Dave Paterson, a reader of this website, recently sent me the original of what appears to be a cheque from the Lakefield Portland Cement Company. He found it between the pages of a used book he acquired. Here is a photo of the cheque:
After seeing the original cheque I am guessing that it was a blank cheque discarded after the original Lakefield Portland Cement Company, which was incorporated by Robert Butchart, George Stirke Kilbourn, John M. Kilbourn, Francis Kilbourn, Horace B. Smith and William Henry Eugene Bravender. on 24 August 1900, was subsequently taken over by the Canada Cement Company in 1909.
The cheque shows the corporate bank as “James Linton & Co. Bankers”.
The cheque has been filled in with pencil and the handwriting appears to be done by the same hand throughout. To my eye, it looks like a child’s handwriting.
The cheque is undated and has been made out to “Miss Hilliard” of Lakefield, Ontario in the amount of “9000000, Dollars” [note: no commas between any of the numerals], an amount the Lakefield Portland Cement Company would never have paid out.
The authorizing signatures, “A.S. Butchart, President” and “R.C. Strickland, Secy-Treasurer” appear to be the names of the actual corporate office holders but are written in pencil in what appears to be the same handwriting.
I’m guessing that this is an authentic Lakefield Portland Cement Company blank cheque from the period 1900-1909 that was discarded when the Lakefield Portland Cement Company was taken over by the Canada Cement Company in 1909.
I’m guessing that someone subsequently acquired the blank cheque and made it out to a child, “Miss Hilliard”, for amusement.
But despite being made out to “Miss Hilliard”, likely after the 1909 acquisition of the Lakefield Portland Cement Company by the Canada Cement Company i, this appears to be a genuine cheque of the 1900-1909 Lakefield Portland Cement Company.
I will do some research on “James Linton & Co. Bankers” and on “Miss Hilliard” of Lakefield, Ontario.
For comparison, here is a photo of the Lakefield Portland Cement Company corporate letterhead:
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