What happens when the story gets twisted? The story keeper and the storyteller got their wires crossed. Bunny, the story keeper, decided to tell a different story about her son. And the extended family all colluded. Eventually the son found out his true story – ‘the last man standing’. Tom Wilson discovered he is a descendant of mohawk warriors, hunters and chiefs …but he was denied the truth until he was in his 50s. You can see his artwork at the TAP Centre of Creativity until December 21st. Now he gets to tell his story – his story can be viewed here on film.
Everyone has a story. And all our stories are compelling and amazing. Why not write yours down for your descendants? Our children want to know about their ancestors and our ancestors want us to tell their stories. Truth preferred – the truth as we know it and have experienced it. Story keepers and story tellers. – Mary Simpson
Art by Tom Wilson
TAP Centre for Creativity presents, Mohawk Warriors, Hunters and Chiefs, a solo exhibition of the artwork of Tom Wilson tehohåhake (two roads). Tom is a musician, writer and visual artist based in Hamilton, Ontario. Tom’s art exhibition ends December 21st. I
Musically he is known for his work with the bands Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Junkhouse and Lee Harvey Osmond, the latter receiving a 2020 Juno Award for the album Mohawk.
Wilson’s memoir,Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers and the Road Home, in which he reveals the impact of discovering his Indigenous heritage at the age of 53, became a national bestseller. He was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Canada in June 2023 for, “his multifaceted contributions to the arts in Canada, notably as an iconic musician, as well as for his advocacy of Indigenous communities in Canada.”
Decades ago he began dedicating more of his time and energy to his second passion, painting. Painting has become a way for him to connect with his Mohawk identity and convey his feelings on the injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples. The exhibit includes Fading Memories of Home, an installation piece by Tom located in TAP’s LAB203 Gallery. The idea for the installation with accompanying video and sound recording was seeded during a family dinner with Jane Lazare, Tom’s biological mother. She recalled a traumatic experience from residential school when the grade five teacher had asked the room of Indigenous students to look at those around them, and then told the class these would be the last Indians they would ever know.
Reverend Enos Montour (1898-1985) was a United Church minister and writer from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
Over the course of his retirement, Rev. Montour wrote a collection of stories about Mount Elgin Industrial School at the time he attended (ca.1910-1915). Mount Elgin is one the earliest United Church-run Indian Residential Schools and was located on the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. With the help of Dr. Elizabeth Graham, Montour finished and titled his book Brown Tom’s Schooldays.
With no publisher in sight, photocopies were made and distributed to family members in the early 1980s. This important book is difficult to find today, so Professor McCallum, worked with the University of Manitoba Press, Dr. Graham, and Montour’s two granddaughters Mary I. Anderson and Margaret Mackenzie, to issue a new edition.
Now it’s time to read the book and buy the book for Christmas gifts. Support your local bookstore or order from Google. Ask at your local library. Contact the author, CJ Frederick through her website. The author is very appreciative.
Launched! Rooted and Remembered Oct 23, 2024
Great evening with James Carruthers, the story keeper; CJ Frederick, the story teller and author; and Patrick, the story champion. We packed the Archives and hosted a few people via zoom as well.
Sometimes the story keeper and the story teller is the same person, handing stories on to the next generation. Sometimes they are two different people.
Stories ripple all around us, if only we’re willing to hear them. In 2012, CJ first learned of Ellwyne Ballantyne and the astonishing relationship he forged with two strangers after reading a short newspaper article about the dedication of an unusual tree to a long-dead soldier from World War One. With obligations to work and family filling her time, she wasn’t yet ready to hear his story. It took a global pandemic, with the prospect of lockdowns and unexpected forced time at home, to open her ears, mind, and heart and be ready to explore the roots of Ellwyne’s story that took place more than a century before.
CJ grew up in the 1980s in a wood-framed farmhouse built by Scottish settlers, situated on a dead-end road that terminates near the winding Sydenham River. In 2000, this road was renamed from a numbered concession to Buttonwood Drive. The name reflects the stand of buttonwood trees gathered at the river’s edge, where they most comfortably grow.
In 2020, she began reflecting on the fallen soldier and his extraordinary buttonwood tree that grows near her childhood home. Her curiosity eventually led her to the doors of Carruthers clan descendants, where she begged to have a conversation about Ellwyne and his connection to the tree. Thinking it might have the makings of a short story, she began putting together the pieces of Ellwyne Ballantyne’s brief life. But, with each photograph, letter, and artifact shared, she became more engrossed in the tale of an orphan who had stepped foot on three continents and was taken in by strangers who came to love him as their own. At the outset, CJ did not anticipate that it would bloom into a novel, but as she learned more details about the characters and events, she believed that each nugget was fascinating and intriguing.
C
I hope that Ellwyne’s story and his connection with the Carruthers clan touches people with its message of love, faith, and remembrance. It’s only through storytelling that those who carry memories, and decide to share them, make history come to life.
CJ Frederick
Rooted and Remembered weaves together the will to honour and remember with a glimpse into rural settler life and hardship, as told in one family’s story about an orphaned boy and his beloved buttonwood tree.
CJ hopes that Ellwyne’s story and his connection with the Carruthers clan touches people with its message of love, faith, and remembrance.
By Bob Gentleman and Kathy Evans. Review printed with kind permission from the Middlesex Banner.
In July of this year, family and friends gathered at Arrowwood Farm, a beautiful property in Riverside, just south of Melbourne, to celebrate the publishing of a book written by my uncle, Bob Gentleman. The farm that is now called Arrowwood Farm (6460 Riverside Drive) has sentimental value to our family, as it was once owned by the Gentlemans, purchased in 1870.
Bob’s book, titled “They Settled in Riverside,” is largely a family history, documenting the arrival of our ancestors in the Riverside area and describing their family branches. But Bob also captures an era now decades past as he shares stories of early Riverside neighbours and of growing up in Melbourne in the 1930s. He recalls his paper route, the school, town merchants and businesses, the railroad, and the neighbours and friends who were important in his life.
Ellwyne Ballantyne’s twenty-two years of brief, bright life are summed up on a simple plaque attached to a majestic buttonwood tree in Carruthers Corners. When local author CJ Frederick first saw the memorial tree in the rural area just outside of Glencoe, ON, she experienced a keen reverence. “It’s just a dot on a map. I was not prepared for how beautiful the tree was. It looked like it was wearing a cloak; as my mother says, ‘wrapped in a queen’s robe’. Knowing that this tree was dedicated to the life of someone who had given that life in a faraway, long-ago conflict really made me stop and think about remembrance and the enduring nature of love.” Ballantyne’s story had to be told; Frederick was eager to record it.
Ellwyne Ballantyne’s buttonwood tree at Carruthers Corners
Frederick’s father, Butch Frederick, had mentioned the plaque years earlier, and it weighed on her mind until the pandemic in 2020 provided time to investigate. An article about the plaque’s dedication in 2012 led her to James C. Carruthers of Mossley, ON. Frederick accepted an invitation to Carruthers’ farmhouse for what would be the first of many hours of ruminative local history conservation, and dutifully inspired imagination.
For James Carruthers, the tree and its plaque represents his childhood spent listening to his grandmother’s stories about the kind, lonely boy from India she took under her wing and treated as her own. Ellwyne Ballantyne, born in Calcutta, India in 1895 to a steadfast mother, was orphaned by the age of 11. His stepfather steered Ballantyne and his half-sister first to Scotland, then to North America. Soon after he landed, in the dead of winter, at the doorstep of James A. and Betsy Jane Carruthers in 1906 at Carruthers Corners. During his years working the land with the Carruthers family, Ballantyne discovered a buttonwood tree thriving completely out of its element. The striking metaphor between tree and boy ignited a stewardship within Ballantyne that rooted him in his newest land, and family. This cultivated kinship matured with Ballantyne’s voluntary enlistment to serve on behalf of Canada overseas in World War I, where he was summarily sent to France. He was killed in action in September, 1917.
Lost, but not forgotten by James A. and Betsy Jane Carruthers—Ellwyne Ballantyne lived on through their stories, and also the land. Indeed, the buttonwood tree of this historical youth is the towering tree of his present memorial.
Though delighted to share Ballantyne with the rest of the world—Carruthers had waited a long time to share Ballantyne’s story with an audience outside of family—he held back the finer details at first. “My admission ticket to the full Ellwyne story, as far as James Carruthers was concerned, was that I grew up close to where Betsy Jane [James C.’s grandmother] was raised, I knew the area quite well, that I had a strong interest in the past, and that my grandfather had also served in World War I.” Frederick’s great grandfather also enlisted, but was honorably discharged when needed at home. “I feel a connection to what that generation endured.” Carruthers’ expansive archive included not only the cherished memories of his grandparents, but also a photo of Ballantyne and his birth mother in India, handwritten letters, and a wooden carving handcrafted by Ballantyne.
Sometimes the story keeper and the story teller is the same person, handing stories on to the next generation. Sometimes they are two different people.
Frederick grew up in a farmhouse on a concession fatefully renamed Buttonwood Drive, near the Sydenham River, home to many flourishing buttonwood trees. “I helped my dad plant more than 5,000 trees as we reforested a corner of our farm property with conifers. I have always been fascinated by the stoicism and beauty of trees.” She had initially set out to write a short story based on the plaque and its buttonwood tree, but as a few phone calls and visits stretched into over fifty hours of remembrance, Frederick knew it was a full-length novel. “When I told James C. that the story was far too complicated and long for a short story, I asked if I could try to construct a [fiction] novel. This thrilled James because he wants the story to be shared with others before it is lost to the memories of those who will pass and take it with them.” With Carruthers’ permission, Frederick used the factual pieces of Ballantyne’s history to fully immerse the reader in the fictionalized, fully-realized details of his life from beginning to end.
“Lots of people go through the motions of saying that they remember or they give thanks for the sacrifice of others,” says Frederick when asked what drew her to tell this deeply personal story of strangers, “but the Carruthers family has set a fine example of what remembrance means and how it looks. It doesn’t have to be big and showy, but it can be meaningful and real. And worth sharing.”
A technical writer by trade, Frederick is a creative fiction author by inspiration. “I spend all day storytelling business concepts, but I’ve always wanted to write a novel. Small towns and family-owned farms are disappearing, and when they’re gone, they’re just gone. I want to tell rural stories and find an audience who will appreciate them. And the memory of Dad talking about this plaque on a tree all but in the middle of a twentieth century farm field pulled at me. The pandemic made me feel like if not now, when? So I took the opportunity to spend my lockdown time researching, connecting, and writing about this incredible tale.”
Rooted and Remembered by CJ Frederick is a fiction novel based on the real life of Ellwyne Ballantyne, a remarkable boy from India who bestowed a legacy of love and compassion to a rural Ontario family before his life was cut short in World War I. To purchase a copy of the book (available in paperback or ebook), visit the Amazon website or order it from any bookstore.
Frederick’s just published book was launched at The Archives in Glencoe on October 23, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. This story was written by CJ Frederick and published in a September edition of the Middlesex Banner.
Jim May is also a story keeper for Ellwyne Ballantyne. Here he is with Chris Carruthers and Harold Carruthers after a presentation to the historial society about a pilgrimage to France to pay respects to Private Ballantyne
Lorne Munro – I became interested in historical events in the 1970s. My interest grew after attending the 25th Anniversary banquet of the Glencoe & District Historical Society at the Glencoe Legion in 2003. We presently have eight family genealogy books in our home that I manage and update. Ancestry.ca has been a great help and I correspond with family members to gather information.
During my tenure as President in 2018, the Society’s collection moved from our rooms on Main Street to the old library at 178 McKellar Street, Glencoe. I have served as secretary, first vice president, president (a couple of times). I’m slowing down now, just working on Wednesday afternoons in The Archives and enjoying any other projects that come along.
Peacefully at Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital , Strathroy on Monday, March 18, 2024 William “Lorne” Munro passed away in his 91st year. Predeceased by his wife Phyllis (2023). Dear father to Janice and Tom McCallum, Susan Sinclair and Steve Schneider and Cheryl and Roy Neves. Cherished Grandpa to Matt and Becky, Kimberly and Paul, Adam and Kirissa, Andrew and Reilly, John and Stacey, Scott and Mandy, Jacob, Emily and Brandon. Great-Grandpa to Isabelle, Josephine and Elliott. Lorne will be missed by many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents Neil and Florence Munro, his sister Anna and his brother Keith. Link to Photos reel
Yoshio Shimuzu: “You have to remember that we had been driven from our homes by racial prejudice in British Columbia, reviled and despised by the bulk of the population, and here in the farmlands of southwestern Ontario, we were welcomed as equals and saviours by the farming population.” Read more →
Presented to the Appin Memorial Day gathering August 1, 2000 by Jim May, whose family had a long association with Appin Cemetery. Jim’s first recollection of the cemetery was a phone call in the early 1950s: “Could my Dad come with his truck to help collect up stones for the cemetery gates?” This presentation tells the history of the Appin Cemetery, Appin, Ontario, Canada
Written by Harold Carruthers, No. 282 Lorne Lodge Mason historian, July 2024.
If one were to trace the history of any one Lodge, it might be compared with that of trying to determine the very origin of humanity. I am talking about the meeting places of the members of the organization called Free Masonry. The history of our local chapter, Lorne Lodge No. 282 Glencoe, can be traced back to 1872 and ended this year 2024 when our Lodge went dark after 152 years.
Last meeting of #282 Lorne Lodge: back row L-R: Keith Dickie, Alex McLean, Ron Livingston, Harold Carruthers, Doug Reycraft.
Front L-R: Bob Munroe, John Mitchell, Ryan Brubacher, Bev Whitlock, Jim May, Terry Plant. Missing: Allan Mayhew, Brad Walker, Chris Yates.
Meetings were held in some of the most historical buildings in the village of Glencoe, Middlesex County.
McKellar House hotel 1872
On May 8, 1972, 16 men held a meeting at the original McKellar House hotel and decided to form a Masonic Lodge in Glencoe, Ontario. Several of the original charter members came from ‘mother’ lodges in London, Mt. Brydges, Newbury, Seaforth, Grimsby, Iona Station and Collingwood. The men’s names were inscribed on the Charter dated July 11, 1872 which was issued from the Grand Lodge and affixed to the east wall of the Lodge meeting room. Charter member occupations were railway employees, farmers, hotel keeper, lumber contractor, druggist, medical doctor, engineer, wagonmakers, merchant and registrar.
2. First Town Hall, Glencoe. 1873 – 1893
The Town Hall 1873
Looking for a more permanent home than the local drinking establishment, the executive of Lorne Lodge signed a debenture with municipal trustees to lease the upper floor of the two year old Glencoe Town Hall for a meeting room. This new hall was located behind the McKellar House and across from the present-day Southwest Middlesex municipal office.
On September 22, 1893, twenty years later, a fire broke out in the McRoberts Livery Stables next door and after a few hours all was destroyed. Fortunately for the Lodge, most of the valuables in the Lodge room were saved from total destruction by the actions of several citizens.
3. Clanahan Block, Glencoe, ON. 1893 – 1896.
Home of Lorne Lodge 282.
The Clanahan Block 1893
The next Lodge room chosen was the 233 Main Street Clanahan Block (now owned by Godfather’s Pizza), directly across from the McKellar House. Again, there was a fire and the Lodge members were again on the street looking for a new home.
French Hall 1896
Worshipful Brother William J. French offered the use of the upper floor of his business block at the corner of Main and Symes Street in Glencoe until suitable quarters could be obtained. This building still stands but it was moved a short distance to 167 Symes Street so a new Memorial Hall could be built on the corner lot by a chapter of the I.O.O.F. – International Order of Foresters, another men’s club.
4. French Hall, Glencoe, ON. 1896 – 1902.
Dixon Block 1902
In 1902, Arthur E. Sutherland, publisher of the The Glencoe Transcript local newspaper, offered to lease the upper floor of his Dixon Block, 243 Main Street, Glencoe and fitted it for Masonic use. Sutherland became a brother Mason the following year. This location served the Masons very graciously for 57 years.
Harold Carruthers, Lorne Lodge Mason historian
Dobie Block 1959
In 1958, Right Worshipful Brother Herman Bauer made the motion that the Lorne Lodge consider purchasing the Dobie Block, a brick building built by George Dobie as a bank in 1885. It was decided by the executive and fellow members to purchase this building and decorate it up to be used for Lodge purposes and lease out the lower rooms.
This building served the Masons well for 59 years. Through a combined effort of every member, the second floor was rebuilt and on November 11, 1959, a cast of Grand Lodge officers dedicated the new Lodge room. Over the years, Masons made several structure changes, added blinds, painted, and added air conditioning to make the room more attractive and comfortable.
6. Dobie Block 1959 – 2018
Hammond Lodge 2018 – 2024
In March of 2017, the executive and membership decided to sell the Masonic building due to declining membership. The building was sold and a decision was made to rent the Masonic Hammond Lodge in nearby Wardsvile 21996 Hagerty Rd. The first meeting was held September 11, 2018.
7. Hammond Lodge – Wardsville. 2018 – 2024.
Glencoe Lodge Goes Dark
In the early years, Masonic districts were usually laid out in unison with the railways.
In 1872, the Glencoe Lorne Lodge was part of the London District . Then in the years 1887 – 1923, Lorne Lodge became part of the Erie No. 1 Masonic District. In 1923, redistribution took place and Lorne Lodge members found themselves in the Chatham District.
Over the 152 years that the Lorne Lodge existed, there have been 583 initiated members, 120 Masters, 12 District Deputy Grand Masters, 14 Grand Stewards and one Grand Chaplain.
Lorne Lodge has tried to maintain a high standard throughout its Masonic history with dignity, perfection of work and upholding their strict Masonic principles, all of which could not have been obtained without the fullest cooperation of its members past and present and future.
Unfortunately, due to aging membership and a decline in new members, the members made the difficult decision to close.
I am proud to have served as historian for the past 34 years.
Film industry pros sweat the possibility that many digital files will eventually become unusable — an archival tragedy reminiscent of the celluloid era.
Martin Scorsese: “The preservation of every art form is fundamental.”
For the movie business, these are valuable studio assets — to use one example, the MGM Library (roughly 4,000 film titles including the James Bond franchise and 17,000 series episodes) is worth an estimated $3.4 billion to Amazon — but there’s a misconception that digital files are safe forever. In fact, files end up corrupted, data is improperly transferred, hard drives fail, formats change, work simply vanishes. “It’s a silent fire,” says Linda Tadic, CEO of Digital Bedrock, an archiving servicer that works with studios and indie producers. “We find issues with every single show or film that we try to preserve.” So, what exactly has gone missing? “I could tell you stories — but I can’t, because of confidentiality.”
Specialists across the space don’t publicly speak about specific lost works, citing confidentiality issues. So, only disquieting rumors circulate — along with rare, heart-stopping lore that breaches public consciousness. One infamous example: In 1998, a Pixar employee accidentally typed a fatal command function, instructing the computer system to delete Toy Story 2, which was then almost complete. Luckily, a supervising technical director who’d been working from home (she’d just had a baby) had a 2-week-old backup file.
Experts note that indie filmmakers, operating under constrained financial circumstances, are most at risk of seeing their art disappear. “You have an entire era of cinema that’s in severe danger of being lost,” contends screenwriter Larry Karaszewski, a board member of the National Film Preservation Foundation. His cohort on the board, historian Leonard Maltin, notes that this era could suffer the same fate as has befallen so many silent pictures and midcentury B movies. “Those films were not attended to at the time — not archived properly because they weren’t the products of major studios,” he says.
Can you imagine digitising the Mona Lisa painting and destroying the original? The Magna Carta? The British North America Act? 1798 Act of Parliament to create London District? The answer to maintaining records is not paper or digital – it is both!
Committee To Establish a Middlesex County Archives
Marie Williams: An impressive crowd gathered for the “Haunts of Peter McArthur” road trip Sunday afternoon, June 16, starting out at what was the McArthur homestead on McArthur Rd. before moving onto the Eddie Cemetery on Glendon Dr. and finally back to the Archives in Glencoe. Two plaques were unveiled along the way as McArthur trivia and memories were shared. Both young and more established fans of the works of the “Sage of Ekfrid,” family members and historians enjoyed the afternoon which was organized by the Glencoe and District Historical Society. The Society is marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Peter McArthur in 2024. See photos on Facebook Post.
Drawing by CW Jeffery
CW Jeffery drawing on sheet music, My Home Read more →
Marie Williams, Glencoe: The huge crowd that packed into the Glencoe and District Historical Society Archives on February 22 proved that the “Sage of Ekfrid” is as popular today as he was over 100 years ago. In addition to 30 viewing online, over 50 turned up in person.
Date & Venue: Wednesday, April 17th, 2024, at the Archives, 178 McKellar Street, Glencoe.
Attendance: A solid turnout of 30 members, with all executives present except President Ken Beecroft.
Opening: Vice President Mary Simpson initiated the meeting at 7:00 PM, welcoming members old and new.
Remembrance: A moment of silence was observed for the late Lorne Munro, a member for 20 years.
Business as Usual: The minutes from the previous year’s AGM were approved without issue, and discussions moved smoothly to current matters.
Financial Health: Treasurer Marilyn McCallum presented a detailed financial report and budget for the upcoming year, which were both accepted unanimously.
Membership Milestone: Harold Carruthers announced a record membership count, reflecting the society’s ongoing relevance.
Engaging Programs: Program Director Mary Simpson introduced upcoming events, including a talk by local author C.J. Fredericks.
Election Excitement: Nominations for the new executive team were made and approved smoothly.
Dynamic Presentations: Members shared updates on various projects, showcasing the society’s diverse activities.
Closing: The meeting concluded at 8:50 PM, setting the stage for the incoming executive team.
Report for the Glencoe & District Historical Society
K.W. Beecroft, President, Glencoe & District Historical Society, Dated March 31, 2024
Founded in 1978, the Glencoe & District Historical Society (G&DHS) set out on a mission to preserve the rich history of Southwestern Ontario, particularly around the Glencoe area. Ambitious projects, such as mapping local cemeteries, took place from 1978 to 1988. In 1983, G&DHS found a home in the basement of the old Andrew Carnegie Library and expanded to both floors in 1994. A substantial collection of land registry deeds was rescued in 1997, finding a secure home in the original land registry vault. The partnership restoration of the Glencoe Train Station in 2001 became a symbol of the society’s commitment to preserving local heritage. The Society is a not-for-profit volunteer organization with charitable status and a member of the Ontario Historical Society. The Society was founded upon a Constitution, which continued to define our operational structure
The Glencoe & District Historical Society is thrilled to launch a speaker series that delves into the captivating world of prehistory, sparked by the remarkable discovery of a mastodon tooth in our very own community.
The sense of community is one of the best aspects of living in a small town. Amongst these many things that gives Appin this feeling is the community gardens. Inspired by the World War II victory gardens used to help provide produce to towns and cities in Canada, the project started early in the spring of 2023.
This history was written by Lelah Bell Lumley in 1975 about her neighbourhood S.S. No. 3 School District, Mosa Township, Middlesex County, Province of Ontario, Canada.
The most southwest of Middlesex County’s townships, Mosa Township was initially part of a much larger parcel of land including parts of Kent and Lambton Counties. Surveyor Mahlon Burwell indicated that there was some confusion regarding the naming of the township, first designated as township D and then briefly as Aragon. Finally, the name Mosa, a derivative of the Spanish word Musa (muse). However the Lieutenant Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland decided to name the township Mosa, after the Maas river.
Listen to Carol Small’s presention to Middlesex County Council, March 14, 2023
… on behalf of the Committee to Establish a Middlesex County Archives. We continue to encourage Middlesex County Council to help preserve our local history.
