Men Of Canada- William Sykes

MEN OF CANADA WILLIAM SYKES, Postmaster, Cobourg, Ont., was born Sept. 22nd, 1811, in London, England. His father was Robert S. Sykes, a leading foreign merchant of Manchester, England, while his mother's maiden name was Sarah Gilloe. On both sides of the house Mr. Sykes is descended from old and distinguished English families. He was educated at Lymm, Cheshire, and at Col. Stirrup's private school, Matfield Green, Brenchley, Kent County, Eng. In 1823 he went into a merchant's office, and after the great bank failures of 1824-25 he left London with his father and located in Manchester; afterwards commenced business on his own account, which he continued until 1837. In that year he came to Canada and started cabinet- making. Three years later he entered into contract to supply the steamboats on Lake Ontario with fuel. In 1846 he purchased a wild 2oo-acre lot in Hamil- ton Township, Northumberland County, and began the pursuit of agriculture. He became a well-known man in this regard, and continued his farming opera- tions until 1873, when he was appointed postmaster of Cobourg by Sir Alexander Campbell. He has since discharged the duties of this important office with recognized ability and great satisfaction to the public, the post-office of Cobourg being known as one of the best conducted in all its branches of any similar office in the Dominion. He can look back upon his long life with the consciousness that success has come to him as the reward of that honorable exertion and integrity which have always characterized his career. In politics Mr. Sykes has always been a staunch Conservative, figuring prominently in the political history of Canada for many years, and was one of the earliest advocates of the Canadian Pacific Rail- way. He was married in 1832, in England, to Miss Jane Hewitt, of Gorton, near Manchester, who was connected with a noted family of agriculturists. Mrs. Sykes died Dec. 24th, 1886. He has had a family of six children, two sons and four daughters, one of the former now deceased.