Newman, Oliver & McCarten Insurance Brokers Ltd.
Stirling
The Stirling office of Newman, Oliver & McCarten Insurance Brokers Ltd. is located at 25 Mill Street in Stirling.
The earliest history that we can substantiate at 25 Mill Street was the insurance office owned by Mr. Walter Martin. in 1871. The insurance office remains at the same location to this day.
We have an original policy written by Mr. Walter Martin and issued by the old Hastings Mutual Insurance Company dated the 3rd day of October, 1871 in the name of Edward Rosebush, parts of Lot # 9, in the 1st Concession, Township of Rawdon. The Rosebush family was a very prominent family in the Stirling area. This was the 542 policy sold by the Company. The total sum insured was $2000 for a premium of $5.00. Considering the price per $100 of insurance, in reality the premium is more expensive than insurance of today.
Walter Martin was also the manager of the Union Bank, which is mentioned in the book The Heritage Years, a History of Stirling and District. Harold Martin, Walter's son, took over and operated the business until 1978 at which time he was killed, at the age of 78, in an automobile accident while delivering an insurance policy. Harold's only son, Ivan Martin, was killed in the second world war. Douglas L. Robson had worked for several years for Mr. Martin and in 1978 took the business over and continued it until 1987 until he sold it to Gary Newman of D.H. McCarten Ltd (1987) which in January 1988 became Newman, Oliver and McCarten Insurance Brokers Ltd. after the purchase of Henry Oliver's agency.
As a note of interest, when Thomas Bata (Bata Shoes) came to Canada and set up business in Frankford, Harold Martin insured all of Thomas Bata's interest in the Bata Plant and also insured all of the Bata employees properties including their personal properties and personal contents. Mr. Martin even kept a small office in the office section of the Bata Plant and he would write the employees insurance with the help of an interpreter. A number of the employees and Mr. Bata were from Czechoslovakia and could speak very little English. Most of them had left their country just prior to the war or had escaped during the war.
Harold Martin was a very well respected man and selling insurance at the turn of the century was much different than it is today. He would take his horse and buggy, or cutter in the winter months, and travel for a week or more to the surrounding area as far back as Queensboro, Cooper, Marmora and Madoc areas selling his insurance products. Many of their ancestors are still faithfully insured in the Stirling office today.
Make it a point to visit this historic insurance office in Stirling. The qualified and helpful staff will be happy to help you with all of your insurance needs.
25 Mill Street, P.O. Box 129
STIRLING, ON
K0K 3E0
TEL 613-395-3333
FAX 613-395-0449
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