Now living with his son Ed. and wife at Sandy Hook on the Cherry Valley Road and in his 88^th year, Mr. Thurston is remembered by many as a blacksmith, but by even more as a fiddler at dances of the last century and early 1900’s.

A blacksmith by trade, he shod horses for 45 years. During his three years apprenticeship at Bath, he received $25 the first year, $35 the second and $65 the third. From then on it was $1. a day as long as he worked for another. But it was not long before he was running his own shop at Bongards Corners, Glenora and Picton.

Mr. Thurston recalls that shoes were set for 10 cents, new ones put on then for 25 cents. On busy days and on Saturdays there were 4 or 5 teams waiting to be shod, and 8 or 9 teams was a good day’s work for a blacksmith.

During his days at Glenora, Mr. Thurston remembers the horse power treader by which the ferry was operated between the Prince Edward shore and Adolphustown. This hardly ever missed a trip on account of bad weather, and made the crossing in 13 minutes, which leaves hardly any edge for the present power-operated ferries.

Mr. Thurston was in demand as a fiddler at the dances, for a half century. He remembers playing for a Demorestville dance from 8.30 p.m. to six in the morning, and calling all the dances.

Musicians and the public today don’t know the difference between a cotillion, a quadrille, or the lancers, says Mr. Thurston. “I don’t think any of the callers for square dances but would mix up the first and the second set of quadrilles. My fingers today are stiff and full of rheumatism; I couldn’t play the fiddle; but I remember the calls and I believe I could call off a dance as well as ever.”

The subject of this sketch is today in very good health and gets down town frequently to chat over old times with his cronies.