What Came First in Lanark County? The Chicken Or the Egg?

Some of Lanark County’s Firsts’

First name was Bathurst District.

First white settler, William Merrick, founder of *Merrickville

First *party of settlers from Scotland, 1820

First Upper Canada parliamentary representative, Hon. Alexander Morris, Perth

First representative in Province of Canada parliament, Hon. Malcolm Cameron, founder of The Courier

First Time County was divided into north and south ridings, 1851

First member Legislative Council, *Hon James Shaw

First representatives to Ontario Legislature, 1867, Daniel Galbraith and W. N. Shaw

First warden, Alex McMillan, 1841

First clerk of district council, Robert Moffatt, Perth, 1841

First session United, Counties of Lanark and, Renfrew, 1850

First *railway train arrived in Perth from Brockville on February 7th, 1859

First time reeves were chosen by vote of the people, and not by council 1867

First administrator of early military settlement, Staff-Surgeon Thom 1815

First settlers in Burgess Township were members of the “de Wattevilles” Germans who had fought in the Napoleonic wars, who came out here and fought against the U. S. A. with the British soldiers and who like their descendants became splendid Canadian citizens.

First surveyor of townships, Capt, Reuben Sherwood, 1816

First resident clergyman, Rev W. Bell, 1817

First teacher, John Halliday, 1817

First owner of oxen, *James Bryce, Bathurst

First assessment records show *one cow owned in Bathurst.

First white child born, *Eliza Holderness

First court house, 1821

First newspaper, *The Examiner 1825

First issue of The Courier was in 1834

First Curling Club in Perth was organized December 17th, 1875

First *Bible Society in Lanark County was formed in St. Andrew’s Church in Perth on February 24th, 1836

First election in Perth was held on July 10th, 1820, between Messrs. William Morris and Benjamin Delisle for the Commons, House of Assembly.

First Presbyterian minister, Rev A Wm. *Bell, arrived in Perth from Scotland in June, 1817.

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)