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Downtown "Shoot out" in Marmora (by Lou Wilson)

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This photo, 1962,   supplied by Wayne VanVolkenburg shows the "Pearce Street Boys" - Bernie Stewart, Wayne Van- Volkenburg,   James "Squeak" Reynolds Back rt. Ken Horton,  & possibly Doug Falls.

Happier Times

One Saturday night before midnight, in the late 60's on the main drag in Marmora Ontario,  James "Squeak" Reynolds, about 26 years old,  had a history of mental problems  decided he was going to shoot up the hotel because they would not serve him anymore beer. He was on the "Prohibited"  list. No alcohol was supposed to be served to him in the county. He had historically  gone  crazy on occasions prior to the court judgement.  He wandered down to the hardware store and broke in to get a gun. Three of us who knew him came along & spotted him inside. I climbed up on the front window to look inside and he took a shot at me and missed by 2 inches - See arrow. It turned into a major event with many police.He also had fired several shots into the ceiling after he heard noises from the residents. The father mother and 2 daughters were in the iron bathtub for safety. A couple of my friends went around back to get him out as the police were on their way. He fired through the door and one fellow fell to the ground bleeding. Luckily it was just shattered glass from the storm door that cut him  He wandered out on the street with a rifle firing up and down the street. About 200 people had collected all behind or under cars. The cops shot him 3 times;  he went down;   I rushed over to restrain him as well as some cops. He still had the strength to lift my whole body in the air. He survived. I was to be a witness against my wishes but I never had to testify. He could not see anything without his glasses. I noticed just before he shot they were all broken. So he was shooting at sounds. Right about where the GE sign is. Now we would call this terrorism but in Marmara in the 60;s it was just another Saturday night. Right about where the GE sign is.

Click here for the full newspaper report.

Click here for more photos

This photo, 1962,   supplied by Wayne VanVolkenburg shows the "Pearce Street Boys" - Bernie Stewart, Wayne Van- Volkenburg,   James "Squeak" Reynolds Back rt. Ken Horton,  & possibly Doug Falls.

COMMENTS:

John Croskery: We were headed to the pool hall at the dance intermission. Saw someone at the cash register, thinking it was Leo Provost I knocked on the window. When Squeak turned around with a rifle we took cover.

Sharon Anne Vesterfelt: Remember that night so well. Teen dance at the town hall and we all headed to front street when we heard the excitement!!!!!

Celia Murray: I can't bring myself to hit the like button...it was a terrifying night.

Penny Barrons: My first thoughts were for the Murrays. What a frightening thing for them to experience.

Pat McCrodan: Joe Murray was lucky upstairs

Wayne VanVolkenburg added: We lived across the street from James aka "squeak" for many years. Unless he had too much to drink, he was a very quiet peaceful person. He liked to knit and even designed his own patterns. Many nights I would see him sitting in the rocking chair, knitting away.
I would imagine that he would have been a good marksman with all of his militia training, but as Lou mentioned, he was almost blind without his coke bottle thick glasses

Gladneys from Ireland, 1842 (by Janet Long)

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Ruth Meath Gladney Devlin

The name Marmora always evokes memories of my grandmother and her brother swapping stories of family.  My grandmother's great-great grandfather, William Gladney (born 1780 on Lord Carew's estate in Wexford, Ireland) came to Marmora, according to family notes, in 1842.  He brought his wife, Elizabeth Hampton, followed by their daughter Sarah and her husband John Meath, daughter Mary Ann and her husband Joseph Reid, daughter Jane  and her husband Daniel Minchin (later Mrs. Richard Laycock also) and son Edward Gladney, who married Ruth Meath.  William was a miller on Lord Carew's estate and probably continued with that occupation in Marmora, possibly at Pearce's Mill.   He and his wife died within months of each other in 1850-1 while their children prospered and lived for many years in Marmora.   There are still descendants of this family there now.

For more on Gladneys click here

Click here for Gladney business

Click here for Gladney family trees

Click here for more on Laycocks

Laycocks in Marmora 1800s  rICHARD AND HIS WIFE,  jANE gLADNEY mINCHIN lAYCOCK, , HER DAUGHTER, mARTHA AND  THEIR SON, rALPH

Burke's Hill in Deloro (by Brenda Brooks Skof)

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1948 O'Brien St. (looking south)

Standing at the General Store in Deloro,  and looking north up the street, you come to a small hill where the houses end (this hill appeared very big to us when we were children, today not so much) and we call this hill "The Crusher".    Continuing northwards towards Malone, there was a straight road and then a huge hill and on the top of that hill was where the farms were (the Doyles, the Bedores, the Wileys, etc.).   This was known as Burke's Hill, and it was a great place for us to watch the horse-drawn sleighs delivering the milk and other supplies, plus other activities.  

My grandparents Daisy & Harry Smith and my parents, George & Daisy Brooks (by Brenda Brooks Skof)

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My grandfather, Harry Smith,  emigrated to Canada in 1911, and settled in Deloro to work at Deloro Stellite.  My grandmother,  Daisy Reay Smith followed shortly thereafter with their three children,  Harry, Daisy (my mother) and Norman. Harry Smith Jr eventually became a member of the Deloro Stellite Quarter Century Club.  Harry Smith Sr. worked as foreman at Deloro Stellite until his death in 1940. Harry and Daisy Smith operated a small boarding house in Deloro shown in the photo below.  They had ten children in all:  Harry, Daisy and Norman (all born in the U.K.) and the remaining seven children  born in Deloro being  Simeon, Richard, Iris,  William Maye, Betty and Marjorie.

Harry and Daisy Smith are buried in the Smith Plot, Marmora Protestant Cemetery, with William and Iris, and Richard Cyril Smith buried in Legion Section of Marmora Protestant Cemetery

Harry and Daisy Smith,  in front of their boarding house in Deloro

George & Daisy Brooks with their 13 children on the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary,  1950
Daisy Smith Brooks and George Charles Brooks, parents, sitting on the couch.....Left side of Daisy, listing the youngest girl to the oldest as: Sylvia, Brenda, Jean, Evelyn and Winifred.
Right side of George, listing the youngest boy to the oldest: Kenneth, Victor, Harry, Jim, Tom, Stan, Sid and Bob.

 

My father,  George Brooks,  emigrated to Canada in 1922 from Bognor Regis, Sussex, U.K. and ended up working at Deloro Stellite in Deloro.   He  lived at my grandparent's  boarding house and  there met my mother Daisy Smith. (born West Hartepool, U.K., born July 26, 1907)  They were married in 1925, settling in Deloro.    There were 13 children born and raised in Deloro, - Winnie, Bob, Sid, Stan, Evelyn, Tom, Jean, Jim, Harry, Brenda, Vic, Ken and Sylvia

  George and Daisy moved to Belleville at the closing of the plant in Deloro and after my father's death in 1968, my mother Daisy Brooks returned to Marmora, where she  lived in the apartment over the library until her death in 1986. George and Daisy are buried at Marmora Protestant Cemetery with Harry and Sylvia in the Brooks Plot, Winnie (Nobes) buried in Legion Section of Marmora Protestant Cemetery and Stan is buried in Beaver Creek Cemetery.

George managed almost every sports team in Deloro, and played on some as well,  including the Deloro Lawn Bowlers League,  winning the Silver Trophy..   He also played for “The Bognor Rocks”, West Sussex Soccer League on the Championship Team in the U.K. in 1921-22.  He  was a shoemaker by trade in the U.K. and he repaired his children’s footwear, made football cleats for his sons, and baseball bats and hockey sticks for his sons and daughters but when playing ball his children did so bare-handed. Geoge was  bugle player, drummer, spoons, bones, piano, and harmonica player.

Marmora Soap Factory burns down (by Ann-Marie Willman-Spry)

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"Mom remembered when the soap factory burned. She said the suds could be seen in the river for almost a year."

MHF adds:  This building  which stood just south of the dam on the east bank of the Crowe River,  was first built as a potashery.  It is also considered Marmora's first school house, although Charles Hayes showed a school on his 1824 map at the corner of Mill St. & Cordova Rd. We have no evidence yet, however,  that this school existed..  Some time around 1918,  Mr. W. Fraser Bowen,  a former Polmolive Co, salesman,  opened his soap factory in the abandoned building,  however,  it was not long after that the factory burned down.  It was believed to be a case of arson.  Some of the ruins remain.

Click here to see a few more views of this building

The murder of Richard Wolfe 1874 (by Bill O'Keefe)

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Hughes Cemetery, Centre Line Road, Marmora,  Richard Wolfe, 1874

Hughes Cemetery, Centre Line Road, Marmora,  Richard Wolfe, 1874

 My 3rd great grandfather was Robert O'Neill who married Ellen Wolfe, (sister of Richard Wolfe, who was murdered) This is an excerpt from the Renfrew Mercury from Oct 15 1874.

"About 9:00 last evening a dreadful murder was committed about 5 miles from Marmora.  The murdered man,  Richard Wolfe, resided about five miles from here andwas in the village during the day,  where he had an altercation and fight with Thomas White, who left the village about dusk for home. Wolfe waited for some time and then started for home . both of them travelling the same road.  When about 2 miles out he came up with White and Wheeler.   White,  being out of the wagon, attacked Wolfe and stabbed him in the thigh, cutting his femoral artery lengthwise about one inch and one half, he fell back and died on the spot."

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE TRIAL

Richard (1826-1874) was the son of John Wolfe     1782–1885 and Mary Ellen Young   1800–1880

His siblings included

  • Ellen Wolfe 1821–1878 , married Robert O’Neill (1814-1888)

  • Nancy Wolfe 1824– married Patrick Connelly (1822–1890)

  • Mary Margaret Wolfe 1830–1883, married John O’Connor (1826-1901)

  • Nicholas Wolfe 1832–1833,

  • John Wolfe 1836–1874,

  • William Wolfe 1839–1840

  • Elizabeth Wolfe 1841–1922, married Michael O’Connor

  • Ester Wolfe 1844–1923 married John McCallum

 His wife and children were: Ellen Connelly (1836-1869) and five children:

  •  John Wolfe  1854–1860

  • Mary Margaret "Maggie" Wolfe  1857–1916 married James Shannon and Thomas Cain

  • Daniel Wolfe  1860–

  • Hester Anne Wolfe  (Hattie) 1864– 1931 married John Romantus McKinnon

  • Frances Elizabeth (Fanny) Wolfe  1863–1942 married John E. Maloney

 

Ed O’Connor with wife, Elizabeth Wolfe

Margie Royle adds:   I remember my grandfather, Ed O'Connor, telling stories about that man who was murdered. I believe he may have been Grandpa's uncle, as his mother was Elizabeth Wolfe. (another sister of Richard Wolfe)She is buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery.

 
 
 

The Tipperary & Jean Gauthier McGrath (by Wilma Bush)

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 I often wonder if anyone, over the years, ever taped or made a video of Jean (Gauthier) McGrath singing Ave Maria at numerous weddings in Sacred Heart. She had a lovely voice - a French lady who came from Timmins - operated Tipperary House on Marble Point Rd with husband Jim - had overnight guests - served meals & had a small shop in the one room where I I had my first popsickle - Mom preferred their Eskimo Pies! We loved it when she attended any of the bonfires around Crowe Lake because we were able to hear her voice again. She & Jim were godparents of my brother Jim McKinnon.

The Tipperary Hotel,  Marble Point Road,  Crowe Lake, Marmora (now demolished)

The Tipperary Hotel,  Marble Point Road,  Crowe Lake, Marmora (now demolished)

Joanne MacKenzie Thompson  adds:   I wish I had seen these pics when we owned the Tipperary (1983-1989)...it would have been wonderful to have that front/side verandah facing the water again...we only had a small front porch.

Andy Logan adds:   Great shot of the Tipperary House. My grandfather (Grampa Hulsman) used to own it. I was just a wee lad then but remember there celebrating his 90th birthday.

 

John O'Neill and Annie McGrath (by Bill O'Keefe)

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John O'Neill and Annie McGrath

John O'Neill and Annie McGrath

 

 

 

Hello, My grandmother,  Ellen O'Neill,  was from Marmora.   She married William O'Keefe in 1901 at Sacred Heart RC Church . She was the daughter of John O'Neill and Annie Shannon.   Related names are, Wolfe,Shannon, O'Neill, Nihill,Hughes, Moloney, La Fontain ,Foley and many more. I have been researching these and other relatives from the Hastings county area for quite a few years.  I have other pictures and stories also. The picture is my grandmother's brother John O'Neill and his wife Annie McGrath. Your web site is very good.

Bill O'Keefe