Doctor Ernest Welland Gemmill

Ernest Welland Gemmill was born near Renfrew in 1865, though his family moved to Clayton when he was still an infant, and later to Almonte as a child. Dr. Gemmill graduated from McGill University in 1889 and proceeded to establish a medical practice in Almonte for a short time before relocating to Pakenham in 1890. He became very involved in the community, and was notably one of the first people to have a telephone installed in the village. He was also the first medical professional to occupy the Pakenham Doctor’s House, a tradition that would be maintained until at least the late 1940s. After twenty-nine years in Pakenham, Dr. Gemmill sold his practice and home, and moved to Toronto in 1919 where he stayed until his death.