Salt Spring Island Archives
| Accession Number | |||
| Date | 2005 | ||
| Media | digital recording | Audio | mp3 √ |
| duration | 23 min. |
329_Joan-Carolan_old-photos_2005.mp3
otter.ai
16.02.2024
no
Outline
Speaker 1 0:00
My name is John Jorgenson, I live in 2020 Monastry. My telephone number is Harlan 3340. Well you don't do that with your children anymore. I can still remember that was drilled into me. This house was about a block and a half from where the peony is. And we used to sit on the top of the stairs in the evening and they had fireworks at the peony and we had a free show was lovely.
Unknown Speaker 0:30
There weren't a lot of houses around you mean?
Speaker 1 0:33
Well, eventually they were it was all we had a double lot there. We had all the children come over to our yard and how my mother stood it but she did. My father loved it too. And we had all these children in our yard
Unknown Speaker 1:03
this is a watercolor by Colonel Fox.
Speaker 1 1:07
I was reading Maria Elliot's I think was Marie Elliott's book. And there was a piece in there about curl Fox, how he had done a watercolor of Scottie Georgeson and that it was in the archives in Victoria. So I went over and I have to see it and got a copy of it.
Unknown Speaker 1:30
I think he mentioned it wasn't really small. It
Speaker 1 1:32
is quite small. It's I would say eight by 10 or something. It's a beautiful watercolor. Very well done. And there again he's got the binoculars in his hand and he's wearing his long term service medal.
Unknown Speaker 1:46
His hands are beautifully done well is this painting at age 91
Unknown Speaker 2:00
That's after he retired.
Speaker 2 2:16
Okay, and this is a wedding scene at the lighthouse. Oh,
Speaker 1 2:21
this is the leftovers and Ellen. And then next to her is Scotty George's and in the Brighton the center's my aunt Sophie. And next to her is the man she married and can't remember what his name on. The little girl is birdie. And on the right is my Uncle Arthur. This is rather sad story. My aunt Sophie married him. She's very young there. I would say she's maybe 1819. And they went to live in a little house in Georgian Bay on the beach. And the next summer his wife came along and took him home. It was terrible disgrace in those days. It wasn't her fault. I mean, she was so naive and so young, you know, and his brothers were just curious if he could have found anybody killed him. That this was the wedding and it's over. It's over at the lighthouse
Unknown Speaker 3:19
he's letting on he has another way. Doesn't look like he's letting on he has another way
Unknown Speaker 3:33
anything else about this
Unknown Speaker 3:43
okay, this
Speaker 2 3:43
is William, born at 94
Speaker 1 3:48
This is my father's brother, uncle Bill. He he had very bad arthritis, very bad arthritis. He's really crippled up with it. He couldn't do very much. I was remember he spent like wintergreen that was about one of the things only things they could do for arthritis at that time. There again this is opposed picture.
Unknown Speaker 4:09
How do you think he is?
Speaker 1 4:13
Oh, maybe 2530 It's hard to tell when you have your picture taken like that in those days. It was always a very straight face. Nobody ever smile. Those shoes are very typical to the art. There aren't really shoes or boots. The lace up the front and then they've got hooks on the top sometimes do three sets hook on and that's not work shoes that stretch us.
Unknown Speaker 4:38
Where do you think he is in a studio? Maybe?
Unknown Speaker 4:40
Oh yes in studio
Speaker 2 4:46
that's it. So that's all the pictures on this
Unknown Speaker 4:58
did you find any more pictures in my book that you that you didn't have
Unknown Speaker 5:15
studying skip
Speaker 2 5:18
this one. I would love to have a copy of your genealogy if I could. Sure.
Speaker 1 5:25
My sister did this isn't difficult to do because it's so Alice she has been in this program so some of these things I took her out of place.
Unknown Speaker 5:33
Got this one
Unknown Speaker 5:41
yes. And there's that.
Speaker 1 5:47
Did you get this? Can I tell you about this? No. Oh, this is George George's in West Scottie sun. And this is the summons to be a witness in a court trial. But look at this. I thought this is so funny. Len Leo Leo Rocchi or somebody Stanley sprags on June 24 at Nikon 36 at main island in the county of Victoria unlawfully distill one five gallon milk in the property of beachy odd bird of the value of $6 and he had to go and be a witness goodness
Unknown Speaker 6:28
that is quite funny.
Speaker 1 6:30
Yeah you know and that's the way they did it in those days I guess just prosecution
Unknown Speaker 6:35
five gallon milk can
Speaker 1 6:38
well that again to maybe it was more than just a milk candy maybe some of those boys have maybe been getting into trouble and they finally caught him getting milk can you put it out in that way? I don't know. Put that in because if there was no sense of love you sailors I'm gonna talk about some just so it doesn't fall. Yeah, no see original one
Speaker 1 7:07
Yeah, we have this story of me saying I don't have a copy of it. Well, why don't you take this copy and I'll keep the original okay. Because I thought there's a very interesting story
Speaker 1 7:27
I didn't do a very neat job with this book why my gathering or whatever but I just wanted to get it all in here. And I was so busy I thought well I'll just as they come I'll just put them in the book. That's the way to do it. I write down anything I can and since then I've I've shown it to so many people a lot of my family are interested in this. My own children to
Speaker 2 7:56
this we have of Robert and this one. Yeah.
Speaker 1 8:01
Can I have those? Yes. Yeah. You had you had almost
Unknown Speaker 8:11
just the one that was my father. Right. Right the summer house and
Unknown Speaker 8:19
then you have no
Unknown Speaker 8:23
this is about Ellen.
Speaker 1 8:26
Her daughter wrote that marry this she had a really hard life after Scotty died to take in laundry. Can you imagine ironing sheets with sad irons? I mean she's taken like four larges and things like that it piles on piles of tons of laundry and she got paid almost nothing. She had a very hard time she sent a list of things she needed over to my father my father give the list to my mother mother go downtown buy it all and send it over for my father had good job depression time you know but he had a good job so we were well off she had a hard time sure any financial summary article burner and he was so nice to her they had a good time. You have a nice picture. Yeah, those two
Unknown Speaker 9:25
sleeves and this one Yeah. As you get this this is just a little article but I thought it was kind of interesting
Unknown Speaker 9:43
about the steamships that is handsome man.
Speaker 1 9:54
Here's what I was going to tell you their story about when he started out and see he was good storytelling but also he You remember all the detail whatever I wish I'd asked more stories you always wish that you have all these to
Unknown Speaker 10:17
store Yeah, we've got this one
Speaker 1 10:27
there's a war. One of them in Georgian Bay. Here's another one in Georgian Bay.
Unknown Speaker 10:34
Right? We've got this one.
Unknown Speaker 10:37
You don't have this picture of balusters Elster gave me these two,
Unknown Speaker 10:42
you know I bet this is in the museum society collection.
Speaker 1 10:45
Oh probably couldn't be because I got these two from Illustrator.
Unknown Speaker 10:51
Yeah, we've got all these Oh, not that. This
Speaker 1 10:53
is this is James and, and Joan Jordison they're descendants of this. I'm telling this home backward. This has got his brother and his wife and he went to the light. It's aterna And so there's a whole other side of the family. This turn of Georgia Sims. And not too long ago. Last year, I guess it was I got a letter in the mail. And it was the lady who was a descendant of her family tree. This probably been interesting, but I thought it was interesting that her family tree charges. Wow. And she's right there. Roberta and there she is Roberta Sidwell and her daughter Shirley. They came over to see me I invited them over we had lunch together we received two women eat so much. I mean they liked the food because I thought maybe there'd be more than just the two of them every that's it for me everything in blue. Anyway they were really nice and so when she went back she sent me these pictures of I haven't got them in yet but this is some have to figure them out so there's the East Point line now see the lighthouses were all pretty similar. They're always all painted white and she's going to write a book Wow see again there were in those camps and I thought that was really nice. I already sent me the there's a delay time.
Speaker 2 12:47
You know where this is. This is on pre vo Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 12:50
for logpoint
Speaker 2 12:54
interesting so what is so this is Roberta and she still wants to turn it out?
Speaker 1 12:59
No, no, she lives in. She lives in DeRosa BC so anyway, he's gonna come over again I think we're gonna have I'm gonna get a couple of other people to come to Andrew fair lots of food
Unknown Speaker 13:19
most well, you know, I love to talk to them. So I'm doing another little project
Unknown Speaker 13:25
about the lights that lighthouses
Speaker 1 13:31
Oh, enact if you want her name then sure. She's got tons of information. There's her Thank you.
Unknown Speaker 13:43
Thank you Joan.
Speaker 1 13:45
He taught them Scottish dancing. And they had music in their lives. Because they all sang and the girl same to Mandela nice to the shed little Oregon and you had to pedal she had to pump it and pump Oregon and she lovely Hi soprano voice and she used to play for the dance as well. Sometimes she'd do play just for us but if they had parties down there she play and her legs get tired so she called a couple of us gets and we stand one on either side of the pump the Oregon for like more than she used to saying she's saying the same first couple of rounds center and there you divide the Chi ladies on the right and the Jensen design, honor your partner and don't be afraid to swing on the corner in the walls promenade. That was and then there was the waltzing part, you know? Yeah, you said lots of fun in the big houses. The main room was was big, so it was lovely for an end. Another time when we were we came over for Christmas and I was just a real little girl then. And they had a real Christmas tree with real candles on the tree. Those little spiral candles that you clip onto the Christmas tree. So when they go to light the candles a couple of the men had buckets of water ready in case the tree caught on fire. Oh, unfortunately it didn't. Just can't burn the candles very long. Everybody standing there watching and then you have to blow them all out, make sure they're all out. I mean, it's dangerous and very dangerous. And then they were telling us that Santa Claus was going to come across. We were really all excited. And we'd listen for Santa sleigh bells Because Santa will be here soon. Well, evidently, Santa Claus couldn't find any sleigh bells. So we picked up a couple of old chains. And pretty soon on the porch coming up the porch coughing up the stairs. I heard these chains will a little frightening for a little child. And then Santa burst in the door with a hohoho. And I thought he looks so strange. He had a paper mache mask on and it had I guess on the outside of the pyramid she had had like cheese cloth. So we had like, a pattern of the cheese cloth on his face. And like the funniest skin I ever saw, no. Maybe give us all presents and everything was fine. I never forgot that chain changed on their front porch. Know that story I was going to tell you to read about my Uncle Jack. He told me I said how did you get to be a captain? He told me how to study I told you that story about how the old sea cabinets would teach him? Well, when he first went to get his job. He was just young. My father said you come over to Vancouver and I think I can get you a job as a deckhand. So he went over and my father met him and he said, I can't stay with you because I have to. He had to go somewhere. And but he said, I'll drop you off at this beer parlor. And there's you go in and ask for a cap and so on. And so he's the one that will it's going to interview and hire you, hopefully. So Uncle Jack says, Well, I can't go in there and not old enough. He said, Well, just don't bother. Just tell them you'd have an appointment with the captain. So he did. And he said he was really scared. He was afraid they're gonna throw him out because it's only about 16. So we asked for the captain, the captain. Give him a very stern look. And he said he had really heavy eyebrows. Sort of frowning at him and, and said, Have you ever been to see on a ship like this before? No, sir. Do you ever get seasick? Malko Jack says no. He never had. So anyway, he kind of looked him up and down. He said well come to Pearson and so on, you know, next day or whatever, and he had a job as a deckhand. So he's all thrilled. So goes down, and he's on the ship and whatever and they get down to seen as really rough and the boat is just swaying one side to the other, you know, and all of a sudden one of the other fellows said to the captain wants to see you and his cabin and he thought, Oh, what have I done, you know, something has to be something wrong. So he went in and he said it was really smoky in there that kept me smoking a big cigar. And the kerosene lamp was going and it was swaying back and forth over this table. Back and forth, back and forth a smoking this big cigar. And over the table. He had a raw sealskin, which didn't smell very good. So he said, I, I got kind of queasy, but I thought, Oh, I can't be sick. As I told him, I never been seasick. So anyway, the accountant says, Well, the reason I called you in here, so I want you to scrape the skin on for me. So he gave me a scraper. And he says, The only thing that saved him he said there was he'd never seen a sealskin that was that nice before. He was really intrigued. And Chris, he's doing a good job. So he's working away and working away. Really hot in there. And there's a cigar smoke, mildew smell or whatever. And finally, the captain said, that's enough. That's enough. So he stopped. And he looked up at him. And he said, you won't get seasick. He said, you'll do it. That's all he had called him down there for just to test that. I thought, what a mean thing to do to a young boy like that. That was his first experience, getting to see
Unknown Speaker 19:17
all the stinkiest horrible things you can think of?
Speaker 1 19:21
Yeah. And some, like some of my cousin's gets seasick every time they go out. Like if they go way up to sea for a couple of days, and then they're okay, every year. Some don't. Quit a storyteller. I'm just going to tell you two about the burl brothers two stories. I know about the bro brothers, one that happened to me. Their place was over where they were, Ollie and Ruby Garner live, they had their store and they also had a nice garden and they had a garden gas pump and you One time, Joe was the one that took care of the store. And Fred did the house and the garden while Fred had gone away someplace for the day, so Joe decided he would try and make some bread. Fred was a really good baker, lovely cook. But Joe decided he would try and make some bread. So he started making this bread but it wasn't warm enough. I guess it didn't rise. So finally, he just gave up and he went and buried it out in the garden. Well, then that afternoon, the sun came out. And all of a sudden he looked out the window and there's a big mound is getting bigger and bigger. Like there's a volcano in the garden. Who's afraid his brother's going to come get put on stabbing this thing to let the air out of it and let the gas out of it. So his brother wouldn't see what happened to his bread. But the story that happened to me they were very nice little gentleman. Mother we were over for the summer and mother wanted to can have some kind of fruit she said peaches if they have any. So she gave us some money we used to walk up over the bluffs go over to the store. So when it got over there, they never in the back of the store they had a rack with clothes on it. They'd have like maybe some shirts and a couple of jackets and maybe some couple pairs of overall and remember they always had a couple of house dresses. But every summer when I went over this seemed like the same clothes are still on that rack. I don't think they ever sold any of it a few period gumboots and things like that. But anyway, he said I said do you have any pieces? Oh yeah, I've got one Kenny said nice Oh, mother wants candy peaches always said I can't sell you those. And I said why not? He said well if I sell them to you then I won't have any left to have any anyone let me add them but they were very nice man. They also used to have candy and things we used to go and buy candy and whatever it was it was all really hard. Been there for a long time they story when did they
Unknown Speaker 22:14
move the store?
Speaker 1 22:16
You don't know Fred was telling you about it all these memory was telling you about moving the store did you go oh, it was it was wonderful. I usually don't go to funerals or memorials it's just too sad for me. I can't take it but I want to go to all these because he was a very special man. And I admired him so much. Anyway, Fred was telling a story about you must get his story about moving the store and all he said and he said to Hollywood What are you going to do with all this stuff? We'll just leave it all on the shelves. So they finally get to start a new moon ready start moving up the road. And here comes Nan new to buy our groceries there are letter engine a daughter girl groceries they're wonderful stories about all I just incredible story. And people that always Memorial they got up one after the other and just a steady stream of telling stories about all the things that experiences I'd had with him. Wonderful man and everybody loved him so dearly. And he was really one of a kind. Nice man. And smart two or two years of school was really smart. Well, I guess we're about finished them. Yes, it was gonna take my books back to Okay. You're finished with him? Are you
Unknown Speaker 23:46
I've lived through I haven't
