Before I begin this
month’s article I must write a few words of thanks to the many
volunteers it took to put on the Port Maitland Festival of
History. I want to name each and every one of you, but the list is
too long and unfortunately my readers will soon tire. You know who
you are and how much you meant to the success of the Festival. It
seems each year one volunteer gets stuck with more than the others
and is asked to perform larger tasks than the rest. This year that
honour fell to Tara Allen, who in the last three weeks before the
festival must have thought "is this all there is " to
life! The Festival would mean nothing if it were not for the many
participants who came to show and demonstrate their hobbies, work
skills, and curiosities. A big thanks goes to you as well. We had
35 sponsors who provided us with the cash to make it work. Thank
you sponsors. Finally, we owe a thank you to all those people who
came to see what we had to exhibit. How many came is still a bit
of a mystery. We are using the number 1,700, but we are very
comfortable in the knowledge there were many more.
In
my June column, I wrote about the cable ferry which once carried
horses and buggies, freight, and passengers across the river at
Port Maitland. In the article, I wrote of a Mr. Martin who
presented some challenges to the ferry's operation. Who this Mr.
Martin was, is not clear and no amount of research on my part has
yet discovered him. I know no more today than in June. But life
has a way of twisting and turning. If I am fortunate those twist
and turns work for me. Shortly after submitting my article I had a
phone conversation with Ann Marie Flatt who put her husband Pete
on the line. Pete relayed a message to me from his dad Joe who
recently met a lady named Corkey Eastman. Corkey is a daughter of
Norm Martin, the one-time owner of the Maitland Arms Hotel at Port
Maitland. Corkey whose given name is Jane Norma, left her email
address asking Joe to see I received it as she wished to know if I
had any stories or photos of the old Hotel.
Corkey and
I have now become email buddies. She lives in California and came
home this summer for a visit. Did Corkey know who my mysterious
Mr. Martin was. No! But after a few emails he was soon forgotten
as we found bigger fish to fry. Corkey provided me with much of
her genealogy. It seems she and Ann Marie are 5th cousins once
removed. In last month’s article I told you how everyone in
small towns were related, and how a few years back when they could
make the connection it was through their grandparents, but now it
is through their great, great, great grandparents. In this case
the common ancestors for Corkey and Ann Marie are Matthew
Lymburner and Margaret Kairms. Corkey is their great granddaughter
times four, while Ann Marie is a great granddaughter times five.
If that was not enough, I discovered Corkey and I have a common
relative in her Aunt Madeline Roy, formerly Madeline Bessey, wife
of Lloyd Roy. Mind you Madeline is my 3rd cousin once removed, but
what the heck! Corkey's sister Bunny married Stan Case, a fellow I
wrote about a few months back. He is the uncle to Jim Case of
Lowbanks and; well the list goes on and on!
And then
there is Corkey's great aunt Essie Martin nee Calvert from
Attercliffe. My sister Margo married Dave Calvert and Dave is
always pestering me about my not using his name in my columns near
enough! If he can tell me where Essie fits into his family, I will
use it again!
A number of years ago I kept some notes
on a Captain William Quider of Canboro, who was a Canal boat
captain on the Feeder Canal as well as . . . Well you read his
obituary found in The Reform Press of 1892. For nearly half a
century Captain Quider has been known throughout this region of
the country, and especially to those connected with the trade of
the river, canal and lake. He was a ship carpenter by trade, and
built many of the scows and other vessels which in times past
navigated these waters. He had been at various times owner and
master of steamboats, schooners, barges, scows and other craft
plying between the Grand River and Buffalo. He was out in the
terrific gale of November 6th, 1862, in which five scows in the
tow of the R. L. HOWARD were wrecked and several of the men on
board drowned In his little schooner, the BELLE BRANDON, built by
himself, he weathered the storm and arrived in Buffalo with crew
and cargo all safe. He was esteemed a very skilful seaman, and as
a pilot on the river and along the Canadian side of the lake he
had very few superiors.
Captain Quider is Corkey's
grt. grt. Grandfather. It has and continues to be my hope to learn
more about Captain Quider. He carried freight through the Feeder
Canal for many years and it always seemed to me that among other
ships masters and crews who plied the waters of our region,
Captain Quider and the others should not be
forgotten.
Janice Case nee Chalmers, Joan Bastien nee
Siddall, Jim Dickhout in background Festival of History July 24,
2004
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Bill Cauley and wife Joan nee Boyle Festival of
History July 24, 2004
Des
Rasch Festival of History July 24, 2004
Geroge
Madsen and wife on left Festival of History July 24, 2004
Ian
Bell Festival of History July 24, 2004
Wayne
Siddall, Jim Case Festival of History July 24, 2004
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