Murder at Sharbot Lake

Where is Matthew Garrett?

Cecil Paul

I was born in Tichborne, Ontario and have many relatives in the Perth-Lanark-Sharbot Lake area My father was born in Poland, Ontario and my mother was from Sharbot Lake.

I live in Belleville now and have visited the Perth-Sharbot Lake area gathering facts and records on the Garrett family.

I learned from my mother that her Grandfather, Matthew Garrett was murdered in Sharbot Lake [southwest of Perth] on November 17, 1876. He ran a boarding house for the K&P Railway and was murdered by one of four men who were involved in a fight at the boarding house. Being interested in history, I decided to do some research on the murder. The more I looked, the more intrigued I got. I have completed writing and publishing a book about the murder. It has photos, letters and legal documents from the time. The information on the murder, I got from the files of the British Whig, which is in the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.

If anyone has any information on the Garretts of Sharbot Lake, or where Matthew Garrett and his wife are buried, I would love to hear from you.

If you would like to read more about this subject I now have the book available for purchase. The book is 70 pages, soft covered and spiral bound. The cost is $20 CDN (tax included).

"The arrival of the railroad meant a better and easier way of life for many. For Matthew Garrett and his family, it meant hardship and disaster that would change their lives forever."

You can order the book and/or email me at cecil.paul@sympatico.ca

The Kingston & Pembroke [K&P] Railway is located in eastern Ontario, connecting the Lake Ontario port city of Kingston with Renfrew in the Ottawa Valley. It was affectionately known as the Kick & Push Railway.

For more information on the Railway visit the following sites.

• I Remember the K&P Railway - Jim Bradley