Armstrong Family History (1983) by Lily Armstrong Spetch and Mary Armstrong Briggs

1983

Armstrong Family History Compiled by Lily Armstrong Spetch and Mary Armstrong Briggs.

(Scanned by Peter Briggs, 2024-01-01, with optical character recognition. Text manually edited to remove scan/OCR errors. Text left as per original.)

James Armstrong (our Grandfather) was born in Ireland in County Armagh. At about 19 years of age he became gardener at the Tillyone House Estate, owned by Anne Jane Campbell's father. Anne Jane (one of 3 daughters) and James became friends. This was frowned upon by her parents as it was beneath her station to be seen talking to the help. Her father told her she would be disowned if it continued. They met secretly and planned an elopement. She saved enough money for her passage and he signed on to work his passage to Canada. They were married Dec. 19, 1879 at ages 21 and 23 in Enniskillen, staying in hiding for 2 days, then setting sail. It took 12 days to cross and Jane Anne (our Grandmother) was very very ill, as it was a rough winter crossing. They landed in Montreal and went to Hull, where Grandfather's brother (Adam) was working. They got work on a farm. Grandmother had to work in the house for which she was ill fitted as she had always been waited on by servants. Grandfather too was too green to last long on that farm and soon they were on to work on another farm. The story goes that Grandmother regretted the elopement all her life. The following Oct. 10, 1880 a son, John Campbell Armstrong (our father) was born, at Hull, Que. They moved from Hull, Que. to Orangeville, Ont. There Grandfather worked for quite some time with cattle and a fruit orchard. Three more children were born there. In the following years there were more children 8 in all: John Campbell (as mentioned), Frederick William, Robert James, Elizabeth Jane, Allen Andrew, Martha May, Charles Anthony, Adam Edward.

From Orangeville they moved to Toronto and Grandpa worked in the stockyards. Eventually they bought a farm at Milton, Ont. When they retired they lived in Erindale.

They are buried in the Anglican, Church cemetery there and the inscriptions on the gravestones are

Anne Jane Armstrong died March 5, 1934 age 79.

James Armstrong died Jan. 2, 1936 age 80.

Our father had very little schooling about grade four. He went to work in a slaughter house where he learned the butchering trade. He didn't learn to read extensively but looked forward to and enjoyed the Family Herald and Free Press, farm papers we subscribed to for many years. Our Mother, Margaret Campbell (no relation of our father's mother) was born June 27, 1880 at 101 West Moreland Street Belfast Ireland. She came to Canada with her parents William and Mary Ann (nee Sturgeon) Campbell in July of 1889. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1856. She was born in 1856 in Hillsboro, County Down, Ireland. They were married in 1879.

He had been a Policeman and then in the manufacture of umbrellas in Belfast. We had a letter of recommendation verifying his good workmanship and character given to him by then William Dickinson and Company, Manufacturers of Umbrellas and Parasols, Queens Arcade 29 Donegal Place, 47 Donegal Street, Belfast. Signed by William Dickinson. There were three other children in the Campbell family, Colin, born Jan. 1st 1890 in Toronto, Lillian born 1882, died 1893 and William who died in infancy. They landed in Montreal and settled in Toronto. Grandpa was in the umbrella business there. Lily remembers having several very pretty umbrellas when she was young.

Our Mother went to work in Timothy Eaton’s Store as a parcel girl when she was 14. Later she became a seamstess for that company. For her 18th birthday she had a trip back to Ireland in 1898. She must have had quite a good education or she educated herself as she was an avid reader and read to whenever she had the time.

Colin at the age of 12 or 13 was out shooting with a friend, a gun accidently discharged and the flesh from elbow to hand was injured, resulting in his little finger and ring finger being permanently crippled. Our Mother told the story of how they used therapy in those days as his whole hand was crippled at first. He was to start using his hand by lifting one sheet of paper, then on to more grasping and lifting until he could use his hand and arm very well.

In 1911 Colin came to Alberta with a friend Harry Newman. He was a self taught bookkeeper and worked for several coal mine companies over the years. He was involved in the naming of the town of Nacmine (near Drumheller) after North American Colliers. In 1914 he tried to join the army during the first world war but was turned down.

Grandpa and Grandma came west to a homestead that Uncle Colin had filed on for them. He filed on it on May 15, 1911, it was S.W. ¼ Sec. 2, Twp. 58, WS. On the application for the homestead he is listed as being 54 years of age, of Irish ancestry, a manufacturer, resident of Toronto having a wife and 2 children. He got the title to the farm Jan. 4th 1916. Our Mother and Lily and Waverley went to visit them. a month after they had arrived at Macrorie, Sask. in April 1912 . This was paid for by Uncle Colin. In later years Grandpa moved from the homestead to a farm south of Cherhill. He had the name Meadowview given to the area around where his homestead was and it is still known by that name.

Colin married Janet Anne Howe (born in Cupar, Scotland in 1892) in 1919. Their first home was in Nacmine and they moved to Cadomin in 1921. They had 3 children born there. Bruce born in 1923, Mary Jean in l925 and Hugh in 1928. Colin was owner of the Cadomin Mercantile Co. In 1929 they moved to Cherhill and owned the Cherhill Mercantile Store until they returned to Cadomin in 1935. They moved again in 1942, this time to Edmonton. Aunt Jan died in 1946 after being in ill health for several years. In 1949 Colin and Hugh moved to a farm west of Edmonton in the Woodbend district.

Colin retired in 1954 as Vice President of the Cadomin Coal Co. After spending about 2 years being responsible for closing the mine at Cadomin, due to the loss of a market because of diesel fuel in lieu of coal for railways. He had an office in the McLeod Building in Edmonton during the close down period and made many motor trips to Cadomin. Colin died in 1960 and is buried in the Edmonton Cemetery in Edmonton as is Janet. Bruce was in the Canadian Navy during the second world war and while stationed in St. Hyacinth, Quebec he met and married Pheobe Spurrell of Montreal in 1945. She was a bank employee and later became proficient in weaving and took courses in design arts. After the end of the war Bruce apprenticed as a carpenter and later formed the Camwill Construction Co. They have 4 boys, Colin born 1946, Douglas in 1951, William in 1948 and Robert in 1953.

Jean took Commerce at the University of Alberta. She married Gordon Proctor a civil engineer in Edmonton in 1949, moved to Smith Falls, then to Toronto and now live in Nanaimo, B.C. They have one daughter, Laura Jean born 1952, 2 sons Richard Hugh 1954, Gordon Cambell (Cam) 1958. Hugh graduated in Agriculture from the University of Alberta in 1952. In 1953 he married Sheila Shand a teacher in later years she went on to get her doctorate in early childhood education. She taught at the University of Alberta, worked for the City of Edmonton, now has her own consulting firm. Hugh farmed with his father until 1960. They then moved to Kinsella to set up the Kinsella Ranch for the University of Alberta in 1960 and 1961. Between then and 1969 in Edmonton he arranged the dispersal of the Old Hermitage Farm, moved to Lethbridge where he worked for Trans Canada Freezers, then back in Edmonton he freelanced in importation of livestock. He was again hired by the University of Alberta as farm manager and now as coordinator of import and export of livestock. Hugh and Sheila have four children, Howard born in 1957, Duncan in 1959, Michael 1962 and Ann in 1963.

Our father and mother were married in Queen East Presbyterian Church, Toronto, on Oct. 27, 1903. They may have met because Armstrongs delivered milk to the Campbells. They rented a small farm at Cudmore  Hill, Ont. where Lily Campbell Armstrong was born Oct. 1, 1904. From there they went to Kettleby where Waverly was born Sept. 17, 1906. Next move was to Gooderham Farm of Gooderham and Warts Whisky. Our father was farm manager there and it seemed to be a very good situation. His brother Allan had come west and proved up on a homestead, his sister Elizabeth had spent a summer with Allan and had glowing reports of the west. That resulted in our father leaving a good job and coming west with a load of cattle and all their belongings to Bratton, Sask. in March, 1912, it was very cold, 40 below in White River, Manitoba where a calf was born, how could it survive? It did and they called it Rose of White River. Our mother and Lily and Waverly came west arriving April 1, 1912 in Saskatoon, nearly missing the once a week train to Bratton. When they first arrived they stayed with Uncle Allan at Bratton. Our father got a homestead, Sec. 30, Twp27, R8, west of 3rd. Meridian. It is 2and 3/4 miles west of Macrorie. In July of that year they got the end of the Regina cyclone which did nothing to make the move west any more acceptable to our lonely and depressed mother. The first sod on the homestead was plowed by oxen. A granary was built in the summer of 1912 but because no crop was expected that year it was used to live in until a house could be built, but that never happened. The house that is there now and has been occupied ever since had that granary as its beginning. It has had renovations and additions. Money was not available to build a whole new house, the first winter Family Heralds and Farmers Advocates helped to keep out the elements. Finally it got so cold they moved back to Uncle Allans for the rest of the winter where there was also shelter for the 3 cows and a calf. Their first 2 horses were percherons, Whiskers and Girlie. In the spring of 1913 they moved to the Jackson place (later called the Daw place) while the granary was changed into a 2 story house. Lily remembers the cellar being dug and the granary being pulled over it with a team of horses, one was balky and nearly fell into the hole knocking some dirt in. She and Waverly took it out in pail fulls, arguing about who should take the last pail out. Many years later our mother told Isabel (Waverly's wife) that when our father was away for the lumber for the house she had the carpenter put up the framing for the second story, otherwise it would not have been done. Mary Margaret was born Sept.13, 1913 at the Jackson place before they moved to the homestead, it is said that that was the day of the last prairie fire in that area and father was away fighting fire. A Wonderful neighbor Mrs. Rye was in attendance with Dr. Drennan from Conquest.

Times were very hard for our parents. They were both hard workers but were not too knowledgeable about farming, as many others were not in those days. They worked so hard without any conveniences. Water was even carried up the hill from the spring at the edge of the lake. The well was dug about 1915, and the water was the hardest that any water could be, it had so much iron in it that the inside of the pail would become coated with rust. Our mother could and did do a man's work such as stooking, milking, stacking as well as her own house work with 3 children. Our father died Dec. 11, 1935 from a clot of blood in his lung after a cancer operation. He had suffered for a long time but kept going and did not complain. He is buried in the Macrorie cemetery.

Their entertainment was dances, box socials and card parties. These events were held at first in Bratton in what was called Lehman's Hall, really the store room of their store. Later these functions were held in Bratton school and the Agricultural hall in Macrorie. Both our parents enjoyed cards as we all did. Five hundred and Euchre were played in the homes and in later years bridge. Whist was played at the card parties. Both our parents were active in the community affairs such as the Agricultural society and the United Grain Growers. Our father was a member of the very active Orange Lodge. Our mother was a good manager, she had to be! There was never any extra cash, she was able to make do with so little. They had brought very nice furniture from the east and it seemed that our house always looked nice. The food was always good but nothing fancy. Our father having learned butchering in the east was asked to be the butcher when the beef ring was started at Bratton. He did that as long as the beef ring existed. The members tried to supply an acceptable animal with some trying to top the others by using a little extra feed. They did their best to give us an education. Lily went east to relatives for a business course and after coming back took nursing in Saskatoon. Waverley completed grade nine in Macrorie school and went to Goodwill school for grade 10. That school was 2 miles east of Macrorie so it was a round trip of 9 miles. He went to Saskatoon for grade 11 but was unable to finish as he became very ill with shingles and pleurisy. He took a short course from Prof. Hardy (Agric. Eng.) one winter at the University of Sask. in Saskatoon. Mary finished grade 11 in Macrorie school, grade 10 and 11 had been added since Waverley had been there. That was 1931 and hard times had become harder so there was no further education. Years later a hair dressing course didn’t do much good because of no artistic flair for it. The uniforms were useful working as a waitress!! Job as telephone switch board operator was enjoyed for a while. One time a large family had to leave their home while it was being fumigated after they had scarlet fever (back then they had to be quarantined and fumigated for scarlet fever) They came to our place to wait it out over night. That was hard as they had to be fed and food was scarce, also their horses had to be fed and there, too, the feed was scarce. The year of the flu, 1919, our father and Waverley would do our chores and then make the rounds doing the neighbors chores. There were so many sick in bed. Our mother would prepare soup. The men would bring home chickens for it, then take the soup with them as they went to milk and feed the animals. The soup and milk would be left on the door step so that they did not get in contact with anyone who was ill. We were fortunate, we did not get the flu.

Lily married and for many years she and her husband, Walter Spetch, had a store, post office and stopping house at Birken, B.C. They moved to Vancouver in 1947 then to Burnaby where they still reside. Walter and his pioneering parents had come from England in 1907. They had operated a store in England so by 1908 his father and mother had a store and post office established in the then remote interior of B.C. They later passed the business, which was called Birken Lodge, on to Walter. Lily and Walter have one son, Waverley, born 1927. He is an electrician, he married Beverley Woodward, an accountant. They had their own business but he is now manager of the electrical department of Cana Construction Co. They have 3 children Alan, Marcia, and Kathy, all married. Alan and wife, Virginia have a daughter, Ashley. Marcia and husband Dallas Treit have a son, Jason.

Waverley stayed on the farm, which had become approximately 3/4 sections, and continued to work with our parents. He and Isabel Badger were married Aug.2, 1933 and lived on the quarter section called the Campbell place. They took over the farm after our father's death. Our mother went to Cadomin to help Uncle Colin and Aunt Jan about 1936 or 1937 (Aunt Jan was in poor health) and Waverley and Isabel moved to the home place to live. They and their 3 children lived there until 1947 when they rented the farm and moved to Mission City B.C. to farm. Their oldest daughter, Frances Margaret born July 5, 1934, joined the armed forces, became a secretary, married Charles Parker, an aircraft instrument technician in Edmonton. There are 3 children, Bonnie, Ronald and William. Ariel Anne, a dietitian, married Grant Milne an instructor in Agricultural engineering at the University of Sask. in Saskatoon and a farmer at Balcarres, Sask. Grants Grandfather had a homestead at Balcarres in 1882. They have 2 children Morla and Brad. Ariel was born Nov. 8, 1937. John Andrew (Andy), born Nov.25, 1941, is in the ware house business in Prince George, B.C. He married Karen Miller, a legal secretary. They have 2 children Sheldon and Sheila. Bonnie married Donald Shiloff and Ronald married Pam Sware, they have one son, Aaron.

Waverley and Isabel had some very hard times through the thirties and until they left Macrorie in 1947. They had their farm at Mission until after Waverley's death in Oct. 1954.

Isabel was a teacher at Bratton school for 6 years before she and Waverley were married and she went back to teaching in B.C. the year before Waverley died. She was the very best teacher a school ever had. She could bring out the best in her students in the class room and at Christmas she had them excel in the concerts. People came from miles around Bratton school to her concerts. In 1972 she married William Tyas and they still live in Mission, B.C.

Mary left home in 1932 to work for Uncle Colin and Aunt Jan in Cherhill, Alberta and except for two years in B.C. and a few months at home 2 different times has lived in Alberta ever since. She married Robert Briggs, a farmer at R.R.2 South Edmonton. There are 4 children. John Colin is active in farming and real estate. He married Margaret Elizabeth Reed, a secretary, they have 2 boys, Colin and Shaun, they live on an acreage south east of Sherwood Park, Alberta. Donald Robert a manager for Pool Construction in Yellowknife for 11 years is now regional manager in Sask. He married Chriss Dehn Norgaard, a biology lab technician. They have 2 boys, Micheal and Peter. They live at Lumsden, Sask. Berta Mary, a graduate home economist was employed as Womens Extension officer for the government of South Australia for 3 years. After returning home across Asia she traveled across Africa to Nairobi and worked there for the Canadian government. She came home in 1974. She married Francis Arthur Dear, a high school principal but have now gone into the green house business in Wetaskewin, Alberta. They have 3 girls, Andrea Mary, Meghan Kelly, and Coleen Frances. Charles William, a veterinarian, married Betty Ann McQuaid, a lab technician. He practices south east of Edmonton. They have 2 sons, Thomas and Johnathan.

Robert was a farmer south east of Edmonton one mile from the farm on which he was born. His parents had settled there in 1901. For 10 years from 1962 to 1972 he was Agricultural Fieldman for the County of Strathcona. He lived for 28 years on the same farm. In 1974 he and Mary retired to live in Sherwood Park.