BURLINGTON HISTORY PROJECT
EZRA/HARVEY/WARREN
SWINDELL HOUSE
3404 McNally Rd
We visited Warren Swindell on a cold, blustery day in February, 2003. In spite of the chill outside, Warren’s kitchen was cozy and warm with a crackling fire in the cook stove. We asked Warren how old he thought the house was. “I’ve got no way of knowing. The generation before me was born here, as far as I know. I think my grandfather built it. That wouldn’t be yesterday!”
Ezra S. Swindell (1842-1913), son of William Swindell and Lavinia Clem, was born at the Bill Wheaton place in Lake George, N.S. His siblings were John, Mary, Sarah and William. Apparently he relocated to the Harbourville –Burlington area where he married Margaret Grimes (1853-1919) and together they raised a family of 9 boys and 2 girls: namely Emma Jane, William Edgar, James Grant, John Enos, Lorne Leslie, Ivaloo, Franklin, Emery, Harvey Ezra, Robert, Boyd and Harold. Ezra and Margaret reportedly lived in a small dwelling in Burlington prior to purchasing the Jim Smith property which has been identified on the A.F. Church and Co. Map of Kings County (1864).
Warren Harvey Swindell, grandson of Ezra and Margaret, related that Jim Smith’s house had mysteriously burned down. Warren’s grandfather, Ezra built his house north of the previous Smith dwelling and closer to the road where it stands today. This homestead was a working farm with approximately 225 acres of land, which was eventually deeded to son Harvey Ezra (Warren’s father) as he had been born with a lame leg.
Although some members of Ezra and Margaret’s family moved to the USA, Harvey Ezra, Lorne Leslie, Grant, Boyd, Franklin and Emery all resided within the community of Burlington.
Harvey Ezra (1889-1962) married Ina Jane Swindell (1892-1981) on May 1, 1918 and their children were as follows: Malby Paul, Warren Harvey, Edna May (died in infancy), Dorothy Etta, Willis Miles, Aubrey Ronald and Beulah May. While Warren Harvey stayed on to run the family farm, brothers Malby Paul and Willis Miles lived in neighbouring Woodlawn.
We asked Warren where he went to school and how he got there in the winter. “The school was Long Point. That’s where I got smart! Doesn’t say much for it, does it?” he laughs. A self-deprecating sense of humour is characteristic of this community and many rural Nova Scotian areas and our visit with Warren is punctuated with laughter. “We didn’t usually travel the roads, just went across here. (indicating the windswept fields outside his window) I never had snowshoes on my feet in my life. I have had skis but that didn’t work too good; they usually got the best of me!”
Warren Harvey purchased 125 acres of adjoining land from the estate of his great-uncle William Swindell in 1963 to enhance the farm. He has continued to live on the homestead and only recently went into semi-retirement from farming. His nephew Lorne Harvey (son of Willis Miles) has subsequently taken an active role in running the farm. The original house remains in good repair.
William Swindell (1813-1886) and his wife Lavinia (Clem) Swindell (1819-1913) found their final resting place in the Burlington Cemetery. William’s brother, Joseph (1815-1884) is also there and most likely his wife, Bathsheba (Grimes) Swindell (1820-1891) though there is no stone to mark her grave.
The remains of Ezra Swindell (1842-1913) and his wife, Margaret (Grimes) Swindell, along with their son, Harold (1893-1932) and Ezra’s sister, Sarah (John Best) and brother, William with his wife, Susan Fielding, are also interred in the Cemetery.
Harvey Ezra, his wife, Ina Jane (Swindell) and infant daughter, Edna May are all buried in our cemetery as well as Harvey’s brother, Emery Lester (1886-1969). More recently Malby Paul who died on Sept. 18, 2006 was also laid to rest there.
 Harvey & Ina Swindell with sons Paul & Warren |
 Harvey Swindell |
 Harvey Swindell's mother Margaret (Grimes) Swindell |
 Lorne Swindell with grandson Darrell Gould |
 Margaret Harvey, Harvey Swindell and Ina Jane Swindell |
Click for larger image
Anna Osburn and Pat Kemp, residents of Burlington, have been compiling data on the historic houses and settlers of Burlington through personal interviews and archival research. A series of articles of interest will be presented here periodically for public scrutiny; your feedback is encouraged in attempts to ensure that all the information is accurate. Plans are underway to prepare a publication which documents their findings on the history of Burlington.
You can contact the authors: Pat - patkemp@hotmail.com , Anna - osburns@auracom.com