The incorporators’ names appended are James L. Mathewson, William A. Merry, W.H. Gault, Hugh Mathewson, George Horne, George Armstrong, William Rodden, Richard Holland, J.J. Arnton, Campbell Bryson, William Clendenning, George S. Scott, Robert Miller, William Middleton, James Parker, Richard Thomas, W.S. Davenport, Howard Ransom, John Shinnick, Thomas Workman, William McWalters, the Rev. John Cordner, the Rev. John Irwin, Dr. Robert L. Macdonell, Dr. John Reddy, Dr. William P. Howard, etc. The Society was instituted to advance the welfare of Irish Protestants in Canada, to afford advice, information and assistance to those immigrating hither, to promote their settlement within the province, to protect their widows and orphans and to afford pecuniary aid to those in need.
A great work has been the maintenance of the Irish Protestant Benevolent Home in Belmont Park. Its activities along Irish patriotic lines have also been similar to those of St. Patrick’s Society.
The presidents of the Society since its formation have been as follows:
| 1856 | *Benjamin Workman, M.D. |
| 1857-59 | *Hugh Mathewson |
| 1859-61 | *R.D. Collis |
| 1861 | *M.H. Gault |
| 1862 | *W.A. Merry |
| 1863-65 | *J.L. Mathewson |
| 1865-67 | *Thos. Workman |
| 1867-69 | *William Workman |
| 1869 | *John Lovell |
| 1870 | *Geo. S. Scott |
| 1871 | *Robert Miller |
| 1872 | *Thomas Simpson |
| 1873 | *Wm. Rodden |
| 1874 | *Sir Francis Hincks, K.C.M., G.C.B. |
| 1875 | William Clendenning |
| 1876-78 | W.J. McMaster |
| 1878-80 | *J.C. Sinton |
| 1880-82 | *John J. Arnton |
| 1882 | *James Moore |
| 1883-85 | *J.C. Wilson |
| 1885-87 | *Richard Thomas |
| 1887-89 | *D.H. Henderson |
| 1889-91 | *W.H. Arnton |
| 1891 | *Richard White |
| 1892-94 | *James Wilson |
| 1894-96 | *Moses Parker |
| 1896-98 | James H. McKeown |
| 1898-00 | J. Hamilton Ferns |
| 1900-02 | *Charles Byrd |
| 1902-04 | MacDuff Lamb |
| 1904-05 | William Henry |
| 1906-07 | Thos. Gilday |
| 1908-09 | J.W. Percival |
| 1910-11 | Wm. Rodden |
| 1912-13 | J.A. Mathewson |
| 1914 | F. Gilday, M.D. |
| * Deceased. |
THE GERMAN SOCIETY
Of the other societies the German Society is the oldest, being contemporaneous in its birth with the former. A consultation of the lists of citizens at this early period will show that the German community then had some very notable names among its members.
The German Society was started in April, 1835, for the purpose of assisting poor German immigrants, without regard to creed, in order to prevent them from being a charge to the community; it has also often assisted Austrian, Swiss, Russian and other immigrants of German descent. It is a purely benevolent association, being supported entirely by voluntary contributions.
Its presidents since 1835 have been:
| 1835-39 | Louis Gugy |
| 1839-49 | Dr. Daniel Arnoldi |
| 1849-55 | Heinrich Meyer |
| 1855-58 | Ernst Idler |
| 1859-60 | Gottlieb Reinhardt |
| 1860-65 | Gerhard Lomer |
| 1865-66 | Heinrich Drescher |
| 1866-67, 70-73 | Emanuel Häusgen |
| 1867-70 | Wilhelm Wagner |
| 1873-77, 81-93 | Wilhelm C. Munderloh |
| 1877-81 | Freidrich Geriken |
| 1893 | Eugen von Rappard |
| 1893 | *Edward Schultze |
| * Still in office. |
ST. DAVID’S WELSH SOCIETY