Harvey Morris Switzer, Postmaster, Magistrate, Commissioner Paymaster of the 20th Halton Rifles
Description
- Media Type
- Image
- Item Type
- Photographs
- Description
- Harvey had emigrated to Canada with his parents, William and Eliza Switzer, who had a number of sons. The family settled and cleared a farm in Albion Township. Harvey left home to work as a clerk, first to J.M. Chaffee, then at the dry goods establishment of J.A. Smith in Toronto. He moved to Palermo, Trafalgar Township, Halton County, in 1844 where he started the store which he owned until his death. Harvey was one of the prominent successful businessmen in Trafalgar Township. He was Postmaster at Palermo, a County Magistrate and Commissioner in the Court of Queen's Bench. He held the positions of Captain and Paymaster in the 20th Halton Battalion, the volunteer militia. He was a founding member of the Halton Agricultural Society which started in 1853. He was a member of the Conservative Party and also a trustee of the Hamilton and Northwestern Railway. He and his family attended St. Luke's Anglican Church in Palermo.
- Notes
- Martha was a resident of Toronto and in 1843, had married William Ritchie at St. James Cathedral. When she married Harvey, Martha was a widow. Harvey and Martha had a family of six children.
This photograph was not clearly labelled as being of Harvey Morris Switzer in the family photo album. It was labelled only as "Uncle Harvey" by the nephew of Mr. Switzer. However, the similarity to the known photograph of Harvey Morris Switzer in his 20th Halton Rifles uniform, linked in this record, seems indisputable. - Inscriptions
- Mr. Switzer is holding a pamphlet titled "Boston Maine...", possibly reflecting a connection with the Boston Maine Railroad owned by the Boston and Maine Corporation, chartered in New Hampshire in 1839 according to Wikipedia.
- Subject(s)
- Personal Name(s)
- Harvey Morris Switzer, b.October 19, 1818 in County Limerick, Ireland. Emigrated to Canada with his parents in 1832. Married Martha (Solomon) Switzer. d.October 17, 1886. Martha Solomon, b.March 19, 1817 in Cornwall, England d.January 30, 1887. Both are buried in the cemetery of St. James Cathedral, 635 Parliament St., Toronto, Ontario.
- Local identifier
- TTNS000452
- Collection
- Trafalgar Township Historical Society
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.43341 Longitude: -79.78293
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- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Recommended Citation
- Harvey Morris Switzer, Postmaster, Magistrate, Commissioner Paymaster of the 20th Halton Rifles
- Contact
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Trafalgar Township Historical Society Sponsor: Jeff Knoll, Local & Regional Councillor for Oakville Ward 5 – Town of Oakville/Regional Municipality of Halton
