Larry

For some reason your dial image isn't showing up.

It looks like your A.C. Skinner was Albert C. Skinner

1891 Census North Ward Sherbrooke Quebec
Skinner, Carlos born about 1835 in the US Jeweler
Skinner, Emily born about 1840 in Quebec
Skinner, Albert born about 1872 in Quebec

1911 Census North Ward Sherbrooke Quebec
Skinner, Albert C. born November 1871 Quebec Jeweler
" , Marguert May 1871 Scotland
" , Carlos C. Dec 1901 Quebec
" , Neil A. Aug 1907 Quebec
" , Hugh S. March 1908 Quebec
" , Ruth G. June 1901 Quebec
" , Lois N. July 1904 Quebec
Livingstone, Susan March 1890 Quebec Domestic Servant

Tom

Apparently there is a street names after him in Sherbrooke.

Also it looks like most of the family is buried at Elmwood Cemetery Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke County, Quebec
Skinner, Albert C., b. 1871, d. 1964, s/w Margaret his wife, & Thomas & Margaret Cowan
Skinner, Baby, bur. 8 Jun 1942, age 2 days, s/o Capt. Carl C. *
Skinner, Carlos C., b. 1901, d. 1995, h/o Jean H. Pettigrue
Skinner, Carlos, d. 24 Mar 1915 on his 80th birthday, s/w & h/o Emily Elliott
Skinner, Emily Elliott, b. 1839, d. 1913, w/o & s/w Carlos
Skinner, Jean H. Pettigrue, b. 1911, d. 1975, w/o Carlos C.
Skinner, Margaret Cowan, b. 1872, d. 1952, s/w Albert C. her husband, & Thomas & Margaret Cowan

Thank You Tom for all the interesting information on AC Skinner, he must have been a prominent citizen to have the street named after him, I've been having trouble trying to post a picture of the dial. So I will try again here.

That is a nice watch Larry.

I found where Albert attended the Canadian Horological Institute, this is a quote from the web page;
"Some students stayed in the field of watchmaking but pursued other interests as well. Adam Zilliax, Joseph Patenaude, Albert Skinner and Lorne Askin all became very active in municipal politics and Albert Skinner went on to become mayor of Sherbrooke."

This is the link to the web page;
http://www.cdnwatchmaker.com/students.html

Tom

You might get tired of this.

Albert Carlos Skinner was born in Waterloo on 26 November 1871. He is the son of Carlos Young Skinner and Emily Elliot. He moved to Sherbrooke with his parents in 1878. He married Margaret Cowan in 1899. He was the father of five children (three sons and two daughters).

He was the President of the jewelery firm "A. C. Skinner Limited" in Sherbrooke until 1935. This firm was founded in Waterloo by his father in 1859. Albert C. Skinner began working with his father in 1898 and took over after his death in 1915. Albert C. Skinner's sons, Carlos C. and Neil, took over the company in 1935 and changed its name for "Skinner Brothers". In 1954, the company was sold to another jeweler of Sherbrooke, "Nadeau & fils".

In the 1920's and 1930's, Albert C. Skinner was involved in municipal politics. He was a member of the Sherbrooke City Council from 1917 to 1926, and Mayor from 1930 to 1932. Throughout his political life, he fostered the "bonne entente" between the anglophones and the francophones of the city to build up a strong community.

He was a member of many organizations: he was notably a Mason and an Odd Fellow; he had simultaneously been the President of the Sherbrooke Board of Trade, of the Sherbrooke Library, of the Sherbrooke Rotary, and of the Wales Home (Richmond). He also was a member of the Sherbrooke Snow Shoe Club, Sherbrooke Country Club, Sherbrooke Curling Club, St. George's Club, and the Canadian Club.

Albert C. Skinner died in August 1964 at 92 years old.

With their establishment of the People's Telephone Company and the A.C. Skinner Ltd. jewelry boutique, the Skinner family certainly made their mark on Sherbrooke's history. Carlos Young Skinner (1835-1915) was the first member of the Skinner family to come to the Eastern Townships. Son of Nathan Skinner (1808-1882) and Emeline Ensign (1804-1884), Carlos was born in Albany, New York, but moved to Derby Center, Vermont while still young. At the age of twenty, he moved to Stanstead to learn the trade of watchmaking and later furthered his training in Lennoxville. When he was still only 24, in 1859, Carlos Y. Skinner moved to Waterloo, Quebec to open his own jewelry store. In 1860, he married Emily Elliot (1839-1913) and they had three children: Jennie (1861-1943), Nelson Webster (1869-1870), Albert Carlos (1871-1964). Emily Elliot was from Hatley and had been one of the first principals at the Dunham Ladies' College, she was also an active member in the Women's Christian Temperance Union.

In 1878, Carlos Skinner moved his family to Sherbrooke to open his second jewelry store. Reportedly, Carlos was a man who enjoyed inventing things and it was not long before he had patented a few of his own telephone devices and became the Bell Telephone Company's first representative in Sherbrooke. However, after a falling out with Bell, Carlos organized his own telephone company called the Sherbrooke Telephone Association. Later, in 1896, a supplementary charter was issued, calling it the People's Telephone Company and, finally, in 1912, was renamed the Eastern Townships Telephone Company with service that stretched all the way from Rock Island to Danville. After Carlos Skinner's retirement from the presidency of the Eastern Townships Telephone Company, Sylvester Jencks, Jennie Skinner's husband, was elected as president for a time and the title was later passed on to Albert Carlos Skinner. Carlos Skinner and his People's Telephone Company have been credited with helping to regulate the price of telephone service in the Eastern Townships by creating competition for the region's major provider, the Bell Telephone Company.

With the telephone company occupying much of his time, Carlos Skinner sold his jewelry store to his son, Albert Carlos Skinner, who saw the store grow quite prosperous under his direction. Albert Skinner married Margaret Cowan in 1899 and they had five children: Ruth G. (b. 1900), Carlos C. (b. 1901), Lois M. (b. 1903), Neil A. (b. 1906), and Hugh S. (b. 1908). Later, Albert incorporated the business as A.C. Skinner Ltd. with two of his sons, Neil and Carlos C. in 1928. In 1935, Neil and Carlos C. would buy out their father's interests in the store. Ten years later Carlos C. bought the family business from his brother and went into business with a Mr. Nadeau in 1954.

The mark that the Skinner family left on the history of Sherbrooke has been commemorated in a historical mural, located on the corner of Frontenac and Dufferin Streets, depicting the storefronts of 'Boutique Skinner' and the People's Telephone Company.

Fantastic biographical information Tom, it really adds to this thread, I found this image of Sherbrooke, Québec in my postcard collection.

Nice photo Larry.

Here is a photo of Albert Carlos Skinner taken in 1929 while he was Mayor, it was taken by George Makash & belongs to the McCord Museum of Canadian History.

Tom

Tom the photo of Albert Skinner is the icing on the cake, a great picture of him. You mentioned that he attended the Canadian Horological Institute, along with Joseph Patenaude. I wonder if there is any connection with the Patenaude Bros. from Nelson, British Columbia, that is on this Elgin Private label.

Elgin 18 size dial.

Elgin 18 size, 21 jewel, Model 8, Grade 239, Serial No. 9607515, Manufactured 1901, dial and movement marked Patenaude Bros. Nelson B.C.

I see that John Patenaude was on the list of watchmakers from the Canadian Horological Institute, and that he was located in Nelson British Columbia, he must have been in business, with his brother there. Here is a picture of the CPR station at Nelson in the 1950s

Found this on a coin web site.

Joseph Oliva Patenaude. In 1871 Joseph O. Patenaude was born in Iberville, Quebec, and moved to Nelson in 1897. There he owned a jewelry store on Baker Street which employed 13 people. In local newspaper accounts he was remembered not only for his artistic creations, but for his good acts as well. Patenaude was a devout Catholic and a contributor to many charities. In 1947 Pope Pius XII personally honored him in recognition of his altruism. Toward the end of WWI Patenaude invested in an inexpensive way of refining silver ore. A patent infringement suit followed, and after a long delay made its way to Canada's highest court. Patenaude and his fellow investors lost the judgment, and he was forced to sell most of his operations in 1930, remaining in business only as an optician. After these difficulties he became interested in improving the condition of Canadian mining through the free coinage of silver (Gingras 1959, 1965, 1982). In 1935 Patenaude optained a thousand Canadian silver dollars and stamped them in the center of the voyager's canoe with his 'JOP' hallmark, giving them out in change at his optometry business. The usual explanation for these coins is that by countermarking them he attempted to show the extensive circulation of silver dollars, and by so doing encourage the government to coin more of them. But this may have just been an inexpensive form of local advertising. Patenaude continued counterstamping dollars until 1949, but seems to have stopped when he sold his business (Gingras 1982). Two varieties exist, this "J.O.P." bar-punch in oval with relief letters, and 'JOP' incuse. This specimen is struck just below the canoe, slightly double struck, and a bit angled, on a 1935 Canadian silver dollar. Only 25 total recorded specimens, but not listed by variety. Highly sought by Canadian collectors. Another Canadian hallmark with a similar advertising purpose is by Nicholas Ohman

Not sure if he is part of the brothers or not. Here is an ad of his from 1911

This web page might have a photo of him but it is in French so I am not sure of what it says;
http://www.csf.bc.ca/LeGrandOr...seph_o_patenaude.htm

Tom

The text is an obituary notice (mai 1956), listing his benefits for the community and church of Nelson.
His jewelry store went to Ernest Collingwood.
And this is his photo:

Gerald

Larry, As you requested. Please excuse the photography. I can not get rid of the gold overcast on my pics. I believe it is the lighting I am using.

Penetanguishene comes from the First Nations Ojibwa language and means "place of the white rolling sands". The name was shortened to Penetang when the Grand Trunk Railway came through the town. This was probably done to simplify railway operations, making the name shorter and easier to pronounce.