72 Lovers of the Horse 



and was for a long time managed by a brother of the inventor, also a doctor. ]Mr. 

 VerraTs grandfather on the paternal side was also a medical practitioner. On the 

 maternal side the tjrandfather was a clerovman of the Church of Eniiland. One of 

 Mr. \'(Mral"s prized possessions in his pretty residence at 43 Kendal Ave., Toronto, 

 is a framed account from a Brighton paper of 1875, entitled " History of our Ancestors," 

 devoting two columns of space in eulogy of the Verral family. 



Mr. Verral started out for himself in life early, lie was some years at a boarding 

 school in Lewis. His father died when the lad was fourteen years of age. The ex- 

 ecutors of the estate deemed it wise to send George to Canada, where his brother. Dr. 

 Henrv \'erral. was practising at Goderich; so in \8i3 the boy came across the Atlantic 

 in a sailing vessel, a "packet ship," reaching New York after a long and uneventful 

 passage. It took him a week to get from New York to Toronto. The New York 

 Central Ry. was then in course of construction, and young \ Crral, to get to Toronto, 

 had to take a small steamer up the Hudson as far as Albany. Then he travelled by 

 canal boat to Rochester, anfl from there came across Lake Ontario, on the little steamer 

 Ruchc'^tcr. to Toronto. I'he lad was of a courageous nature and decided to dejjend 

 entirely upon ins own etforts to mould his future. His tirst occujjation was garden- 

 ing, wliicli did iiim good, and is ])ro])abiy responsible for his husky frame and bright 

 intellect t()-(lav. 'l^lien he went into the employment of a Mr. Sams, who conducted 

 a store on King St., Toronto. Mr. Sams was a famous English cricketer, from Brighton, 

 and was well ac(|uainted with the Verral family in the old land. Young Verral was 

 very satisfactory. l)ut the end of his career as a store assistant came under tragic aus- 

 pices. Mr. Sams went to meet the steamer at the old wharf, foot of Yonge St., to get 

 some goods. He stood too close to the edge of the dock, and the fender of the steamer 

 struck him, causing liis death. At this time. Mr. Verral was about twenty years old and. 

 seeing tiic ()|)|)()rtuiiities open tor the success of a livery liusincss, he went into partner- 

 shi|) with Mr. Farley and opened an establishment on ^ Ork St., a site now occupied 

 bv a portion of the Rossiii F louse. In connection with this business, he becanu> inti- 

 mately acquainted with ollicials engaged in the construction of the (irand Trunk Rail- 

 way. Mr. Tait, superintendent of the building of tlic line east of Toronto, was 

 impressed with the young man's ability, and iiKhiccd hiui to accept a |)osition on the 

 survevs. He was enfraii'ed in railroad work tor al)out five vears. when the work was 

 completed. At the conclusion of the fourth year of this service he was offered the 

 position of .station master at Whitby, but declined it, on the representations of his 

 friends in authority, who said that when the load was coniplcte<l there would l)e far 

 better positions which Mr. \'erral would be capable of filling. However, changes were 

 made in the management, and the new faces in charge were strangers from the Old 

 Country, and the good jolj did not niateriali/.e. Then Mr. \(M'ral went back to the 

 livery business. He was always foTid of horses and by this time was well known in 

 the community. He established a stable at the south-east corner of Wellington and 

 York Sts., but the property was sold and is now the land upon which the Toronto 

 Club stands. Then Mr. Verral moved to Front St., o|)posite the Custom House, 



