(1889)
Revival services are being held at Salem.
The youngest son of Mr. G. E. Robertson is very ill.
The gold fishermen will start to work in the creek as soon as the ice is out.
Mrs. G. Johnson is visiting relatives in Tonawanda, N.Y.
Singing school is to be carried on another quarter with Mr. Merritt as teacher.
Fortunately the water was not very deep or one of our young men who ventured on the ice after the recent thaw might have met with a sad accident.
Ella Gertrude, the six year old daughter of Mr. C.A. Cook, died on Tuesday; funeral at Wellandport today. The family have the sympathy of all friends.
(1900)
The store in the old Marshall stand at Canadasville will be reopened on or before Saturday next, by J.B. Carr, with a full stock of fresh groceries, butter, eggs, grain of all kinds, etc., taken in exchange. A call invited.
[PHOTO: Jesse Morningstar Timber Mill circa 1940]
In Hamblyns field where the brush does grow
There used to be lumber piles yes row upon row
The trees were cut in the bush up on the hill
Then cut into logs and hauled down to the mill
Horses brought the sleighs along an icy road
Where hills were sanded to stop a runaway load
In the bush there wasn’t any chainsaw sound
Only axes chopping and trees as they hit the ground
The camp the men stayed in was full of lice
And smells of wet dirty clothes wouldn’t be nice
Yes at 4 a.m. they arose from their bed
They had breakfast of salt pork beans tea and bread
They started in the bush long before daylight
And finished in the dark later that night
There at the mill they worked hard all day
Only back then they got very little pay
The mill saw was kept sharp to get through the wood
As two men cutting boards wouldn’t if they could
Some logs they cut were maple beech birch and oak
But working in the mill or the bush it was no joke
The lumber was piled up high yes all by hand
And it sure would have been not in that field of sand
Some of the lumber was taken and put in a boxcar
To be taken by train to places near and far
Those folks maybe felt times will be better somehow
Yes times are better nowadays and they’re all gone now
Back then to the mill did a short cut someone take
As there is a team and a sleigh load of logs in Mullet Lake
Good stories today that area could tell if it could talk
But those stories to people today would really shock
Bessemer village the mill and the train are gone too
Logs are hauled away by trucks ruining the roads they do
There is very little there now like in days of yore
Only a cottage or two but no big village as there was before
Winston E. Ralph
Bancroft, Ontario
Richard Williams Lights a Coal Fire in an Iron Pot
[Welland Tribune, 14 April 1905]
Thorold-April 11-Richard Williams, an old resident of Thorold committed suicide last night by inhaling coal gas.
When parting with William McDonald on the previous day, deceased asked him to call at his house the following afternoon. Mr. McDonald accordingly stopped at Mr. Williams’ and on entering noticed a very strong odor of gas. Not seeing deceased, he went to his bedroom, where he found him sitting in a rocker fully dressed, but dead. Investigation showed that it was evidently a case of suicide, planned with a good deal of care. The coal heater had been filled recently, the dampers closed and the stove doors left open, allowing the gas to escape into the room. Pillows had been placed at the bottom of the door and all apertures closed by which the gas might escape into the open air. An iron pot of charcoal had also been suspended from the ceiling and hung at his head. This had been lighted and the fumes from it inhaled.
A large butcher knife, newly sharpened was fond nearby, which would have been used, it is thought, to commit the deed, if the other means had not been effective.
Beside the dead man were found two letters, one addressed to a sister, and the other to a well-known resident of town.
Coroner Lemon decided that an inquest was unnecessary.
Richard C. Williams was about sixty years of age, and was a skillful carpenter. He had been a resident of Thorold for many years, and for a long time had been employed in the basket factory owned by his brother, George H. Williams. He was very popular among the employees. For some months, however, he had been out of employment, and this, together with other matters of a private nature, it is thought, brought on a fit of despondency, which terminated so sadly and fatally on Monday night. Mrs. Williams has been to England for some months having gone there for her health. A brother, Mr. George H. Williams and two sisters, Mrs. B. Ball and Mrs. John McDonagh reside in Thorold.
Niagara Falls South
[Welland Tribune, 15 January 1909]
The death occurred in Clio., Michigan, on Wednesday of last week, of John Robinson, uncle of V. H. Robinson of this place. It will be remembered that the late Mr. Robinson was taken ill with paralysis when he lived in this city last spring, and that he was removed to his daughter’s home in Toledo. From there Mr. Robinson went to Clio., Michigan where his other daughter lived, and he remained there until his death occurred. The deceased gentleman was 87 years old. He was born in Welland county, and was a resident of Wainfleet for many years. In the olden days he owned a farm near to that of the late John W. Overholt on the Forks Road. He was a resident of New York state for a while, and spent many years in Michigan. Of recent years he had lived at Niagara Falls South. He was twice married and leaves a family of four, viz: Mrs. Hurd of Clio, Mrs. Roulston of Toledo, and two sons in the States. Interment was made in Toledo.
The old school house sat at the top of the hill
Where each day with knowledge our heads were filled
If you couldn’t learn the teacher wondered why
So you got the strap even if it made you cry
You had to do your homework not talk or shout
Then bravely you faced the world when you went out
Your schooling only went to grade seven or eight
So any job you were offered it you did take
Yes the teachers then didn’t fool around
And in the graduating class not a criminal was found
The old general store was over a little ways
Where the proprietor always spent many long days
He was open from early morning until late at night
When men sat and talked about things not right
There was candy for the children and a cooler with pop
And for things you needed it was there you did shop
He had brooms wash tubs and saws for sale
In the winter the stove was lit and never did fail
Ladies could buy cloth and there were dishes too
Also kerosene boots and clothing for me and you
The garage was close by where you bought your gas
And the owner always waved when you went past
He also changed the tires and greased your car
Since he knew it would be needed if you went very far
Tune ups were done also to keep the car running right
So you wouldn’t be stranded during the day or night
Back then the tires would often go flat
But without a tube now there is a lot less of that
The church was over further where on Sunday morn
You were told to be in Heaven you had to be reborn
He wasn’t shy about the word as he was commanded to do
And said turn to Him now or in Heaven there’ll be only a few
The cemetery was nearby where the older folks lay
Yes they all lived closer to Him back in their day
But most aren’t concerned as Sunday comes around
Doesn’t the Bible say in church we’re to be found
Winston E. Ralph
Bancroft, Ont.
Port Colborne
[Welland Tribune, 15 January 1909]
On Saturday, November 28, at Sunnyslope, Alberta, Miss Emma North, daughter of Mrs. Catharine North of this place, and Mr. C. W. Scott of Los Angeles, Cal., were joined in marriage. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Mr. Gratz. The bride was teaching school in Alberta previous to her marriage. Her many friends here will extend congratulations and best wishes.
Port Colborne
[Welland Tribune, 15 January 1909]
Mrs. Asenath Rogers announces the marriage of her daughter, Luella Asenath, to Walter H. Tyler, on Wednesday the thirteenth day of December, 1908, at Irondequoit, N.Y. At home after fifteenth January, at Shangatrick, Michigan. The bride has many friends here who will be pleased to hear of the happy event.
[Welland Tribune, 15 January 1909]
The marriage of Miss Bertha Nagle to J.K. Tisdale, of the Roach-Tisdale Candy Co., took place at the home of the bride’s mother, 2431 16th avenue, south, Dec. 18th. Rev. Charles E. Burton read the service in the presence of small group of relatives and friends.
The bride wore a gown of white satin made along Empire lines and carried white roses. After the ceremony a buffet supper was served in the dining room where carnations and ferns formed the decorations.
After a trip east, including Buffalo, N.Y., Niagara Falls, and Toronto, Ont., Mr. and Mrs. will be at home in the new Vermont, January 15,Mineapolis Times.
[Welland Tribune, 15 January 1909]
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Poehlman was the scene of a happy event Tuesday evening, when Miss Josephine Rother became the wife of Robert E. Cook of Port Colborne. The interesting ceremony was performed at six o’clock by Rev. Mr. Sohn, in the presence of only a few immediate relatives. The many friends of bride and groom will extend congratulations and best wishes.-Humberstone News
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