By Ashley Harper Note: This post has been updated to reflect additional information provided to the author. When digging on your own property, you rarely find anything noteworthy - perhaps some interesting rocks or bits of pottery or glass bottles, discarded and forgotten long ago. Maybe even some old coins if you're lucky. One never expects to find a skull, much less an entire skeleton. But that is precisely what happened on the morning of 26 August 1997. Construction workers on the farm of Clifford Howse (Lot 21, Con. 8 in Mountain Township) were digging in order to build a coverall shelter when they unearthed a human skull. Using a backhoe, the remainder of a skeleton was revealed. It rested just three and a half feet below the surface, hands folded atop its ribcage, with its feet pointed to the east and head pointed to the west - typical for a Christian burial. The Ontario Provincial Police were contacted, and they, in turn, informed the Dundas County Coroner, Dr. Gabriel Slowey of Chesterville. At the suggestion of the Cemeteries Branch of the Ontario Government, the police enlisted the help of anthropologists Dr. Lynda Wood and Janet Young (later Dr. Young) of the Canadian Museum of Civilization (now the Canadian Museum of History). Drs. Wood and Young assisted with the excavation of the remains, and in the process found remnants of a coffin, including handles, screws, nails, and other hardware. The skeleton was bagged, bone by bone, to be examined along with the coffin parts, then the surrounding ground was searched carefully to collect any other fragments from the grave. The presence of a coffin ruled out a suspicuous death, and the type of hardware indicated that it was a historic burial. But who was this person? When did they die? Why were they buried on a farm and not in a cemetery? The last question, at least, could be answered fairly easily. Prior to the establishment of public cemeteries in this area during the mid-1800s, burial on one's own property was pretty common. A family would choose a location away from the fields to prevent the site from being disturbed - usually a front or side yard, sometimes called an "orchard", where their loved ones could rest in peace. Many of these graves were never marked, and some were never mentioned to younger members of the family. That, along with land changing hands over the years, means that most of these family burial grounds have been forgotten. Of course, this is not the case for all home burials. Some, like the Coyne Family Cemetery in Connaught and the Hummel Family Cemetery in Chesterville, contain gravemarkers and have been maintained to some degree, usually by family, volunteers, the municipality, or a combination of these groups. Even after public cemeteries began popping up in North Dundas, like Maple Ridge Cemetery, South Mountain Union Cemetery, and Ormond Cemetery (all founded in 1866), some people continued to be buried at home until this practice largely fell out of use near the end of the 19th century.
He had helped countless people with their historical enquiries, so it made sense to approach him for this investigation. He soon came back to the constable with a name: Margaret Ellen Belway. Margaret Belway was sixth child and youngest daughter of William Belway and Eliza McKeen. She was born around 1874, likely on the family farm at Lot 20, Con. 8 in Mountain Township, directly west of the Howse Farm. Her father had owned part of the east half of that lot since 1868, having purchased it from his father, Joseph Belway.
Did the remains belong to Margaret? She was a child, much like the skeleton, and her family had lived on the farm at the time of her death. But there was no record of her burial there, and Drs. Wood and Young had yet to complete their analysis, so there had been no conclusions reached about the age or sex of the child. Dr. Slowey, however, was convinced. Confident in his conclusion, he gave an interview to the Winchester Press. "Through local records as well as those from Toronto and the assistance of local historian Clarence Cross, it was determined that the remains are that of Margaret Ellen Belway, who died on October 22, 1881 of diphtheria," Press reporter Sandra Dillich wrote. But there was one major problem: Margaret Belway already had a headstone, and it wasn't at the Howse Farm. It was at Brown's Cemetery, a small, public burial ground nestled away off Main Street West in nearby Winchester. Ena Belway and her son Lyle were quick to point this out. At 91 years old, Ena had been born long after Margaret's death, but her father-in-law James Belway, Margaret's brother, had been fourteen when it happened. They maintained that Margaret was buried at Brown's, not on the farm.
Based on the child's teeth, Drs. Wood and Young estimated that the child was about five to six years old. This was corroborated by the state of the occipital and atlas bones (the base of the skull and first vertebra in the neck, respectively), which indicated a child older than five but younger than seven. Characteristics of other vertebrae and the length of the long bones matched this estimate. Because the child was so young, its sex could not be determined. This meant that Margaret, who died at the age of eight years, was too old to be the child found on the Howse Farm. But where did that leave the investigation? Remember, the bones were not the only remains collected from the burial site. Parts of the coffin, including handles and various bits of hardware, were also found and transported to the lab.
Analysis of coffin hardware was a relatively new effort being undertaken in Ontario. First, Drs. Wood and Young looked at the shape of the coffin. Because it was rectangular, rather than hexagonal, it could be assumed that the burial was made after about 1850, when that shape of coffin was introduced. The white metal screw and tack covers used to close the coffin lid post-date 1860, while the lack of stamped tin screw and tack covers led them to believe the burial pre-dated 1871, as a mixture of white metal and tin covers would likely have been used post-1871. In summary, Drs. Wood and Young determined that this skeleton belonged to a five to six year old child (sex unknown) who was buried between 1860 and 1871. So, both the remains and the coffin heavily contradicted the Margaret Belway conclusion. It was time to hit the books once more. The first step was to return to the Land Registry records, which Clarence Cross had used in his original search. Land registries document the transfer of land between parties, noting the registration date, the type of instrument (wills, purchases, transfers, etc.), and what piece of land it affects. The records for Lot 21, Con. 8 of Mountain Township indicate that William Belway purchased the land from John Robinson in 1880. The Robinson children were dismissed as possible candidates because, although the three children listed in the 1881 Census did have significant age gaps (which could indicate the birth of an additional child that had since died), it would not fit the pre-1871 timeframe. In addition, the Robinsons didn't purchase the land until the mid 1870s, which itself contradicts the 1860 to 1871 estimate. This dismissal was also supported by the fact that no death records could be found for any Robinson children between 1874 and 1880. So, they had to look back even further. John Robinson had purchased the land in two parts: first, he bought all but ten acres of the west half of the lot from Thomas Veitch in 1874, then the remaining ten acres from Adam Veitch in 1875. The Veitch family had resided there since 1852, when Thomas Veitch Sr. purchased the entire lot from James West. In 1857, the west half of the lot was transferred to Thomas Veitch Jr. as stipulated in Thomas Sr.'s will. Ten acres were sold to Thomas Jr.'s brother Adam in 1866. Another brother, Samuel, lived on the east half of the lot. In 1871, all three of the Veitch brothers had young children, so it was necessary to look carefully at each family. For a child to be a likely candidate, they would have to have been born between 1854 and 1866, which would account for a five- or six-year-old child to have died between 1860 and 1871.
Thomas's family, however, was more promising; the 1871 Census showed six children being born between 1859 and 1870, with a four-year gap between daughter Margaret (born 1859) and son Thomas (born 1863). Drs. Wood and Young suggested that this could indicate that a child was born between Margaret and Thomas (about 1861), who could have died at the age of six around 1867, prior the 1871 Census. The issue with their suggestion, however, is that birth dates and ages in Census data are not always reliable. Thomas was actually born around 1860, having been one year old at the time of the 1861 Census - this would close the gap between Margaret and Thomas to one year. Several sources also suggest that Jane was born in 1863 or 1864 rather than 1865, making about a three-year gap between Thomas, Jane, and the next child, David (born 1866). This would still make Drs. Wood and Young's suggestion possible, though somewhat less likely. Last was the family of Adam Veitch. There were four children in the 1871 Census, born between 1865 and 1870, all of which were accounted in the next census a decade later. Adam and Harriet were married sometime after the 1861 Census, but an exact date is unknown. However, due to their ages (both were 31), it would have been possible for a child to have been born prior to Rachael in 1865.
Daniel met two key criteria: he was the right age and died during the estimated period. He died of an accidental gunshot, and although the bones did not show any damage that would indicate a gunshot wound, it may have been a flesh wound that led to death by infection or blood loss. But who was Daniel Veitch? How was he connected to the Veitch family of Lot 21? His death record did not note the names of his parents, as that was not required at the time. No birth record existed, either - much like death records, the province did not collect that data until 1869, and Daniel was born around 1864. Becuase his death record stated that he was a Presbyterian, Drs. Wood and Young looked for parish records for St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Winchester. However, baptismal records for that time period no longer existed. In addition to collecting data on the living, 1871 Census included a "Nominal Return of Deaths within the last twelve months", which gave the name, age, and cause of death of the deceased, among other things. But it did not give any parental information. Drs. Wood and Young stated that data compiled by the Ontario Historical Society (OHS) from the 1871 Census indicated that Daniel was the son of Adam and Harriet (Brown) Veitch. This data also stated that Emma was their daughter, but this is known to be false: while Emma did not have a birth record, her twin sister Elly did, which clearly gave her parents as Thomas and Rachel Veitch. So, although the data used from the OHS does have errors, the conclusion about Daniel Veitch is supported by other factors. First, it is unlikely that he was the son of Samuel or Thomas Veitch due to the dates of birth of their known children. Samuel had daughters born in 1863 and 1865, while Thomas had a daughter born around 1863 or 1864. Adam, Samuel, and Thomas's other brothers were not married until after the 1871 Census. An additional hint may be found in Daniel's name: although it does not prove anything, it is interesting to note that the father of Harriet Brown Veitch was Daniel Brown. It was very common at the time to name children after their grandparents.
However, they were later successful in using mtDNA to connect Daniel to a local resident, Estella Rose of Mountain Township. Through her maternal line, Mrs. Rose is the great-granddaughter of Jane Brown, whose sister Harriet was the mother of Daniel Veitch. As a result, it can definitively be said that the remains belong to Daniel Veitch. Drs. Wood and Young had used a combination of science and good old fashioned detective work to solve this mystery and close the case. With the analysis complete and a confident identification achieved, there was one more issue to take care of: reburial. He couldn't be re-interred at the Howse Farm, so where would he go? He had no immediate family buried in Dundas County, as his parents and siblings had moved to the Muskoka area sometime between 1871 and 1881, possibly around 1875 when Adam Veitch sold his piece of land to John Robinson. In the end, he was interred at Brown's Cemetery in Winchester sometime in 1998. It was close to the former Veitch farm, and Daniel's paternal grandfather, Thomas Veitch, had a gravestone at that cemetery. Although his mother's maiden name was Brown, she does not appear to be related to Robert Brown, who established the cemetery on his property in 1869. Estella Rose took on the responsibility of ensuring Daniel was reburied and given a proper gravemarker. It is a simple flat stone bearing his name, years of birth and death, and when he was unearthed and reburied, along with the names of his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Rose held a small service at the cemetery with their local minister. The corrected identification of the remains was never reported in the local newspapers, and the incorrect statement that they belonged to Margaret Belway was re-published in the Winchester Press' "Remember When" column in 2007 and 2017. Daniel Veitch's life was tragically cut short 153 years ago. Because he lived during a period between census records and near the beginning of the province's collection of vital records (births/marriages/deaths), there was very little evidence of his existence prior to his skelton being unearthed on a rural farm in late summer, 1997. Only a death record and a nominal return of his death in the 1871 Census remained, which is not that uncommon for those who died young in this locality prior to late-1800s. Now, he has a permanent memorial that will allow his memory to live on. But today, twenty-five years after his gravestone was erected, it can no longer be found in Brown's Cemetery. It has not been moved, nor has it been destroyed - rather, it is hidden by overgrown bushes and trees. Brown's Cemetery has a long history of neglect, but an upcoming effort by the Township of North Dundas has the potential to remedy this ongoing issue. One of the major resources used to write this story was "Historical Skeletal Remains from Dundas County, Ontario: A Cautionary Tale Concerning Individual Identification", written by Drs. Lynda S. Wood and Janet Young following their analysis of Daniel Veitch's remains. You can read this paper for free through the Northeast Historical Archaeology Journal, which originally published the paper in 1998. Here is the link: https://orb.binghamton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1159&context=neha Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that mitochondrial DNA was successfully used after Drs. Wood and Young's article was published to link the remains to a living relative and therefore positively identify Daniel Veitch, and that the reburial of the remains and erection of a gravestone were undertaken by said relative, Estella Rose. Many thanks to Mrs. Rose for contacting us with this correction.
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By Ashley Harper Last week, on Wednesday 6 July 2022, residents of Morewood and the surrounding area gathered to mark a monumental occasion: the 101st anniversary and rededication of the Morewood Cenotaph. The stone likeness of Captain Ernest J. Glasgow towered over the crowd from atop the memorial as the evening's speakers recounted the monument's history and praised the community for coming together to maintain it.
Before the monument could be made and installed, the Memorial Association needed somewhere to put it. In fall of 1919, they purchased part of Concession 11, Lot 18 in Winchester Township from Morton Hunter at a cost of $500. A copy of the original deed can be found at the end of this article. With a location secured, the creation of the monument progressed. The stone for the foundation portion was sourced from Stanstead, Quebec and the granite for the statue came from Barre, Vermont. It's unclear who sculpted the Glasgow statue—it may have been Canadian sculptor Tait McKenzie, one of the many Italian sculptors in Barre, Vermont, or someone else entirely.
Sadly, only four of the five founders of the Cenotaph Committee would live to see the monument unveiled—just over six months before it was dedicated, Ezra Countryman died of heart failure on Christmas morning. Two other founders, Allan Smirle and Hector Carruthers, remained members of the committee for decades until their deaths in 1961 and 1972, respectively. Both men witnessed some of the changes that the memorial underwent.
This $70,000 project consisted of a variety of tasks, including cleaning the monument; straightening and re-securing the original brass tablet; replacing the existing flagpole; widening the stone pathway to increase accessibility; burying the wiring from lights used to illuminate the memorial; and adding a name plate for Maurice Cheney, a WWI soldier who was not included on the original monument. The biggest task, however, was erecting 21 black granite monuments around the original cenotaph (10 to the east, 10 to the west, and one to the north). Each marker measures 10 inches square and 40 inches high.
The last black monument stands as a tribute to all those who returned home but later died of physical and mental wounds sustained during wartime. Funding for the project came from two main sources: Veterans Affairs Canada ($25,000) and community donations ($45,000). Some of the community contributions included $6,000 from the Township of North Dundas; $5,000 each from the Morewood Recreation Association and Guildcrest Homes; seven donations by individuals of $1,000 each; and about $9,000 in goods and services. The remaining funds were gathered through smaller individual donations and fundraising efforts, including an online auction, take-out dinner, and book and seed sales. The Chesterville and District Historical Society also commissioned a painting of the monument by local artist Gordon Coulthart in 2018 titled A Fallen Leaf. Money made from the sale of prints went to the Cenotaph Committee. The original now hangs in the Morewood Recreation Centre. The rededication of the revitalized cenotaph and these new monuments was originally planned for the centennial in 2021, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee felt that the community deserved to be involved in the ceremony, so they decided to wait until it was safe for people to gather once again. It was worth the wait—seeing the community join together to mark this occasion was wonderful. Held during Morewood's Meet Me on Main Street event, the rededication attracted a good-sized crowd. It began with the sound of bagpipes. Military Major Savio Fernandes and members from CFS Letrium marched west along County Road 13 toward the monument, coming to stand on Mill Street.
Pastor Debbie Poirier of the United Church said a short prayer, then retired Col. Bill Shearing of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders provided some history about the unit, formerly known as the 154th Battalion CEF, based in Cornwall. Eight of the soldiers commemorated on the cenotaph were at some point attached to the 154th Batt. (WWI) or the SDG Highlanders (WWII). Warrant officer Justin Delorme and Lt.-Col. Roy Clarke of the Highlanders laid a wreath at the base of the monument. The ceremony ended with the singing of "God Save the Queen" by Shelly Hutt. Congratulations to the Morewood Cenotaph Committee on a job well done! Many thanks to the local community for supporting this fantastic project and helping to preserve history and the memory of these soldiers. It's efforts like these that ensure that "Their Name Liveth For Evermore". Names on the Morewood Cenotaph
By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas In the midst of the Great Depression, hundreds of people travelled to Winchester from all over Canada and the United States to attend Old Home Week—a grand reunion for current and former residents of the district. The idea was first proposed in the summer of 1933 by village reeve James H. Ross, who was also the owner and editor of the Winchester Press. The plan was immediately put into motion and Old Home Week Association was formed with Reeve Ross as chairman and local insurance agent Walter Moffatt as secretary-treasurer. Committees were organized, and residents and businesses all did their part to bring the plan to life. From August 4th to 8th 1934, hundreds of visitors came together in these streets to celebrate the one thing they had in common—their love of Winchester and its people. There were events for everyone, old and young, including parades, concerts, midway rides, horse races, street dancing, and sporting matches. The Press dedicated almost three full pages to covering the reunion.
One of the surviving legacies of these Old Home Weeks are two short histories of Winchester and Chesterville that were written to promote the villages and their progress. A Historical Review of Winchester, Ontario, written by Fern Workman, a long-time employee (and later owner) of the Winchester Press, was available at the reunion for just 25 cents. A History of Chesterville, written by businessman and former Dundas MP Orren D. Casselman, likely cost about the same.
Today, these brief snapshots of our communities are priceless. By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas In the pioneering days of Dundas County, liquor was cheap and widely available. It served as a persuasive tool in early elections, and as an easy incentive when one needed help to raise a building. But when the temperance movement gained popularity across Canada in the mid-1800s, some local residents began to reconsider their stance on the consumption of intoxicating beverages. By the early 1850s, temperance organizations were being formed in Dundas, with chapters of the Sons of Temperance and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union popping up across the county in the following decades. Temperance hotels opened in many areas.
Provincial and federal referendums in the 1890s and early 1900s showed that a majority of locals favoured banning the importation, manufacturing and selling of alcohol. It appears that local option had been repealed in most areas of the county by the turn of the 20th century, but that was soon to change. Over the next decade and a half, almost every municipality voted on the issue, with Mountain Township adopting it in 1906, Winchester Village in 1907, Iroquois in 1909 and Matilda Township in 1914.
By 1926, public support for prohibition in the province was wavering. With an election scheduled for that December, Premier Howard Ferguson (Conservative MPP for Grenville) made his position clear: if he was re-elected, prohibition would come to an end.
Still, some areas of Dundas remained ‘dry’ for almost a half-century, preventing stores, hotels, and restaurants from selling alcohol. Iroquois went ‘wet’ in 1959, followed by Williamsburg Township in 1970 and the village of Winchester in 1973. Winchester Township held out until 1976.
Morrisburg was a unique exception, which saw an LCBO outlet and a brewery warehouse in operation by 1936. Iroquois and Chesterville opened LCBO stores in the early 1960s, and Winchester got one in 1977 after much resistance and delay. All four of these stores continue to operate today. By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas This year marks one century since construction began on the North Mountain Consolidated School in Hallville. On August 8, 1922, four hundred people gathered to witness the school’s cornerstone being laid at the southwest corner of County Road 43 and Shaw Road. Founding a consolidated school, which would accommodate students from kindergarten to Grade 13, was an ambitious plan for this little community. At the time, the school was said to be only the second of its kind in Eastern Ontario, and it remains the first and only consolidated school in the history of Dundas County.
The school was a source of pride for the community but falling enrollment over the years threatened its survival. In 1960, all secondary students were transferred to South Mountain Continuation School, which became known as Mountain District High School. The consolidated school became Hallville Public School. The same issue of low enrollment caused both schools to close just ten years later in June 1970. While secondary students were split primarily between Seaway High School and North Dundas District High School, elementary students got a new facility: Nationview Public School. The old buildings were temporarily revived during the 1970/71 school year when the construction of Nationview was delayed. To mark the end of an era, a giant reunion for students of the two schools was held in the summer of 1970 with about 1,200 people in attendance. Another was held in 1995 and a third was planned for 2020, which would have marked the 50th anniversary of the closing. However, it was postponed due to COVID-19.
By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas In the early hours of April 6, 1909, Chesterville residents were awoken to the alarm of fire and the smell of smoke. Within hours, an entire block of the village’s business core was reduced to rubble. It would become known as the worst conflagration in the history of Chesterville. It originated in a wooden-framed building on the north-east corner of King and Water Streets, which housed W. J. Nash’s tailor shop on the first floor and the Masonic Hall on the second. The flames quickly spread east down Water Street to the Chesterville Record office, destroying the printing presses, then travelled north up King to Ralph Street. Equipped with only one hand pump and pails for water, there was very little that could be done. The fire destroyed everything in its path, including Wilford Saucier’s jewellery store, Isaac Pelletier’s confectionary and fruit store, Gordon Robinson’s blacksmith shop, Joseph Fisher and Colborne Robinson’s butcher shop and the Sanders, Soule and Casselman general store. The village was left rattled by this tragedy - it was not the first they had dealt with that spring. Exactly three weeks before this incident, the Temperance Hotel and Foster’s Hall, situated at the north end of King Street, burned to the ground, and the train station and water tower narrowly escaped with minor damage. In light of these incidents, steps were quickly taken to improve the village’s fire protection. By May, the village council was preparing a new by-law to mandate that only ‘fireproof’ (e. g. brick, stone) buildings could be erected in the business section. Meanwhile, life went on in the village. The Chesterville Record was back in print on May 6, operating from a temporary office in a blacksmith shop. By the end of the summer, bigger and better buildings replaced those that were lost. Sanders, Soule & Casselman rebuilt on their former site (now Mike Dean’s). The Fisher Block (burned in 1989, now the Mike Dean’s parking lot) was erected, where Fisher and Pelletier carried on their businesses. The new Record building (demolished in 2018) was constructed and Saucier rented part of the space for his jewellery store. Wesley Hamilton built the Hamilton Block on the corner of King and Water Streets (now Louis’ Restaurant).
The response to the King Street fire demonstrates the resilience of this village and its people - something that we continue to see today. By Ashley Harper In October 2018, CDHS stumbled across an historian's dream at Barnfull O'Goodies in Morrisburg—a collection of over 100 beautifully-preserved postcards addressed to a local family, spanning a period of more than 15 years.
The remaining seven—William, George, Lizzie, Minnie, John Jr., Walter, and Louise—were born and raised in Winchester Township until the family moved to Beckstead, a small settlement south-east of Dunbar, in 1886. Mary Janet McLean, known as Minnie, was born on 4 November 1869. She was described as "naturally sweet and lovable" with an "indomitable spirit." As a child she suffered an accident at school that left her legs partially disabled, but she went on to receive her teaching degree in Morrisburg. By 1899, she was the instructor at the S. S. No. 8 (Forward) schoolhouse located west of Chesterville, where she remained until 1903.
If all of the McLeans had stayed in Dundas, it's unlikely that this postcard collection would exist. This distance means that postcards and letters would have probably been their primary mode of communication, since they would not have had regular access to telephones and visits were likely few and far between. The first two cards, dated 1904 and 1906, were sent to the McLeans when they were in Beckstead.
In March 1907, Minnie bought a home in Chesterville (now 69 Main Street South). Shortly after, Minnie, her parents, and her sister Louise moved into the village, while her brother John moved to the homestead with his wife and children. When Louise married that fall, she went to live with her husband, Shaler Hill, in Winchester. Although both John Jr. and Louise remained close to home, the collection includes a number of postcards from them and their families—usually about going to visit, updates on the children and their schooling, or birthday and holiday wishes.
Caroline and Minnie were left alone in the McLean home. They lived together in Chesterville for another decade. Most of the postcards are from this ten year period between 1908 and 1918. They are from both friends and family living in various places across Canada and the United States. The messages discuss births, birthdays, holidays, deaths, and other significant events. But they also mention little details that provide glimpses into daily life and the more mundane side of things—knitting instructions, school, sickness, and even a tale of a "silly man" who refused to pay his train fare. When researching people who lived so long ago, it is often easy to forget that letter writers weren't faceless entities, and individuals in photographs weren't just stern, stiffly posed figures. The postcards give these people voices and personalities and create connections to their community. They remind us that these people weren't so different from us.
That spring, Caroline sold the Chesterville property to her daughter-in-law, Mary (Gallinger) McLean, wife of William. The family matriarch would spend the rest of her life with Louise and Shaler, eventually moving with them to 126 Strathcona Avenue, where she died on 11 April 1928, a month after her 85th birthday.
These cards will forever be a part of the legacy that they left, along with the many descendants spread across Canada and the United States. Research Materials: Several resources have been prepared for those wishing to read the postcards or research the McLean family. They can be downloaded here:
By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas William Bow was born on May 18, 1825 in Aberdeen, Scotland to Thomas Bow and Mary Jack. He immigrated to Canada around 1840 and settled in Mountain Township, where he farmed for a number of years. In 1846, he married Charlotte Fleming and the couple had four children: Thomas, Emily, George and Margaret.
Winchester became an incorporated village in 1888, and later that year the post office was moved to William’s newly built store on the north-east corner of St. Lawrence and Caleb Streets (now Mary’s Restaurant). William continued as postmaster until December 1912, when he was relieved of his duties at age 87. To date, he is the longest serving postmaster in the history of Dundas County. William was involved in all aspects of the community. He served as Winchester’s police magistrate for over 30 years and became known as a strict but fair enforcer of the law, especially during the years of local option when the sale of alcohol was prohibited. He was also the superintendent of the Methodist Sunday school for several decades.
His dedication to the village and its people made him a much loved and respected man, and the loss of Winchester’s ‘grand old man’ was keenly felt throughout the community.
By Ashley Harper At the end of February 2020, a small group of women met at the Chesterville and District Heritage Centre to discuss compiling an update to The Time That Was, a Tweedsmuir history published in 1978 by the Heritage Committee of the Chesterville Women's Institute. It chronicled the village's history from the early 1800s to 1977. The committee also printed a supplement to the book a decade later.
But the committee pushed on. Meetings were held over the phone until they could be done in person. Plans for how to tackle such a large project were laid out, and a few months later the committee began sending out letters to local businesses, organizations, and individuals asking for information or submissions of written articles. For many in the community, the book became a "pandemic project"—something to pass the time while they were stuck at home. It encouraged people to reminisce about years past and put down their memories in writing so they could be carried on for the future. The lockdowns were also a very isolating period, and the committee is grateful that this book project kept them in contact with their friends and neighbours. In the fall, the committee enlisted the help of Bruce and Kim Henbest to edit the book. Since then, the pair have volunteered countless hours to pouring over the manuscript and reaching out to the almost 200 contributors that have taken part in this project. As the content came together, the next task was to design the book. In the spring of 2021, the Book Committee hired Susan Marriner, owner of Marriner Design in Finch, to do the job—and what a beautiful job she's done! Susan has brought the text to life with over 350 photographs sourced from the community. The Book Committee is happy to announce that Bridging the Centuries: The History of Chesterville: 1988-2020 is now complete! They are incredibly proud of both the book and the community that helped to create it. This project would not have been possible without the generosity of those who submitted articles and gave donations.
A book launch is being held on December 5th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Chesterville Legion (167 Queen St., Chesterville). The ceremony will begin at 1:30 with a few short speeches from the committee and local dignitaries. COVID-19 meeting protocol will apply. The book will be available for purchase at the launch for $50 (cash sales only). If you miss the launch, no worries! You can also by your copy at Scotiabank (5 Main St.) during banking hours until the end of December, as well as at the Heritage Centre (14 Victoria St.) from 1:00 to 4:00 pm during the weekends of the 11th-12th and 18th-19th of December. By Ashley Harper Death can be a very uncomfortable subject for many. But at this time of year, it's also one that is very hard to avoid. From Halloween movies to haunted walks, it seems to be everywhere. Historically, death and death rituals/practices can provide an interesting look into an individual's life, their community, and the broader culture that they were a part of. Documents produced at the time of death, including memorial cards, also serve as an important historical and genealogical resource.
The Chesterville and District Historical Society has three memorial cards in its collection—those of Mary J. Crawford Hall, Alfred Wilson, and John L. Richardson. The oldest card, that of Mary Crawford Hall, dates back to 1887.
The second memorial card is that of Alfred Wilson, son of John Wilson and Mary Southam. He was born in England around 1859 and immigrated to Canada some time prior to 1881, when he was living in Cornwall with Robert Hodge and family. The census states that Alfred was a carder in a cotton mill. There were three cotton mills in Cornwall at the time—the Cornwall Manufacturing Company, the Canadian Cotton Limited, Stormont Mill, and the Canadian Cotton Manufacturing Company, Canada Mill—but it is not known which mill he was employed at.
Annie lived to the age of 87, dying in 1948--60 years after her husband. She never remarried and is buried beside her sister in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Alfred and Annie's daughter Edith married Ambrose Powell and died in 1943 at the age of 58, leaving no children. Alfred Jr. worked in the textile industry like his parents. He lived a long life with his wife Miriam Aspinwall, dying in 1983 at the age of 95. He left behind one son.
John remained on the farm until his death on 23 July 1909 following a "shock of paralysis". He outlived both his wife and daughter Eleanor, who died in 1895 and 1904 respectively. The three of them are buried together at Oldsville Cemetery in Pope Mills, just outside of Macomb.
Only the Richardson card includes the maker's name—H. F. Wendell & Co. of Leipsic, Ohio. The Wendell company was the largest producer of memorial cards in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th century. A digitized catalogue from about 1920, which includes the card style used for the Richardson card, can be viewed through the Duke University repository. Many people have a box of memorial cards somewhere in their home - a tradition carried on from our grandparents. These collections provide a wonderful opportunity to reminisce about the old times and remember those we have lost. They are also a great keepsake to pass down to future generations.
By Ashley Harper With the advanced polls now open for the 2021 Federal Election, it is the perfect time to bring out these treasurers from our collection: voters' lists for the village of Chesterville from the years 1890, 1932, and 1949. Voters' lists contain the names of those who are eligible to vote. Prior to 1935, municipal lists were compiled—these were used for provincial and municipal elections. Federal voters' lists were created in 1935. Municipal lists, like the ones in our collection, differentiate between who is able to participate in each type of election, with sections for those who can vote at the municipal or provincial level, or both.
Voters’ lists can help fill in the gaps created by these restrictions. As they are taken more frequently than censuses, they are also useful for finding those that moved frequently. Federal voters’ lists from 1935 to 1980 are available on Ancestry (paid membership required), and Library and Archives holds lists from 1935 to 1988 (click here to find out more). The information in these records can vary depending on the year they were taken, the area included, and whether they are municipal or federal lists.
There is also a “description” column that uses abbreviations such as “O and M F” and “T and M F”, which means owner/tenant and manhood franchise. Manhood franchise is a reference to universal male suffrage; in other words, men had a right to vote regardless of whether they owned land. The 1932 and 1949 municipal lists contain the same information, but they replace concession numbers with street names. It is important for researchers to note that the numbers used in the addresses are not house numbers—they correspond to the municipal lot plan. House numbers were introduced in the district during the 1970s, with Winchester adopting a numbering system in 1972, and Chesterville following in 1978. Voters’ lists for areas outside of the villages continued to use lot and concession numbers into the 1990s as rural civic addresses were not implemented in Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry until 1993. The federal voters' lists are a bit different, and those from 1935 to 1980 include less detail than municipal lists. They do not generally state the marital status or juror eligibility of each voter. When it comes to rural areas, they usually do not contain addresses beyond a rural route (RR) number. However, the parameters of the polling division are described at the beginning of each list, which can help narrow down where an ancestor lived. One positive difference with federal lists is that they include a voter’s occupation. Some municipal lists also included occupation. The following is an excerpt from the 1949 municipal voters' list for Chesterville: For comparison, this is an excerpt from the 1949 federal voters' list for Chesterville: While these three small-town voters' lists can tell a lot about the community, they can also provide insight into broader Canadian society and the changes it underwent over the years. The results of the Women's Suffrage Movement in particular are clearly visible. In 1884, land-owning widows and spinsters (unmarried women) over the age of 21 were given the right to vote in municipal elections across Ontario. In 1917, women in Ontario (except those who were indigenous) were given the right to vote in provincial elections. Federal franchise was extended to female relatives of soldiers the same year as part of the Wartime Elections Act, then to women in general (again, with the exception of indigenous women) in 1918.
There is now a total of about 80,000 eligible voters in the provincial riding of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, and about 85,000 in the federal riding of the same name. In the past two decades, voter turnout in this riding has hovered around 50-55% for provincial elections and 60-65% for federal elections. No matter which party or candidate you support, it is important to vote and make your voice heard. Information on how to vote in the 2021 Federal Election in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry can be found on Election Canada's Voter Information Service webpage. Scanned PDFs of the 1890, 1932, and 1949 Chesterville voters' lists are available here:
Searchable typed versions are also available here:
By Ashley Harper In the years that followed World War I, communities across the world began building memorials for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Today, most of the towns and hamlets in North Dundas have some sort of tribute – those that are grand structures, like the towering monument at Morewood’s main intersection, and others that are more modest but no less heartfelt. One of the early communities to erect a cenotaph in the district was Nation Valley, a small settlement southwest of Chesterville. The area lost four men during the war: Sgt. Harold Merkley, Cpl. William Moodie, Pte. Howard Hess, and Pte. Henry Coughler. Profiles for each of them can be found at the end of this article.
At the beginning of the month, it had been announced that a monument would be erected for soldiers from Chesterville and the vicinity, but it is unclear weather the article was referencing the cenotaph in Chesterville or Nation Valley, or a joint project. A list of donors published in the Record included residents of Chesterville, Nation Valley, Bethune Bush, Dunbar, Grantley, and other areas, which gives support to the theory that one community cenotaph may have originally been planned, but more research is required to know for sure. Whatever the situation was, that memorial was put on hold at the end of December 1921 due to funding issues.
The monument, made of black and grey Egyptian granite, stands over six feet tall. Small maple leaves adorn the corners of each side, and a wreath of them is displayed on the cap of the stone.
The ceremony was performed by Rev. William Brown, the Methodist minister from Chesterville. Local dignitaries were present, including Dundas MP Preston Elliott and MPP W. H. Casselman, Grenville MPP Howard Ferguson, and Winchester merchant Aaron Sweet, the latter of whom served as chairman of the ceremony. Ontario Premier E. C. Drury was also scheduled to be there. After the dedication, attendees were served lunch at George C. Merkley's grove, which adjoined the school property. It was estimated that 500 to 600 people, young and old, were present that day. The Chesterville Citizen's Band provided music and sports were held for the children, including a baseball game between Winchester Springs and Morewood. In the fall of 2014, the North Dundas Township Council discovered that the land where the monument was located was privately owned by the Munro family; a few years after the school closed in 1966, the school board sold the land to them. To ensure that the public would always have access to the cenotaph, the Munro family worked with the Township and the Chesterville Legion to have it moved to Veterans Memorial Park on Queen Street East, where Chesterville's own war memorial was (and still is) located.
Soldier Profiles Sgt. Harold Adam Merkley (1895-1918)
Cpl. William Brown Clark Moodie (1883 - 1917) William Brown Clark Moodie was born on 12 December 1883 in Winchester Township to James Moodie and Bethia Barbara Clark. He and his family lived with his maternal grandparents, Rev. William and Elizabeth Clark, at Lot 10, Concession 2 of Winchester Township. He remained there until at least 1901, but by 1906, he and his older brother Frank were living in Calgary with their uncle, Walter Moodie. William was working as a carpenter and living at 818 7th Ave. West in Calgary with Frank when he enlisted on 8 May 1915. He was originally attached to the 56th Battalion but later transferred to the 49th Battalion in January 1916. In September of that year, he was promoted to corporal. A month later, he suffered a gunshot wound to the neck but recovered and resumed duty. No photos have been located of Cpl. Moodie, but his attestation form described him as 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 165 pounds with a dark complexion, brown eyes, and brown hair. By the time of William’s death, his parents were living in Vancouver and most of his siblings had married and moved away from the district. The only one to remain was a brother, Norman Moodie, who resided on the family farm. Pte. Ransom "Howard" Hess (1899-1918)
Pte. Henry Coughler (1885-1918) Henry Coughler was born on 27 August 1885 in Winchester Township to William Christopher Coughler and Agnes Rosetta Beckstead. As a boy, he lived with his parents at Lot 7, Concession 3. He eventually moved Shaunavon, Saskatchewan and enlisted in Regina on 27 November 1917. While overseas, he served with the 28th Battalion and the 1st Depot Battalion (Saskatchewan Regiment).
No photos of Pte. Coughler have been located. His attestation form described him as 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 140 pounds with a light complexion, brown eyes, and brown hair.
By Ashley Harper Collection Highlights is an ongoing series that aims to shed light on some of the interesting items that have been donated to CDHS since its incorporation in 1984.
This suit is made of a thick wool fabric and consists of a vest, jacket, and a pair of pants. It would have typically been worn with a white shirt and collar (they were often separate), along with a tie.
At the time this suit was made, most clothing was still produced by hand, though with the added help of certain textile machines. Standardized items became mass produced and many pieces could be purchased from catalogues and clothing stores. It was no longer necessary for the average person to go to a tailor, but those seeking custom-made garments (such as for special occasions) usually still relied on these skilled workers. The excellent condition of this suit can, in part, be attributed to the quality of work done by S. W. Boyd. Simeon William Boyd was a native of Williamsburg Township, where he was born in 1868 to parents Nathaniel and Christie Ann (Weaver) Boyd. As a youth in the 1880s, he apprenticed under Alexander Cameron, a merchant tailor in West Winchester (now Winchester). Eventually, Simeon branched out on his own, and by 1891 he was working in Buckingham, Quebec. At the end of the year, he married Anastasia O'Neil and within a short time the couple moved to Chesterville. From 1892 to 1898, he operated a tailoring business on the northwest corner of Mill and Victoria Streets (now 2 Mill), opposite the McCloskey Hotel. At the beginning of 1899, he moved his shop to the Kearns Block on Main Street, which burned in Sep 1991 and is now the parking lot between PharmaChoice and Scotiabank. S. W. Boyd’s business moved to Winchester on 3 August 1903 and remained there until at least late 1915. The exact location of his shop has not been found, but it is known that the family lived on St. Lawrence Street. Simeon's former master, Alex Cameron, was still in business on Main Street during this time. By 1919, the couple and their four children had moved to Ottawa, where Simeon worked as an insurance agent until his death in 1933 at the age of 64. He and his wife, along with two sons, are buried at Maple Ridge Cemetery in Chesterville.
From this, we know that this suit was commissioned by Simeon Casselman. Simeon Barnett Casselman, known as Sim, was born in 1874 and was the youngest child of Philip Arnold Casselman and Catherine Elizabeth Sutherland. He was a resident of the Grantley/Goldfield area, having lived his whole life on the family farm at Lot 6, Concession 1 of Finch Township (now 14412 Casselman Road).
After they were married, Sim and Jean went on to have a large family of seven children: Margaret, Marion, Donald, Douglas (died young), Harold (killed in action in WWII), John, and Eleanor. The couple remained at the Casselman farm for the rest of their lives, with Sim passing in 1956 and Jean following in 1967. Both Sim and Jean, along with several of their children, are buried at the Grantley United Church Cemetery.
Sim was ill for some time prior to his death, so his daughter Margaret and granddaughter Mary (daughter of Donald) were living on the home farm to help care for him. After he passed, Mary was given this suit, which she held on to for over sixty years before donating it to CDHS. Over a century after it was made, it now lives on to tell the story of S. W. Boyd, Sim Casselman, and their families. By Ashley Harper Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been a lot of comparisons between this virus and the Spanish Influenza, which ravaged the world in 1918-1919. Prior to that, most people were relatively unaware that just a century ago, our ancestors lived through the deadliest pandemic in recent history. Contrary to its name, the Spanish Influenza was not Spanish. The pandemic hit during a tumultuous time in our history; World War I had been raging for almost four years when the first cases were reported in early 1918. There was extensive wartime censorship in many countries, which prevented the press from publishing information on the disease. One nation that did not have this issue was Spain, as it had remained neutral during the war. Spain was one of the very few countries that was accurately and openly reporting on this sickness, and as a result, the virus became known as the Spanish Influenza. Much like COVID-19, the Spanish Flu came in waves. The first was in the spring and summer of 1918. Although still deadly, it was comparatively mild to later cases and has been likened to a bad bout of the common cold. Most cases appeared in urban locations, whereas many rural areas were relatively unaffected.
However, the peace and normalcy that this area had enjoyed was soon to come to an end. By the time the second wave hit in the fall of 1918, the virus had mutated. It was more severe and spread quicker than before, making it much deadlier. Those who survived the initial sickness were often faced with life-threatening secondary diseases, such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Unlike most illnesses, the majority of flu victims were between the ages of 15 and 45. The Spanish Flu was likely brought to North Dundas by returning soldiers or through travel to and from infected areas. However, it is impossible to know exactly when or how it arrived here as very little was reported until the disease was at its peak. Although it is somewhat gruesome, the easiest way to track the virus in the community is through the local death registry. And unfortunately, it left quite a trail to follow.
Although deaths were on the rise across the country, many people (including health officials) underestimated the seriousness of the pandemic. On September 24th, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. John McCullough, stated, "There is altogether too much made of the seriousness of this Spanish influenza...The epidemic is not so serious as measles." He was soon proven to be very wrong. In the weeks following Mert's death, the number of flu cases skyrocketed across the United Counties. Chesterville doctors Miles and William Brown (father and son) reported that they were handling about 300 cases in a week, and they later became so overwhelmed and overworked that a Dr. Smith from Montreal came to assist them. Doctors and medical officials at the time were faced with a serious challenge. Unlike today, there was no unified health authority for the United Counties—the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Board of Health (predecessor of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit) was not established until 1940. Prior to that, each municipality had their own Board of Health, which meant that practices and restrictions varied from one place to another.
On October 10th, the Chesterville Record announced that the village's Board of Health was closing schools and cancelling public meetings and church services. Similar actions were taken in the rest of North Dundas and some of the surrounding communities. Other places, like Morrisburg, did not enact restrictions for another two weeks. None of the local papers mentioned a mask mandate. As we have learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, having a coordinated response to this kind of public health emergency can have a drastic impact on the effectiveness of the restrictions. Less than a week after restrictions were put in place, North Dundas experienced its deadliest day of the pandemic. October 16th saw the Spanish Flu claim the lives of six residents in just one day. The death rate remained high throughout October as the virus ripped through the area, leaving devastation in its wake. By the end of the month, Winchester and Mountain Townships had lost 31 people to the Spanish Flu, including an infant and three toddlers. J. W. Forrester, the inspector of public schools for Dundas County, and Samuel Doran, Hallville's postmaster, were also among the victims. Five local children were orphaned and dozens more lost one parent.
On October 31st, the Boards of Health for Chesterville, Winchester Village and Winchester Township declared that all restrictions on public gatherings would be lifted. These announcements appeared in the Winchester Press and the Chesterville Record amid numerous obituaries of flu victims and articles reflecting the ongoing severity of the pandemic. Given the seriousness of the situation, which the Record called "particularly distressing", it is unclear why the Boards of Health decided to lift the restrictions so soon. The restrictions had been in place for a relatively short time—just over three weeks. In comparison to the timeframe of COVID-era lockdowns, that hardly seems like enough time to get the situation under control. While the restrictions did not solve the issue entirely, they do appear to have had a positive effect. Over the next two weeks, only two Spanish Flu deaths were recorded in North Dundas, both of which were in Mountain Township. One fatality in Chesterville (the newborn daughter of another flu victim) is also believed to have been related to the pandemic. During the second half of November, there were no flu deaths in North Dundas. The United Counties saw a similar gradual decline in flu fatalities during this time with some communities recovering faster than others. However, deaths still remained a daily occurrence in SDG and people were struggling to deal with their bereavement. But as things began to look up overseas, so too did the situation on the Homefront. November 11th brought a renewed hope to soldiers and civilians alike. Across the United Counties, people gathered in the streets to celebrate the signing of an armistice between the Allied and Central Powers, bringing an end to four long years of war. The war was not the only thing that ended that day; the devastating streak of pandemic fatalities was broken and for the first time in 33 days, no new Spanish Flu deaths were recorded in the entirety of SDG. This, of course, did not mean that the pandemic was over. However, it was the beginning of a period of considerable progress as the number of flu cases and deaths in the United Counties dropped significantly. Weeks passed without any flu fatalities in North Dundas. Although deaths had ceased in the community during this period, the disease had not entirely disappeared. Social columns from the local newspapers provide helpful insight into which areas had new cases and who had fallen ill. Obituaries of former residents and people from neighbouring areas were published weekly. Unlike in the early days of the pandemic, people knew not to underestimate the virus. Various articles warned not to rush recovery, with one stating, "If you have had the influenza stay in bed as long as you feel you should and then stay three days longer and ask the doctor what he thinks." Despite some lingering cases in the community, there was a lot of optimism. The Great War was finally over and the Spanish Flu was on the decline. It seemed as though the Christmas of 1918 would be a merry one. Unfortunately, the situation began to deteriorate quite rapidly in the days leading up to the holiday and only grew worse in the weeks that followed. On Christmas Eve, North Dundas recorded its first Spanish Flu death in 40 days: Luthera Hummel Froats, who left behind a husband and nine children to mourn her. Next was Daniel Belway of Mountain Township who died on New Year's Eve, one day before he was to be married. The areas surrounding Winchester Township were also hit hard during this time. The Forget family of Crysler lost all five of its members (two parents, a married couple, and a newborn son) within a week. Several people from the Dunbar area died, including Charles McMillan and his one-year-old daughter Clara on New Year's Day and New Year's Eve respectively.
North Dundas experienced 13 flu deaths in the month of January and one in Feburary. The last deaths in this community occurred in March: Norah Casselman Fulton of Maple Ridge died on March 4th and Martha Thompson Barkley of Mountain followed on March 21st. The last death in the United Counties was recorded near the end of April. In six months, the Spanish Flu killed at least 51 people in North Dundas (see Figure 1). As a whole, Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry lost at least 334 people. However, the number of victims may actually be much higher. During the pandemic, there were an additional 103 people in SDG (11 in North Dundas) who died of pneumonia, bronchitis, and related diseases. Because most flu victims died of secondary illnesses, it is possible that some of these deaths are connected to the Spanish Flu. This theory is supported by the fact that quite a few of the possible flu victims were related or lived very close to confirmed flu victims. The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919 undoubtedly left an impact on the residents of North Dundas. With the current state of the world, it is becoming easier to understand what our ancestors may have felt during that time—their fear, their anxiety, their sadness, their loss.
We can learn a lot about them by referencing our experiences in the present, but the opposite is also true: by looking into the past, we can learn about our own situation. If there is one lesson to be learned from the Spanish Flu Pandemic, it is this: our community and the people in it are strong, and no matter how difficult things may be, we will get through this together and emerge even stronger than before. By Ashley Harper By the early 1900s, Winchester was a thriving village with a population of about 1,100 people. Businesses were prospering in the downtown core (the area around Main and St. Lawrence Streets) and buildings were being erected to accommodate new merchants and tradespeople.
Another victim was the Bowen House, situated directly west of the Commercial Hotel and owned by Alexander McDonald. To the east of the hotels, the tinsmith shop of William Holmes and George Armstrong, the F. S. Manning & Co. general store, and George Hart’s law office and residence were all leveled. The medical office and residence of Dr. Peter McLaughlin and the home of Captain Suddaby, both west of the hotels, were also burned. Fire insurance plans of the village show the devastating effect of the fire. A map from January 1905 depicts a prospering village with a built-up downtown centre, while a map from September 1908 shows the aftermath of the fire more than a year later. By June of 1909, the Hotel Winchester was erected to replace the Bowen House and Commercial Hotel. It was a temperance hotel, as the village had gone “dry” in 1907. There were several fires in the Hotel Winchester and the top two floors have since burned and been demolished. The remainder of the building is now occupied by the Bank of Montreal. Beginning this week, CDHS will be posting articles about interesting photos, artifacts, people, events, buildings, etc. that relate to the history of North Dundas. If there is something that you wish to see recognized or wish to know more about, send us an email at [email protected]
Beginning in July 2021, CDHS will be publishing a blog about various photos and artifacts in our collection, as well as interesting people, places, events, buildings, etc. that relate to the history of North Dundas. Stay tuned for our first article, which will be posted on Monday July 19th!
If there is a topic that you would like to see or want to know more about, send us an email at [email protected]. |
CDHS publishes articles about interesting photos, artifacts, people, events, buildings, etc. that relate to the history of Chesterville and District. If there is something that you would like to see, email us at [email protected]
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