My mother, Eveleen (nee Schell) Allen has always spoken of nature providing a major snow storm around March 20th. During her teenage years, there had been a blizzard on March 20th and her mother and sister had not been able to get home from a trip into Barrie Ontario (normally about a 15 minute drive - maybe 30 minutes in those days). They were snow bound, along with several other travellers, at someone's home for several days.
During my life time, even if the Canadian winter weather turned mild and it appeared as if spring had arrived, Mom would always maintain to not get too excited until after the 20th of March. And she has usually been right! The snow storm may not be a blizzard, but there would be a significant fall of snow.
My brothers usually drive from Kingston Ontario to Florida in early March to visit the baseball spring training camps. One year, they were snowed in for a couple of days in Pennsylvania enroute to Florida. That storm was in early March, so it does not necessarily fall into Mom's prediction.
Another storm that had impact on my family was the January 1998 ice storm in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec. The storm started during the night at my husband Terry and I were awakened to popping sounds - transformers on nearby hydrolines. I had a phone call from my supervisor informing me that our place of work, Queen's University, was closed. The university rarely closes as most of the student population lives on, or near, campus. My brother worked in the downtown area which still had power as the hydro lines in that section of Kingston were underground, so he had gone to work. But as the storm worsened and no let up in sight, he booked a room in a downtown hotel owned by his employers. His intention had only been for himself and our brother and mother who both live with him. Mom took it upon herself to invite me and Terry to join them.
Driving from our home to the downtown hotel should have only required a drive down one street, about 10 minutes. But we had to keep making detours due to fallen trees blocking roads, as well as hydro lines which had falled to the ground due to the weight of the ice.
My step-children were at their mother's but when they were going to have to evacuate to a shelter the following day, Terry and I picked them up and brought them to the hotel as well. On the Friday night, there were 7 of us staying in one hotel room. Talk about family togetherness!
Power was gradually being restored around the city. The power at my mother's house was back on by Saturday, so we relocated there. Her neighbours across the street were still without power, so they ran extension cords from her outside electrical outlet to their homes. The power to our house was restored the next day.
During the storm, a friend was planning on getting married. The power had only been restored to the church earlier in the day of the wedding, but the reception was in the suburbs were hydrolines were underground and therefore not affected. It was her third marriage and she took the ribbing well that only she would get married during an ice storm. Unfortunately, that marriage did not last either.
Some areas of the city were without power for many more days than I or my family experienced. And of course, we all had to deal with the after affects of freezers and refrigerators being without power for several days. Since it was an ice storm, the weather temperature was only around the freezing mark, which was not cold enough to maintain frozen food.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 15 (Taxes)
I had difficulty thinking of what to write for this week's topic of 'Taxes'. I have yet to spend time researching tax records of my ancestors, so I have not been able to draw upon such resources. Most of my ancestors have been farmers - of small family farms, not large ranches. Many did move around, but I'm not aware of any of the moves being initiated by "loosing the farm" due to unpaid taxes.
The only tax related thought that kept coming to mind was my father, Jack Allen, filing his income tax each year during my lifetime. When I would question him why he seemed to be thrilled having to send a cheque along with his income tax submission, despite his employer withholding funds for income each pay cheque. But when I had a better understanding of his earlier life, I had a better understanding why he felt it was an honour to have to pay additional taxes above and beyond what his employer had already collected on his behalf.
He grew up on his family farm in Simcoe County, Ontario, the second oldest of ten children. His older brother, Ab, had left the farm before World War II to work in Toronto but there were four other sons as well. When my parents married in 1949, Jack wanted a better life for his family and around that time had been hired as a plumber by a mechanical contracting company doing work at nearby Camp Borden. He learned the trade on the job, as well as welding, steam fitting and other related trades. He obviously impressed his employer as he continued to work on their other projects around Ontario and eventually was assigned to set up an office in Kingston Ontario.
From a childhood on a small family farm in rural Ontario, he became a well respected Manager of a construction company - with the appropriate salary. The reason why he would have to submit more money each year for his income taxes, above and beyond what had been deducted from his weekly paycheque? Investments. Over the years, in addition to be able to provide (quite well) for his family, he had been able to invest money. When he dead unexpectedly in 1990 at the age of 67, he had still been working and was able to leave a good nest egg for my mother so that she had no financial worries.
The only tax related thought that kept coming to mind was my father, Jack Allen, filing his income tax each year during my lifetime. When I would question him why he seemed to be thrilled having to send a cheque along with his income tax submission, despite his employer withholding funds for income each pay cheque. But when I had a better understanding of his earlier life, I had a better understanding why he felt it was an honour to have to pay additional taxes above and beyond what his employer had already collected on his behalf.
He grew up on his family farm in Simcoe County, Ontario, the second oldest of ten children. His older brother, Ab, had left the farm before World War II to work in Toronto but there were four other sons as well. When my parents married in 1949, Jack wanted a better life for his family and around that time had been hired as a plumber by a mechanical contracting company doing work at nearby Camp Borden. He learned the trade on the job, as well as welding, steam fitting and other related trades. He obviously impressed his employer as he continued to work on their other projects around Ontario and eventually was assigned to set up an office in Kingston Ontario.
From a childhood on a small family farm in rural Ontario, he became a well respected Manager of a construction company - with the appropriate salary. The reason why he would have to submit more money each year for his income taxes, above and beyond what had been deducted from his weekly paycheque? Investments. Over the years, in addition to be able to provide (quite well) for his family, he had been able to invest money. When he dead unexpectedly in 1990 at the age of 67, he had still been working and was able to leave a good nest egg for my mother so that she had no financial worries.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 14 (Maiden Aunt)
Although a cousin rather than an aunt, my focus this week is Ethel May Adelaide Allen. She is a first cousin of my father, but as my father's father had been the youngst of 12 children, many of my father's cousins were more like aunts and uncles.
Ethel was born December 30 1909, the third child of Robert Herbert Allen and Ida Mary Halm, in Sunnidale Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. Ethel was only 16 years old when her mother died in 1925. Neither she or her only brother, William "Bill" George, ever married. The two lived together in their family farm house until their deaths. They never had electricity installed in the house.
During my childhood, Bill and Et, were kept apprised of the happenings of my father's immediate family by my aunts and uncles who still lived in the Brentwood area. As there was no electricity, there was no telephone, so my aunts and uncle had to make personal visits to inform their cousins of deaths in the family. These aunts and uncle have spun many a humourous story of the experiences visiting the rustic home. One time, my uncle Garnet went to sit down and the couch moved: it was Bill laying on the couch. But as the house was in darkness, Garnet had not been aware of anyone already on the couch.
I cannot remember Bill's appearances, but Ethel always managed to get to the family funerals.
On one occasion, our family was enroute from Kingston to the funeral home in Creemore. As we passed through Brentwood, we recognized Ethel standing on the side of the road near the laneway to her house. Our car was full and my father felt bad not being able to stop to pick her up. We were most surprised when we arrived at the funeral home, after having stopped for gas, and Ethel was already there! Apparently my Uncle Ab had also spotted Ethel on the road and was able to stop to give her a ride and would have passed us when we stopped for gas. Ethel's explanation: she knew that there would be a number of family members going past her house enroute to the funeral home, so she positioned herself out at the road knowing that someone would stop to pick her up!
In later years, a nephew would escort her to family funerals.
Ethel died on February 13 1995 and is buried with other family members in the Angus Union Cemetery in Angus, Simcoe County, Ontario.
Ethel was born December 30 1909, the third child of Robert Herbert Allen and Ida Mary Halm, in Sunnidale Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. Ethel was only 16 years old when her mother died in 1925. Neither she or her only brother, William "Bill" George, ever married. The two lived together in their family farm house until their deaths. They never had electricity installed in the house.
During my childhood, Bill and Et, were kept apprised of the happenings of my father's immediate family by my aunts and uncles who still lived in the Brentwood area. As there was no electricity, there was no telephone, so my aunts and uncle had to make personal visits to inform their cousins of deaths in the family. These aunts and uncle have spun many a humourous story of the experiences visiting the rustic home. One time, my uncle Garnet went to sit down and the couch moved: it was Bill laying on the couch. But as the house was in darkness, Garnet had not been aware of anyone already on the couch.
I cannot remember Bill's appearances, but Ethel always managed to get to the family funerals.
On one occasion, our family was enroute from Kingston to the funeral home in Creemore. As we passed through Brentwood, we recognized Ethel standing on the side of the road near the laneway to her house. Our car was full and my father felt bad not being able to stop to pick her up. We were most surprised when we arrived at the funeral home, after having stopped for gas, and Ethel was already there! Apparently my Uncle Ab had also spotted Ethel on the road and was able to stop to give her a ride and would have passed us when we stopped for gas. Ethel's explanation: she knew that there would be a number of family members going past her house enroute to the funeral home, so she positioned herself out at the road knowing that someone would stop to pick her up!
In later years, a nephew would escort her to family funerals.
Ethel died on February 13 1995 and is buried with other family members in the Angus Union Cemetery in Angus, Simcoe County, Ontario.
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 13 (Old Homestead)
I consider myself fortunate that I grew up having access to the family farms on both sides of my family: Allen and Schell. Both farms are in the rural community of Brentwood, Sunnidale (now Clearview) Township, Simcoe County, Ontario.
Allen
My father (William John "Jack" Allen) grew up on a farm that his grandfather, William Daisley Allen, purchased in 1916 after having to be relocate when the Canadian government appropriated his Tosorontio Township farm in to create Camp Borden.
Although my grandfather, Henry "Harry" Woodland Allen, was the youngest son of William Daisely Allen and Mary Jane Woodland, he took over the family farm. He and his wife, Gertrude Georgina Cooper raised their family of 10 children in that house. As that family had expanded, William and Mary Jane moved out of the farm house into a smaller house on the property, not far from the farm house.
Over the years, several houses were also built on the property. When Harry and Gertie's youngest son, Joe took over the operation of the family farm and started his own family, Harry and Gertie moved into a new house built for them by another son Ivan. Ivan and another unmarried son, Les, moved into that house with their parents. When Les eventually married in the 1960s, he and his wife and her two youngest children moved into the house next door (also built by Ivan) before eventually moving to another house also built on the Allen farm. When my parents had married in 1949, Harry and Gertie had deeded them a section of the land to build their home. My parents sold that property in the early 1960s when it was evident that my father's temporary assignment in Kingston would be permanent. Another son, Garnet, was also deeded a section of land when he married in the 1950s. His widow, Margery, still resides in that home.
The small house that William and Mary Jane had moved into has housed various Allen descendants over the years. During my childhood, Mary Ann "Minnie~ McKenzie, a granddaughter of William and Mary Jane, lived in the house with her second husband Tom Boyle. When Tom and Minnie passed away, Minnie's daughter Tressa Winters and her husband Larry Derby moved there as their retirement home. They are now both deceased, but a grandson and his family now live in the house. Although that house is not the homestead, it is on the original property and has housed 6 generations of Allens.
The Allen farm and farm house were sold outside of the family after Joe's sudden death in 1978. At that point, there had been 4 generations that had lived on that homestead.
Schell
The Schell homestead in Brentwood was purchased by my great-grandfather John Schell shortly before in death in May 1916. At that time, my grandfather George, the oldest child, was barely 21 years old, but took over the operation of the family farm to provide food and housing for his widowed mother and 9 younger siblings.
According to my mother, the house that I know as her childhood home is not the original house on the property, but she is not sure just when the 'new' house was built. The picture is of the newer house.
When George married Irene Bates on March 10 1927, he moved his bride into the farm house where his mother and several siblings still resided. George and Irene raised their three children in that house. They sold the farm land at some point in the 1960s or 1970s, but retained the farm house and some land around the house. After George's death in 1974, Irene continued living there until her declining health necessitated her relocation to a single storey house and later a nursing home. The house had remained empty as their son Harold George "Bud" had always wanted to retire to the family homestead. But instead, his daughter Mary Lou and her husband moved into the house and established their taxidermy business at that location. They raised their 3 daughters in that house and are now the visiting location for their grandchildren. In the century that the property has been in the Schell family, there have been 6 generations enjoying the homestead.
The Schell homestead has actually been in my family for more than the century referenced above. Back in 1916, John Schell had purchased the property from Thomas Edward Bates who lived in farm house across the road. It was Thomas's daughter Irene who eventually married John's son George. This means that one of my great-Grandfathers purchased the farm from another of my great-Grandfathers.
I do not think of the farm across the road from the Schell farm as one of my family homesteads. During my childhood, that property was owned by the Derby family. Larry Derby referenced above in the Allen homestead section is a son from that family. There are still other connections between members of that Derby family and my Schell and Allen extended families. As with any small community, branches of family trees become intertwined over the generations.
Allen
Although my grandfather, Henry "Harry" Woodland Allen, was the youngest son of William Daisely Allen and Mary Jane Woodland, he took over the family farm. He and his wife, Gertrude Georgina Cooper raised their family of 10 children in that house. As that family had expanded, William and Mary Jane moved out of the farm house into a smaller house on the property, not far from the farm house.
Over the years, several houses were also built on the property. When Harry and Gertie's youngest son, Joe took over the operation of the family farm and started his own family, Harry and Gertie moved into a new house built for them by another son Ivan. Ivan and another unmarried son, Les, moved into that house with their parents. When Les eventually married in the 1960s, he and his wife and her two youngest children moved into the house next door (also built by Ivan) before eventually moving to another house also built on the Allen farm. When my parents had married in 1949, Harry and Gertie had deeded them a section of the land to build their home. My parents sold that property in the early 1960s when it was evident that my father's temporary assignment in Kingston would be permanent. Another son, Garnet, was also deeded a section of land when he married in the 1950s. His widow, Margery, still resides in that home.
The small house that William and Mary Jane had moved into has housed various Allen descendants over the years. During my childhood, Mary Ann "Minnie~ McKenzie, a granddaughter of William and Mary Jane, lived in the house with her second husband Tom Boyle. When Tom and Minnie passed away, Minnie's daughter Tressa Winters and her husband Larry Derby moved there as their retirement home. They are now both deceased, but a grandson and his family now live in the house. Although that house is not the homestead, it is on the original property and has housed 6 generations of Allens.
The Allen farm and farm house were sold outside of the family after Joe's sudden death in 1978. At that point, there had been 4 generations that had lived on that homestead.
Schell
According to my mother, the house that I know as her childhood home is not the original house on the property, but she is not sure just when the 'new' house was built. The picture is of the newer house.
When George married Irene Bates on March 10 1927, he moved his bride into the farm house where his mother and several siblings still resided. George and Irene raised their three children in that house. They sold the farm land at some point in the 1960s or 1970s, but retained the farm house and some land around the house. After George's death in 1974, Irene continued living there until her declining health necessitated her relocation to a single storey house and later a nursing home. The house had remained empty as their son Harold George "Bud" had always wanted to retire to the family homestead. But instead, his daughter Mary Lou and her husband moved into the house and established their taxidermy business at that location. They raised their 3 daughters in that house and are now the visiting location for their grandchildren. In the century that the property has been in the Schell family, there have been 6 generations enjoying the homestead.
The Schell homestead has actually been in my family for more than the century referenced above. Back in 1916, John Schell had purchased the property from Thomas Edward Bates who lived in farm house across the road. It was Thomas's daughter Irene who eventually married John's son George. This means that one of my great-Grandfathers purchased the farm from another of my great-Grandfathers.
I do not think of the farm across the road from the Schell farm as one of my family homesteads. During my childhood, that property was owned by the Derby family. Larry Derby referenced above in the Allen homestead section is a son from that family. There are still other connections between members of that Derby family and my Schell and Allen extended families. As with any small community, branches of family trees become intertwined over the generations.
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 12 (Misfortune)
On the whole, I believe that my ancestors have avoided misfortune for the most part. At least beyond what most endured during their life time: Revolutionary War, The Great Depression, World War I and World War II. Individuals suffered hardships, but probably no worse that their neighbours. Of course, my research has not revealed specifics as to what caused my ancestors to leave their homelands in Europe and settle in North America.
The individual who is the focus of this writing is my Mother's Uncle Stan.
Stanley Schell was born April 4, 1910 in Glencairn, Tosorontio County, Ontario to John Schell and Mary Deadman. He was the youngest of their ten children. He had barely turned 6 years old, when his father died May 24, 1916. The eldest child, George (my Grandfather) was barely 21 and took over the operation of the family farm in Brentwood, Simcoe County, Ontario. John had purchased the farm not long before his death. As the other sons reached adulthood, they left the farm for work in automobile factories in Michigan and Ohio. Some did return to Ontario after a few years but only Will returned to farming. Stan did not follow his brothers to the United States, but he did leave the family farm for work in Toronto.
As Toronto was only a short distance from the family farm in Brentwood, Stan made frequent visit back home on weekends to see family and friends. On one of those visits in July 1944, he had met up with some friends as soon as he got off the train and spent the evening socializing. Late in the evening, the car he was travelling in was in an accident. The driver was dead at the scene and Stan suffered injuries which left him an invalid for the rest of his life. As a young girl, I remember him needing a cane to walk.
After he recovered from the automobile accident, he returned to work in Toronto and lived with his married sister Maude and her family. By the early 1960s, he was no longer working and was living back in Brentwood - either with my Grandfather George or another brother, Will. By this time, both George and Will were retired from farming. George still lived in the family farmhouse but Will had sold his farm and was living in a house he had built down the road from George.
On February 22, 1966 Stan was staying at Will's. Will and his wife Dorothy had gone into town for the day, leaving Stan home alone. When Stan was preparing his lunch, something caught fire on the stove and the fire spread through the house. Needing a cane to get around, Stan was not able to move quick enough to evacuate the house in time. Sitting in his own home up the road, George saw the flames of Will's house but was not able to run down the road in time. The stairs from the main floor to the back door had collapsed and Stan's body was found near the top of the former stairs.
Would Stan's life been any different if his father had not died so early in Stan's life?
Would Stan's life been any different if he had not gone out socializing with friends in the mid-1940s?
The individual who is the focus of this writing is my Mother's Uncle Stan.
Stanley Schell was born April 4, 1910 in Glencairn, Tosorontio County, Ontario to John Schell and Mary Deadman. He was the youngest of their ten children. He had barely turned 6 years old, when his father died May 24, 1916. The eldest child, George (my Grandfather) was barely 21 and took over the operation of the family farm in Brentwood, Simcoe County, Ontario. John had purchased the farm not long before his death. As the other sons reached adulthood, they left the farm for work in automobile factories in Michigan and Ohio. Some did return to Ontario after a few years but only Will returned to farming. Stan did not follow his brothers to the United States, but he did leave the family farm for work in Toronto.As Toronto was only a short distance from the family farm in Brentwood, Stan made frequent visit back home on weekends to see family and friends. On one of those visits in July 1944, he had met up with some friends as soon as he got off the train and spent the evening socializing. Late in the evening, the car he was travelling in was in an accident. The driver was dead at the scene and Stan suffered injuries which left him an invalid for the rest of his life. As a young girl, I remember him needing a cane to walk.
After he recovered from the automobile accident, he returned to work in Toronto and lived with his married sister Maude and her family. By the early 1960s, he was no longer working and was living back in Brentwood - either with my Grandfather George or another brother, Will. By this time, both George and Will were retired from farming. George still lived in the family farmhouse but Will had sold his farm and was living in a house he had built down the road from George.
On February 22, 1966 Stan was staying at Will's. Will and his wife Dorothy had gone into town for the day, leaving Stan home alone. When Stan was preparing his lunch, something caught fire on the stove and the fire spread through the house. Needing a cane to get around, Stan was not able to move quick enough to evacuate the house in time. Sitting in his own home up the road, George saw the flames of Will's house but was not able to run down the road in time. The stairs from the main floor to the back door had collapsed and Stan's body was found near the top of the former stairs.
Would Stan's life been any different if his father had not died so early in Stan's life?
Would Stan's life been any different if he had not gone out socializing with friends in the mid-1940s?
Monday, April 2, 2018
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 11 (Lucky)
Had to think what to write on this subject: no one in the family ever, to my knowledge, had the nickname Lucky. Nor has anyone been lucky enough to win a major lottery prize. My mother, brothers and myself have made frequent trips to Las Vegas over the years but the largest jackpot any of us have ever won would have been a few hundred dollars. Nice at the time but would not have covered the cost of the trip.
Lucky in love? My family tree, on both sides, is comprised of many long term marriages. Were the individuals lucky to have found their true love? Or just a sign of their time that once married, one stayed married regardless of the state of the relationship. I guess another way to look at the longevity of those marriages: were the individuals lucky in those days to live into their 70s and 80s when life expenancy was much shorter. Especially given the number of births the women (farmer's wives) survived. Lucky in the high percentage of said babies reaching adulthood during a time when the mortality rate was high for infants.
Lucky that most of the males were exempted from wars in order to stay working the family farm? Lucky that the few that did experience war on the front lines, most of them did return home to carry on a normal life?
From a personal view, I think the 'Lucky' would be my father, Jack Allen, deciding that farm life was not for him and his family. Although the country and the family farm remained in his blood for the rest of his life, he chose to not take over the family farm from his father. The Allen farm was near Camp Borden and even though it was post World War II, the military base continued to expand as it was still used for training (and still is to this day). Although he had no plumbing experience, he was hired by a mechanical contractor company, E.S. Fox, for some plumbing jobs they had on the base. His work ethic soon had him learning various trade skills and as the company expanded with jobs in other locales, he was sent to various locations to oversee jobs.
By the mid-1950's he was sent to Kingston Ontario to oversee a variety of jobs around the military base there. The company continued to get contracts in that area and within a couple of years, they established an office in Kingston and had my father relocate his wife and son to Kingston. Myself and my younger brother were born in Kingston.
Under my father's leadership, the Kingston office flourished and expanded. It eventually expanded to the point that an administrator was assigned to head up the Kingston office while my father concentrated on doing the estimating for submissions of job contracts. He was not forced to retire when he turned 65 and he planned to continue working until the age of 70. But fate did intervene and he died at the age of 67. Though his hard work and strong work ethic over the years, he had invested money and my mother has never had any financial worries.
At the time of his sudden death of pancreatitis in August 1990, his wake and funeral was well attended - not just by members of our large extended family and friends, but by the tradespeople that had worked for or with my father over the years - including the owner and other officials of E.S. Fox. Although Jack was not the official head of the Kingston in his later years, the person in the Manager's position rarely made decisions without consulting him.
If my Father hadn't been lucky to have been hired by E.S. Fox all those years ago, the lives of my immediate family would have been drastically different. It was by chance that he was initially hired and even if his future success was due to his strong work ethic, he was lucky to have been in the right place at the right time all those years ago.
Lucky in love? My family tree, on both sides, is comprised of many long term marriages. Were the individuals lucky to have found their true love? Or just a sign of their time that once married, one stayed married regardless of the state of the relationship. I guess another way to look at the longevity of those marriages: were the individuals lucky in those days to live into their 70s and 80s when life expenancy was much shorter. Especially given the number of births the women (farmer's wives) survived. Lucky in the high percentage of said babies reaching adulthood during a time when the mortality rate was high for infants.
Lucky that most of the males were exempted from wars in order to stay working the family farm? Lucky that the few that did experience war on the front lines, most of them did return home to carry on a normal life?
From a personal view, I think the 'Lucky' would be my father, Jack Allen, deciding that farm life was not for him and his family. Although the country and the family farm remained in his blood for the rest of his life, he chose to not take over the family farm from his father. The Allen farm was near Camp Borden and even though it was post World War II, the military base continued to expand as it was still used for training (and still is to this day). Although he had no plumbing experience, he was hired by a mechanical contractor company, E.S. Fox, for some plumbing jobs they had on the base. His work ethic soon had him learning various trade skills and as the company expanded with jobs in other locales, he was sent to various locations to oversee jobs. By the mid-1950's he was sent to Kingston Ontario to oversee a variety of jobs around the military base there. The company continued to get contracts in that area and within a couple of years, they established an office in Kingston and had my father relocate his wife and son to Kingston. Myself and my younger brother were born in Kingston.
Under my father's leadership, the Kingston office flourished and expanded. It eventually expanded to the point that an administrator was assigned to head up the Kingston office while my father concentrated on doing the estimating for submissions of job contracts. He was not forced to retire when he turned 65 and he planned to continue working until the age of 70. But fate did intervene and he died at the age of 67. Though his hard work and strong work ethic over the years, he had invested money and my mother has never had any financial worries. At the time of his sudden death of pancreatitis in August 1990, his wake and funeral was well attended - not just by members of our large extended family and friends, but by the tradespeople that had worked for or with my father over the years - including the owner and other officials of E.S. Fox. Although Jack was not the official head of the Kingston in his later years, the person in the Manager's position rarely made decisions without consulting him.
If my Father hadn't been lucky to have been hired by E.S. Fox all those years ago, the lives of my immediate family would have been drastically different. It was by chance that he was initially hired and even if his future success was due to his strong work ethic, he was lucky to have been in the right place at the right time all those years ago.
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 10 (Strong Woman)
Although I have yet to unearth all details of my female ancestors, I honestly feel that I am the product of a long line of strong women. Many of them gave birth to numerous children, the majority of whom survived to adulthood - this during times when many children died at a young age. They not only raised their families, they would have also managed the home and whatever entailed being a farmer's wife.
My 5 Great-Grandmother, Maria Elizabeth (nee Petrie) Schell, was referred as "Angel at Fortress Gate" due to stories of her assisting her husband Johann Christian Schell and their sons in fighting off attacking Indians and British at Schell's Bush near Herkimer New York. The story is detailed in the book Schell or Researches after the Descendants of John Christian Schell and John Schell written in 1896 by Christian Denissen.
My Great-Grandmother, Mary (nee Deadman) Schell, was left a widow in 1916 at the age of 42 to
raise her 10 children - only the 2 eldest had reached adulthood and the youngest was only 6. The operation of the farm was taken over by eldest son George (my grandfather), but Mary would have maintained the house as it was another 11 years before George brought a wife (my grandmother Martha Jane Irene Bates) into the household.
However, I would say that the strongest woman in my family tree is my mother: Pearl Mary Eveleen (nee Schell) Allen. From early in life she knew what she wanted and proceeded to get it. As a young girl, she took a liking to a local boy, Jack Allen and by her late teens was dating him, engaged at 18 and married at 19.
They started their married life, in 1949, in the same community where they were both born and raised and surrounded by extended family. By the time she was a first time mother in 1952, Jack was often working out of town and only home on the weekends. She never learned to drive but would have a diaper bag ready to go if her mother or other family members stopped by to go into town.
By 1955, Jack's work took him to Kingston, Ontario and when it became evident that the plumbing constrution company he worked for would continue getting jobs in that area, Mom and my brother joined him in 1956. For the first time in her life she was in unfamiliar territory with only her husband and young son for support. Her first day in Kingston was spent learning the bus transit system in the city so that she could be independent. She grew up with the family nickname "Sis" and everyone in the family still call her that. However, when she moved to Kingston she wanted to be more mature and started using one of her middle names "Eveleen".
By the early 1960s it was evident that Jack's work would continue in Kingston and the family purchased the house where Mom still resides. Within a year my younger brother was born and the family was complete. Growing up, Mom did everything around the house as my father worked long hours - in addition to the traditional housewife duties, Mom would also do minor house repairs as well as grass cutting and snow shovelling depending on the season. It was always her goal to have the driveway cleared of snow before my father arrived home and the weight of his vehicle pack snow down on the driveway. If my brothers or I acted up, she was the one to provide the discipline, not wait "until your father was home". It was always her responsibility to have the car packed when we would travel to my grandparents' on the holiday weekends. For the Christmas trip, she somehow managed to conceal the unwrapped Santa gifts as well as packing the wrapped gifts decorated with ribbons, bows and garland without them getting crushed.
I grew up in a traditional family of father, mother and siblings but without the stereotype that only the woman did the cooking and child rearing while the man worked outside the home to provide the income and his duties at home was child displining and yard work. Although Mom was a stay-at- home mother while Dad provided the income, they did not hold the stereotypes firm. There was a period of time over a couple of years when my Mother was hospitalized several times for a variety of reasons (broken ankle, gall bladder, etc.). Dad was still working his 12 hour days, often travelling out of town to check in on various job sites. He would cook dinner for us when he got home and if we were not in school, would take my younger brother out of town with him.
Mom's recovery from her broken ankle is another example of her strong will. While in a cast and on crutches, she still did her housework: she would vacuum sitting in a rocking chair, moving through the house; to get to the laundry machines in the basement, she would go down the stairs on her butt, one step at a time. When her parents made a visit while she was on crutches, her father took ill and was hospitalized. Even though it was wintertime, she had knitted a toe cap for her foot and would travel to the hospital to visit her father. Nothing stopped her from doing what she wanted to do.
Mom's strong will was tested during the summer of 1990 when my father took sick. At first we thought it was a reoccurence of his bowel cancer but it was eventually diagnosed as pancreatitis. Although the doctors kept changing the medication, my father's condition continued to decline and he died several weeks later. During the entire summer, my mother spent her waking hours at the hospital, only leaving my father's bedside to eat. When Jack died, Eveleen felt that she had no reason to continue to live as the love of her life was now gone. But she managed to pull herself together and a few weeks later resumed her life of bowling and playing cards with friends. It has now been over 27 years and she still misses him every day but has managed to get on with her life.
I was able to provide some distraction for her when I met the love of my life in 1993. Terry Legere had two children from his first marriage, so Mom finally had grandchildren to focus on. Terry and I have tested Mom's strong will several times during our marriage, but somewhat mirroring her own life. Just as my father's work took them away from their extended family, Terry's life has required us to move several times distant away from Kingston.
Once she accepted that my departure was similiar to hers 4 decades earlier, she was determined to travel to visit her only daughter. At the age of almost 80, she flew with my brothers from Toronto to Regina to suprise me for my 50th birthday and then on her own about 18 months later rather than stay alone while my brothers vacationed in Florida. While Terry's work took us back to Ontario for 5 years, we were only a couple of hours drive away from Kingston, so she was able to visit fairly frequently. Now that we are located in New Brunswick, she is back to having to fly to visit, even though she is 88 years young.
Her advanced years has slowed her down and for a number of years she claims "she no longer cooks". But she does still cook the occassional meal as well as doing housework and laundry; however, yardwork and snow shovelling has been contracted out for several years now. My bachelor brothers live with her so she has continued providing a home for them.
She has had a few stumbles and falls during the past few years. No broken bones, but difficult to get back up and would have to wait until she was able to get someone's attention for assistance. So we do not want her staying alone when my brothers go on vacation. This has meant that she has had to fly across the country a few times to where I was living at the time as I was not able to take the time off work to go to her. Fortunately there have been direct flights so that she has not had to change planes. The airline provides a wheelchair and staff to see her on and off the planes. While visiting, she continues to do as much as possible for herself, not expecting to be waited on. Each morning she would get up and make her own breakfast and carry it on a tray to her chair.
My mother continues to be a pillar of strength (usually from afar) for me as I have followed my husband around the country for the past decade. Due to her loss of hearing, phone calls can often be a challenge (even with hearing aids and hearing impaired telephones), but we do our best to keep in touch when something important happens.
Although I have had an easier life as I have not had to live through the Great Depression or a World War as my Mother has done, I hope that as her daughter I will be able to carry on being as strong a woman as she has been all of her life.
My 5 Great-Grandmother, Maria Elizabeth (nee Petrie) Schell, was referred as "Angel at Fortress Gate" due to stories of her assisting her husband Johann Christian Schell and their sons in fighting off attacking Indians and British at Schell's Bush near Herkimer New York. The story is detailed in the book Schell or Researches after the Descendants of John Christian Schell and John Schell written in 1896 by Christian Denissen.
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| Mary (nee Deadman) Schell with her 10 children |
raise her 10 children - only the 2 eldest had reached adulthood and the youngest was only 6. The operation of the farm was taken over by eldest son George (my grandfather), but Mary would have maintained the house as it was another 11 years before George brought a wife (my grandmother Martha Jane Irene Bates) into the household.
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| Eveleen "Sis" Schell & Wm John "Jack" Allen on their wedding day |
They started their married life, in 1949, in the same community where they were both born and raised and surrounded by extended family. By the time she was a first time mother in 1952, Jack was often working out of town and only home on the weekends. She never learned to drive but would have a diaper bag ready to go if her mother or other family members stopped by to go into town.
By 1955, Jack's work took him to Kingston, Ontario and when it became evident that the plumbing constrution company he worked for would continue getting jobs in that area, Mom and my brother joined him in 1956. For the first time in her life she was in unfamiliar territory with only her husband and young son for support. Her first day in Kingston was spent learning the bus transit system in the city so that she could be independent. She grew up with the family nickname "Sis" and everyone in the family still call her that. However, when she moved to Kingston she wanted to be more mature and started using one of her middle names "Eveleen".
By the early 1960s it was evident that Jack's work would continue in Kingston and the family purchased the house where Mom still resides. Within a year my younger brother was born and the family was complete. Growing up, Mom did everything around the house as my father worked long hours - in addition to the traditional housewife duties, Mom would also do minor house repairs as well as grass cutting and snow shovelling depending on the season. It was always her goal to have the driveway cleared of snow before my father arrived home and the weight of his vehicle pack snow down on the driveway. If my brothers or I acted up, she was the one to provide the discipline, not wait "until your father was home". It was always her responsibility to have the car packed when we would travel to my grandparents' on the holiday weekends. For the Christmas trip, she somehow managed to conceal the unwrapped Santa gifts as well as packing the wrapped gifts decorated with ribbons, bows and garland without them getting crushed.
I grew up in a traditional family of father, mother and siblings but without the stereotype that only the woman did the cooking and child rearing while the man worked outside the home to provide the income and his duties at home was child displining and yard work. Although Mom was a stay-at- home mother while Dad provided the income, they did not hold the stereotypes firm. There was a period of time over a couple of years when my Mother was hospitalized several times for a variety of reasons (broken ankle, gall bladder, etc.). Dad was still working his 12 hour days, often travelling out of town to check in on various job sites. He would cook dinner for us when he got home and if we were not in school, would take my younger brother out of town with him.
Mom's recovery from her broken ankle is another example of her strong will. While in a cast and on crutches, she still did her housework: she would vacuum sitting in a rocking chair, moving through the house; to get to the laundry machines in the basement, she would go down the stairs on her butt, one step at a time. When her parents made a visit while she was on crutches, her father took ill and was hospitalized. Even though it was wintertime, she had knitted a toe cap for her foot and would travel to the hospital to visit her father. Nothing stopped her from doing what she wanted to do.
Mom's strong will was tested during the summer of 1990 when my father took sick. At first we thought it was a reoccurence of his bowel cancer but it was eventually diagnosed as pancreatitis. Although the doctors kept changing the medication, my father's condition continued to decline and he died several weeks later. During the entire summer, my mother spent her waking hours at the hospital, only leaving my father's bedside to eat. When Jack died, Eveleen felt that she had no reason to continue to live as the love of her life was now gone. But she managed to pull herself together and a few weeks later resumed her life of bowling and playing cards with friends. It has now been over 27 years and she still misses him every day but has managed to get on with her life.
Once she accepted that my departure was similiar to hers 4 decades earlier, she was determined to travel to visit her only daughter. At the age of almost 80, she flew with my brothers from Toronto to Regina to suprise me for my 50th birthday and then on her own about 18 months later rather than stay alone while my brothers vacationed in Florida. While Terry's work took us back to Ontario for 5 years, we were only a couple of hours drive away from Kingston, so she was able to visit fairly frequently. Now that we are located in New Brunswick, she is back to having to fly to visit, even though she is 88 years young.
Her advanced years has slowed her down and for a number of years she claims "she no longer cooks". But she does still cook the occassional meal as well as doing housework and laundry; however, yardwork and snow shovelling has been contracted out for several years now. My bachelor brothers live with her so she has continued providing a home for them.She has had a few stumbles and falls during the past few years. No broken bones, but difficult to get back up and would have to wait until she was able to get someone's attention for assistance. So we do not want her staying alone when my brothers go on vacation. This has meant that she has had to fly across the country a few times to where I was living at the time as I was not able to take the time off work to go to her. Fortunately there have been direct flights so that she has not had to change planes. The airline provides a wheelchair and staff to see her on and off the planes. While visiting, she continues to do as much as possible for herself, not expecting to be waited on. Each morning she would get up and make her own breakfast and carry it on a tray to her chair.
My mother continues to be a pillar of strength (usually from afar) for me as I have followed my husband around the country for the past decade. Due to her loss of hearing, phone calls can often be a challenge (even with hearing aids and hearing impaired telephones), but we do our best to keep in touch when something important happens.
Although I have had an easier life as I have not had to live through the Great Depression or a World War as my Mother has done, I hope that as her daughter I will be able to carry on being as strong a woman as she has been all of her life.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 9 (Where There's a Will)
What 'Will' to write about?
My first thought when I saw this week's topic, was to write about the will (stubbonness?) of some of my female ancestors. But when I read the suggestions for March, I thought I would leave those thoughts for next week.
I have yet to delve into wills of my ancestors. I doubt there would be many surprises as most were farmers.
Then it hit me: 'William' has been a frequently used name for males throughout my family tree.
In my Allen line, the father of the emigrating family was William ALLEN (1770-1840). He had a son William (~1816-1900) who fathered William John (1854-1926). This direct line of Williams ended as this William John never married.
The immigrant William had several other children who named a son after their father:
My father was not the only grandson of William Daisley given the name William. There was also William Osborne (1928-1977) and William George (1914-1985).
All told, I have 21 male Allens in my database of 6 generations with the first name William. There will be others with William as a middle name as well as Williams descended from a female with a different surname.
As a genealogist, I can appreciate parents naming a child after an ancestor, but with a common surname of 'Allen', the last thing I need is to have to search for individuals with the first or middle name of William.
My first thought when I saw this week's topic, was to write about the will (stubbonness?) of some of my female ancestors. But when I read the suggestions for March, I thought I would leave those thoughts for next week.
I have yet to delve into wills of my ancestors. I doubt there would be many surprises as most were farmers.
Then it hit me: 'William' has been a frequently used name for males throughout my family tree.
In my Allen line, the father of the emigrating family was William ALLEN (1770-1840). He had a son William (~1816-1900) who fathered William John (1854-1926). This direct line of Williams ended as this William John never married.
The immigrant William had several other children who named a son after their father:
- Richard had son William (1835-1918) who never married
- Matilda Martha had son William KYLE (1841-1918)
- John had son William (1849-1929)
- Robert had son William Daisley (1849-1935) who was my Great-Grandfather
- James had son William Frances T. (1859-1892)
- William KYLE (1841-1918) had son William Bennett KYLE (1878-1953) who had a son William Allan KYLE (b. 1916)
- William (1849-1929) had son William Edwin (1890-1973)
- William Daisley (1849-1935) had son Joshua William "Oscar" (1883-1972)
My father was not the only grandson of William Daisley given the name William. There was also William Osborne (1928-1977) and William George (1914-1985).
All told, I have 21 male Allens in my database of 6 generations with the first name William. There will be others with William as a middle name as well as Williams descended from a female with a different surname.
As a genealogist, I can appreciate parents naming a child after an ancestor, but with a common surname of 'Allen', the last thing I need is to have to search for individuals with the first or middle name of William.
Monday, February 26, 2018
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 8 (Heirloom)
In a family of hoarders, there are many heirlooms to choose from:
Family Silverware
When my Allen grandparents celebrated their 35th Wedding Anniversary, their adult children presented them with a set of monogrammed silverware (Lady Hamilton pattern) in a wooden chest. Years later when my Grandmother had died and my Grandfather was in a nursing home, their adult children were disposing of the household items. The silverware was offered to my father to give to my brother as the oldest grandson and carrying the Allen name. My mother started to decline as my brother was not married.
Although I wasn't married, I jumped into the conversation and said that I would like the set. I did not intend to change my name if I ever married (and I did keep my maiden name) and if my brother ever married, I would give him the silverware. I still have the silverware in the same chest and have added pieces to it over the years - with the support of my husband.
China
I presently have two sets of china passed along to me by family members. The set given to me from
my mother is a set composing of pieces she had as well as ones given to her by her grandmother Pearl (nee Mumberson) Bates as she had had the same china pattern. When I was getting married, I choose my fiance and I choose our own pattern and use that set. The set from my mother sits in our china cabinet.
The other set of china I have was given to me by my Aunt Lena (my mother's sister). As she was getting older, she started to dispose of many of her household items and presented me with the set of her china. It resides in my china cabinet as well.
Mirror
Every so often, my mother will start going through some of her items and offer them to me. One such item is a round mirror that had been given to her as a wedding gift in 1949.
Children's Table & Chairs Set
My childhood was spent visiting both sets of grandparents (who lived in the same village) every holiday weekend, as well as extended time at Christmas and summertime. Quite often, my only female Schell cousin, Mary Lou, who is my age was also visiting at the Schells. We frequently convinced either our parents or grandparents to retrieve a table and chair set from the attic. My mother played with the set with her sister during their childhood.
When my grandmother was disposing of the contents of the farm house, I was given the set, as well as a child's rocking chair.
Family Silverware
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| Harry & Gertie (nee Cooper) Allen - 35th Wedding Anniversary |
Although I wasn't married, I jumped into the conversation and said that I would like the set. I did not intend to change my name if I ever married (and I did keep my maiden name) and if my brother ever married, I would give him the silverware. I still have the silverware in the same chest and have added pieces to it over the years - with the support of my husband.
China
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| Old Chelsea |
my mother is a set composing of pieces she had as well as ones given to her by her grandmother Pearl (nee Mumberson) Bates as she had had the same china pattern. When I was getting married, I choose my fiance and I choose our own pattern and use that set. The set from my mother sits in our china cabinet.
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| Blossom Time |
Mirror
Every so often, my mother will start going through some of her items and offer them to me. One such item is a round mirror that had been given to her as a wedding gift in 1949.
Children's Table & Chairs Set
When my grandmother was disposing of the contents of the farm house, I was given the set, as well as a child's rocking chair.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
GREAT GRANDPARENTS: John Schell & Mary Deadman
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| John Schell & Mary Deadman with eldest sons George & John |
John Schell was born January 13, 1867 in Innisfil Township, Simcoe County, Canada West, the eldest son of John Alexander Schell and Mary Jane Ross. During his young years, his parents and siblings lived with his grandparents: Benjamin Schell & Mary McGill. The 1871 census of Canada shows the 3 generation family in Innisfil Township. He continued the family tradition of being a farmer.
Mary Deadman was born Feburary 9, 1874 in Tosorontio Township, Simcoe County, Ontario, the eldest daughter of George Deadman and Rebecca Gauley. The family moved to nearby Sunnidale Township during Mary's childhood.
John and Mary were married April 24, 1894 in Stayner, Nottawasaga Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. John's sister Margaret was a witness to the marriage. On November 25, 1895, John & Mary were witnesses at the marriage of Margaret to Jacob Elias Prentice (Prentis).
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| Barn at Brentwood farm |
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| Widow Mary Schell (nee Deadman) with her children. |
Widow Mary was left to raise their relatively young family, although son George was old enough to take over the operation of the farm. When George married Irene Bates in 1927, she moved into the farm house and they raised their three children, along with widow Mary and her children until they moved out. Several of the sons moved to Ohio and Michigan for work, although Wes and Will returned to Ontario after a few years. The farm was always viewed as home to them and would visit frequently. As a result, my mother grew up knowing her Schell aunts, uncles and cousins.
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| House built by son George on Schell farm in Brentwood |
At least part of the farm in Brentwood has been in the Schell family for over 100 years.
Mary died November 23, 1940 at home in Brentwood. My mother remembers the death of her grandmother.
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| Barrie Examiner (Barrie, Ontario). December 12, 1940. p. 3, column 3 "Brentwood" |
Mary was buried on November 26, 1940 with husband John in the Glencairn Union Cemetery at Glencairn, Tossorontio Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. Son Alfred, who never married, was buried with his parents in 1952. Another son who never married, Stanley, was also buried with them when he died in 1966. His name appears on the other side of the headstone.
Both John Schell and Mary Deadman died long before I was born, but having grown up spending time at the Schell farm house in Brentwood, I grew up knowing and hearing about them.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
GREAT GRANDPARENTS: John Albert Cooper & Annie Kyte
My Grandmother Gertrude Georgina Cooper was the youngest daughter of John Albert Cooper and Annie Kyte.
John Albert Cooper was born April 2, 1855 in Eastham, Worcestershire, England to John Cooper and Mary Ann Rudd. Annie Kyte was born in April 1856 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England to William J. Kyte and Caroline Evans.
I have not been able to access an actual marriage record of John and Annie, however their marriage was registered in the First Quarter of 1881 in Herefordshire, England. They appear as a married couple in the 1881 census as visitors in the household of William and Caroline Kyte. The 1881 census of England was to have been enumerated on April 3, 1881. John was listed as a gardener, the same occupation as his father-in-law.
The 1891 census shows John and Annie, with 3 children, at 7 Edgar Street in All Saints, Herefordshire, England. John was still working as a domestic gardener. By the time of the 1901 census, the family had grown to 6 children and were living at 2 Upper Glantowaen [sp?] Terrace in Blaenavon, Monmouthshire, Wales. John's occupation was listed as railway drayman. The household also included John's widowed father, John.
Their youngest child, Reginald George, died at the age of 13 months and was buried January 25
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| Tunisian |
John and Annie settled with 4 children in Mimico, Etobicoke Township, York County, Ontario (just outside of Toronto). By the 1911 census for Canada, only youngest daughter Gertie was still living at home with her parents. John's occupation was listed as and angle workman aat club house. According to family stories, he worked as a green grocer in Mimico at some point as well.
The family will have moved from Mimico at some point after the 1911 census as Annie died of throat cancer on July 30, 1917 at Lot 8, Concession 1 in Sunnidale Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. She is buried in the Sunnidale Public Union Cemetery in Bethel, Sunnidale Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. The cemetery is also known as the Bethel Cemetery. John was buried with her on October 10 1931 after his death.
The 1921 Canadian census shows widowed John living with son Harold and his family in Brentwood, Sunnidale Township in Simcoe County, Ontario. Neighbours included daughter Gertie living with her husband Harry and his parents. Like my great-grandfather William Daisley Allen, John Albert Cooper had the pleasure of spending time with his young grandchildren.
John remarried on April 26 1929 in Orillia, Orillia Township, Simcoe County, Ontario to spinster Elizabeth Hill. John died October 8, 1931 in Brentwood. His cause of death is listed as angena pectoris and pericardites after only a 3 day illness.
After John's death, Elizabeth continued living in Brentwood as shown on the Canada Voters' Lists of 1935 and 1945. To date, I have very little information on my great-graandfather's second wife. My mother does vaguely remember the woman as not very friendly. She told me once of a comment made by my grandmother, Gertie in reference to her step-mother. After the marriage, she asked her new stepmother what she should call her and was informend "Mrs. Allen".
Elizabeth and John may have been well matched. According to my Aunt Dora, her Grandfather John had a falling out with son Frederick who then went West. She did not know the cause. Records show that Frederick William Cooper continued to live in British Columbia where he married a woman with two children. Aunt Dora also told a story that her Uncle Fred showed up at the Allen farm one day and his sister Gertie did not recognize him. And one time, my Uncle Ivan was travelling in British Columbia and tracked down his Uncle Fred but did not get a warm greeting.
I never knew either John Albert Cooper or Annie Kyte, nor do I have as many family stories about them as I do other great-grandparents. They were the last of my ancestors to arrive in Canada - all other lines had been in Canada before the mid-1800s. My grandmother Gertie would have only been about 23 years old when her mother died, but did remain close to her siblings, excluding Fred. Uncle Bert was often visiting from Toronto when we would be in Brentwood. He suffered from dementia and would often head out of the house to walk back to Toronto. I can remember sitting in our car on the side of a country road while my father attempted to convince his uncle to get in the car so that he could drive him back to my grandparents. Uncle Harold died when I was a baby, but his son, Harry Everard, would visit his Aunt Gertie as well as attending some of the Allen family BBQs. My Aunt Dora was also in frequent communication with him.
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 7 (Valentine)
Valentine's Day is this week, so obviously the top for the week is Valentine.
Although my husband, Terry, and I celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th, we celebrate our love every day. I receive a bouquets of flowers from Terry at various times during the year, "just because", rather than specific days like Valentine's Day, birthday or wedding anniversary. Those days have become too commercialized.
My parents' relationship is another example of celebrating love everyday, not just one or two days a year. My father was not a demonstrative man, but his silent actions that seem to come natural to him showed his love for his wife everyday. I am fortunate to have found a man with similar instincts.
A few years ago, my mother revealed that she had a secret stash of letters from my father. I believe it was the first wedding anniversary after his death - she spent the day reading them. She refuses to let anyone else read them and has made me promise to bury them with her when she dies.
She did show me a Valentine card that Dad had given her at one time - probably before they were married. Money would have been limited in those days and he would have chosen to save money for other "more important things". Which makes the rare card more precious.
Although my husband, Terry, and I celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th, we celebrate our love every day. I receive a bouquets of flowers from Terry at various times during the year, "just because", rather than specific days like Valentine's Day, birthday or wedding anniversary. Those days have become too commercialized.
My parents' relationship is another example of celebrating love everyday, not just one or two days a year. My father was not a demonstrative man, but his silent actions that seem to come natural to him showed his love for his wife everyday. I am fortunate to have found a man with similar instincts.
A few years ago, my mother revealed that she had a secret stash of letters from my father. I believe it was the first wedding anniversary after his death - she spent the day reading them. She refuses to let anyone else read them and has made me promise to bury them with her when she dies.
She did show me a Valentine card that Dad had given her at one time - probably before they were married. Money would have been limited in those days and he would have chosen to save money for other "more important things". Which makes the rare card more precious.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 6 (Favourite Name)
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 6 (Favourite Name)
There are many names in my ancestoral tree despite many common Anglo names repeated generation after generation. But I'm sure many people have a substantial number of Johns, Williams, Roberts, Richards, Marys, Elizabeths, Janes, Margarets, etc in the trees. I do have a Moses (not the biblical one) as well as a King (not a royal title).
Given my love of family and traditions, I think my favourite names are my parents as they are both named after their respective grandparents.
William John Allen. My father's grandfathers were William Daisley Allen and John Albert Cooper. He had the benefit of knowing both of those men during his young years as they both lived in the same rural community. That may be why is was always known as Jack.
Pearl Mary Eveleen Schell. My mother's grandmothers were Mary (nee Deadman) Schell and Elsie Pearl (nee Mumberson) Bates. Although my Great-grandmother's first name was Elsie, she was known as Pearl. My mother was born on her Aunt Effie's birthday, so my grandparents added Effie's real name of Eveleen to their daughter's name. Effie wasn't technically an aunt, but the wife of a first cousin of Pearl. My mother grew up using the family nickname of Sis, but in her adult life away from the rural community where she grew up, she started to use the name Eveleen. But at family gatherings she still answers to Sis.
There are many names in my ancestoral tree despite many common Anglo names repeated generation after generation. But I'm sure many people have a substantial number of Johns, Williams, Roberts, Richards, Marys, Elizabeths, Janes, Margarets, etc in the trees. I do have a Moses (not the biblical one) as well as a King (not a royal title).
Given my love of family and traditions, I think my favourite names are my parents as they are both named after their respective grandparents.
William John Allen. My father's grandfathers were William Daisley Allen and John Albert Cooper. He had the benefit of knowing both of those men during his young years as they both lived in the same rural community. That may be why is was always known as Jack.
Pearl Mary Eveleen Schell. My mother's grandmothers were Mary (nee Deadman) Schell and Elsie Pearl (nee Mumberson) Bates. Although my Great-grandmother's first name was Elsie, she was known as Pearl. My mother was born on her Aunt Effie's birthday, so my grandparents added Effie's real name of Eveleen to their daughter's name. Effie wasn't technically an aunt, but the wife of a first cousin of Pearl. My mother grew up using the family nickname of Sis, but in her adult life away from the rural community where she grew up, she started to use the name Eveleen. But at family gatherings she still answers to Sis.
Monday, February 5, 2018
52 Ancestors in 52 weeks - Week 5 (In the Census)
52 Ancestors in 52 weeks - Week 5 (In the Census)
There are a couple of "special" census that comes to mind.
The 1901 Census for Blaenavon Wales listed the household of my Great Grandparents John Albert Cooper and Annie Kyte.
As I expected, in the household was my grandmother Gertrude Georgina Cooper who was their youngest daughter. The surprise was that she was not the youngest in the family! The census listed a 3 month old Reginald Cooper as a son.
This raised a question in my mind: was he actually a son whom I had never heard about? And if so, what happened to him as he was not listed with the family on the ship's manifest when they immigrated to Canada in August 1902. Or, was Reginald a son of older daughter Florence. At age 15, it was a possibility and it would not be the first time that an illegitimate grandchild was listed in a census as a child of the head of household.
With further research I was able to determine that the Death Registration in the First Quarter of 1902 for a Reginald George Cooper (birthdate estimated about 1901) would indeed be the Reginald listed as a son of John Albert Cooper. The Monmouthshire Burials Transcription does list the burial of Reginald George Cooper, age 13 months. Although the parents' names are not listed, the address is the same (2 Upper Glantoween Terrace). New records of Vital Records for England and Wales list the mother's maiden name and there is a record for Reginald George Cooper listing his mother's maiden name as Kyte.
I still have questions that I have yet been able to answer and probably never will. My aunts were never aware of this younger sibling of their mother. She would have been about 6 years old when Reginald was born, so I would think she would have had memories of the birth.
Reginald died just a few months before the family moved to Canada. Had his death had any bearing on the family's decision to relocate? I doubt I will ever be able to find the answer to that question.
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A census I found meaningful was the 1871 Canadian Census for District 4 South Simcoe in Ontario.
The household of my 3xGreat Grandfather, Benjamin Schell, included his married son John Alexander and family which included my Great Grandfather John Schell.
Three generations in one household!
If there had ever been a doubt as to whether I was descended from the Schells of Mohawk Valley, that census confirms. There is many documents listing that Benjamin Schell as a descendant of John Christian Schell. And with the census showing the extended family, combined with birth and marriage records, I am able to document my connection.
There are a couple of "special" census that comes to mind.
The 1901 Census for Blaenavon Wales listed the household of my Great Grandparents John Albert Cooper and Annie Kyte.
As I expected, in the household was my grandmother Gertrude Georgina Cooper who was their youngest daughter. The surprise was that she was not the youngest in the family! The census listed a 3 month old Reginald Cooper as a son.
This raised a question in my mind: was he actually a son whom I had never heard about? And if so, what happened to him as he was not listed with the family on the ship's manifest when they immigrated to Canada in August 1902. Or, was Reginald a son of older daughter Florence. At age 15, it was a possibility and it would not be the first time that an illegitimate grandchild was listed in a census as a child of the head of household.
With further research I was able to determine that the Death Registration in the First Quarter of 1902 for a Reginald George Cooper (birthdate estimated about 1901) would indeed be the Reginald listed as a son of John Albert Cooper. The Monmouthshire Burials Transcription does list the burial of Reginald George Cooper, age 13 months. Although the parents' names are not listed, the address is the same (2 Upper Glantoween Terrace). New records of Vital Records for England and Wales list the mother's maiden name and there is a record for Reginald George Cooper listing his mother's maiden name as Kyte.
I still have questions that I have yet been able to answer and probably never will. My aunts were never aware of this younger sibling of their mother. She would have been about 6 years old when Reginald was born, so I would think she would have had memories of the birth.
Reginald died just a few months before the family moved to Canada. Had his death had any bearing on the family's decision to relocate? I doubt I will ever be able to find the answer to that question.
---
A census I found meaningful was the 1871 Canadian Census for District 4 South Simcoe in Ontario.
The household of my 3xGreat Grandfather, Benjamin Schell, included his married son John Alexander and family which included my Great Grandfather John Schell.
Three generations in one household!
If there had ever been a doubt as to whether I was descended from the Schells of Mohawk Valley, that census confirms. There is many documents listing that Benjamin Schell as a descendant of John Christian Schell. And with the census showing the extended family, combined with birth and marriage records, I am able to document my connection.
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS: William Daisley ALLEN and Mary Jane WOODLAND
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS: William Daisley ALLEN and Mary Jane WOODLAND
My Grandfather Harry was the youngest child of William Daisley Allen and Mary Jane Woodland.
William Daisley was born 17 Jul 1849 at Lundy's Corners, Peel County, Canada West - the eldest child of Robert Allen and Mary Ann Widdis.
Family lore claims that 'Daisley' was a family name but in my 20+ years of genealogy research, I have yet to discover any ancestors with that name. However, a brother of my father was also given the middle name of 'Daisley' - much to his embarrassment.
Mary Jane was born 20 December 1849 in Mono Township, Simcoe County, Canada West - the eldest daughter of Joshua Woodland and Catherine Craig.
William and Mary Jane grew up on neighbouring farms in Mono Township
which at that point in time was part of Simcoe County.
They married in August 1872 at St. Mark's Anglican Church in Orangeville, Mono Township, Wellington County, Ontario.
In
celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary, the Allen and Woodland
families held a reunion at a local park. As mentioned in earlier posts,
the 'Just Married 60 Years' sign was altered to '50' and used for
multiple family anniversary celebrations over the years and generations.
In addition to raising their 12 children (6 sons and 6 daughters), they also raised one of their granddaughters: Mary Ann "Minnie" McKenzie. Minnie's mother (also named Mary Ann and known as Minnie) died a few weeks after giving birth. A couple of years later, the widower, Archibald McKenzie, married another Allen daughter, Sarah Louise, and she died a few years later, leaving two young daughters as well. Granddaughter Minnie was only a couple of years younger than William and Mary Jane's youngest son Harry. Harry's children grew up referring to Minnie as an Aunt even though she was actually a first cousin.
Census
reports indicate that the couple moved around to various farms in
Simcoe County while they raised their family of 12 children - all of
whom lived to adulthood. During the First World War, they were forced
to vacate their farm in Tosorontio Township when it was taken over by
the Canadian Government to develop Camp Borden. Base Borden is still an
active base for the Canadian military. At that time, William Daisley
and Mary Jane purchased the farm in Brentwood, Sunnidale Township,
Simcoe County, Ontario which I knew from my childhood.
Both
William and Mary Jane died at the Allen farm in Brentwood: William on
April 6, 1935 and Mary Jane on May 17, 1938. They are buried together
in the Angus Union Cemetery in Angus, Essa Township, Simcoe County,
Ontario. Sharing their headstone are the two daughters who had married
Archie McKenzie.
Having
moved out of the farm house to a smaller house on the farm, they were
on hand to see the birth of most of the children of their son Harry who
had taken over the operation of the family farm.
Both William and Mary Jane died long before I was born, but I've always felt that they had a strong influence in my life. It was their farm that I knew as the Allen family farm, although it was their grandson Joseph that was operating it during my childhood and my grandparents, Harry & Gertie, living in a bungalow built on the property when my Grandfather retired from farming.
The extended Allen family was large: Harry and Gertie had 10 of their 11 children reach childhood, marry and had children or stepchildren. Harry was the youngest of William and Mary Jane's 12 children. Like Harry, many of his siblings had large families - quite common for farming families. Although 3 of the children migrated to the Canadian west, the others stayed in, or close to, Simcoe County. I do remember that my father's Aunt Ida made frequent visits back to the family farm. During my childhood, she usually stayed with her niece Minnie who by that time was living in the small house William and Mary Jane had moved into when they turned the farmhouse over to Harry.
Harry
and his siblings held family reunions for the descendants of William
and Mary Jane. The reunions may have started with the extended family
get together for the 60th Wedding anniversary of William and Mary Jane.
During
my childhood the reunions were held on the last Saturday in August at a
nearby Provincial Park. I often encountered members of the extended
family when visiting my grandparents, as well as family funerals.
Even though I never met either William Daisley Allen or Mary Jane Woodland, due to the strong family ties they instilled in their children and grandchildren, I have always felt a connection to them.
My Grandfather Harry was the youngest child of William Daisley Allen and Mary Jane Woodland.William Daisley was born 17 Jul 1849 at Lundy's Corners, Peel County, Canada West - the eldest child of Robert Allen and Mary Ann Widdis.
Family lore claims that 'Daisley' was a family name but in my 20+ years of genealogy research, I have yet to discover any ancestors with that name. However, a brother of my father was also given the middle name of 'Daisley' - much to his embarrassment.
Mary Jane was born 20 December 1849 in Mono Township, Simcoe County, Canada West - the eldest daughter of Joshua Woodland and Catherine Craig.
William and Mary Jane grew up on neighbouring farms in Mono Township
which at that point in time was part of Simcoe County.They married in August 1872 at St. Mark's Anglican Church in Orangeville, Mono Township, Wellington County, Ontario.
In addition to raising their 12 children (6 sons and 6 daughters), they also raised one of their granddaughters: Mary Ann "Minnie" McKenzie. Minnie's mother (also named Mary Ann and known as Minnie) died a few weeks after giving birth. A couple of years later, the widower, Archibald McKenzie, married another Allen daughter, Sarah Louise, and she died a few years later, leaving two young daughters as well. Granddaughter Minnie was only a couple of years younger than William and Mary Jane's youngest son Harry. Harry's children grew up referring to Minnie as an Aunt even though she was actually a first cousin.
Both
William and Mary Jane died at the Allen farm in Brentwood: William on
April 6, 1935 and Mary Jane on May 17, 1938. They are buried together
in the Angus Union Cemetery in Angus, Essa Township, Simcoe County,
Ontario. Sharing their headstone are the two daughters who had married
Archie McKenzie. 
Having
moved out of the farm house to a smaller house on the farm, they were
on hand to see the birth of most of the children of their son Harry who
had taken over the operation of the family farm.Both William and Mary Jane died long before I was born, but I've always felt that they had a strong influence in my life. It was their farm that I knew as the Allen family farm, although it was their grandson Joseph that was operating it during my childhood and my grandparents, Harry & Gertie, living in a bungalow built on the property when my Grandfather retired from farming.
The extended Allen family was large: Harry and Gertie had 10 of their 11 children reach childhood, marry and had children or stepchildren. Harry was the youngest of William and Mary Jane's 12 children. Like Harry, many of his siblings had large families - quite common for farming families. Although 3 of the children migrated to the Canadian west, the others stayed in, or close to, Simcoe County. I do remember that my father's Aunt Ida made frequent visits back to the family farm. During my childhood, she usually stayed with her niece Minnie who by that time was living in the small house William and Mary Jane had moved into when they turned the farmhouse over to Harry.
During
my childhood the reunions were held on the last Saturday in August at a
nearby Provincial Park. I often encountered members of the extended
family when visiting my grandparents, as well as family funerals.Even though I never met either William Daisley Allen or Mary Jane Woodland, due to the strong family ties they instilled in their children and grandchildren, I have always felt a connection to them.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
52 Ancestors in 52 weeks - Week 4 (Invite to Dinner)
Who would I want to invite to dinner?
By the time I actively got interested in my family history, all of my grandparents were deceased as well as my father. My mother has been, and continues to be, a good source for family stories. However, for a dinner date, I think I would select my father's mother: Gertrude Georgina (nee Cooper) Allen. Or as I knew her Grammie or Gramma. Why? I feel that her life changed the most and maybe would answer some of the mysteries I have not been unable to resolve in my research.
Gertie may not be able to provide all of the answer I have as she must not have had much recollection of her early life. To apply to the Canadian government for her Old Age Pension, she had to obtain her birth certificate from the government in Wales. When she received the document, she discovered she was three years older than she had always believed. According to the ship manifest from when the family sailed to Canada in August 1902, aboard the Tunisian, Gertie was 7 years old - which coincides with her documented birth year of 1894. I have memories of when I was 7, and earlier, so I'm not sure why she lived her younger life based on a 1897 birth.
She was born in Wales, emigrated to Canada as a child and lived through the Great Depression and two World Wars. She grew up in an urban area (now part of the Greater Toronto area) but married a farmer and raised their family in rural Ontario. In her urban life, she was an accomplished pianist, but there was no evidence of a piano in the home when I was a child. However, she apparently was the organist at the Brentwood United Church at one point.
Over a period of 17 years, she gave birth to eleven children, but Edward Lorne died within hours of birth in June 1931. I've been told that Edward was born with the same deformed ear as the oldest son, Albert (aka Ab). When Ab was born, the doctor did not think that he would survive and told Gertie to continue whatever it was she was doing. I do not know if the sickliness and ear deformity were connected or not. I have to assume that as Ab was the oldest, the young mother was able to devote her time to doing whatever possible for her sickly child. How did she feel as a mother caring for a sick newborn and ten years later experincing the death of a newborn?
She raised ten children through the Great Depression and the food rationings for the Second World War. Living on a farm would provide most food, but the Allens were known for their love of black pepper on food and drinking tea, so ration coupons were needed. How did she manage to feed that many mouths?
Another question I would have for my grandmother would be if she knew what had motived her parents to relocate their family from Herefordshire, England to Blaeavon, Wales in the early 1890s. According to census records, John Albert Cooper was a domestic gardener in Herefordshire in April 1891. However, the census in March 1901 lists him as a railway drayman in Blaenavon, Wales. A drayman is reportedly someone who drives a long strong cart with heavy loads. John Albert's father, John, was also listed in the 1901 household and working as a railway drayman as well. His occupations in earlier census (also in Herefordshire, England) were agricultural labourer or groom. Why the relocation? Why the change in occupation? The elder John Cooper did not emigrate to Canada with his son and family. The younger John Cooper was a green grocer once he relocated to Mimico, Ontario - so obviously agriculture was still in his blood. So why the change in occupation? Or was that the only employment available after moving?
The 1901 census also raises another mystery I would love to be able to discuss with my grandmother in the hopes that she could provide me with more information. Gertie had been the youngest child of John Albert & Annie (nee Kyte) Cooper immigrating to Canada. However, the 1901 census lists a 3 month old son, Reginald, in the household. Was Reginald really a son of John & Annie or could he have been an illegimate son of their 15 year old daughter Florence? I did ask my Aunt Dora (the oldest daughter of Gertie) if she was ever aware of her mother having a younger brother. She was unaware of this uncle. Subsequent research did locate a birth registration for Reginald George Cooper who's mother's maiden name was Kyte. He died in January 1902 at the age of 13 months and was buried January 25 1902 in Blaeavon, Wales. Did his death have any bearing on the family's decision to move to Canada a few months later? What, if anything, did Gertie remember of her younger brother?
I grew up visiting my grandparents every holiday weekend, but as one of over thirty grandchildren, there was rarely opportunities to have deep discussions. In reflecting back over the years of what I remember of comments, or stories from others, I feel that my outlook on life came from her.
Over the years, my mother has made comments that her mother-in-law's philosphy on cooking was to substitute ingredients with what was on hand rather than abandoning a recipe if missing an ingredient. In other words, make use of what you have. Another comment my mother has made was that Gertie was accepting of the spouses of her sons and daughters. Her philosophy was if her son or daughter chose to live with the individual, she could sit at the same dinner table with the person.
Although she was apparently a very adapting and forgiving individual, Gramma did have some negative views. The only time I can remember her saying anything negative was a reference to having worked as a waitress at Camp Borden for formal dinners of high ranking officials and encountering attitudes of superior hierarchies. I guess I get my socialist views from my grandmother.
I do not know if a conversation over dinner with my Gramma Allen would answer the questions I have or not. But it would be interesting to hear about her life: a young child at the turn of the century in Wales, a 2 week sailing across the Atlantic Ocean with her parents and siblings and then adapting to life in her new country. And then as an adult, moving from the city to the country and enduring the hardships of raising a large family during the Great Depression and war time.
By the time I actively got interested in my family history, all of my grandparents were deceased as well as my father. My mother has been, and continues to be, a good source for family stories. However, for a dinner date, I think I would select my father's mother: Gertrude Georgina (nee Cooper) Allen. Or as I knew her Grammie or Gramma. Why? I feel that her life changed the most and maybe would answer some of the mysteries I have not been unable to resolve in my research.
Gertie may not be able to provide all of the answer I have as she must not have had much recollection of her early life. To apply to the Canadian government for her Old Age Pension, she had to obtain her birth certificate from the government in Wales. When she received the document, she discovered she was three years older than she had always believed. According to the ship manifest from when the family sailed to Canada in August 1902, aboard the Tunisian, Gertie was 7 years old - which coincides with her documented birth year of 1894. I have memories of when I was 7, and earlier, so I'm not sure why she lived her younger life based on a 1897 birth.She was born in Wales, emigrated to Canada as a child and lived through the Great Depression and two World Wars. She grew up in an urban area (now part of the Greater Toronto area) but married a farmer and raised their family in rural Ontario. In her urban life, she was an accomplished pianist, but there was no evidence of a piano in the home when I was a child. However, she apparently was the organist at the Brentwood United Church at one point.
 |
| Gertie with oldest sons (toddler Albert and infant Jack) c1923 |
She raised ten children through the Great Depression and the food rationings for the Second World War. Living on a farm would provide most food, but the Allens were known for their love of black pepper on food and drinking tea, so ration coupons were needed. How did she manage to feed that many mouths?
Another question I would have for my grandmother would be if she knew what had motived her parents to relocate their family from Herefordshire, England to Blaeavon, Wales in the early 1890s. According to census records, John Albert Cooper was a domestic gardener in Herefordshire in April 1891. However, the census in March 1901 lists him as a railway drayman in Blaenavon, Wales. A drayman is reportedly someone who drives a long strong cart with heavy loads. John Albert's father, John, was also listed in the 1901 household and working as a railway drayman as well. His occupations in earlier census (also in Herefordshire, England) were agricultural labourer or groom. Why the relocation? Why the change in occupation? The elder John Cooper did not emigrate to Canada with his son and family. The younger John Cooper was a green grocer once he relocated to Mimico, Ontario - so obviously agriculture was still in his blood. So why the change in occupation? Or was that the only employment available after moving?
The 1901 census also raises another mystery I would love to be able to discuss with my grandmother in the hopes that she could provide me with more information. Gertie had been the youngest child of John Albert & Annie (nee Kyte) Cooper immigrating to Canada. However, the 1901 census lists a 3 month old son, Reginald, in the household. Was Reginald really a son of John & Annie or could he have been an illegimate son of their 15 year old daughter Florence? I did ask my Aunt Dora (the oldest daughter of Gertie) if she was ever aware of her mother having a younger brother. She was unaware of this uncle. Subsequent research did locate a birth registration for Reginald George Cooper who's mother's maiden name was Kyte. He died in January 1902 at the age of 13 months and was buried January 25 1902 in Blaeavon, Wales. Did his death have any bearing on the family's decision to move to Canada a few months later? What, if anything, did Gertie remember of her younger brother?
I grew up visiting my grandparents every holiday weekend, but as one of over thirty grandchildren, there was rarely opportunities to have deep discussions. In reflecting back over the years of what I remember of comments, or stories from others, I feel that my outlook on life came from her.
Over the years, my mother has made comments that her mother-in-law's philosphy on cooking was to substitute ingredients with what was on hand rather than abandoning a recipe if missing an ingredient. In other words, make use of what you have. Another comment my mother has made was that Gertie was accepting of the spouses of her sons and daughters. Her philosophy was if her son or daughter chose to live with the individual, she could sit at the same dinner table with the person.Although she was apparently a very adapting and forgiving individual, Gramma did have some negative views. The only time I can remember her saying anything negative was a reference to having worked as a waitress at Camp Borden for formal dinners of high ranking officials and encountering attitudes of superior hierarchies. I guess I get my socialist views from my grandmother.
I do not know if a conversation over dinner with my Gramma Allen would answer the questions I have or not. But it would be interesting to hear about her life: a young child at the turn of the century in Wales, a 2 week sailing across the Atlantic Ocean with her parents and siblings and then adapting to life in her new country. And then as an adult, moving from the city to the country and enduring the hardships of raising a large family during the Great Depression and war time.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
GRANDPARENTS: George Schell & Martha Jane Irene BATES
GRANDPARENTS: George Schell & Martha Jane Irene BATES
George was the oldest child of John Schell and Mary Deadman. He was born May 4 1895 in New Lowell, Sunnidale Township, Simcoe Co., Ontario.
George died in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, Simcoe Co., Ontario on October 7, 1974. He was buried on October 10, 1974 in the Angus Union Cemetery, Angus, Simcoe Co., Ontario.
According to my mother, the farm house that I know (seen mid-construction in the photo), was not the original house on the property. The house in the photo was built by George and is still standing today.
In later years, most of the farm land was sold, keeping only a parcel of land around the house. The property is still in the family with my cousin Mary Lou (nee Schell) Bowyer and husband Chris Bowyer living in the house, having raised their three daughters and operating their business, Bowyer Taxidermy, from that location. Which means that the land has been in the Schell family for over 100 years! And if you factor in that the land had been owned by Great-Grandfather Bates prior to that, it has been in the Bates/Schell family for even longer. As Chris and Mary Lou are frequently visited by their grandchildren, another generation of the family are enjoying the land.
 |
| George Schell (1928) |
humour. During a visit one summer, my mother helped her parents clear out the attic (I now shudder at the thought of the antiques that were disposed of during that visit.) Granddad was tending the bonfire in the yard disposing of the items being tossed out - walking around wearing a pair of old shoes that was being thrown out.
A family tradition for Easter Sunday was a breakfast of soft boiled eggs. Granddad would try to have a contest as to who could eat the most. In an attempt to win, he would turn an empty shell upside down as if it was a new one.
When the attic had been cleared out, some of the items retained were family wedding dresses. A number of years later, we did a "dress-up" day: I wore my mother's wedding dress and my cousin Mary Lou wore the maid of honour dress our Aunt Lena wore for my parents' wedding. Granddad was delighted to pose for pictures with his only granddaughters.
George had many expressions. To explain his tendancy to cry, he would tell people "his bladder was too close to his eyes".
George was a very superstitious man. His father had died at the age of 49 and George was convinced that he would die at that age as well. Family members were relieved when George was still alive for his 50th birthday. Another superstition was that something bad would happen if there were 13 people seated at the dinner table. The birth of my younger brother, Roger, made for the 13th person in the family. While Roger was in a high chair, he was not technically seating at the table. Christmas dinner in 1962, Roger was out of the high chair and Mom had him sit at the family table. Two months later, Uncle Stan (George's youngest brother), died in a house fire. Future family dinners had adults at the table in the dining room and the grandchilden at the kitchen table.
Stan's death was very difficult for George. Back in the 1940's Stan had been injured in a car accident and required a cane to walk. He lived with either my grandparents or with another brother, Will, who also lived in Brentwood. Stan will living with Will and his wife and it was their home that had the fire. When the fire start, Stan was in the house alone, and with his limited mobility, was unable to evacuate the house in time. The house was within sight of my grandparents' house and they saw the fire. George was unable to get down the road in time to save his brother.
 | |
| George Schell & Irene Bates (wedding) |
George and Irene were married in Toronto, York County, Ontario on March 10, 1927. They lived on the Schell farm in Brentwood, along with George's mother and siblings who were still living at home. They raised their three children: Lena Viola, Pearl Mary Eveleen (aka Sis) and Harold Geroge (aka Bud) on the farm as well. For a number of years, they also boarded one of the two teachers who taught at the school house within sight of the farm house.
Irene was a born gossip and enjoyed the party line telephone as well as serving as a go-between, passing along messages to others avoiding long distance charges. She also served as the Brentwood correspondant, providing community 'news' to newspapers in Barrie and Stayner.
George and Irene only had five grandchildren. The oldest, my brother Garry, was the apple of Nanny's eye. When she sent birthday cards to us, Garry's card always had more money than the rest of us. George and Irene celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary with a dance at the community hall in nearby New Lowell. I can remember attending the party as a child. George died before the couple could celebrate their Golden Anniversary.
Irene died February 6, 1990 in the General & Marine Hospital in Collingwood, Nottawasaga Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. She was buried beside George in the Angus Union Cemetery in Angus, Essa Township, Simcoe County, Ontario.
By the time I was born, my parents were living in Kingston, Ontario but my childhood was spent travelling to Brentwood every holiday weekend to visit both sets of grandparents. We stayed at the Schells and would spend the evenings at the Allens. I often spent a week during the summer with my grandparents - sometimes with my mother and brothers, but sometimes alone.
Although I often resented having to go to Brentwood on the long weekends rather than staying at home to play with friends, in hindsight I now appreciate the time with extended family. As both my parents were born and raised in Brentwood, there were many extended family members still living in the area, or visiting ones that were. I grew up knowing not just my aunts, uncles and first cousins, but also the aunts, uncles and first cousins of both of my parents. As I work on my genealogy, I am able to put faces to the names I enter into my database.
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