Elma
Elma is a community in Dundas County is believed to have been named after Lady Elma Bruce, the daughter of James Bruce, Lord Elgin, who served as Governor for the Province of Canada from 1847 to 1854. The Elma Post Office opened in 1884 with Thomas Sargeant serving as the first postmaster. By 1905, the postmaster was George Durant. As of 1905, Elma had a population of 125 residents.
In 1905, Edwin Beach operated as the village blacksmith. Additionally, the late William Hill of Elma is noted for having built durable school furniture, such as a teacher's desk made more than sixty years prior to 1905 that was still in good preservation at that time.
A Methodist church was built in Elma in 1872 at a cost of $4,000. It replaced an earlier structure known as Becker’s Chapel, which had stood for thirty years. Elma is the site of the circuit's brick parsonage, which was erected at a cost of $2,000. The Elma United Church celebrated its 99th anniversary on Sunday, September 10, 1972. The church supported an Epworth League society and a Sabbath school, which was led by Superintendent Peter Droppo around 1905.
The local school, S.S. No. 13 Elma, was located at the northwest corner of the east half of Lot 23, Concession 6. Mrs. Julia A. Fetterley, one of the few female teachers of her era, finished her teaching career at Elma in 1866. The original school section joined the Williamsburg Township School Area in 1941 and closed in 1965, after which students were sent to Morrisburg Public School. A new school for Elma was built in 2009.
Mrs. Hugh McMillan of Elma was recently honored at the Canadian Open Champion Old Time Fiddle Contest in Shelburne, Ontario, for her contributions to the art.
A First World War memorial stands in Elma, listing more than twenty local men who were killed in action, including Frank Wilson, John Sawtell, and Andrew E. McKeever.
Sources:
Chesterville Record
Canadian Official Postal Guide
SDG Counties History
Upper Canada District School Board
Dundas County Directory