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Fifty Archives Treasures: Milverton’s Dr. Percival Lawrence Tye (1884-1969)

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Cindy J. Sinko Stratford-Perth Archives

This is week 22 of the continuing series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Stratford-Perth Archives and its treasures. This week’s treasure is a painting of Dr. Percival Lawrence Tye of Milverton, painted by Perth County artist Bruce Stapleton.

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Born in Stratford in 1910, Stapleton grew up there before going to study at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto in his late teens. He married Isobel Orr in 1938 and moved their family to Vancouver in the 1950s. He is known and remembered for his Second World War public support posters as well as for his portrait paintings. Besides Dr. Tye, he painted portraits of his father-in-law, R. Thomas Orr, and the principals from Stratford Collegiate – C.A. Mayberry and W.L. Sprung – among others.

Dr. Tye was well known throughout the county. He died on March 30, 1969 and his death made front-page news when it was announced in the April 1, 1969 edition of the Stratford Beacon Herald. This article tells his story and strived to let the readers in on his life, that was full and well lived:

“Over 60 years in Milverton Dedicated practitioner, Dr. P.L. Tye, dies Milverton – Sixty years and 10 days after he started his medical practice here, Dr. P.L Tye died Monday in Stratford General Hospital. He was 85 years old.

Dedication to his community kept Dr. Tye on the go seven days a week until several years ago when periodic illness took him away from his office.

He was born in Brantford, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Tye. From Brantford he moved to Niagara Falls, then to Goderich, where he graduated from high school. He entered University of Toronto Medical School in 1903 and graduated in 1907.

Dr. Tye served his internship in hospitals in Ottawa and Buffalo, N.Y., before coming here. He began as an assistant to the late Dr. Fred Parker.

From the first Sunday he started his practice here Dr. Tye delivered a baby every Sunday until the first week in June that year. This was his initiation in the 60 years and almost 6,000 babies that followed.

His first car, a Ford touring model bought in 1913, cost him $800 plus the 15 cents express charge to have the licence plates sent from Toronto.

The car eventually replaced the fine stable of horses Dr. Tye maintained to take him out in every conceivable sort of weather to treat patients.

He kept five horses usually so he would always have a fresh team if a series of calls had to be made.

The switch to the car meant problems in getting out on the township roads in the winter when the plows weren’t sent out to clear the snow away. To overcome this, Dr. Tye designed a snowmobile that took him everywhere duty called.

Instead of lightening as the years went on, Dr. Tye’s duties increased. When he started here there were doctors in Monkton, Millbank and Atwood. When they all left their communities, Dr. Tye was left with the overflow of patients.

He travelled about 30,000 miles each year between his office and the hospitals in Listowel and Stratford where he had patients. His area of service grew to cover about 150 square miles.

Medicine and consultation to patients was only one phase of Dr. Tye’s life. He was the first president of the Milverton Lions Club when it organized. For 11 years he served on the council of the village here – four as a Councillor and seven as Reeve. In 1927 Dr. Tye was elected Warden of Perth County.

He spent more than 30 years as county representative on the Milverton High School Board, 12 of those as chairman of the board. Dr. Tye was chairman of the Old Age Pensions Board for Perth for two years. He was a past district deputy of the Masonic Order.

When he first came to the village he had to run the telephone system established by Dr. Parker. When the Mornington Municipal System took over the business in 1921 there were 275 subscribers.

Surviving besides his wife, the former Edna Beckett of Owen Sound, whom he married on Oct. 12, 1912, are two sons, William, Dundalk; MacDonald, Winnipeg; one sister, Mrs. Robert (Edrie) Carey, Goderich; eight grandchildren; four great grandchildren.

Besides the two children listed, he and Edna had two other children, James (191920) and John Herbert (191369). Dr. Tye was laid to rest in Greenwood cemetery in Milverton.” ***

Stratford-Perth Archives is open for in-person research by appointment from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For details, please contact us at 519-271-0531 ext. 259 or by emailing archives@perthcounty.ca

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