History of the Township of Limerick From 1888 to 1954
Written by; Mrs. Thos. A. Ham
Steenburg, Ontario

About eight years or thereabouts before the above date, the parents of the writer came from Combermere and to settle down on Lot 16, Con.4, in this township of Limerick, which was then completely covered with timber, pine and maple on the high land and cedar, spruce and balsam on the low land or swamps as they were called. He cut the timber and cleared the ground to build the house, which was made of logs. The logs were hewn so as to make it smooth as possible on the inside. It was first built just a shanty, (that is a one story building) with a flat roof with very little slope. The roof being covered with what they called troughs (that is they were made of hollow logs split in two and these were laid on from front of house to back with hollow side up and then another layer was put on top of them with hollow side down over the join of first layer. There was a lot of moss used to chink all the large cracks then lime and sand was then prepared to plaster and cover the moss and level up the walls both inside and out. The barns were also made of logs but only around the stables where the stock was sheltered was the cracks filled so as to make it warm. There was many ways in those days to make a living. The timber was cut, but not for lumber. The logs were cut and hauled together by oxen in several piles which were called log heaps. They were then burned and the ashes were used for making potash. To do this they had to build a leach. To build a leach, they made a platform out of timber with a trough shape log in the middle which was about 12 or 15 feet longer at one end. Then on top of the platform was a wall about three or four feet high made also of timber and made tight enough so it wouldn’t leak much if any. This was filled with hardwood ashes. This leach would be about 10 to 12 feet long and would hold a quantity of ashes. The ashes would be hollowed out in the centre and water would be carried from a pond or swamp right at the edge of the leach and poured into the ashes. It would take a great deal of water to soak through to the bottom and start it running out this trough at the bottom at one end. An iron kettle was used to catch the lye. This was emptied in what was called a pot-ash kettle which would hold about 35 gallons and boil without boiling over. It was put over a fire and boiled down to a certain degree and made in large cakes when cooled. It was then taken to Madoc or wherever it could be sold. It was used mostly for gun powder. Single shot guns were mostly used then. A measure of this powder, a wad of paper was shoved down the gun barrel with a ram-rod. This ball of lead was made by heating and melting lead and pouring it in lead moulds for that purpose, which would soon cool and ready for another ball. Several could be made in an evening. Then a cap was used to set it off, shaped like a tiny cup put on the nipple which had a tiny hole in it to carry the powder from the cap to powder in gun when the hammer came down on it. Only one shot could be had and then the gun had to be reloaded.

The best maple trees were reserved for making sugar and syrup. Sugar weather was in the spring when the weather was beginning to warm up. Plenty of sap troughs and spoils had to be ready. The troughs were made out of balsam or spruce. The balsam made the best ones. They were made about 15 to 18 inches long and split in two. One block would make two troughs. Then the middle would have to be chopped and split till it was quite smooth. One man could make about 60 in a day. Then the spoils were made of cedar which was first sawed off in blocks about 9 inches long and split again in squares 11/2 “, then sawed, split, bored, sharpened and the hole burned with a wire. Then they were ready for use. After they were sharpened the sharpened end would fit a ¾ “ auger hole which was bored in the tree about 11/2 to 2” deep in a tree. Then these troughs were set under these spoils which carried the sap out to them. Later on buckets, lead spoils and evaporators were used. Most every planned on making their year’s sugar. The sugar weather season started so as to get 2 or 3 good runs of sap before Easter Sunday, but Easter Sunday was supposed to be the best run of the season. The season was generally about three weeks. The last run was generally used for making vinegar and a barrel full was none too much. The writer has known her parents to put away for their family made a little sugar and syrup and some large families own use, a few gallons of syrup, a barrel of vinegar and 400 lbs. of sugar each year.

It wasn’t only the men that worked in the sugar bush. The wives and every child that was big enough to carry a pail of sap was there and did their share of the work. Large hand sleighs were used by the children to scatter troughs or buckets and spoils to every tree. Tapping was done in the forenoon while the curst would hold, as the snow was very deep in those days, from 2 to 4 feet and sometimes more. Very often had to shovel by hand the road in to the bush ahead of the oxen or horses, whatever it might be. No snow-ploughs then like there is today. If there was an odd one it was made by the men for their own use out of wide, thick planks.

For the early years oxen were used instead of horses. Oxen didn’t wear a harness like horses do. They just wore what was called an ox-yoke which went over the back of both the oxens’ necks and a bow that went under their neck and up through the yoke and fastened above the yoke with a pin. Then there was a large iron ring hung down from centre of yoke for the end of the wagon or sleight tongue to hang in. Then to draw the load there was a chain fastened to end of tongue and wrapped around tongue once and back to sleigh or wagon. The oxen were called a yoke of oxen, not a team.

Another way to make a living was from the cows. They used to food. There was no cheese factories or butter factories in Limerick at that time. The first cheese factory was built about the year between 1885 and 1900 at the four corners. On the south-east corner. It burned and one was then built on the south-west corner later, but can’t remember the year.

Butter was sold at 25 cents a lb. And sometimes lower. Eggs were sold for 10 and 15 cents a doz. But on the other hand a bag of flour could be bought for $1.90 and sugar could be bought for from 25 to 30lb. for $1.00.

There was a farmer on nearly every 100 acres along the main road from north of Ormsby to south end or 1st concession and along every side road. There is quite a number of acres of Government land in the township, especially north of Salmon Lake. The Township was made up of 100 acres, more or less, lots, except on the west side of the Township, where they were mapped out in grants of 50 acres more or less as they bordered the Old Hastings road, which was very crooked.

The farmers raised quite a lot of grain in those days. Mostly wheat, barely, oats and buckwheat. There was a sawmill and Grist Mill all under the same roof in St. Ola, run by water power from Beaver Creek. The sawmill was first operated by a man by the name of Canniff and the grist mill was operated by Timothy Solmes. The mill burned down and Canniff not being able financially to rebuild, Mr. P.P. Clark took over and built a more modern mill, with a circular saw, the. The first saw in the first mill was an upright saw. The Grist mill was then handled by his father-in-law, Mr. Wm. Morton. The farmers would take their wheat to the mill and get it ground into flour. The flour was a little dark but made good bread. The oats was fed to horses, the barley was ground at the mill for pigs and the buckwheat was fed to the hens.

Most every farmer raised his own pork, which was the principal meat in those days. The fat pigs were killed in the fall and cut up and salted and packed down in barrels. A large family would reckon on about two barrels of pork for the winter. Some large families would also kill and cut up in quarters a good fat beef and hang it up where it would freeze and stay frozen, probably in the grainary. I can remember when the grain was cut by hand, that is, with a cradle, but had to be swung with the arms, same as a scythe and snath. It was just the same only had a number of what was called fingers to carry the grain around to left side of the person and lay in a swath. Then it was raked in bunches and tied with a handful of the straw made in a rope and fastened around it so as not to fall apart. Then it was picked up by hand and stood up together in what was called stooks until it was perfectly dry. Then it was drawn into the barn with horses and wagon. When all the season’s grain was in the barn the threshing machine would start out and the men would change works with their neighbours till the threshing was all finished in the settlement. The threshing machines in those days were run by horse power, taking 5 team of horses to run it. The cleaner didn’t have a blower on it until in later years so it took more men to handle the straw. There used to be a family living on nearly every hundred acres in the township, except the Government land, and they all raised enough grain to thresh.

And then for a winter job a little later, the timber began to move. The Rathburn Co., which had deeded land cut and landed the pine and large cedar or most of it on the lakes above St. Ola, and brought it down to the dam in booms and ran it through Beaver Creek and on down the rivers to Deseronto. The Gilmour Company also cut a quantity of timber and ran it down the same creek and Trent River to Trenton. After the big timber was cut Rathburn Company sold some of their land to farmers for a low price. The farmers also cut their pine and large cedar and sold to these companies. Later they cut cedar for ties, balsam and spruce for pulp. That was after the railroad was built somewhere around 1880. The smaller cedar was cut for fence posts for railraod purposes. After the railroad was built the posts, pulp and ties were very much in demand. Sometimes the women helped in getting the timber out, especially if boys were scarce in a family. About the year 1894 ties sold for 10 cents a piece, posts as low as 21/2 cents each and pulp $3.00 a cord.

Sheep were also kept by farmer. In the spring, soon as the water warmed up a little the sheep were drove to a creek or pond and herded by some of the family while two of the family led one at a time out into the water and they were washed. They were then drove into a clean pasture till their wool was perfectly dry, then drove into the barn and sheared. That is, clipped off close to the hide as possible with the shears, somewhat like scissors only very large. The women would make picking wool bees. That is, a number of women (perhaps a dozen or fifteen.) They would pick the wool, such as pull it to pieces in handfuls until all the dirt would fall out. Then it was piled up in large piles and greased by sprinkling with warm tallow and pitched over and over again with pitch forks until all was evenly greased. The wool was sometimes carded and spun at home into yarn, but when a person was able it was taken to Madoc and Bancroft to the Woollen Mill, and sometimes made in rolls for spinning at home and sometimes into yarn or made into flannel.

Some of the families had looms of their own. I remember of three in the township, Mrs. Donley, that lived on the north side of the road at the top of what is called the Donley Hill. She owned a loom. Then Mrs. Sam Badgley who lived in Greenbush where Charlie Baker now lives had a loom, also Mrs. Chas. Baragar who lived on the farm where Frank Robbins now lives, owned a loom and she did a wonderful lot of weaving, flannels of every description, plain or stripped, also crazy cotton table-cloths and bed spreads, rag carpets, and lovely all-wool carpets. The children were mostly clothed in home-made flannel, and the mothers also wore flannel dresses and petticoats. Mens’ shirts and drawers were also made of the flannel. The beds were also supplied with the flannel, in both sheets and quilts.

In those days the threshing was done by horse power machines which were run by five team of hoses. An open cylinder which was only about one-third the size of what is used today. It took more men to handle the straw and grain then as there was no blower on the machine. Before these machines came out the men used to thresh the grain by hand, that is, they would clean off the barn floor and put a layer of the grain in sheeves or loose about a foot thick on the floor and pound the grain out with a phail on one side, then turn it over with pitch forks and pound it again till all the grain was pounded out on the floor. Sometimes those who owned horses would drive a team around on the grain and their feet would pound the grain out. When this was done the straw would be pitched up in a different mow, and the grain would be taken up off the floor and put into a fanning mill, which was turned by hand with a crank. There were wings and seives inside and when it was started up the wings began to turn and the seives went back and forth. The fan blew the chaff and dirt out the back and the seives carried the grain to the front where it piled up and was scooped up and put into bags and carried into the grainery and empties in bins ready for use. The drawers underneath caught the grass-seed. Then later came the machine which was run by a steam engine instead of horses and still later on the machine that is used today. There isn’t much threshing done today as the people don’t do as much farming.

There weren’t many stores in this township in the early days and away back about in 1880 a man by the name of Gil Solmes carried a bag of flour on his shoulder from Millbridge to his home near Bass Creek. There were only two schools in the township till about 1890 or thereabouts when Greenbush school was built. The lime for the foundation of that school was manufactured in a lime kiln only a few rods from where the school now stands. A man by the name of Sam Carnell burnt the lime and made it ready for the foundation. The first school house was called Hamm’s school which is school section 4 near what is known as Ham’s Corners, and was a log school and stood in the south-west corner of the old cemetery and John Ballard was the teacher. Then the little brown school was built on the same foundation where Mrs. Bird is now living, just west and over the fence of the old cemetery. John Ballard first lived at top of Donley Hill on south side of the road and after the new school was built he moved in the old log school house and taught in the new. That’s where we old people of today got our education. Then in 1914 the new brick school was built where the children of today are getting their education.

The Bancroft railroad was built about between the year 1900 and 1905, starting at Ormsby Junction, which is about two miles from what used to be the village and station of Ormsby. At one time Ormsby had two hotels, two stores ad two churches. The churches are still there but the hotels are gone. One was run by a Mr. Culbertson and the other by Sam Stanleck. One store was kept by John McKenzie and the other by Weavers. Later on one store was torn down and the other was run by Will Park. His daughter, Jean, is till in charge.

The highway was built through this township in 1935 and until then traffic was made on an old road form Millbridge through what was called the ten mile woods or on what is called the old Hastings Road, which is the west boundary. The Township of Limerick is made up of 100 acre lots except on the west side which is in 50 acre grants, more or less, as the road is the boundary and crooked. The roads were kept up in the early days by the township. Every tax payer did two days statute labor, or in other words, did two days work without pay and then he could work on the road to pay his taxes. The road from the railroad in Greenbush, going west to where Enoch Reid lived, was always called the 50 cent road. This road crosses the highway west of Greenbush and when it was built the men worked for 50 cents a day. Wages were very low at that time and a common wage was about $1.00 a day.

Jim Rankin used to live about two miles or thereabouts north of Ormsby but moved out a few years ago and Clarence Gunter is now on the farm. The first school in Ormsby burned and a more modern one erected. There was a man by the name of McKillican lived along the old Hastings Road and now some of his sons live near Ormsby along the road coming out to the highway. A number of new homes have been built and new settlers along that road which is past my knowledge. Some of the old ones are Gunters, Parks and Palmateers. At one time there were Swayne’s, Boomhour, Menzies, Brinklow’s, McDonald’s ad Parks’. From the highway on south side along the old road is where Ruben King lived, his son, Albert, and now his grandson, Eddie. There is a road going west from Eddie King’s, that goes through to the railroad which is called Ormsby Jct. Fred Baker was the operator in that station for some time and after his death, his daughter, Mrs. Goodmurphy, handled it until it burned, and never was rebuilt. Starting from the railroad was Chas. Steenburg and a little south on the hill was his father, Anson Steenburg, who had two daughters, Seleena and Maud. They were both smart at playing the organ and in fact Seleena taught music lessons. Then after they left Damon King lived in one house and Bill King lived just a short distance from him. Then on out old Mr. Anson Reid, then his son, Anson. On a little farther, Saul Parks, on opposite side of the road, and over the hill and a little west John Hailstone lived. One Sunday morning he shot his wife. She didn’t fall but walked quietly out of the house with the family of two or three girls following her, and she walked to Saul Parks’. After she had gone a short distance she heard another shot. Fearing it was at her again she never turned around. Later a search party war formed and around 4pm the party found he had shot himself and lay dead in his own door yard. She lived for six months after and died from the effects. Anson Reid’s wife, Jr., was a daughter and is still living. Then there was another son, Wesley, who lived near. Later Irvin Reid lived next on north side of road, who married Wm. Embury’s oldest daughter, who was killed by a bull. He married again in the near future. Then a little farther south from Eddie King’s was where Elisha Sargent owned a saw mill. Then his son, Timothy, owned it later and lived there for some time. Greeenbush comes next. Where Ernie Ricks now lives I well remember when Mark Mawson came and built a fine log house and when finished moved his wife and only son at that time into the new house. He was section foreman for a number of years. That same little son and his wife lived in the same house and his wife taught school in the Greenbush school. Just across the railroad is where Wm. Fraser used to live. And over the hill west is where George Rosebush lived, not far from the highway and along 50 cent road. Where Les Robbins now lives is where old Mr. Vandervoort lived, then his son, Fred, and then Saul Robbins, Les’s father. On out along the road is where Stan Robbins now lives and his mother is where Charlie Mawson built the house and lived for a short time. Up on the hill east is where Neil Palmer lives. Next house is where Jim Phillips owned and lived for some time, but before he lived there I remember Don Sargent, Peter Tripp, Addison Polmateer and probably more but I can’t remember them all. Then across the road is where Wm. Embury, Sr., and his son, Wm., lives. The next house is where Harvie Polmateer lived until his death and then Miss Jennie Embury, Mr. Wm. Embury’s sister, lived for a short season. On down the road is where Clarence Jones lives.

Then comes the turn into Mud Bay, the foot of Salmon Lake where a Mr. Hyatt has a summer resort. Then comes Bass Creek bridge which I can remember being burned twice, which was at first just a wooden bridge. Later a cement bridge was built. Then comes the gravel pit where Charlie Mawson lost his life when it caved in on him. Then comes the Charlie Baragar place where Frank Robbins now lives. A family by the name of John Lawerence used to live just across the road up on the hill. They moved to the States. Later a Mr. White lived there. Later on the house burned. At the south-east corner of the Frank Robbins place a road turns in to where old uncle Peter Wright and his son-in-law, Gilbert Solmes, lived. I forgot to mention that after Greenbush school, where Charlie Baker now lives, is where Sam Badgley used to live, and across the road where Mrs. Eddie Polmateer lives is where Sam Solmes used to live, later Mrs. Robbins.

A little south of the corner is what we call the new cemetery. The first man buried in that was Enock Reid, about the year 1915. On the south end of that lot where Frank Carrol now lives is where John Kemp lived, then Norman Phillips, and then Tom Sargent. On the lot west of that is where Allie Reid lived. After his wife and two children died he left and shortly after the house was burned. Tom Sargent’s son, Lonnie, married and built the house that is now standing and lived there for a short time. Later Peter Tripp purchased the farm and also the 100 acres, west where Bob Reid used to live, then Orn Sargent. Peter Tripp’s two sons still own the 200 acres. Next is where Tom McCormick now lives. Charlie King lived there one time and a Mr. Cross a short time. The little bungalow just south of there is where Cecil Carrol lives but owned by Harry Carrol. Geo. Burkitt built the house and lived there a short time. Just below McCormick’s house is the Fair Corners. That east and west road is the concession line. There is two Fair lots, a road going north between the two. Marshal Fair lived on the west 100 and John Fair on the east 100 acres. That road goes north the length of the lot and then out in the field up the hill to John Burkitt’s, but where years ago Eber Conley lived, Dwight Sleeper and John Trumble lived. The Fairs also moved to the U.S. same time as John Lawerence, then out the main road is where Pat Plumbe lives where Jim Ham used to live, and then we go over to Murphy’s Corners.

There weren’t many settlers on that line in the early days. There was Murphy, Archie McGregor and Powers. Powers lived at the head of Bass Lake, the first house along the lake shore. Then Jimmie Lyttle built and cleaned that land where Ed Reid used to live. Harry Fitzgibbon and Mrs. Joe Lydiatt also lived at the head of the lake. Dave Conley owned and lived where later on Dick Brett lived.

There are many cottage now along the shores and on the islands of Bass Lake, too numerous to mention. About half a mile east of Bass Lake is where Gill Reid lived. His son, Daniel Reid, lived on next 100 acres east. After his death Tommie Dafoe bought the property and lived there for sometime. Recently is has been sold to the Mawsons. On the 1st Con. from Bass Lake East, a man by the name of Sargent Bowen lived and owned the land out to where Stephen Neil lived. Then up on the hill was where Johnny Phillips built a log house and lived there for a short time, and then Dave Sargent owned it and lived there a number of years. He was section foreman for many years. I think it is now in the hands of Mr. Priest.

At one time there was a house on the north side of road from Dave Sargent’s ad a man by the name of Jack Godfrey lived there. Later on Alex McKenzie lived there. No house there now. A little on south side of road is where Fletcher Sargent lived a short time. Later Dave Sargent. His father and mother lived there until his death last December. Lately a Mr. Duquette, a former pastor of this United Church, has purchased the little bungalow for his summer vacation.

Then comes the highway where Dave Mawson built and owns a beautiful house and store combined. Up the highway about one and a half mile on the west side is where George Reid lived for many years. The property is now owned by the Mawson’s. On the east side of the highway and railroad is where Alex McKenzie lived for a number of years. Later Archie Polmateer purchased it and still owns it.

Down under the hill, close to railroad, is where a boarding house stood to accommodate the workmen while railroad was being built. Matt Fraser and wife ran the boarding house. Just a few roads east of Mawson’s store is the railroad. It used to be called the C.O.R. but was bought over by the C.N.R. The station at this crossing is called St. Ola Station. Just south of this crossing a few roads on west side of track is where Sid Steenburg used to live. He is the man that started the first post office, which was named after him, and who built a small store and did a good business with his little store and post office for a number of years. After his death a Mr. Camby purchased it and ran the same business for a short time. Then Bert Weller took it over for a few years and then Dave Mawson purchased it and lived there until he built on the corner at the highway. There used to be an old station which stood just south of the crossing road and when the new station was built the old one was moved back a short distance east and repaired and made into a house where a Mr. Sprung lived for a short time. Also Howard Letts lived there a short time.

On east a short distance is where Joe Steenburg lived, and where Annie Fitzgibbon now lives. Another small house east is where Mr. Daniels lives. Just across the road is where another John Phillips lived, a cousin of the first John. Archie Carrol now occupys the house. On the south side of the road in 1st Con. a man by the name of Gustus Moore owned 200 acres east of the railroad and lived in a little log hut back away form the road. The next 100 acres was owned by Jim Moore but moved out to Rawdon the year the railroad was built and then Thos. S. Ham owned it till the year 1900, when his nephew, Thos. A. Ham, owned it for a few years. Dwight Sleeper lived on it for a while when it was vacated. Thos. S. owned the next one hundred acres east also, and lived on the south end of the lot.

Back to the north side of the road where Harold Palmateer now lives is where Wm. Phillips lived on the south end of the lot, and Jake Kemp lived in the log shanty on the north end of same place. Pat Plumb lives on the old Jim Ham place of 200 acres. After Jim Ham died his son Alfred and daughter, Eleda, lived there. Alfred married and died there and then it fell in the hands of Pat Plumbe, his adopted son.

Jim Ham was clerk of the township for 27 years without a break. Never went to school only nine days in his life and could write with both hands at once. From the four corners which was always called Ham’s Corners, there was a cheese factory built on the south east corner between the years 1885 and 1900. It was run first by two girls by the name of Dewey. It didn’t run very long, perhaps 2, 3, or 4 years and burned. A little later on the ratepayers got together and made a bee and raised another factory on the south-west corner. That is on the north end of Thos. S. Ham’s lot. That factory was run a number of years. I think Sam McTaggart was the first cheese maker and Fred Remington was the next. Finally the butter factorys came into operation in Madoc and Bancroft and the milk was gathered up by truck and made into butter. The factory dwindled down to nothing and later was used for a residence.

Farming has dwindled too and today there are very few cows found in the township. The next building on the south side of the road is the brick school which was built in the year about 1913 and 1914. It was built on the lot owned first by Peter Embury. Later Allen Brown lived there and was section foreman for a few years. Different ones have lived there since and now it is owned by Mrs. Gorden King. Next 100 acres is where Albert Embury owned and cleaned the land. He moved to the west and since then Jef Caverley, Wm. Brinklow, Harry Sleeper, and now Thos. A. Ham. The next lot east is the Wm. Casement lot which is left without house or barn. Next lot is owned by Tom Carrol. 

Now back to the four corners on north side of road. Lawerence Conley lived there, then his son George. Percy Palmateer for a short time and then T. A. Ham lived there and owned it for over 20 years. Now Bert Carrol owns it and lives there. The next house is Mrs. Clara Reid’s. The house is built on the old foundation of the little old brown school. The next lot is where Christopher Wright owned the 100 acres. Left it to his son, Vean, and he sold it to John Phillips, Sr., who lived there a number of years. Then John Longmuir, and next was Marsh Drinkwater’s and now Billie Baker owns it and lives there. The next 100 acres is where High Phillips lived, then Isobad Charlon, and Mrs. Welsh and at present Mrs. Joy Sharpe owns a portion of the land near the road. On the next lot up on the hill across form Tom Carrol is where old Mr. John Burkitt lived, later his son George. Then Jack Neil owned it for a few years. Again the place has been bought and the house has lately been torn down. On the next lot on the south side again is where old Mr. Winfield lived, then Mr. Astleline and Timothy Hines.

Now comes the Donley place on north side of road. The first man lived there to my memory was Mr. Plumley and kept a little grocery store, and he was the first man in the township to sell white sugar. Then the Donley’s lived there a number of years and raised a big family with a pair of twins which they named Adam and Eve. They moved to the States. I don’t remember what happened the house but there is none there now. A few years ago Wm. Ham, oldest son of Jim, and unmarried, purchased the farm and lived alone on north end of farm in a small shack. He died nearly four years ago at his nephew’s, Harry Ham in Gunter.

Now comes the village of St. Ola. On the north side on the south-west corner of next lot is where James Wood lives. He was our United pastor for 12 years, when he retired. The next is the Orange Hall and the church and parsonage. Then where Harvie Phillips lives is where Joe Baker once lived. Mrs. Hannah king lives next where Gill Solmes once lived, and then Dannon King. Next is where Phil Embury lives. Jim Sargent lived there before Emburys. The next house was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Lennon and daughters, Jessie and Christian. Jessie taught school in the little brown school. Later she married Robt. Bradley, who died and left three children. The school was given again to Mrs. Bradley and she taught two of her own children. After her father and husband died she and her mother moved west and she again taught school. After a few years and her children grew up and gone she was left alone. She returned to this place again and married German Baragar, only son of Chas. Baragar. The next house was where Bill Hubbs and many others lived later. These last two houses burned at one time when Mrs. Milton Wilcox lived in one. Merton Ham bought the Hubbs lot and built a new house where he now lives. The next house was owned by P.P. Clark and several lived there when later Wm. Ham bought and then sold to Archie Stephens. The Old Clark house where P.P. Clark lived and had a store attached which has been torn down and where Richard Wood now lives. Next house is Jim Phillips’, who moved in the village about a year ago from Greenbush. On the south side of road beginning from up on the hill is Ted Sprackett, then Clarence Thompson, where Ed Green built and lived there first. Next is Allen Carrol where Dr. Trusdale built the house and lived for a few years and helped a good many sick folk. Then Timothy Sargent owned it later and built a store and was store keeper same time as P.P. Clark. Later after their death a nephew, Wesley Green, purchased the same store and was merchant for a few years when fire destroyed it. Just a few roads down is where Richard Wood built and owns a new store. Next and on a back street is where Artimas Wilcox lived, also Arthur Casement and now Harry Phillips lives. Next is a little shop where Pil Embury’s son, Albert, built and worked for a short time. Next is a blacksmith shop that was owned by John Morton, and lived in next house. His first wife, Maggie Gothard, was my first teacher in 1884. On the next lot is where the old boarding house stood which Clark owned and was run by different ones. After P.P. Clark’s death the boarding house was torn down and Albert Embury son of Phil, being a carpenter, built a new house on the same foundation and lived there for a while and moved to Belleville. His wife was one of our teachers. Mr. Cephas Stephens is now living there.

Next is Beaver Creek where the old mill stood and was run by water power, controlled by a timber dam at the foot of Gull Lake which in after years was replaced by a good cement dam. The mill burned and the last few years the dam is used to raise the water to accommodate the tourists going to and from Salmon Lake, where there are somewhere around 50 or 60 cottages. Then across the creek is where Mr. Wm. Morton lived, father-in-law of P.P. Clark and father of John Morton. He ran the Grist mill for a number of years. Then the next place is where Issibed Charlon lived years ago and where several others lived, namely, Will Longmuir, W.B. Greer, Irvin Moore, and several others lived and where Marley Sargent and his daughter Dorothy now live. Next house is vacant at present but where Earl Reid lived before his death last spring. On a mile further is where Riley Palmer lived, then Matthew Moore and now his son Raymond Moore. Another mile further is Arthur Dionne, and the last of all is a house on each side of road where two brothers live, Ross and Alfred Palmateer, but before them Cole Watt lived in on and later Will Polmateer. On the other side Sandy Jones lived, and that is all the settlers on this side of boundry except on down south on Lot 1, Con. 1. Frank Hazzard lived years ago, also Jimmie Wellman who lived a little north, perhaps on next Con.

Well I remember years ago when we used to sit in the evenings by the old coal oil lamps and knit socks and mittens for sale. Sometimes the coal oil would run short and we would have to use candles which our mothers made from the fat from the sheep which was rendered and run into candle moulds. This grease was called mutton tallow. A large cord was first put through the moulds and was left an inch or so longer than the mould. Then the tallow would be run into these moulds hot and when cool would be ready for use. The socks and mittens would be sold for about 40 cents a pair.

This is the end of this history to date. The writer is only 77 (1954) years young and memory is failing. Have forgotten more than has been written.




Printed by The Bancroft Times, Bancroft, Ont.