By Mavis Heath Fraser, Evelyn Heath Morrice and Janis Heath Shaw
John and Ellen were married in Banff on November 18, 1902, the bride was seventeen, the groom, twenty-five. The newlyweds took up residence in Canmore where John worked in the mine.
Early the next year, John and Ellen’s first daughter, Violet, was born; then came a son, James (Jim) in September of 1904, followed by Florence in July of 1906.
Sometime following Florence’s birth, most likely in the spring or summer of 1907, John, Ellen, and their three children moved from Canmore to Meadowbrook to take up farming. John and Ellen’s family settled into a two-room house called “the shack” which had low ceilings and tiny windows. A daughter, Mary, was born in 1907, in late August or early September, and died just three months later, on November 28, of infantile convulsions. John’s namesake, Arthur John Jr. (Jack) was born in January, 1909; then came Stanley George in 1910; Elsie, 1912; Victor (Spud), 1915; Beatrice, 1918; Daisy, 1922; and finally Darrel, in 1924.
It was a constant struggle to provide for such a large family. There weren’t enough beds or blankets to go round so some of the children slept on the floor covered with coats.
Sometimes family members had to restrict their activities because they did not have proper clothes or shoes. Florence remembered having to remain in bed while her one set of clothes was being washed and dried. Jim told of arguing with his sister Violet on frosty mornings about who would milk the cow that was lying down. Both knew the ground where the cow lay would be warm enough to feel good on their bare feet!
Family meals had to be served in shifts – there was not enough room for everyone to sit down together. Ellen baked bread everyday, storing it in a trunk. Sometimes, when the garden failed (taken by drought, hail, or frost) and hunting was poor, there would be little food to put on the table. In spite of their own poverty, the Heaths often had extra mouths to feed as hungry neighbours knew that John and Ellen would share what they had – especially potatoes, which they grew in large crops. One former neighbour, May Morrish Brittain, recalled that the Heaths once gave her a large box of potatoes. Inside the box, she found a home-made valentine from young Jim. With a chuckle, she revealed that she had kept that valentine for many years.
So many children, so little space; too little bedding, clothing or food. Is it any wonder that John and Ellen argued from time to time? Following a disagreement, neither would speak for days on end. They were both very stubborn people.
In spite of the occasional rift, the Heath home must have been a happy one – young people were drawn there to sing, dance, visit, and play ball. Often, on a Sunday afternoon (Ben must have been rolling in his grave), young people would come after church and dance away the afternoon. Music was provided by Bill Heath, John’s brother, who played the violin. Sometimes one of the women would accompany him, playing a harmonica. Even Gramma Sarah sat in her rocking chair, rocking and clapping her hands in time to the music.
Victoria Kinley Unwin, one of Meadowbrook’s early teachers, remembered that the Heaths were always involved in the social evenings which were held every two weeks at the Meadowbrook School. The evening entertainment, organized by the Lyceum Club, included singing, recitations and the playing of music. From time to time, a play would be presented; if it was a musical, you could be sure that the Heaths were members of the cast. Elsie was much sought after as she had a lovely voice.
As the boys became old enough, they sought out whatever work was available in the district – brushing, getting up wood, harvesting, and building roads. The girls worked as domestics.
About 1927, after twenty years on the farm, John and Ellen moved back to Canmore. They must have thought they would be better off if John returned to the mines. An already weak economy was worsening and the Heaths were not doing well financially. Their land was mortgaged and taxes were in arrears.
We aren’t sure how many family members initially made the move to the mountains. We do know that Ellen kept writing those of her children who stayed behind, encouraging them to join the rest of the family in Canmore. Eventually, all of them except Violet (who had married Jim Spink in 1922 and settled in Lincoln to raise their family) did. Jim didn’t last long in Canmore. He tried mining but hated being underground. For few months, he worked night shift with a man he was convinced was crazy. The experience convinced him to return to Meadowbrook. Florence didn’t stay in Canmore either. As our mother once explained, Roy Sweet “came for Florence”. They married in 1929 and settled on a farm in the Pleasant Hill area of Ponoka. Jim Heath married Evelyn Richards in November of 1929 and they took over John and Ellen’s home quarter. In later years, Mom used to say that she and Dad would have been better off if they had chosen to make a fresh start. They tried to hold the land but crop failure and the Great Depression sealed its fate. It could not be saved.
Meanwhile, John and Ellen, although still poor, were better off once they returned to Canmore. They sent us boxes of clothes and, in return, Mom and Dad would send them chickens and vegetables.
The remaining sons and daughters began to marry. First, Elsie married Whitfield (Shorty) Dredge in 1930; then George married Pearl Richards, Mom’s sister, in 1932.
Ellen was stricken with colon cancer, and, after a lingering and painful illness, she passed away on September 25, 1936.
World War II came in 1939 and with it, greater prosperity – the mines were booming, and jobs were plentiful. Jack Jr. married Ruby Novis in 1940. Tragedy struck in 1941 when Violet died following surgery to remove her varicose veins. Victor joined the army; Beatrice, the airforce, where she met, then married, Blair Fobes. Daisy married Buck Kaleta in 1941, just before he went overseas. Jack, George, and Darrel remained in Canmore during the war years.
After the war, Victor married Georgina Stewart. A widowed Elsie married Abe Sandburg; a divorced Beatrice wed Edward Cadieux. Darrel never married and lived at home with his Dad until John died in 1955.
Aunt Ellen and Uncle Jack
Early in 1993, Hugh MacKinnon recorded a telephone conversation with his sister, Lois MacKinnon Fleming. Hugh initiated the conversation by asking Lois what she remembered about their mother Tillie’s half-brother and half-sister, John and Ellen Heath. Lois said:
“Aunt Ellen and Uncle Jack were sweet and gentle loving people who were… totally devoted to one another. Aunt Ellen used to say her children were her “steps to Heaven”. Uncle Jack was very quiet – reticent. I don’t remember him ever talking.
I remember them being poor … hardly any furniture in the house. They had a chemical toilet.
When we would go over to visit (in Canmore), they would make us apple sandwiches – and they’d cut an orange in half, eat it, then make (the orange peel) into a hat, put it on top of their heads, and act up for us you know. They would sit around the table telling stories about Wales and about the early days in Canada.”
In Canmore Seniors at the Summit, ed. Canmore Seniors Association, 2000, p. 127-129.
