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The
Dempseys in Canada
John
Dempsey, born 1815, died 1912. A pioneer in two provinces.
John
Dempsey with his wife, the former Ellen Griffin, and their three
children, left Belfast, Ireland, in 1844 and settled in London
Township, where their seven other children were born.
The
urge to pioneer again possessed him and at the age of sixty-seven, on
March 8, 1882, accompanied by his son James, he migrated to Manitoba.
On
arriving at Winnipeg, he was met by an elder son who had taken up a
homestead the previous year at Neepawa. He informed them that
most of the land had been taken. He accompanied his son to
Neepawa where he homesteaded on section 14, south-east of
Neepawa. Here he lived until his death in 1912 at the age of
ninety-seven. He had been a member of the Masonic Order for
seventy-six years and at the time of his death was the oldest member of
the order in the world. His grandsons, William and Alexander
Dempsey, were charter members of the same order in Killarney.
James
Dempsey, accompanied by his brother-in-law, Joseph Atkinson, left his
father at Winnipeg and decided to go southwest. They arrived at
Crystal City. Here they met in with a party consisting of W. J.
Schnarr, Fred Finkbeiner, Henry Cann and Andrew McNamee, senior.
Equipped with a yoke of oxen, a plow, stove, and the necessary
provisions, they arrived at A. J. Rollins’ on June 1st, 1882.
They
continued on their search for land as far west as Deloraine. They
did not see any vacant land that looked favourable and returned to Oak
Lake (Killarney). Here James Dempsey, my father, laid claim to
the north half section of 24-3-17. My uncle’s homestead was on
12-3-17. Here father broke twelve acres and returned to Crystal
City to help with the harvesting and to do some carpenter work.
Later
in the fall they returned to their homesteads, where they all went to
the bush to get timber to build their homes. They formed bees and
built their cabins together. There was a lime kiln on the road
allowance near Fred Finkbeiner’s. It was used to make lime and to
white-wash the buildings. You can still see the lime kiln as you
drive along Highway 18.
The
following year Mrs. Dempsey, my mother, the former Sarah Atkinson, and
we four children, Mary, William, Alexander, and Ella, ranging in age
from eleven years to two years, made arrangements to meet our father in
Brandon.
It
must
have been a formidable task for a young woman to gather her household
effects and enough food and clothes for her family and start out to an
unknown land. The train route was by Chicago, St. Paul and
Winnipeg to Brandon. The train was drawn by a wood-burner engine.
We arrived in St. Paul on a Saturday night and as the trains did not
run on Sunday, we had to remain in St. Paul until Monday. A kind
couple took my brothers and me down to see the boats on the Mississippi
River, thus giving Mother a much needed rest.
Our
father and uncle drove the oxen and wagon to meet us in Brandon, but
when the train was late, they hopped a freight train and met us in
Winnipeg. We arrived in Brandon on August 7, 1883. We spent
the night in the Beaubier Hotel. A cousin, who had a store in
Brandon, brought us treats to take home.
Early
the next morning we left on the sixty-mile trek to our homestead near
Killarney. We camped the first night at a place called
McCanlish’s. We travelled all the next day. Would have made
home the following day but owing to a thunder storm had to make camp
near where the town of Margaret is today.
We
called at A. McKnight’s store near Haight’s of Rowland and bought a few
groceries. Before we arrived home, W. J. Schnarr met us to tell
us our crop had been hailed.
Now
began a strange hard task for my mother. She made her own yeast
from wild hops, made lye from wood ashes to make soap and also made
vinegar. We picked cranberries, saskatoons, pin-cherries and
strawberries whenever nature provided us with them. She did all
our sewing and I had learned to knit before leaving Ontario. All
wore long stockings, and mitts and scarves also had to be knit.
Every
fall wheat was taken to the grist mill to lay in a supply of flour for
the year. The men went to Pelican Lake to cut wood, brought it
home, cut it up into stove lengths with a buck-saw, and then it had to
be chopped. It had to be dry, because you could not burn green
wood. The snow had to be melted for washing and, of course, there
was only a tub and wash-board. We were more fortunate than some
because we had a river where we could get water if the sloughs dried
up. We were glad to get a cow. The milk was put in shallow
pans, the cream rose to the top and was skimmed to make butter.
By
now,
with hooked rugs on the floor, the curtains with their knitted lace on
the windows, and the white-washed walls, the place seemed very
homelike, and we were happy to be together.
Many
weary and cold travellers were always sure of a welcome and a meal
before going on their way. In 1885 after the railway had reached
Killarney, the people from Dunrea and Ninette passed through our yard
on the way to town. Sometimes a winter blizzard would come up
quickly, and many found refuge and a place for the oxen or horses until
the storm was over.
The
nearest school was Killarney, and Will and I walked. This would
be three and a half miles. I remember Ella Rollins, Louie Dufty
and Mary McNamee. We were friends all our lives. Miss Bate
was a teacher. I also remember Mr. Poole. In 1886 Northcote
school was opened, and this was the social centre of the
district. Concerts and debates were vey popular, and the
entertainers were extremely good. Our first teacher was a cousin,
Tommy Atkinson.
Religious
services were first held in the homes, later on in the school
houses. I remember walking to Sunday School where Mr. Bate was
superintendent. The ministers I remember best were Mr. Andrew
Stewart, whose homestead was north of home. I was very
happy to meet his son, Jack Stewart, who gave me his father’s book,
“The Prairie Homesteads.” C. W. Gordon (Ralph Connor), a student
for the Presbyterian Church, Reverend Elliot, Reverend Lowry, and later
on Reverend W. Johnson, Mr. F. Fairhall was our lay minister.
I
remember our first visitors. We were feeling rather lonely, the
first Christmas away from all our relatives, when Mr. & Mrs. David
Hysop called on us and brought some butter and eggs. Now we could
have a cake for Christmas. Eggs could not be bought, so they were
priceless.
There
was always the danger of early frosts, and several times our crops were
hailed out, making it necessary for father to find work. He and
my uncle found work in Brandon. While there, he felt the family
needed him and he walked the sixty miles as well as having to swim the
Souris River to find out how we were getting along without him.
Winter
blizzards were a hazard as there were no fences, hydro poles or
telephone lines to keep you informed of your whereabouts, but the worst
menace of all were the prairie fires. I remember one such
fire. A fire was raging on the west side of the river.
Father, thinking we were safe at home, went to help the men protect
their homesteads. But a sudden change in the wind, and the fire
jumped the river and started to burn towards our buildings. My
mother and I fought the blaze, and my brother carried water to
us. My younger brother, who believed in being prepared, packed
his good clothes in a grip and had his little sister by the hand ready
for flight. A neighbour, John McCorquodale, saw the fire and came
to our assistance. Fortunately the fire was put out before it
reached our buildings. A strange red glow in the western horizon
never failed to leave a dread foreboding in my heart.
I
was
always afraid of the Indians, but had no reason to fear them.
They would walk in without knocking, but we never failed to give them
something to eat, and then they would leave. My small sister had
curly hair, and they were very interested in the little “papoose.”
Three
daughters, Edith, Clara and Effie, were born in Manitoba, now making
the family two boys and five girls.
Father
passed away in 1910 and Mother in 1929. During my father’s
lifetime he was a Liberal in politics, and both he and my mother were
staunch supporters of the Methodist Church.
Today
I
look back with reverence and pay tribute to the fortitude and
perseverance of my parents who left a good home to come west for their
family’s sake. Here they laid the foundations for all the
privileges we enjoy today.
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