Descendants of Rainey Armstrong

Descendants of Rainey Armstrong - Genealogy Pages

Frederick "Shane" Armstrong and Nelsy

Husband Frederick "Shane" ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

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       Father: Frederick Lloyd ARMSTRONG
       Mother: Carol Ann DESJARDINE

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Wife NELSY (details suppressed for this person)

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Children

1 M Lucas ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

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Frederick Lloyd Armstrong and Carol Ann Desjardine

Husband Frederick Lloyd ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

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       Father: Robert "Allen" ARMSTRONG (1917-1991)
       Mother: Margaret Isabel BROADFOOT (1915-2003)

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Wife Carol Ann DESJARDINE (details suppressed for this person)

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Children

1 M Mark Daniel ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

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       Spouse: Kerri Lynn DEGUIRE (living)

2 M Frederick "Shane" ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

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       Spouse: NELSY (living)

3 M Thomas John "T.J." ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

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       Spouse: Jessica Meagan Colleen HANLON (living)

Gage Michael Armstrong

Husband Gage Michael ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

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       Father: Michael Brian ARMSTRONG
       Mother: Jennifer GROSSI

Wife (details suppressed for this person)

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Children

George Armstrong and Eva "Jane" Eleanor Weston

Husband George ARMSTRONG

         Born: 17 Jun 1854 - Stanley, Huron, Ont., Can
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         Died: 19 May 1935 - Stanley, Huron, Ont., Can
       Buried: May 1935 - Bayfield, Huron, Ont., Can.

       Father: Rainey ARMSTRONG (1818-1899)
       Mother: Rosey McKINSTREY (Abt 1817-1888)

     Marriage: 1 Feb 1877 - Varna, Huron, Ont., Can.

Noted events in his life were:

• Burial Location

Bayfield Cemetery, Plot 272B

• Residences

Stanley Township; Goderich Township; Stanley Township.

Wife Eva "Jane" Eleanor WESTON

         Born: 24 Apr 1856 - Goderich Twp., Huron, Ont., Can.
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         Died: 13 Feb 1901 - Stanley, Huron, Ont., Can.
       Buried: 15 Feb 1901 - Bayfield, Huron, Ont.

Noted events in her life were:

• Burial Location

Bayfield Cemetery, Plot 272B

• Residences

Goderich Twp. & Stanley Twp. S.H. Lot 13, Con. 11

Children

1 F Eliza Jane ARMSTRONG

         Born: 1 Nov 1877 - Goderich Township, Huron, Ont., Can.
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         Died: 16 Jan 1957 - Clinton, Huron, Ont., Can.
       Buried: 19 Jan 1957 - Bayfield, Ont, Can

       Spouse: Edward BOYES (1873-1967)
         Marr: 28 Aug 1901 - Hensall, Huron, Ont., Can.

2 F Eva Eleanor ARMSTRONG

         Born: 16 Jun 1879
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         Died: 7 Sep 1962 - Clinton Ontario
       Buried: 10 Sep 1962 - Bayfield, Huron, Ont.

       Spouse: David John STEPHENSON (1874-1949)
         Marr: 1898 - Stanley, Huron, Ont, Can

3 F Annie May ARMSTRONG

         Born: 7 Sep 1880
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         Died: 14 Jun 1947 - Stanley, Twp. Huron, Ont.
       Buried: Jun 1947 - Bayfield, Ont.

       Spouse: George McCLINCHEY (1875-1939)
         Marr: 14 Jan 1903 - Bayfield, Huron, Ont., Can.

4 M Rainey ARMSTRONG

         Born: 12 Jan 1883 - W Wawanosh, Twp. Ont
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         Died: 22 Sep 1921 - Rosetown, Sask.
       Buried: 1921 - Rosetown, Sask.

       Spouse: Margaret Ann WHEATLEY (1893-1961)
         Marr: 7 Mar 1917 - Seaforth, Ont.

5 M George Robert ARMSTRONG

         Born: 1 May 1890 - Near Dungannon, Huron, Ont., Can
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         Died: 9 Sep 1972 - Seaforth, Huron, Ont., Can.
       Buried: 11 Sep 1972 - Bayfield, Ont.

       Spouse: Pearl ZAPFE (1894-1971)
         Marr: 25 Mar 1914 - Seaforth, Huron, Ont., Can.

6 M Lawrence "Lorne" Wilson ARMSTRONG

         Born: 25 Sep 1892 - Stanley, Twp. Huron, Ont.
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         Died: 7 Dec 1963 - London, Middlesex, Ont., Can.
       Buried: Dec 1963 - Bayfield, Huron, Ont.

       Spouse: Ada DIETZ (1901-1986)
         Marr: 10 Aug 1927 - Hensall, Huron, Ont., Can.

General Notes (Husband)

Obituary from newspaper clipping:
On Sunday, May 19th there passed away at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Stephenson, Mr. George Armstrong, in his 81st year. He had been in failing health for some time and about two weeks ago had a stroke from which he never recovered, despite all that loving care could do for him. He was the last surviving member of the family of the late Ranie Armstrong, seven brothers and one sister having predeceased him. He was born on the Armstrong homestead in Stanley , June 17, 1854, where he grew up, and many interesting incidents could he relate of those early days. He was a man of strong physique and did his full share in the pioneer work of the country. In 1877 he was united in marriage to Jane Weston and later resided on a farm near Dungannon, moving with his family to the old home in Stanley in 1895. In 1901 his wife passed away and in 1922 his eldest son Ranie died in Saskatchewan. He continued on the farm until about 14 years ago when he moved to Goderich, then later he moved to Egmondville for a few years, but for the past three years he has made his home with his children, five of whom survive, Mrs. Ed Boyes, Mrs. D.J. Stephenson, Mrs. Geo McClinchey and Lorne of Stanley and George of Tuckersmith. There are also 17 Grand children and 6 great grand children. The funeral was held on Tuesday, Rev. G.H. Bandy officiating. Interment in Bayfield cemetery. Six grandsons acted as pallbearers and the beautiful floral tribute spoke of the love and esteem held for the deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Butterfield of Bay City attended the funeral of the late Geo. Armstrong and are spending a few days with friends in Stanley.

By Gwen Patterson, 2006.
George was born on June 17, 1854, the seventh child of Rainey and Rosey Armstrong. He was the first of their children to be born in Canada. He attended S.S. #5, Stanley, a little frame school house partly covered in tin shingles built on the south east corner of Lot 12, Con. XI. The school lot had been purchased from the Canada Company in 1854, and the rest of the farm would eventually belong to George's father, Rainey Armstrong, and then George's brother, Wilson would own it. Like all pioneer children, George grew up doing his share of the farm work. There would be chores to do; feeding pigs, milking cows, feeding hens, caring for horses, planting, haying, and harvesting of crops. When he was old enough, he would also help with clearing the forest to create the fields of the farm. But there would be time for fun too. There would be little brothers and a little sister to play with. There would also be music; for his Dad played the fife, and there were uncles and neighbours that certainly played the fiddle! It was a tough, but good time to be a pioneer lad. George was strong, healthy, and handsome with a round face and head of thick dark hair.
On February 01, 1877 George married Jane Eleanor Weston. Jane was born on April 24, 1856 in a log house that her father built in 1836 (and which still stands and is occupied to this day) in Goderich Twp. She was the daughter of George and Ellen "Evelyn" (Cronin) Weston. Jane's father was one of the early settlers in Goderich Township, having arrived from the Niagara area in 1832 to take possession from the Canada Company, of Lots 33 and 34 on Concession V. By the time Jane was married, her father owned 238 acres in Goderich Twp. and another 40 in West Wawanosh. He operated a saw mill and had the first waterwheels in the area.
George and Jane lived in Goderich Twp. for a few years where the first three children of their family were born. On November 01, 1877 their first daughter Eliza Jane was born, then on June 16, 1879, Eva Eleanor was born and on September 07, 1880, Annie May was born. The family moved to West Wawanosh Twp. probably to Lot 16, Con.I, the property owned by his father-in-law, not far from Nile and Dungannon. It was there that their first son, Rainey, was born on January 12, 1883. Their fifth child, George Robert was born May 01, 1890 and their last, Lawrence "Lorne" Wilson was born on September 25, 1892.
In 1895, George and Jane purchased the Armstrong homestead in Stanley Twp. from George's youngest brother Robert. The property had been deeded by father Rainey to youngest son Robert, and George purchased it for $2500.00. That summer George and Jane moved the family into the grand stone house. The girls, who were teenagers by now, could not have been too happy to leave behind all their school friends and neighbours, but the boys, 12, 5 and 3 must have viewed it as a great adventure. A niece recalled that the family moved with all their possessions, by horse and wagon, and once they had arrived, George's brother Wilson and sister-in-law Catherine had food ready and they stabled the horses for the night. It must have been a great "homecoming" for George!
The family soon settled in and the children quickly make new friends. There were also lots of cousins living on the Goshen Line! The younger children would now attend S.S. #5, Stanley, the very school that their Dad had attended. It was about this time that the school was remodeled with a brick exterior, shed on the back and porch on the front. Of course there were still the 'outhouses'!
George, a man of strong physique, took pride in his farm and especially in his horses. There are photos of him proudly showing off his team. Jane was highly respected in the neighbourhood. Her kind and genial disposition won for her very many friends. The family was doing well.
In the summer of 1898, there was a pretty wedding when their second daughter, Eva, married David Stephenson. There was soon eager anticipation for the arrival of the first grandchild. But tragedy was around the corner. In February of 1899, George's father Rainey died. Then, Jane, after a brief illness (internal hemorrhage) of about three weeks, died on February 13, 1901. She was in her 45th year. The family and community were shocked and saddened. Jane was buried in the Bayfield Cemetery on February 15, 1901. A large concourse of family and friends followed to the last resting place.
Eliza Jane, who had set wedding plans for early that year, had to postpone the date. She and Ed Boyes would be married on August 28th, 1901. Youngest daughter Annie would marry George McClinchey on Jan. 14, 1903
George was now alone on the farm with his sons; Rainey, age 20, George, 13 and Lorne 11. We can only imagine how sad and difficult it must have been for them all. Thankfully, daughter Eva was just down the road, Eliza was living on the Bronson Line near Blake and Annie was near Varna, and there were lots more relatives living on the Goshen line. Life would go on; grandchildren were born, crops would be planted and harvested, livestock cared for, community events attended and years would pass.
In the summer of 1906, George's eldest son Rainey headed out West to Saskatchewan. There he homesteaded near Rosetown. He built a small frame house, and eventually a small barn. He cleared and worked the land, planted crops and harvested them. He made several trips home over the next few years to see family and friends.
On March 25, 1914, George Robert, at the age of 24, married Pearl Zapfe. Pearl was born on February 24, 1894, the eldest daughter of Henry and Diana Zapfe from Blake. Rainey was home for the wedding and stood up with his brother. That summer, George and Pearl went out West to help with the crops. Pearl was pregnant by the fall and so she returned to her father-in-law's house in Stanley and in December, their son Bruce was born in the stone house. George Robert returned from the West and he and Pearl would find and purchase their first farm in Tuckersmith Twp.
By 1914, the First World War had begun and news of the battles and losses of lives was certainly reaching the ears of Canadians. George's youngest son Lorne was the right age to be conscripted, but before that could happen, Lorne enlisted. On May 9, 1916 Lorne travelled to London and joined the Canadian Army, 161st Battalion from Huron. He left for England in November of that year. George would have been alone now on the farm, but thankfully, Rainey had returned from the West to see his brother off. He would remain 'home' for at least the next three years. In the spring of 1917, Rainey married Margaret Wheatley and they rented a farm on the Mill Road. George was now alone in the stone house on the Goshen. Sadness continued to 'dog' George: a baby grand-daughter, Grace (George and Pearl) died in Feb. 1916, and a baby grand-son, Arthur, (Rainey and Maggie) in Jan. 1918.
Family, relatives and friends were near enough to keep him occupied and letters would inform him of Lorne's state....though the true horrors could not be told. Then in October 1918, just a few weeks before the end of the war, news arrived that Lorne had been wounded. He was returned to Canada, but spent most of a year in the Hospital in London. It was December, 1919 before he would return to the farm with his Dad. It was now just George and his son Lorne. There was no support system for returned soldiers in those days as there is today. It can only be imagined how difficult a time George must have had in trying to support his son in his efforts to cope with the unimaginable images and nightmares of that horrendous experience known as WW I. Take some time soon and read about Vimy, Hill 70, Lens, Passchenaele, Amiens, Cambrai and Canal du Nord. All were part of Lorne's experiences!
Then another tragedy! Rainey and Maggie, with their little daughter Olive, had returned to Saskatchewan and on September 22, 1921, Rainey died after a brief illness. It must have been almost too much to bear! It was about this time too, that George, about 68 years old, decided that it was time to leave the farm. He moved into Goderich and Lorne continued on with the farming. It is quite probable that his Dad would return often to help out when needed. In 1927, Lorne married Ada Dietz and together they continued farming on the Goshen. George would lose another little grandson, Orville, (George and Pearl) in April, 1927, and a little grand daughter Beryl, (George and Pearl) in 1930. He moved from Goderich to a little house in Egmondville on the Mill Road. It was closer to family members. By the early 1930's, in failing health, George was cared for by his daughters and remaining sons. There were five left, and he lived a couple of months with each family. They cared for him until he passed away after suffering from a stroke. He died at the home of his daughter Eva, on May 19, 1935. He was survived by his five remaining children, 17 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
Thus was the life of George Armstrong, seventh child of Rainey and Rosey Armstrong, first born in their new home of Canada. As this is written today, in the year 2006, one hundred and fifty two years after his birth, it can be recorded that he has left 367 descendants! Of those, 246 are direct blood descendants. There were six children, 21 grandchildren (17 survived infancy), 37 great-grand children, and 73 great-great- grandchildren, 105 great-great-great grandchildren and 4 great-great-great-great grandchildren. And the eldest one is his last remaining grandchild: Mabel Armstrong Whiting, daughter of his son Rainey, who died so young out in Saskatchewan!

General Notes (Wife)

Obituary:
Clinton News Record, Thursday, February 21, 1901. Stanley Township Column:
It is our painful duty to record the very sad and sudden death of Mrs. George Armstrong which took place at her home on the Goshen Line on Wednesday afternoon after a short illness. Mrs. Armstrong was highly respected in the neighbourhood in which she lived. Her kind and genial disposition won for her very many friends. She was a kind wife and loving mother and leaves a sorrowing husband and six children, three boys and three girls to mourn the loss of a kind and loving mother. The remains were laid in their last resting place in the Bayfield Cemetery on Friday last and were followed by a large concourse of friends. The funeral service was conducted by Rev. Mr. Jennings of Bayfield.

Notes (Marriage)

Jane and George lived in Goderich Twp., for a time after marriage then moved to Con. 11, Lot 13, Stanley Twp. They had 6 children.

General Notes for Child Eliza Jane ARMSTRONG

A couple of interesting stories about Eliza Jane, recalled by her grandson Bayne Boyes are as follows. When Bayne's father and mother, Bert and Iva were first married, they lived for a couple of months with Bert's parents, Ed and Eliza Jane. Iva remembered how Eliza Jane used to rattle the pots and pans at 4:00 AM to get everybody up. They also tell of how Eliza Jane could throw one hundred pound bales of hay into the truck.

By Gwen Patterson with help from Mona and Deb.
Eliza Jane Armstrong was born November 01, 1877 in Goderich Township, the first child to George Armstrong and Jane Weston. The family lived in Goderich Township for a time, and then when Eliza was about five, they moved to West Wawanosh Township, not far from Nile. Eliza would go to school there. She would help with the chores and play with her two little sisters. Soon, there would be a baby brother to help look after. She would grow up, small, but strong, for she could hold her own when it came to doing work! When she was eighteen, the family, now numbering six children, moved back to the Armstrong homestead in Stanley Township. How hard it must have been to leave behind her school hood friends.
Eliza Jane made new friends and she was now surrounded by many cousins. She met a young fellow named Edward Boyes. He was born on June 04, 1873 in Clinton, son of Edward and Mary Ann (Walker) Boyes. They decided to get married and chose a date in 1901. But tragedy struck the Armstrong home, when Eliza's mother died unexpectedly in February of that year. Eliza and Ed were married August 28, 1901, in the Presbyterian Manse in Hensall. They took a honeymoon trip by horse and buggy to Woodstock Ontario.
In 1910, Ed and Eliza bought a farm on the Bronson Line in Stanley Township. It was100 acres just north of Blake, Lot 5, Con. XII. They would farm there until 1916. It was here, that their family was born. There was Eva Jane, born November 07, 1901. Then Florence Mae was born May 08, 1905. Another little daughter, Mabel Ann was born February 16, 1907. Then their son Bert Russell was born January 25, 1912.
They sold that farm in 1916 and the family moved to another farm just south of Brucefield, Lot 11, Con I on the London Road, (Highway 4). It was from this property that, in 1965 a section was severed and Huron Centennial School was built. But, at the time there was a lovely barn and a nice white house with black shutters. Eliza Jane and Ed would farm there for the next 35 years. Their family would grow up; have their teenage and young adult years here. There would be lots of music in the house because Florence could really play the piano and Mabel and Bert played the violin. They all had an 'ear' for music for not a one needed a musical note! The children would all eventually marry and move to their own homes, but all were still within the area. When their son Bert got married, he and his new wife Iva lived for a couple of months with Eliza and Ed. Iva would relate how her mother-in-law would get up at 4:00 in the morning, rattle the pots and pans, and get everyone going nice and early! The cows needed to be milked! Eliza Jane would be hard at work too, for they told how she could throw those 100 pound bales of hay onto the truck or wagon.
Brucefield would be the hub of their activities. Eliza Jane and Ed attended the Brucefield United church, and Eliza was active in many and various women's organizations. In August 1951, the couple celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. They were treated to a family gathering and dinner at the Little Inn in Bayfield.
In the fall of 1951, they moved from their farm into a little house on Victoria Street in Clinton. There they would remain for the rest of their years. They became active members of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Clinton. Eliza Jane died in the Clinton Public Hospital on January 16, 1957, and Ed died on August 24, 1967 after an illness of only two days. Both are buried in Bayfield Cemetery.

General Notes for Child Eva Eleanor ARMSTRONG

By Gwen Patterson, with help from John and Barb.
Eva Eleanor Armstrong was born June 16, 1879 in Goderich Township. She was the second child and second daughter of George and Jane (Weston) Armstrong. She was not very old when the family moved to West Wawanosh Township onto a property near Nile which was owned by her grandfather Weston. She attended school nearby, helped on the farm and in the house. She was especially good with the little sister and brothers that were born later into the family. She was sixteen in 1895, when the family packed up and moved to the Goshen Line in Stanley Township. Her father George had purchased the Armstrong Homestead on Lot 13, Con.XI.
Eva soon settled into her new surroundings and it was not long before she met a young neighbour lad. David John Stephenson lived on the Goshen Line, Lot 14, Con. X, almost across from Armstrong farm. David was born August 12, 1874, the son of John and Ann (Peck) Stephenson. Eva Armstrong and David John Stephenson were married in 1898. They lived and farmed David's parent's farm on the Goshen Line in Stanley Township. They were a very hospitable couple who loved to entertain family and friends. They visited back and forth with family from Michigan over the years. They also faithfully served in their church all their lives. Many looked up to them as great examples of godly character.
They had a family of three daughters and one son. Anna Mae was born April 16, 1899. Pearl Jane was born April 30, 1904 and Clara Alice was born February 28, 1907. Elmore Ruskin was born on May 07, 1914.
Eva was a great cook. Her oatmeal cookies were a specialty, as attested to by her grandson John McConnell. She was also a great quilter. She would sew the blocks for the top of the quilt by hand, and she would do the quilting all by hand too. Eva would have made a wonderful nurse, as she was called upon many times while living on the farm, to help bring babies into the world. We would call her a 'midwife' today.
Upon retirement from the farm, Eva and David lived in Bayfield, then Varna and finally in a little bungalow on the main road in Egmondville. The house was on the west side, just north of the United Church. It was here, in Egmondville, that they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1948. David died on March 11, 1949 and Eva died in the Clinton Hospital on September 07, 1962. Both are buried in Bayfield Cemetery.

General Notes for Child Annie May ARMSTRONG

BY Shirley Dickson with help from Joan Bell.
Annie May was born in Goderich Twp. on September 17, 1880 to George and Jane (Weston) Armstrong. She was the third daughter in the family and when she was almost three years old she moved with the family to West Wawanosh Township, near Nile. She spent her early years on the little farm there and went to school with her sisters. She was almost 15 when the family moved back to Stanley Township to the Armstrong home on the Goshen Line. Like her sisters, she must have been saddened to leave behind all her childhood friends. But new friends were to be made.
0n January 14, 1903, at the age of 22, Annie married George McClinchey in the Rectory of the Anglican Church, Bayfield, ON. George, age 28, was born in 1875 to Henry and Jane (Keys) McClinchey in Stanley Twp. Huron, ON. The registry at the Anglican Church recorded George's name as "McLinchey". George was from a family of thirteen children.
Annie and George had five children. Wilmer was born in 1904, Ernest - 1906, Mabel - 1909, Gertrude - 1916, and John in 1917.
Both Annie and George were hard working farm folks. With their family, they worked several farms in the area. According to information in Township of Stanley History 1836 - 1986 it states that the East part of Lot 16 and West part of Lot 17 Bayfield Road N have been tied together since Canada Company days. It was first settled in 1854 and that George McClinchey bought it in 1917. His son took it over from 1949 until 1954. Another property, this one on the Babylon, Concession VIII, Lot. 17, was sold to George and Annie (Armstrong) McClinchey in 1929. This property was sold their son Wilmer and Nettie (Pepper) McClinchey in 1940 after George's death on June 17, 1939 in Stanley, Twp.
Annie and George lived on the farm on the Bayfield Rd. from 1917 until her death, from bronchial pneumonia, on June 15, 1947. Both George and Annie are buried in Bayfield Cemetery, Bayfield Ontario.

General Notes for Child Rainey ARMSTRONG

Written for the Armstrong History book by Gwen Patterson with notes from Ron Armstrong.
Rainey Armstrong and his wife Margaret Wheatley: "True Pioneers - Homesteaders in Saskatchewan"
Rainey Armstrong was born on January 12, 1883 in West Wawanosh Twp., Huron County, when his family lived on a farm near Nile and Dungannon. He was the first son born to George and Jane (Weston) Armstrong. He had three older sisters who adored him and undoubtedly 'spoiled' him when he was little. He grew up to be a handsome young man with a smiling and genial disposition. He possessed musical talent and was very popular with his many friends. He was twelve when he moved with his family, as they relocated to the Armstrong homestead on the Goshen Line in 1895. Here he easily made new friends and had many cousins near by.
He was a young man, not afraid of working hard, and he had an adventuring spirit. He must have listened with enthusiasm to the stories and experiences, either told or written in letters home, by uncles and older cousins who had either gone to the West or moved to Michigan. By 1906, at the age of 23, he had made up his mind to try Homesteading in Saskatchewan. And so his adventure would begin.

Written in 2002 by Ron Armstrong.
At this point in time, almost a century later, it is hard for us to imagine what life was like for these hard working and enduring pioneers. We can investigate documents from that time to help us understand the sequence of events that took place. That is, look at land records, sworn statements and personal knowledge of actions by these Homesteaders in the early 1900's. We must then let our minds recall all we have seen in pictures and stories we have heard and read, to get a true feel for what our forefathers went through as pioneers, homesteading in western Canada. The following paragraphs give us a brief glimpse of such a pioneer, Rainey Armstrong.
In a sworn statement in support of his application for Homestead Patent for the SE 1/4 Section 36, Township 30, Range 15, West of the third Meridian, signed at Zealandia Saskatchewan on Nov 14, 1910. We see that he made entry to that Homestead on November the 12, 1907. His age then was 24 years. Though not certain of the year that Rainey first went to Saskatchewan, we do read in the sworn statement, when asked the question. "Have you had any other homestead entry? If so, described it, and say what became of it" His answer was, "yes - the Southwest 30-30-17, I abandoned it" This would indicate he had homesteaded on other land nearby prior to 1907, possibly starting in 1906.
He took up residence on the property at SE 36 - 30 - 15 on April 23, 1908, living in a tent while building his house, completing it in May of 1908. The house was constructed of lumber and measured 12 by 14 feet, costing $125.00. The only stock he owned in 1908 was three oxen. The record shows that in 1908 he broke 23 acres of land and cropped 5 acres. The following year, 1909 he broke 23 more acres and cropped a total of 23 acres. Then in 1910 he did not break any more land but cropped 46 acres that year. The homestead at SE 36 - 30 - 15 was registered in Rainey's name on January 12, 1911.
Again, in a sworn statement in support of his application for a Purchased Homestead Patent for the NE 1/4 Section 36, Township 30, Range 15 West of the third Meridian, signed at Rosetown, Saskatchewan on November 16, 1915. We see his intention to expand his holdings. He was then 32 years of age and said in this application that he has homestead since November 1906. The application indicates that he saw this additional land as valuable for hay and pasture. The application goes on to indicate that his 12ft X 14ft frame house is now valued at $175.00, and that he has now built a frame stable 14ft X 16ft value $60.00 and four granaries, valued at $350.00.
In a supplementary statement in support of his application for Patent for the NE 1/4 36 - 30 - 15 signed at Rosetown on January 26, 1916 he is now seen to have built a $300.00 frame extension to the house, total value of the house is $475.00. In the years from 1913 to 1917 he broke and cropped land as follows, 1913 broke 8 acres - cropped 8, 1914 broke 7 1/2 - cropped 15 1/2, 1915 broke 0 - cropped 15 1/2, 1916 broke 0 - cropped 15 1/2 and in 1917 broke 37 - cropped 52 1/2. By 1917 he had done fencing of about 100 acres at a value of $400.00 and owned six horses. On November 30, 1917 the Lands Patents Branch of The Department of the Interior Canada issued a patent in the name of Rainey Armstrong for NE 36 - 30 - 15.
It is unknown how many trips Rainey made back to Ontario to visit friends and his parents living on the Goshen, Lot 13, Con. 11 of Stanley Township. We know that he returned in February of 1914 to stand up with his brother George at his wedding to Pearl Zapfe. He also returned in the fall of 1916 to visit family and to see his brother Lorne off to the war in Europe. He did make one trip in the same year he took ownership of his second property in Saskatchewan to marry Margaret Ann Wheatley on March 7, 1917.
Margaret, born January 08, 1893 in Clinton, was the daughter of William George and Margaret Ann (Steep) Wheatley. Margaret's mother, Margaret Ann Steep, died January 10, 1893, two days after the birth of her little daughter, leaving William George Wheatley with a baby to raise. There must have been relatives to help out, but when she was three years old, her father remarried. On February 26, 1896 he married Mary Lavina Armstrong, daughter of John A. and Ellen (Clark) Armstrong. Maggie would be raised in the family that would eventually include a half brother Percy.
Rainey and Maggie had a son, Arthur Wheatley Armstrong born to them on January 18, 1918 in Tuckersmith Township. Arthur lived only three days and is buried in the Clinton Cemetery. Rainey and Margaret's second child, Olive Irene Armstrong was born in Tuckersmith Township on May 31, 1919 as well.
The sad point about the life of this hard working pioneer, is that on September 22, 1921, with his pregnant wife and young daughter Olive at his side, he died at age 38 in Rosetown Saskatchewan. He is buried in Rosetown. He would never see his little daughter Mabel, who was born two and a half months later on December 11, 1921.

Maggie carried on the best she could. She wrote home to her father-in-law the following letter:

Rosetown
Sept. 26/21

Dear Grandpa

Just a few lines before going back to the farm. Rainey died on Sept. 22 had a peaceful ending. I stayed right by his bedside the last couple of days and nights but he suffered terrible but looked nice when gone. I got an oak casket $250 and he got some lovely flowers. The only one he asked for was a Mrs. Campell so if you knew who she was. I have hired a man and women to come to help run the place and then in the spring this man intends renting it from me. Jim Armstrong was the only relative here for the funeral. Well I must close and go home it will be lonely for me but I had one good husband and that is all I need. I have my little girl left to help me now so drop me a line some time and come out to see us some time. Remember me to all. This is a little remembrance of Rainey. I got one for you and myself. So bye, bye.
Maggie and Olive

July 2002. A comment on the above letter by: Ron Armstrong. It has been typed from an original letter that Barb (McConnell) Talbot has in her home in London. It is typed as found in the original hand written letter with only a few corrections to punctuation and one spelling correction. The name, Mrs. Campell has been left spelled as found in the original letter.

A Newspaper obituary at time of Rainey's death gives further details and insight.

Obituary: Rosetown Eagle - Sept. 22, 1921 (page 1)
Rainey Armstrong Died This Morning
This morning the grim reaper called to the Great Beyond another of the early settlers of this district in the person of Rainey -Armstrong at the age of 37 years, 8 months and 14 days. He had been seriously ill for a few weeks from which there could be little hope of his recovery, though he battled bravely and all that possibly could be was done to save him. Kind and tender hands cared for him, but it was an unequal struggle and this morning life passed away.
The deceased came here in 1906, three years before there was any sign of the starting of the town of Rosetown, and took up a homestead three miles and a half north. In the fall of 1916 he went east to spent the winter with his father and friends at Brucefield, Ont., and the following March he married Miss Margaret Winkler (sic), of Clinton. They came to Rosetown that spring, he rented his farm and they returned east and resided at Brucefield until last spring, when they returned here to reside on and operate the half section farm north of Rosetown.
Rainey was very popular among his old friends and in the early days with his musical gift and smiling, genial disposition, was ever in demand at the dances and social gatherings. Besides a young wife, he leaves a young daughter, his father, George Armstrong, Goderich, Ont., two brothers, George in Brucefield and Lorne in Varna, Ont., and three sisters, Mrs. Edward Boyce, Brucefield, Mrs. David Stephenson, Varna, and Mrs. Geo. McClinchey, Varna. The whole community is saddened by the death of Mr. Armstrong and extends their deep sympathy to the sorrowing widow and relatives of the deceased.
Funeral services are to be held on Saturday afternoon at 2,30 at Chas. Taylor's undertaking parlors and interment will be made in the Rosetown Cemetery.

Note: In the above obiturary the name Winkler should read, Wheatley. The above newspaper article was sent by Mabel (Armstrong) Whiting (daughter of Rainey) to Gwen Patterson on Aug. 8, 2002. Upon questioning, Mabel verified that her mother's name had been misspelled in the article.

General Notes for Child George Robert ARMSTRONG

By Gwen Patterson with help from my family.
George Robert was born May 01, 1890, near Nile and Dungannon, on Con.I, part Lot 16, West Wawanosh; a property owned by his maternal grandfather George Weston. However, the family of George and Jane moved back to the Armstrong Homestead on the Goshen (Con. XI, Lot 13, in Stanley Twp.) in the summer of 1895 when George was only five years old. George Sr. had purchased the farm from his younger brother Robert after their father Rainey had deeded it to Robert. Grandfather Rainey was alone and well up in years. Indeed, he would pass away in 1899: his wife Rosey having died in 1888.
In 1901, Jane died after a very short illness, leaving George Sr. to raise the two younger boys, George Robert, age 11, and Lorne, age 9. Of the rest of the family: Eva was married and Eliza was soon to be married, Annie would marry in a couple of years, and son Rainey, was age 18. George Robert grew up on the farm with "Pa" and Lornie, went to school just down the road, learned to play the violin, and attended local parties and young people's groups. He met Pearl Zapfe from Blake. She was born February 24, 1894, daughter of Henry Conrad and Dianna (Lehman) Zapfe. George and Pearl were married on March 25, 1914. George was almost 24, and Pearl was 19.
The summer of 1914, Geordie and Pearl went out West to help with the harvest. It is most likely that they went to help his brother Rainey and there were other uncles and cousins out west. When Pearl discovered that she was pregnant, she returned home, and Geordie stayed to help finish the harvest. Their first son Bruce, was born on December 7, 1914, in the Armstrong stone house on the Goshen. George returned home from the west, and on Feb. 12, 1916, a little daughter, Grace Diana was born. Unfortunately the little soul contracted measles and bronchitis and died April 16, 1916, just two months old.
George and Pearl bought their own farm--50 acres on Con. IV, Lot 21, Tuckersmith, and it was here that their second daughter, Beatrice, was born on May 14, 1918. Beatrice would later remember being told the story of how Pearl and her sister Ethel, who was also expecting, had a little competition about who would have their baby first. Well, Pearl won and when Ethel called " to see how Pearlie was doing", Lila Chapman, a neighbour who had come to help Pearl with the baby, told Ethel that everything was all right and "Pearlie was already outside chasing the ducks!" Eight days later, on May 22, Ethel would have her first son, Jack.
Not long after Beatrice was born, the family moved again. The old farmer that George had bought the farm from decided that he "made a mistake and wanted the family farm back." George of course didn't want to sell the farm, so, as the story goes, the old man "went into the bush and shot himself." Of course, to settle the estate, the mortgage was called, and George couldn't pay off the mortgage, so he had to sell. He and Pearl bought a farm on the London Road, (Hwy. #4), Con. I, Lot 33, LRS, Tuckersmith Twp., north of Brucefield. At the time there was no house on the property, and so they rented for a short time until a house from a lot in Brucefield could be moved to the site. There they farmed until Beatrice started school in 1924. Beatrice remembered how she and Bruce would toboggan down the hill from the barn toward the creek and sometimes into the creek!
In Sept. 1924, George and Pearl moved to the farm "on the Second." It was actually on Con. III, Lot 28, LRS, Tuckersmith Twp., across the road from the Wilson family. It would be this farm that would be best known as Geordie and Pearl's farm for they would farm here for the next twenty-one years. Here, Bruce and Beatrice would grow up. Here, two more children would be born, and die in Pearlie's arms. Here Pearl would suffer an accident that would plague her the rest of her life. And here, two granddaughters would live with their mother and grandparents while their father went off to Europe in World War II.
When Pearl was pregnant with their fourth child, Orville, the doctors gave her some medicine to "build her up" (she was very slim up to this time). She became overweight and when Orville Edward was born on April 13, 1927, he weighed 13 pounds! The birth was very difficult and Orville was injured either from the birth and/or the medicine and he contracted illnesses easily. He was taken to the Children's Hospital in London at least twice and died on December 9, 1927, at about 8 months old from bronchial pneumonia. Beatrice remembers being asked to bake some special biscuits when her mother was staying with relatives in London one of those times that Orville was ill and in the hospital.
Little Margaret Beryl born on August 21, 1930 died when she was 13 months old. She contracted pneumonia when she was 6 months old. Pearl pulled her through that. Then she got it again at 1 year old. Beatrice remembers her mother and Lila Chapman bathing the baby in warm water and using mustard plasters to break the congestion. Beryl took it again for the third time at 13 months and the wee soul was too weak to survive it. She died September 10, 1931. We can not even begin to imagine the heart break of these two parents! All three children were buried in Bayfield Cemetery in their Grandparent's (George and Jane) plots. They would later be moved to the plot with their parents.
George and Pearl's two surviving children, Bruce and Beatrice, had illnesses too, that almost took their lives. Bruce had rheumatic fever when he was about 7 years old, and Beatrice had tonsillitis so badly at about 18 months that the doctors told Pearl to take her home and " do whatever she could"! Thankfully she pulled them both throug
Sometime in the early 1930's when Pearl was helping with the haying, she was riding on the tongue of the wagon and she slipped and fell off. The handle of the fork broke and speared her in the back. She was laid up for a long time but the wound eventually healed. However, unknown to everyone, even the doctors, a huge sliver of wood remained in her back and would get infected every once in a while. Several times over the years, the infection almost killed her, but no one could figure out what was wrong because the piece of wood would not show up on X-rays!!!! One time in about 1948 or 49, she was very ill and staying at Beatrice's home. She was so ill and near death that she would later recall how an angel visited her at the foot of her bed and beckoned her to come. Pearl said she told the angel to go away, she was not ready to die. She got better after that. It was not until some time in the 1960's that the doctors discovered the huge sliver in her back and finally removed it!
In the spring of 1946, George and Pearl moved to their new farm on the Mill Road (now known as 42040 Mill Road). Then, it had a beautiful two storey white brick house with front verandah, rose bushes, clematis, golden glow, hollyhocks and snowball trees. A white picket fence ran from the house to the white board fence around the barnyard. There was a lovely large barn, shed and a hen house where Pearlie raised her 300 hens each year and Geordie milked cows, raised pigs and horses. How he loved his horses. He was a good horseman, and always had a nicely matched team. He still had horses into the 1950s, and used them to rake the hay, pull wagons and the cutter in the winter. A nice orchard of apple trees on the west side of the yard provided a great place for the grandchildren (three granddaughters and two grandsons at the time) to play Cowboys and Indians! The silo beside the barn was always the jail for the bad guys! A bush at the back of the farm was filled with trilliums every spring! Geordie plowed, seeded, hayed, threshed, and always had time to attend the 12th of July and play the big 'lambeg' drum in the parade. How we loved to see him twirl those batons as he beat out the tempo! After the parade, the men would gather at a corner and continue to play for hours while a huge crowd would gather around and enjoy the entertainment!
Pearl was always a hard worker. She helped on the farm, kept a wonderfully clean and well decorated home; all done with very little money, but with great taste and talent. She could sew anything (especially doll's clothes), and she was a wonderful cook. Her pies, oatmeal cookies, gingerbread cookies, jams and pickles were always wonderful. She made great macaroni and cheese too. She was instrumental in teaching granddaughters how to cook! Darlene remembers standing on a chair at the table, having one of Grandma's 'pinnies' tied under her arms, and stirring oatmeal cookie dough in Grandma's big mixing bowl. Further evidence of a cooking lesson remained on the ceiling of the kitchen for many years when Shirley, with great glee, tossed a little ball of pie dough a bit too high and it stuck to the paper on the ceiling and left a lovely 'grease' mark.
Every year Pearl raised her own hens for the eggs and to provide a good home cooked chicken dinner when guests frequently stopped in. She made sure the cats rooted out the sparrow's nests in the hen house so the chicken feed would go to the hens and not the birds! She would lean a long board up to the ceiling rafters and teach the cats how to scoot up and dig out the bird nests. She protected those hens from the hawks in the summer time when they were out in the 'shelters'. A leg trap would be placed on top of a fence post! It sounds awful today, but in those days it was legal and everyone did it to protect their 'food supply'.
Pearl always had a big vegetable garden that provided the potatoes, peas, beans, corn, pumpkins, lettuce etc for the summer meals and for canning for the winter. There were also strawberry, rhubarb, and raspberry patches, melons, currants, and apples eaten fresh or canned for winter.
Many parties were held in the big living room, with fiddles and piano accompaniment providing the dancers with the 'toe- tappin' tunes. Grandchildren learned how to waltz, foxtrot, square dance, and dance the 'heel and toe'. If music wasn't being played, then cards were. Many a game of euchre, canasta, or solo went on at the kitchen or dining room table. The great stairway with its banister and railing was a wonderful place to "slide down the banister" and you could wrap yourself in the old buffalo robe and slide down the stairs. Christmas dinner was always here, with New Year's dinner alternating between Bruce's place and Beatrice's place.
In 1960, George and Pearl retired from the farm and moved to their house on Market Street in Seaforth. This would be the house that the two youngest granddaughters and three oldest great grandchildren would most associate with Grandma and Grandpa. George could be found playing cards and chatting with friends on the corner by Sills Hardware store and every morning Pearl went to that same corner and accompanied her great grand children across the busy street on their way to school. On their way home, they would stop in for a cookie and a glass of milk! For several years, George and Pearl looked after the Seaforth Laundromat which was right next door to their house. In early spring, right into fall, two big armchairs were placed on the front porch and they both enjoyed sitting on the porch and having friends drop in for a visit and a chat. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1964. Lots of friends arrived at their house and a party with cards, food, and gifts followed. After George's brother Lorne died, they provided a home here for Ada, until she bought a house in Exeter. George and Pearl lived here until they both passed away. Pearl died in London Hospital on May 21, 1971. She was 77. George died on Sept. 05, 1972 in his home. He was 82 years old. He had suffered a heart attack. Both are buried in Bayfield Cemetery, with their three little lost, but not forgotten babies.

General Notes for Child Lawrence "Lorne" Wilson ARMSTRONG

"How Lorne Armstrong's Family Came To Canada"
(Lorne told this story to Carolyn Robinson - Dec. 2, 1963. He died on Dec. 7, 1963)
Around 1852 his grandfather Rainey Armstrong brought his wife and six children from Ireland across the Atlantic Ocean in a sail-boat, called the Clio.
It took six weeks to make the voyage. On the way over the grandfather and the oldest son were swept off the deck by a great wave but fortunately another wave swept them back on.
They settled on the farm owned by Lorne Armstrong and built a log cabin. The first winter the grand father and a blacksmith's wife from Bayfield walked across Lake Huron on solid ice to Michigan to seek work in the lumber camp there. In the spring when the ice broke, they asked an Indian if he'd row them back to Stanley but he refused so they stole his boat and rowed themselves across.
Mr Armstrong set about clearing his land and building the grand stone house but before he finished it his wife died and Lorne's dad (George Armstrong) took over the place.
As told by Lorne Armstrong

"Note about the farm - Lot 13 Con. 11 Stanley, Township."
An interesting note about the farm, settled by Rainey Armstrong in 1852. The farm went to Rainey's son George, then passed to George's son Lorne, and was bought by Floyd Armstrong (a great grandson of Rainey. It is now lived on by Floyd's son Gregory, his wife Patricia and family.
By: Ron Armstrong, June 28, 2002

By Gwen Patterson with help from Jack Eckel, 2006.
Lawrence Wilson Armstrong was born on September 25, 1892 in West Wawanosh Twp. He was the youngest child of George and Jane (Weston) Armstrong. He was almost three years old when the family moved to Stanley Twp. and into the stone house on the Armstrong homestead. Lorne attended S.S. # 5 Stanley, the little school on the corner of his Uncle Wilson's farm. He was only nine years old when his mother died in 1901. His older sisters were soon all married and Lorne grew up in a household of males only. This would define his character. He grew up a tall, handsome, lean and strong young man. He had a determined and serious character and would always see a task done to its completion, and done well! This character trait would serve him well in the future.
Eventually Lorne and his Dad were the only two left on the farm, as his brothers had now either married or moved to the West. By 1914, the war in Europe had broken out and news of the battles was being read in newspapers across the country. By 1916, conscription was about to come into law. Lorne was 23, and he heeded the call for young men to join the army. On May 09, 1916 Lorne joined the 161st Battalion from Huron and went off to fight in WW I. (See an account of Lorne's military experiences in a separate document and read about this decorated veteran). It would be December, 1919 before Lorne, recovering from wounds, would return to the farm. He and his father worked the farm together for a couple of years, but George was getting on in years, and around 1921, George moved to Goderich. Lorne, alone now, would continue the best he could.
In Hensall, on August 10, 1927, at the age of 35, Lorne married Ada Dietz. Ada was born in 1901 in Hay Twp, daughter of Samuel and Annie (Koehler) Dietz. She grew up on her parents' farm Lot 23, Con.12, Hay Twp. Before her marriage, Ada worked as the telephone operator in the Zurich exchange office. Following their marriage, the couple would reside on the Armstrong farm and work the land for the next 36 years. They would not have a family of their own.
Neighbours and relatives remember Lorne and Ada as being somewhat 'loners'. They did not often join in the gatherings of family and friends when impromptu parties would break out along the line and folks would bring out the fiddles and get one of the ladies to chord on the piano, and a good old fashioned dance would follow. Lorne was a stern man, a good farmer, and serious in his business dealings. In hindsight that can be understood, after the experiences he had to deal with in the war.
Lorne had a dog named Sandy. He and Sandy would often walk across the fields for a little visit with 'the boys' (cousins Willie, Robbie and John) on Wilson's home place. One of Lornie's prize possessions was a new big black Hudson car that he bought in Hensall from the Cook Bros. Car Dealership. He kept it polished and shiny, no small feat in the days of gravel roads. Another prize possession was his little Alice Chalmers tractor, probably purchased from Hyde Bros. in Hensall. Lorne liked to putter about on it, rarely getting it going much beyond an idle, unless he was in the fields. A young neighbour, Jack Eckel and his brother Charles were visiting Lornie one day when he was out 'idling' about the yard with the mower attached. Charles asked if he could drive the tractor and Lornie gave him permission to do so. Well, Charles decided to 'open her up' and get her warm! He went ripping around the yard with the smoke streaming out and Lornie yelling "With that kind of drivin', you'd wreck every damn tractor from here to London!" That was the end of Charles and the 'Alice'.
Jack remembers saying one day to Lorne "When I get old enough I'm going to join the army." Lorne sternly answered "Don't you dare! You let others do that job!" Lorne didn't want anyone else to go through the horrors that he had experienced in WW I.
Lorne passed away on December 07, 1963 at Westminster War Veterans Hospital in London, ON. He was 71 years old. He is buried in Bayfield Cemetery.
Ada soon sold the farm to Floyd Armstrong, a cousin of Lorne's. She lived in Seaforth with her brother-in-law George and his wife Pearl for a short time, and then she bought a small home in Exeter. She died on December 15, 1986 in the Exeter Villa Nursing Home. She is buried in the Bayfield Cemetery with her husband.

"Military History for Lorne Wilson Armstrong, 1916-1919"
Researched and written by grandniece, Gwen (Storey) Patterson.
Lorne Armstrong had been following the newspaper stories about the war in Europe and about the Canadian participation on the Western Front since 1915. The dawning awareness that whole battalions had been wiped out in the Somme when the enemy introduced chlorine gas warfare, combined with the sinking of the torpedoed Lusitania off the coast of Ireland; killing 1200 people including women and children, alongside accounts of further losses in the fighting in the Ypres Salient, transformed the war from a great adventure to a great crusade. Soldiers from Canada were needed and a Battalion from Huron County was being mobilized. Lorne decided to be a part of it. And so, on May 9, 1916, Lorne, age 23, enlisted with the 161st Huron Battalion in London. His Regimental Number: 654780.
He would return home, and with his father, sign appropriate papers putting his affairs in order, and return to Basic Training Camp ‘Carling Heights’ on Dundas Street W., London, ON. He was assigned to ‘C’ Company and training began in earnest and continued over the following months in London, then in Camp Borden where they trained for trench warfare. His pay would be $15.00 a month.
Near the end of Oct. the 161st Battalion, comprised of 28 Officers, and 749 NCOs and Enlisted men boarded the train in Toronto and were transported to Halifax, N.S. On Oct 30th the unit boarded the S.S. Lapland, a large passenger ship which had been converted to a troop-ship outfitted with barrack style bunks. They sailed out on Nov. 1, for England. Lorne’s pay would now include an additional ten cents a day field allowance!
And so it was, sixty four years after Rainey and Rosey Armstrong, with their five sons and baby daughter, boarded a sailing vessel, and sailed west across the Atlantic, enduring six weeks of misery and the loss of their baby girl, to start a new life in Canada; that their grandson Lorne found himself on a troop ship steaming back eastward in an eleven day crossing of the Atlantic to join, with the soldiers from the nation that his grandparents left, in the fighting of one of the world’s worst conflicts!
In all probability, Lorne’s trip was not every comfortable. This troop ship was large and capable of carrying well over 2500 men. Most of the men would be sea sick. The food, if one could keep it down, was not great, and sleep, if possible, would be done in shifts on the cots. There would be little for the men to do except play cards. They shared the ship with a cargo of ammunition, guns, artillery, supplies and horses. They arrived in England on Nov.11, 1916, docking at Liverpool. From there they would make their way by a series of trains and marches to Dibgate Camp, Shorncliffe. On Nov 30th, about two hundred of them (Lorne included) were TOS (taken on strength) to the 58th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The remainder would be sent to various units of the Canadian Corp.
The 58th had been in France since Feb.20, 1916. It was part of the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division. It had participated in the horrific trench warfare of the Battle for Mount Sorrel and Sanctuary Wood in the Ypres Salient in the spring and summer of 1916. By September 1916, the 58th was in action on the Somme Front where it had suffered heavy losses. In less than a year, the 58th had suffered more casualties (576 men) than the number of men it had originally brought to France!
By mid November, the 58th, along with most of the Canadian Corp. withdrew from the Somme front and began preparations for the major assault planned for Vimy Ridge in April 1917. Thus, on December 4, 1916, Lorne, with the 161st Huron Battalion, arrived as reinforcements and were TOS into the 58th Battalion in France at Maison Blanche, a ruin from the fighting of 1915 on the road from Arras to Souchez.
It is highly probable that the very first offensive action that Lorne participated in was with the 58th relief of the 43rd on Dec 6th when the Battalion returned to the front line trenches part way up Vimy Ridge, almost due east of Neuville-St.Vaast. Its orders were to carry out a raid on Dec 10th, on a section of the enemy front line known as Balloon Trench.
It is not my intention here to give a complete description of all the battles, raids, offensives etc. that constitutes the participation of the 58th in the rest of the War. Much has been written and can be accessed for further reading. Please see my bibliography at the end of the article. Rather, I will list some of those very well known battles in which Lorne surely participated. I acknowledge that the mere listing of these battles cannot in any way begin to describe or express the horrors and trauma that Lorne and his fellow soldiers experienced: The death, the mud, the cold, the lice, the noise, the gas, the loss, the cries, the terror, the smell, and disease, and the MUD!
And so, some of the ‘big-name’ Theatres of War that Lorne endured: Vimy Ridge April 1917, defined as the ‘coming of age’ of the Canadian’s; Hill 70 and Lens, August 1917, known as the ‘mustard gas war’; Passchendaele, (The Third Battle of Ypres)Oct.1917, the horrific debacle in mud, called by Churchill as “a forlorn expenditure of valour and life without equal in futility” where, in 12 days, the Canadians Corp suffered 16,000 casualties for a contemptible gain of 4 1/2 miles. The 58th Battalion lost over 300 of their men for a capture of half a farm field! Lens, Dec 1917; Amiens, Aug 1918; and the 2nd Battle of Cambrai & Canal du Nord, Sept. and Oct. 1918. There were many lesser-known, but no less fierce battles throughout this period in which Lorne would have fought, and during this time he experienced two bouts of severe impetigo infections which sent him on Dec. 30, 1917 to the #9 Canadian Field Ambulance for a week, and on Jan. 2, 1918 to the #6 CFA for a two week recovery period.
Lorne’s courage, actions and experience were not going un-noticed. On Feb. 2, 1918, he was promoted to Lance Corporal and he received a monthly raise of pay to $34.50. On Feb. 17, 1918 his position was promoted to that of Corporal, with an increase to $36.00. His leadership abilities and experience, of course combined with casualties of officers about him, saw him promoted to the rank of L. Sergeant on Mar.25, 1918 with pay of $40.30 per month. Lorne’s leadership would come to fruition in August during the Battle of Amiens.
The Battle of Amiens, August 8-11, 1918, was a defining moment for Lorne. It was here, during the attack, Aug.8th on the village of Demuin, that Lorne earned his Distinguished Conduct Medal! (See notes at end of article). In that same battle, another soldier from the 161st, Harry Miner, earned the VC. The next day, on Aug 9th, Lorne was promoted to Sergeant, with a pay-raise to $45.00 per month! That’s $1.50 a DAY! NOT per hour, not per shift, but PER 24 HOURS! What makes men endure being shot at, bombed, gassed, standing in water-filled trenches for days, slogging through knee deep mud, marching, sleeping outside, cold, wet, and terror filled days and nights for $1.50 a day! On Remembrance Day, when we hear about sacrifice, let’s think about that!
Fifty-one days after earning the DCM (Lorne would also earn the Military Medal) Lorne’s participation in the war would come to a terrible end! On Sept. 29, 1918, during the Battle of Canal du Nord and Cambrai, Lorne was wounded in the back left shoulder from either a gunshot or shrapnel in the fighting near St. Olle. This battle which raged from Sept 27th to Oct 1st endured severe casualties for the 58th. From a Battalion that normally comprised about 50 Officers plus about 300 regular soldiers, 333 casualties were recorded! The 58th was almost wiped out! The Battle continued until Oct 11th and it would comprise one of the closing battles in the war, for on that same day, Sept. 29th, Ludendoff and Hindenburg met with the Kaiser and the Foreign Secretary, who had come to German Headquarters and insisted on an immediate request for an armistice. The war would end on Nov. 11, 1918.
Lorne’s ordeal would not be over. Although he must have rejoiced to know that hostilities had ended and he had survived, he would miss out on all the wonderful celebrations that followed the Armistice! On Oct. 1, 1918 he was taken to a Field Hospital. From there, he was admitted on Oct. 8th to 2nd Canadian General Hospital at La Treport, France. By Oct. 15th he was listed as “seriously ill”. Conflicting paperwork occurs here. One report says he was reprimanded for being AWL on Oct. 18th to 20th and forfeited three days pay! Another show he was admitted on Oct 17th to 2nd General Hospital in Havre, France. Removed from the ‘seriously ill” list and sent back to England “invalided and posted” to 2dn CORD, Whitby, where he was admitted on Oct 19th to 2dn Southern General (South Mains) Hospital in Bristol, England. There he remained for almost three months. Eventually the reports began to read “healing well”.
On Jan. 16, 1919, Lorne was sent to the Canadian General Hospital in Basingstoke where he continued to be treated for “frustration of movement of left scapula (shoulder blade), 75 degrees of normal. Left elbow, 45 degrees of normal. Discharging from lower back. Fracture of 8th rib and left scapula, some retraction of L base of L.lung.” He would remain there until May 9, 1919.
On May 10, 1919, Lorne was admitted to No. 5 Canadian General Hospital, Kirkdale. Here his wound was declared ‘healed’, and he was “invalided to leave.”
On June 10, 1919 he shipped out of Liverpool aboard the H.S.Essequibo, arriving in Portland, Maine on June 21, 1919. From there he was sent (probably by train) to London, Ontario, Canada. He was admitted to WOMH in London, ON. June 23,1919. Here he remained, receiving treatment and having x-rays. On July 29, 1919 an “operation was done to remove callous from the 8th rib behind.” By Nov. reports read “in hospital with recurrent attacks of fever, probably the result of a foreign body in the lung at the left base which ultimately resulted in an abscess. The abscess opened spontaneously on Nov. 5th. 1919 and discharged a considerable quantity of foul bloody pus. This drained in 10 days, wound now closed. The arm has remained the same since the wound occurred.” By December the Medical Officer was “of the opinion that the patient will do well at home on the farm.” With a shaky hand, Lorne signed his ‘Statement of the Invalid’ paper agreeing with his disabilities, and on Dec.4, 1919 he was discharged as “Medically unfit.” It was approved the next day. Lorne went home to the farm with $420.00 dollars and memories and pain that he would endure for the rest of his life.

Sources: 1 Attestation papers from Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.
2 History of the Canadian Expeditionary Force by G.L.W. Nicholson (PDF format)
3 The Great War. Canadian Expeditionary Force. 1914-1919 by G.W.L. Nicholson.
4 Second to None. The Fighting 58th Battalion of the CEF. By Keith R. Shackleton
5 A Long Long Way. By Sabastian Barry
6 Legion Magazine. Articles by Arthur Bishop and Terry Copp: various issues.
7 The War Diary for the 58th Battalion (PDF format)
8 Lest We Forget. 161st Battalion of Huron. 1916-1996. Booklet.
9 Huron Overseas. A. (Sandy) McDonald. Unpublished manuscript.

Medals Awarded to Lorne Wilson Armstrong

War Office, 3rd September, 1919.
With reference to the announcement of the undermentioned awards which appeared in the London Gazette of the 1st January, 1919, the following are the acts of gallantry for which the awards were made:—

DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL.
654780 Sjt. L. W. Armstrong, 58th Bn., Can. Infy.
For gallantry and devotion to duty during the attack on the village of Demuin on 8th August, 1918. He was one of a party that worked round a fortified house and bombed the enemy out, during the fighting in Demuin. His daring and skilled bombing materially assisted in the clearing of this position. He afterwards led his platoon through to the final objective, at all times showing coolness and good leadership.

Source: 31537 Second Supplement to The London Gazette of Tuesday, the 2 of September, 1919; Page 84; # 11174 supplement of the London Gazette for 3 September, 1919

MILITARY MEDAL
His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Military Medal for bravery in the Field to the undermentioned Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men: —
654780 Sjt. Armstrong, L. W., 58th Bn., 2nd C. Ontario R.

Source: 31430 Third Supplement to The London Gazette of Tuesday, 1 July, 1919; Page 4, #8336 Supplement to the London Gazette of 3 July, 1919.

Additional notes:
Only one other soldier in the 161st was awarded two medals: Harry Miner; Victoria Cross and the Croix de Guerre. He was killed in the battle at Demuin, east of Amiens, Aug 8, 1918.

Medals awarded in the 161st were:
Military Cross: 5
Military Medals: 26, 4 with Bar
Distinguish Conduct Medal 3

The 161st was comprised of 777men. 117 were killed in action, 15 more died of wounds in France or England. Countless more were wounded, but survived to come home. A number died as a result of their wounds after returning home. Many of the rest were permanently scarred physically and psychologically by what they had endured.

"More Military History Lorne Wilson Armstrong"
From the March 17th,1982 issue of '161' Newsletter
Featured, in this special edition, is "Vimy Veteran" (formerly from Varna) No.654780, Armstrong, (Pte.) Lorne W. who enlisted May 9th, 1916, at London, Ontario
The name of "next of kin" on a the 1916 O'seas roll, is given as (Geo. Armstrong). Geo. was Private Lorne's father; his address, Varna, was his home community, before and after World War One. (Pte,) L. W. Armstrong, the soldier standing at right In this 'trio' ( there was a photo in the Newsletter) was one of 3 '161sters' to receive, while overseas D.C.M. (Distinguished Conduct Medal) for "Bravery".
A kinsman, A. Armstrong, (formerly of 'the Goshen Line Stanley Twp. who is a former neighbor of the late Great war soldier) related some details he had heard through Armstrong's nephew, Elmer Stephenson, of Egmondville. Said Allen, "During the battle, Lorne, with some other raw recruits, were told to capture an enemy trench; as they advanced, Lorne's squad became fewer and fewer until there was only Lorne and a few other Privates left; when they began to show signs of turning back, Armstrong said, "If you two retreat, it'll be too bad for you--I'll put a bullet through both of you myself" Private L. Armstrong with the two other soldiers then completed their assignment and, (with the assistance of several thousand more Allied troops) captured, 65 years ago, in April, 1917, "Vimy Ridge". The "wounded" veteran of "Vimy" (Armstrong) recovered and returned to Huron County.
Judging by a report from the soldier's nephew, E. Stephenson, Lorne was one of the '161st Hurons' to cross the channel, in December 1916, to fight with the 58th', in France. The Clinton News-Record recorded (Pte.) L. Armstrong's death as having occurred at Westminster War Veterans Hospital, London, Ontario on December 7th, 1963.
Compiled by A. 'Sandy' McDonald, 213 Widder Street, Goderich.

George "Lloyd" Armstrong and Margaret Reid

Husband George "Lloyd" ARMSTRONG

         Born: 8 Jun 1889 - Stanley, Huron, Ont, Can.
   Christened:  - Stanley, Huron, Ont, Can
         Died: 29 Oct 1917 - Stanley, Huron, Ont, Can
       Buried: 31 Oct 1917 - Bayfield, Huron, Ont, Can

       Father: Robert ARMSTRONG (1860-1921)
       Mother: Emily STEPHENSON (1868-1938)

     Marriage: 25 Dec 1915 - Stanley, Huron, Ont. (Death of one spouse)

Noted events in his life were:

• Burial Location

Bayfield Cemetery, Plot 35A

• Education

Stanley, Huton, Ont. Can

• Occupation

Farmer

• Religion

Methodist at time of marrigae.

Wife Margaret REID

         Born: Abt 1894
   Christened: 
         Died: Abt 1972
       Buried:

Noted events in her life were:

• Religion

Methodist at time of marrigae.

• Residence

Flint, Michigan

• Residences

Stanley, Huron, Ont. - Flint Michigan

Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage Fact

Had no children

• Marriage Fact, 29 Oct 1917

Stanley, Huron, Ont, Can

Children

General Notes (Wife)

Margaret Reid remarried to Paul Jahn and lived in Flint, Michigan.

George Robert Armstrong and Pearl Zapfe

Husband George Robert ARMSTRONG

         Born: 1 May 1890 - Near Dungannon, Huron, Ont., Can
   Christened: 
         Died: 9 Sep 1972 - Seaforth, Huron, Ont., Can.
       Buried: 11 Sep 1972 - Bayfield, Ont.

       Father: George ARMSTRONG (1854-1935)
       Mother: Eva "Jane" Eleanor WESTON (1856-1901)

     Marriage: 25 Mar 1914 - Seaforth, Huron, Ont., Can.

Noted events in his life were:

• Burial Location

Bayfield Cemetery, 67D

• Death Location

At his residence in Seaforth.

• Occupation

Farmer

• Residences

Tuckersmith Twp., Lot 28, con. 3, LRS, and Lot 31 (Mill Road), & Seaforth, Ont.

Wife Pearl ZAPFE

         Born: 24 Feb 1894 - Hay Twp. Huron, Ont., Can.
   Christened: 
         Died: 21 May 1971 - London, Middlesex, Ont., Can.
       Buried: 24 May 1971 - Bayfield, Ont.

Noted events in her life were:

• Burial Location

Bayfield Cemetery, 67D

• Death Location

St Joseph Hospital, London

• Occupation

Housewife and Mother

• Residence

Hay Twp., Tuckersmith Twp. and then Seaforth Ont.

Children

1 M Bruce Weston ARMSTRONG

         Born: 7 Dec 1914 - Stanley, Huron, Ont. Can.
   Christened: 
         Died: 10 Apr 1988 - Hibbert, Twp., Ont., Can.
       Buried: Apr 1988 - Bayfield, Ont.

       Spouse: Jean "Bernice" McKELLAR (1925-2008)
         Marr: 1 Dec 1945 - Cromarty, Ont., Can.

2 F Grace Diana ARMSTRONG

         Born: 12 Feb 1916 - Stanley, Twp. Huron, Ont. Can.
   Christened: 
         Died: 17 Apr 1916 - Stanley, Twp. Huron, Ont. Can.
       Buried: Apr 1916 - Bayfield, Ont.

3 F Beatrice Mae ARMSTRONG

         Born: 14 May 1918 - Tuckersmith, Huron, Ont., Can.
   Christened: 
         Died: 11 May 2000 - Seaforth, Huron, Ont., Can.
       Buried: 13 May 2000 - Stanley, Huron, Ont.

       Spouse: Alvin Morley STOREY (1906-1986)
         Marr: 5 Sep 1941 - Elora, Ont.

4 M Orville Edward ARMSTRONG

         Born: 13 Apr 1927 - Tuckersmith, Huron, Ont., Can.
   Christened: 
         Died: 9 Dec 1927 - Tuckersmith, Huron, Ont., Can.
       Buried: 12 Dec 1927 - Bayfield, Ont.

5 F Margaret "Beryl" ARMSTRONG

         Born: 21 Aug 1930 - Tuckersmith, Huron, Ont., Can.
   Christened: 
         Died: 10 Sep 1931 - Tuckersmith, Huron, Ont., Can.
       Buried: 11 Sep 1931 - Bayfield, Ont.

General Notes (Husband)

General Notes (Wife)

Pearl was born before her parents were allowed to marry (Dianna was not yet 18 years of age) so she was brought up by her maternal grandparents until she was almost five. She was known in the community as Pearlie Lehman. Her parents, Dianna and Henry were married in Dec. 1894 and in Oct. 1895 they had their second daughter, Ethel. By Dec. 1898 a third daughter, Clara, was born. By this time, Pearlie was almost five and it was thought that she would be a good help to her mother in looking after the two little girls and the house so she was "returned" to her parents and became known then as Pearlie Zapfe.
The family lived in Blake, on a farm on the northeast corner of the hamlet. From here Pearlie went to school, made lifelong friends (one being Alma Bechler) and finally met and married George Robert Armstrong.
Pearl Zapfe Armstrong had five children. Only two lived, Bruce and Beatrice. They too, had illnesses that almost took their lives. Bruce had rheumatic fever when he was about 7 years old, and Beatrice had tonsillitis so badly at about 18 months that the doctors told Pearl to take her home and " do whatever she could"! Thankfully she pulled through. Pearl and George's second child, Grace died at 2 months and 4 days from measles and then bronchitis.
When Pearl was pregnant with their fourth child, Orville, the doctors gave her some medicine to "build her up" (she was very slim up to this time). She became very overweight and when Orville was born he weighed 13 pounds! The birth was very difficult and Orville was injured either from the birth and/or the medicine and he contracted illnesses easily. He was taken to the Children's Hospital in London at least twice and he died at about 8 months old from bronchial pnemonia. Beatrice remembers being asked to bake some special biscuits when her mother was staying with relatives in London one of those times that Orville was ill and in the hospita
Little Beryl died when she was 13 months old. She contacted pneumonia when she was 6 months old. Pearl pulled her through that. Then she got it again at 1 year old. Beatrice remembers her mother and Lila Chapman bathing the baby in warm water and using mustard plasters to break the congestion. Beryl took it again for the third time at 13 months and the wee soul was too weak to survive it.
All three children were buried in Bayfield Cemetery in their Grandparent's (George and Jane) plots. They would later be moved to the plot with their parents.
Sometime in the early 1930's when Pearl was helping with the haying, she was riding on the tongue of the wagon and she slipped and fell off. The handle of the fork broke and speared her in the back. She was laid up for a long time but the wound eventually healed. However, unknown to everyone, even the doctors, a huge sliver of wood remained in her back and would get infected every once in a while. Several times over the years, the infection almost killed her, but no one could figure out what was wrong because the piece of wood would not show up on X-rays!!!! One time in about 1948 or 49, she was very ill and staying at Beatrice's home. She was so ill and near death that she would later recall how an angel visited her at the foot of her bed and beckoned her to come. Pearl said she told the angel to go away, she was not ready to die. She got better after that. It was not until some time in the 1960's that the doctors discovered the huge sliver in her back and finally removed it!
Pearl was always a hard worker. She helped on the farm, kept a wonderfully clean and well decorated home; all done with very little money, but with great taste and talent. She could sew anything (especially doll's clothes), and she was a wonderful cook. Her pies, oatmeal cookies, gingerbread cookies, jams and pickles were always wonderful. She made great macaroni and cheese too. She was instrumental in teaching granddaughters how to cook! Evidence of a cooking lesson remained on the ceiling of the kitchen for many years when Shirley, with great glee, tossed a little ball of pie dough a bit too high and it stuck to the paper on the ceiling and left a lovely 'grease' mark.
Every year Pearl raised her own hens for the eggs and to provide a good home cooked chicken dinner when guests frequently stopped in. She made sure the cats rooted out the sparrow's nests in the hen house so the chicken feed would go to the hens and not the birds! She would lean a long board up to the ceiling rafters and teach the cats how to scoot up and dig out the bird nests. She protected those hens from the hawks in the summer time when they were out in the 'shelters'. A leg trap would be placed on top of a fence post! It sounds awful today, but in those days it was legal and everyone did it to protect their 'food supply'.
Pearl always had a big vegetable garden that provided the potatoes, peas, corn, pumpkins, lettuce etc for the summer meals and for canning for the winter. There were also strawberry and raspberry patches, melons, currants and apples eaten fresh or canned for winter.
Pearl was one of the kindest souls ever. She never sent friends or family home without a meal, even if they dropped in unexpectedly. She and George provided a home for their sister-in-law Ada, for a time after Lorne died. She boarded a granddaughter for a time when things were a bit rough at home. She always had time for grandchildren to visit for summer holidays, and would baby sit when parents needed a break. How greatly she is missed!!!!!

General Notes for Child Bruce Weston ARMSTRONG

By Gwen Patterson with help from Bun.
Bruce Weston Armstrong's parents, George and Pearl, had gone out west "too help with the harvest." When Pearl found out that she was pregnant, she returned home before Bruce was born and she lived with her father-in-law, George, on the Goshen Line. Bruce was born in the Armstrong stone house on December 07, 1914. After his Dad returned, the family moved to a farm in Tuckersmith, then to one on the London Road and finally, when Bruce was about ten, to the farm he would remember as 'home'. It was Lot 28, Con. III London Road Survey, Tuckersmith Twp. He attended S.S. # 3, Tuckersmith. Following completion of Grade 8, he worked on the farm with his Dad and also worked on neighbouring farms where he earned 50 cents a day.
Bruce was a fun-loving fellow, always ready for a party. He played the violin by ear and with a "sweet touch" and he loved to dance. Indeed, later he would be the one to teach his nieces how to dance. When they were little, they would stand on his toes and he would waltz, fox trot or polka to the music until they learned the beat and could do the dances properly.
When the Second World War broke out, Bruce applied but was rejected because of his heart. He had suffered rheumatic fever as a lad. So, to do his part during the war, he and his friends worked at a Munitions factory in St Catherines. They would travel back and forth each weekend. By this time, Bruce had purchased his own farm, Lot 9 Con. XII Tuckersmith. He was 'batching' it here, when one night he and some friends attended a dance in Exeter. There he spotted a lovely young lady and he asked for a dance. He and Bernice "Bun" McKellar had a couple of dances and when the evening came to an end, they went there separate ways. But Bun was smitten and she kept looking for Bruce at the weekly dances for a long time, but he didn't show up! She would later learn that he was in the London Hospital with gall bladder attacks! He never would have his gall bladder removed, but learned to treat the attacks.
However, Bruce was smitten too, and eventually they met again and began to date. He and Bernice were often at dances and get togethers. Bruce and Jean Bernice McKellar were married December 01, 1945 in the Cromarty Church manse.
Bernice was born September 05, 1925, daughter of Lindsay and Gladys (Miller) McKellar. She grew up in Cromarty and attended S.S. # 6 Hibbert School on Lot 16, Con. XIII. Her teacher there was Ross MacKay, and besides teaching the usual curriculum, he delighted in teaching the pupils how to do the Step Dances, Square Dances, Scottish dances, (Highland Fling and Sword Dance), play the piano, especially the chords so as to accompany the violin, and even hook rugs. Bernice learned all of these and excelled at the dancing. Indeed, when she was Step Dancing her feet were fairly flying! She was so proud to wear the 'proper' Scottish attire of plaid skirt, white blouse, black vest and tartan sash. Bun would later go on to be part of a Square Dance group that won first prize in 1954, at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.
Bruce and Bun farmed for a time after they were married, on the farm on Lot 9, Con. XII in Tuckersmith. They were there when their two sons were born. Gerald Bruce was born June 04, 1947 and Rannie George was born July 23, 1949. Both boys were born in the Seaforth Hospital.
In the early 1950's Bruce and Bun bought a farm in Hibbert Twp.on the Staffa Road; east half of Lot 30, Con IX. Here the boys would grow up and attend school down the road at S.S. # 4, Hibbert. Bruce was active with the School Board and he was one of the last trustees for that school before it was closed and the rural schools were amalgamated into large central ones and the pupils bussed to school.
This was the farm that was just two miles east of the farm that Bruce's sister Beatrice and her family lived on. Every Saturday night the families alternated hosting the other to card games (euchre, canasta, or solo), wrestling or hockey on T.V. (if you were at Bruce's), then sandwiches, pickles, and cake. What good memories!
The family farmed there until 1967, when on April 17th a tornado went through and destroyed the house, barn and sheds. Bruce and Bun escaped by climbing under the front porch which luckily had a cement foundation around it! They then bought a farm a couple of miles farther east on the Staffa road, Lot 20, Con. IX. By this time the boys were in their teens and early twenties. They were a good help on the farm. Bruce had always loved his horses and there were always two or three on this farm. Bun said they were 'just for looks', but the boys did ride them, sometimes so fast that their tails were straight out behind them as they tore across the fields! This was their farm until 1988.
Once the boys were gone and Bruce and Bun were on their own, Bruce did some collecting of antiques and they did some traveling. They liked to go to Florida with friends, and they went across Canada. They went to Nashville, for the music, of course. And they continued to attend dances and enjoy time with friends. They followed the weekly dances held at Family Paradise, Unionville and Pineridge Chalet, just to name a few. Bun would laugh at how the women would almost 'line up' to request a waltz with Bruce. He was one smooth dancer!
Bruce and Bun had been at a reception one Saturday evening. They had danced and had a grand time. The next morning, Sunday, April 10, 1988, Bruce went to the barn to do the chores. When he didn't arrive back at the house when he should have, Bun went out to look for him, and there she found him in the barn. He had suffered a heart attack and died. Although it was very hard for the family, they do believe that Bruce would have wanted it to be this way. When it was his time to go, it was quick. Bruce would never have wanted to be 'laid up'. Bruce is buried in the Bayfield Cemetery, Plot 296F. How he is missed!
Bun sold the farm and moved into an apartment on Victoria St. in Seaforth. There she continued to enjoy visiting friends and family. She and her lady friends enjoyed attending functions where there was good old-time entertainment provided with fiddles and accompanied by the piano. She declares that it is getting harder to find these good groups because she notices that the musicians seldom tap their toes to the beat, as good musicians should!
When health issues and mobility became a major concern, Bun moved, in 2004, into The Seaforth Manor Retirement Home. There, she has her own apartment and maintains her independence. She loves to have visits from her family. Great-Grandmother Bun describes her great-grandchildren as "loving little souls". Great-grandfather Bruce would have loved them to pieces! Now remember, she will be watching for those tapping toes!

General Notes for Child Beatrice Mae ARMSTRONG

By Gwen Patterson.
Beatrice Mae Armstrong was born May 14, 1918 to George and Pearl (Zapfe) Armstrong. She attended S.S. #3 Tuckersmith, on the Mill Road just east of Brucefield. She graduated from grade eight in 1932, and because times were very tough, she did not attend high school, but helped out at home on the farm. When she was eighteen, she was allowed to 'work out' to earn extra money and so she did domestic work for the Cluff family in Seaforth. She did the usual kinds of activities that young ladies of the day enjoyed; attended dances, went to the beach, visited friends, etc. In 1939, she met a handsome young man who had moved into town to run his farm machinery business. Morley Storey, born October 3, 1906 on a farm near Alma, son of Walter and Euphemia (Torrance) Storey, had come to Seaforth to run the Massey Harris Dealership. They met at a dance through mutual friends, Howard and Evelyn Carroll. A courtship followed and Beatrice and Morley were married on September 5, 1941 in Elora, ON. They moved into an apartment above the grocery store on the corner of Main Street and John, in Seaforth.
On March 5, 1942, their first daughter, Shirley Ann Pearl was born in the Seaforth Hospital. The family settled in, but WW II was raging on and Morley knew he would have to go. Beatrice was expecting again, so the family moved 'home' to George and Pearl's farm. On March 20, 1943 their second daughter, Gwendolyn Beatrice would be born, also in the Seaforth Hospital. Morley would go off to war and Beatrice and the girls would remain with Bea's parents until the War was over.
Private Alvin Morley Storey enlisted in the Central Mechanization Depot of the R.C.O.C. in December, 1942. After training in London and Barriefield, he was sent to Europe in July, 1944. After D-Day and the Invasion of Normandy in June, 1944, and once the Allies were established in the Port of Cherbourg and the Scheldt Estuary; Morley was posted to the main supply depot on the border between Holland and Belgium. There he served as a storeman and transport driver delivering supplies. He served overseas for 20 months, helping with 'cleanup' after the war was officially over. He arrived home on February 4, 1946 and received his discharge in March, 1946.
In the spring of 1946, George sold the home farm and in March, he and Pearl moved to their new farm on the Mill Road. Beatrice and Morley remained in the 'old' house for a time. Morley spent the spring and summer helping his father-in-law and brother-in-law with the planting and harvest on their farms, and also looking for a farm of his own. Beatrice was expecting again, and they soon settled on the purchase of a farm on the Staffa Road; Lot 7, Con. VIII, Tuckersmith. They moved into their own place dubbed 'The Burdock Farm' in the fall and their third daughter, Joyce Diana was born on December 13, 1946.
Times were tough and although the family didn't have much money, the girls never felt deprived! You don't miss what you don't have! The very first spring, when three hundred baby chicks were purchased for the years crop of hens, there was NO place to put them where they could be kept warm enough........except in an upstairs bedroom!! And that is where they were put, until the weather was warm enough to get them into the hen house! There was no electricity to the farm. That would not be a luxury until 1957, ten years away!
Even though times were hard, it is the fun things that one remembers! Harvesting and threshing with grandparents and Uncle Bruce and Aunt Bun. Fishing with cousins and using a bent nail for a hook and crickets for bait. Visits from the Detroit relatives. Boxes of wonderful hand-me-down clothes from the city. Attending 'Storey-Torrance' reunions in Moorefield. Watching Saturday night wrestling on Uncle Bruce's TV, then euchre or solo, while the girls and their cousins Gerald and Rannie played. And those Saturday nights were a ritual not to be broken by rain, hail, sleet or snow. If the car could not get through the snow, then the horses were hitched up to the sleigh and away we would go! Then salmon sandwiches, pickles and Aunt Bun's wonderful chocolate cake! Chores, dishes, egg gathering and cleaning, old dog Nippy, twenty cats, and a pony that NOBODY could ride!
On October 28, 1954 another little daughter, Darlene Grace was born. What a good time the three older girls had looking after their little sister. They were all now attending S.S.#9 Tuckersmith School, just down the road, and they would bring home stuff for their little sister who turned out to be a whiz at Math. Then on March 15, 1957 wee little Alva Fay was born at home! And I mean wee.....she was only 3lbs. 10oz. She spent the first month of her life in Clinton Hospital, until she was strong enough to come home. And life went on!
In the spring of 1964, Morley and Beatrice sold the farm. Shirley was married, Gwen was in Teacher's College, Joyce was finishing High School and would soon be off to Nurse's Training in Windsor, Darlene and Fay were both in elementary school. Morley had the chance to do bookkeeping at his cousin George Miller's gas station and car dealership. They moved into their house on George Street in Seaforth.
To help with the income and putting all these girls through school, Beatrice and Morley also did caretaking and cleaning for the Legion, the Post Office,and the Egg Grading Station. Beatrice went back to school and enrolled in the first Homemakers course in the area, run by Conestoga College She was thrilled to get her diploma after a ten week course. Today that same 'Course' is reduced to a few days of instruction! She was posted to many jobs in the area and worked at Homecare for several years. She also took up lawn bowling and took her turn as President of the Seaforth Lawn Bowling Club. In the winter she participated in five pin bowling while Morley was the bartender at the Seaforth Curling Club. He was also active in the Seaforth Legion where he was Treasurer for several years, and upon his 'retirement' from that position, he was awarded a Life Time Membership in 1978, in appreciation for his long time involvement. In the summer, both Beatrice and Morley liked to golf at the Seaforth Golf Course.
With a bit more leisure time, they were able to take some trips with the two younger girls. They toured the north part of Ontario, around Huntsville, Sudbury, and Algonquin. They also took the girls to Ottawa and Quebec, the Laurentian Hills and Kingston (Old Fort Henry). In 1967, they allowed the two girls to go by train to EXPO '67. They were 12 and 10 at the time! Bea and Morley also took some trips with friends. These were often related to Legion events. Because they both loved country music, they took a bus trip to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The longest trip was to the west coast of Canada in the summer of 1978 with Morley's brother George Storey and Irene. Beatrice claimed that she spent the entire time in the Rockies looking out the back window to see where she had been because it was too scary looking out the front or side windows as George had a 'heavy foot' and took those mountain roads a bit too fast for her comfort! And believe it or not, this trip was done with a tent trailer! George was 79, Morley 72 and Beatrice 60 years of age. What troopers!
Soon the two younger girls were off to university and then Bea and Morley were on their own. Once Morley 'officially' retired, he took up the hobby of refinishing and repairing furniture. He and his friend Norman Young would travel to Mennonite 'country' in Waterloo County and purchase items at auctions, then refinish them. A lot of wonderful furniture pieces wound up in the homes of the girls. Beatrice did beautiful handwork. She crocheted many afghans, doilies, tablecloths and even and bedspread. Morley spent many hours in his 'workshop' attached to the carport by the house. Every day the coffee pot brewed all day while friends stopped by for a chat or a game of cards.
In the early 1980's Morley was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent the usual therapy treatments, but on April 07, 1986 he passed away in the Seaforth Hospital. He is buried in Baird's Cemetery, Stanley Township.
Beatrice, now alone, sold the house and moved into an apartment on High Street. She had a great group of lady friends and they met often for lawn bowling, cards, tea, birthday parties, and Senior dinners. She continued to travel, taking her first plane ride to Halifax, then on to a bus tour of Newfoundland, and St. Pierre & Miquelon. Her daughters made sure she was included in some of their trips. Joyce took her to Tennessee and Kentucky. Gwen took her to the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. Darlene and Fay took her to New England and whale watching; Arizona and the Grand Canyon; Texas and the Southwest; a circle of Lake Huron with 'high tea' at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. It was on a trip to Florida with Darlene and Fay, when she broke her leg and it was the end of travelling for Bea.
After surgery and having pins in her leg, Beatrice gradually found it more difficult to get around and so she moved into an assisted-living apartment in Huronview near Clinton in 1998. She loved the girls that helped her and they would often be found popping in to check on her and she would always have a new joke to tell them. Her sense of humour was so evident that her little great grandchildren referred to her a 'Funny Grandma' instead of Great-Grandma. She kept her mind sharp and she could remember people, names, relationships, jokes and stories. She had little notebooks all over the place where she wrote out long poems, nursery rhymes and jokes!!
In the spring of 2000 Beatrice got infection in the prostheses in her leg, and it raged through her body. She died on May 11, 2000 in the Seaforth Hospital, three days short of her 82nd birthday. She is buried in Baird's Cemetery.

Gerald Bruce Armstrong and Mary Jane Rau

Husband Gerald Bruce ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

         Born: 
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

       Father: Bruce Weston ARMSTRONG (1914-1988)
       Mother: Jean "Bernice" McKELLAR (1925-2008)

     Marriage:

Wife Mary Jane RAU (details suppressed for this person)

         Born: 
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

Children

1 F Tanya Lynn ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

         Born: 
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

       Spouse: Jim POPPE (living)

2 F Melissa Julianne ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

         Born: 
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

       Spouse: Marc GENEREUX (living)

3 F Danielle Marie ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

         Born: 
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

       Spouse: Jeff CLARK (living)

Gerald Rae Armstrong and Barbara "Elaine" Merner

Husband Gerald Rae ARMSTRONG

         Born: 21 Feb 1959 - Seaforth, Huron, Ont, Can
   Christened: 1959 - Stanley, Huron, Ont, Can
         Died: 28 Nov 1984 - Goderich Twp., Huron, Ont, Can
       Buried:  - Bayfield Ont

       Father: Floyd Rae ARMSTRONG (1930-1990)
       Mother: Emma "Jean" TAYLOR

     Marriage:

Noted events in his life were:

• Residences

Stanley, Twp. Lot 9 Con. 11;

Wife Barbara "Elaine" MERNER (details suppressed for this person)

         Born: 
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

Children

General Notes (Husband)

Obituary: London Free Press
Armstrong
Suddenly as the result of an accident in Goderich Twp., on Wednesday, November 28, 1984, Gerald Rae Armstrong, of RR #1, Zurich, in his 26th year. Beloved husband of Barbara Elaine (Marner) Armstrong. Dear son of Floyd and Jean (Taylor) Armstrong of RR #1 Zurich and son-in-law of Gary and Maxine Merner of RR #3 Clinton. Dear brother of Gregory Armstrong of RR #1 Varna, and Frances (Mrs Richard Simons) of Brampton. Dear grandson of Mrs. Gertrude Taylor of Seaforth. Also surviving are several aunts and uncles and 3 nephews. Visitation after 2 PM Friday in the Zurich Chaple of Michael P. O'Connor Funeral Homes, 49 Goshen Street North, Zurich, where the funeral service will be conducted on Saturday, December 1 at 2 PM, with Reverend Wilena Brown, officiating. Interment to follow in Bayfield Cemetery. Donations to the Goshen United Church or the Clinton Public Hospital would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.

Gladys Armstrong

Husband (details suppressed for this person)

         Born: 
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

Wife Gladys ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)

         Born: 
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

       Father: William J ARMSTRONG (1868-1936)
       Mother: Elizabeth Jane McCARTY (1876-1939)

Children

Emil R Lange and Grace Armstrong

Husband Emil R LANGE

         Born: Abt 1868 - Michigan
   Christened: 
         Died: 
       Buried:

     Marriage: 8 Jan 1902 - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation

Tailor

Wife Grace ARMSTRONG

         Born: 27 Apr 1877 - Michigan
   Christened: 
         Died: 10 Apr 1903 - Sault Ste Marie, Chippewa, Michigan, USA
       Buried: 12 Apr 1903 - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

       Father: David ARMSTRONG (1842-1915)
       Mother: Jane TATE (Abt 1843-1913)

Noted events in her life were:

• Burial Location

Buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Prot. Section, Block 11, Lot 8, Grave #2

• Occupation

Clerk

Children

General Notes (Wife)

Obituary: The Daily News-Record, Friday, April 10, 1903 - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Succumbed to a Long Illness at Noon Today.
Mrs. Emil R. Lange died at the family residence on Easterday Avenue shortly after noon today. While the deceased had been ill for sometime her death came as a surprise to her family, who had not thought the end was near.
Mrs. Lange was formerly Grace E. Armstrong, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Armstrong. She had resided in the Soo since infancy, and was married to E. R. Lange about a year ago
She was popular among a large circle of acquaintances and her death will be sincerely mourned. No arrangements for the funeral have as yet been made, but the time and place will be announced in The News-Record tomorrow.

Notes (Marriage)

Married by C. B. Steele, Pastor of Central M.E. Church in Aault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The marriage was witnessed by A. C. Lange and W. J. Armstrong both of Sault Ste. Marie.

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