Officers in army, in town . . . Prominent men
"In the Rebellion of 1837-38, a small military force was made of residents called "The Potton Guard" under the command of Thomas Gilman" History of Brome County.
Many of our first settlers and pionneers had been or were still serving: Colonels Henry and John Ruiter, Captain David Blanchard, Capt. David, Capt L. McLean, Cyrus Perkins, Christopher Dunkin, Lieutenent-Colonel of Bedford Batallion, Capt. R. Manson of The Loyal Volunteers Mansonville Company in 1867.
The first sheriff in town would have been Cash Bowen in the 1890's, as it also appears that Frank Soule was District Constable starting from 1878. At the time and for several years, there was a Curfew in the village; not later than nine o'clock. Between brackets, let us whisper that there was a jail in the basement of the Town Hall and that seized goods were kept in the basement of Mrs. Reilly's house (next to Giroux' Store).
In the more recent years, we remember Ernest Hamelin and Bernard Hamelin who acted as bailiffs in the 50's and 60's. Among the prominent and influential men of Potton, was David A. Manson, holding many offices for the town, became the Grand Master of Masonic Lodge of Quebec and filled a vacant chair in the House of Commons, as a Conservative, succeeding Mr. E. L. Chandler. William Oliver, representing the County as a Liberal at the Provincial Legislature, Hon. W. Lynch in 1867, became Solicitor-General for the Province. Rev. J. Clark Reilly and his wife Beatrice, since their marriage in 1913, have ministried and have been very active in Church and social works up to 1956, when Mr. Reilly passed away.
Reverend's Car | Studebaker 1915
Dr. H.E. Gillanders
Médecine
Depuis "l'ange de miséricorde", Mme Bradbury Green, vers les 1800, visitant à cheval tous ceux qui avaient besoin de quelque secours, jusqu'à nos jours où une clinique médicale à temps partiel accomplit ce qu'elle peut, Mansonville a toujours bénéficié de médecins et infirmières, qui avaient une trop grande région à desservir ...
Les plus anciens mentionnent les docteurs, Paintin, McMillan, Anderson et Gillanders. Ce dernier, nous l'aurons dans la mémoire longtemps, car il était d'une disponibilité constante, d'une ingéniosité dépareillée et d'une grande compétence, due à un diagnostic sûr et rapide. Il exerça sa profession ici de 1923 à 1965, année qu'il mourut. Henry Edwin Gillanders était débordant d'activité et d'énergie. Il s'occupa entre autres de promouvoir la Fraternité Masonique; il servit comme Maire de Potton de 1939 à 1942.
Tous ceux qui l'ont connu le regretteront longtemps encore. La maison de Réal Boucher, propriétaire de Comping Carrefour des Campeurs, vers les 1925, Arthur Sargent tenait une maison pour personnes âgées et un petit hôpital où le Dr. Gillanders allait prodiguer ses soins. Ce "Home" a bien failli devenir !'Hôpital Brome Missisquoi. Mais le site choisi fut Cowansville. Même la maison de Kenneth Jones, bâti par Blanchard Maanson a servi quelque temps de foyer pour vieillards.
Fire Department
Firemen are supposed to be the last to leave the place.
Let us mention at the end of this chapter, that the 1st chief was Harold Clark, when the old REO Truck was at its best.
Then came George Hamelin; and now Fred Korman is the Chief of volunteer firemen.
