Canada 150

Canada 150 is a national campaign to encourage Canadians to collect their life stories, family and community histories. The idea is to collect, and document, these collections for the upcoming 150 anniversary of the founding of Canada in 2017. For further information go to the Canada 150 web page.

Fragments From The Forks

I attended the book launch on Saturday of Daniel J. Brock's new book "Fragments From The Forks" at the Attic bookshop here in London. Sponsored by the London and Middlesex Historical Society the book launch was well attended. As a member of the Society I was able to get my own copy.

According to the author this book is the result of 30 years of patiently accumulating data on London's history. For over 500 pages -in chronological order- it lists events, people, and well -fragments- of London's history. I would not necessarilly refer to this book as a history but more of a reference book. The index is very well done, and this as much as anything makes this book a useful reference tool.

At the back of the book Daniel Brock has included tables of demographic and area stastics, listings of public officials, and a price index calculator.

In my own area of interest which is the military history of the region quite a bit has been missed; however, that in no way takes away from the usefulness of the volume.

The book is published by the Aylmer Express Ltd. and is available for $40 for the softcover and $50 for the hard cover edition.

London 1900

An ad from "The London Advertiser" January 3, 1900. Kingsmill's is still around. As kids we called it the Quiet store.

It is the new century. As those of us who witnessed the change from the twentieth to the twenty-first century know that it is a big event. Right. Well - not if you go through 1900 in the two London dailies. As far as I can tell there were no big parties. At least none reported in the papers. Head line news in January 1900 was the war in South Africa. British Empire troops were kicking ass. At least as far as the London papers were concerned. A large crowd turned out to see off London’s boys who volunteered for the Mounted Rifles. Both papers would continue to closely follow their adventures in South Africa.

Frederick George Rumball (1) was elected mayor in January 1900( mayors at that time served one term, and were elected in early January).

From "The London Free Press, October 1, 1940. It's the only picture that I have been able to find of Mayor Rumball. I expect that in 1900 he had darker hair.

The century may have changed but London did not. Electricity was yet to come. Public transit was horse drawn. Homes were heated by coal. The refrigerator was the ice box. Newspapers had yet to find the technology to include photographs in their stories. Light was supplied by candle or kerosene lamp. The telephone had made it to London though.


This photo was actually taken around 1885 at the corner of Richmond and Dundas. There would be virtually no changes in the streetscape by 1900. The horse drawn trolly would not be replaced by electric trolleys for another 10  years after 1900.

 One thing that did not, and has not, changed is the ridiculous advertisments in the papers.

As if I needed further reasons to drink beer. I just knew it was a food group.

I guess being a 98 pound weekling was a worry even in 1900. This ad appears in both papers throughout 1900.

And now for the scary ad.

I did not know that Chase & Sandborn had been around since 1900. Today grandfathers use sugar to give the little tykes that get up and spin.

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(1) Frederick George Rumball was born 8 December 1853 in Clinton, Huron County, Canada West to Benjamin Rumball and Mary Johnston. He died 1 October 1940 at Victoria Hospital, London, Ontario. In 1900 he was a lumber merchant in London.

A Health Tip !

I could not resist this when I saw it on Facebook. London has a shortage of family doctors at this time. That when the medical school is located in this city at the University of Western Ontario. So what are the alternatives ?

Wordless Wednesday- Queen's Avenue

c.1875 Ivey Family London Room, London Public Library, London, Ontario, Canada

I have added three photos to catch the length of Queen's shown in the c.1875 picture. This photo is on the corner of Queen's and Richmond looking east. One London Place is in the background.

Looking in the opposite direction from the corner of Clarence and Queen's toward Richmond.

From the corner of Waterloo and Queen's looking toward Richmond. First St. Andrew's United (in 1875 Presbyterian) Church is out of site just to the right. The trees are on a corner of the church property. Quite a lot of changes for Queen's Avenue over the years.

The Summer Of 1914

Historians have long maintained that before August 1914 Canadians largely remained innocent or perhaps not interested in events in Europe. I thought that I would have a look at the London newspapers to see if this was true. The answer is - yep.

It is really two or three days before England’s declaration of war that either the “London Free Press” or the “London Advertiser” gave front page coverage to the unfolding of events in Europe. So what interested Londoners in July 1914.

The biggest stories were about the tragic events surrounding the sinking of the liner (May 1914) "The Empress of Ireland" in the St. Laurence river. It had everything - tragedy, loss of life, and scandal. Londoners had been on the liner, and it was a rare day that names of those who survived, and those who did not (funerals get front page coverage) , appeared in the papers. A titillating scandal was reported when it was found that a Mrs. Charles Cheu had fled from her marriage, and boarded the liner as Amelia Mott. She was not one of those who survived.

There was a provincial election in the offing. “The Advertiser” was convinced that with this election the Liberals would reign supreme, and Temperance would finally be enacted in Ontario. Take that you barroom loafers! “The Free Press” was cool to that idea.

What was not cool was the weather. In June temperatures reached 94.5 degrees F. Stories advising people on how to keep themselves cool ran in both papers for several weeks. That included advice (for women of course) on the proper maintanence of the refigerator (read ice box).

Keeping cool in Victoria Park, "The London Adversiser", June 9, 1914.

The Ringling Brothers’ Circus was in town. There was a procession down Dundas St. of wagons containing lions, panthers, leopards, and of course the elephants.
“Keep back, Mickey, or they’ll getcha,” shouted a small child. “Naw, day won’t nudder, if je ain’t got no tobacy widja,” was the scornful reply (an attempt at humour by the Advertiser).

Another attempt at humour by the Adversiser cartoonist. "The London Adversiser", June 15, 1914.

For women the colours of choice for the summer were black and yellow.

"The London Adversiser", June 12, 1914.

All topped off with a stylish cape. No mention of how that would fly in 94 F. degree weather. Perhaps a feathered white hat would help ? Apparently it goes with anything.

"The London Adversiser", June 14, 1814.

No mention of what was to come in August. Armageddon !

Television Memories

Naturally the kid on crutches gets front page in his father's employee newsletter.

Lorine McGinnis Schultz’s post “Sharing Memories” from July 17 reminded me of when my family acquired their first T.V. in 1953.

As a background in 1953 I had what is called “perthes “ - I leave it to you to look this up in your dictionary ! It meant that for a year I was in a harness preventing me from using my leg. What do you do with a five year old who spends his days getting around on crutches ?

The answer seems to have been to get him a television set. As close as I can remember it was a 12" black and white in a cabinet. Wish I still had that cabinet ! It also meant purchasing a rather large aerial to receive signals as London at that time did not have a local T.V. station. That came the following year.
The whole package must have set my parents back a months salary.  The channels available were from Detroit, and Kitchener.

So what did I watch ? As far as I remember it was mostly westerns, and Howdy Doody.

I do not think I missed a program.

I was glued to the T.V. That hasn't changed much in 60 years.

Loved the program. The actors also showed up for a Toronto Maple Leaf hockey game. A plus in my books.