Marian Crowle

Parents were:

John Alfred Holmberg and Alice Marian Potter

When Grandpa and Grandma Holmberg came to Sault Ste. Marie from Sweden, they bought a 160 acre farm on Third Line West. Charles and Christina were their names. The farm is now owned by The Thomson berry farm (80 acres) and the other 80 acres by Peter Schwindt.

Then after a few years things changed. There were 3 sons and 3 daughters. John Alfred was the eldest (our father) then August and Gustav and Ida and Jenny and Tena. Ida married Jabez Lamming - Jenny married Bill Ableson, and Tena married Philip Renner. August married Nellie Ironsides (Peggy Suddaby who wrote in the Sault Star for years, was their niece). Gus married Florence Day.

From these families we have many, many cousins.

John married Alice Potter from London and they had 2 daughters, Elsie Margaret (your aunt) and myself, Marian Gertrude, and you know the rest of us.

Grandpa Charles said to my father, "Now as the eldest son in Swedish tradition, you will take over the farm." Dad said, "No I can't do that, August and Gus would have nothing so divide the 160 acres-give August half and Gus the other half and I will go out and buy myself a place", which he did. He bought the 80 acres on Carpin Beach Road with a little house on it. About this time Gus got married and Alice Potter came by steamboat from London, Ontario to be bridesmaid for his bride Florence. My Dad was smitten by Alice and they began corresponding and visiting back and forth and I guess they knew they would be married in the future, but Dad felt he had to get cattle and horses and build a barn and a nice big brick house before he could bring her there as his bride. For 13years they waited (I cannot imagine) then they were married on June 8th, 1921. She wore a navy blue silk pleated floor length gown and carried a bouquet of pansies. (Things were simple back then).

Then I was born April 29th, 1922 and Elsie two years later on April 30th, 1924. We were both born in the brick house where Elsie still lives . Dr. A.S. McCaif attending the births, and also Aunt Jennie Ableson - in the bedroom downstairs, which is now the guest room.

Our Dad had about 8 or 10 milking cows, usually 2 horses we remember. Bessie a sorrel and a good working horse for a cutter or buggy. Queen was black, a lovely quiet work horse. She had a grey colt once and Dad sold her when I was 18 and used the money for our wedding in 1940.

Elsie and I had a nice quiet childhood, simple little things in those days pleased us no end- like going for a drive on a Sunday in our 1922 brand new Chevy from Marshall Motors- $500.00 cash on the barrel head. Dad was a friend of Bill Marshall. We had this car 'til we were about 8 or 10 years old. Then one day we drove back to Marshall Motors and we were told to sit in a 1928 Essex and it was all velvety. I couldn't believe it - the Chevy had leather upholstery and was not plush. Well, Dad said "Now just stay there, this car is ours and we're going home in it."

I was so excited - going home in a velvet car! I think it was blue inside and out. We felt very rich.

Mom boarded school teachers back in 1927, 1928, and 1929. First it was Miss Taylor. I was 5 and hadn't started school. There was no kindergarten back then. Kids didn't start 'til they were 6. It was SS#4 Korah- a red brick one room schoolhouse. Then Miss McNaughton came from down east and stayed at our house several years. Mom really liked her. She played games with us too, and let us help her choose what to wear when she went out in the evenings. I remember the coal oil lamp on her dresser and she heated up a waving iron in the lamp chimney to set her hair. She didn't marry anyone from here though - she married a man from down east and then she was gone.

All the time the teachers were at our house we had supper in the dining room - always with a white linen cloth and napkins and silver napkin rings and good china and silver and a centerpiece of fruit or real flowers from the garden in summer. Elsie and I were not allowed to talk at the table then unless we were spoken to. My Mother said this was good manners, but if the teachers weren't there nor any other relatives, we ate in the kitchen and we talked all we liked.

Sometimes in the winter we went skating in the fields with bob skates -2 bladed awful things that wouldn't stay on and later we had single blades but we never became good skaters. We had wooden skis with a leather strap that we put on over our overshoes, but they too were not very satisfactory. The best thing was a toboggan slide at the hill behind the school. We went up there at noon hours. When we came in from skating it would be supper time and I especially remember homemade tomato soup. Made from canned tomatoes and milk thickened, a little pepper and salt, and it was heavenly. Still is for me but no one else in our family liked it. Nor do they like any other homemade soup. (Spoiled bunch)

At school they made that soup and also creamed corn or pea soup. The boys sometimes put coal-oil in it if we weren't looking and no one could eat it.

We had a pump in the yard with an enamel cup hanging on it in the summer and in the winter, for our drinking water, and for all other uses. The boys carried in pails of water and put it in a big canister with a tap on it and it sat on a shelf at the back of the room. Once in a while one of the boys would get the strap for something or other- maybe even for being saucy to the teacher.

For graduation grade 8- or we call it Sr. 4th, we went on a picnic up on the corner of the 3rd Line in amongst the pine trees. It was nice and so much excitement. In the fall we had a fair at the West Korah School on the 3rd Line. That was an exciting day too. We all grew vegetables and flowers and baked muffins and cookies and had them judged . Some brought chickens and calves and other animals they raised and we were all running around to see who won what prizes. I always got 1st on my beets. Such things to please children in the 1920's and 30's.

For music at home we had a phonograph. We played "the Wreck of the Old '97" and "Missouri Waltz" and other records of the times. We used oil lamps to do our homework by and didn't have any electricity unti11935. When the electricity was put in, there were lamps in every room. I turned them ALL on and went outside to revel in the beautiful mansion.

All baking and cooking was done on a wood stove. There were no temperature guide so if you wanted a hot oven for pie crust you simply piled on more wood- or if you were going to make cookies, you let the wood die down a bit. It was a little tricky till you got used to it. I don't remember burning a thing.

Elsie and I were in 7th heaven when we had a new colouring book and a new pack of crayons. We sat at the dining room table and coloured beautiful pictures.

It was cold upstairs back then - we had a wood furnace but it was pipeless so it didn't heat up there very well. The kitchen and dining rooms were always warm except when we had a west wind and the kitchen stove smoked and we had to let the fire go out. We hated west winds.

On Saturday nights we had a bath in the kitchen in an enamel round tub. The water was heated on the kitchen stove so naturally we couldn't have showers every day. Sometimes, not at all.

We took the cows out into the bush in the mornings and went to fetch then at supper time for every milking. They had to be milked morning and night no matter what. One day when we went to get them we wondered what it would be like to smoke a cigarette, so we rolled up some dried maple leaves in a bit of paper and glue and lit one with a match -tasted terrible! Good thing Dad didn't catch us!

In the spring out there by the creek it was like fairyland -the spring wildflowers were all blooming, purple, yellow, and white violets, lady slippers, Mayflowers, and adders tongue. In the ditches March marigolds bloomed.

Every once in a while an aunt who worked in a chocolate factory sent us a box of chocolates - what an absolute delight. At Easter she sent us decorated chocolate eggs.

At Christmas it was so exciting. We went to bed early Christmas Eve and there was no sign of Christmas except we knew Mom had made special pudding and cakes. Then Christmas morning there was a big spruce tree in the parlor all decorated in tinsel and pretty balls. Dangling from the tree were little presents wrapped in tissue paper- inside would be new beads or a new handkerchief and once in a while a new doll and even a carriage once. Just little things made us deliriously happy. In our stockings were an orange, an apple and some nuts in shells and maybe 2 or 3 hard candies -nothing else -and we were the lucky ones.

It makes me think our children have too much these days - it was probably better the other way- we appreciated every little thing so much.

Then one day I was sitting on the cement steps, and I was 15 Yrs and my Mum said" would you like to stay in town and go to High School?" I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I said "would I? Yes..yes..yes." I had already taken the 1st year of high school at R.M. Moore School- then called SS#4 Korah. So another era begins.

Dorothy Clargo from the Base Line, and I stayed at McKersie's house at 135 Grosvenor Ave. (the house is still there.) for the first year in town. I went to Sault Collegiate and Dorothy went to a business college. I took my Grade 10.

One evening a lot of the kids in my room cooked up a party at one of the boys home. They decided to play "SPIN THE BOTTLE" and we took turns at spinning the bottle but you had to kiss whichever boy the bottle pointed to. I thought that was awful and I wouldn't join in very well. I was glad to get back home to 135 Grosvenor Ave.

We went to the library a lot back then for something to do. One night when Dorothy and I walked down Bruce Street and along Queen Street East, we got our books at the library and were walking back on Queen St. East when we met Jack Jannison, a young man who we went to our country school with and another young man whom he introduces as John Crowle. Well, John asked if he could walk me home and I don't remember what happened to Dorothy and Jack, but John and I started off on our long romance. That was in 1937 in November and it lasted till his passing on May 7th, 2004, almost 67 years

While at McKersie's we cooked our meals with food we brought from home but by Thursday and Friday we didn't have much left and if Johnnie called and asked me out for a hamburger, it was wonderful. They cost 5 cents each or 10 cents for a huge one.

Then on Friday night Johnnie would ask me to a movie. They cost 25 cents in the evening. Popcorn was probably a nickel. Occasionally we would go into Capy's grill after for a sundae. Talk about living it up! Then Saturday mornings I would walk home back to the country for the weekend.

Sunday afternoon Johnnie would come out and we would walk back to 135 Grosvenor Ave. He lived at 368 Bruce Street with his Aunt and Uncle, the Dan Rout's. Vi Henderson is their daughter.

In the fall of 1938 I took a 3 year office course in 2 years at the Sault Technical School. I graduated with honors in June 1940. We were married on October 15th, 1940. Then we lived in an upstairs apartment at 579 Northland Road, owned by Mr. & Mrs. Harold Triplett.

In 1941, on March 9th, Johnnie left for the R.C.A.F for 5 years. All the young men were volunteering - we were at war with Germany. It was very hard but Johnnie came back - a lot of his friends didn't.

We were very fortunate. We bought a house at 433 Parliament Street for $5,000.00 - a big duplex. Johnnie had a 2 week leave every year from 1941 to 1945 and came home to stay in September of 1945.

We lived at 433 Parliament Street till June 1949. By that time we had 4 children; Jack age 8, Richard age 4, Carol age 3 and

Robbie age 1.

Then we moved to 3 Gladstone Ave., a big brick house with a large fenced-in front lawn and apple trees and a gully below us. There was a porch on 3 sides of the house where the children played, especially on rainy days.

The King George School had a great principle, Mr. Sands whom the children all liked. Jack had already attended his first years of school at Edith Cavell near Parliament St. and Rich and Carol and Robbie all started at King George.

They played at the playyard across from the school. One day a volunteer teenage girl brought Robbie home -he was only 4 or 5 -and he had a gash on his head and blood running down his face and his eyes were pools of blood . I didn't even know if they were still there. I was terrified but managed to say, "Now Robbie, sit up here by the sink and I'll just wash you all up." So after washing up and tending to the wound, things were back to normal. I'm the world's worst nurse- if something happened and Dad was there, I ran the other way. Dad was wonderful taking over. He had wanted to be a doctor but of course couldn't afford it back then. When Richard was little and fell through the basement window it was Dad that took him to the hospital for stitches. One day Robbie was standing behind a batter on our front lawn and got hit on the head again . He was 9 years old. Dad wasn't there so I took him for stitches, I had to.

On January 1st, 1957 we had a new baby boy- Ronald Fraser. Not the first baby of the New Year; 'though he was born about 12:30 P.M. and the whole family was excited. My Mum came to stay for a month, as she did with all the children so I had it easy.

Ron played with Bobby Bye down the street - Bye's were our good friends. Back then cops and robbers and cowboys and Indians were some of the gang's games. Carol was bound and determined she was going to be part of the boys games so we gathered a cowboy outfit and hat and her own set of guns to strap on. Then she was in her glory. She didn't think much of the girl presents we gave her at Christmas. She was a wonderful babysitter for Ronnie.

Richard kept us on edge with some of his friends. Kenny McCreight was a bit devilish but really a pretty good kid. Another one was a real trouble maker and called Dad and I Rich's old man and old lady- I don't think he had a good home life but can't even remember his name. I didn't appreciate being called that.

I remember Jack and some of his friends making bombs out of white sugar and I don't know what else, at the top of the gully and I found that scary. I guess Dad finally put a stop to that.

Then they had a rabbit and a crow in the garage. They were trying to teach the crow things. Can't remember how they made out.

Then in January 1962 we moved out to Carpin Beach Road to our new home that Dad had built through the Veteran's Land Act. We were only there a year till I started out to work. That was a hard year for me because we were in debit over Dad's electrical business to the tune of $10,000.00 which I thought was astounding. The worst part was the phone calls I got demanding money. I got so upset that Ronnie and I would go down to the creek and take a pop with us and just relax. Then I wrote to all our creditors and said they would each be paid back at a small amount each month.

The first job I got was at Haft's Furniture Store. I didn't like it one bit because he wanted me to sell furniture. I'm no sales person but through him and Reg Clark (my new boss) they decided I should be Reg's new bookkeeper and office manager - that was a wonderful position. It's funny how things work out. I was there for 23 years and in 10 years our bills for the electrical company were all paid. What a wonderful feeling.

Dad planted every tree on the property out here and planned a nice garden that I weeded in the evenings, surrounded by mosquitoes. I would spray a little area with Raid and weed that area. It was wonderful to have lovely fresh vegetables. Dad also had a wonderful big strawberry patch - best in the whole town. Corn, cabbage, everything was delicious.

While working I partially prepared meals in the evenings, like meatballs and sauce and let them simmer all night or put a roast in for an hour at 300 degrees and then 200 degrees F. for the balance of the night.

Things worked out well but of course we had to give up our social life. No time for movies or visiting, etc.

Jack married Barbara Cress on November 17th, 1962. He had joined the R.C.A.F. the year before and stayed in for 6 years.

Richard, in his teens, took a wiring job up in Haileybury.

Carol got a job at the C.I.B.C. bank. There was a fellow working there that was obnoxious. I knew she didn't like him but one day he waited on me. I don't usually lash out at people, but I did that day. It was a Friday afternoon, the bank was crowded and I was talking at the top of my voice and all eyes were on me - shocked. I ended up by taking both of my accounts out of that bank and putting them in the Royal Bank.

Rob was working at the Tube Mill when he wasn't at high school -before he could get on there we had to get his weight up to 140 lbs. So lots of milkshakes and sweets, etc. and he finally made it. I would pick him up on my way home and he was absolutely black.

Ron started school at the R.M. Moore School when he was almost 6 and later went to Korah Collegiate for High School. I had to literally coax him to stay in school but he did well and now has an inter-provincial electrical license.

The rest of our children got married and we ended up with 22 wonderful grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren- we are so fortunate- all beautiful healthy children. It's a miracle- it really is!

We have a truly wonderful family. Dad says so and so do I...............