Flashback to My Ancestors in 1926

Census taker visits a Romani family living in a caravan, Netherlands 1925 from Wikipedia

Almost 93 years ago on June 1,1926,  a high of 12 degrees Celsius was recorded at Brandon but four days later a temperature of 25 degrees would have had my Manitoba ancestors working and playing in their shirt sleeves! Farmers all, they may have been annoyed at having to stop their daily activities to answer the questions of the visiting enumerator for the census but I am glad they complied!  Liberal William Lyon Mackenzie King was holding onto a minority federal government for just another month and Manitoba was led by premier John Bracken of the Progressive party. Hopes were high for another  large wheat harvest across the prairies and seeding would have been in full swing.

Back to present time - 2019 - my Twitter feed let me know that the database of the 1926 census of the 3 prairie provinces had just been released. Although the census was available earlier, there was no way to search for a particular name but you had to look page by page. Since 1871, a Canada-wide census has been held every 10 years. However, the population of the Prairie provinces was rapidly expanding, so there was a need for more frequent population counts in those provinces. It was decided to conduct a census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in June 1906 (in between the Canada-wide censuses), and every 10 years thereafter. The Statistics Act states that census returns will be transferred from Statistics Canada to Library and Archives Canada 92 years after a census has been taken so here we are.  The 1926 census database was created in partnership with FamilySearch where volunteer genealogists indexed the records to make them searchable.

Grandma Frances Milne is listed as 20 years old with her parents Alexander and Jean on 14-11-27 in the RM of Wallace with 3 of her brothers Alexander, Jim and Charlie and her sister Nan. The last 3 were noted as students.  The Milne’s are identified as Scottish with Alex immigrating in 1905 and Jean the next year.

Grandpa Frank Kinnaird would be married to Frances the next year but and in 1926  he is found as a 30 year old single man on the page before the Milnes. He lived at 1-11-27 in the RM of Wallace with his employee 48 year old Dave McMannus. A piece of information that I found interesting was that this census says both of Frank’s parents were born in Ireland when I believed they were born in Ontario. The census taker has indicated his racial origin is Irish. Hmmmm

Frank and Frances Kinnaird about 1927

Grandma and Grandpa Simms- Alexander and Mary Tait - are married and living on 15-14-22 with three of their children listed this way: Robt Alex (9), Doris Ellen (5) and Gwenny Elizth (2). Only a very few others on the page have middle names recorded by this enumerator (P.W. Thompson) so it makes me think it was Alex or Mary that gave the names that way. The surname is written "Sims" so evidently he was just writing what he heard.  The family was living in a small house built after the fire that destroyed their home on New Years Eve 1923. No doubt as they told Mr. Thompson the names of their children, they were thinking of Glenn James who had died at the age of two years old less than a year before.

Construction began on the Simms home a few months after the 1926 census was taken. 

 As seemed to be quite common in the area. Simms's have a labourer living with them of Polish origin named Joseph Bialas -19 years old and born in Manitoba. Neighbours on section 28, the Morcoms had a domestic living in their home, 17 year old Mary Bialas, perhaps the two were siblings or even a young married couple.

Above and left - Sinclair house and barn in the 1920's.

Mary Tait Simms's parents live on the next section #16, James and Elizabeth Sinclair with daughters Ellen (30) and Elizabeth(28) and son William(25). The year of immigration for James confirms he was an early prairie homesteader coming in 1883 from the Orkneys. His wife Elizabeth Henry was in Ontario much earlier, 1859 from Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland.

Irving Shadford who identifies as Irish and William Vanderbosh of Dutch origin are labourers in their twenties living at the Sinclair farm in June of 1926.  

I hope I have interested you enough to go back and peek in the windows of your ancestors' lives.  They are just a mouse click away!

Maybe You Can Go Home Again

Saturday, November 3 was a wonderful day when my cousins Karen and Rea planned a tour of the former home of Frances and Frank Kinnaird.  Their two daughters Margaret and Marjorie and Margaret's husband Don and I met to take a stroll down memory lane and admire the farm yard and home of the current owners Trevis and Heather.  Margaret and Marjorie grew up in the farm house and us grandchildren had our own memories that were rekindled. It had been built at W1-11-27 for James and Elizabeth Lane who lived there until they left in 1920. The house was built by Ralph Rolston in 1907 and the plaster was done by Tom Edsell according to a Myrtle Lane.  The home was rented out until Grandpa Frank Kinnaird moved in after purchasing the half section in 1925.  Grandma and Grandpa raised 3 kids there and lived in it until he had a stroke in 1962 and needed to have personal care until his death in 1967. Grandma continued to live there until her death in 1974. 

It seems to have been a labour of love for Trevis and Heather to restore the home they raised their 2 boys in.  Original doors and handles as well as door and window trim and baseboards were painstakingly refinished and reused wherever possible. The room that I called the piano room at the bottom of the stairs is the master bedroom now and Aunt Marge remembered that it was the same for them during the winters when the family of 5 slept downstairs to conserve heat. She slept in a crib at the end of a bed where Margaret slept with her parents and Uncle Keith was on a couch in the living room. The wallboard around the stairs had been removed to reveal how beautifully the spindles had been restored.  The same creeeeak, creeeeak as we made our way up the stairs brought smiles and good memories all around.
Looking east out her bedroom window, Grandma used to be able to see the Lenore Hill.  We thought it was ironic that now the house sits just a few miles south and east of that familiar landmark and that she would be pleased.

The upstairs hall brought Aunt Marge backin time, using the long wall as a chalkboard and the trunk that sat below the window as a desk as she role played being a teacher.  Part way down the stairs was where her pupils, cut from the pages of Eatons catalogs, would sit as she patiently delivered their lessons.  She recalls her mom and dad being okay with her writing on the wall with chalk as it was recovered with light green muresco (plaster) every year.

Heather shared her photo album with us that chronicled the transformation of the house starting with the move to their site in the fall of 1984.  It has had many updates and modernizations over the years but the bones have remained the same.

We were also interested to find pictures of the coloured glass window and the original archway between the kitchen and living area. We posed for a picture on the way out in front of the beautifully varnished original siding that greets visitors at the door. What an incredible opportunity to take a step back in time and revisit our childhoods.  May it stand proudly for more generations of feet racing up and down those stairs!

Recollections and Memories of the Grandchildren of Frances Milne Kinnaird

Barry:

 My memories of Gram are all very positive as she was a rock for our family and a true pioneer. She influenced me in a very positive ways. She gave me a wall plaque when I was about 13 which I still have hanging in my shop and stated “Watch out for ambition, it will get you into a lot of work”. I think she was amazing.

Judy:

Grama Frances was a very traditional and hard-working woman! She never liked fuss but was always looking out for others, especially her family. Grama would meet us in the yard when we got off the bus with warm cinnamon buns on baking day! After Grampa was in the hospital, I would go for supper with Grama once a week. We would eat pancakes or actual Kraft dinner – just the two of us! For the Hargrave fall supper, besides cooking turkeys and baking pies Grama would be the main dishwasher for the whole night! Hargrave bonspiel kitchen was also a busy place for her. She would make soup, cook turkeys and bake a few pies for the week! Grama and Mom and Dad milked a few cows by hand. She separated the cream and sold it be the quart or sometimes the pint to customers in Hargrave and Virden. I would help by delivering it to the door and exchanging it for an empty jar with money in it. The bulk of the cream she would take to the creamery in big cream cans – too heavy for me but ok for her. I was 10 and probably talker than her already. I loved her house! The cupboards were much shorter than at my house so I could get stuff when I was little. I liked to lounge on top of her freezer (which was in the kitchen) and enjoy an ice cream cone – she would have tea and we would talk! Her piano room was always full of red geraniums. If flour or sugar were on sale, Grama would buy extra and store in the trunk of her car. I bought her car so it came with a bag of  sugar but no radio!

Rea & Lyle:

The memory of Grandpa seeing Rea and Lyle throwing stones (at each other?) out the window and him yelling at them to stop it!

Dolores:

Special times with Grandma Kinnaird included the following: Going to her place for sleepovers; Eating watermelon on the front step with the Kinnaird cousins; Grandma would get ready to go and milk the cows in the morning usually at around 5 am and coming back to the house through the porch with her big rubber boots; Going out to the pasture to watch her start a smudge for the cows to keep away the mosquitoes; Getting water from the kitchen sink because of the different style of faucet; Going to the garden beside the house with a cat or two cunning around; Being reluctant to go into the basement where the coal was kept; Going to sleep in her bed with a bottle of hot water that was placed in a sock to keep our feet warm. Then graduating to be able to sleep in Aunty Margaret s room; Picking Saskatoon berries with Grandma, Aunty Aida and Karen , then checking for wood ticks; Watching Grandma read the Brandon Sun while she stood at the deep freeze in the kitchen; Smelling the wood burn in the stove before she got the electric stove; Delivering eggs and cream in Hargrave and in Virden on Saturday mornings, along with the Kinnaird cousins; How happy she was when the new linoleum was laid in the house; How Grandma would play the hymns for Sunday church service so she would know them ahead of time and occasionally going to church on Sunday with the Kinnaird cousins; She would often look through her binoculars to see what was going on down the road or to see who was coming to pick up Judy (was it Sheldon?); Grandma would call neighbors to collect the weekly news to report the Hargrave news for the Virden Empire Advance and then watching as she would write on the special paper from the Advance for the news for the next week paper; Looking out the coloured panes of glass in the window upstairs to see how things looking in either yellow or red; Saturday night was often (more that often) spent getting ready to go to Virden to play BINGO. On the way there might be a stop to pick up Mattie Lifeso; On Sundays often we would phone and ask if she would like guest for supper. Supper would often consist of a tin of ham or sometimes a jar of preserved chicken, mashed potatoes with cream and green onions added in for taste, some type of vegetables fresh or frozen from the garden, always homemade bread or buns and often Virden ice cream or fruit cocktail for dessert. It was always fun to get in a game or two of euchre. She wold often send home with us eggs, homemade bread, and if we were lucky scones; If Charlie and Bella Gardiner were coming for a visit and supper Grandma would be invited too. You could tell what good friends they were. Usually there would be a card game after having supper; We would go to see the Simms at Oak River. Grandma would come to our house or we would pick her up. In the summer Karen and I would accompany her and have a sleepover so we could play with our cousins. One trip Judy came with us and she got to drive the blue car; When Grandpa Kinnaird was in Brandon at the Assiniboine Centre we would visit, pack a lunch (usually egg salad sandwiches on homemade bread) and spend time at the paddling pool in the summer. We would go to Brandon regularly to visit but unfortunately times were different and children were not allowed to visit as they are today. We celebrated one Christmas visiting in a large waiting room, often though it was looking through his room’s window and waving as we were held up high enough by Dad.;  About 2 am on August 19, 1967 Grandpa passed away. We were on a sleep over as mum and dad were working in the valley. I remember on the Friday, Grandma and Uncle Keith went to Brandon to see Grandpa and knowing things were not too good. The phone rang early in the morning and I heard grandma go downstairs to answer it. She and Uncle Keith who was also in on the call (party line) spoke for a while. As she came back upstairs I remember her saying “poor dad”; Mum would often cut and would give Grandma s hair a perm. I think the one she liked was a Quick perm; When Grandma was ill, she spent a lot of time at our house. She would spend hours hooking rugs and would watch her favourite soap “The Edge of Night” at 3:30 pm. Sometimes she would talk to Aunt Nan. Our dog Lucky would always be on the lookout for some food scraps dropping conveniently onto the floor. During this time I was a candy striper at the Virden hospital. When Grandma was a patient I would get extra visiting time, Thelma Penner RN in particular would always make sure of that. I would make sure she was ready for the meal tray and help get her hair combed and freshened up ready for visitors. There were so many wonderful times spent with Grandma.

Karen:

My memories of Grandma are very special. Going to Grandma’s was always anticipated with excitement. We also got to play with our Kinnaird cousins, a bonus! Dolores and I had many sleepovers at Grandma’s and even sometimes we went there on the bus after school with Judy, Rea and Lyle. Many times we slept with Grandma in her bed with a warm bottle on the feet. I was always in the middle (not much room) but remember being put to sleep by the sound of the ticking of her clock. I hear Rea has that clock now, working or not! Grandma would get us to look out her east bedroom window to see the Lenore hill.  Going to light the smudge in the pasture at night was a ritual with Grandma before bed. Grandma made wonderful cinnamon buns, butter tarts, and her famous macaroni and tomato. TV was watched in the living room, mainly The Edge of Night and on Saturday night Wrestling her favourites, and caramels and cheese puffs close by. Dolores and I would go to Bingo with her in Virden often learning the different games. I loved going to deliver eggs, butter and cream to customers in Hargrave (a cookie from Bessie Carruthers) and to Virden (a visit and a treat from Esther Greig among others) ending up at the creamery to buy ice cream. Chicken and turkey killing days at the Kinnaird’s were busy days, and Mom and Dad, Dolores and I were there too. But the canned chicken was the reaped benefit.  I remember Grandma putting in wood to the stove and the open oven door, always so warm in the kitchen! Trips to Oak River with Grandma to see the Simms were usually on rainy days so Grandma did not have to worry about milking cows as Uncle Keith was not as busy. There were many wonderful get- togethers for birthdays, Christmas and New Year’s that were spent together. Charlie and Bella Gardiner were often part of these gatherings, very good friends, just part of the family. Grandma was not one for pictures of herself so the rare ones we have are treasured. Grandma always remembered your birthday with a card signed “Love Gram”. Grandma loved to play the piano and taught me on the black keys my first piano piece. I remember going to church with her and she was in the choir. We would go to many events at Hargrave and Grandma was always involved whether the church, school or rink. I remember Grandpa Kinnaird having multi colored chicklets in his pocket and giving them to me! When he was in hospital in Brandon only remember a few visits, but once by his bedside and Mom cleaning his glasses and once in a large room at Christmas time and getting a tight hug. I always thought it was so terrific that both of my grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Kinnaird and Grandma and Grandpa Tapp had so many of the same friends. So many great memories!

Donna:

My memories of Grandma include sleeping over and getting up early when the cows were milked. Grandma told me just to sleep in but I wanted to get up and see what went on in the barn. Tippy was very excited that I was up too, jumping up on me which probably added to the commotion of the cows seeing a stranger in the barn! Helping collect the eggs was another novelty we did not have at home. Visiting at Grandmas was always something that I looked forward to.

Sharon:

My memories of Grandma include All Star “Wrassling” on Saturday night on TV, The Irish Rovers on the record player, chicken canned in jelly, her calling the cows – Cow Boss, Cow Boss, the little dolly she had dressed in a kilt. We were allowed to use markers in her colouring books!  I remember when I came in the house to tell her and Mom that I drove the Kinnaird skidoo right in to the shed. (Those dear cousins showed me how to squeeze the throttle to make it go but never said to let go to make it stop!) Her only concern was that I was okay and anything that happened was their fault, not mine! Ha. I remember Grandma at our house and she tripped coming down from upstairs and Dad ran to her and said "Frances!"  I was so mad at him because her name was Grandma, why was he calling her that! That north bedroom in our house was called Grandmas Room for many years until I moved into it with the dresser and wardrobe from her house after she died.  Her dresser followed me to my current home and I remember her fondly.

Janice:

My memories of Grandma were lemon drop candies and Nilla wafer cookies.

               

Grandma Kinnaird's Birthday Post

Today marks the 112th anniversary of my maternal grandma's birth - Frances Jeannie Milne Kinnaird.  My previous blog post about her  was written over 3 years ago and since then I've been able to scan many more great pictures of her that I'd like to share today.  Cousin Karen has invited us to supper tonight along with Frances and Frank Kinnaird's daughters Marjorie and Margaret (my Mom) to share memories and I'll take this blog post along.

The first above picture is of Frances in the back with her two younger brothers Charlie born in 1913 and  Jim born in 1910.  That would date this picture of them posing in a pumpkin patch to about 1918 perhaps.  The picture on the right is a young Mr. and Mrs. Kinnaird shortly after their wedding in 1927.  I have never seen any pictures of their wedding day, maybe there are some out there in someone's album?

This one of a young mother Frances carrying Marjorie wrapped in a shawl and with her hand on son Keith's shoulder is a favourite of mine.  Looks like Keith is wearing the same hat later that summer while saskatoon picking near Miniota in the next picture.  He is sitting on his Aunt Nan Milne's knee, Frank is next with the glasses, then Marjorie on Jane Milne's knee and Alex Milne on the end with the moustache.  Grandma was known to avoid the camera but I love this picture of her with her hands on her hips! These photos would both be from 1931, I'd guess.

Grandma is having a tea party with her granddaughter Dolores Tapp in 1960 and maybe baby Karen is in the buggy?  Christmas 1965 was the occasion of the colour picture of Frances with her Simms and Kinnaird grandchildren and she is holding me!

 

And finally, a postcard she sent to us from B.C. in March of 1968:

Sat 4:30 M.S.T.

Hi Sharon & Donna & all

Just got back from a drive around Princeton, mountains on all sides, been having a wonderful time. wish you were all here. grass is just beginning to get green, a few early flowers out. We are going to Penticton tomorrow & Mon to Vancouver for the day. Had a lovely train trip stayed in Kamloops till Thurs. noon. Have not missed any sleep yet.

Be seeing you before long.

Love to all

Gram

Charles Ernest Slack (1895-1959)

Charles was the son of Samuel and Lizzie (Kinnaird) Slack which made him a first cousin to my Grandpa Kinnaird and grandson of our mutual ancestor, William George Kinnaird.  I have been patiently waiting for awhile now for his service file from WW1 to be digitized and released by Library and Archives Canada. Many of my ancestral connections have surnames starting with "B" and "C" and since they were being scanned and released in alphabetical order, it was finally the time for "S".  You can read all 60 pages of his service file here.  Charlie is the man with the X on his knee in the photo below.

Charles Ernest Slack  was born on November 26, 1895 at his parents' homestead near Bede, Manitoba. At that time it was known as "Ruth" until 1925 when the C.P.R. changed the name of the siding to Bede.  He had two older brothers and eventually three younger sisters.  Twenty year old Charles enlisted in WW1 on February 5, 1916 at Melita, MB and was given registration number # 292153.    He was described to be Presbyterian with fair complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair and stood 5 feet 7 and a half inches tall.  After training at Camp Hughes, in November of 1916, Charlie and the 46th Battalion sailed from Halifax on a ship named the Olympic.
Thank you to his grandson Rod for sharing the next two pictures with me.  I am struck by his youth in these and can only imagine the horrors he experienced during his time on the front. 

As is the case in most of the service files I've read, it contains the soldier's will leaving all his possessions to his mother Lizzie.   One of the witnesses on the document from January 30, 1917 was John Owen Kilkenny  (#292140) from Broomhill, a neighbour who signed up in Melita a week after him.  A cousin of this John, another John Kilkenny (#292196) enlisted in Melita the next week and no doubt the three young men stuck together as much as they could and I wonder if these chums were also in the photo above.  According to the  R. M. of Albert history book, John Owen was known as "Ginger Jock" and his cousin was just "Jock".  Their fathers were brothers and built the general store that still stands in Broomhill today.  Tragically, both Kilkennys were killed in action,  John in November 1, 1917 at Passchendaele and John Owen on September 27, 1918 at Canal du Nord.

His file says Charles was awarded the Good Conduct Badge on May 4, 1917.  Records show that $15 was sent back to his mother Lizzie each month he was overseas as was customary. He was wounded twice, first on May 4, 1917 by a gunshot wound to his left foot and shoulder and then a shrapnel wound to his left on leg September 27, 1918, the same day his buddy J.O. Kilkenny died. He spent a short time in hospital but was returned to the front in a few weeks both times.  On March 15, 1919 Private Slack landed back in Canada.  Those three years would have changed him from a boy to a man and seeing the families of buddies who didn't return would have been so difficult. 

Tragedy continued with the death of Charles' father suddenly in 1926 in an accident as is detailed in the clipping found in my Grandfather's possessions.

Charlie married Mary Fenske in 1930 and they went on to have 3 children and continue farming the original homestead.  Charlie died in 1959.  I feel privileged to tell his story and welcome any further information in the comments below.

Hargrave Cooperative Elevator Association Pool No 81

On taking another look through scrapbooks complied by Fred Bowering that are in the Reston Library (see the previous about them post here ), I found a clipping from the 1963 Manitoba Co-operator about the beginning of the Hargrave Cooperative Elevator Association No 81 that has a family connection.  The postcard picture at the top of the post was among things from my Grandma Kinnaird's trunk and it was interesting to learn the story behind it.   Binding Our Districts history book written in 1989 helped me fill in a few details too.

The first grain elevators were built in Hargrave in the 1890's.  Ted Holmes built a private elevator and ran it until a tragic fire claimed his life along with 2 others and destroyed his elevator in 1903.  The Northern was a red painted elevator that burned in the same fire.  McLaughlin & Ellis ran a black painted elevator but farmers felt they charged too high shipping costs and their dockage for weed seeds in the grain was often inflated.  Wheat prices had collapsed in the 1920's and farmers were looking to maximize their profits.  Platform loading was possible onto producer cars where farmers pulled alongside a rail car and shoveled their grain in but it was back breaking work and they had to work fast to have it loaded in time.

On April 12, 1928, 46 men met to discuss the possibility of building their own Cooperative Elevator on the former site of the Northern. My grandfather Frank Kinnaird, Great Grandfather Alexander Milne and Great Uncle J.J. O'Neil were among those men.  Ten thousand acres needed to be signed up for the project to go ahead and this was soon done and the project was a go.  They decided the building would be built and equipped with nothing but the best including a five unit cleaner, electric lights and generator.  This article boasts there were only 2 years where the elevator's revenue did not meet the operating costs even through the dry thirties.

An agent's cottage was also included and the final total cost was $22 851.  In October of 1928, P.J. McDonald was hired as manager and helped to make it a successful venture.  Later managers were men named Morrison, Shilson and Cullen. Albert Cullen was succeeded after 35 years on the job as manager by Don Leadbetter.  In a full circle moment, Don just happens to be the son-in-law of Fred Bowering ,the man who compiled the scrapbook of clippings!

Alex Milne served as president of the Co-operative for a time and J.J. O'Neil was the first vice president and later president.  At the time of the article that was found in the scrapbook, my uncle Keith Kinnaird was secretary.  The Hargrave history book confirms he held this position until 1979 when the elevator was traded to become  a part of  United Grain Growers property.

The Manitoba Historical Society has undertaken a project to catalog all past and present grain elevators in Manitoba and you can read more about it here. The page about this elevator now includes the Kinnaird postcard picture from 1946 here.  The cooperative movement of farmers in rural western Canada has an important history as well and one that led to the success of my ancestor's farming endeavours.

Tonsillectomy on the Kitchen Table?

This year's third annual tour of local family landmarks (first year blog post here) included a stop at the former farm home pictured above of my great uncle and aunt, Bill and Mary Milne near Virden in the Boss Hill district.  During the drive, my Aunt Marjorie added a memory of hers about this house that I just had to look into further!

She said her older brother Keith Kinnaird and cousin Jeff Milne had their tonsils removed on the kitchen table of this house by Dr. George Clingan (1868-1944) in the mid 30's!  Clingan had many experiences over his life including M.L.A., mayor of Virden, commander in WW1, and president of the Manitoba Medical Association.  I suppose I shouldn't doubt his methods.   His wife Ida wrote The Virden Story in 1957.

Tonsil and adenoid removal is so rarely done now, but was very routine at one time as were housecalls for medical matters.  The availability of antibiotics and change in medical opinions on the usefulness of tonsils and adenoids has resulted in fewer removals.

A similar memory is retold on this 2009 blog written by Robert Keith Smith who lived near Oak Lake.  At this link http://www.gwenmar.com/twtd/?page_id=65  almost at the bottom of the page, you can read about his experience with his tonsillectomy at home.

Just to prove anything that you want to learn about is on Youtube, the brave among you can watch this silent film of the procedure developed by Mr. George Waugh from London in the 1930's.  I have not it watched it myself, by the way.  Some things you just can't unsee after all!

Thinking about that day, it's one of those moments that makes me think of this phrase:

Born 152 Years Ago Today

The Ancestry app on my phone tells me that my great grandmother, Margaret Carruthers Kinnaird, was born 152 years ago today on June 25, 1864.  She was the fourth of eight children born to farming parents Andrew William Carruthers and Jean Steven at Winchester, Ontario.  

George and Margaret Kinnaird 1888

On August 8, 1888 when she was 24 years old, she married William George Kinnaird at Russell, Ontario. I never have to look up the date for their marriage and wonder if 08/08/88 was chosen on purpose for good luck or if it was their wedding date by chance.  The picture above was recently discussed on this blog post.

She became mother to my maternal grandfather, William Francis Kinnaird and his older brother Stephen and the little family farmed near her parents in Finch Township near Winchester. George was also a carpenter so I imagine them having a nice little home and looking forward to many years ahead.  Tragically, Margaret died of tuberculosis on the 25th of May in 1894 just before reaching her 30th birthday, leaving her husband and two young sons.  She is buried with her parents at the Morewood Presbyterian Cemetery in Ontario.

Even though she has been gone for over 122 years, her legacy lives on.  My mother is named Margaret, presumably in her honour and I (the family history blogger) was born almost exactly 100 years after her to carry her story on.

History of the Dishes

Cleaning out cupboards at our cabin at Oak Lake Beach, I came across these dishes and knew they were handed down from family and was curious about their history.  Google can find (almost) anything! 

The set above was a wedding gift to my parents from Dad's Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Jack Morcom almost 56 years ago.  The pattern is called "Heritage" and they were made in England at the Myott factory.  Replacements is an online store that specializes in china, crystal and silverware and the pattern can be found here. A five piece setting can be purchased for about $45 and other pieces are available separately in limited supply. E Bay has other pieces for sale including a gravy boat and covered serving dish so it was an extensive pattern.

The set above belonged to my Grandma Kinnaird and was made in Canada by the Rideau Pottery company. Online information about this company is hard to come by so it must have operated for a very short time.  I haven't found any similar dishes online bu will continue to look.  Aunt Marge remembers that her Mom ordered them from the Eaton's catalog.  She likely sold some turkeys to have the extra money for the dishes she needed.

We don't use these anymore but they are now packed away with other dishes from Randy's family that have a history and may be used again someday!  

Kinnaird Farm W1-11-27

This blog post will tell the story of the farm where my Kinnaird grandparents raised their family, midway between the Hargrave and Pacific districts west of Virden.  Ninety-one years later it remains a family farm with four generations of Kinnairds having called it "home".

Kinnaird Farm W1-11-27 in 1968

James and Elizabeth Lane arrived from St. Mary's Ontario and were granted the west half of 1-11-27 W1 on October 6,1899 through the C.P Railway grants as the certificate below from the Western Land Grants section of Library and Archives Canada shows. Being an odd numbered section, the land was purchasable from the railway and not to be homesteaded.  The local history book, "Binding Our Districts" from 1989 says the Lane family started by building a shanty and stable and breaking the prairie soil.  They built the two story house in 1908 and continued to farm until the family with 2 children Myrtle and Ewart, moved to Virden in 1920. 

George and Isabella McDonald and their children George, Ella and Sandy were the next residents of the west half of 1-11-27 and rented it from the Lanes until Grandpa Frank Kinnaird purchased it in 1925.

Keith Kinnaird painting the house - mid  1940's.  The house has been moved and renovated and current pictures of it are on this blog post.

Frank Kinnaird's horses pictured above - Nell, Mac, Tony, Jean and Laddie - would have seen daily work throughout the twenties, thirties and forties both winter and summer. Along with using them to farm, Frank graded the nearby roads with them as well.  Aunt Marge recalls the first tractor arrived in 1946 and it looks like a Fordson model D but it also may be an Allis Chalmers or a Massey Harrison- honestly they all look alike to me! **Update - Aunt Marjorie and her amazing memory come through again!  She recalls it was a John Deere AR and it came second hand from someone at St Claude, MB. **

              These two pictures above are identified as the O'Neil outfit  from the 1940's.  J.J. O'Neil's and his wife Tine were Frank's uncle and aunt and he lived with them when he moved from Ontario in 1906 as a young boy of 12. 

   
Lunch in the field above - from left Keith, Frank and Margaret Kinnaird and Mr. Hayward - mid 40's
Picture on the right - Kinnaird turkeys.  Kinnairds have raised a variety of livestock over the years including dairy and beef cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys - along with dogs and cats!

Sawing wood - written on the photo are the names Ronie, Bob, Jim, Dave and Dad

Scenic pictures of the farm.  Is that snow on the stooks on the right?

 Threshing bills for 1944 and 1945 - 56 hours in 1944 and 39 hours in 1945.  Using the inflation calculator, this would convert to just over $3000 each year in 2016 money value.

Colourful share certificates and pocket ledgers with notes and lists along with the threshing bills remind of us the days when everything was written down with pen and paper.  

Above is the Kinnaird hen house after the Blizzard of 1947.  This 10-day storm closed some rural roads and railways in Saskatchewan until spring and affected communities from Winnipeg to Calgary. It began on January 30 and ranged across the prairies until February 8th.  The entire winter is one remembered across the west for extreme cold and heavy snow.

Now I memory I can recall from visiting at Grandma's!  The bale elevator created mountains of bales- with the help of some strong Kinnaird backs!