(1872-19 Aug. 1954), historian, journalist. (W. J. Styles, Will J. Styles) (dates 7 Dec. 1869-18 Aug. 1954 also given) Born at Morrisburg, Dundas County, Ont. Parents: William Styles (d. 1911) and his wife Anne Weagant (d. 1920). William Styles the elder (i.e., the father of William J. Styles) was a native of Ireland and for many years a schoolteacher in Dundas County (and earlier, and more briefly, in Stormont County), and was a first cousin of John Tyndall (1820-1893) the great Victorian scientist. William J. Styles the son attended Morrisburg schools and learned the “printing trade” at the office of the Morrisburg Herald. Later, he was associated for some years (probably till 1918) with his brother Charles in editing the Herald. Otherwise, he worked on newspapers at Ottawa, Cornwall, Arnprior, and finally at Renfrew, where he was employed from the spring of 1948 on the Renfrew Mercury. When he was about to move from Morrisburg to Renfrew to take up his new job, he was described as having been for “several years” the Morrisburg correspondent for the Standard-Freeholder. (SFH 1 April 1948) Stiles’s obituary termed him a “veteran newspaperman, ” who followed his “calling of newspaperman all his life.” He died in his sleep at his home in Renfrew. He seems not to have been married.

     Between April 1941 and March 1943 Stiles published a cogently-written column on Dundas County history called “Random Comment from Dundas County” a few times a month in the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder. While only a small amount of the material deals directly with GC, much of it is highly relevant to GC history because of the nearness of the two counties to each other, and the economic conditions they so often shared. Styles showed a powerful interest in the plant and animal life of his area as well as its human history. When Styles, described as formerly the Standard-Freeholder’s correspondent in Morrisburg, and “now of the Renfrew Mercury,” visited Morrisburg with the Renfrew hockey team in 1949, he was welcomed by Vicky, “the sheep dog that was his constant companion on long walks he delighted in taking around the countryside while here.” (SFH 15 March 1949) He was an admirer of James Croil and an intrigued observer of J.G. Harkness’ work as a historian (and was perhaps not unaware that he was himself one of the people who could have written the Harkness history).

Standard Freeholder 21 Aug. 1954 * William Styles the elder: biog. sketch in J.S. Carter, The Story of Dundas (1905) 128, & obituaries (undated clipping) * Harkness 338 * E.W. Morgan, “Up the Front” : a Story of Morrisburg (1964) 72-73, 93 * Bibliography of Glengarry 60-6, 69: appraisal of his writings, and analysis (with dates) of the content as esp. related to GC * geneal. information kindly made available by Mrs Lynne (O’Brien) Cook of Morrisburg