Volume 4
Please note that due to the digitization process typographical and grammatical errors have occurred in the articles. We are working to re-edit all articles on our website. Please be patient with us as we work to solve this problem. Thank you - the GHS Team.
Thomas Hyland Lynch
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 The Guelph Mercury of Feb. 7, 1907, records the death, at 78, of Thomas Hyland Lynch, the first male child born in Guelph. For 40 years he was High County Constable and Sheriff’s bailiff for Sheriffs' Grange and Gow. He was also a member of the fire department, serving under Chief McTague…
Guelph's First "Bicycle"
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 From a manuscript written by the late John D. Higinbotham and copied by Mrs. D. B. Shutt for the Publications. William Balbraith, commonly known as Garibaldi, or 'Garry,' was a blacksmith in the employ of Robert Parker. In 1868, Garry heard that in Toronto some fellow had a machine built with one…
A Letter From Vernon E. Webber of Canthem
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 A recent letter from Vernon E. Webber of Canthem gives the following information. It dates back to 1909 and 1910, when a Mr. Victor H. Canham who was one of G.B. Ryan’s mainstays in the leading dry goods store of Guelph, with others of my associates in that enterprising business, formed a…
A Short Account Of The Guelph Public Library
Author: H. Douglass Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 The 76th anniversary of the founding of the City of Guelph was celebrated by the laying of the corner stone of the Guelph Public Library. Mr. James Watt, chairman of the Library Board and one of the most active campaigners for a new building performed the ceremony. The granite stone was…
Information from The Galt Reporter Files
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 Contributed by Hugh Douglass who came across the following information when going through the Galt Reporter files. The Galt Reporter on Friday, July 27, 1866, gave the following information: "On Sunday, July 22, a violent windstorm passed through this area. The 'tornado' struck Guelph and completely destroyed Mr. McCrae’s coal-oil refinery. The Grand…
A Short Account of Guelph’s Earliest Fairs
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 The earliest Guelph Fair took place on August 12, 1827, but was not very successful. The second one held here on the first Monday in May 1828 was a little better than the previous one. At that time half a dozen cattle owned by Lazarus Parkinson of Eramosa were offered for…
Account of the Career of a Guelphite, Ronald W. Mackinnon
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 Sometime about 1834, a Mackinnon family emigrated from Scotland, and settled in the Hillsburgh district. The father, Lachlin, died in 1862. He had five sons – John had a general store in Rockwood, and later became evaluater for the Guelph and Ontario Trust Co. He was the father of Judge R. L.…
The Presto Club
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 The following is copied from a Guelph Presto Music Club programme dated Friday, February 15, 1946. “On Wednesday afternoon, February 1898, a meeting, the aim of which was the organization of a Music Club, was held at the home of the late J. W. Kilgour. Miss Annie Kilgour (now Mrs. Buckingham) was…
The Presto Club Part 2
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 The last publication dealt with the organization of the Presto Club. This issue deals with its expansion. The information is derived from the same Presto Music Club programme dated Friday February 15, 1946. The first public concert took place on November 28, 1899, in the City Hall auditorium. Mr. J.D.A. Tripp, a…
The Presto Club Piano
Author: Unknown Publication Date: 1964 Edited: 2021 On October 6, 1921, when the late Mrs. Torrance was president of the Presto Club, Dr. Edward Johnson gave a magnificent recital in the Opera House in Guelph. There was a large attendance. After the concert, a reception was held at the Blue Triangle restaurant on St. George’s Square. At Dr. Johnson’s…