PERTH VOLUNTEERS SERVED ALONG ST. LAWRENCE IN ’66

This was published in the Perth Expositor, January 20, 1915.
Transcribed by Charles Dobie.

In these days of military stress and history, the minds of many of Perth’s older people turn back to the days of 1866, when a company of Perth soldiers were on duty at Fort Wellington. Perth had two or three distinct militia companies in the old days, and the history of the one recorded here belongs to the company officered by Captain Edmond Spillman, Lieut. Moffatt and Ensign Douglas. This company was on duty at Brockville from the 10th of March until July, and then manned Fort Wellington at Prescott, where they remained from July to Nov. 20th. Captain Moffatt, who was second in command then, has in his possession the pay-sergeant’s book of the great majority of the men who served from Perth along the St. Lawrence in those troublesome days, and from this book is taken the list published below. The pay roll is in the handwriting of John Kippen, now in Benson, Ariz., and brother of Messrs. Duncan and Alex. Kippen. The penmanship is very neat, plain and well preserved, and is pleasing to the eye. Capt. Moffatt values this book with its historic reminiscences, and can recall many interesting incidents connected with the company.
Of the commissioned officers above named, all are still living. Capt. Spillman is now in Vancouver, Lieut. Moffatt is the Captain Thomas Moffatt of town, and Ensign Douglas is Major John W. Douglas, of Windsor, uncle of Major deHertel.
The names in order in the book run somewhat as follows, and the brief historic notes are compiled by the Expositor in collaboration with Capt. Moffatt and Pte. Jas. R. Moore, town.
Sergt. Wm. Kellock, painter, deceased; his widow Mrs. Kellock, and son and daughter, James D. and Miss Nessie, reside in town.
Sergt. A. C. Sinclair in the Registry Office, deceased; father of P. R. Sinclair, florist.
Sergt. John Kippen, now in Benson, Ariz., a brother of Messrs. Duncan and Alex. Kippen.
Sergt. Jos. McCormick, a shoemaker now deceased.
Sergt. John Cox, deceased, brother of Mrs. D. Hogg.
Corp. Wm. Fraser, deceased.
Corp. Jas. Templeton, in Dakota.
Corp. Wm. Watson, farmer at limits of town in Drummond, who died a few years ago.
Corp. J. Mathieson, studied law with the late John Deacon, left here, and whereabouts not known.
Corp. David Mitchell, now in Kentucky.
Corp. George Larivie, brother of Mrs. Arkinson, town, now shoe merchant in Arnprior.
Bugler Chas. Bell, now secretary of the grain exchange in Winnipeg.
Pte. T. Atcheson, was a splendid bugler, and was used as the brigade bugler by Col. Crawford. He is now down South.
Pte. W. W. Berford, well known in Perth for many years as lawyer and later as county treasurer. His widow resides in Ottawa.
Pte. Harry Belford, a riverman, deceased.
Pte. T. Burke, one of the Oso Burkes, now dead. He was a blacksmith and served his time with John Bell in the blacksmith shop now used as a store house by John T. Devlin.
Pte. Thos. Cumming left here shortly after the Company returned from Prescott; last heard of in the North West.
Pte. Jack Campbell served his time as a printer with the late Burton Campbell in the old British Standard office. He died in Chicago.
Pte. H. Cavanaugh is in Chicago.
Pte. W. Davies, whereabouts not recalled. He was a marble cutter; his father had his marble shop where Mr. Peter McTavish‘s house is now on Gore Street.
Pte. Wm. Farmer, is in Arnprior, in the shoe trade.
Pte. Wm. Foster, was a farmer, died in the States.
Pte. Thos. Flett, of Airdier, Alta., now home on a visit, a blacksmith.
Pte. Sam Fisher, now in Almonte.
Pte. John Fraser, deceased; was a son of the late Wm. Fraser, and acted as county treasurer for a time.
Pte. John Hudson, died in California. He enlisted with the American navy, after the ’66 trouble; was a brother of Henry Hudson, town.
Pte. Wm. Harrington, came from Ferguson Falls, a shoemaker, deceased.
Pte. Wm. James, learned trade of waggon making with the late Thomas Hicks; whereabouts unknown.
Pte. Alex. Kippen, proprietor of the Perth planing mill for many years. Still hale and hearty.
Pte. Allan Lister, deceased, carpenter, brother of Andrew Lister.
Pte. W. Lawson, deceased, a harnessmaker, brother of Mrs. Templeton, town.
Pte. Robert Lillie, a foundryman, now in Vancouver, father of Mrs. Samuel Thornbury.
Pte. J. Labron, blacksmith, drowned in Vancouver.
Pte. James R. Moore, a resident of Caroline Village, who can recall many incidents connected with the Company, and who is well posted about the “boys of the old brigade.”
Pte. Malcolm MacMartin, lawyer, deceased; brother of Sheriff MacMartin.
Pte. R. O’Brien, a riverman, deceased.
Pte. Richard Patterson, now in Washington; learned trade of waggon making with late Thos. Hicks. His sister Mrs. Cavanagh resides at Franktown.
Pte. John Patterson, a printer, son of Thos. Patterson, a fanning mill maker, now deceased.
Pte. Manasseh Patterson, druggist at Almonte, now deceased.
Pte. George Patterson, left here years ago. His father kept the St. George’s Hotel at the corner of Harvey and Drummond streets, where Geo. Smith has double stone house now. This was Perth’s best hotel in the old days, and where all the judges and lawyers were wont to stop when at Perth for court.
Pte. Geo. Steele, a carpenter, brother of John Steele, Scotch Line; died at Smiths Falls.
Pte. John Smith, left here years ago; his father clerked in Dunnett‘s store, where the Merchants’ Bank now does business.
Pte. Andrew Sample, a shoemaker, deceased; his people lived in Beckwith.
Pte. P. Stanley, deceased, son of Owen Stanley, butcher.
Pte. Pat Sullivan, left here and whereabouts unknown. He was a shoemaker or tailor.
Pte. W. Templeton, a tanner., died a short time ago in Arlington, N. J.
Pte. Wm. Wylie, operates the Wylie mills in Almonte.
Pte. Benjamin Warren, hardware merchant in Perth for many years; died several years ago.
Pte. James Watson, shoemaker, brother of the late Wm. Watson, who ran a shoe repair shop for years in the Clements Block; whereabouts not now known.
Pte. W. Willis, an Englishman, whereabouts not known.
Pte. John McIntosh, a moulder, worked in Smiths Falls for years.
Pte. Wm. Scott, a Drummond farmer, now dead.
Pte. Henry Myers, old British soldier, stone mason, deceased.
Pte. Peter Dunlop, dyer in Code‘s mills for years; known as one of the best boxers in the company and of his time.
Pte James Donnelly, left here years ago.
Pte. Charles Watson, brother of the late Wm. Watson, 3rd line, dry goods clerk with James Hicks.
Pte. Lorenzo H. Judson, a printer.
Pte. Norman Tomlinson, cabinet maker, learned trade with late John Riddell; now at Sharbot Lake.
Pte. Donald Campbell, a blacksmith, drowned in Lanark.
Pte. James Robinson, whereabouts not known.
Sergt. John Thornton, now at Fort William, clerk and treasurer of the Tp. of Paipoonge, brother of Dr. A. W. Thornton, Montreal.
Pte. Jno. W. Dennison, retired, town.
Pte. John Lee, turnkey at the Perth jail for nearly half a century.
Pte. John McLaren, carpenter.
Farrell Bros., who belonged to the Barrie infantry.
COMPANY’S STRENGTH INCREASED.
When the Perth Company went into barracks at Fort Wellington, their numbers were increased by recruits from the Morrisburg, Matilda and Prescott district, among them being several batterymen. Those who joined or substituted for some Perth men who could not remain with the company any longer were:–
Pte. John Dumarce, whereabouts not known.
Pte. Thos. Fraser, of Prescott, deceased.
Pte. Thomas Smith, a Crimean veteran, and a member of the 100th Foot.
Pte. Thomas McNally, of Prescott.
Corp. James Dunlop, a cabinet maker, who learned his trade with the late John Riddell; whereabouts not known.
Pte. David Carpenter, from Cornwall.
Pte. William Salter, of Morrisburg.
Pte. Matt Winegard, not known.
Pte. Robert Lowthers, died in Montreal.
Pte. Henry DeWitt, deceased; brother of Wm. DeWitt, of town.
Pte. Henry Edwards, of Prescott.
Pte. Chas. MacComber, in Wooton, Quebec.
Pte. James Dorion.
Pte. Geo. Molloy, deceased.
Pte. James McDonald, of Morrisburg.
Pte. Joseph Maiden, of Belleville was afterwards through Northwest Rebellion, and in South African War.
Pte. Robert Wilson, of Almonte who was skilled in the art of boxing.
Pte. Henry McAlpin, of Prescott.
Pte. Chas. Towsley, of Brockville.
Pte. John Checkley, who afterwards rose to be Colonel of the 56th Regiment.
Pte. John McGillivray, of Iroquois, a batteryman.
Pte. Francis Rourke, a cooper, worked with John Thornton.
Pte. John Sumner, of Carleton Place, a storekeeper.
Pte. Geo. Moore, brother of James R. Moore, town, now deceased.
Pte. John Dunbar, not known.
Pte. John Steele, farmer on the Scotch Line.
Pte. Dennis Driskell, of Prescott.
Pte. Geo. Shaver, of Morrisburg.
Pte. B. Milligan and Pte. Maurice Raymond, whereabouts not known.
James Igoe was the cook.
Pte. Duncan Thompson, a raftsman, came from the neighbourhood of Pembroke.
Pte. Wm. Molloy, of Smiths Falls.
Pte. James Porteous, Matilda.
Pte. John Sherwood, of Newboyne.
Pte. Andrew Foote.
Pte. Solomon Barrie, of Perth, a butcher, deceased.
Pte. Wm. Foster, farmer, deceased, brother of Chas. Foster, Elmsley.
Pte. Henry Moss, shoemaker, here for years, deceased.
Pte. Peter Roberts, in Sarnia now.
Pte. George McFarlane, wagon maker, deceased.
Pte. James Kerr.
Pte. Robert Hall, assistant cook.
Pte. Thomas Norton, Kemptville.
The privates received 25 cents per day. The entries in Sergt. Kippen‘s book are made out in detail and the signature of each member of the company is signed as a receipt in his account kept in the paymaster’s book; the militia charged the men up for damages to barracks, sheets, washing and hair cutting.
This company is altogether distinct from the infantrymen who went to the Brockville front four years later, and whose names the Expositor will endeavor to secure for a later issue.
Care has been taken in order that no names of any who served either in the Brockville front or in the fort should not be omitted, but as a few pages are missing from the paymaster’s book, it is just possible a few names may be overlooked. If any names are missing, the Expositor would deem it a favor if our attention is called to the oversight.