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Cemetery Stories: Online Study Series

Posted in History on November 4, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The Clyde River History Committee has decided to forego a 2021 Clyde River Lecture Series further to the COVID-19 pandemic. In place of the lecture series, we have decided to proceed with a Cemetery Stories Study Series that people can take part in via internet from their own home. This course is self-directed and will run from November to August 2021. Over the course of the next months, we will introduce topics that participants can focus on with some suggested readings and outlined activities. We invite participants to share their research with the whole group at any point and pose any questions that others can help answer. Participants can choose the family names and cemeteries of their choice.

We have set up a Facebook page “Cemetery Stories – Clyde River and Area” and we welcome you to collaborate there on this project. We invite you to share highlights of your research. If you are not on Facebook, participants are welcome to add comments to this story or email questions/highlights of your research to clyderiverpei@eastlink.ca.

Participation/Registration:

  • Participants will register for free for this course. Registration form here or email clyderiverpei@eastlink.ca
  • We will share the participant list with the study group and area of research to promote collaboration.
  • Participants are invited to offer an introduction highlighting the focus of their individual family and cemetery research so that others with a similar focus can reach out to collaborate. They can also pose research questions to the group.

Historical Period:

We will focus on the time period of 1850 to present, but, in some cases, we may reference earlier dates. For the brief bios’ writing exercise, we can go up to the present day because it’s easier to write about deceased ancestors/friends that we actually knew personally.

Learning Objective:

Primarily to build an archive of research and stories related to those early ancestors buried in Clyde River & vicinity cemeteries which will offer future generations insight into the people/personalities that contributed to the early life of the community. Some participants may choose to work on cemeteries in other communities within or outside PEI, and that’s fine as well. All are welcome.

Cemeteries:

There are three cemeteries in Clyde River, and we have identified at least 30 cemeteries in the area which represent family and community connections to Clyde River and area.

Study Plan:

List of topics that will be covered in the course and schedule:

  1. Understanding cemetery history and gravestone design (November- December 2020)
  2. Gathering family names, photos and obituaries (January-February 2021)
  3. Gathering family stories (March-April 2021)
  4. Understanding how old-time residents managed their health (May-June 2021)
  5. Individual free time to explore and organize your research findings (July 2021)
  6. Clyde River & Area Cemetery Tours (August 2021)

Please link here to see the full course outline/curriculum. If you have any specific questions, please reach out. You can email clyderiverpei@eastlink.ca.

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Watershed Meeting, Oct. 29, 6:30

Posted in History on October 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The Central Queens Wildlife Federation (West River and Clyde River watershed group) will be holding their annual general meeting Thursday evening, October 29th, 6:30 at the Riverview Community Center, Clyde River. The public is invited to attend to hear about the watershed group’s activity this past season and provide input for the upcoming year.  They will also be looking to fill a vacancy on the Board as well.

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Clyde River Virtual Museum

Posted in Clyde River Lecture Series, Genealogy, History, Hockey, Museum archives, My Mother's Scrapbook, The Great War, WW2 on May 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Little did our Clyde River History Committee know when we worked on cataloguing and photographing artifacts in our community museum two years ago that we were ahead of our time. The COVID-19 pandemic has launched many of us into a virtual world, which has made us, hopefully, much more comfortable with what it has to offer. Even though we are not sure when we will once again host history events at the community centre, we can bring you a virtual tour of our museum and heritage photo collections. I think we have something for everyone.

We invite you to view our artifacts and heritage photo albums. This virtual tour could make for an interesting interactive activity for all of us. Under each photo in the galleries, you will see a comment box. We would be delighted if you added any details, memories and stories as you view individual photos. We have also included a link to an audio exhibit, so you can sit back and listen as well.

We will be adding more photos over the next months, as we have almost 3000 digital photos in our collection which we plan to bring online.

 

Community Artifacts:

For any of you who have visited our physical museum, you know what an interesting collection we have and the memories and stories that come to mind as you view them. Some visitors have commented that it feels like a visit to their grandparent’s place. You will see a variety of items from Clyde River that were generously donated by local families and relatives living throughout Canada and the US. Items include cameras, handicrafts, school books, autograph books, blankets, community store items, tools and personal items. Link here to view gallery.

 

Cups & Saucers:

Most all of our cup and saucer collection was donated to the museum by Elizabeth Osborne. It was her mother’s, Olive (Livingstone) Osborne who grew up on the Baltic Road. However, I think many of you will quickly recognize that the patterns resemble your own mother’s or grandmother’s collection. Our history committee member Rowena Stinson has a vast knowledge of cups and saucers, so if you have any questions, please let us know and we will do our best to answer them. Link here to view gallery.

 

North River Rink Hockey:

One of our most popular photo galleries in the history of our website has been Memories of North River Rink, so this could be a good time for the men in our audience to look through the gallery and offer comments and stories on individual photos. You will definitely find many people you know. We added names under the photos to assist you. Link here to view gallery.

 

War History:

The Great War: For war history buffs, we have something for you as well. You can read letters written by a soldier from The Great War and listen to each of the letters voiced by Alan Buchanan. Even in our two months of lockdown, which is a mere glimpse of how our society can be interrupted by a world event, I think we will have even more appreciation of the unbelievable resilience these solders had, along with their families waiting at home. They went in thinking they were only going to fight a war for a few months and go home. To read and listen, link here.

WWII Naval History: For naval history buffs, here is a story and photos from HMCS Prince Henry on patrol off the coast of South America. Link here.

 

Genealogy:

Next to hockey, our most popular stories relate to genealogy. Here are a few links that will satisfy the genealogist in the family, if they happen to have any connections to our area. We regularly receive emails from those researching family history. Our committee loves to help out and we have accumulated quite a bit of knowledge along the way. And what we don’t know, we usually know someone who does.

  • Clyde River Pioneer Cemetery with photos – link here
  • McArthur Cemetery with photos – link here
  • Cemetery stories – link to category of stories here.
  • Genealogy stories – link to category of stories here.

 

General Community History:

Scrapbooks: Here are stories and photos from community scrapbooks – link here.

General stories related to Clyde River and area history: We now have over 700 stories on our site and 460 of those stories are related to history, so we invite you to delve in to our online library of stories – link here.

The Clyde River History Committee would like to thank you all for your contribution to our physical and virtual museum. We hope you enjoy your visit.

 

Want to contribute to our Virtual Museum?

If you have artifacts or heritage photos that you would like to add to our collection, please let us know. Set aside any artifacts you wish to donate until after the pandemic, but please send any scans of heritage photos to clyderiverpei@eastlink.ca in the meantime.

If you are interested in sharing photos of artifacts that will remain in your family’s collection, we would love to see snapshots of them for interest sake and make them a part of our virtual gallery – we will just indicate that they are part of a private collection. A few photo hints: if it is a small piece, just set on a white sheet in a naturally lit area and take a landscape style photo. If it is a larger piece, take a landscape shot of the object using natural lighting. We can always adjust and crop photos after. If you have any questions, please let us know.

 

Interested in participating in a Virtual History Huddle?

We would be open to hosting an online history circle (huddle) if there is enough interest. We could use a platform such as GoToMeeting or Zoom. We would definitely be happy to organize. We could establish a theme and each participant could share their research/comments on the topic. It could be an interesting experiment, as we have a broad geographic website audience. If you are interested, please email clyderiverpei@eastlink.ca and let us know what subjects you would be interested in discussing. The only criteria is it would have to some how relate to the history of Clyde River and area. Depending on the topic, we could invite a special guest with expertise in the area.

In the meantime, please enjoy the virtual museum tour and stay safe.

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Lecture features Dr. Olive Bryanton, Sat. Feb. 22, 1:30 p.m.

Posted in Events, Friends of Clyde River, History, Seniors, tagged , , on February 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Our third and final lecture for 2020 will take place this coming Saturday. All are welcome to attend.

Saturday, February 22nd, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Olive Bryenton, Ph.D. – Pioneers in Aging

Olive Bryanton, Ph.D. (Guardian Photo)

Combining her lifelong interest in older adults and lifelong learning, Olive graduated with her PhD in Educational Studies at UPEI in May 2019. Her study topic was “Pioneers in Aging: Women Age 85 and Older Living in Rural Prince Edward Island.” Olive will talk about the 10 women in her study and their experiences and continued contributions to rural communities. Because these women consented to participate in her study knowing they would not be anonymous, she has their permission to make them visible. By telling some of their stories we will learn why we are fortunate to have these “pioneers in aging” living in our communities and how their voices contributed to a new program for older adults living in this province.

Olive Bryanton grew up and spent the early part of her married life in Malpeque and Summerside. She spent most of her life in Hampshire, where she and her husband Harold raised their five children. Olive began her university educational journey as a mature student and continued her studies into older adulthood.

Our lecture series takes place at the Riverview Community Centre at 718 Clyde River Road. This presentation is followed by refreshments. Our museum will be open to view our collection of over 200 artifacts and heritage photos. For more information on this series, please contact Vivian Beer, vivian@eastlink.ca.

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Gary MacDougall to present this Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Posted in Events, Friends of Clyde River, Genealogy, History, tagged , , on February 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Saturday, February 8th, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Gary MacDougall, The News Media: A work in progress

Gary’s talk will touch on a history of the Charlottetown Guardian; the issue of fake news, then and now; and a look at the impact social media plays in our news consumption. Gary will also discuss some of the more unusual questions he fielded during his time serving as managing editor of The Guardian.

Gary MacDougall

Gary MacDougall is a retired P.E.I. journalist. He had a 47-year career in the newspaper industry, with over 20 of those years serving as managing editor of the Charlottetown Guardian. In 2017, he received an Atlantic Canada Journalism Award in the Lifetime Achievement Category. In 2013, MacDougall was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to journalism on Prince Edward Island. He has recently published his second book, “Wayne Gray: A Man of Vision.” His first book, “Forbie,” was published in 2018 and has become an Atlantic Canada best seller. MacDougall and his wife, Ola, live in Cornwall, P.E.I. They have two sons and four grandchildren.

The Clyde River Lecture Series takes place at the Riverview Community Centre at 718 Clyde River Road. All presentations will be followed by refreshments and a social time. These events are a great chance to get out in the winter to learn about and discuss our interesting local history. Our museum will be open to view our collection of over 200 artifacts and heritage photos. For more information on this series, please contact Vivian Beer, vivian@eastlink.ca.

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Clyde River Lecture Series Begins this Saturday

Posted in Events, Friends of Clyde River, Genealogy, History, tagged , , on January 20, 2020| 1 Comment »

The 8th Annual Clyde River Lecture Series will begin this Saturday. All are welcome.

Saturday, January 25th, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Linda Jean Nicholson – Genealogy and Serendipity: Crossing the pond 

Linda Jean Nicholson (Guardian photo)

In September of 2019, Linda Jean travelled to England, Scotland, and Norway on a genealogical research trip. Her plan was to search for distant relatives in dusty archives and ancient cemeteries and, if time allowed, visit some local historical sites. What she also found were lovely people, beautiful scenery, and unexpected connections.  Linda Jean will share stories about her trip and the serendipity she experienced while walking where her ancestors once lived.

Linda Jean Nicholson is Executive Director of the PEI Senior Citizens’ Federation and a past President of the PEI Genealogical Society.  A certified genealogist, Linda Jean has been doing research for over 40 years and has authored several articles and books on Island history and genealogy. She was born and raised in suburban Boston, but all four of her grandparents originated from Prince Edward Island. She is currently working on her thesis for her Masters of Arts in Island Studies from UPEI on the development of the poor relief system on PEI.

The Clyde River Lecture Series takes place at the Riverview Community Centre at 718 Clyde River Road. All presentations will be followed by refreshments and a social time. These events are a great chance to get out in the winter to learn about and discuss our interesting local history. Our museum will be open to view our collection of over 200 artifacts and heritage photos. For more information on this series, please contact Vivian Beer, vivian@eastlink.ca.

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Announcing Speakers for 2020 Clyde River Lecture Series

Posted in Events, Friends of Clyde River, Genealogy, History, tagged , , on January 2, 2020| 1 Comment »

The Clyde River History Committee is pleased to announce our 8th Annual Clyde River Lecture Series that will begin on Saturday, January 25th. Topics will cover genealogy, news media and aging. Each year, we wonder if we can find yet more topics that connect with current interests, but that’s the interesting thing about history – there are layers upon layers of subjects to pursue. We always keep our ears open for ideas, so feel free to make suggestions for future. When we pick the three topics for a series, we try to pull out an overall theme. This year, as we move into a new decade, these presentations will offer us a chance to reflect on where we come from, how we make sense of the world we live in and how we can grow old well. We welcome you to join us.

 

Linda Jean Nicholson (Guardian photo)

Saturday, January 25th, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Linda Jean Nicholson – Genealogy and Serendipity: Crossing the pond 

In September of 2019, Linda Jean travelled to England, Scotland, and Norway on a genealogical research trip. Her plan was to search for distant relatives in dusty archives and ancient cemeteries and, if time allowed, visit some local historical sites. What she also found were lovely people, beautiful scenery, and unexpected connections.  Linda Jean will share stories about her trip and the serendipity she experienced while walking where her ancestors once lived.

Linda Jean Nicholson is Executive Director of the PEI Senior Citizens’ Federation and a past President of the PEI Genealogical Society.  A certified genealogist, Linda Jean has been doing research for over 40 years and has authored several articles and books on Island history and genealogy. She was born and raised in suburban Boston, but all four of her grandparents originated from Prince Edward Island. She is currently working on her thesis for her Masters of Arts in Island Studies from UPEI on the development of the poor relief system on PEI.

Saturday, February 8th, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Gary MacDougall, The News Media: A work in progress

Gary MacDougall

Gary’s talk will touch on a history of the Charlottetown Guardian; the issue of fake news, then and now; and a look at the impact social media plays in our news consumption. Gary will also discuss some of the more unusual questions he fielded during his time serving as managing editor of The Guardian.

Gary MacDougall is a retired P.E.I. journalist. He had a 47-year career in the newspaper industry, with over 20 of those years serving as managing editor of the Charlottetown Guardian. In 2017, he received an Atlantic Canada Journalism Award in the Lifetime Achievement Category. In 2013, MacDougall was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to journalism on Prince Edward Island. He has recently published his second book, “Wayne Gray: A Man of Vision.” His first book, “Forbie,” was published in 2018 and has become an Atlantic Canada best seller. MacDougall and his wife, Ola, live in Cornwall, P.E.I. They have two sons and four grandchildren.

Saturday, February 22nd, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Olive Bryenton, Ph.D. – Pioneers in Aging

Olive Bryanton, Ph.D. (Guardian Photo)

Combining her lifelong interest in older adults and lifelong learning, Olive graduated with her PhD in Educational Studies at UPEI in May 2019. Her study topic was “Pioneers in Aging: Women Age 85 and Older Living in Rural Prince Edward Island.” Olive will talk about the 10 women in her study and their experiences and continued contributions to rural communities. Because these women consented to participate in her study knowing they would not be anonymous, she has their permission to make them visible. By telling some of their stories we will learn why we are fortunate to have these “pioneers in aging” living in our communities and how their voices contributed to a new program for older adults living in this province.

Olive Bryanton grew up and spent the early part of her married life in Malpeque and Summerside. She spent most of her life in Hampshire, where she and her husband Harold raised their five children. Olive began her university educational journey as a mature student and continued her studies into older adulthood.

The Clyde River Lecture Series takes place at the Riverview Community Centre at 718 Clyde River Road. All presentations will be followed by refreshments and a social time. These events are a great chance to get out in the winter to learn about and discuss our interesting local history. Our museum will be open to view our collection of over 200 artifacts and heritage photos. For more information on this series, please contact Vivian Beer, vivian@eastlink.ca.

Editor’s Note: Here are links to our past 22 lectures:

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Clyde River’s New Aerial View

Posted in History, Rivers on November 27, 2019| 5 Comments »

Flying into PEI on Sunday, Air Canada took a convenient flight path over Clyde River, so I took full advantage by capturing some shots of the community’s latest aerial view that feature the new bypass highway. Click to enlarge photos.

 

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P.E.I. historian’s new book aims to preserve the ‘amazing stories’ of WW II women

Posted in History, WW2 on November 12, 2019| 2 Comments »

The following story appeared on CBC Prince Edward Island site on November 11th. We have reprinted it here with their permission. We are pleased to feature this story of Jean MacLean who lived for many years in Clyde River and now lives in Meadowbank but stays very involved in our community activities. We look forward to reading the published book in 2020.

Author Katherine Dewar and Jean MacLean look through a photo album to stir memories. (Isabella Zavarise/CBC)

A P.E.I. author has been collecting the untold stories of Canadian women who served in the Second World War.

Katherine Dewar began working on her latest book about two years ago. While the book is still a work in progress, Dewar hopes it will preserve the legacies of the many women who were part of the war effort.

“They’ve got absolutely amazing stories, these women, and they’re all so brave, they’re all so laid-back,” Dewar said.

“I guess I know why they lived to 95 and 97. Nothing seemed to bother them. They took it in stride.”

The stories include women rescued from the Mediterranean Sea after their ship was sunk by torpedoes and women who served on the battlefields of Europe.

Among the stories Dewar has collected is that of Jean MacLean, who served in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS or commonly referred to as “Wrens”) in Halifax.

MacLean, now 95, told Dewar she liked the camaraderie with her fellow Wrens. There were some women whose mothers had done everything for them, even washing their stockings. MacLean said the war taught them to be self-sufficient.

MacLean said her time in the military made her become used to what was available. She said they were given orders and did what they were told. When the war ended and women returned to civilian life, MacLean said it impacted how they were able to live their lives.

“They were just so used to someone telling them what to do,” MacLean said.

After meeting her husband while stationed in Halifax, MacLean moved to the island in 1945.

Jean and husband Harvey on their wedding day in Halifax. (Submitted by Katherine Dewar)

“I wasn’t used to anything with boats or fishing, or anything like that,” said MacLean, who grew up in Ontario and has lived in Meadowbank, P.E.I., since leaving the war.

Her Wrens uniform is on display in a museum in Kensington, P.E.I.

Dewar said the stories in her book have a common theme of women who weren’t afraid of adventure and didn’t seem to be rattled by what was going on around them.

One Island woman told her about living in military barracks where 60 women shared one bathroom. She said the woman told her she thought it was “paradise” because it had running water, power, a telephone and a washing machine.

“She had come from rural P.E.I. where they never had any of those things, so she thought life was good,” Dewar said.

When she began her research, Dewar was in contact with 17 women ranging in age between 95 and 104. While working on the book, she said nine have died.

Of 11 women she interviewed, she said four had boyfriends that were killed during wartime.

“Some of these stories are very, very sad, too,” Dewar said.

She hopes to have the book ready for publishing sometime in 2020.

Dewar has written other books, including Those Splendid Girls and Called to Serve: Georgina Pope, Canadian Military Nursing Heroine.

Article written by Isabella Zavarise, CBC.

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Listen to Letters from The Great War

Posted in History, The Great War, WW1 on November 10, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Many of you will recall last year we featured 32 transcribed letters from The Great War that former Clyde River resident Lee Grant Darrach (1882-1953) wrote to his brother in Boston. Further to publishing these documents, Alan Buchanan was engaged to read each of the letters which was recorded by Perry Williams, Virtual Studios Creative Digital Media. These recordings certainly bring to life the gripping reality of the War that Lee experienced. To listen to Alan’s reading of each of the letters, click here or on the photo, scroll down and click play on each of the 32 audio files appearing just underneath each title. You can read along as you listen. We commemorate Remembrance Day 2019 by sharing these audio letters. This project was managed and supported by the Clyde River History Committee. We once again thank the Darrach family for sharing these letters.

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