The Blacksmiths Ledger
The Backus-Page House Museum
Tyrconnell Heritage Society
Good morning, my
name is Monica Ganhadeiro. I am a house interpreter here at the Backus-Page
House. I will be transcribing the Peter Cameron blacksmith ledger for you in order
to provide a little insight on the families that resided in this area for the
eighteen years that Peter Cameron served this area as a local blacksmith. The
ledger also provides us with an idea of what tools and equipment would have
been used in the 1800’s. I have transcribed pages from the ledger exactly how
Peter Cameron has written it, spelling mistakes included. Provided in addition
to my own transcription is a photo of the page that has been transcribed. If
you happen to see anything that I may have missed or suggest a different
interpretation then I have provided, feel free to comment or contact me and I
will do my best to make Transcription Tuesdays as accurate and interesting as
possible. Happy reading!
The Backus-Page
House Museum was gifted the Peter Cameron Blacksmith’s Ledger in 2010 from Mary
Young. The ledger dates back to the 1860’s and is published by E. Towgood 1863,
which can be seen on every page as a watermark. The first entry in the ledger
is dated the 12th of November, 1867. Mary Young is the great
granddaughter of Peter Cameron. Her father was John Cameron the son of Peter
Gow Camerson, MPP, son of Peter Cameron the blacksmith.
Peter Cameron was
born on the 20th of June, 1829. He departed Scotland in 1851 from
Greenock, headed to New York City. From New York he made his way to Albany,
Buffalo, and lastly Port Stanley. For a year, Cameron would work as a
Blacksmith in St. Thomas after a year he would move his business to Fingal,
where he resided for a short time before moving to Iona. Peter Cameron married
Elizabeth Gow, daughter of John Gow, Jr., and moved to Tyrconnell where he
operated a blacksmith shop for eighteen years. Cameron was also a postmaster
for a number of years and during the time of the Fenian scare, he enlisted and
became one of the guards patrolling Pat’s Point. Peter and Elizabeth Cameron
raised four sons (Daniel M., John R., Peter G., and James R.). Peter Cameron
later purchased one hundred acres of bush north of Coyne’s Corners. In 1872 the family moved to the farm where he
later passed in 1914 at the age of 85 and was predeceased by his wife Elizabeth
in 1911. (Refer to pdf for citation).
Discription:
Marbled notebook cover,
orange paper spine,[The ledger - 7 lines written on lining]8-1/2 x 13-1/8
inches. Lining of plain blue laid paper, watermarked: E. Towgood 1863.
If you're curious and would like to know more about the Fenian Scare please visit the following link:
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This image depicts the Fenian Scare mentioned in the history of Peter Cameron who enlisted and became one of the guards patrolling Pat's Point.
This image was obtained from http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/canadian-illustrated-news-1869-1883/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=786& and its artist is unknown
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| The intersection of Coyne and Talbot Line is what is referred to as Coyne's Corner. This area has been deemed Coyne's Corner by locals both today and dating as far back as the early 1800's (1817: Henry Coyne came to Tryconnell). |
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| Front of the Peter Cameron Blacksmith Ledger |
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| Inside Cover of Blacksmith ledger |
*We will be exploring the scripture on the inside cover of the Blacksmiths Ledger in next weeks Transcription Tuesday! Have a great week and remember to stop in and visit the Backus-Page House! Till next time,
Mon
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