Avonton Softball Team 1932

Here is a picture of the Avonton Softball Team in 1932. Unlike the other men, Gordon is wearing braces and so his team shirt is neatly tucked into his trousers. Of the 15 people in the picture, Gordon is a blood relative of all but one of the others. Only Helen Struthers, the woman second from the right in the second row, appears to be an outsider in this close knit group. Although Will Smith, the man in the tie, is related to Gordon through the Hemsley's, Will is also an outsider to the group in that his ancestors came from the south of England. The other 13 people can all trace their ancestry directly back to Robert Ballantyne, a shepherd who lived near Peebles Scotland and whose grandson, also called Robert, first emigrated to Perth County and settled land in Downie Township.

The Rattle In The Fireplace

A couple of weeks ago Lois began to hear a disconcerting rattle in her fireplace. It sounded as if a piece of metal had become dislodged and was vibrating against another piece of metal. At first it occurred mostly in the morning but then it began to occur at other times in the day. The first theory was that a bird had somehow fallen down the chimney and was caught behind the fireplace. That theory was discounted when the weather turned cold, and the fireplace came on. If it was a bird, the poor thing would not have survived the heat from the fireplace. When Bob was home he hypothesized that possibly the flashing on the chimney was vibrating. But after a careful inspection, Bob announced that there was no sign of loose flashings. The noise persisted, increased in frequency, and was heard by several visitors. Finally, the plumbers were called in. The first plumber was confident that he knew the source of the problem. "I'm sure it's the fan, Lois." Two hours later, after taking the fireplace apart, after checking the water pipes, and the furnace itself, the young plumber left saying that he would have to pass the problem on to his boss. The next day the boss plumber came, inspected the fireplace and asked for a ladder to climb on to the roof. He took a screw driver with him. He tapped rhythmically on the chimney. "Was that the sound, Lois?" When the answer was affirmative, he came down from the roof saying that he had a theory but first, he would have to make a couple of phone calls. His source confirmed that his theory was correct. Here is a picture of the tiny culprit. Of course, it is a territorial thing, and now that we know the source of the noise, we can listen to the rhythmic tattoo with some equanimity and amusement. The sound reverberates not only in Lois' house but across a good portion of the valley surrounding Trout Creek. I am sure that in woodpecker land, there is no question that a claim has been staked for control of the territory around the swinging bridge in the Trout Creek hollow.

The End of the Business Empire (Wally Hern pt. 4)

In previous blogs I have told the story of Wally Hern (the first cousin of Lois' father Bob Hearn). Wally was such a gifted athlete that stories are still being told about him 100 years later. Most recently a picture appeared in the Stratford Beacon Herald of the Junior OHA team of 1900 of which Wally was a valued member.
After he finished playing competitive hockey Wally travelled throughout southern Ontario as a hockey referee. At the same time, of course, Wally's older brother Riley continued to be a hockey celebrity in Montreal. Above is an column from the Montreal Gazette from 1909 when both brothers -- Riley for his clothing store, and Wally for his refereeing -- are mentioned.
After his hockey career wound down Wally opened a men's clothing store on Downie Street in Stratford. Things went well for a number of years, and stories are told of the successful self-confident businessman who drove an expensive car, and who laughed loudly and generously.
The success did not last, unfortunately. The family story is that the business collapsed because a store clerk was stealing from the till. Whatever the reason, here, are two newspaper advertisements taken from the Stratford Beacon Herald in June 1925. In the first bowler hats are being sold for prices ranging from 95 cents to $3.95. However, it is evident that Wally knew already that his store was in trouble because the second advertizement a few days later announces that Wally is retiring and all his merchandise is being sold off.

The Murderer At The Door

In a recent article in the London Free Press it was reported that human bones had been uncovered outside the wall of the jail in Stratford, Ontario. "The discovery didn't come as a complete surprise" noted the columnist who speculates that the bones belong to Almeda Chattelle the first man hanged in Perth County. Chattelle's execution, in the spring of 1895. The hanging attracted a large group of onlookers who stood on top of the collegiate to witness the event. Almeda Chattelle, the murderer, was once a dinner guest in the home of the widow Harriottte McEwan. According to Gordon's account, the famous incident occurred when John (i.e., Gordon's father and Harriotte's son), Harriotte (Gordon's grandmother) and sister Agnes (Gordon's aunt) "were on the farm at lot 19, concession 3 in the Township of Downie. One afternoon John had gone to town and the two women were busying themselves about the kitchen preparing supper when a loud, insistent knock was heard at the front door of the house. The woman's hearts must have skipped a beat when they looked out for there stood a huge, hulking, bestial type of individual and in a day before the invention of the telephone, the homesteads were isolated from their neighbours. I should think the people would have been more concerned at that particular time because an unusually brutal murder had taken place near Listowel. A young girl, Jessie Keith, had been picking strawberries along the railroad track and had disappeared. You can easily imagine the consternation of the neighbourhood, and the organization of a man hunt that began in the anxious community. Tracking dogs were brought in and the local constabulary was led to a pile of brush which they removed and there they found the dismembered body of Jessie Keith who had before death suffered the fearsome experience of rape.
Undoubtedly, the press at that period would dwell on the lurid details of the happening and Harriotte and Agnes had read the weekly paper.

Afraid to refuse their unwelcome guest's request for a meal, they hurriedly set the table and placed before him a sample of their fare. His roving eyes and surly speech increased their uneasiness. Agnes took the kettle and placed it on the back of the stove but the quick-thinking Harriotte used the action to their advantage.
"Don't put the kettle at the back of the stove, Aggie," she remonstrated, "the men will be in at any time from the hay field!"
At the mention of the word, "men" the visitor gulped down the last remnants of food and asked where work might be obtained. When the flax-mill at Sebringville was suggested, he trod off down the road and disappeared from the sight of the two anxious women who had been sufficiently upset to watch him disappear from their position at the front-gate.
When the weekly paper was placed by the McEwan house that week by the carrier in his sulky and horse, Agnes ran out to obtain it. As she raced back, her mother knew something of importance and interest was in the news.
Breathlessly, Agnes thrust the paper at her mother and pointed to a picture on the front page. It was a picture of their supper guest that week and below it sat the caption: "Chatelle. accused murderer of Jessie Keith, apprehended and lodged in Stratford jail."
No doubt both women experienced a surge of physical weakness because of the news!" This story of how the McEwan women entertained the murderer of Jessie Keith must have been told often enough in the McEwan kitchen that Gordon remembered it 80 years later. But, how close to the actual truth is Gordon's rendition of an incident that happened in 1894, at least 20 years before he was even born? A survey of the newspaper accounts such as that above in the Toronto Daily Mail confirms that the essence of the story is remarkably accurate. Amelda Chattelle did murder Jessie Keith. The evidence shows that Chattelle travelled from St. Marys to Gad's Hill on October 18 and then on to Milverton and toward Listowel where he happened upon Jessie Keith. After the murder Chattelle headed east where he was apprehended in Erin. This sequence of events means that he visited the McEwans before the murder rather than after. Furthermore, the event happened in the fall rather than earlier in the season during haying as suggested by Gordon's story. Gordon's description of Almelda as a big heavy man is confirmed by the newspaper accounts. In Gordon's story there is a dramatic scene where Aggie opens the newspaper to see their dinner guest identified as the murderer of Jessie Keith. Although I have been unable to locate that picture of Amelda, one newspaper claims that Chattelle's picture was sent to the police in England because the manner in which Jessie Keith was disfigured had similarities to the Whitechapel murders perpetrated by Jack the Ripper. Even though the newspapers went into great detail in retracing Chattelle's journey from Alsia Craig through St. Marys and on to Listowel there is no mention of his visit to the McEwan's kitchen. Nonetheless, it is very likely that Almeda Chattelle did knock on the McEwan's door, that he did come in and was offered food, and furthermore, it is equally probable that Gordon's grandmother did frighten off the tramp by telling her daughter Aggie to move the kettle to the front of the stove because the men would be coming in from the fields.

Perth County Fashions 1860's (pt. 2)

In the previous blog I posed the question of whether the dresses of woman in pioneer Perth County in the 1860's were a reflection of current fashions in Europe and the large centres of North America, or were they completed removed from the influences of the outside world. The early 1860's was a period in which hoops or multiple petticoats held the skirts out into a dome shaped floating circle. As the 1860's progressed the fashion designs began to show skirts that featured a slight movement towards the back. Then, as the decade progressed, sleeves narrow, and the circular hoops decreased in size at the front and sides and increased at the back. This shift in emphasis can be seen in the top picture taken in 1868 of Princess Louise, the daughter of Queeen Victoria. The next picture of an unknown woman, taken in the Cooper studio in London Ontario sometime after 1867, clearly shows the highthened emphasis on the train. In order to show off this new silouette, photographs begin to use a sideview photo of the subject. How quickly the fashions moved from London, England, to the big Canadian centres such as Montreal and then into the rural communities of Perth County is an interesting question. One website suggests that it was not uncommon for fashion plates to appear in North American periodicals a year or more after they first appeared in Paris or London. While the pace at which fashion trends moved through the different layers of society may be unclear, it is evident that young women in Perth County followed the fashion dictates of the time. The final two pictures show Gordon's grandmother Harriotte Hemsley and her younger sister Carrie in photos taken in the Owen studio in Stratford. Harriotte was born in 1850 and was married in 1872 and therefore it is reasonable to suggest that these pictures were taken in the 1860's. Based on the evidence of these pictures it would seem logical to conclude that young women in Perth County in the 1860's were aware of current fashions in the major centres of Canada and of Europe. While the material and the detail in the dresses worn by the women in Perth County might be less sophisticated than the comparable dresses worn in Europe, the differences were the result of social class and wealth rather than in geography.

Perth County Fashions 1860's (pt. 1)

While women living in Perth county in the 1860's may have felt themselves to be isolated from the fashion influences of the bigger world, the evidence suggests that the style in which our ancestors dressed was a reflection of what was happening elsewhere: a somewhat muted and conservative reflection of high fashion, but a reflection nonetheless. The differences which existed in the dresses were more likely to be a result of wealth and social class rather than a lack of awareness. The coloured engraving at the top of this blog first appeared in Godfey's Lady's Book in 1861. This periodical, which was published in Philadelphia acted as a fashion guide for its many subscribers. The early 1860s, was a period in which the crinoline-supported dome-like skirt was at its widest, and in fashion plates during 1860 and 1861 the skirt seems to project as much in front as in back. The photo of an unknown young woman in a striped dress above, was taken in London Ontario in the years before Confederation when this area was still known as Canada West. The next photo is Lois' great grandmother Eliza Fulcher taken after 1867. While Eliza's dress may be made of less expensive materials, and the workmanship and the detail of the sewing may be less complex, the full skirt, the wide tightly cinched belt, the puffed sleeves and the high neckline show that the two women are following similar fashion lines. The next picture is of Robert Ballantyne the brother of Gordon's great grandmother Agnes McEwan, and his wife Helen Smith. This is likely their wedding picture taken in 1860 when he was 39 and she was 23. The dress of the new Mrs. Ballantyne has many of the features of the dresses above but with an added feature in the formal jacket. A hoop (or possibly many petticoats) create the dome shape of the skirt, and the white collar is used to create a dramatic contrast to the black satin dress.
Finally, in case we think that hooped skirts were worn only for formal occasions. here is a detail from a well know picture of the old frame town hall in St. Marys. The woman on the right appears to be a passerby who has stopped to watch the excitement of the ongoing photo session. Not only is a large hoop creating the desired silhouette, but the skirt is short enough to allow her to walk through the mucky streets without the danger of dirtying the hem of her dress. A very wise precaution in St. Marys in 1865!

Bob Hearn's Bread Route

The bread route which sustained the Hearn family through many years of the depression began quite accidentally. It was Bob Hearn's custom to go into St. Marys on Saturday evening. While the purpose of the trip was largely social - a time to meet and chat with friends -- he also used the trip as an opportunity to pick up groceries and other supplies for the family. The neighbours, knowing that he was going into town would often ask him to buy groceries for them. Gradually people began to depend on him for their bread supply and eventually Bob established a formal bread route that became a full-time job as a bread peddler for the Thames Valley Bakery which had a shop on the north side of Queen street between Water and Wellington streets. Here is a picture of the staff of the bakery standing in front of the store. Bob is the man in the cap standing on the running board of his truck. In a typical day, Bob would drive the truck into St. Marys, pick up his bread and then head out on the route. In one leg of the route Bob went as far north as Kasterville on the edge of Ellice Township and then turned west going as far as the Fullarton Township line. By that time it would be noon hour and he would stop to have his dinner at Joe Herman's whose farm was just beyond the Cheese Factory on Black Creek. After dinner Bob would work his way back home. As soon as they were old enough, Bob's boys helped with the route. The picture above shows Kelly as a teenager standing next to his father at the home farm. In the winter when the roads were impassible, Bob peddled his bread using a horse and team. In the picture below he appears to be wearing a huge fur coat While it appears warm, one can't help but wonder whether anything could protect you against the severe weather in a typical January freeze. On such a day I am sure that that the warmth of Mrs. Herman's farm kitchen was especially welcome. Kelly continued to work with his father and when Kelly was married in 1937, his father generously gave him the bread route and Bob took a job working for Avonbank Cheese and Butter company.

Lois' Uncle George and Aunt Minnie (pt 1)

In my recollection, George Hern (the younger brother of Lois' father) was an old man who wore a suit and a tie fastened with a bar clip. He wore a wide brimmed fedora which he parked on his knee when he was sitting. At family gatherings he sat on the sidelines chatting to the others of his generation and watching the activities of the next three generations of Hearns. I don't remember him ever speaking to me directly. In truth, I suspect that I was a bit frightened of his gruffness, and his sense of fun which was to have the little kids wrestle with one another. George's wife Minnie played a more central role in the family. She was an excellent seamstress, and an energetic carpenter and decorator. George and Minnie had no children, and for some years in the middle of their marriage, they lived separately. But, of course they were not always the "old generation" and as can be seen in photographs taken about 1910 George and Minnie were handsome young people. In those years leading up to the first war, the city of Brantford was industrializing quickly, and already several members of the Hern and Fulcher families had moved there. Bart Fulcher, the younger brother of George's mother Elizabeth had made the move some time before. In the postcard above, written by Daisy Fulcher, she encourages George to move to Brantford. At some point George must have taken Daisy's advice because here, in a second card dated May 25 1911 George is writing to Minnie on his return to Brantford from a visit in St. Marys. It is obvious from the tone of the card and from the number of x's decorating the large letter B at the top of the card that George is smitten with the lovely Minnie Moore. (You remember that by double clicking on the postcards you enlarge them so they are easier to read.)