WILLIAM (SENATOR) DONELLY
There used to be a man about Town when I was a boy who was quite a popular fellow. He was a handsome chap and sported a flowing mustache. Of course, he chewed tobacco, as did many of the men of his day. He kept a Livery Stable. What brought him to my mind at this time was a call from a young couple from Uncle Sam's country inquiring about a family named Donelly. He was a grandson of Bill Donelly, a son of Sarah Donelly who was a daughter of Bill. They wanted to locate the old family home, to which I was able to direct them. It is at the corner of King and Johnson Streets and is now the home of Mrs. Burns. The Donelly Stable was about where John Tiffin's house now stands, only close to the street and perhaps a little closer to the Burns' house. Mr. Donelly used to be known as Senator Donelly. How he acquired that cognomen, I never knew, but he was quite a swanky chap. He had quite a family, several of whom were schoolmates of mine; in fact, William Junior was my seatmate in both schools, so I knew the family very well. John was older, as were Mary and Sarah, then came Will and Addie. The Senator served in Council seven years in all between 1867 and 1884. The family left here about that time, the Senator staying behind. He sold his property in Town and bought a farm on the Road to St. Catharines and built a house on it. It is not far from Town and may be easily recognized from its mansard roof. The farm after Donelly died was still known as the Donelly farm. John Donelly and Will McClelland were pals and John often came here after the family left. Mary, too, visited here, and was very friendly with the May family who was in the Lake View House. I remember going to the rescue of Mary and Birdie May who with Johnnie Rousseau were endeavoring to cross to Youngstown in a rowboat one summer afternoon. It was blowing hard from the sou-west and they were making no headway. Johnny was a small man, whose ideas of prowess were not commensurate with his stature. In fact, he was not big enough for the job. However, my dad say their plight and he drafted me to assist him in the rescue. So I was put aboard their craft with orders to man the oars, so I spat on my hands and "bent to the oar, sailor", with the result that they "came to the haven where they would be." I was rewarded with a pecuniary compensation of the whole of twenty-five cents. Johnny Rousseau was at that time the owner of the Hotel and had part-time employment as a sessional Clerk at the Parliament Buildings in Toronto.

THE CLEMENT FAMILY
Among them, let us start with the Clements. Old Squire Clement and his son John were quite important members of the community. George A. was an old man as I remember him, bearded and dignified in appearance. He was a quiet man active in Church and Council, a good businessman, and altogether a fine type of citizen. His son, Johnny Clement, was a rather short, stocky man, active in Church and in Masonic matters. He stuttered, but was quite a clever fellow. Neither of these men was afraid of leaving business to do a bit for his community.

[From August 2nd - October 18th, 1951:]
A family that was prominent in the life of the Town when I was younger was the Clement family. They owned the building that Jim Connolly now has; here they lived, while they had a shop where Harold Boyle does business. George A. Clement as he was commonly known, was a quiet mannered man of average height and wore a full beard, as did many men of his day. He was a very useful man in the Community, serving on many of the public bodies of that time. He put in nine years in Council, between 1856 and 1874. He was an active member of St. Mark's Church. In his store, he sold about everything: hardware, groceries, books and school supplies. He was a nice man to deal with. He had one son John M., who was also a very active man in the Town, although he only served one year in Council, 1872. Johnny had one son, William Clement, who attended High School while I was there and who became a Civil Engineer and went to the Pacific Coat. Johnny's family lived in the brick house at the corner of Johnson and Victoria Streets, now the home of Miss Lansing. Johnny's daughter Lulu taught private school there, until after her parents died, when she joined her brother in the West. George A.'s widow sold off the properties after he died, he having owned the house where I live and also the small cottage on Prideaux Street next to Dr. Rigg's place. This was sold to Joe Sherwood and in it he lived until he bought the house next door.

THE FOLLETT FAMILY
Then there was the Follett Family. Steve Follett served the Town for 22 years in Council, as Mayor, Reeve, Councilor and he was Warden of Lincoln. It is true that none of his sons followed in his footsteps but he had two fine daughters, both active in Church work and Mrs. Follett was a very saintly woman, known for her goodness and piety. Certainly, here was a family worthy of our commendation.

[From August 2nd - October 18th, 1951:]
Next door to the Clement store was Steve Follett, who sold groceries and hardware and took a prominent part in public affairs. He served twenty-one years in Council altogether, between the years 1861 and 1886. He was Mayor in 1881 and 1882; Reeve from 1871 to 1878 and Warden of Lincoln in 1877; he was Councilor for 11 years also. Steve had two daughters and three sons. His elder daughter Jenny married Fred Best but the younger daughter Mary, though she had a lovely voice, died while comparatively young. The Bests had two girls and a boy, Bobbie, who died in the Exhibition Camp during World War One. He was a nice bright boy, but full of prankish fun. I taught him in Sunday school. The younger girl was for years in the local Post Office, later going to the Toronto Office. She died in Toronto a few years ago. Cassie is still living in Toronto. There is now none of the family in Town, the Follett boys having long since passed away. Walter Follett, the eldest, died in a runaway accident. Will Follett died out West and George died at Niagara Falls, New York, where he was a hack driver for years. Steve Follett had quiet manners, with a sort of dignity in his bearing.

THE CRYSLER FAMILY
Then the Crysler Family. Henry was a rather reserved, quiet man, who kept a grocery where the liquor store is now. He never made much of a splash in the Town pool, but he did serve in Council. He had two sons, one of whom was our Town Tooth Doctor for years. Frank, or Doc, as he was usually called, served on the School Board for some years, while his sister Emma taught in the Methodist Sunday school for a long while. She also taught in the old "Western Home," and was altogether a very useful person in the community. She married Walter Reid and departed this life quite a long time ago.

[From August 2nd - October 18th, 1951:]
Another of our merchant families that has passed away is that of W. Crysler. When I was a boy, he had a store where the Liquor Store is now located. He was a very quiet unassuming sort of man and one who was universally respected. He put in four years in Council, serving in 1861, 1884-5, and in 1889. Very few of our businessmen of those days failed to do a stretch in Council.

H. W. Crysler had a son Frank, who was a successful Dentist. He lived and had his office for some time in the upper flat of the Crysler Store building. There was then an outside stairway on the side next to the Town Hall. He later moved to the house at the corner of Victoria and Prideaux Streets, which had been the home of the Burks. His wife was a daughter of Tom Burk, who, when I was young, was one of four important businessmen. Emma Crysler, Henry's daughter, was very active in Methodist Church circles. She taught in Sunday school and also was for some time a teacher at Our Western Home. Walter Reid married Miss Crysler, after working at the store for a long time. Doc Crysler's daughter Moss was very active in War work during the first upheaval.

THE BISHOP FAMILY
Now we come to the Bishops. I find that no less than six of this family served in Council and collectively put in 56 years in Council. Jack Bishop himself served 24 years in Council, as Mayor, Reeve, Councilor and County Warden. He was a canny, shrewd man, successful in business. He served in the Militia during the Fenian Raids. A good, solid, worthwhile citizen. Two of his sons served in Council and two of his brothers served also, Bill for one year and Bob for 2l years. Bob was a trader or so he called himself for voting purposes. He dealt in fruit and fish and was quite successful at his business. He was a shrewd trader and was fond of sport, as was Jack. Both of them belonged to the old Curling Club. Bob was fond of shooting. There was game to be had in his day. Bob's son Archie and Jack's sons, Jim and Tom have served in Council. None of them were stayers in it like their fathers. Archie is carrying on the Fish business like his father and with a good bit of his father's shrewdness. Peter, Jack's son, is in the Grocery business on King Street, so here we have a family still carrying on as useful citizens. Frank Bishop, another brother of Jack and Bob, had a poolroom for years and passed on many years ago.

[From August 2nd - October 18th, 1951:]
A man who played a large part in the affairs of the Town for a generation was Jack Bishop. He served one year as Mayor, 1875, 8 years as a Councilor; 15 years as Reeve and 2 years as County Commissioner; 26 years in all. He was Warden of the County in 1888 and part of 1887. His term of service extended from 1872 to 1900 with the exception of the odd year when he was not in office. He somehow found time to conduct his business of Butcher and Grocer and to raise a large family. A host of his descendants are with us so he should not easily be soon forgotten. He was a genial man, rather stout in build and wore in one corner of his mouth, a large, fat cigar. Yet, he very seldom smoked, but I can see him now with that cigar. He was a man whom you couldn't help liking. He must have had something that appealed to the people or he could not have continued in public office for nearly 30 years. He was a Veteran of the Fenian Raid, and was for years a member of Niagara's No. One Company of the 19th Regiment. He had a great fund of shrewd common sense and a wonderful knowledge of the genus Homo that served him well in his public career. He sets us a fine example of public service. There must have been plenty of times when he has asked himself if it were worth while. His family should be proud of his record.

[From February 28th, 1952:]
A family that played a prominent part in Niagara affairs for many years and is entitled to a place in our memories is that of the Bishops. Altogether, they served forty-eight years in Council. There seems to have been a large family of males in the generation that I first knew; Bill, George, Jack, Bob and Frank. I did not know Bill and George as they lived in Buffalo and were in the Butcher Business there.

I knew a daughter of George, for she used to visit in Town. I know Bill's wife and son Tom. We used to call him Fatty Tom to distinguish him from the Tom Bishop who is with us. Fatty served in the old 19th Regiment with me and was a nice, good-natured chap. His mother, Jane used to spend the summers here. She owned the property on Regent Street, including Bert Taylor's house and extending to Johnson Street. There was a house of stone, a low place of one story, near the corner of Johnson Street and there she made her summer home. It has since been taken down and a modern cottage has replaced it.

I shall have to tread warily about those members of the family who lived here in my time. They have so many relations and connections that their name is legion. I should say that Jack was the most prominent of the three, and I knew all three very well. Jack had a large family, all of whom married and had families of their own. But more of that later. Jack Bishop spent twenty-six years altogether in public service, all in the space of twenty-nine years, having only missed three years in all that time. His service was eight years as Councilor, fifteen years as Reeve, one as Mayor and two as County Commissioner. He was Mayor in 1875 and in 1888 and part of 1887 was Warden of the County of Lincoln. During the time of his service, he was in Council when we got our Waterworks and Electric Light. Jack Bishop was a forceful and a wise man and played his full part in the improvement of our Town. His own business was Grocer and Butcher. His place of business was in the building now occupied by the Niagara Advance and I venture to say that much of the Town business was also done in that same building. I do not say this in any derogatory sense, but anyone knows that not all the discussion of Town affairs is carried on in the Council chamber. He was a likeable fellow, plain spoken, and was altogether a worthwhile citizen and one of which any Town could be proud. Of his family of eight, five were girls and three were boys. The boys, being born after the girls, are still with us. Jim and his wife raised a fine family, most of who have made their homes elsewhere, only Bill being a resident. Jim Bishop is a carpenter and a good one, but has found time to put in seven years in Council. He is fond of a quiet joke and has a keen sense of humour. Tom Bishop married Jenny Allen and their family runs to the distaff side, his wife being one of a large family, all girls. Tom has busied himself in various ways. He helped his father in the store and later, he and his brothers carried on a canning business. He put in one year and part of another in Council and has acted as Town Auditor several times. He was later on in the Government Liquor Store. In all of these activities, he showed marked ability.

Pete Bishop is the only one of the boys who stayed with his father's business. With an eye to business coming to Town by Trolley, from St. Catharines, he leased a lot from the Town on the corner of King and Johnson Streets and thereon he built a store in which he still does business. He lost his wife some years ago, and a very nice woman she was, and so far has managed to escape the snares of predatory females. In fact, he seems satisfied with his lot, and after all, it is his business. Of the girls, Lillian has just lately passed on. She married Bob Cumpson and left a son and a daughter. Louisa, her twin, married Mike Greene and also left a son and a daughter. Ida married Walt Campbell and left two sons, twins Elwyn and Merle. Nina married Herb Walsh and they raised a very nice family, most of them still here. Aggie married John Pickwell and they moved away from Town.

Frank Bishop used to have a Pool Room over his brother's store, where Harry Sherlock now lives. He was rather an odd character and we kids got to know him very well, as he quite often went out fishing with us in the Bass season. He used to carry a small flask of "Liver Medicine" with him, from which he occasionally took a small dose whenever he felt the need. He was quite ready to share his medicine with my Dad. One day, my brother Fred opined that his liver was bad too, but he was curtly told that it wasn't good for little boys. Frank's wife died while quite young and left him with small children who had to be taken in by relatives. One boy Willie lived with the Jim Doritty's and was usually known by their name.

Bob Bishop was the best known by us around the Waterfront as he for many years, did the fish marketing and also he dealt in fruit, so that he was one of the most widely known men of his time. He served twenty-one years in Town Council altogether, his period of service extending from 1876 to 1900, four of these years as Reeve. Bob had a family of five sons and one daughter. His wife was Janet Long, sister of William Long, the hotelkeeper and Auctioneer for many years. His boys grew up among us. Charlie the eldest married Julia Ball, who bore him two sons. He was a very nice young man, but died while yet a young man. He was a member of our first Hockey Team and was a very popular fellow. The other boys, Bob, Harry, Archie and Eddie all went to British Columbia where they all played hockey and all were good at it. Bob came back east some years ago, and you will remember his oldest son as Dr. Bishop who practiced as a tooth doctor over the Post Office for some years. Harry was killed in a bomb explosion on a train in the west, the bomb being meant for Peter Verogin, a leader of the Doukobors, who was seated nearby. Archie is with us and does business at his father's old stand and I think he is the only one of the boys still living. His only sister Anna married Bill Ball and is still with us. They raised a large family of three boys, only one of who is living in Town, Goring Ball by name.

Sizing up the record of the Bishop Family, one must realize that they have played a great part in the business and welfare of the Town of Niagara and have earned a place in our memoirs. They sure "done their bit." And don't forget that Jack Bishop has a great-grandson in Council at the present time.

THE WALSH FAMILY
The Walsh family, too, is a well-known one. Jim Walsh in my early days, kept a hotel in the building where the Carnochans are now located. He was a quiet man who minded his own business. I went to School with several of his family: Clary, Herb, Fred and Mary. Mary was known for years as a successful Music Teacher and she played the organ in St. Vincent Church for years. Herb Walsh is probably the best known to the modern people as he only passed on a few years ago. He was a Telegraph Operator by profession. He was in the Customs Service for a time and served as one of the Town Auditors for several years. His last employment was at the McClelland Store as Cashier and Bookkeeper. At all of these things, he surely was efficient. His quiet, gentlemanly demeanor was all that could be desired. Altogether, he was a fine type of citizen. Herb's eldest brother Simon Walsh was much like Herb. He had the same quiet manner and was fond of music. He, when I first knew of him, was in the employ of McGaw and Winnett in the Hotel business. This firm had three Hotels: the Queen's Royal here, the Queen's in Toronto, and the Tecumseh House in London. Simon Walsh served in all three at different times and in his latter days, took over the Tecumseh House and ran it until he finally retired from business. Herb's family is still with us in the persons of Agnes at the Bell Telephone, Mrs. Russell Carr and of course, Jerry, who is now Superintendent of the Niagara Hydro System. He should know his job, for he has been with the Hydro for about a quarter of a century. By the way, the real name of our local Hydro is "The Niagara Hydro Electric Commission," and not as designated on their bill.

THE McMILLAN FAMILY
The next business family that we come to is that of the McMillans. John McMillan, the first of these was a shortish, stout man, with a bluff hearty manner. I have seen a picture of the building that is now occupied by the Frys, with a sign John McMillan and Son. Here they did a wholesale grocery business. When I first remember them, Dave McMillan was managing the store, while John and his other son Jim, ran the American Hotel at the Dock. Dave resembled the old man in appearance. He had a good tenor voice and sang in St. Mark's Choir when it was located in the gallery. Dave had several sons, the oldest of them, Will, was a chum of Clary Walsh, whose deskmate he was at Public School. They were a pair of prankish boys and were the bane of Gussie Winterbottom's existence, until she promoted them to get rid of them. Dave McMillan ultimately went to Toronto and started a Cartage business, which is still being carried on by his family on Queen Street East in Toronto. I remember word being brought to Town via Steamer Chicora of the death of John McMillan in a hotel bedroom in Toronto, where he had gone to supply Dave with funds to start a business.

Jim McMillan, or Windy Jim, as he was usually called, was quite a card too. He, too, sang in the choir, as did most of his family after him. He was a witty, prankish fellow, but kindhearted and good to his family. Jim had one son Will, usually known as Millan, sometimes as Sloppy, with whom I was always a close friend. We played together as kids and knew each other all our lives until he passed away a few years ago. In his latter years, he came into the Choir while I was Choirmaster and I was glad to have him. He was an Engineer and served for years on steamers plying between Buffalo and Chicago. In later years, he became the first engineer at our local electric light station when we had a steam plant. Then he was engineer on the Corona for several seasons and later engineer on a steam yacht in Toronto. His last employment was as Foghorn Engineer, from which position, he has not been long retired when he passed away rather suddenly. John McMillan served nine years in Council, Jim one year and Will was in his first year when he died. Two of Jim's daughters were in St. Mark's Choir and one granddaughter. They all had good voices. I think we may safely say that this family did their bit for their Town. Will has two sons and a daughter living in Town, each of them having a family.

THE WOODINGTON FAMILY
Harry Woodington had a grocery business in the store, now occupied by the Magder establishment. I remember Harry very well, but he did not seem to have done much in a public way.

MRS. SWIFT'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR
In where the Home Bakery is now there once dwelt Mrs. Swift, the pioneer in the ice-cream business in our Town. She began over the way where Bill McKenzie is now. Those were the days when one had to make one's own supply and a great deal of actual labour was required to produce the ice cream. Mrs. Swift had been a Mrs. Gurvine before she married James Swift. She was the mother of a large family of Gurvines, one of who was lately mentioned in the columns of the Advance. Harry Gurvine was at one time Police Chief in Buffalo and I remember visiting at his home in that city. A brother Bill, was at one time conductor on the M. C. R. R. on the Buffalo-Niagara run.

JAMES MacPHEE
After the Swifts passed on, the property changed hands several times, the most notable of the owners being Jim MacPhee, who built the Bakery in the rear and carried on for a long time. Jim was a member of Council for ten years, as Councilor, Mayor and Reeve and was Warden of Lincoln in 1929. He was a good, sensible man in Council and was highly regarded by all who came in contact with him.

THE DAVEY FAMILY
We must not overlook the Davey family. Albert, the first of the family whom I knew, was well known about here. He was a Fenian Raid Veteran and was for a time Provincial Policeman at the Dock. Two of his sisters married into business families, one to John Bishop and one to William McClelland. Albert assisted at both of these business places at different times and was a quietly efficient person at whatever he undertook. One of his sons, Vernon was in business here for years in the restaurant business. He served one year in Council and was Assessor for several years besides serving on the Hydro Commission. His elder brother Albert was in Council for two years and was a painter and paperhanger by calling. He was in the Liquor Store for some years and is now retired. We may assume that this family was a useful one in our community. Vern, by the way, is now in the coal business in Uxbridge.

THE DOYLE FAMILY
We must not forget the Doyle family either. Jimmy Doyle occupied a rather unique position in the Town. While his business was keeping hotel, he was also the unofficial banker for the Town and the businessmen. Jimmy began his career as chore boy for Mrs. Moffatt at the grand salary of four dollars per month. He died a comparatively wealthy man. He kept what was then known as a Family Hotel and families came there year after year to spend their summer vacations. His elder son Johnson Doyle, or Jay as he is usually called, is in business in St. Catharines while Harold, his younger son, had the Liquor Store after his father died. This business was terminated by the Wartime Prohibition and Harold is now living retired in Grimsby. One of Harold's sons Jimmy served with the Army throughout the late war and is now in the Insurance Business in Toronto.

THE McCLELLAND FAMILY
The McClelland Family played a large part in the life of our community. No less than five of them served in Council. The father, usually known in my day as "Old Bill", spent 19 years in the Council. Young Bill served three years as Mayor during the first War and as I was Reeve at that time, I know something of the many knotty problems that Council was called upon to solve. Besides this, he served four years as Councilor and two as Reeve. Both of the Bills belonged to the old Curling Club, as did Bert the next son. Bert McClelland served one year in Council and died while still a young man. His wife is still with us as is his daughter Mrs. Warner, while his son Bert is in charge of Queenston Park. Young Bert was a Councilor for one year. He is a Veteran of the First War and also served in the Second, being badly wounded in England. Bert and Harry Irvine built the curbs on Picton Street when it was paved some years ago. I might mention here that Tom Holahan and John Bissell built the curbs on Queen St. in 1914. Fred McClelland, who passed away recently, served six years in Council, besides serving on School Boards of the Town. Fred left one daughter, Mrs. Fred Marsh, and his wife, who was Lou Short. Thus there has passed off the stage, a family prominent in business and community life for a whole century. A record to be proud of indeed.

[From August 2nd - October 18th, 1951:]
A family of merchants that is worthy of our mention is the McClellands who have been an important part of our Community life for about a century. Their business is one of the oldest in Town, dating from 1815 and the McClellands have had it for over a hundred years; they have been a useful family, serving the Community in various ways. As a family, they have served thirty-seven years in Council, besides service on various other bodies. I remember the family from my early days.

The first of them, usually known as Old Bill, to distinguish him from Young Bill, served nineteen years in Council, and was known for his sound common sense. His period of service was in the years 1873 to 1896, with several years when he was not in Council. During that period, trees were planted and we had Waterworks and Electric Lights added to our conveniences, also the Telephone. Three of Bill's sons and a grandson also served in Council. Will, the oldest son, was Mayor in 1916 to 1918, a very important time, as the First World War was raging. As I was Reeve during that time, I came to know Will very well and we were always close friends. I remember accompanying Will and Jack Black to the Exhibition Camp at Toronto in the early days of 1916, to confer with General Logie and his staff on Camp matters. We were met by Col. Clyde Caldwell and had a preliminary talk with him, he being Divisional Engineer. We were escorted by him to an upper room where were assembled, all the big wigs of the Army. After our conference was over, we were taken down to Caldwell's office again.

As we passed along a corridor railed off from a large room where a lot of men were standing around, I was following the Mayor, when a man reached over the rail and grabbed the Mayor's arm. I ducked around and went on into the office. The Colonel asked where the Mayor was and on being told that he was being buttonholed, he said in alarm, "Oh, for the Lord's sake, get him out of that." So Black went out and brought him in. When asked who it was he was talking to, he said it was a newspaperman whom he knew. "Oh, I didn't tell him anything", said the Mayor. But when we were on the way to the train some hours later, we purchased papers to read en route home and there on the front page was a half column story of our delegation being in the City to confer with the Military Authorities. Will felt very annoyed and maintained that he had not told the paper man anything about our mission and of course, we believed him and he was only a moment with the man. But Mr. Man was no fool and he did a little simple addition added to a certain amount of intuition, and built up a remarkably accurate account of our errand at the Camp.

Will, later on, served two years as Reeve and previously had four years service in Council. Bert McClelland, Will's younger brother was a Councilor in 1897, but he died while quite a young man. His son, Bert, Jr. was a Councilor in 1929 and 1930. He is a Veteran of both World Wars and was badly wounded in the Second. He has been in charge of Queenston Heights Park now for a long time. He is a very likeable chap and was quite popular while living in Town.

The third of old Bill's sons, Fred passed away not so long ago, leaving one daughter, Mrs. Fred Marsh. Fred was a fellow who loved a joke. He had a pleasant manner and a cheerful grin and many a laugh we had together. Fred was the last of the family to go over "The Great Divide," and it was he who managed the business after the rest of the family had gone. Charlie Hall was his able, active manager for a long time, but he too has gone and is succeeded by his son Bert. And the business goes on. I have a picture of the Council of 1930 and there are three McClellands in it, Will, Fred and young Bert. Altogether, a family worthy of a place in our book of memories.

Before going on with these reminiscences, I should like to make it clear that they were never intended to be either historical or biographical. My intention was simply to give a series of chats that would be interesting to the readers of our local paper, based on things and people who have passed off the stage. I have had many nice things said to me about them, things that have encouraged me in their compilation. The other day, however, I received a letter from a lady resident of New York State, in which she found great fault with some of my reminiscences and accused me of gross ignorance about the old families. Of course, all of us know that there is a tendency among descendents of some of these old timers to greatly magnify their importance. They should remember that they have passed off the stage and gone into the limbo of forgotten things. What I have tried to do is to write from my memories as I have seen or known them. Some of my remarks about people have been based on what was common talk current at the time and generally accepted as true. I shall not resent being put right if I make mistakes, as long as it is done in a nice way.

THE PLATTS FAMILY
One of the business families that have passed off the scene in our Town is that of the Platts. To most of us, they are forgotten. But, at one time, the Platts were quite an important part of our business life. The one whom I remember was Willard, who passed away long ago. The family had a carriage-making establishment and hired a considerable number of men, including four apprentices. Willard was a very conscientious, pious man with gentle manners. He taught in the Methodist Sunday school for years and always began the day at the Factory with a Prayer and Scripture reading. Of course, Willard Platts did not begin the business and was only one of a family. But I think the family is worthy of our notice.

I couldn't hope to mention all the Families that have been important in our midst and I hope no one will climb my coat collar over some omission on my part. I would much prefer to have them tell me of my sins of omission. In reminiscing about the places in the Town, some few have rather accused me of omitting mention of their particular homes. I had no intention of expatiating on the merits of the newer houses that have sprung up like mushrooms all over the landscape, nor have I had any wish to slight anyone. I have been asked several times, how I am able to remember so many things, to which I have had to answer that its just "one darn thing after another."

THE PAFFARD FAMILY
I suppose only us oldsters remember the Paffard family. I have mentioned Henry Paffard elsewhere in my various articles. A man he was, who did much good in a quiet way. He served 26 years as Mayor but this was only part of his services to the Town. He was Treasurer of our Library for nearly half a century. I found an entry in Library records wherein he personally paid ten years rent of the premises occupied by the Library. He was on the Board of the Western Home for many years and served St. Mark's Church in various capacities for many years. His daughters, too, were useful women, his eldest daughter being organist for a long time. Both the oldest girls taught Sunday school for years. This quiet, unassuming man conducted a drug business that was most successful. In those days, Doctors did not make up their own prescriptions and there were not the patent medicines, nor the many toilet accessories that now adorn the shelves of the modern drug store. But I must be careful or I may tread on someone's corns, and received cold looks from Jack Bates or Erl Field. As far as I am concerned, they could peddle fish if they took the notion to do so. That's all for Drug stores.

HENRY PAFFARD [From August 2nd, 1951]
One little man who did a lot for our Town was Henry Paffard. He was a quiet, reserved man, rather small of stature, not a glamorous figure by any means, but a dapper little man who believed in doing whatever his hand found to do. He was our much-respected Mayor for 26 years. He was not a Politician and never sought votes or position, but even the practical politician (and in his day, they were not angels), found it easy to support him. There was something about him that inspired respect and confidence. It was under his regime that our Park was planted. I remember it as full of small trees and people used to laugh at it. I also remember seeing in the Town Records where the Council let a contract to a man from Youngstown to plant a hedge around it. And there it was in my boyhood days, fenced in by a wire fence with a fine hedge inside it. Of course, the fence was to protect the hedge from the roving cattle, which ran at large. No one ever dreamt of going into the Park. There was a protected gate on the Picton Street side and one on Byron Street. Who removed the fence and hedge, I do not remember. Joe Bottomley was the Chairman who had the path laid out through the Park. I well remember the row in Council over leasing the Park to Dick Taylor. Mayor Randall put it through over the protests of the businessmen. That was in 1913, my first year in Council and it cost Randall the election for the following year. He died however, early in 1914, after being defeated by Bill Harrison. To get back to Henry Paffard - he was Treasurer of the Public Library for a matter of 32 years and on one occasion, he paid up ten years back rent for the premises then rented by the Library. Besides that, he served St. Mark's Church in various capacities and was altogether a most useful citizen of our Town.

Henry Paffard had one son, Arthur, who was a schoolmate of mine at High School. He had been a pupil of Charles Camidge, at the York Academy on Johnson Street, now the home of the Lyalls. Arthur went to Toronto where he was in the wholesale firm of Armstrong and Paffard. He it was, who gave the main doorway to St. Mark's Church in memory of his parents and his wife. Alice, his sister was Organist of St. Mark's for quite a long time; afterwards she married and went west. She and her sister Bertha, taught Sunday school at St. Mark's for years. They were altogether a very useful family.

A brother of Henry was Fred Paffard who used to live in the Gooderham house on Queen Street. His daughter, Mrs. Wilkinson is still with us, her husband Russell Wilkinson was Town Clerk, later moving to New York. He was a nice, genial man, very gifted with his pen and was quite a loss to our Town when he left it. His son-in-law, Fitzroy D'Arcy served the Town as Mayor, Reeve and Councilor. He too was a fine man, a good man to work with and one whom I was glad to call a friend. Altogether, the whole Paffard connection has been a credit to our Community.

THE SHERLOCK FAMILY
Of course, the Sherlock Family has been well known here for many moons. I remember old Bob Sherlock, the first of the clan, along with his sons, Dan and Dick. Its a funny thing that neither of the sons was known by his real name, for Dan's name was Albert, while Dick's was Charles. Dan was a Fenian Raid Veteran, a very quiet man, who spent his life working about the waterfront. He ran the boathouse at the Queen's Royal for years and was known far and wide by the many patrons of that ancient hostelry. His wife was a fine woman and did quite a bit of midwifery in her day. They raised a nice family, Mrs. William Thompson being a daughter as well as Mrs. George Gibson. Doed, as she was known, was in charge of the Bell Telephone Office for years before she married. The younger son, Danny, was drowned some years ago while crossing the Lake in a motor boat. The elder son, Ed is still with us. He was engaged in a piscatorial capacity for years in partnership with Eddie O'Melia and left that occupation to become Chief Constable of the Town, which office he filled very capably for many years. He gave up that job to go into the Hotel business and is now living quietly. He is now a Councilor, being in his fifth year in that capacity. Ed was quite an oarsman in his younger days, and once cleaned up the elite skiff oarsmen of Toronto in races on their odoriferous Bay. Of course, as there is no boat running, I feel safe in poking a bit of fun at the Ambitious City. Oh, I beg Hamilton's pardon. I should have said the Queen City. Then, Dick Sherlock had a family, well known hereabouts, as several of his grandchildren are living here. Dick and his wife, when I first knew them, lived in the building where the restaurant is now and they had a store, where the Marino's are now. Previous to that, they had lived in a building below the hill in the Queen's Royal grounds opposite the Elliott house. Here they were burned out. Dick died while comparatively young and left a family of wife, three daughters and two sons. Mrs. Sherlock carried on the store for some years and then bought the property at Ricardo and Melville Streets, where she had a boarding house. Her oldest son Charlie, or Grinny as he was called, married Ada Hindle and left two sons when he died as a comparatively young man. He and his wife ran a restaurant on Queen Street where there is still a restaurant. They afterwards bought the house on Gate Street, known as Cornella, where they kept a boarding house. His brother Steve Sherlock is too well known to need any introduction from me. He was so much in the public eye that he deserves more than a passing mention. He began his public career while still a young man and served 17 years altogether in Council. Steve was not always the easiest fellow in the world to get along with, but he had progressive ideas and was never afraid to speak when he saw fit to do so. Steve had a lot to do with road improvement in Niagara, and was in a large measure, responsible for the improved roadbeds on Melville, Ricardo, King and other streets. It was I who moved the motion that made Steve Sherlock Chairman of the Board of Works in 1913, my first year in Council. Steve often consulted with me in his plans for improving our streets. While I never served on the Board of Works at home, I was the first Chairman of the Lincoln County Good Roads Committee. I attended many Good Roads Conventions and thus learned a lot about road building, some of which knowledge I was able to pass on to Steve when asked by him to do so. Steve passed on not so long ago, and he has two sons who carry on good work for the Town. Don, the younger, is Fire chief, and Harry is high up in the Fire Company too, so that the family is proving its usefulness to the Town. Before leaving this family, I should like to mention that both Grinny and Steve played hockey in the old days of seven man teams. Grinny was a member of the Team that won the Championship of Southern Ontario many moons ago. Steve's business was the livery, first horses, and then he had the first auto livery in the Town. A very useful family and an asset to any town.

THE BLAIN FAMILY
When I was small, Tom Blain had a Dry Goods Business in what is now the Stewart Block. He was active in Community life and served eight years in Council, two of them as Reeve. He was appointed Keeper of the County Gaol and the family moved to St. Catharines. A sister taught in Public School for some years and was my teacher for a time. Tom had four sons, all of them nice chaps, Colin the youngest being in later years, Collector of Customs at St. Catharines.

[From June 19th, 1952:]
I missed a couple of names of those who used to be in the Dry Goods Business in the list that I had in a former article. They were T. P. Blain and Tailts of St. Catharines, who had a branch store here after Mr. Blain had left. Several of the Blain family were quite prominent and active when they were here. The chief of these was Tom Blain who had the drygoods store in what is now the Stewart Building. It was then known as the "Warden Block." Like many of the merchants of his day, Mr. Blain did not confine all his attention to minding his own business but made himself useful in many ways. He served as Town Councilor for eight years, the last two of which he was Reeve. His period of Service was from 1876 to 1883. This was not his only public service for he was Secretary of the Fire Company for a long term of years. Besides that, he was an Elder of St. Andrews Church for many years. A good, honest, upright man he proved to be, respected and liked by his fellow townsmen. He had a brother William, who was musical and I remember him as having a good bass voice. He belonged to most of the musical organizations of his day and in the days when the Presbyterians had no "Kist of whustles," he served as presenter of his Church and led the singing. One of my early schoolteachers was Miss Bella Blain. When I first went to school, I had for my teacher Miss Bella Flanigan. But the Roman Catholic Separate School, which was situated on Davy Street, was closed up and the children then came to the Public School, which necessitated the opening of the fourth room of which Miss Blain became the Teacher.

Tom Blain's eldest son Perry was a classmate of mine at High School. Mr. Blain Sr. became Keeper of the County Gaol and the family moved to St. Catharines. The youngest son Colin, became Collector of Customs at St. Catharines. Altogether, the Blain family proved to be a talented and useful family and while they have been gone from our Town these many years, yet a few of us old timers remember them. The Tait Store came in after the Blains left and was here for a number of years.

THE ROWLAND FAMILY
Another family that was prominent in our public life years ago was that of the Rowlands. There are none of them here now, but Tom Rowland was a very successful businessman and a good man in Council. I used to hear him spoken of as a very wise man, whose judgment could be trusted. He served five years in Council and was Mayor for part of one year owing to a vacancy occurring in that office during the year. He moved to Toronto, and made a success of business there, too. In later years, his son Fred came here and took over the Drygoods business after Bob Burns moved away. Fred Rowland was a schoolmate of mine at High School and was a very fine man. Kindly and jovial, he was a good man to know. He served three years in Council, from which body he resigned on receiving an appointment to the Liquor License Board for Lincoln. I got to know Fred very well as he and I served together as Churchwardens of St. Mark's for several years. He went to Toronto and took over his father's business when the old gentleman passed away. A good family and a loss to the Town when they left it.

THE BURNS FAMILY
Bob Burns took over the business from Tom Rowland and ran it very successfully for many years. He had a good tailoring establishment in the flat over the store and always had good tailors. He usually kept two tailors and three or four tailoresses and found enough business to keep them all busy. Two of the girls who worked there are still living in Town. Bob was a very fine man, and like the rest of the family, he was fond of music. He ran the Methodist Choir for years, while his sister Salome played the organ and taught music pupils. Joe, too, had a good voice and as a family, they were a fine musical asset to the Town Society.

Joe was his bookkeeper in the store, until Bob moved away to Brantford. Joe then was appointed Town Clerk in succession to Russell Wilkinson. He held this position until 1910, when he resigned to accept an appointment as Collector of Customs. Joe was quite a sport and I remember him as a member of the old Niagara Curling Club and later as a great lawn bowler. He and Watts Lansing won many trophies in single and double competitions against many of the best bowlers of the province. Bill Inkster and H. W. Clark both had this business after Fred Rowland moved to Toronto, neither of them staying very long. Bill was in Council for three years while living here and Mr. Clark served two years in Council. After Clark left, Fred Rowland sold the property to William Greaves. [See BURNS, TOM and JOE]

THE MISSES PETLEY
One of the businesses which were burnt out in Niagara's big fire was that of the Misses Petley. Dressmaking and Millinery was what they engaged in and after the fire, they were located in a small store situated on the site of Tranter's Tonsorial Parlour. These good ladies were aunts of Tom Mulholland, whose mother inherited the business from the Petleys. The business grew under Mulholland regime, and a new store and dwelling have been erected and the business is now a credit to any Town. Tom Mulholland and I were classmates in High School and years after our school days we sat together on the High School Board. Tom was one of the nicest fellows I have known. I remember his wife too, in Public School. Tom had a good tenor voice, sang in St. Vincent's Choir, and quite often sang at entertainments in Town. His son Joe is musical too, and has a voice much like his father's. I consider this family to have been a decided asset to the Town.

THE CAMPBELL FAMILY
The Campbells did come, after all. There have been several families, all related. The first of these of which I wish to reminisce were the ones who lived in Irishtown; Sam was the one of these who seemed to be important. Sam was very tall, well over six feet and quite thin. I knew him best when he was bookkeeper at the wharf, which job he held down for a long time. He used to get me to relieve him once in a while when he wanted a day off. Sam used to beat the big drum in the Town Band and he used to officiate as Clerk at Auction Sales. He was a well-known and very much respected citizen. He had a brother Bob who was quite a simple fellow and worked at one time on the railway section. Then there was Bill Campbell who lived on Prideaux Street where the Caughills now live. Bill was a Blacksmith, having served his time with the Platts. He fished with my Dad for a time and had a boathouse of his own on the Beach. He also worked for Big Jim Cantwell for some years. He raised a family of four sons and one daughter. At another time, he pumped water for the railway in a tankhouse that used to be beside the track near the wharf.

Perhaps the best known of the Campbells was W. J., who had a Blacksmith shop on Queen Street where the Theatre now stands. He was quite a public character and served twelve years in Council, besides being on the High School Board. He was Truant Officer for the School Board for several years. He was also an Elder for St. Andrews Church and was a very much-respected citizen. He had opinions of his own and was not afraid to voice them. He was very much interested in his native Town. I was looking at a picture of him and John Thornton and Jim Holahan, seated in an open car at one of our public celebrations. They were the last remaining members of the Niagara Company that turned out for active service at the time of the Fenian Raids. They have all long since passed away. I sat in Council and on the High School Board with William Campbell and came to know him very well. He had quite a family, two of his sons being still with us, besides grandchildren and great grandchildren. His oldest son Walter, was a Carpenter and a very good one. It was he who built Curtis' Barber Shop and the Home Bakery. He later made his home in the West. One of Walter's sons is the one who has been in the Dairy business of which he and his boys have made a great success. Another son is an Electrical Contractor and he too is making a success of his business. One of William's sons, John married Sophie McMillan and after her father's death, he ran the American Hotel for a time, later moving to Toronto, where he still lives. Another of William's sons, William Jr. was in the druggist business for quite a while. He had bought out the business of Bert St. John, which was then located where the Liquor Store is now. He later bought the Harrison Building, now the Stewart Building, and moved his business there, but has since retired. Will has a son, Gordon Campbell who is in the Provincial Police Force. Mrs. Campbell was a member of St. Mark's Choir. Will served one year in Council. Herb, the youngest of the family of William Campbell Sr., is a Carpenter and has served five years in Council. Altogether, the Campbell Family has made quite a contribution to our community life and is deserving of our commendation.

THE HARRISON FAMILY
As we reminisce about our business families, we could not possibly overlook the Harrisons. I suppose I'll have to be careful what I say, as Bill Harrison will probably smile that wry smile of his and suggest that anything could be expected from that man Masters. But here goes anyway. I first knew Bill in our High School days. He was usually known there as Bill Gunn, as he lived with his grandfather Gunn on a farm in the Township on Pancake Street. This name, by the way, was no euphonious enough for Bill's taste, so he managed to get the name changed to Progressive Avenue. Its original name came from the prevalence of its inhabitants' eating of the buckwheat variety of that breakfast dish. Bill wasn't satisfied with that one upheaval however, but he had to tackle the drainage problem with the result that there is still a drainage system in that locality known as the "Harrison Ditch." Not many have the unique distinction of having so useful an undertaking as a ditch named after them. Such is fame. Then too, Bill had ambitions as a debater and quite prided himself on his ability along that line. However, life on a farm became to hum drum for our William, so he came into our Town. Here he joined the Presbyterian Choir and married Annie Blake the organist. Bill did pretty well for himself in this, as she was a handsome, accomplished young woman. Bill organized a Men's Club at St. Andrew's and I remember that he challenged St. Mark's Men's Club to a debate. The late R. E. Denison was head of our team of which I was a member, while Bill Harrison in person headed their team. And, believe it or not, we won the war. With a man like our Bill, he had to keep out of mischief, so into the Council he must go. And here he spent twenty years altogether, eight of them as Mayor and seven as Reeve. During his first term as Mayor in 1914, he was instrumental in having Queen Street paved from King to Simcoe. There was a rather curious irony in this piece of work being carried out under the Harrison regime, as it had been a pet project of John Randall and was one of the planks in his platform when he ran for re-election as Mayor. However, Harrison defeated him and then proceeded to carry out the same work. Of course, this was not the only or the most pressing question before the electors. The main difference between the two as to the road project was that Randall submitted the question to the electors who defeated it, while Harrison, notwithstanding the defeat of the project by the ratepayers, called a meeting of the property owners on the street. The result of this meeting was that the said property owners presented a petition to Council to pave the street as a local improvement. Council, of course, proceeded to carry out the work and as unemployment was becoming burdensome, the work was most welcome. Not many years afterwards, our Bill and Joe Mussen fathered a scheme to relieve the ratepayers of the unpaid balance of their assessments on the work by having the County road through the Town diverted from Johnson Street to Queen. I pointed out to them that if this were done, the diversion I mean, the ratepayers would not be relieved of their assessments and we would lose control of our Main Street. I will say this for William Harrison: he made a good Mayor. He never begrudged the time he devoted to the Town's business and never got many thanks for his devotion to the interests of the Town. He served it well and certainly has earned a good word from those who served with him and from the public at large. It is not all fun serving the public. You often get "monkey's pay, more kicks than ha'pence"

THE CARNOCHANS
Most of our businessmen have served the public in various ways and all have added their bit to the civic structure. If some of the men who served years ago could come back and see their town, they would no doubt see a wonderful change in it. A man came into my office some years ago that I had not seen in many years. We had played together as boys when his family was our neighbours, but he had been in the States for some twenty or thirty years and he said that when he came in on the bus, he didn't know the place.

I have covered most of the business families in these reminiscences, but a have a tentative list of families to mention that should prove interesting to our people. There are many that serve our Town in humble unobtrusive ways and it is a pleasure to me to mention a few of them.

The Carnochans come into our mind. Of these, Janet is the best known. She was a splendid example to our teachers of today and to all of us in fact. I personally was privileged to know her very well indeed as she was my teacher in High School and in later life, we were closely associated in Library matters. She has her own niche in the Hall of Fame as an Historian. St. Andrew's Church knew her for many years as a fine, faithful Sunday school Teacher. She certainly was a fine person. She never made much money. Salaries were pretty small when she taught, but she never seemed to measure her services to the Town and its people in dollars and cents. One does not find the teacher of today doing as she did. Mostly, they are birds of passage. Not all, by any means. I have no right to tell our young teachers what they should or should not do and if I step on anyone's toes, it is unintentional. But Janet Carnochan was a fine example to us all. "Nuff said."

When I first remember the Carnochan family, they lived in the house on Wellington Street now occupied by the Clark girls. They had a lumber business and the house now the home of Billy Richardson, was their workshop. They owned a good deal of the land round about them. I should like to remind my readers that the four blocks bounded by King, Picton, Wellington and Castlereagh Streets were granted to James Crooks instead of land on the Mississaugua Common when the government build the Fort there after the War of 1812. When I was a boy, the Honourable Adam Crooks was in the Provincial Government and on his health failing, a commission was appointed to wind up his affairs, which included the sale of his land holdings in our Town. John Carnochan told me that he made them an offer of $750 for the land he was renting, which offer was accepted. Included in this offer were the lots opposite the old Public School whereon now stands the houses of Will Lavelle, Mrs. Elliker and Harold Boyle, besides the land lying between the two schools and extending over to King Street and also the four acres between Davy and Wellington Streets. John Carnochan was himself a good Carpenter and built many houses in and about our town. I sat with him on the Public School Board and the Town Council of which he was a member for four years. He was a shrewd, canny man, with good judgment in most things.

THE GREAVES FAMILY
A family we could not pass over without mention is the Greaves clan. Although they have not been with us long, the head of the clan has served eleven years in Council and I found him to be an upright, kindly man, whose judgment could be trusted. He made a good Councilor and we could well do with more like him. He gave a son to his country in the late war and he was a fine young man too and a decided loss to his family and to this Town. Of course, we all know the present Mayor. He is a bit different from his Dad, but seems to be a real live wire and should make a good Mayor. There does seem to be a different conception of the part the Mayor plays in the Town's affairs. The Mayor is the executive head of the Community and is largely in charge of all its work and it is he who should see that all the various things to be done by Committees and Employees are carried out efficiently. A small Town such as ours does not need any addition to its staff if the Mayor and his Committees are on the job and each doing his bit. I hope no one will get the idea that I am suggesting that there is any neglect on the part of the Mayor or any other member of Council. But I must say this, that no man should sit in Council who is not willing to shoulder his share of responsibility in carrying out the business of the Town. I don't suppose for a moment that young Bill Greaves will shirk any part of his duty, but it will do him no harm to know that people are behind him and that after he has passed off the stage, he will be "remembered for what he has done." However, he has served three years in Council before becoming Mayor and should know the ropes. Personally, I have no misgivings about him.

THE PATTERSON FAMILY
In the building where the McKenzies are now located, there used to be a Bakery, that of Ned Patterson, about whose family some mention should be made. Ned himself was a quiet, unassuming sort of man, who did his business in a quiet way. His eldest son Eddy did most of the baking while the next son Billy did the delivering. They had a small one-horse wagon with a cover over it to contain the bread and all the bread was disposed of in less than two hours. In those days, you could buy a two-pound loaf for five cents. It was baked on bricks, not in a pan and nice palatable bread it was. Of course, in those days, most women baked their own bread, an art which few women now know anything about. Besides his bakery business, Ned Patterson dealt in fruit in the fruit season and also in fish. He was a good straight man to do business with. Many of my readers will remember Eddy, the oldest son. He was for a long time in the Dairy business and lived in the old Winterbottom house on the corner of Mary and Seventh Streets. Later on, he lived in the Whittaker house on Mississaugua Street and later still on Prideaux Street. His last years he spent in the service of the Canada Steamships, where he was well known to travelers. He was a nice, quiet fellow with good manners and was liked by everyone who knew him.

Of course, everyone knew Bob or Berry as he was usually called. Bob was a Fisherman and was rather a happy-go-lucky chap, quiet and jolly. For years, he managed the affairs of the Fishermen's Club which organization gave an annual dance, the proceeds of which were used in bringing cheer to families who needed help, especially at Christmas. Bob was the dispenser of the funds and was most discreet in his dealings with the recipients of the help so given. He was a Fireman for many years and was altogether a very useful citizen. He and his good wife conducted a Dairy business for years and were good people to deal with.

Jim, the youngest son, acted for a time as a Police Constable during the first Great War. There were two girls in the family, the elder of who married Will Ball, whose family is still with us. Julia the younger girl married Jack Hartley and went to British Columbia with him. As a family, they were an asset to the Community.

THE KEMSLEY FAMILY
I should like to write of the Kemsley family. It is not so easy to write of a family so personally represented among us but, the first of them whom I knew has long since passed from our ken and of him I can speak as I knew him. Perhaps my earliest acquaintance with Jerry Kemsley was when I joined St. Mark's Choir long ago. Jerry was in the Choir then and being of a musical disposition, he was in the Band for many years. He was a Carpenter by trade and found time to spend two years in Council. He was also a Fireman for years, and altogether was a useful citizen. He left behind him a family, several of who are dwelling in our midst. The girls of the family are most useful, being engaged in most of the public movements of the Town. Three of the boys have served in the Armed Forces. Arthur, the oldest boy went to South Africa with our forces and never came back. Clifford and Ernest served in the First World War. Since coming home, Ernest has served as Steward for the Legion and was Caretaker of the Schools for several years. Besides these things, nine of the family has served in St. Mark's Choir and several of the girls have taught in Sunday school. Three of the boys have served in the Choir and Ernest was Churchwarden for several years. I should say they were a family worth mentioning.

THE REID FAMILY
My readers may notice that most of the families I am writing about, are those that have been here for generations. One of these that I have in mind is the Reids. I knew the first Bob of this clan when he fished seine for Tommy Elliott at the Beach. As far as I know, he never did much in a public way but he raised a family that has been much in the public eye for many years. Young Bob, when I was a kid around the Beach, was fishing with Bob Taylor. They used a red skiff and were known locally as the "Bobbies".

Bob left this job when I was quite small to become our Chief Constable in succession to Bill Curtis. In this job, he served for many years and had much to do with most of the changes that have taken place in our Town. He served as Fire Chief and did the overseeing of our public works. He was a most versatile man and did most things well. I remember one Sunday when I was small, a Toronto man had skipped from his hometown and was at Lewiston, he having committed some offence for which there was then no extradition. This chap belonged to the yacht club and for several Sundays, he came down to fraternize with his cronies at the Queen's Royal. However, our Bob received from Toronto, a warrant for his arrest and when Mr. Man stepped off the boat, Bob placed him under arrest. His buddies made a determined attempt to rescue him from Bob's clutches, but Bob stuck to him like a brother, being actively assisted by the Fishermen. A lively time ensued, but Bob succeeded in placing him in jail, whence he was taken by Toronto police to Toronto via Steamer Chicora. The culprit, by the way, was acquitted of the charge against him and later was a frequent visitor to our Town. After Bob retired from his various public offices, he became caretaker of the Government property here and lived in Fort George where he ended a long and useful life. A book might be written about this man and he leaves an example of a useful, practical life. He left behind him a family, in fact two of them, as he was twice married. We all know his son and grandson who are in business, while a grandson is Fire Chief and another grandson is a successful vendor of frozen water. Most all of the Reids have served as Firemen, Bob and John, Walter and George, George's son Walter Jr. and a cousin George. One wonders what our Fire Brigade would be like without the Reids.

John worked for the Bishops most of his life and was also Caretaker of the High School for years. He too left a family, a daughter and several grandchildren. Walter, who is still with us, has been a useful man. He has served on the School Board, been a D. R. O. at elections, and he found time to serve eleven years as Councilor. He has been a Fisherman, and a Gardener. He worked in Crysler's Grocery Store for years as a youth and he was long a member of the Fire Brigade. On the whole, he was a worthwhile member of the Community and still is although he has retired from public life.

George, who is also still with us, is best known as a Painter and Decorator, which calling he has followed most successfully for many years. I remember him, however, when he and I wore a red coat in No. 1 Company of the old 19th Regiment. He held the rank of Colour Sergeant. He served a long time with the Fire Brigade and was a Councilor for two years. He also served a term on the Hydro Commission. He has three fine sons; the oldest, Walter is with him in business while Clifford is a successful Dentist. Albert succeeded me as Town Clerk and all the boys are successful in their various avocations. Their one sister Lizzie taught in Sunday school for a long time. The other sister, Eva, married Frank Clench and has been listed with the great majority for many years. Certainly this family has been a potent force in Niagara affairs for a very long time and certainly is worth our consideration.

[From January 19th, 1952:]
In these reminiscences, I have mentioned families that have gone from our midst and I have tried to give as fair a picture of them as I could. I would remind my readers that they are culled from my memory and I daresay may have made mistakes. I have in mind, however, a family many members of which are now still with us. I refer to the Reids. This is quite a big subject for there was a large family and I do not expect to mention them all personally. The first one of the family that I remember was Bob Reid, Senior. When I first knew of him, he used to be fishing seine with Terry Elliott at the foot of King Street and at Fort Mississaugua. One day, Jack Bolton had some gillnets set nearby and Bob and Bill Campbell sent Jimmy Hutchinson out in his scow to pick up the nets. While Jimmy was industriously pulling the net into his scow, Jack and his henchman, Bill Thornton arrived on the scene and there were fireworks. Poor old Jimmy, when he saw Jack approaching, he got rattled and dumped the whole thing out in a bundle. As we were not far away, we heard some decidedly unparliamentary language. This tickled the gang on the shore, but poor Jack felt anything but joyful as he painfully untangled his gear. Bob raised quite a family, his oldest son being Bob Reid Jr.

When I first knew the second Bob, he was fishing in partnership with Bob Taylor and they were commonly known as "the Bobbies." For some years, he was employed at the Lakeview Hotel and then became Chief Constable of the Town of Niagara, in succession to William Curtis. He held this position until 1912. It is too bad that he had not left us some account of his experiences. You must know that he had a multiplicity of duties. He was Health Inspector a good part of his time, Wood Inspector, and Truant Officer. He saw to the building and mending of sidewalks. He was Fire Chief and caretaker of the Town Hall. Doug Secord had a favorite saying, "I'm a man of many moods and tenses," and I think we might apply this to Bob Reid Jr. for in his time, he must have had many different experiences. Bob was not a big man, but he was wiry and handy with his fists and once he laid hands on a delinquent, the same was a dead duck. I remember Bob being mixed up in a free for all scrap with some excursionists from Toronto the Good. This was before he was Chief and he gave a good account of himself in that same battle. I remember too, another occasion when he had to arrest a Toronto man. This man was wanted in connection with a disastrous bank failure. He had escaped to Lewiston but came to Niagara on Sunday to visit friends at the Queen's Royal Hotel. It was not then legal to serve papers on Sunday, but after he had spent several pleasant weekends, criminal charges had been laid. There were no Provincial Police then and the warrant for the arrest was sent to our Bob. When the boat from Lewiston docked at Niagara, the culprit walked off as bold as brass and into the hands of Chief Reid. As a large fleet of yachts was in Port, Mr. Man looked for help to the yacht crews to get him out of the toils. The whole gang of fishermen were on hand and you can bet there was a lively time. Suffice it is to say that Ontario's Ancient Capital utterly routed the forces of its present capital and Bob took his prisoner in triumph to the Town Hoosegow. Next day, Toronto Police arrived and took the prisoner aboard the Chicora. Awaiting the ship's arrival, was a large and angry mob but the ship was stopped in the Gap at Toronto and the man was taken ashore in a rowboat and thus escaped the mob. I believe that on trial, he was acquitted.

I was going to breakfast one morning quite early. I was living in a house on Regent Street then and going up Regent, I saw at the corner of Prideaux, the Chief coming along Prideaux with a prisoner. I wondered where he had got him so early but went on up the street. Mrs. Bob Burns was living in Ed Sherlock's home and was sweeping the leaves off the sidewalk. She looked up and smiled and said, "Good morning, " and then in a startled voice, "Oh look," I looked and there were Bob and his prisoner down in the dust in the middle of the road. As I looked, Bob got up and had his man by the collar. He called to me "Come here Joe." Of course I went. He told me to take hold of the prisoner, so I got a firm grip on his collar and left arm while Bob had him by the other arm and we marched him to the Town lockup. I remained with Bob while he searched the prisoner, finding a revolver and a box of cartridges and a few trinkets. The man had been found in what was lately the Grant-Suttie house by the caretaker, Jack Nisbet.

The man had evidently got into the wine in the Butler's Pantry and gone to sleep. He fled with his shoes in his hands and was sitting down lacing his shoes when our Chief came upon him. He had an iron drift bolt with him, which Bob was carrying when I first saw them. The man was tried and convicted and received two and a half years in Kingston Pen, while I received a dollar and a half for my little morning's adventure. The same man made an effort to escape from the train on route to Kingston. He was allowed to go to the men's lavatory and his guard caught him half way out of the window.

Bob Reid Jr. resigned in 1912, to take the position of Caretaker of the Government property, which position he held until his death. He returned a few years before his death to become Fire Chief, retaining his Government position. With his death, was ended a most useful career. He left behind him, sons and grandsons to be useful citizens. His eldest son, usually known as Dicky, was for a time, Manager of the Hotel formerly run by Jim Walsh and which occupied the building where Bob Howse has his business. He later on became an employee of the Canadian Canners and has continued with them as Manager of their Fonthill factory these many years. Dicky was always an ingenious fellow. As a Forward on our first Hockey Team, he devised the long stick now generally in use.

When I first knew about Hockey, the boys used to go out in the bush and cut sapling to make their sticks, which were only the length of an ordinary walking cane. Later on Dick Reid played in Goal and conceived the idea of a wider blade for the Goalie's stick. I don't believe I mentioned Charlie Bishop and Alec Doritty as members of that Hockey Team. That particular Team among them conceived the idea of the goal net now also in common use. That first net was made from part of an old seine that we had stowed away in our Boathouse. I remember quite well that among the party who did this was my brother Fred Masters who was playing Goal, Charlie Bishop, Jack Hartley and Alec Doritty. Dicky Reid carried his inventive genius into his coming career as he has a number of invention and improvements to his credit. His brother Hedley Reid also played hockey and also was an important employee of the Canners in the course of his career, managing several of their factories. Another brother, Fred Reid is serving in the regular Army and has been with them for a number of years. A grandson of Bob Reid's is now Chief of our Fire Brigade while his brother is a Captain in the same organization. Altogether, the family has been a decided asset to their hometown.

John Reid, Bob's next brother, worked for the Bishops for a long term of years and also was caretaker of our schools for a long time.

Walter Reid, the next brother, is the only one of the boys left with us. He too has lived a useful life. He worked as a youth for Henry Crysler and later married his daughter. Later in life, he was a fisherman, painter and gardener. He served on the School Board and put in eleven years in Council. Before becoming a Councilor, he acted as D. H. O. at elections. He also was a member of the Fire Brigade as were all the boys. I may claim some credit for suggesting his name to fill a vacancy in Council in 1920. I was then Chairman of the Water Committee and asked to have him on my committee. He has surely made a good contribution to the Public life of this old Town.

George Reid, the youngest of the brothers has not so long departed this life. He is best remembered as a Painter and Decorator. I have known him as Colour Sergeant of No. 1 Company of the old 19th Regiment. I might remark here, that all the Reid brothers served in the Militia and all served as Fireman. George also had one of the first picture theatres in the Town, situated in the long building opposite the Town Hall, afterwards moving his business to the present building down the street, which he bought after Mrs. Norris gave up business. He left three sons, one of who is carrying on the Painting business, one is a successful Dentist, and the third succeeded me as Town Clerk and Treasurer. Taken altogether, I think I am safe in saying that the Reid Family has done "true and laudable service."

[From November 5th, 1953:]
The Reids are well known to most of us. All were Firemen. In fact, Bob was Chief for almost a lifetime. Bob, John, Walter and George, all served in the Militia. Bob was Police Chief for longer than most of us could remember. John was Caretaker of the High School for many years. Walter served in many ways, as Fireman, Special Police, besides putting in eleven years in Council. George was a busy man, but managed two years in Council. Altogether, as a family, they gave a lot of service to the Community.

THE RICHARDSONS
The next family I have on my list is that of the Richardsons. I remember Ned Richardson when I was a small kid going to School. He was a lame man and went about on crutches. He was a Tailor by trade. His son Billy was a Carpenter and a good one. He was a man who was very outspoken in his opinions and once in a while, he offered himself for Council successfully, serving three terms of one year each. He had two sons, Ed and Will. Ed was a Veteran of the First Great War. He was a painter and worked with the Reids for years and passed away a few years ago, leaving behind him his widow, who was a daughter of Eddie Patterson. Both Ed and Will were members of the Fire Brigade for years. Will married Edith Reid, a daughter of Bob and they have a son and a daughter, of whom we shall speak later. Will was a Carpenter and was in charge of all the building at Niagara Camp during the recent War. He was foreman in charge of all the building and repair work all through the War and proved to be thoroughly able and competent at the job. As I remember him, he served on the School Board and on the Hydro Commission. He was quite prominent in Church matters and was altogether a man of sense and decision. His only son Billy is a very useful citizen. He is in the Coal Business and seems to be making a success of it. He served with the Navy during the recent War and since coming back, is making himself useful in hospital and church matters and bids fair to be one of our best citizens.

THE ANDERSONS
I am thinking of the Andersons. There have been many families of that name in our Town. Of course, we oldsters remember our old Doctor, Hedley L. Anderson. For many years, he doctored us all and made a darned good job of it. Of course, medical science had made changes in the treatment and prevention of diseases which are all to the good. But the old doctor with his horse and rig was indefatigable in his devotion to his flock. Please don't think I am criticizing our young doctors. Not by a long chalk. The Rigg boys are a credit to their profession and to their Town. But old Dr. Anderson was an institution. I remember being told of an incident in the doctor's career that was typical of him.

He was coming from his home to the drug store one evening, when he saw, sitting on the edge of the wooden sidewalk, a man who sat with drooping head and shoulders. He seemed to be in distress and the doctor, on seeing him, went to him and laying his hand on his shoulder asked him what was the matter. The man said he was sick, whereupon the doctor gave him a once over and finding him to be seriously ill, he procured a livery rig and took him off to the St. Catharines Hospital for treatment. It was like the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Then there was Nelson Anderson who was our Hydro Superintendent not so many years ago. I worked with Nels for three years while I was in the Hydro Shop and found him to be a good man to work with. He came here when Hydro was in its infancy and we have much to thank him for in the fine system we now enjoy. He took a great interest in the affairs of St. Andrews Church and was altogether a good citizen and a decided asset to our Town.

None of these Anderson families were related to one another. There was Ed Anderson who was Division Court Bailiff and Assessor for years. I remember one time, Ed made a seizure of goods at the Oban, when Mrs. Norris was running it. She had opened a house at Youngstown and was operating her theatre here at the same time and used to travel back and forth with us on the Ferry. One morning she came down with several parcels in her arms. She laid them in the boat and said she wanted to go back up Town for something. So she called Tommy May and departed in his flivver. Hardly had she got out of sight, when Ed Anderson arrived. He came to the boat and asked if those were Mrs. Norris' parcels. He said, "You needn't take them any further. I'll take them. So presently, the lady arrived with some more parcels that Ed removed from her arms and departed with the whole lot. They had apparently been taken surreptitiously from the Oban and were under seizure. The lady, of course, was very irate and practically accused me of sending for Anderson, which of course I had not done. He had apparently trailed her down to the Landing.

Then there were the Weir Andersons who used to summer in one of the Warren Cottages, just above Paradise Grove on the riverbank. The Scott Andersons lived in the house on Victoria Street that now belongs to John Tobe. And now I find three other Anderson families living in our midst, so it is apparent that the clan will be represented in our Town for upwards of some time. I am kind of interested in the Andersons as my maternal grandmother was Mary Anderson and came from Glasgow.

THE KIRBY FAMILY
Many of the families I am reminiscing about have cropped up in the course of these articles and perhaps I may be forgiven if I mention them again. For instance, the Kirby family. The original William Kirby was a man who made his mark in this Town. He published one of our early newspapers and did a lot in compiling historical data for our delectation. His book "Le Chien D'Or" and his "Canadian Idylls" are outstanding examples of literary effort. He was Collector of Customs when I was old enough to know of him. He was a familiar sight on our streets. He was a man of great influence in public affairs. The Public Library was one of his interests and he served it in many capacities for a long time. He was President of the Board for thirty years. All in all, he certainly deserves honourable mention in anything we may write. His grandson William is with us. He served part of one year in Council resigning and receiving an appointment as Division Court Clerk. I might have mentioned the original William Kirby served eleven years in Council, six of them as Reeve. The third William Kirby is with us in the Insurance business. He served in the Armed Forces in the recent War having the rank of Major. Altogether a valuable family and one worthy of our regard.

WILLIAM KIRBY
As I remember, William Kirby was Collector for many years and had his office in the Town building in the room now dubbed "The Mayor's Office." I never had occasion to set foot in this "holy of holies" until Mr. Kirby had been retired. I suppose that Mr. Kirby must have been a busy man and a man of varied talents. He was a writer of note and had been for quite a long time, in the newspaper business with his Niagara Mail. His books, Le Chien D'or, Annals of Niagara and Canadian Idylls are classics and have been widely read.

But what of his life as a citizen of our Town? I remember him as a tall, grim appearing man. I have many times seen him with a grey shawl about his shoulders, girt about the waist with a sash, as was quite a common fashion in those days. He busied himself in many ways for the betterment of the Town and he made various trips to the national capital on business for the Town. And he served in Council for eleven years, three of them as councilor, one as Deputy Reeve, and seven as Reeve. His last year was 1870. I suppose it must have been after that that he became Collector of Customs. He found time to make himself useful in other ways. From 1852 to 1856, he was Secretary of the Public Library Board, Vice-President in 1857 and 1872 and for thirty years from 1873 to 1902 inclusive, he was President. He must have had something about him that appealed to and impressed people, or he could not have held these positions year after year. I cannot remember ever having had speech with him, but he was a man of position and importance. As to his appearance, take a look at his picture as it hangs in the Library, an institution that owed so much to him.

[From April 19th, 1952:]
Among the men of Niagara deserving of more than a passing mention is the late William Kirby. He played a very prominent roll in Niagara's affairs from the time that he came to Canada about 1839. He seems to have given the country a once over before settling in our Town, but once settled here, he sprang into the forefront of affairs. He busied himself in various ways before embarking on a newspaper career. When I was a boy, he was Collector of Customs. When he was first appointed to that office, it was a very important one, as the Town was then the center of shipping and merchandising for the whole district. One must remember that until the Welland Canal was built, St. Catharines was only a crossroads settlement, sometimes known as "Shipman's Gore."

Mr. Kirby was the mainspring of the movement to keep the County Seat in Niagara, travelling all over the County and to Ottawa and Toronto, making innumerable speeches. I daresay he used every resource of the tongue and pen, but all to no avail. Beamsville at that time was also making claim to be the County Seat, as it is geographically nearer the center of the County than either Niagara or St. Catharines. But St. Catharines carried the day by offering a free Courthouse. The title of the County Courthouse is still in the City. Later on, it was found necessary to add a wing to it and the County pays a rental to the City for that wing, which, of course the City built.

I had the fact of the City's ownership brought home to me in a peculiar way. When Art Welstead was Chairman of the Building Committee of County Council, he was discussing the improvement of the lighting of the Judge's Chambers with Judge Campbell, and they walked outside to look the building over on the James Street side. The Judge was horrified to discover an emblem of a BULL over the basement entrance. That was infra dig on the wall of the Judge's Rooms and must be removed forthwith. I believe that at one time, the said basement was used as a Market, hence the emblem. Art came to me, as I was Warden that year, and we arranged to have the emblem re-cut as a Beaver on a Log and the work was begun. However, Herb Cummings who was then Assistant City Solicitor, came by and saw the work being done, whereupon he hied him away to Mayor Elson and we received a peremptory note from the Mayor to cease work on the property of the City. So the work ceased and at a joint meeting of Committees of City and County Councils, at which I presided, we thrashed the matter out at some length. The City men were adamant in their stand and insisted that we replace the emblem as it had been. I had the pleasure of telling them what we thought of them, so there is no bull and no beaver, just a mutilated bit of stonework.

But to get back to Mr. Kirby. He was very busy when our men were away at the time of the Fenian Raid in 1866, in seeing that the Town men were supplied with food. Another of Mr. Kirby's activities was in connection with our Public Library, he being an active member for well over fifty years, the last thirty years of which, he was President. I have a copy of an address that he gave in 1898 that being the fiftieth anniversary of the Library as it was then constituted. I find also, that he was a very active man in Church matters. I remember seeing him when I was a boy, coming into Church with his wife and son John. He was a regular attendant.

Then too, he was Magistrate and tried all the minor cases that came before him. Grave, sedate and dignified, he looked and acted the part and while by many, he was not liked, he was respected. Altogether he was a good citizen and worthy of a place in our "Book of Remembrance."

THE AIKINS FAMILY
I suppose most of us remember Jimmy Aikins who was with us for many years. He served twelve years in Council, four of them as Mayor, and three of them as Reeve, being County Warden in 1914. For many years, he was wharfinger for the Steamship Company and was known far and wide. His son James Aikins is now our Assessor and Justice of the Peace. He too served at the Wharf for some years.

THE BROWN FAMILY
A family, which has served this Town for half a century, is that of the Browns. It is true that there have been several families of that name living in our midst from time to time, but the one to which I now refer is that of James Brown, our first Waterworks Engineer. Of course, I have known the Browns all my life. I first remember James as an Engineer on the old Steamer City of Toronto. He afterwards served in the same capacity on Lake Steamers, until our Town Fathers wanted an Engineer for the newly installed pumping plant at the Dock. This was in the spring of 1891 and Mr. Brown proved to be a most efficient man at his job and continued in it until age and infirmity compelled his retirement. During his term in the position the pay was small and the job a twenty-four hour a day one. Later on, after the Electric Light Plant was installed, Will McMillan was its engineer for some years, until he gave it up to be succeeded by Mr. Brown, who carried on both jobs, with the assistance of his son John. Mr. Brown was a man with a keen sense of humour and being endowed with a large measure of shrewd common sense and a fund of mechanical knowledge, he proved to be a most valuable man for the Town. His son John was his assistant for a long time and finally succeeded him in the position. He too, has proved to be the right man in the right place. He studied to make himself efficient and has always been assiduous in the performance of his duties. Besides his job at the Waterworks, he has served as a member of the Fire Brigade and was on the School Board for years and also has been one of the most prominent Masons. I suppose I knew John better than most people as we were deskmates at High School for a time and later chummed together for years. John used to be called Danger Brown by his contemporaries for some reason unknown to me. Jack Abbott used to call him Johnny Smart. Nickname or no nickname, John has been a fine citizen and worthy of a place in the history of our Town. As he helped his father from the beginning of our Waterworks System, who could better fill the place he now holds as Superintendent of our Waterworks. Who could one find with the intimate knowledge of the many houses and other services connected with the system that our Mr. Brown possesses? So, here is a family that has given us good service for nearly sixty years and should receive the thanks of the Community for faithful service.

THE GREENE FAMILY
Two members of the Greene family have been prominent in our public life, Joe and Mike Greene. I speak of them in this familiar way, as it is how they were known. These two men were cousins and not much alike. Joe, as I first remember him, lived on the farm where the Winery is now located. He always seems to have been a man of prominence and influence. He stood out in Township public affairs. Later on, he came into Town affairs. He married Mary Hunter, one of our School Teachers whose home was on Mary Street where Harry Matthews lives now. Mary died, however and after a time Joe married again, his widow now living in the house that Joe built alongside the old house. Joe got into Town life and spent nine years in public office. He was Councilor for two years, then County Commissioner for two years and then Reeve for five years. He was Warden of Lincoln County in 1907; he also served on the Board of the Public Library for many years. He was a man known for his good, plain common sense. He was never in a hurry to form Judgments and was altogether a very valuable man, highly regarded by all who knew him.

His cousin Mike Greene was also known far and wide, as he was in the Livery business for many years. He first took over the Dan Waters stable on Regent Street and lived in the now deserted house across the street. He was in partnership with his brother-in-law Bob Cumpson for a long time and they had the Donelly business as well as the Waters business. Later Bob sold out to Mike and the Waters stable was closed up. Mike served five years as a Councilor. He was rather a blunt spoken fellow but a good citizen, steady and industrious and an asset to his Town.

THE MILLOY FAMILY
I was down at the Wharf recently and I couldn't help thinking of a family now all gone from here, the Milloys. I suppose only a few old-timers still remember the family, but in my young days, they were important people in our community life.

I do not remember Captain Duncan Milloy personally as he had passed away too soon for me to know him, but I knew his two sons and his daughter, as well as his widow. Captain Duncan Milloy seems to have owned the Steamer Zimmerman that burned at the Wharf before my day. The Steamer, City of Toronto, was built to replace her, and when Capt. Milloy died, his son William took command and carried on for a number of years until the family fortunes were at low ebb. The boat was a good one and many Niagara men had employment on her. To mention a few, there were Jack and Joe Raynor, Jim Brown, Jim McMillan, Cort Secord, Jack Doritty. Secord was Mate and Doritty was Steward. When I first knew the family, they owned all the land bounded by Collingwood, Ricardo and King Streets, except the present basket factory, as well as the land bounded by Ricardo, Nelson, Byron and Melville Streets. But Bill, as the head of the family, was not a successful manager and in the course of time, all the property slipped out of their hands. The family, however, served eleven years altogether in Council. Captain Duncan Milloy served two years, Capt. Bill three years, two of them as Mayor, and Capt. Colin six years.

THE ROUSSEAU FAMILY
Another family around the Dock was that of the Rousseaus who owned the Lake View House. The original John Rousseau died when I was a small boy and his was the first Masonic funeral that I ever saw and I was duly impressed by the sight. Johnny was a small man, dark and dapper, with a waxed mustache. My Uncle Alec Keith used to invariably refer to him as "Little Dandycock." Johnny was a session clerk at the Parliament Buildings in Toronto for many years. He did serve one year in Council however, hence is entitled to be remembered by us.

THE LONGHURST FAMILY
The Longhurst Family comes to my mind. Bill Longhurst had a Butcher Shop where the shoe repair business is now, but he lived up the River Road. His son George was one of my classmates at Public School for a time and he has left a daughter Helen who lives in Town. When I first knew Jim Longhurst, he was Foreman of Jerry Devoe's apple evaporator at the Dock. He lived at first on coming to Town, in rooms in the street end of the building that housed the plant, where the basket factory now is, afterwards buying and occupying the house on Melville Street, now the home of Mrs. Steve Sherlock. Later on, he ran a food business on Ricardo Street. Still later, he started and Coal and Wood business at the corner of King and John Streets and he moved to the White Inn. Unfortunately he was killed by a Boiler explosion in his place of business. He served six years in Council. He was a nice man to know, kindly and genial and altogether a very good citizens. Another of his occupations was as Engineer of the Electric Light Plant in the Niagara Assembly grounds, commonly known as Chautauqua.

THE ELLISON FAMILY
The Ellisons were quite a prominent family in Niagara not so many years ago. There were three brothers, Henry and George and John. When first remember Henry and George, I used to see them in the Band. They both blew bass horns. They were Masons, but good all around mechanics. Henry built himself the place where the Canadian Legion now is located and George built the Powell house opposite on Wellington Street. Henry told me once that he made all the cabinetwork for the organ in St. Mark's Church. John was the one I knew best. He was in the Church Choir when I joined it. He had a good voice and was a very nice man to know. John Ellison was for many years one of our best known builders. He was the builder of Dr. Wettlauffer's house and the large wing on what used to be the Gooderham house. This was built for a man named Birge of Buffalo who owned the property at the time. John has two daughters still with us in the persons of Mrs. Fred Masters and Mrs. John Brown.

THE BEST FAMILY
Although I have mentioned the Best Family in previous articles, it would not be out of place to again mention them as a family. Bob Best, the first, was a rather smallish man and had a large family. The family was Butchers and had a large slaughterhouse behind their home on Ricardo Street, now occupied by the Shipleys. I was taking a walk in the neighbourhood lately and I noticed that the old slaughterhouse has just been demolished, thus removing another old landmark of Niagara's past. The first of the Bests with whom I came in personal contact, were Frank and Percy Best, the two youngest of the boys. Frank was my Sunday school Teacher for a time and Percy (Butch) was a classmate at Public School. There are none of the family left here now. Will, the oldest son, was very prominent in public life in Welland where he made his home. Several others located in Chicago. As far as I know, the only one left alive is Percy, who lives in New York State. Old Bob Best served eleven years in Council, while Fred served nearly 22 years, dying in 1912 while in his sixth year as Mayor. That is a pretty long record of service either for a family or an individual. Fred was a shrewd, careful man, never in a hurry to give voice to his opinions. Fred married Jenny Follett and left two daughters on one son Bobby who died in the Army in Camp at Toronto. Gladys, the younger daughter was a Clerk in the post office here and later in Toronto where she passed away a few years ago. The other daughter Cassie is in Toronto. One of Old Bob's daughters was Mrs. Manning, who taught in St. Mark's Sunday School for many years and was Travelling Inspector for "Our Western Home, " for years until she retired. She had one daughter Milly who was another of my classmates. She qualified as a Teacher but gave that up when she married Charlie Brown. She was a member of the choir for years and was also a teacher in Sunday school. If service to a Community is worthy of commendation, then this family certainly has earned a place in a community roll of honour.

[From August 2nd - October 18th, 1951:]
I could not overlook the Best family for they were important in business and public affairs for a long time, and have now passed on. The first of them that appeared was Old Bob, as he was familiarly known. He was a rather short man and well along in years as I remember him. The Bests were always in the Butcher business. When I speak of the Butcher business, I mean just that. They went out in the country and bought the animals as they needed them and then killed and dressed them. Bob Best lived in the large house near the waterworks. Behind the house was the slaughter house, lately torn down by the Shipleys. They had a large pigpen about where the waterworks building now stands. Bob Best put in eleven years in Council between the years 1868 and 1885. He was a canny old fellow. He had a large family, the last of whom to live in Town being Fanny. One of the sons, Frank taught me in Sunday school, but later went to Chicago to live and there he died and is buried in St. Mark's Cemetery, along with most of the family. A daughter of Bob Best, Mrs. Manning taught for many years in Sunday school and at the Old Western Home under Miss Rye. She was the Travelling Inspector for the home for many years. Her daughter, Milly was a schoolmate of mine; she married Charlie Brown and has a daughter Mary. Milly was a very useful person, a Schoolteacher by profession. She taught Sunday school and sang in the Choir. She was Secretary of the Board of Education and was a member of the Library Board for a long time.

Fred Best was one of Bob's sons and followed him in the business. He also followed him in public service. If he had lived out his last year in Council, he would have served twenty-two years altogether. He was Mayor from 1897 to 1901, being in that important office when King George and Queen Mary visited our Town as Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. He was again elected Mayor in 19l2, but died in office. Fred had the reputation of being one of the shrewder men we had in Council. Physically, his was not an impressive figure, as he was rather short of stature and inclined to be bow-legged. But he had a nice smile, a pleasing manner and was popular with the female sex, as well as the male. Altogether the Best family is deserving of a place in our book of memories.

THE DORITTY FAMILY
Another family that has gone from our midst is that of the Dorittys. When I was a small boy, the old couple lived in the house on the corner of King and Platoff Streets, now owned and occupied by the Bishops. We used to be sent there for drinking water for the School, when the school pump was out of order, which was often. There were two sons, Jack and Jim. Jack Doritty was a Painter. He was for some years, Captain of No. 1 Company of the 19th Regiment while my father was 1st Lieutenant. They retired about the same time. Jack finally moved to Buffalo and died there. He had two sons, Harry and Alec. Harry Doritty was a classmate of mine in Public School. He died while quite young. Alec served in the 19th with me, and later was on the Police Force in Buffalo and died a few years ago. They were both nice boys.

Jim Doritty was a Carpenter, but also served as Assessor for a long time. He had a family of three boys and four girls. The boys got away from here quite early, except Joe the youngest, who managed the Telephone Office here for a long time, finally moving to Toronto, where he still lives. Charlie the oldest son lives in Buffalo and is a frequent visitor to his old home Town. Charlie Butler married Annie Doritty and she passed away not so long ago. The other girls all married and moved away. This family was our neighbours for years and we boys played together and were always good friends. There were Charlie and Fred and Joe in their family and Joe and Charlie and Fred in ours. Many good times we had together. The only relic of the family now living here is Annie's husband. Charlie served two years in Council and I found him to be a good chap. I daresay he will read this and I shall hear from him. Nevertheless I have always found him to be a good head. There is nothing mean or underhand about him. If he has a fault, it is that he is sometimes a bit free in his criticisms of some of our people, although I must say that I find myself quite in accord with his views in many cases.

THE MORSON FAMILY
I suppose that not many now here remember the Morsons. The old Doctor of that name was an old man when I was small and had retired from the practice of medicine. He was a small man but there was nothing small about his flow of language on occasion. He had a son Monty Morson who was Police Court Judge in Toronto for many years. He was known far and wide for his breezy way of conducting his Court and he was famed for his gift of tongue, as was his father before him. The Morsons lived in the house now known as "The White Inn," the home of Fred Beattie. Jay Doyle so named the place when he owned it.

THE CLENCH FAMILY
Another family that was prominent in earlier days was that of the Clenches. Ralfe Clench was one of the early settlers in our Town, and was one of the most prominent of its citizens for many years. There were Clenches here for a long time, but there have been none for many years. I personally remember Barney, the last of the family to live in the old home on Prideaux Street. Since Barney's decease, the house has changed ownership many times and has been remodeled. When I was a boy, Barney dwelt there and had a redheaded son Frank. Frank was a fisherman for some years after his father died and then went railroading. He married Eva Reid, a sister of Walter and George. Another Clench was my half-sister Fanny, who was the daughter of my mother and Richard Clench, a brother of Barney and my mother's first husband. Another brother, Johnson was County Court Clerk for years in St. Catharines and a fine man he was. He was a great help to me when I entered County Council and he was renowned for his knowledge of Court procedure and municipal affairs. Another brother, Garland, was Jail Turnkey for years and while not as wise or as brilliant as his brother Johnson, he was a good man at his job. Barney, by the way, served ten years in Council, two of them as Mayor. Frank was a member of the Fire Brigade for years until he moved away from Town.

[From August 2nd - October 18th, 1951:]
A family that has long since gone from our Town is that of the Clenches. They were one of the earliest families to settle in our midst, Ralfe Clench coming in from the States with our other people who shook the dust of the country below the border off their feet to live under the Union Jack. Ralfe Clench was the first Clerk of the Peace for this district and that office remained in the family for about one hundred and thirty years. The last Clench to occupy that office was Johnson of that ilk, who passed away in 1923. Ralfe, his grandfather appears in that office as early as 1793. I knew and admired Johnson Clench. He was respected by all that came in contact with him. I also remember his Uncle, F. A. B. Clench, or Barney, as he was familiarly known. He preceded Johnson in that office, but when I knew him, he was living in the old family home on Johnson Street.

My interest in the Clench family is all the greater, because my mother's first husband was Richard Clench, a brother of Johnson. They had one daughter Fanny, who lived with us of course, but sometimes put in some time with Uncle Barney. This same Barney was a bluff old fellow who believed in calling a spade a spade. He served ten years in Council, three of them as Mayor. He had a son Frank who married Eva Reid. Frank was a fisherman for a time, but later went railroading. He died in Buffalo, as did his wife, they being buried in St. Mark's. They left one daughter who lives in Buffalo. The Clench family was military from the beginning of their residence in Canada. Ralfe, the first Johnson, and Barney all held the rank of Colonel. We find the later Johnson Clench among the list of the Niagara Company in Fenian Raid times with the rank of Lieutenant. When I was in the County Council, I found Johnson Clench a real friend, as he was always kind and helpful to members of Council and to me in particular. He paid me the compliment of saying that I was the best first year man he had known in fifty years of service as Clerk. You would travel a long way to find a finer family than the Clench clan.

[From April 30th, 1953:]
A man who deserves honourable mention in anything of a reminiscent nature was Ralfe Clench. Here was a man who spent practically his whole life in public service. He must have been a man of outstanding ability and many talents. He was born in Schenectady, New York and while yet in his teens, joined the army at the outbreak of the War of the American Revolution. He served a year in the 8th Regiment and later joined Butler's Rangers and served six years in that famous Regiment. He must have been well known to the authorities for he was appointed to fill all kinds of useful positions. He was Clerk of the Peace which office was held by members of the Clench family for well over one hundred years. His military training was put to good use, for later on he commanded a regiment of militia. He also served several terms as a Member of Parliament as well as being a Judge. He was a man of good family, his wife being a granddaughter of Sir William Johnson and Molly Brant. The Clench family was always Niagara people at heart and I remember several of them very well indeed. My mother's first husband was Richard Clench, who died young leaving a daughter Fanny, who of course, lived with us. I know Barney Clench who was the last of the family to live in the old home on Johnson Street. He, too, served as Clerk of the Peace and Registrar of the Surrogate Court and was followed by Johnson Clench, who died a few years ago. I was very fond of Johnson Clench who was very kind to me while I was serving in the County Council. He had served in the old Lincoln Regiment and at the time of the Fenian Raids, he was a First Lieutenant in the Niagara Company of that Regiment. His sister Carrie married a Bixby in St. Catharines and I had many a friendly chat with her in the store on St. Paul Street. A brother Garland was Turnkey in the Gaol for years and quite often had the job of taking convicted prisoners to Kingston.

I remember once being called on by Bob Reid to help take a burglar to the local lockup. This fellow, whose name was Misener, had been seen by Jack Nisbet, the Caretaker in the Drope House on Queen Street. He was captured by our Chief and I happened along just as he was putting up a scrap and trying to escape. However, he was duly tried and sentenced to two and a half years in Kingston. Garly Clench took him there, but nearly lost him while on the train. He had been allowed to go to the toilet and having been gone a rather long time, Garly went in to investigate and found his prisoner half way through a window. He told me about it long afterwards. I know of no family that has served the people better than the Clench family. They were and are honoured and respected not only in Niagara, but also in the whole district.

Some of the family went to the States. One of them, whom I used to hear my mother address as Nan, lived in St. Louis, her husband being a Railroad man. Crysler married a girl of the family, but the marriage was not a success and she too went to St. Louis where she became a practicing Dentist.

At the time the old Clench house in Niagara was sold, the lawyers had a field day digging up traces of other members of the family of whom I had never heard. I suppose that is the way lawyers make a living, but they cause ordinary people like you and me a lot of headaches. Frank Clench was a son of Barney and he married Eva Reid, a sister of Walter Reid. He went railroading and lost an arm at his job. None of the name now lives in Town, although a daughter of Frank's visits the Reids occasionally from her home in Buffalo.

THE WINTERBOTTOM FAMILY
At one time, the Winterbottom family was well known in our Town. Many will remember Miss Augusta, or Gussie as we usually called her. She taught school for so long that she seemed like an institution. She taught my mother in the Masonic Hall, or rather the Stone Barracks as it was then called. She certainly was a fine woman and not afraid of work. She was a tireless worker and besides her School teaching, she gave many years' service to St. Mark's in Sunday school and Choir. And she was for a long time, Librarian of our Public Library. I reckon that she and Miss Carnochan were the most useful women that our old Town has known. William B. Winterbottom served ten years in Council in the period from 1856 to 1871 and was followed by William S. Winterbottom who served two years as Councilor and part of a year as Mayor. He moved away from Town and was succeeded in the office of Mayor by T. M. Rowland. This idea of public service seems to run in families.

THE DAVIDSON FAMILY
The name of Davidson comes to mind. Alex Davidson was the First Mayor of the Town in 1850. I might remark here, that this Town's incorporation as a Town, dated from March 29th, 1845, the specific Act being known as 8th Victoria, Chapter 62. Until 1850, it was governed by a Board of Police, the first President of the Board being Richard Miller. John Simpson was President in 1846 - 1848. Also, Davidson was President in 1849 and Mayor in 1850.

In that year, a general Act of Incorporation, known as "The Baldwin Act," was passed, when the head of a Town Council became a Mayor. Until 1858, Mayor and Reeve were elected from among the members of the Council by the members of Council. F. A. B. Clench was the Mayor elected directly by the voters in 1858. The Reeves continued to be elected from and by the Council until 1867. For a number of years, the inaugural meeting of Council was in May. However, Alex Davidson was the Carpenter who built our Town Hall. I have seen a statement of materials used in the building, compiled and submitted by him amounting to some 6000 lbs. John Thornton was the Mason on the job. Two sons of the Davidson clan were Walter and Bob, both Carpenters. Walt was the Carpenter who built the house on King Street for S. B. Howley now owned by Mrs. Stevenson, and also the Rowley Block, now owned by the Imperial Bank. Bob passed away not so long ago. I remember him as beating the drum for the Salvation Army when they were active here. A sister of Bob was the wife of W. J. Campbell and there are two sons of this couple here, Will and Herb, besides grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

GENERAL NELLES
Every time I look out of my windows and see the new hospital in course of erection, I think of General Nelles. He and his good wife did so much for the present hospital. He it was who had the question of a hospital as a memorial to our boys who gave their lives in the First Great War. The people preferred the Clock Tower, but Gen. Nelles did not give up the idea of a Hospital. The late Dr. Rigg too did much to aid the hospital idea, along with a band of devoted women who have done so much to make the Institution a success. Gen. Nelles was Mayor for two years and a good Mayor he was. The Nelles family was no newcomers to our Town as the General served with the permanent force in this district from the beginning of his Military career. One son gave his life during the First Great War and his other son commanded our Naval forces during the Second War. Certainly, as a family, they deserve ou