My Dad

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The following article was prepared by Paula Niall for a Grey County Historical Society newsletter back in November of 2012. I'm not sure when it was published or what came of her work.

I'm copying it here for friends and family on the occasion of dad's birthday -- he was born April 19, 2014.

MAURICE WATSON QUINTON

1914-2012

Maurice Quinton is remembered by Norman Seabrook as a very strong, active man with a good memory, who contributed a great deal to his community of Walter’s Falls.

“He loved to talk about the history and he had a sharp memory, in fact, much of what I learned about the local history I learned from him,” Norman told me over the phone. He was his neighbor and worked along side him for many years. “He sold me my first and only driving mare when I was 18 years old.”

Maurice was the great-grandson of John Walter (1804-1867) and Elizabeth Payne (1804-1883). John was the early miller, who emigrated from Somerset, England with his wife, claiming almost 800 acres of land from the Crown and founding Walter Falls in 1852.  

Maurice’s fraternal grandmother was Elizabeth, the second daughter of John and Elizabeth Walter. Elizabeth married Thomas Quinton March 30, 1858. Their son, Richard, Maurice’s father, was born June 21, 1861.

His father, Richard Quinton married Alberta Carney. Alberta was the daughter of Sidney Carney and Sarah (Watson) Carney, making, making them Maurice’s maternal grandparents.

Sidney was the brother of Richard Carney (1802-1885), who was the first Sheriff of Algoma, the First Warden of Grey County, the First Mayor of Owen Sound, later became the first owner of the Owen Sound newspaper, The Times, “Quite a distinguished connection,” Norman pointed out.

“Richard had a brother, Charles Carney, owned a store in Walter’s Falls, a tannery in Meaford, and a good number of mills in the area. The Carneys were a great pioneer family,” said Norman, whose own pioneer family, walked up to Grey County in 1853 with their three-month-old baby. 

Maurice was born on the family farm in the former Euphrasia Township just outside Walter’s Falls on April 19, 1914.  This was at the beginning of World War I.  He and the rest of the family survived the swine flu epidemic of 1918.  His mother died in 1933 when he was only 19 years old.

Maurice was the youngest of six children; four girls and two boys. “His elder sister, Hilda Puddicombe of New Hamburg was born in 1910.  Now 102 years of age, she is still quite spry,” according to Maurice’s son, Reg Quinton. 

A Carney descendant, retired RCAF Colonel, Donald Carney, has written, The History of the Carney Family.  “Don lives in North Bay,” Norman explained during our telephone conversation, “and he gave me a signed copy of his book as I helped him gather some of his facts.” 

Until the late 1940s, it was the responsibility of the land owners to keep roads reasonable in the winter.  Maurice and his neighbors did so with a team of horses.  Later in his trucking career, he plowed roads for the township using modern equipment.

Maurice started out farming, but moved to trucking gravel in 1949, and then went into transporting in 1950 owning and operating Maurice Quinton & Sons Transportation, Ltd. 

His son Anthony was his partner. “He loved driving,” said Norman, “he was always driving.”

His son Reg confirmed his father’s love of driving.  He wrote that his father drove the ‘big rigs’ throughout Ontario for local businesses, (Hallman Lumber and Walter’s Falls Milling), local farmers (grains, apples and fertilizers), culverts and steel from Stelco in Hamilton and, more often than not, road salts (Allied Chemical in Windsor and Sifto in Goderich) for road maintenance and construction.  He drove these rigs until he retired to Owen Sound in his 80s. 

“In his final year, with his mind failing, he often talked about tending to his horses, his car parked out back of the Retirement Home, or a truck trip he had made that morning.  Trucking defined his life.  When he was no longer able to drive at the age of 96, it was a tragedy for him that he was never able to accept,” Reg wrote from St. Mary’s Ontario.

Maurice married Margaret Dixon on June 11, 1938 at St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Walter’s Falls.  Margaret was born and raised in Walter’s ‘Falls. Her parents were Russell and Nellie (MacKay) Dixon. Russ Dixon operated a garage in Walter’s Falls.  He also did custom threshing with his steam engine and late in life managed the Grey Lodge in Markdale.

Maurice and Margaret Quinton had seven children; one girl and six boys. They were: Ellen, Larry, Anthony, David, Reginald, Dale and Paul.  He was a grandfather of 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. “Today, his descendants are spread all over Canada,” Norman said.

“Maurice and Margaret were very active in the community and in St. Philip’s Church, where he served as warden, secretary-treasurer for forty years and contributed in many other roles over the years. “He loved to laugh, Reg commented. The humor in a song made famous by George Formby, When I’m Cleaning Windows, would always get him chuckling.  Often, he was called upon to act as master of ceremonies at weddings and other events, where he would tell jokes, recite poems and give Irish blessings.    

On September 24, 2012, at the age of 98, Maurice was laid to rest beside his wife, Margaret, in the cemetery of the Church he loved so well. The charming stone church sits atop a knoll at the north end of Walter’s Falls, so reminiscent of an English Parish Church from whence his ancestors came.

Paula Niall