| 1. | John Cumming Mather was born on 17 May 1888 in Middleville, Lanark Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; died on 8 May 1979 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada. Other Events and Attributes:
- FamilySearch ID: 9V3B-LWX
- FindaGrave Memorial ID: 45768071
- _UID: 7505B1D9DF604FDFABAC2F82B09659F810AB
- Census-Household Member: 1891, Lanark Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; Canada
- Census-Household Member: 1901, Lanark Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; Canada
- Census-Household Member: 1911, Bathurst Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; Canada
- Religion: 1911, Bathurst Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; Congregationalist
- Occupation: 1916, Bathurst Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
- Census: 1921, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; Canada
- Occupation: 1921, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; (Stationary) Engineer
- Residence: 1924, Bathurst Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; Con 9
Notes:
In 1905, when Scott his brother was able to plow for the family, JC went to work for his uncle Willie (Sommerville, Robertson, Robinson,?) on the 10th line of Lanark Township and Harvey McCue, one mile north of Balderson. He also cut wood on the Bathurst Line during the winter months.
In the summer of 1906, JC and three other young men went to Moose Jaw and worked for a man named Phinneas Lowe, threshing with a Ted Heath. Came home the fall of 1906, and at the age of 17, JC decided to go to northern Ontario to seek work in the shanty. Returning from the west, he stopped in Sturgeon Falls at 4 am, slept on couch in hotel until JR Booth boss woke at 7 am and asked for a job. He caught a train to Cache Bay to the Booth boarding house and headed to the shanty to meet the foreman the next morning. He was told he looked young for a shanty man but was given a team to work for the day and had 90 logs up by dinner so the boss let him stay. In February 1907 he got a letter saying Scott was ill with pneumonia so had to leave for home. When Scott got back from the western harvest, JC was hired for Gilles mill. When the mill closed in the fall he caught the local to Pembroke, then headed north to Cache Bay on Lake Nipissing to work in the Booth shanty for the winter.
After one summer in the mill, he headed to the western prairies for the next three years. In 1908 he went to Moose Jaw, SK. In 1909 he went to Reston, MB to Bullock's and stayed in the west until the spring of 1911. One winter he stayed in Winnipeg and worked at the Burns Meat packing plant and at that time studied for his Steam & Hoisting Engineers Certificate. He operated the steam threshing machine for a family named McCullough afterwards.
Harry, his father later bought Long Bill Keay's (George Ennis') and wrote to JC asking if he wanted to farm. JC farmed for a year and sold it to Allan Keays.
In the fall of 1909, with Scott, and Bill McLean, he went to Gilles' Depot where Scott had been a loader the winter before. They wanted someone in the blacksmith shop. He worked for five months as a helper, doing the nailing and said he nearly broke his back shoeing horses. He stayed with Gilles for three years until the timber limit was cleared, loading logs that were shipped by train from Rib Lake to Montreal River. In 1914, the first year of the war, Gilles did not have much work so JC returned home but got a call asking him to put a group together to put supplies at Coulonge - 110 miles upriver. He stayed with Gilles until 1916.
For three year after his marriage in 1916, he lived on a farm one mile south of Lanark village, (the Stafford place in Drummond east of the Cheese factory) where son Harry was born. In 1919 the family moved to Balderson to the [Cameron Brothers] Harold Cameron farm (father Harry owned) and farmed, with brother Bill, buying cows from his father. [Large white brick house with long lane] That fall, while cleaning a ditch JC was hit in the stomach by a scraper handle and developed a hernia. Dr. Cameron and Dr. Scott operated for the hernia on the kitchen table in the upstairs corner bedroom with a western exposure to give lots of light. That summer, Bella got a hayfork in her head while helping unload hay at Harry and Ellen's house in Hopetown. At this point they had rented a red brick house in the village.
JC and family moved to Perth and lived in a red brick house on North Street (across from Moss Motors) for 3 years. At one point he worked in the Atcheson garage doing auto repairs before returning to work for Gilles as camp clerk at a camp near Cobalt. About this time, he applied to Toronto to get his Engineer's papers. He wrote he exam in Smiths Falls for a examiner sent from Toronto. At this point he became an engineer on the steam powered 'alligator' used during the summer hauling logs across Lake Temiskaming. At the mill, JC was in charge of the yard engine, a used railway steam locomotive which drew carloads of different grades of lumber from the sorting tables to the yard where it was stored according to grade. At one point , he had to get repairs on the engine and was given a special permit to drive the engine five miles on CPR lines to the McLaughlin Lumber's machine shop in Arnprior. He was probably one of only non-CPR engineers to use the tracks! During this time he drove home to Perth on the weekends for two years. The family moved to Braeside where they lived for one year.
In 1924 they moved to a farm near Fallbrook. Harry left school to farm at age 14 as both parents were in ill health. JC underwent sergery in Feb 1933 and Bella in April 1934.
In 1936 JC bought the Fisher farm, on the north side of the 5th line of Bathurst, about 3 miles out of Perth. The house was a two story brick house but the barns were log and in poor condition. Gordon remembers hauling equipment back and forth between this and the Fallbrook property as they used one set of equipment for both farms. In 1939 JC decided to replace the log buildingd with a hipped-roof bank barn. He owned a bush lot on the Bathurst Line so that winter Harry and a hired man cut logs. On Saturday, Gordon would take a team and sleigh to the bush lot. The men used the team to skid the logs out and load the sleigh. Then Gordon would take the logs to Anderson's saw mill on the river a couple of miles west of Fallbrook. Harry and the hired man came by on their way home to do the evening chores and unloaded the logs. The resulting timber was used to build the barn. Gordon also remembers running the cement mixer when the foundations were being constructed. The farm was sold in the early 1950s.
JC also owned a farm on Hwy #7 known as the Chaplin place. Gordon thinks it was acquired as a mortgage default held by JC.
JC and Bella built a house on Clyde St. in Perth and moved to this house about 41-42. However, JC commuted from the farm, spending weekends in town until about 1945.
JC was on the Board of Directors of the Lanark County Farmers Mutual Insurance Company for many years. In 1938 or 39 he resigned his position on the Board and became treasurer of the Lanark County Farmers Mutual Insurance Company in Perth, a position he held until retirement twenty years later at age 70. Because those were years of deep snow and gas rationing, the family moved to Perth in 1943 and Harry remained on the farm for the next three years on a share basis. JC, John, and Evelyn all worked in Perth and Gordon was in high school at this time.
He was elected to municipal council as a Bathurst Township Councillor in the early 1930s, becoming Reeve about 1938. He served as Lanark County Warden in 1945.
(Research):Notes from talk with Grandpa (John Cummings) Mather:
Born at Middleville, ON, on a farm as you drive towards Rosetta. The Mather house was a large square house on the left side of the road near the end of the street as you head towards Herron Mills. His parents originally lived in the kitchen extension and built the main house at a later date. He remembered that his Grandmother would argue about anything!
He went to the Middleville school but completed grade 8 from the Lanark Continuation School to which he drove a horse and buggy in to school.
There was one telephone in the village - at the general store.
He worked with his father when young, loved to play base ball. He was pitcher and his brother Scott was catcher.
In 1906-8 he made his first trip to the west. He spent a winter in western Canada working in a meat packing plant in Winnipeg. (Mentioned a Patty Burns). He worked harvest excursions and mentioned the Bullock family at Reston, MB. Their son Clyde was close to his age. He got his engineers papers by studying at night while in Manitoba. He later got his Steam and Hoisting Engineers papers in ON as a result. He kept his licence active until 1927.He married 26 Apr 1916 and went west each year until then.
In the summer he ran an 'alligator' on timber drives. J.R. Booth was first employer. He worked in northern Quebec back of Campbell's Bay, Fort Colonge area, the Temiskiming area and south of New Lisgard. He had a high regard for Patty Dillleau. D.A. Gilles often told him "You have an idea, don't be afraid to put it down on paper."
Married in 1916 and first lived on Stafford place, at time of interview, the Lenard Munro farm (near Lanark). Past the Davidson, Hedricks, mobile park, then Stafford place. It was small with a well out back. Harry was born here. They were there about 2 years. Had 7 cows and teams of horses. He needed a hernia operation. His father had bought the McIntyre (Harold Cameron) place at Balderson. They moved in with them for a time (about 1 year). At the same time Grandma Mather (Bella) got a hay fork through her finger. (later noted as head - brain injury; Evelyn's small finger damaged in a chain)
Moved to a small red brick house at 68 North St. from a Mrs. Drew. John and Evelyn were born there. John in 1919 and Evelyn in Sept 1922. He worked for George Atcheson in his garage 1919-20. Atcheson was also a Dodge Brothers (or Ford) dealer. Then he commuted weekends for a while from Brayside.
Moved to Brayside in spring 1923. Noted that they tented for a while at Brayside. Harry started school there. (note: Lillian Grey, possibly his teacher? there). While at Brayside he drove the switching engine , 'the dinky' in the Gilles yard.
In 1924 he bought the Keyes place at Balderson and moved from Brayside. Grandpa Mather had held the mortgage and Allan Keyes defaulted so Grandpa took over the farm and the mortgage. There was a barn on the property. It was later raised and a concrete foundation poured. In 1943 the roof was changed. After Harry married he stayed on this farm.
He bought the Fisher farm on the 5th line, at time of interview the James place. At first he rented the place but then he had a hired man (Cliff Majoury) living there. It was mainly a dairy farm. Sold it circa 1952.
He became Treasurer of Lanark Mutual in 1938 after having served on the Board of Directors for a number of years. He was Councillor and Reeve of Bathurst Twp in the 1930's, Warden of Lanark Cty in 1945.
?u?From Gordon Mather December 2015
?/u?Grandpa purchased the Fisher farm in 1937 - 95 acres workable. The price - 0 down and $2000 payable in the fall from the last cheese factory milk cheque. Harry and a hired man spent the winter in the bush lot and Gordon (age 10) spent weekends drawing logs to the sawmill.
When the family moved to Perth they lived at 15 Clyde St. in the area known as Fairhome Park. The house they purchased was built after WW1.
Her doctor was Dr Wichware. Congestive heart failure.
Grandpa worked with Kirkham to restore a fixer upper behind the house after he retired from Lanark Mutural at age 70.
At one point Grandpa worked as a mechanic at the Atcheson car dealership (Chrysler).
FamilySearch ID:
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/9V3B-LWX
FindaGrave Memorial ID:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45768071
Census-Household Member:
Role: Household Member
Census-Household Member:
Role: Household Member
Census-Household Member:
Role: Household Member
Census:
Living on North Street, Perth, ON
Occupation:
Lumber ?ll
Died:
Mather, John Cumming - At Lanark Lodge, Perth Ontario, Perth Ontario, Tuesday May 8, 1979 John Cumming Mather in his 91st year, husband of the late Isabella Ashby; dear father of Harry of Balderson; John, Perth; Evelyn (Mrs. Ernest Miller) Glen Tay; and Gordon of Rexdale; brother of William Mather of Perth. Resting at the Blair and Son Funeral Home, 15 West Gore Street, Perth. Funeral service will be conducted in the chapel on Friday May 11 at 2 pm. Interment Elmwood Cemetery. A Masonic service will be held Thursday evening at 9 pm.
John married Isobella Elsie Ashby on 26 Apr 1916 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada. Isobella (daughter of John Ashby and Mary Anne Clark) was born on 28 Feb 1891 in Bathurst Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; died on 22 Jul 1965 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 2. Harry Clark Mather
 was born on 24 Feb 1917 in Bathurst Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; died on 23 Dec 2012 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada.
- 3. John Harvey Mather was born on 31 Dec 1919 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; died on 2 Apr 1988 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada.
- 4. Mary Evelyn "Ev" Mather was born on 9 Sep 1922 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; died on 5 Mar 2010 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; was buried on 12 Mar 2010 in Elmwood Cemetery, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada.
- 5. Clarence Everett Mather was born on 26 Aug 1924 in Bathurst Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; died on 11 Oct 1924 in Bathurst Twp, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; was buried on 13 Oct 1924 in Elmwood Cemetery, Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada.
- 6. Gordon Robert Mather was born on 13 Nov 1927 in Perth, Lanark County, Ontario, Canada; died on 16 Feb 2018 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Highland Park Cemetery, Peterborough, Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada.
- 7. Mather
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1888 - 1979 (90 years)
