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Note: Bowen and Elizabeth dwelt on the homestead of Bowen Aylsworth, his grandfather. The homestead was located three miles north of Bath. [Homer, p 323] === Bowen Aylsworth, brother of Isaac, was an astute politician, one of the few township councillors from Ernestown, Lennox & Addington, Ontario, Canada to achieve higher office in the Ontario legislature. It was traditional in Ernestown, Lennox & Addington, Ontario, Canada for aspiring politicians to serve as councillor, then in sucession as deptuy reeve and reeve. The Napanee Express pointed out in 1883 that the first-time councilor, Bowen, had refused to 'go up higher' for to the position of deputy reeve which showed his 'modesty and common sense' in not showing too much ambition. He was described as the 'coming man' in the township. Bowen served as a councillor in 1883 and 1884, as deputy reeve from 1885 to 1887 and as reeve in 1888 and 1889. In 1886 and 1887 borthers Isaac and Bowen serve as reeve and first deputy reeve respectively. Brotherly love went only so far when Bowen and Isaac competed for the position of reeve in 1889. Bowen beat out his older brother Isaac 398 votes to 316. When the government introduced a new system of representation in county council divisions, whereby individuals were elected directly to the council, Bowen won representation from the division encompassing Ernestown, Lennox & Addington, Ontario, Canada , Bath and Amherst Island in 1897 and 1898, and he sat as warden of Lennox and Addington County in 1897. As a Liberal he was unsuccessful in his bid for a seat in the provincial legislature in 1890, but won in 1898 and serve a term in office. Like the other Aylesworths' Bowen was active in community associations and served a a Master of the Maple Leaf Massonic Lodge, A.F. and A.M. Bath. W. S. Herrington described his character as follows: ' He has passed through all the stages of advancement from councillor to member of the Legislative Assembly, back again to the farm; and is a firm believer in the simple life and the dignity of the calling of the tiller of the soil that he doubtless derives more solid comfort in watching the growth of the crops in his well-tilled fields than he did in listening to the debates upon the budget. Mr. Aylesworth is a progressive farmer who has studied the mart of making two places of grass grow where ordinarily there would be but one, and has been eminently successful in putting into practise the useful lessons learned from a creful study of the science of agriculture.' [Quoted from: "Ernestown, Lennox & Addington, Ontario, Canada : Rural Spaces, Urban Places", pp 167f]
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The following quote was sent by Corey M. on October 31, 2019 to Samuel Wm. Aylesworth:
"BOWEN E. AYLSWORTH
(From The Watson Scrapbooks)
We have much pleasure in presenting to our readers a short historical sketch of our new warden, Mr. B. E. Aylsworth of Bath, who with Mr. Jesse Amey represents the new County council Division of Ernesttown, which includes the Townships of Ernesttown and Amherst Island, and the Village of Bath. Mr. Aylsworth is well qualified for the important position his fellow councillors have placed him in having had many years training in township and county council business as reeve.
Mr. Aylsworth is a practical farmer, and his whole interests are with the agriculturalists, yet his views, naturally liberal, have been widened by extensive reading of current literature and his intercourse with the busy world, so that every industry or calling claims his active sympathy and support.
Bowen E. Aylsworth is a son of the late David Aylsworth, a grandson of Bowen Aylsworth, one of the U.E. Loyalists, who came to Canada and settled in the woods on the same farm where the subject of our sketch now resides. The old gentleman, fixed by his loyalty, sustained all the hardships of a long journey with an ox team, and all the privations of pioneer life, and as was to be expected of such sturdy manhood, his succeeding generations have worthily sustained the good name which he bequeathed to them, and have added to the competency, the foundation of which he so well laid. Among the list of these heroic men, no name is still held in higher esteem than that of Aylsworth.
David Aylsworth reared a family of sixteen children - nine daughters and seven sons, and six of the latter are still living. Bowen E. is about sixty years of age, and from his appearance, is in the very prime of life, and bids fair to reach the good old age of his father and grandfather, who were each considerably over four score years when they passed away.
Mr. Aylsworth married a daughter of the late Peter Miller, of Bath, and has but one son, David. As intimated above, the Warden has always been a farmer. Until he was twenty-one he lived with his father at Odessa when he settled on the original homestead at what is known as McIntyre’s Corners. The site of the farm is exceedingly picturesque, overlooking the Bay of Quinte. To this he has added fifty acres of the Huffman estate, giving him in all about 180 acres of what is considered the best farming land in the county.
Mr. Aylsworth has had a long public career in the municipal council of his township and in the county council, and was in 1890 selected by the Liberals to contest the riding for a seat in the Ontario Legislature. In this he was unsuccessful, our present popular representative, Dr. Meacham, defeating him. In politics he is a reformer, staunch to his principles, yet tolerant of the views and interests of others. He is also a consistent Methodist, and has for years worthily filled the office of steward in the church. He is a Past Master of Maple Leaf Lodge, A.F. and A.M., Bath, and is held in esteem by the brethren of the craft.
Mr. Aylsworth’s brothers are Isaac Fraser and Robert W., of Ernesttown, George A., of Kingston, and David of Eldora, Iowa. His sisters are Mrs. Dewitt, of Eldora, Iowa, Mrs. Robert Baker, Deseronto; Mrs. R. A. Shorey, Napanee; Mrs. Norris Miller, Bath, and Mrs. Benj. Asselstine, Kingston.
We may here also state that Mr. Aylsworth has established a precedent by thoughtful deciding to forego the pleasure of treating his fellow councillors and friends to the customary Warden’s dinner, and will subscribe the amount which it would cost to the Indian famine relief fund instead.
THE BEAVER (The Napanee Beaver) and his large circle of friends and acquaintances congratulate the newly elected Warden."
[Copied here on October 31, 2019 by Samuel Wm. Aylesworth, with appreciation to Corey M. who shared the quote with me. ]
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