From milk to mallets: lecture traces Hogg family history

As the first event in the Westmount Historical Association's fall lecture series, Grace Hogg dropped by the Westmount Room of the Public Library on Sept. 20 to discuss her family and share some archival photos.

She began by pointing out that her ancestors left Scotland's Selkirk Valley in the early 19th century along with thousands of other emigrants. Her great, great, great uncle, grain merchant William Kerr, was the first of the family to arrive, settling in Montreal in 1829. He rented the Samuel Gale farm on the eastern edge of the old city limits – near today's Jacques Cartier Bridge. He prospered by selling hay and vegetables to the British army. In 1863, Kerr's niece, Margaret Laidlaw, married fellow Scot Walter Hogg; together they had three children.

In 1888, with the help of Uncle William Kerr, their eldest son, George Hogg,

began a career as a dairy farmer in Longue Pointe, in the city's east end.

In 1901, George and business partner William Trenholme purchased the

fledgling Guaranteed Pure Milk Company. The dairy was one of the first

to pasteurize its milk, gaining it a reputation for safe, reliable products at a time when unhygienic food processing and poor sanitary conditions contributed to a high infant mortality rate.

In addition to being president of the Guaranteed Pure Milk Company, George also operated the Purity Ice Cream Company and served as mayor of Westmount

from 1926 to 1930.

In 1948, George's son, William Hogg, succeeded him as president of the milk and ice cream companies. In turn, William was followed as president by his son, David Hogg. The dairy was sold to Ault Foods Ltd. in 1989.

In 1992, George Alexander Hogg, great grandson of George Hogg, opened

Hogg Hardware at 4833 Sherbrooke St., the site of the former Pascal's. Today, many family members, including George Alexander's bothers, Dave and Al, are involved in the business.

Members of the Hogg family have lived in Westmount for almost 100 years. They moved to the city in 1914, when George Hogg, his wife, Genty Drummond, and family left their Longue Pointe farm for a newly constructed home at 3637 The Boulevard. Four subsequent generations of Hoggs have also made their homes in Westmount. In 1977, as a tribute to his father, William Hogg established the George Hogg Family Foundation, a charitable organization which funds numerous Montreal charities.

During the animated question period, Grace's father, David Hogg, answered questions about the dairy. At the end of the evening, a group photo was taken of the many members of the Hogg family present.

The next lecture in the WHA's series takes place on Thursday, Oct. 18, when Alan Hustak, author of 'The Titanic: The Canadian Story', discusses the local angle of the famous nautical disaster. All lectures are held in the Westmount Room of the Westmount Public Library, 4574 Sherbrooke St. W., at 7 p.m. Admission is free for WHA members, $5 at the door for non-members. For more information, call 514-925-1404 or 514-932-6688.