Results for ‘Early Citizens’
[Welland Telegraph September 10, 1903]
Thomas Willson, of Wainfleet, Meets a tragic death on the banks of the feeder.
Word was received here on Tuesday morning of the death of Thomas Willson of Marshville, one of the former partners of Willson & Reavely, owners of a large tract of marsh land, Mr. Willson was in Welland on Monday evening, and about eleven o’clock left Cooper’s mill for home, with a load of chops. That was the last seen of the unfortunate man alive. On Tuesday morning about nine o’clock his corpse was found beneath the load of feed, which was overturned on the bank of the feeder, about a mile above the lock. Early in the morning a milkman, on his way to town, came across the upturned load, and thinking it was a runaway, he extricated the horses which were still there, badly tangled in the harness, and tied them to the fence, never thinking for a moment that their driver lay dead within a few feet of him. It is supposed that Mr. Willson was asleep at the time of the accident, for in several places the wheel tracks ran very near the edge of a deep ditch which runs parallel with the feeder for some distance on the opposite side of the road. When found the body was in a stooped position, the head being bent down nearly to the knees, and it is supposed that the deceased’s neck was broken in the fall. Messrs. Lawrence & Sutherland, undertakers, were notified; they brought the body to Welland, prepared it for burial, and took it to Mr. Willson’s home on Wednesday morning.
Thomas Willson was one of the best known men in Welland county. In 1882 he and Mr. Reaveley purchased 5000 acres of marsh lands from the county. They put in over fifteen miles of ditching and draining through the land, and a few years ago leased about 4000 acres to the Peat Co., at an annual rental of $1500. Messrs. Willson & Reaveley cleared up about 250 acres of land each, which is now first-class farm property. Deceased was a hard working and enterprising man, and has many warm friends who mourn his demise. He leaves a family of six children all at home. They are; Annie, Joseph, Charlotte, Rachel, Cameron and Cecil. His wife predeceased him. The family have the heartfelt sympathy of all.
The funeral will be held today from the home in Wainfleet to Willson burying ground.
Tenszen Studio
[Evening Tribune, 24 March 1954]
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Ray L. Beattie, manager of Woolworth’s in Welland, has held that position for 21 years. He is well known for service club and community activities. |
[Welland Tribune January 12, 1945]
The funeral of the late Mrs. Anna Greene, who died at 301 Beatrice street, Crowland on Thursday, January 4th, was held from the J.J. Patterson and Sons funeral residence, 19 Young street, to St Peter and St Paul’s church where requiem high mass was sung by Rev. S. Cassin. The late Mrs. Greene had been father Cassin’s housekeeper for the past several years. Interment was in Mount Calvery cemetery, Buffalo.
[Welland Telegraph September 17, 1903]
Immediately after buying a ticket at the Michigan Central depot last Friday evening about five o’clock, Mrs. E. McMahon dropped dead. Mrs. McMahon had been visiting her niece, Mrs. Arrowsmith of Stamford for about a month, and was about to return to her home in Boston. She had received her ticket and was walking across the floor towards Mrs. Arrowsmith when she collapsed. Drs McGarry and Walker were immediately summoned but nothing could be done, death came instantly. heart failure being the cause, brought on probably by the excitement of leaving. Mrs. McMahon was 67 years of and had enjoyed the best of health for the last two or three weeks. A son who resides in Detroit was telegraphed for and arrived Saturday afternoon. Undertaker Morse took charge of the body. The remains were afterwards taken to Somerville, a suburb of Boston for interment.
[Welland Tribune October 12, 1943]
Services were held yesterday for the late Ada Diver Born, wife of Thomas O. Born, 107 West Main street, who passed away Saturday at the Welland County General hospital in her 52nd year. The funeral, which was largely attended by relatives and neighbors, was held from the Sutherland-Thorpe funeral home, 152 Hellems avenue to Woodlawn cemetery for interment. Rev. A,J. Thomson, curate of Holy Trinity church, conducted the service and Mrs. H.B. McIntyre officiated at the organ.
The pallbearers were Clarence Ort, Joseph Thomas, Thomas Grant, John Fuller, Tony Mate and J. Brennan.
[Welland Telegraph July 3, 1903]
Elizabeth Walker, widow of the late Samuel Horner, passed away at her late residence, Stratford, Ont., on Saturday night at twelve o’clock. She had been unwell for some time, and this, together with her advanced age, made death not altogether unexpected. Deceased was born in Portadown, County of Armagh, Ireland, in the year 1819. When only twenty years of age, she in company with some relatives, came to this country settling in the United States, spending a year in the Southern States. One year after coming to this country, in 1840, she was married in New York, to the late Samuel Horner, for many years a school teacher in Niagara district, after which they moved to Brockville in Eastern Ontario. In the year 1866 her husband after a short illness passed away. Two years later, she, with her children and relatives went to Stratford, where she has since resided. Her whole life has been one of retirement, always living among flowers and plants. By her own enterprise, she had grown flower gardens and trees, where before was a vast bed of weeds.. Her late residence is now a very pretty one, adorned with ferns and flowers and surrounded with trees, all of which she herself planted and looked after. Her casket was covered with beautiful roses of her own cultivation. She was eighty-three years of age and is survived by five daughters and four sons.
The remains were taken to Brockville for burial, and were accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Homer, son and daughter of the deceased of Reed City, Mich. Mrs. J.H. Ball of this town is a daughter of the deceased.
[Welland Telegraph October 1, 1903]
The many friends of Mrs. Elizabeth Brown will regret to hear of her demise on Monday the 28th day of September, 1903, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs Walter Grenville, St Catharines. She was the widow of the late Amos Brown, who formerly lived in Thorold township near Fonthill. The deceased had been an invalid for more than twenty years, and was in the 53rd year of her age. Her remains were interred in Fonthill cemetery on Wednesday.
[Welland Telegraph May 15, 1903]
The funeral of the late Mrs Thos. White took place last Friday. The esteem in which the deceased and her family is held by the public was evidenced by the exceptionally large attendance of friends and acquaintances from Port Colborne and the surrounding country. Many were they who mourned her loss and showed heartfelt sympathy for the bereaved ones. The funeral cortege proceeded from the late residence to the Bethel church, east of the village. About sixty vehicles formed the solemn procession when it left town, and at the church as many more were waiting. Hardly more than half could find accommodation in the church. The funeral services were conducted by the Rev. Theo A.J. Huegli, the new pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran church. He preached excellent and sympathetic sermons in both English and German, and spoke words of encouragement to the family who had lost a dear mother. Many handsome and beautiful floral offerings were made by the relatives and friends of the deceased, including a large “Gates Ajar” pillow, an anchor and wreaths. The pallbearers were Messrs John Reeb, Wm. Mehlenbacher, Ed. Wegerich, J.C. Jordan, Chas Reichman and John Schneider. On Sunday evening last beautiful memorial services were conducted in Holy Trinity church by Rev. Huegli, and many who wished to attend, were unable to gain admittance. Among the relatives and friends present from a distance were ; Mr. and Mrs Albert White Stratford; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. F. White, Charles White, Henry White, Mr. and Mrs George Weikert, Mrs. Catherine Pellman, Mr and Mrs Chas. Kuehner, Mrs. George Cronmiller, Mrs. John Rasher, Mrs Ida Buchanan, Elmer White, Mrs. Dorothy White, Buffalo; Mrs. Henry Suess, Niagara Falls; Mr. and Mrs Geo. Cronmiller, Mr. and Mrs N. Reichheld, Mrs. M. Hill, Miss Cronmiller, Welland; Mrs. N. Reichheld, sr; Rainham; Mr. and Mrs N.E. Reichheld, Nelles Corners; Mr. And Mrs. C. Helts, Chas. Reichheld and daughter Ethel of Fisherville.
[Welland Tribune, 13 July 1900]
After a short but painful illness, Alice, beloved wife of John Raider, passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. T.H. Wells, Ellis street, Niagara Falls, on Wednesday morning, aged 49 years. Mrs. Raider leaves a husband, one daughter and many friends to mourn her loss. A short service was held at the house at 11.30 a.m., yesterday, after which the body was shipped to Niles, Mich. for interment.
BIGGEST RETAIL MERCHANT IN WORLD WAS LONG A FAILURE
[Welland Telegraph, 26 June 1917]
Frank W. Woolworth was Gawky Farm Boy-Married on $10 a week and was Reduced to $8-His First Five Stores Failed-Now Employs 50,000 People and Owns Tallest Building
Three titles to distinction are claimed for Frank W. Woolworth. First, he is the largest retail merchant in the world. Second, he owns the tallest building (and one of the handsomest) in the world. Third, he was the greenest and gawkiest boy who ever came off a farm. He was such a palpable hayseed, indeed, that try as he might, no merchant at first would engage him at any price. He had to work for three months without any wages and board himself, and he was told that he ought to consider himself lucky because he did not have to pay his employer a tuition fee. For a humble beginning that must come pretty near to breaking all records.
When finally young Woolworth did find work, without wages, and after two and a half years moved on to another job at $10 a week, so complete a failure did he prove at selling goods, according to B.C. Forbes, writing in Leslie’s, that his small pay was reduced instead of increased-and the shock temporarily shattered his health. Biography probably contains no more novel experience of an American captain of industry.
It was in 1873 that young Woolworth arrived in Watertown, N.Y., with a note of introduction to the senior partner of Augsbury and Moore, dry goods merchants, but didn’t want them.
At the end of two and a half years he was getting $6 a week. Hearing of a vacancy in another store he went to apply. But when he saw how higgledy-piggledy everything was he decided to name a high salary, thinking to be turned down. He asked $10 a week and was astonished when the proprietor said,: “All right, when will you commence?” He took the job, and on this big salary he felt justified in getting married. After a couple of months, the proprietor met him in the basement one day and unceremoniously told him there were boys getting $6 a week who sold more goods than he sold, and that they could not continue to pay him $10 a week. So his pay was cut to $8 a week-and he a married man.
“This was a terrible blow, and under it my health gave way. For a year I was at home unable to do a stroke of work. I became convinced that I was not fitted for mercantile life. Eventually my former employers offered me $10 a week to come back and tone up the store. I remained with them two years until I opened up my first five-cent store at Utica, N.Y., on February 22, 1879.”
We read that, less than two years after the pioneer five-and-ten-cent store idea was inaugurated, its author finding himself worth $2,000, “which looked bigger to him then, than $20,000,000 would now,” and in need of a vacation, revisited Watertown and “was received like a conquering hero.”
Incidentally three out of the first five stores opened by Woolworth proved failures. In fact it was not until he opened a five-and-ten-cent store in New York in 1886, and again lost his health through overwork, that he began to see success written in big letters. Since his first breakdown his health had never recovered fully and at the time, we read, he was running his New York office single-handed, with the result that he was stricken with typhoid fever and for eight weeks was unable to attend to business.
Today-thirty years later-the business boasts a store in every town of eight thousand population or more in the United States, has a daily average of over two and a quarter million customers and gives employment to between forty and fifty thousand people. It has become a $65,000,000 organization whose most colossal advertisement, if not monument, is the sixty story New York skyscraper for which the erstwhile Watertown “failure” paid $14,000,000 in cash. His somewhat Napoleonic ambition, we read, is “to open a store in every civilized town throughout the world.”
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