Jim McConnell's Autobiography 1877 - 1957Canadian pioneer farmer in Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia |
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27. become a man of substance and to really possess and control some of the world treasures, as a mark of ability. And now I had returned, satisfied and happy, but not having attained my youthful ambition. Independence and worldly security I had not found, but the true messeng ers had found me and delivered the glad tidings of good things. As it says in Rom. 10 :15, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things." They had not just shown me another way to add to the religious confusion of the world, but they had brought me into the fellowship. As John explains it in 1st John 1:3, "That ye also may have fellowship with us," and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His son Jesus Christ. On a Sunday when we were in Peterboro, I walked to the meeting at Roy Hutchison's home and met some more of the friends. We had dinner with the Hutchisons and then Roy drove me back to May and George's home where we were staying in Peterboro. John Brown and Edith, my younger sister, had come over from North Tonawanda, New York. On Monday we went home with them, crossing at Niagara Falls. We spent a nice five days with John and Edith and while there, had a lovely afternoon right at Niagara Falls. Time seemed to vanish so quickly. We left on October 21st by train for Detroit, where my two younge r brothers, Willie and George, had lived and died. Their widows, Myrtle and Fannie, are still living in Detroit. Their families all have their homes there and a way of living. George's youngest boy, Ralph, met us in the big Detroit station and drove us to his home, and we had dinner with Ralph and his wife, Grace. In the evening. George's second boy, Reg, came, and we went with him to his home; we had supper and visited with R eg and his wife, Sylvia. Next day, on Sunday, was quite a full day for us. In the morning, Reg and Silvia took us to the Methodist Church, and in the afternoon, we called on Harold and Charlotte. His mother, Fannie, was there, and she went with us to visit Myrtle. We were glad to see both Myrtle and Fannie again. Both are beginning to show their age now. While at Myrtle's, her boy Chester and his wife, Madalene, came to see us. Chester had served in the war and lost a leg, but he was getting around pretty well on a wooden leg, although with plenty of discomfort. We then went on to Frank's where we all had supper and afterwards went home to Reg's. On Monday, Ralph and Grace drove us around to see the big stores and large places in Detroit, and then returning to Reg's, we had time to get some lunch ready for our next train journey. Ralph and Grace came about 2:30, and we went with them to the station. W e left Detroit at 3:30 a.m. and began our westward journey back to Canada and to Winnipeg. We had from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. in Winnipeg and visited my Cousins Winnie and Le onard Bloomer. Leonard took us for a drive in Winnipeg, and we saw his store and also had a good look at the new dikes which the city was building to protect Winnipeg from another flood. We left Winnipeg at 8 p.m., and our next stop was Moose Jaw where Lou's oldest sister, Hannah, lives. We visited with Hannah and her oldest son and daughter, now both married and grown up families. We spent two happy days with them and boarded the train again, arriving in Kelowna on October 30th. We felt we had spent the most interesting month of our lives, although our hearts had been saddened by the passing of a good true friend now that Willie Parker had been called away. I had also received word in August of the passing of my homestead partner, J. J. Nicoll. It again reminded me of those fateful days in 1906 and 1907 when, with
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