Fair Dbq

1562 Words4 Pages

The country life was not always just a quiet, hard working life, even for the staunchest of citizens. Some examples demonstrate this. In October 1877 someone stole a heifer from Robinson. The culprit made the mistake of trying to sell the hide in Rosseau. Several people were able to identify the lost heifer by the hide. Furthermore a quantity of fresh meat, horns, the head, tail and feet were all found on a Mr. W. Harvey's property in Humphrey. A month later, he was found guilty at trial and given 2 years one month jail. Then, on a less grievous situation, on Saturday, July 19, 1879, Robinson, now 61, his son-in-law, William 39 and Eliza Sponhouse 21 a neighbour across the road from the Mathewson’s were driving to Parry Sound by horse and buggy. …show more content…

For this year, 1879, the Fair was more rambunctious than normal. Tensions had been high as a lot of crops had been destroyed by an August hailstorm causing some genuine famine. The Fair ended with a gutter brawl and a fight without any law enforcement in sight. Some Jacklins were at the Fair but being good standing citizens were not involved. William Jacklin however had modestly entered the contest for field peas and won the $1 prize (a day’s wage) for the best 2 …show more content…

The boys stayed away from the problems of the areas and were only teetotallers when it came to drinking. There were a lot of illegal stills in the area in 1879 and 'a beer agent every 3 miles' along the Parry Sound road. Part of this was due to the temperance (the Dunkin Act) of Parry Sound with William Beatty’s landlordship. However, their old man was known to be able to knock back quite a few and that he could handle it – the Fulstow in him! By 1892 Robinson was aging and developing a kidney ailment. He was leaving the farming to his sons and his grandsons. However, he could still contribute to the community by becoming the Foley pound keeper, caring for any stray dogs, cows or other animals that were often escaping their masters. William Mathewson also served the community at the same time as a fence viewer, i.e. someone who would report on any mending required for the fences etc. in the neighbourhood. From November 4 to November 8 of 1893, Robinson was in increasing pain as is kidneys were giving out. He passed away on November 9, very near his 76th birthday, leaving a legacy of stories, 18 grandchildren and hundreds of decedents to this

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