He worked in a general store owned by E. Cutler at Ridgeway, becoming owner of the business and expanding into the manufacturing of flour. In 1870, in Fort Erie, Ontario, he married Jeanette Ann Wilson.
Working at a general store run by E. Cutler in Ridgeway, he later became the owner and expanded his business to include flour manufacturing. Two years later, in 1870, he tied the knot with Jeanette Ann Wilson in Fort Erie, Ontario.