R.D. Strome

R.D. married P. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

E.V. married B.M. Pate [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Obituary:
Milton Harvey Strome was born in the village of Manheim, Ontario on Sept.
8, 1889 and he passed away in the Castor Hospital on Oct. 20, 1968 at the age of 70 years.
He came with his parents to Sedgewick, AB in the spring of 1906. He and his brothers moved to the Bulwark district in 1914. In 1917 on June 7th, Mr Strome was united in mariage to Pearl Agnes Weeks. They resided three miles North of Castor until 1946 when they moved South of town where they resided until 1962. They then retired to live in Castor.
Mr. Strome was predeceased by one son, Henry in 1950. He leaves to mourn his passing his loving wife; 5 sons - Clarence, Wesley, Walter, and Daniel of Castor, AB, Ernest of Edmonton. 8 daughters - Mary Anne(Mrs Art Pederson) of Blackfalds, AB, Hazel-Mrs. John Annett of Fleet; Elsina of Castor; Dora (Mrs Daniel Morasch) of Castor; Violet (Mrs Graham Clark) of Ladner B. C.; Susan (Mrs James Bedson) of Brownfield; Beatrice (Mrs. Victor Tschritter) of Edmonton; Ruby (Mrs David Lapetinsky) of Edmonton; 46 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, besides many other relatives and friends.
The pall bearers were six of the sons-in-law; Messrs. Pedersen, Annett, Morasch, Bedson, Tschritter, and Lapetinsky.
The funeral service was conducted in the Missionary Church in Castor. Rev. H. A. Traub officiated. Lissack Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Source; Castor Advance Newspaper



The Strome Family Story
Michael and Mary Anne Strome and two of their sons, William and Milton, came to Alberta in the spring of 1905, by CNR, with a load of settlers' effects. They had a cow, a bull, a walking plough and their household furnishings.
The CNR brought them by way of Camrose which was then the end of steel on that line. From there they drove to Daysland and on to Sedgewick, where they took homesteads. Two other sons, Edwin and Noah came out in 1904, looking for work. They were already located in the Sedgewick area.
In 1907, the father, Michael, took sick with inflammatory rheumatism and died in June. He was buried on the homestead which is now a big wheat field.
In 1914, William and Milton moved across the river to the Bulwark area where they bought a section of land from Tom Gorrell for $16,000. They farmed it in partnership until 1917, when Milton and Pearl Weeks were married. William took over the section himself, but he lost it in 1924.
Noah had a hotel in Sedgewick that burned down, sohe started on in Alliance and built a house there too. He and his family lived there until 1918 when they sold eveything and went back to Berlin, Ontario,now known as Kitchener. He and his family of 9 still live there.
Milton and I (Pearl) made our first home on the old Walter Pyle place in the Beaverdale district, North of Castor. Later we moved to a farm just West of Pilsworths in the Beaverdale district. Then Milton bought a half-section South of Castor, where we lived until retiring to live in town.
Milton has passed on, but I am still living in my own home. We had fourteen children and most of them live in and near Castor. I enjoy my grandchildren- over 50 of them.

Milton married Pearl Agness Weeks on 7 Jun 1917 in Castor, Paintearth County, Alberta, Canada. Pearl (daughter of Ira Weeks and Roxy Alvina Andress) was born on 13 Mar 1900 in Tillsonburg, Dereham Twp, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada; died on 25 Jul 1987 in Castor, Paintearth County, Alberta, Canada; was buried on 28 Jul 1987 in Castor Cemetery, Castor, Paintearth County, Alberta, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

*1901 Census Norfolk 93 c-2 Middleton, Page 6, Line 10, Ontario*
Weeks, Pearl A., Female, White, Daughter, Single, Born Mar. 13, 1900, Age 1, English, Baptist


Obituary:
Mrs. Pearl Agnes Strome passed away in Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital in Castor on Saturday, July 25, 1987 at the age of 87 years.
Born March 13, 1900 at Tillsonburg, Ontario, her parents, Roxy and Ira Weeks and five children travelled out west in 1904 by ox-cart to the Bulwark District east of Castor, where they took up farming. Two more children were born into the family after settling in Alberta. In 1911, their mother became ill and died at the age of 35 years, leaving seven children and their father to carry on. One sister Elsie age 16 and one brother George, age 11 died in 1922. Her Dad died in 1951 and one sister Clara in 1957.
Pearl received her schooling for the few years she was able to attend at Knob Hill School. In 1917, she was united in marriage to Milton Strome and lived on a farm North of Castor. To this union were born 14 children, six boys and 8 girls. Later in 1947 they moved to a farm South of Castor and finally into Castor in 1960 when her husband's health was failing and he could no longer farm.
Pearl did a lot of sewing, making clothes for the kids and quilts for the beds, and she could always be heard singing her favorite hymns while she was sewing. She loved putting quilts together which she did right up until her last year and even though she had little spare time she always read her Bible and kept in touch by sending cards and letters to relatives far away. She liked canning, baking and cooking and she lived to have folks come and join the family at meal time. Her greatest joy possible, was her family, relatives and host of friends visiting her in her home, which she always enjoyed.
Predeceased by her husband Milton in 1968, one son Henry in 1952, one grandson Robert in 1978 and a son Walter in 1979, Pearl is survived by four sons; Clarence, Ernest and Daniel (Elda) all of Castor and Wesley (Marjorie) of Red Deer. eight daughters, Mrs Mary Ann (Art) Pedersen of Lacombe, Mrs Hazel (John) Annett of Fleet, Elsina of Castor, Mrs Dora (Dan) Morasch of Halkirk, Mrs Violet (Graham) Clark of Vancouver, Mrs Susanna (Jim) Bedson of Brownfield, Mrs Beatrice (Vic) Tschritter of Ardrossen and Mrs Ruby (Dave) Lopetinsky of Edmonton, 50 grandchildren and 56 great grandchildren. She is also survived by two brothers - Ross of Stettler and Omar of Kelowna, B.C., one sister Hazel Wilkie of Calgary and numerous nieces, nephews and many other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were conducted at 3 pm onTuesday July 28, 1987 in the Castor Community Hall with Rev.Lance Duncalfe officiating. Interment followed in the Castor Cemetery.
If friends desire, any memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donors choice.
Parkview Funeral Chapels Ltd of Castor, Coronation and Consort in charge of the arrangements.

Source; Castor Advance newspaper July 30, 1987

M. married M.A.. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer
• 1901 Census: 1901, Tillsonburg, Dereham Twp, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada; 1901 Canada Census
• Religion: 1901; Presbyterian

Notes:

BIRTH:
March 21, 1870, Ira Weeks, Male, son of Isaac Weeks and Nancy Westbrook,
Occupation of Father - Farmer; Informant: Isaac Weeks at South Norwich,
Oxford Cty, March 28, 1870. Source: LDS Film # 1844884; # 4693 - 70.

1871 Census - listed with his parents, siblings
Weeks, Ira, male, age 1, birthplace Ontario, Origin German.

*1901 Census 93 Norfolk, c-2 Middleton, Page 6, Line 7-10*
Weeks, Ira, Male, White, Head, Married, Born Mar 21, 1870, Age 31, Birthplace rural Ontario, Origin English, Religion Presbyterian, Farmer
Weeks, Roxie A., Female, White, Wife, Married, Born Oct. 16, 1876, Origin German, Religion Baptist
Weeks, Clara S., Female, White, Daughter, Single, Born July 18, 1898, Age 2, Birthplace rural Ontario, English, Baptist Religion
Weeks, Pearl A., Female, White, Daughter, Single, Born Mar. 13, 1900, Age 1, English, Baptist

Schedule 2 1901 Census Info:
Middleton, Lot 6, Conc. 4 NTR, 1 wood house with 3 rooms, 40 acres, 1 barn.

Clipping of Obituary from Castor Advance weekly newspaper - Thursday May 31, 1951
Ira Weeks, 81, passes Tuesday
A pioneer of the Knob Hill district, Mr. Ira Weeks, passed away at the Castor Hospital on Tuesday, May 29th, at the age of 81. He had been in ill health for some time.
Born in Tillsonburg, Ontario in 1870, he came as far west as Lacombe in 1905 and the following year brought his family out and settled in Knob Hill area, 22 miles east of the present town of Castor. In later years he moved to Castor and six years ago went to live with his oldest son at Fleet. His wife predeceased him in 1911.
He leaves to mourn his loss, two sons. Homer* of Vancouver and Ross of Fleet; three daughters, Mrs. Clara Quaife of Rimbey, Mrs. Pearl Strome and Mrs. Hazel Wilkie, both of Castor; 24 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren; 3 brothers, two in Ontario and one in Chilliwack, B.C. and a sister in Ontario.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 01, at 2:30 p.m. at the Markham Chruch, with interment in the Markham cemetery.
Matthias Funeral Home, Castor in charge of arrangements.
* - error - should be Omar


Thursday, June 07, 1951
Funeral services for the late Mr. Ira Weeks, who passed away on May 29, were held on Friday, June 1st, from the Markham Church, with Rev. R. Shantz officiating.
Pallbearers were Messrs. Joseph Wideman, Wilmot Wideman, William Seth, Rav Davey, and A. Geiger.
Beautiful floral tributes were received from: The Family; Knox United Church W.A., Mr and Mrs. Ernest Wimmer, Mr. and Mrs. J.F. Holloway;, Mr. and Mrs C.S. Johnson; Mr. and Mrs. R. Holloway; Mr and Mrs. D. Holloway.
Mr. W. Wideman and girls; Mr. and Mrs. D.C. Quaife; Friends of Fleet community and Mr. and Mrs. D. Morasch.


Source of Death Certificate: Vital Stats of AB, Pre Reg. # 154977; Reg # 08-003883

Family Legend by Ross Weeks and Pearl (Weeks) Strome
In the spring of 1905, Ira Weeks came from Tillsonburg, Ontario to Lacombe AB. He found work there for the winter, lived in a tar paper shack, and filed on a homestead. The next spring, his wife Roxy( ANDRESS) and five children came by CPR to join him. They lived for a month in Lacombe then put their belongings onto a wagon, hitched up the cayuses, Polly and Gin, and headed for the homestead, a 101 miles to the East.
For two nights we slept on quilts out under the stars and got to the homestead on May 08, 1906. On the way Dad had to buy a loaf of bread, costing 35 cents, a very high price in those days.
Dad had only $35.00 in his picket, no house and no well. The first thing he did the next day, he took his spade and went to draw about a quarter of a mile away and dug a shallow pit that soon filled with water so we had a temporary well. We unloaded the packing boxes and the cupboard and then set up a sort of shelter. It was just four big quilts fastened to upright poles, with a canvas over top, and we called it the "Quilt House". It stood right out on the open plain, just a little shelter for all of us and we lived in it until early winter.
To start our house, Dad dug a trench one spade-width all around a rectangle 6'x24'. Then all summer long, Mother dug the dirt out to a depth of five feet. While she was doing this Dad was busy cutting logs and hauling them from Beaver Dam Creek - 3 1/2 miles North of the homestead which was on NW 1/2-22-38-12-W4, about 6 miles NW of Bulwark. The neighbours came and helped put the logs up and the roof on. Chinking had to be done with small pieces of wood nailed over the cracks and then smeared with mud. The dirt walls were covered with rough lumber to keep them from caving in. We had just a plain dirt floor that winter.
When it came to digging the well, Dad dug while Mother pulled the dirt and mud up out of the well in a heavy bucket attached by a rope to a big windlass. It was heavy work.
It was beautiful country and we enjoyed going barefoot all summer. We had a good garden because Dad ploughed up a garden patch and we planted potatoes right in the fresh sod.
The following year, Dad bought four oxen, for which he paid $35.00 each. He had earned money by hauling freight loads of lumber and supplies from Stettler. He still had the cayuses, which he kept for many years. The little blue roan, called Polly, lived a long life for a horse, 38 years and raised many fine colts. Dad finally gave her to a neigbhouring family, the Stoffers.
Father ploughed sod for a barn and built it. He bought a roan cow from Mrs. (Maxfield) Williams who had a grocery store at Brownfield. Ross never liked the milk because to him it had a peculiar flavour. Besides the cow, we had some chickens and 2 guinea fowl.
Ross remembers an old song on the gramophone that said "J stands for Jersey City where the mosquitoes weigh a pound" and that, he says, certainly applies to the ones on the homestead. He remembers going with his father on one trip when they had to camp out for the night and sleep under the wagon. The oxen were turned loose to take comfort in a slough. The mosquitoes were so bad, that you couldn't leave your head uncovered or they would grab you by the ear or throat, and you'd have quite a battle going.
In the fall, Mother was really sick. She had pneumonia, and we though that she wasn't going to pull through, but God spared her for us. One windy night Mom and Dad carried all of us to the dug out part of the new house as they thought the Quilt House would blow away. We didn't know anything about it until the next morning. Three-day rains were a problem too, in the Quilt House, and that summer we had three of them, everything getting soaked but one big bed. For firewood we had only small brush and green wood, so it had to be kept dry somehow.
Winter 1906-07 was sure a hard winter. Six feet of snow on the level. Bitter cold. Snow came October 16 and snow was still around the bush until June 12. Mr Kelly, a neighbour, had gone to get us a load of wood as we had no coal. By the time he had the wood loaded, twas dark, the snow was deep, his team tired, it was snowing and blowing, but he stayed all night in the bush. He cut branches to keep a little fire going to keep from freezing. Next morning, he came to our place nearly blinded with smoke. He wouldn't come in the evening as he knew Dad was away to Stettler for freight. Mother gave him a good breakfast.
Next spring when the French Creek was flooding, the oldest Doering girls had a horse and buggy and were on their way to see their sister Bertha, who was working for Mr. Gorrell. The current was so high and strong that the girls were thrown into the stream and drowned. The horse broke loose and was found grazing in the coulee. Mr. Chabrier lived in a little log house near the coulee, and he showed the folks where the girls were in the creek. They were buried on a high hill on the Doering homestead. Later on in the summer, the mailman called Shortie, lost his team and mail sacks in the same creek when the water was high. He managed to swim to safety.
For the first few years, we got our mail at O'Delville, 18 miles W of our place. There was a grocery store there, where we could get our supplies. In 1909, we got our mail at Lindsville, where there was also a small store and post office. There was, also later, a post office at Lorraine, on the old Seamans place, and we have several postcards with that address.
In the summer of 1908, Knob HIll school was built, just a mile west of our place. Miss Lord was the first teacher and she boarded with the Ellis Warrens. Other teachers were Miss Pearl Howe, Mr. Purdy, and Jack Haynes.
The families that started that year to attend Knob Hill wre those of:
T.C. Gorrell (farmer): Roy Lawsen, Charlie Grover, Laura Gladys, Bert and Alice. They lived 3 miles NW of the school.
Charlie Coyne (carpenter) Cyril, Ila, Lillian, Thecia, Bernice. They lived 2 miles W. of us.
White: Eldon, Thorton, Floyd. Lived 1/2 mile East of us.
Tom Gordon: Louis, Gregory, Fay. Lived 1 mile SE.
Chabrier: Emile, Edmond, Marcel. Lived 3/4 m SE
Martin Ice: Ruth, Amry, Marjorie. Lived 1/2 m West.
Mrs Hall, Albert and Hilda.
Mrs Fred Logan: Laura, Lucy Rosie, Mabel.
Ira Weeks: Clara, Pearl, Ross, Elsie, and Hazel.
We had a good time with the neighbours. In 1909, Ross, Clara and I became janitors at the school. Ross built the fires, Clara and I did the cleaning, and generally had to split wood besides. For pay we received 5 cents a day in the summer, and 10 cents a day in the winter. When we quit, the pay went up to 25 cents a day and has kept spiralling to what it is today. Quite a difference.
We walked to school summer and winter, and didn't have many warm clothes for the cold weather. We had to spread lard on our bread instead of butter, and the Chabrier kids and Ross used to go North of our place about 2 miles on Sunday and shoot bush rabbits for food.
For entertainment, we had Box socials once in a while, or square dances. Sometimes a group would get up a big debate and try to outdo each other with logic. There were not many sports days, but on July 1st, we were given about 15 cents to spend and we had a good time on that. Maybe an orange, an ice cream cone, and 5 cents worth of all-day suckers.
T.C. Gorrell and his three boys all had homesteads in the Knob Hill district. Tom had a saw-mill and sawed the lumber for T. J. Coppock's big house, where Doug now lives and for the houe that the Gorrells lived in, in which M. K. Christiansen lived in until spring 1973. I well remember when George Sullivan worked at the saw mill and had one arm cut off. They hitched the driving team to the buggy and took off for Stettler and the doctor.
In 1908, Mother took a milk pail, several small pails and five kids, and walked 3 1/2 miles to the beaver Dam Crek to pick Saskatoons. She made three such trips and canned 40 quarts. In the summer Dad had Mr. Gorrell break thirty acres of land with the big steam engine and 14-bottom plough. The crop in 1911 was good, but frost wiped out the hopes of nearly all the neighbours. Dad's crop was not frozen and he sold it next spring for seed wheat.
In 1911, Mom's mother (Charity Sophronia) took very ill, so Mom and the four smaller children went back East (Ontario) for a visit. On the trip home, Mom became ill, lived for a month, passed away, leaving Dad with seven children. Clara was 13, I was 11, and the youngest Omar was just two. But we baked bread, and scrubbed clothes on the washboard and helped to cook and look after the family. Dad bought a windmill and a grinder and we used to grind grain for the neighbourhood at 10 cents cwt. Many were the sacks we ground. Ross was especially good at the mill.
In the fall of 1911, Ross had an accident. He jumped off the slant-roof shed on the back of the school barn, caught his foot on the top wire of the fence, and broke his elbow. He had to be taken to Calgary to have it set and as Dad didn't have that much money on hand, Dr. JJ McPherson loaned him $50.00. Ross was away three weeks at the Holy Cross Hospital, Dr. McPherson wa a very kind man.
Somebody must have complained about us to the authorities, because that fall, the police and one man came to see us. Dad was away so they looked the house over. We had just baked 14 big loaves of bread, and had a quarter of beef on the table. Someone wanted to split the family up, but Dad wouldn't hear of it.
When Dad sold his frozen grain the next year, he got only 35 cents a bushel. but he repaid Dr. McPherson. However, Dad had a loan on his homestead and because he couldn't meet his payment in 1913, he lost it and we had to move into a tent for the summer. ( The loan was taken at the time Roxy went East to see her family, also to Gorrell to clear more of the homestead, as required by the Homestead Act, then later when Roxy died, more financial troubles, poor crop) A most difficult time.
That year the CPR and CNR were both putting railways into French Coulee. Grade was built and track was laid from Coronation to Bulwark, and this was used for some years. However the track from Bulwark to Lorraine Bridge was abandoned and the bridge was removed a few years later. Crews that were working on the projects were those of Sharkey and Homes, who were camped down in the valley; Foley and Coughlin, who were up on the level, and Sandeens, who had a big steam shovel working in French Coulee.
Ross adds the following information:
Clara, who married Charlie Quaife in 1915, lived in Bulwark for quite a few years, where Charlie did blacksmithing. They moved down to Taber.
Pearl maried Milton Strome in 1917, and moved to the Castor district.
Ross married Zillah Irene Troyer.
Elsie worked for the Kishes who lived up near the river. She took an attack of appendicitis and died when she was about 17.
Hazel married Andy Wilkie, and lives in Castor. She was Matron of the Paintearth Lodge from 1968-1973.
Two brothers were born in Alberta, George and Omar.
George died when he was about 12.
Omar lives in Vancouver. He married Dorothy Dettlaff, whose family lives South of Throne.


That was our start in Sunny Alberta.

PS: Many early settlers describe the mosquitoes as being so bad in the 'early days'. The mosquitoes could be so bad, that a team of oxen would not plough, but if a farmer tried, the oxen, plough and all would just head for the sloughs. Source: The Ice Family Story

Also the bad winter of 1906-07 was the worst ever. Snow was so deep that the buildings were all buried. One could walk right over the top of the house, barn and henhouse.

Farming schedules or routines; The day would start at 3 am, and lasted until 9 am when the oxen were rested for the next shift that started at 3 pm and lasted until 9 pm. Usually 20 half mile rounds were made each day.


Markham Cemetery is located approx. 8 miles NE of Castor, AB

Ira married Roxy Alvina Andress on 20 Apr 1898 in Aylmer, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. Roxy (daughter of George Neale Andress and Charity Sophronia (Fray) Andress) was born on 16 Oct 1876 in Cultus, Houghton Twp, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada; died on 10 Sep 1911 in Castor, Paintearth County, Alberta, Canada; was buried in Markham Cemetery, Paintearth County, Alberta, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Religion: 1901; Baptist

Notes:

Birth Registration: Roxa Alvina Andrews
Date: October 16, 1876
Female
Father: George Neal Andrews
Mother: Charity Sophronia Fray
Occupation of Father: Farmer
Informant: Mrs. C.S. Andrews, Walsingham
Source: LDS Film # 1845212; 18469 -77


*1901 Census 93 Norfolk c-2 Middleton Page 6, Line 8*
Weeks, Roxie A., Female, White, Wife, Married, Born Oct. 16, 1876, Origin
German, Religion Baptist


Registration of Death:
Roxy Alzina Weeks
Date of Death: Sept. 10, 1911
Place of Death: Castor Hospital, AB
Female
Age: 35 years
Married
Birthplace; Cultus, Norfolk Cty Ontario
Cause of Death: Incomplete Abortion
Physician: JJ McPherson MD
Relgion: Baptist
Source: Vital Statistics Record Canada, Province of AB, No. 2593 -0 of 1911

Notes:

Married:
Marriage Rgistration:
Groom; Ira Weeks
Age: 28 years
Residence; Dereham, Ont.
Birthplace: Norwich, Ont.
Bachelor
Occupation: Farmer
Parents: Isaac Weeks, and Nancy Westbrook
Bride; Roxy A. Andress
Age: 21 years
Residence: Tillsonburg, Ont.
Birthplace: Walsingham,Ont.
Spinster
Parents: George Andrews and Charity Andress* Spellings of these
names kept changing from Andrews to Andress in same documents.
Witnesses: Edward J. Moore, Walsingham; Minnie Andress, Houghton
Date of Marriage; April 20, 1898, Aylmer, Ont.
Religion: Baptist
Minister: C. H. Kimball by licence
Source: LDS Film # 1870920; #4368-98