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Zéphérina PAYMENT

naissance 22 jan 19??.
 

Père :  Julien PAYMENT
Mère : Valérie MEILLEUR

Marié(e) 24 oct 1931 à Fisher Branch MB, Fred II (Alfred) SCHMIDT, naissance 30 jul 1907 à Etoy, Switzerland, (fils de Fred I SCHMIDT et Rose GENTIZON) décès 22 nov 2002 à Percy Moore Hospital, Hodgson MB, 95 ans, funérailles 27 à Immaculate Conception Church, Fisher Branch with Fr. David Kowalski officiating, (voir la notule nécrologique à la fin de cette page), immigration 1911 à Fisher Branch MB, Schmidt homestead.

3 enfants :

Fred and Zepherina SCHMIDT

as told by them

Fred Schmidt, Jr., and Zepherina Payment were married on October 24, 1931. After the marriage ceremony they left for a weekend honeymoon in Winnipeg. This would be the only time they were to be alone for the next twenty-eight years.

Fred's parents moved to their new home west of town leaving the homestead for the newlyweds. On arriving home from their honeymoon, Fred and Zepherina found that the teacher for Dumoulin school had already moved in. For almost all the years that they lived on the farm, they had the teachers boarding at their home. It was a very convenient place because it was only three- quarters of a mile from school. The meagre payment for board and room was always very helpful as well. Being the kind of home that it was, the teachers became a part of the family immediately. Besides teachers, there always seemed to be a hired man as well.

Even though the "old folks" had moved, Fred continued to break horses for sale. They especially remembered one big, mean, red horse which always tried to squeeze anyone against the stall if it had a chance. Zepherina says that she awakened one night when Fred gave her a mighty shove, almost pushing her off' the bed and shouting, "Get over there, you long streak of shit." Zepherina felt that it was the limit when you worked, slept and dreamt horses.

Fred continued to farm both the home place and the Hudson Bay quarter.

Their son, Freddy, was horn on June 23, 1933. Almost two years later, "Uncle" Jules Gentizon, came to live with them. He had come in April to live with Fred Sr. His eyesight had become so poor that he was unable to continue working away. His sister had already passed away so he stayed only one month, then he moved in with Fred and Zepherina. Rosie was born on June 7 of the same year. You could say that they both joined the family at about the same time.

During the war, there was a terrible shortage of machinery as most metals were being used for war purposes. Fred, thus, decided to travel through the prairie provinces buying used machinery and reselling them here. By this time, they had invested in more cows, some pigs and sheep. It was Zepherina's job to shear the sheep. With the help of Uncle, Erin Jenken, and Fred to catch and hold them she could shear a sheep in three minutes flat. Later on they would purchase five hundred chicks each year. With these they supplied eggs to a hatchery in Winnipeg.

Evelyn was born on November 2, 1940. Miss Wilks, later Mrs. Napoleon Clairmont, was the teacher then was a great help. Zepherina had not had time to go to Winnipeg so the baby was born at the nursing station. They arrived home two days later.

In 1948, the family decided to move to town. Fred continued to farm. The family remembers the day that Fred and Freddy had gone to the farm to work, when Fred got caught in the power takeoff. Freddy was driving the tractor when he heard a yell. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his father flying, through the air, stark naked. The power take-off had ripped off all his clothing except for his shirt collar and the bottom of his socks. Fortunately Freddy was young with quick reflexes so Fred was not terribly hurt. They borrowed overalls and a shirt from Mr. Nick Hucul, who was a big man weighing over two hundred pounds. Fred was quite a sight when he arrived back in town.

The hydro came to Fisher Branch in March of 1949. The farmers didn't have hydro then as it was still limited only to the town. Ivan Casselman convinced Fred to build a Locker Plant where farmers could freeze their meat. The building was completed in 1950 with the front area being used for a grocery store.

In 1951 Fred bought the taxi franchise for this area from Roland Frenette. Roland had taught school in Dumoulin and stayed at the Schmidt's several years before he had started the taxi business.

Soon after Freddy was married, he took over the store. Hydro had come to the farmers by this time so the freezing area of the Locker Plant was taken out and the store area enlarged to make the first self-serve grocery store in Fisher Branch.

Zepherina had always had a natural inclination towards nursing. People were always coming for her to either help deliver babies or to have her tend to some medical problem they may have had. A few years after the hospital was built in Fisher Branch, she started working as a ward aide. During this time she studied, by correspondence, to get her practical nurse's licence. This she achieved in 1956. The hospital had problems keeping a resident doctor at all time therefore it would be closed for a short while. It was at one of these times that the Arborg hospital conflicted her to help out there. It was shortly after this that Fred an Zepherina moved to Arborg. They lived there for four years. During this time Fred worked at Arnold's Hatchery.

When the Schmidt left Arborg they moved to Winnipeg where they lived for five years before coming back home. They then purchased a house from Joe Rutchka where Ed Senkow now lives. After living there for a few years they moved into the house they had built. Once again they had a teacher boarding with them. This teacher has especially become a part of the family. That home is now owned by this same teacher and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Neil Parado.

In 1975 Fred and Zepherina decided that they would like to spend the winter months in California. They have gone south every fall since then coming back with the birds in the spring. They now have a trailer home here for the summer months.

Their son, Freddy, married Anita Labbe and they have four children, Janet, Susan, Ronald (Jigger) and Fred IV. They are very proud of their great grandson, Trevor Day, Janet's son.