1. Almonte General Hospital. Erected A.D. 1961. These plaques commemorate the origin of hospital work in this community and to record the continuity and extension of hospital services were transferred from the Rosamond Memorial Hospital on the 31st May 1961.
Hi, Linda ~
Would you be interested in working with me on a project? For a few years now, I have been wanting to take pictures of Almonte monuments and memorials in private collections like churches and the Legion, if they are interested? I wonder if you would be willing to post them on your blog?
Sarah More
Thank you so much, Linda, for agreeing to document Almonte’s Memorials on your blog! I hope this information will help internet researchers and family historians reconnect with their family’s legacy just in time for our Bicentennial Commemoration.
Would you be kind enough, Linda, to include the attached Google Map and contact information for the Hospital, if that’s ok? I’m sorry some of the photos didn’t turn out well. I will try to visit, again, later. With the kind permission of Mary Wilson Trider, I am attaching eighteen historic plaques from the lobby of the Almonte General Hospital located at
2. Rosamond Memorial Hospital Almonte in connection with the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada. Erected A.D. 1907.5. In Memory of Mary E. Cotton. Died April 3rd. 1950. Wife of the late Alexander Rosamond. She was the Founder and Charter Member of the Alexandra Club. Club founded April 25th. 1903
3. In Memory of Dr. John R. Fraser M.D., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.O.C., F.R.C.S. (C). Honorary Chairman. The Almonte General Hospital. His substantial effort until his death October 7, 1959 was a major factor in the decision to build this hospital. The air conditioning and auxiliary power units are a gift in his memory from Mrs. John R. Fraser.
4. In Memory of Dr. James A. Naismith A.B. M.P.E. M.D. D.D. Native of Ramsay and Almonte. Physical Educator – Founder of Basketball 1861-1939
6. James Archibald Wylie [illegible]
7. Their Names Liveth For Evermore. In loving and grateful memory of the Almonte Boys who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1918. Endowment to the Rosamond Memorial Hospital by the Almonte Chapter of the I.O.D.E. May 24th 1926.
8. This [illegible] was donated by James Kirk in loving memory of his son J. Ross Kirk B.S.A. 1932
9. Lanark Co-operative Medical Services 1947-1970
10. Women’s Institute Clayton, Ontario -1926-
In loving memory of Helen Fountaine Brown [illegible] Rosamond
. In loving memory of Helen Fountaine Brown [illegible] Rosamond
Furnished by Mrs. Albert Boulter Fort Coulonge
13. Cedar Hill Women’s Institute 1925
14. Maintained by U.F.W.O. 1927
15. Almonte Women’s Institute
16. In Memory of the MacDonald Clan and Mr. and Mrs. Lauchan MacDonald, Pioneer Settlers of Ramsay Township, Lanark County. The Misses Kit & Jessie MacDonald 1820-1966.
17. Hazel Memorial Ward
18. Furnished by Mississippi Lodge No. 147 A.F. & A.M.
Above is a picture of the new Almonte General Hospital which began serving the public on Thursday, May 4th. It is a very fine building with modern equipment and has a capacity of 42 beds. Built of red brick, the new hospital is only about half-a-block from the old one, a picture of which appears below
Just wanted to submit a favourite picture of a hat worn by my Great-Grandmother, Jessie Jean (Paul) Rose.
She and several of her children died young. Her twin daughters, Grandma & Great-Aunt Evelyn, survived, though, and lived to ripe old ages.
Am including my Dad’s 1988 interview with them. They lived in Lanark County all their lives as 5th Generation residents. They were much loved figures who epitomized Lanark County culture well.
Family members referred to them as “The Toughest Pair” for walking along streets, praying for the inhabitants, in negative degree weather at the age of 90. Their pastor, Rev. Matthew Dyck, called them 4-Star Generals in the Army of the Lord.
In 1857, Edward Prince, watchmaker, married Elizabeth Matthews in Southampton, England. They had three sons and three daughters when Elizabeth died in 1871. Her second daughter, Gertrude, was only 4 years old. On 28 December 1881, young Gertrude, then a home child, left Liverpool, England bound for Quebec.
Sometime before 8 October 1890, James Barrie, a farmer’s son from near Balderson, Ontario, fell in love with Gertrude and her 1-year-old son, George, who later adopted the Barrie name. James & Gertrude were the happy parents of ten children including Henry. George & Henry grew up learning to care for animals and the land on the family farm.
Both volunteered to serve in World War 1. Henry was accepted and kept a highly illegal diary of his experiences, including at Vimy Ridge. Perhaps his mother had employed the same method in order to strengthen her faith when separated from her family? Henry was raised in a Christian home and took his faith seriously.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the day before The Canadians took Vimy Ridge was Easter Sunday. It is a special day for Christians. It marks the commemoration of Christ’s death on a cross for our sins, His descent into Hell, and, three days later, His resurrection. His sacrifice means we are free to glorify and enjoy God; knowing, at death, we will be welcomed into eternity with Him. As thousands of soldiers prepared to meet God face-to-face the next day, what comfort they must have found in God’s means of grace, including The Bible and The Sacraments.
The Allied Forces had made six attempts to take Vimy Ridge; learning from each attempt. The German guns had the advantage of height and deep mud. On the seventh attempt, The Canadians successfully laid a path of plywood, gaining 1/8th of an inch of ground for every casualty.
Henry returned home and married his beloved Nettie. He died in 1959 and his mother followed in 1962, having been a widow for 30 years. George also married and lived a long life. Henry and family were just some of the humble, hard-working people of faith who comprised the soul of Lanark County.
In 2017, Rob More published the children’s book, “Henry Barrie: Vimy Ridge Survivor” now available on Amazon. On Rob’s website http://henrybarrie.weebly.com/, you are welcome to explore more about Henry. Included are free school lesson plans which teach about the war from a uniquely, compassionate Canadian perspective.
About the authors
Rob More is a Canadian WWI Historian. His sister, Sarah, is honoured to serve as the Historical Researcher for the Municipality of Mississippi Mills, (although not representing them in this instance.) Their father, the late Rev. Dr. Robert More, Jr. was a pastor, author, and historian. Their mother is a sixth-generation resident of Ramsay Township.
Like their father, Rob and Sarah received their Bachelor of Arts degrees in the United States. The family later returned to their Lanark County roots where they proudly share a role in telling Canada’s story.
Henry George Barrie BIRTH 1896 DEATH 1959 (aged 62–63) BURIAL Saint Andrew’s Cemetery Watson’s Corners, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada
Nettie Davidson Barrie BIRTH 12 Feb 1899Ontario, Canada DEATH 1972 (aged 72–73) BURIAL Saint Andrew’s Cemetery Watson’s Corners, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada
On Sunday, March 18, 1973, from the pulpit of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Almonte, my father taught:
About 400 A.D. a man hunched over his writing table in an austere room in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. His name was Jerome and he was translating the Latin Vulgate Bible as now called. Verse 8 of the psalm read this way in part, “et dominábitur a mari usque ad mare…”
About 1500 years later, another godly man was reading his English Bible in devotions. As he came to the verse he knew in a moment that it had the right name and motto for his then new nation. Sir Charles Tupper, a Father of Confederation, saw in “dominion” an apt name for Canada, and also the phrase, “from sea to sea” as a proper motto. Hence the national name was appointed in 1867 and the motto was formally ratified in 1921 in its Latin. Finally, Judy LaMarsh, the Secretary of State in 1967 wrote that the Centennial Psalm 72 to the tune Andre had been taken from “‘The Book of Psalms’ published by the Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, in Pennsylvania, U.S.A.”! That’s our “Blue Psalter”!
In the 1960s, my father was called to pastor the Almonte congregation. At that time, the Canadian Reformed Presbyterian Church was in decline. God gave my father a vision for The Church and he published this vision in the book, “Aurora Borealis: A History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Canada (Covenanter) 1820-1967.” It pleads for revival. God answered through the formation of a Canadian Reformed Presbyterian Seminary and several new congregations.
Since 1830, the Almonte (Hillside) Reformed Presbyterian congregation has been honoured to welcome the community, including some of Dr. James Naismith’s descendants. If one were to join them on a Sunday morning, one might hear Psalm 72 sung A cappella.
Sarah More
Dr. More, Robert Marshall (PhD) Passed away peacefully in his sleep at Fairview Manor on April 29, 2014. Robert More Of Almonte, ON., at the age of 78 Beloved husband to Ruth for 46 years. Survived by his children Robert B. More (Shelley) and Sarah More. Proud “Grand-Dad” of Skylar, Cassie and Jacob. Son of the late Robert M. More Sr. and Alice (nee Braum). Sibling to Carolyn Skeens (Robert), the late Wilbur “Bill” and survived by his sister-in-law Carolyn More. He was a pastor, teacher, and author. Dr. More’s contributions enriched the lives of many. His book, Aurora Borealis: A history of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Canada (Covenanter) 1820-1967, is still in usage today. He was a licensed electrician who used his skills to help the communities in which he lived, served as a Federal Advisory Council Member for Lanark County providing jobs for the unemployed, and authored a column in the Almonte Gazette titled “A Little Bird told Me.”. In addition to providing pastoral care in Canada, he also worked as a Human Resources Specialist for the State of Kansas with First Nations’ entrepreneurs, an arbitrator with the Kansas Better Business Bureau, History Teacher at Highland Community College, a board member with the Vocational Education and Training of the Disabled and Handicapped and founded a Senior Citizen Centre and community daycare. An alumnus of Kansas State University, Dr. More and his wife celebrated Canada’s Centennial by proclaiming their marriage vows. Their partnership of almost fifty years in spreading knowledge and grace across two countries has been a model for their multiple generations to come
Joyce DeFontThank you for sharing this! Kansas connections with Almonte –My Dad was pastor at Hillside (Almonte) RP church from 1976 for about 20 years. We had come from the same little Kansas town (Denison) where Robert More’s parents lived. (Our years in Almonte were a blessing, probably more than I realized at the time.) Another KS connection is that James Naismith’s daughter-in-law was from the town of Holton, KS about 10 miles from Denison. Sarah is an excellent writer/historian like her Dad!
About the author
Sarah More is honoured to serve as the Historical Researcher for the Municipality of Mississippi Mills, (although not representing them in this instance.) Her father, the late Rev. Dr. Robert More, Jr. was a pastor, author, and historian. Her mother is a sixth-generation resident of Ramsay Township.
Like her father, Sarah received her Bachelor of Arts degree in the United States. The family later returned to their Lanark County roots where they proudly share a role in telling Canada’s story. ..
(The accompanying photo was taken at the time of the marriage of Ida’s sister in 1901.)
If you don’t know who Sarah More is– well she is an amazing historian. I tell tales — Sarah documents technical history as well as stories and I greatly admire this woman. Mississippi Mills is so lucky to have her as well as all of us.
A little story about a much-loved Appleton schoolteacher=—By Sarah More
In the 1870s, William Paul of Mountblow, Ramsay Township (1841-1930), and his wife, Sarah Shaw, moved to just outside of Appleton where they raised three boys and four girls.
William & Sarah’s second daughter, Miss Ida Paul, graduated at the head of her class at Normal School (Teachers’ College). She taught from 1898-1932 on the site of today’sNorth Lanark Regional Museum in Appleton. She was always concerned for a boyfriend who never returned from WWI, as well as, her youngest brother, Charlie, who returned with shell shock and damage to his lungs.
After the death of her parents, Ida came to live with her niece’s family. Ida’s niece remembers all of Ida’s students passed their high school entrance exams. Ida’s great-niece remembers receiving help with Algebra saying, “[Ida] was very kind and always used positive words to solve a problem.” “She expected high marks and encouraged the children to reach them.”
Christmas was fun, because the children were allowed in Ida’s room to open their Christmas stockings which were made of silk and could stretch to about five feet. She used to walk down to the pond to where the children were skating and throw candy on the ice to see who could pick it up the fastest.
The children were also fascinated by her little bottles of homeopathic medicines as most families tried to cure themselves first. Ida’s age was a well-guarded secret for unknown reasons. She even refused to have her year of birth inscribed on the family gravestone. (She died in her 93rd year.) Ida was raised in a Christian home and was a member of the Carleton Place United Church.
Thanks so much Sarah!
I added the following clippings and genealogy about Miss Paul- Linda
Hi, Linda ~Don’t know if you might be interested in my Grandfather’s poem about the Sixth Line of Ramsay (now called Quarry Road)? In the 1950s, he had a farm there. Other farms on the Sixth Line belonged to McNeely, Rintoul, Thom, Sadler, Burns, Henry, Hilliards, and a new German Family ( see note from Eleanor Rintoul at the bottom) whose name escapes my Mother.
He went by W.J. Burns. He was a 5th generation resident of Ramsay Township. Am attaching a picture of him. In 1990, my Uncle compiled a small booklet of poems written by W.J. & my Aunt. Cheers,
Sarah More
Photo- Jayne HenryPhoto Jayne Henry
*Eleanor Rintoul sent this to me.:
Hello Linda,
I’m married to a Rintoul from the 6th line and I have seen that poem before but it was good to be reminded of it.
I knew the German family as I had the two oldest children in school and I know when the Galbraith (S.S.# 5) closed so I thought I would fill in the blanks.
The school closed in 1968 the year Naismith School opened. (I might be off by a year.)
The German family were Matthias and Erma (or Irma) Hauch. I taught the two oldest children Achmed and Rosemarie.
The family moved to a farm near Chesterville and had three more children Harold, Susan and Sandy. I don’t know where they were living when these children were born — whether on the 6th line or after they moved to Chesterville.
Rosemarie was very involved in track and field at North ( or South) Dundas High school and went on to win many awards and trophies.
Check her out on Google.
Eleanor Rintoul
I was Eleanor Clapp when I taught at Galbraith and married Frank Paul (son of Norman Paul, whom I think you knew)
The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award was an annual college basketball award in the United States intended to honor shorter-than-average players who excelled on the court despite their size. The award, named in honor of James Naismith‘s daughter-in-law, was established for men in 1969 and for women in 1984. The men’s award was presented to the nation’s most outstanding senior who is 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) or shorter, while the women’s award was presented to the top senior who is 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) or shorter. Early in the women’s award’s history, the cut-off height was 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m). The men’s award was selected by a panel from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), while the women’s was selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The award was discontinued following the 2013–14 season READ more here..
A photograph of Annie Naismith, the sister of Dr. James Naismith, outside the old family house and birthplace of James Naismith. Clayton Historian Rose Mary Sarsfield-—Here is the real story according to Marilyn Snedden who has done years of research in this area. The house pictured above where James Naismith first lived as a child, “was where Kay Grace and now Dianna Nanne live-the bungalow to the north of the Naismith House. There was a Peter Naismith in the Cheryl Patterson house early on and James’ father John worked there before he went to Fort Coulonge. I think Peter was an uncle of John but the family of course had all the same names.” The family moved to Fort Coulonge where James’ father started a sawmill but the mill burned down and then the father got typhoid fever and died.
![Aurora Borealis: A History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Canada (Covenanter) 1820-1967 by [Robert More]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41KRmX5wRGL.jpg)
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