My Grandpa My grandfather was a man of many skills .Like many other people from the old country, he was searching for a better life for his family . Canada was giving away 160 acre homesteads, so people came from places like the Ukraine , Iceland, Belgium and many other countries . My Grandpa was one of the first Belgiums but he made the mistake of taking his homestead sight unseen . It was in the wooded hills of Saint Alphonse in southwestern Manitoba. French settlers had previously settled there but had abandoned the area as it was just to hard to clear. Here are my grandfathers own words . I left Belgium on March 19, 1888 . I was then a carpenter . We had 5 children. I was looking for a better future for my family . I sold all my belongings and left for Manitoba . The money I made was sent to my family who joined me in April of 1889 . When they arrived, I had no money, just my Grubhoe and a cow . Now in 1893, we have 7 children, 2 bulls,7 cows, 4 pigs, 4 chickens , a plow, a harrow, a pair of sleighs ,a wagon, a binder and a hay mower. We now have a house of 18 x 20 and a grainary of 18 x 22 .Fifteen acres have been cleared and 15 more are waiting for the plow . Some of my homestead is fenced off for the animals . All told the value is estimated at $ 1,500.00 . As a carpenter, he finished the interior of the Saint Alphonse church for $ 1.00 per day . He also made caskets and grave markers. He was a blacksmith and the foreman of a brick factory,. During harvest time, he ran a steam outfit and was paid $ 2.00 per day. He built and ran his own sawmill. He loved photography and developed his own photos which have survived to this day . He was also a watch repairman. His shiny black Democrat ( a large buggy ) was used as a hearse . Many people died back then of pneumonia , typhoid fever and childbirth . Not many doctors back the, just midwives . When we look back we realize that our ancestors were made of hearty stock. The one photo is of a paddlewheel boat he made in 1914.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 16:07:10 +0000