Burrs and Blackberries from Goodwood by Eleanor Todd (review)

284 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW suchdivisionmay havemarked the relationbetweenrural areasand larger towns(over•ooopopulation)but did not occurin areaswithsmallerservice centres. Specialists willfindthisvolumetobemostinformative.Indeed,everyessay is a thoroughandcompetent treatmentof itssubject. The editorandthe CanadianPlains Research Centershould becongratulated fortheconsistent standardof thenarrative andof theproduction. GERALD FRIESEN University ofManitoba Burrs andBlackberries fromGoodwood. ELEANOR TODD.Goodwood, Ont.,Author, •98o.Pp.xxi, 35•,illus.$•4.95. Goodwood isavillage inUxbridgeTownship, OntarioCounty. Asacommunity it isunremarkable exceptthatit represents manyothersmallcommunities in Upper Canadathat had their originsin the period •8oo to •85o, reached maturity with the arrivalof the railway,and then, in outwardappearances, changedvery little or very slowlyover the next century.In an attractively manufactured andillustrated book- withsome fine,professional drawings by her daughters - EleanorToddhasbroughttogetheracompendium of anecdoteandinformation thatshould bea pleasure for anyone withanUxbridge Township connection. The Toddsareoneof theolderfamilies in thetownship andhavelongbeenactivein itsaffairs.Thisbookhastheadvantage of Todd familylore aswellasinformationfrom manyotherlocalpeople.The author hassearched localnewspapers anddirectories aswellastheTownshipmunicipalrecords andassessment rolls.Shehasbeenabletoidentifyagoodproportionof theearlysettlers, amixtureof Irish,English,andPennsylvania Dutch, andtowriteaboutearlytownship roads,business activity, recreation, temperanceandprohibition ,township ghosts, thieves andrustlers, potatoproduction, snowstorms, andmanyotherentertaining subjects. Foritsintendedaudience, thisisanadmirablebook.Butit isfair tosaythatit wasnotwrittenfor ageneralreaderor for aprofessional historian. The larger frameof referencethatgiveslocalhistorymorethanlocalinterestislacking. And, because thematerialisnot presented systematically or accompanied by documentation, it isof limited value to a researcher. HUGH JOHNST ONSimon Fraser University OldOxford isWide Awake. tPioneer Settlers & Politicans in Oxford County 1793-1853. BRIAN DAWE. Woodstock, Oxford Museum,•98o.Pp. •oo,illus.$•4.95 cloth, $9.95 paper. OldOxford isWide Awake. t hasthecharacteristics weexpect of solidlocalhistory, but muchmorebesides. We get profiles,featuringphotographs and brief descriptions, of individuals andbuildings, several excellent maps, andametic ...