Johnson M. Soper: farmer and lumber dealer; settled in Kent County in 1867; owned 625 acres on lot 20, concession 2, Lake Erie; was born in Durham County, Ontario in 1832; post office address: Guilds; house called Bay View; top left: grain elevator on Rondeau; top right: first house erected 1867; from page 64: "J. M. Soper, of Harwich, is one of the most enterprising and energetic among the farmers and business men of the entire county. Born in Hope, Ont., in 1832, he followed farming there until 1866, when he came to Raleigh, and in company with a brother purchased 700 acres of forest land along Old Talbot Street, bordering "the O." With uncommon energy they applied themselves to the subjugation of the wilderness, and now, after fifteen years of well-directed effort, have over 500 acres under cultivation, comprising one of the finest and most productive farms in Canada. They have their own docks, warehouses and shipping at Rond Eau Harbor, and carry on an extensive business in grain and forest products."