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Roger Crysler |
| Of the pioneers of this County -- of the men who have aided by their toil
and perseverance in its growth and improvement -- many may be named who have perhaps
accomplished more brilliant results; who have at the close of their lives found themselves
in more affluent circumstances than Roger Crysler, but there have been none whose private
characters displayed more of the qualities upon which their friends and families can look
back with pride and satisfaction than his. While by industry and frugality he was enabled
to accumulate a comfortable fortune, he was always ready with his means to liberally aid
any enterprise which was calculated to benefit his neighborhood or the County at large, or
to relieve deserving distress. Although denied the early educational advantages which are
so necessary to qualify a man to fight with advantage the battle of life, he still
possessed so large a share of sagacity, and his abilities were of such a practical nature,
that he not only managed his own affairs with uniform success, but was very frequently
placed in positions of public trust, which he filled with unusual ability. The Township of
Middleton, in which he spent the latter portion of his life, selected him as their
representative in the District Council and afterwards as Reeve for a period of eighteen
years, and his services in the County Council were alike valuable to the County and
creditable to himself. He was a Justice of the Peace for over a quarter century, and was a
Captain in the Norfolk militia at the time of his death, which occurred in 1874.
In 1867 he was asked by his friends in each of the Ridings of the County to allow himself to become a candidate for the Ontario Assembly, but declined. His political friends, however, in the South Riding having become divided as to the choice of a candidate, he was assured that he alone could, by becoming a candidate, obviate the difficulty and unite the party. Believing this, and prompted by that forgetfulness of his own interests, which many will remember as one of the most striking traits in his character, he offered himself for election. Owing to exceptional circumstances his candidature was not as favorably received as was anticipated, and he was defeated by a narrow majority. Mr. Crysler's father died and left him at an early age with no means and with few friends to fight his way alone, and if he, weighted by these disadvantages, struggled through the many vicissitudes which he encountered, and in the end won a position in society and in the public estimation of which his children and friends are justly proud, it is to be attributed alone to his steady perseverance and unbending integrity. Eight of his sons are living, and are occuping good positions in the
County. Of these
E. M. Crysler, Esq., has been for three or four years Reeve of the Township of
Charlotteville, and Albert Crysler, Esq., is a member of the Township Council of
Middleton. |
 Enlargement |
| From pages 63 and 84 of the Mika re-print of
1877 Illustrated Historical Atlas of Norfolk County Copyright 1998-2012 John Cardiff |