Grandma and Grandpa came for a short visit and to see the chicken coop today, so I took advantage of that time to have a little discussion about this farm. Grandma was a great sport and has agreed to do more in the future, so if there’s anything you’re particularly interested in knowing about, leave me a comment! I’ll be sure to ask…
But first, I think it is important for you to have a vague understanding of (or at least a reference to!) the family structure, so that you can understand this post a little better. I hope there are more like it in the future of this blog.
- Elaine, married to Elwood (my paternal grandparents). They have 2 sons.
- Aaron, married to Muriel. They have a son (who runs the farm with his wife – our landlords), and a daughter. Aaron and Muriel still work on the farm daily.
- Norman, married to Margaret. They have 4 kids including twins.
- Sallie, married to Murray, with who she had two sons. She remarried after Murray died.
- Albert, married to Dorothy. They run a nearby farm, have 4 kids, and many, many grandchildren.
The Interview:
K: How old were you when you moved from Saskatchewan to this farm?
E: I was eleven when we came from the prairies. It was October 1941. All four of us were in school – Sallie in Grade 1, Norm in Grade 4, Aaron and I in Grade 5. Albert was born here in October 1942.
K: And when did you think this house was built?
E: Probably 1955. We (your grandpa and I) were married and living on the island when this house was built. Albert and Aaron lived in this house with mom and dad.
K: It must have been pretty exciting.
E: Well mother was pretty pleased. The old house was two shacks pulled together. When we first came to coast it had a wide verandah at the back, which was then built in to be part of the new kitchen, and the boys’ bedroom. When we first came it was just one good-sized room and two little bedrooms, with a front porch which was kind of closed in.
K: What’s your best memory of this house?
E: We would just visit (from the island), as a rule. We seldom stayed overnight here because we usually stayed at my in-laws. I stayed here overnight a couple of times when the boys were staying with their grandma and grandpa for a week or two. And maybe after Dad died. But, I remember Sallie’s wedding reception was here. So was Norman and Margaret’s.
K: Kathleen and Herb had 5 kids and quite a few grandchildren…
E: So far as Dad was concerned, there were four grandchildren, all boys. He died in 1962. I’m not sure whether the twins were born yet or not, I’d have to look it up. We had the two boys, and Sallie had two boys.
After Dad died, Aaron had two kids, Norman had four, and Albert had four. So Mom knew 14 grandchildren. She had two great-grandchildren when she died – you were the only one she met.
The old house, when you think of it… we thought it was pretty big, so I guess the house on the prairies was really small! This house was quite a lot more up-to-date than the old house!
K: So it was obviously smaller than this…
Oh yes! And there were five kids in it. I remember when Albert was born we looked out the window. We’d come home from school, and of course in those days they kept ladies in the hospital for 10 days or so. Well we looked out the window and there was the preacher, and we quickly stuffed all the papers that were lying around under the couch!
So there you go, folks. It just goes to show… the good ol’ Stash & Dash is a well-preserved family tradition!
Love and Peas Mama 