A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time: A Collection of Persons Distinguished in Professional and Political Life, Leaders in the Commerce and Industry of Canada, and Successful Pioneers
History
A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time: A Collection of Persons Distinguished in Professional and Political Life, Leaders in the Commerce and Industry of Canada, and Successful Pioneers
and the senate of that institute conferred upon him, in 1885, the
honorary degree of D.D. In 1851, he revisited Scotland, for the
restoration of his health, which had become impaired through the labours
that had been undergone; and again in 1881 he visited the old country,
accompanied by his wife. On this occasion he travelled over the greater
part of Scotland, visited Ireland and its chief cities, with the lakes
of Killarney, and crossed over to Paris, where a week was spent amid the
scenes of that gay and enchanting city. Rev. Mr. Torrance’s religious
views are Presbyterian; these he says he acquired from his parents and
is satisfied with their scriptural character, and has not changed his
mind since boyhood. Rev. Mr. Torrance may now be considered as having
retired from very active duties. In 1857, he purchased ten acres of fine
land in the neighbourhood of Guelph, and having built thereon for
himself a comfortable house, he resides there and devotes his spare time
to gardening and the cultivation of flowers, having gone to the expense
of importing from Scotland, and even China, some very rare flower seeds.
In August, 1854, he was married to Bessie Dryden, of Eramosa, whose
father and mother had come from the neighbourhood of Jedburgh, in
Scotland, and took up land in that township soon after it was thrown
open to settlers. Four children, two sons and two daughters, were born,
all of them now grown up; two of them married, one of the latter, a
daughter, having gone with her husband to China, under an engagement for
four years at the close of which they have returned.
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Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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