Born on a farm in Canada, family of 17 children, 12 girls, 5 boys, 3 girls
died very young. When 3 older girls were old enough, 14 years old, came to work
in Fall River mills, weaving at Laurel Lake Mill. All my
mother’s relatives were in Fall River, Massachusetts in the states. In the
winter my mother and father took turns to come and work in the states. Always
brought one or two youngsters with them. I came when I was 6 years old and
stayed with my grandmother. After a few years, my brother Albert who was 15
months older than me took over, I was then 13 years old. We had big storms,
sometimes we had to stay up all night to shovel snow and make a path to the barn
to feed the animals; we had cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and two horses.
In summer the animals stayed out, we had a dog named Prince. We just had to say
"Go get the cows!" when it was time to milk
them. I was fighting with my brother Albert who would take them, some were
mooing a lot and the cow with the long tail bit us in the face. Every morning
the farmers would take turns to pick up the milk and bring it to the village and
sell it, we kept some and brought some to the neighbors to put in a centrifuge ,
it’s a machine that separates the cream from the milk. My mother would make
some bouille (pudding I think) and we put brown sugar on it.
The school was next to our house. I had to stay and sleep with the teacher all
year, someone picked her up at the end of the week - no transportation. There
were eight children born after me, the last one born in Fall River.
On the farm we had everything, we had to help my father, we had lots of potatoes
to sell in the fall. We had a few sheep, my father made a table in the barn,
tied their legs and tied them on that table. I had big scissors and cut the wool
off their back, it was all grease and what a smell, but they were happy to have
that wool off their back.. They sent it to have it cleaned, when it came back my
mother would make wool mat with her spinning wheel.
We had two horses, one only my father could handle, the other one I could put
the harness myself, sit in the wagon and bring the wool to a woman who had a
machine to make stockings, we used lots of wool. I was about thirteen years old
and it was about a twenty minute ride.
Come Sunday after church if weather was nice, we would go blueberry and
raspberry picking and fill ten quart pails. Monday morning my father put
everything he could sell and bring to St. Croix where a boat would leave for the
market, Quebec basse ville. If it rains we got together with the girl across the
street and make doll with two pieces of cloth, sew them together and go to my
uncle in the village, he had a machine from the store, he made the eyes, they
all had black eyes.
If someone was sick they needed a priest, we had to go and get him with the
horse, not a word was said if they met somebody on the road, they had a bell
with them, they would ring it and we had to kneel down in the dirt road or mud.
October 6, 1918, my father decided to sell everything at an auction, but we had
to go to Quebec by train, thirteen in all for our passports, we left in the
morning, leave the horse and wagon in the depot at Laurier, we came back very
late at night, everybody was sleeping. About middle of October we left by train
for Fall River, Massachusetts, arrive at my grandmother’s across the street from St Patrick’s
Church, South Main Street, we had an apartment ready, four bedroom, my sisters
had rent it for us, it was influenza time, everybody was in bed with it except
my father and me, a nurse would come to check on us, she had aspirin something
we never had, when she turns her back we spit out the aspirin, but we survived.
November 11th, Armistice Day the war was over, it was early in the
evening and it started to get dark, my father said you can’t go out, you’re
going to get lost. I was thirteen years and ten months old. I stay home and take
care of the house and eight children, my mother went to work. At seventeen I
started working at the King Philip Mill.
winter my mother and father took turns to come and work in the states. Always
brought one or two youngsters with them. I came when I was 6 years old and
stayed with my grandmother. After a few years, my brother Albert who was 15
months older than me took over, I was then 13 years old. We had big storms,
sometimes we had to stay up all night to shovel snow and make a path to the barn
to feed the animals; we had cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and two horses.
milk
them. I was fighting with my brother Albert who would take them, some were
mooing a lot and the cow with the long tail bit us in the face. Every morning
the farmers would take turns to pick up the milk and bring it to the village and
sell it, we kept some and brought some to the neighbors to put in a centrifuge ,
it’s a machine that separates the cream from the milk. My mother would make
some
bouille (pudding I think) and we put brown sugar on it.
few sheep, my father made a table in the barn,
tied their legs and tied them on that table. I had big scissors and cut the wool
off their back, it was all grease and what a smell, but they were happy to have
that wool off their back.. They sent it to have it cleaned, when it came back my
mother would make wool mat with her spinning wheel.
If someone was sick they needed a priest, we had to go and get him with the
horse, not a word was said if they met somebody on the road, they had a bell
with them, they would ring it and we had to kneel down in the dirt road or mud.
but we had
to go to Quebec by train, thirteen in all for our passports, we left in the
morning, leave the horse and wagon in the depot at Laurier, we came back very
late at night, everybody was sleeping. About middle of October we left by train
for Fall River, Massachusetts, arrive at my grandmother’s across the street from St Patrick’s
Church, South Main Street, we had an apartment ready, four bedroom, my sisters
had rent it for us, it was influenza time, everybody was in bed with it except
my father and me, a nurse would come to check on us, she had aspirin something
we never had, when she turns her back we spit out the aspirin, but we survived.
the
evening and it started to get dark, my father said you can’t go out, you’re
going to get lost. I was thirteen years and ten months old. I stay home and take
care of the house and eight children, my mother went to work. At seventeen I
started working at the King Philip Mill.