Island Letters
Letter from Casey Payne to Patricia Boyle 1989
Submitted by Maria Shurant
This is a letter written to Patricia Boyle in
Baldwinsville, NY, USA, a suburb of Syracuse. The author Casey is her uncle,
the youngest of the 12 Edward and Hanna Payne children of Wolfe Island. Casey
had moved to Kingston a few years before his death, and was writing in response
to some inquiries about family history. The “Marie” mentioned at the end of the
letter is one of Casey’s sisters, Pat’s mother, who was living with Pat and her
husband in Baldwinsville.
Parentheses
in text of letter are mine for clarification, except those with a *, which
denotes Casey’s own comments written with parentheses. Punctuation and grammar are Casey’s. Casey was the family “character”, so remember
this when reading some of his comments!
Kingston, Ont.
Feb. 10th 1989
(P.S. How we became Catholic*)
Hi Folks,
Regarding pictures of Mother and Dads family (Honora
and Edward Payne). Gert had all of the
pictures; she took them to Watertown with her. I gave Bertha what pictures I
had. (Gert and Bertha were two of Casey’s sisters. Neither ever married, and lived with their sister Ena after she married John Simpson in Watertown. He owned
the Simpson Funeral Home). There were pictures of Jack
+ Tom and George Casey. Where they are, I do not know. Gert
had a large family album; no doubt at least Sam Payne would be in it. (personal sentence removed here)
If
you are interested I can give you a lot of family history. My greatgrandfather (Samuel Payne/Paine) was an Anglican
minister. Being English he was offered a chance to go to the new colony Canada.
He obtained a grant of fifty acres on Wolfe Island and property to build a
church on the island. The fifty acres was free. The property of 50 acres was on the 7th
concession on Wolfe Island. I have often seen it. It had an excellent house +
farm buildings.
After
a year or so he met a gal called Rose (Ann Byron? Sam’s wife as per census
data…). Whether it was love or passion,
I do not know but he left the ministry and married her. They had one child for
sure, it was Robert; he was Dad’s (Robert Edward Payne) father. He inherited
the farm.
He
(Robert Payne) sold the farm and purchased the hotel on the island, which is
now the General Wolfe Hotel. He ran the hotel until his sons Edward, Jack and
Sam were able to work. He sold the hotel and purchased the farm where Marie and
I lived (Oak Pointe Road?). He also purchased 75 acres on the river across the
road from our home.
Jack
Payne was a real character. He loved to have a good time and fighting was his
real pleasure. After knocking hell out of every islander He left the farm and
went to USA. He worked at many jobs; but made the most money fighting different
opponents.
His last fight was with a negro
who outweighed him sixty lbs.
The
fight lasted almost two hours and he knocked the negro
out. He went directly to a dance in Watertown big horse and sleigh right after
the fight. He didn’t even take time to cool off after the fight. He got a cold
then which changed to pneumonia. He was dead in two weeks.
Sam
did not like farming he left the farm with fifty cents in his pocket and went
to the Cape USA and worked for an undertaker in charge of the horses which were
used to draw the hearse way back then.
The
undertaker was very pleased with him and had him take a course in embalming.
Later Sam bought the business. After a year he moved to Watertwon
and opended the S.G. Payne Funeral home. Edward
married Mother (Honora Casey) and they were tenant
farmers until they purchased where we lived (Oak Pointe Road).
Robert
my grandfather’s wife (Jane Rogers Payne) died of cancer. He lived two years
with Mother and Dad (Honora and Edward) after her
death. Mother spoke very kindly of him; she said he was a gentleman who helped
her with everything. He went on his own after two years.
He
met a(nd) married a woman
called Maggie Martin.
She
and her brother lived on the foot of the island almost as a recluse. His family
(Robert’s) cut all connections with him because they were considered a lower
class of people . None of his family including his
sons which I mentioned had anything to do with him. The daughters Sarah, Jane
Anne, Margaret and Belle followed the example of the Brothers so he was on his
own with his new love. Apparently he had money he moved to the Village (of
Marysville) on the island then he purchased two houses and opened a grocery
store. During his life he adopted five children, Tom Chat was one of them ( Thomas Chatterton?). After he
married Maggie he adopted Beatrice the only one that bore his name. Although
they were married in the RC Church the Martins were very
bigated (they could spit ink*). The story goes she
(Maggie) refused to call the priest when he (Robert Payne) was dying. He is
buried in the Family plot on the island as is my Grandmother (Jane Rogers
Payne) and Jack.
The Paynes were of
the upper class English, my great grandfather was born in Belfast Northern
Ireland.
The Druids were the first inhabitants in the British
Isles. The name Payne is taken from the word Pagan. (that
is why some of the Paynes had a big head*) End of Payne Robert.
Born in County Cork in Ireland migrated to Canada during potato famine in Ireland some time in the 1800’s
The
Great Grandfather (John Casey) was a cobler or
shoemaker by trade. He and his wife settled about six miles from Kingston in
what is known now as Kingston Mills. The story goes he liked his booze. The
Great grandmother (Mary Fitzgerald) was a big woman the folklore goes she + her husband had to buy supplies in Kingston. He would
tip a few while she shopped. Then they say she would carry fifty lbs of flour
under one arm and support him with the other He was a small man (Thank God*)
They
had a son called Pat he married my grandmother Casey (Mary Anne Murphy). They
purchased fifty acres on the old barge canal on the island. They lived in a log
house and cleared the land. They had four children, Mother (Honora),
Tom, Jack (John), George, Jim. While my grandmother was carrying Jim, he
(Patrick Casey) contracted pneumonia and died.
My grandmother’s name was Mary Anne; she was an industrious
woman. She raised the family God knows how, with a few cows
pigs + horses. When the boys grew up she purchased one hundred acres across the
road from the fifty acres they had.
She
built a beautiful house and a new barn on it. Then she purchased another fifty
acres along side of it. Tom inherited this. She purchased fifteen acres which
George had. She purchased one hundred acres by the Cold springs which she gave
to Jim.
Jack
was drowned in a boat coming from Kingston to the island. Mary Anne never
recovered from this in full.
She
died when I was five years old (1921) on Dec. 7 There were seventysix
horse and buggies at her funeral; They packed that big
church (Sacred Heart RC). No one was ever held in higher esteem on the island
than she was.
My
grandmother was a Murphy she had a sister Ellen and two brothers Tom + Jerry.
Many
oldtimers who knew her when she was young I am
speaking of Ellen say your wedding picture could have been her. (Pat’s pic could have been Ellen)
The
Murphy family was ill fated. Jerry died young of a heart attack, Tom died young
of cancer. Mary Anne lived to be 73, Ellen lived to eighty. Most of the Murphies were very high hated (hat? “ed”
is crossed out in original), Ellen included, but Mary Anne was like Mother (Honora Casey Payne) down to earth.
As
for Grandmother Payne (Jane Rogers Payne) all I know is she was a very kind
person Mother said she was an angel.
If
this doesn’t suit you; you can go suck salt. Say hello to Marie for me
Casey.
