THERE are perhaps few of Blanshard’s old settlers who at the outset of their career had a more chequered life than Mr. James Dinsmore, the subject of the following sketch. He was of sanguine temperament, restless and energetic in his disposition. He had great independence of character, and considered himself equal to any man, no matter what his social position may have been. He was untiring in industry, and zealous in the prosecution of any scheme, either for his own or the public good. He was a confiding and open-hearted friend, but persevering and implacable in the denunciation of his opponents. He was somewhat deficient in tact, and his political efforts were carried to success, not by an adroit exercise of those qualities that raise politicians to power, but by the strength of his representations and an honest, manly advocacy of those principles which he conceived to be just and right. Such are a few of the most prominent points in the character of this man who for many years wielded great influence in Blanshard, and to some extent divided the representative honors with Mr. Cathcart, his great opponent.

JAMES DINSMORE.

James Dinsmore was born in the parish of Drumholm, County of Donegal, Ireland, on the 21st day of March, 1821—over 78 years ago. Like almost all the old settlers of Blanshard, he was the son of a farmer, and on the farm he spent his boyhood, attending school in the town of Donegal until he was able by his labor to contribute to his own support. His father had been actively engaged during the troubles in Ireland at the latter part of the eighteenth century on the side of the Government. The tales of that momentous period in the history of his native country, and of the terrible trials and dangers to those who espoused the cause of the ruling power, had often been told by his parents as they sat around the turf fire in the long winter nights. These old stories made a great impression on his young mind, so much so that they to some extent influenced his manner of thought during his life. Although his politics were practically democratic, he was most loyal to the flag of old Britain. He felt a pride in the fact that he was born a subject of a great and most glorious throne that is yet destined to sway the destinies of the world.

His father’s circumstances were not such as would enable him to give his sons much assistance at their outset in life. Five young, energetic lads were growing up around him, and he saw that a change in his condition would have to be made soon. The agents of the Canada Company had at this period permeated the northern part of the Emerald Isle, inducing the struggling population of that over-populated country to leave old Ireland and go to the new fertile land of the West. Whatever may be said regarding the methods of the Company in the sale and manipulation of their great estate, there can be but one opinion as to the class of settlers that took up their lands. A more hardy, energetic, honest, persevering body of men never made homes for themselves anywhere on the American continent. Of this contingent Blanshard fortunately got her full share. The Dinsmores of the tenth concession, the Cathcarts and Creightons on the Base Line, the Switzers on the north side of the township, the Armstrongs and McCulloughs on the Mitchell Road, have made a record most honorable for themselves and which should have a marked influence on the rising generation. These, with many other good and noble men that have long since passed away, laid deep the foundations of the prosperity of what is considered one of the most progressive townships in the west.

It was therefore decided that the little holding in Donegal should be disposed of, and new homes sought in the great country on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Accordingly, in the spring of 1835, the family bade adieu to old Ireland and all her associations, and which no one of them ever saw more. To the younger members of a household it is always an easy matter to remove and change their locality ; in fact the very essence of young life consists in change and variety. But with the old or middle aged it is very different. Ties spring up around them as years pass by, light as air seemingly in themselves, yet stronger than bands of steel.

“The dear affections of the heart
Outlive the forms that give them birth.”

After ten weeks of a dreary, stormy voyage they arrived at Quebec, and coming on west reached the city of Kingston, where they remained one year. The family then left Kingston and came to Toronto. After staying in Toronto for about a year, Mr. Dinsmore, the elder, removed to a farm in Toronto Township. During all these years the family had all remained together; but the time had now come when some of the young men should branch out for themselves. The subject of our sketch therefore determined, young as he was, to face the stern realities of life. He was then sixteen years of age, at which period not many young men think of putting on the harness for themselves. But he was not afraid that any circumstance or condition of things would arise with which he would not be able to cope successfully. His independence of thought and feeling, coupled with his natural impetuosity of character, urged him on into the stream, sink or swim. He made up his mind to embrace the first opportunity whereby he could make an honest living. His initiatory step, as one of the toilers of the great world, was in the capacity of bartender in a hotel. The hostlery known as the Edinburgh Castle, in Toronto, was kept by an old Scotchman who had fought through the Peninsular War with Wellington, and was on the celebrated field of Waterloo, where he contributed by his valor to the defeat of that great scourge of the world, Napoleon Bonaparte. He did not remain long behind the bar, although he had given satisfaction to his employer.

Events were then transpiring in Upper Canada (as it was then called) which shook society to its very centre and threatened for a time to overturn the Government. A little clique of politicians, known as the Family Compact, had grasped the whole power and patronage of this province in their own hands. Some of these were most unprincipled men, and had established an oligarchy that would undoubtedly have destroyed the liberties of the people and sapped the prosperity of the young and growing province. But happily for the people of this country, a young and irrepressible Scotchman had espoused the cause of the settlers. For years he fought out his self-imposed task and stood as the first champion for free representation and responsible Government. Though we deplore the terrible extreme to which he ultimately led a large section of the Canadians, few men will deny that the political results since the struggle of 1837 are, to a large extent, owing to his fearless conduct in defending the rights of the poor settlers who were seeking a home in this country. Time is dealing kindly with the memory of this great man, and the day will come when he will be looked on as one of those unselfish spirits who lay upon the altar of their country all they have in the world, as an offering for the liberties of their fellowmen. From the early training Mr. Dinsmore had received, and from his intense loyalty to the old land, we can experience no difficulty in finding what his sentiments were on this occasion. Young as he was, he at once enlisted under Captain Price, and shouldering his gun, joined the ranks as a volunteer in Captain Price’s corps. He served for about six months, when, considering his youth and a not very robust constitution, he was amongst the first to be discharged when the rising had collapsed. The next time we hear of Mr. Dinsmore is in the capacity of a deck-hand on board the steamer William IV. The life of a sailor apparently was not to his taste, as he only stayed at this business for one season. After associating for some time with a gang of framers, he entered into the employ of a bankrupt stock dealer, in Brampton. Here he first essayed the business of auctioneer at the age of twenty years, and continued to swing the hammer almost continuously till he had reached the age of sixty-nine. The business of an auctioneer was exactly suited to his nature, and, as might be expected, he excelled in it. His services were in request all over a large section of the country. He knew men well, and being naturally full of Irish wit, had the happy faculty of keeping the bidders in the best of humor.

Thus far he had led a rather roving and unsettled life. We next find him in the lumber woods on the Grand River, at which occupation he remained for three or four years. The time had now arrived when it was necessary to adopt some plan for his future career. The new township of Blanshard had been thrown open for settlement in 1840. His father, with his other brothers, had still remained on the rented farm in Toronto township. But the life of a tenant on a rented farm did not offer much inducement for a man with a growing family around him. By going into a new country they might have to undergo hardship and inconvenience for a few years. With industry and economy all this would undoubtedly be overcome. The labor they had to spend in the rented place to pay the rent might be better expended in making a farm for themselves. Ho it was decided to try their fortune in the new' township. In the fall of 1842 the elder Mr. Dinsmore came west, and located a place for himself and one for each of his sons, and formed what is known as the Dinsmore settlement.

John, the eldest, took lot 14, James lot 16, Thomas lot 20, in the tenth concession, Samuel and David lots 16, 17, and 18, in the eleventh concession. This part of the township at that time was a complete wilderness. Only one or two settlers had preceded them. There were no roads, no marks to show anywhere that the foot of the white man ever trod those wilds, except the survey post, and an occasional blaze on the trees. But they had confidence in themselves and in the future of the country. The Dinsmore settlement was soon known as one of the most progressive sections in Blanshard. The whole of the brothers were much alike in their nature, steady and industrious, and of unimpeachable integrity. It is pleasing to note that this family were, in the course of time, amply rewarded for their perseverance by attaining comfort and a competence for old age. The greatest difficulty that most of the old settlers had to encounter in their new homes was the want of money to obtain the commonest necessaries of life. To overcome this circumstance James Dinsmore, with his father and brothers, had for two or three seasons to go back to Toronto township in the summer for the purpose of earning a few dollars to enable them to purchase food for the winter. Returning to the woods in the fall of the year, they chopped down the forest till spring, and thus, although very slow progress was made, something was being done. They built shanties and cleared small patches for potatoes and wheat, and so came on by degrees, still hoping and still doing. The journey back and forth between Blanshard and Toronto was made on foot. It was a great undertaking to trudge away for one hundred miles, much of it over bad roads and through a wild country, but it is said “the back s aye made for the burden;” and these old pioneers surely “run the race set before them” nobly and well.

He had now reached the period when most men experience a desire to become settled in life. It was therefore necessary that he should take to himself a partner to share his joys and his sorrows, for joy and sorrow seem to be the lot of all. He had been fairly prosperous in his farming operations. He could boast of a good farm, a shanty, a pig in the pen, cows in the yard, and a yoke of oxen. All this now-a-days would not be considered a great fortune to offer to a young lady in return for her affections ; but it was all he had to offer. No doubt in thinking the matter over in his mind, he could not very well understand how with all these, his whole worldly goods, placed in the balance on one side, and himself thrown in, the scale on the other side, with the affections of a sensible young lady, would not touch the beam. Young marriageable women in the township of Blanshard at that time were rather a scarce article. Like most young men, while he had been preparing the cage he had been watching for some fair one to place in it. Summoning up his whole store of fortitude, he went to the township of London, and on the 4th of February, 1847, was able to call Miss Rebecca Freeborne his wife. This was the greatest piece of good fortune of his life. For over fifty years they have lived along together, Mrs. Dinsmore being in every way a most estimable person, a dutiful and affectionate wife. She was always light-hearted and gay, until the hand of affliction, a few years ago, fell heavily upon her in the loss of her daughter. Still even now, at her advanced age, her eyes, which were black and piercing, sparkle with jollity and good nature. She was always ready to second his efforts in everything that tended to his good or that of his family; and like many men in the world, he owes much of his success to the good counsel of his wife. His family consisted of nine children, two of whom are dead, John and Margaret. Those living are, Andrew, in Imlay City, Mich.; Mrs. T. Robinson (Jane), London township; Mrs. Robinson, (Mary Ann), also of London township ; Samuel, at home ; Nelson, in Manitoba; Wellington, on the old homestead ; and Newman, in California. But time and tide wait for no man ; and as years passed away he was, at the end of the fifties, one of the wealthiest farmers in the township. He had, shortly after coming to Blanshard, taken up the business of auctioneering, a manner of life, as we have said elsewhere, entirely in accordance with his taste. In this business his reputation extended over a wide circle. The townships of London, Biddulph, Blanshard, Us-borne, Downie, Fullarton, and the Nissouris, all required his services. There is scarcely a road in any of these municipalities that he has not traversed at all hours of the night. No matter how far away he had been, he never, without a single exception, failed to get to his own home. Although not robust looking, he had a constitution of iron; otherwise he must long ere now have succumbed to such repeated exposure. Away back in those early days he had many strange experiences. The “grog boss” at sales, as at loggings, was, next to the auctioneer, the most important functionary. His duties were considered very important, and were sometimes far reaching in their effects. Not a few of the old settlers who have had to leave the township attribute the first cause of their trouble to too close an acquaintance with the “grog boss.” Sometimes the result of this officer’s operations took a ludicrous turn. On one occasion, when selling in the township of Blanshard, a certain agriculturist of the municipality had renewed his acquaintance with a dispenser of the “ two forty ” so frequently that he found it necessary for his comfort to take a horizontal position beside a straw stack for a short period of quietness and repose. From the result of an accident this tiller of the soil had lost one of his legs; but some local artist had supplied him with another made of good sound timber, the growth of Canadian soil. A dispute between some of the bidders culminated, as they often did in those early days, in a free fight. The tussle continued for a minute or two with varying success among the combatants. One of the belligerents, who was a strong believer in potentialities, seeing what he thought was a stout cudgel lying among the straw, grasped the wooden leg of the sleeping farmer and tore it from its moorings. With this weapon he entered the fray and dispensed his favors with a fearless impartiality which indicated that he was no respecter of persons. The sleeping farmer at last, from the noise of the affair, awoke, and trying to regain the perpendicular, found that one of his legs was doing duty in some other sphere of usefulness than the one designed by the maker. A volley of unearthly yells, coupled with a broadside of language considered not gentlemanly, excited the risibility of the crowd to such an extent that order and the leg were both restored, and the sale proceeded.

At the separation of the township of Blanshard from the township of Downie and the introduction of the new Municipal Act, Mr. Dinsmore was soon called to take an active part in political affairs. In the year 1855 he accordingly became a candidate for municipal honors, and was elected as councillor lor the division in which he resided. This was his first attempt at public business as a representative of the people. He held his seat at the Board as councillor uninteruptedly for several years, being elected deputy reeve, and finally was honored with the chair of the first officer of the township. Like all public men, his success did not run in one straight and unobstructed stream. He had many difficulties to face and overcome. Misrepresentation, the jealousy of his rivals, and those who had once been liis equals but were now falling far in the rear, were sometimes more than a match for his energy and shrewdness. He suffered defeat more than once, but defeat to him meant an expansion of his energies. He was irrepressible. All the calumnies circulated against him by his political enemies had no effect on his conduct. Like a trained fighter, no mat-how hard he was struck, when time was called he was up in his corner and ready to give or take a knock down in the next round. During all these years his financial condition was still improving. He had erected a brick building that was then and for many years after, the only brick building in that part of the country. He had attained to a comfortable condition in a very short time. The forest had been cleared away, roads had been made, schools had been built, and the settlement on the tenth concession of Blanshard was fast taking on the appearance of comfort and affluence which characterizes it at the present time. At the election of 1869, Mr. Dinsmore and Mr. Cathcart took the field against each other for the reeve’s chair. They were by far the most prominent as well as the most popular men in the municipality, and as might be expected, the contest was a keen one. The question at issue was not one of personal fitness for the honor, but a great principle was at stake between the candidates, and which the electors were called upon to decide. Meetings were held in various parts of the township, where the several questions at issue were discussed among the people. The great principle the ratepayers were asked to pronounce upon by their votes was whether the toll gates should be removed and the roads made free, or whether the old system of gates should be retained. Mr. Dinsmore advocated the old system; Mr. Cathcart supported and led the abolition party. The causes which led up to this contest I need not enter upon here. They will be found fully explained in the sketch of Mr. Cathcart already before the public. Mr. Dinsmore and his friends on this occasion were routed, horse, foot, and artillery, and Mr. Cathcart gained the greatest victory of his whole career as a public man. But this victory of Mr. Cathcart led to another a few years later for Mr. Dinsmore and his friends, of which no one on either side at that time could ever have had the remotest idea. After being defeated he remained in private life till 1874, when he was again elected to the reeve’s chair. During this year a rather ludicrous incident occurred at the Board, which will bear repeating as an indication of the qualification of some of our leading men of that day. The Ontario Government had passed an Act in the previous session to enable rural municipalities to place a tax on dogs, for the purpose of creating a fund which was to be applied for the payment of sheep killed by predatory canines. This law in itself was excellent, but like a great deal of such legislature, though good in theory, it did not work well in practice. Designing men that had an old croak sheep on the farm were always unfortunate (or fortunate) in having their flock decimated by fierce canines, but by some strange coincidence or other it was always the most ancient ones of the flock that were destroyed. Thus the real result of the Act was to create a market for much of the venerable stock of this class in the township. Another law was finally passed compelling all applicants under the Act to make affidavit before a magistrate that the claim was just and true in every particular. At one of the meetings of the Board an applicant under the Act presented a claim, but as no affidavit was attached, Mr. Dinsmore instructed the claimant to see a worthy dispenser of justice who lived close to the council room, and comply with the requirements of the law before his claim could be paid. The claimant, having gone to the magistrate, soon returned and presented the reeve with a piece of paper, which he examined carefully and handed it without remark to the next legislator on his left; and so it passed around the table amongst the members of the Board till it reached the clerk. This officer was supposed to be able to decipher the caligraphy of all correspondents, and his achievements in this line had often been considered by the township fathers as partaking of the marvellous. He examined the document closely, and being somewhat of a literary turn of mind, gave vent to his feelings in a quotation from Tony Foster, “It’s a d-cramp piece of penmanship.” This was the signal for a burst of laughter from the whole Board. None of them had been able to read the precious affidavit. One of the members affirmed that ink must have been spilled on the paper. The reeve declared it was a map of the Sandwich Islands. Another said it was like the tactics of his opponent at the last contest, fearfully dark, and past finding out. At last a Daniel came to judgment in the person of the worthy magistrate himself, who informed the assembled wisdom at the table that his pen was bad, and he sadly out of practice, and lor fear that they might not exactly understand it, “he had come himself to tell by word of mouth what the paper contained.”

ST. MARYS MARKET FEES

We must now give the history of a transaction successfully carried out by Mr. Dinsmore, which was the most important and far-reaching in its effects of any piece of legislation ever transacted in the township of Blanshard. It has been stated elsewhere that the toll-gates had been abolished in the township, at great cost to the municipality, and the splendid roads leading everywhere made free to all. From the period that a market building was erected in St. Marys, the Town Council had from time to time passed by-laws levying certain fees on all the products of the farm sold anywhere within town limits. If a farmer sold a bag of wheat he paid ten cents. If his wife or daughter had a dozen of eggs or a pound of butter in her basket, she had to contribute a few cents to the town treasurer. Failure to comply with the bylaw always led to a prompt interview with the mayor, which usually ended by augmenting the town finances and depleting the wallet of the agriculturist by a corresponding amount. It is true that the corporation graciously granted the vendors from the country the privilege of exposing their wares in the filthy old rookery dignified by the name of the market building. The farmer’s wife was bold indeed who could enter the doors of a place the air of which was redolent with the effluvia of the fertilizing particles which adhered to the decaying hides which were usually lying promiscuously here and there in its dirty chambers. Her only alternative was to remain outside in the summer heat or winter cold; but in either case the town got its toll. Since the township had given free roads to every person who chose to use them, the representative of the township had made repeated efforts to have these obnoxious imposts removed, but without effect. At a meeting of farmers belonging to a certain association, three delegates were appointed to interview a committee of the town council for the purpose of coming to some agreement whereby the objectionable by-laws would be repealed. As might be expected, the town felt quite secure, and the committee of the council simply ignored the Blanshard delegates. But a solution of the difficulty was close at hand, and such a solution as no one ever expected. The action of Mr. Cathcart some years before in buying the gravel road leading into St. Marys was made the lever to solve the problem. An officer of the municipality, in a private conversation with Mr. Dinsmore, suggested the coercive measure of placing a toll-gate on the main road leading into St. Marys, which would have the effect of shutting off a large amount of the trade going to the town, and of course injure the interests of the citizens.

Mr. Dinsmore at once saw the opportunity and adopted the idea. When Mr. Cathcart bought the road he simply bought up the stock at sixty per cent, of the face value of the shares. He never surrendered the charter of the old company, and by retaining that right made the township of Blanshard the sole owners of the road. This action saved the whole scheme. After the toll-gate had been erected an action was attempted against the township by the town to compel the removal of the gate. It was held that according to the Municipal Act no township had the right to impose imposts of that kind. It was shown, however, that the township did not erect the toll under any right it might have under the Municipal Act, but by the rights given by the charter of the London and Proof Line Boad Company, which company was now the township of Blanshard. This move, therefore, completely collapsed. The policy of placing a toll on this road, although very generally accepted by the people of Blanshard, met with a good deal of opposition in some sections. The members of the council were not by any means unanimous in the matter, two of the number being opposed to the movement. To the honor of James Dinsmore, William McCullough, and James Spearin, the two last of whom have passed away, they stood their ground like heroes, until the difficulty was settled to the entire satisfaction of both the municipalities. The St. Marys people did not yield without a struggle. The gate was kept on for two years and rented for a third, when one afternoon, to the inexpressible delight of the three gentlemen I have named, Mr. E. W. Harding, who, I think, was mayor of St. Marys at the time, came into the council hall at Blanshard, prepared to settle the dispute. Mr. Harding had urged a settlement during the whole time of the difficulty, buthad not been able to accomplish much, until a falling off in the business of the town touched the pockets of his constituents. A better man could not have been chosen to represent the town than Mr. Harding, and before he returned that evening the whole matter was arranged, and the lease of the toll-gate cancelled. During these two years the gate had been profitable to the people of Blanshard. A check was issued to every ratepayer, upon the presentation of which to the toll-keeper he was allowed to pass free. All outsiders had to pay. Thus the $1,200 which the township received for the two years they kept the gate was contributed by the, adjoining municipalities, and relieved the Blanshard ratepayer to a corresponding amount in his taxes. This little episode between St. Marys and Blanshard brought the market fee question so prominently before the people of Western Canada that the legislature of Ontario abolished forever this vexatious tax.

HIS LATER YEARS

Mr. Dinsmore then retired from the council, having sat as reeve at this time for two years. On the 27th day of March, 1876, was organized the Blanshard Mutual Fire Insurance Co., on whose board of directors was Mr. Dinsmore, and which position he has retained, with the exception of one or two years, ever since. In 1885, if I remember right, he was again a candidate for the reeve’s chair, his opponent being Wm. Hutchings, whom he defeated. He held the reeveship on this occasion for two years, when he retired. This was his last appearance on the political stage of the municipality, having been in the harness almost continually from 1853 up to 1887, a period of thirty-four years.

We must now draw this imperfect biography to a close. Mr. Dinsmore, at the age of seventy-eight, is still strong and hearty. At his best he was never robust looking, but his muscles seemed like wires of steel. He was scarcely ever fatigued. Prolonged or severe labor affected him but little, and he had his share of both. In all his business relations he was prompt and strictly honorable. No man, during his whole career as an auctioneer, could ever accuse him of favoritism or dishonorable conduct. In the making of his accounts he rarely made mistakes, and he had to settle the whole transactions of a sale, amounting to hundreds of dollars, sometimes under the greatest annoyance. He knew men well and could not be imposed on. For a person naturally impetuous and energetic, all his business was transacted with coolness and calm deliberation. He had a wide circle of acquaintances, and as matter of course received many visitors, all of whom he entertained most hospitably. His independence was one of the strongest features in his character. He never decided a question, or was biased in any way, by the opinions of other men, no matter what may have been their standing in society; be they prophets, priests, or kings, all were alike to him. Men stood high or low in his estimation on the same grade as their manhood. Under the greatest provocation he preserved his equanimity. There appeared to be no excitable qualities in his nature that could be touched by the vilest asperities of his traducers. This was one of the factors that gave him power.

He was Conservative in politics, but not intolerant. The democratic feeling which was strong in his nature had a subduing effect on his political thought; so much so that he would never sacrifice what he believed to be the interests of his country to any particular exigency arising in his party. He was strongly attached to his family and to his home, and would endure great hardship that they might be comfortable and happy. But to say that this man had no faults would be to say that he was more than human. He had faults and many great defects indeed. But his defects reacted upon himself rather than on those around him. We conceive, however, it is no part of the biographer to array the weak points of prominent men before the public eye. Nay, we rather conceive that the duty of the biographer is to place before his readers the good, the noble, and the true, that those coming after may take pattern by their conduct, and emulate their virtues.