History County of Brant
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HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF BRANT BY F. DOUGLAS REVILLE VOL. II. PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE BRANT HISTORICAL SOCIETY BRANTFORD THE HURLEY PRINTING COMPANY, LIMITED 1920 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XXII. The Town of Paris—Historical Notes Regarding the Com- munity—"King Capron," Father of the Place—Chronicles of 1857 and 1875—The Big Fire of 1900—South Dumfries and St. George 401 XXIII. The Record of Brantford, Paris and County in the Big War 430 COPYRIGHT, CANADA, 1920, BY F. DOUGLAS REVILLE. XXIV. Brant County Authors—Sarah Jeanette Duncan, E. Pauline Johnson, Norman Duncan, Robert Duncan 625 XXV. Anecdotes and Personal Incidents in Connection with Earlier Days—Formation of Brant Historical Society 639 XXVI. The Oldest Churches in Brantford—Three Long Pastorates— The Y. M. C A. and Y. W. C. A 651 XXVII. Industrial Pioneers—Some of the Industries in Brantford, Paris and the County 669 ILLUSTRATIONS Facing Page Partial View of Paris taken from Aeroplane Frontispiece Reception to "Mad Fourth" 478 Church Parade of 125th before Departing for the Front 570 Departure of the 215th Battalion 612 Four Brant County Authors 626 INTRODUCTION TO SECOND VOLUME The Town of Paris constitutes the business centre of the northern portion of the County and it is splendidly located both with regard to environment and natural advantages. The main line of the Grand Trunk and two radial roads amply take care of freight and passenger needs, while highways centre there from all directions. It is the home of well equipped factories, commodious residences and educational institutions of a high order. Industrial and mercantile establishments, churches, schools, and other features all tell of a well ordered and prosperous community. In connection with the chapter devoted to Brant County Authors, thanks are returned to the Musson Publishing Company for kind per- mission to make quotations from the poems of E. Pauline Johnson, as contained in "Flint and Feather." The nature of her work naturally made excerpts more readily available than in the case of the other writers named. The main portion of this volume—and it will be agreed quite pro- perly so—is devoted to the glorious record of Brant County in the Great War. The laborious task of compiling this suitable memento has been well accomplished by Mr. A. T. Whitaker. No pains have been spared to make the chronicle as accurate as possible, but in dealing with such a mass of names and incidents over so lengthy a period, some omissions and errors have probably occurred. No doubt any such will be regarded with due tolerance. The chronicle, impressive though it appears even in cold print, cannot begin to convey the splendid self sacrifice and heroism manifested locally during this world crisis, but a sincere effort has at any rate been made to preserve for future generations some idea of the magnificent story and the heights to which the women and men of Brant County rose during the call to Empire duty in the years 1914- 1918. The illustrations in this work have nearly in their entirety been supplied from photographs and reproductions by E. P. Park & Co. In the first volume to the list of Brantford medical men the names of Dr. Pearson and Dr. Gamble should be added—both practitioners of many years standing in this community. F. D. R. TOWN OF PARIS HISTORY 401 CHAPTER XXII THE TOWN OF PARIS—HISTORICAL NOTES REGARDING THE COMMUNITY— "KING CAPRON," FATHER OF THE PLACE—CHRONICLES OF 1857 AND 1875—THE BIG FIRE OF 1900—SOUTH DUMFRIES AND ST. GEORGE. "The Forks of the Grand River" constituted the cumbersome name of the original settlement which has now become the flourishing town of Paris. After the place commenced to grow a public meeting was called and at this gathering the present name was, decided upon because of the plaster of Paris beds found in the neighborhood. Hiram Capron, or as he was more familiarly known, " King Capron," has always borne the title of Father of Paris. He was a Vermonter, born in 1796. In 1822 he left Vermont for Canada and joined Joseph Van Norman in the establishment of a blast furnace at Norman Dale. In 1828 he sold out and in 1829 when visiting the Forks of the Grand River, he bought a property of one thousand acres from Mr. William Holmes. His next work was to clear and cultivate the land which in- cluded nearly all the present site of the town and he also erected a mill on the river Nith, a little way from the junction of the latter with the Grand River. Robert Rosebrugh was the original possessor of that portion known as "Upper Town," Smith's Creek, at its outlet, dividing the two. The town was laid out in 1831, being surveyed by Lewis Burwell. In the same year the late Sheriff Smith opened the first store and was the first postmaster, and John VanEvery built the first hotel. Charles Conklin rented the grist mill from Capron and built a saw mill on the Nith, or Smith's Creek, near the site of Finlayson's tannery. Mr. Daniel Showers the elder occupied one of the two log houses then on the site of Upper Town, having settled in 1826. The tannery afterwards bought by Mr. Finlayson was started in 1832, and the same year we find James Barker and Samuel Heath, blacksmiths, T. P. Forsyth, a tailor, and H. T. Jackson, a maker of farm implements. Norman Hamilton for many years a prominent citizen, and whose beautiful residence "Hillside" is a pictures- que landmark, arrived from the States and built a distillery. He after- wards went into milling and pork packing and secured a competency. Daniel Totten, father of Warren Totten, Q.C., and Henry Totten, of the Treasury Department, built a small woollen mill about the same time. 402 HISTORY OF BRANT COUNTY TOWN OF PARIS HISTORY 403 In 1833 Mr. Daniel O'Neail and Mr. Leonard Sovereign came in and employed; the few mills which they drive being as nothing compared settled on farms close to the town. The first school house was built with their full capacity. The banks of the Grand River—both above and by Mr. Capron on River Street, in the Upper Town, in 1834. George below the town—abound in an unlimited supply of Gypsum, or Plaster of Paris, of a quality altogether unrivalled for agricultural purposes. Bremner settled in Paris in 1835 and kept store for seven years. Walter Year by year the necessity for this excellent manure increases, and the Capron, a brother of Hiram's, came from Vermont in 1834. William value of its application to land is better understood by farmers. The Curtis came from New York in 1814, and shortly after came to Paris, trade in this article must one day be enormous; but hitherto, although it staying with the Holme family in what was then the first house of any has been exceedingly large, it has been trifling compared with the pro- description there. It was a log house in the Upper Town. Shortly portions it must assume in the future. The Grand River is perfectly susceptible of such improvement as will render it easily navigable; and after he purchased a farm in Brantford Township, where he ended his the company which has extended its operations to Brantford, will, no days. He was the father of William Grenville Curtis. Dr. Dickson lo- doubt, complete their works and extend them before the lapse of many cated in Paris in 1837. The late Hugh Finlayson, M.P., was an early years. New markets will then be open for Plaster; but before that time, arrival, about 1835, and was connected with the municipal and political the Railway Companies will find it in their interest to offer greater history of the county from its infancy. facilities for the transfer of this valuable product over their lines, than they have hitherto seemed disposed to grant. The junction of the Grand When Mr. Conklin first came to the settlement there was only one Trunk Railway with the Buffalo and Lake Huron line, places Paris in a log house in the Lower Town and two in the Upper Town. very advantageous position for trade. All the main lines of Canada "King Capron" in the period of vigorous manhood, is described as and the States are readily accessible from this point; and in more favor- of erect figure, with dark brown hair, keen, observant, yet not unkindly able years than the present, it has formed an important centre for American buyers to carry on their wheat operations; the country around looking eyes, curt speech and frequent jest. In later years when crippled being highly productive in this staple commodity. These, then, form with rheumatism he used to hobble about with the aid of two stout some of the bases of the claim which Paris puts forth to be reckoned sticks. But in manhood or old age he is remembered by all as a keen, among the most promising towns of this growing section of the Province; shrewd and generous man. and it has in addition the not inconsiderable advantages of being situated in a well settled and productive country, of possessing a salubrious and He was a man of large affairs and ever ready to help others. In healthy atmosphere, and such natural beauties as hill and dale, wood and more than one instance when a settler came to pay an instalment Mr. water, combined in their choicest form can afford. Capron would tell him to keep the money and invest it in farm tools or Supposing that enough has been said to induce the reader to pay a stock.