NEWS FROM CANADA:
Silver Jubilee 1986
On the Occasion of the NDMC Silver Jubilee Y ear 1986
this conference room has been dedicated to
Captain Francis Alexander Caron* Scrimgeour V C., C.A.M.C
while a framed wall citation presents details of his personal action at YPRES April 25th, 1915 for which he received the Victoria Cross. Photocopies of accounts from the Canadian Medical Journal and an obituary provided by a helpful librarian at the Canadian Medical Association have provided additional details to the information contained in the clan history The Scrimgeours (p. 121 and 124) written by the Munros. *[ed. note: Military sources seem to use this spelling with one "r" whereas in family sources and in the Munro book one finds the familiar "Carron"].
According to recent newspaper accounts, the Victoria Cross, ranking above all other Commonwealth honors for courage, has been granted to only 1,346 servicemen, including 94 Canadians. Additionally, and more recently, James Scrimger advises that while aware of the "Scrimger Room", he has only just become aware of a biographical book Francis Scrimger: beyond the call of duty written by Suzanne Kingsmill, apparently as one in a series entitled, "Canadian Medical Lives." Space permitting, we will plan to include a fuller account on the above in a future issue. This may also include some information on Mt. Scrimger, located on the Alberta B.C. border in Western Canada.
A letter from Jame's family, received in 1995, enclosed a newspaper clipping d&ted Feb. 17, 1899 for the obituary of the late Wm. Scrimgeour. This was James g.g.grandfather who had died in Lakefield, Ont. at the home of his son George. The letter explains that the finding of this information enabled James and his wife Jean Scrimger to commence on a trail of discovery for their family. A more recent letter now contains a family tree, showing in part, that John Scrimger (1812-1890), a brother to Wm. Scrimge(ou)r (1816-1899), was the father of Rev. John Scrimger (1849-1915) and the grandfather of Capt. F.A.C. Scrimger, V C.
The trail of discovery reveals that the parents of John and Wm. had eight children in all, of which the first five were born in Scotland and the remaining three in N.Y , USA. These Scrimgers originally came to Johnston, NY in 1807 then to North Dumphries, Upper Canada in 1826, and later to Galt, Canada [ed note: Galt, now known as Cambridge, Ont., is about an hours drive west of Toronto on a four lane highway]. This would seem to make them one of the first, or possibly the first, "Scrimgeour" family in Canada. One learns a little more of this family from another reference, which, in explaining the origins of Scrimger Avenue and Dudhope Street in Galt attributes these names to the existence of their farm from the end of the 1820's. This was near the corner of what is now Dundas and East Main. One son, James Scrimger, at first kept the toll gate but later bought the farm. He died in 1895 at his residence near the Toll Gate and had been a resident for nearly 70 years.
From the first letter "It is interesting to note that the spelling of the family name often changes. In the Perthshire records the name is "Scrymgour" (believed to probably have been a mispelling of Scrymgeour) and in subsequent records of New York and North Dumphries/Galt, Canada, the spelling remains fairly constant as "Scrimger". (James has all three spellings on various registration certificates, i.e.birth, baptismal, etc.)
The obituary for Wm. Scrimgeour [dated 1899] notes that he was married in Michigan some sixty years ago. There were eight children - four boys and four girls. His wife was killed in a runaway accident thirteen years earlier on the streets of Port Hope, Ontario. Subsequently Wm. Scrimgeour came to Carleton Place about forty years ago and two years later to Almonte. [Carleton Place and Almonte are both located some 20 miles west of Ottawa]. As a contractor, over twenty years he built many of the buildings in Almonte, including St. John's church, Mr James Robertson's store, St. Paul's rectory, the Rosebank woollen mill and others.
The history of the Township of North Dumphries shows a photograph of Mr.Archibald McPherson (from Breadalbane) and his bride, born Grace Scrimger. It notes that when he brought his bride with him from Caledonia to Dumfries, she rode behind him, with both on one horse. Married in 1825 at the age of sixteen, she died in 1898 in her 90'th year while her husband lived to be 93. As per the custom of the time, she always spoke of her husband as "Mr. McPherson" or "Father" and felt that her granddaughters were not showing proper respect when they used the first names of their husbands. She also "used to tell of how, in the early days, the wolves would howl and scratch at the door in the night; next morning their tracks in the snow would show they had circled the house again and again."
From a book on the history of the First United Church, Galt, Canada one learns of another account of interest. It is best explained by quotation; "The rule that not even the paraphrases might be sung led to trouble for one family in 1856. The Scrimgers were attending meetings that had to do with the first beginnings of Central Presbyterian Church. To go to another denomination was bad, and to sing "uninspired compositions" was worse. Our session met and suspended them ---. At the next meeting, Mrs. Scrimger appeared to speak on behalf of herself and her married children. Debarred from the communion which she had attended for thirty years she recited one of the paraphrases she had been singing.
I'm not ashamed to own my Lord,
Or to defend His cause,
Maintain the glory of His Cross,
And honour all His laws.---
From this, Mrs. Scrimger was successful in persuading the session to re-instate her membership in good standing!