History Articles

Place names often seem obscure or even random, but most of the time, when the name was selected, the people choosing took their tasks very seriously. Even so, some of our townships were named for people who have since been forgotten. Although Beresford has not remained in our consciousness, his role in the Peninsular War on the Iberian Peninsula between 1808 and 1814 was crucial in the eventual defeat of Napoleon.

For the entire article, click here: http://www.ballyhoo.ca/placenames/Beresford_Township.shtml

The Commission de Toponymie names three pioneers who contributed to the founding of Brownsburg, George Brown, Daniel Smith and Arthur Howard. Neither Smith nor Howard had anything to do with the original concessions or settlement though. Their roles were played much later. In 1885, the Colt Firearms Company of Connecticut sent Howard and a Gatling gun up to the Canadian Militia to help put down the Métis uprising in the North-West Territories. He was hailed as a hero out west, where he met the Hon. J.J.C. Abbott of St. Andrews East, the future Prime Minister of Canada.

In the late 1870's the Laurentians was experiencing a period of growth and prosperity. A Canadian currency had been created, successfully stabilizing trade, and the railway era was in full swing. As a result, lumber was becoming a more important product along the routes serviced by rail. Up until the trains arrived, the lumber industry was more dependent upon the river systems, and that meant that the forests further away were in less demand.

Reverend Théophile Thibodeau was not a typical priest. He assumed responsibility for the parish of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts in 1878 and, while he was loved and respected in his parish and is credited with the colonisation of Archambault township and the construction of a chapel, his real passion was his homestead. It consisted of a large portion of a peninsula in Ste- Agathe's Lac des Sables known today as Greenshields' Point. As a result, four years after assuming his parish responsibilities, he managed to resign and return home.

In 1891, Viscount Émile Ogier d'Ivry passed away in Chêne-de-C?ur, France, leaving behind his wife Angèle and their three children. Angèle's biggest challenge as the dowager of an important family was to make sure the children established themselves appropriately. Raoul, her eldest son and the new Viscount had suffered from cerebral meningitis as a teenager and his intellectual ability had remained that of a 14-year-old. He was in his late twenties, and with his handicap he was not the ideal head of the family.

Brownsburg was named for George Brown who settled here in 1818 and built mills before 1820. Robert Morrison, from Scotland via Grenville, set up a three-storey woollen mill on Middle Creek which was subsequently run by his sons William and Albert. It closed in the 1930s.

The railway came to Arundel in the 1890s, serving Piedmont, Montfort, Arundel and Huberdeau. The station, built c. 1912, eventually became part of the CNR system. Seen here is David Flanagan, who is the present mayor of Arundel and one of the prime movers in the preservation of the old railway station.

This old schoolhouse, built c.1880 near the land of Arundel’s first settler William Thomson, had as its students the grandfathers of some of the people who inhabit the Township today. It is now a residence.

A glance down Metcalfe St. reveals the Protestant church, the English elementary school, and many houses built by English-speakers. This is the late 19th century home of the Crowes who ran the saw mill and general store. It is said that when the saw mill caught fire, the pile of sawdust burned for twenty years.

The first known non-Indian to penetrate the Arundel area was English-born Stephen Jakes Bevan, who made his living hunting and trapping furs as early as the 1820s. Settlers did not arrive in this area until much later.