"Excerpts from a conversation with Ed Morphet during the winter of 1999. by Sandy McGillivray"
The late Ed Morphet, who passed away on November 27, 1999 at 85 years of age, chose sailing The Great Lakes and other waterways as his life's work. Of particular interest are his eventful years at sea during World War II. The early war years saw Ed on ships hauling package freight and coal to such ports as Montreal; Cornerbrook, Nfld., and Sidney, Nova Scotia. He also sailed along the eastern seaboard of North and South America where the U-boat menace was acute.
It was while sailing on that route that Mr. Morphet was seriously wounded and hospitalized. In the late summer of 1942 he was second mate on the C.S.L. freighter Norfolk-a small ship the size of the "canalers" that used to ply the lower Great Lakes.
The crew had heard that Nazi submarines were nearby in the Atlantic when the Norfolk set sail from Paramaribo Dutch Guinea in South America. The ship had a full load of bauxite (aluminum ore) aboard and was escorted some distance out to sea by a war plane. It had to return to base before the freighter reached its destination, Trinidad.
At 8 a.m. a torpedo struck. The crew never saw their attacker. The Norfolk quickly sank taking with it the captain and four members of the crew.
Although suffering serious injuries, including 21 broken bones from shoulder to hip, Ed survived and found himself floating on the ocean. He was pulled aboard a life raft by other survivors. They drifted for a good six hours.
Eventually a Spanish merchant ship came by and rescued the remnants of the crew and took them into Trinidad. Ed spent three months recuperating on the tropical island before being repatriated to Canada. He was back home in Little Current by the beginning of 1943.
Mr. Morphet spent the remainder of the war years sailing the Great Lakes, at first on the Misener freighter, Frank H. Brown, and later on the Humberdoc, a vessel belonging to the Paterson Steamship Line. Cargoes his ship carried included silica bound for Buffalo and other ports from the Sheguiandah quarry. It was loaded at Little Current where a conveyor went over Water Street from Turner Park.
Freighters moored where the water pump house is now located to receive the stone. Mr. Morphet held the view that the Government's recent decision to regard merchant sailors as veterans was long overdue. He pointed out that the U-boat's primary targets were merchant vessels. They and their crews were virtually sitting ducks.
The ships he sailed on during the war were not armed and did not even sail in convoys, even though they were in waters where sinkings were common.
Following the war, Ed continued his career as a sailor, with short stints on land as an employee at Harbour Island, for the CPR and at the Sheguiandah silica quarry.
He retired at the end of 1979 and enjoyed gardening. In fact, when the sewer lines were installed in the Morphets' Campbell Street home 15 years ago, Ed went to great lengths himself to dig the trench to his house, going underneath roots of a favourite tree which still stands today. Ed Morphet is survived by his wife Lois (Eade) of Little Current and children Dwayne and wife Nancy of Burlington, Janet and husband Jamie Bourcier of Espanola and Marjorie Stevens of Calgary as well as by grandchildren Todd, Candace and husband Greg Hall, Andrew, Darryl, Martin, Mathew, Troy and wife Samantha, Brendan and Crystal. Predeceased by grandson Kyle.
Manitoulin Expositor January 12, 2000

"From a conversation Pat Hall had with Les Misner in the summer of 1999"
Leslie Charles Misner, a veteran of the Second World War, passed away on December 20, 1999.
Born in Silver Water on January 14, 1920, Les joined the Army Service Corps as a truck driver, enlisting in North Bay in 1940 as a private soldier, the rank he retained throughout the war.
Les said that, "there was nothing here (on Manitoulin) to do" and that when he "joined up" Les admitted he'd been looking for some adventure.
He found it. His unit was often close to the fighting and he retained a scar from a shrapnel wound. He recalled that during his five years of active service, there were "some good times and some bad times." He recalled close calls when he was bombed, "as close as from here to next door." This happened "a couple of times," but their unit only lost a single truck to the bombing.
He was, however, involved in fighting at Calais, France where he was landed after a crossing from Dover on the English coast, "and she was hot and heavy (the fighting) when we first landed."
For .20 per day, $10. a month, Les was part of the Canadian fighting forces that liberated France, Belgium, Holland and finally, Germany, "we were moving up all the time." His favourite war song, then and after the war, remained The White Cliffs of Dover.
His unit (25 men) only lost a single life, and it could have Les'. Ironically, this casualty took place after the end of the war, but before demobilization.
He had been helping to cook for his unit, but there was a dearth of potatoes. A driver was called for, to take a truck and bring back potatoes.
Les could have gone in the lead truck, but he didn't. Instead, Les' truck followed. "Be darned if he (the lead truck) didn't run over a land mine," and a comrade was killed. Les was married in uniform, with an army buddy standing up for him, also in uniform. His wife Kathleen (Kay) is a "war bride" whom Les met in England, introduced by a friend. His oldest daughter was nine months old the first time he saw her, he said, and she was a year and a half by the time he had his next leave.
His worst memories were of dead animals and dead people, and he once saw, after a 'gap' had been closed on them, 65 dead German soldiers in a wheat field.
After the war, he thought about re-joining, "but I said, "the heck with it." "That was enough for me. I was glad it was over.”
Les Misner had a career after war's end of 37 years with the Sault Ste. Marie Board of Education as a caretaker at Merriefield School.
He and his wife Emily Kathleen (Kay) Misner (Price) retired to The Slash where they purchased and lived in the old Anglican Church there.
He had recently been a resident of the Wikwemikong Nursing Home before his death. Loving father and father-in-law of Sharron and Steve Butland; David and Marilyn Misner; Mary-Anne and Gary McCauley; Susan and Roger Cormier all of Sault Ste. Marie; Colin Misner and friend Laurie of Webbwood and Kathleen and Terry Hill also of Sault Ste. Marie. Proud grandfather of 11 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Also survived by nieces and nephews in England.
Friends called at the Manitowaning Chapel Funeral Home, Manitowaning on Tuesday, December 28, 1999. The funeral service followed with Reverend Canon Bain Peever officiating. Interment in Hilly Grove Cemetery.
Manitoulin Expositor January 12, 2000

(From conversations with Autrell Wilkinson in the summer of 1999) by Sandy McGillivray
Autrell Wilkinson, a veteran of the Second World War and a life-long resident of Little Current passed away December 16,1999. He was 85.
Mr. Wilkinson enlisted in the Canadian Army at the old Manitoulin House hotel in Little Current on the morning of July 23, 1942.
Mr. Wilkinson travelled to Toronto and later trained at Cornwall and Kingston to qualify as a driver and linesman in The Signal Corps. He embarked for England from Halifax in January 1943.
More training followed and during the summer of 1943, Signalman Wilkinson was off for Sicily on a troop carrier full of trucks and soldiers. The trip was anything but routine. A torpedo from a German U-boat struck Autrell's ship off the coast of North Africa. He was below decks at the time and would have perished had it not been for a comrade pulling him out to safety.
As it was, Mr. Wilkinson's injuries required a month's stay in the hospital. The comrade who saved him was part of a holding unit in North Africa.
When he eventually arrived in Sicily, Autrell had another close call. While walking along a road, he heard a shell coming and flattened out on the surface.
Shrapnel came so close it sliced his suspenders. Although serving as a linesman in Signals, Mr. Wilkinson was armed, under fire and experienced many other close calls. Signalman Wilkinson was part of the Allied invasion force that sailed from Sicily across the Strait of Messina to the toe of Italy at the beginning of September 1943.
He fought in the Italian campaign until late 1944 when he was transferred to Northeastern France. He fought through Holland and into Germany itself. While in that part of Europe, he met with his brother Art and other Manitoulin recruits.
Mr. Wilkinson had become so accustomed to roughing it on the front that on one occasion, when he had the opportunity to sleep on a regular bed with mattress, he found it more comfortable to sleep on the floor!!
Along with about 20,000 other returning troops, Mr. Wilkinson arrived in New York at the end of 1945. On New Year's Day 1946, he was back in Little Current. Official discharge from the Army followed later that year.
Following the war, Mr. Wilkinson returned home to Little Current where he worked for the Department of Lands and Forests as Assistant Manager of the Fish Hatchery, a position he held for 17 years.
He also worked for the Ontario Provincial Police as custodian of the Little Current detachment building and held this job for 11 years, until his retirement. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing.
He was predeceased by his parents William and Annie Wilkinson and brother Art in 1975. He will be greatly missed by surviving brother Howard of Little Current. Remembered by three nieces in Alberta.
Manitoulin Expositor February 2, 2000

Mr. Alex. McNevin Meets his Death by Falling Thirteen Feet off Mr. J.T. Burn's Mill
A gloom was cast over Manitowaning Monday morning when the sad news spread that Mr. Alexander McNevin of Tehkummah, who was working on Mr. J. T. Burn's new mill, had fallen thirteen feet to the ground and was lying insensible. Mr. McNevin was working on a scaffold putting on some corner boards and in an effort to catch a slipping board overbalanced and fell to the ground . He went down head first and struck on the side of his head, causing a rupture of some blood vessel the blood running out of his ear. He was taken to the Queen's Hotel unconscious and Dr. J. W. McIntosh immediately summoned. Though the Doctor did all he could, he could not bring him back to consciousness. On Tuesday Dr. McDonald of Little Current was sent for and a consultation was held. They did everything in their power but to no avail. Mr. McNevin lay unsconsious(sic) until nearly six o'clock Wednesday night when he expired not having known what happened him nor being able to say one word to his sorrowing wife. Mr. McNevin was a gentleman widely known throughout the district and was highly respected by everybody. He was a kind husband and an affectionate father. His bereaved wife and six little children the eldest of which is twelve years, have the sincerest sympathy in their hour of sorrow.
His funeral took place Thursday to Hilly Grove Cemetary(sic) and was very largely attended, Rev. Mr. Rennie conducting the last sad rites .
Expositor

The Manitoulin Guide, Gore Bay, October 16, 1897

Boyne Heise passed away on July 19, 2000 at the age of 76. The following memoirs of his wartime experiences are taken from an interview conducted by Sandy McGillivray in February of 1999.
Looking for adventure, excitement and a chance to see the world--not to mention a desire to serve his country--18-year-old Boyne Heise enlisted in the Canadian Army in May 1943. After training at Newmarket and Petawawa, Boyne embarked from Halifax on The Mauretania and arrived in England in November of the same year.
More training was taken in Britain. When it was completed, Gunner Heise was qualified as a radio operator in the artillery of the Canadian Second Division. Marching and infantry-type drills also took up the time in England before orders came to go across the Channel to France.
It was on July 8, 1944 that Boyne's unit landed on Gold Beach--a beach made famous by the D-Day landings there a month earlier. During the advance of Allied Forces out of Normandy, Boyne experienced his scariest moments of war. As Canadian troops were pushing toward Falaise in early August a tragic error occurred near Caen when several waves of RAF and RCAF heavy bombers mistakenly dropped their lethal cargoes on Canadian and Polish troops. Boyne recalled looking up and seeing Allied bombs falling through the air causing casualties to Allied troops and destroying a considerable amount of equipment.
On another occasion, he and his comrades were accidentally bombed by the USAF. It was not easy to distinguish friend from foe from thousands of metres in the air.
To avoid complete encirclement by Allied Forces the desperate German 7th Army raced eastward through the Falaise Gap during mid and late August of 1944. Thousands of enemy were captured in that part of Northwestern France but thousands more lay dead on the ground along with thousands of horses that had been used to transport their equipment. Boyne and his mates had to wear gas masks because of the over-powering stench of rotting flesh. Bulldozers were used to dig trenches into which the carcasses were dumped. Years later Boyne would describe the carnage as "pretty grim."
As a spotter for the artillery, Boyne continued to serve on the front lines as the Canadian Army advanced along the coast of France and into Belgium and Holland where fierce fighting occurred in clearing the Scheldt estuary of troops of the German Wehrmacht. The cost exceeded 6,000 Canadian lives and thousands more from other Allied Forces.
From Holland, it was on to Germany itself. Just inside the border, troops of the Second Division met stiff opposition in the Reichswald Forest. Although not large in area, the forest was home to a heavy and dense growth of trees where it was hard to determine the origin of enemy fire. Instead of fear Boyne felt "..mad because I couldn't get back at them." He and others just shot in the general direction of the foe--along with his radio equipment Boyne carried a stun gun.
After pushing through the Reichswald Forest the Division went to Xanten then across the Rhine River. While crossing the Rhine Boyne was wounded. Although it 'stung' at the time, it was a minor injury that responded to a simple battle dressing. The war ended with Boyne and his comrades of the Second Division in occupation of Oldenburg.
Boyne regarded V-E Day as just the end of one phase of the war and volunteered to fight in the Far East. It turned out to be a fortunate decision since he was among the first troops to be repatriated and arrived back in Halifax in The Cameronian in August, 1945. As it happened, he arrived on V-J Day so further service in the Pacific Theatre was no longer needed.
By then Boyne was Bombardier Heise--equivalent to a corporal in the infantry receiving a daily wage of $1.75 plus room and board, such as it was. He was not discharged until August 1946. During the year spent with the Army in Canada, Boyne was engaged in administrative duties as tens of thousands of veterans, who had to be demobilized and returned to civilian life returned home from Europe.
When Boyne returned to Little Current in 1946, he found employment as a freight clerk down at the freight sheds. He would remain at this job for 21 years. It was a busy time. The annual cattle sales were very large events sometimes with 4000-7000 head of cattle for Boyne to keep track of.
In 1968, when the CPR offices were reorganized, Boyne had a choice of postings.
Choosing to remain in Little Current, he left the CPR and started at the Little Current Town Office as the Clerk Treasurer. In 1978, he transferred to the Howland Township as their Clerk Treasurer where he worked until 1989. Starting in 1949, he worked part-time at Snappy's Furniture doing the books. He worked for Snappy's on a casual basis until 1996. In addition, he did bookkeeping for Elliot's Garage, Batman's Plumbing and Heating and did private income tax returns as a sideline.
Boyne Heise was a very active member of the Little Current Legion. He worked tirelessly to raise funds to get the Legion Hall built and oversaw the arrangements made to secure the loan. He was president of the Legion in 1962, when the Hall opened.
Over the course of his career with the Legion, Boyne held many positions of honour. Sergeant at Arms, Zone Deputy Commander, Secretary, Treasurer and later Secretary-Treasurer. He was awarded the Medal of Merit and the palm leaf. Verna Heise, Boyne's wife said, "he felt that he received this award in honour of all the older veterans that had worked so hard to get the Legion going."
Until 1995, Boyne was the area Poppy Chairman. This position demanded a great deal of effort. Each year the poppies would be distributed to all locations across the Island. At the end of the campaign, when Boyne would have to make the rounds again to collect all the money, the whole family would get involved. "I can remember sitting with him and counting out all the pennies and nickels," said his daughter Lyn Valiquette.
He may perhaps best be remembered for his role as the Decoration Day Parade Marshall and also served as the Parade Master for the Remembrance Day Parade. Mrs. Heise said, "people around here have said to me that the Decoration Day Parade just won't be the same without Boyne." The Parade Marshall before him was Doug Buchanan. Mrs. Buchanan gave her husband's 'swagger stick,' the ceremonial baton, to Boyne. "He was very proud that Mrs. Buchanan wanted to give it to him," said Mrs. Heise.
This spring at Manitoulin Secondary School when the agreement of partnership was signed ensuring that the school would always mark Remembrance Day, Boyne signed as the honoured Veteran.
His wife Verna remembers, "He wasn't feeling well that day, but he perked up as soon as he put his uniform on."
Besides his involvement with the Legion, Boyne was a very busy man. He had time to be involved with the Manitoulin Cenotaph Committee, local drama club, glee club, church choir and play hockey with the Little Current intermediate team. In addition, he found time to hunt, curl, bowl and ski.
Boyne and Verna had five children: Karen, Lyn, Myron, Nolan and Rodger and 12 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Although very active in the community, he always made time for his family.
It was very important to Boyne Heise that people remember why the war was fought and to appreciate that we live in a free country. As a fine man and proud veteran, we salute you Boyne Heise.
Manitoulin Expositor, July 26, 2000

Mr. and Mrs. Philip May came to Manitowaning by sailboat from Penetanguishene in 1843. He, being a cooper by trade, was sent by the government to teach the Indians how to make barrels to store and ship their fish. The settled in Manitowaning where Humphrey was born March 20, 1844. By the age of 13, Humphrey was driving stage out of Penetanguishene. He returned to Manitowaning about 1864 to work for the Indian Agent there. In 1865, he married Dorcas Jane Franklin, an orphan, who had come to Manitoulin with Rev. Jabez Sims, who married them in the Anglican Church in Manitowaning. They moved to Little Current and first lived in a log cabin, where the United Church Manse now stands. Then they moved to a farm west of town on the North Channel. His parents lived across the road. Humphrey and his father worked at their trade (coopers) farming, and cutting cord wood in winter to haul to Little Current dock for the wood-burning boats calling there.
Humphrey May in the early 1870’s started a sideline which became his vocation – making trips to various points with mail and passengers. Dog teams were first used, then a horse and later horses. Mail came from Parry Sound then. On one trip he went to Parry Sound to take a traveler, Joshua Belcher, from Parry Sound to Sault Ste. Marie. This trip took most of the winter, via Byng Inlet, Collins Inlet, Killarney, Little Current, Gore Bay, Algoma Mills, Mississaugi on on to the Soo. They covered this 300 miles on snow shoes with a horse carrying trunks. They camped in the open when no accommodations were available.
In 1878 he started a livery stable, with saddle horses and two and four-wheel carts. At this time he had a contract for carryingmail from Little Current to Gore Bay and Meldrum Bay. Dog teams and ponies were used in winter and sail boats in summer. He became quite a famous walker using animals to carry the load. It was 180 miles round trip in winter.
Increased livery business, first, at his home location and later he built the building no occupied by Snappy Cartage in Little Current. This he passed on to his sons John and Gilbert about 1905 and became a Massey-Harris agent for a number of years.
Humphrey May had a large family consisting of six daughters and three sons – in order of age as follows: Mary Jane (Mrs. William Priddle), Elizabeth (Mrs. William Longsworth), Maggie (Mrs. David Boyter), Dorcas (Mrs. George Priddle), Nellie (Mrs. Harrison Nevils), Lucinda (Mrs. Joseph Addison), Humphrey Jr., John and Gilbert. His wife died in 1912 at Little Curent. Humphrey died in Silver Water in 1933 and buried in Little Current. The last of his family to die was Gilbert (Gib), the youngest. He was in his 86th year. The oldest grandchild now living is Mrs. E.P. Sawyer (Mable Priddle) in Escanaba, Michigan. The youngest is Humphrey (Bud) May of Little Current.
By Lela Keatley
Through the Years, March 1984, page 22 & 23

Humphrey May a true pioneer
The burial of Humphrey May was on July 12, 1933. A fitting date for the burial of a life long Orangeman.
Humphrey May was the first native of Manitowaning, a mission set up in 1837 as an answer to Father Proulx’s thriving Roman Catholic community in Wikwemikong.
Manitoulin had been chosen by two lieutenant-Governors of Ontario, Sir Peregrine Maitland and Sir. John Colbourne, as a refuge for Indians driven out of Simcoe, Grey and Huron counties by white settlement. Indians did immigrate here from these areas, and more come from the United States but both Lieutenant Governors were recalled before they could establish some sort of permanent settlement.
Sir Francis Bond Head, the succeeding Lieutenant-Governor, came to the Island in 1836, and with his help, the mission to civilize the Indians was established. This enterprise, was reported to be unsuccessful.
Many of the Indians of this place were Ojibways, who knew nothing but hunting and fishing, and they did not take kindly to settling down in any certain place, but preferred to roam about.
The Manitowaning Mission, like William of Orange, did not succeed in forcefully converting the Indian to white ways, but Manitowaning became the entry point for colonialism on the Island.
Although not officially open to white settlement until 1863, the Manitowaning mission doomed pristine Indians ways of life. To instruct civilized skills to the natives, the government brought in craftsmen, whose tastes and economic demands were adopted.
Mr. and Mrs. Phillip May came to Manitowaning in 1843, from Penetanguishene. They were sent by the Indian department to teach Indians how to make barrels, for storing and shipping fish.
The first white child
Humphrey May was born the following March. Perhaps the demand for instructors of co-operage fell off because Humphrey May as a thirteen year old by was driving stages out of Penetang.
By age twenty, however, he was back on Manitoulin. He worked a year for the government “Indian Agent”. Next year, he married Dorcas Jane Franklin, and moved to the settlement at Little Current. He moved once again, shortly after, to what became known as the May Farm, at May’s point. His father lived on an adjacent farm. To supplement the farm income, father and son worked together at the coopers trade, building barrels for a market which now included a substantial white population. During the winter, he cut and hauled wood into town for the ships that called. This wasn’t his only winter trade; he also took up a side-line that eventually became his vocation; delivering mail and people.
First he used a dog team in his travels; then a horse and later a team of horses. During the 1870’s all mail, and most passengers came by way of Parry Sound during the winter.
It was a long and often precarious trip, with storms and extreme cold during the deep winter, and the dangers of treacherous ice in the spring.
There is one story of Mr. May’s cutter plunging into a breach in the ice. He thought he had reached the end of the lin when he stood on the seat of the cutter, shouting for help, as the vehicle and the perished mare slowly sank into the North Channel. Fortunately, some residents of a nearby island heard his desperate pleas and rescued him.
One trip he made occupied almost an entire winter. May tripped off to Parry Sound to pick up a Joshua Belcher, who wanted to go to the Soo. The trip, well over 300 miles long, was done on snowshoe, with a horse usually following with luggage. Often there was no accommodation at night beyond what shelter could be hastily erected in the open.
Livery Stable
By about 1800 the island had developed to the point where there was a demand for a full time livery stable. This he established in Little Current, living there until the death of his wife, in 1912. While his business was now mainly to rent out horses and carts, Humphrey May had the contract for the carrying of mail from Little Current to Gore Bay and Meldrum Bay. Through swamp and virgin forest he would travel, stopping in at various little niches of civilization along the way. Like most travelers, Mr. May was a welcome guest, a man known for his entertaining stories and amiable disposition.
He was, it is said, an “ardent card player.” Grandson Humphrey Priddle recalls: “Although he never swore, he had an expression of his own. When he became excited in playing a close game, he would bang his fist down and exclaim, “By the ginger tea.”
Maybe it was the toll of the years, or maybe it was a normal businessman’s drive towards comfort, but in 1905, Humphrey May passed his business on to his sons John and Gilbert, and became an agent for Massey-Harris. This agency he held for a number of years.
Retirement
After the death of his wife, Mr. May sold his Little Current residence (now occupied by granddaughter Mrs. Grenville Orr, and husband) to his son Gilbert. Another son, Jack took over the family farm, now Grandview Lodge. The end of his long (89 years) life was spent visiting his children, who were spread across the Island from Little Current to Silver Water.
He was the proud patriarch of a huge family, the father of six daughters and three sons. There were in order of age: Mary Jane (Mrs. Wm. Priddle), Elizabeth (Mrs. William Longworth), Maggie (Mrs. David Boyter), Dorcas (Mrs. George Priddle), Nellie (Mrs. Harrison Nevills), Lucinda (Mrs. Joseph Addison), Humphrey Jr., John, and Gilbert. All except John had children.
So father and grandfather Humphrey had a lot of family to visit during the latter years of his life. It appears that he never became a burden to his family; in fact he would work on his children’s farms well after his formal retirement.
Mr. May had a wealth of information few possess, and up until the last, his mind was quite fresh and he could recall happenings 60 or 70 years ago with vivid recollection.
He passed away on July 10, 1833, while at the home of his daughter, Mrs. William Priddle, in Silver Water. Hundreds attended his funeral; the church was filled to overflowing, and many stayed outside until after the service was over. Relatives and friends from all over the Island came to pay their respects to the pioneer. Small wonder they came. For after the religious ceremony they could all gather to compare anecdotes about a man who played a role in developing the entire Manitoulin.
He was the first white man to have the Island in his blood. Growing up among men who came here to develop it, to change it, or to exploit it, he was the first to be able to call Manitoulin “home”.
By Lela Keatley
Through the Years, March 1984, pages 23-24

By Mrs. A. Newby
The Lookers came from Sunderland, England. Mr. Looker’s family had died with tuberculosis and he came to this country seeking a drier climate. He intended to go west to the prairie. He got off the boat in Little Current and immediately was offered the job of painting Ashley’s new house on “Looker’s Point”. When the house was finished they had a “housewarming” with everone for miles around present.
Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Looker. Edith born in 1900 died in 1902. Florence died in 1918 at the age of fourteen of what Dr. Davis of Mindemoya termed “Black Jaundice”. Edmond was born on Nov. 27, 1906 and Norman on Dec. 26, 1910 and died May 21, 1936.
They built a house on what is now the Marburger lot and later Mr. Newby and Jack Cannard moved them to Spring Bay. They spent the winter there and then moved to Mindemoya on the Frank Vanhorn farm. Later they came back to Rockville to the Ashley farm where they lived until Mrs. Lookers health broke down. They then moved back to Mindemoya to stay with Beatrice (Mrs. Bob King) until Mrs. Looker’s death in 1940. Mr. Looker died in Aug. 1949
Through the Years, April 1984, page 15

Information given by Mrs. A. Newby
William Ashley came from Bristol, England and lived for some time in Egincourt, Ont. He came to Bidwell in 1875 with his wife and two children, Ted and Albert. They came from Bidwell to Looker’s Point and lived in a log house there. They built the present frame house on the point in 1900, later moving to Mindemoya.
Through the Year’s April 1984, page 16

by Linda Kelly
Mrs. Vincent, who has lived all but 5 years of the past 100 (on Manitoulin), can recall many changes to the town of Little Current. One of the most significant changes was when electricity came to many of the town’s houses from the Red Mill in the West End of Little Current. Wooden sidewalks, barns and chicken coops were all part of early Little Current’s history. Children had to make their own fun, playing games and taking part in dances in both the Orange Hall and the Shaftesbury Hall were some things that came to her mind.
As a small girl, Mrs. Vincent remembers riding with Father Papineau in his motor car. Her husband Elmer’s father, Oliver Vincent, was reputed to have one of the vehicles on the Island.
A teenager during WW1, Mrs. Vincent said she was proud as as a young woman, during WW2, to be able to be of assistance to Marjorie Young and others who were knitting and packing boxes for soldiers overseas.
When asked what she perceived to be the problem with today’s world, Mrs. Vincnet said that she often pondered this question. She attributes some of the problems to the fact that young people, boys in particular, seem to have lost their manners. In her time, boys would never have entered the house with hats on, now they sit at the table that way.
Manitoulin Expositor, January 5, 2000

By Michael Erskine

WIKWEMIKONG-The spirit journey has begun for a gentle warrior. Wilfred Joseph Kimewon, born April 13, 1916 spent nearly all of his live in Wikwemikong, surrounded by the family and friends that he loved.
As a young 24-year-old Mr. Kimewon left the familiar sights and sounds of his home to join the Canadian Army. He served in the Forestry Corps, in Canada and Britain in World War Two.
"He didn't talk about the war much about the war much, only in general terms," said his granddaughter Wanda Kimewon. "He didn't like the food much," she laughed, "He was always particular about his food, and the food in the army, he didn't like it very much." The Elm and Regent hill in Sudbury is also a common memory for many veterans of World War Two. A favourite site for the training and conditioning of soldiers, many Island residents remember the steep hill with less than fond memories. "He said they would march up and down the hill, over and over again. He didn't like that hill very much," said Wanda.
"The Forestry Corps built bridges, docks, anything that required timber, and they often cut the timber near the site of construction," explained Jerry Loosemore, of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 177, Little Current, of which Mr. Kimewon was a member. "He used to go in quite often for the Remembrance Day ceremonies, and that other day, the 6th of June, they would have ceremonies. When they started to have them here, he stopped going into town," said Ms. Kimewon."He said afterwards, 'it is harder to live with now that it is over, than it was going through it at the time," said Ms. Kimewon. The few occasions that she was able to get her grandfather to talk of his experiences overseas, he would usually get a far-off look in his eyes and then turn away, overcome with the memories of the past.
Mr. Kimewon lived his life in the present, raising a family and keeping them as close to him as long as he could, but seeing many have to leave to get by. Married shortly after his return from the war, Mr. Kimewon was blessed with 31 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren.

Manitoulin Expositor March 7, 2001

Skilled Surgeon Removes 2-Inch Splinter From Eye

In a dramatic and courageous piece of surgical work, a Manitoulin man three weeks ago was enabled to work again for the first time since an accident at work cost him the sight of his left eye last year.
The hero of the story is a Dr. C.W. Callaghan of Toronto, an accomplished and daring surgeon; the victim, Doug. Bailey, 29, of Kagawong.
Injured last April when a dead branch falling from a tree he had cut on Cockburn Island took the sight of his left eye, Doug. Had been treated by a number of doctors, who were unable to understand why the eye should continue to bother him. when the pain and annoyance persisted, however, X-rays were taken, showing a splinter of wood about two inches long and larger around than a wooden match driven into the inside corner of the eye. According to reports by the father, Cliff Bailey of Kagawong, the splinter had begun to work in toward the brain.
Within half an inch of the brain, itself, the splinter was too close to be tampered with when surgeons attempted to take it out by making an incision below the temple. Only Dr. Callaghan, a specialist in his field, would attempt the task of going between the eyeball and the corner of the eye to remove the sliver, which was then wrapped neatly to be kept as a souvenir by the man who had carried it around in his eye for most of a year.
Compensation Pays The Bill
Although at the time of the accident he was working as a private contractor on Ontario Paper Company land, the company has a regulation that all contractors working on company property must be covered, so that Doug, has been receiving wages for all this time and will also have his hospital and doctor's expenses taken care of through workmen's compensation. Considering the cost of hospital care and surgery, this is most fortunate for him.
But last Friday, three weeks after his operation, Doug, drove his car over the hills from Espanola to Kagawong, thanks to a doctor's courage.
(date handwritten /59)
Dorothy Hopkins Addison Scrapbook (green ledger), transcribed by Marilyn Irish

Card of Thanks
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Bailey and family wish to thank their many friends for help and sympathy rendered during the recent illness and death of Ernest, age 15 years.
The one we loved so dear,
Silent though we hear his merry laugh.
We hear his step upon the floor
And hope to live to his welcome on the fair and golden shore,
Where we'll meet to part no more.
The vacant chair leaves many lonesome hearts,
But his life was God's to take and give.
We all must face the test.
"Thy will be done not Mine."
-Sadly missed by all.
Him who gave his service, not only as a skilled physician and surgeon but as a true brother, will be remembered through the years to come by all in the family.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, May 26, 1927

Appointment of Harold Bailey
Little Current
Mr. Harold Bailey,
Dear Harold,
At a meeting of the Executive Com. for the Island last night the Committee recommended to W.L. Miller that you should be appointed Game Warden for Manitoulin Island.
Let this be your authority for getting in touch with Mr. Miller.
Sincerely yours
G.E. Baxter
Secretary of the Committee

(caption under Photo)
Party for Harold Bailey
A stag party was held on Wednesday, September 11th in the Gore Bay Community Hall in honour of Harold Bailey, of Gore Bay , who retired this summer after twenty-six years of service as a conservation officer of the Department of Lands and Forests.
Friends, neighbours and colleagues of Mr. Bailey from Thessalon, Sudbury, Espanola, Killarney and Manitoulin Island together with the Department of Lands and Forests, Wildlife Branch, Sudbury district, presented the honoured citizen with a TV set and a purse. Mr. George R. Boyd, of Gore Bay, made the presentation.
Among the guests were Charles Bibby, fish and wildlife supervisor, Keith Acheson, regional forester, and John Fullerton, MPP.
(date handwritten 1963)
Dorothy Hopkins Addison Scrapbook (green ledger) transcribed by Marilyn Irish

Bob was killed in a freak farm accident. He was hauling load of loose hay from his brother-in-law's, Albert Gibson's place below the bluff. He was just fastening the pole that they tied on top of the loose hay when he slipped, fell only a short distance, but hit his head and died instantly. He was just 61 years old.
History of Burpee Township by Pat Best, page 154

(caption under photo)
Summer Wedding in Gordon
Baskets of peonies decorated Gordon United Church, when, on Saturday, July 6th, at three p.m. Rev. R. MacEachern officiated at the marriage of Margaret Elizabeth, elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl W. Slomke, Gordon, and Mr. Clifford Chester Beange, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Beange, Gore Bay. Miss Sandra Slomke presided at the organ, and accompanied the soloist, Miss Georgeanne Slomke, who rendered two appropriate selections, "The Lord's Prayer," prior to the ceremony, and "I'll Walk Beside You," during the signing of the register.
The bride, given in marriage by her father, was radiant in an original gown of brocaded satin cut on princess lines with bracelet-length sleeves and full skirt. A lace cap held her finger-tip veil of embroidered net. She carried a cascade bouquet of sweetheart roses. Miss Shirley Slomke, as maid of honour, wore a gown of periwinkle blue brocade of identical style to the bride's. A wide-brimmed white hat and short white gloves completed her ensemble. Her colonial bouquet featured briarcliff roses and white carnations.
(date handwritten 1957)
Dorothy Hopkins Addison Scrapbook (green ledger)
transcribed by Marilyn Irish

WARD-BEANGE
Brilliant sunshine, warm breezes, a pretty bride attractively gowned, a radiantly happy groom, such are the items which make for a successful wedding, and such was the setting on Wednesday, August 26th, when Evelyn May, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Beange, became the bride of Matthew Ward.
The ceremony, performed by Rev. W. H. Bradford and Rev. E. E. Sykes, took place under an archway of fernery and flowers. The bride a dainty figure in white georgette and lace with draped head dress, entered the room on the arm of her father to the strains of bridal march from Lohengrin played by Mrs. Gordon Beange.
After the ceremony, a varied and very tasty repast was served to the guests who were seated at two effectively decorated tables. Rev. W. H. Bradford proposed the health, wealth prosperity of the bride and groom and Mr. Sykes, speaking for the groom spoke of the great help which the bride has been in church work and that both bride and groom were known in the community as young people of sterling value.
The groom presented his bride with a silver tea service, and the organist with a silver neck pendant.
A reception will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2nd.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, September 3, 1931

Ice Lake
About fifty of the friends of Mrs. Ward, (nee Miss Evelyn Beange) gathered at the home of her parents, on August 19th, and showered her with many useful gifts which shoed the esteem in which she is held. A very pleasant evening was spent in playing games and dancing.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, September 10, 1931

Bride-to-be Showered
A very pleasant evening was spent at the home of Miss Margaret Hamilton on Friday, Sept. 12th, when the friends of Miss Della McTaggart gathered there to give her a miscellaneous shower in honor of her approaching marriage.
After the many pretty and useful gifts were opened and verses read the bride-to-be thanked her friends. The remainder of the evening was spent in games, singing and dancing. Refreshments were served about eleven o'clock by the girls in charge.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, September 18, 1930

BEANGE-MCTAGGART
A pretty wedding took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. McTaggart on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 24th, when their daughter Della became the bride of Mr. Gordon Beange. The bride entered the room on the arm of her father while the wedding march was being played by Mrs. Arthur Lane, Barrie Island, cousin of he bride.
The bridal couple who were unattended took their places beneath an arch of ferns, dahlias, asters and other autumn flowers.
The bride was becomingly dressed in a sand wool suit with brown hat shoes and stockings to match, she wore a fox fur the gift of the groom, and carried a bouquet of sweet peas, white dahlias, asters and fern.
After the ceremony which was conducted by the Rev. Jewell, a dainty buffet luncheon was served to some sixty guests.
The happy couple left on Thursday via Little Current for Toronto and other points East, on their return they will live at Ice Lake.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, October 2, 1930

Married BEETON-ORR
The home of Mrs. F. Orr, Gore Bay was the scene of a very pretty wedding on Tuesday afternoon when her daughter, Florence, was united in Missing………. were prettily arranged with ferns and flowers and the wedding cake centred the bridal table.
Mr. and Mrs. Beeton are spending a few days in town and will leave this week for Dayton. The out-of-town guests included Miss Jessie Beeton of Dayton and Mrs. McKay of Thessalon.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, Thursday, September 22, 1921

Local News Items
Married- Mr. Milton Beattie, of Gore Bay, and Miss Genevieve, daughter of Mr. Thomas J. Robinson, were united in bonds of matrimony on Wednesday November 26th, 1913, at Benton Harbor, Mich.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, Thursday, December 4, 1913

MISSING
Pte. J. H. Beattie, who enlisted in August 1914, and went to the front with the First Canadian Contingent, is a Gore Bay boy. During the severe fighting at Langemarck and Ypres between April 24th and 29th last he disappeared and has not been heard of since. Despite the efforts of his parents and friends to locate him, it has not yet been learned whether he is a prisoner in Germany of has fallen on the field of battle. We all hope that he may yet turn up and be restored to his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Beattie of this town.
Through The Years, Vol. V, No., 8, June 1988, page 9

At Providence Bay - April 17, 1919 - Pte. Bob Beattie
Bob Beattie who returned home from overseas last week enlisted with a draft of the 69th Battery in 1916. After spending a month in England he went to France and was attached to the C. D. A. C.
Bob has had many varied and thrilling experiences having had many narrow escapes taking ammunition and guns to the front lines, very often under heavy fire.
Among the souvenirs which he brought home is a German Dress Helmet, one which was made to be worn by an officer when the Germans made their march into Paris.
His brother, Harry was killed in action in the Battle of St. Julien in April 1915.
Through The Years, Vol. II, No. 11, September 1985, page 18

Card of Thanks
Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Beatty of Manitowaning, Ont., desire to thank their many friends for assistance and sympathy extended to them during their recent bereavement, also for the many beautiful floral tributes.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, September 8, 1927

Personal
Mrs. J. M. Fraser has received word of the success of her grandson, Munro Beatty, of Toronto. He stands first in the honor course in English and History at Toronto University and won the Hamilton Fiske scholarship.
The Recorder, July 17, 1930

Card Of Thanks
We desire to thank our many friends of this community for the kindness shown to us during the continued illness of our daughter, Elsie, who has been in bed over five months. Your kindness has been greatly appreciated and we take this opportunity of thanking you one and all.
Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Beaudin,
Providence Bay
The Recorder, Gore Bay, April 14, 1932

ISRAEL BEAUDIN SR & JANE MAY MARRIAGE
Marriage #350 - 17 May 1868
MAI/MEGH, Djane (May, Jane) - The 17 May 1868, dispensed 3 banns of marriage in accordance with our custom by Msgr. Jean Farrell, Bishop of Hamilton, not finding impediment, I have received the mutual consent to their marriage of Israel Beaudin, son, over 21, of Regis Beaudin and of Louise Dumas of the parish of St. Louis, diocese Montreal, with Jane, daughter, minor, of Philippe MAI and of Emelie GIROUX. Witnesses were Philippe Mai, father of the bride, and Octave Lahaye. Signed J. Hanipaux, jesuit priest.

Marriage of MATHILDA BEAUDIN and LOUIS LEGACE:
Certificate of Marriage - Church of Holy Cross at Wikwemikong, Ontario
This is to certify that Louis Legace' son of Antone Legace of C? St. Ignace ___ and Marie Frie x___ and Mathilda Baudin dau. Israel Baudin & JaneM __ were lawfully married on the 13th day of January 1896. According to the Rite of the Roman Catholic Church and in conformity with the laws of the Province of Ontario, Rev. Julian Paquin officiating, in the presence of Thomas Tyson and Ernestine Solomon Witnesses, as appears from the Marriage Register of this Church.

Some early history of Gordon Township, by Annie Williton
Philip Beck came to the Gore Bay, Gordon area with his parents Charles and Jessie Margaret Beck from the Gaspe Peninsula.
They lived on the 7th line in Gordon Township on the farm where John Strain now resides. The old log house was east of the present house.
Philip married Annie Cook and lived on the farm till later years when their son Harvey took over. Philip and Annie moved across the road and when I was a child they had the Foxey P.O. in their home. I can remember the mail boxes in the corner of the kitchen and the trunk that held the stamps, money orders, etc. Mr. Joe Williams carried the mail from Gore Bay to Meldrum Bay. In later years Charlie Wright and boys carried it. The mail truck also carried passengers and freight. Then came the rural mail and Foxey P.O. was gone.
Philip was a very mild man and used to tell of his mother-in-law telling him when he got married that when one lost their temper but the other to hold his peace. Anyone who knew them would know he held his peace many a time.
Besides Harvey they had 4 daughters, Lily who died as a young girl, May and Beryl who went west and married there and Edna who married Harvey Wilson. They are all deceased now.
Philip and Annie Beck were my maternal grandparents.
Through The Years, Vol. II, No. 4, February 1985, page 15

Card of Thanks
We desire to express our sincere thanks to our many kind friends for their assistance and sympathy during the illness and death of our beloved husband and father.
Mrs. Beck and Family
The Recorder, Gore Bay, April 14, 1932

BECK-LUCKINS
A quiet wedding took place on the 2nd line of Plympton at high noon on Wednesday, April 23, when Grace Darling, youngest daughter of Mrs. Mary L. Luckins, and the late Chas. Luckins, became the bride of Clarence Vinton, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. George Beck of Plympton and Enniskillen townline. The Rev. L.J. Stones, pastor of Wyoming Baptist church performed the ceremony, in the presence of the immediate relatives. The bride, who was given in marriage by her mother, looked charming in a gown of Copenhagen taffeta with pleated panels and slippers to match. She carried a bouquet of pink and white carnations. The young couple were unattended. They took their places beneath an evergreen arch beautifully banked with roses, and white wedding bells held by white streamers. During the signing of the register Mrs. Stones sang very sweetly "O Promise Me." After the ceremony a dainty wedding dinner was served. Mrs. Luckins, mother of the bride, wore a gown of black silk tricolet. Mrs. Beck mother of the groom, was very becomingly attired in black and grey silk. Mr. and Mrs. Beck, left by motor for a short honeymoon to western points and showers of confetti, the bride traveling in a tan coat with hat and gloves to match. On their return they will reside on the groom's farm P. & E. townline.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, Thursday, July 3, 1924

WILSON-BECK-On Tuesday, Mary 4th, a pretty wedding was consummated at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Beck of Gordon Township, when their daughter Edna Grace was united to Harvey John Wilson of the same Township. After the ceremony which was conducted by Rev. G. A. Bainborough and which was witnessed by numerous friends from the surrounding country, a banquet was partaken of to which the guests did ample justice. Many presents useful and beautiful were displayed and bore witness to the esteem in which the wedded pair are held. Among these were a few cheques. The groom's present to the bride was a gold brooch; to the bridesmaid Miss Emma May Beck, the bride's sister, a bar pin and to the groomsman, Mr. Truman Wilson, gold cuff links. The bride was handsomely attired in cream embroidered net over silk with trimmings of cream satin. A lovely embroidered veil decked with orange blossoms surmounted the whole. A bouquet of pink and white American Beauty Roses was carried by the bride. The bridesmaid was gowned in embroidered net with overskirt and girdle of pink silk, the waist trimmed with pink roses. She also carried a bouquet of American Beauty Roses.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, Thursday, May 13, 1915

Married BECK-BLACKBURN
Mrs. Mary Alice Blackburn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Currie of Gordon, and Mr. Harvey Langton Beck, also of Gordon, were quietly married at the Manse, Gore Bay on Tuesday, November 8, by Rev. A.R. Gibson.
The bride was dressed in a navy blue embroidered tricotine suit with hat to match and a set of lynx furs, the latter the gift of the groom.
After the ceremony the bride and groom motored to the home of the bride's parents where the wedding supper was served and a reception was held afterward at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Beck where about one hundred and fifty guests gathered to wish the young couple happiness and prosperity.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, Thursday, November 17, 1921

Early Pioneers of Gordon
.....Agnes the only one of the Beckerton girls to marry, was a very attractive and stylish blonde. On October 6, 1881, she and Frank Royal were married at St. Luke's Church in the town of Creemore where his family lived. One of their wedding gifts was a rocking chair brought to Canada from Scotland by his parents some years earlier, and which is presently in the Gore Bay Museum. She and Frank settled on his farm in Gordon Township, near that of her parents, where he had cleared a fair amount of land and built a log house and barn. On March 23, 1883, a little girl, Elizabeth Florence was born to the young couple. Two years later, December 1, 1885, James Thomas Henry arrived. In January 1893 Agnes was about seven months pregnant when she became very ill with "the grippe" presumably similar to our cold or "flu". On her 37th birthday, January 22, she gave birth to a very tiny, premature baby, Flossie Mimer. Since the child was so small and as Agnes was too ill to even nurse her, no one expected her to survive. Frank, however, took charge of the situation and fed her frequently with a mixture of brandy, sugar and water. He kept her warm in a small box on the oven door. Because of his devoted care, the baby thrived and grew strong. There was always a special bond between Frank and his youngest daughter, and one was rarely seen without the other. Elizabeth grew into a tall and lovely young girl who closely resembled her father's dark haired family. Jim too had his father's brown hair and eyes. Flossie remained a very small person with her mother's blond hair and blue eyes.
Through The Years, Vol. II, No. I, December 1984, page 21

Early Pioneers of Gordon
....."Duke" (Wellington) and Tom, the youngest of the Beckerton boys, stayed on the homestead in Gordon except for a few years that Tom spent working in Manitoba. They were good-looking men, musical and popular, but despite the efforts of several marriage-minded ladies, Duke remained a bachelor, and Tom didn't marry until relatively late in life, Tom and his Maggie had no children and were not married too many years when she died. He then moved back home after Duke died in 1883 and took over the farm. Here he stayed until near his death in 1960. His nieces, Flossie (Royal) Strain and Elizabeth (Royal) Williams cared for him when he finally had to give up living alone.
Through The Years, Vol. II, No. I, December 1984, page 21

Early Pioneers of Gordon
......Henry, known as Harry, was a very popular and handsome young man. He had trained as an engineer and carpenter before moving to Manitoulin, and was also a gifted musician. He helped the family get established and did odd jobs for other farmers in the area. With his friend Henry Lowrie he often provided the music for dances in Gore Bay usually held at the Braziner Hall (Ocean House) as well as for parties in Burpee. He kept detailed records of his finances-for instance he and Henry earned $8.00 for playing for the Masonic Ball at the Braziner hall (Ocean House) in Gore Bay on February 3, 1885, and enjoyed a very good time besides. There was a lot of construction going on in Little Current at this time and Harry moved there to work. On September 15, 1887, he married Mary Pears. The following year there was an outbreak of Typhoid fever in the Little Current area and Harry became ill. Mary gave birth to their son Henry Jr., (later to be known in the family as "young Harry") on November12, 1888 and just over 3 weeks later Harry died, on November 27, 1888 without ever seeing his son. Mary too succumbed to the fever soon after, but the baby was spared. Mrs. Beckerton, had a battle with the Little Current authorities over the body of her son. Victims of typhoid fever were disposed of very carefully to prevent the spread of the disease; but she was determined that Harry's body be brought home to Gordon Township for burial in the family plot. After suffering as much as they could tolerate of Eliza's sharp tongue and fierce temper, the officials finally gave in and allowed her to transport the body in a sealed coffin to Gordon Cemetery. She bought the biggest and best tombstone available at the time and triumphantly had it erected over his grave. It is still there today nearly a hundred years later, and still stands taller than most of the other stones. The baby, "young Harry" was raised for a time by the Beckertons then went to live with Mary's parents Mr. and Mrs. Pears, in the Spanish area of the North Shore. He remained there most of his life, married, raised a large family and died on March 2, 1975 in Spanish.......
Through The Years, Vol. II, No. I, December 1984, page 21

Early Pioneers of Gordon
Among the early pioneers of Gordon Township was the Beckerton family- James, Eliza and their children.
James, a quiet and gentle man was born in Norfolk, England, in March 1826. Eliza Fletcher, born in Belfast, Ireland, January 1830 was a sharp tongued, hard working girl. With their respective families, they emigrated to Canada and settled in Simcoe County near Barrie, Ontario.
They married, probably in 1850, and established a prosperous farm near the town of Stayner. Here their nine children were born.
Sarah Ann - December 16, 1952, William John - July 20, 1854, Agnes Fletcher-January 22, 1856, Eliza Jane - January 20, 1858 (died August7, 1858), Robert - May 17, 1859, Henry (Harry), April 15, 1861, Wellington (Duke) February 1,1863; Emily-October 17, 1866; Thomas -June 23, 1874.
After the Manitoulin Island Treaty was signed in 1862, the government was able to offer land on Manitoulin for sale cheaply to encourage settlers. Gordon Township was surveyed in 1872 and soon after Jim Beckerton, his brother Roland, and Frank Royal, the fiancee of Jim's daughter Agnes, decided to investigate. They liked what they saw and bought quite a number of acres. After giving some thought to the horrendous amount of work that would be involved in clearing this heavily forrested, rocky land Roland changed his mind, sold his share to the others and headed back to the village of Ivy.
In 1879, Eliza and most of the family moved to Manitoulin, although Agnes remained at her job as tailoress and milliner in Stayner for a time. They lived in a log house built from timber cut to clear some land for planting crops. Later they built a large cement house on what was known later as Beckerton's Corner - on the road and on Lake Wolsey. Eliza, according to her grandson, "Young Harry", was a hard working lady and a tough boss. In the morning at breakfast she would go over the work to be done that day and assign jobs to everyone. She worked in the fields with Jim and left the household chores and cooking to Sarah Ann and Emily. These girls had little formal education but could read and write. They were very skilled in cooking and needlework, but never married and rarely took time to even travel to town. They remained on the homestead all their lives and after the death of their parents they continued keeping house for their bachelor brothers. In time Bob and John took over small farms near the family farm. They were shy quiet men who never married and rarely left home.........
James and Eliza Beckerton remained on their farm in Gordon. Jim died February 26, 1906 in his 81st year and Eliza died 7 years later on May 4, 1913 at the age of 83. Nothing remains of the Beckerton homestead except a stone pile near where the original cabin was, and a barn which was built much later, in Tom's time on the lot.........
Through The Years, Vol. II, No. I, December 1984, page 21

Mindemoya
Roy Becks and Norine Tracey were married at Little Current on Wednesday, February 6th. Congratulations, Roy! Melvin Bock and Effie Becks accompanied them to help keep up their spirits. You won't have any excuse for getting lost on the lake now, Roy.
The Recorder, Gore Bay, Thursday, February 14, 1918

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