6 Friday, January 12, 2024brooklintowncrier.com One of the area's more successful businessmen around the turn of the 20th century was William Holliday. At one time, he held the position of paymaster for Guy and Company of Oshawa that had constructed a grain elevator in 1892. The structure was located west of the St. Thomas' Anglican Church and south of Winchester Road, along the Whitby, Port Perry and Lindsay Railway. This line served as the primary artery for transporting hundreds of pounds of grain stored in the elevator to Whitby Harbour where it was loaded onto schooners to be shipped to ports in Ontario and the U.S. Lucrative grain business The grain trade was a lucrative business for him and he made a lot of money for the company. During harvest season, the farmers of Whitby Township brought their grain to the elevator to be sold, then headed to Holliday's general store at 58 Baldwin to receive the money owed to them. At least $1000 was paid to the farmers, which today would be the equivalent of about $100,000. In fact, retired Whitby archivist Brian Winter wrote in his book "Chronicles of a County Town" how Holliday was unable to sleep at night, his mind preoccupied with worries about the $3000 tucked beneath his pillow and the fear of being robbed. The account is entitled "Why William A. Holliday Worried While He Slept." (Used copies of Winter's book are available on Amazon.) Started young At the time, Holliday's Emporium was Brooklin's largest general store. Farmers frequented it to purchase seeds and tools or simply gather for casual chats. But on pay day, conversations sometimes became heated and it wasn't uncommon for fights to break out. The store was originally established by his father, Thomas Jackson Holliday, who had moved from Coboconk, Ontario, in 1878 to run the business. It became 20 year-old William's responsibility to oversee management after his father's death in 1889 and he managed it efficiently for many years. After the railway closed in 1941, grain was no longer shipped through Brooklin and the elevator stood empty. Businessman William Croxall bought the property to use the lower part of the elevator as a coal shed until it was demolished in 1950. Prior to this, Holliday sold the Emporium and moved to Toronto. He relocated to Whitby 13 years later and managed a hardware store on Brock Street South. Dabbled in politics Even with a busy business life in Brooklin, Holliday found time to participate in politics and public affairs. For one year, he was President of the South Ontario Liberal Association and, from 1894 to 1913, held the position of Treasurer for the Township of Whitby. The Whitby Chronicle newspaper employed him as its Brooklin correspondent and for 12 years he was Superintendent of the Presbyterian Sunday School. Holliday was also the youngest member to hold a charter membership with the Brooklin Council of the Royal Templars of Temperance, an organization advocating for moderation and abstinence from alcohol. William Holliday spent his final years living in Whitby and passed away on November 3, 1954, at the age of 88. The Man Who Slept On His Money By Jennifer Hudgins