George Davies --- by Caroline Davies

This was page 405 of an unidentified book.  I only have a copy of this page.  But since my grandma wrote it, I have to include it, even without the source.

The George Davies family came to Carmangay district in April, 1928.  We had two daughters, Shirley Maxine, two years old, and Glenna Elaine, three months. We bought the Stanley Robinson farm of three quarters, seven and one-half miles west and south of Carmangay. It was a real struggle the first few years -- so much wind and the soil was so light, so had lots of soil drifting and I guess that's why they called it the dirty 30's.

1930's tractor

We farmed with horses for a number of years, later we were able to buy another quarter section joining our south quarter from Jack Gillespie. We were able to sell our horses (although many tears were shed) for a second-hand tractor and later a Johnson blade and that was the answer to soil drifting.

Russian thistle

Grasshoppers were terrible for a number of years and took so much of our time spreading bait. Russian thistles were also a menace and we used to burn them in the spring.

grasshopper

We had to haul out drinking water in a stone-boat in barrels, baling it by hand for our own use and the livestock, later getting a pump.

gopher

Gophers were plentiful too -- the municipality offered one cent a tail so we bought traps and I trapped for days.  Earl Blaine was teaching school at Prairieville and boarded at our place -- he used to shoot the gophers and let me have their tails.  I made $7.50  -- so that was quiet something!

We took in the Christmas concerts at all schools for miles around and also went over to the Starline every two weeks to dance to Mackie Russell's orchestra.  We didn't have a babysitter those days so we took the girls tucked in the bottom of the buggy.

Glenna went to Burwash School when she was five years old to help keep the school open as they needed six pupils.  Miss Hazel McAllister was the teacher.  Pupils at that time were Pearl Russel, Eileen and Phyllis  Simmons, Helen Anderson, Shirley and Glenna. After the school closed the girls went to Ryckman.  Josie Hubka was teacher. They went to Rykeman for a number of years and then were vanned to Carmangay.

During the country school days dances were held in one school or the other every week, and those were the best times ever.  Everyone was welcome. Ladies brought lunch and everyone enjoyed themselves.  We had the best stampedes at Carmangay for years and people came from many miles away. Agricultural Fairs were an annual event, also Bobbie Burns concerts.

coal bucket

On January 31, 1939 our only son, Murray George came to our house and our family was complete.  We hauled coal from east of Carmangay and Champion as we had only coal stoves and furnaces.  What a treat when we could finally afford a wind-charger, 32 volt electric plant.  We got plenty of wind and could really enjoy some of the comforts of living.  Had my first power washer when I was 46 years old. Later we got Calgary Power. First telephone June 4, 1945.

Caroline McMurray Davies

I found this short bio on my grandmother- I don't know what it was written for, but it is just a short, concise piece:

Caroline McMurray was the 9th child of James S. McMurray and Sarah Orr. She was born on march 11, 1902 in Orton, Alberta, Canada. Her parents and seven siblings moved from Idaho in march.  It was cold and windy, they had no house, and lived in a tent for a few weeks.  Being very windy in March many times her parents and older brothers would stand outside and hold down the tent poles.

Carrie, as she was called, also had a younger sister named Lila. They were the only ones born in Canada.

When Carrie was nine her mother died of a rare disease. Lila was only four months old. Carrie was very sad and lonesome. Her older sisters helped take care of her and little Lila. Before her mother died, Carrie would stand at her side with a fan to help keep the flies from bothering her.

She attended school to sixth grade. She lived with some of her older siblings to help take care of their children. Late she worked for several different families helping with housework.  While she was doing that kind of work she met George Davies and they were married.

About 18 months after George died in 1957 she attendend Nursing School in Calgary and became a successful Nursing aid and worked at three different hospitals until she retired.

She died June 1, 1981 after being ill with Parkinson's disease.

Douglas Bradshaw Fowler - A Photography Hobby

Grandpa Fowler took and developed his own photographs. I always thought of it as just a hobby he had.  However, when I read his life sketch that he wrote it tells of how he first started to develop film.

" In 1912, at age 14 he commenced as an apprentice in Pharmacy. An apprentice was only paid $10 a month. He had to find some way to pay his way through University.  He took on the extra job of Night Operator on the telephone exchange that was in the drug store.  He opened the store at 8 a.m. and got an hour for lunch and dinner and closed the drug store at 8 p.m., and went on the switchboard at 9 p.m. until 7 a.m.  .  He had a cot by the switchboard and could get some sleep between 1 a.m. and about 5 a.m.using a buzzer on the board to wake him up for calls. After he gave up the switchboard, he fixed up a dark room at home and developed and printed the films that were left in the drug store - often working in the dark room until 2 or 3 AM.  In this way and with some help from his  parents he was able to complete his University and graduated with the second class that the University of Alberta graduated.  He was then a Registered Pharmacist at the age of 18."

One of his philosophies of life - "one can accomplish anything one makes up their mind they can accomplish".

Sidetracked by Douglas Bradshaw Fowler

Sidetracked by my Grandpa Fowler

I spent a long time planning which ancestor I would research first.  I chose to do my first family history search about my maternal grandmother, Caroline McMurray Davies. She was a young, girl who grew up in southern Alberta, Canada,circa 1930.  Her family was of Scottish descent, and she married a young man whose family ancestors hailed originally from Wales.

I have enjoyed my memories of my dear grandmother, but as I search, I remember more. Questions come to mind, some I will have to research.  Luckily, I can still ask my mother for some of the answers, and I need to do that while her memories are still accurate.

However, today I got a little sidetracked.  I was moving some journals from one shelf to another and came across a wonderful picture of my paternal grandfather, Douglas Bradshaw Fowler. I knew him as my grandpa, but he was also a family doctor in southern Alberta, Canada.  The untold story is that he went to Pharmacy School at University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta to become a Pharmacist, but after doing that work for a while, he left his wife and young family to go to Ontario to go to medical school and later returned as a Doctor.

I need to do some more research  to get all the details, so I will try to not get too sidetracked, but I need to find out all about it.

Sickness and other Health Conditions

Thinking about my grandfather having diphtheria as a child caused me to think about other health conditions that my parents or grandparents had to deal with during their lives.

My grandpa Fowler (Douglas Bradshaw Fowler) died of leukemia in 1965. He suspected and diagnosed it in himself.
My grandma Fowler (Louise King Fowler) died in 1987- I don't know why.

I remember my grandma Davies (Caroline McMurray Davies) had Parkinson's  Disease, that eventually landed her in a care home where she lived until she died in 1981.
My grandpa Davies (William George Davies) died in 1957 when I was 4 years old. I think he died of a heart attack- I better check my facts.

Illnesses of my Mother - I remember hearing about some bad rash she had on both hands and she had to be taken to the doctor in Lethbridge for treatment, and had both hands bandaged and it was a really problem when she needed to use the washroom.

Illnesses of my Father- (Allan King Fowler)               

Diphtheria in 1930's

In the early 20th century diphtheria outbreaks evoked fear around the world. Until the 1930s it was one of the most common killers of children in Canada and the United States.

I found this quote on the site from the Canadian Medical Association and talked to my mom to see if she knew anyone who had diphtheria. It jogged her memory and she told me that she remembered hearing that her father, William George Davies had had diphtheria when he was a child and even missed a year of school to recover. Her dad was very close lipped about many things so she had not heard this from him, but it was shared from her Aunt Sis (her dad's sister). She wished now that she had asked more questions.

Canadian Medical Association

Friday Family Story . . . What is a "Beef Ring"?

My Grandpa Davies (William George Davies), had several brothers. I only knew one of them, Uncle Glen. When I was a little girl growing up in Edmonton I remember Uncle Glen coming to visit us. .
But this story takes place way before my times. 

I asked my mom how they had meat in the olden days when they didn't have a fridge. She told me that  when she was a kid she saw her mom can meat, just like when she canned vegetables- except that it took at least three hours to get it processed correctly. 

Her mom also had a 20 gallon crock with salt preserving the pork or ham. If she needed a bit of meat she just lifted the lid and pulled out the leg and sliced off a hunk.

Another way they got meat was through a "beef ring".   A "beef ring"  consisted of several farmers who raised beef . Uncle Glen would butcher a cow that belonged to one of the members of the ring. He would cut it up and all those in the ring came by his place to get a share of the beef.  Sometimes if my mom's family were visiting  he would give them a roast or some stew meat.

Killiing Turkeys for Market - Carrie and George Davies

"Every year we had some turkeys, and usually about ten survived the skunks and coyotes. We would usually keep one for Christmas and then decide when we could take the others to Lethbridge to sell.  Two days before we would go to sell them, George would slit their tongues to kill them.  They were then hung by their feet so all the blood drained out.  Then they were laid out on the kitchen table to get all the feathers out.then we laid them on some newspaper on the living room floor. There was no heat in the living room, so it was pretty cold in there. Over night they would freeze.  The next day we took the frozen turkeys to market to sell them."

Write on . . . Wednesday?

McGill University

I love lists and projects so this is what I decided to do today- I am going to make a list of high schools and colleges that any of my ancestors attended.

Then I want to write or call at least one of the institutions to  find out what I need to do to get a transcript.

I think it would be really cool to actually have a transcript from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada where my grandfather (Douglas Bradshaw Fowler) went to Medical School.

University of Alberta, Edmonton 

Or a copy of my dad's transcript from University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada where he (Allan King Fowler) went to Pharmacy School.

Let's see what I come up with. . . 

Louise King Fowler - Friday Family Story

Friday Family Story... Hummels 

My Grandpa and Grandma Fowler lived on a farm south of Lethbridge, in southern Alberta, Canada.  I can remember going to visit them.  There were lots of black cows, and quonset huts for the chickens. Best of all I remember visiting with grandma in the den of their home.  That was where the t.v. was, but also there were shelves of National Geographic magazines (a most unique find). However, in the formal living room, where we children only occasionally dared to venture were two tempting treats.  The first, an arrangement of fifteen Hummel ornaments, on several low tables placed between the various couches and chairs. I loved to stare at the various children in their lovable poses. the other excitement in that room was a cut glass crystal candy dish that held "Licorice All-sorts"---a yummy, yummy treat.

Caroline McMurray Davies - the stork's visit

Having a Baby - in 1939

An oral interview with my mother, Glenna, about her mother, Caroline McMurray Davies.

Question: Tell a memory you have of your mother.
Answer:

 I was only ten years old when we noticed Mother was getting  bit heavy around the middle. Let me tell you in those days it seemed you were still supposed to think the stork brought babies. My mom's pregnancy was never discussed with us as children.  Shirley being the oldest knew a little more. It was unbelievable when I look back. One time in the fall of the year my dad was off doing some custom combining, and I assume Mother may have had some indication things were not going right so she had Shirley get on the horse a mile and a half to make a phone call and have Dad come home. (we had no phone) this she did, but still no one let on that anything was amiss. Dad came home and they went to see the doctor. She seemed to get better after that but everyone was still concerned after that.

Mother kept getting a bit bigger, but still nothing was talked about. At this time in our lives my sister and I were getting bussed into town for school. I remember that on the afternoon January 30, 1939 while on the bus heading home, the bus driver told s that our dad said we could come home to town with him and to meet him downtown.  When we got down town Dad said mom was in the hospital, but there was still no mention of why, but by then I was suspicious, but we never even talked about it. We visited mom, had supper in the cafeteria but now it was getting late.  Dad had milking to do and other chores so he had to get home, so we left Mother at the hospital, but by now I knew what was going on.


We had no phone, so no communication. Shirley and I took the school bus to town the next morning, but I stayed on the bus and rode downtown to go to the hospital to see how my mother was.  I was met at the door by the head nurse who informed me that I had a new baby brother and that I could go up stairs to see my mom.  I was so excited that I could hardly stand it.  So I guess you could say that I was the last to know, but the first to know about the end result.


Dad came to town as soon as he got the morning chores done. After school Shirley and I went down to the hospital, and of course we were thrilled for a new baby brother.  Mothers stayed in the hospital about two weeks in those days, so it was awhile before we got to take him home. My dad was so thrilled to get a boy.

When I think back to how things were with a new baby in those days compared to new babies today. My mom had sewed diapers, and made some little night gown and little kimonos to wear when it was cold. Parents did the best they could; we were not able to call the doctor over every little problem which came up.  I remember about two times when Murray was a baby that dad went to the neighbors and called the doctor who drove seven miles to our home to help determine the problem.


I remember for about ten weeks Mother had a hired girl come and help in the house to help with laundry and chores, but my sister had to help more after she left. times were tough in those days and hired girls who helped out were paid about $4.00 per week, and helped with other house work as well. I also remember she slept in the same bed as Shirley  and I. the bed sagged in the middle and she slept in the middle.

Friday Family Story... Birth Certificate

Allan King Fowler  -- gold dust, just a little family history tidbit

So I found out that my dad's birth certificate is wrong!

My father- Allan King Fowler, was born on February 28, 1928.  At least, that is what we always thought.
However, in talking to my Great-Aunt Doris, she tells me that he was actually born on February 29th. Doris Fowler Komm was the youngest sister of Douglas Bradshaw Fowler.

Douglas Bradshaw Fowler was my grandfather, but he was also the local family doctor in southern Alberta. So, when his wife, Louise King Fowler was ready to deliver their baby it was actually born on February 29th in a leap year. He didn't want his son to only have a birthday every 4 years, so he just changed the birth date on the birth certificate.

My Dad: Allan King Fowler

Parents: Douglas Bradshaw Fowler and Louise King Fowler

Born: February 28, 1928

Place: Magrath, Alberta, Canada