Year: 1878

IDteregIinG Relies Received by Sheriff


Mcclellan.


Those who have had business at the
county building during the past day or
two may have noticed two queer looking
hslf.spherical stones lying in the en-
trance thereof; and further, they were
probably unable to guess what the
bOwlders were used for. Some, no doubt,
took them for large>sized curbing stones,
which they somewhat resemble, and
others, mayhap, thought nothing of them.
At all events they we're objects OF con.
lecture to all visitors Through the
kindness of Mr. McKellar we are enabled
to give a sketch of the history of these
mill,stones, for such they are


In the year 1917, about sixty years ago.
Peter McKellar (father of the sheriff of
Wentworth) and a few more highland
Scotch families, settled in that part of
the country now known as the
township Of Allboro, in the county
of Elgin. 1t was then dense wilder
ness, and those daring people settled
away in the very heart Of the forest,
through which it was impossible to drive
a wagon without first cutting out road.
Among the many priystions. which the
settlers had to endure was tile want OF a
mill for grinding grain, the nearest being
about fifty miles away on Kettle creek,
east of St. Thomas. Owing to the total
absence of roads, it of course did not
pay to take grist all that distance, so
Peter McKellsr, with the assistance OF
MIR. Minzie, an old stone mason, set to
work and constructed a hand-mill. They
took two hard heads q. e., granite bowl
ders), and with great difficulty, for they
had but few Inefficient tools, managed
to hew these stones into the desired shape.
Having accomplished this they took a
section of hollow tree and fastened
the neither milestone securely to it. Then
the upper one was placed upon this aud
held in place by an iron axel running up
from below, and which had a cross.piece
to allow of the upper stone being lifted.
4 beam was then made fast across the
house walls and into it long piece of
wood was fastened with swivel joint.
The bottom end of this stick fitted into
a hole in the top of the stone near the
side, and completed the primitive
machine. 1t was operated by two men
who took hold of the bottom OF the crank
or lever and whirled the stone around,
while third person fed in the grain. The
sheriff can Just remember the men coming
| in after an arduOus days work logging
or chopping and seeing them working
away at the mill, which stood about
breast high on the floor of the log house,
while the huge log fire blazed ana
cracked cheerily in the huge square flTe-
| place. The settlers would come in night
after night and grind enough grain to DO
them for day or two.


The settlement rapidly prospered;
roads we're built, aud Peter Mchellar
erected a water-mill on Slxteen,mile
creek, This threw the old hand mill out
of work, so it was again transported, this
time into the heart Of Middlesex, where
it was used for some years longer, when
it ones raore fell into desuetude and was
laid aside, and has remained quiesSen1
ever since. The sheriff received them
from a namesake Of his aday or TWO ago,
in the township of Mosa, county ot
Middlesex. and beheld the stones again
for the first time in fifty years They
are very interesting relics OF the past OF
our country, and afford enduring evidence
of the indomitable energy aud PerseveF>
srco Of the men who, in enconntering
and overcoming the hardships ana tIials
incidental to the time, laid the ioundallon
Of the prosperity Of this Canada o. ours.