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Tragically, during the voyage, both Mr. and Mrs. Hopper suc- cumbed to the prevailing plague, and were buried at sea. and their two sons and four daughters, the oldest in their teens, continued flu; journey alone. Landing at Quebec the little garty had to transfer to another cat for the trip up the St. Law- rence. and in the confusion. and excitement fifteen year old James became separated from his bro- ther, and sisters and was left he- hind. The others reached Toronto where adoptive homes were ar- ranged for the two little girls through the Roman Catholic Church. The two older sisters and brother found their way to Pine Orchard, near Newm-arket. Mean- while, James who had been be- friended, and educated, by a priest in Quebec, longed for neWS of his brother, and sisters, and finally his benefactor was able to trace the whereabouts of the old- er ones through a priest in To- ronto. He set out to visit them in 1856, and never returned to Low- er Canada. All told, about 300,000 people died from starvation in Ireland, prompting a tremendous exodus from the striken country. Among those who set sail for Canada in 1847 with high hopes of a better life in a new land, were Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Hopper and their six children. In 1858 James married Rose Sheridan. daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Sheridan of Tyrone, Ireland who were living on a min- iature farm on Elgin St. The little white clapboard house stood in the middle of six acres on the south side of the street, and was surounded by an orchard of 20 to 25 young apple trees. Across the road there was an additional two acres of garden land. James and his wife began married life on the 6th Concession. Markham but after the death of James Sheridan they moved to the Elgin St. house. It was owned by the Hopper fam- ily until 1947. and for many years Eigin St. was known locally as (By Doris M. FitzGerald) The Irish potato famine of 1845 had far reaching effects. It brought financial ruin to Benjaâ€" min Theme, for whom the vil- lage is named, and it also brought some Irish immigrants to Thorn- 111. In order to alleviate the ter- rible distress in Ireland the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846, and grain from all countries allowed to enter the British Isles duty free. Thorne, who for 25 years had been a prosperous merchant, miller and reporter, lost heavily on consignments of flour which- remalned unsold in the flooded market. fio'pper's Lane. (SIR; i936 - nBlland - Canada) JOHN ,,S__|MQN$ Many Changes Through The Years Elgin St. Thornhill Named After lord Eigin, Once Hopper's Lane Thornhill \ Pharmacy C. E. STONEBURG Chemist & Druggist AV. 5-2503 Yonge St. Thornhill and District News THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Thursday, November 19, 1959 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25th POLICE VILLAGE of THORNHILL Max Factor Cbsmeticl Nomination Meeting FOR TRUSTEES Good Painting Prescription Service View-Master PAINTING SPRAYING PAPERING AV. 5-1252 RESIDENTIAL INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONA] Expert Drug Service Vitamins Thornhill TELEPHONE AV. 5-2331 7.30 pm. to 8.30 pm. MASONIC HALL THORN HILL Reels We might never have heard this interesting story if Mrs. A. F. Martindale had not recently tele- phoned to ask if we knew that the old Hopper house was being torn down. We did not, and hur- ried over to take a snapshot of the vanishing landmark already stripped of its roof, and some of the red insul brick siding with which it had been covered in the 1940's. Spurred on by her interest in the history of Elgin St. we made some enquiries and were fortunate in being able to get in touch with Mr. W. J. Hopper, To- ronto, a great grandson of the or- iginal owner. Mr. Hopper was not born in Thornhill but used to spend the summers with his aunt Miss Ellen Hopper on Elgin St. until his parents rented St. Lukes Rectory in 1917. There was no resident priest in Thornhlll then, and they stayed until 1927, when they moved to a new house built by his father on the family pro- perty, just west of Martindales' house. In 1920 a frame house had also been built on the east side of the original home, and Miss Ellen Hopper alternately lived in, or rented these two'houses. W. G. Hopper has many happy memories of Thornhill. Even in 1917 he said the traffic ,was so light on Yonge St. that farmers used to drive down the radial tracks. “If I ever retire I will have to look north of Barrie for any comparable rurâ€" al surroundings." However in 1930, he, and his brother and sister persuaded their parents to ‘move back to Toronto. The old house has changed hands several times since Mr. Hopper sold ‘it in 1947. About two years ago it was bought, and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. L. Sin- ko. while they built an attractive brick house at the back of the lot. overlooking the pretty ravine. As a child Mr. Hopper often heard about the incident which led to the naming of Elgin St. It seems that Lord Elgin who was Governor General of Canada from 1847-54. had planned to attend a plowing match in Markham township but his coachman mis- took the lane for John St., and the big unweidly carriage came to a mirey stop at the dead end. Once lined with wild cherry, apple and hawthorne trees which presented a breathtaking sight in blossom, Elgin still has many beautiful trees. But the landmark of the whole street according to Mr. Hopper is the maple on the north side under which many a picnic has been held. “My cous- in carved her initials on the trunk 60 years ago, and it was a big tree then): _ In 1942 he returned to Thorn- hill, and what he calls “the old red house,” and the following year his Aunt Ellen who was vis- iting them, died there in her 83rd year. She is buried, as are her parents. and grandparents in St. Lukes R. C. Cemetery. A century old map indicates only 3 houses fronting on Elgln. They belonged to W. T. Clay, a cabinet maker, James Sheridan, and Cornelius Mount. The Clay house is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. G. T. Wishart. The only vls- tage of the Mount house in Mr. Hopper‘s time was_ an old well. The remaining lots on both sides of the street were owned by Joshua Reid, John Martin, John Erwin, John Lane, and Joseph Holdsworth. Two or three small houses were built at one time or another on the south side of the street, and have disappeared. The white frame house on the Clarke prop- erty seems to have the first on the north side. In 1939 Lady E. M. Windle bought the John St. house now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Mar- tin Baldwin. The property ran through to Elgln, and extended in L formation west on Elgin. Nei- ther needing nor wanting, so much land she tacked a sign on a fir J. N. Mulholland, Q.C. 80 Richmond St. West, Toronto Consultation by Appointment Phones: Thornhill AV. 5-3315 Toronto EM 4-2780 legal “the Liberal” I! always pleased to pnbllsh items of interest contributed by its reader: in the Thornhill area . . . . . Our representatlve In Thornhlll ll Mrs. Margaret McLean who my be reached by phoning AV. 5-2331. tree “lots for sale” and quickly disposed of several acres for a- bout 5500. an acre. The first hous- es built on this land now belong to Mr. and Mrs. F. N. Cam, and Miss Pratt. Today Elgin is an interesting study in contrasts. Though one of the oldest streets in the village, it's residents are nearly all young people. They live in attractive houses built since the last war, drive cars, designed for super highways, on a horse and buggy lane, and in the past, have active- ly resisted efforts of the town- ship to widen the road, or to open it to through traffic. “The majority would like to keep the street the way it is" said Mr. Alex Brown, chairman of the Elgin St. Ratepayers Assn. There are a great many children, and it seems safer for them. However access is needed for the new school, and All the present trustees. Alan Sumner, Patrick McTaggart-Cowâ€" an and James Timmins were pres- ent at the meeting held Novem- ber 5th. The meeting was also at- tended by Mr. George Stratton and Mr. Ed Windsor, represent- ing the Area Recreation Commit- tee, for the purpose of setting the insurance premium account. A refund cheque was presented to Mr. Windsor and he gave a che- que to the Treasurer in the a- mount of $890.54. The Board also took note of the fact that the we must bow to progress.” Thornhill Nominations To Be Held Nov. 25th (By Margaret 1. McLean) Wednesday, November 25th was the date set by the Thornhill Board of Trustees for nominaâ€" tions to the 1960 Board. The nom- inations will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. at the Masonic Hall. If an election is necessary, it will be held at the Thornhill Library on Monday, December 7th, during the hours of 10 am. to 8 pm. A. R. C. had voted to take the township water now available. The tender of Mr. L. W. Reeve of $429.40 for putting down' an asphalt sidewalk on the north side of Centre Street was felt to be a reasonable one and on the motion of Mr. McTaggartâ€"Cowan, it was accepted. The sidewalk is to go from the west end of the present sidewalk to Thornebank Road. Estimates for the repairing of John Street will be ready shortly. Thornhlll Home and School Assoc- iation A letter from\Markham Town- ship was read dealing with the billboards on the east side of Yonge Street between the Post Office and the I.' G. A. store. The October 22nd meeting’s discussion on Mental Health pointed out that the stigma con- nected with the term "Mental Health" is quite unwarranted. Many mental illnesses can be .treated and need not be too ser- lOllS. The November 19th meeting will be addressed by Mr. Arthur V. Pigott, and some of the nom- inees for the Vaughan Town~ ship School Board will be on hland to speak to the meeting 350. ‘ which will Be held on November 27th. Of interest to all parents whose children attend the new Clarke- Elgin School there will be a meet- ing to be held at the United Church Auditorium on Thurs- day, November 26th. The meet- ing has been called to discuss the formation of a new Home and School Association. Thomhill United Church The monthly meeting of the Thornhill United Church After- noon Women's Mission Associa- tion was held on Tuesday, Nov- ember 10th at the home of Mrs. C. ‘13. hJohns’ Yonge Street, with Mrs. Whatley, the President, in the chair. » The devotional services were taken by Mrs. Davidson and Mrs. Gibson. After the roll call. the minutes of the last meeting were read by Mrs. Michell. ing The 'following officers were se- lected by the Nomination Com- mittee and approved by the meet- Past President: Mrs. 1. Ford. President: Mrs. R. W. Whatley‘ President of Young Groups: Mrs. R. Gibson. Secretary: Mrs. J. Michell. Corresponding Secretary: Mrs G. I. Stephenson._ “LA-sggc‘ifiér 7 Members Secretary: Mrs. R. Whatley. SupplyVSeeretaEy: I‘V‘Ix:s. G. Hal-pen 4___A._.__-. 54‘ _, _,V,, Missionary M'onthly Secretary: Mrs. W. Simpson.‘ _ A ‘mdliis'ii'arâ€"ngt‘ewardship Secretary: Mrs. E. M. Meuser. ‘ _ . Chriétiaieritizenship Secretary: Mrs. Condon. Don’t forget the Annual Dance AV. 5-4138 Radios Car Radios iOHN'S T.V. Thornhill Notes Hl-FI Sam Kaiser, well known Klein- burg resident who is a candidate for Vaughan School Trustee in next Monday’s election has a long record of service to the commun- ity. He has been a school 'rustee in his home section for eighteen years and secretary-treasurer sine- 1940. Mr. Kaiser is a pam- ter and decorator. and has two daughters and two sons. one daughter married, one in High School. and two boys aged 6 and 3 years. When Markham Township issued a permit for the erection of these billboards, the Trustees had pro- tested that they contravened the Village by-laws. At that time, the Township asked that no action be taken and agreed not to re-issue the permits. Although the permits have not been renewed, the bill- boards have not been removed and the owners of the billboards intend to contest the by-law. Long Experience On School Board After some discussion, the Board directed that a letter be sent to Markham Township ask- ing that ‘ertain old roads and road all wances appearing on Township plans \definitely closed and removed from the plans as they have never been built and may cause a cloud on the title to some properties. One such road is shown as going through the Cemetery and has several graves located on it. The Board also heard a request from the Presbyterian Church that Mr. Reid pick up their gar- bage. Although the church is just outside the Village boundaries, many of the members of the Church are residents of the vil- lage and as a matter of courtesy, the Board granted the request, The Board also directed a letter to Mr. John Hons-berger asking permission for the Trustees to have a path through his property cleared of snow in the winter for the convenience of the children who now attend school in the United Church and will later at- tend the new Clarke-Elgin School. It appears that the children use this short-cut to avoid a long walk out John Street to Yonge and back to the Church. Study Book: Mrs. I. Ford. Press Secretary: Mrs. F. Will- iamson. Pianist: Mrs. J. D. McGhee. Mrs. Ford gave a very inter- esting and informative talk on Angola, in West Africa which was very much enjoyed by all and added to their knowledge of these African people and the achieve- ments and problems of the mis- sionaries. The meeting closed with a lovely lunch. Holy Trinity Anglican Church At the 11 am. service on Sun- day, November 22nd, a window in the nave of Holy Trinity Church, given by Mr. W. C. L. Ball will be dedicated in memory of his wife, Helen Marguerite Blackwell Nelles. Holy Trinity would be pleased to have any re- latives or friends of the late Mrs. Ball attend this dedication cere- mony. Thornhill Presbyterian Church On Wednesday, November 11th, the second of the Elders District Meetings was held at the Thorn- hill Presbyterian Church, and the program was led by Mr. and Mrs. Norman Martin, and Mr. and Mrs. Dick Penrose. After a period of study, refreshments were served. ..._-J , ____ __, On Sunday, November 15th, the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Elgin McKibbon of Erica Road were baptised, as David Elgin Wayne McKibbon and Darlene Diane McKibboh. Social Notes: Mr. and Mrs. Jan Kok of River- side Blvd. returned last week from a 7,500 mile motor trip which took them down to San Francisco and up the west coast to Vancouver and back. Travel- ling with them from Thornhill were their friends Mr. and Mrs. De Zeuw of Leyden, Holland, who had been staying with them for a. few days. In 1948 the two cou- ples travelled together through South Africa. Mr. and Mrs. Kok drove the DeZeuws to San Fran- cisco and saw them abroad ship to visit a son in New Zealand. The Koks then continued their trip up the west coast. visiting many of Mr. Kok's customers in his importing business. Mrs. Gordon Brian and her sister Mrs. George Morgan, to- gether with their husbands, all of Elgin St. Thornhill, had a flying visit to New York last week from Monday to Wednesday. They were with a group of ten friends and all did the rounds together - saw the Broadway play “Girls Against the Boys." went to hear Nat King Cole and wore their feet out shopping. "Income tax, Wills and Succession Duties” will be the subject of a talk by George Ashworth of the Coâ€" operators Insurance Associa tion at the annual meeting of the York County Federation of Agriculture next Tuesday. The meeting will be held at Sharon. Federation Speaker Rev. Calvin Chambers of Thornhill Presbyterian Church at- tended the service, representing the local Ministerial Association. The service was conducted by the Toronto Centre Presbytery with Rev. A. W. Jones of Willow- dale United Church presiding. The guest preacher was Rev. W. C. Sellars of Newtonbrook United Chuch. Also taking part in the services was Rev. R. V. Kendall of Epworth United Church and Rev. George Stephenson, a member of the Thornhill United Church con- gregation; _ Mr. MacDonald is a native of Ottawa where he received his elementary and secondary school education and graduated from Carleton University. He took his Theological degree at McGill. While attending McGill, he serv- ed the United Church in western Canada and in suburban Mon- treal during the summer seasons. While at McGill he also assisted in Montreal West where he was in 'charge of young people’s ac- tivltles. On Friday, November 13th, an impressive Induction Service was held at Thornhill United Church, and Rev. Hugh Robert MacDonald was installed as the new minister. New Minister Inducted At Thornhill United While there wasn’t any actual “carousing” everyone at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church “Christ- mas Carousel” last Friday and Saturday, November 13th and 14th. obviously enjoyed them- selves, purchased just about everything in sight and enabled the hard working ladies of the Parish Guild to more than fulfil their objective of raising $1,000 for the Church Building Fund. The bazaar convener Mrs. C. Devey had a host of faithful workers. Mrs. D. Balls table of Christmas decorations was prob- ably the most colorful booth. Her committee had designed and con- structed an assortment of hand- some table centerpieces based on blocks of styrofoam which sold readily. Another attractive and useful item offered at this booth was a long felt Christmas card holder with Santa’s head at one end and his feet at the other, with a row of pockets in between for the insertion of the cards. Equally attractive were the Christmas tree skirts made of red or green felt with colorful appli- ques and designed to cover up your Christmas tree holder. Christmas {arousal At Holy Trinity Anglican Those “kissing ornaments” mentioned in last week’s paper turned out to be little men con- structed with heads of styrofoam and bodies of sliver leaves, all garlanded with mistletoe and ready to hang in your doorway. The various hand made candles were particularly beautiful, es- pecially the bottle candles made from ornamental bottles covered with colored wax, sprinkled with glitter and tied with ribbon cor- sages. Mrs. G. St. John’s booth was constantly surrounded by excited little girls admiring the dolls and the doll clothes offered. A series of story-book dollsâ€"Little Bo- Peep ,Mary, Mary, Quite Con- trary, Jack and Jill, Cinderella â€" excited much comment (and emp- tied many purses). The booth also had a wide assortment of stuffed felt animals and some charming felt hand puppets. Mrs. H. Garland was in charge of the knitted goods and her booth had not only beautifully knitted socks mitts and baby out- fits, but some charming and prac- tical children's “Granny” night- gowns and sturdy flannelette pajamas. we develop by use of the library: what practical help we obtain in our jobs and in getting to understand human nature, and what opportunities we uncover to enrich our lives: these are ours to take without the expense of building our own shelves of books. by Elizabeth Kelson It is generally accepted today that education con- tinuing through life is necessary to our happiness. and perhaps to our survival. The public library seems to supply the solution for continuing education. Canadian libraries are on the upgrade today because our people have come to recognize them as key institutions in our cultural life. To understand What is going on in the world today requires knowledge that can only be found in books and it is good to have the right background with which to judge current events. The public library gives us, who are within reach of it, and who have the will to learn, ample opportunity to pursue a wider education which is the culture of the mind and spirit. What capacities No public library in the world could afford to buy every book, but the selection of those that are chosen requires caution and skill. It calls for a special com- petency and alertness to the needs of the community with courage and willingness to be responsible for decisions. The librarians are important figures in the community. They are classed with the minister and the school teacher as community leaders and public servants. While the principal business of a library is to make books available to the public by circulation or for refer- ence within the library, many other services are attach- ed to municipal and city libraries. If the library is large enough, it has a meeting room where many important decisions regarding the community are made. Most liErariesflhave childrens’éections. Good books with an interest equalling that of the comics are made available under the guidance of an understanding lib- rarian. - Another service is provided when their bulletin boards attract attention to new books, and where read- ing lists suitable for public and high school children are found. Public libraries have become a necessity to our way of life. /The books it contains are the true levellers of civilization. They give‘to all who use them, the soc- iety of the greatest and best of 0m; race. At the childrens gift stall, Mrs jAoqutd oug‘ Rev. MacDonald is a young man who has taken on very large responsibilities in which his youthful courage and enthusiasm should stand him in good stead. The members of the community at large as well as the members of his congregation wish him well and are glad to welcome him and his family to Thornhill. For his first sermon, on Sunday morning, Rev MacDonald had as his theme “A Minister's Prayer” and expressed the hope that both the entire congregation and the Minister would be enabled to conduct themselves in a truly Christian way. He also comment- ed on the Induction Service which was so well attended by the congregation, and likened it to the marriage ceremony in that both the new minister and the church took each other for bet- ter or worse, in sickness and in health, although not necessarily until death. Since his ordination. Mr. Mac- Donald has been at Minden On- taliq in the Lindsay presbytery. His wife. the former Mary Wight. is also a native of Ot- tawa and a-gradiate of Carleton University. They have two small daughters, Janet, two years and Eleanor. eight months. D. Moore offered the children a choice of toys or gifts for their parents none costing more than 25c, and was well patronized. All those ladies who spent just too long admiring all these love- ly things could pick up every- thing necessary for 'the family dinner and take it home with them. The bake table, in charge of Mrs. Kiddy, offered cakes, pies, bread, tarts and cookies ga- lore, while Mrs. G. Ackehurst's delicatessen counter had meat pies, sausage rolls, potato salad, baked beans, meat loaves sliced ham, and devilled eggs, as well as delicious home-made mince meat, jams, jellies and pickles. Mrs. Tyson’s table of Attic Treasures made a handsome p;of- it on the sale of such things as brass candle stick, vases, a silver bowl, 3 wooden nut bowl, 3 large fish bowl complete with stand. a tennis racquet and an assortment of jewellery. Mrs. H. Clapp presided over a table of toothsome home-made candies and had as well an attrac- tive wreath ingeniously contrived from wrapped candies. The win- ter bouquets in charge of Mrs. R. Byford were extremely popu- lar. Made from dried weeds and flowers set in driftwood, they made a complete centrepiece and sold at from $1.50 to $2.50. Some charming miniature arrangements were glued to sea shells, ash trays .etc. and sold at 25c and 5°C. Mrs. R. Fisher ran the embroid- ery table which sold beautiftu .worked pillow slips, etc. and crochet work. Special mention should be made of the colorful cocktail aprons at Mrs. Trant’s table. They were really outstand- ing. Some in pastel colors, had artificial flowers scattered on them, while others were of net with a contrasting taffeta under- skirt. And although all those worthy ladies of the Parish Guild un- doubtedly went home with tired feet and aching legs, they must have had a glow of satisfaction in doing such a fine job, helping not only their own church but pro- viding a service to the entire community. Most of the purchases were made for Christmas gift giving, and there will surely be many happy exclamations of surprise and pleasure when these beauti- fully made gifts are unwrapped. eoried \umunuuunmmluuumummmumu“nunIumuimumlmmnunluummmull“111mm\muuuuuummummummunmuumm TU. 4-3714 EXPERIENCE & ORGANIZATIONAL QUALITIES A MUST FOR EFFICIENT OPERATION OF THE NEWLY FORMED TOWNSHIP SCHOOL AREA. ANNUAL MEETING Thornhill Area Recreation Committee TO BE HELD Tuesday, November 24, 8 pm. AT Thornhill Public Library 7764 King St. VO T E HERB A. CONSTABLE Thornhill Area Recreation Committee VAUGHAN TOWNSHIP _ ELECTORS VOTE FOR SAM KAISER SCHOOL TRUSTEE Election Monday, November 23 rd 18 years a School Trustee at Kleinburg - - Secretary-Treasurer of the section since 1940. AN EXPERIENCED TRUSTEE FOR AN IMPORTANT JOB PUBLIC SCHOOL TRUSTEE DOMESTIC - COMMERCIAL FLOORS - WALLS v WINDOWS MAINTAINED IN FIRST CLASS CONDITION BY WEEK, MONTH OR CONTRACT ESTIMATES FREE - NO JOBS T00 SMALL Phone Our Motto Satisfaction Prop. for beauty and elegance Richmond Hill Commercial Cleaners ANNUAL REPORTS AND ELECTION Vaughan Township Electors ROS S and OLIVE This beautiful full lead handcut crystal in the Cross and Olive pattern will add lasting beauty and elegance to your table. Come and see it right away. by GOLDSMITHS . F. COLES AV. 5 - 3483 JeWeIlers Thornhill Jim Hope