Glen Tay School – SS#3 Bathurst Township, Lanark County, ON-Diane Duncan
LANARK COUNTY SUBJECT RURAL PUPILS’ ADDRESS 1930
At the 1930 Lanark County Educational Association meeting held in Carleton Place on May 31st, the president, Mr. Peter McCallum, of Almonte, offered a beautiful silver cup to the county pupil giving the best address on the subject, “‘Lanark County.” (if you look at the historical portion there are lots of students names)
There were six contestants and the prize went to Master Clarence *Whiticar, a pupil of S. S. No. 3, Bathurst, at which school Miss Mary M. Gray of Ferguson’s Falls, is teacher. The address is as follows:
Lanark County, one of the finest counties in Ontario, with its significant motto: Intelligence integrity and industry, and a county we are proud to call our own, is the topic upon which I shall speak this afternoon. There is much one could say about Lanark County, but as my time is limited to only a few minutes shall touch rather lightly upon the subject for I can only speak on its general points.
You all know a good deal about Lanark County, as it is today one of the most progressive counties of our province, but I shall go back for a brief space of time to its early history and ” tell you a little about it “in the making.” At the close of the war of 1812-13 and 14, many of the soldiers engaged in that conflict, desirous of remaining in Canada were discharged and settled by the Government on territory north of the Rideau Lakes. This was accomplished in 1815 and 16 and a comparatively large number of these military settlers were located and about what was then known as “The Perth Settlement.” The territory round about was known as the “District of Bathurst” in Upper Canada.
In that same year (1816) many Scotch settlers arrived from Glasgow and Greenock, coming in by way of Brockville and took up land along that is still known as the *”Scotch Line”. in 1823 owing to prepared failures of potato and other crops in Ireland, many settlers from that land were brought out, and these augmented the already flourishing pioneer settlement of Bathurst.
Many of the places in Lanark County are named after prominent military, men, who figured largely in these days. Bathurst was named after Lord Henry Bathurst son of Earl Bathurst, who was then foreign and Colonial Secretary in the British diplomatic service. Ramsay takes its name from General George Ramsey, Earl of Dalhousie, who also gave his name to another of our townships, Pakenham, after Sir Edward Pakenham, who was drilled in the battle of New Orleans. Beckwith Township was, named after General Sir George Beckwith, a distinguished officer in the British array at that time.
Coming closer to our own locality we learn that Glen Tay at one time a large manufacturing village, was originally called *Adamsville after Captain Joshua Adams, Who this place built the first mill, within the establishment forming the Rideau” In after years the name, District of Bathurst, was abandoned by Act of Parliament, although the township name was retained. It may be added that the present counties of Renfrew and Carleton originally formed part of Lanark County, although at that time, that territory had not been divided into so called counties or townships.
But today Lanark County is a well defined municipality and thickly settled. Its people are of the finest. We have few foreigners within our borders. We are all of Anglo-Saxon blood descendants of these Scotch, Irish and English pioneer settlers and we have the staunch qualities of these great races the thrift a common sense of the Scotch, the large heartedness and love of laughter peculiar to the Irish and the fine traditional culture and respect for law and order characteristic of the English.
Lanark County with its fourteen townships comprises a great area of splendid arable land. There is naturally a great diversity of surface characteristics, but comparatively little waste land. The finest agricultural portions of our county exist in the townships of Drummond, Ramsay, Pakenham and Bathurst, our township taking preeminent place. The breeding and maintenance of fine stock is a noticeable feature of our County. It is said that there is more shipped from Perth than any other station between Montreal and Peterborough. Lanark County is, rich in mineral wealth.
The finest quality of limestone deposits exist in Burgess and Bathurst. Feldspar is mined extensively and shipped in great quantities. In the northern townships a splendid quality of marble exists, although owing to the lack of railway facilities it has not been worked. In Elmsley and Burgess we have *lead and mica deposits, both of which have been mined extensively.
Speaking of Perth, the capital of Lanark County, there is no town in Eastern Ontario more noted for its progressiveness and natural beauty. Its industries give employment to several hundred hands, and as for beauty of location it is truthfully said to have within a radius of thirty miles thirty fine lakes, each a paradise for sportsmen.
Care of Lanark’s aged has been provided by the *House of Industry at Perth, while at *Children’s Shelter at Carleton Place tells the story of love and care to those miles of misfortune to be found in every community. At the time of the Great War where the cry came forth that civilization was in danger the descendants of Lanark’s Pioneers proved that they were worthy sons of worthy sires by sending more recruits according to their population to Britain’s aid than any other county in the Dominion.
Ladies and gentlemen, we should feel proud to own Lanark County as our birth-place or our place of residence, and no matter where we roam in the years to come, let us always remember our great heritage from pioneer ancestors in this particular part of our fair Dominion. And let us never forget to regard Lanark County as our home, first and last. Breathes there a man with soul so dead who never to himself hath said. A home his footsteps, he hath turned From wandering on a foreign strand This is my own native land.
Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.
Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and Screamin’ Mamas (USA)
Bathurst Township Boy
Again Trophy Winner 1932
Special to Tire Journal PERTH, Ont., Oct. 27.-Clarence Whitaker, S.S. 3, Bathurst Township, for the second year in succession, won the George S. James silver trophy in the senior section of the annual oratorical contest open to the prize winning speakers at Lanark County rural school fairs held here last night. ‘The Lawrence James’ silver trophy, for the winner of the junior section, went to Jean Ferguson, S.S. 6, Dalhousie Township. The two champions will represent the rural schools of Lanark County in the Eastern Ontario competition to be held at Kemptville on October 29. All eligible competitors spoke at the contest, which was conducted by W. A. Davidson, county agricultural representative, in the Gymnasium of the Perth College Institute. Suitable prizes were awarded to the other winners, who were as follows: Senior section-Rodger Stewart, S.S. 13, Lanark; Dorothy Paul, S.S. 14, Ramsay; Merle Percy, SS. 1, Dalhousie- Ida Frizell, SS. 1, Elmsley; Eldon Lightbody, S.S. 16. Montague West; Dorothy Truelove, S.S. 8, Drummond Junior section-Helen Gilmore, S.S. 16, Drummond; Hazel Kettles, S.S. 8, Beckwith: Frank Stead, SS. 13, Lanark; Betty Suffron, S.S. 6, Montague: Kathleen Matthews S.S. 14, Ramsay; Jean Woods, S.S. 1, Pakenham, Russell McNaughton, Balderson Corners School, Bathurst. The judges were J. H. Hardy, principal of the P.C.I.; John L. Scott, William Reid, J. E. Anderson Harold Shaw and Sheriff Joseph Ebbs. Short addresses were given to the competing students and the large audience by Principal Hardy, Public Schools Inspector T. C. Smith, Sheriff Ebbs and Mr. Anderson. Musical items on the program were offered by the P.C.I. girls’ orchestra, comprised of the Misses V. Brunet, M. Brunet, D. Hoffman, I. Hogg and M. White. Miss Alice Tysick, of Montague, gave a recitation, while a lap dance was executed by little May Lytton of Poland Township.–Newspaper Articles compiled by Grant McFarlane of Lanark.—Received from: Melanie Maso
*Scotch Line–News from The Scotch Line
*Adamsville–In Memory of the Very Few–Adamsville Burial Site
*Mining-My Daddy was a Miner — was Yours?
Other school papers-EARLY SETTLEMENT OF DALHOUSIE-Tina Penman, Middleville, Ont.
*House of Industry at Perth–Did You Know About the House of Industry?
*Children’s Shelter at Carleton Place–The Very Sad Tale of Cecil Cummings of Carleton Place
Clipped from The Ottawa Journal, 03 Nov 1934, Sat, Page 27
WHITICAR– I thought this was a misspelling as it could be the name Whitaker but it was not. There are many Whiticar’s buried in the St. Stephen’s Cemetery
Brooke, Ontario, Con 6, Lot 7, Bathurst Twp.Burials 1858 to Today– CLICK here to see page for the St. Stephen’s cemetery list
| White | Morley Dewitt | 1961 | Frances ?? | ||
| 70 | Whiticar | Charles | 1860 04 20 | 23 Aug 1926 | Mahalia Sewell |
| 280 | Whiticar | Charles R. | 1880 05 06 | 29 Jul 1963 | Agnes Conroy |
| 239 | Whiticar | Thomas | 1882 | 1974 | Minerva Buker |
| 160 | Whiticar | Mabel W. | 1908 12 10 | 07 Feb 1983 | Wilbert A. Fournier |
| 71 | Whiticar | Edward | 1912 07 07 | 11 Apr 1977 | Annie Morrison |
| 161 | Whiticar | Matilda G. | 1914 09 13 | Melville John Blair |
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