One of the oldest natives of this county now residing in this locality is Reuben Hawley, Esq. of North Fredericksburgh. He is now in his eighty-ninth year, and is still hale and active. He may often be seen driving his carriage through our streets. His mind and memory are yet clear, his health yet remains good and he bids fair to be one in our midst for some years yet. He comes from a strong and healthy parentage. His mother lived to be 94 years of age and a number of his relatives passed many mile stones beyond the allotted three score and ten.

Mr. Hawley was born in 1808 a short distance beyond what is now the old village of Camden East, but that was years before any village had an existence there. His parents moved to the farm where he now resides, on the Napanee river, and he has lived there ever since--84 continuous years on the same farm. He has been a farmer all his lifetime, an excellent type of those industrious, prosperous, intelligent and loyal farmers for which this county is so noted. His father, Jehial Hawley, established a distillery there in the good old days when it is said, "there were more distilleries in the county than mills and more taverns than churches," and when almost every farmer considered his barrel of pure rye whiskey almost as much one of the necessaries of life as his barrel of flour. He has always been a temperate man, however. The liquors of those days were wonderfully different from the fiery corn extract of today, but even then many had much reason to regret the results of their use at all.

Mr. Hawley well remembers when there were but very few pretentions to a village where our Town of Napanee now stands. All that there was here in his early days was a small flouring mill, the property of the Hon. R. Cartwright, (the grandfather of Sir Richard) which stood about where the Herring foundry is now located, but that was many years before the present hydraulic canal was built. There was also a small store, standing near where the Gibbard Company's finishing shop now stands, on Dundas street. It was owned and carried on by Major McPherson, the first merchant and post master here, and for many years one of the most prominent and successful business men. He was also one of the first Magistrates in this county. A little east of that on the opposite side of the street, stood the "Old Red Tavern," which was well known to all the early inhabitants of this section. The same building is standing yet,--the old frame dwelling house one door west of Mr. Wilder Joy's. Mr. Hawley states that it is the oldest house now standing in Napanee. We are informed that our late well-known townsman, Mr. Archibald McNeill, was born in that house. It has been continuously occupied ever since.

Mr. Hawley has always been a man of quiet and retiring habits and therefore never took a very prominent part in political affairs. He has been a life-long supporter of the Old Reform party however, and his sympathies and support are still with that party. His grandfather, Davis Hawley, who resided near Hawley P.O., South Fredericksburgh, one of the leading pioneers of this district, was a near neighbour and a very active supporter of Peter Perry, who was over sixty years ago one of the powerful leaders of the party in Upper Canada. Associated with Peter Perry was Marshall Bidwell, at one time a resident of Bath, who also represented this county from 1828 for years and was Speaker of the House and one of the ablest men in the party. These men long had the active support of the Hawley family in this county. The elections in those days were generally held for a whole week, and for years at "Fralick's Tavern," near the Brick church at Morven, where Mr. B.B. Vanslyck now resides. Sheriff George D. Hawley is a cousin of the subject of this sketch, and so are Davis Hawley Miller and William Miller, ex-Warden, both of this town. The late David Roblin, ex-Warden of the old Midland District and ex-M.P.P. of Lennox and Addington, was a brother-in-law. His relatives throughout the country are numerous and very respectable. He is the last, however, of a large and influential family. Mr. Hawley reared a family of six children, two of whom died some years ago. These were Homer, who died a young man at the family residence; Flindall, who died a Napanee a few years ago and whose family now resides in town. The living members are George, who resides on the homestead, Mrs. A.L. Bogart, of Deseronto; Mrs. George Lasher, of Toronto, and Mrs. G.H. Williams, of Napanee.

Next week we propose furnishing a sketch of our venerable townsman, Mr. George Cliff, Sr., now 82 years of age.