% 1)oijk family Of
uW«__
*MJ.z.
-oi
by
HHCL - / l^»
COLLECTION
A (Doyle family
of
by
,3>35
Copyright©
For
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the following Tor contributing to this work:
The following people, who themselves lived on
A very special thank you to my mother Isabclle Daley who contributed so much
information and advice in the production of this book. Her article on her life as a child
on
:
||
\
I of
fcdelc
PoRecuoRd
When I first began this work, I wanted to determine when my Doyle ancestors
arrived from Ireland. After finding and reading the obituary of my Gt. Gt.
Grandfather
I began at the
Since the Doyle family was a member of the
It was all interesting, including the walks through the cemeteries with my
I wife in search of some gravestone of significance—an exercise
The reader will notice that I have dealt principally with those
InrRoducrion
The name Doyle is a numerous one in Ireland. It is derived from the Irish
On
following the French defeat at Louisburg in
French Garrison near in
of that year. Most of the Island French were expelled by
with aid from five hundred British troops. Those remaining, principally a
colony of three hundred at
; formed the nucleus from which the Island's present day Acadian population
11763 following a formal peace treaty between
! no
seem to have come to the
to the extreme western part of the Island and settled near
One settled at
in the
there were others from
doubt some came from
[have any
[in
The greater number of the Irish we have here bring with them nothing
but vices, because they are the very dregs of Ireland and
They were fishermen, farmers, blacksmiths, laborers, carpenters, serv¬ ants, and housemaids. Some had a little money but the most valuable commod¬ ity brought by those that prospered was a willingness to work hard to better themselves.
known, is located on the cast side of an inlet known as Fullcrtons Marsh (or
), where it converges with the
Doylcs Point in Mcacham's
10
o
ne
A
Adamstown is a small village of some twenty houses. It has a fine
Our
the townland of Raheenvarrcn, parish of Adamstown, formerly the curacy
f Newbawn
3 note that
Prior to
11
It is possible that our
The voyage from Dublin, or another Irish port such as Watcrford, would
probably not have been a pleasant one. Travel was by boats under sail power,
built to carry lumber from
Immigrants would often have to remain on the crowded quays for days
awaiting a favorable wind. We can imagine young
THE DEPARTURE
12
The cost of a ticket, about a half-year's wages, was raised in a number of
ways. Some saved the cost of fere themselves. Others borrowed it from a group
of relatives. Some landlords paid passages of tenants to allow the landlords to
enlarge their landholdings. Still others were in "workhouses" (a place which
provided food and shelter in times of famine—a sort of poorhousc). Sometimes
workhouses provided funds for people to emigrate. That young
UP ON DECK
>ns of ship. Since an average vessel was about 250 tons, we can expect that
M
chiefly of potatoes, rice, water and oatmeal. When
Because ships often carried more passengers than the law permitted,
immigrants were often deposited at any convenient spot along the coast of
14
'Cujo
Two interestingjames Doyle stories exist from that era. The first occurred
in the
In
The men had been drinking rum and playing cards and, in a drunken ■rgument, had beaten and kicked Lamb so badly that he died of injuries [received, principally from a ruptured bladder. (This was discovered when the [deceased was disinterred two days after his burial. The post-mortem examina¬ tion was held on a bench in an apple orchard nearby.)
The trial was held in
■escribed in one of the local newspapers. Witness
known the deceased since he had come here in
Af our
pg them the
he jury was too lenient. Since it seemed to the judge that Doyle was the most
responsible for the fatal injury by virtue of a series of kicks to Lamb after he had
Been knocked down by
SENTENCES Doyle: branded on one hand and six months in the
l«5
£%t*.
HARVEYSBRJG
This jail served the people of
A
Another incident occurred in the
While sowing grain
16
[According to
Was one of the above
Of the life of our
The members of this Lacey (Lacy) family were:
PARENTS
CHILDREN
/ is important to realize that names of early emigrants on
the early Irish and Scottish working class immigrants were uneducated mecause of the situation in their homelands. Ihe English who dominated I them would not allow them to have schools of their own. In order to be
educated they had to renounce their religion and swear allegiance to the \English King. As a result, when an immigrant couple went to the priest to move a baby baptized, the priest might ask "Is that spelled D-o-NP" Not , knowing how to spell, and to avoid embarrassment, they probably always
replied " Yes", whether he said Doil,
Members of the above Lacey family were born in Ireland. The Adamstown
parish register, in County
17
the
A headstone marking the grave of
Many of the Irish immigrants were too poor to erect gravestones to the memory of their loved ones, and the church records of burials back then cither never existed, or have been lost. For these reasons it is difficult to know where people were buried.
In
The farm which would become known as Doylcs Point, was occupied at
this time by an Irish family from County
(After the British defeated the French, and the French setUers [Acadians)
were expelled in
IK
The Dalcys who occupied the point were possibly relatives of the alxivc
mcntioncdjcrcmiah
PEL
The post office pictured in the sketch on the next page, was situated on
I , second house west from the corner of
I|B list of those having mail at the post office was published in the newspaper.
||lhat two Boston papers publish the death notice.)
According to a book entitled Pioneers on the Island, at very high tide
fthc river overflowed the land very nearly up as far as the post office. This same
■ source, in describing old
IQ
22)
Recreation at that time consisted of horseback riding, shooting, fishing,
and going for picnics in cither wagons or boats. Snowshocing was popular in
winter.(Stcwart 16) For the poorer people, most socializing was done at
gatherings of family and friends.
There was a great interest in these neighborly visits, and there were rarely any dull moments. The Irish people were particularly adept in the rapid fire, but friendly, needling that represented quick and clever thinking, skill in repartee, nimblencss and adroitness in debate; wit and humor provided keen enjoyment as the flow of conversation moved around the circle of friends and neighbors, who never lost their sense of good fellowship. (Brehaut 64)
It was probably family occasions such as the
20
'ChRee
When
In any case, by
21
Whcn they moved to the farm,
Like all Island children, they would amuse themselves picking daisies or
black-eyed Susans for their mother, swimming in the river, and occasionally the
boys fighting like hell with one another. In that year, the
The first home of
The building had no foundation and was pinned together with wooden nails called "trenails". There also was evidence of plaster having been applied to the walls at one time. We can imagine the discussions that went on in this log house about who was going to sleep where and who took whose blanket! As many as twelve people slept in this small log house. In winter the house would be banked with seaweed and snow but would be very cold nevertheless. They seem to have been a very vigorous family, however, since no evidence was found of children dying during this generation.
The following sketch of the Doyle cabin was done in the summer of
22
.•.JUiLti.
. »"-- -«>»^r
77/£ IOC HOUSE (C
spruce trees. Although a cross would not have been visible from the Doyle I farm, the church itself most certainly would.
Much time in fall and winter would be spent at the makingof woolen cloth,
the family having fifteen sheep in
Living handy the
advantages. During the spring and fall the regular diet of these people would
be supplemented with
I possibly a "Brown
[
I brought them from the old country. A cumbersome gun, some with a forty-two
I inch barrel, early Island settlers often cut a length off the end of the barrel to
I make a more easily handled fowling-piece.
In spring, spawning smelts would yield both food and fertilizer. (It was the habit of many to plant a smelt with each potato.) Clams, oysters, and other shellfish would also be provided by the creek. Little of a slaughtered animal would be wasted as indicated by this description of blood pudding, a nutritious dish, if somewhat unappetizing when seen made. This was made from cow's blood, finely chopped suet, salt and pepper. It was then baked, stored in a cool
|>lace, and sliced and fried when ready to eat. My mother remembers eating it s a child until one day she saw it being made. She could not eat it after that, have eaten it and found it quite tasty! Some insight into the toil of these early farmers may be gained from the
><
The plows used by the early settlers
had but one handle, and no one at¬
tempted to make a straight furrow. For
forty years these crude and primitive
implements were used, but in
Grain was cut with scythes and sickles, and threshed by beating it
with flails on a wooden floor as
The first threshing machine arrived in
The first reaper appeared in the
It was also in
2 persons paid own passage
3 Persons native to Ireland 5 Persons native to
"These farmers had no road 4 miles from
(The only mysterious thing here is that there were three persons native
to Ireland. I have checked later census for
Although they had no road, access to the water gave them a number of
advantages. As a means of transportation the river proved very useful. For that
reason farms that bordered on the river were more valuable. On the falling tide
they could make a trip to
jnTH^ZZZW**?"'"'"!""J
rTa&SV -.!,-«
5##3$?2
np*iv»t«a
jMrnu
w*s»c;
24
to
On
The area of this farm was later determined to be 88 acres and not 100 as
stated above in the land conveyance. It must have seemed huge to
On
...A short time previous, the Bishop had purchased a plot of land
situated on the North side of the
One can imagine the family getting into a boat to row to town that
That
25
legislation of
WilliamLaccy,
Headstones
The subscriber offers for sale a lew good headstones, which will be sold
and lettered cheap for prompt payment For further particulars, apply
to the subscriber, at
In
Died. On
This would have necessitated another trip to town, a tough trip in more
ways than one with the river probably not yet sufficiendy frozen for travel.
26
In attendance was a delegation from the
In the morning, a hired horse-drawn hearse, or a simple wagon would
convey the deceased to the small wooden church, built where the present Cathedral now stands, for the funeral mass. The coffin might even
have been carried on the shoulders of a number of men. After mass they
proceeded to the graveyard, led by members of the
The three
27
According to
In
By the summer of
In
At Fullcrton's Marsh,
The burial site of our first Island ancestor is, as yet, unknown. He belonged
to
The will of
2H
of 20 acres on the point, which
The daughters received as follows:
....It is my order that my family do live peacefully and agreeably
together and I leave the injunction on my children, and particularly my
son
Signed
It seems that
At this point, I will depart from an examination of the family as a whole and ■>ok at the life of each of the twelve children in as much detail as information fcermits.
29
Pour
First-born child of
her family until
in Chartottctown. (
took place in the new wooden cathedral begun in
Diocese until a new stone cathedral was completed in
this church and the bishop's palace is in the photo section. The photo shows
that the
In examining a map
of
30
house was hauled on the ice from Mt.
Second
By
:
(This was not to be the last legal encounter involving
When the
31
By
The arrangements of our house caused some inconvenience. The
community room served also as a dining room for the Sisters and
boarders, as a classroom and a pantry. The Sisters had a pantry built and
the room separated. The work was done by
building the Convent was given to
$3,700.00.'
...the Drill Shed; the ; the
Malpequc Breakwater; the
KifidKJ-* - •
32
do, l.t
.... While occasionally we may express our preference for certain
politicians on account of what we deem their meritorious public
services, we certainly must accord to
Picry worked in the
He probably took great pride in building the Fullcrton's Marsh
could provide jobs for local people and perhaps share an occasional meal with
his brother
can picture
after supper and reminiscing about their childhood on this farm.
[my grandfather, would be about two years old at the time and might have been
[playing nearby with his sister Gert, then five. Their older brother
Jcight at the time, would die two years later. He may have sat listening to the
I men that evening, enjoying the smell of their tobacco and conjuring up images
! produced by their talk. In
■Council for the first of three terms. A story goes that while campaigning In a
\ horse-drawn carriage, he met the local parish priest, Father
I number of times. Each time the priest would say, "You'll be snowed under
■Mcry". After this happened a number of times, the 300 pound
■to be rather hot-headed at times, said "Kiss me arse," slapped the horse with
■ the reins and was away. Picry must have been quite annoyed!
I [The author speaks of some of the old timers of Summcrside and their kind words and actions towards small boys. He says
...boys never forget these acts of kindness. Many times have groups of
boys, without a penny in their pocket, crowded at the entrance to
Ludlow
Another display of his kindness was that he took into his home, for a time,
his uncle
Prior to his death, he seems to have been planning to become a farmer. By
His will tells us that he died a man of some property. He had, among other
property, three houses on in
PIFRYDOYLF PROPERTY ATCAPF.
34
property on , and two and one-quarter acres on the corner of
and McEwen Road. The family must have been quite musical,
since among his assets were a Grand Piano and an organ. He also had a Tine set
of silver tea service, which it is believed he brought from'
Third
In
SAINTJOACHIM'S
^
bcth.
This Corrigan family may have been at Mass that windy
THE FARM OF
Footnote: This story about
36
pvc
Fourth
[ visiting neighbors and talking for hours. Irish news would always be of interest
[to the early Doylcs.
-
^■Sie* » «• - .—
As a boy
37
In all probability,
He probably had a bit of an Irish temper as well. The minutes of the annual
meeting of
In
38
On
included
[peculation. The only trace of them that I have found after
the oldest boy, at the
word perhaps should be "Sealer", that is one who hunts seals.
d in
896.)
(Jini or "Big
Fifth
To help him on the farm immediately after his father died, he had brothers
The
A memorable event for the young family occurred in the winter of
39
Catholics, and one hundred and twenty horses were used to pull the chapel
past
We can imagine
At four the next morning
Although the people fought the fire bravely, bucket brigades and hand pumps were no match for that inferno. The following is a brief description of that fire.
Four city blocks were laid waste by a disastrous fire set, it was thought,
by an incendiary. The
In the summer of
Between the years
40
of
The wedding guests would probably have returned to the home of the Hogans for a long night of eating, drinking and dancing. Someone would have had the foresight to run off the necessary quantity of moonshine. More than one wife might have to scold her husband into going home in the wee hours, (just when he was beginning to have fun!).
Liquor was a curse to many of the Irish on
In
About this time a two-story house was moved
on the ice from Mt.
The occupants of the farm on
41
THE -PIPPY" HOUSE
Hogan);
In
On
This agreement allowed her to move to
42
In the early hours of
We shall now depart those living on
&
[
Sixth child of
When
On
grew older they probably danced to A/l AC*\~\ I MFDV
! his music at local dance halls. His fid-
Idle was probably heard often at the
Doyle homes as he was a good friend
of both
Founders, Engineers £ Machinists,
Steam Navigation Co.'s. Whari.
Minuiinutm of
STEAMBOAT, MILL t FARM
B«o; rqaifpni vitfc
REPAIRS Promptly Attended
4 3
which would require considerable skill. By
Sometime
The following
The following poem appeared in the Examiner two days after
Dearest
we deeply feel
But t'is God that has bereft us
He can all our sorrows heal
Yet again we hope to meet thee When the day of life has fled When in Heaven with joy to greet thee Where no farewell tears are shed
•»■>
Syc
LA WHENCE
Seventh child of
By
In
AC
" At
What a tragedy to befall a young family! (Having recently attended a
funeral for a young child in
"
The
Eight years after his two boys died and a year before he purchased the
property on which he worked,
Died at
(From a family paper provided by
46
was an amiable and pious woman and her death is deeply regretted by friends
ind acquaintances." (
Present at the graveside, overlooking
Two years after that,
By
Also living with them at that time was a nephew,
Gradually, more and more of the blacksmith work was being done by
47
The following article appeared in thcDaity Examiner,
A correspondent at
black points, standing 16 hands weighing
Eighth child of
One cannot help but wonder about reasons for her confinement. Did she have a congenital condition like Down's Syndrome, or perhaps something which developed later in life, such as Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia?
Did she ever stand on the front lawn of
49
Ninth child of
baptized in
Feivcr and
of the time he was there.
of his father's death in
would have been sixteen at that time.
"I order that my sons
In
In
CHARLOTTETOWi.- DIRECTOHY
Steam Furniture Factory,
MOUNT
WIIXIAM
Furniture Manufactured in First-class Stule. Planing:
Executed on tho most nituonablu tonns. JS- 1UMC THE sWMES.I _«
so
(
(
(
(
jla*—
(
(
This church, the old wooden cathedral of
This row of buildings on known as
"Cheapside" housed
ivind of an opportunity in Mt.
The above ad appeared in the
In
The reader will notice that the ages in census do not always correspond to those calculated from birthdates, or baptismal dates appearing in church records. This is due to a number of factors, including enumerator's errors and people giving erroneous information to the enumerator, perhaps to \appear younger.'
In
In
I remember some of the younger
51
and had built a siding for loading and unloading things from the railway. My father used to unload mussel mud from that siding. The Doyle land lay on both sides of the railway twenty acres or so being on the far side.
Hickey &
Phone 345
I remember
The following
The two couples lived in the same home together first in
The following day my dad learned the rest of the story. Before going to
bed the night before,
53
Seven
Tenth child of
The
At the age of twenty-five
Eleventh child of
54
From this point
OHN
rwclft h child of
was the youngest of the children of
Sometime
55
These were the kinds of jobs done by house carpenters.
They were married at St.
"In this city, on the 4th inst., Aged 1 year and 4 months, son of
As the above notice indicates,
Friends will learn with regret of the sudden passing of
As was the custom in those days, someone had to "sit up" with the remains
until dawn. For some reason the job fell to
56
iixtccn and her brother
ght. Not knowing
iwn in the morning!" was her final remark about the incident.
^
Gighr
RETURN TO
In the year
It must have been satisfying to
The
The year
This was also the year that
58
f his infant son
f the children arc not in the church register. This probably means that they were baptized at home and died as infants. It was customary to bury infants within the grave of some previously buried family member. A shallow grave would be dug directly over the earlier grave and the infant interred there.
The
SEX AGE R*
R*= Relation to head of household. Note that Doyle was misspelled as
In the year
The collateral for the loan of $145 tells us that the animals on the farm were as follows:
One old marc color black and foal; One mare 4 yrs old color red; One horse 4 yrs old color red; One poll cow red and white in color; One cow color light red and white; One heifer 2 yrs. old color black and white; One heifer 2 yrs. old color red and white.
This was also the year of the catastrophic fire in St.
In
family.
Ihe was destined to be a carpenter.
59
contractor, erecting many houses and other buildings in the
4 acres of growing wheat, 12 acres of growing oats, 1 1/2 acres of
parsnips, 1 1/4 acres of turnips, 1 marc 5 years old color red, 1 mare 2
years old color red, 5 pigs, 2 mowing machines, one pair of harrows,
cart and sleigh, 1 wagon, 1 wheel rake, household furniture,... and all
singular other home effects of said
In
The year
We gain some insight into the home life of the
We lived happily in our family circle under the kind and firm guidance
of our pious parents. As soon as we could speak, they began our
religious education and they instilled in us a deep respect for persons
of authority. We were to answer 'Yes,
Our family held the members of the clergy and of religious orders in
high esteem. It was a great joy, especially for the children, when at
At night, I loved to see my mother and father kneeling near their chairs
as I listened to their alternating recitation of the rosary.... kissing the
floor three times in honor of the Blessed Trinity. That same night we
began that practice which, as far as I know, is perpetuated in my family
to
60
According to her "necrology,"
ree will with no pressure from her parents. She joined when she was sixteen
ind writes that she was "lonesome enough to die" at times in the Novitiate in
.achine,
work in
bseph's Hospital in
Emit hers.
[which forced her to retire in
It was
however, find no trace of
A story is told of family life around the dinner table when the boys—
On
The wedding was described in thcCbarlottetown Guardian on Novem-
Ibcr 1,
A very happy event took place in the
Two of the guests present were
61
The death occurred on
The late
The late
She leaves to mourn her passing two daughters,
62
The funeral was held from the residence of her daughter on
I remember walking the shore at
iping for a "crack at" a duck. Another time it was to get him a feed of oysters.
The years that
st by my mother
prill now insert an essay which she wrote for Father
Island historian. This story was published, in part, in The
#30 Fall/
in much the same way although much more primitively.
63
ine
MY CHILDHOOD DAYS ON THE FARM
When my family was young they frequently asked me to tell them about the *old days". Even though I resented the fact that my little children considered me fairly ancient then, I usually told them stories which seemed to satisfy their curiosity. As my children entered high school and university they sometime suggested to me that I write about my memories of early life on the farm. But I always put it off with a smile as I considered it too time consuming to do. However, at the same time I thought that it would be an idea for the distant future when I would have much more time.
Now that I am retired and live alone in an apartment, the hours of
every day still seem filled with things to do. My husband died suddenly
in
I am not the type of person who can spend hours in front of the
television as many people do
I was born in
and apple trees. Fullcrtons Marsh separated our farm from the Hamm
and Duffy farms in
At low tides one could walk across the flats and mussel beds in the
channel to get to a neighbor's in
I had two older brothers,
65
I remember quite vividly the old house with its large kitchen in which there was an old drop leaf wooden table with a bench behind it, a high cupboard for dishes, a lounge, a rocking chair and four straight back chairs. The stove was an Enterprise Iron Duke which bumed either wood or coal. There was a box, which was used for storing whatever fuel we were using at the time, situated against the wall at the end of the stove. It had a hinged cover on it and it made a cozy place to sit sometimes.
On the wall above the box was a
mantle which held the seven day clock
and two kerosene lamps at each side.
My dad always kept his straight razor in
the clock, which had a full length glass
dooron it. The doorwas fastenedon the
side by a small brass hook. The clock
brings to mind the day that
consequently, the hook became embedded in her wrist. When my
mother saw the situation she sent me out to the yard where dad was
working to ask him to come in right away. I remember her telling him
when he came in that he would have to "hitch up" and take
The dining room had an oval shaped table and six high backed
chairs located in the centre. There was a side board with a mantle on
it and a cupboard below. This piece of furniture served as an altar many
times when we were very young. My brothers liked to pretend that
they were priests saying mass. Although
The parlor was across the hall from the dining room and contained an antique sofa, chairs and two square tables—a wicker table and an
66
oak tabic. The oak tabic was located in the centre of the room and was adorned with what the family considered then a beautiful lamp. It had a large base and globe with a painting of a horse and rider on it. At the bottom of the table was a bible which to my knowledge was never used. The parlor was mainly used whenever company came.
Behind the parlor was what we called the back kitchen. It had a high cupboard in it where most of the things used for baking were kept. The flour barrel was also there with a large bake board placed upside down on top of it and covered with a small tablecloth. The cloth hid the barrel well and made it look like a side table. There was also a stove in the back kitchen. I recall that in the winter time it was used as a kitchen since it had more shelter from the north winds. The lounge was brought in from the main kitchen and it was my father's place of rest after completing his daily chores on the farm.
One winter the mice moved in the back kitchen and tried to take it over. They gnawed their way in through the bottom of the big cupboard. Although the family fought hard to get rid of them, the mice seemed to have the more powerful army and became very bold, indeed, using the kitchen as a recreation room and having races around the floor staying close to the walls. My brothers often tried to get them with a broom, sometimes with success. If the cat was in a playful mood, he liked to catch them and let them go, and then run after them again until he played them out. At this time my father brought home a couple of mouse traps that could catch four mice at a time. The round traps were about four inches in diameter and one and a half inches in depth with holes spaced around the sides. They were bated and set from the bottom. In the mornings we often found tails of eight dead mice protruding from the round traps. A couple of single traps were also used. The family finally raised the flag of victory. It was not at all uncommon for mice to invade the kitchen now and then, but at this particular time the mice were overwhelming and it was a hard battle to get rid of them.
Behind the main kitchen was a large porch and outside that was a large square platform. In the warm weather the washing and churning were done on the platform. When the weather turned cold, this work had to be done in the porch or kitchen. A barrel type churn was used that had a handle which was worked back and forth until the cream turned to butter. The buttermilk was drained off and was kept cither for the family to drink or as feed for the pigs. The butter was then washed until it was certain that no traces of buttermilk existed. Then it was salted, made into prints, and wrapped. Sometimes some of it would be stored in a crock and kept in the cellar, which was usually very cool because the walls were made of clay and stone.
There was a corner cupboard in the porch where a supply of homemade soap was kept. I can still smell the soap when I think about the corner cupboard. It wasn't an unpleasant smell—just different. The soap was made from scraps of animal fat which was saved until there was enough to make a batch of soap. I am not sure
67
if there was anything more than fat, Gillets lye and water that was required to make it. I can see my mother standing at the stove stirring the soap, lifting some of it on a wooden stick above the pot, and letting it fall back into the pot thick and syrupy looking. She seemed to know by testing it this way when the soap was ready to come off the stove. It was then poured into a wooden tub and left to cool and set. Then it was cut into squares, lifted out and placed to dry well before it could be used.
Wash day was really something that entailed a lot of work and energy. The water had to be pumped and carried into the house, heated on the stove and then emptied into the wash and rinse tubs. Each piece of laundry had to be scrubbed on the wash board, wrung by hand, put into the rinse tub, wrung again by hand and then sometimes boiled in a clothes boiler before it was ready to hang on the clothesline to dry.
There was no electricity then so the clothes had to be ironed by
flatirons, which were heated on top of the stove. There would be three
or four irons heating on the stove at a time. Whenever the iron being
used cooled down, it was put back on the stove to reheat. The wooden
handle of the cool iron was snapped off and attached to a hot iron. The
mens dress shirts had separate collars which were attached by collar
buttons. If dad was in a rush to drive to Mass or some other place and
he could not find his collar buttons, it would be quite a catastrophe
until they were found.
Upstairs there were five bedrooms. The stairs went up from the
front hall. One thing that comes to mind when I think about the front
hall is the red lamp that hung from a chain and could be lowered by
pulling on the ring that was at the bottom of the chain suspension and
raised by pushing gently on the lamp. The family considered it a real
beauty. However, it was not to remain that as one evening when
There was a storage room at the top of the stairs. There were a couple of old trunks in it, a spinning wheel and mat and quilting frames. There was also a rag bag in which any worn clothing, old underwear and socks were kept. During the long winter evenings these pieces of clothing were cut up to be used for hooking mats. The underwear was dyed and later turned into pretty flowers on the mats.
Each bedroom had the bare essentials—a bed, a table or dresser of some sort and a place to hang clothes. Of course, in those days most people didn't have many clothes so clothes closets were not consid¬ ered necessary.
68
There was a homemade wardrobe in my parent's room. I remem¬
ber it because the attic hatch was above it and it did not take us long
to learn to climb from the commode at the end of the wardrobe, up on
top of it, slide back the hatch and take a peck in the attic. One time we
discovered an old violin there. It was in a black case. We enjoyed taking
it out, looking at it and pretending to play with it. It was made out of
pretty dark red wood but it had a crack at the head of it. I don't know
who owned the beautiful instrument originally. My mother thought
that if it could be fixed maybe one of us might learn to play it. So my
father took it to someone in the city to have it repaired. After waiting
a long time to get it back, dad finally brought it home only to discover
that it was not the same violin at all. Even as small children we knew
very well that it was not the same one. Dad took the violin back and told
the repairman that it was not his violin and that he wanted his own
back. I guess dad did not have any real proof of the right violin as he was
deaf all his life and did not have much interest for music. So we were
without a violin. Dad adamantly refused to take the one he was given.
I am glad that he did. I presume that when the violin was given to dad,
it was in the case and he did not bother to open the case to check,
believing it to be the right one. Besides the wardrobe there was a plain
wooden bed, a dresser, a trunk and a rocking chair. The bedroom that
my sister and I shared was above the dining room. My earliest memories
of it were rather resentful as
The spare bedroom was over the parlor and was considered as the classy room. There was a nice wooden bed with a decorated headboard and a dresser with a mirror and commode to match. The commode had a large china pitcher and wash basin on top of it. It also had a towel rack and, of course, a chamber pot located at the bottom.
There was a small room over the front hall with a narrow bed and a table in it. If someone was not feeling well, he or she liked to be in this room alone.
Besides the house, the buildings on the farm included a barn that housed the cattle at one end and the horses at the other. Hay and grain were stored in the centre part of the barn. Here the grain was threshed. I thought that threshing was very exciting. I liked watching my father cut the twine that held the sheaves together and feed the grain into the drum and watching the wheat or oats come out a spout after being separated from the straw. The straw came out the tail of the shakcrand was forked up to the loft where it was stored for later use. The
69
threshing machine was driven by a gasoline engine, which was lent by a neighbor.
There was also a milk shed where milk was separated a wagon barn; a wood house; a hen house; an ice house; and of course, an outhouse (a two- holer). In the winter the ice was cut from a pond, hauled on wood sleighs and packed into the ice house. Each layer of ice was covered with sawdust. The ice cakes were about sixteen square inches. The ice kept fairly well in the summertime. It seems to me that we did not have ice stored every year. Maybe the conditions were not always good for cutting and hauling it. For instance, if there was great depth of snow on the pond, I would think that it would be almost impossible.
My first remembrance of winter was snow banks so high around
the house that as a small child I could not see over them when I looked
out the windows. It was not always possible to see out the windows
cither as they were usually covered with very thick frost. There were
no storm windows at the time. In the late fall the house was banked
with seaweed that was hauled up from the shore by horse and cart. The
seaweed was packed around the base of the house to a depth of about
a foot and a half.
There had to be three stoves kept going during the cold weather. There was a round base burner in the hall which burned hard coal. It gave out a nice, even heat and it was a pleasure to look at as well. It had a set of doors that had isinglass windows in the centre. The coal was put in the stove from the top and when it got hot and turned red, it emitted a red glow which could be seen from all around the stove. The kitchen stove was banked so that it would stay on all night or so we hoped. The third stove was in the dining room but it was usually allowed to go out before the last person went to bed. Most winter evenings we spent close to the heat.
We had no radio or telephone then. We belonged to the poorer class. Some of the neighbors were in the silver fox industry and were more affluent. It did not take long for them to be able to afford cars and radios. Our nearest neighbors were about a half a mile across the back fields and the main road was a mile from the house. So, as children we learned to make our own fun and games and played closely together.
It was a big treat to be taken for an evening to visit one of the
neighbor families and listen to
70
ride home. I remember vividJy listening to the frost screeching beneath
the sleigh runners and falling gradually to sleep before getting home.
I recall my mother trying to keep us awake until we arrived home. She
would say, "
On nice sunny days, we went out to play on the snow banks. We
had a fairly large sleigh that was used for coasting. I remember one day
when
Spring and summer on the farm were always pleasant. There were
always things to do. We loved the animals and in the spring there were
always new calves, kittens, ducklings, goslings, chickens, or a foal. A
new litter of pigs was interesting too. As very young children, we
learned to put a bridle on a horse by getting the horse close to
something on which we could stand. Then if someone would help us
onto the horse, we could go for rides. We were never bored, as children
of
In the wild strawberry time wc loved to go up to the back field where there was great abundance of the delicious fruit to be picked. The biggest chore was budding them when wc came home. I can still sec the pretty white daisies and the big black eyed Susans as wc walked through the fields.
Wc also loved to go with dad when he was repairing fences in the springtime. Travelling through the fields in a cart he sometimes let us drive the horse which was a big thrill. We liked to watch as he used a wire tightener to tighten the wires and staple them to the fence stakes and the posts, which were at the corners.
Planting time was also fun and a good learning experience. Wc were always allowed to help and were shown the proper way to plant. At a very young age we were mature enough to be of help with chores around the farm. I loved to drive a horse and was allowed to sit on the
71
hay rakc and rake the hay after it was cut. It took a little practice in order to be able to trip the rake at the proper time and keep the rows straight. How proud I felt when I heard dad tell my mother that I could rakc as well as the boys.
The hay was then forked into coils and when it was well dried it was gathered and placed on the hay wagon to be hauled to the barn. Then it was put in the loft until it was full. The rest of the hay was built into stacks and left in the field until it was needed.
I remember very well my first time in the one room schoolhouse
in
I must say that the teacher who was there at that
time was a very severe looking lady and patience was
not her strongest virtue. Consequently, my first time
in school was a heart breaking disaster as far as I was
concerned, I am sure that no one suffered more than
my dear mother that day when she had to drive the
two miles back home without me. She knew that it
wouldn't be any easier for her to take me home and
have to go through it all again the
When I look back on the conditions of that
schoolroom at that time, I cannot help but wonder
what children of
The drinking water was carried over from the
barn next to the school and left in an open bucket on
a little shelf in one of the back comers of the room.
There was a mug attached to the handle of the pail
which nearly everyone used to drink from. A few had
mugs of their own.
Sanitation was not of great importance then. The outdoor toilet
was a proper disgrace. One side of the double toilet was used by the
boys and the other by the girls. There was no place for the pupils to
wash their hands. Another unsanitary part of the early education
equipment was the slate. How I abhor the thought of it to
-2
better ones which some of the pupils managed to get. I think that they were soap stone with the same type of soft pencils to use with them. We were all supposed to have slate cloths in our desks with which to clean them. I recall many times that the slates were cleaned with saliva and rubbed with the heel of the hand. Once I remember going to the rag bag at home and taking out what I thought would make slate rags only to hear my mother say, *No dear, that's a good rag." The good rags were used for mats or quilts. A slate rag was something which could not be used for more important projects.
This brings to mind the quilting and hooking bees. How we looked forward to those events when some of the women from the district gathered at our house for their afternoon of hooking or quilting. Of course, there would be extra baking done in preparation for it and something extra special made for the evening meal. There would be probably eight or ten women come. Those who could not sit around the frame and work at the quilt would usually knit and join in the conversation and laughs. I imagine even to have to invite one of those very straight laced ladies (whom one could not leave out) would cause much tension on the part of the hostess in case something would be said that would be offensive to the ears of a very reserved person. However, those gatherings were much enjoyed and they certainly shortened the time required to complete the projects.
I recall my mother talking to one of the ladies after one afternoon
and telling here that she was mortified at the story which
Another event that created a lot of interest and excitement was the
School Fair which was held in the fall at the old
Another gathering we went to whenever there was one held was
a Box Social. It was an evening of music and singing, stepdancing or
maybe watching a short play. Box Socials were held at the
I remember mom spending a lot of time decorating a square box of goodly size with white crepe paper, trimming it with pink bows, and putting a handle on it. I thought at home that it was absolutely beautiful. There were a lot of sandwiches and other goodies put into
73
the box. It was without doubt the largest one there and when the auctioneer picked it up, he said, "This looks like something you could pick potatoes in." I took it as an insult and felt really embarrassed. The feeling was for my mother because I thought that she would feel the same way as I did. I did not even mention it to her afterwards so I just suffered it out alone. It probably did not bother her a bit. My dad bought the basket because he knew the quality and quantity it contained.
There were house panics now and then with lots of fiddling,
dancing, piano music and singing.
Christmascs in those years were really times to remember. It was a joy to watch the making of cakes and pudding. These were done early and not left to the last minute. The fruit smelled and looked so good as it was being cut up. I always relate early Christmascs with the smell of apples and oranges as these were the only times when we could have such choice fruits in the house.
The first couple of Christmascs I remember, we went to bed fairly
early believing that Santa would come after we were asleep. Mom and
dad then brought in the tree and trimmed it. I shall never forget the
magic of that first
Another event which I must tell about is the visit of my aunt who
belonged to the Sisters of
Her travelling companion was another sister about her own age.
I think that they were allowed about ten days to visit. Because we lived
so far from a convent or the
My dad rented a double seated buggy to drive them around. As children we were terribly excited when we saw this very classy looking carriage come into our yard. It had square candle lamps on both sides and leather curtains with small windows of isinglass that could be rolled down in case of rain. I am certain that those sisters enjoyed it as much as we did.
The sisters particularly liked the shore below the house. There was a flat bottomed row boat anchored there and when the tide was in they liked to sit in it and do their praying and meditating and just ride around ink.
One day they were sitting in the boat on the sand waiting for the
tide to come in and set the boat into motion.
One evening he took
Fullertons Marsh was a haven for wild geese. In the fall they came to feed on the marshes. Sometimes they flew over the house so low that one would think he could hit them with a stick. Many times I saw my dad grab a gun, load it and shoot a goose from the garden or yard. My younger brother could not wait to try his luck
at shooting. One evening "Billic
I heard "Billic
Recemly, I drove the car to Fullertons Marsh to visit the lot where the old house once stood. How things have changed! The farmland was sold a few years ago and resold as small lots called mini farms. A paved road runs through the subdivision. The old house and buildings are all gone except for the base of the barn. There are no trees left except for a dead cherry tree which was a part of our garden. The tree now stands much closer to the shore than it used to which indicates that the land has been washed away considerably by the water. The tide was out at the time and it was windy and cool. I was glad to return to
75
the car and head back to my warm and cozy apartment but I am thankful for the blessed memories. 1 can always remember my child¬ hood home "as it was".
The
76
"C
en
the year
birth of their first child,
I used to occasionally visit their cousins "LitUe
she was a child. Her brother
one cold spring. There was an old trough used to water the horses out in the
barnyard, and
the trough. It was so cold that day that newly-hatched birds died from shock
and exposure (hypothermia). By that time, his mother was on the scene.
f What did you do that for
[realizing the consequences of his actions, he murmered "I was thwimin' 'cm.'
It"I was swimming them.")
I
According to his son
The winter of
Scale:
o
10 kilometers
miles
\r
(\ j/
78
good neighbors,
We moved them over the bay, bag and baggage. A big 'funeral' of
neighbors met at
The men knew the ice and avoided
We left
Horses were very important to the Doylcs from the time they arrived on
the Point farm in
Both
My mother recalls a horse her father
When
Tragedy struck
79
drink containing lye, used for soap making, and drank it.
Life on the farm continued in similar fashion to that of past generations.
By the time I got to the house I was warm again and decided to go
and have a try at the ducks. I took the gun down from the rack and
headed up towards
When I fired the shot from our single shot twelve gauge, five ducks
remained on the water. Two were dead, two were knocked out, and
one was very much alive. I was very excited to have downed so many
ducks and was anxious to get them home to display my prizes. It was
quite a chore, let me tell you now. As I neared the house I had the gun
under my arm, two dead ducks in on hand, and three in various stages
of life in the other. I yelled for them to come and help me, and we
eventually got the ducks to the wood house. Although we managed the
first four reasonably quickly, it took us a long time to get the last of
them. It got up on the wood piles and crawled around for' most an hour
before we caught it. It took me two hours the
With this I close this narrative. Although I could write other Doyle stories, I hope I have included enough to show the human side of their lives. These were not famous people in the public sense, but people like you and me who provided well for their families, taught them to respect and help others, and handed on these values to us.
What follows is an outline of the next generation with brief descriptions of their lives according to available information. Note that dates are to be read in the following fashion: Month/Day/Year, and that many people arc born during one century, and die in the next.
SO
Children of
1.
3-
4. The Beagans were farmers who lived at
6.
7.
81
money, possibly from bequests, and visited home each summer during the
late
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13-
H2
Children of
1.
3.
.
5.
6.
83
7.
8.
9.
84
Like many infant deaths, the death of
"
8S
Children of
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
DIED
unknown unknown
SPOUSE unknown unknown unknown
1.
After
86
F Casbbook
I suspect that these two infants (
[ 3. "Aunt"
8-
the family with red hair like her father. Her health failed in early years and
she never regained it. She died when she was thirty-two, in
6.
10.
I remember "Uncle
In later years I recall
One time someone organized a family reunion at which, among the various
foot races, the organizer had seen fit to have a short grandfather's race.
Both
88
mother made some remark about the race to her father.
"
89
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
(
(
2.
4.
5.
90
DIED SPOUSE
Griffin
04/ /27
Note:
1.
2.
91
* Massachucctts
1.
2.
5.
6. This man lived in the Boston area.
7.
92
*
This family is described in the main text under the heading of
93
Bibliography
Annals of
Baldwin,
Baldwin,
Brehaut,
Byrne,
Burke,
Daley,
Ives,
Maclnnis,
MacLeod,
MacMiUan,
Mutch,
Pendergast,
Power,
ua
Credits
Illustrations on the following pages have been used with permission from the
Maps and illustrations found on the following pages were taken from the
The map on page 65 was taken from the Cummins Atlas of
Photographs were supplied by the following:
Photos of
95
The Author
His other interests have included hunting, coaching softball and baseball, skeet
shooting, bagpipes, and guitar. He is married to the former
96
My Lineage
descended from.
Doyle, (sec page_____) who was my
uncle, aunt, etc.). y father was_____________________
My brothers and sisters are listed below.
(Mo/Day/Yr) (Mo/Day/Yr)
97
Notes:
98