Scovil General Store

Samuel Southmayd Scovil was born in Upper Canada in approximately 1818. His grandfather, Uri Scovil, appears to have been the original family member to have settled in Leeds. By 1846 S.S. Scovil was the proprietor of a general store in Portland, Ontario. Apparently Scovil had bought out the business interests of Philip Wing, taking over Wing's store. Scovil's eldest son, Thomas Knowlton, seems to have followed in his father's footsteps. On a number of documents Thomas is listed as a merchant's clerk and, quite possibly, was working for his father. In 1877 Thomas entered into a business partnership with Milton Homer Sherwood and became involved in merchandising both general and medicinal goods. After the death of his father, it is unclear whether Thomas inherited his father's store. There is evidence, however, that by the 1920's a Scovil family member was still operating a general store in Portland, although it is unclear whether that is S.S. Scovil's original store or a new business establishment.