Vol. 27 No. 4 November -December 2002 ESQUESING HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER P.O. Box 51, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada L7G 4T1 W.C. King Burned out at Peru About 10 o'clock on Saturday night a neighbour saw flames issuing from the dye house and stable of Wm. C. King, who has been in the business of tanning and dyeing sheepskins and cleaning and dyeing clothing at Peru for several years. Mr. King moved to Peru from Acton several years ago. Acton Free Press, 10 May, 1900 www.hhpl.on.ca/sigs/ehs/home.html DISASTER - n. an event that causes much suffering or loss; great misfortune < Italian disastro - lack of a lucky star!> Dictionary of Canadian English Spanish Influenza 1918 The Ice Storm 1998 There has been considerable agitation lately on the part of owners of property adjoining the stream upon which the tanneries here are situated, with a view to the abatement of the pollution of the stream which they allege is taking place. The matter came before the Township Board of Health and through that body to the Provincial Board... Acton Free Press 18 November, 1897 Election Windstorm 1923 Aeroplane Tragedy 1917 Citizens Rally Aid After Tail of Hurricane Passes Here ...Pelting rain most of Friday made a sodden mush of fields and lawns and muddy rivulets of roads. As darkness drew in early, wind and rain increased. The increase was measured. Five inches of rain fell in the wash and wake of the hurricane; winds roared at intervals to between 50 and 60 miles per hour. Acton's downtown creek, slipping through the public school grounds and under the highway into Fairy Lake, is normally at this time of year a lazy trickle. By 11 p.m. Friday it was a rushing torrent, flooding over the highway with six inches of water, inundating school grounds and private property, filling cellars and finally gushing into Fairy Lake which rose to near overflowing. Rain did not let up until near midnight. High winds blew themselves out in the dead-of-the-night hours. PEEL COUNTY 3 Large Barns Laid in Ruins Disastrous Farm Fire at Home of James Eccles Mt. Pleasant, Nov. 15 - The most disasterous barn fire in the history of the county occurred here in the early hours of yesterday morning when three large barns on the farm of James Eccles were laid in ruins, the cause of the fire being a complete mystery. Mrs. Eccles was roused from sleep by the crackling of the flames which were then confined to the part of the barn above the stables. She called the family and summoned the neighbours by phone but nothing could be done but try to save the house. Young Jim Eccles, age 17, was the hero of the occasion, climbing a ladder to the roof of the woodshed and spending the time there with a broom, sweeping off flying embers. He cut his right foot with broken glass from an upstairs window, but worked right through. Neighbours passed water, of which there was, fortunately, a good supply in the well at the house, and kept the roof of the house wet. The big two-storey brick building with the long (L( was saved.... (Year unknown) Strange as it may seem, only half an hour of hydro blackout was caused during the night - and that in only the western section of the town... Police Cpl. R. Mason said there were no incidents or accidents Friday night as a result of the hurricane... Saturday morning, however, cellars under the residences of W. Roberts and C.K. Browne, both of Main St. N., adjacent to the swollen creek, had to be pumped by firemen.... Death affected personally one Acton resident, Jack Reid, who learned his brother, Donald Reid, and the latter's wife and eight year old daughter drowned in the Humber River after the black flood waters rampaged through Woodbridge. -Acton Free Press, 21 Oct. 1954 DISASTERS PAST RECALLED BY EHS The executive of the Esquesing Historical Society have prepared an evening of presentations which explore several disasters from the history of Esquesing. Wind in its various forms is the theme for Carol Wood. Kerwin McPhail will be a guest speaker on the winds of 1946 in Acton. Dawn Livingstone will recall our only air disaster and some rail disasters. Stephen Blake will also explore a rail disaster in Georgetown with a bovine twist! Mark Rowe will look at a Glen Williams and a Limehouse disaster. Join the Society for our November meeting at Knox Church, Georgetown for this enjoyable meeting. We encourage others to add tales to our line-up by volunteering at the meeting, or bringing a few photographs or mementoes from local disasters. Sweeping Fire at Limehouse Newton & sons( Woollen Mills and other Property Destroyed Last Thursday afternoon Limehouse was visited by a most destructive fire. The well-known woollen mills of John Newton & Sons, their saw mill and paint mill, with much of the contents were destroyed. The fire also extended to the old homestead, and to one of the Toronto Lime Co.(s houses. Everything within reach was licked up clean. About 100 cords of the lime Co.(s wood was also burned up and a considerable amount belonging to the Messrs. Newton. The fire started about half past two and is supposed to have originated in the picker. So rapid was the progress made that the girls employed in the second storey were unable to reach the ground floor by the stairway and a number of them were obliged to jump from the windows. Several received burns and bruises and Miss Bella Scott was seriously injured in jumping out. She is recovering. For a time it looked as if the fire would sweep the village. The Georgetown Fire Brigade was sent for and arrived with their hand engine drawn by a double team in a remarkably short time. Their services were effective in confining the fire and were much appreciated. The Lime Co.(s Mill was in imminent peril for some time and the GTR station and residence caught fire several times. The place which for so many decades has been alive with the bustle and hum incident to a successful and growing woolen business is now a scene of barren and desolate waste. The mass of intricate and expensive machinery, with which the mill was so well equipped, lies in a tangled disorder. Seldom is seen so complete a ruin. Fortunately the warerooms were isolated and though there was a large quantity of stock in process of manufacture destroyed with the mill, a considerable portion was in store and is safe. The mill was very busy and was running overtime on large special orders. Fifteen to twenty persons are thrown out of employment. Messrs Newton and Sons loss will reach between $13,000 and $14,000. There was only $2,500 insurance. The Toronto Lime Co.(s loss will be about $500. The proprietors are undecided as to whether they will rebuild at Limehouse or not. It will be a serious blow to the busy little place if they leave it. - Acton Free Press, 19 October, 1893 ESQUESING HISTORICAL SOCIETY SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS Wed. 13 Nov. 2002 Disasters of Esquesing - Trauma, fear and loss of life, are all things we hope never to face, but humans have always been fascinated to hear tales of woe. Join several members of the Society as we recall natural disasters, tales of human tragedy and near misses. Be sure to bring your own tales! KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Georgetown, 7:30 p.m. December 2002 The Society will NOT hold a regular meeting this month. Wed. 8 Jan. 2003 Judgement Night - Back by popular demand! Retired auctioneer Ward Brownridge invites everyone to bring items to share from home. Interesting items, family heirlooms and things you can(t figure out, are all welcome. Ward will share his vast expertise. He will not be providing valuations. KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Georgetown, 7:30 p.m. Wed. 12 Feb. 2003 Breaking Up Is Hard To Do! - The ice is breaking up, which means Glen Williams may be flooding again! The years of regular flooding in the (Glen( will be explored with stories and pictures. Bring some snapshots yourself! This will also be our Annual General Meeting. KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Georgetown, 7:30 p.m. Wed. 12 Mch. 2003 TBA Wed. 9 April 2003 History of Methodism in Ontario - John Biddell of Guelph will talk about the evolution of Methodism in Ontario, a topic of consuming interest in the 19th and early 20th century. KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Georgetown, 7:30 p.m. Wed. 14 May 2003 Acton Town Hall Wed. 11 June 2003 Terra Cotta ALL MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT NO CHARGE! Please bring your own cup for refreshments to help protect our environment. RESEARCH REQUESTS The EHS charges $5.00 for the initial fee, and $1.00 per photocopied page. Postage and handling charges also apply. Requests can be made by e-mail or regular mail, but we cannot guarantee a delivery time. PHOTOGRAPH REPRINTS Besides the cost of printing a photo, an Archives user fee of $5 will apply for the first photo and a $2 fee for each subsequent photo, ordered at the same time. Postage and handling charges will also be applied. Orders require three weeks for processing. Society Notes EHS EXECUTIVE Stephen Blake 877-8251 President Karen Hunter 838-2109 Dawn Livingstone 877-6506 Doug Cole 877-3657 Sherry Westfahl 873-7145 J. Mark Rowe 877-9510 Carol Wood 873-0792 Marj Allen 877-9985 Judy Payne 877-7627 Don(t forget to add 905 when dialing the above listed numbers. ACHIVAL REPORT Autumn is a busy time in people(s lives, so there wasn(t much volunteering in the Archives. However, the work to be done has not diminished. If you(d like to help occasionally, contact Mark Rowe. Sorting and arranging boxes has been the latest task in our efforts to keep the Archives current. Processing donations means we need more room, so better use of space becomes a priority. We(re quite happy with the progress made this summer. Here is an Archival good news story that you can pass on to collectors of local memorabilia who might consider donating to the Archives. A member who donated copies of photos and documents many years ago was persuaded to put together a family book. Wouldn(t you know, the original photos could not be located. EHS Archives to the rescue with the copies. They were mailed out to the original donor! Sharing local history helps everyone - maybe even you! INTERNET CONNECTIONS The Esquesing Historical Society has an official web site on the World Wide Web. You can visit us at Send your e-mail to rowem@aztec-net.com or dlvngstn@stn.net Canadian Council of Archives web site: EHS NEWSLETTER This newsletter was prepared by John Mark Rowe with assistance from Karen Hunter and Dawn Livingstone. Submissions are welcome. MEMBERSHIP We currently have 94 members. Please encourage friends and family to join the EHS and support our efforts to preserve and share our local history. The individual rate is $10. The family or institution rate is $12. Cheques payable to the Society can be mailed to our post box. Marj Allen, membership secretary, will gladly accept your fees at the next meeting. All memberships purchased from November will be credited to February 2004. Renew NOW! ACTON: THE HISTORY OF LEATHERTOWN - BRISK CHRISTMAS SALES PROJECTED! The Esquesing Historical Society hopes Christmas sales of its new book on Acton will be brisk this year. The Freckled Lion and Wetherby(s are both carrying the book, but the bulk of sales come from The Olde Hide House, The Olde Book Shoppe and soon from the Acton Leather Store in Toronto. The book sells for $24.95 from the EHS, which does not charge taxes. Retail stores, like The Olde Book House, must add the necessary taxes. Card carrying members of the EHS can buy as many copies as they wish at $20 each, directly from the Society. Books can be purchased at regular meetings or by contacting Publications Officer, Carol Wood. She can e-mailed at . ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING February marks the beginning of another year for the Esquesing Historical Society and a chance for renewal of the Society. We are looking for a couple new people to sit on the executive. One particular need is for a coffee convenor for our meetings. Please consider supporting your Society by offering time. Contact Stephen Blake or Karen Hunter to stand for election. Absolutely no experience is needed. We have fun and learn while we go along. RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Any long-time members of the EHS know that we often receive requests for information from people who live outside this area. We try to verify that Esquesing is the right place for their research and provide references for their future research. We do not research family or local history. Nevertheless, coupled with our internet resources, this is a valuable service to these people. Available time is always an issue, but if you would like to be contacted when a request arrives, please give your particulars to Karen Hunter or Dawn Livingstone. A note or an e-mail is satisfactory. If you have a particular area of interest, please identify it in your note. VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS The Esquesing Historical Society proudly nominated the following members for awards from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship. They were presented on November 5th in Orangeville. Karen Hunter - 10 years; Marion Gilmour - 5 years; Dawn Livingstone - 10 years; Stephen Blake - 10 years; Mark Rowe - 15 years; Douglas Cole - 10 years. EHS DISPLAY IN LIBRARY When visiting the Georgetown branch of the Halton Hills Libraries, be sure to check out the very artistic display of Acton books in the EHS display case. This display is in the reference section of the library by the staff door. The artiste was Carol Wood, her first showing! CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MEMBERS! Dorothy Hill, currently of Delhi, Ontario recently celebrated her birthday. Norma Thompson of Georgetown hosted a celebration of her 80th at Knox Church, while Mac Sprowl of Acton used the Curling Club to host his 75th bash. Fitness kudos go to President Stephen Blake who completed the New Hampshire marathon during the summer! ARCHIVE COLLECTABLES The EHS Archives has been the recipient of many, many donations over the years, all gratefully accepted. As our Archives fills up, we have decided to remove duplicates and out-of-area donations. Several of these will be offered to collectors at our November meeting for a small price. A few yearbooks, textbooks and newspapers comprise the bulk of the items. BRAMPTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY Meetings are held every third Thursday of the month at 7:15 p.m. at Heart Lake Presbyterian Church, 25 Ruth Avenue, Brampton. There is a $5 admission fee. Nov 21 150th Anniversary of the Brampton Fall Fair in 2003, by Merle Middlebrook. Visit: www.bramptonhistoricalsociety.com ONTARIO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY The following meetings for the OGS - Halton-Peel Branch take place in the lower level meeting room of the Chingaucousy branch library at 150 Central Park Drive, Bramalea, Ontario. November 24 - Brian Gilchrist will speak January 26 - Margaret Williams will speak on Irish research. For further information call Betty Cameron at 905.792.0907 or e-mail at SOCIETY HELPS SELECT GEORGETOWN ALLEY MONIKERS Archivist Mark Rowe was invited to represent the EHS during the summer, when a committee sat down to consider names for the downtown Georgetown alleyways. At that time only Silver Way had been named for Young(s Pharmacy, which had been built by clothier Hymen Silver in the Thirties. The other choices were Lawson Lane, Hardware Alley, Bowling Lane, Herald Route and Short Circuit. Some humour was definitely evident in the choices, which reflect the history of the Main Street. All the alleyways have been labelled with a wrought iron scrollwork arch on the street entrance. Come downtown for a walk-about and explore local history. KENNEDY FAMILY VISITORS ENJOY GEORGETOWN! Some descendants of George Kennedy recently visited the Town founded by their ancestor. They sent the following report back to Archivist Mark Rowe. Dear Mark, Last Sat. Oct. 19, 2002; we--my husband & I, our oldest son, his wife & their son spent a few hours in your fair town searching for some of your history. My husband Clarence Cole & myself Leota Kennedy Cole are from Conneaut, Ohio, & our son Steve, his wife Janet & their son, Greg are from Albion, Pennsylvania which is just across the state line from us. The reason for our trip was because 2 of my cousins a few years back had done 2 separate genealogy studies on the Kennedy family & both traced our roots back to Georgetown where we understand that my great, great grandfather George Kennedy was the founder of the town. Our intentions were to be in Georgetown on Fri. but we had car trouble & had to return home & start out again early Sat. morning. Because of the long drive & the fact that we had to be home by Sat. night we weren't able to spend as much time in Georgetown as we would have liked to have done. We were quite amazed at the mural of George on the building. We took several pictures of that & other things we found interesting in Georgetown. We spent some time in the library where the librarian was so helpful to us. It was from here that I got your e-mail address. She also gave me a telephone number of Elaine Bertrand, but because of our limited time I was unable to contact her. We did get to the cemetery, however, & spend a few minutes there, where we found George's tombstone, along with several other Kennedy monuments. I would have liked to been able to spend more time there, but was thankful for the time we were able to be there. Our grandson was able to use the copier at the library & copy a few pages from some books that told about my ancestor. I was just finally able to take time to get it completely read this morning, & I found it very interesting as I know my relatives will. As a child I remember my Grandad Kennedy (who lived with us the last few years of his life) telling that his ancestors were from Ireland & England. While reading the information I found that too. His father & family moved to the states & evidently moved to Cleveland, Ohio right after the American Civil war. I don't remember him saying what part of Canada they came from. I was not aware of the fact that George & his brothers were born in the U.S. until I was reading some of the history of Georgetown. My great grandfather, whose name also was George, (1826-1919) is buried in the cemetery in Jefferson, Ohio, Ashtabula County. My grandfather, James William (1859-1947)is also buried there. I was quite amazed when one of the paragraphs I read said that because of a hereditary disease some of the family died at an early age. As noted my great grandfather was 89 when he died. My grandfather was 88 when he died, & my father Raymond George was 92. (1891-1983). My dad's only brother William Herbert died when he was 80. I think his birth/death dates were 1879-1959 although I am not positive on that. A cousin of my dad's, Earl, lived to be 100 (1893-1993), & another cousin of dad's, John lived to be 97 (1886-1983) I must admit that I was never really all that excited about family history when I was younger, but as I am getting older & especially after being in Georgetown & seeing the mural & reading some of the town's history it has intrigued me. If you can supply me with more history on the Kennedy family I would appreciate it, & if you are interested in any of the descendants, I would be happy to help out what I can. Another cousin that lives in Jefferson is quite versed on the family history. The 2 cousins that did the geneolgy studies I believe have both passed on. One lived here in Conneaut, & the other whom I never knew lived in California. I won't take up any more of your time, I just wanted to get in contact with you & let you know that relatives of your town's founding father was there & very impressed with what we found. Sincerely, Leota Kennedy Cole John Wycliffe Lowes Forster John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, portrait and landscape painter, writer (b at Norval, Canada West 31 Dec 1850; d at Toronto, Ontario 24 Apr 1938). In 1869 he began studying portraiture in Toronto. He travelled to England and Europe in 1875 and 1879 and studied painting in Paris. He returned to Toronto to establish a permanent studio in 1883, and over the next few decades he exhibited locally and internationally. The successor to G.T. Berthon, Forster was among the most popular academic portraitists in Toronto during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His sitters included Alexander Graham Bell, Bliss Carman, Timothy Eaton, and prime ministers Laurier, Macdonald and Mackenzie, among others. His commissions for the Ontario government included portraits of historical figures: James Wolfe, John Graves Simcoe, Isaac Brock and William Lyon Mackenzie. He is represented in the federal and Ontario parliamentary collections and numerous other public collections. His writings include 2 volumes of autobiography and a survey of early Ontario artists. His autobiography, entitled UNDER THE STUDIO LIGHT; Leaves from a Portrait Painters Sketch Book, was published in 1928. His grandparents were James and Hannah Forster. James was born in Brampton, Cumberland, England and immigrated to this area in 1828, where he became a miller at Churchville, downstream from Norval. His son was Thomas, born in 1825, who married Martha Wilkenson in 1847. James joined the Norval Methodist Church and worked with another miller, James Gooderham to hold evangelistic meetings in people(s homes. When Gooderham moved to Streetsville, he had Thomas Forster appointed as his successor, as class leader, Sunday School superintendent and local preacher. Thomas and Martha allied their faith with temperance. They proved this by giving a barn raising without whiskey. The neighbours came to watch, but soon pitched in to help raise the barn. Several revivals were held on his Norval property, until he retired to Brampton in 1876. He died in 1887. James Wilkinson Forster was born in 1848, followed by J.W.L. Forster in 1850. James married Maria Preston. Their children were Edgar, Ernest, Herbert and Percy Forster. The whole family moved out west, where James W. Forster died in 1924 (Winnipeg, MB). James and Hannah Forster retired to Glen Williams, where in 1851, they built a brick cottage beside the Credit River. Old Mr. Forster was an avid fisherman and had the river steps from his cottage, except during the spring floods, when the river flowed through the house! The executors sold the property in 1875 to David Cooper. When a plan of Glen Williams was laid out by Jacob Williams, the street adjoining their property was named Forster. The cottage burnt down many years ago and the property is now owned by Don and Lynne Barclay (2002). This little tribute to the J.W.L. Forster and his family was compiled by J. M. Rowe, using an article by Robert Stacey in The Canadian Encyclopedia Plus (1996), (Whiskey, Revival and the Norval Methodists( by Rick Ruggle, Herald, August 8, 1984. The following internet sites were accessed in October, 2002: NEWSPAPER NOTES! Acton Free Press - 1898 There shall be light! So said the people at the ballot box last Friday by a large majority. (Acton Free Press, Nov 10, 1898) The people of Acton approved municipal expenditure to bring hydro-electricity to the Village. Electric street lights replaced the oil lamps which, although they gave a good light, were only as reliable as the lamp lighter. Apparently, he did not always attend to his employment. Electric light was also put into some churches to allow evening services and into the Beardmore factory to allow a night shift. So even in 1898 the trends of good and bad news for consumers were evident. We cannot imagine life today without electricity. - J. M. Rowe Rev. J. K. Unsworth gave a lecture at Churchill on (Acton in 1938" (Nov 24, 1898) I(m sure the advent of electricity must have inspired this theme for Rev. Unsworth(s address. My! What an interesting piece this would be to read today. Could the Reverend gentleman begin to foreshadow how radically the world would change over the next 40 years! With our advantage of hindsight, these forty years completely altered the old order. Hundreds, if not thousands of years of tradition - the way things were always done - were thrown out with the advent of this mechanical age. I(m sure he at least was spared the knowledge of what an awful tragedy humans would wreak upon themselves in the Great War. It would be very interesting to hear his talk! - J. M. Rowe While the enjoyment of skaters was at its height on Henderson(s Pond on Thanksgiving afternoon, Mr. E.J. Moore and Miss Ada Fyfe had an accident...the ice gave way suddenly. (Dec 1, 1898) The meetings in Acton called out the electors en masse. At John Barber(s meeting on Friday evening for the Liberals and Col. Kern(s on Saturday for the Conservatives the capacity of the town hall was taxed to the upmost... (Dec 8/98) Acton(s hockey club has re-organized with a rink on Henderson(s Pond. (Dec 27/98) The massive collection of negatives donated to the EHS Archives by the Acton Free Press and The Georgetown Independent include careful records of all assignments. One day we will have all of these searchable on the computer with a copy of the image. Here is a sample of what we have: Acton Free Press Negative File 1959 November Event Date Event Photographer Neg # Paper Date File # Nov. 2 Poppy Campaign - Hottenbein, Mrs. R. Johnson D. Ryder 1 Nov 5 6I Nov. 3 C. K. Browne - move to new store D. Ryder 1 Nov 5 7D Nov. 3 UNICEF Children winners D. Ryder 1 Nov 5 9B Nov. 3 Re-photo - J.H. Persons D. Milnes 1 Nov 5 7D Nov. 3 Richard Mason - wedding D. Milnes 1 Nov 5 7C Nov. 8 Rockwood Remembrance Day D. Ryder 5 Nov 12 9B Nov 9 High School Bowlers - Trudy Scott and Mrs. Hulford (large group) D. Ryder 2 Nov 12 10B Nov 10 Breaking ground for Esquesing School - Speyside D. Ryder 1 Nov 12 10A Nov 11 Acton Remembrance Service D. Ryder 7 Nov 12 9B Nov 11 Haltonville Service D. Ryder 2 Nov 12 9B Nov 13 W. Coles receives gift - Legion D. Ryder 1 Nov 19 6I Nov 13 Dr. B. D. Young - Legion Award D. Ryder 1 Nov 19 6I Nov 15 Knox Church visitation D. Ryder 2 Nov 19 6A Nov 15 St. Alban(s Visitation D. Ryder 2 Nov 19 6A Nov 16 United Church building D. Ryder 1 Nov 19 6A Nov 17 Weed essay winners D. Ryder 1 Nov 19 10A Nov 23 Candidates: G. McCutcheon, G. Beatty, L. Duby, B. Aherne, N. Braida, E. McDonald, A. Johnson & A. Field. D. Ryder 8 Nov 26 7D Nov 22 dedication of plaque - Knox Church D. Ryder 2 Nov 26 6A Nov 21 W. Middleton presentation D. Ryder 2 Nov 26 7A Nov 28 Players sign up - Minor hockey D. Ryder Dec 3 6G Dec 1 Voting Day: Amos Mason casts ballot A. Johnson & W. Cook congratulations D. Ryder 2 1 Dec 3 6M Esquesing Historical Society Newsletter 1 Esquesing Historical Society Newsletter 13