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"Samuel A. McLaren" Samuel McLaren was born in Puslinch (Guelph) Ontario on July 3rd.1881, the same year my father David was born. In 1906 Samuel moved to the new Province of Saskatchewan and applied for homestead patent on NE.26.31.18.W2 about 4 miles North East of our farm on section 10. The other three quarters of section 26 were assigned by the Crown to the Hudson's Bay Company. Samuel was a hard worker and closely involved with the community, so by the time he received his land grant papers in 1909 he was trustee chairman for the newly formed school district of Hanson, later changed to Big Quill. The school was build on a corner of Karl Hanson's homestead on SW.30.31.17.W2. My uncle Jim Hatton was on the original committee with Bob Blakely and Bob Whitelaw when application for school districts were first filed with the province in 1907. When he was 32, Samuel fell in love with a red headed girl his age from Tipperary Ireland, so in 1913 he wed Sarah (Sadie) E. Richardson. Soon thereafter, Sadie and Samuel started a new family with firstborn daughter Ethel. By the time I wrote my diary in 1933 Ethel had two brothers, Eugene who was 16 and 9 year old Kenneth. Ethel was 19, two years older than me. Another brother Harold died when only 11 months old.
Samuel was 52 years old when he helped dig us out
from being stuck in the snow at Reeves on January 9th. while bringing cord wood
home from the bush with horse team and double sleighs. The winter blowing
snow was so terrible we ran off the road at Leffner's and then again at Glencross's
before even getting to Reeves, where we left one load till the next day.
Clarence and I went to a dance at their place on July 3rd., one of the many barn
dances we attended that summer. |
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