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.
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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. |
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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