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18- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, July 28, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Sketches | of Scugog by Paul Arculus the general store of another Scotsman, James C. Laing. James Laing and his brother Andrew were among the ear- ly and prominent merchants in Oshawa. James Laing expanded his business to include the buying and sell- ing of grain. He opened Prince Albert's first grain merchant's opera- tion in the early 1840s. Laing sent Forman to oversee this venture for him. In 1845, Forman married James Laing's daughter Margaret. When Laing died, T.C. Forman inherited the Prince Albert business. By 1850 Prince Albert was the second busiest grain centre in Canada West with seven major grain buyers and more than a dozen other stores and busi- ness enterprises. T.C. Forman was among the most successful in the boom- ing community. In his obituary he was referred to as the "...king of grain buyers at Prince Albert in the fifties..." Early in Canada's history, the preservation of its integrity as a colony and later as a nation, inde- pendent from the United States, became a responsibility in each community. As a result, local mili- tia units were organized in order to maintain this integrity. T.C. Forman took on the responsibility of establishing, organizing and training of the Reach Volunteers as part of the 34th Battalion. When the Fenians attacked Canada in 1866, led by Captain T.C. Forman, the Reach Volunteers responded to the chal- lenge "For Queen and Country." They marched to Oshawa and were shipped by train to Toronto where their assignment was to guard a number of strategic buildings including the jail. Sketches of Scugog is a historical column written by local resident and historian Paul Arcufus and published in the Port Perry Star each month. Major T.C. Forman in his military uniform at _ the time of the Fenian raids in 1866. Like many of the first settlers in the Lake Scugog basin Thomas Chalmers Forman was born in Scotland. He was born in St. Fergus, Aberdeen, Scotland on Oct. 28, 1827. At the age of 18 he set out for Canada and settled in Oshawa and immediately found a job as a clerk in cat i ; D> A ot a a i 3 2 i. * y Sho Eo iF - > *y'2 : 4 ¥ - i >. ' : i , i po ly. 2 : ¢ E 7 B JE i Wola 431 4% ol | 4 he §1 : : Ar 5 % 4 vs v { } "' JHE t |! - TOT HL by . 5 $ 4 " en ae op Lockerby House, Port Perry, home of Major Forman. It was located at the corner of Queen and Caleb Sts. Port Perry. J ------------ MAJOR T. C. FORMAN James L. Forman, son of T.C. Forman took over family business when he retired. After the attack was repelled and the Fenians defeated, the Volunteers returned to { Prince Albert in mid- June to the accolades of the district. As a result of his leadership { in this conflict, | Forman was promoted to the rank of Major and then settled down to his business career and built an elaborate home which he named "Rowan Tree Hall." From this point for- ward, he was already | referred to as "The { Major." : With the arrival of § the railway in Port 4 Perry, Major Forman joined in the business exodus from Prince Albert to Port Perry. In Port Perry he dis- pensed with the grain business and established a highly successful general merchandise store as well as running a marriage license office. For a time he was also the inspector of weights and meas- ures for the district. He established his Port Perry store in ~ June 1875 initially | beside Bigelow's Arcade on a site | which is now i] occupied by Home | Hardware. He occupied various other sites includ- ing one directly across the road, and later in the store now occupied on the 1 western half by Dana's Jewelry. Bl Just before the 1901 {| fire he returned to d the north side of Queen Street to occupy a store in the centre of the Blong Block where Settlement House is now located. He also built a new yellow brick home at the south-west corner of Queen and Caleb Streets in Port Perry. He named this new home "Lockerby House." The Major had considerable success in his business ventures but he suffered many tragedies in his personal life. These tragedies were all too common with his contemporaries. In April 1863, his wife Margaret Laing died at the age of 39. Exactly a year later, his 15-month- old daughter Janet died. In 1865, his nine-year-old daughter Annie died and, in the year of the Fenian raids, 1866, an infant son from his second marriage to Eleanor Taylor died. In spite of the adversities, the Major and his family were faithful members of the Presbyterian Church. Indeed, the Major was the Sunday School Superintendent for the church for more than 50 years. When he thought of retiring the Major handed over his business to his son James Laing Forman although the store continued to exist as T.C. Forman and Son. James married Amelia McBride, Prince Albert grain merchant lead recruits in Fenian Raids daughter of the high school principal, Dugald McBride. The wedding took: place at the McBride home on April 6, 1902. The Major's two other sons estab- lished successful stores, William G. in Ingersoll and Thomas A. in Woodstock. T.C. Forman was a true Scot as were both his wives. Their gentle Aberdeen accent became a notable trademark of their home and the store. The major out- lived both wives and died in Port Perry in January 1904 aged 76, barely two years after his son James' wedding. FIRE! FIRE! YES, Port Perry has had another scorching on the South side of Queen street, but the North side is safe this time, and Cheapside Is still on hand with a very fine assortment of Groceries of All Kinds in fact, everything in the Grocery line at QUICK SALE PRIGES E> Particular atttention is called Eto our India, Ceylon and Japan EF Teas -- at 25 cts, 30 cts and B=" 40 cts per. |b. Some of the very best judges say our 25c and joc Tea, 1n bulk, beat anything they have purchased at EN per Ibs Remember in buying eas loose by the pound you save| at least 3c per pound, the cost of putting them up in package. TRY OUR TEAS THEY ARE EXTRA VALUE.' 12 Becks and Sho and Rubbers our stock is complete and, as usual, at Lowest Prices. In Baots and 'Shoes wR CANNOT BE BEAT. Our Terms are Cash or Produce. Highest Prices Paid for Butter, Eggs, © Apples, Potatoes, Dried . Apples, Fowls, &c., &¢.y &c, T. G. FORMAN & SON. Marriage License Office. Port Perry. PURE-BERKSHISE SWINE EFOR SALE A 1901 advertisement referring to the fire earlier that year.