Chesterville and District Historical Society
14 Victoria Street K0C 1H0 Chesterville, ON, Canada

Three more Home Children visited this afternoon at the Ormond Cemetery: Thomas Arthur Duncan, Joseph Robert Holt, and Margaret Shields Holt.

September 28th, British Home Child Day, commemorates the contributions and sacrifices made by British Home Children. From 1869 to 1948, over 100,000 orphan and pauper children were sent to Canada from Great Britain. They ranged in age from infancy to 18 years. While some were fortunate enough to find loving homes or fair employers, many children were mistreated or abused. The trauma and stigmatization that they suffered led many to hide their pasts. As a result, a great deal... of Canadians are unaware of this chapter of our history, despite there being 4 million British Home Child descendants in Canada. In recent years, there have been many successful efforts to bring this history to light. Nine years ago, the Ontario legislature voted to pass a private members’ bill put forward by our then-MPP, Jim Brownell, to make September 28th British Home Child Day in the province. Seven years later, in 2018, a national British Home Child Day was declared after a the House of Commons unanimously passed then-MP Guy Lauzon’s private members’ motion. We are very proud that representatives of our community achieved these victories for British Home Children and their descendants. North Dundas, like a lot of other agricultural areas, saw hundreds of Home Children come and go during the eight decades that the program was active. For many, this community became home - they grew up, worked, married, and raised families of their own here. Some chose to rest here eternally. Today, our past president Ashley Harper spent the afternoon placing sunflowers at the graves of 24 local British Home Children at Maple Ridge Cemetery (Chesterville), Morewood Presbyterian Cemetery (Morewood), and Brown’s Cemetery (Winchester). Ashley has been researching local Home Children for just over a year and is currently working on a list of those who received placements or otherwise lived in the community. In the coming weeks, her work to date will be posted to our website so that the public may access this research tool. The Home Children visited today are as follows: Maple Ridge Cemetery: Matthew N. Aitchison Margaret Black (m. Thomas) James M. Campbell Florence Gertrude Chambers (m. Hess) Annie Patterson Crawford (m. Tate) Alexander Henry Duncan Charles Farmiloe Linda Farmiloe (Summers) (m. Cooke) Agnes Graham William Keill Martha Leach (m. McQuaig) William James McCaig Jessie McQueen (m. Mallory) Arthur Frank Micklewright Ellen Olive Nellie Micklewright Mary Jane Murphy (m. McLean) Lydia Rixon (m. Leslie) Annie Isabella Taylor (m. Mallory) Gwendolyn Torrington Morewood Presbyterian Cemetery: William Addison Grace Dowsett (m. Hepburn) Frederick W. Farmiloe Murdina Ina Pink (m. Rombough) Brown’s Cemetery: Agnes Keir (m. Laing)

A committee of the Chesterville and District Historical Society composed of local residents and members of the CDHS are working together to produce an update of the history of Chesterville Ontario. Led by Gail Parker, the committee includes Maryke DeJong, Shelagh Derks, Carol Goddard, Ashley Harper, Corrie McRae and Pauline van Kessel who are planning to chronicle the history of this small North Dundas community since the CDHS last produced an update to the 1977 The Time T...hat Was in the latter part of the 1980’s. The Time That Was, a history of Chesterville and area, was published in 1977 as the village’s Tweedsmuir History to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the local W.I. branch. Compiled by the Heritage Committee of the Chesterville Women’s Institute, this book provides the reader with the history and stories of this North Dundas community and is the Tweedsmuir History of Chesterville. In 1989, an update to The Time That Was which covered the history of Chesterville between 1977 and 1987 entitled A History of Chesterville & District 1977-1987: A Supplement to The Time That Was was published. In early January 2020, the CDHS decided it was time to provide an update to the history of this community and the committee was struck. Over the past few months, the group has met by teleconference to discuss the parameters of the work, researching and reaching out to local businesses and personalities in the Chesterville area. It is hoped the information will be received by the end of June 2020. Compiling and writing the book will subsequently commence, with an anticipated publication date of later this year. For further information, please contact the CDHS at [email protected] or Gail Parker at [email protected]. Gail Parker is pictured outside the Heritage Centre in Chesterville with a copy of The Time That Was which chronicles the story of Chesterville since its beginning until 1977. See more

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have been closed and classes cancelled or moved online. Here is a fun educational activity that students can do at home: try to complete these Junior High School entrance exams in History, Arithmetic, Geography, Composition, Literature, Writing, and English Grammar from 1919. These exams are a great tool that provide a glimpse into the past. They show us what educators considered to be important for students to learn 101 years a...go. The Ontario Department of Education issued these exams to students who had successfully completed their Public School leaving exam. Leaving exams were taken by students on the recommendation of their teachers. There was no standard age of when these exams were taken, as the Public Schools Act of 1891 in Ontario stated that students could attend Public School between the ages of 5 and 21. Between 1891 and 1921, students were required to attend school until the age of 14 or until they completed Public School. Since some rural areas did not have High Schools, students were not required to obtain a secondary level education. In 1921, compulsory attendance was raised to 16 in urban areas, but it did not extend to include all Ontario students until 1954. In 2006, the age was raised once more to 18. The villages of Chesterville and Winchester established their High Schools in 1911 and 1914, respectively. These exams would have been the same as those issued to students seeking admission in 1919. The Winchester High School, formerly located in the field south of Winchester Public School, continued to serve the area until December 1962, when a fire broke out in the building after hours. Since it was in the middle of the school year, classes were held at alternative locations, such as churches and halls. The Chesterville Public School, formerly located next to the Chesterville Public School, served the village until June of 1963, when it was closed and later demolished. In 1963, following a decision by area councils, North Dundas District High School was established to serve the villages of Winchester and Chesterville, along with the surrounding areas.

Self-isolation does not have to be boring - take this opportunity to catch up on your reading! Unidentified woman, c. 1890-1910. Photographed by N. M. Trickey of Winchester.

In accordance with the Township of North Dundas closing recreation and culture facilities as a precaution to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the March monthly meeting of the Chesterville and District Historical Society, scheduled for Tuesday March 17th, has been cancelled. In addition, the Nestle photo identification meeting, scheduled for Tuesday March 24th, has also been cancelled. Thank you for your understanding.

Are you new in town or just want to know more about the history of of Chesterville? Come join us this Saturday at the Chesterville Public Library! CDHS Past President Ashley Harper will be giving a presentation on the history of the village. Treats will be provided and all ages are welcome! The Chesterville and District Heritage Centre, located across the street, will be open to the public following the presentation.

Just one week to go!

A westbound manifest freight led by a 2800-series locomotive rockets past the station at Winchester...the station and locomotive are on borrowed time, but on this day, the photographer is thinking only of the present...(Photo LB Chapman collection)

Join us tonight for our annual Christmas Crokinole tournament!

The CDHS Christmas Crokinole Tournament is back for another year! Join us at the Heritage Centre on Tuesday, December 17th at 7:00 pm for an evening of friendly competition and camaraderie. Admission is $5.00 with all proceeds going to the food bank, so come on out, have some fun, and support the community this holiday season!