(24 Oct. 1841-20 Feb. 1931), physician. (Dr Falkner) Born in Lancaster Township, GC, a descendant of the Loyalist William Falkner. Parents: James Falkner and his wife Christie Hay. Alexander Falkner attended Williamstown High School and McGill University, and obtained his medical degree from McGill in 1866. In his earlier professional years, he practiced medicine at L’Orignal, Williamstown and Alexandria, but full dates have not been found and even the exact order of these periods of residence is uncertain. In the Alexandria section of an 1876 directory, he is listed as “Faulkner Alex, M D,” and one of his sons was born in Alexandria that year. Also, “Falkner, Alex,” by profession “M. D.,” is listed in the Alexandria section of a Lochiel Township printed voters’ list (for the Legislative Assembly) of the same year 1876. However, he is particularly remembered for the many years of practice at Lancaster which followed all of these earlier practices. We get an impression of the difficulties of a country physician of this time from a letter by Dr Falkner, Lancaster, on 1 Feb. 1888, to R. R. (Big Rory) McLennan, asking for a loan of $100. Falkner wrote, “I find it almost impossible to collect in, enough to meet my engagements this winter although I have fully a thousand dollars due me.” In early life he was a noted athlete and he competed even after he became a physician. At the Caledonian Games at Williamstown in 1872 he competed at throwing the heavy hammer. He was remembered to have been able to lift a 1,000-lb railway rail. At the time of the Fenian Raids he was appointed assistant surgeon of the SDG militia. Dr Falkner was married 9 March 1871 at Lancaster to Janet McNicol (24 Feb. 1847-25 July 1929), who was born at South Lancaster. They celebrated their golden wedding at Lancaster in 1921. (Glengarry News 18 March 1921) Dr Falkner died at his home at Lancaster, aged almost 90, about a year and a half after his wife. (ten children, six surviving him) He was a Presbyterian.

     The children of Dr and Mrs Falkner included: (1) Flight Lt. Harold Falkner (1888-1917) (W. H. Falkner, William H. Falkner ), who was killed in France in WWI while serving in the Royal Flying Corps. (Glengarry News 26 Oct. 1917) (2) Margaret,who married Dr Amos or Ames Frankford Rogers (1855-1922), the inventor and proprietor of a patent medicine, well known and widely advertised in its day, called Fruit-a-Tives. (3) Dr Alexander Duncan Falkner (b. Alexandria, GC, 7 Sept. 1876; d. Westmount, Que., 5 Aug. 1956). (A. D. Falkner, A. Duncan Falkner) He graduated in medicine from Queen’s University (1904) and after a period of practice at Lancaster with his father he practised medicine in Westmount for many years beginning in 1914. He was married 29 Sept. 1909 to Nicholas (Nixie) Leitch, the dau. of Justice James Leitch. (4) Major James Falkner, MC. He was a captain serving on the Western Front at the time of his brother Harold’s death in 1917. At the time of his father’s death, James was a major, and was living in Ogdensburg, N. Y. James’s son, Major Graeme Falkner (d. 1943), served as an officer in the SDG Highlanders. He was in Africa for training at the time of his death, and was killed in action in Tunisia.

Glengarry News 27 Feb. 1931, Cornwall Freeholder 25 Feb. 1931, Cornwall Standard 26 Feb. 1931 * private information * Harkness 455 * Ross, Lancaster, 92, 165, 265, 301 * Fraser, Gravestones, I, 124 * Woodburn [189] * Archives of Ontario-RRM * obituary of wife, Cornwall Standard 1 Aug. 1929 * Williamstown 200 66 * Boss 47-48 * Roy F. Fleming, “Glengarry Athletes Star Performers in Early Caledonian Games,” Standard Freeholder 23 July 1949 (includes information from the doctor’s son, Major James Falkner of Hull, Que.) * Major Graeme Falkner: obituaries SFH 4 May 1943, GN 7 May 1943; Boss 90, 264