David Brethour was born in the village of Ballangrane, in the county of Limerick, Ireland, in 1831.   He was the youngest of a family of ten children, six sons and four daughters.   He was unfortunate in the loss of his mother when he was nine months old, she having fallen a victim to that terrible scourge, Asiatic cholera.   His father had a small farm in Limerick, on which he labored to support his family and pay the yearly rent to his landlord.   In 1833, having but the little piece of land, he decided to come to America, sailing from the town of Cork for Quebec, making the long, dreary passage with his children in eleven weeks.   After arriving at Quebec his father came on west till he reached the county of Ontario, and settled in the township of Georgina, on the eastern shore of Lake Simcoe.   That township was then, and was for many years afterwards, a complete wilderness.   This part of Ontario was far away from the great water-ways that skirted the southern part of the Province, and was consequently far removed from the markets where produce could be disposed of Mr. Brethour being only about three years old, the first thing he remembers was the little episode of his father shooting a great bear in a small patch of oats that grew around the shanty.   Being fully alive to the dangers attending bear hunting in that wild country, he wisely took precaution to secure his safety if the result should turn out otherwise than well.   He therefore, by the aid of a ladder, securely placed himself in a hemlock tree and awaited with his gun the arrival of bruin.   He had not long to wait when his bearship came out of the woods for his evening meal of the new settler's oats.   Taking a good aim, he fired and shot the animal dead.   He was desirous, however, to make sure before he descended from his perch in the tree, and one of his sons came out with another gun and fired a couple of shots into the dead body lying among the oats, after which he safely descended from his seat.   In the young period of Mr. Brethour's life he escaped that terrible ordeal through which the youth of all civilized countries have to pass, the public school.   In the township of Georgina there were no such institutions for the training of the young mind.   He had accordingly passed the period of life when boys are supposed to learn and ought to be taught the various branches of education that fit them for the duties of after life.   As he grew to manhood he felt most severely the want of some education, or at least that he should be able to read.   He therefore, during the hours of recess from labor, made such progress in his studies as at least placed him on a par with the settlers who surrounded him.   Since that time he has been a most varied and extensive reader in every branch of literature, and is, perhaps, the best historian in the township of Blanshard.

Next Page - David Brethour - Those Early Years