Salt Spring Island Archives

264_Korocil_Purdy-Beddis-Family-History.mp3

otter.ai

26.04.2023

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Unknown Speaker 0:00
Linda has agreed to come I talked to Linda a few times about coming and talking to us today I thought it'd be 10 or 12 people out. And she thought that'd be okay. And I said most of them would be family and she thought that'd be okay too. But it's nice to see that most. A lot of the family is here. Linda is a longtime Islander. And when when you see her, you'll recognize her courses. She runs her own business in town, love my kitchen, and she's a very active community participant. And Linda has access basically grown up in Salt Spring, went to school here and work here and is still here. And now she comes back as a historian of the island, which she never thought what happened when she was in grade 11 taking social studies. So Linda, I turn the program over to you today Thank you

Unknown Speaker 0:54
Bob asked me to do this. I said I've never spoken in front of a crowd before. And I said you have 50 more years experience. You were my, my high school principal. Anyway, it's nice to see a lot of people who are good crowds who enjoy history. I was losing my stories this morning. And they said to one of my customers, do you like history? And she said no. So I said, Oh, okay. So I'm glad there's people here that enjoy history. So the first thing I'll put up here is a picture of my grandfather raffles. Prudie. I never knew him because he died in 1935. But that's him. And he was quite something, what I'd done. I brought a letter, which my mom put together. And she did this quite a few Oh, she did it 1988. And it gives a nice overview of when he first settled here with Samuel and Emily Bettis Emily was his sister. So anyway, she I think what I'll do is I'll read that and then I can show some more pictures. There's another picture of him. He he was a layperson in the in the church, and so a minister was sick or anything, he'd take that over. So he was a very nice looking man, I think. And here is a picture of my grandmother. That was picture taken when she was 21. And she didn't come to this country till she was, I think 37. So got another picture of my grandfather here when he was a little older it looks like

Unknown Speaker 2:49
and here he is, with sitting is Miami, Hillary. That property was purchased by Liz armour. I think it was 1970 sounds, when was that? 73 Something like that. And then in the middle is Manti Margie Cunningham, and two of my cousins were here today. And she played the piano here, when the when the films were starting. And they'd always do a little picture of her. And then she turned around a wave at the crowd. She was really, she was a wonderful person than the other than my mom is on the other side behind her dad. And so that's the lives of my grandparents. And I don't know what your this Oh 1922 is about that time, I think. And here is a picture of them again. And that's in the yard of the house where I'm living today the house that my grandfather built. So I've got a throat you know, you're going to crash into the barn. The house is on the left. So if anyone asks where I live, I always use that term because it seems to work. People have crashed into the barn by the way. So I'm going to read this letter that my mother wrote, it was somebody from from historical society in Vancouver who wanted some information

Unknown Speaker 4:23
so my mother rights My father was born in 1861. Growing up in Somerset, England, one of 10 children, his family. We're stone woodcarvers and have carvings in many churches and cathedrals in England, Ireland, and Westminster Abbey. Fred pretty one of my dad's brothers, has carvings in Minneapolis, USA, and also carved the statues on top of the parliament Parliament buildings in Winnipeg, Canada, which I've never I have the original pictures of that so they'd be quite something to see. I still haven't gotten there. My father said he couldn't see himself chipping away He had a bit of stone or wood. So he took up teaching. He taught in London, England, before coming to Nebraska, USA in 1882 to join his sister Emily and husband Sam Pettis. He said, you said there were big signs in London advertising people to come to the new land, just tickled the soil with the speed and smiles with the harvest. In Nebraska, they had wonderful crops that potato was because a man's head, I don't know how big those man's head were. But one year they had a terrible plague of locusts, seven miles wide, eight everything green in sight. So they decided to move to Canada. And in 1884, they came to Victoria Well, my dad purchased a sailing slope for $300. I have the bill of sale here. If anyone wants to look at it. I still Oh, she then she says I still have the bill of sale. Well, I haven't now. It's dated July 14 1884. tonnage. tonnage is stated on it as well. They set out with an iron stove on board and all the worldly goods. The bed is for boys oldest 11 years and a little girl one year old. They landed at Venice Beach, as it is known today a lovely long straight stretch of white Shell Beach. I remember Lionel, then four years old, saying he would never forget that day. For as soon as they were all ashore, he went to sit on the log, but unknowingly sat on a wasps nest. They pitched a tent where they slept until November. I can't imagine how tough those people were in those days. They pitched a tent with when they slept until November most of the cooking was done in open fires until they got the iron stove put up in their first log house. Other other pioneers help them to build the structure after they had cleared enough land. My father was asked asked if he could teach school as he had terrible. They had terrible trouble keeping lady teachers as they were in great demand by the single men. There were 12 white families on the island at this time with different nationalities also quite a few black settlers. Government Governor James Douglas said she suggested coming to Salt Spring Island and quite a few Indians. Several white men were encouraged by Governor Douglas to take a native woman and settle down. And that came from the early days among the Gulf Islands by Margaret Shaw voltar. He found board and room at the Stephens boarding house in that house today is the Cunningham house, you know at Central just below what St. Mark's Church because I remember going there to great parties when I was a kid at home, all my cousins Christmas and having a great time there. Being a central spirit, this was very close to the CD school. So my dad received $50 a month, which he thought at that time was a handsome salary. He was also interested in the church and made wooden pews for St. Mark's Anglican Church, which were used until the 1960s. And he was also a lay reader with when no clergyman was on hand. His brother in law Samuel Bettis and son Charlie built church and also Stephens boarding house. During the time he was teaching. The found I can't read her writing. During the time he was teaching. He Oh, he found the land on that road. Franklin again, he's his Harvard when he preempted 125 acres for 50 cents an acre. We still have in the family today. 68 of those acres, which is nice to have because it was divided between four of us. He wrote with the help of two Japanese men. He planted the orchard of apples, pears, plums, cherries and peaches and sold fruit in Victoria, and some even went to the Yukon. There was a good sale for apples before the Okanagan came into existence. He also made apple cider vinegar, selling the cider for three cents a gallon until about 1924 When it became illegal to sell an alcohol beverage over 8% This cider was 11% My dad had put up a little two room house a fireplace where he cooked and then in 1903 with the help of a neighbor Arthur Cartwright built a bigger house in 1894. He had built a lot of barns logs hauled off the property by Mr. H Bullock's team of oxen. And the betters is full name major. The barn is still in use. And the Federation of artists have enjoyed painting it. He kept work out of horses cows, sheep, pigs chickens. He sold cream to the creamery. which is now MB bakery. Butter from Salt Spring was considered very high quality and was served in 1939 When the King and Queen came to Victoria. My father and Auntie Emily in 1910 decided to take a trip back to England at the home. At the home of his two sisters, they corresponded and they met my mother at the home of his two sisters, and they corresponded and she came out to Victoria and they were married in 1911 in the cathedral. I was born in 1912 and two sisters followed. And to Emily gave my dad and mother a heifer calf for winning present. I remember bossy until she died at about age 14. She was the cow I learned. Sorry, I still have this cold. She was the cow I learned to milk on when I was about eight years old. My brother was also interested in carving and I have a lovely wooden settle or deacons bench, which she made with dragons heads for arms, and Julius Caesar's motto beanie with Vini vidi Vici, carved across the back, and I have that piece today in my house and it's just a beautiful piece. She also did another Deacon stance, which she left in England. She donated it to one of the churches. I have no idea which church but I have the original photograph. I've also have the tools still, which she used to carve these pieces with. So it's just a great thing to have. She also did oil painting and sewing. My dad had Donegal Queen tweed suit, which he worked for church. I have the pain of several paintings two are the original paintings and she was just a marvelous painter. If anyone wants to come by my house and have to show you not all at once. She made all the clothes for the three of his children and I didn't have a bot coat till I was 17 Oh, I remember my mom saying that. They were raised of course on mountain seat. And she never tasted beef. And of course after every meal, your jaws were tired. It was so tough. So the first time she had beef and I think she said she was about 18 She said, This can't be good for you. It's too soft. My mother was also on the board of directors of the lady mental hospital here and also belong to the sunshine guild, a charitable organization which did much for the needy. My father taught taught us all at home at first as the school had suffered collapse from a heavy snowfall. And again the school is not yet open. I took up teaching to on top for two years before I married I went to Victoria Normal School in 1929 to 1930 in 1980. We have a wonderful reunion held at the University of Victoria. Sad to say many of my classmates are gone now but we did have some enjoyable get togethers and even came to Salt Springs. And we had a picnic here. My husband and I still reside in the old home. And our four children grew up here and went to school in Ganges. My father's name raffles is unusual and came from Sir Stamford Raffles, a Singapore fame one of the members of the raffles family who was about to return to Singapore said to my grandparents, if the new baby is a boy, would you please call him raffles after our family so she ended up he ended up being called raffles, Agustin raffles Augustus Robert Purdy, my father. So that that was a great piece of history that my mom wrote. Sorry. I never knew them because they were. My grandfather died in 1935. And my grandmother in 1936, my brother was born in 1936. So she did get to see Ted a few months.

Unknown Speaker 14:16
Oh, okay. So there's another great picture of my aunties and my mom. And that was staring at a tree. It did die, but I my mom, we planted one so there is a Wisteria tree in that spot still today. Here's my ad Hillary who moved away she was she was really something. She moved away to England. She didn't married late, late in life. I think she was 50 years old. And they moved to England. And she passed away there. So there's been many years since I have seen her. This is now my mom didn't know where This what she thought it might be at the old Vesuvius even before it burned down. And she has some of the names of the people there. Charlie Pettis, I believe was a second on the left of the top my grandfather is one to speak for about five and you can see he's got the beard well don't got periods don't

Unknown Speaker 15:38
I also have a publication here have an overview of the Venice history. I don't know much how long they've been talking. Oh

Unknown Speaker 15:55
oh, I can read. I can read some of this. This I found really interesting. It's about the early Saltspring builders, which Charlie Bettis was, was one there's all of Edison's rate builders. So I can read some of this. The arrival of Sonia Bettis family in the area was almost as dramatic as that of the Bittencourt brothers 25 years earlier. With the difference of the badasses we did short whereas the Bittencourt Swem, which I didn't know. Over half a century later, DC Bettis recall how our parents Samuel and Emily with their five children and her uncle raffles, pretty. Emily's brother set sail from Victoria in the sloop, newly purchased by uncle and headed up the coast of the Salmon River. Fresh from the American prairies and without a hint of sailing experience their little party was caught in August Gale and blown onto the coast of San Juan Island. If you haven't lost their Dengue in the storm, they anchored by a big rock and the ages and waded ashore. No sooner had they got the Billy cannot to boil for tea than to US customs agents. ordered them off the island. So some hours later, cold and hungry. They landed in North Saanich. Here they took stock of their situation for a week. It was here they met Henry ruckle of the beaver Point area strongly advised against their plan the whole homestead up the coast and persuaded them to settle on Saltspring island. So that's how my grandfather decided to come here. Samuel and Emily Bettis had been 13 years in the United States before making their dramatic landfall on San Juan Island. salmon's had been born in Wales in 1849. His wife's family was from Blakeney about 20 miles north of Bristol, and just west of the Severn River. probably learned by the dramatic immigration posters advertising cheap land, multiple harvests in the American Midwest, Samuel and elemi Emily eloped from Bristol in 1871, accompanied by his two sisters. They first settled near Nebraska city on the Missouri River about 40 miles south of Omaha, the sisters married and a three man farm together. Here the first three beds children were born Charles John and Henry terrorized one night by a neighbor gone berserk, who shot a bullet in their front door the family took off months with Charles and John Stone and Samuels grief coat pockets, and Emily carrying the baby in a single suitcase. Aided by concrete folk, they walked up to Emma Ha, Omaha and again when they're on farming, Lionel and daughter, DC were born there. Ralph was pretty give up his teaching job in London and joined them in 1882. But misfortune played them. They were cleaned out by a swarm of locusts in 1884 and decided to move to British Columbia. After resting up in Saanich, the family moved to Saltspring. On a beautiful August day in 1884, they went to shore from their sailing sleep on the beach, which is now better speech, which caught Emily's eye. So I guess she was the one that decided to seek women always make the best decision. Now began the onerous task of carving out a homestead in this isolated and heavily wooded spot. The first home was a large tent, which offered shelter until they can move into their log cabin. Ready just as the weather turned cold in November. Those apple trees they planted are still there at the Vedic gratis property there you can still see them and they're still producing, and really well looked after. I have some steel on my orchard producing as well. Although the work of clearing land was never ending, Samuel better soon found opportunities to earn extra income by using his still your skills. As a carpenter was sent Charlie aged only 13 others he joined in building the little beaver point schoolhouse in 1885. Two years later, he helped Henry Stevens erect his new house on the 100 acre Stevens farm north of Central. How soon to gain famous Mrs. Stephens boarding house in 1889. Mr. Stevens having donated an acre to the Anglican Church, Samuel Bettis was called on to build St. Mark's on the ridge just south of the Stephens house. Cost of the church was nearly $800. Both of these buildings still stand today the Stephens house the home of guy Margaret Cunningham since 1936. And their houses now my cousin lives there and it looks they've done a lot of work to it. It looks it looks so nice to go past it and see it's it's getting restored. They put a big looks like they put a big wraparound porch brand on it. But many stories can be told to Mrs. Stephens boarding house, where all the incoming gentleman bordered boarded, says the Hamilton Mr. Henry Bullock straight out of jolly old England stayed here in 1892, while read Betancourt was building the mansion above the lake Lake, and it was here that the bachelor, Ralph was pretty lived during most of the years he taught at City School at Central from 1885 to 1897. In 1894, the reference Wilson boarded with Mrs. Stephens while fixing up the old ramshackle cabin on the property he had bought, where the golf course note now lives. When the elderly Stevens couple passed on their house to a neighbor Walter Stevens, and his wife Eva, it seems to be a boarding house. During these early early years, Samuel Bettis made numerous trips up the bay from the isolated farm near Cushing Cove, and must have been absent for like lengthy periods while building houses. One such period was an 1890 We get a chanting 10, tantalizingly brief glimpse of what life was like down on the farm in that year and escaped from a diary son John later notice Captain Jack, the tugboat Captain kept a diary from January first 1890 Through June 30 of that year, which along with some pages of Samuels records of the orchard plantings, gives us a vivid picture of hardships and drudgery which marked their lives on the on the family farm. This dairy chard and partly destroyed was rescued by Cain Ernie booth from the burning pile and they're the ones that discovered this, this turtle in the old Bettis house. It was well known that Samuel Samuel imported over 40 Science cuttings of fruit trees from Ireland, shipped through the mail. Each sign embedded in an Irish potato, which he grafted onto the trees grown from seeds of fruit they had eaten on the voyage out from England. The records attached to the diary, preserve the names of these trees, some are still familiar to us today Flemish beauty and you and Bartlett, pear, Montmorency, cherry and Gravenstein apple. In his diary entries, along with monotonous references to rain snow, number of eggs collected each day, John tersely states the work at hand again and again fell trees piled and burn logs, built fences pulled weeds, grafted trees. This endless labor was interrupted by weekly visits to Beaver point for the mail and frequent trips up Bay to central settlement to deliver aches and butter to Mrs. Stephens boarding house and bring back from the Broadwell general merchant stores such staples as flowers, sugar, nails, salt, oatmeal, T, coal oil, a barrel of a barrel of China, or shoes for DC and Lionel at times to the boys went hunting for deer grouse or Coons and fist in Cushing lake are up for are up at the lake. In March they launched the boat they have built on rare occasions company came up or down the bay, or the parents got away to a party or to a barn or house raising. But in general, there were few amusements. This entry speaks for itself Sunday did nothing uncle came down. Mrs. Status is known to have found the isolation from social context very difficult, especially during the first long winter when she did not see a single white woman. This rhythm of life on the farm so familiar to many still living on the island was really disturbed in the winter of 1892 to 93 when Sammy abettors contracted pneumonia and after a lengthy illness in Victoria Hospital died in June 1893. I remember my mother telling me that they got him in a boat, wrapped them in blankets, and rolled them out to the steamship that was on its way to Victoria from our beach. And you can imagine that was, you know, a terrible weather and anyway, he was in the house Slidell for I think several weeks and to add to Emily's burden a son Jaffe was born in July. But your children were able to carry on and care for the farm and orchards, and even to launch the projects of their own. That resource the myths not to mention their carpentry skills were demonstrated when Charles and John build a 60 foot sloop the wide awake in 80 in 1895, and what they did was they just ship the mystery which I have the bill of sales or and they, they need a new boat, so they were very clever.

Unknown Speaker 25:45
This was the boat jawed leader pilot did to the freight service from Victoria to Salt Spring, about 8095. The baddest boys also helped to the construction of the divide school near Blackbird Lake. The lore of the dwarf got to them however, as it did to several young men of this period Charles took off to the Yukon and at 98, followed by Henry the next year going on to Alaska Charles work as a ship's carpenter aboard a river steamer. Hen Henry soon returned to the island, and moved to Vancouver where he married and became a professional carpenter. Charles stayed somewhat longer whether he was back in time to help Lionel and John and Henry Bill's defined bet as home about 1901 is not clear. So Garner says his dad helped Charles build the new house in 1905. Could this be a reference to the addition of the west side we don't know. When he did return he worked for time as a carpenter on the mainland. Returning with his bride Hilda to the island, he went to work on the Edward Walter farm on step, Ganges harbor here he built a cottage which was later put on a scout Toad down the bay. And by dint of much effort moved up the beach into the Venice orchard cottage is now embedded in the Dr. Sturdy home. At some point, he also did some work on Cooper Island, and B. Hamilton tells us, he helped Alfred reco builds a lovely house now see near the entrance to Rucker Park. But Charles seems to have retired from the building business after about 19 Tim, and have devoted this time to the family farm where he died in 1950. While picking apples in the orchard he had helped plant 65 years earlier, but a better way to go. In their rather brief careers is builder Samuel Bettis and his son Charles were responsible for several structures, which will become landmarks on the island and stand alone with better speech and better throat as memorials to one of the pioneer families which has given the most to our island. So that was a great article written by Morton Stratton. It was in an old publication I found it take it was written in about 1970.

Unknown Speaker 28:07
I have a great picture here of my mom. I think that's probably about 1970. She was a great baker. And that was the little tiny electric stove she had besides our wood cook stove. And that wood cook stove I still cook on. It's great. Add it above here. This was the first fridge she had it was little astral fridge. It was about that big and it's in our store in the packing shed. But that was it. She always had a cooler. And she Ah, yeah, he really she lived. She was quite a pioneer in that house. They didn't get wiring or water till 1948. So she had three children and she packed water from the creek, you know, the diapers and, and cooking and cleaning and everything like that. And they didn't they only had an outhouse so, so she was quite a pioneer. This is from the calendar that Barbara Woodley did and that's Yeah, isn't it great. And that's in the front yard those California tree poppies. My mom planted Oh, probably 60 years ago and they're still really prolific prolific. And here's a picture of my dad and my mom Oh, this is kind of out of order but that's alright there's my grandfather standing there on the left and I don't know Oh, that's DC betters sitting on the left and I don't know the other people and I don't know the dog. Here's my house. Of course it was added on to on and off over the years. This is the six years before renovations that we did, but it gives you an idea anyway. This is a family tree of the status family.

Unknown Speaker 30:02
And I remember Uncle Lionel. They were in house you know where the cheese factory is done a bit of strode Moonstruck and he carved violins we'd go and we, we'd be sitting by the potbelly stove in the kitchen. He'd be smoking a pipe whittling his violence. And my Auntie Ruth had quite a sense of humor. She she would say to my mom, things like, you shouldn't feed those boys that much food, they won't sit in the beds. And she would say, I don't know why you bought those new pants. You don't need them. All you need is a long legged pair of long underwear. That's all you need in the winter. She was really something to there's that picture of the deadest house when it was first constructed. But look, sorry, that's the better speech. And here it is.

Unknown Speaker 31:03
That's a recent picture. This here it is when it was first being constructed.

Unknown Speaker 31:10
I remember going there and there was a huge wraparound porch. And my my auntie DC and Uncle Jeff, Jeff her brother and sister and they lived there their all their life and entertained had tea and sandwiches. Lots of baking and then very mysterious house. I was never allowed upstairs. But it was beautiful. It was one of those things you remember as a child, and there's the entrance to the better subdivision was put in in the early 60s. And until that time that this was the only house that was on that property you'd see that or that's the barn but there was nothing there it was it was called the wilderness and it was beautiful. And now there's just a lot of houses there but then that's taken from the hill looking across to Galliano.

Unknown Speaker 32:13
Oh this is This is Samuel Now Emily and I don't know which the children are and here's Emily Bettis. My grandfather's sister. And this is my auntie DC

Unknown Speaker 32:41
this is her as well with Samuel and Emily and this is mdbc on the wonderful, lovely horses there she is when she was made queen. And this is Uncle Jeff who never knew his father because he was born six months after he died. Uncle Jeff was a fisherman and he had a very small boat. I remember him

Unknown Speaker 33:16
going up the way up the coast in this tiny little boat. I don't know how he did it. He was very brave fishermen in those days there no radar or anything like that. Oh, here's another picture of ntdc on the bettors farm. And this is my grandmother and my mother. So that's all the pictures I wrote. I brought with me. I guess I could tell a couple of little stories. I remember my mom telling me she was always good at telling stories. She would say if they did in the June and July when the vial strawberries were right, they would have little have strawberry teas and they would just at that time Bettis road wasn't in existence. It was a little cow trail really coming from Metis road. That is the Ganges. And so they would just take the horse and carriage and stop wherever they wanted in the middle of the little trail and set up their blanket and set the tea stuff out and have their little tea cakes and strawberries and cream and and if a horse and carriage happened to come around, they just went around them. You know so you can imagine that happening a better stroke today. There was actually a petition to land around the island to keep vehicles off because the horses were terrified when they saw you know the mob model eight coming along the road

Unknown Speaker 34:40
there were some really funny stories that that we had a lot of well, I guess we always do live odd people live in small communities little quirky, you know? And I remember that Uncle guy coming home would go and do work for this particular gentleman on the farm and every time he went there, and he'd leave he would yell out to make sure You close the gate and Uncle Gaby close that gate, but there wasn't a fence on either side.

Unknown Speaker 35:09
And ever one day I came home, I don't know where I was, maybe I think I was about five or six. Or I might have been after school. I didn't know why they went to my mom and I said, I saw this most incredible thing. There was a man coming out of the post office that those days the post office was beside moments. And he was wearing a grey dress. And he had red high heels. And he had a red purse. And I don't know why. And she thought from it, and she said, Well, the poor man. You know, he lost his wife a few years ago, but you still thrifty. He just didn't want to waste the clothes.

Unknown Speaker 35:46
Still see those beautiful red shoes?

Unknown Speaker 35:54
And other farmers that my uncle guy worked for? was quite a tiny little bit of eccentric. And he went there in July or August, I think it was. And he walked into the field where he was going to do some planning for me. He looked at me said, man, what are you wearing? And he said, Oh, I just find this the coolest thing in the summer. And what he done was, you know, in those days, flour jerky and big sacks. So he just took that sack and cut two hole holes for the legs and tools for the arms and got a drawstring. And there he was at Roger number, that story. So you have a lot better, more stories than I do. Yes, you do. Can you think of any? No, sir, you can. Your mommy was a great storyteller too. Do you remember your mom talking about when they went to church and they would sit behind the gentleman who wore the suits, but the seats always had to be labeled. The one they had a straight little piece of paper and there was a street pin. And once he said once it said best to the next Sunday it would say tweet. So I don't know if he was colorblind or what?

Unknown Speaker 37:12
Oh in today must be very important. It's a really auspicious day. I think that I would do this because it's my mom's birthday.

Unknown Speaker 37:26
So I think that's it, my cousins aren't going to get up here and see anything. I can't believe it. They really have great stories. Don Cunningham was going to do this with me. But he had another commitment. And he is a really good storyteller. So maybe next time you'll get dawn or Ron or Ellen. Thanks.

Unknown Speaker 37:58
For the question, so if anybody has a question that Linda, I'm sure she'll make up an answer for you. Any questions?

Unknown Speaker 38:10
Yep. Mary asked him the society and there was a there was a story about the barn and and he just said I would have to meet

Unknown Speaker 38:29
that man. Yeah, it didn't have the farm in half. And so I was always worried about my, my dad dragging his truck across that really never looked again. I'm sorry, I only drove tactics.

Unknown Speaker 38:44
They couldn't use of an acronym. It just wasn't suggested them.

Unknown Speaker 38:52
So it was about 15 years ago, was the heritage expert. And he was wonderful. He was doing a lot of public relations. So we had, we were doing a heritage survey and we were concerned about the form. There was some talk about having to get down and he came and visited your mom she made tea. He just said to her

Unknown Speaker 39:12
well go on the road

Unknown Speaker 39:20
no questions.

Unknown Speaker 39:26
So the original Venice house was built closer to the beach and then move

Unknown Speaker 39:31
to where there's no individual one is where it is today. It was a b&b. I don't know. I don't think it is anymore. Yeah, keep it out somewhere present this year and

Unknown Speaker 39:41
it's still got the same configuration. It's not amulets fly. No,

Unknown Speaker 39:47
I shouldn't own that.

Unknown Speaker 39:50
Wasn't the house that was there. There was nothing. Okay. So that law has to be originally.

Unknown Speaker 39:56
Yeah, yeah, it probably doesn't. I don't know. I never saw it. Yeah I never saw the remains of that. I don't know what ever happened. So it wasn't so long ago it probably just disintegrated again there's

Unknown Speaker 40:10
no foundation

Unknown Speaker 40:11
no there's nothing when did they build the house

Unknown Speaker 40:23
Oh yes it added onto several times over the years like the basic footprint now pretty much

Unknown Speaker 40:34
did you have to get building permits in those past

Unknown Speaker 40:43
your monthly

Unknown Speaker 40:50
little cheat sheet

Unknown Speaker 41:00
probably do

Unknown Speaker 41:10
in your commentary, it's syndicating Dustin, and I lived in that area for 22 years and there are still many people by the name of Ben.

Unknown Speaker 41:22
Actually, last summer, there was a couple of Kings named distant relatives. Peter Gibbons Yeah, it's I'm sure they're all coming from friends and family.

Unknown Speaker 41:39
Linda, you're done that your brother? Cousin, cousin, sorry. I believe said it was your grandfather who was educated at Oxford. Is that right? Well, Cambridge, Cambridge

Unknown Speaker 41:53
knew something. That was like my grandpa, my grandmother's father that was professor at King's College Cambridge.

Unknown Speaker 42:07
thing that struck me is here's a man comes up with a mind steeped, a body that steeped in in that kind of light, and comes to this kind of belief, and he seems to have been pretty adaptable. That's an amazing transition. I know.

Unknown Speaker 42:26
He said one reason he left teaching in London was the headlights. He said it was rapid. He likely went bald very early, because struggling with carpal itself and he said that's enough for this important step. And he had lupus. So I don't know. One story I remember my mom said he witnessed in front of gadgets Harvey to kind of talk about unless there were 40 War Canadians battling for the death when I guess it was the couches. And so far the North tribes that he witnessed because he built himself a little house out but first of all, Devin water. So he witnessed a lot. Interesting history. It was a nice time to live in the way I live. It was rough. But it was it was such a sense of community because my mom would want to be the point to signal the struggle for the day and you know, and walk home. They would have parties and she was one of the people that was lucky enough to be invited to Mr. Bullock's parties and the Horse, horse and carriage would come to the front door and he would have beautiful boxes with the gowns, and the earrings and long gloves you know, they are expected were always finery and you can pick them up and take them they still dominate take them home. And you would have course after course these huge table but now consider that pronunciation errors, fabulous picture of that house and he would sit at the head of the table and say, case, have a little taste of everything and then fall to what you pleasure. So my mom had great memories of that.

Unknown Speaker 44:00
There's an Indian burial that a speech is about 1000 years old. I wondered if there was any reference to that was the Medicis arrival rate at that.

Unknown Speaker 44:10
Well, they when they did arrive, the she remembers that she the first season of the planted crops. The Indians have just started pulling up the carrots. And one of the little boys that might have been alive without me kicked him in the shins to go away. Then his mother was terrified. They were hiding in house because they didn't know how they would react. But the any age they just laughed. And then they love it quite often they come and pull up their vegetables in the gardens, but they would never harm them and they never had any problem

Unknown Speaker 44:47
with it. I think my mom said it took her but if you say six hours, well, no, maybe they played along the road or something. I think six salad

Unknown Speaker 45:06
on the ocean? I don't know. Yeah, because there was no you know, there was no Stewart rose

Unknown Speaker 45:19
they probably wouldn't walk up the street rock the ocean and there were trails through there because there was some sommelier taking place in there and walking through the beaver point in school. So there was probably a trailer. Yeah. Did your house have a shower? Well, when I didn't have a well until

Unknown Speaker 45:41
my dad and my brother ducked out, well,

Unknown Speaker 45:44
that was probably the people making 55. Until that time, my mother just got water from the creek, which is crossed the world.

Unknown Speaker 45:59
Okay, well, thanks, Linda, all these documents you'd have, we'd be glad to have them in the archives when you want. The some of the pictures were from our archive collection. But this is the sort of thing we have been collecting and we are trying to preserve the mystery. As time goes on. And Linda started showing you a prop. A problem we have is there's beautiful pictures that people are forgetting. Or in those pictures. in your lifetime, if you have pictures, they haven't documented. man standing in the back of those four people. Once you move on, or move on, you'll be here. Remember that 1000s of pictures with lots of vacancies in the people that you'd like to know. I like the Bob Ross show. He's sitting up here. Our group and he does the old timers reunion every five years, five years and they go there and find out and let people have a look at it's getting harder and harder to identify the old pictures. And thanks very much. I knew you could do it

Unknown Speaker 47:19
I'd like to thank the women who are creating the goodies out now. That'd be Barb and Susan and Donovan. Martin pretended we have announced that there's a vacancy for somebody to break so we're ready for our AGM. So if you'd like to sign up and bring out your favorites, cheesecake or something, see one of the women and they'll be glad to take you so thank you for coming we'll see you next month and I hope you enjoyed the program.

Unknown Speaker 48:24
Gonna try and get rid of