Bill's Grim Reaper Comment

A February 1971 entry in Bill Nevard's journal. This time in his own printing.

87 Years Ago In Nevard Farm History

November 28, 1936 Uncle Horrie went to town with wheat and Dad went with him. Prince and Dixie got scared by a truck loaded with furniture on 35 highway near the cemetery and tipped the wagon and load over into the ditch causing much trouble and delay. It was Dad's new box. If it had been one of the old boxes it would probably have been demolished. I hauled water and got a jag of dry wood home. Karl Miller re-elected councillor. Bud got the mail home. November 29, Sunday. Church service at Headlands. Mr. Hillary. Dad, Dick, Uncle Arthur and I all walked. Others attending were Tom and Ed North, John Leslie, Mrs. Binnington, Agnes and Bert, Cliff Barton and Paul Morrison. Uncle Horrie, Roy and Joy here to supper. Dick and Uncle A. stayed at Murphy Newton's. Bud fixing up a radio he bought somewhere.

November 9 Today in Nevard History

November 9, 1936 Today I took Spark and Violet with the wagon to get a load of flour which Dad's ticket had won in the raffle. It was said to be at Adam Lutz's place so I went to the old Fred Millward house where I had never been before. I found William Millward in possession and heard from him that Lutz had moved to the West half of the section ten and was living where Tom Bordass used to live.t Proceeding thither I found Philip Lutz assisting his most immediate male progenitor to dig a well. They had dug 40 feet then with no water. They have a new log barn with a lumber roof for about 22 head. Plastered with clay and cement washed over it looked like concrete. A slick looking building. Philip gave me the flour and I began my journey along highway 35. Met the distinguished Mr. William Sawchuck going wither from whence. Reaching the corner I turned East for 3 miles. The first mile between Aitkens and Harry Millward's being terra nova to me. Passing Sam Wheale's I observed his new house in the throes of construction but not completed. I stopped in at Greenforest and loaded up oats for town tomorrow. Uncle Horrie has started making his new stable. A bit milder today. Bud, Roy and Joy were here to supper and playing cards afterwrds.

On This Date In Nevard History

October 1, 1949 This morning after breakfast I walked up to Silver Birches and found them all well. Threshing and combining have been completed and Dad's wheat went about 700 bushels, oats about 400 and barley 120. 9 horses have been sold. Spark, Violet, Frank, Jubilee, Betty, Blaze, King, Beauty and May. We now only have Gleam, Embers and Castle. Arthur Lutz has Cloud and wants to buy him. I stayed at Silver Birches to dinner and then went back home. There is water in the big slough and also in our dugout. Donald has done quite a bit of disking but he had to take the new tractor down to Lipton yesterday to get the gears fixed. I left home about 2:20 pm and started back for the San. Arriving in Lipton I had supper with Jack Goff and waited a while in case Dad should turn up but he didn't. It was dark when I left Lipton and I walked most of the way back to the San but picked up a ride for a little way with Dielson who got his arm scalded last week in pig's mash. It rained a bit on the way back but not enough to wet me.

Leaving The Colonist Train

My great uncles Arthur and Ernest Nevard joined the Barr colonists in England in April 03 to journey to what would become Saskatchewan and go farming. That was the plan but by the time the train reached Winnipeg, Manitoba, the uncles had decided to leave the colonist train and strike out on their own. Ernest went into his former trade of brick laying which was quite in demand in the growing prairie city. This letter, dated August of 1903 indicated they were seeking a refund of the $10 entry fee paid to the Rev. Barr for their homestead since they had by that time paid another entry fee on homestead land in what would become the Lipton, Balrobie district. What amazes me is how fast they worked. According to family history by the time winter began they had travelled to the new homestead in Sask. and built a good one room log house to live in. The letter is dated August of 03 so they must have worked fast to get all that done in just a few months. Makes me wonder how different life would have been if they had continued on with the colonists to the Lloydminster area.

Looking For Horses etc.

February 24, 1948 and Dick and I got the fanning mill and the wild oat separator home this morning. After dinner I went for a drive in the sleigh to try and find Eddie Miller's horses and see if the mare that little Henry Schmidt was willing to trade was with them. I went to where Ed Miller is now living on 13 and saw his wife. She told me that their horses are on 21 and that Eddie had gone to K.D's to borrow the tractor for sawing wood so I went in there and saw Alfred and Eddie. They told me I would have to go through Manuel's yard and through Hobetzeder's so I went out on the road past Bill Senft's and called in at Manuel's where his wife told me that he was in Saskatoon and showed me which trail to take to Hobetzeder's. When I got there Hobetzeder was outside getting feed in the stable He showed me 9 young lambs (Shropshires). 5 ewes had ten lambs but one died. He offered to go with me on 21 and look for the horses. Grace was outside with the pony and he asked her to do the chores while he went with me. We drove across 21 but coud not see any horses so we went through the North line onto 28, then East to 35 highway where we saw a bunch of horses on 27 but when we got up close enough we saw they were not the right ones so we started back for Hobetzeder's along the highway. On the way we saw the horses over on 21 so we went through a gate and took a look at them. There were 8. Two of Hobetzeder's, 5 of Ed Miller's and little Henry's gray mare. Then we went back to Hobetzeder's where I stayed to supper. Both of the girls are home. August Hepting came over from McCullough's on horseback while I was there and was still there when I left. I got home in time to milk.

Charlie and Kate Hobetzeder with daughter, Ivy.

Two Brimstone Matches

A story my dad used to tell regarding great uncle Arthur Nevard. July of 1949, Arthur had gone to Regina to stay with his brother in law, Eddie Edwards. Eddie's wife, May, had recently died and Arthur went to stay with Eddie for a while to keep him company and help out where he could. Apparently it did not go too well. Arthur was heard to comment at a later date that he and Eddie were like "two brimstone matches". Arthur had stopped in to visit Jack Goff in Lipton on his way home and must have related how the visit went. Jack later commented to my dad that "Harthur says he's been in hell".

A photo of Eddie Edwards left, May Edwards right, and Mary Nevard centre. 1930s.

Arthur Nevard, 1940s.