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HARRY
JAMES FRENCH, general farmer and county councilor, residing on Lot 5,
Concession 3, in Camden township, County of Kent, owns and operates a fine
farm of 100 acres to which he came in December, 1892. His birth occurred
in Chatham township, County of Kent, October 15th, 1862, and he
is a son of Anslum and Nancy (McIntyre) French, of Chatham and Harwich
townships, respectively. They were married in that county and celebrated
their golden anniversary not long before they died, the father in 1893,
aged seventy-six years, the mother in October of the same year, aged
seventy-three years. They lie buried in Arnold’s cemetery in Chatham
township. Both were consistent members of the Methodist Church. Mr.
French was a farmer by occupation. The children born to Mr. And Mrs.
French were: John, a harness maker of Kent Bridge; Susanna, of the County
of Lambton, wife of Edwin Wicks; Thomas, of Chatham; Rachel, of Dresden,
who married Thomas Ritchie; Sarah A., deceased, who married Duncan
Ritchie; Eliza, of Chatham township, widow of W.J. Smith; Anne, who
married John Dowswell, of Dutton, Ontario; Edwin, deceased; Sylvester, who
is in the furnace business at Cleveland, Ohio; and Harry James.
On June 17th, 1889, in Dresden,
Ontario, Mr. French was married to Mary E. Huff, and they have four
children, Owen G., Lorne B., Harold G. and Evelyn E. Mrs. French was born
in Camden township, County of Kent, Ontario, May 8th, 1965, a
daughter of Daniel and Mary (Gifford) Huff, of England, who were married
in the County of Kent, where they were farming people. The father died in
July 1887, aged sixty-four years, and the mother died in 1877, aged
forty-six years, and they are buried in Dresden cemetery. Both were
consistent members of the Methodist Church.
Until he was thirteen Harry J. French remained
with his parents, and then engaged as clerk in a dry-goods establishment
in Dresden, Ontario, remaining there for seven years. From that city he
went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and remained in a store for a year,
returning to Dresden, where for seven years he was engaged in a grain
business. In December 1892, he located on his present farm, where he has
since been making a success of farming. Fraternally he is a member of the
C.O.O.F. and the Woodsmen of the World, and is a Master Mason. Both he
and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Church and he has
been superintendent of the Sunday-school for the past four years. For
four years he served as township councilor, was reeve three years and has
been county commissioner since 1900. He is a Conservative in politics,
and is at present secretary of the East Kent Conservative Association. As
a public official as well as private citizen he has proven himself a man
of ability and sterling worth, and he has many friends throughout his
neighbourhood. |
