Grandfather Clifford and his sister Margaret were born in the United States. The younger children, including Uncle Bill were Canadian citizens. Great grandfather Turnbull was a farmer in the Delhi area of Ontario. Relatives from Michigan convinced Walter and his wife to try farming in the thumb area near Lake Huron. They traveled by wagon and boat to reach the United States. After several years, the family returned to Canada with two small children in tow. They settled in the farming around Delhi. Grandpa raised tobacco as a cash crop. Other crops and livestock were kept to feed the growing brood.
Uncle Bill was fiercely proud to be a Canadian. Cliff was as proud to be an American. There were many discussions over the benefits of each country. During W W II, Bill joined the army. He spent most of his enlistment in London, England. His unit worked with the newly discovered radar. The radar gave early warnings to the populations of southern England of a bombing raids coming from Germany.
Cliff was too old to enlist. He did his part by wiring a large portion of the Detroit area for electrical power. After the war, Bill moved to Michigan to run one of two electrical stores. Bill finally moved back to Canada in the late 50’s.
The two brother could not agree on the merits of each homeland. Both men were trained electricians, working the ships of the Great Lakes, before wiring farms , factories and private homes.The two brothers wired most of the buildings in a three county area around Detroit.
Bill had two sons, Doug and Bob. Cliff had one son, my dad Bruce. The three cousins remained close, despite being separated by a border and 121 miles. Most of their summer vacations were spent working on their Grandfather’s farm in Delhi, Ontario.Being boys, they got into trouble.
“Bruce, Don’t jump out of the hay loft into a hay pile.”
“Doug, this time, gather the chicken eggs without cracking them.”
“Bob, crawl out from under the barn before you get stuck.”
The cousins would go skinny dipping at the end of a long summer day. In the morning and evenings, they would help bring the cows into the barn to be milked. It was a wonderful way for three city boys to learn the ways of farm life. Doug became a teacher and a high school principal. Bob bought a flower shop in London Ontario, spending many years as the largest florist in the area. Bruce went into business with his father, Cliff. Cliff did the electrical wiring while Bruce sold large appliances from their two stores. Recently, one of my nephews has moved to Canada and became a Canadian citizen, The ties with Canada continue.
This past week both countries had celebrations, Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada. The day starts with two minutes of silence to recall fallen comrades in the armed forces. The day is remembered by my family as the day my mother was born in 1918 the ending date of W W I. With current conflicts in our world, it is important for each of us to remember the past and not repeat it. There is more to bind us together than what separates us as a people.
carolaspot@aol.com. November 13.2023
traveling up and down the blind highway 