If
you don’t see what you want in the way of old curios when you visit the Old
Curiosity Shop of the veteran Tom Burrows, just intimate what it is and he will
dig it out of the ruins of hundreds of old Hamilton homes. Do you want some
old, forgotten lore, hunt through his collection of books that has been
accumulating for a half century or more. The other day the veteran auctioneer
dropped onto a copy of that venerable paper, the Hamilton Gazette, which was
printed on Monday, July 8, 1844, nearly sixty-two years ago, and two years
before Hamilton became an incorporated city. The Gazette was one of the first
papers published in Hamilton, beginning in 1834 by Geo. P. Bull, the father of Rev.
G.H. Bull, the grandfather of J. Eldon Bull, insurance agent, and G. H. Bull,
clerk in the post office. The Gazette office was on John street, south of Main,
and was a very old-looking, roughcast building, evidently having been built by
one of the first settlers. The editor’s family occupied part of the building,
and the printing office was on the ground floor. The old kitchen still stands
as a monument of the honest work of the ancient builders, and is now doing duty
as a lumber shed on the corner of Main and Catharine streets, at Burton &
Baldwin’s factory. After the Gazette office was moved to the new stone building
on Hughson, opposite the court house square, the old roughcast on John street
was occupied by John Hoodless as a furniture store. Mr. Hoodless had his
factory in the stone building back of the Elgin block, and his residence was
where Mr. Brennen & Sons have their lumber office. Details may be tedious
to some readers, but when one is digging up ancient history, the little minutia
is appreciated by persons who are interested. Harcourt B. Bull learned the
printer’s trade in the Gazette office with his father, and took to politics,
while the Rev. G. H. Bull turned his attention to the salvation of his
fellowmen, and is still doing valiant battle against the archenemy of mankind.
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The copy of the Gazette that is now
before us is a venerable-looking sheet. It is a six-column folio, has less than
twelve columns of reading matter, over four columns in small type being given
over to Egerton Ryerson in a defense of the Wesleyan conference from the charge
of mixing too much politics in its religious teachings. Egerton Ryerson was
evidently the whole thing in Wesleyan Methodism in the early days. There were
only 26 lines of local news in the paper, one of which was about “a most wanton outrage committed here Monday
last. Mr. Bowers had nearly completed the painting of a very handsome and
expensive flag for the society of Oddfellows, lately formed in this town, and
had suspended it from his window for the purpose of drying, when some fellows at
work on the road took umbrage at it, tore it from its staff, and otherwise
mutilated it. The case was brought before the magistrates and warrants issued
for the apprehension of the parties, who are non est.” There must have been a
tinge of orange somewhere in the coloring of the flag to have aroused the
hatred of the laborers working in the street. It is a blessing that a man can
even wear an orange lily on the twelfth of July without getting his head
cracked.
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Even in its youthful days of
innocence, Hamilton had its bad characters who lived at the expense of others.
The only other local item in the venerable Gazette was to the effect “That a few days since announcement was made
of the apprehension of a noted robber by Chief Constable Jeremie, and the
recovery of a large amount of property. Since then the editor learned that on the
following day, Jeremie returned to the house where he had found the goods, and
on making another search discovered a variety of other property concealed
behind a false partition, and also a bunch of skeleton keys. These have been
taken possession of, and will serve as further evidence on the trial.”
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Country editors 60 years or more ago
used to say nice things about Hamilton, even though it was a small village. The
editor of the Woodstock Herald had been down here on a visit, and, as was usual
in those days, hat his hat chalked for free entertainment at Press’ hotel; and
when he returned home to the grind of editorials , setting the type and then
doing the presswork for the Herald, his remembrance of the good meals at Press’
that had “filled a long-felt want” in his system, suggested this generous and
enthusiastic paragraph : “Hamilton – that is the town, and we said so in print
ten years ago, which must be the emporium of Western Canada. They may change
the name of the province, or make it no province at all, if they like.They may
shift the seat of government, too, as often as they please, but Hamilton, from
its commanding position at the head of Lake Ontario, with a luxuriously rich
agricultural country around and west of it, must be the commercial metropolis
of Canada West. They are building there quite as fast, but no faster, than we
are in Woodstock; but the especial object of attraction which we observed down
there the other day was a most magnificent omnibus, now in course of
construction for Mr. Press, of the Promenade House and Royal Exchange. We were
in too great a hurry to inquire about the maker, etc., but the name and the
etxeteras can easily be ascertained by anybody who wants one for Woodstock.
Suffice it in the meantime to say, that we have seen nothing of the kind half
so elegant on this continent. It will be, in short, a travelling palace.” If
that puff didn’t draw an advertisement from the carriage maker who made that
omnibus, then flattery was a failure.
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Under the head of marriage notices we
find the following : “At Hamilton, on the 25th ult., by Rev. Anson
Green, Levi Beemer, of Simcoe, to Ann Eliza, youngest daughter of James Gage,
Esq., of this town.” They were the father and mother of Mrs. Calder, of this
city. Mr. Beemer shortly afterward moved to Hamilton and opened a jewelry
store, and continued in business here till he retired from work. He died a few
short years ago, and until his last sickness, was a hale and hearty man. Mr.
Beemer was active in advertising the interests of Hamilton in its early days,
and lived to see it become the great manufacturing city of Canada. John Law,
barrister at law, who for nine years had been clerk of the district court, died
on the first of July, 1844.
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It may be interesting to give a
directory of the men who were prominent in business affairs in Hamilton
sixty-two years ago. The copy of the Gazette before us was printed on Monday,
the 8th day of July, 1844, just sixty-two years ago tomorrow. C. H.
Webster kept a dry goods store in the room now occupied as a ticket office by the
C. P. R., on the corner of James and King streets. He sold his stock to
Hamilton & Kneeshaw, and moved away. He was one of the early members of the
Barton lodge, and visited his brethren here a few years ago and then returned
to his home in the States and died. S. Oliver was the town auctioneer, and was
some such character as our esteemed Irish friend, Tom Burrows. G. H. Cozens was
the artistic tailor of Hamilton, and Shea, Martin & Co. had just received
their new assortment of paper hangings. Richard Wonham was the rival of S.
Oliver in the auctioneer business. On the corner of King and Catharine streets
was the Mansion House, kept by William Green, late of the Black Bull Inn. The
name of the Mansion House was afterward changed to the Little Burlington hotel,
and one night in the latter part of the 50’s it went up in a blaze. Harte &
Scott kept a confectionery in a store on James street, where now is the Grafton
clothing house. Wm. Press was the proprietor of the Royal Exchange, and made a
specialty of two o’clock dinners. William & Wickersham sold boots and shoes
in Dundas, and bid for the Hamilton trade in the columns of the Gazette. Robert
Holbrook kept the local shoe store on King street, three doors from John. Jacob
Bastedo had always on hand the best assortment of hats, caps, muffs, gloves
etc. of the latest London and New York fashions. Distin & Sons exhorted
people to put tin roofs on their buildings, and to get a perfect job, they were
the firm to do it. Coulson & Gilmour had just opened a new wholesale and
retail dry goods warehouse on King street west, in the new brick building
adjoining Messrs. Osborne & McIntyre – about where the Herald office is. G.
L. Beardmore offered for sale, at the lowest price, at the stone tannery, all kinds
of leather and findings; and he was also in the market to purchase 2,000 hides.
The old stone tannery is on the corner of Catharine and Robert streets, and
more than half a century ago, when Beardmore was burned out, was converted into
a molding shop. It is now part of the D. Moore company’s foundry. John Bradley
kept the British Coffee House in a frame building on the corner of Main and
John streets, next to the Gazette office. T. Bickle was the proprietor of
Medical Hall, on King street, near John. Shortly afterwards he moved to the
building now occupied by J. P. Hennessy, next to Stanley Mills & Co.
Kennedy, Parker & Co. announced the arrival of the Caledonia from Glasgow,
and the Monhaica from Liverpool with part of their spring importation of dry
goods. There “were selected personally by Mr. Kennedy on his recent visit to
the English market,” there fore they were able to offer great inducements to
retail buyers for cash, and to those who had been punctual in meeting their engagements.
This was one of the leading wholesale firms in Hamilton sixty years ago. V. H.
Tisdale & Co. were wholesale dealers in general novelties, where country
merchants could buy anything from a wagon to canary seed. William Morris had
recently leased the house on James street, opposite the market, known as the
White Swan Inn, and had it newly painted and elegantly furnished. “It contains
front and back parlors, sitting and bedrooms; and being situated in the central
part of the town, offers facilities and accommodation to travelers that few
hotels in Hamilton can claim.” Edmund Ritchie was postmaster, and in the list
of uncalled for letters at the post office we find names that were familiar in
Hamilton when this Muser was a lad. The Gore Bank, A. Steven, cashier,
advertised its annual meeting for the election of directors. Wm. Robinson
combined with the business of barbering, the dyeing and scouring of silk,
cotton and woolen apparel. Very few men patronized the barber sixty years
except once or twice a year to get a hair cut: nearly every man was his own
shaver. W. & R. Roy & Co. announced the daily arrival of staple and
fancy dry goods. J. Patterson begged to inform the inhabitants of Hamilton and
surrounding country that he had purchased the Hamilton brewery; and Terry
Branigan had just commenced bread and biscuit baking. Snowden & Middlewood
announced to the residents of Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, Nelson, Beamsville,
Grimsby, Brantford, etc., that they were prepared to supply pure malt liquors
from the Spring brewery. John Kenndy kept a grocery store on upper John street;
Samuel Dynes offered to sell the Stoney Creek mills, with two runs of stones
and 63 acres of land attached. Joseph Mills, hatter and furrier, had just moved
to a new stone building on King street, opposite Press’ hotel. “Dr. O’Reilly
has removed to the new brick house, corner of King and Mary streets, a few
doors east of Messrs. Buchanan, Harris & Co’s wholesale establishment.” R.
A. Duggan, Beasley & Burton, and F. H. Kirkpatrick were the three leading
law firms that advertised. Dr. J. M. Hunter had his office on King street. S.
Garner’s marble and stone works was on Main street. John Ryckman was the
coroner. The steamer Eclipse, Capt. John Gordon, left Hamilton every morning at
seven o’clock, and, returning, left Toronto at three o’clock in the afternoon.
The steamer Admiral made semi-weekly trips from Hamilton to Oswego, touching
Wellington Square every Wednesday morning, weather permitting.
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It is like passing through a graveyard
and reading the names on the tombstones to read the advertisements in the
old-time newspaper. Half a century ago, many of those mentioned were active in
the business life of Hamilton. Today but few remember that such men lived. We
will close this review of the old Gazette by copying a few verses from its
columns, entitled, Why Do the Flowers Bloom?
“Why do the flow’rets bloom, mother,
Why do the sweet flowers bloom,
And brightest those we rear’d, mother,
Around my Brother’s tomb?”
“To fill the world with gladness,
My child, were flow’rets given –
To crown the earth with beauty;
And show the road to heaven.”
“The why do the flow’rets fade,
mother,
Why do the sweet flowers fade,
When winter’s dreary clouds, mother,
Earth’s brightest scenes pervade?”
“My child, those flowers that wither,
Have seeds that still remain,
That the sunshine and the summer
Restore to life again.”
“And shall not those who die, mother,
Come back to live once more,
E’en as the rain and sun, mother,
Those beauteous flowers restore?”
“Yes, yes, my child, such powers
To human flowers are given,
Here earth’s frail flowers may blossom,
But we may rise in heaven.”
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