M'un Wlnter'ls Histori< Whilýtby cal WATSON FAMILY (Part Two) ,Last week this column dealt with the beginning of the history of the Watson family in Port Whitby. It told the story of John Watson, who from about 1840 till his death in 1879, was one of the partners in the largest grain dealership at the harbor, and also a partner in the private company which owned-Whitby Harbor and the Road leading north. John Allingham Watson, John Watson's oldest son, was born at Port Whitby in 1841, and wentto work for his father as a young man in the operation of a large complex of grain elevators on the west side of the boat slip at the harbor. At the time of his father's death, he took over the business, and operated it until his own death in 1913. In his youth, John A. Watson was a sailor on the Great Lakes. For time he built yachts and raced them at Toronto, winning many prizes for his skill. He was also an excellent marksman and a member of the Whitby Gun Club. Mr. Watson, after acquiring his father's grain shipping business, worked hard to expand it in the last great days of the WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1978, PAGE 7 schooner trade op Lake Ontario. In 1883 he installed the first telephone at the harbor in his office, and in 1886 he purchased a grain elevator at Manchester which he operated in addition to the elevators at Port Whitby. Like his father, he was active in municipal politics, and represented the South Watd (port Whitby) on the town council in 1873 and 1976-77. Mr. Watson died at Port Whitby on May 13,1913, at the age of 72, and his wife, Margaret A. Donnelly died Dec. 14, 1915 at the age of 65. The Watson family originally live in a house on Dufferin Street. and later built a large brick house at the corner of Brock and Watson Streets. This brick house owned by the Watson family from the 1850s until the late Warren Watson sold it five years ago. John A. Watson had four sons and two daughters. His oldest son, following a family tradition, was also named John Watson, and as a young man, assisted his father in running the grain shipping business. When John A. Watson died in 1913, his son John became Whitby's harbormaster, and served in that position until he was succeeded by Dave Ross in 1954. John Watson was born at Port Whitby July 13, 1881. He continued his father's business, but by the time of the First World War, the grain trade on Lake Ontario had died out, mainly because of tariffs placed by the United States on Canadian grain in the 1890's. The Watson elevators stood empty throughout the 1920's, relics of a bygone age. One of the large elevators was demolished in 1926, and in 1929, the remaining buildings were taken down by the Randolph Macdonald Company so it could build a shipyard at Port Whitby. Hi Neighbour! Myrtle Women's Institute are holding a short course, 'Spotlight on Bread,' in early November. This course sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food gives all the basics for even those who have never attempted bread making before. The course consists of discussion and demonstration on bread making, and sampling of the finished products. Anyone interested in taking this course is asked to call 655-3024 by October 31. Each one attending the course will receive a Recipe Book containing all the dos and don'ts in using yeast, as well as several recipes, a number of which will be demonstrated. Participants will be advised of time and place that the course is being held when it is known how many are interested. An election forum for the candidates for Regional Councillor and local Councillor for the North Ward will be held Wednesday Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. at the Brooklin Community Centre. This forum is sponsored by the Brooklin Business Association. A separate all-candidates' forum for school boards will be held at a date to be announced. The Music Factory, is sponsoring an Adult Dance at the Brooklin Community Centre on Saturday November 4 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The music will be provided by the Music Factory and will be from the Big Band Music Era. There will also be bar privileges. Tickets are available at Cosgrove's for $7.50 per couple, but hurry; tickets are going fast and only a few are left! ! This dance will surely take you back to the 'good old days!' Speaking of dances, the Brooklin and District Kinettes will be holding a 'Teen Dance' on Saturday November il from 8 p.m. till midnight. The dance will be held at the Brooklin Community Centre. The music will be Sweet Sounds disc DENTURE TERAPY CLINIC 111 DUNDAS-ST. W. WHITBY 668-1464 PASSPORT PICTURES WHILE YOU WAIT. "Your Travel is Oùr Business" AI & Linda Russell 116 RUSSELL TRAVEL ROCK ST. ., WiTa 668-5000 jockey. Tickets are $2.00 per person and are available at the door. There will be refreshments available as well. Please not that this a dance for teens between the ages of 13 and 17 only, and I.D. must be shown. Have a good time kids! The 'Reliable Unit' of the Brooklin United Church are holding a 'Gala Concert' featuring the 'Oshawa Choral Society' on Friday November 3 at 8 p.m., in the Christian Education Building. Well known music and some less known music with a sprinkling of entertaining skits will be featured. Tickets are for adults and for children under, $1. On Saturday November 4 at 5:30 p.m., the Myrtle United Church will be serving their Annual Turkey Dinner. Tickets are $4.00 and are available from any Myrtle UCW member or by calling 655-4704 or 655-4003. Hurry! tickets are moving fast! Don't forget that for the rest of this week you can still bring those over-due books back to the library at no charge. This is the end of 'Forgiveness Week'. Run and take those books back now; clear your conscience and save money at the same time. Remember kids that the week of November 18 to November 25 is Children's Book Festival Week. For every Canadian book you read you will be given a lucky draw slip to fill out and deposit. Winning slips will be drawn on November 25 at a special celebration. So start reading. The more books you read the more chances you have to win! Just think kids, if you are reading a lot now, to get into the Jelly Bean contest, which is over on Hallowe'en, you can read all kinds of books for the festival. Who said learning can't be fun? Tonight, Wednesday October 25, at the Brooklin Horticul- tural Society's regular meeting a Christmas Decoration Workshop will be presented. The session will be conducted by Edna Love of the Civic Garden Centre.. Members are again reminded to gather and bring materials for contrived flowers and wreaths to share with those who may not have them. Some materials will be available for sale, such as wire, tape, wreath frame etc. The meeting will be held at the Brooklin United Church Hall at 8 p.m. A reminder .that Saturday November 18 is the Ashburn 'Christmas Bazaar'. The bazaar will be held in the Ashburn Community Centre. Arts and crafts, baked goods and other old pieces will be available, more information will be coming soon. But keep the date open. A friend in need is a friend in deed. Stopdrafts and sav WEATHERSTRIPPING Wide assortment to cut off almost every draft. [dà stWe DOOR SWEEP $195 DOOR SET $495 DOOR FOAM $1" THRESHOLD Leaf Rakes $2" & 6 9 MIT~HEU MOT~ SEOOK-499 Marie 655-3061 Brown's drop-off (before 2 p.m. Sat., EDITOR'S NOTE Our Brooklin Bylines columnist is about to retire and the Free Press needs a new writer for this column. Anyone interested in writing 'Brooklin Bylines' is asked to contact the Free Press at 668-6111. Christmas plans begin The Whitby Retail Mer- chants Association is making plans for a big Christmas promotion, to begin with the. Santa Claus parade the first weekend in December. The promotion will cover a three-week period, ending Dec. 24. Included in this promotion will bé a retail merchants' display in the parade, numerous promo- tional draws, promotional lite'ature, advertising, and caroling in the downtown irea. The association is prepar- ing a brief for the town's operations committee requesting its assistance in having Christmas decora- tions up early. The commit- tee will also be asked to consider suggestions for parking dutring the promo- tion period. The Retail Merchants' Association, under the chair- manship Fashions having of Bev Watts of 126, considered a Drofessional promotion company handle the Christmas promotion, but found it would be too expensive for the associa- tion's budget. Therefore the association has voted to handle the promotion itself. In order to finance the Christmas promotion, the association is asking its members to pay their $25 membership fee for the remainder of the year, so that group promotion and advertising can be carried out. The association is also asking participating merchants to open their stores on Friday until 9 p.m. from Nov. 1 until Christmas, to pick up some the Friday night trade that is lost to the shopping centres. The Whitby Retail Merchant's Association will be holding a meeting Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at the Maple Leaf Restaurant to make plans for the Christ- mas promotion. SOFT, TOUSLED That's the look you want this fall. Hair that's just off the shoulders, permed but not frizzy. A care- free style that underscores your femininity. LA CONTESSA BEAUTY LOUNGE 119 Green St., W hitby 568-9262 In the proce's o fb rth;e litinf, fin boxes of records of shipping at Port Whitby from the 1840's to the First World War were found in the old buildings, but many of these valuable papers were lost. .John Watson rescued a number of them and kept them for many years. After the death of his nephew, another John Watson, in 1968, the people who rented his house at Port Whitby burned most of them. A few of these ancient papers survived, and are in the Whitby Historical Society Archives. Some, acquire(l in 1929, found their way to the Ontario Archives. .ohn Watson, who was harbor master at Port Whitby from 1913 to 1954, witnessed several interesting events in the harbor's history. In the 1920's Whitby Harbor was a shipping point for 'rum runners' who shipped liquor to the United States during prohibition. The boats got papers which cleared them to sail to Cuba or South America, but they returned the same day. They had actually transferred the liquor to large American boats waiting in the middle of Lake Ontario to take the illicit cargo across the border. From the 1920s to the 1950s, John Watson saw the complete rebuilding of the piers and docks at .Whitby Harbor by the federal government, which had acquired the harbor from private ownership in 1910. Mr. Watson had a vast knowledge of the history of Whitby liarbor and passed that knowledge on to his descendents. He died on Jan. 11, 1956 at the age of 74. This week's and last week's columns provide only a brief history of the contributions of the Watson family to Whitby. This is one of only a few pioneer families still living in the town that can trace its roots back to the beginning of Whitby nearly o century and a half ago. ý-