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JAMES HOWILLS ATHERTON
James Howills Atherton is a veteran business man and citizen of Welland who has been active in the wood working line for the last two decades, and has reared a family of children who give special credit to his name.
Mr. Atherton was born on November 22nd, 1887, in Liverpool, England, and is the son of Nathan Atherton, who was born in Kirby, England, and was engaged in the wood working business. He obtained his early education in the public schools of Liverpool until he was thirteen years old, when he went to work for his father and attended the Evening Technical School in Manchester, England.
In 1906 he decided to try his fortunes in the new world and came to Canada in that year, locating in Orillia, doing carpenter work for W.J. Hickey of that place. After a short stay in that place, he came to Welland, Ont., on construction work for the same employer, then bettered himself by engaging for work with Samuel Lambert, as superintendent of his planing mill.
Being now fairly well settled in his new field, he started a small shop of his own on Division Street in Welland and ran it successfully for two years, when a fire wiped out his shop and he lost everything he had and was completely broke. Nothing daunted, he started again in 1924, at which is now his present place of business, with but one man, and constructed one of the largest and most modernly equipped concerns in the county, as the Atherton Woodworking Company, now operating with ten men, and going all the time, engaged in the manufacture of store fronts, office and store fittings, and special mill work. He has made most of the store fixtures and fronts for all big contracts in Welland, and for some of the best homes and buildings in Welland County. Mr. Atherton has been identified as instructor in vocational training in the Welland High School for six years; a member of the Board of Education, Welland High School, for three years, and has always taken a great interest in and is now a member of the Board of Trade. His fraternal affiliations are with the Masons and Oddfellows. He was married on May 3rd, 1910, to Miss Lillian Macaulay, at Welland; they have four children, Frank, now working in the shop learning the business; James and Angus, attending school and an infant son, Donald. He is a member of the Anglican Church. He resides in his own home, 119 Dorothy Street.
Mr. Atherton is a business man whose experience has put him in contact with the realities of life, since boyhood. He has had setbacks, has overcome obstacles, and has been almost entirely responsible for the building up of one of Welland’s leading industries, including an equipment for the manufacture of store fittings and special mill work.
A.E. Coombs
History of The Niagara Peninsula and the New Welland Canal
1930
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