Parrsboro, N. S.

Year
1883
Month
10
Day
27
Article Title
Parrsboro, N. S.
Author
-----
Page Number
1
Article Type
Language
Article Contents
PARRSBORO, N. S. Loyalist Items, and the Days when Ratchford was King. Railway Connection and the Wonders it has Wrought. The Trade of Minas Basin should be Grasped by St John. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Nothing strange or startling has transpired since my last budget of notes, and as THE SUN has been fully engaged With Exhibition news — for which we countrymen who; could not leave home beg to express our highest appreciation — I thought I would not inflict upon THE SUN’S readers anything that would be of no especial interest. Now that St. John has about passed its Centennial year and has made the country ring, through its press, with the result of a century’s work on the part of a few Loyalists and their descendants, it may not be uninteresting to look at what Parrsboro has done in the same time. At the time of the landing of the Loyalists in the Parrsboro District the commercial supremacy of the Bay of Fundy and Minas Basin was held by the Ratchfords at Partridge Island, and for a long time after the landing at St. John and on this shore Ratchfords were King. It is said that the Ratchford — James — began business with £5, and during his lifetime accumulated over £80,000, which was left to eight children. The country for miles around was under their control and long after Mill Village, now called Parrsborough, was considerable of a settlement, one could not drive into it without crossing some of Ratchfords property. About the same time the Loyalists landed, several families from over the bay settled here, amongst whom was the grandfather of the late E. Vickery, M. P. P., and to whose enterprise in building a mill in the woods, the original name of Mill Village is due. The Loyalist portion of the community settled principally on the shore between here and Advocate Harbor, the land being laid off in strips fronting on the shore and running back almost indefinitely. Today these properties are held by the descendants of the old Loyalists, and the names of Kerr, Hatfield, Pettis, Cole and others are as household words. The old folks suffered much, as the lands given them were not adapted to any extent for farming purposes and the long distances that had to be travelled around the shores to buy from Ratchford made existence not as pleasant as it might have been. The old conservative spirit, however, was strong and as one of their grandchildren said lately to the writer: "They cared for nothing except to be under England’s wing." The Conservative feeling of the Loyalist fathers has lost nothing in the century past and Parrsboro ranks today the strongest Conserservative district in Nova Scotia. With the advent of new blood Ratchford’s power began to wane and the opening of new businesses by the DeWolfs and others gradually broke the monopoly and in a few more years it will only be a matter of history that they ever existed. In looking over some old ledgers a short time since I was amused at the prices charged for goods. TOBACCO, 4 shillings per pound; rum, 5 shillings a gallon; (we pay that for a bottle now and not good at that) molasses, 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d.; flour; $16 per barrel. A relict of the olden times, in the person of DEACON TAYLOR, can be seen at West Brook, near here, at any time. Mr. Taylor was born on the 3rd February, 1787, and is still hale and hearty and can read his Christian Messenger without glasses. His father was Captain Taylor, and his late brother, Parr Taylor, was christened by Governor Parr’s request, in honor of his being the first male child born in the district. Some interesting data and anecdotes can be had from Deacon Taylor. One story of the old man's is not too bad. When asked about the naming of the parish, he said he was not positive, but he understood, when a boy, that on Governor Parr’s first visit here there was only one log hut and that was built principally under ground, so that when his Excellency tried to effect an entrance, he had to crawl on his hands and knees, and in consequence the place was dubbed "Parrs-burrow". Later on, for fear it plight be mistaken as a corruption of borough, the latter was adopted, at the same time doing much more honor to the Governor. Passing through a succession of unimportant changes and kept in a certain groove by the ultra-conservative spirit of the people, no very marked advancement was made, until the completion of the railway connecting us with the I. C. R. Since then, our progress has been very satisfactory and with the increased impetus to trade a healthy management of the railway will ensure, and the weeding out through honest competition of a few sharp dealers whose operations have already been injurious enough, the future of Parrsboro is bright in prospective indeed. To show the rapid increase in our trade as it is at present, one need only go to the Savings Bank. In 1881, $42,000 were on deposit, while today there is a balance to credit of depositors of $55,000, being $13,000 of an increase it two years. The Halifax Banking Company, from an unimportant Agency a few years since, has reached its maximum capabilities and requires a staff of four to do its work. Since Parrsboro was made a port of registration, 103 vessels registering 20,497 tons have been placed on record, and many others built and launched in the district have been registered at other ports. Taking an average month, I find the exports amount to over $150,000, while the imports reach $25,000 for the same month. The trade of Parrsboro NATURALLY GOES TO ST. JOHN, and with a little looking after it on the part St. John business men, the whole trade of Minas Basin could be controlled by them, and more especially as Halifax business men are out of the race through. lack of enterprise. The Cumberland Coal and Railway Company’s operations next season will prove valuable aids to our advancement. At present about 40 men are employed on the line, the monthly traffic averaging $3,000. These figures will be materially increased with the spring. The social element has never been developed to any extent and it is really annoying to hear the Queen’s own English horribly murdered and mutilated by the rising generation. Many of the smaller children now attending the public schools are better grammarians by far than those who have reached the estate of men and women. An unfortunate characteristic of the place is the tendency to scandal, but all these things will wear off as the polishing stone of knowledge is brought into play. Morally, Parrsboro is no worse than other places, and not as bad as many. All shipping towns are, more or less, addicted to rowdyism, but what little we have had here has been due largely to the very unsatisfactory and inefficient police arrangements. The police constable whose violence to a prisoner during the fire excitement attracted some considerable attention, has been, since Parrsboro was made a police division, "cock of the walk." Your correspondent heard him say on the street one day, in presence of a crowd, that he "did not care a blank for any magistrate in Parrsboro; he knew too much for them to say anything," and thus the farce called justice goes on. It was only after an extra exertion he could be brought to punishment for being drunk, disorderly, using obscene language, and breaking up a private party; and, notwithstanding the strong evidence against him, he was retained in his position, although fined $25 and costs. When the complainant in the case above referred to asked Rector if he could read or write, his chaperone, the P. M., refused to let him answer, saying, "You want to work up a newspaper article, I suppose, on the defendant’s shortcomings." Thank heaven! that when the County Council meets in January, we have promises that our beautiful stipendiary and his elegant officer will be no longer required, their usefulness being like Othello’s occupation. And why should a civilized community put up with our police court outrage? Physically, our condition is A 1. A little deficient, possibly, in sanitary matters, but nature provides a remedy in a pleasant, healthy location and with the fresh sea breeze from the Bay of Fundy, or the still more bracing air from over the Cobequids, there is no need of any one being ill. With incorporation, which we expect to gain this winter, a complete change in drainage and water supply will bring us up to the level of perfection.