I have a partial newspaper article that I thought might be of interest to others. It is only an excerpt and undated, but I am guessing it's from about 1926. (The article is apparently about 10 different Meaford men, but my excerpt only mentions 3.) COMBINED AGES OF MEAFORD MEN REACH 862 YEARS Remarkable total made up of ages of ten local residents still in good health. Yet another of Meaford's "young boys" celebrated his eightieth birthday here Sunday in the person of Mr. Alfred Watson of the 7th Line (St. Vincent Twp.). Tall, erect and still walking with a springy step, no one would suspect the changes in Grey County that he has witnessed and fact that he shingled his barn a few days ago would scarcely seem amiss, for his genial smile and merry twinkle of the eyes gives direct contradiction. But staying young around Meaford is a habit and facts cannot be refuted. "Fred" Watson was born in Portland Township, near Kingston eighty years ago Sunday and came to Meaford 72 years ago, when there was but one store where the town now stands, and Mr. Watson is but one of many who "watched Meaford and surrounding country grow". Always a good farmer from the early days he was if anything, an even better judge of horseflesh and his knowledge of treating and conditioning animals made his advice sought from far and near. He has not yet worn glasses for there has been no indication of the need. Another young boy is Lawrence Bowes of the 11th Line. He is just in his 84th year and by next June will have lived sixty years on the top of the biggest hills around the countryside. Born in Ireland, he came to Canada at the age of 8 with his parents and made the trip to Meaford with oxen. Straight as a string, his good nature always to the fore, he is still a strong personality and his sense of humour infectious. He too, never uses glasses and with an old muzzle loader, well over a century old, is a deadly shot. He can obtain pigeons for pot pie with precision that would make our best shots green with envy. A near neighbour on the same line, down at Bayview on the gravel road, is William Brown who is eighty past and who this season as before, insisted on pitching "on and off" all the hay and early grain from his spacious acres. Tall and straight as a ramrod, his too, is a springy step and with his keen eyes, he might easily pass for some twenty years younger. He is a constant visitor at the CNE and last year with his wife, tood, an extensive trip through the Canadian West. (Excerpt ends here.) If anyone is connected to Alfred Watson or Lawrence Bowes, I'd be pleased to share and compare information. Shelley in BC