Page 6 - Dictionary of Heraldry and Related Subjects

MEMORIES OF HAMMOND

Som i&nnblitigMemor~es of Hammond and the Area, with Particular Reference to the Protestant
Cemettzry There.

A poet has written that 'Time, like an ever rolling tide, bears all its sons away'. How true that
is, and with their passing many questions, which a hture generation may ask, remain unanswered
because no record has been left or that former citizens have moved to many areas far distant.
These remarks are not intended as a history and someone may be found who is able to verify
them or contradict them as the case may be, because this writer was not one of what might be termed
the early settlers. Anyhow, I understand that the Women's Institute at Leonard is compiling a book
on the history of the area, and will do a more complete job than I could hope to.
As I understand it, a movement of the descendants of United Empire Loyalists moved from
the St. Lawrence Nver) area to the east of Hammond; of course no Hammond existed at that time,
and they called it North Indian. Among the families that came were Millers, Empeys, Armstrongs,
Prices etc. The McLean families originally came from Cornwall to Pendleton, then some four of them
to this North Indian area; a family of Butlers came from near Cheste~lle, later the Kinnaird family
came fiom the Brockville area, and there was a sprinkling of French-Canadians with names such as
Guindon, Ethier, and Carriere come to mind. In the early days of settlement, it was all forest, no roads
and very little surveying done, only trails through the bush which explains the 'forced road' from near
Hamrr~ond leading to Bourget, then called 'The Brook'. They tried to follow the higher ground as
there were many swampy places on what would be the ultimate road allowance. For instance, coming
fiom Elourget to Hammond today, at the corner of the Rene Guindon farm, the trail went across the
farm arhich was then owned by Ben Watson, and at present by Cecil Young - crossed the concession
near the barns and onto the farm now owned by Tom Young, came out on the next concession road
and followed that to a farm now the property of Jeremie Lapalme, coming out at the school at Emmet
Nolan's farm and continuing over the high ground trail to Cumberland.
There had been shanties and lumbering before these settlers arrived, mainly making square
timber fiom the pines that seem to have flourished in the forests. This timber was shipped to England
for ship-building mostly. Some (was sold by) the workers who had taken up land as Mr. M Miller told
me, I think, that he had bought from a man named McFee, but no attempt at farming had been carried
out.
As time passed, it took its toll of people and not having roads to convey their dead to the
various places they came from, as it was often in winter, a finera1 had to be held. Some buried in
spots on their land for the time being. Some others buried at Bearbrook, where there was a cemetery.
However, a group of them got together and bought a cemetery lot from M. Miller and I have been
told th~at some bodies were brought back from Bearbrook for re-interment. So it is possible that some
of the Miller family were the first to be buried (in the new cemetery).
Going back to the village of Hammond, I suppose that with the coming of the branch railway
line from Rockland to (South Indian) now Limoges, a man named Bourgon (sic) started a hotel, and
W.F.E;mpey, with a partner named Menill, started a general store; a blacksmith shop was begun later
by a Jack McAuley The hotel was later sold to Alfred Gendron whose son still operates it. The store