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t Birr residents of the present time claim that the place was once jocularly referred totts "Bobtown" owing to the many men in the vicinity who had the Christian name of Robert. The two B_irr cemeteries are the final.tettipg pl ces of many of the distrlet's" wily residents. Henry Bilyea. died in 1852. is claimed to have been the-first erson interred m the Anglican 8ifi"l/tln,'stl. Mrs. James Scott, who was born in! County Tipperary. three miles from the Irish Birr, came to Canada as a child and lived mote of her. longgife on a farm on concessxon ' ' three miles distant from the London Town- ghi Bitur. . t 13PM residents of the nvpsapnt The theory that Birr ‘WRS named after the Irish village of similar cognomen seems well authenticated. The Irish Birr is now known by its more modern name of Parsonstown and is said to be comparable to Middlesex" qunty'IL Lambeth in extent. However, that Birr was an im- portant stqpping place on the old Londori-Goderich road can scarcely be denied and. probably its origin as a village was largely due to the necessity of subcom- I modation for both ‘man and beast engaged in transporting the huge quantities of glemhandise and produce that nee moved over this iqxgortant thoroughfare. T Local legend has it tloaat, at an early date, Patrick Smith kept some sort of hostelry on the Proof Line road, in the vicinity of present-day Birr or immedi- ately northwards. On one occa- lion, while hauling home provil- 'ions from Port Stanley, Smith met John Ferguson, a native of County Cavan, Ireland, who had emigrated to Canada in the 1820's but at the time was liv- ing neeoSt. Thomas, a] By A. s, Garrett Be, VILLAGE, grouped about the intersection of highway No: 4 and concession 13, Lon- don Township, is probably as well-known to the general pub- lic as any other small place in Western Ontario owing to the heavy traffic. tourist and other- wise, ttowing Londonwards from Elginfield the latter iohated in the vicinity of three provincial highways. two of them already saved and the third expected to e in the not distant future. In common with many another Western Ontario hamlet, the be- ginnings of Birr are shrouded largely in hearsay and it is with no' little difficulty that glimpses of past happenings can be ob- tained, owing to the dearth of accurate records and the inac- curacies of local tradition. Birr Was Stopping Spot -. In Busy Settlement Era lents of the present that the place was My referred to as Itri.rte. to the many Vicinity who had the Even a short stqry concerning the Birr community must con- tain special reference to Etheld Harris, who took over the gen- eral store about 1909 and during the years following added more mercantile and industriah enter- prises until he haf established on; of the most unique business Leonard Lambourne and John Storey were among the old-time blacksmiths in the community. Joseph Lumstlen. and John Clough were similarly engaged in later years. 7 _ Harmer lived ln~Birr and made limes by hand, specializin in long leather boots. "h%d',', Hodgins is recorded as an early hotel proprietor and others fol- lowing the same occupation in after years included Raphael O'Neil, Thomas Creighton, Frank d. Scott and Sandy Burr. Some Birr. people of the present time recall the Blue Jay Inn, south of the village, once kept by Samuel Berryhill. In 1865, it is recorded there was still a third tavern, kept by the McIntosh family, but little information concerning ite location is given. At one.. time a man Hamel: lived irBirr and - Several years . ago, they late' _ John Maxwell pointed out to the 'writer the fact that a regret- table error had been made when laying put plans for the two oemeterles. The Anglican ceme- tery was, extended southwards instead of eastwards. as it lhould have been. Hawthe latter been the case the two burial grounds _1vou.ld have come to- gether, forming one. long, con- unuous Cemetery Wlth the An- uglican Church Cl'OWIling the hill in the background, thus present- ing an attractive panorama to tourists. eta, when viewed from the highway where it traverses the village. Blrr appears to h.ave had quite . number, of husmegs places, Jvrsociated with it at one time or gnothelj. The cheese factory, which Is said to have been near the bridge at the west side of the road, was built in 1888 at a cost of 52,500. J. W. Ferguson, E. K. Sale; J. W. Taylor, R. M. Hobbs Peter Bowey, Charles Goulding' and James Bell comprised the fhrgt executive. _ JGhn Scott, a veteran of the War of 1812-14, who settled on the gouthwest corner farm at the intersection of fPPcession 15 and the Adelaide SIdEroad. of Lon- don Township, was laid to rest tn this burial ground, in the 1860's, but the grave is unmark- ed at_the present time. Charles Gouldi.ng,.an old settl‘ P, died in 1846, havmg been_ thin a resi- dent of the fownship for 36 years. Sevgr'al ye‘grs __8‘go. the late" __,_ -ee --»u Jolt WMI is said to 'haVe Participated i1 the fhebellir?p. ot 1837, serving with the militia engaged in pub tinyr,totr.,n, the Insurrection. WN" .- _ "BdE ul'dI‘Keu by an ty"".Pt wooden slab, was one of the first to be buried in the iretluodist (now United) Ceme- tery. Themes _Langford, Twho died t.ro.m inlurles received at the ralsmg of a 10g barn, was buried there in 1838, In the same cemete/I‘Y, marked by a high white.Wnpft, 15 the grave of Francis Walden, died 1872 who is Said to have participated in the fhlbelli.r?p. of 1837, serving -.Ho, the mild-m "rm.,.., - . George McCpnngn whosegrave ll, still VILLAGE OF BIRR marked by; (1765-1835), named Birr residents recall with pleasure the memory of the late Rev. Robert Wilson, ,who for M years was rector of Trinity Anglican Church, in the village, and also of St. George's Church. further west in the township, Parish records show'\that durihg his long ' incumbency be per- formed 1.607 baptisms, 645 con- firmations, 150 marriages and 'et-ups In Canada. Only recently he sold out to Capt. Jack Legg, well-known Londoner and vet- ergp of World War Ir: The picture shows Birr Hotel as it appeared in the gay nineties. In more recent years the building was converted into a community hall and now serves as a storage depot and apartments. " These innumerable trees have added inestimnbly to the appears ance and value of property in the community and have ab. tracted the JnLeI-est. of ‘numerous tourists wh' pass this way every year. Mr. Coleman died in 1924, when only 49 years or age. We wish to conclude this story by paying tribute to the late J. R. (Rob) Coleman, who, dur- ing his lifetime, planted hundreds of fine treds in the vicinity of the tillage. Tttro farms, on either side of the 13th eonce8sion, attest to his skill -as a nurseryman. Also the rows of evergreens which surround the school yard, United Cemetery, eta, are a living reminder of his enterprise in this line. - 7 C 500 burials. Mr. Wilson died 1111, at tre age of Fi.. __ . .