Footsteps Across The Bridge 165 
     
    
   
   
    
     England. They moved to Wilmot Valley in July, 1979 from Woodstock, 
     
     Ontario. They live in a mobile home between the house and the Inland 
     
     Motel, which they operate. They have a daughter, Christine Anne Perkins, 
     
     who lives in Woodstock, Ontario. 
     
    
   
   
    
     MATTHEWS 
     
    
   
   
    
     John Matthews (1832-1896) lived across the Blueshank Road from 
     
     where the Inland Motel is today. Mr. Matthews came from England and the 
     
     date of his arrival in our community is uncertain. He does not appear on 
     
     Lake’s Topographical Map of 1863. In Meacham’s Atlas of 1880 he appears 
     
     to own a small amount of land although there is no clear indication of a 
     
     house. However Mr. Matthews eventually did have a house here. He 
     
     married Mary Cameron of Tryon on November 14, 1883, and was a 
     
     shoemaker. One person who had a pair of shoes made by Mr. Matthews was 
     
     Mr. Edward MacMurdo. Mr. Matthews also ran the post office for a period 
     
     of time. He is buried in the Wilmot Valley Cemetery. 
     
    
   
   
    
     QUIGLEY 
     
    
   
   
    
     James Quigley lived in a house which was on the south side of the 
     
     Blueshank and barely three or four yards east of the Wilmot Grove Road 
     
     where it met with the New Annan Road. He married Mary Ann Francis of 
     
     North Tryon. Older residents remember her as a small, delicate, white- 
     
     haired lady who was very prim and proper. The Quigley house burned down 
     
     about 1921. The Quigleys managed to get nearly all of their belongings out 
     
     of the house except for the kitchen clock which, unfortunately, had a tidy 
     
    
   
   
    
     little sum of money in it, and which was forgotten in the excitement. James 
     
     and Mary Ann had five children: 
     
    
   
   
    
     Harry (1885) married Georgie Trenholm and farmed in Tryon. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Percy (1887) married May Riley and after several years in Wilmot Valley, 
     
     moved to Mount Tryon. Their children went to school here for a few 
     
     years. Their children were Etta, Reta, Rease, and Stirling. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Pearl (1889-1891) 
     
    
   
   
    
     Frank (1891) married Frances Ann Riley, daughter of Joseph and Maria 
     
     Riley of Traveller’s Rest. Frank worked here for various farmers and 
     
     then worked for Thomas Bell of Victoria. He later worked with the 
     
     C.N.R. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Hilda (1893) marired Lester Robins and they had two sons, one of whom 
     
     was Basil. 
     
    
   
   
    
     After the Quigley house burned the property was sold to the Wilmot 
     
     Valley School, and it is on the property on which the REACT Centre is now 
     
     located, in what was formerly the school.