This account of the life of our parents George Whitfield Bachelder
and Margaret (Gauley) was written by Doris Petersen (Bachelder) from her
own recollections and from stories from our parents. Written on Jan.16,
2001.
(Please click on photos to view larger version.)
George
Whitfield Bachelder
1880-1951
Born October 24th, 1880 at Rougemont, Quebec. Youngest son
of Jethro and Sarah Bachelder.
Grew up on a mixed farm. The special crop was apples. Grandpa
(Jethro) had a prize sow and won several ribbons on it.
While Daddy had the usual grade schooling- he spent one year in
Sabrevoix College, where he studied math and French. He got very good grades
in each.
At age seventeen he left home with a bicycle and five dollars
cash. One thing he learned while travelling around the country while working
at ‘ The Guelph College’, was how to make butter and cheese.
Later on he got a job as callboy for the grand Trunk Railway at
London, Ontario. It was there he met Margaret Gauley. She was living with
an aunt and uncle after losing her parents.
He got sick working in the soft coal that was used
to fire the engines. Soon he had to quit his job. At that time the western
farmers had very good crops and needed help to harvest it. The government
answered by advertising free passage west to anyone who wanted a job.
He and Mamma and baby Fred arrived in Edmonton where he worked on the different
farms where needed. The government set aside some ground for anyone who
wanted to homestead. He got a quarter section at Bashaw, built a small
house where Marietta and I were born. Walter was born in Edmonton. He cleared
land and drained several small sloughs into a large body of water. He grew
red wheat in this rich land. Had a team of oxen he called Jim and Bill.
He had always wanted to go back east so when the railway
talked of extending the line up to Rouyn-Noranda gold fields, he
sold the farm and started back. Got
as far as Manitoba where his brother Arthur had a farm at Union Point,
stopped there to give him a hand. Grandpa and Gramma Bachelder were there,
Aunt Etta was there also. Marietta died there and is buried in one of the
graveyards. She was two years old.
Finally
the railroad started the new line in Quebec so he moved to Quebec City
where he applied for a job with them. Got on as a fireman and was sent
to Doccet. Carol was born there.
Worked out of there for awhile and then was transferred to Parent.
There Buddy(JW),Lewis, Robert and Eddie were born. Built
a house beside the river, it flowed into the Gatineau which ran into the
Ottawa river.
Mamma had always wanted a fruit farm so she packed us all up (Eddie
was a baby then) and out to Vancouver. We lived there on 54th and Kerr
Road. Daddy came out and spent Christmas with us, and then went down to
Los Angeles where Grampa had gone after Gramma had died. Aunt
Lila had met and married a Charles Molyneau in Vancouver (where Aunt Annie
and uncle Fred Alcorn lived, Daddy's oldest sister). Then Aunt Etta moved
down there after she retired from teaching school. Daddy went back to his
job in Parent after a long visit.
In the spring Mamma and Fred and Walter saved enough money from
their jobs and bought a car. Mamma had heard of some good farms for sale
in the Arrow Lakes area of the Kooteneys so we went out there. No luck
there so we went back east. The car was called a Baby Grand.
In the meantime, Daddy had been transferred to Fitzpatrick division point,
three miles from La Tuque. Lived in several houses before renting
a two story one beside Joe Spains grocery store and finally built a house.
Joan was born in La Tuque in 1931.
Daddy worked there until he was 65. He and Mamma sold their house
and went down to Ontario to a place called Avonmore, bought a place
there. After a few years there, they sold it and moved to Dunnville.
He died there at age 71.
Mamma sold the place and she and Robert put their money together and bought
the house at Bronte. Robert was living at home and worked at
the Ford plant in Oakville. After a few years in Bronte, Mamma and
Robert bought land and built a house just out of Milton. This was
to be their dream home, but ill health befell Mamma and she died
in 1965, leaving everything to Robert.
After Mamma died, Robert brought Daddy
to Milton and buried him beside Mamma. Walter’s ashes are there also,
and now Robert.
There are some 99 Bachelders in Canada.
by Doris (Bachelder) Petersen
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