The 1871 census lists “Hevilah” Davis as a 29 year-old, English-born wheelwright. He first appears in Fuller’s Counties of Peterborough and Victoria in the mid 1860s. Davis completed the census of Fenelon Falls for the Victoria County Council in [May] 1874, in anticipation of By-Law (No. 161) [passed 5 June 1874] incorporating Fenelon Falls into […]
Business Type: General Store
The name George Martin first appears in 1876 (D&B) as the owner of a livery stable. His name is mentioned again in 1881 as he was paid $3.00 for storing the village fire engine in one of his buildings [FFG 29 Jan 1881; 2]. George Martin was also in partnership with Alexander McArthur and John […]
Bert Wills was certainly in business by August 1886 when he purchased the bankrupt stock of Johnston & Geach and set up shop in the store formerly occupied by Bertram & Co [FFG 20 Aug 1886; 6]. His store suffered a “daring burglary” in October 1887 when “bursting open the back door” the thieves stripped […]
William Dewart was born in Dummer, the son of a prosperous farmer. Although he started out as a teacher, he became a “merchant” about 1861 when he is first recorded in Fenelon Falls. He is listed in the 1861 Census of Fenelon Township as a 24 year-old, Ontario-born, Baptist merchant. He owned a two storey […]
The Ontario Directory lists James Martin’s store under Fenelon Falls in the 1888/89 edition. The Fenelon Township Census for 1891 records a 39 year-old James Martin as a storekeeper, so the business may have been outside of the village limits. Certainly the above reference is the only one that locates it within Fenelon Falls.
There is also a David Woodenan [sic] recorded in the 1871 Census as well, a 45 year-old Ontario-born storekeeper. This may be the same man.
John C. Fitzgerald appears in the D&B directories from 1868 to 1872. In 1864/65 and 1869 he is listed as the Clerk of the Division Court and as a storekeeper in Lovell’s Province of Ontario Directory for 1871. The 1871 Census records him as a 30 year-old, Ontario-born merchant. There are few other references. He […]
An ad for “F. George’s Cash Store” appeared in the Gazette in November 1884. “Having commenced business in Mr. Newman’s brick block on the west side of Colborne Street, I am prepared to sell goods at low prices to suit the times” [FFG 22 Nov 1884; 3]. Hand noted in his editorial comments that George’s […]
In August of 1879 John Brandon “purchased the grocery and provision business of Kerr & McDougall and removed to the McArthur Block” [CP 22 Aug 1879; 3]. We can only speculate that John Brandon quickly formed a partnership with Findlay McDougall to operate the store, for their business was soon afterwards known as McDougall and […]
