Merril Munro, 9 year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John Munro, Jr., 11th line of Ramsay Township, was the object of an intensive search from Monday evening until he was found on Tuesday. Mr. Munro purchased Mrs. W. H. Robertson’s farm on the 11th line at the first of this year. At the back of the farm is a large swamp which runs down to the Mississippi river. The boy had gone to bring the cows home and thought he heard a cowbell in the swamp.
It is thought that he merely heard an echo as the cows had come home themselves. He became completely lost and when he came to the river bank he made a comfortable bed of leaves (so he said) and slept until morning. In the meantime a search party had been organized and shots were fired to try to attract his attention.
The searchers gave up at midnight but continued their search at daylight. Mr. Thos. Command who was patrolling the river in a boat about 10 a.m. Tuesday discovered the lad and rowed across to Percy Drynan’s on Highway 29. From there he was brought to his home. It is noteworthy that the boy was not afraid nor did he complain of being cold. It is understood some of the searchers kept on looking for the lad for some time after he had been found until word reached them to that effect.
This is the old Hugh Munro log house, located on lot 1, concession 11 of Darling Township, which was apparently built in the early 1840’s or early 1850’s.
This property is presently owned by Wilbert Munro.
Greville Toshack poses with his hunting dog and rifle. 1900 Almonte Mill of Kintail Conservation Area Lanark, Ontario Photo
November 1941- Almonte Gazette
The old saying about distant fields looking green certainly applies to deer hunting this year. While more hunters than usual are roaming the wild country around the Black Donald and Matawatchan, and the northern parts of Lanark and Frontenac Counties deer have walked right into town as if they knew all the crack shots were far away.
The other day a deer swam across the river landing just above the fairgrounds. This may have been the same buck that appeared on Tuesday in the Spring Bush, now a part of Gemmill Park. The animal was spied on by the Separate School pupils and as it was nearly time for the junior room to be let out the class was dismissed. Another deer swam the river and landed at John Grace’s farm on highway 29.
Other similar instances are being reported from many points and it is hard to keep track of them all or to verify the stories. W. A, Jamieson, E. C. Gourlay, Jas. McDonald and Louis Peterson are hunting up at White Lake. Reports have reached civilization that Mr. Gourlay got a deer. Another buck or has it that the party bagged a large bear. Whether it is a polar bear, a grizzly bear or a common brown bear has not been learned nor is it clear which one of the Nimrods shot it although some give credit to Mr. Jamieson.
On the other hand Mr. Peterson has long been considered an authority on bears since one night, long ago, when he and a friend hid all night in his car at the Black Donald while a bear sniffed around near them. Robt. Cochran shot a deer right near his home in the woods on R. A. Stewart’s farm. In this party were Wilbert McKay, Jim McKay, Harvey Boal, Russell Cochran and Archie Lockhart. This was on Monday.
Mayor Scott has been hunting in the Burnt Lands with the Meehan boys, Jack Command and Jack Kennedy. The first day Messrs. Command and Kennedy each got a deer. Hunting at White Lake also included Bob Leishman, Andrew and Robt. McPhail, Mel Royce, Oral Arthur and Mike Walsh. This party got two deer—one on Tuesday and another on Wednesday.
Among those from this district who are deer hunting are the following: Wm. and Mac Davis, Eddie Moone, Bob Cochran, E. C. Gourlay, Walter Moore, Carmen Munroe, Ronald Gunn, W. J. Drynan, Harry McGee, Clayton, W illard Smithson, Charles McKay, Clayton, Cyril Pierce, Herb and Elmer Rath, Clayton, James M. Brown, Gervaiss Finner, Eddie Manary, A. J. McGregor, W. A. Jamieson and Bill, Felix Finner, Michael Walsh, Jerry Price, John Gourlay, John H. Munroe, Russell Cochran, W. G. Yuill, Gordon Hanna, Andy McPhail, Wilfred Meehan, Corkery, Harvey Boal, John Command, Allan Carswell, Wilbert McEwen, Desmond Vaughan.Among those from this district who are deer hunting are the following: Wm. and Mac Davis, Eddie Moone, Bob Cochran, E. C. Gourlay, Walter Moore, Carmen Munroe, Ronald Gunn, W. J. Drynan, Harry McGee, Clayton, W illard Smithson, Charles McKay, Clayton, Cyril Pierce, Herb and Elmer Rath, Clayton, James M. Brown, Gervaiss Finner, Eddie Manary, A. J. McGregor, W. A. Jamieson and Bill, Felix Finner, Michael Walsh, Jerry Price, John Gourlay, John H. Munroe, Russell Cochran, W. G. Yuill, Gordon Hanna, Andy McPhail, Wilfred Meehan, Corkery, Harvey Boal, John Command, Allan Carswell, Wilbert McEwen, Desmond Vaughan.
In 1871 in Dalhousie Township the deer disappeared and Archibald Browning decided to put an end to it by going on a hunting spree in 1873. One of the wolves he caught was over 3 feet high, 6 feet long and weighed over 80 pounds. It was purchased by the Museum of Natural History in Montreal. Browning ended up killing 72 wolves 70 bears to save the deer population in Dalhousie Township.
Kevin Bingley–Archibald Browning recorded in the 1851 Agricultural Census living at Lavant. Item/listing # 6 Browning: Con, 7 West part lot 6 – 100 acres. Photo courtesy of Michael J. Umpherson. When Archibald Browning was born on February 19, 1819, in Neilston, Renfrewshire, Scotland, his father, Archibald, was 39 and his mother, Janet, was 26. He married Janet “Jessie” Robertson in 1838. They had two children during their marriage. He died on February 16, 1900, in Lavant, Ontario, having lived a long life of 80 years. Paul Rumleskie Further up the valley around Wilno the settlers hated the wolves also and I even remember my father speaking of this… Claudia Tait You can’t judge what these people had to do to survive unless you had to feed a family without the privileges of a supermarket, a vehicle, warm winter clothes, electricity, air conditioning, central heating and medical assistance. Elaine DeLisle Very interesting read. Back then venison was what got most families through the winter. Bear meat too. Skins were tanned and used for mitts and clothing. It was a way of life. No big supermarkets people.
Homes built by Wartime Housing Limited in Peterborough, 1943,” Photographer J.B. Scott, Library and Archives Canada,
Ottawa and. the larger municipalities were “no more congested than the average”, and perhaps even less crowded than some of the smaller centres such as Smiths Falls where 2.700 families were jammed into 1.946 housing units, and Carleton Place where 900 units were occupied by 1,100 families. 1947
Soldiers marched from across Ontario and Canada into military training centres and then sailed to the war theatres of WW2. Women and men at home also marched, right into new sprawling factories to produce war supplies, munitions, aircraft, and ships. Even before the war, the country faced a severe housing shortage and as workers rushed into cities to fill jobs, especially in eastern Ontario, there was nowhere to call home
Architects drew up plans for small houses, some with four rooms, others with six. Ranging from 600 to 1,200 sq. ft., the single-level and one-and-a half-storey homes were quick to build and cost-efficient. Named Victory Houses, they were also dubbed Strawberry Box homes due to the boxy, fruit container shape.
In 1946 the Town of Carleton Place required at least 25 homes. Wartime Housing was going to be asked to be built on town lots located on vacant propertyies: on Boyd Street, about or opposite from the High School or Lake Avenue.
Larry Clark A small correction-it is Beth Slade being chased by Eliza Brazier, Beth’s grandmother.
Kathy DevlinI grew up on this block. Where the barn was there were 3 wartime houses built in the late 40 ‘ s and my family bought one of those houses on Herriott St
Marilyn WhiteLinda Seccaspina there are photos and written work by Dave Findlay that he did a few years ago. I sent some pictures for him. They should be at the museum. I grew up in a wartime house on Lake Ave. E.
Wartime Homes in Carleton Place on Herriott Street
Years ago a drive was made by the pupils of St. Mary’s School to send food to the needy people in Europe during World War II. The plan was that each boy and girl would bring as many canned goods as the family household could spare. It all was sent over in a general hamper.
One of the students, Miss Mary France Agnes O’Neill wondered where her donation might end up— so she put her name and address on one of the cans. Months later she received a reply from one of the families in France.
Dear Mademoiselle O’Neill,
We have received a box of ‘conserves’ from your town and thank you very much. I have three children, Pierre, Colette and Joel. It is very hard in France to get food. I would be happy to get a letter from you.
Madame DeBitault
When Mary Frances Agnes O’Neill was born on July 13, 1931, in Almonte, Ontario, her father, Daniel, was 29, and her mother, Mary, was 28. She had two brothers and one sister. She died on December 2, 2018, in Carleton Place, Ontario, at the age of 87, and was buried in her hometown.
Did you know?
More than a year after World War II concluded in Europe, the residents of Le Havre, France, continued to struggle for survival. Their homes remained leveled, their stomachs chronically empty.
On May 11, 1946, relief arrived from across the ocean as the cargo ship American Traveler steamed into the war-torn city’s harbor with a shipment of food—and hope. Aboard were 15,000 brown cardboard boxes paid for by the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE), which had been founded the previous year to bring humanitarian aid to millions starving in post-war Europe. These first “CARE Packages” contained everything from whole-milk powder and liver loaf to margarine and coffee. The contents of CARE Packages soon expanded to include soap, diapers, school supplies and medicine as well as fabric, thread and needles to allow recipients to make and mend clothes.
When you were raised in the 1940’s and it war wartime, there were things you learned that you could not change as it was the just the way it was
I lived on a street in Eastview Ontario (now part of Ottawa) on a quiet little street. Across the street was a field and the railway tracks were on the other side of that. There were eight families on this street. As kids we all played together and you soon learned who was in charge and sort of in charge of street games like Red Rover and Hide and Seek. We also played baseball in the Summer and Hockey in the winter on the street. You would see little traffic on the street as some of the men were away fighting in the war or you just did not have a car.
For your baseball game you picked out various articles as your bases, for example the old fire hydrant was third base, a stone on the street was 2nd base, a tree on the side of the road was first. This worked well as there was little to worry about, for they were just there. Grandpa did offer to make us bases but no one wanted the responsibility of picking up the bases when the game was over. For Hockey in Winter time your puck was mostly the droppings from the bread man or the milk man’s horse. One soon learned you wanted colder weather as the pucks stayed frozen in the cold, and that was important, after all no one wanted to be sprayed with horse droppings.
Out of eight families, three Dad’s were in the Army and away at war in Europe, my Dad was not accepted to the armed forces and my Grandpa was to old to join the army, although some of his sons, my Uncles, did go to war. Thank Goodness for Grandpas as he repaired all broken things and did give advice or correct if needed. He was kind of the one you went to if you needed some advice.
On our street money was not always to plentiful and we soon learned that our families did rely on each other for items and Mom might just run out when making a meal. You were never embarrassed to go to your friend’s mother for an item your Mom might need for a recipe. In fact there were times when my Mom would make a desert for all, and the next door neighbour would have the makings of a lunch, so the name of the game was sharing your goods. By the end of the war they were expert at pooling their resources, and no one ever went hungry and there were leftovers that could be the starter for the next meal.
During the war time there were Ration Books which dictated what was available to you and your allotment. Now living on a street where one family kind of overlooked looking after one another, and sharing was most prevalent. We had no car so the gasoline coupons were up grab, and trading was the name of the game, part of the bartering system.
It seems to me the war effort was in force and knitting needles were always handy to make something to send to a loved one overseas. I was taught knitting at a young age and soon was making scarves to send to the Red Cross., to go overseas.
School time was a good time and one did not think of things like war, or whose Dad was away. We participated in school activities and our learning. I cannot say that I ever hesitated going to school as I did enjoy the teachers the social time with friends. We lived close enough that we walked to school with our friends who lived on the same street and it was always enjoyable to be able to wave to our neighbours who lived on adjoining streets on the way to school. In so many ways I do think the older folk did enjoy the children and their laughter, not really a care in the world. The funniest thing was you might be eating an apple on you way back to school from lunch and it was nothing for one of your neighbours to say, now don’t throw that core on the street, make sure you put it in the garbage. As children we did not take exception to this friendly reminder.
Things seemed to be more friendly and people did help and look after each other. It was close to Halloween and there was going to be a get together and a party. As a child I was used to my Mom making fudge for special occasions at school. Well when we all arrived home from school, the Mothers were talking at the front door. I have to admit adults were so smart and in tune to the season and what was happening. Well noisy children coming home announcing was not new to these Moms, Mom we need some fudge for the party. With the ration books and the allotment of sugar, this I can remember being told “I don’t know if we have enough coupons for sugar”, we had the attention of all three Mom’s and there was Grandma and my Mom’s Aunt, and friend Joan, had a grandmother who lived on the street as well. In order for the kids to get their treat for the party, they had to round up coupons from who we could. We pooled our resources and we were just a tad bit short to make enough for three families. My older friend and neighbour up the street, Mrs. Pauquette, I could ask her. I sometimes dusted for her if I was saving for something I wanted. Up the street I went and sure enough she had some extra coupons as they were older and had no children and did not use the same amount as a family with children.
I have to say the next day when we came home for lunch, the fudge had been made, cut into squares and divided into three boxes. We all had our contribution to the party, thanks to the co-operation of family, friends and neighbours. We were all set until Christmas now, that is when the next school celebration would take place.
For some this was not good memories, but the comradeship with your neighbours and family certainly did help. As we take time out to remember on November the 11th, just remember those who did not return.
This recipe makes about 5 pounds of decadent fudge.
1 tall can (11 oz) Carnation Evaporated Milk
4 1/2 cup white sugar
18 oz Nestles or Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips (three small bags)
1/2 pound butter
3 tablespoons vanilla
Nuts, if desired (we’ve added crushed up candy canes on top of the fudge, stuff like that is tasty too!).
Put chocolate chips, butter and vanilla in large mixing bowl, set aside.
Bring milk and sugar to a rolling boil on medium heat in a large pan, stirring occasionally. When it reaches a rolling boil, time it for 6 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Note: Amy suggested a temperature of 248F/120C on a candy thermometer but I needed to cook the fudge for double the time to get it there. Instead, I stopped cooking when flecks of caramelization started showing in the milk–about ten minutes, 225F. I wonder if the difference in altitude between her place and mine is a factor?
Pour the milk and sugar syrup mixture over the contents of the mixing bowl. Stir constantly until butter is completely melted, and the fudge is smooth and isn’t shiny. Add nuts if desired.
A 9×12 baking dish will hold the whole batch (either butter the dish or line with parchment paper first). Or, pour into smaller containers to share.
lindaseccaspina 