|
Fond Memories of the Howard Family. By Edna Howard (Chapman) The parents of Fernando Howard lived on a plantation in Missouri. They owned slaves and were very nice people. The slaves were so well treated that they assumed the name of Howard when slavery was abolished. Fernando was just about to own his first slave when slavery was abolished. In 1907, three generations of Howard's immigrated to the North Bend in the early 1900's. These people consisted of Fernando and Alice Howard Sr., Ralph, Bert, Frank, Floyd and sister Ruby, as well as Bert's son Clifford. They emigrated from Kansas along with the Houghams, Mudges, Sidwells, Westgates and Campbells. Knowing one another before they immigrated to the North Bend District encouraged a special spirit of cooperation. caring, sharing and giving. Ken Hougham recalls some of this camaraderie of 1911. He said that, "I remember Mr. And Mrs. Howard Sr., who were so good to us and gave us many a meal. There wasn't anyone to show us how to farm so the pioneers had a hard time finding out how things should be done and nobody had any money. Fernando and Alice Howard were committed Christians and held daily Bible devotions that involved their whole family. They also home schooled all of their children. These people had a kindness and warmth that passed from one generation to the next. Their first concern was for people rather than material wealth. Bert Howard bought a threshing machine and shared it with all of the surrounding neighbors. When his farm was done, the equipment and the manpower moved to other farms because there was a desperate need for threshing machines. Fernando Howard received a Boer War pension and later Clifford Howard received a pension from the First World War. These pensions were a stable source of income in a land that was filled with uncertainty. The homestead of Fernando Howard, housed four generations of Howard's. Many loving memories and happy times live on in the hearts of all the Howard's that deeply appreciate their heritage. The Howard's were strong in character and lived a very clean life. They were people orientated and lived by the fundamental principles of honesty, integrity, hard work and a focus on God. Dolly was a remarkably gentle, feminine woman. Her whole demeanor was very pure and beautiful. Dolly's granddaughter, Edna Howard (Chapman) lovingly recalls how her Grandma Dolly would quietly bow her head and close her eyes if anyone said something that was unkind about another person. Edna remembers the peace, harmony and tranquility of her grandparent's homestead. Even when Ben and Dolly had differing ideas, they resolved their conflicts in a 'cute' way. For instance, Edna recalls an occasion of Bert planning a trip to town and not wanting Dolly to come. In her ladylike but determined way, she was seen jumping up on the running board of the truck saying, 'I won't get off until you let me in!" There was so much love in this family that these minor differences were short-lived and somewhat humorous to onlooking bystanders. Dolly collected every picture she could of her family and friends. The walls of her front room were completely filled with these pictures. None of the pictures ever came down. She often had pictures that covered people's lives from birth to old age. We all loved Granny Dolly for her peaceful, gentle ways. Ben also gave his best to everyone. Everyone had value and was treated with respect and dignity. What a wonderful legacy of love and ommitment Dolly and Bert created for the succeeding generations of Howard's. Six generations of Howard's still enjoy the love and camaraderie that the Howard family created during their pioneering days. According to Edna Howard, her Granny Dolly bought several musical instruments with them. After they had a house built, several of the neighbors would come over during the long winter evenings and play music and some would dance. They had an organ, a violin. and a guitar. These evenings were clean wholesome family entertainment and the pioneers cherished their camaraderie. Once settled, the women did whatever they could to help provide food and shelter for their family members. For instance, Ruby and William Campbell raised a few sheep and would spin the yarn so that woolen sweaters, mitts, socks and toques could be knit from pure wool. Cliff Howard used to enjoy hiking with a sack on his back and a shovel. He would find Seneca root, dig it out and bring it home. He would dry it out in the sun and sell it. It was used as a herbal medication. After my Granny Dolly passed away, my Dad used to grow a garden and would preserve the peas, beans and carrots so he had something to give his visitors to take home. In his older years he learned to make pie crust so he could make Saskatoon pie. m-m good! In the fall he would help different farmers and did a lot of stooking This meant putting the sheaves of grain leaning together so the grain would dry out before it was hauled to the thrashing machine. Lots of hard work! Grandpa Bert had built a large machine shop and made his own metal lathe. It was very, prestigious as during the war the government could not get some parts for the equipment and he made the parts in his shop. The last project he worked in was perpetual motion. He was described by some that visited his shop as a genius. Mary Howard was a strong durable woman who knew the value of hard work. She raised her family of five children without running water, electricity or indoor plumbing. Mary, made all of the clothing for her children. Often she used flour bags to make clothes out of. Everything was homemade even the soap that she hand washed clothes with. She grew a garden, picked berries and preserved food to feed her family over the long, cold, winter months. Edna recalls that her mother Mary often did the cooking for the groups of field workers. Mary was known for her willingness to work hard. In times of adversity, both Cliff and Mary always provided support for their children regardless of their age or circumstance.
|
| The Howard Clan webpages submitted by Patrick K. Best The Howard Clan who were some of the original homesteaders of the North Bend District. It is hoped that you and many more people enjoy this history that this clan went through everyday to strive to live and provide a great part in making the history of Saskatchewan come alive. sites.rootsweb.com/~sklloydm/Howard/Memories.html NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material (including notices and submitter information), must obtain the written consent of the contributor: Patrick K. Best or the legal representative of the submitter: Patrick K. Best and contact the listed Lloydminster Gen Web Region Project web master or Saskatchewan Gen Web Webmaster with proof of this consent. We encourage links to Lloydminster Gen Web and Howard Family Tree Web Pages. The Lloydminster Gen Web makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification. You are our [an error occurred while processing this directive] visitor-- thanks for stopping by! |