JOHN B. LLOYD. GRANVILLE, WASHINGTON COUNTY, NEW YORK.

A stranger in a strange land, 135 miles inland in the mountains of British Columbia, with an Indian reservation as the nearest habitation, one of a group of 25 slate workers with not another white man or woman in sight, two chinamen doing the cooking for them.

It was a lonely life in spite of the fact that the pay was $4.50 daily and although John B lloyd saved practically every cent of it except what he paid for his board, one year was sufficient for him. His urge to return to civilization was too great and he abandoned British Columbia for all time.

He first came to New Rockland Quebec, Canada, in August 1887, having been born in Cwmtawel, Festiniog, North Wales, December 25th, 1863. As a boy he assisted his parents, John and Laura (Jones) Lloyd on their farm, dividing the time to attend school and early religious training.

Quitting the farm at the age of 15 he obtained a job in the slate quarries where there were 500 workers employed, mining black slate. When he was 23 years of age the manager of his quarry obtained a promotion to go to the slate quarries in Cornwall England, and he asked John B. Lloyd to go along and work for him. Mr. Lloyd and three others accepted the proposition. It was the first time he had been away from home.

All isn't gold that glitters and they had a hard time obtaining pay for their work. Mr. Lloyd received all the wages due him and after working six months the four men decided to quit Cornwall. Two decided to go back to Wales, while John B. Lloyd and one of the others, made up their minds to cross the Atlantic to come to Canada.

He arrived in New Rockland, Canada in 1887, and stayed five years. In 1892 he heard of the money that could be made in the slate quarries of British Columbia and he joined a group of 25 slate makers, most of them Welshmen. They landed in New Westminster, British Columbia. "We arrived at an Indian reservation," said Mr. Lloyd, "and we proceeded 135 miles into the vastness of the mountains. We were a pretty homesick lot of men there, 25 of us. We had two chinamen to cook for us. Not a white man, besides our own crew in sight, and our only means of recreation was a group of Indians who came out of their reservation to visit us on Sundays.

"These Indians walked three or four miles to furnish us with band music coming from weird instruments. We in turn entertained them with Welsh songs. These concerts were a weekly Sunday feature with us. All the Indians did was to fish and hunt but they would not work in the quarry. They thought we were a queer lot to go into the quarry to dig for rock.

"The manager of the quarry tried to hire them to cut wood, but they thought that the work was too hard and they quit. They were a good bunch of Indians and we had a lot of fun with them. They would do anything for tobacco. They could not speak English and we couldn't converse with them except for sign language. We made motions to them and they understood.

"They were great fishermen and would bring us some fine salmon from the rivers of British Columbia and exchange these fish, which sometimes weighed 30 pounds each, for tobacco, sugar, tea and coffee. We got pretty tired looking at each other without seeing a woman's face all the time we were there and I was one of three who returned to New Rockland."

In 1893, Mr. Lloyd married Kate Thomas at New Rockland, a sister of Jane, May and Robert D. Thomas of Granville. Two years after his marriage he left Canada to go to Brownville, Maine, and then to Blanchard, Maine, and when the money panic occurred during the Cleveland administration and Mr. Lloyd could not obtain $400 in wages due to him from the quarry in Blanchard, he returned to Brownsville, Maie, sending his wife and two of his infant children to New Rockland, Canada, for a four months visit, while he made up his mind to come to Granville.

The father of Elizabeth Schiff, Richard Jones was his uncle and Mr. Lloyd joined him here to work with him in Norton Brothers quarry on the hill, but there were no blocks available at that particular time and the company was not employing any new help and Mr. Lloyd left for Fair Haven, Vermont.

He was joined at Fair Haven by his wife and two children where he lived for five years. When his father-in-law came down to Granville from New Rockland, Canada, Mr. Lloyd and family came to Granville.

In 1908, Mrs. Lloyd died and left him with four small children, David, Edmund, Hugh and a small infant which died a month after Mrs. Lloyd did. He remarried Mrs. Robert Jones of Fair Haven, Vermont, January 8th, 1909, and they moved to Williams Street and from there to the house then owned by the late Police Justice Albert M. Martin in which Owen Cadwallader now resides.

When the older sons of Mr. Lloyd were old enough to find work in the quarry the family decided to move to the village. They rented a house on Factory Street and the experience of high water the first winter was enough to convince Mr. Lloyd that he had better look for a dry spot in the village. He found one. His present residence is on a high elevation on Columbia Terrace with a long stairway leading to it and he has lived there for some time.

John B. Lloyd is one of the best known of the older Welsh residents in Granville. Having worked in most of the slate quarries in the New York-Vermont valley he made many friends among the workers. He was employed by the Edwards slate company in the old eagle quarry; by Norton Brothers in the "Big Boston" quarry; O'Brien Brothers company, Hugh G. Williams slate company, owen Philip Thomas and by James Burdette.

He also worked on a contract agreement, associated with William L. Roberts of Granville and the two worked together for two years. He had nothing but good words for all his employers and patricularly the late James Burdette for whom he worked six years.

Mr. Lloyd doesn't like the word 'retirement' He feels that although he is advancing in years he still is able to give a good account of himself as a slatemaker and he worked as recently as last year for Owen L. Williams of Wells, Vermont. "I don't know whether I will ever work or not. They don't want me I guess. And it must be against the law to hire an older person."

John B. Lloyd is a member of the Welsh Presbyterian church and a constant attendant of the Sunday school. He is a member of the Maccabees and at one time joined the Foresters.

"Most everybody knows me." said Mr. Lloyd. "and I have many friends. I felt very bad when John Lawler died. I have traded with him for more than 30 years and I am still doing business with young John. I thought well of Mr. Lawler."

Jane and May Thomas, sisters of his first wife were visiting Mr. Lloyd and they expressed the opinion of the community about him when they said. "John B. Lloyd is a little man with a great big heart."

Granville Sentinel ~ September 4th, 1941.