Simms House 1926

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This year is the 90th Anniversary of the construction of the house I grew up in.  Mail order houses were all the rage in the 1910's and 20's but this one doesn't seem to have come in a kit.  The link here talks about both Eaton and Aladdin homes, the latter had models called Berwick and the Edmonton that have similarities to this one.  The lumber itself must have been purchased from somewhere other than Hume's Hardware in Oak River.  There were lumber mills near Riding Mountain National Park that likely was the source of it.
It was built by Thomas Hayhurst with some help from others as is detailed in a page of a  notebook of my Grandpa Simms'.

The total amount for his labour (along with his helpers) on the next page of the notebook dated September 28, 1926 is a whopping $278.00 for 25 days!  There is also a listing of supplies purchased from Hume's Hardware that I think I've transcribed fairly accurately below.

Hume

Cement 39 bags paid

Cement 47 Bge 1926

July 24 Keg 4 inch spikes

“           14 window frames

“            2 door frames

              3 plank 8 X 12

              8 rolls tar paper

              2 Kegs 2 ½ in nails

              8 thousand shingles

              1 piece 1.2 X 14

              1456 ft siding

              100 lbs spikes

              50 ft 4 V joint

              18 lin ft 1 X 8 sel

              36 lin ft 1 X 6

                5 lbs 2 in nails cn

Aug 6      4 bunches shingles

“               1 roll tar paper

"      7        40 tin shingles

                 And 8 ft X 10 ft tin

(second page)

Aug

7 -              50 tin shingles

11               1- 6 X 6 newel base

“                  1 5 X 5     “          “

“                  132 ft ¼ round

“                  2 ½ lb 2 ¼ inch finishing nails

13                2 ft stepping

17                Keg 2 ½ inch nails

18                steps for attic

20                 lath nails 24 lbs

26                1200 bricks 8 bags lime

Sept

1                    3 M. Lath 6- tile

                      350 ft stripping

Sept 9            3 thin ? chimney

Sept 23 –       100 ft striping 2 M

                       Lath 2 Windows 2 set

                       Latches and Hinges

Oct 14            1 bag cement

                       15 lbs lath nails

29                   15 lbs lath nails

Nov 22            60 bags plaster

Dec 2               50 bags 2 large

A man referred to as Call Bearsto was also paid $35.00 for work on the house and Aunt Dodie remembered him as was mentioned in this blog post about her Dad. 

Other documents survive from the history of the house.  The first receipt below was supplies for finishing the upstairs and a furnace was installed later the same year.  Before the doors and framing were added upstairs, the rooms were separated by curtains.  Dad slept in the northeast bedroom and the hired man, George Evans, had the room with the attic stairs in it.  Robin's egg blue bathroom fixtures were later added to this room in 1964 and the tub and sink are still the originals!  The present porch was built in 1951 to replace one with openings to the north and south.  The north side was closed off in the winter but in the summer it was open to give access to a summer kitchen to be used to keep the heat out of the house. 

Wiring the house for electricity happened in June of 1948 and the barn and pump house were done at the same time. Parts, labour and all came to a grand total of $220.00.  From electric labour saving devices to entertainment, the Simms house would have seen a big change.  

With upgrades and tender loving care from my parents, it continues to serve them well.  Dad has lived there all of his 83 years and Mom for over 55 years. I haven't lived there for almost 35 years, but it's still "Home" to me! 

                   

The Blanket Box and what was in the Seat Cushion

When the farm home of my Great Aunt Nannie Sinclair was being cleaned out in the late 1980's, I fell heir to the blanket box pictured above.  I have been calling it a trunk but as this website explains, trunks were made for travelling so would have had handles and straps.  The purpose of this chest would have been for storage and even for extra seating.  It has casters on the bottom to roll it from place to place.

 It would appear to be homemade with dovetail joints and a leather harness strap to hold the lid up but the latching mechanism would have been store bought.  Although the outside is repainted, the inside is the original colour. There is a small box built into the right side to hold small items and contained an old set of false teeth when I first got it.  (Have I really thrown them out?  I can't find them....)

The box had a fabric gathered skirt and seat cushion on it and I remember it sat at the top of the stairs in the Sinclair home (pictured below). My younger sister used it as a pattern and made me a new skirt and recovered the seat cushion in the same fabric.  Fast forward twenty some years later and I decided to take off the fabric and the old one was in the garbage before I got curious about what was in the seat cushion for padding.  It was VERY dusty but look what I found!  A crazy quilt!

This website  says this form was most popular at the turn of the century an often included silk and that the stitching was what made these works of art even though it was practical in nature.  Small and irregular scraps could be used up and attached to a plain back without anything in between. 

 I know my Great Grandmother Elizabeth Henry Sinclair (above) was known for her sewing talents and I imagine her along with daughters Mary, Jean, Ellen and Lizzie working on it and then using it to pad the blanket box seat cushion when it was worn out.   I think this would be beautiful as a wall hanging or perhaps pieces of it framed but haven't got around to it yet.  I'd be glad to share if any cousins have an idea for it!

 

The Story of the Basket

In this day of manufactured goods, we don't think that items have histories but the last few blog posts on 52 Ancestors cover things instead of people.  The stories of these things help me understand the times my ancestors lived in and appreciate the items they had and the stories behind them.

The basket in the picture above always hung at the farm of my Aunt Dodie and Uncle Sam Henry in the back kitchen of their farmhouse.  I remember it holding rags and towels that were used for all sorts of things around the house and garden.  At some point, she must have brought it into town when they moved to Oak River and it hung in their garage.  After she passed away in 2010, my Dad brought it to his home and told me the story that went with it.  

Donald Simms

He thinks he may have been 8 or 10 years old which would be in the early 1940's.  His father Alex died in 1941 and this must have been a sad and stressful time for the Simms family; five children and Mary (Sinclair) Simms.  Dad recalls Aboriginal people often went by their house in wagons full of adults and children with their dogs following along.  He remembers their own dog Skipper barking like mad at the strangers coming up the lane.  

Dad holding a duck in the doorway of the "summer kitchen".  Skipper and a turkey in a staring match!

His mother would never let them go without giving them something to eat and she did that day, perhaps some homemade bread, or biscuits and some meat from her meagre supply.  They went away happy but Dad recalls them returning to the house a short time later with the basket, which they made using the willows between the Simms quarter section and the next.  
The basket currently hangs in his shop in the barn and it holds much more than rags now - a fantastic story! 

The Story of Grandma's Silverware

Silverware - still searching for the name of the pattern.  Who knew there were so many?  

After Jeannie Milne died in 1948, my Grandma Frances Milne Kinnaird did all she could to help out her dad, Alex Milne and his son Jim who were farming nearby.  She often took them meals, did their laundry, and did anything for them while she was busy with her own chores and family.

Frances with two oldest children, Marjorie in arms and Keith.

Alexander and Jeannie had a large family of eight and apparently Alex regretted not being able to give his children much as they grew and had families of their own.  One can only imagine living in those times with a large family and depending on farming for their livelihood.  Luckily for them, living on a farm meant they could try to be self-sufficient with much of the food and were able to sell the surplus for other necessities.  This self-sufficiency came with hard work and frugality at every turn.

Jeannie and Alex Milne

Aunt Marge tells me her Grandad, Alex decided to buy Frances, his eldest daughter, a set of silverware. He ordered a set of William Rogers silverware from the Eaton's catalog and Aunt Marge recalls it came in a cardboard box, which has long since worn out.  The silverware itself remains in use in the home of Frances' children Marjorie and Margaret as well as her son Keith's children. Every object has a story and I'm glad this one was shared with me.

John "Jack" Henry (1868-1958)

John Henry was born in Ontario on the first of March in 1868 to Mary Tait and William Henry, the final sibling to be written about in this blog.  They farmed in the Listowell area of Perth County until his father died when he was 10 years old and they headed west to Manitoba when he was 13 in 1881. They lived near  a Blanshard Township in Ontario so moving to Blanshard, Manitoba must have been a small comfort to the Henry family.   His mother and his 10 siblings then settled on SW 6-14-21. He was more commonly known as "Jack" likely to distinguish him between an uncle and cousins with the same first name. The adjective "sixes" was also used to refer to this family and home as it was on section six.

Jack acquired NE 1-14-22 just west of the homestead in 1898, not including the portion where the White Bank Lea Cemetery sits.  It would have been suited to crop more than the hilly land with a ravine where the house was.

He remained on the home farm after his mother's death in 1909.  He married 26 years old Winnifred Theobald Frost Delamater in 1912 at the age 44 and went on to have nine children, six sons and three daughters. 

• Lorne "Homer" (1913-2001) remained a bachelor worked the home farm and was active in community affairs and committees
• William "Orville" (1914-1976) married Betty Reid, farmed the home farm
• Alexander (1916-1980) married Effie Reid (sister to Betty) and raised 5 children.  Farmed the former Hedley homestead (NW 30-13-21) and other quarters with Esmond, worked at Murray's Garage in Oak River and served in WW2
• Robert Thomas "Bob" (1918-1993) remained a bachelor on the home farm and was sports minded
• Mary Ellen (1919-1987) married Donald James Moar had 4 children and lived in Brandon
• Walter John "Watty" (1921-1986) remained a bachelor and enjoyed company and home life on the home farm
• Rena (1922-) married Allan Reid (brother to Betty and Effie) and had 2 sons, lived on the home farm with her brothers and is the only surviving member of this generation of the family - living in Oak River today
• Edmond Frank (1923-1980) remained a bachelor, served in the army with Alex then farmed with him east of Oak River
• Laura (1927-2005) married Herb Stephens and farmed near Cardale and had five children

Jack was one of the original members of Oak River's first organized baseball team which was coached by his cousin, his mother's sister Ellen's son, Tom Wilson.

 The White Banklea History Booklet written in the 1980's says of Friday night dances at the school near the Henry farm:

Local music was provided by the people of the area.  Alex Stewart and Mrs. Dick Stewart provided the early music at White Bank Lea.  Later Maurice and Dot Genung, Elgin and Harvey Stewart supplied the tunes to which they danced.  Square dances were very popular and Jack Henry from the "Stone House" was known as the official caller.  Everyone enjoyed the seven step, the scottiche, the buffalo glide and the French minuette.  The waltz was always popular and in later years couples danced to the newer dances known as the fox trot, two step and one step.  Lunch was always supplied by the ladies, an on occasion this was in the form of an old time Box Social.  

Jack (with the corsage at the back left) on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 1948.  Beside him, brother Thomas (79 years old), Ned (86) and Charlie (82).  In front left to right -  sisters Joanna Braid(72), Janet McKenzie(88) and Mary Wilson (74).

He passed away at the age of 90 in 1958.  Winifred died in 1954 at age 68.  They are buried together in the Oak River Cemetery.

from Blanshard History Book 1984

The stone house, built in 1888, was a landmark for miles around and served as a meeting place for municipal council and church and Sunday School services.  Dances, box socials and strawberry socials were held there as well to raise money for projects for the two wars as well as for Oak River Community Rink.   It was replaced in 1972 with a home for Watty, Bob, Homer, Rena and Allan Reid and their children.  This generation of Henrys farmed large herds of cattle along with chickens and pigs.  Both Holstein milk cows and beef cattle were raised by the Henry Brothers.  This farm was recognized in November of 1981 (photo above)  by the Manitoba Department of Agriculture and the Oak River Agricultural Society with the Century Farm Award for being in the same family for 100 years.