Hilda, Children, and Places They Lived

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

Meeting Hilda In College, we lived in residence most of the time and also ate in the dining room. At that time, there was a waitress for each three tables. I became interested in one of these girls who eventually became my wife. For years the students were not suppose to fraternize with the maids but this unwritten law gradually broke down. A few of us used to go to dances at the maids’ residence, skate together, go to the odd show, accompany the girls home from church, go tobogganing and sleigh riding or just go for a walk.

Hilda Whyte and I became engaged and she came home with me at Easter 1922. Dad met us at the station with the horse and cutter if I remember correctly. Later in the year after she finished waiting on tables, I drove the car across country to Holstein. That winter Hilda went to work at Daylight Electric in Guelph and boarded at Mrs. Galloway’s. I visited once and will never forget when Mrs. G. came to the door. She appeared to look right through me. She was a fortune teller and no doubt had me sized up in her mind’s eye.

Marriage Hilda and I were married May 28th, 1924 at the manse at Dromore. It was a sunny day. Hilda’s brother Percy and Beanie Bunston stood up with us. Mother went over with me. We had dinner in the evening at the Whyte home. The Whyte family, Uncle Alex and Aunt Mary Ross were there. In the evening a reception was held in the Whyte home. My sister Dell, Dad, Uncle Charlie and Aunt Edith McDonagh came over and the neighbours were there. They danced and played cards for a very enjoyable evening.

We had no honeymoon trip. Grandma Whyte, Hilda and I went to Mt. Forest the next day and to Lucknow and home the second day. We had supper at my parents’ home and that evening went to our own home at Lot 4, Concession 10 in Ashfield where we lived for five years. We started a poultry farm and moved to Auburn in 1931.

Children On February 11th, 1925 Jasper was born. The nurse was Mrs. Pat Hogan. Dr. Connell of Lucknow had to come in a team and sleigh in a snow storm.

On April 21st, 1926 Bower was born. The nurse was Mrs. Maize. Dr. Connell drove in his car and got stuck in snow on the side road and had to walk a mile.

In 1927 Hilda was sick with pneumonia. The nurse was Sadie Johnston and she and Hilda read the Bible and prayed each night for her recovery.

It was two years previous that my brother Lorne Farrish and his wife Beatrice Stein were married and had lost their first baby (a boy).

On August 10th, 1930 our first daughter Maxine was born.

Move to Auburn In 1931 our poultry operation was getting bigger and we got a chance to rent Colin Campbell’s place at Auburn (north). My sister Dell (Farrish) and Lloyd Robb were to be married so we rented the Ashfield farm to them and sold them the cattle.

Neighbours were wonderful in Auburn. I remember Earl Wightman and Tom Bamford. We went to Auburn United Church and the Couples Club and Bible Class.

Hanover Our second daughter Millie was born in July and we moved to Hanover in 1932. We went to the Hanover United Church and made many friends there.

Elmer (John) Johnstone Jr. was born next. Mrs. Pat Hogan was the nurse. (Incidentally, all our children were born at home. This was when you could get a nurse and doctor to make home visits, something unheard of today in 1970).

The 10-acre property we were renting was sold by the owner in Hanover so we moved to Howick Township in 1936 and operated a hatchery in Gorrie. We moved this hatchery operation to a farm outside Gorrie which we purchased in 1941 for $2,500, fixing up the run-down buildings on it.

Our daughter Martha was born in March 1942 and died in April 1943.

Jasper joined the Air Force in 1943 at 17.5 years old.

In 1947 Hilda and I took a trip West and visited Uncle Dave at Semans and Aunt Emma (Gills) at Jasmine.