Part 107
=Worthington, Edward D.=, A.M., M.D., F.R.C.S. (Edin.), Sherbrooke, P.Q. The subject of our sketch is one of the oldest physicians and surgeons in the District of St. Francis, having been in practice nearly fifty years, and gained for himself the reputation of being the leading surgeon in that part of Canada. He was born in Queen’s county, Ireland, on the 1st December, 1820. His parents, John Worthington and Mary Dagge, left Queen’s county on the 11th April, 1822, and after a short stay in Dublin, sailed from that port for America on the 2nd May, and reached Quebec on the 23rd June. Here they remained until 1828, when Mr. Worthington was induced to remove to Upper Canada. Taking his family with him, he started from Quebec on the 28th April of that year, and reached Queenston on the 12th May. This journey proved a most disastrous one, for the whole family suffered from fever and ague, and other misfortunes, and within a few days of one year they returned to Quebec. Here Mr. Worthington remained until his death, he and his wife having resided over fifty years in the city where they first landed after having left their native country. Their bodies now repose in Mount Hermon cemetery, on the banks of the St. Lawrence, surrounded by the graves of seven of their children. The subject of this sketch and his brother John, a druggist in Brooklyn, New York, being all who are left of a large family. In 1834 Dr. Worthington was indentured for seven years to the late Dr. James Douglas, of Quebec, who at that time occupied the foremost rank in his profession in Canada, he and the late Dr. Valentine Mott, of New York, being considered the most accomplished surgeons in America. After serving over five years, Dr. Douglas relieved him from the balance of his indenture, to enable him to accept an appointment as staff-assistant-surgeon in the British army. An assistant-surgeoncy in the army, however, in those piping times of peace, with its “7s. 6d. sterling per diem, and rations,” presented few attractions, so, after serving two years, he left the army, and went to Edinburgh, where he spent two years in attending lectures and “walking” the hospitals. While in Edinburgh he was awarded the medal of the Royal College of Surgeons, and also won the friendship of many of her eminent men, with some of whom he still keeps up a friendly correspondence. Among the students at that time from this side of the Atlantic, were the present Sir Charles Tupper, M.D., C.B.; the Hon. Dr. D. McNeil Parker, of Halifax; and the late Dr. R. H. Russell, of Quebec. On his return to Canada he received, on the 1st August, 1843, the license of the Montreal Medical Board, and immediately settled in Sherbrooke, Eastern townships, where he soon built up an extensive practice, and where he has since continued to reside. He has the fullest confidence of the community in his skill as a physician, and for over thirty years has had nearly all the surgical practice in his district of country. He has the full confidence of his _confrères_, who frequently send for him from long distances for consultations. Dr. Worthington, it will not be out of place to say here, was the first surgeon in Canada who performed a capital operation under ether as an anæsthetic, and was also among the first to use chloroform. On the 10th March, 1847, he amputated below the knee, under ether; and in January, 1848, three cases under chloroform, one being excision of bone. In 1854 the University of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, conferred upon him the degree of M.A., _honoris causa_; and in 1868, McGill College, Montreal, that of M.D.C.M., _ad eundem_. He is also a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; corresponding member of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal, and of the Gynæcological Society of Boston, Massachusetts; member of the Canada Medical Association, having been, in 1877, vice-president for the province of Quebec; and for many years one of the governors of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Quebec, for the District of St. Francis. The doctor has received several substantial marks of public favor, among others, a solid silver tea-service, for his gratuitous attendance on the poor; and a gold watch and chain for his energetic and successful efforts to prevent the spread of that most loathsome of all diseases in Sherbrooke, the small pox. In the years 1837-8, Dr. Worthington served as a private in Captain Le Mesurier’s company of the Quebec regiment of Volunteer Light Infantry, the adjutant being the late Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Wily. The doctor is a warm supporter of the volunteer movement in Canada, and has served in the 53rd Battalion since its formation. He was on active service in both Fenian raids, and retired in 1887, retaining his rank as surgeon-major. He has written a good deal for medical periodicals, and especially for the _Canada Medical Journal_, published in Montreal, and some of his papers have been copied into the medical journals of Great Britain and the United States. Among the many papers he has contributed to the Canadian press are: “A new method of bed-making in fractures” (1871); “Glue bandage in fractures” (1872); “Case of gun-shot wound in abdomen, with perforation of stomach” (1876); and “Acute fibrinous bronchitis, with expectoration of tube casts” (1876). Dr. Worthington is a member of the Church of England, and has been a delegate to the Provincial Synod. In politics he is a Conservative. On the 16th October, 1845, he married Fanny Louisa Smith, eldest daughter of the late Hon. Hollis Smith, the first member elected to the Legislative Council for the Division of Wellington. Mrs. Worthington died on the 17th April, 1887, aged fifty-nine years. Of her eight children, five are now living, two daughters and three sons. The younger daughter is married to Major Antrobus, superintendent of the North-West Mounted Police. Of the sons, Edward Bruen, aged twenty-seven, is senior captain in the 53rd battalion; an LL.B. of Bishop’s College University, and in successful practice in Sherbrooke, as a notary public. Arthur Norreys, aged twenty-five, graduated in medicine at McGill College University in 1886, and after spending some time in Europe, settled in Sherbrooke. He was recently gazetted surgeon to the 53rd battalion, on his father’s retirement from the volunteer service. In September, 1887, he married, at Toronto, Emma May, daughter of H. H. Cook, M.P. for Simcoe East. The youngest son, Hugh Standish, is now at Bishop’s College Grammar School, Lennoxville. Arthur Norreys served through the North-West rebellion in the Field Hospital Corps, and so greatly distinguished himself for his humanity and bravery as to receive the following notice in the official report of Dr. Bergin, surgeon-general:
Many of these young men did noble work, regardless of danger. Where the bullets fell thickest, with a heroism that has never been exceeded, they were to be found, removing the wounded and the dying to places of shelter and of safety in the rear. Some cases of individual heroism are reported to me, which I feel call for more than a passing remark; and embolden me to say that amongst these non-combatant lads, and the staff to which they belonged, are to be found some of the greatest heroes of the war. At Batoche I am told that during the fight a flag was thrust from the window of the church, and was observed by a surgeon and a student who were under shelter from the fire at a couple of hundred yards distance. The student, immediately he perceived it, proposed that a party should at once go to the relief of the one demanding succor. No one appeared willing to second his proposal. To go to the church through the open under such a terrible fire as was being poured from the Half-breed pits, seemed to be like proceeding to certain death; but persisting, the surgeon said: “if you are determined to go, and we can find two volunteers to assist us in carrying a stretcher, I am with you.” Two men from the Grenadiers of Toronto at once stepped forward; and the four started upon their perilous journey—crawling upon their bellies—taking advantage of any little inequality of ground to cover them, and to shield them from the bullets of the Half-breeds. They reached the church—the bullets tearing up the earth all around them—without a scratch, and, breathing a short prayer for their deliverance thus far from death and danger, they looked around for him whom they had risked, and were still risking, their lives, to succor and to save. They found him in the person of a venerable priest, who had been wounded in the thigh, and they at once proceeded to remove him, after administering temporary aid. To remain in the church was to court certain death. To return to their corps seemed to be no less perilous; but they chose the latter. When they sortied from the church, so astonished were the Half-breeds at their daring that they ceased their fire for a moment. This time, returning, they had no cover, and were obliged to march erect. Bullets flew thick and fast; but the condition of the wounded man precluded anything like hurry, and they hastened slowly. God watched over them and protected them, and they reached their comrades in safety, their wounded charge also escaping without further harm. Such conduct deserves recognition, and I beg respectfully to call attention to it in this official way. I have not yet been able to obtain the names of the two noble fellows belonging to the Grenadiers, but I hope this notice of it will bring the information I desire. The other two are Surgeon Gravely, of No. 1 Field Hospital, and Mr. Norreys Worthington, from the same hospital. The manner in which Captain Mason was rescued and brought in by, I believe, Dr. Codd, of the 90th, and one of the young dressers (Mr. Norreys Worthington), was an exhibition of marked courage by members of the medical staff. Other instances well deserving of commendation have been reported to me, and I would respectfully suggest inquiry into all such cases, and if they be found as reported to me, that honorable recognition of them be made.
Mr. Worthington claimed descent through Bruen Worthington, of Ashton Hayes, in the county of Chester, and of Philpotstown, in the county of Meath, clerk in the Irish House of Commons, in 1734; from Hugh Worthington, of Worthington, in the county of Lancaster, and of the Manor of Adlington, in Standish parish. He held the lordship of Worthington in the 13th year of Edward IV., A.D. 1474.
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=Vaughan, William=, St. Martins, N.B., was born in 1843, in Liverpool, England, and is consequently in his forty-fifth year. He is the son of the late Captain William Vaughan, of St. Martins, and it is by a mere accident that he claims Liverpool as his birthplace. He received his earlier education in a private school, and afterwards attended the Model school of St. John, N.B., and the Horton Academy at Wolfville, N.S. At the age of seventeen Mr. Vaughan was placed in the office of Farnworth & Jardine, a large shipping firm, of Liverpool, staying there for two years, getting his initial knowledge of business life therein. Returning home, he, in 1866, commenced business on his own account in St. Stephen, N.B. This he continued successfully until 1873, when, in partnership with another gentleman, he established the West India produce house of Vaughan, Clerke & Co. of St. Stephen. On the incorporation of the town, Mr. Vaughan was elected a member of the first town council, and was re-elected as such for the two succeeding years. In 1876 he commenced operations in St. Martins as shipbuilder, building vessels of the larger class. In 1878 the subject of our sketch sold out his interest in the St. Stephen firm, and again made his residence in his boyhood’s home—St. Martins. In 1882, in consequence of the failure of a Liverpool house which were large clients of his, and also in consequence of the depreciation which took place in wooden ships, Mr. Vaughan was compelled to relinquish business. Soon afterwards he was appointed manager of the Government Savings Bank at St. Martins, which position he still holds. In religious belief Mr. Vaughan is a prominent member of the Baptist church, being admitted to fellowship therein in 1857. He has held many positions of honour in this connection, all of which he has filled with credit to himself and with satisfaction to the denomination. Mr. Vaughan is also prominent in Masonic circles, being a past master of Sussex Lodge, St. Stephen; past principal of St. Stephen R. A. Chapter; and past eminent commander of St. Stephen Encampment K.T. In 1867 the subject of our sketch married a daughter of John Marks, of St. Stephen, and has a family of three boys and two girls. Mr. Vaughan has been a life-long total abstainer, not even knowing the taste of alcoholic liquors. At the present writing (1887) he is the grand chief templar of the Independent Order of Good Templars in New Brunswick, and has held the position for two years. Politically, Mr. Vaughan is a Conservative, although, as between the question of prohibition and party, if necessary, the latter would have to bow to the former. A man of good physique and energetic character, Mr. Vaughan is one of the many of her sons of whom his province, and, in fact, his country, may be proud.
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=Fraser, Hon. Duncan C.=, B.A., Barrister, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, was born at New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, on the 1st of October, 1845. His parents were Alexander Fraser and Annie Chisholm. He received his primary education at the Normal School, and graduated B.A. at Dalhousie College in 1872. He also took a course of instruction in the Military School. He chose law as a profession, and has succeeded in building up a large and lucrative business. Mr. Fraser has taken an active interest in municipal affairs, and for some time was town clerk, and a school trustee. He was then elevated to the mayoralty of his native town, and occupied the office for two terms. In provincial politics, he has also participated, and during the administration of the Hon. P. C. Hill, which held the reigns of power from 1875 to 1878, he was a member of the Legislative Council, and held a position in the government without a portfolio, but he resigned his seat in the council and returned to private life. In politics he is a Liberal, and a pronounced free trader. He has been long connected with the temperance reform, and takes a deep interest in all societies having for their object the extermination of the traffic in intoxicating drinks. At present he is the chief of the Independent Order of Good Templars in Nova Scotia. He is connected with Masonic and Oddfellows orders; and has been a deputy-grand master of the Masonic body. Mr. Fraser is familiar with the Maritime provinces, and has twice taken a trip to the Pacific coast. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian church, and occupies the position of elder. On the 24th of October, 1878, he was married to Bessie G. Graham, daughter of William and Annie Graham, of New Glasgow.
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=Matheson, Colonel Roderick.=—The Honorable Roderick Matheson, Senator, was born in the parish of Loch Carron, Ross-shire, Scotland, in December, 1793. He was descended from the last recognized Chief of Clan Mathan, Dugald Matheson, of Balmacara, Loch Alsh, Ross-shire, who joined Earl Seaforth in the Jacobite rebellion, and was killed in the action of Glen Shiel, Glenelg, on 10th June, 1719. Dugald Matheson left four sons. The three younger brothers went out to India, and did not return; the eldest, Roderick, remained at home and married Christina, daughter of Kenneth Mackenzie, with issue John, Dugald, and a daughter. John married Flora, daughter of Donald Macrae, of Strath Conan, who also fought in the Jacobite cause at Culloden, and was obliged to leave Scotland for some years after the rebellion. John Matheson had issue two sons, one of them the subject of our sketch, and three daughters. Col. Matheson’s father died while he was a boy, and while attending school at Inverness; he was brought out to Canada at the age of twelve, by his elder brother, and completed his education at a school in Lower Canada. When the war of 1812 broke out, a regiment was raised by the Imperial Government, called the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles, and on the 6th Feb., 1812, Roderick Matheson was gazetted senior ensign, and in 1813, he was appointed lieutenant and paymaster. During the war he saw a great deal of active service, being present at the actions of York, Sackett’s Harbor, Cross Roads, Fort George, Lundy’s Lane, and Fort Erie, and in nearly all the engagements on the Niagara frontier. He was twice wounded, once very severely at Sackett’s Harbor, where he was in command of his company. After the war, he was allowed a year’s leave on full pay on account of his wound, and in December, 1816, on the reduction of the army, he was retired on half-pay. In 1817, with a large number of his comrades in arms, he settled at the town of Perth, Ont., then founded, and continued to reside there up to the time of his death, on 13th January, 1873. During the rebellion of 1837, he volunteered with five hundred men for service in Lower Canada, and, as Colonel commanding the First Military District of Upper Canada, he took an active interest in the organization of many of the present volunteer companies in the Ottawa Valley from 1855 to 1863. In 1847, Col. Matheson was appointed a life member of the Legislative Council of Canada, and, on the confederation of the provinces in 1867, he was appointed a Senator of the Dominion. Previous to the appointment of county judges, he was also Chairman of the Quarter Sessions. He married first, Mary, daughter of Captain Robertson, of Inverness, Scotland, who died in 1825; second, in 1830, Anna, daughter of the Rev. James Russell, minister of Gairloch, Ross-shire, Scotland, by whom he had a large family. In politics Col. Matheson was a staunch Conservative.
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=Peters, Simon=, J.P., Builder and Architect, Quebec, was born in Youghal, county Cork, Ireland, on the 18th September, 1815. His father, who died in 1837, had been color-sergeant in H. M. 1st Battalion 60th Regiment, and had seen active service in the memorable battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, and Pampalona. The family had come to Canada some years before the father’s death, and settled in Quebec. The subject of this sketch had but slight educational advantages, being entirely self-taught until over twenty years of age. He was apprenticed to the building trade at the age of sixteen, developing marked talent as a mechanic. In 1836 he left Quebec for New York, where he remained for four years. In 1838 he married Eliza Jane Lamoreux, daughter of the late Abraham Lamoreux, high constable of New York. In the same year he secured his first schooling in the form of a six months’ course of drawing lessons, during which he proved himself an apt and interested scholar. In 1840 he returned to Quebec, where winter was just setting in. Though possessed of little of this world’s goods, Mr. Peters was not dismayed, but by dint of natural ability and hard work, soon made a place for himself. In the winter of 1841-42 he finished his scholastic education with a season’s course in the night classes of the British-Canadian school, under the late Mr. Geggie. He also employed his evenings, for seven years, learning vocal music, and attained a good reputation as a tenor singer at St. Patrick’s Church, and also at concerts for charitable objects. He found good friends in the late Alexander Simpson, cashier of the Bank of Montreal, and Rev. Mr. McMahon. His worldly affairs prospering, he was able to take charge of his widowed mother, sister and four brothers. The brothers became in turn apprenticed to him at the building trade. In 1853 he built a steam sash, door, and blind factory, the first ever built in Quebec. This factory worked continuously until 1864, when it was destroyed, together with a large quantity of lumber. The proprietor’s loss was very heavy, as there was little insurance. Two years later he built the present works on the corner of Grant and Prince Edward streets, known as the St. Charles Steam Saw and Planing Mills, blind, door, sash, box, and car factory, a large and important industry. He constructed the joiner work of the first steamer _Quebec_, and the steamer _Union_, plying on the river St. Lawrence. Mr. Peters has reached the topmost round of success in his profession, having been engaged in the construction of a great variety of works, many of them most important. A mere catalogue of some of the chief ones will serve to indicate the wide range of contracts he has undertaken:—Upper Town market-house, gas works, St. Paul street market-house, Wesleyan church, St. Peter’s church, St. Sauveur church, Sisters of Charity church and buildings, Masonic hall, Lévis Episcopal church, music hall, jail and court house at St. Hyacinthe, and also at St. Thomas, Montmagny; Wellington barracks, at Halifax, Nova Scotia; hotel at Tadousac, and the Earl of Dufferin’s house, at the same place. He restored Quebec custom house after the fire; built the wharf and light-house at Point St. Laurent Island of Orleans; also the outer ballast wharf, and the Louise embankment connected with the same, at the mouth of the St. Charles river; the Allan wharf; also a large number of dwellings; notably, Hamwood, Cataraqui, Elmsgrove, Bandon Lodge, Bijou, Sans Bruit, and Sir George Stephens’ elegant house, at Grand Metis, lined and finished inside with British Columbia cedar, brought over by the Canadian Pacific Railway for the purpose. Of fourteen children born, four sons and four daughters remain, all the daughters and two of the sons being married. In religion, Mr. Peters is a Roman Catholic. He has been for years vice-president of the Quebec and Lake St. John Railway Company, as well as a member of the council of the Quebec Board of Trade. He has been a member of St. Patrick’s Society for over twenty-five years, and was its president for the year 1878-1879. He has won his success not by adventitious aids, but is emphatically a self-made man, an honor to Canada, and to the race from which he sprung.
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