On
Christmas Day Mr. and Mrs. Wm. F. Walsh of Vittoria celebrated the
fiftieth anniversary of their wedding at the home of their son, W. W.
Walsh, Market Street.
Both the bride and groom are
still well and happy and despite advancing years are remarkably active
and young in spirit.
They were married by Rev. A.
Smith of the Baptist Church at Vittoria in 1865, and have been blessed
with six children, all of whom are still living and have among them
fifteen grandchildren.
The family consists of Chas.
Walsh, Port Rowan; Duncan A. Walsh, Petoskey, Mich.; Oliver Walsh,
Vittoria; W. W. Walsh, Simcoe; Olive, now Mrs. G. F. Laing of Walsh;
Lulu, now Mrs. Frank Earl of Charlotteville.
Both the old folks are
descendants of the oldest families in the county, Mrs. Walsh being a
daughter of the late Oliver Mabee and Mr. Walsh being a son of the
late Duncan Walsh.
Duncan Walsh settled on the
farm of his father, lot 12 in the 5th concession of Charlotteville,
and in turn passed it on to the present Wm. F. Walsh who lived on it
till about twenty years ago when he retired to the village.
The family was originally from
Wales but became Canadian through Thomas Walsh [sic], who moved
to Norfolk from Maryland in the early part of the eighteenth century.
In the family cemetery on the old homestead the dates run back as far
as 1716. In fact the history of Norfolk County and the history of the
Walsh family will tell pretty much the same story.
Among the guests present at
the anniversary on Christmas were Senator McCall, Henry Palmerton,
Mrs. James Mabee, Mrs. Frank McCall, Mrs. Dan Palmerton, Mr. and Mrs.
Richard Johnson, Mrs. and Mrs. Tyrus Mabee, Harvey S. Falls, Mrs. John
Beaupre and many others of the old family.
