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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1983-08-03, Page 65 O, THE HURON EXPOSITOR, AUGUST 3, 1083 ,,,,,,.......,..,-,.�......�. r tamsPI Huron County Genealogical Research Coordinator, Nancy Kale, read queries from people searching the following families: Kruse, Dorsey, Johnston, Boyce, Madora-Keyes, Munroe, Peacock, Roach and Hamilton. Anyone having any information on these families is please asked tc call Nancy at 345-2908. Cemetery Coordinator, Alison Lobb, advised that school groups from Seaforth and Brucefield had assisted in the recording/ at three cemeteries duizifig June and their help was a most valuable asset. Alison also advised that she had recently spent some time instructing three students hired by Grey Township to record three cemeteries in their area. Ltpon Completion bf their work, the Branch will receive a copy of each. researchers get int U It wan noted that an in- significant number of people had turned out for the cemetery recording picnic held June 26 at Clinton Cemetery. Due to the almost complete lack of volunteers to help in this area, the Cemetery Committee has decided that no large cemeteries will be un- dertaken in the foreseeable future as the work involved is unreasonable to ask of two or three persons. This is indeed unfortunate as cemetery records are a most useful tool for anyone doing genealogical research. If anyone out there wishes to assist, please call Alison at 482-7167. Remember, you don't need to be a member to help! The education segment of the meeting featured Elaine McKinnon of Fordwich presenting her report from the Ontario . Genealogical Society's Seminar '83 held in Sudbury this phst May- Ryan ayRyan Taylor, Supervisor of Oral history and the Kit- chener , Public Library stressed: 1) that you should remember that your objective is to obtain information so plan ahead, outline what in- formation you need, have some .questions written down; 2) don't have a rigid questionnaire - allow for interaction and incidental information and make sure that you record all this material; 3) hold the in- terview in their surrounding as they will be more com- fortable; 4) set the time and place; and 5) begin with simple questions to show that they do remember things - when and where they were born, information on brothers and sisters. etc. Mr. Taylor noted thatone must be an amateur•, psychologist when resear- ching in order to understand people and make thrum' comfortable. Ire stn t there are three trent, types of people - the slam, the average talker and the chatterbox. Clams are silent for different reasons; some wish to be discrete, some are Modest about their knowledge. He suggests that you use simple language as much as possible and refer to the relationship at all times to make the interview more comfortable (example, Uncle John). Remember, flattery never hurts - be sited' with knowledge offered even , if already known Chatterboxes ,trust be dealt with; differently. yo}►' Don'tre !Met Qt" herrntntei sle.4aodw when that they ``:get Off traelG Rehenber that they are doing yeu a fav and your time io,their p ee for the interview so w plenty of time. Ietrthem choose their own pace as many�le won't remember ii P Remefnber to check all dates, names and places after an interview. Even the best memory can fail at the most inconvenient moments. It's also important to listen to answers and really hear what„ is betpg ' tinder- tone5. Often gi on not actu aU3t ed but if questioned 'e y, may come out. Den' 'be shocked by aWg you ear - every Teton in the closet" somewheer�'e - accept all information calm' . Regular monthly meetings of the Genealogical Society are held the first Wednesday of each month In the board room of the Assessment Office 'building, Napier Street, Goderich. Parking and entrance are at the rear. The August 3 meeting will feature Jean Lobb of Clinton with her slides from last fall's trio to Ireland family has a ak Biiaand Of thepaatt veh to. t> HUMS VouutY pieces of pest welcome Soder* 'ice OD - Hted�bete catalogued o! tris, use of resear: cher` and all those .in- terested in Hnron County Barn* of what may be• fthe ol the1 mittAreldVea % to 13 OE;• post -Of ce, Godericb: • . MyDear Sir; I noticed in -the Signal that you were asking for names of Abode people mho were in Goderich in 67, Well, I was thereand my wife was there also. It was the year after "the Fenian Raids and .bomthlia Day wason July 1. ' I remember that two gun- boats were lying fh the bar- rine society thahka ail boor - the Prince Albert and those whd have contributed the Cherub .anda gang frogs 1P the prepervattOf o f ',such. as TOwnahip came in items, well at old Mem, ttean,up on the Marines diaries, fatmlly'hlsto es, ac - but they didn't do much. count books, accapb�, people in townwas a big thatcrowd ayy. A so f youdhave anything n of for ateamer was launched. It the Huron County Historical was, called Ontario. Society archives, please con - I also remember that on tact Mrs e of the f p seg, West Street a gl4ee - . Em, Mrs, sold for one penny and eider Goderietl for three cents and ,ginger Fordyce Clark, Goderich - cakes as large as auto 524.5704. Mrs. Doris Batkin. wheels for five cents. Clinton - 482-3866, or Mrs. Hoping to be present with Ethel Poth, Bayfield - 565 - the old boys at the celebra- 2803. tion. The society will gladly call I remain, at your home or, if you can Yours sincerely. arrange to meetat the ar- Henry H. Martin chives, will be happy to show P.S. I was 12 years old at youthethe sand items that the time. A good marriage is more give GOETTLER' S FURNITURE DUBLIN Will be open until 9 P.M. TUES. WED. THURS. & FRI. [Aug. 2nd thru 5th) ' Sunday "OPEN HOUSE" 1 to 5 P.M. • Water Well DRILLING W. D. Hopper and Sons 4 MODERN ROTARY RIGS Nell 527-1737 Durl 527-0828 Jim 527-0775 Monday, August 8th Until 9 P.M. For the convenience of customers wishing to SAVE 7 % SALES TAX Free Delivery and Set Up 345-2250 HAMMER ander SAW For all your home - renovations - additions = decks - steps - cabinets built to fit - interior trimming 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE Contact G.G. Goettler of Dublin JIM COLEMAN 527-1684 Mary and Sim Roobol of Hensall who have been married 50 years. Sim and Mary Roobol, who will celebrate their 50th anniversary on Saturday, met officially when Mary was 15 and her future husband 18. But they knew about each other long before that. Their mothers were friends in their native Oud-Beyerland, Holland, and Mary was born in the house next door to where Sim lived. Once on a visit with his mother, Sim remembers "a little kid crying. And that was her," he says, with a grin at his wife in their comfortable home on Hensall's Queen St. PHOTO SAVER COUPONS BOOK The Roobols were married Aug. 10, 1933 when he was 24 and she was 21 in their hometown, in the town hall, built in 1632. than tike says Hensall couple Times were hard then and there was no honeymoon. "My husband got up at six the next morning and wetit to; work," Mary Roobol remembers, Although Sim had never been out of work before, the winter after the couple married he was. That's when the Roobols decided that eventually they wanted to immigrate to Canada. The war, and even tougher times in Holland, intervened. The ,Roobols were luckier than the many who ljad to eat tulip bulbs or starve, because they lived close to the country and could grow and raise food. Still they remember the town's Jewish families who were taken Away to death camps, "the saddest thing of the war"; the Nazi soldiers who were billetted in the attics of homes; absolutely no fresh fruit and butter which cost S30 a pound. A BANANA? Their only daughter, Maja, who was 10 when the family came to Canada in 1947, was given a banana one da after the war. "She turned it over and o r in her hands and finally asked 'where d I start?' " her mother laughs. After. selling' everything '"even our wedding presents" to pay their way, here, the family spent their first year in Canada in Quebec. It was "a Iott year really," because the farmer who had hired them was unable to pay them. The next year they came to the Hensall area where they worked for two different farmers until 1954 when Sim went to the airport at Centralia. When it closed he was a supervisor who transferred to ,Clinton air I ' base. Nine years ago he retired as custodian at Hensall Pulte School. Mrs. Roobol, who worked out for four different families ("and I'm friendly with all of them still"), says. their walks around Hensall were often punctuated with "Hi, Mr. Sim" from Hensall PS students. The Roabols built their home in Hensall in 1965 when a 'doctor told Mary that the stairs to their apartment were bad for her heart. While they've had a lot of sickness and Sim, who was hospitalized last month, requires an oxygen tank at night because of his emphysema "we can always laugh ourselves out of it," his wife says. The reception the family got from area people in 1948 was "out of this world," Mary remembers. The Roobols joined the United Church, first Thames Road and then Hensall, and were "met and received with love." Friends "taught me to bake Canadian style" and "people would say 1'11 give you the recipe' when 1 couldn't even read English," she laughs. The Roobols found Canadian informality refreshing and they learned English grad- ually, from daughter Maja's schoolbooks and her friends. They are still learning, Mary says, and their grandchildren will sometimes explain the fine points of English grammar. GIVE AND TAKE Mary, who went out with Sim for "six solid years" and "never had another boyfriend," says "give and take, give more than take" along with the ability to laugh, is the key to a good marriage. Don't run away after the first argument, both say to the newly married. Be on your own and don't live too close to your parents, Sim adds. Both say they now understand the pain their parents felt when they left for Canada but count a trip back to Holland in the early sixties as "the time of our life." Mary's father and Sim's parents were still alive then and Holland had prospered so much since the war years. "Most likely. if they had known what Holland would become." many immi- grants" would never have come to Cana- da," Mary says. In the early fifties, the Dutch government encouraged people to leave with free passage and 5100 per person resettlement money. They've been back on other trips, but Sim isn't able to travel that far now. Neither of the Roobols have any regrets about choosing to come to Canada. Their family. who farm at R.R.I. Seaffr►h, are daughter Maja, a nurse. son-in-law Don Dodds. who the Roobols say is as close and helpful as a son, and grandchildren Lynne. 19, Paul, 16 and Joan, 14. They are hosting a reception in the Roobols' honor on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Hensall United Church. Already the couple has received a plaque from Premier Bill Davis, a scroll from Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and a letter of congratulations from local MPP, Jack Riddell. keytto‘' sucessful outdoor meal eatiPreparationng (large French knife, medium size slicer and paring knife); vegetable peeler; grater; tongs; can and bottle opener; measuring spoons (leave them together on the ring so they don't get lost) and measuring cups; rubber scrape, wooden spoons and cutlery. Packing the outdoor cup- board means choosing foods that are versatile and can be eaten in various combina- tions. Sit down and plan out the It can be an exciting backpacking trip, a long weekend in a camper trailer or just an afternoon picnic at the neighborhood park. Wherever you go in the great optdoors° one of the biggest challenges you'll face is com- ing up with quick, creative meals. Be prepared" is more than the Boy Scout motto; it's the password for successful outdoor eating. While there are many substitutes you can use for products and cooking techniques, there's no substi- tute for planning ahead. Two major limitations for equipping the camping cup- board are space and weight. See double and make equip- ment serve more than one purpose whenever possible. Keep it lightweight and com- pact while still remaining serviceable. You can save a lot of time and worry over forgotten equipment by keeping a set of inexpensive dishes lust for camping or picnic trips. Leave them packed and ready so a quick check before the trip is all that's needed. Sets of pans and dishes that fit together are ideal for camping excursions. The bestones include two or three saucepans in varying sizes with covers that fit'tqgether for easy storage, skillets, coffee pots, plates and cups. Other items to consider taking include: griddle, muf- fin pan or pie plates; a set of plastic bowls 'with tight -fit- ting lids (these do double duty for mixing, serving and storing): fruit juice container; small cutting board; knives menu in advance because it may not be possible to slip out and pick up extra supplies when you need them. Allow for hungry appetites, espe- cially if you don't expect to have snackk readily available. Buy the staple items before you leave home where they will be less expensive, but buy, perishables such as milk, eggs., and meat in the camping area. From a safety point of view, keep perishable foods cold, even if it means replacing ice nightly. If you're going to have prob- lems with refrigeration, your best bet is to eliminate those foods from your list com- pletely. Keep dried and dehydrated foods on hand such as dehy- drated onions. parsley, green peppers. imitation bacon bits and sauce mixes in foil packages. If you plan your menu thoroughly ahead of time, pre -measure items like flour. cornmeal, oats and rice so you carry only the amount you need. ASK FOR YOUR BOOK TODAY NO PURCHASE NECESSARY Ask at KEATING'S Pharmacy l'HAnllrX Hours: rMon., Tues., Thurs , Fri., 9 a.m. 6 p.m Wed., & Sat. 9 a.m. -5:30 p.m. Air NOTICE Canadian Tire Store WILL BE CLOSED All Day August 10 for inventory taking. B. C. WINSOR HOLDINGS LTD. Seaforth 527-1350 Remembering the days of self-reliance BY W.G. STRONG in the light of present day knowledge, when senior citizens reminisce, they call to mind life as it was lived about the turn of the century or, perhaps. earlier. It was a far cry from modern living. Certainly by the revised standards of our modern age as represented by automation and the push-button, it wasn't a life whose richness could be measured in dollars and cents. They took nothing for granted, lived frugally, practised perseverance and en- dured penury. One cannot prove that penury is good for anyone or that we should regret its passing but we have to admit that the self-reliance and resourcefulness which made this country what it is must continue to make it great. There is something about the instictive independence of the pioneer which laughed at difficulties and generated a magnificent line of virtues. There was more than rugged individualism at work then and there. One learned to inherit the traditsop of doing your neighbour a favour, not merely because you treasured his friendship but because you felt duty bound to help in an emergency not knowing when you might need him to reciprocate in kind. Canadians today are worrying about the problem of living together, learning to like one another and achieving national solidar- ity. Family life on the farm was a symbol of hospitality and neighbourliness. Look back down that lonesome road and recall that no table was so bare or so crowded but that there Jicas room for one more gue5t No ope was so destitute that he couldn't spare something of his means or effort to aid a neighbour in distress. Consideration like that did not come from tradition alone but was the inevitable result of a way of life where each member of the family knew the painful details of every struggle. That family solidarity became an integral part of the character of this nation, and in many instances, is being challenged today. In many instances grandma and grandpa, were a farm couple who lived on the homestead foyyr many�hyears, worker] hard, mg Tanntianithee'tireat Arcnd hitect an unswerv- Though they appeared to have led a good life, they may have missed a lot. ONE ROOM All their children went to a one -room school and a few went on to high school. They walked miles to their little red school -house and home again. Ask a boy todayto ride his $150 ten -speed a few blocks to the corner store for a loaf of bread and he can think up a dozen reasons why he shouldn't. He can make a mbdern psychol- ogist look like an amateur. He will take to station -wagon, pass everything on the road but the gas station to get that loaf. Life was simple. Man had not set a foot on the moon; women's liberation had not been achieved; marijuana was unheard of. Blue jeans and strumming guitars were not considered 'cultural developments. The occasional bump might occur in crowds but not blantly on the dance floor, inflation and unemployment were not part of the everyday vocabulary Gram and gramp never heard of a radio or a television set. They had passed on before the era when TV became a so-called educational and cultural medium, On Sunday night they missed seeing, fortu- nately, an hour of rape, larceny, murder, arson and other forms of violence. They never were treated to the sit ht and sounds of a skinny, half -nude female making loud noises passing for singing. They never had the opportunity of sitting with their children and listening to some husband call his third wife lewd names with each shouting vociferously. Sleeping pills and tranquil- izers for shattered nerves were unknown. Gramp never had tfccess to magazines featuring nudes in pornographic literature. Doubtless grandma would have been opposed to his- interest id censored publications. Heaven forbid any uncensor- ed material posing as of educational value. The only time sex might have been discussed in the household could have been when the family talked about a cow having a boy or girl calf. Regardless of their lack of knowledge of one of the world's most talked about subjects, they raised a family of children who grew up to be exemplary citizens. -Gram and gramp never lived to hear much about crime and violence in the schools reaching such proportions that a committee had to be appointed to study the problem and report back in a year or more. Woe unto one of their kids if they had been caught breaking a school window on purpose, writing obscenities on outhouse walls or talking back to the teacher. The guilty one would have had to eat his next few meals in a standing position. They missed seeing one of their older grandsons home from junior college with hair down past his shoulders, unsightly brown beard stained with tobacco smoke, his dungarees cut short and ravelled around the bottom and displaying an odd -coloured patch. Cramp would have taken him out to the barn and used the horse -clippers on him while gram would have burned his filthy, ragged. smelly clothes. Theyrobably would have had him stay home from college until he decided to act his age properly. Doubtless he would have been reminded that he had already wasted enough of their hard-earned cash and the taxpayer's share of education- al costs, " A MYSTERY it is a wonder and even a mystery how they knew What to buy without watching newspaper advertisements or television commercials. They never knew how won- derful beer made from rock spring water tasted or what their tastebuds lacked because they did not drink a certaih brew. Lemonade was perhaps their strongest refreshment and that only on special occasions. A little pushing and pulling on the pump -handle brought forth pure cold water to quench their thirst. Gramp couldn't mistake granny's spray starch for his underarm deodorant can and have to go around all day with his arms in the air like a frightened old rooster. Our grandparents did not live to see women in hot pants. mini skirts, short shorts or bikinis. One wonders what gramp would have thought if he'd seen a young woman with a maxi figure in mini shorts so tight that she must have hung them on the back of a chair and jumped into them off the dresser, her hair in curlers. her midriff with navel exposed and. ycrhaps, a cigarette dangling from one corner of her mouth. Ube had witnessed such a body pushing a grocery cart from the supermarket with a baby in the top basket. a case of beer, two cartons of cigarettes and a bag of potato chips in the i^wer portion, gram would have made him wear horse-b;.nders the next time he want shopping. They didn't have to listen for the weather reports. They took little interest in a low or high pressure system stalled a few thousand kilometers from their farm. Gramp had a hunch of knowing what the weather would be like the next day by the colour of the^sky at sunset, his rheumatism. Dr. Chase's almanac and, above all, there was nothing he could do about it. By eight o'clock they and the family would have read a few passages from the Bible. knelt in prayer and gone upstairs to bed. Grandparents missed the days of the streakers seen, at times. in public places like the Olympic Stadium. Some of the participants had such bewhiskered faces that displaying the other end of their anatomy was an improvement. WHAT'S CREDIT? Easy credit wasn't in their vocabulary. If anyone had asked if they wanted a credit card, they would have thought they were being invited to some form of new game, They paid cash for everything and seemed to. have ample for machinery. They could have made a good living on the interest carrying charges many agriculturalists have to pay on mortgaged implements. He might have been called a tight -wad but he made a success of farming and the family was regarded as respected. thrifty Christian folk, Gram and Gramp were seldom sick; at least they didn't complain too often. They didn't drive into town every time they sneezed or had a pimple on their chin or a stomach ache. They missed medical fees and hospital charge now, in larg' measure, Paid by O,H.I.P. 1 hey never dreamed of an Old Age Security pension at 65. Yes. gram and gramp missed a lot while here but it might well be that they went to their eternal rest happier for having missed it.