The life and writings of Gavin Green - Glimpses of the Past with Karen Webster

For those interested in the times and customs of the early days in Northern Huron County, no better resource can be found than in the writings of one Gavin Hamilton Green. 

 

He was born in a log cabin in the bush in Colborne Township (Lot 11, Concession 12) to Peter Green and his wife Janet Kerr in a family that would eventually number seven children. Peter was first employed as a weaver in Benmiller then Dungannon, but later changed professions to work in sawmills. As with many pioneer families, times were tough but young Gavin only saw the adventures of living as a young lad. He first entered the school system in a private school in Dungannon when he was six but, unfortunately, the instruction there did not measure up and, subsequently, he transferred to the Dungannon Public School.
In the years that Gavin went to school, most of the male teachers were very strict disciplinarians who ruled the roost with intimidation and the liberal use of a switch. The slightest infractions incurred physical punishments. 

 

Because of the nature of the work available for Gavin’s father, the Green family moved frequently and lived in Port Albert, then Goderich where Gavin attended the old Central School that today houses the Huron County Museum. Young Gavin might have been quite surprised to learn how his life would become intermingled with that building in his future.

 

A further move to Sheppardton when he was 14 saw Gavin hired out to local farmers to do chores and farm work because the Green family was having difficulty feeding their children. His only pay was a place to sleep and his meals. During this period of his life, he also attended various schools in the area when he was not working. He later recalled that he had attended seven different schools and was instructed by 14 different teachers. It was only when Gavin was 18 that he completed his elementary schooling due to his sporadic attendance. He found spelling difficult and that fact was borne out in his later writings that included many phonetic renditions of words. But, oh, of what great value were those writings!

 

It was about that time that Gavin left the area to find work and, possibly, adventure. He worked for a telephone company in Saginaw, Michigan stringing telegraph wires between Philadelphia and New York. As well, he helped string electric light wires in Winnipeg. Four years later found him farming in Carberry, Manitoba (near Brandon).

 

Never one to stay settled too long at that stage of his life, he turned his hand to sailing on the Great Lakes on the C.P.R. passenger and cargo vessel, The Alberta, between Owen Sound and the American ‘Soo’. After that, he returned to stringing wire in the United States only to head back to Sheppardton to work at a sawmill.

 

On the move again, 1892 saw him back in Carberry, Manitoba. This spot must have charmed him because he returned to Ontario just long enough to marry Agnes Bogie on Dec. 21, 1892 at Eagle’s Nest, the home of Captain Andrew Bogie of Lot 13 Lake Road West, Colborne Township. The couple, she 20 and he 31, made their home in Carberry where Gavin opened a second-hand shop which was, unfortunately, destroyed by fire.

 

On doctor’s advice, the Greens returned to Huron County, settling in Goderich where Gavin opened a business on Hamilton Street dealing in antiques, curios and used furniture.

 

As a portent of things to come to pass, Gavin acted as the chair for the founding meeting of the Huron County Historical Society in 1924. When the Centennial of the Town of Goderich rolled around in 1927, he contributed several historical articles to the Goderich Signal newspaper.

 

Around this time in his life, Gavin began recording his memories of times gone by on the backs of old calendar pages. Some of these reminiscences were published in the local newspaper. Though rife with spelling errors and sometimes poor grammar, these writings became the basis of two books that he self-published. One, The Old Log School: Huron Old Boys in Pioneer Days was written in the 1930s when he was in his seventies. The other, The Old Log House: Bygone Days in Our Village, was written when he was in his eighties. 

 

Through his business and because of his deep interest in preserving the past, Gavin was an avid collector of historical artifacts; often he was the highest bidder at area auction sales. He had two similarly-minded friends: Herbert J. Neill founder of the Huron County Museum and Harry McCreath, a Colborne Township resident. All three of these men were collectors. The basis of the Huron County Museum collection can be contributed to this trio.

 

Gavin Green lived a long life, passing away, after a three-year stay in Goderich’s Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, in his 100th year. In his will, he bequeathed antique furniture to the Huron County Museum and sums of money in excess of $400 each to the Huron County Children’s Shelter, the Goderich Salvation Army, Knox Presbyterian Church, Goderich, the Huron County Museum, the Kinsmen Club of Goderich, Goderich Lions Club and the Women’s Institute of Goderich.

 

While copies of the slim little books originally published by Gavin Green are treasured keepsakes in private collections, a republication of The Old Log School was created due to the generosity of the Huron County Historical Society, the Corporation of the Town of Goderich and of Barry Penhale, publisher of Natural Heritage/Natural History Incorporated. Also of assistance was a grant from the Ontario Heritage Foundation. The republication contains photographs and additional material to support Gavin’s original words. Paul Carroll was the lead hand in this project.

 

The Old Log School (1992 edition) is available to be borrowed from the Huron County Library system.

 

We are indebted to the man with little formal education who saw fit to record his memories so that we can have a glimpse into bygone eras.