Hannah Augusta Wakefield Legere
1836-1928
"A life-long resident of South Conway, "Aunt Gusta" filled her years with hard work, acievement and content
An early romance ended in disappointment, and she lived with her parents until they died, then carried on her small farm alone. She built stone walls, kept her field lines clear of bushes, and with her oxen hauled out manure and spread it on the land every spring. She shingled her own house when it needed it and worked out her taxes on the roads. She owned two houses, her own and the one where she had lived with her parents. The old house, though untenanted, she kept in good repair, ready to move into in case of fire. Shrewd, frugal and efficient, she steadily improved her finacncial status by investing small savings in land which became timber lots. Several orphaned children grew up in her home, and sometimes she boarded lumbermen and their oxen who happened to be working nearby. She lived in complete harmony with her environment and became its master."1
1BICENTENIAL YEAR 1765-1965 Commemorative Booklet.
Augusta and John in front of their home.
On August 21, 1900, at the age of sixty-four, Augusta married John Legere, an itinerant farm hand from New Brunswick. They met in the fall of 1899. John Leger helped David Wakefield through the Harvest Season. When he had finished he sent John down to his sisters house to help her dig potatoes. The next spring he returned. John wanted to stay the winter, but Hannah Augusta would not let him stay unless they were married.
Although he was considerably younger than she was they had a happy marriage.
John Leger
1845-1921
Augusta met Mathias Cormier and family when they came to visit their Uncle John. Mathias' Mother, Rosalie Leger was Johns sister. When John became ill, Matt and Phyllis came up from Lynn to help Augusta with the chores. The next summer John died. Augusta called Matt and Phyllis and asked if they would come stay with her. They moved from Lynn in 1921. Geneva was 5.
Mathias Cormier and Augusta Wakefield Leger in front of the barn, Brownfield Road South Conway.
Geneva Cormier, Christine Bonnevie and Augusta Wakefield Leger
Mathias Cormier, John Leger, Christine Bonnevie holding Geneva