Wellington County, Ontario GenWeb - Pioneer

Wellington County, Ontario GenWeb - Pioneer - JOHNSTON, Richard

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Pioneer - JOHNSTON, Richard

Biographical Sketches of
Early Settlers of Wellington County

Information from: Historical Atlas of the County of Wellington, Ontario.
Toronto: Historical Atlas Publishing Co., 1906

JOHNSTON, Richard , ex-Postmaster, Palmerston. This veteran P.M. and worthy pioneer was b. in King's Co., Ire., in 1834, and came to Canada first settling in Toronto in 1849. In 1855 his father, Thomas Johnston, with whom he had come from Ireland, came with his family to Wallace Township, taking up 100 acres of bush land on the town line between Wallace and Minto, The country was almost an unbroken forest with a few settlers scattered here an there. The Johnstons made a small clearing built a log shanty, and later cleared the farm,. Subsequently Richard Johnston purchased 200 acres, which he cleared and became a successful farmer. He was appointed Postmaster of Dryden (located about a mile west of where Palmerston now stands) in 1866, and when Palmerston became a reality, Dryden was abandoned and the postoffice removed to Palmerston. Thus Richard Johnston became the first Postmaster of Palmerston. Mr. Johnston built the Queen's Hotel, Palmerston which is the leading hotel in town, and which he ran successfully for fifteen years. This property he still own, as well as other valuable real estate in Palmerston. He was Mayor of Palmerston nine years consecutively, and a Magistrate for many years.

He m. Eliza Guest, and his two sons, Richard, Jr., and Thomas, are prosperous farmers in Qu'Appelle, Assa.

From: Historical Atlas of the County of Wellington, Ontario. Toronto:Historical Atlas Publishing Co., 1906