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WHMTY FEEpRESS, WEDNEsDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1988 PAGE 21 Author relates 100 years of Greenbank history By Debbie Luchuk Highlighting life in the north- er ces of Ontario County fromn 1835 Wo 1938, "Greenbank - Country Matters in the l9th Century" describes a society noted for its roughness and barrennesis, a frontier society. It is a social history Of. nineteenth century Ontario as seen through the histories of four contignous fermes south of Greenbank on Hwy 12," says author W.H. Grahamn, himself a Greenbank erea resident. It takes four fermes as the starting point, end expandsa W include the county, province and country and returne to the familles."t The familles are based on actual familles in the erea, one of them living on Graham's ferm. "One of its unique quelities je that it je entirely from primary material," he said, adding that information was gathered from the Whitby Archives, files of the Whitby Chronicle and the Ontario Archives in Toronto. I spent years in the registry office in Whitby tracing the history of farm holdings. The records of convictions and records of proceedinge in local courts gave' Grahem the picture of a "very disorderly and rough Society. 'There was a lot of fighting, use of blasphemous lenguage, calling out of obscene and vulgar. epithets, fighting in the street, refusing Wo give way on the road (they would fiet out and fight- W.H.L GRAHAM has written a history of the Green- bank area for the period 1835 to 1935. Fo ra ht rather than make way for each other). "I was quite shocked how meny wbmen with babies were given jail sentences for vegrancy, until I found out there was no other place (other than the jail) ta stay for these women," Graham, said. The erea was settled fairly late in the 1840e, but Graham said it was neyer a true pioneer society as there were always stores and fectory-made goode available from the waterfront Wowns such as Whiàtby. "It was a ver-y circumecribed and narrow life, with subsistence farming. The only thing that brought in money was wheat."f Life was oentred around the church or the tavern - comnpetingr social centres, one evengelical, one rowdy. Women had only the church for social contact. "A lot of time was spent paesing bylaws Wo control per- sonal conduct, but perfection was a long way aay In the bginning of seutiement, there wsvr little leisure. But the area grw quite rapidly ta peak prosperit in the 1860s with the wheat boom. However, Graham said 'bust' followed in the 1870s, and te Greenbank area was caught up in a worldwide depression. "In the 1870s, the world economy was upset and disori- ented with the speed of tech- nological advance. It left aIl kinds of people high and dry." The 1890s saw better times, with diversification in farming and with new farmi machinery Wo meke cultivation easier. Prior Wo this time, the lendscape had been -riddled with thietles and was quite treelese from clearng of the land, in short, looking like a no-man's land. "The landscape recovered also (along with the economy). Trees .were plented W eshade the cows, and green fields of pasture could be seen." The invention of the creami separator was a key element in succees toward the end of the l9th century, according to Grahami. "The invention of the hand-operated' creeni separator was on every farmi in .Ontario County by 1896, and this made th e dairy industry possible on a large scale." Trhe cream separator made mass production of dlairy products possible for sales to the growing urban population along the lake. Temperance societies, women's auiliaries and other groups formned during this period, meking society more "respect- able." The book is Grahaxn'e second. He wrote his last book in the early siies, "The Tiger of CaLnada West,"ý (1962) won a medal from the University of British Columbia for popular biography. Born and raised in Winnipeg and employed in business in Toronto, Graham began writing 30 yasago. ~e came Wo Ontario County when he purchased bis farm as a 'brght pace for holidays and weekends," and it je on the fermn that he has retired and continue 'd writing. The ferm jes a fulI-time beef operation. "Greenbank: Countr7 Matters ini the l9th Century' can be purchased at local bookstores or through Broadview Press, Peter- borough, Ont., where the book je printed. 3$hnrt abstfrEfa4hy ANNE PARRIND)ER, 17 ofMYrtie, shows her] award from 4»H for her recent completion of 121 lifeskill projects. Parrinder has been a member of 4-H for four years. F'rePress photo hospitaity and crdaholidaY mssges of good cheef But do use good judgement and cautrin Donts osedoad the otits; prtect cords f min darnge.Se sure the wring s large enough for thre oad t camies. Show Your lme of tamiay and f rien by obsewin good safety precautons rehen a cornes to speclalhofday igbtng AND eseiy day of the "Wa. The Whitby Free Press wishes you a ýsafe and happy holiday - ~ a.. à- ~rnnktu~tLa~qthnpy j"rhi£ 0s QtLftifizr~ 13. j!3r01,hfin 655347* '?!I~W tle ri z i Lmf 13j4h lu