According to DNA submitted by Duane Stewart of Regina And Jim Stewart of Toronto we are descendants of the High Stewards of Scotland. The particular High Steward would be Sir John Bonkyll. Sir John Stewart of Bonkyll (died 22 July 1298) was a son of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland. Sir John was a military commander during the First Scottish War of Independence. He was killed during the Battle of Falkirk, where he commanded the Scottish archers. Sir John Stewart is interred in the churchyard of the Falkirk Old Parish Church.
John married Margaret de Bonkyl (Bonkill), the heiress daughter of Sir Alexander de Bonkyl of that ilk. They had issue:
Sir Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll died in 1319. He had issue: John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus
In April 1984, Jim Stewart from Toronto met David McElroy, a young genealogist from Belfast who was giving a series of lectures in Canada, including one to the
In April 1984, Jim Stewart from Toronto met David McElroy, a young genealogist from Belfast who was giving a series of lectures in Canada, including one to the Ontario Genealogical Society. Jim had him for dinner and immediately engaged him to look for the Stewarts in Ireland. David pointed out that many Irish records were burned in the Dublin Records Office fire in 1922 and that they were rather scattered and uncoordinated anyway. He thought that if anything could be found, it would be through searching the records of individual Presbyterian churches in Monaghan and surrounding areas. In May 1984, David began the search, looking particularly for parishes where there was some combination of Stewarts or Stuarts with Livingstone or Harper listings. David provided Jim with extensive detailed parish listings and some of tax and civil records. In July 1984, he sent Jim a batch of these records, saying he had not found what Jim was looking for. But he had! One of the records, called Cahans Register of Births, was compiled by Thomas Bell for the Seceders congregation, established around 1750 near Ballybay. It listed birth dates between 1787 and 1806 for seven children of George Stuart and Margrett Morrow. One was George (Jan 3, 1799), matching the Canadian record almost exactly. One was for his brother James (Mar 20, 1806). Canadian records for James indicated he was born in 1806 or possibly 1807.Click to see the information found by David.
In 2016, Duane, Ivy and Alison visited Ireland.
This is the view from a climb up the hill in county Monaghan during our visit in Ireland. What a beautiful lush land it is! This is probably the place our ancestors left to begin a new life in Canada.
George Stewart came to Canada around 1823 with his brother James from the County of Monaghan in Ireland. He acquired enough money in the short time he was in Canada to purchase Lot 11 of Concession 4 in the township of King, Ontario which was in the area north of King, Ontario and west of Eversley Click to see a map of the area in 1878. He purchased the land from Daniel Young on November 21, 1826 for a sum of thirty seven pounds and ten shillings. Click to see the land records of this transaction. In 1878 Robert, a son of George's, had inherited the land and it looks like George still had land east of this. It is probably where George's wife Mary lived.
The following quote is from page 423 in the book History of Toronto and county of York, Ontario, containing an outline of the history of the Dominion of Canada, a history of the city of Toronto and the county of York, with the townships, towns, villages, churches, schools, general and local statistics, biographical sketches, etc., etc Volume 2. Published in Toronto in 1885 by C. Blackett Robinson. The bold was added to highlight the significant people in the Stewart Family tree. James Stewart was a son of George Stewart.
"George Stewart, deceased was born in 1798, and came to Canada in 1823. He settled in York County, and located in King Township, where he purchased two hundred acres of land, being lot 11, concession 4. The land when it came into his possession was quite uncleared, but by industry and perseverance he succeeded in bringing the greater portion of it under cultivation. He accumulated a fine property during his lifetime, and was in a position to give his children a fair start in the world. He died in 1864; and of a family of sixteen children, twelve were living at his death. James Stewart, lot 15, concession 9, was born in Canada in 1823. He had a Common-school education, and early acquired a knowledge of farming. He purchased his present farm, a great portion of which he has cleared, and has since added one hundred acres of lot 15, concession 8. He was married in 1846 to Miss Margaret Rankin, a native of Ireland, by whom he had twelve children, ten of whom are still living, viz.: Mary E., George, Sarah J., William, James A., Rankin, Lena, Bella, Rovert W., and Ida. Mr. Stewart is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and is a Reformer in politics."
In the book "The Road to Marylake" the author quotes part of the above and adds some extra information about Robert Stewart, George's son:
"Another early pioneer on Concession IV was a Mr. George Stewart, who was born in 1798 and came to Canada in 1823.
He purchased the east and west halves of lot 11 on November 21, 1826, just three years after arriving in Canada,
for $150. According to The History of the County of York Ontario, when George Stewart arrived on this land
it was described as being "quite uncleared." This reference later applauded Stewart and indicated that it was "by
[his] industry and perseverance [that] he succeeded in bringing the greater portion of it under cultivation." The
reference goes on to say that "he [Stewart] accumulated a fine property during his lifetime, and was in a position
to give his children a fair start in the world." He had a family of sixteen children, twelve were still living at
the time of his death. His will in 1863 left the entire 200 acres to his son Robert Stewart. Robert owned the land
for the next 23 years until selling to Benjamin Lloyd (nephew of Jesse Lloyd) in 1886 for $9,000.
Jesse Lloyd had a roll in the Upper Canada Rebellion."
In a document found on the Internet pertaining to "Century Farms" in Ontario, we find the following:
"The Stewart family were of Irish decent and James Stewart's father and mother brought the family from Ireland early in the 18th century. They settled in
King township near Eversley. One child was born on the boat coming to Canada."
When the will of George Stewart revealed the names of the men that the daughters of George Stewart married it was discovered that Rebecca Stewart, who married Charles Nesbitt and then settled in the Scugog area of Ontario was born in the USA. On the Canadian census of 1861, Rebecca (R Nesbit on the form) is said to have been born in the USA. This could be that she was the one born on the boat and when the boat landed, the parents registered her birth. This leads to the speculation that the Stewarts landed in the USA before proceeding to Canada.
George Stewart and Mary Harper had the following children:
"Thomas Ferguson, deceased, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, where he learned the trade of weaver. He came to Canada in 1820, and soon after purchased land, lots 4 and 5 in concession 2 of King Township, where he worked at his trade and carried on farming at the same time. His farm was at first complete bush land, but by dint of hard work he cleared the greater part of it which he soon got into fine condition. He was very prosperous and acquired considerable wealth, and on his death in 1852 he left his widow and eight children in very comfortable circumstances. John, his eldest son, was born in New York City, while his parents were en route for Canada. He received a Common School education, and on commencing for himself in 1847 he bought the last part of lot 10, concession 3, where he built a saw mill, which he has since operated. In addition he owns the west half of lot 13, concession 3. He takes a lively interest in political matters, being a Reformer. He is an adherent of the Presbyterina Church. He was married in 1848 to Margaret, daughter of George Stewart, an early settler in the township, who emigrated from the North of Ireland to Canada in the year 1823. He purchased lot 11, concession 4, on which he settled about 1828, and died in 1863."
The previous quote was from pages 396 and 397 in the book History of Toronto and county of York, Ontario, containing an outline of the history of the Dominion of Canada, a history of the city of Toronto and the county of York, with the townships, towns, villages, churches, schools, general and local statistics, biographical sketches, etc., etc Volume 1. Published in Toronto in 1885 by C. Blackett Robinson. The bold was added to highlight the significant people in the Stewart Family tree.
"Milton Wells, lot 10, concession 2, was born in 1857, on concession 1 of King Township, being the son of Job Wells. He received a Common-school education and was brought up on his father's farm, in which vocation he has been continuously employed. He was married to Miss Lena Stewart, of King Township; they have one son, Roy S. Mr. Wells is a Conservative in politics, and belongs to the Presbyterian Church.
The previous quote is from page 430 in the book History of Toronto and county of York, Ontario, containing an outline of the history of the Dominion of Canada, a history of the city of Toronto and the county of York, with the townships, towns, villages, churches, schools, general and local statistics, biographical sketches, etc., etc Volume 2. Published in Toronto in 1885 by C. Blackett Robinson. The bold was added to highlight the significant people in the Stewart Family tree. Helena Stewart known as Lena was the granddaughter of George Stewart.
According to the land records, Robert inherited the land in 1863 when his father died. Robert's mother, Mary Stewart nee Harper lived for another 15 years and died in 1878. This is a picture of the recorded death from the archives of Ontario.
According to this record, Mary was born in the County of Monaghan, Ireland.
In the year that his father passed away, 1863, Robert married Maryan Mckinnon. This marriage was witnessed by the afformentioned Job Wells. The following are pictures of Robert & Maryan.
A copy of the marriage certificate that was hand written by Rev. James Carmichael was found in the family bible.
Robert continued to farm the land until 1886 when he sold it and decided he would move west. He took his family and moved to Portage La Prairie, Manitoba as they appear in the 1891 census as living there with eight unmarried children. Also living with them is John & Ida Curtis (Robert's daughter, Francis Ida, and son-in-law) and Thomas White (a future son-in-law). Robert and Maryan had eleven children, two dying very young, and buried in the Eversley Church cemetery with their grandfather George. The children of Robert Stewart and Maryan McKinnon were:
The following are photos of a young George Llewllyn Stewart taken in Portage La Prairie.
In the early part of 1906 Robert and some of his sons moved from Portage La Prairie to Melfort. They took the train from Portage La Prairie to Erwood where the rail line ended at that time. From Erwood through Hudson Bay, Mistatim, Star City to Mount Forest (just north and west of present day Melfort) they drove a team of horses and settled into 4 homesteads that occupied 1 section. Over the winter Robert and his sons made many trips back and forth from Erwood to Melfort moving their belongings. The distance travelled would have been about 110 miles in one direction and would have taken about 3 tiresome days to cover that distance. Below is a picture of where the homestead would had been back at that time. The trees are where the farm buildings were as we look from the north to the south. The Mount Forest Road would be on the right side.
The picture below was taken in September 2013 from a farm yard that is currently there. The trees in the background are where the farm buildings used to be. The barn was moved to this location by Bill Stewart, Geordie's youngest son, where it is still standing.
In the book "Star City...Pioneer Days to Jubilee Year" published in 1955, the following is a quote from pages seven and eight of the book on homesteading in the area in the early 1900's.
HE CAME
Most of our pioneers came to Prince Albert first then by team or oxen and wagon from there. Others came to Erwood, then drove by team or walked in. Now that the railway was a reality, settlement was rapid. Why did people come here? First of all to get land on which to build a home, and to have rich soil for farming. Others came to start a business to supply the settler with his needs.
To open the west, large acreage of land was given out to assist the building of railways (In some areas most of the odd sections). The Government had eleven and twenty-nine in each township for public school funds. Section eight and either three quarters of twenty-six or all of twenty-six was Hudson Bay Co. land.
Homestead laws were passed and millions of acres were granted to settlers. Our homesteaders first went to the Land Office at Prince Albert or to Mr. A. E. Wild at Vaughan near Melfort and here obtained a plot. This plot was a chart of the township in which he wished to settle. It showed the Homestead land available.
HE FILED
Next he looked at the land, chose his 160 acres, then went back to the Land Office and "filed". He received an Interim Homestead receipt for the $10.00 fee he paid. He or she could apply if over eighteen years of age.
HE PROVED
Previously he or she had filed on their 160 acres. Now they had to "prove". That is, reside for six months of the year and break five acres a year for the next three years. At the end of these three years, if the breaking had been done, and they had built a home, they applied for a patent. A Homestead inspector usually checked. If requirements had been met, a patent was soon granted. Now the Homesteader could keep the land or sell it.
Not frequently, some one would "claim" if the first applicant was not abiding by the residence regulation. In some cases the offender would have to give up his homestead. The claimant would then try to get it.
The proving was the worst. "In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread." Genesis - was a truly fitting description of earning a living here. There were many years of toil for the settler before he had his land scrubbed and broken and his buildings erected. Remember there were no tractors nor power machinery of any kind.
Many of the early settlers brought wives. They were the mothers, often the nurses and doctor as well. They had no conveniences. Washing was done with out a washing machine or wringer. Sewing was often done by hand. They could saw wood and split it too. Besides the little chores of a few chicks and pigs, they had to herd and milk the cow. When the husband went away to work they were often frightened and lonely and a bit homesick too. Later they had "dinner pails" to fill for their children going to school. There was not a great deal to put in them.
Why do we speak of the "Good Old Days"? Because in their lives there was a pupose, a friendship and a necessity which has been lost in the hustle and bustle of to-day's highly organized living.
"There were rivers to cross and
the way was long,
But they had a purpose in life
that made them strong."
Note: An acre had to be 43560 square feet of any shape. if it was a square it's sides would be 208 feet 9.5 inches (63.61 meters).
These four homesteads included Robert Stewart (SW 22 46 19 W2 homestead #1177369), John Hillyard Stewart
(SE 22 46 19 W2 homestead file #2807580), Leopold Lorne King Stewart (NW 22 46 19 W2 homestead file #1399902)
and George Llewlyn Stewart (NE 22 46 19 W2 homestead file #1369311).
A map of the homesteads.
The following picture is one of Leopold and Geordie in the back row and Jack Stewart (John Hillyard) and Anthony sitting in the front row.
George Llewllyn Stewart known as Geordie married Verena Liletta Guinn on December 6, 1905. Verena known as Etta was brought up on the Indian reservation. An email from Andy Braid, a grandson of Etta's reveals an interesting family history of the Guinn's. Click here to see email and picture.
The following is a picture of three young ladies taken in 1905 as indicated on the picture.
In the 1906 census for Twp 46 Range 19, Robert, Maryan, Leopold and John are living on one farm and George (Robert's son) and Etta on another. On this same census John Curtis and his wife Frances Ida (Robert's daughter) are living on another farm near by.
On the 1911 census George (Geordie) and Verena (Etta) Stewart were still living on the farm north west of Melfort with Robert (Geordie's Father), Sylvia Stewart (daughter of Geordie), Weldren Stewart (son of Geordie), Royal Stewart (son of Geordie), Ethel Guinn (Etta's sister), Abbie Guinn (Etta's mother). It also looks like the school teacher was living with them but it is hard to make out the name from the census. The census also incorrectly stated that Ethel was the mother-in-law and Abbie the sister but if you look at the birthdates this could not be.
Leopold would move into Melfort in 1914. News must have been slow that day as the following article appeard in the Melfort Moon on April 13, 1914.
On the 1916 census Geordie had moved to a home in Melfort on Crawford Avenue. Those living with Geordie and Etta were their children (Sylvia, Weldren, Royal, Phyllis, Florence, and Marian) and two of Etta's sisters, Ethel and Jane. Geordies brother, Leopold was also living in Melfort on Crawford Street according to another page on the 1916 census. Living with him was his wife Margaret and his children Elsie, Robert and Isla.
In looking through old newspapers on line, The Melfort Moon, August 12, 1914, Duane came across the obituary of Robert Stewart as he had passed away on August 11, 1914. The following is the article retyped from the original paper. The interesting fact here is that he went by John Stewart and not Robert.
PIONEER PASSES AWAY ON MONDAY
John Stewart Dies Peacefully at Home of Son Leopold
Funeral is Today
Somewhere between the hours of 11 Monday night, and 5 Tuesday morning, the soul of John Stewart, an aged pioneer of Melfort district, passed the portals of eternity through the sweet medium of natural sleep, at the home of his son, Leopard Stewart. He has been ailing for a month or so from hardening of the arteries, but was in no pain, and the end came very calmly.
Deceased, who was in his 76th year, was born 30 miles north of Toronto, came west to Manitoba many years ago. He came from Portage la Prairie to the Melfort district in 1902, where he has resided ever since, and where he and his family have made many friends. Mr. Stewart's demise was preceded by that of his wife some five years ago, at Melfort.
The funeral takes place this afternoon at 1:30 from the house of Leopold Stewart, and service will be held at the Presbyterian church previous to internment at Mt. Pleasant cemetery.
Deceased leaves five sons and three daughters, as follows: Leopold, George and John, of Melfort; Anthony, of Calgary, and Robert of Keewatin, Ont; Mrs. Val. Clift and Mrs. John Curtis, of Melfort, and Mrs. John Hastings, of Portage la Prairie.
The following is the actual article that appeared in the Melfort Moon on August 12, 1914.
The following is a recollection of Muriel Paynter when she went with her mom, Sylvia Paynter, back to the homestead.........
This is my Mother, Sylvia Stewart Paynter's story....The journey was hers; I was merely an observer.
In 1956 Bill Matheson and I took our holiday time and went to Melfort so he could see where I was raised and meet many relatives in the extended family.
One afternoon of the visit, when we had no specific plans, Mom wondered aloud if we might be able to find the "home place". Although Mom was born in Melfort, she was taken as a new-born back to the Stewart homestead and lived there till she was almost eight. Then the burgeoning Stewart family moved to Melfort so the children could be educated. (I know this because Mother had often talked about Weldren and herself standing with their back against the red brick school wall each recess and how they felt very much the shy "farm kids". I gathered it took them a long period to assimilate.)
But, on the clear summer day I'm recalling, we decided to drive 12 miles to the Mount Forrest area and reconnoitre. Mom remembered the general area. Some neighbouring farms were still owned by near relatives of the original families. The Stewart homestead had been sold. The building Mother lived in as a child was still standing, but there no longer was access, and we would have to hike to it.
Great! This was just the kind of a challenge a couple of hikers like Bill and I could revel in.
We were able to get fairly close....and Mom, judging by the rolling topography and the remnants of a copse of trees, decided if we circled round the edge of the crop and went to the other side of the berry bushes, we would hit the home place.
Mom was right! It was there!
The weathered grey storey and a half building with its lean-to shed was similar to those built all over the prairies as the west was opened to settlement.
I recall her delight when she spotted her old home. As we waded through waist-high sow-thistle and long grass at the edge of the crops she spoke in an animated way of her early years.
"There's a little room 'neath the stairs where Weldren and I used to play by the hour! It was our favourite spot!"
Reaching the long abandoned building, Mom unlatched the hook on the door and we followed her inside.
SILENCE
From the look on Mom's face we could tell she was flummoxed--completely flummoxed! We could see where the stairs came down underneath a space the width of the narrow stairs was a diagonal from the floor to perhaps 3 1/2 feet. We watched Mother's features as she mentally tried to juxtapose the "room" from her memory with the reality of the tiny space now before her eyes.
"But it was a little room! There was space for Weldren and I to play there together out of the grown ups way....Her voice sounded like the little girl of so long ago, and we looked on as her memory dissolved in tatters around here like the dust motes in the sunbeam slanting from the weathered window pane to the old linoleum floor.
Then her look of vulnerability evaporated and Mother's countenance quickly resumed its strong almost severe masque.
After a brief look at the upstairs loft and the lean-to shed, we left the building as we found it, and the three of us hiked back to the car, picking our hats full of Saskatoons as we went along, so Mom could make her new son-in-law a pie.
By the time the car meandered down the country road to join up with the old Beatty Highway to Melfort, Mom, though still incredulous, was more accepting and later, she was almost able to laugh when she related the experience to my Father at suppertime.
There is a lesson for us all to be learned here. How many of us have similar strongly remembered memories from our earliest days. In our attempt to keep the memories alive by playing and replaying them again and again, have our minds added subtle pastiches to those mental fragments without ourselves even noticing.
Geordie was a hard worker and the following picture has him on the job.
The following is an advertisement that appeared in the Melfort Moon on December 8, 1915.
This is the advertisement blown up.
It looks like Geordie may have been doing a little draying before purchasing Mr. Whitmore's business as he received a contract from the town of Melfort to drag logs on the road at the rate of 50 cents per hour. This may have been done to smooth/level the gravel to make travel better. The following article appeared in the Melfort Moon on April 22, 1914 concerning a town council meeting and a motion put forward by councillors Smith and Keddy.
There is also a birth announcement of a daughter born to the Stewarts. This being Mary Ann Evelyn Stewart. The following picture is the announcement as it appeared in the paper. It is at the bottom and center.
In 1916, Anthony W. W. Stewart is living in Calgary at 1740 - 10th Avenue West. In 1926, after Anthony passed away
his wife Katherine is still living at the same address.
Click to see 1916 census document.
Click to see 1926 census document.
When they moved to Melfort to begin the new job, the homestead farm became known as the "12 mile farm". On the 1921 census, the family is living on Crawford Avenue in Melfort. George & Etta with Sylvia, Weldren, Royal (Roy), Phyllis, Florence, Mary Ann (Mame), Audrey, Lormer (Bob), Abigail Guinn and Ethel Guinn are tabulated in the census. Scanning this same census document you will find John Hillyard Stewart and John Curtis with his wife Francis Ida Curtis nee Stewart. On the 1926 census, the family is still living on Crawford Avenue with George, Etta, Sylvia, Weldren, Roy, Phyllis, Florence, Mary Ann (Mame), Audrey, Lormer (Bob) and Abigail Guinn. It is also noted on the 1926 census that Etta Stewart's year of immigration to Canada was 1893.
One aspect of the dray business was moving houses. One way to move a house was to lift it and hook up a large team of horses as we see in the picture below. This was one occasion when Geordie is moving a house through Melfort. Yes, that is someone sitting on the top of the building.
Sometimes when a person moves a house, accidents happen. On May 8, 1918, an article appeared in the Melfort Moon giving details of the town council meeting. Two councillors, McEwan and Jameson made a motion that Geordie Stewart be charged $20 for repair of a telephone line that had been damaged during the moving of a building. The following photo is that article.
If there was not a lot of horse power around another method of moving
the house was to use a stump puller. This was a device that was really a heavy pulley that laid on its side
and the end of a long pole was attached to the top as it sat on the ground. A cable would then be stretched out
from the stump puller to the house to be moved usually about 50 feet. The stump puller was anchored at the
opposite end to an object that wouldn't move which was sometimes a pole put in the ground using a post hole auger.
This anchor was put about 20 feet away from the stump puller so that a team of horses could walk between it and
the stump puller. A team of 2 horses would be hooked up to the other end of the pole and would then walk around
the stump puller causing the cable to be wound onto it and consequently moving the house closer to the stump
puller.
Lew recalls when he was around 8 or 9 years old, Geordie was moving a two story house down main street and he used the previous mentioned method with a horse called Silver. Silver started walking around the puller and then left to walk for most of the day as the house moved closer and closer to its destination. When the house had moved the 50 feet everything was moved ahead to a new location. A new post hole was dug and the anchor inserted. The stump puller attached to the anchor and the cable stretched out to the house again. The horse hooked up and set to walk around to wind up another 50 feet of cable. The picture to the right was taken from the internet showing the stump puller being used to pull stumps.
In this picture, Geordie is moving a house onto a foundation using the a stump puller. The stump puller is not
in the picture but the pole and horse doing the pulling are in the foreground. Geordie is sitting, arms crossed,
watching the horse as it walks around the stump puller.
The next picture shows the horses as they walk around the stump puller moving the house. The stump puller can
be seen to the right of the horses. The cable laying on the ground going off the picture to the right would be
anchored to the post that was inserted into the ground.
Another aspect of the dray business was to dig a hole for the basement of a house so that a foundation and
walls could be installed. In the following picture, Geordie is using his team of horses to dig out the hole for
the basement. He is standing in the middle of the picture with his team of horses.
Of course if you couldn't get your team of horses to move the building you would just have to move it yourself
as we see Geordie lifting the house himself in the following picture.
Kidding aside, Geordie was strong as is demonstated by the following two stories told by Lew Stewart, Geordie's grandson. Lew recalls coming to the Stewart barn in downtown Melfort and finding Geordie sitting on a stool outside the barn as he usual did. Lew heard stories of how strong his grandfather was so he asked Geordie if they were true. Geordie then asked Lew to bring his saddle horse to him. When the horse was in front of Geordie he got under the horse and lifted the horse up off the ground about four inches with his legs. Lew was impressed.
Geordie would haul freight from the train station to the barn. One day as he was doing this the wagon fell through a culvert and couldn't move. Geordie got under the wagon and layed on the ground with his legs against the bottom of the wagon and lifted the wagon up so the horses could pull the wagon forward. We have to assume that there was freight on the wagon when he lifted it.
On May 1, 1918, an article appeared in the Melfort Moon indicating that Etta and her sister-in-law had returned from a three week trip to Alberta. It indicates her sister was returning from business college with them. The article follows.
Geordie and Etta were blessed with the following nine children:
Sylvia Stewart married Wilbur Paynter a tin smith who worked for McCosh Plumbing and Heating in Melfort.
L-R Tom McCosh - Elmo Price - Wilbur Paynter
Weldren and Sylvia (Loreen) were recognized for there school work in an article published in the Melfort Moon on May 6, 1914 as they were put on the Honour Roll for Grades A and B. It looks like this may be grade one.
In the Melfort Moon, on February 6, 1918 Sylvia is promoted to grade 5 and Weldren has a grade 4 mark of 85.
See Sylvia's recognition of passing grade 11 in the Saskatoon Phoenix July31, 1926. When the page opens look at the section marked Melfort.
The following is a picture of the four sons of Geordie and Etta. From left to right, they are Geordie, and sons William (Bill), Weldren, Lormer (Bob) and Royal (Roy).
Horses were an integral part of life for the Stewarts. The following picture is a favourite of Duane's as it shows how loved and cared for the horse was to the Stewarts and how Uncle Bill has always been their friend.
Geordie was a good swimmer. He would go to Silver Beach with a hat on and float without sinking. He was very buoyant. Geordie wanted to spruce up his bathing suit so he asked his wife, Etta, Mother, I would like it decorated a little so she embroidered a dragonfly on the chest of the swimsuit. Etta was a very good seamstress. Audrey was very proud of the outfits made from old dresses that her mother made for her. Etta also enjoyed curling. The following is a picture of a curling team she was on and according to the photo it was taken around 1925.
In 2001, Muriel Paynter wrote an article for the Melfort Journal recalling her memories of the Stewart Clan and the following is that article:
Whenever the Christmas Season approaches, my thoughts return to times when I was a youngster, and memories of glorious times spent with brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles at Granny and Grandad Stewart's big house in Melfort, flood my mind.
It occurs to me that since those days, two generations of our Clan have been added, who never really knew Granny and Grandad Stewart, much less ever saw their big gray house and barn in the centre of town before they were demolished to make way for a parking lot some years ago.
Remember, these are the memories of a child from four years onward. Older kids and adults who shared the same experiences may have noticed very different things...So why don't you ask your grandparents and great-grandparents to share their favorite stories with you, too.
Granny and Grandad Stewart
Our Granny and Grandad Stewart were the most special grandparents any child could every have had. And what made them so special was love. They had such big, loving hearts that no matter how many more grandchildren came along, they were just as much loved and just as special to them as their first.
Our parents may have been caught up in the day to day raising, training and disciplining of children, but at the big gray house we were grandchildren loved just the way we were .
Think of Santa Claus at Christmas and that we ll give you an idea of our Grandad every day of the year. He was a big, fat man with a great, round tummy and was he ever jolly. What a hearty laugh he had! He had the bluest of blue, twinkling eyes and rosy, red cheeks. His curly red hair turned to a snowy white as the years passed by.
Grandad loved animals and people--but most of all he loved kids. When he would come in and spy a child in the warmth of Granny s kitchen, he would chuckle and with a glow and a gleam, find a treat from Granny s cupboard for them to eat-or delve into his pocket and come up with a shining dime or a quarter for them to spend.
Grandad called me Molly only it came out in Irish and sounded sort of like Mully . He gave me my Molly cat (one of Old Lame Leg s kittens) for my very own companion.
Grandad was a Samaritan--a friend to man. Honest, fair-minded. Geordie Stewart s word was his bond. No one could ever count the number of people he helped or befriended. We adored Him!
Simply put, our Grandmother was a very beautiful lady. She was slim and tall, with a stately manner, and, in her demeanor there was a quiet serenity.
One of our greatest joys as children was to perch on the stools in her big kitchen and watch her fluid movements as she baked. Granny had the ability to give her full concentration to whatever task was at hand. She never appeared to rush. Granny would peel the green apples for a pie... all in one continuous peel...and the cousins would nibble on a long peeling or munch a core; all the while eyes watching as the crust was rolled, noses loving the spices and sugar as the pie was built, the edges fluted; and then, some minutes later, no words can describe the aroma of hot apple pie that filled the kitchen.
We loved to watch her paddling the excess buttermilk from the homemade butter in a large, wooden butter bowl. She would ladle the butter into the press, and out would come perfect pounds of butter onto the special butter paper. Each oblong was wrapped with loving care.
And We all had buttermilk!
Never, in the whole of my lifetime, did I see our Granny harried, bad tempered or unkind. She was incapable of thinking ill of another person, and one soon learned never to disparage another in her presence.
Grandmother never complained. She sewed, baked and kept house for a large family; showered warm friendship and hospitality to visitors and relatives as if it were her privilege to do so. She would wear the simplest cotton dress with an elegance that made it seem a couturier gown. What an example of womanhood she set for us all.
Grandad had married Granny when she was very young. His love for her shone through his bright, blue eyes each time he gazed at her. And it never ever waned.
The Stewart Clan
Even though my name was Paynter, in Melfort I was one of the Stewart Clan.
When Grandad moved off the farm, he built the big house because they had a growing family that was still a-growing. He operated a draying and cartage business, dug basements and moved houses.
My mother, Sylvia, was their oldest child and, at fairly regular intervals, came Weldren, Roy, Phyllis, Florence, Marion, Audrey, Lorimer and Bill.
At the time I am writing about, Sylvia had married Wilbur Paynter, and the five Paynter kids branched off the family tree-'-The Big Kids: Lorene. Bob (or Burr as he was known), and Thelma, and The Little Kids: Muriel/myself (Mugs) and Walter (Wally).
Weldren married Merle Bell and Jean, lithe and red haired, was their first child. Next came Lewellyn (Lewie was always smiling) and Ray. (Ray and I were in the same grade at school.)
Roy married Jeannie Scott and they added two to the Stewart Clan--Clifford (Kip) and Betty Fae. Betty was several years older than I was and the petite member of the group.
Phyllis married Tom Irvine from Pleasant Valley. The Irvines numbered five: Donna (my age), Gordon, Jim and Jaunita (Wandy) and their last child was a son, Neil, born after the war. They lived on a farm at Pleasant Valley and, during the war years, lived in the East.
Florence married Ernest Harrison and their son was named George (Buddy). Bud was a year and a day younger than I. One day a year, January 20th, we celebrated the same age.
During the period I am writing about, Marion, Audrey, Bob and Uncle Bill were unmarried--but to keep things in a sequence, I will complete the Clan as it grew in later years.
Marion married a fine chap named Smitty Asplin and lived in Neepawa.
Audrey moved to the East, completed her degree in Science by working as a secretary; married a Scientist, Philip Braid, and had three sons in Ottawa: Eric, Andrew and Matthew.
Lorimer, or Bob as we all knew him, after long years in the war returned, met and married a nurse, Marion Beacock and their family Tim and Debbi-Kay were raised in Drumheller and Vegreville, Alberta.
And, our youngest uncle (and the only relative called Uncle by all the nieces and nephews) Uncle Bill married Trixie and lives on a farm at Pleasantdale now.
We cousins really didn t have a great many other friends, as a good deal of time was spent at Granny s playing with other members of the Clan.
Now I shall name the Cousins...more or less according to ages, that were around in the early 1940 s to 50 s.
Lorene, Bob and Thelma Paynter, Uncle Bill, Jean Stewart, Kip Stewart, Lew Stewart, Betty Stewart, Ray Stewart, Muriel Paynter, Donna Irvine, Gordon Irvine, Jim Irvine, Bud Harrison, Wally Paynter and later Wandy Irvine.
A Clan Christmas
If the aromas of Granny s kitchen drew us like a magnet throughout the year, as the Christmas Season approached scents of mince tarts, Riley's toffey, chocolate and divinity fudges, together with the traditional Christmas cakes, made us delerious with anticipation.
Upstairs, aunts would be wrapping gifts, sticking stickers and typing ribbons.
Our mitts would be laid round the fender of the Franklin stoves to dry when we came in from playing fox and goose" to get warm and spend time tasting freshly baked cookies and admiring the tree.
That tree!
The home had high ceilings and, as the dining room was 30 feet long, the tree completely filled a corner by the window in that spacious, main gathering room.
Exquisite, ornament moved and glistened in the lights. There were bird ornaments that made bird trills when we blew on them; and an assortment of musical instrument ornaments that played. The horns tooted, the saxaphone sounded there was even a miniature drum ornament. I remember a series of tiny fruit ornaments; silver popcorn balls as fragile as a breath, glass icicles and strings and strings of lights and garlands, finished with piles of presents neath the tree. It was magical.
Of course we had to sample the popcorn balls in the big green bowl on the buffet; home made marshmallows with delicately browned coconut that were light as air; hand-made maraschino chocolates--sheer heaven! The nut bowl was filled with every nut imaginable. Needless to say Japanese oranges disappeared as if by magic.
On stomachs in Granny's parlour kin were involved in great games of Chinese checkers or snakes and ladders. As for we younger ones, sliding down the great staircase on a rug was a never ending delight and games of ring-around-a-rosey, with much falling down on cue, were the order of the day. Of course we heard about it when the falling down part upset the snakes and ladders game!
Christmas Morning itself, began at the Paynter household around 5:00 a.m. First of all we would each claim our stocking and, traditionally the first thing to be eaten was the Japanese orange from the toe. Bowls of homemade candy, popcorn balls, fruit and nuts sustained us through the opening process. We smaller ones seemed almost buried in tissue paper.
Oh! It was grand!
We enjoyed each other s gifts, too. When I received a little rubber baby doll for Christmas, my big brother got it good and dirty with the soot from the poker--so it could be bathed right away. Needless to say, I roared blue murder , and flooded the place with tears!
I still have some little china dolly dishes received that year. I remember my sisters set about to read my story book of Peter Rabbit to Wally and I as soon as their gifts were opened.
After our breakfast (Our Dad loved oysters on Christmas morning) we were all dressed in our new clothes--(Brother Burr always said, It s a poor Christmas if you can t get dressed from neath the tree )--and, after stern lectures before we left regarding our behaviour--off we would all set out for Granny and Grandad s house and the rounds of our various cousins homes to see their loot.
Santa brought Jean Stewart an Eaton s Beauty doll and I remember Betty showing all the cousins how her Wettim s Doll really wet after her bottle. Amazing!
Funny, the cap guns and assorted boy's toys never left too much impression on me. Except I do recall George's big red fire engine that wailed. Wow!
We would all gather at Granny s and smell the Aunts bath salts, inspect Grandad s new shirts and gloves, and admire Granny's new moire housecoat. I remember a year Uncle Bill received new bells for his horses. The Clan had searched hardware stores round-a-bout for miles, and, after finding them, spent hours stuffing the bells with tissues, so Uncle Bill wouldn't hear them jingle when he shook the parcel. He was a terrible shaker and guesser . That year, to everyone s delight, he was completely fooled!
And then it was outdoors again. The older teenagers harnessed the big percherons to the caboose. (A caboose was a little 8 x 8 house on sleighs with a slide window in front and 2 holes for the reins to pass through, benches along the sides and a little door in the back.) The small stove would be fired up and, with the chimney smoking jauntily, we were ready to travel country roads.
We skied along behind or just ran beside the caboose throwing snow balls with much shouting and laughing.
Several saddle horses, Ginger and Baldy, were always along too and some cousins would be holding on to ropes and ski-jouring along
behind the horses.
If one got cold, into the caboose they d tumble to warm by the stove and catch their breath.
Over by Whitticks farm there was a natural ski-hill and lots of other kids would be trying their new equipment there, or skating on the nearby ice.
Clans were great for handing down skates. Jean Stewart became a fancy skater because she inherited Audrey s fancy-skates, and I ve always speed skated because Uncle Bill's speeds fit me at a time when he bought himself a new pair. (I used those speed skates for twenty years!)
Because of the size of the Paynter family, we always had our Christmas dinner at home and then gathered with the group at Granny's later. But many of the other members of the Clan can t remember a Christmas dinner that wasn t eaten at the big gray house in the centre of town.
Granny and Grandad were never happier than when they had the whole family gathered round them at the big house. The carols on the radio, the visiting and laughter continued well into the night.
Finally it would be time to break the spell and head for our homes and own beds....
Granny and Grandad Stewart have been gone for some time...But the love they gave us for so many years is only just a thought away!
Pictures of Florence and Ernie Harrison. The right picture was taken at the Research station in Melort, July of 1971 during a family celebration.
Florence lived to be 100 years old and the following birth announcement appeared in the Melfort Moon on May 6, 1914.
The following picture was probably taken by Florence as her husband is in the picture but she is not.
The following photo shows Geordie dressed as the fire chief driving the town pumper. He said to his wife that he always wanted to get dressed up as a kewpie doll in the carnival. It seems that he was interested in doing things that were different.
The family moved to a home on 4th Avenue and Central Street. Duane recalls visiting this home in the late 1950's. A home in which there was no power. They still used coal oil lamps to light the darkened rooms. On a table in the living room was a stuffed pheasant. In the following picture you can see Geordie having a post meal nap and in the background you can see a couple of the lamps.
The barn was an interesting place for a youngster to play. The hayloft provided a place to explore and the horses were always a treat for a young person from the city. The two black Percheron horses that lived in the barn were called "nigger" and "donald". Geordie had also trained two white horse to tetter totter and they are shown in the following picture. Uncle Bill would Roman ride the two white horses. Roman riding is trick riding where the rider stands on the backs of the two horses as they are moving.
Stewart Erickson, the son of Jean Erickson nee Stewart was reading a book about Grant MacEwan. Grant MacEwan
was a farmer, Professor at the University of Manitoba, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan,
the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both Member of the Legistaltive Assembly and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. In the
book "Grant MacEwan's Journals" that was edited by Max Foran, Mr. MacEwan recalls returning home from the University of Manitoba
for Christmas and meeting his Dad at the station and bumping into Geordie Stewart and the following is a quote from the book:
December 24, 1931 I went home to Melfort for Christmas day. The roads are not fit for a car. Dad met me with the team and sleigh. Fat Geordie Stewart was standing on the platform when Dad and I were leaving the station. My father went up to him and said,"Geordie, I w'd like to make a trade with you." Geordie Stewart, "Allright Mac, what will you have?" Dad, "I w'd like to trade bellies with you until after Christmas."
The Dray barn was torn down, prior to 1962, to make way for a new recreation center in Melfort called the "Northern Lights Palace Arena/Wave Pool". When it was being torn down the following article appeared in the Melfort Journal. The office for the dray business was located on the southeast corner of Crawford Avenue and Main Street north of the old Post Office.
Who, left in the town of Melfort, can remember as a kid, the excitement of going down to Geordie Stewart s barn after school, and slyly grabbing a handful of boiled wheat from the big cooker and big-eyed watched the dray horses as they left their wagons and found their way, unattended to the watering trough and then their own stalls. Who can remember the dreams of riding the range as a cowboy, while sniffing the highly pungent smells of the huge edifice, while old John Meyers, stable boss, bedded down the teams and brought their hay and buckets of boiled wheat and oats.
Such thrills have past for many a boy, who trod the well worn floor and listened to the spicy if somewhat coarse comments of the drivers as they made out their daily work sheets. Gone for years is the organization which put Geordie Stewart at the top of the draying and moving business in Melfort, when team and dray was the only means of service. A service which Geordie excelled in, and which won for him innumerable friends and a saga of stories regarding miraculous feats of strength and ingenuity.
But these were not the attributes which endeared him to so large a number. No, it was the unselfish pioneer spirit, which prompted him to share with his fellow man, his equipment, skill, and knowledge, many times without thought of remuneration. The final act is now being staged, as the huge barn is falling to the dismantler s hammer. Geordie has no need for it, and only his love of horses has kept it in use for the past number of years.
But with its going, go also the dreams of youth, made when this country seemed more content to move at a trot than in high gear.
Geordie is content today to offer his services and expertise to those who want buildings moved not by horses but by tractor.
Lorimer Donald Stewart was called Bob. When Bob was 15 he joined the army just before WWII. When the war began he volunteered to go overseas and fight. He recalled his time in the war with a document you can read by clicking this link.The following is a picture of Bob Stewart, his wife Marion (sitting), Bill Stewart and a friend of Bill's
Bill Stewart was to pick up a load of lumber with his two horses. When he pulled onto the road with his cargo, "Billy", one of the horses, decided he wasn't going to pull anymore. Geordie was going to hook a chain to Billy's neck and persuade him to move. Bill would not let him do that to his horse so Geordie walked over to Billy and punched him just below the ear and the horse fell to the ground knocked out. When the horse came to Bill unhooked the horse and took him back to the barn.
Roy Stewart married Jean and they had two children, Kip and Betty
The family was involved in the community and the following picture shows 4 family members being a part of the
Melfort Fire Brigade in 1938. Here Wilbur Paynter (Sylvia Stewart's husband) is the Fire Chief (centre of first
row at the top). Geordie Stewart (second from bottom on left of picture) was first hydrant man and his two sons
Weldren (third from the bottom on left of picture) was first nozzleman and Roy (first in bottom row).
Phyllis Stewart married Tom Irivine. The following are pictures of her and her wedding anniversary.
The younger Stewart girls were active in sports. Audrey and Marian played hockey. Islay Stewart was Leopold's daughter and is probably the Ila Stewart in the picture. The following is the ladies Hockey Team that they played on at the Melfort rink in 1936.
L - R: Lucille McConnell, Georgia McConnell (Married Merv Kraeling), Audrey Stewart, Delana Pollock, Marian Stewart, Marian McLean (Worked In Safeway), Ila Stewart, Vera Koleda, Gwenlynn McConnell (Married Con Gooderham), Faye Claggett (Married Earl Redman).
When Duane visited Aunt Audrey, in Ottawa, in October of 2014 he asked her what she liked to do. She answered, "Played every sport imaginable.
Played tennis till 75. Best over 80 golfer. When she was young she had an old racquet and practiced against the barn that way it would never go over the
fence and she would not get in trouble with the race horses. She joined the tennis club when she came to Ottawa and won the first tournament
she entered. Melfort s tennis court was clay so Audrey would use the roller to pack the clay as a payment for her membership. Went to the Ontario
Provincials in ladies curling and came in second." When she was growing up in Melfort her best friend Marie Bearman and her would put on figure
skating performances for the town of Melfort. The picture to the right is the outfits that they wore.
Audrey Stewart married Philip Braid when Audrey was working in Ontario
After Aunt Audrey left home and went to Ontario, she would come back once a year to visit Geordie and Etta. On one of these visits in the early sixties, her husband, Philip Braid brought along a tape recorder to record the relatives. He made one recording in Edmonton and two others in Melfort. Click this link to hear voices from the past. Remember that the Stewart's did not have power so Philip had brought along a power inverter to adapt his car battery to run the tape recorder. The following is a picture of the home and barn on 4th Avenue that the Braid's would have visited.
One of the Braid boys riding with Uncle Bill Stewart on the road in front of the house on 4th Avenue. You could see the grandstand at the fair grounds to the south from the back of the barn.
A family reunion and a picture of the Stewart clan.
Click on the link to see a video that includes the reunion and some footage from Bill Stewart working at the feed lot. It will take a little time to load in the new window that opens so be patient. Reunion Video
When Geordie passed away the following article appeared in the Melfort Journal:
Melfort lost one of its most respected and colourful pioneers in the passing of George L. Stewart on Friday, December 28th. He had celebrated his 81st birthday June 18th, 1962.
Mr. Stewart will be long remembered (by those whose connections with Melfort go back to the early days), as a member of a family which contributed more to the welfare and general growth of this town, during its pioneer days, than can generally be recalled.
Born in County York, King Township, Ontario, he came to Melfort in 1903, from Portage la Prairie. On December 6th, 1905, he married the former Etta Guinn and resided on a farm in the Mount Forest district. He had two brothers, Jack and Leopold and this combination could always be found ready and willing to take part in any community activity, lending both their time, physical effort and money to any project requiring it.
Mr. Stewart later moved to Melfort, as did his brothers. He started a draying and moving business and during the early years ran a large business, with his teams busy doing general draying, grocery deliveries, ice hauling in the winter and water hauling in the summer.
His building moving business also expanded as Geordie Stewart became known as the expert to call when any large building needed moving. One of his major operations was the moving of the old Bank of Commerce building to its present location on Crawford Avenue East. He also did the excavation for most of the homes built in the early days. Geordie did not confine his activities to all work. When anyone was in trouble, they could expect help from him. He loaned equipment, succoured the lonely, destitute and despairing and generally was a good samaritan.
He was a life member of the Melfort Agricultural Society, coming forward, when that organization was in financial trouble, to help them out. He was a long-time member of the Melfort fire Brigade and it was his teams who hauled the horse-drawn equipment to many of Melfort s early fires. He retired from the brigade at the age of 60 years.
A man of good size and tremendous strength, he enjoyed swimming and often in the early days used the Saskatchewan river as a place in which to cool off.
His large barn on Crawford Avenue West was the hang-out for many a public school lad on cold winter nights, when they would cluster around the steaming oat cooker taking handfuls of oats intended for the big dray horses. They all loved his twinkling blue eyes and his ever-ready laugh.
Geordie Stewart s passing has broken a link with Melfort s past and those who knew him will ever respect and admire the memory of this man.
One of the highlights of his life in late years was during Sakatchewan s fiftieth anniversary celebrations, when he drove a replica of a covered wagon into the Pion-era celebrations and then this last summer when a family re-union was held at High River. It was on this occasion he enjoyed his first plane ride and he thrilled at this new mode of travel.
The funeral service was held Monday, December 31st. in Melfort United Church with Rev. R. M. Thompson officiating. Interment was in Mount Pleasant cemetery.
Surviving are his wife, five daughters, Sylvia, (Mrs. W. Paynter) Melfort; Phyliss, (Mrs. Tom Irvine) Pleasant Valley; Florence, (Mrs. Ernie Harrison) Grande Prairie, Alta.; Marion, (Mrs. S. Asplin) Neepawa, Man.; Audrey, (Mrs. Phillip Braid) Ottawa; three sons, Roy, High River, Alta.; Bob, Drumheller, Alta.; Bill, Melfort. A son Weldren predeceased him, dying as a result of an accident.
The surviving members of the family were all home for the funeral.
A picture taken after Etta's funeral in 1966.
The following is a tribute to Etta that was published in the Melfort Journal and cut out by Bill Stewart.
The article is as follows:
Mrs. Verena Liletta Stewart, widow of the late Geordie L. Stewart came to the Melfort district in 1891 at the age of two years. She had a continuous residence in Melfort and district for 74 years.
Mrs. Stewart came to the Melfort district with her family (the late A. E. Guinn's), from Minneapolis, Minn. In 1905 she married Geordie L. Stewart, a member of another pioneering family. They lived for a number of years in the Mount Forest district and later in Melfort.
Rev. M. Thompson conducted the funeral service in the Kyle Funeral Chapel. All members of the family were home, including a sister Jane (Mrs. W. J. Irwin), Calgary. Palbearers were six grandchildren. Hymns sung were Rock of Ages and Abide With Me.
Mrs. Stewart was predeceased by a brother Ted, one son Weldren in September 1946 and her husband in December, 1962. She is survived by her three sons: Roy, High River, Alta.; Bob, Vegreville, Alta.; Bill, Melfort. Five daughters: Sylvia (Mrs. W. Paynter), Melfort; Phyllis (Mrs. T. Irvine), Melfort; Florence (Mrs. Ernie Harrison), Grande Prairie, Alta.; Marion (Mrs. M. M. Asplin), Neepawa, Man.; Audrey, (Mrs. Philip Braid), Ottawa. Two brothers: John, Morley, Alta.; Lormer, Vancouver. Three sisters: Mrs. W. J. Irvine (Jane); Mrs. Muirhead (Molly); Mrs. Wilson (Ethel). There are 21 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.
The name of Stewart is well remembered in the Melfort district. It was one noted for hospitality and kindness, help and consolation. During the early days the home of Mr. and Mrs. Geordie Stewart was the collecting place for evenings of good fun and social enjoyment. Mrs. Stewart stood out as the finest example of pioneer mother and friend. Throughout the turmoil of those early days she never lost her humor or pleasant manner. She was a kind and generous friend to all who came to her, and Melfort and district is the better because of her and her husband.
One of Bill Stewart's pastimes was racing in chuckwagon races. The following picture is the team he used when he was living in Pleasantdale and following that picture is a map of the farmland that he owned west of Pleasantdale highlighted in yellow.
In the book Memories of the Past - History of Pleasantdale, Silver Park, Chagoness and Kinistino Indian Band #91 published in 1981 by Pleasantdale and District History Book Committee and printed by Friesen Printers in Altona, Manitoba R0G 0B0, the following appeared on page 725.
Bill and Trixie Stewart moved from Melfort in 1962 to manage Clare Purdy's feed lot, which was located west of Pleasantdale
on SE 6-42-18-W2. In June 1969. the Stewart's bought their first quarter of land from Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Bergeson and, in 1973, they bought two
quarters of land from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Tarry.
For a few years, Bill and Trixie ran a pony chuckwagon outfit.
In May 1974, they were saddened by the death of Clare Purdy, a long time employer and friend. His land was sold to the Land Bank Commission in 1975.
Bill, like his Dad, having admiration for good horses, is now raising Thoroughbred and Arabia horses, along with a commercial herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle.
After Trixie died, Bill retired to a farm due east of Melfort where he lived until he passed on.
When Bill Stewart passed away in December of 2018 most of his estate went to the Telemiracle Foundation. The following is the information that was presented on the Telemiracle Facebook page and during the broadcast of the Telemiracle telethon.
February 28, 2021
WILLIAM STEWART
William Anthony Stewart was born in 1930 and grew up Melfort, SK. Bill worked for his Dad in the draying business, where he developed a love of horses. In 1957, Bill married Trixie Smith. They moved to Prairie River, SK where Bill worked in a lumber mill.
A move took them to Swan River, MB, where Bill worked in the livestock business and trained thoroughbred horses. He continued with the feedlot and cow-calf operation, which he later purchased. He began raising quarter horses and then ventured into Arabians and thoroughbreds.
In 1994 they returned to Melfort and purchased land where they continued enjoying horses. Trixie passed away in 1998 and a couple of years later, Bill returned to breeding horses, raising many foals and quarter horses.
He enjoyed watching chuckwagon races, visiting the barns and he continued riding until age 85.
He always enjoyed watching TeleMiracle and the work they did for the people of Saskatchewan.
Bill passed away in 2018.
Kinsmen TeleMiracle would like to thank Bill for his generous gift of $367,915.70.
Most of the following pargraph was extracted from Weldren’s application to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Weldren completed Grade 9 in Melfort and then left school to work. He was employed by his father, Geordie, as a drayman for 15 years except for 6 months when he worked on highway construction. He then got a job at Macdonald's Consolidated and worked as a clerk and truck driver. For ten years he was a member of the Melfort Fire brigade, a volunteer organization, and became the vice-chief and eventually the Chief in 1942. His sports participation was confined to skating, swimming and hunting,and he claimed he was a good shot.In his spare time he did watch repair and tinkered with cars. His son, Lew, recalls the story of a friend who brought a watch over that kept stopping. As it turned out it was the person's body that caused an electric current to stop the watch. Weldren's solution was to make sure the leather strap seperated the watch from his body by making the strap cover the entire back of the watch. It worked. As part of his dray work, he was able to shoe horses. He was temperate in habit.
Weldren with his horse.
Weldren married Muriel Ella Bell in February 1930. Muriel's father was Thomas Bell and his wife's name was Gertrude (Gertie). Thomas homesteaded in the Star City area due east of the Stewart Homesteads. The following map shows where the homesteads were.
On page 95 of the book "Star City...Pioneer Days to Jubilee Year" published in 1955, the following section appears.
THOS BELL came from Alvinston, Ontario in 1904 with the Campbells. He filed on the South West quarter of section 22-46-17. He worked in the bush, on the railway and later did carpenter work. In 1908 he married Gertrude Tall. After selling his
homestead to Sam Wozniak, Mr. and Mrs. Bell moved to Star City and then to Brooksby. They kept a boarding house in both places. They retired to Melfort in about 1929. They had four children, two boys and two girls. Archie married
Christina Moore of Melfort. They live at Abernethy and have a general store. They have three children. Edna married Geo. Needham and lives in Edmonton, Alta. They have five children. Muriel married Weldren Stewart of Melfort. They have three
in their family. Harry is express agent at the C.N.R. depot in Melfort and married Irene Dahl of Kinistino. They have four children.
Mr. Bell passed on in October 1953 at 81 years of age. Mrs. Bell resides with her son Harry.
On the 1931 census George (Weldren) and Muriel are living in Melfort with their 3 month old daughter, Dorothy (Jean). The person doing the census did not record the address properly as it indicates they are living on "block 22". They were renting the house for $12 per month. Click here to see the census document.
Muriel and Weldren had three children:
Ray Jean Lew
Jean Lew Ray
Back row: Muriel and Weldren
Front row: Lew Ray Jean
Weldren with his two sons Lew on the left and Ray on the right
Weldren liked to have fun just like his father. In 1940-41, Lew was going to be a calf with a costume made out of burlap bags. Weldren was going to be the cowboy and lasso the calf. His costume was made out of an old banana crate and burlap. They would do their routine on the ice so both were wearing skates. When it came time to do their performance Lew would not let Weldren catch him as he skated around the rink out of the reach of Weldren. Needless to say, Weldren was a little perturbed. The picture below was either taken before or after their routine.
In 1941 the government of Canada needed to raise money to pay for their war efforts. It used a war savings certificate to do this. Click here to see the brochure that advertised these money raisers. Weldren bought one of these certificates probably because of the following advertisement that appeared in the Melfort Journal on March 14, 1941. He would have purchased it for $4.00 and then after seven and a half years it would be worth $5.00. If you look to the left of the advertisement for war savings certificates you will see an ad for the DRAYING business Geordie owned. Note that the office is located next to the Post Office on Main Street a landmark in Melfort.
Alison Sundeen (Weldren's granddaughter) discovered this certificate at the Fort Qu'Appelle museum. Muriel Stewart, Weldren's wife, must have given it to someone who in turn donated it to the museum. It looks like Muriel redeemed it on April 15, 1951 for the full five dollars.
Towards the end of the war he enlisted and became a gunner in the artillery. Roy Stewart, the second oldest wouldn't go to war so Weldren went even though he was the oldest and the oldest wasn't supposed to go. Weldren lived with Audrey in Toronto in 1943 before he went to Petawawa. Audrey introduced Weldren to a friend Peggy Baerg. This friend and her parents really liked Weldren so they invited him over and he demonstrated how to rope. He put a large loop into the rope and twirled it around. They were impressed. Audrey said, If a Stewart was good at something they would want you to know it.
Weldren served in the Canadian Army. He enlisted in Regina on October 12, 1943 and served until May 20, 1946. He was paid $1.50 a day. He completed basic training November 2, 1943 and was promoted to Gunner. He trained at C.A.T.C. A2 "D" battery (Canadian Artillery Training Centre Petawawa) from ???? to April 29, 1944. He completed part 1 of RCA (Royal Canadian Artillery) training on January 15, 1944 and advanced artillery training on March 15, 1944 as a non-tradesman and did not want to pursue the tradesman classification.
Weldren is in the second row and third from the left
When Weldren was in Petawawa he became friends with Turk Broda, a Hockey Hall of Fame goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lew says he received a birthday card from his dad for his twelfth birtday in 1942 signed by Mr. Broda. He doesn't know what happened to the card but thinks it would probably
be worth something today.
While Weldren was away from home, Ray Stewart, his son, sent letters to him and Weldren responded. The following are the letters that were provided by Ray's son, Kelly Stewart. These were Weldren's responses to Ray's letters.
November 21, 1943 - Weldren sends a two page letter to Ray from Petawawa.
December 9, 1943 - Weldren sends a one page letter to Ray.
Sometime in December Weldren sends another letter to Ray from Petawawa.
January 29, 1944 - Weldren sends a two page letter to Ray from Ottawa.
Gunner Stewart was then sent overseas on April 29. 1944 to Britain where he was prepared to be a reinforcement for the troops in Europe. He served with the 12th battery of the 7th Medium Royal Canadian Artillery. up to December 3, 1944. He was in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. From Dec 3, 1944 to February 6, 1945, Weldren was admitted to the hospital with Furunculosis (boils). On May 7, 1945 he was in Belgium according to his pay book.
January 21, 1945 - Weldren sends a three page letter to Ray from somewhere in Belgium.
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The picture to the right is a cap badge that Weldren had in his possession. It is probably the cap badge for the British Royal Fusiliers that Weldren may have
received from another soldier when he was in England. It was not the cap badge that he would have worn.
The 7th Medium Regiment was raised in September 1939 with the mobilization of four Ontario militia field batteries - the 12th (London), 45th (Lindsay), 97th (Walkerton) and 100th (Listowel). In the period from then until February 1941 during which time the Regiment was at Petawawa. There were a number of organizational changes from which emerged the 7th Army Field Regiment RCA, consisting of the 12th, 45th and 97th Batteries.
The 7th continued its training at Petawawa and in New Brunswick until November 1941, when it went overseas, to England, where it spent over two an a half years in constant training. A major change occurred in November 1943 when the regiment was converted from Field to Medium, and gave up its 25 pounders for the much bigger 5.5 inch which were 100 pound shells. In the process it became a two battery regiment and the 97th Battery was disbanded, most of its personnel, however, being absorbed by the other two larger batteries.
The following information that is bold would have been when Weldren was serving overseas.
The war for the 7th Medium became the real thing when it crossed the Channel in the second week in July 1944, and from then until the end of the fighting in the first week of May 1945 it took part in all the major battles and actions in which the Canadian Army was engaged: Normandy, the Seine crossing, the Channel ports (Boulogne and Calais), the Scheldt, Bergen op zoom, Nijmegen salient, the Rhineland, the Rhine crossing, the advance through central and northern Holland, and finally across the Ems river into north west Germany.
The 7th Medium fired its first round in anger at Rots, near Caen, Normandy shortly after 1800 hours on 13 July 1944, and its last, also shortly after 1800 hours from its last gun position at Veenheusen in Germany, a short distance from Emden on 4 May 1945.
In the course of 10 months in action, the 7th occupied about 60 gun positions, fired nearly 70,000 rounds of 100 pound shells in support of three Canadian divisions, most of the British divisions and the Polish armoured division, all of 21 Army Group.
The major battles in which the 7th was engaged were of course Normandy, the Scheldt and the Rhineland. The fire program for the opening of the latter is reported to have been the largest in the West during the war: at 0500 hours on 8 February 1945, 1,400 British and Canadian guns of all calibres opened fire at once in support of the British 30th Corps, consisting for the opening of the battle of four British divisions and the 2nd Canadian Division attacking east from Nijmegen into Germany. Included in the preliminary bombardment Which ended at 0930 hours, were 16 medium regiments (13 RA and three RCA). This was followed at 1000 hours by the 2 1/2 hour barage in support of 30 corps infantry attacking into Germany. In the ten months in which the 7th Medium was in action it had 124 casualties, of which 35 were killed and 89 wounded (some of the latter returned to the unit on recovery).
The picture below is a gunnery group from the 7th medium regiment. This could be a picture of Weldren as he fought in the war.
A scan of the book "7th Canadian Medium Field Regiment" which documents the war experience of the regiment can be read by clicking this link. The part that has been scanned is the time when Weldren would have been overseas in England, Holland, Belgium and Germany as highlighted in the map below.
The following is a map showing the route the artillery followed as they moved through Europe (The yellow line).
For serving in World War II Weldren received 4 medals. From left to right they are:
ID Discs, sometimes called "dog tags" though this seems to be more of an American term, were the primary means of
identifying soldiers who had become casualties. The upper disc, octagonal in shape, was to be worn around the neck suspended on a cord. The second, red,
disc, was to be suspended on another short length of cord, itself suspended from the first cord. The desire was to have one disc remain with the body in
the event the soldier was killed. In the event a body could be reached but not brought back for burial, the red disc was to be removed to allow for proper
notification of unit and next of kin, with the upper disc remaining with the body to ensure proper identification when the body was in a position to be
recovered. These were the Identity discs (dog tags) that Weldren wore in the Second World War.
The disc contained the soldiers number. Weldren's was L107121. The L indicated the military district he was from "L" being Saskatchewan
and the 107121 indicated his regiment and personal number. The GNR was his rank of gunner.
W G Stewart was his initials and surname. UC meant he stated his religion as United Church. CDN
meant he was a Canadian soldier.
The lower disc contained the same information as the upper tag and would be taken if the soldier was killed to be given to headquarters to confirm the soldiers death.
The Melfort Journal published in a number of papers in the middle 1940's an honour roll of those serving in the armed forces during World War II. The following picture is a picture of one of the pages on October 19, 1945. In the right most column you can see Bob Stewart and Weldren Stewart's names. The other Stewarts that are listed are probably not related.
When Weldren returned from the war, he worked for his Dad moving buildings. It was on one of these moves that he was accidentally killed. There was a guy wire in the way and Weldren went up on the roof of the building they were moving to lift it out of the way. As he pulled on the wire he fell backwards against the power line and was electrocuted. This was one day after his 38th birthday. Click this link to view the newspaper article that appeard in the Mefort Moon on October 3, 1946. This happened on the Naisberry corner between Melfort and Tisdale.
That day as Lew rode home on his bike at 3:00, Aunt Audrey called over the fence to say that his dad had been killed. Lew went to the barn and wrapped his arms around the neck of the saddle horse that he rode at the time and cried for an hour.
Jean, Lew's sister, married Vernard Erickson and farmed 22 km south of Star City in the district of South Star until 1997 when they retired and moved into the town of Star City.
Ray joined the navy when he was 16 and served for 4 years. After leaving the navy he became a plumber. He married Marie Lothian and they had three children, Rae Ann, Danny and Timmy.
Lew is riding the horse in the picture below and it belonged to Berle Gunderson and was called Dolly. Lew would eventually marry Berle after divorcing his first wife, Ella.
After Weldren's death, Muriel moved to Regina where she worked for Regina Dry Cleaners till she retired. She lived with Roy Peters who became her common-law-husband.
The little girl in the photo is Carol and Dieter Lindner's daughter. They were on their way from Winnipeg to Edmonton where they were moving. They stopped in to see Aunt Muriel and Roy.
Thomas Llewellyn Stewart or Lew was born November 16, 1932 in Melfort, Saskatchewan, the second of three children to
Weldren and Muriel Stewart. His first name, Thomas is after his Grandfather Thomas Bell. His second name Llewellynn is after his other Grandfather George Llewellyn
Stewart. This is the name that Lew used for his Social Insurance Number, Health Card, Driver's License and any documents of importance. When Lew was in his eighties
it was discovered that his name on his birth certificate is Thomas Llewllynn Stewart. Lew recalls living on Stovel Avenue and walking to the elementary school where
he eventually finished his grade eight. His sister Jean reached grade eleven and his brother Ray grade eight. The picture on the right is Lew on the sidewalk in front
of his house in Melfort.
Lew worked for his grandfather in the draying business after his father was killed. He would help raise buildings and move them using a team of horses. One day Lew and Uncle Bill got up early one winter day and took a load of hay with the sleigh. It was a clear day with crystals in the air and the sleigh runners squeeked in the snow. When they got back home that night, Etta said that the temperature was fifty below.
One of his chores was to take the cattle out to the pasture that was located where the present day golf course is. He used his own horse, Red, to maneuver his cattle through town out to the pasture. Sometimes the cattle were not very cooperative and they would take their sweet time going and returning from the barn. Lew would let his horse nip at the tales of the cows to give them a little incentive to move faster. One day, Red, had got loose in the barn and found a cow and chewed the tail right off. Lew heard about this from Geordie and was in the dog house for awhile because he had "taught" his horse to nip at the tails of the cattle.
Lew had also taught his horse to rear on it's hind legs when he said "Hup". It was Geordie's practice to rent out the riding horses and one day he decided that he was going to rent out Red to a girl for her to ride. After the girl had gotten on to the horse, Geordie was going to get Red to start so he said "Hup Red" and of course Red reared and the girl was through off. Once again, Lew was in trouble for teaching his horse to do different tricks.
Another time they were moving a house, in the winter months, and Lew had gone to the work site the day before in a truck with one of the people that was supposed to help move the building. The truck wasn't very warm so Lew reached up under the dash to see if the fan was blowing. When he put his fingers into the blower they were cut up pretty bad and he wrapped them in a rag to keep from getting blood all over the place. He stayed over night with the driver of the truck. When he got up to go to work the next day, he again wrapped his fingers and put on his mitts. Lew was told by Geordie that he was to drive the 8 horse team that were pulling the house. When the building was lifted and ready to move Geordie told him "when I say go, you let the team go and don't stop for anything till you get on the road". Lew used a whip to get the horses around the field and back onto the road. It must have been quite an ordeal because when Lew took his mitts off his fingers were bleeding again. When Geodie saw the cut fingers he asked Lew why he hadn't said anything because someone else could have driven the team. Lew's thoughts were that when Geordie said to do something it was supposed to get done and that is why he never mentioned his cut fingers. After the move, it was Lew's job to return the equipment back to town. It was very cold out and he had to stop and warm up at a strangers farm on the way home.
The following picture is Lew as a goalie for the Melfort Motor Maple Leafs in the 1946 - 1947 season.
Lew says he learned a lot during his short tenure with the dray business. Two things that stand out for him were a "saddle for a sow" and "a cat's paw".
The saddle for a sow was really a "v notch" in a log that would hold another log. The notch would prevent the inserted log from rolling creating a saddle for
the top log. The cat's paw was a way of fastening a steel cable. You could not tie a knot in the cable like you would a rope so the procedure was to loop
the cable around an object then lay it back on itself. As the cable tightened it would hold the lower cable from slipping.
A funny story is told about the riding horses that Lew and Bill rode. They were hitched up to a wagon one day as 4 bags of chop had to be delivered to the twelve mile farm. The horses would not pull the wagon with the heavy load. Lew and Bill unloaded the wagon and for some reason the horses would pull the empty wagon. No one knows whose idea it was but as the horses pulled the empty wagon with Lew driving, Bill would throw on a bag of chop and then Lew would circle around and another bag of chop would be added to the load. This continued till all four bags were loaded. They then continued to the twelve mile farm and unloaded the cargo. Another case of Stewart ingenuity.The picture to the right is Lew with Bill Stewart's horse, Flirt.
In Melfort, Lew started to learn a trade. He worked for Burrows Sheet metal learning to be a sheet metal worker. This lead to him moving onto the Grain Grower's Plumbing and Heating and learning the plumbing trade.
In the late forties, Lew moved to Regina and lived with Roy Peters and his two sons Doug and Keith. Roy was a friend of Weldren's from his military days. Lew worked for Waterman and Waterbury when he first got to Regina as an apprentice plumber. He then worked at Western Tractor as that was where Roy worked. When he got his plumbing papers he worked for Raino Plumbing and then finally with Regina Heating and Electric under the ownership of Mr. Bill Pantel. Roy, Keith and Lew moved to a small home on Lorne Street where Muriel, his mother, would join them.
Roy Peters - Muriel Stewart - Nora & Richard Huber
This home was next door to the Huber s, a family with two children, a daughter Ella and a son Harold. Lew asked Ella out on a few dates and eventually they were engaged on March 21, 1952. They would be married on August 31, 1952.
Lew Ella Irene Schmidt Myron Hoffas
They rented an apartment on Albert and 12th avenue where they would have friends over like Irene Schmidt, Myron Hoffas and Gordon Smith. Duane was born during this time. Things must have gotten a little rowdy as they were asked to leave this rental location. They then moved to a home on 420 block Montreal street close to the Imperial Oil refinery. The owner of the house, Mr. Ross Bowerman was so kind that he sold the home and a double lot to Lew and Ella very cheap. They had two borders live with them. They were Jim Pentilchuck and John Huculak. The story has it that Jim took Duane downtown on the bus and as they were riding, Duane saw a gravel truck drive by. He hollered "Grandpa's F**k" which meant Grandpa's truck. Jim was a little embarrassed. Darlene and Donna were born at this address.When Duane was baptized, his God parents were Jean & Vern Erickson and Ernest & Molly Wagner. In the picture below we see them standing at the back door of 503 Lorne Street. Alison Sundeen remembers playing store and using the window at the back as the place customers would come and buy things.
This is picture of the family on Montreal street in August of 1955. Ella, Lew, Darlene and Duane.
Lew worked at Regina Heating and Electric. He was a hard worker and a good plumber (Ella's words). He was paid 10 cents an hour more than a journeyman even though he did not have his journeyman papers. His pay was 90 cents an hour which was very good pay back then. Lew wanted to have his own business, so he and a friend, Paul Wild, went into partnership and set up a business in Fort Qu'Appelle. The family moved into a building on the main street that used to be a bakery. Bob Paynter, Lew's cousin, came and worked for them, so his family (Margaret and Sylvia) moved to the Fort too. Eventually Bob would move to Kipling and start the company there as it's supervisor.
In the early part of 1957, Lew attended plumbing school in Saskatoon to obtain his journeyman's ticket in plumbing. Ella was pregnant with Brenda and they family lived in the Fort. When it came time to have the baby, Ella stayed in Regina with her parents and Brenda was born on Friday, February 22, 1957. The following are some letters that Ella sent to Lew while she was in the hospital and later at her parent's home.
On Sunday February 24 Ella wrote the following letter from the hospital on 5" x 8" paper. She gave it to Lew at the hospital for Lew to read when he got back to Saskatoon. See scan of original lettter.
Dear Lew,
Well I hope you got back all, safe & in one piece I mean.
I have a couple of cramps & pain now, so I can't think too clearly as to what I will write, as long as it is something eh? I haven't weighed myself yet, but in my letter to you I will let you know if I lost any. I hope I can lose 5 lbs. before I leave the hospital. (big joke.)
It is going to be awfully lonesome, without you coming up to see me. I will probably be homesick about Tuesday. Maybe Grenz will let me out Friday, but I have my doubts. If you get to town before 8, Friday, find out if I am still here, & if I am, come up & see me. I might need a nickle to phone you Sat. morning to pick me up. If you don't get up I will phone you Friday at mom's about 8:45, you should be in by then. Don't drive fast though, so nothing happens, take care.
Be sure you get up in time for school now. I haven't much to write, so this letter will only keep you up a couple of minutes, so you can't blame me if your tired in the morning.
Well honey, I think I will close for now. This letter was for you to read when you got back to Saskatoon to show that I was thinking of you, of course your on my mind all the time anyway, whether I show it or not.
Bye for now Lew. I love you very much, & miss you dreadfully as I only saw you for a couple of hours this weekend. I sure will look forward to next weekend.
With all my love,
Ella
xxxxxxxxxx
On Monday, February 25, 1957, Ella wrote and mailed the following letter, again on 5" x 8" paper. Lew was living at 1128 Avenue B, North, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. See scan of original lettter.
Dear Lew,
Well here I am again. I hope you got back okay? After you left last night I heard the news & they were warning people to care because the roads were slippery. That got me worrying of course, so when the nurse came around with
pills & asked if I wanted a sleeping pill, I thought I better take it or else I wouldn't have gotten any sleep worrying about you. I took the pill when I got the baby & by the time they came & got her I was so dopey I could
hardly see. (I felt like I was under the influence of liquor - half tanked you know.
Well I phoned Amelia early this morning to see how she was getting along with Donna. She said Donna was okay, with the exception of a slight cold, but Amelia said she didn't cough during the night so she thought Donna was getting rid of it. She said Donna climbs up on the chesterfield & rocks back & forth, which is amusing to the kids, but Elaine was disappointed because Donna doesn't like to be fooled around by her. Amelia said if she gets cranky they will take her to moms, but as long as she stays the way she is, they will keep her there for a while yet. Paul was going to leave a $30 cheque with mom, that is how much he was going to withdraw.
I was talking to mom too, I guess she is coming up tonight. She said you seemed in a poor mood when you left last night, she thought it was because no one drove you to the hospital. She said that dad would have driven you here if they would have known you were coming up here then, but they thought you went to your moms for a minute.
I got my heart checked this afternoon, quite a treatment. I guess I won't know the results until tomorrow when the doctor comes in. Dr. Grenz was here today too, but we never talked because the heart specialist was just talking to me, so all he asked was, if Dr. Munkley saw me today? I said "yes" & away he went. That machine they have for the heart is quite the machine. They put straps around my ankles & my wrists, then had wires leading to the machine, & another thing that looks like a breast pump which they put on my chest about 5 different places. I guess you won't know the results until you get back.
I registered the baby today, so her name is Brenda Lou now.
I think I told you everything that happened today so I have to call it quits. I will see you next weekend. Hope I get home then. Bye for now dear & please take care when you come back.
With all my love
Ella
xxxxxxx
On Tuesday, March 5, 1957, Ella wrote the following 3 page letter on 5" x 8" paper and mailed to Lew at 1128 Avenue B, North, Saskatoon on March 6. See scan of original lettter.
Dear Lew,
Well honey here I am again. It's pretty late already but I thought I better write you tonight, so you get this letter by Thursday.
Say Bob phoned & said that you are to meet Mrs. Davies of the Sask Arts Board, Thursday or Friday at the Patricia Hotel at Saskatoon. I guess she is staying there, so don't forget eh. He congratulated us on our daughter & said that he wants a drink of whisky.
Otto's Martha went to the hospital last night. She is suppose to get an operation tomorrow I think on a growth in her. I hope she gets over it okay.
Jakey & Katie were in today. They were here for supper, then after supper they went to grandma's. Jim Pentlichuk was her & he & dad were playing rap poker, so dad got me to phone Carl & Emma to come over and then mom came back from grandmas, after I got the kids to sleep I played too. I lost 10¢. I think Jim ws the only winner. He made about $1.00.
Last night Bob and Audrey were here. Is Audrey ever filled out in her face. She looks real good that way though.
Well your daughter has her nights & days mixed up. Last night she started fussing at 10 o'clock until about one. I fell asleep with her in my bed & when she woke up at 5 the light was still on. Tonight it seems like the same thing is happening. Its 11:30 already & she is still cranky, so I guess I won't get much sleep again. No rest for the wicked they say.
Well Lew I think I will close now, so I can get this little monkey to sleep. Its hard to write with her in my arms. Bye for now, see you Friday night.
Miss you honey
Love
Ella & kids
xxxxxx
On March 12, 1957 Ella wrote the following 4 page letter on 5" x 8" paper and mailed it to Lew in Saskatoon. It looks like Ella wrote the letter using a pencil as it is very faint so the scan is also very faint. It is amusing that she usually signed off with her name and then multiple x's indicating kisses. In this letter she doesn't use the x's but adds the PS. See scan of original lettter.
Dear Lew,
I don't suppose you expect a letter from me, but here I am anyway. I am home by myself, so its a good chance to write to you.
Mom & dad went to Vargas tonight & Harold went to Raymond's to help him fill out his income tax. I filled mom and dads out Sunday night. They have to pay $79.15. I sure would like to know what we have to pay.
Duane sure is interested in T.V. tonight. Roy Rodgers is the m.c. on the Chevy show, they have a rodeo on & Trigger did some dances a while ago.
I cut Donna's hair in the front, made bangs. They don't hang in her face now & don't look so messy. She looks cute too with her hair like that. Your mom said that Donna reminds her of Jean when she was a little girl, with her hair like that.
Your mom bought a shawl for Brenda today. It sure is nice. Mom took Duane with her up town today & they met your mom up town, so when he came home he said he saw grandma up town, I asked him which one? (thinking of grandma Hubick or Huber) and he said to me "Roy's grandma". I had to laugh when he said that.
Roy is off of work too, with a sprained ankle. You probably know about it, because it happened Sun. while fishing. He stopped in here Mon. afternoon, brought the kids some candies.
Mike, Lydia & uncle Carl were here last night, we played rap poker. I made 5¢, so I still have my dollar. I need tobacco tomorrow, so that will mean I have to break my dollar.
Tomorrow night Carl and Minnie Missekavitz are coming. They want to see the kids. Probably play cards again.
Have you gone skating yet? I suppose you are getting ready for the big party. I hope you have a good time, but don't forget about me eh.
I suppose you had a poor trip back to Saskatoon Sun. night. Mom and dad said it sure was blizzarding out in the country.
Well honey I will sign off for now. See you Friday night eh, & I miss you very much Lew.
All my Love,
Ella
P.S. I will keep my kisses until I see you again.
The family moved from the main street of Fort Qu'Appelle to a house by the river which connected Echo lake to Mission lake. The following is a picture of the little ones in front of the house by the river in October of 1959.
Don was born, in the hospital in Balcarres, while the family lived in this house. The family then moved to a house on the south of the tracks and the train station east of the drive in theater. Duane remembers sitting on the roof of outdoor toilet and watching what was showing at the drive in. Ella babysat Rae Ann, (Ray and Marie's daughter, Lew's brother) and 3 Ollenberg boys. Lew's partnership with Paul Wild dissolved. Ray and Lew joined partnership, which lasted maybe six months and that also dissolved. Lew once again tried partnering with Paul Pantel. Because business slowed down quite a bit, the company's finances weren't all that great, so Lew and Paul didn't get pay checks, so they moved back to Regina. The family lived in Fort Qu'Appelle for about three years and Ella says "they never did get to enjoy the beaches." because Lew was always busy with customers who came out to their cottages on the weekends and needed plumbing done.
Donna, Brenda and Darlene in the backyard of grandpa and grandma Huber's on 503 Lorne Street
The family moved back to Regina to a rental home at 963 Broder Street. Lew had a job at Regina Heating and Electric. They didn't live there long and then were able to move back into their home on 420 Montreal Street.
The Journey Man's certificate below was issued to Lew on May 10, 1960.
He received his Master certificate later that year on October 17, 1960 as it appears in the photograph below
The family was able to buy a new home at 1533 Regent street. It was here that the last three children were born, Ivy, Randy and Alison. Lew was able to get employment at Furnaceman and then was hired by Mr. Ed Geis, the owner of Galvan Plumbing and Heating.
When the final tally was submitted they had eight children:
The following picture is the family celebrating Christmas at Grandma and Roy's on Lorne Street.
The following picture is in front of the home on Regent street. The children are Dean Jeske, a neighbour, Darlene, Donna and Duane in the back with Brenda and Don in the front.
The following picture is the family celebrating Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma Huber's on Lorne Street.
The family attended Glen Elm Lutheran Church and the children went to Glen Elm elementary school. They lived on Regent street for 10 years. The picture that follows was taken for the Glen Elm Lutheran Church phone directory of Stewart family.
Backrow: Duane Ella Lew Donna Darlene
Middle row: Don
Front row: Ivy Randy Alison Brenda
In 1970 the family moved to 35 Matheson Crescent. Around 1973 Lew was approached by Mr. Geis and asked if he would be interested in buying Galvan. Lew accepted the offer and started a new company in partnership with Jim Jurista and Walter Lang called Galvan Plumbing and Heating (1971) Ltd. Ella became the secretary for this new company, answering phones, invoicing, bank statements and bookkeeping. As time went by a company by the name of Nordic Construction offered Lew a plumbing management position and Lew accepted the job so the business changed it's name to Nordic Plumbing and Heating. The family then moved to 35 Matheson Crescent.
On Matheson Crescent the children attendeded 5 different schools. Al Pickard, Balfour, Central, Sherwood and Thom. It was also around this time that Lew started building houses. Each one he built the family would move to. The first one was on 1200 block Wallace Street. The second was a duplex on 900 block Wallace Street. The family lived into the north part of the duplex. Duane was married when they lived here. The third and fourth were two houses on 200 block of Angus Street. The last home was built with a wooden basement at 546 Montague. Darlene moved out on her own at this time. Donna and Bill were married and moved into the house on 229 Angus Street. Lew started a new job with Neuls Construction.
It was at this time that Lew and Ella would be divorced. Lew would remarry in 1985 to Beryl Gunderson and would move back to his place of birth, Melfort. Ella would get a job with XL Mechanical and later with Heath Water Heater Rentals to live an independent life till her death in 2023. It was during her independence that she learned to drive and was able to attend sporting events and social gatherings driving her mother and herself.
Lew and Beryl on their wedding day, February 5, 1985.
Alison Ivy Don Ella Brenda Donna Darlene Duane
In Melfort, Lew started another business called Aqua Mech Services which specialized in water treatment and sewage lift stations. His helper on his projects was Beryl as we see in the following picture.
In 1987 Lew retired from plumbing and spent his winters in Arizona and summers back in Melfort till 2015 when he decided to stay put in Melfort for the whole year.
Lew and Beryl in 2018.
From left to right: Uncle Bill (Weldren's brother), Josiah Stewart (Weldren's great great grandson), Lew Stewart (Weldren's son), Duane Stewart (Weldren's grandson) and Edward Stewart (Weldren's great grandson)
