Hello again Lark,

A few memories from Mabel McWatch.

She says they used to picnic at a place called Sandbar Lake.

She mentions a place called the Goldie River near Dalton mills Where her husband Sandy McWatch had a cabin. He worked for the Forestry Branch.
She remembers Her Mother and Mrs. Bolduc going there to fish and to net whitefish.

She told me one time her Mom crossed the river near the trestle and were fishing near an old burial ground. They had Mabel's Uncle Willy with them. The ice froze the river while they were fishing and they couldn't return by the river. So Willy had to walk back along the shoreline to the golf club crossed the tressle into town and got help for the two stranded women.

She also tells of how Jimmy McCauley discharged his gun by accident and shot Mabel McWatch's Uncle Willy Saylors in the knee and he lost his leg. He got a wooden leg after that.

There was no hospital back in the early days. Only Dr. Sheahan. She tells how the town got together and bought him a car. It was a Ford model 'T' but they called it a Tin Lizzy. She says he was a wonderful man.

Other memories she speaks of include her husband's grandmother Mary anne McWatch (nee Sutherland). She tells how she would net whitefish at some creek back of the Chapleau river.It was near her Grandfather's house. Granny McWatch used to take the boys fishing with her including Jimmy McCauley (her grandson).

She says Granny knew more about the bush than any one else around. Granny was still canoing and going into the bush after she was 90 years old!!

Granny was married to Jacob McWatch. Their kids were: Phillip, Alexander (Sandy), Caroline(Mrs. Pirie) Beatrice(Mrs. Cachagee), Emily (Mrs. McCauley), Barbara (Mrs. Bolduc) and Nellie (Mrs. Palmer)

My grandfather Sandy (Robert Saunders) was Alexander's son. his siblings were George, Jacob, Burt, Phillip and Alice.

Thats all for now Lark hope it makes some sense to you. I hope I got what Mabel told me right. 

Jamie Taylor.

 I spoke with My Nana the other day. She recalled a few things which I will now relate.

She was born in 1906 in Chapleau and lived there until 1944. She lived on Aberdeen street. Her second house burned down on July 1 1919.  Her mothers Dad and mom were Mary and Isaiah Saylors. They lived on Aberdeen street as well.  They came from Moose Factory. She says they walked and paddled from Moose Factory to Missinabi.

Then they took a train to Chapleau.  Her Grandmother had a sister in Chapleau and they bought a lot together.  She said the Swansons and the Saylors bought this lot on the corner of Aberdeen and Cedar, the street that has Indian bridge on it. The bridge went to where the indian residential school was at the time. The Bolducs lived on the same street. There were no sidewalks just roads. They lived in a 6 room house.

Her Grandfather Isaiah had a farm on the Chapleau river (check out the link to see him piccking peas in his garden). It was on the first Cree reservation near Mulligans Bay.

Her Mothers brothers names were Joe, Henry, Charlie, Amon the girls were Mariah, Annabella(your Grandmother, who married Allan Ritchie) Clara, Louisa,(her mom)Josephine, and Katherine Kitty)

Joe was married to Grace and had two daughters named Irene and Gladys. Irene married Charlie Corston, and had Wayne, Brian, Janice, and Cindy.

Henry married Agnus and had Harvey,Thomas, Nancy and William.  Charlie married Florence Chappise and had Margaret (Mike Cachagees Mother) and Helen. Amon married Lydia and had Clarence, Dorothy, Clara, Lydia and Joseph. Joseph was with his second wife Margaret.

She says she still gets cards from Your Mother Hilda.

I will leave you with this information now. I will send you more soon. If I've made any errors in names I am sorry. More great stuff to come.

Jamie Taylor.
 

© 2001, Lark Ritchie. All rights reserved.