectively looked after by Mr . GeorgeHately , who was appointed Secretary . The subscription l ist met with a

handsome response from,

Domini on and Provi ncial Governments, prom

inent men in Canada, England and th e United States , the city of Brantfordand county of Brant , and private cit izens of Bran tford and other places .The total amount obtained was and this sum has not only enabled

the erection of the magnificent monument and the purchase of the gore

on which it is erected, but also the acquisition of the historic homesteadon Tutela Heights where the birth of the great modern invention took

place. As soon as the financial outl ook was a ssured, it was decided tocal l for competitive models and nine were submitted from Canada,Europe and the States . The j udges appointed were Sir B . E . Walker ,Toronto , Pres ident; of the Bank of Commerce ; Sir G. C . Gibbons, of

London and Hon . Mr . Davis , Senator of th e State of New York . Thes ethr ee gentlemen, each the possess or of crit ica l knowledge with regard

to sculptural design, were not given th e names of the competitors andj udged the model s only by numb ers. They had a har d task but their

unanimous award final ly fel l upon the model of Mr . W. S . A l lward, of

Toronto , who has many notable monuments in other places, including theLa'fontaine sta tue in Montreal . It is worthy of note that when one U . S .

competitor saw A l lward ’s design in the display robm, it having been nu

packed before h is own ,he remarked

,

“There is no use my taking out mymodel for nothing can win against that .”

M emorialSuggested .


318 n i sromr or BRANT COUNTY

in virile presence to personal ly receive an acclaim so often delayed untilworld benefactors have pass ed to the great beyond . The Dufferin Rifl esband was in at tendance and Army and Navy Veterans formed a guard of

honor . The latter were ins pected by His Excel lency, and Mr . W. F .

Cockshutt made the Opening address . At the cl os e of h i s remarks theDuke conducted the formal un veil in g, a Union Jack fal l ing from one of

the outstanding figures, and the Stars and S tripes from the ot her . The

ra in cont inuing, an adj ournment took place to the Grand Opera House

where His Excel l ency , who was received with tremendous applause, said“I wish to convey my most grateful thanks to those whoare responsibl e for the organization of to-days proceedings that it has been arranged for me to take so promincut and so interesting a part in them . Th ere is nothingwhich can appeal more strongly to the imagination and

to the sense of patriotism than the proceedings which we have seen today .

The telephone has become almost commonplace. Like many in thistheatre I can rememb er i ts invention . I have been trying to tax my memory as to the precise occasion of my first recol lect ion of the telephone.It was when I was a boy at school and

'

was home on hol idays . My grandfather , who was a man of science hims elf, toldme tha t one of the greatestdiscoveries possible had been made. We knew very much less in Englandthan you did here, but certa inly what had been discovered here, verysoon found its way to England .

“One can trace bit by bit the growing expansion of the telephonethroughout i ts various stages . At first one was asked if he had atelephone and much surprise was evinced when the an swer was “

Yes ,”

but the surprise of having a telephone gave way to the surprise of not

havi ng one, and now one i s never asked whether he has a telephone . Thequestion is “What ’s your number ? ” (Laughter and Appl ause. ) Thereforethe tel ephone has broad purposes—commercial ly, ind ustrial ly , polit ical lyIn every walk, every sphere and every activity in l ife, the telephone hastaken its part and has continued year by year to exercise a stil l greaterand growing influence and power . The miracle which has been aecom

p l ished through Dr . Bel l’ s invention certainly '

has taken a very remarkableplace in this tremendous and gigantic struggl e in which we are engaged .

It is only right and fitting that the public spirit of friendshi p , if I maysay so, not only of Brant ford but of a far wider circle, should find anecho in Cana da and farther afield as ' well . The citizens of Brantfordhave only done what is rightly proper that they should to perpetuate forall time the memory of a man who has done so much, not only for theircity but for civil ization and humanity as a whole . (Great Applause. )

“I understand there are other claimants to some shiar e inHall M ark Dr . Bell ’s inv ention and discover ies , but the procee dingsFor Al l of to-day wil l set the hal l mark for al l t ime to come on

the true hi st ory of the birth of the telephone . (Applause )I venture most since rely and most cordially to congrat

u late the citizens of Bra ntford on what they have done and the very great

COUNTY mcmsnrs 319

at tention which it dr aws to their city. I wish also—and I know I shallfind a most cordial and sympathet ic echo in my audience in this—totender to the sculptor our hearty congratulations on the admirable success which has attended the consummation of this monument . (GreatApplause . ) And last, and by no means least, I should l ike to tender myown and on your behal f your congratulations to Dr . Bel l on seeing hiswork duly and gratefully recognized . (Applause )

“Times were in the past when death intervened before ful l j ust icewas done to the work of man . To-day Dr . Bel l is to be congratulatedupon being able to rece ive the recognition of h is fel low cit izens and fell ow coun trymen . (Hear, Hear . )

“It is indeed a memorable day, not only for Brantford but for humanity, and the ceremony in which we have taken part wil l l ive for manymany generations after we have al l passed away , and future generationswil l be proud of the part we have taken .

“I have already formial ly unveiled the monument, I now formallyded icate it and hand it over to the City in trust for al l time to come.(Great Applause. )A deed of trans fer was then signed by h is Exce l lency and by him

handed over to Mr . E . L. Goold,Cha irman of the Parks Commission .

Amid salvos of deafening applause Dr . Be l l advanced toaddress th e gathering . The entire audience rose to theirfeet and when the demons tration had ceased, Mr . Bel l

Dr . Bel lTel ls Story .

spoke as foll ows“Your Excel lency

,ladies and gentlemen . There are some things

wort h l iving for and this i s one of them (Hear , Hear . ) I came to Brantford in 1870 to die ; I was given six months lease of l ife, but I am gladto be al ive to-day to witness the unveil ing of thi s beautiful memorial thathas been erected in the City of Brantf ord . As I look back upon it, v isi ons come to me of the Grand River and of Tutela Heights and mydreami ng place upon the heights where visions of the telephone cameto my mind . (Hear, hear and applause . ) I l ittle thought in those daysthat I should ever see a memorial l ike -this,—a memoria l that is not onlygratifying to me personally as an appreciation of my own persona leff ort to benefit th e world, but is an appreciation of the invention its elf .

“I cannot claim what you know as the modern telephone.It is the product of many, many minds . All I did wasto initiate the movement of the transmission of speech byelectri city. It was initiated here . (Great Applause. )

Much of the exper imen tal work of the development of the apparatuswas done in Bo ston , stil l I am glad to be able to come forward and saythat the telephone was invented here. (Great Applause. )

In past years I have tried to approximate the date of that inventionand hav e given

,in vague terms

,the summer of 1874. But a few days

ago it occurred to me that it was possible to make a cl oser approximationto the date of the conception than that . My dear father kept a diary

,a


little pocket di ary, in which occasional ly he j ott ed down remarkable oc

cur rences . I res ided in the States and used to come to Brantford for mysummer vacation and for the Christmas holidays, and when I came home,of course I would ta lk to my father of al l the great ideas that were inmy mi nd . I rememb er in those days I had a conception of an electricalmotor, the detail s of which I have long since forgotten, but I was ful lof th is motor in the summer of 1874, a t the time that I devised th e telephone. Of course I expla ined these things to my father

,and in his

di a ry under date of July 26th 1874, occur these words,“Motor”— and in

brackets “Hopeful .” (Laughter . )“Electrical Speech” with a big

query mark in brackets , but it goes to show that on July 26th , 1874, thetelephone had been invented and had been described to my father, but hedi d not think it quite as good as the electrical motor . (Laughter . )

In the autumn Of 1874, th e telephone was described withdrawings to a large number of people in Boston and thevicinit y . In 1875, the telephone was made—the Bran tford telephone was made in Boston . In June 1875, the

telephone acquired a physical existence in Boston , and it was that telephone that was invented the year before at Tutela Heights in Brantford

,

Ont ario . (Applause )“I am very grateful for the assistance that was rendered to me in my

initial effort on behalf Of the telephone, both in Brantford and in Boston .

A great deal has been said , and very t ruly, conn ecting Boston with the appearance of the telephone. TOO l itt le has been said in the States concerningthe connection of Brantford . (Hear , Hear . ) I have l ooked very careful lyover the history of the telephone with the Obj ect of seeing j ust what hadbeen done in Brantford and what had been done in Boston, and I amprepared to stat e that Brantford is right in claiming the invention of thetelephone The telephone was conceived in Brantfordin 1874 and born in Boston in 1875. (Applause ) .

“I wished to ascertain further whether, in the practi cal developmentOf the telephone, there were any point s that real ly could be claimed byBrantford, because so much of the development had been done in the

States . I found another th ing that is very worthy of rememb rance in thepractical application of the telephone .

In 1 875 and 1876 the experiments wi th'

the telephoneParlor e ar lor ex er iments We would have one instrumentE en

'

ment.wer p P

xpi n one room and another i nstrument i n another room i n

the same building. We would telephone from one room to another, andthen put articles of resistance in between, then we would surmise the telephone would speak i f on the o ther side Of the Atlant ic, but we did nothave an Opportunity Of trying it .

The first Oppo rtunity to try the telephone on a long distance l inecame in July 1876 in Boston, but the transmitt ing and receivi ng telephoneswer e in adj oining rooms Of the same buildi ng. We had a l ine from Boston to Rye Beach and return , and for a time we imagined that the vo icehad gone thr ough th e transmit ting instrument to Rye Beach and back and



was heard on th e receiver, but Lord Kelvin, who was then Sir Will iamThompson , was present

‘on one Of these occasions, and he said :

“You

cannot assume that the voice has gone to Rye Beach and back on thatl ine . It might have come through the ground connection

,and the only

way for satisfactory demonstration is to place the transmitt ing and re

ce iv ing instruments miles apart .”

The first t ime that instruments were placedmil es apartand speech successful ly transmitted from one place to

D ist ance the other was here in Brantford in August 1876. (ApSpeech pl

'ause . ) It was real ly a very historical occasion, the l 0thBrant ford of Augu st, 1876, when experiments were in stituted beTo Paris . tween Brantford and Paris . The transmitting instrument

was placed in Brant ford, the receiv ing instr ument i nParis, and the batteries used were in Toronto, so that made a pret ty longcircuit . I was in Par is at the receiving end l istening. Mr . W . H . Gri ffin , who I am glad to know is stil l a l ive and with us tod ay, was in chargeof the Dominion Telegraph Off ice in Brantford

,at the u ansmi tt ing end,

and there were var ious persons present who spoke and sang in to thetransmitting inst rum ent, and sounds were received in Paris . Th ese werethe first experiments in the world in which sounds were received at adist ance of many mi les (Loud Applause. )

There were also other experiments that some of theseolder residents of Brantford may remember, in whichthe receiving instrument was placed on the porch of myfather ’s house at Tutela Heights

,and attempts were made,

successful ly, to transmi t speech and singing from Brantford to Tutela Height s . The trouble was there were no telegraph wiresto my father’s house. There was a telegraph wire that went up pastMount Pleasant, but it was some distance from the Mount Pleasant Roadto my father’s house

, and there was no wire there. However we tried avery unique and daring exper iment to connect with Tutela Heights . Wecould not get telegraph wires or poles to put the in sulators on , but we

got stove pipe wire in Bran tford . We cleaned up all the stove-pipewire in Brantfo rd, and tacked it along the fences from the com er of theMoun t Pleasant Road to Tutel a Heights—and it worked . I do not knowOf any other telegraph or el ectrical instr ument that would have worked .

(Laughter . ) But it worked,and we heard music and s inging on my

father ’s porch by quite a large numb er of the citizens of Brantford, andthat was the first public exhibit ion of the poss ibil ities of speaking froma di stance by telephone . (Applause ) So you have two things that youcan j ust ly claim—the invention of the telephone here and the first transmission of the human voice over real l ive wires . (Applause )

“But don’t go too far, because there are those who claimBoth W ays and cla im rightly— that the first conversation ever heldAchievement over a telephone wire was held in Boston .

Now,let me tell you what was done here. We had

the transmit t ing ins trument in Brantford and the receiving instrument in


Paris, so that you could talk from Brantford to Paris, but you couldnot talk back . (Laughter) . We had to telegraph back by another l ine .Th at was the cond ition of -

af fai rs, -

so you must not cl aim too much . Itwas the first transmission at a di stance, but it was not the first reciprocalconversa t ion over a l in e. That was held in Boston on October 9th , 1876.

“There is another th ing in this connection ; The wonderSpecif ica ful telephone industry of to-day has been built up byt ions Writ others . I canno t claim to be any more than the one whot en Here. in itiated the whole movemen t . But this great industry

must base i ts success upon a patent . Now that patentthe most valuab l e paten t ever granted by the Patent Off ice—was not

writ ten by the Pat ent Office Solicitor, it was written by me . The specif icat ion was written by me and the first draf t of that specificationmade ' in Brantford

, (Hear, Hear , ) in September,_

1875, and it is thatsame appl ication that afterwards became the patent upon which the telephone industry is based .

“I have with me in Brantford dupl icates of the first telephones thlatwere used in the Brantford exper irnent of August 1876.

“

I hope to havethe opportunity of showing these to-night in this building . First of al lthere is

’

a facs imile of the or iginal telephone made in Boston in June,1875, and it is exactly the same as the telephone conceived and describedand pictured in Brantford in 1874 . These old rel ics are preserved inth e Uni t ed States Nat ional Museum,

and I was fortunat e in having themloaned to me and in bringing up here three or four instruments thatwil l be of interest to you . The receiver

,I think, i s the very same ins tru

ment that was used in Paris in that first experiment . It is a l itt le di lapidated , but it was a good instrument and shows the character . The transmi tter is one of those used in the Cent ennial Exhi bition in Philadelphia,and there was a tr iple mouthpiece which I discovered in the NationalMuseum that was actua l ly used in 1876 here, and was made in Brantford .

It was for the purpose of d emonstrat ing the important fact that Ia numb erof vo ices could be switched thr ough the telephone at the same time without confusion.

I wish to say on behalf of the Bel l TelephoneMemorial

TWO B asic Association I have grea t pleasure in presenting to HisFact s . Excel lency a silver telephone

,and I hope that in using

this he wil l remember that the telephone originated inBrantford, (Great Applause,) and that the first transmi ss ion to a distancewas made here between Bra ntford and Paris . (Grea t Applaus e. )At the conclusion of his ad dress Dr . Bell pres ented to the Governor

General a silver telephone,duplicate of that whi ch his father, the late

Professor A . Melvi l l e Bel l, pres ented toKing George on the occasion of hisvisi t to th e city as Duke of York.

' i ’zi iffm m Sir John Hendr ie, Lieutenan t Governor of Onta rio, during

h is remarks aptly sai d .

“In real ity there is no man who

has ha d so many monument s erected to h im as Dr . Bell .Throughout America, Europe, Africa, Austral ia, the Wes t Indi es , almost

Speakers.


324 m sronr or BRANT coum'

r

CHA PTER xx

EARLY INCIDENTS or THE TOWNSHIPS . -BURFORD VERY NEARLY BECAME

THE HOME or A PECULIAR SEcr .—Fms'r SETTLERS FOR THE MOST

PART Consre o or STURDY AND CAPABLE M EN.

Burford and Oakland Townshi ps,the only sect ions of the County

not originally affected by the land grant to the Six Nat ions Indians,have always been int imately associat ed and repres ent the earl ier settledpor tions of Bran-t Coun ty . Burford Townshi p was surveyed in 1793 by

Augustus Jones , and was nam ed after the old town of Burford in Oxford

shi re, England . Oakland was surveyed in 1796, also by Jones , as Town

send Gore, but in 1 798 it was transfer red to Burford as Burford Gore .Th is title it reta ined until 1821 when legi slation bestowed the pres en t

appellation of Oakl and, so des ignated because of a r idge of oak trees

which ran through the Township , but many yea rs ago vani shed under

the axe of the sett ler .At the very inception of its career Burford Township

37

3

1

5:321

521” nearly became the abiding place of an exceedi ngly pe

cu l iar sect . Jemima Wilkins on, born in Cumberland,Rh ode Island, 1735, was one of a family of twelve children . When in

the twentieth year of her age, al l were stricken with fever, but Jemimaju st as the watchers thought she was about to breathe her last , suddenly

arose from her bed and from that time forward profes sed to have diedand arisen again . St yling herself “The Universal Friend .

” she commen

oed to preach, also pretending to have the power to work miracles, and

in a comparat ively short time attracted a large number of fol lowers . In

1 786 at a meeting of her disciples it was dec ided to found a colony inYates County, NY. Next yea r twenty-five of her fol lowers went to thenew purchase to prepa re th e land for wheat, and coloni zat ion was wellin progres s when circums tances aros e whi ch rendered it l ikely that t heywould be dispossessed

,and Jemima

,in 1 792, selec ted one of her leaders,

Abrah am Dayton, to make the j ourney to Upper Canada in order tonegot iate with Governor Simcoe for a new location . The Governor,supposing the new sect to be Quakers, made a bestowal of land whichcomprises the presen t Township of Burford . Preparat ions for remova lto the new site were at once made

,but Simcoe upon discovering his mis

take, annulled the gr ant . Dayton , however, was so impres sed with the

cormr r INCIDENTS 325

region he had come to view,th at he abandoned his co-rel igionists and

took up land, choo sing among others the lots owned by Mr. John Keach ie ,and the Bowen homes tead . His house was l ocated about eighty rods fromthe stone road . He died in early year s and was succeeded in possession of

his land by Benajah Mal lory . His wi dow became the wife of Col . Stonethe founder of the vil lage of Gananoque, below Kingston, and she l ivedto a great old age. After the negotiations with Simcoe were brought toan abrupt close, the

“Universal Fr iend” disciples secured moreacres of land in Yates Coun ty, and later added the Township of

“J erusa

lem .

” A house was erected for the rel igious impostor, situated on a farm

of one thousand acres cultivated by her fol lowers. From the latter sheexacted the most complete submi ssion, and th e most menial services ; infact her influence was practica l ly supreme. Although entirely il l iterateshe numbered among her adherents many educated people, her magneticperson, and ext reme tact and shrewdnes s offse tt ing any scholastic lack .

Her clothing be longed ab out equal ly to either sex as she asserted that inthe spiritual body there was no division . After some years her influen cewan ed , and when she died at the age of sixty- six the movement col lapsed .

Cel ibacy was one of the tenets practised . Such was the extraordinarysect whi ch Burford Township and Brant Coun ty narrowly es caped .

Thomas Horner was the first sett ler in Burford TownshipPin t Set t ler and the most prominent man in the di strict for a per iod

fiifigfia‘n of forty years thereafter . He was a native of New Jersey,and came to Canada in 1 793 under these circumstances .

Col . John Graves S imcoe, the First Lieutenan t Governor of Upper Canada,had served as an officer in the Brit ish Army during the Revolution . On

one occasion he was taken prisoner by the Amer icans'

and in h is extremityone Thomas Wats on, (uncle of Thomas Hom er ) performed an act ofkindn ess to h im . Th is act was not forgotten by Simcoe and when in1 792 be

'

was promot ed to the Lieut . -Governorship, he wrote to Watson tocome to Can ada and bring his friends with “him. In response , Watsoncame, bringing his nephew wi th h im and Home r was promised a grantof the Township of Blenheim on condition that he erected a saw mill toencourage immigration . Mr . Homer waited un ti l three concessions weresurveyed by Augustus Jones (father of the late Rev. Peter Jones ) and hethen proceeded to New York for the purpose of pur chas ing machineryfor the mil l . Upon his return he found that Governor Simcoe’s succe ssorwould not confirm the grant made to him . Nothing daunted he com

pleted the saw mill and about 1806 er ected a grist mi l l , but both weresubsequently burned down . The site of these mills was j ust west of thevillage of Pr inceton on th e Governor ’s Road . In 1 798 he was appointed


Captain o f Mil itia in the Norfolk Batt al ion and in 1806 Deputy Lieuten

ant -of the County of Oxford, but on .the decla rat ion of war between GreatBritain and th e United States in 1812, he was superceded in the lastnamed post . Thi s act of inj ust ice di d not, however, deter him from

manifesting his “attachment to hi s country, and using his powerful influence with the Six Nations Indi ans, he enlisted several of them to pro

ceed to the assistanc e of General Brock who was mov ing on Detro it . Whenhe and th e red men had arrived within ten days march of their destination

word came that Detroit had surrendered . However,“he ‘and h is force

remained on active duty for some time. The whole expense for suppl ieswas borne by him; without one cent to reimburse him for his outl ay .

Afterwards Mr . Hom er and a numb er o f other s volunteer ed as privates,

and wh i le our forces were encamped on Burlington Heights he offered toreconnoitre the pos it ion of the American naval force on Lake Ontario .

This duty he accomplished satisfactorily . In 1820 he was elected to the

Legislature as th e represent ative of Oxford, and h e held that posit ionun t il his death in 1834. In th e House he was often appointed Chairman

of important Commit tees . He was the leadi ng magistrate of Burford and

h is name -is to be found on al l the old deeds . He a lso performed marr iage ceremonies, for th e first time in 1801 when be united James Smiley

and Eunice.

Mar tin . Mrs . Smiley died on August 18th , 1875 at her homeon the Governor ’s Road, when in the ni nety-second year of her age. Mr .Hom er ’s son Thomas J . Hom er, and grandson Isaac T. Hom er were al somagistrates and prominent men of Bur ford .

At the inception, Burford Township in common withg

aggl

gbgénd other Townships of that period, suffered from the land

grabber . Hon . Robert Ham ilton , member of the Legislative Council , was given acres . Rev . Robert Baddi

'

sh, one of thefew mi ssiona ries who had an eye for the main chance

,obtained

acres . Thi s gentleman after acquirin g title to a large est ate in Upper

Canada, retired to the Old Land .

' Tona di ne Lawe, a surveyor , obtainedacres In addition Crown Lands were set aside to the exten t ofacres and “Clergy Reserves

” represent ed another exceedingly largearea . These properties never contributed a cent in taxes . “

Charles Burtch was'

an other p ioneer who was granted large tractsin the northern part of the Townshi p as well as the Gore of Burford .

However, he neglected most of his holdings in Burford and finally losttit le t o them .

Although a number of those who obtained lands wereHar d on actual sett lers, many of th e patentees had bought on specu

lation or secured ti tle by“

g rants , espe cial ly the large



Aikins and Nel les , while to the north and west were th e Beemers , Peltons,Muirs, Virtues, Maj or Weir, Benj . Weaver , Seth Landon and others .

In these early days shopping was done at Ancaster and

gr isting at the Indian Mill , west of Brantford whereD

’

Aub igny Creek cross es the Burford road . The first

white child born in Burford was Stephen Landon in 1797, at his father’ s

home on the Stuart farm, near Burford Vil lage. Abner Matthews estab

li-shed the first wool len and cardi ng mil l on the town l ine between Burford

and Brantford , j ust north of Bishopsgate. The first store in Burford was

opened after the war, by George W. Whitehead, j ust east of where the

Brantford road turns off to Norw ich . His fat her, th e Rev . Thos . Whitehead

,was the first Wesleyan minister in Burford Townshi p, and first

president of the first Methodist conference of the Province . They wereU. E . Loyal ists and came from New Brunswick . The post office in Bur

ford was establ ished in 1820, Col . Bowen being postmaster . He was

succeeded by h is,son-in - law , Will iam VanA l len , and in 1822 Geo. W.

Wh itehead was appointed and held it unt i l the appointment of his brother Wil lard M . Whitehead . Burford Vil lage was original ly known asDickey’ s Corners , from a Mr . Dickey who kept a hotel where the present

hotel stands . Nathan iel and Cicero Ives opened a store opposite Dickey’shotel

,before 1820. They owned the farm later a cquired by Elisha

Stuart,and built a saw mil l on the stream back of the farm . The firs

'

t

saw mil l in the north of Burford was built by Aldr idge Wel ls on Lot 14,Con . 3. He sold out and kept the first hot el on the Governor’ s Road, atold Princeton . The first doctor in the township was a Dr . Cornish ,father of the late Frank Corni sh, of London , who l ived at Princeton . Jere

mi‘a'h Cowan , father of Col . Cowan , of Woodstock, settl ed on the Blen~

heim side about 1 818, as agent for the western lan ds of Hon . Pet er M cGil l ,

of Montrea l . He was the first as sessor and clerk of that townshi p,and

postmaster at Princeton, and l ike many of the o l d generat ion had a quiver

ful l of ol ive branches , fifteen in al l . Between Princeton and Burford was

then a wilderness there being but two or three sett lers,Levi Lawrence

,

Wm . Force, and Ran sford and James Rounds wh o built a grist mil l onthe Terryberry farm, on the rout e. The firs t school in the township wastaught by Capta in Whi te, hi s log school house being in Burford Village .

He held fo rth from 1808 to 181 1 , when the war checked the edu cat ion of

the rising generation, and af ter the war others succeeded the gal l-ant captai

'

n in wielding the ferule.At this period even the dealings of the Government withset tlers were adapt ed to the circumstan ces surrounding

them . Subj oined are the Government terms in a reg

Payment inWh eat .

COUNTY mcmr-m'

rs 329

ular form adopted for leasing lands , dated August 12, 1819, to JacobYeigh , of Clergy Reserve Lot No . 9 , in the ~ 9th Concession , for 21 years .

For the first seven years the rent was to be £1 , 15, or ten and a halfbush els of good, sweet , clean , merchantable wheat, for the second sev enyears £3 10, or 21 bushels good

,clean wheat, and for the third seven

year s £5 5, or thi rty-one an d a half bushels .In 1 825 the officers of the First Oxford Militia were Col . Thomas

Horner, Lt . -Co l . C . Ingersol l , Maj or Sy kes Towsley, Capts . Henry Carrol l ,J . H . Th rockmorton, Jas . Carrol l

, Geo . W . Whitehead, John Kelly, Daniel

Brown , John Stephens, Robt . Alway ; Lieu ts . Abner DeCou, Wm . Reynolds,Ge orge Nichols, Calvi n Ma rt in, Henry Daniel , Hugh Malcolm, Thomas

Ingersoll , Jacob Goble, Adj t . Ensigns, Peter Martin , Jos . Woodrow, A.

Burtch, Jos . Inge rsol l , Wm . Underwood, Quartermaster, Wm. Mccart ney .

They were men of many-sided abil ities in those days, for at thistime Col . Hom er and Lt . -Col . Ingersol l were the representat ives of Oxford

in Parl iament. Col . Th os . Horner, M . P. , was also Regist rar of Oxford,the Registrar of Wentworth and Halton at the same time being JamesDurand. The population of Burford in 1 825 is given as 675 and Oakland341 . In 1828 a regular voluntee r company was organized in Burfordunder comma nd of Col . Geo . W. Whitehead, the rol l includi ng the names

of the Dutchers, Adam L'ampman, Ab isha Rand, Jonathan and Eno chRyder, Platt and Pierce Cronk, the Higsons and others .

The father of the late Bishop Reynolds was one of the earliestsettler s. He came in about 1796 and remained unt il 1 803, when he pushed

further west to the Township of Dorches ter , Lawrence Daniel came fromNova Scot ia in 1803, and was one of the leading men of th e Townshipduring its early hi s tory, and for many years was Jastice of the Peace .

John and Will iam Fowler were early settlers migrating from NewBrunswick in 1798. In later year s a prominent member of this family

was the Right Rev. Charles H . Fowler, Bishop of the Methodi st EpiscopalChurch . He was born in Burford in 1 837 and di ed in New York, March20th , 1910. He was a man of keen and ready wi t . In this regard it isrela ted that dur ing an impor tan t meeting of clergy and laity one of th e

latter, displeased at a rul ing, exclaimed :“Del iver me from the snare of

the Fowler,” whereupon the Bishop smilingly completed the quotation by

addi ng : “and from the noisome pes ti lence.”

Daniel Southwick, father of Daniel Southwick of Falkland,set t led

in Burford in 1818 and carved a good homest ead out of the forest . Wm .

Lloyd Jones, father of Thos . Lloyd Jones, came from North Wales in

1836. The son had many honors cast upon him by his fel low electors

in the township, which he bore worthily . The Muirs arr ived in 1830.


An out standing man of over eighty years ago was Col . Charl es'

Strange

Per ley . He was born in New Brunswick in 1796 and came to UpperCanada with hi s mother in 1801 . A lthough on ly sixt een years of age he

was present at several engagements dur in g the war of 1812,‘and after

his marriage to a daughter of Col . M cCal l , of Norfolk, set tled in Ancas ter . In 1834 he located in Bur ford acqui ring considerable property,and speedily becomi ng prominent in the milita ry and pol itical l if e of

the Town ship . Surrounded by a fam i ly of five sons an d five daughters ,his home was for a lengthy period a social centre. He raised a company

of mil itia during the rebel l ion of 1837 and soon after that was createda [jt -Colonel . He was a geni al man of the

“burly squire” order, and ared hot loyal ist . In 1840 he was appointed Magi strate of the Dis tr ictof Brock and he was fi rst Reeve after Burford Townshi p became part ofthe Coun ty of Brant .

The first meet ing of Burford Township Council underthe Municipal Act of 1849 took pla ce at the inn of Hen ry

Dorman ( later Vander l ip’

s ) , Cath cart , on t he 2l st day

of January, A .D. ,1850. The member s elect were Ransford Rounds,

Chas . S . Perley, I . B . Henry, Robert Muir , and Chas . Hedgers. RansfordRounds was elected Reeve by the Counc il , and C . S . Perley, Deputy Reeve,and Geo . C. Ward, appointed Clerk . It is wort-by of men t ion that

Messrs . Henry an d Hedgers were elected for twenty-one years in suc

cession to this Council , a record lalmost unexampled in Mun icipal

Government .

THE TOWNSHIP OF OAKLAND

The first grants of l and in the Townshi p of Oakland were made on

May 22, 1 797. Th e grantees were Robt . Felkington of Lot 2 on th e 2nd .

Concession,Lot 1 on th e 3rd . Conces s ion, and Lots 1 and 2 on the 4th . ,

in al l 800 acres, Bul-ah Millard

,Lot 4 on the 4th Concess ion and Lot 5

on the 5th, 400 acres. M . Andrew Meyers, Lot 1 on the 5th , and Lot 2

on the 6th Concession, 400 acres, and John Wra-

y, Lot 3 in the 5th,200 acres . Among the other early grantees were Lot 3, Concession 3 to

Margaret Hurst,August 10, 1801 , Lot 1 , Concess ion 1 , Lot 1 , Concession

2, Nort h h’a'lf Lot 8, Concession 3, and half Lot 8, Concession 4, in al l

600 acres,to Finlay Malcolm,

on May 17th 1802. On the same date Lot

3, Concession 1 , was gran-ted to Jane Corl iss ; 6, 7,8, Concession 2, and

South half 8, Concess ion3, 700 acres, to Edwin Beebe. Lot 9, Concession

2, to John Secord, 550 acres on Concession 2 t o Charles Burtch . OnFebruary 23, 1803, Lot 6, Concess ion 5, was patented to Ralph Clench ,Lot 10 Concess ion 3 and Lot 9 , Concess ion 4, were granted Daniel


332 nrsroar or BRANT couurr

father,Ar ch ibald Brown , having come in wi th the Malcolms . Will iam

and Daniel were other sons . Matt hew M essecar must also rank among the

pioneers,for the first recorded conveyance in 1803 is to h im. He came

from New Jersey, and Mathew and Trueman Messecar , were hi s sons .

Wm . Messecar came later from Pennsylvania, hi s son being Wm . M essecar .

Well ington M cA l l ister, act ively in publ ic l ife for fifty years , was born in

the town ship in 1815. George Cunn ingham, Constant Eddy, Peter

Malcolm,John Eddy and Squire Thompson were pion eers. The Fair

childs , Isaac, Timothy, Samuel and Francis came from Fairchi ld’

s creek .

Wh en Squire Thomps on came in to the Town ship in 1822_ there would

be,in add ition to those already mentioned and their famil ies , John Wood

ley,Char les Edy, John Tyler, whose wi fe was a Malcolm and owned a

farm west of Squire Thompson ’ s ; John Hendershot, who rented Mal

co lm’

s mi l l s for a t ime ; Justus Smith, who was on 3 and 4 in the 4thConces sion ; Dani el Hazen, who carr ied the mail from Hamilton to S imcoeRi chard Phi l l ips, who l ived on the south part of 8 in the 3rd, and who

went to the vicini ty of Ancaster, Henry Benn ett , Henry Lester , David

Lefler, Henry Gates and h is son Hiram Gates , Char l es and Thomas Sayles ,

Charles Chapin , who l ived on 3 in the 3rd, the fat her of Lyman Chapin ;Charles Burt ch , who accumulated a good dea l of property , John and

Nicholas M cIntyre, wh o went in in 1822, Nicholas being the father of

Daniel McIntyre an d Joseph M cIn tyre ex-Warden ; Benj amin Hoover,Jonath an Burt ch, son of Charles Bur t ch, and others . Moses Baldwin

,

fath er of M . H . Baldwin , came from New Jersey and sett led in Oakland

in 1833. The M err i ts , Abrah am , father of Benj . B . Merritt, and Caleb,father of Isaac B . came in stil l later from New Brunswick. The Winega r

dens sett led in the towns hip about 1812.

The vi l lage of Scotland was laid out and surveyed by

Eliakim Malcolm , son of Finlay Malco lm. He was aleadi ng spir it in the Townshi p for many years . He was

the first Reeve of Oaklan d and the first Warden of the Coun ty of Brantand launched the new county in hi s opening add ress to the council in

January 1853, with all the digni ty and circumstan ces befit ting the occasion .

It is said that he would have been the first sher iff of the count y, had he

accepted the offer of the government of that day . But he des ired to be

Registrar , and the government being unable to gr at ify him in this,he de

cl ined to accept the shr ieva lty .

“Liak” Malcolm was a well known figure

and a man of affairs in the distr ict and coun ty with which he was assoc

iated for 50 years. The vil lage of Oakl and was laid out by surveyor

Th os Walsh in 1810. In 1822 the Malcolm’s saw and grist mi l l ,

'

J .


Loder’ s saw and gr ist mi l l , and Henry Gat es’ ca rdin g mi l l were running

there .

As Burford and Oakland were settled largely by those of the loyal iststock it is worth noting, as a matt er of record, some of those who

rece ived lan d and scrip for th eir services in the war or as des cendents ofthe o ld U. E . Loyalists .

Those who received gr ant s as loyal ists, as appea rs by theGrants to Crown Land s rec ords , included Eliakim’ Malcolm, his

brothers James Hugh , Charles and Dun can, al l sons ofFinlay Malcolm ; Eleanor Doyle, Burford, dau ghter of Benj amin Doyle ;Lavina Sage, wife of Alla n Sage, and daughter of John Fi l e ; El izabethLennington of Dum fries wife of Wm . Lenni ngton and daughter of Davi dVan Every ; Eleanor El l is, wife of Henry El lis, and daughter of Ed . Mc

Michael of Walsingh‘

am ; Anna Mudge, Dumf ries wife of Ed . Mudge,and daughter of Stephen Middaugh ; Abra-ham Nel les , son of Robt . Nellesof Grimsby ; Jm Millard, Oakland, son of Dan Millard ; Asa Secord,Oakland, son of John Secord ; Sarah Baker, Oakland, wife of El ias Baker,and daughter of Dan Mil la rd ; Rebecca Beamer, Burford, wife of GeorgeBeam er, and daughter of Benj . Doyle ; Charlotte Hawley, wif e of HenryHawley, and dau ghter of John Files . Her grant was 200 acres in theTownship of Enn iskil len ; Hugh Clark, Burford ; Sam Doyle, son of Benj .Doyl e ; Matthias Woodley, Oakland, son of Geo . Woodl ey ; Richard Boul

shy, Buck’ s Compan y Volunt eer s ; Th os . Bou lsby , volunteer in Captai n

Thomas ’ company ;'

M artha Baker, wife of John Baker, and daughter ofChas . Burt ch . of Burford Gore ; Del ia Fowler, daughter, and Thos . andWm . Fowler, sons of John Fowler ; Jane Cor l is , l ate Jane Mount, Bur ford,wi fe of Swain Cor li s, and daughter of Chas . Burtch ; Mary Gates , Burford,wife of Henry Gates , and daughter of Chas . Burt ch ; Sarah Eddy, BurfordGore, wife of Chas . Eddy, and daughter of Finlay M alcolm ; Abraham

DeCou , Bur ford, son of Jacob DeCou ; Dan Secord, J r . , Grand River, sonof Daniel Secord ; Hannah O lmstead, Bur ford Gore, wife of Jonas O lmstead, and daughter of George Woodley. These were recipient s of landsin the province from one hundred to two hundred acres each

Am ong those who received Government grants for servicesdur ing the war of 1812 were Miller Laurason,

Dumf ries ,pri vate 2nd York ; Henry Slaght, Oakl and, private 2nd .

Norfolk ; David Heron and George Winegarden, pr iv ates 4th Lincoln ;An drew Heron , Ir . , private 2md Norfolk ; Matthias Woodley, BurfordGore ; Stephen Dougla s, Grand River ; George Rouse, Joshua Rous e,Ab raham Rounds, Jonathan Stevens, al l of Bur ford, privates l st . Oxford ;Adam Yeigh , Burfo rd, Sergeant in Capt , White

’s fir st flank company and

Grant s for

1 812 W ar .

334 m sromr or BRANT COUNTY

G. W . Potter,’

Bur ford , Sergeant 3rd Lincoln . These grants were in Moore,Brooke, Ekfr id, Nissouri and !orra townships. Jos . Beamer, MartinBoughner

,Chas . Glover, John Glover , Sam J ay, Peter Lefler , Anthony

Sovereen,John Sovereen and Conrad Winegarden, of Town send, received

grants as privates of one hundred acres each in !orra . Others rece ivi ngscrip and land were John Woodley and Geo . Wood ley, of Burford Gore ;Abraham DeCou , Geo . Lane, Horatio Fowler, Hugh Malcolm , Sergeant

Duncan Malcolm , John Malcolm, Josiah Brown, Anthony Westbrook,Ab ner DeCou , Peter Martin, John W. Clark, Joseph Fowler, Samuel Fag

erson , Jas . Secord and Henry C . Beamer, of Burford ; Peter Malcolm and

Neal Brown , of Bur ford Gore ; and Alex. Allen, Grand River . Thesegran ts were near ly al l in Dawn townshi p .

Among those who participated in the war of 1812 and in

the upris ing of 1837 was Squire Thompson of Oakland,who remained clear in mind and memory, and act ive in

body un ti l wel l on to the century mark. His father , Sergeant Thompson ,belonged to the First Royal Scots , who, upon the outbreak of the 1 812

trouble, were ordered from the Barbadoes to Canada , and served at

Chippewa, Fort Erie, and Lundy’s Lane, where the Sergean t was wounded.

The first work young Thompson did was to he lp build up the breast

works at Fort George, his fath er having hi red him out as -a boy of thirteen

or fourteen to one John Macfar lane for tha t purpose. When the Ameri

cans took Fort Erie and the British laid siege to it, young Thompson drove

an ox- ca rt backward and forward, from Fort George to Fort Erie, withammunition and suppl ies, and had a hard t ime of it for a boy , with little

to eat an d l itt le time to sl eep on these forced marches Th en he ran ateam every night on the battery, working at the approaches at For t Erie,and the Dutchman who owned the team , be ing fr ightened at such close

proximity to the fight , sold out to Thompson, who henceforth, while the

siege lasted drew four do l lars and two dol la rs a day for rations . He

went to Niagara for a time af ter the war closed, and in 1 817 came to

Brant County and served hi s apprent iceship as a blacksmith at Alberton .

Then Brantford di d not exist . Th e principa l par t of the Mohawk vil lagewas at what is now Cainsvil le, and cal led Cayuga . In 1822 he openeda blacksmi th shop at Oakland vil lage, and di d quite a tr ade for a fewyears, there being no bl acksmi th shop near er than Brantf ord, Burford

vi l lage or Waterford. About 1826 or 1 827 he set t led on a fa rm . When

the rebell ion of 1 837 was on the t apis he took an act i ve pa rt in thedebates and meetin gs which culm inated in the rising. General opin ion

favored a refusal to pay taxes, and res i stance to so doing, even to arms .One McGu ire, a schoo l teacher, was a

"

strong exponent of this course,



un der an Indian lea se. His sons were Joseph, Malachi, Benj amin and

John J . Isaac Whiting, the head of the family of that name was a U . E.

loyal ist from Pennsylvania and se rved through the Revolutionary war .

He settl ed in 1795 in No rfolk County but soon af ter came into BrantfordTownship . He was a st rongly cons tituted man and speedily cleared afarm in the fores t. David Phelps sett led in the Grand Ri ver Swampabout 1800. His ances tors came over in the Mayflower . Like many

other sett lers , there be ing plenty of l and, he furnished children to take itup as soon as possible. He had sixteen. John O les was born near Little

York, Hal dimand in 1 796. In 1 803 h is mother, being wi dowed , settled

at Mount Pleasan t, where he res ided til l 1 822, when, marrying a daughter

of Isaac Whiting, he bought 150 acres from hi s father-in-law, in his nei gh

borhood, whi ch he farmed . Mr . O les as a lad took part in the war of

1812. Jacob Langs came from Pennsylvania in 1807, swimmi ng theNiagara with h is horse on the way, and sett led at what is now L‘an gford .

He had a large fami ly, whi ch came over after h im , and th e clan is nowlarge and well known, the oldest son , John, marrying a daught er of

Ma j or Westbrook . The fami ly brought over a peculiar breed of

horses , the Fearnaughts . The Vander lips were U. E. Loyalist s, the head

of the house, Will iam , a Butler Ranger, se tt l ing in Wentworth . Theoldest son , Edward, born in Wentworth , in 1 793, marr ied a daugh ter of

Jacob Langs and settled in Bran t . He was a magi strate, a council lo r andcapta in in th e milit ia . He had nine children . Daniel Hawley came to

Canada from the States and took up a farm on Fairchild’s creek which had

been leased by Brant to Alex . Westbrook . Abram Hawley was also anearly arrival . St . Jean Baptiste Rosseau, who came from Lower Canada

in 1790 and sett led in Ancaster, seemed to have obtained leases fromCapta in Brant of several far-ms on Fairchi ld’s creek. He, with one Wilson , agreed to build a corn mi l l for th e Indians , whi ch th ey did some

where in the early ninet ies .Wheeler Douglas who was born in New York State in 1750, l ater con

duct ed a store in Albany, N . Y. In 1798 lbjs propert y was destroyed byfire and he then made a j ourney to the “Ford” remain ing for about ayear wi th Capt . Joseph Brant . In 1 799 he returned with his family andsettled on the Grand River . Later he took up a t ract of five hundredacres near Mount Vern-on , receiving

'

h is l ease from Brant, and spent hislatter years in comfort . The Kerr tract along t he river j ust west of th ecity, was part of th e Bran t farm owned by Captain Joseph Brant, and

devised to hi s son Capta in John Brant, and from h im‘

to William Johnson

Kerr , who married a daughter of Joseph Bran t . That part of the Eastward, south of Colborne Street, was ca l led the Lafferty tr act . It was a

comm mcmnnrs 337

tract of 700 acres along the east of th e city claimed by th e sons of Mrs .

Pol ly Lafl'

erty, daught er of Brant Johnson of the Mohawks . The Biggar

tract, the gore between the Smith 81 Kerby tract and the ol d town proper,now all built upon , was patented by Rober t Biggar , in 1835, having beenfi rst leased by Bran t to Joseph Smith, the father of Sheriff Smith, andtransferred to Biggar shortly after the war of 1812. Capt. Jamee Durand

tool: up 1200 acres on the Grand River swamp, two miles east of Fairchi ld’s and built two saw mi l ls on Hynd’s creek. He l ived on th is fine

property wit h h is six sons until 1830, when he removed to Hami lton . In

1888 Charles Durand of Toronto, one of the sons, gave some interesting

remini scences of the early days in Brant Coun ty . Extracts from thes e

recollections are quoted elsewhere in this work. John Day came to the

Townshi p early in the eighteenth century and three of h is sons fought in

th e war of 1812. Solomon, the oldest , married a daughter of Isaac

Whi ting. Benj amin Cornwal l, togeth er with his wife and fami ly, settled

wes t of Brantford in 1 81 1 , but a few months later bought a quantity of

land east of Fairch i ld ’s Creek, from Capt . Joseph Brant. Two of his

sons served in the war of 1812. St ephen Burtch settled in the Township

in 1813, and Burtch Post Ofi'

ice was named after his family . Eno s Bun

nell , the desce ndan t of an ol d Cornish family and a U. E . loyalist, came

to Canada from Conn ecticut in 1800 and secured a farm of 184 acres

on Fairchi ld’ s Creek which had original ly'been leased by Brant for 999

years to John B. Rosseau . Mr. Bunnel l had two sons , A lexander and

Enos , the latter born on the farm in 1818. The boys when they reached

man s estate became promi nent dealers in grain and located in Brantford,erecting what was later known as the “White Mil l,

” a large structure

whi ch used to be loca ted on the far side of the can al bank at the foot of

A lfred Street. Enos, who was a very active citizen and interested in many

proj ects , died in 1875. He was the father of Mr. A . K . Bunn el l, C ity

Treasur er, and the Misses Bunnel l of this city . Another son , John A . Bun

nel l,went to Chicago in 1882 and in 1893 became a partner of Hately

Broth ers, Packers an d Provision Merchants . He is now President of

the Compan y. In 1907 and 1908, Mr . Bunnel l was Vice President of

the Chicago Board of Trade and President in 1909 , the first time that

honor “had ever been won by a Canadian .

Other early families included the Legacys, Dowlings, Shavers, Shep

pards , Kitchens, Moyles, Sandersons, Lucks , Depews, Carlyles, Goods,Rams ays, Bothwel l s , Smiths , (G . ) Campbell s, M cIntyres , Townsends

,

Baccys, Donohues, Connors, D icksons, Ewings , Reids, Cleators, Lawsons,Sears, Birket ts, P ikes , D ickies .

The first Council of this Township was composed of David Christie,

338 HISTORY or BRANT”

co-UN'

rr

Reeve ; Herbert B iggar, Deputy Reeve ; Bens on Jones , James Cockshutt

and Edward Vander lip , Coun cil lors.

TOWNSHIP OF ONONDAGA

This was the last of the Townships to be settled, the land having been

surrendered by the Indians in 1840 and surveyed in 1841 and 1842 by

one Kirkpat r ick . However th e influx of white men comm enced before the

dates named . The first actual settlers were David Jones and his father,in 1836, fol lowed by Joseph Brown, who sett led on the river front and

opened the first tavern . In 1 837 George and Thomas Brown , Will iam

Lamb and Wil l iam Urie, came in . In the same year James Ferris, John

Paterson and John Quin arrived, also James Chapman and Thomas ConboySr . Among other early arrivals were John D ickinson, Will iam Burril l ,and Ar thur Smith, who settl ed on Lots 3 and 4, River Range. In the

centre of the township were the brothers Howel l ; Burns, Dutton, Walker,James and Samuel S impson, Joseph Matthews and Thomas Baker . Cap

tain Murray started a grocery at the mouth of Big Creek, and John S .

Hager in 1 838 was the first settler in what is now the vi l lage of Middle

port . Peter M cKerr icker was elected in 1842 to represent the township

in the county counc i l at Hamilton . Th omas Conboy was assessor, and

Frank Walker , co l l ector . The first log school house was on the farm of

Henry Gi lmore, Lot 24, Concession 2, with Wil l iam Shannon as teacher ,who was shortly succeeded by Terence Jones, later o f Brantford . In 1839

Wil l iam Howel l and Rev. H . Biggar bui lt a saw mil l on Fairchild’s Creek .

John Merril l erected a steam saw mil l and gr ist mil l in Onondaga, and

Thomas B ingham a steam saw mil l in the New England settlement .

Thomas Armour, J . P. , settled in the township about 1834. A lexander

Buchana n was also an early arrival . Thomas H . D ickinson , son of John

D ickinson, was born in Onondaga in 1835. A lexander Douglas was a

prominent res ident and cam e in 1842. Edwin Fair set tled in Onondaga

in 1838 , and se rved in the rebel l ion of’

37 under Captain Willson . Rich

ard Harris , set tled in 1840. Isaac Howell , son of Wil liam Howel l, was

born in the township in 1839 . Will iam Mul ligan came in 1842. TheHowdens and the Hamiltons came later, also James Grant, J . P. ,

and

Maj or W . N. Alger . Richard Herdsman, for twenty years Treasurer of the

Township , set tled early, for there is a petition from him to the Crown

Lands Departm ent in 1844 ,in which he states that he had served for

thi rty one years, three months with the King’s Gua rds , fought with the

regiment at“Waterloo,

” where he had a horse -shot and four sabre woundsfor whi ch he received a medal ; also a medal f or meritorious conduct , on

being di scharged in addition to h is pension . Wi l l iam D . Soules was the


340 msroar or BRANT comrrr

of Big Creek and the Grand River . At about the same period George Mayput up another log tavern west of Brown

’ s and it was in this.

building

that municipa l gatherings took place. Charles Baldwin was the host of

another hostel ry further up the River .Road.The second school in the Town ship was built near the mouth of

Big Creek in 1842, and Mr . Dav id Dick was the teacher . Afterwards thisbuilding was moved about a mile and a ha lf wes t on a farm belonging

to Mr . Jacob Boyce .

Th e first cl ergyman who visited th is sett lement was a Rev . Mr . Hill ,Engl ish Ch urch minis ter . The few sett lers brought their chi ldren to be

bapt ised by him . Not having any bui lding for public worship he was

obl iged to preach in dwel l ing houses , harm , or in any place he foundsuitable. Rev . Dr . Ferr ier , Presbyterian minister from Caledonia, found

hi s way to Onondaga to spread the Gospel in a somewhat s imi lar manner

among the people . The first church in Onondaga was erected by the

New England Company .

The fir st ses sion of the Township of Onondaga , 'after inclusion inBrant County, took place in January of 1852. George Youell was elected

Reeve by the ot her members who cons ist ed of Mes srs . Alger , Carryer ,Mulligan , and May . W. D . Soules was appointed Towns-h ip Clerk and

occupied the position unti l April 1871 . John Henderson was act ing clerk

for the balance of the year and until the first meeting in 1872, when Mr .McKel vey was appoint ed and contin ued in office until his death in 19 12,when Mr . Alfred Burril l was selected as h is successor .When the municipal ity was included in the Uni ted Townships of

Onondaga and Tuscarora the first Councillors were W. N . Alger, GeorgeMay, Peter M cKerr icher and Wil liam O l iver . Among th e rules adopted

by these gentlemen was one whi ch commanded “that no councill or shall

speak disrespectf ul ly of the Qu een or any of the Royal fami l y, or person

admi ni stering the government of this Province ; nor shall he use unmanner ly or indecent language against the proceed ings, or agains t particular

council lors .”

The ear l ies t frame barnbel onged to Mr . Hagar, and was built inthe year 1843 , and the second to Mr . William Peddi e, and was raisedon July 2nd 1844 . The people flocked from al l ar ound to see them,

they were such a novelty at thi s t ime. The fir st fanning mi l l was ownedby Mr . Ferris . Th is being the only one, it served the whole neighb orhood

and was borrowed for mil es around .

A s by far the larger po rtion of the Indi an reservation is on the souths ide of the Grand River there are no bridges in this townshi p spanning

that stream and ferries are in use dur ing summer ; these are propel led

COUNTY mcmm rs 341

by an endless chain . In winter the ice provides a safe crossing . The name“Onondaga,

” is owing to the fact of Indi an s of that tribe having beenmai nly sett led in what is now the Township .

TUSCARO'RA TOWNSHIP

This is the name given to the township whi ch constitutes j ust about

al l that remains of the former immense territory ceded to the Six NationsIndians ; six miles on each side of the Grand River from “its mouthto its source,

” a dist ance of one hundred mi les .

The fact has al ready been related that at the t ime the Six Nations wereset tled here the lan d had been previously acquired from the Miss issaugaInd i ans by the British Government . In 1 774 the Sachems , and war chiefsand principal women of that tribe, in consideration of 75 4d, sold

to our Sovereign Lord, George the Third,” lands whi ch roughly speaking

comprised the territory between the Niagara River up to Oakv il le, northwesterly to Hespeler and London an d south to Port Stanley . This regi onwas included in that t remendous ces sion, al though land in that era washeld of l itt le account and the Mississaugas had not much of a title. It h asbeen estimated that the grant given the Six Nations, counting land andwater, represented square miles , or acres , covering thepresent town ships of Sherbrooke, Moulton , Dunn , G'anboro , Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida, Tuscarora, Onondaga, Brantford, Dum fries , Waterloo, Wool

wich, Pilki ngton"and Nichol .

Tha t tract was much smaller than the Indians had previously posses sedNew York State, but they seemed to be satisfied .

The area which Capt. Joseph Brant had been authorized to sur renderwas des cribed in the power of at torney, as acres . From a reportmade to the Government in 1830 the disposition of those l ands can be

ascert ained .

acres, now cons tituting the townshi p of Dumfries were sold to

P . Steadman for'

Ilh is tract passed into the possess ion of Hon .

Will iam Dicks on , who paid the price and opened the land for settlement .

acres,the township of Waterloo , were sold to Ri chard Beasley

James Wilson and John B . Rosseau for

a cres additional were given to Mr . Beasley to make up a de

f iciency in Waterloo town shi p .

acres ,the township of Woolwich were sold to Wil l iam Wallace

for Mr. Wal lace paid for acres , and the Indians report

ed to th e commiss ion that they had given from this t ract acres to

Mrs . Claus, daughter of Sir Will iam Johnson, and acres to Captain


Brant . Jacob Erb had bargained for acres of Woo lwich town

shi p at half a doll ar per acre.acres ,

Nichol townshi p , were sold to Hon . Thomas C lark forpayable in yea rs from the date of the bond, the interest to

be paid annual ly.

acres , the townshi p Of Moulton , were sold to W. Jarvis for

sold out to Lord Selkirk , who sold to Henry J . Boul-ton .

The township of Canboro’ was granted to John Dockstader, who trans

ferred it to Benj am in Canby for the benefit of Dockstader ’s Indian c'hil'

d

ren . It was reported that Canby had paid neither principal nor interest .

The Township of Sherbrooke appears to have been given toMr . Dick

son,on his agreement to transact al l necessary business of a professional

character for the Indians .

acres , comprised in the township of Pilkington, were sold to

Captain Pi lkingt on .

The commis sioners who made the enquiry in the year named, further

reported that nothi ng had been adduced calculate d to show that Branthad ever acted otherwise than with due fidel ity.

”

Unti'l long after Brant ’s death the entir e area of what i s now Bran tford Townshi p remained in posses sion of the red men, desp ite settlement

but in 1830 the vil lage plot of Brantford ‘and the north part of the town

shi p were deeded away and it was not l ong before further surrenders

were made.

The early history of the Iroquois (Six Nations,) showsth at l ike the A tt iwandarons, they were vi l lage builders.Said vi l lages were clusters of bark lodges, most of them

communal dwell ings and were sur rounded by wal ls of tree trunks set inthe ground vertical ly, sometimes three rows deep, to give str ength andto cl ose 'al l chi nks between the tal l posts . About the base of the stock

ade in many, if not most instances , the earth was heaped up in the fOrm

of a wal l , l eaving on the outside a deep trench or dry moat, and on theins ide an elevat ion . Th e stockade was from 16 to 22 feet high and had arunn ing boa rd, or cont inuous pla tform,

on the ins ide, over which the

patrols mi ght walk in guarding the town , or upon whi dh the warriorsmi ght assail a foe. There were always stones and other weapons, nodoubt blessed by magical rites , lying on the fighting top. In some ruinsof these earth circles or st ockade bases there have been found quantiti esof stones of a size useful for throwing 'by hand. The forti fied town was ,in most instances , on a hi l l top, where a narrow neck of l and connected alobate . proj ection with the main terrace. For this reason a “nose” of ahil l, havi ng a small stream on either side, was Often chosen . The steep

Buil ders .



feather wands , smoking pipes , myster ious bundles containing magiccharms and substances , war pain t, and ornamental trophies . The women

would have their ches ts of fine furs , velvet -tann ed robes, fil lets of moosehair and porcupine quil ls and other finery ; they, too, would have their

magical th ings, des igned to insure a ful l harvest, or to retain the love

of their husbands , for men even in those austere days must be charmed .

In the lodge were dogs , dol ls, game stones and other thi ngs to deligh t

th e chi ldr en. In a convenient place would be a box of salve that would

keep away the fleas that did so evi l lyf beset everybod y who l ived in a bark

lodge . Each house was ful l of utensils, but everyt h ing was orderly ; it

would never do to get a long house in a l itter . The floors were sweptand the di shes washed regu larly . When a di sh wore out or fouled, it

was simply burned or cast over the br ink of a hill .The houses clustered about in no special order . The world was free

and the aborigines gave no excus e for the existence of a street commiss

ioner ; everyone might build where he pleased, so long as he did not

off end hi s neighbor’s not ion of where his house site right extended . A

v i l lage conta ined from 25 to 500 or more people and from three to sixt yl odges , though in later times there were often more.Vil lage l ife was made poss ible through agriculture . The Iroquois

were farmers wh o cultivated extens ive patches of maize, beans, squashes,sun flowers, gourds , tobacco and other garden produce . They stored thesurplus of the harvest in publ ic granaries as well as in communal l odges .The men cleared the fields and helped to prepare the soil , but the

women sowed the seeds and cared for the produce until after harvest .It was the woman’s duty to provide the vegetable food, and the man

’s

to bring home the meat . The women worked in l ittle companies andsang as they worked.

Garden tools were digging sticks made from poles , and long club s witha tough root sp ike ; hoes made from antlers or flattened stones—also theshoulder blades of deer and elk ; and wooden spades s imilar to canoe

paddles . Baskets of bark and of ash spl ints, were used for holding seedor in harvesting it .Such were the surroun dings and such the customs of the ancestors of

the Six Nations whose record in war was one of outs tanding achievement .In 1771 , before the loyalty of the S ix Nations had been

further proved by the Revolutionary war, Rev . Charles

Inglis of Trinity church New York, said during the courseof a communication to the Earl of Hil lsborough, then Briti sh Secret-aryof State. “From the first reduction of this Province, (New York ) by theBrit ish arms , they entered into a st rict al liance wit h the Engl ish, which


they have always inviolably observed . History,perhaps

,cannot furnish

an instan ce where a treaty of this kind has been more faithfully adheredto . It subsisted upwards of a hundred years without any material breachon th eir part . Those nations, ever since their union in a leagu e of confederacy, were greatly superior in courage and mil itary skil l to theother savages of North Amer ica . From that period

,which commenced

before we had any knowledge of this Province, they have been the terrorof all the neighboring tribes, most of which they have subdued ; somethey have entirely extirpated . The spirit of conquest carried them farbeyond the l imits of their own native districts . Th ey have extendedtheir empire over a tract of country twelve hundred mi les in length, fromnorth to south, and six hundred in breadth, from east to west . Theiral l iance with the Engl ish naturally led them to take part with us when atwar with France . The French have Often severely felt the power oftheir arms . The Iroquois have more than once defeated the united forcesOf t he French and th eir confederate Indi ans, and have carried fire andsword into the very heart of their settlements, threatening them with utterruin . They formed a barrier along our front iers agains t the French and

th e savages in their interest ; and by this protection, and the lucrativetr ade we carried on with them

,they greatly cont ributed to raise the Prov

ince, ( _New York ) to its present flour ishing state.”

On a number of Indian reservations, located upon thiscontinent

,the story has too Often been one of usurped

rights,and dimi nishing numbers, but the reverse has

been the experience of the Six Nat ions . The enti re record, since theirhabitation here, furnishes stil l another of the many il lustrations , to befound the world over, of the manner in which the Briti sh Governmentacts towards

“

native al l ies , and the progress of the Six Nations has, in everydirection

,been of a notable character . There is no record Of the exact

numb er who accompanied Brant here and other statistics, in detail , are

not ava ilable until the year 1858. However, a comparison with over sixt y

years ago proves interesting.

Upper Mohawk

Onondaga Clear SkyBearfoot Onondaga

Upper Cayuga


Nikarondasa Senecas

Other Indians of Adopted Tr ibes

2421 4641

To the 1919 l ist should be added 1 19 Indians whose names do not

appear on the office pay l ist as they had been enfranchised within the

previous six months . It wil l thus be seen that between the two periods,

1858—1 919 , the S ix Nations population has a l ittle l ess than doubled .

The words “Upper” and “Lower,

”as appl ied to the Mohawks and

Cayugas, designated their original locat ion upon the Grand River .

The appellation of“Clear Sky to a portion of the Onondagas, owes

its origin to the name of a prominent chief of the tribe who took Brant’s

place at a treaty gather ing held where Buffalo stands tod ay . The other

designat ion,“Bearfoot,

” perpetuates: the name of a leader of his own

clan, who original ly migrated from the Cayugas. The origin of the

words “Kanada” and “Nikarondasa, as applied to the Senecas is not

definitely known .

The first council house used by the Six Nations, after

their removal to this region, consisted of a smal l logstructure, which has long since disappeared . The present

council house , located in th e vi ll age of Ohsweken, was erected in . 1863.

It is a commodious w‘hite brick structure with a small tower and flags taff

from whi ch the Union Jack flies when the Chiefs are in council . Thebuil ding i s also an assembly place for special events . Council meet ings

are held each month . The Chi efs sit behind a rai led off space at the

far end,and the warriors and women are al lowed to occupy the specta

tors sea -ts , but are not supposed to in terrupt debates . In essential featuresproceedi ngs are conducted on exactly th e same basis as they were nearly

five hun dred years ago when the League of the Iroquois was first formed .

In the centre s it th e Onondagas—t he Fire Keepers. To the right of themare ranged the Mohawk and Seneca Chiefs (the latter the door keepers, )and to the left in the order named, the Oneidas , Cayugas , Tuscaroras, andDelewares .

The Onondagas cannot ini tiate any debate and they very seldom take

part in di scussions. In the open ing of debate the Mohawk side of thehouse leads , and then the speaking becomes general . At the conclusion

the Chiefs, usual ly by tr ibes , di scuss in monotones the various points


COUNTY mcmsurs 347

advanced , and then the speaker of each side announces the decisionreached . If both

'

sides agree, the Onondagas must confirm— i f none ofthe fundamental principles of the League have been transcended . Ifthere is a difference the Onondaga chiefs confer and either send the sub

ject back for further consideration, or else their speaker announces afinal decision . They cannot render a compromise verdict . When somecl osely contested argument has been finished there i s tense interest withregard to what the Onondagas may do . One of the modern changes i sthat a Superintendent occupies a

.

seat on a dais ; an interpreterat his right hand . He makes announcement of the subj ect to be considered ; mat ters of which the Chiefs have informed h im , or others which ariseofficially through th e

.

Indian Department . The Superin tendent has novoice in the debates, but, when asked, advi ses on certain points . Tohim , through the interpreter, a fourth speaker of the whole Council announces final decisions . In the debates the Mohawk, Onondaga andCayuga languages are principal ly used and the in terpreter is necessary

because'

t'

hese tongues are quite widely diverse. There are in fact in

stances ou the Res erve in which husband and wife, of di ffering tribes ,cannot carry on conversation in their separate tonguesCapt. John Bran t was the first Superintendent of the local Reserve

and others since have included Maj or Winn iett , D . Thorburn, Lt . -Col .Gilkison, Lt . -Col . Cameron and Maj or Gordon Smith, the present occupant of the post.It wil l!have been noticed that the Deleware Chi efs s it in Council ,

thus making in real ity Seven Nations.

Around the sides of the Council Hous e are flags bearing the totems

of the various tribes and on the east wall there is a group of picturesof memb ers of the British Royal family. Thes e comprise the PrinceConsort and Queen Victoria ; King Edward and Queen Alexandra ; King

Ge orge and Queen Mary .

In addition to this col lection , other pictures include those of Brantand Oronh yatekha, founder of the I . O . F whi le Longboat , the famous

Indi an runner who Won the Boston marathon, is not forgotten .

There are about 850 pagans on the Rese rvation and theirplaces of as sembly consist of the Upper Cayuga , LowerCayuga, Onondaga and Seneca Long Houses . Their

principal meet ings are held when planting is finished in the Spring ;at raspberry (fruit) time, and harvest time. At th es e and kindredgatherings—the most important last three and four days—p etitions areoffered for bount iful crops, thanks returned for bountiful yields, and

general invocations voiced . There are many phases of Pagan mythology,

348 a rsronr or mu n-r covm'

r

some of them qu ite poe tic . Their idea of the creation of the world isth at there was an origin al spirit woman ( the personificat ion of earth’ s

activities ) who was cast out under circumst ance s of suspicion, tantamount

to the Immaculate Conception, and later gave birth to l if e and the destroyer

of l ife (winter . ) From the inception there was a constant feud between

the two, with the woman—the earth— supporting the destroyer because ofthe sustenance obtained from all forms of decaying vegetation land bodies .

Life proving so successful ly per sistent the woman , wearying of the

struggle, finally challenged Life to decide the mastery by means of a gameof chance . To thi s end a bowl was produced and the issue settled bythe use of magical plum pits . Life won and, with that success, th e per

manent mastery, thus triumphing for ever over death . There is a remi nder

of this game of chance in the constant use,at Long House gatherings,

of a bowl and colored pits to settle var ious matters. They do not bel ieve

in one Great Spirit , but in supreme beings at the head, so to speak , of

var ious departments . Ther e is the Master of Life, who is the source of

all forms of being, animal and vegetable ; la Master of each Wind ; aMaster of Thunder and so on . It used t o be the annual custom to burn

a white dog, which must be without mutilation, and was therefore first

strangled . When kil led the animal was decorated as a warrior and thrown

into a fir e as a messenger of thanksgiving, or the bearer of many peti

tions uttered in previous speeches and invocations. Tobacco was alsothrown into the flames with the idea th at the fumes would reach the

Masters and prove acceptable. This sacrifice would take place j ust asthe sun was rising on the horizon, after an all night sess ion at the

close of a gathering of many days. The dog had to be of Indian type

and it used to be a special charge for someone to look after their breeding . This cu stom is said to have ceased , but there is no certainty inthis regard .

A s related elsewhere, the New England Company has

for a very lengthy period, been active on the Reserveand there are at present six churches there supported by

them . St . Pauls and St . Barnabas under charge of Rev . R . L . Strong ;St . Johns and Christ Church, under charge of Rev. E; Lee, and St . Peters

and St . Lukes, under charge of Rem-

A . E . Paget .

Th e Methodists have four churches, Grand Ri ver, (Rev. J . Drew ) ;Jub ilee

,Rev. Th omas Whi tebeam, (a Mohawk) and the De leware and

Gar low churches,under the care of Rev. T. Nelson.

The Bapt ists have three churches , Medina, (Rev . G . P. Near ) and

O’hsweken and Johnsf ield , mini stered to by .Rev . G . Wardell .

The above ed ifices are all either brick or frame .


couurr mcmsxrs 349

Sch ools on the Rese rve numbe r elev en , with twelve teachers, three of

whom are white and the oth ers Indian . The school houses are also ofbrick and frame construction and the Public School system i s taught.

The last government report shows acres on theReserve sti ll under wood, acres cleared, but not

cultivated, and acres under cultivation . Wh eatharves ted last year , bushels ; oats, bushels

, and also anumber of other crops . Horses and foals, steers and work oxen

,

360; milch cows, young stock, 925; poultry, Stone,brick

and frame dwel lings , 550 ; l og, 224. This table tel ls the complete story :Total Value of LandValue of Private FencingValue of Private Buildings

Value of Public Building Property of the BandValue of Implements and VehiclesValue of Live Stock and PoultryValue of General Effects

Value of Household Effects

An Agricultural Society has been maintained for many years,with a

successful annual exhibition on grounds reserved for the purpose .It is not often that it can be recorded with absolutecertainty that a specific individual is the last of a former

pe ople, yet this affirmation can be made with regard toJohn Key, whose Indian name was

“Nastabon

”

(One Step ) ; a TuteloIndian , who passed away in this County twelve years ago . The Tutelo ’sformerly l ived in Virginia and North Carolina . Lawson , a Scotchman,who was a pioneer surveyor in the last named region, publ ished a book,“A New Voyage to Carol ina ,

”in which he described them a s

“tal l , l ikelymen, havi ng great plenty of buffaloes, elks and bears , with every sortof dee r amongst them

,which st rong food makes large, robust bodies .

”

Lawson in 1712 was taken by the Indians and burned at the stake.In their medi cine lodges the Tutel os are said to have 'had large quantitiesof pearls, which they had taken in war from more southern tribes . Theywere a barbarous people

,constantly at war with the Powhatan Indi ans

and in mortal dread of the Iroquois . Th ey had been nearly annihilatedby the latter when a peace was concluded and they came under Iroquoisprotection . In fact the records show that their remaining Chiefs wereall owed to sit in the great Council of the Six Nati ons . Upon the settlemen t of the lat-ter upon the Grand River the few remaining Tutelos came


along and located on what are now known as the Tutela Heights ,” the “a”

having been substituted for the final “0 by current l ocal custom . Of

those who remained i n the States the last survivor was “Nikonha,” and he

died i n 1871 .

“Nastabon , without ki th or kin and with no other l iving

person with whom he could converse in his own tongue, was kept on theSix Nations pay l ist until the end . The last record of himsel f and of

his race is contained in this entry in the official book of the local de

partment“Key

,John . Age, 78. Died March 23, 1898.

There are a few remaining Indians of part Tutelo descent and some

word remnants, but“Nas tabon

” was the last of the parent stock .



while Biggar was fol lowed in 1861 by Rev . Wm . Ryerson, who was suc

ceeded by E . B . Wood in 1863.

At Confederation the names of the r idings changed to North and SouthBrant

,Hon . E . B. Wood representing South Brant in both Commons and

Legislature, while North Brant was represented by Dr . Bown in the Commons an d Hugh Fin layson in the Legislature. In 1872 Wm . Patersonwas el ected to the Commons in South Brant and succeeding representatives

have been R. Henry, C . B . Heyd, W. F . Cockshut t, Lloyd Harris .In 1873 Hon . A . S . Hardy succeeded Hon . Mr . Wood in the Provincial

House , an d members since have been T. H . Preston, W . S . Brewster,J .

Ham , M . M acBr ide.

Subj oined is the record since 1 852 in chronol ogical order

EAST RIDING WEST RIDING1854—D. M cKer l ie 1854—H. Biggar

1 855 —D. Christie 1861—Rev . W . Ryerson

l 858—H. Finlayson 1863—E . B . Wood

1861—Dr . J . Y. Bown

SINCE CONFEDERATION

Dom in ion House

NORTH BRANT SOUTH BRANT1867—Dr . Bown 1867—E . B . Wood1872—G . Fleming 1872—W . Paterson

1882—J . Somervil le 1896—R. Henry

1900—W. Paterson ' 1897—C. B . Heyd.

19 1 1—J . H . Fisher 1904—W . F . Cockshutt

1918—J . Harold 1908—Lloyd Harris19 1 1—W . F . Cockshutt1918—W . F . Cockshutt

ONTARIO LEGISLATURE

NORTH BRANT SOUTH BRANT

1867—H. Finlayson 1867—E . B . Wood

1879 - J . Young ’1873—A . S . Hardy

1886—W . B . Wood “1899—T. H . Preston

1895—D. Burt 1908—W . S . Brewster '

1905—J . H . Fisher 1914—J . Ham19 1 1—J . Westbrook 19 19—M . M acBr ide

1914—S. Davi dson19 19—H. C . Nixon—Bye elections .

South Brant” became the Ri ding Of “Brantf ord” in 1903.

1 , Hon . D . Christie ; 2,H . Biggar ; 3, H . Finlayson ; 4 , Rev . Ryerson ; 5 Dr . Bown ;

6 ,Hon . E . B . Wood ; 7. G . Flem ing ; 8 , J . Somerville ; 9 . Hon . W . Paterson ;10, Hon . J . H . Fisher ; 1 1 , J . Harold ; 12. R . Henry ; 13, C . B . Heyd ;

14, W . F . Cockshutt ; 1 5, Lloyd Harris .



h im long to establ ish himse l f as one Of the mos t distinguished of Parlia

mentary debaters. His vi gorous style, together with the fact that theCounty he represented was named after Brant and conta ined the Six Na

tions Reserve, l ed Darcy M cGee in one debate t o refer to him as “BigThunder , memb er for Tuscarora .

” The “Big Thunder” stuck to him all

h is l ife, j ust as th e appella tion Little Thunder” was afterwards theportion Of Hon . A . S . Hardy .

Mr . Wood was an ardent advocate of Confederation and when the

change was brought about he was invited by the Honorable John Sand

field Macdonald to enter the Cabin et as Provin cial Trea sur er . This

cabinet was known as the “Patent Comb ination ,”f rOm the circums tance

that it consist ed Of two Conservat ives, Hon . John Carl ing and Hon .

M . C . Camer on ; one Radical Reformer, Hon . E. B . Wood ; one Baldwin

Reformer Hon . Stephen Richards, and one Glengarry Reformer , Hon . Mac

donald . After h is acceptance Of Office Mr . Wood, under th e British

system in such cases, returned to his constituents for re-e lecti on . He

failed, however, to secure the nomination Of the Reform Convention, the

choice Of the delegates fal l ing on Mr . H . B . Leeming. His tr emendous

fighting inst incts thoroughly aroused, Mr . Wood announ ced that he would

not only run for the Ontario As sembly, but also for the House Of Commons as well , (dual representat ion was permitted in those days ) and he

addr es sed meetings, and ca rr ied on h is canvass with such skil l , and Vi r

i l ity that he vanqui sh ed both his Opponents—Mes srs . Leemi ng and Biggar .In 1871 , at the general elections for the Provincial Assembly he was

aga in returned, thi s time defeating Mr . Dav id Plewes a well known loca l

mi l ler and lay speaker of the per iod, and s tandard bearer of the Reform

Convention . When the House met it was found that Ma cdonald had lost

control Of the maj or ity of the members and Mr . Wood res igned h is port

fol io as Treasurer a circumstance which precipitated the fal l of the

Government . He also helped Mr . Blake and Mr . Mackenzie to evolve a

Liberal Admi ni str at i on . It was dur ing one of the heated debates in this

period Of crisis for the adminis tration , that Mr . Blake sent a note across

th e floor of the House to Mr . Wo od . He was seen to glance at it, tear it

up and throw the fragments on the floor . Lat er a Conserva tive member

picked up the pieces an d placing them together the two words“Speak

Now” were disc losed . As can nat ural ly be supposed the incident consti

tuted a sensation Of th e time.

Sir John Wil lison , in hi s most interesting“Remini scen ces Pol itical

and Personal,

” relates that in 1 872 he att ended his fir st pol it ical meet ing.

He was fif teen years of age at the time and walked four miles to the

PARLIAM ENTARY as passsnrn rvzs 355

Vil lage of Varna, where a rough frame hustings stood at the cross roadsby a tavern . He continues

Before the second speaker had fin ished,a buggy, turning from the

Bayfield Road in a cloud of dus t , stopped on the edge of the crowd, anda heavy figure, with flowing mutton -chop whiskers

,under a wide soft

h‘at, j umped to the ground and made h is way. to the platform . In amoment there were wild shouts of

“Speak now ,Big Thunder” and a

tempest of booing and cheer ing. When he rose to speak the cries of“Speak now

” were renewed with noisy and angry vehemence, and ap

parent ly by those who did not seem to be wil l ing that he should speakat all . I could not understand, but probably I alone among th ose whost ood ar ound the hustings needed enlightenment . I gazed at the bulkyfigure on the platform, I noti ced that

'

he had lost one arm,that his dusty

white vest was buttoned unevenly so tha t one side hung below the other,

and that in the teeth of the shouting he was indomitably calm and unper

turbed . Fin ally the man who had first spoken made an earnest appealto the meeting to give the obnoxious stranger a hearing

,and clamour sub

sided . And he spoke . His voice thundered out over the cr oss-roads .His words came with stormy fluency . There was tremendous volumeand vigour . The conquest was complete . He had not gone far beforethere was tumultuous cheering . He seemed to sway the crowd as he would .

Instead of division , there was unity ; instead of d issent there was eagerassent and a fervour of enthusiasm . Even “Big Thun der” could havehad few greater r

personal t riumphs on the platform . It i s curious thatso many of the orators -whi c‘h Brant h as produced, or harboured, hadvoices hardly less powerful than that which Mr . Wood possessed . Honou rable A . S . Hardy was kn own as “Little Thun der .” Honourable Wil l i-amPaterson would thunder as loudly as either Mr . Wood or Mr . Hardy.

Mr . Mahlon Cowan , who died the other day, with distinction at the Barand in pub l ic l ife riper than h is years, had , too, the voice and mann erwhich seemed to be the peculiar product of Brantford In this character ist ic , however, they have no immedi ate successors . For the time theGrand Ri ver keeps i ts secret .”

After the fal l of th e Sandfield Macdonald Administ ration , party l ineswere once more re establ ished and the member for South Brantagain took his stand among his natural al l ies the Reformers . He did notimm ediately offer himself for re -elec tion but when Mr . Blake retiredfrom West Durham ,

Mr . Wood was nominated as his successor, and he

came elected to the Commons by a large majority . In the debate whichpreceeded the fal l of Sir John Macdonald’s Government in connection withwhat was known as the “Paci fic Scandal ,

” Mr . Wood greatly“

di stinguished himself in a five hour speech, which was declared by many to havebeen the ablest effort of that memorable period . Upon the formationof the new Government it was quite general ly considered that a portfolio

should have been bestowed upon Mr. Wood , and h is name was freely

356 m sroar or BRANT counr r

mentioned for the post of Finance M ini ste r . “ It must have been a keen

di sappointm ent to him that he should have been left out in the formation

of the Cabinet, but he cont inued to give a loyal support to the Reform

Government and in 1874 was appoin ted Chief Justice of Man itoba .Mr . Wood was known , in the common parlance of the present t ime, as

a good mixer . As was the custom of'his day, he was conviv ial in his

habits , and one of his favorite relaxations was to take a t rip into the

County distr ict s where he would stop at the farm house of some friend

or supporter . Then the word would pass aroun d that “Big Thunder

was at so-and- so’s and there would speedi ly be a large concourse of ad

mi rers who put in a merry ni ght of it with M r . Wood, as always, the

central figure in anecdote, and repartee . In fact he was quite Johns on

ian in his manner of over towering any gathering of which he happened

to be a memb er . One of h is favorite actions when speaking was to

smi te th e stub of hi s arm with his other hand . In h is home l ife he was

the soul of hospital ity . In la ter years he bui lt a palatial residence on

the site of the pres ent Col legiate Inst itute on Brant Avenue, the structure

afterwar ds becoming used for a Young Ladi es Col lege. At this home he

frequently entertain ed in a most roya l mann er, es pec ially with regard‘

to

garden parties , extending h is invitat ions .to al l classes and having the

spacious grounds most bril l iant ly il lum inated .

Consider ing the few early opportuniti es which Mr . Wood enj oyed ,an d the many obstacles he overcame, there can be no doubt that he wasextr aordinary man . Both at the Bar and in Parl iament he was recog

nized as a leader, and h is act ive and original mind , al l ied to gr eat powers

of oratory, made him a dominant force .

Alt hough he was -a memb er of a prominent Scotch fam

ily, with relatives act ively engaged in Church and schol

as t ic work , the Hon . William Paterson was a self mademan . He was a son of Jam es and Martha (Lawson )

Paterson and gr andson of Rev . Mr . Paterson, Minist er for years at Mid

mar,Scotland. His parents came to Canada soon after the ir marr iage

and Wil l iam was born in Hamilton, September 19th , 1839 . When he wasten years of age his parents both died of cholera , pass ing away within

a few days of each other and the l ittle orphan was adopted by the

late Rev. Dr . Ferrier, and taken to Caledonia , Ont . He receiveda rudimentary educat ion in that place and Hami lton and at the age

of fourteen years came to Brantford to enter the general store of Mr .Ignatius Cockshutt. He was with th at gent leman for ten years and thenformed a partn ersh ip with Mr . Henry Leeming in the bakery and con

fect ionery busines s . Mr . Paterson posses sed a natural bent for publ ic


358 H i st oar or BRANT COUNTY

Oh yes there is ca lled out Mr . Paterson f rom a somewhat concealed

position in the crowd.

The incident did not end here. At th e close of proceedings cheers

were given for S ir John , and Sir Francis, and they had started to entertheir carriage when Mr . Paterson mounted the platform . He stated that

he had no des ire to interfere, but as the meeting was over he would like

to say a few things. He criticized the two previous speakers in prettysevere terms , and shouted

“I would say th e very same thing if they were

right here on the platform .

Oh we’re here. ” exclaimed Sir John .

Turning around Mr . Paterson saw tha t they had not departed, and

conti nued with his speech . Then both Sir John and Sir Francis took the

platform once more and repl ied for about half an hour . Afterwards ,Sir John impressed by Mr . Pat erson’s abil ity as a speaker, made the re

mark that he had an undoubted future. The spectacular and efficient

manner in which Mr . Paterson handled himself created a great impress ion

in his favor,and Ihe tr iumphed over Hincks by the comfortable margin of

272 maj ority . From that time un til 1896, or twenty- four years in al l,

he won elect ion af ter elect ion , fin al ly meeting defeat at the hand s of Mr .Robert Henry. Dur ing the period named, Mr . Paterson and his friends

made th e obj ection that two delibera te attempts had been made to “knife”

h im by means of th e so-called gerrymander and the enfanch isement of

the Indians . At any rate he dexterous ly used both incidents to hi s own

advantage .After hi s defeat in this constituency, Mr . Paterson found a seat in

Nort h Grey, and later in North Bran t, whe re he was fin al ly unhorse d by

J . H . Fi sher (now Senator ) in the memorable Reciprocity e lection of

19 1 1 . In al l he had spent thirty nine years in the Federal House, fifteen

of them as a Mini ster of the Crown .

It was in 1896, when Sir Wilfrid Laurier first attained power , that

Mr . Paterson was made Minister of Customs , and he manifeste d great

abil ity in the di scharge of the duties of that important post . His pres

ence in the Cabinet undoubtedly di d much to remove the apprehension of

revolutionary tar iff changes , As Minister he made many trips in the

trade interests of the Domin ion, his itin erary in this respect includingimpo rtant visits to England, Germany and Russ ia . In 1902 he was oneof th e Can adi an delegates to the Imperial Conference in London ; . he wasa member of the Tar iff Commission of 1905; in 1909, he was appointed

by King Edward to act on the Royal Commiss ion to report on trade t e

lat ions between Canada and the Wes t Indies . With M rs . and Miss Paterson (now M rs . Dr . Branscombe ) he was pres ent by invitat ion at the Cor

PARLIAMENTARY REPRESENTATIVES 359

onat ion of the late King Edward, and was subsequent ly presented to theKing and Queen .

Without doubt, the biggest single pub lic act ever attempted by himwas the endeavor, in company with Hon . Mr . Fielding, to bring about aReciprocity pact with the United States . It is no secret that he felt thedefeat of his party upon this issue most keenly and that for a while heexperienced deep personal regret that he might be regarded as havingbeen responsible for the debacle which overtook the Laurier Administrat ion . However, his mind was speedily reassured by the many testimonieswhich he received of unabated esteem . The thought of continuing to re

main in public l ife di d not pres ent itself ; in fact had _it not been for th e

Rec iprocity is sue he would not have offered himself as a candidate in191 1 for at

_

72 years of age he had natural ly become somewhat weary ofthe gladiatorial stress in the pol itical arena—a stress al l the more severe inhis case, because, in additi on to his parl iamentary dut ies, his serviceshad been in constant demand as one of the bes t platform speakers of theDominion .

One of the things which pleased him most in connect ion with his ret irement was the fact that on Friday, November 29th , 19 12, the Liberals ofNorth and South Brant wait ed upon him at his home

,and presented him

with a beautiful casket,containing an address in album form . The latter

was signed by several hundr ed admirers including many Conservatives .He submi tted a most touch ingly written reply .

After a considerabl e period of il l health , he fel l asleep at the res idence

of his daughter, Mrs . Branscombe, Picton , on March 18th, 19 14, atthe age of 75 years . Tributes to his worth and work were utter ed by

publ ic men ,and voiced by the newspapers of all shades of pol it ics from

one end of the Dominion to the other and in the House of CommonsPremier Borden said

Mr . Paterson, for more than a quarter of a century, fil led a verydi stinguished place in the publ ic l ife of Canada . He was a man of

fine ability, an excel lent debater and of a kindly nature, which won

the affecti on of the members on both sides of the House.I sat in the House of Comm ons with him for sixteen years and I

was glad to number him among my personal friends, although we diffet ed strongly in our pol it ical opinion .

On behalf of my col leagues and myself, I desire to extend to h i swidow and fam ily our sincere sympathy in the loss which they havesustained .

”

The funeral took place from his former residence in Brantford to Farr

ingdon Cemetery, members of the City Council and other pub l ic insti tu

tions - attending in a body . Hon . Mr . Fielding was also present, not only as


a close personal friend, but also as representative of S ir Wilfrid Laurier,and his other former col leagues . The at tendance of the general publ i c

was large and the evidences of regret at the passing of so worthy a manwere ma nifestly as genuine as they were wides pread .

It may be truthfully said that the outstanding feature of Mr . Paterson’ s l ife was his honesty of mind, and purpose . That tra it was pre

aminen-t ly characterist ic of him in h is successful business career, in his

pol itical activities , and in al l the relati ons of true citizensh ip . A deep

rel igious strain permeated his whole nature, and found spec ial mani fes

tat ion in his activ it ies with regard to Fa rringdon Chur ch of which con

gregat ion he was an elder , and in whose services each Sunday he took

unfeigned joy . His sermons were always an instructive pleasure to his

fell ow adherents . He passed away in the plenitude of his years, honored

by all as one who had fought the good fight, and kept the faith in everyessential .

He was married in 1863 to Miss Lucy O l ive Davies of Brantford and

the widow and two children survive,W. F . Paterson of this C ity and

M rs . Branscombe, Picton . The second son, Rev . C . Paterson, a schol ar

and mi nister of marked promin ence, recent ly died in Winnipeg, deeplymourned .

To Ar thur Sturgis Hardy belongs the uni que honor of

having been the only native son of Brant County to attain

Premier honors . The Hardy fam ily original ly belonged

to that stern and resolute band of Covenanters of Sco tland who withstood

so much persecuti on for conscience, and the sake of their rel igion . They

were the members of tha t section who foun d a refuge in the north of Ire

land, and it was from the latter country that Captain John Hardy came to

America, and settled near Phil adelphi a prior to the Revolution . After

that eventful period he, in common with many U . E. Loyal ists, came to

Canada He brought with him his youngest brother Alexander, then a

boy of tender years, who was the paternal gr andfather of the subj ect of

th is sketch . They l ived on the banks of Niagara River near Queenston

Heights on lands granted by the Government after the War of 1 812.

Later,Alexander moved into Brant County and settled near Canning, in

South Dum fries, where he erected a mil l . When thi s was destroyed he

continued farmi ng near Blue Lake where he di ed in 1819 , when h is

youngest son Russel l was seven years old . The later married Juletta

Sturgis, daughter of one of the first set tlers of Mount Pleasant, so that

on both sides A . S . Hardy was descended from pioneer Brant County

stock . He was born on December 14th, 1837, in -

a house in the vil lage



Dur ing his last session , that of 1899 , it was manifest that his health was

broken,although he was vigorous and alert in mind as ever

, and in

October of that year he resign ed the post of First Minister . In his letter

of fa rewel l to h is const ituents he wrote

For some time past I have been subj ect to an ailmen t from the eff ectsof whi ch , I can for the future expect , at most, but temporary rel ief, andwhich I cannot conceal from myself impa irs my capacity for the ful l ,and satisfactory di scharge of the onerous dut ies of my present position

,

and which also compels me hereafter to lead a quiet retir ed l ife.

To intimate friends his withdrawal did not occasion surprise as they

had for some months real ized that it was only h is l ion heart , and high

sense of publ ic duty which had kept him at the helm . From all sides

tributes poured in to h is worth , and work, and there was a Provincia l

presentat ion .

Th e malady from which he suffered did not l ong permit h im to enj oy

freedom from the cares of office, and on Thursday June 13th , 1901 he

fell as leep . It was well sa id of him that “he l ived bravely, and died

bnavely .

”Hon . Mr . Ha rdy was laid to rest with Masonic rites in Green

wood cemetery, cm Sunday June 16th , 1901 , amid al l the mani festat ions

of Provincial mourn ing . Premier Ross, Hon . J . M . Gib son and others of

h is former col leagues were in attendance, together with other notable

men from far and w ide and representatives of the City Council and other

bodies, but perhaps the most notable feature consisted of the genuine

evidences of sorrow on the part of the pla in people .

It is not going too far to class Mr . Hardy as Brant’s most bril l iant son ;thi s fact was demonstrated in an infin ity of ways . He was becoming rec

ognized as one of the leaders of the Ontario bar when he answered thecal l to duty in the publ ic arena

,and even when burdened with the cares

of a portfol io he not infrequently appeared in the Courts with notablesuccess . The clarity with which hemarshal led the es sential facts of acase , his keen gift of cross examination, and forensic power in addressing

a j ury, const ituted an a lways eff ective comb ination . In short, had he

devoted his great talents exclusively to his profession the emoluments

obtained would have transcended many tim es the rewa rd whi ch he

secured from publ ic service. In the discharge of his Parl iamentaryduties, both as member and Minister, he always gave the best that wasin him, and no one ever doubted that he had most earnestly at heartthe best in teres ts of the Prov ince. No fewer than one hundred and fifty

Pub l ic and Private Bil ls were in troduced by him , between 1874 and 1896,and nearly every one passed, but the subj ect s dealt with wer e mor

portant than mere numbers . Their wide Scope , range, and variety are the

PARLIAMENTARY RE PRESENTATIVE S 363

best evidence of his versatil ity and breadth of view. In his second Session he introduced an important bill respecting Railway Traffic whichplaced the relation of railways towards shippers and the Public, on anentirely changed footing, namely by preventing a

‘ railway from sett ingup notice of a condition protecting its elf against a suit of damages, whennegl igence could be es tabl ished . Later on

,he introduced Bill s

amending the laws as to Division Courts , enlarging their j urisdiction ,simplifying their practice, and making their remedi es cheaper . He carried through an Act establ ishing the Prov incial Board of Heal th which didmuch to inspire local action on the part of the Municipal ities in connectionwith Publ ic Health . Much might be said of Mr . Hardy’s efforts as totemperance reform under the l icense law. Th e Act known as the CrooksAct was more largely the work of Mr . Hardy than of Mr . Crooks if thescope of the Act, when Mr . Crooks handed over the charge of theLicenses to hi s successor, is considered with the Act as it afterwardsstood . He es tabl ished the Bureau of Mines, passed an important measure for the protect ion of Provincial fisheries , and was responsible for thelaw aff ecting cit ies of over one hundred thousand population whereby

Boards of Control were instituted . Other legislation introduced by Mr .Hardy was a bill creating Algonqui n Park and Rondeau Park . These

Parks are now looked upon as a monument to his fores ight . It was SirWil liam Van Horne who said that i f any publ ic man in Canada deserveda monument to his memory that man was the late Premier of Ontario

Hon . A S . Hardy, if for nothing else than the legislation introduced byhim while Min ister of Crown Lands, exacti ng that all pine logs cut from

Crown Lands , should be manufactured int o lumber in the Province.”

Another incident, disclosed since h is demi se, is that upon the discovery

of nickel deposits in Ontario, Mr . Hardy urged the British Gov

ernment authorities to assume entire control of th em, excel lent advicewhi ch unfortun ately was not fol lowed .

A s a platform speaker the Hon . gentleman had few rivals, for heintermi ngled a fine sense of hum or with the serious presentation of publ ic issues, and in the Legislatur e he was equal ly eff ective in the more orless col loquial discussions of that chamber . When roused however, heused to disclose a vein of sarcasm which made opponents wince, andunder stres s of public cares he was sometimes exceedingly abrupt .In privat e l ife he was a cheerful companion and winning friend , and

for many years he secured the votes of many of the Conservatives of theSouth Brant riding on persona l grounds, a circumstance which he wasalways the fir st to acknowledge. Hi s loyal ty to his friends was proverbial

,and h is integrity eloquently manifested by the incident that after


twenty s ix years of publ ic office he withdr ew an absolutely poor man .

The manner in whi ch he accepted the physical decree which ended hispolitical career, was em inently characterist ic of the brave spirit which

d istinguished h im in every relation of l ife and which rightly endeared h im

to al l with whom he came in contact .

Hon . Mr . Hardy was married in 1870 to Mary,daughter of Hon . Mr .

Justice Morrison . The widow and two sons survive,Mr . A . Hardy,

Brockvill e and Dr . P . Hardy, Toronto .

On Th ursday, April l st , 1920, in; the Brantford Court

House, the unveil ing took place of a bronze tablet in

memory of this distinguished Brant County son . A l

though nineteen years. had passed s ince his demise, the attendance of

representative men of Ontario , and cit izens of Brantford,Par is and the

Coun ty, amply served to demonstrate that his worth and his achievementsstil l remained in active remembrance. The tablet, the admirable work

of the Toronto sculptress, Mi ss Frances Loring, is situated in th e main

entrance hall . It is surmoun ted by a l ife- l ike medal l ion in profile of

the honorab le gentleman and this inscription foll ows

ARTHUR STURGIS HARDY

Born, Mt . Pleasant , Brant Coun ty, 1837

Died, Toronto, 1901

Who began in this Court House the practice of the Law—The talents heredeveloped be devoted to the service of his Country, representing theSouth Riding of Brant in the Legisl ature of this Province for Twenty- sixyears and was successively Provincia l Secretary, Commissioner of CrownLands, Attorney-General and Prime Minister of Ontario .

Erected by the Bar of Brant County in admirat ion of his virtues andaffection for his memory .

M emorial

After the flag covering the tablet had‘ been removed by Mr . A . L .

Bai rd, K .C. , President of the Brant Law Association , Canon Fotheringham

offered a dedicatory prayer and Mr . W. A . Holl inrake, K .C. , Secretaryof the Association

,read an addr ess, present ing the memorial to the City

and County . An adj ournment then took place to the Court room whichwas filled . Laudatory speeches were made by Mr . Baird, the chairman ;Sir John Gibson

,James Harley, K.C. , W. F . Cockshutt, M .P. , W. G . Ray

mond, Hartley Dewart, K .C. , Liberal Leader in the Ontario Legislatu re andJohn Harold M .P. Probably the greater interest attached to the speechof Sir John Gibson

,a cabinet col league for many years of Mr . Hardy,

and later Lieut . -Governor of the Province. He told of his industry and

immense capacity for work, and i n this regard dwelt upon the fact that



sociation of Upper Canada . He sat for Wentworth in the CanadianParl iament from 1851 to 1854 an d for East Brant from 1855 to 1858 ,when he resigned and was elected to the Legislative Council , which he

represen ted un til the union in 1867, be ing cal led to the Senate by royal

proclamation in May of that year. Senator Chr istie was sworn a member

of the Privy Council , November 7th , 1873, and was Secretary of State, in

the Mackenzie Admini stration, from that date until appoin ted Speaker

Of the Senate, Janua ry 9, 1874 . Dur ing an il lnes s Of Lieut-Governor

Crawf ord he was appointed administrator of the Government of Ontario .

Mr . Christie was recogn ized as one of the Reform leaders of h i s day and

was Vice-Pres iden t Of the constitutional Reform Assoc iation, Toronto , in

1859 . Du ring the per iod when division occurred in the Liberal ranks

the origin of the term “Clear Grit,”

given to the section led by Mr .Chris tie, is thus recorded . Brown and Christie were discus sing a more

advanced p latform for the party and the former decl ined to j oin an

extreme movement . In doing so he mentioned the name of a common

friend of Mr . Chr ist ie h imsel f as also l ikely to hold aloof . “Him ,

” ex

claimed M r . Chr istie,“We don’ t want him! We want only men who are

cl ear gr it .” In connecti on with the dis affection , Brown and Christie once

faced each other at an Open air meeting in the vil lage of Gl enmorr is,

South Dumfries Township . The late Hon . James Young, in a record Of

that gathering,“Pub l ic men and Publ iq Life in Canada,

” relates thatboth gentlemen acquitted themselves admi rably and that Mr . Chris t ie

proved him self a formidable antagoni st. ”

“He was an effect ive publ ic speaker , and surprised and del ighted

h is friends . Mr . Brown was powerful , convi ncing, and at times eloquent .It was, in short, a famous battle, during which the pol icies of the day,and especial ly the divisions which were then t end ing the party asunder,were handl ed with much force

,abil ity and skil l on both sides .

The friendship of the two men was never broken,and when al l dif

ferences were healed they doubtless had many a hearty laugh over theG lemnorr is duel .

Senator Fisher is a man who possesse s to a noteworthy ex

H. Fish ertent that indefinable thi ng we call “Personal ity . Hi s

father, Robert Fisher, of Devonshire, England, se ttled

in Paris,in 1832 and was married to Mary Ann Hun ter , Of S ligo , Ireland .

It is to the maternal side therefore that the Senator owes many Of his

characteristics . He was educated in the Paris Publ ic and High Schools,

and as a lad came to Brantford to enter upon a business career, butaffecti on for his home town soon lured him back there. Ultim ately he

est ab lished the wel l known busin ess now conducted under'

the t itle of


J . H. Fisher Son . Mr . Fisher, who was born on St. George’s Day

,April

23, 1855, always possessed a great l iking and adaptabil ity for publicl ife and in 1884 he was elected to the Paris Coun cil as Alderman . Nextyear he became Reeve and the fol lowing year Reeve, and also Warden of

the Coun ty of Brant . Afterwards he was Mayor of Paris for five years .At this period North Brant was known as a Liberal stronghold and Mr.Fisher, always an out and out Conservative, did not seem to have much

chance in h is laudab le ambition to represent the Riding in the OntarioLegislature. He twice unsucces sful ly

,in 1898 and 1902, ran aga inst the

then representat ive, Mr . Daniel Burt, but in 1905 secured the seat andwas re - elected in 1908 by a largely increased maj ority Then

,in 19 1 1 ,

came the‘

memorab le Dominion contest on the subj ect of Reciprocitywi th the United' St ates, and Mr. Fisher res igned h is seat in the Ontar ioHouse in order to carry th e Conse rvative colors against Hon . Will iamPaterson . He was successful and thus, with regard to both Torontoand Ottawa, achi eved the distinction of having been the first man of his

party procl ivities to win in that section of the Coun ty.It was not long after his arrival at the Capital before his exceptional

qual ifications in th e successful mingl ing wi th h is fel lows, became speedilyrecognized, and he was made one of the party whips . In 1917 therecarne the ca ll to the Dominion Senate and he received that prefermentamid the unfeigned congratulations of al l classes. Mr . Fisher can makea

.

popular speech,but his creed, when he was conducting campaign work,

can best be summ ed up in an expression he used to make :“Let me get

hold of their hands . His active part in politi cs dated from the NationalPolicy elect i on of 1878

,and

,unl ike some of those who reach the Upper

Chamber,he stil l retains a very alert interest in the contests Of the day .

He has always maintained keen concern in al l matters affect ing Paris andthe County at .large, and amateur sport of all kinds has found in him amost ardent supporter . In this regard he i s at the present time HonoraryPres ident

, or Patron , of a large number Of such organizations . Through

ou t h is l ife, whenever opportunity Offered , he has extended h is a id and

co-Operation,regardless of creed or pol it ics, and recognition has worthily

come in the be stowal Of every office in the gift Of h is fel low townsmen ,and an unbroken record Of Parl iamentary endorsation from the time hefirst successful ly placed h is foot upon the sl ippery Parl iamentary ladder .Among other things the Senator is a director in connection with morethan one large industr ial enterprise . Throughout the war hi s act ivi tieswere num erous and his many kindnesses to the men in khaki were fittingly recognized by his creation as Honorary Lt . -Colonel of the 25th BrantDragoons . Mr . Fisher was married in 1883 to Jessie D . Martin

,Of Paris

,


Ontario,and his only child, Harold, now conducts the retail establ ish

ment .

Hon .

Senator M cM eans , K .C. , was born in Brantford in 1 859 ,

Lendrum the son of Mr . Andrew McM eans, for many years a wel l

M cM eans . known resident of this city. He was educated in the

Brantford Publ ic Schools and Col legiate Ins titute and after taking a

course at Osgoode Hal l, l ocated for a short while in Paris, but final lyremoved to Winnipeg and commenced the practice Of law there in 1882,proving most successful . He is a director Of the Sovereign Life ; of the

First National Inves tment Company and the First National Realty Com

pany. He was elected Alderman of the City of Winnipeg by one of th e

largest maj orities ever recorded there and was also a Pol ice Commissionerand one of the License Commissioners Of the Prov ince of Manitoba during

19 12-13. He was a member of the Manitoba Legislature 1910-13 andCommanding Office r of the 2215t Battalion which he raised . Mr . Mc

Means was summoned to the Senate, July 26th , 1917. In 1 884 he wasmarried to Mary Beatr ice Harris, Montreal , and there has been a family Ofthree sons and one daughter . One Of the former, Captain ErnestD

’

Harcourt , was kill ed in action at Festubert, May 22, 1915. The Senatorstil l retains a keen interest in the place of his birth .

Mr . Young was Of Sco tch descent, the eldest son of Mr .Hon‘ J ames and Mrs . John Young

,both '

Of Roxboroughsh ire, who

came to Canada in 1 834 and first located in the vil lage

Of Dundas . A few months later they were induced by Hon . Wm . Dick

son to remove to Galt, where James was born May 24, 1835. In hissixteenth year he entered a printing office, and when only eighteen years

Of age purchased the Dumfries“Reformer .” This paper he conducted

successful ly for some ten years, h is trenchant articles making his namewell known beyond the confines of Waterloo County. He next successful ly went into the manufacturing business in Galt, but after five years

the lure of writ in g and publ ic l ife commenced once more to claim hisattention . In 1867, the first election after Confederation, he carriedSouth Waterloo in' the Liberal interest and sat in the Commons until

1878, when he met with defeat. While a member at Ottawa he was prom

inent in speech and debate and in 1 87-3 he brought in a measure to

provide for the taking of votes by bal lot . The position which he attained

i s best evidenced by the fact that he was chairman of the comm ittee on

Publ ic Accounts for five consecutive years and also for some time chairman Of the House

,when in committee Of . supply . In 1879 the general

elections for the Ontario House took place and Mr . Young was requestedby the Reformers of North Brant to‘ become their candidate. He was



and engaged in mercanti le pursuits . It is stated that he drove the first

team that ever crossed a bridge over the Grand Ri ver at Brantford. Laterhe purchased a farm on Whiteman’s Creek, but upon the death of h is

father returned to the ol d homestead . He was a member of the Town

ship and County Council s, as wel l as Reeve, and, as a staunch Reformer ,sat in the Upper Canada Parl iament from 1854 to 1861 . Mr . Biggarwas married in 1831 to Jane El lis, a n

'ative Of Mt. Pleasant, and to this

union seven children were born .

.

He was united to his second wife, M rs .

Marion Long, Of Brantford, in His brother, Hamilton, entered theMinistry of the Episcopal Methodi st Chur ch and establ ished the Indi anMission for the Chippewa Tribe, at Ri ce Lake, in 1827. He was Treasurerof Cobourg Col lege for two years and when he retired from the Ministr y

about 1852, settled in Brantford, becoming first Treasurer of the Countyof Brant . Descendants of Robert Biggar are stil l wel l known residentsof Brant .

Rev . Mr . Ryerson was one of the notable family of that

name whose members took such a prominent part in theearly history of this portion of Canada, and a brother

of Rev . Dr . Egerton Ryerson, the noted educational ist, who brought order

out of chaos in the Ontar io schoo l system . The“

father, Col . JosephRyerson, was a U . E . Loyal ist and when a mere youth j oined the Prince

of Wales Regiment in New Jersey . H i s promotion thereafter was rapid .

After th e close of the war he and his brother Samuel came tO/

‘

Canada in

1783, first sett l ing in New Brunswick and then in Upper Canada, takingup land awarded for military serv ice. Joseph married a Miss Stickney,a descendant of an ear ly Massachusetts Pur itan set tler, and most Of h issons entered the ministry of the Methodi st Church, ,

in which they heldpositions of in fluence and leadership . Rev. Will iam was prominent asa preacher in Toronto and other centres

,and upon h is retirement from

the Ministry purchased wh at was known as the “Mission Farm , Salta mile below Newport . His energetic mind led him to

become an active participant in the publ ic affairs of the day and heenj oyed much fame as a platform orator . In 1861 he successfully contested the West Riding Of Brant . His youngest son was married to El izaThorn, who stil l resides in the city, and whose survi ving children are alsoall residents here —Freder ick, Mrs. S . Waldron, Robert, Thomas, Reubenand George . Mrs. Ryerson can remember Brantford when it onlyconsisted of a few frame buildings .

Mr . Finlayson was born in Scotland, Decemberand after coming to Canada, set -t led in Paris, of whichplace he became a ’ leading citizen. He was t he pro

1 . Hon . J . Young ; 2 W. B . Wood ; 3 D. Bu rt ; l , J . Westbrook ; 3 Hon . A . S. l lardv ;6 . S. Davidson ; 7, Hon . H . Nixon ' 8 , T. H . Preston ; 9 , W . S. Brews ter

10, J . Ham ; 1 1 , M acBr ide .


372 a nsw er or BRANT couiv'rx

and Robert,after very few years of education in the Perthshire Pari sh

Sch ool , and a Brantford Publ ic School , commenced his battle wi th the

world at the early age of twelve years . He was , however, of an amb itious

temperament, and all his l ife a gr eat reader, two factors which contr ibuted

to an al l round equipment much above the average .’

His first experiencewas that of general purpose boy in a stationery and news storc, kept by

Mr . Andrew Hudson . He spent three year s in this capacity and thenbecame apprenticed to Mr . R. C . Allen, a grocer . In 1862 Mr . Henryentered the empl oy of Mr . Charles Watt s, a leading wholesal e grocer

of Brantford, and he was for some time on the road, making a most

successful travel ler . Many were the interesting stories which he had to

tel l of this phas e of his career . In 1868, upon the demise of Mr. Watts ,his son Alfred bought out the es tabl ishment and Mr . Henry becamemanager . He held that position unti l 1871 , when he was made a partner ,under the firm name of A . Wat ts 81 Co.

” The company also operated

the Brantford Soap Works .

Mr . Henry was a most active and prominent figure in both municipal

and political arenas, and for many years'he was the recognized local

head of the Conservative party . He was a leading member of !ion

Church and Treasurer for a lengthy period ; a director of the Young

Ladies Col lege from its inception ; Pres ident of the St. Andrews society ;President of the Caledonia

’

n Society ; a member of the High School Board ;Pres ident of the Board of Trade, et c . , thr ough an infinity of offices, towhi ch he gave unsparing and effect ive attention . He first became elected

as—an A l derman i n 1876 an d in 1878 was chosen as Mayor . He mani

fested great and efficient activity as chief magistrate, and was againselected for the posit ion in 1879 . It was during his regime that LorneBridge was built and criticism, always extreme in those earl ier days, was

level led at him for havi ng committed the City to a “fl imsy structure,”

albeit it is st il l in use to this day . In 1887 he once more became Ch iefMagistrate, winn ing a hard fight in competition with Mr . C . B . Heyd .

In the election of 1896 he was the Cons ervative standard bearer againstthe Hon . Will iam Paterson , for the Dominion House, and it was in many

respects the most memorable local struggle ever wi tnessed,Mr . Henry

provi ng the victor by a maj ority of 91 . He had thus not only achieved

an ambition , of many years standing, to become representative of . SouthBrant , but in addition he had received the assurance of Sir CharlesTupper that if he won there would ultimately be a place for him in t heCabinet . However

,the government which had been in power since

1878, was dethroned and Mr . Henry s hopes were shattered . He sat inthe House for one session but

“

was unseated, although personally vindi

PARLIAMENTARY RE PRESENTATIVES 373

os t ed, and beaten by Mr . C . B . Heyd in a bye elect ion . He met thisreverse, as he did others, l ike th e man he a lways proved himself. In1902 Mr . Henry left this city to embark upon another business enterprisein Detroit and the citizens of Brantford, i rrespective of pol itics, assembled at the Kerby House to wish himself and family every happiness andprosperity in their new home. Upon this occasion he was presented withan address and cheque for as some sl ight return for h is many

benefact ions, although. i t was generally felt that any such sum repre

sented in a most inadequate way th e money he had so continual ly dis

pensed . In fact his generosity was proverbial and no'

one in distres s evercame away from him empty handed. After his removal to Detroit thewr iter was with him on one occasion when he was accosted by a down

at - the -heels looking young man . Mr . Henry excused himself for a few

mi nutes and when he returned, remarked that he had outfitted the youngfel low in a “head- to-foot” store. It seems that he was the son of a

Brant fordite and had been in hard luck ; two th ings wh ich at once apo

pealed to a man of his sympathetic temperament. In later years heresided in Windsor and not long before h is death had a great desire

to return to this city, which he did to the grea t del ight of many oldfriends . However, the reunion was unfortunately not of l ong duration

and_

he passed away with in a few months.In public l ife M r . Henry was a born fighter of great tenacity . He

was quick at repartee and nothing del ighted him more when he was making a speech than to squelch il l advis ed interrupters . He was also ahard hitter

,but the first to shake hands with an opponent at the close

of any contest .During h is first period as Mayor he was ma rried to Carol ine

,the

youngest surviving daughter of An thony Phil ip , and sister of Dr . Phil ip ,at whose home the ceremony took place . M rs .

‘Henry and one daughterstil l reside here and two sons, Robert and Stuart, l ive in Winds or. Theformer saw service overseas and Miss Jean Henry, the fourth surviv ingmember of the family, was also in France as a nurse during the greatstruggle . A big hearted man, with a saving sense of humor under allcircumstances, pass ed away when Robert Henry received the cal l Home.

Mr . Heyd was born in Rochester, N.Y. ,February 23,

1842,the son of Bernhard and Magdelena Heyd

,who

came to Brantford in 1854. Th e father had mechanicalcharge of the Buffalo, Brant ford and Goderich Railway shops, but laterembarked in a business to which C . B . Heyd final ly succeeded . The lastnamed

,for many years, represented the old Queen

’s Ward as an Alderman and was Mayor of the city in 1886 and again in 1888-9 . A staunch


Liberal,Mr . Heyd always took an active part in the polit ical fights, 1872

—1904 ,and he was the main assisting speaker of the late Hon . A . S .

Hardy and the late Hon . W. Paterson dur ing the lengthy period that these

two gentlemen represented the Brants . He final ly ran on his own ac

count,havi ng received the party nomination for South Brant in the bye

election of 1897, and proving successful over Mr . R. Henry, he held aseat in the House of Commons until 1904 when he met defeat at the hands

of W. F . Cockshutt . The period of Mr . Heyd’

s platform activi ty was when

j oint meetings were the rule and the average pol itical gathering wasdecidedly the reverse of placid . Logic rather than oratory was his strongest

weapon . Many were the duels in which he and the late Mr . Robert

Hen ry used to engage in the presence of excited and partisan audiencesMr. Heyd was an active champion of the plan of a Municipal Waterworks

system and has held many di rectorates , includi ng that of the Royal Loan

and Savi ngs Company . In 1865 he married Janet Davey,a native of

Scotl and . Mr . George Hey d i s a son .

Mr . W. F . Cockshutt was born in Brantford, on October

Foster 1 7, 1855, a nd is the eldest surviving son of the late

Cockshut t Ignati us Cockshutt . Af ter passing through the usual

school course in Brantford, he came under the educational in struct ion of

the famous Dr . Tassie, of Galt, and as a young man went to England,where he comm enced his business t aining“ in the produce house of Thomas

Furness Cc . , Hartlepool , Durham . Fol lowing this he spent some time

in the tea warehouse of Bates, Evans 81 Cc . , London. Upon returning t oCanada he became identified with the business of his father and whenthe latter retired from h is mercantil e activi t ies

,in 1 882, Mr . Cockshutt

a ssumed control of one half of the large general establ ishm ent, his brother

,Mr . Frank Cockshutt , assum in g the other . He was one of the

charter members of the Farringdon Debating Society and it was in con

nect ion with this organization, of which he was later the President for

years , that he comm enced to devel op the oratorical abil ity for which hehas become so wel l known . When a very young man he j oined the Conservat iv e part y and began to take an act ive interest in publ ic affairs in

1878, when the National Pol icy was first intr oduced by Sir John Macdonald . The proposal appealed strongly to him and he has ever since

been an ardent and consistent protectionist. Mr . Cockshu tt ’s abil ities

as a platform speaker speedily became recognized and for some yearshe Spent much of his time on the stump fer v arious cand idates in Western

Ontar io, as well as in the two Brants . In 1887 he received the nomin ationas Conservative candidate in South Brant and ran against Mr . Patersonlater Minister of Customs . He was unsuccessq on that occasion and



of which was embraced in a special report submitted to the municipal ities . It was afterwards adopted by the Ontario Legislature as the basis

of the immense development that has taken place in this important

resour ce of Ontario’s assets , and fina l ly has resulted in a supply of

l ight,heat and power second to none in the world .

In local affairs Mr . Cockshutt has l ikewise taken much effective in

teres t . After much strenuous work he succeeded in getting an appropria

tion from the Governm ent for Brant ford ’s fine publ ic building, includi ng

the Post Office,Customs , Inland Revenue and other quarters. He was a

participant in the efforts which culmina ted in the erection of the Brant

monum ent in Victoria Park, and the Soldiers’ monument on the Armour

ies Square, while he was sponsor o f the Bel l Memorial and Pres ident ofthat undertaking. He had the honor of bein g entrusted by Sir Sam .

Hughes,in the fir st place, with the rais ing of the 125th Battal ion for

overse as servi ce, but rea l izing his lack of mil itary inst incts and train

ing, almost immediately placed th e power in the hands of Colonel

Cutcl iffe, and assisted h im in every possible way in the raising of this

spl endi d battal ion, whose members won so many honors and decorations .Identification with many Brantford industr ies has been another feature ;President in earl ier years of the Cockshutt Plow Company ; Vice-President

of the Brantford Roofing Company, and a director of other boards . Giftsfor philanthropic an d ki ndr ed purposes have been numerous, services thus

rendered including, for some years, the Chairmanship of the Jane Laycock

Orphanage.

For a period of nearly thirty years Mr . Cockshutt has been an active

memb er of the Angl ican communion ; for nearly al l of that time a dele

gate to the Huron Syn od, member of the executive committee, and selected

to attend the Provi ncial and General Synods . The recent Forward

Movement was assisted by him as a member of the General Committee in

Toronto and by the del iverance of many addresses on the subject invarious church centr es .

Mr . Cockshutt in 189 1 married Minnie Turner Ashton,daughter of

Rev. R . Ashton , and has a family of four sons and two daughters , thethree eldest boys having served in the great war .

Mr . Harris was born at Beamsvil le, March 14, 1867, a

son of John Harris, founder of A . Harris, Son Co . At

the age of five years he came wi th the family to Brant

ford, and after passing into the Col legiate Institute, attended Woodstock

College . At the age of s ixteen he entered his father ’s business,in which

,

dur ing the fol lowing six years, he received a pract ical training .

In 1889 he left Canada to represent his Company in Europe, where he


remained unti l 1900, during this period livi ng two years in Liverpool,five years in London and four years in Paris

,and establishing branches

and agencies in practically every Eur opean coun try . In the year 1900 hereturned to Brantford , and began to concern himself in other businessinterests . He j oined a group which brought about an amalgamation of

two promi nent l ife insurance companies,the Manufacturer ’s Life Insur

an ce Company and the Temperance and General Life Insurance Com

pany, and became Vice-President of the new company. He then organ ~

ised an important engineering company,the Underfeed Stoker Company

of America, with headquarters in Chicago, and of which Mr . Harris isst i l l President. Being interested in the Brantford Starch Company

,Ltd

and a member of the Board of Directors,he j oined with others in bringing

about an amalgamation of three important starch companies, as a

result of which the Canada Starch Company was organised, and Mr .Harris was appoin ted Vice-Pres ident, which position he held until thecompany passed into other bands . His business activities continued andduring th e period 1900 to 19 19

,in additi on to the positions already men

t ioned , he has been President Brantford Screw Company, Ltd .,which .

later became part of the Steel Company of Canada, Ltd . , and on theBoard of which Mr . Harris is a Director ; President, Canada Glue Company, Ltd Director and Member, Executive Commit tee, American GlueCompany, Boston, Mass . ; Pres ident, Russell Motor Car Company, LtdToronto ; Director in the fol lowin g companies, viz . : Willys-Overland Ltd . ;

Canada Cycle Motor Company Ltd . ; Machine Stamp ing Company,Ltd . ; Toronto Trust Guarantee Company ; al l of Toronto ; DominionPower and Transmi ssion Company, Ltd . , Hamilton .

In the year 1906 Mr . Harris entered the Brantford City Council andwas appointed Chairman of Finance, holding the position for the two years

he remained in the Council, 1906 and 1907. In 1908 h is friends urged

h imto run. for the Dominion Parl iament in the Liberal interest, which hefinal ly consented to do, and was elected in October of the same year .In 191 1 the Government negotiated a reciprocity treaty with the UnitedStates

,which Mr . Harris did not think was in the interests of Canada , and

h e refused to support the proposal . The Government went to the country on the issue and was defeated . Mr . Harris did not offer himself fort e-election. Having no inclination or ambition for publ ic life, and largebusiness interests taking hi s attention from the political arena

,he

decided to retire. During the next few years he devoted himself to h isbusiness interests

,but when war broke out in August 1914 he immedi ately

offered his services to the Government and took a prominent part in thedevelopment of the manufacture of munitions in Canada and, with h is


associates,organized and Operated plants for machi ning 18-pounder high

explosive shel ls,

high explosive shell s, time and percussion fuses,aeroplane motors

,all for the British Government, and for the Am erican

Government naval gun mounts , fuse s and shell s . In October, 1915, SirRobert Borden invited M r . Harris to j oin the Mil itary Hospitals Com

mission,organized to provide hosp ital accommodation and treatment for

Canada ’s returning soldiers, and to arrange for their t e -entr y to civil

l ife. This work was organized efficiently and along business l ines . In

October, 1917, Sir Joseph Flavel le , Cha irman of the Imperial Munitions

Board,asked Mr . Har ris to go to Washington to represent the Imperial

Munitions Board for the purpose Of endeavouring to have the United

States Government place contracts for munitions in Canada, and two

months later Sir ‘Robert Borden invited him to represent the Canadian

Governm ent in Washington . Mr . Harris was thus in a dual position ,being an Official Of the Imperial Government and the Canadian Govern

ment . He organ ized the Canadian War Mission , and invited four l eading

business men of Canada to j oin him as members . As . a result of the

efforts of this Mission and the Imperial Munitions Board, contracts

aggregating were placed in Canada by the United States

and other All ied Governments. In November, 1918, Sir Robert Borden

sent for Mr . Harris and invited h im to accompany him with the Cana

di an Peace Delegation , for the pur pose of investigating Canadian trade

possibil it ies and markets . Mr . Harris arrived in London , November23rd, 19 18, and organized his staff and opened offices at NO. 1 , Regent

Street, 5. W ., under the name of

“The Canadian Mission in London .

”

The work a ccompl ished proved of the greatest importance to Canada, by

assisting Canadian exporters to resume their pre-war trade connections,

and furnishing Canadian producers with inf ormation which enabled them

to increase their export trade and also cc -ordinated the effort to developtrade wi thin the Empire .

Mr . Harris has been twice married and has one daughter .M r. Harold was born in Brantford on November 9th ,1873, the son of Mr . and Mrs . Samuel Harold . Hisfather was a prominent grain merchant in the earl ier days

,

a whole souled, big-hearted Engl ishman, who enj oyed the esteem of every

one . In 1889 the son commenced work in the office of A . Harris, Son

Co . , Brantford, and continued with the amalgamated firm , MasseyHarris Co. , until 1902, when he removed to Paris, to assist in the organizat ion and to become the man ager of the Sanderson -Harold Co . ,

manufacturers of refrigerators, screen doors , etc . For some time he has alsobeen the President . S ince 1 894 Mr . Harold has taken an active interest



Mr . Wood was born in Aberdeen , Scotland, June _

1 1 ,

1848 , the eldest son of -M r . and Mrs . Alexander Wood,who migrated to Canada in 1853, and final ly settled in

Brant County . He spent his boyhood days on the farm, and then com

menced mill ing in a small way in the vi l lage of . St . George. From that

modest beginning there has developed th e “Domi nion Flour Mil ls,with headquarters at Montreal and an assured position among the leading

enterprises of the kind in the British Empire. Mr . Wood began h i s

public l ife in 1881 when he was‘ el ected to the Township Council of

South Dumfries . Thereafter he was for some time a member of the

Brant County Council , and in 1886 he was elected to the Ontario Legis

lature as Liberal member for North Brant, having at the nominating con

v ent ion declared himself an ou t and out prohibitionist . He retained the

seat by large maj orities in two subsequent contests, 1890‘and 1 894, and

in th e House took an act ive part in the debates , especial ly those relatingto agriculture, municipal affairs and finance . He was also the Sponsor

of many bil ls, and rose to the position of ch ieff ‘Wh ip

”of the Govern

ment, then led by Sir O l iver Mowat . In 1895, owing to i l l health , brought

on by overwork, he res igned his seat and was appointed Registrar of

Deeds for the County of Brant. In 1905, feel ing that his powers of

activ ity had become restored he gave up the Registrarship and once moreresumed his business activities which had extended to Brantford . Enter

ing the municipal arena he was Mayor of the city 1909 - 10, but not l ongafterwards removed to Montreal to become President and General Manager of the large enterpr ise in which

,from the inception

,he h ad proved

the moving spir it . Thus, from a poor boy, Mr . Wood has become the

control l ing head of a conce rn with an authorized capital of one and ahalf mill ion doll ars . He was married in 1873 to Ellen M a lcolmson ,

Galt,

and has one son and two daughters .Mr . Preston was born in Mount Vernon , Ind . , U . S . A . ,

October 22, 1855, the son of Rev. James and Mrs. Preston . His father was an Engl ishman who came from

Lancashire, and entered upon a ministerial career in this

country. On account of indifferent health he went to Indiana for a shortperiod

,but returned after the l apse of two years . His mother was a

daughter of Hiram Phelps, an early settler of Brantford Town ship andone of the first Reeves . Mr . Preston was educated in the Public andHigh Schools of Ontario and was then apprenticed in the office of

the Woodstock Sent inel . Later he became a compositor and was so

engaged on the Toronto Globe in 1871 when he went to the States . Hav

ing entered the reportorial field he j oined the staff of the Ottawa Free

B ruce W ood .


Press, upon returning to Canada, and became a member of the pressgal lery in the House of Commons . In 188 1 he was appointed nighteditor of the Toronto Globe and from 1882 to 1890 was managing directorof the Winnipeg Sun ,

in which he held an interest. Sell ing out there hecame to Brantford in 1890 and purchased the Expositor. Upon theresignation of Hon . A . S . Hardy as member for South Brant in the OntarioLegislature, he received the Liberal nomination in the bye election andwas successful on th is occasion and also in the two subsequent generalcontests , when he retired . Among other achievements during his parl iamentary career he secured the election of a Special committee for the inv est igat ion of child labor in Ontario . He was President of the first PressAssociation in Manitoba ; President of the Canadian Press Association1894-5, and chosen to represent the Canadian Press at the Delhi Durbar,upon the occasion of the visit of King George to India in 19 1 1 . Atpresent he is a member of the Parole Board of Ontario . Mr . Prestonwas married in 1876 to Lill ian M cDonald, daughter of A . R. M cDonald ,

Montrea l . His second son , Lieut. Harold B . Preston,M .C . ,

met anheroic death in France while h is eldest son , W. B . Preston, is businessmanager of the Expositor .

Mr . Brewster was born on h is father’s farm , County ofW il l oughby Northumberland , July 9 , 1860, and after attendance at

Eggie

szer Cobourg Col legiate Inst itute finished h is arts course atVictoria College . He took his B . A . degree there in

1882 with honors , also winning the gold medal in classics and the Prince

of Wales silver medal . He worked on the farm dur ing vacation . Mr .

Brewster subsequ ently studied law in the office of Fitch and Lees , Brant

ford,and upon the death of the last named gentleman, entered into part

nersh ip with Mr. Fitch . Upon the dem ise of the latter he practiced alone

for a while ; then formed a partnership with Mr . George Muirhead ; Mr .

George Heyd later j oined the firm which i s now Brewster Heyd . Among

other activit ies Mr . Brewster was an alderman for three years , and chair

man of the Publ ic School Board . He is also prominently identified with

more than one Brantford industrial enterprise . He was twice succe ssful ,1908 and 191 1 , as Conservative candidate for South Brant in elections

for the Ontario Hous e . While in the Legisla ture he took a prominent

part in the pas sing of the Workman ’s Compensation Act . His eldest

son,Fl ight Lieutenant H . S . Brewster, saw much fighting in France, and

later transferr ing to the aerial corps was accidental ly kil led dur ing a

fligh t in England . Mr . Brewst er is at present the Pres ident of the Brant

ford Chamber of Commerce.


Sheriff J . W. Westbrook, son of Mr . and Mrs . W. D .

Wes tbrook, and great grandson of Maj or John West

brook, an ear ly Brant County pioneer, was born in

1880 on his father ’s farm four miles east of Cainsvil le. His entire career

in the matter of public office, has proved to be one of early achievement.

He was only twenty-three years of age when elected a member of the

Brantford Township Council , next becoming Deputy Reeve and then

Reeve. In 19 1 1 he was elected as the Conservative member for North

Brant in the Ontario Legislature and was the youngest member of the

House. He failed to hold the seat in the contest of 1914 and in the same

year became appointed Sheriff of Bran t County—th e youngest man toattain that preferment . Since residing in the city Sheriff Westbrook has

been President of the Children ’s Aid Society an d active in other directions.

Mr . Ham was born in Brantford,March 24, 1 867, the

son of Mr . and Mrs . W. Ham ,both natives of England .

After attending the Brantford Publ ic Schools he com

menced to learn a trade at an early age and .was ultim ately one of the

founders of the well known Ham No tt manufacturing establ ishment .

He has also been an officer and di rector in other companies, including

the Crown Electric Co . , the Oven and Rack Co. , the Union Realty Co. and

so on ..He was an alderman of the city for some years, and in the elec

tion for the Ontario House in 19 14 he received the Liberal nomination

for South Brant,proving successful by 342 ma j ority . He was marr ied

November 1'

5th , 1897, to Mary Dennis, of Brantford . The el der'

of the

two sons, Wil l iam, was in the transport service during the great war .

Mr . Davidson was born March 1 1 , 1858, in South Dum

fries , the son of James Davidson and I sabella Tennant,both Scotch . The grandfather came to Canada in 1831

and settled on a farm about two and a hal f miles from

Paris . Mr . Davidson was educated in the Keg‘

Lane s chool and is a

wel l kn own auctioneer . For seven years he was a member of Brant

County Council and was Warden in 1 900. In the general election for

the Ontario House in 1914, Mr . Davi dson was th e nominee of the Liberal

Party and proved' successful,holding a seat in the Legislature for five

years . He was married in 1892 to Marion Bull ock , daughter of'

the

late Joseph Bul lock, of Paris, and had two sons overseas in the great

war,James and Robert . The latter was in the trenches for five months,

and was wounded and gassed , spending a l ong time in hospital before

recovering .

J ohn W .



Oxford . Mr . Harley was one of the first License Commiss ioners for theCounty of Brant and was for many years associated with the late Wil l iam

Watt,the elder, and Wel l ington M cA l l ister , of Oakland Town ship . He

was also one of the first direct ors of the Royal Loan and Savings Company . In the year 1904 M r . Harley pa ssed away after two years of de

cl in ing health, Mrs. Harley having predeceased him in the month ofFebruary of the same year . Mr. Harley was universally respected by al l

with whom he came in contact . There are four sons l iving, viz. : Willi

Harley, retired, in Burford vil lage ; James Harley; K .C. , of the firm of

Harley Sweet, Brantford ; Edmund Harley, Clerk of Records and Writs,Osgoode Hal l, Toronto, and Archibald Harley, a farmer, residing on thehomestead .

Two residents of Brant County were identified with the

movement which ultimately culminated in the establish

ment of the organization known as the “United Farmers

of Ontar io .

”For many years there had been the Ontario

Farmers Institute system, the Farmers Club movement, Fruit Growers Association

,Stockh olders Association , Dairymens Assoc iat ions and so forth ,

while the Dominion Grange was also stil l in existence. It was the latter

organization which took the initia tive in the promulgation of a plan to

consol idate th e various local associations and to form a new central

institution . A commi ttee was appointed to draft a constitution and to

arrange for the cal l ing of an organization meeting, the personnel con

sisting of E . C . Drury, H . B . Cowan , J . J . Morrison, J . !. Fraser, (Bur

ford Township ) and W . C . Good, (Brantford Township . ) It was also

dec ided to form a United Farmers Co-Oper ative Company, indeed the

latter proposition was the immediately main obj ect ive. The cal l was

issued for a gathering to be held in Toronto, March 19th and 20th , 191 4,and about two hundr ed farmer delegates attended There and then the

UFO. was launched, with E . C . Drury as first President and the Co-Operw

t ive Company, wi th W . C . Good, President . J . J . Morrison was elected

Secretary of both as wel l as of the Grange . Mr . Morrison first of al lhad an Office in his own home on the farm in,

Well ington Coun ty, and

later he occupied cramped and delapidated quart ers in Toronto, wi thout

even a stenographer to help . The Co-Operative company final ly commenced to attain a sol id footing an d is now doing a business which

amounts to mill ions of dol lars . The pol itical side of th e movement

came almost by accident . The utmost idea in this regard, as far as the

Ontario Le gislature was concerned, consisted of the hope that a sufficiently large group of rural members could be returned in order to have someeffect u pon legi slation . However, in 19 18 there was a bye election in


Manitoulin and Mr . Bowman was nominated as the U. F. 0 . candi date.He won, somewhat to the surprise of h is sponsors , and encouraged by the

outcome another U . F. 0 . candidate was a l itt le later nominated in an

other bye election in North Ontar io and he also proved successful . In

both instances it was a spontaneous effort on the part of local farmersand the central organization took very l ittle part, but the po ssibil itieswere speedi l y recognized and in the Ontario general elections in the fal lof 19 19 , U. F . 0 . standard bearers were freely nominated . The Hearst

Administra tion met with defeat and by a combination of U . F . O . andLabor repres entatives a Government was formed with E . C . Drury as

Premi er . Included in the Cabinet was Hon . Mr . Nixon , member forNorth Brant, selected for the post of Provincial Secretary. It wil l thusbe seen that with two members on the formative committee and anotherresident holdi ng a portfol io, Brant County has been very much in evi

dence in connection with the U . F . O . movement.

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