Sharing Memories Week 12: Gardening

Olive Tree Genealogy blog has a Genealogy Writing Challenge. It's 52 weeks of writing your own memoirs.  Lorine will be posting a weekly prompt each Sunday on Olive Tree Genealogy blog under the topic Sharing Memories

The first week's prompt was about Kindergarten. You can read Lorine's blog post for the first week at Challenge: 52 Weeks of Writing Our Memories - Kindergarten Days

This week's prompt is Gardening

For some reason I didn't inherit the Gardening gene that runs in my family. My paternal grandparents loved to garden, as did my great grandfather Massey. My grandparents always had a huge vegetable garden chock full of tomatoes, potatoes, even asparagus.

My parents always had a vegetable garden and grew their own tomatoes, beans, onions, cucumbers and more. My sister is the same. But not me. I hate weeding and all the work involved. The sun is too hot, the bugs are thick, all in all it's not fun.

Flower gardens are the same thing. Many of the females in my family have beautiful gardens. In fact my mother's garden was on a Gardening Tour in town. I appreciate how great their gardens look but it seems like an awful lot of work!

The only kind of gardening my wife and I do is a small herb garden. That's my wife's thing but I help out with watering. Other than that, I keep away from it!

Sharing Memories Week 17: One Ringy Dingy Two Ringy Dingy

Olive Tree Genealogy blog has a Genealogy Writing Challenge. It's 52 weeks of writing your own memoirs.  Lorine will be posting a weekly prompt each Sunday on Olive Tree Genealogy blog under the topic Sharing Memories

The first week's prompt was about Kindergarten. You can read Lorine's blog post for the first week at Challenge: 52 Weeks of Writing Our Memories - Kindergarten Days

This week's prompt is One Ringy Dingy Two Ringy Dingy  All about telephones.

When I was little all the phones were rotary dial. I don't know if pushbutton phones had been invented but no one I knew had one. I imagine there are lots of young people who have never seen or used a rotary dial telephone.

My mother told me that when she was a little girl they had an old-fashioned crank phone and were on a party line. She said everyone on that line listened in on everyone else's conversations. You had to memorize your ring (2 short or 1 short 2 long for example) as everyone on the party line had their own ring.

My grandparents had a party line and I could never figure out whether or not we were supposed to answer it. I couldn't remember our pattern of short and long rings. But that didn't matter because my grandparents didn't believe that children should be answering the phone anyway.

My grandmother, who lived in a very small town, was an operator for Bell Telephone for many years. I remember her telling me how the operators liked to listen in on other people's phone calls even though that was strictly against company policy. She said that way they knew all the gossip. So if you are worried about Google and big tech companies looking at our stuff online, guess what? It's been going on forever, just in a different format!

Credits: "Vintage Telephone" by Daniel St.Pierre on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

52 Ancestors: Oscar Massey Accused of Stealing Rifles in 1919

March 1919. Pueblo Chieftan

My cousin 3 times removed was Oscar Massey. He was born in Colorado in 1893. While researching him (because I research all siblings of my direct ancestors) I found some interesting news articles about him being arrested in 1919.

It seems that in March 1919 Oscar and a buddy Grover Roberts were arrested and charged with stealing rifles and pistols from the Sante Fe Railway. Oscar got off eventually but I've never been sure he didn't do it. I think it might have been a case of having friends on the jury and being well-known and liked in the town.

In any case here's his story in newspaper clippings:

 Accused Burglars Attend Courts of Numerous Degrees Prisoners, Charged with Robbing Box Cars Arraigned before Justices (News Article)

Date: 1919-04-05; Paper: Pueblo Chieftain, published as: The Pueblo Chieftain

Jury is Picked to Try Oscar Massey (News Article)

Date: 1919-05-24; Paper: Pueblo Chieftain, published as: The Pueblo Chieftain

Massey Freed of Burglary Charge (News Article)

Date: 1919-05-25; Paper: Pueblo Chieftain, published as: The Pueblo Chieftain

Sharing Memories Week 10: Movie Time!

Olive Tree Genealogy blog has a Genealogy Writing Challenge. It's 52 weeks of writing your own memoirs.  Lorine will be posting a weekly prompt each Sunday on Olive Tree Genealogy blog under the topic Sharing Memories

The first week's prompt was about Kindergarten. You can read Lorine's blog post for the first week at Challenge: 52 Weeks of Writing Our Memories - Kindergarten Days

This week's prompt is Movie Time!

The first movie I remember going out to see was Star Wars. That was around 1977 and I went to the Drive-In with my sister and her boyfriend. I was only 6 years old and I fell asleep in the middle of the movie!

The first movie that I saw all the way through without falling asleep was Star Trek The Motion Picture around 1979. My sister took me to see it and since then my sister and I have gone to see every single Star Trek movie together. It's a tradition.

My parents weren't movie goers and I don't remember going with them to see any movies. I do know that the last time my parents went out to the movies was in 1973 to see Robert Redford in The Sting!

Credits: "Popcorn" by Salvatore Vuono on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sharing Memories Prompt: Naughty Things You Did as a Kid

Over at Olive Tree Genealogy blog is a Genealogy Writing Challenge. It's 52 weeks of writing your own memoirs.  Lorine will be posting a weekly prompt each Sunday on Olive Tree Genealogy blog under the topic Sharing Memories

The first week's prompt was about Kindergarten. You can read Lorine's blog post for the first week at Challenge: 52 Weeks of Writing Our Memories - Kindergarten Days

This week's prompt is to talk about something naughty I did as a kid. Well I never liked physed, and I would use any excuse I could think of to get  out of it.

One winter day in Grade 7 I went to Physed class and my physed teacher Ray Brien noticed I was wearing my work boots. I never wore anything else - workbooks and jeans, that was my daily "uniform". He wasn't pleased and told me to get my running shoes. Not a big deal, right? Except my running shoes were at home and home was about 4 miles from the school.

So I went home. And oops I neglected to tell my teacher that my running shoes were at home and I had to leave to get them. It was a long walk and by the time I got home it was lunch time. I was hungry so I made myself some lunch. After I finished lunch I headed back to school. By the time I got back to school I'd been gone almost 4 hours and school was just about over.

My classroom teacher asked me where the heck I'd been and when I told him that Mr. Brien sent me to get my running shoes, and here they were, he just shook his head and said "Ok Brian go sit down". I never got into trouble at all because the teachers all considered me a bit of an oddball.

Sharing Memories of Grade 2

I'm 8th from the left in the back row

Over at Olive Tree Genealogy blog is a Genealogy Writing Challenge. It's 52 weeks of writing your own memoirs.  Lorine will be posting a weekly prompt each Sunday on Olive Tree Genealogy blog under the topic Sharing Memories

The first week's prompt was about Kindergarten. You can read Lorine's blog post for the first week at Challenge: 52 Weeks of Writing Our Memories - Kindergarten Days

I don't remember all that much about Grade 2. I do remember that it was not fun. My teacher was John McCallum. Nice guy. He played the guitar. I think he had a sailboat.

I remember that was the year we started playing Math Baseball. You had to answer math questions to move around the bases. I was never very good at Math. How I hated that game.

 

52 Ancestors: Frederick Purdue, Chaser of Slave Vessels, Friend of Thomas Edison?

Frederick Purdue in 1921

Frederick Purdue (1827-1921) was my 3rd great-grandfather. According to his obituary and some family stories he was quite a colourful character. I've tried to confirm the stories told in his obit but so far no luck. The Bluecoat School has no record of him being a student and I have not been able to find out anything about his sailing days or his adventures during the Fenian Raids. 

Were the stories true? I don't know but I hope so! What an exciting ancestor to have if the stories are true. 

His obituary reads

An interesting personality passed away on Monday evening at the advanced age of 94 years, at his home 94 Seaton St., in the person of Frederick Purdue, who in his early days, had a somewhat adventurous career on the sea. The deceased gentleman, who was born at Andover in the County of Hants England,  in the year 1826, and received his education at the famous Bluecoat School, the pupils of which until quite recently wore a uniform consisting of a long blue coat reaching almost to the ankles, yellow stockings, and buckled shoes. No matter what the weather, they never wore headgear of any kind. On September 23 1845 Mr. Purdue registered in London as a mariner, and spent a portion of his life at sea in chasing slave vessels.

He came to Canada about 65 years ago, located in Prescott, where he married Margaret Cowan. He was subsequently transferred by the G.T.R. [Grand Trunk Railway], in whose employ he was, to Montreal, and afterwards to St. Mary's Ontario, where most of his family were born. He served with the Railway Company for a period of 52 years, being Relieving Agent at several G.T.R. stations in Canada and also across the border. He was quite active during the Fenian Raid, and could tell many interesting incidents connected with his career.

Another cool story about Frederick is that he worked with Thomas Edison at the Stratford Junction Railway Station in St. Marys Ontario. As most people know Thomas Edison was the inventor of many things including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. I know from historical records that Frederick did work at the Stratford Junction Station at around the same time as Thomas Edison. And Frederick himself claimed to know Edison.  However as to what relationship they may have had who can tell.

When I was a child I had the opportunity to speak on several occasions with someone who had first hand knowledge of Frederick. And while it was not said in so many words I got the distinct impression that old Frederick was perhaps a bit of a character. One story that stands out in my mind is how every morning Frederick would walk from his house the short distance to a local park in order to do his exercises in full public view. This may not sound strange today but in the late 1800s or early 1900s this was a rather odd thing for a man to do.  So who knows was Frederick just an old guy who was good at telling tales. Or was he a man who had a long and interesting life. Perhaps more research will tell.

Sharing Memories: Learning to Drive

1974 Ford F150

Over at Olive Tree Genealogy blog there is a Genealogy Writing Challenge. It's 52 weeks of writing your own memoirs.  Lorine will be posting a weekly prompt each Sunday on Olive Tree Genealogy blog under the topic Sharing Memories. I've joined in and today's post is about learning to drive.

At age 16 I went to Ray's Driving School and learned to drive. Most kids in town went there. Mind you  I'd already been driving a truck for many years on my grandparents' farm where I stayed every summer. It was a brown 1974 Ford F150.

Having the experience of driving on the farm coupled with going to Driving School made getting my licence pretty easy.  I also live in a small town and I think that helped. However there was one strange incident that could probably only happen in a small town. I wasn't the only student in the car when I took my driver's test!

As the instructor and I were heading to the car he asked me if I minded if another student came with us. Of course I said I didn't care. It was a little old lady! She was in her 80s and was there for her renewal and I guess the instructor was in a hurry and thought it would make life easier if he could take us both.

So she sat in the back seat while I drove for my test, then we switched and I sat in the back seat while she drove. I felt bad for her because she failed!

None of that compares to my grandfather's driving test around 1930. His test was him and the instructor  (who he knew) driving the back country roads of southern Ontario drinking. Yep, times were different back then.

Week 2: Sharing Memories of Grade 1

I am 5th from the left

Over at Olive Tree Genealogy blog is a Genealogy Writing Challenge. It's 52 weeks of writing your own memoirs.  Lorine will be posting a weekly prompt each Sunday on Olive Tree Genealogy blog under the topic Sharing Memories

The first week's prompt was about Kindergarten. You can read Lorine's blog post for the first week at Challenge: 52 Weeks of Writing Our Memories - Kindergarten Days

As to my time in Grade 1 the first thing that comes to my mind is my teacher Mrs. McMinnimey. I thought she was a Witch. No she was NOT a nasty person. I was actually really fond of her.  However she always wore what I thought of as witch's boots. They had high heels and were high up her legs. She almost always dressed in black and she had very long hair. I guess at some point I figured out she was not in fact a Witch but the image still sticks in my mind almost 40 years later.  Mrs. M. was really strict and she didn't tolerate a lot of shenanigans. She expected a lot from her students and would let you know when she was not pleased.

It was in Grade 1 that I started to get an interest in art. The Teachers were impressed as I was way ahead of most people my age when it came to art. However as far as the other subjects went I was no Rhodes Scholar. It was at this time that I also started to realize I didn't really like school. This stayed with me until I graduated from Grade 12. School was not my favourite thing!

I have a weird memory of the smell. The primary end of the school with K, Grade 1, 2 and 3 had dirty orange shag carpet and it smelled musty. In fact I am told that a few years later the school had to remove the carpet for health reasons. Too much mold and must in it.