For over sixty years, John Gibbard, Esq. has been an active man in Napanee, and he has thoroughly identified himself with the business, the social and the religious interests of this town and county. He is of English-Scotch descent, but is himself a native of this County and all his interests and sympathies have been here through a long and active business life. We believe that there is not now living in Napanee another business man who was in active business here when Mr. Gibbard first became one of its stirring residents.

His father was a native of Birmingham, England, where his grandfather was a millwright. They came to Three Rivers, Province of Quebec, during the latter part of the last century, where his grandfather superintended the building of iron smelting works, the first put in operation in Canada, and which are still being worked. Some years after that the grandfather was drowned near the head of Bay of Quinte, while on a business trip. Mr. Gibbard's father also learned his father's business as a millwright; he also engaged in the lumber business and made a number of business trips to Upper Canada. He here became acquainted with the family of Alexander Hannah, one of the pioneer residents of North Fredericksburgh, and in 1808 he married one of his daughters. Mr. Hannah was a resident of New York State, somewhere along the Black River country,--previous to the American Revolution. His sympathies were strongly with the British, and while he did not take up arms, his sympathies and support were strongly with those who did so. Numbers of those who had to flee from the fury of the Americans at that time, he assisted and protected,--some of them for months when large rewards were offered for their apprehension, and finally assisted them to get safely into Canada, where they were again safe. Mr. Hannah first settled on the Hay Bay, adjoining the Barnharts, who were old friends and relatives by marriage. He lived on lot No. 9, afterwards known as the Shuman farm, and now occupied by John Clark. Here his wife died and was buried at Sand Hill. Later on, Mr. Hannah lived and died with his daughter, Mrs. Gibbard, in Camden. He died in 1825, aged 85 years, and his remains were buried beside those of his wife at Sand Hill, on the Hay Bay.

HIS PERSONAL HISTORY

Mr. Gibbard's parents first moved to Three Rivers after their marriage, and lived there a few years. Here some of the oldest children were born. They then moved to Simmons' Mills in Ernesttown, now Wilton. Mr. Simmons was a brother-in-law. In 1814, Mr. Gibbard moved into Camden and settled on the Napanee River, near midway between Newburgh and Camden East. There he built a grist and saw mill, where the Thomson Paper Mills now stand. These were among the very first mills erected on the Napanee river above those where our town now stands. Later Mr. Gibbard also built an iron foundry, which was one of the first erected in the Province west of Kingston. Here were cast a number of the first iron ploughs in use in these counties. His health failed and he sold the mills to Elijah Miller and moved on a farm a lot or two east of Newburgh, afterwards owned by Archibald Carscallen. There he died in 1824. He served in the war of 1812-13, and was put in the dock yards at Fort Henry, Kingston. His brother was also foreman in the same yard and remained in the same position until 1824, when he removed to Montreal.

It was at Wilton that the subject of our sketch was born, in 1813; he is, therefore, now 84 years of age. He remained at home with his mother until 18 years old, obtaining such an early education as our country schools could then afford. He then began the world for himself.

His first earnings, on a farm, the result of much hard work, too, amounted to $4 per month and board. This was considered fairly good wages at that time. The next year he received $5 a month for hard and honest service rendered. He then apprenticed himself to a carpenter and joiner, with whom he worked hard for the next 3 years at $5 per month. He then went out "on his own hook" as a full fledged and competent builder, and for two or three years following was engaged in other parts of the country.

It was on the last day of August, 1836, that Mr. Gibbard located himself at Napanee, and he has been one of its well-known and enterprising citizens ever since. A small circumstance appears to have turned the scale about his residence here. He had been offered better terms by a builder in Percy township and had arranged to go there. He walked to the steamboat landing where Deseronto now stands to meet his prospective employer, but found the boat had just gone, and there would be no other chance for a day or so. Disappointed he retraced his steps to Napanee, engaged there, and has ever since loyally linked his destinies to those of this town. We hesitate not to say it was an important thing for Napanee that his lot was cast here.

Mr. Gibbard has informed us that his first job here was putting the doors and windows in the new stone block then being erected here by the late John Benson, so well known to hundreds of our readers. That is the building so long owned and occupied by the late John Blewett and now occupied as shops by Messrs. Taylor & Morris and Edgar Knight. It was, we believe, the first stone house erected in Napanee, and is now one of the oldest standing in town. That front door and frame stands there firm and sold yet, and Mr. Gibbard as he still passes it daily, has the satisfaction of seeing a good specimen of his handicraft sixty years ago.

NAPANEE SIXTY YEARS AGO

Some of Mr. Gibbard's remembrances of Napanee as it was when he first settled here are now interesting reading. It was then but a small and straggling village of a few wooden buildings. There was a small brick house farther west on Dundas St., nearly opposite Dr. Leonard's, now occupied by Mrs. F. Demorest, we believe, and the McPherson storehouse, about where the Herring's and Gibbard's business offices now stand. The only building north of Bridge street was the residence of John Benson, where Mr. John Thomson's fine residence now stands. There was also a house on the corner where the Grieve's hotel shed now stands. North and west of these places were wet and swampy, and for many years after, fever and ague were very prevalent each year. Where Mr. Gibbard's own residence now stands was a swamp, almost impassable. Dundas street west of John Lowry's and Mrs. Davy's corners was low and swampy so as not to be passable; the road west turned back over the hill past where the English church and John Stevenson's residence now stand and past the academy, where there was a heavy forest, There were several small stores, but none of them occupied more than one small room. John V. Detlor had a small store on the corner where "Cheapside" now stands, and a small brewery where the Bartlett coal and grain warehouses now are, at the harbour. John Benson had a store on the corner now occupied by Hart's music store, and S. Ramsey on the corner now occupied by Lahey & McKenty. Alexander Campbell opened a small shop a little later than that on the corner where the Merchants Bank now stands. George H. Detlor also went into business about that time. Major McPherson was then, probably, the leading business man. He had a general store, the first post-office, a distillery a little east of Joy's saw mill, and built an oatmill, which was afterwards turned into a flour mill, where Craig's flour mill now stands. He previously built the very commodious dwelling opposite the present exhibition grounds, now owned by Mr. P.R. Dafoe, which was then probably the finest dwelling house in the county. He also carried on a pretty extensive square timber and grain trade. He afterwards failed in business and moved to Kingston.

There were also several taverns, smaller than any we have now, but considered commodious in those days. The "Old Red Tavern" was the oldest. It was kept in the frame building next west of Wilder Joy's which is still standing and is now probably the oldest building in town. It was then kept by William Grange, popularly known as "Scotch Grange", the grandfather of the Granges who now run the Napanee and Erinsville stage line. John Taylor kept on the corner where the Campbell House block now stands. He was killed by an accident in 1837; he was the father of John Taylor, now postmaster at Belleville. Daniel Pringle, the father of Mrs. George H. Davy, kept where the Royal Hotel (Harry Hunter's) now stands. A large stone blacksmith shop, with a hall and shops overhead was built by a Mr. Kesler, a German, about that time. It stood just west of the present Grange block, on the site now occupied by Smith's jewelry store, Fanning & Steven's restaurant and Radford's clothing store.

SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES

There were no churches in Napanee then, or for some years after. A small square school house stood under the shadow of the large elm tree, just where the embankment of the Railway bridge now is. There the Rev. Saltern Givens began his first work as a Church of England missionary, and he used to state that young John A. Macdonald (afterwards Sir John) was a member of the choir in those days. There, too, the early Methodist preachers held their services, but only occasionally, as Switzer's, Detlor's, or Little Creek, and Adolphustown were the principal preaching places. Mr. Gibbard saw the building of the first Church of England here, stone, east of the Court House; he also assisted in the building of the old brick Wesleyan church, in 1842, and of its successor, now the Eastern church, thirty odd years ago; he also took a prominent part in building the Old White church, the first M.E. church here, and its successor, the present Western church. We believe he has been one of the trustees of that church ever since the land was first secured down to this day, and is the only one of the original Official Board now living. He has also contributed, we believe, in the erection of every other church now standing in town. He well remembers when, in this county, there were "more taverns than churches and schools, and more distilleries than mills," but as a temperance and church worker he has well done his share in bring about a very important reformation.

MORAL REFORMS

Mr. Gibbard has been a life long advocate of Temperance and other moral reforms. He was one of the founders of the first "Tee-total society" organized here, and was one of its first officers. Drinking was very prevalent then, and drunkenness was little thought of, even by the leading church members. Sixty years ago, or nearly that, a few earnest men began earnest efforts for a reform, and now, seeing what has been accomplished, he feels that their work has not been in vain. He has been a staunch friend to every Temperance and Prohibition movement here, since. In these and in Church efforts, he is now the oldest worker Napanee can boast of. He was converted at a Methodist protracted meeting held in the old Kesler building in 1837 and has been a staunch and reliable member of the Methodist church ever since. That denomination owes much to him in this locality. He was also for many years a member of the School Board and always took an active interest in Educational advancement here.

POLITICAL AND BUSINESS LIFE

Mr. Gibbard has been always a supporter of the Liberal party and is yet in active sympathy with it. Though never a strong partisan, "you always know where to find him" has been the frequent remark of those who took an active part in such contests. He was for some years a member of the town council. Previous to the time when Napanee became a separate municipality it was a part of Richmond township. In those days the municipal elections were about as hotly contested as those for parliament. Such men as David Roblin, Squire Wilson, E. Storr, the Detlors and others met among the Conservatives foemen worthy of their steel. There was open voting and two days elections. There was no law against bribery and money was lavishly spent on all sides. The excitement was often intense, and drinking and fighting were very prevalent. Yet, some earnest, noble and truly patriotic men took a prominent part in those contests, and also in the other political struggles in this county, which has always been an important and interesting background.

Mr. Gibbard began business here in a very safe and modest way, and has always been a man of prudence and caution in business affairs. For some years he manufactured and sold nearly all the fanning mills used in this county, and they were formerly much more important machines to our farmers than they now are. He gradually spread out more into building, contracting, and finally into the furniture business. He is really the founder of the present Gibbard Manufacturing Co., which has become, in many respects, the most important and best known of any in that line now in Central Ontario. Three times he has had the misfortune to be burned out. First in 1854, when nearly everything was lost and no insurance; then in 1862, when all was destroyed and the insurance only partially covered the loss, though in a little over two months he had the works rebuilt and in full blast again. The last serious fire, four or five years ago all here will remember. The loss was very serious at that time, and Mr. Gibbard had grown old; it was therefore, decided to form a joint-stock company, starting on a larger scale, and with the most modern and approved machinery, with his only son, Mr. W.T. Gibbard, as business manager. That establishment now turns out a very fine class of fancy and other goods such as are being sold and used everywhere from the Atlantic shores of Nova Scotia to Winnipeg and even further west. Napanee today owes much of its present business standing and prosperity to the establishment and enterprising and judicious management of a business established here years ago, and carefully built up by its founder, our present venerable and respected citizen, John Gibbard, Esq.

We have only space here to remark that though now past his four score years, and though he has undergone much hard work and business worry and anxiety, yet he is enjoying excellent health and bids fair yet for years of life. The Beaver joins his many friends in wishing him a Happy New Year and many returns of the same.