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borough, and the residue in Sophiasburgh. Among
the latter were the widow and her four sons.
John, one of the sons, after arriving in Quebec,
married Eve Bowman, also a member of an United
Empire Loyalist family. Their first son, Joseph W..,
was born October 2nd, 1879, in Prince Edward
County. At the age of 16 years, he was enrolled
in the Canadian Militia, and sent to the fortifications
at Kingston, serving until the close of the War of
1812. In 1824, he married Charlotte Benedict, the
descendant of a Stewart family, a lady who was
strongly imbued with the guiding principles of the
Puritans. She was widely known for her consistent
christian character, showing by the choice of the
eighth verse of the fifteenth chapter of St. John, as
the text for her funeral sermon, what her hope had
been during life.
Mr. Morden was an honored member of the Epis¬
copal Methodist Church in Canada, liberal in his
politics and his charities, and one of the first cham¬
pions of the temperance cause in Upper Canada.
In 1834, he erected “ Victory Barn,” in the Township
of Cramahe. The barn was a very large one, and
while the timbers were being framed, he announced
that no whiskey would be provided for the raising.
Such a thing as a raising without whiskey had never
been known in that portion of the county. On the
appointed day, the settlers from fifteen miles around
assembled, and formed themselves into two parties.
The larger one stood aloof, and refused to begin
unless whiskey was provided, and loudly called
upon all new arrivals to join them, The smaller
party set to work amidst the jeers of the majority.
By great exertions, the first bent was put up, when
those who had stood aloof came forward and assisted
in completing the raising. For fifty years the build¬
ing was known as “Victory Barn.” Mr. Morden
died at Napanee, December zoth, 1877.
John H. Morden, M. D., was born in 1834, in the
County of Northumberland. In 1859 he graduated,
and immediately settled in Brockville, where he mar¬
ried Victoria Elizabeth, daughter of the late Senator
Crawford. Dr. Morden has always shown the
warmest interest in elevating the tone of his pro¬
fession. He has taken an active part in agricultural
improvements in Leeds and Grenville, and invariably
assisted in furthering the prosperity of Brockville.
BROCKVILLE.
EARLY HISTORY.
By an Act passed in 1798, in the Second. Parlia¬
ment, which assembled at Niagara, the boundaries
of the Counties of Leeds and Grenville were
specified.
In 1784, landings were frequently made at Buell’s
Bay by the westward-bound emigrants, but owing |
to the rocky nature of the land where Brockville
now stands, no location of a permanent character
appears to have been made until the arrival of
William Buell, Sr., who erected the first house within
Adiel Sherwood built the first tavern. Daniel Jones
built the first mill. It was situated at the falls on
the creek, near the site of the present Shepherd mill.
Mr. Buell got out the timber for the mill, the under¬
standing being that he was to have a half interest
for his share. Charles Jones put up the first frame
dwelling, and opened one of the first stores. The
first brick house was erected by Dr. Hubbell, the
building being now used as a dwelling and printing
office by A. H. Merrill. The second brick building
is yet standing, being occupied by Wood Brothers
as a Cigar store. The first stone house was built by
Nehemiah Simmons.
In consequence of the quarrelsome nature of some
of the settlers, the little place received the name of
“Snarlingtown,” by which it was well known for
many years. Gradually increasing in importance,
it assumed the name, Village of Elizabethtown; but
in 1811, an attempt appears to have been made to
change it to Williamstown. Report says that the
Buell and Jones families were both anxious to give
it their own patronymic, and, to settle the dispute,
the question was referred to Sir Isaac Brock, who
conferred upon it the honor of becoming Brockville.
On the r2th of September, r8rr, William Buell,
Sr., issued a map, which was prepared by Jeremiah
McCarthy, Senior Deputy Surveyor for Upper and
Lower Canada. At the top of the map appears the
following superscription :—
‘Plan and Survey of Williamstown, in the Township of Eliza¬
‘“‘bethtown, founded by William Buell, Esquire, proprietor of the
‘right of sod of said town plot.”
At the foot of the map, the following superscrip¬
tion appears :—
‘" PLAN of the Village of Elizabethtown, being part of the pro¬
"" perty of William Buell, Esquire, situated in front of his lands, and
"" laid out in lots, according to this plan, into town lots, of which
"" the following have been disposed of, prior to the delineation of
‘this plan, and are marked with the initials of the purchasers’
The whole accurately laid down and projected by a scale
‘‘of one hundred feet to an inch.
(Signed, ) “JEREMIAH McCARTHY,
Senor Deputy Surveyor for Upper and Lower Canada.
‘* Elizabethtown, September 12th, 1811.”
ft names.
LIST OF PARTIES WHO HAD TAKEN UP LOTS ON THE ABOVE
PROPERTY, AT THE ABOVE DATE,
Adiel Sherwood,
Charles Jones,
Abraham Dayton,
Sabina Flynn,
Andrew Smith, Anna Provost;
Charles Dunham, Allan Curtis,
Levius P. Sherwood, Reuben Sherwood,
Einathan Hubbell, | Henry Deming,
Sabina Buell, James Hall, Archibald Kincaid,
Willard & Lewis, | Henry Shepherd.
(Subsequently, the following names appear to have been added.)
Samuel McNish, David Harmen, Stephen Richards,