Hi Gwen Great column!! I am hoping that we can receive permission to post the story to the website under your heading. If there isn't any problem, please let me know, we would love to post it. Thanks so much Lisa Burke -------------------------------------------------- From: "gwendolyn cunningham" <gwenny@snet.net> Sent: Sunday, September 26, 2010 12:58 PM To: <can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com> Subject: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Recollections of Henry Fraser's Son > The following column I found recently upon my rereading of the paper. I > hope some of you find it helpful and most of you find it interesting. I'm > quite excited about the info contained in it! Does anyone know what > Alexander means when he talks about the Indians "doucing" his grandfather > and the rest of the group? I usually associate dousing with having water > poured on one but I am not familiar with what exactly he means by the > term! > Thanks, > Gwen Cunninghan > > The Orillia Packet, October 8, 1914- FIRST THINGS IN ORILLIA- Some Of Mr. > Alexander Fraser’s Recollections- Mr. Alex. Fraser relinquished his post > of His Majesty’s mail carrier on the 30th of September, after holding it, > on and off, for more than a quarter of a century. Mr. Fraser leaves > shortly to visit his daughter, Mrs. Grant, at Thedford, and from there > intends to go to Cobalt, to reside with his youngest daughter, Mrs. Perry. > Mr. Fraser’s removal will break one of the few remaining links with the > early pioneer days. Born at Price’s Corner, in 1836, he, with his parents, > came to Orillia in 1838. His father, who was the son of a British soldier, > and a native of London, England, had emigrated to the United States on his > marriage, but after a short time spent at Geneva, New York, he came on to > Canada, and settled in the bush near Rugby. A carpenter by trade, he > assisted in the building of Brough’s mill, and also of the first mill > erected by Captain Drinkwater, father of the Captain who died a year or > two ago. On coming to Orillia, Mr. Henry Fraser’s first work was a > contract for the erection of twelve houses for the Indians on the Rama > Reserve, at the time of their removal from the present site of the town. > After completing his first comtract, he built another six houses, making > eighteen in all. He then worked as a carpenter on the Royal Hotel, built > by Mr. George, on the > lake front, between Mississaga and Coldwater streets. When it was > completed he rented the hotel from Mr. George and lived there for some > time. > Mr. Alex. Fraser’s recollections go back to those early days. The only > white men he can recall in the town when he first remembers it were a > carpenter named Brown, a carpenter named Alex. Latimer, and “Squire” > Alley. In 1842, his parents left Orillia for Holland Landing. They took > three teams to carry their household effects, one of them in charge of the > late Andrew Harvie. Near the mouth of the Holland river the party was > overtaken by a heavy snowstorm. His grandfather started across the ice to > where he saw lights, but when he called out, the Indian’s “deuced” them > and he was nearly lost, the other men stretching out in a string to > recover touch with him. They had to spend the night on the ice. Mr. Fraser’s > brother was only six weeks old at the time. They were protected from the > storm by boughs on the sleigh, and were heavily covered over with > blankets. The horses also were covered up as well as could be, but the men > had a bad night of it. > After about two years at the Landing, Mr. Henry Fraser returned to > Orillia. He resided for a few months in Mr. Gill’s house near the junction > of the Atherley-road and Front street; then for a few months longer in an > Indian house on the site of Church’s livery stable. He built a house for > himself at the foot of Coldwater street, but lived there only a short > time, when he began the construction of what was long well known as Fraser’s > hotel, on what is now Couchiching Beach Park. Mr. Alex. Fraser can > remember the construction of the wharf of which the remains were only > recently removed. It was at this wharf the steamers used to land. His > father also built and operated a chair factory and a bowling alley. > About this time Mr. Henry Fraser made the Atherley road. It was of > corduroy, and he rafted the logs down from Washago to the bay behind Cedar > Island. Up to that time there had been no bridge across the Narrows. > Cattle had to be swum across, and people crossed in boats. Mr. Alex Fraser > recalls the first regatta held at Orillia. Colin Harris built a boat for > his father for the occasion, and it was manned by seven Gaudaurs and > Gills, six rowing. They won, of course. On that day there was the biggest > fight he ever saw in Orillia. Twenty-five men were engaged, and the fight > lasted over half an hour. Some of the combatants were badly mauled. > Another of Mr. Fraser’s early recollections is of the first court in > Orillia, which was held in the dining room of his father’s hotel, by Judge > Gowan, who rode over from Barrie for the purpose. He also recalls the > advent of the first clock pedlar, a man named Newton, who went all through > this district, remaining here about three years. “Peddling” was then a > very common way of selling goods. He remembers also when the first one > horse waggon came to town. For a long time, Mr. Gill and his father owned > the only one horse waggons in town, the latter bringing his from Roche’s > Point. Mr. Fraser never saw a buggy till he went to Barrie to reside, the > county town being then comparatively quite a metropolis. > In those days the Indians used to come to Orillia to get their annuity > money. They wore their native dress- leggings instead of trousers and > nothing on their feet in the summer, and blankets tied with sashes and > drawn up over their heads in the winter. They were very picturesque. In > the summer they crossed the lake in canoes, and in the winter on > showshoes, drawing sleds after them. Mr. Fraser has seen 20 canoes drawn > up on the shore beside his father’s hotel. > The first doctor whom Mr. Fraser can remember in Orillia was Dr. Caddy, > who lived on the site of the house long occupied by Mr. T.H. World, at the > corner of Neywash and Laclie streets. Mr. Fraser can remember being tended > by Dr. Caddy. He can also remember the cutting out of Laclie street, from > Tecumseh to Neywash streets. Near the same spot, Mr. George Hunter, father > of Mr. J.F. Hunter,had a tinsmith shop. Dr. Robbins lived down the lake > shore, near Ardtrea. There was then no road to his home, simply a track > through the bush. Communication was chiefly by lake, both winter and > summer. > In 1852, Mr. Fraser’s father bought Moffatt’s store, at the foot of > Coldwater street, and converted it into a hotel, erecting a wharf and > bowling alley there. Some years later on he removed to Barrie, and went > into hotel keeping there. Mr. Alex Fraser accompanied his parents, and was > away from Orillia until 1886. In the interval, he was for some years > engaged in the mail stage business between Cookstown and Gilford and > between Cookstown and Rosemount. He had eight horses on the road, and > covered 75 miles a day. The advent of the railway killed this flourishing > business. Mr. Fraser afterwards bought out his father’s hotel business at > Gravenhurst, and carried it on for three years just previous to coming to > Orillia. Here he first engaged in the livery business. But for the last 26 > years he has been the faithful royal mail carrier, out early and late, to > meet the numerous trains. At 78 he lays down the burden to enjoy a period > of well earned rest. Of > the friends and acquaintances of his early days, very few now remain, Mr. > John Regan, still off to the bush at 80, and Mr. Jacob Wilson, being two > of the few. The PACKET joins many friends in wishing Mr. Fraser health and > happiness in his new surroundings. > ***************** > Ten People All Genealogists Should Follow On Twitter: http://tr.im/hBAy > > Simcoe Co. GenWeb at http://www.waynecook.com/simcoe.shtml > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CAN-ONT-SIMCOE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message