When Cliff and I saw Perce's khaki green 1928 Model A Ford pull into the yard we knew Barney would be with him. Barney was a reddish colored terrier, who went everywhere with Perce. He had special eating habits, if Perce were haying and took an egg sandwich for lunch, he had to take an extra one for Barney. This dog thought he was a human being and insisted on eating the exact same food as his master.

As Perce and Dad did their usual thing of leaning against the car with their arms folded, discussing the weather, crops and  farming, Cliff and I sat on the ground and listened. Barney spent the time leaning out the window, giving an occasional bark at a cat who walked too close to the car. We knew this dog didn't like kids so we did not venture near him.

Adults certainly liked to talk in riddles so little kids couldn't understand. One moment the conversation was about the new cars with hydraulic brakes and eight cylinder engines and then the talk rolled around to a pickle ford. It seemed that someone had bought a pickle ford from a friend and Dad and Perce didn't think this was a good idea. This sure was confusing! Mum made pickles and we had a bottle of pickled eggs in the cellar but what was a pickle ford?

At supper time, I asked Mum if I could have a pickle ford instead of mustard pickles and she told me to stop the silly talk or leave the table.

If I had hung around the family of William Alexander of Fredericton Junction in about 1920, I would have understood the term, "Pickle Ford" as he owned one.

It seems the "Pickle" Ford was manufactured in 1916 destined for Egypt, but the ship sank in the Saint John Harbour. When the cargo was salvaged, the damaged cars were sold at half the regular price. William Alexander paid $485 for a four-door convertible, while the same car in the United States would cost $875. The steering wheel was on the left side - other cars of that year were still having the steering wheel placed on the right-hand side. The tires were tubeless and bald, having been designed for driving in heavy sands. The radiator was much larger by today's standard and was made of copper cooling tubes and the reservoir was made of brass to provide the required cooling in a hot climate. The cars were not equipped with batteries and it was necessary to crank them by hand to get them started.

This is just one of the stories that can be found in the publication, ‘Days of Old'- A History of Fredericton Junction by Katherine Dewitt and Norma Alexander.

If you have roots in the area, you will find this to be an informative publication. Some of the topics covered in this 368 page book are: Dr. Ambrose Shearman; Hartt's Mills and its founder; Pride's Landing; the Gore; murder on the Old St. Andrews Road; early grantees; Back Tracy Road; Phoebe McKillop; highway bridges and the Great Road; the railroad; lumbering; churches; cemeteries; education; doctors and health care; the military; hotels; stores and shops; organizations; account of the wedding in 1880 of Caroline Alexander and Moses Burpee written by the bridesmaid; the year without a summer 1816; Dark Sunday 1819; Cold Friday 1861 and many more.

Although the passenger cars no longer rumble through the village, you can ride the rails of reading to learn about the days of old in Fredericton Junction and once again walk the paths of daily life.

‘Days of Old'- A History of Fredericton Junction by Katherine Dewitt and Norma Alexander is available for viewing at several libraries. 

Query 98-670
Drew: My great-great-great grandfather, Joseph Drew came to Saint John in 1783 and was granted lot number nine on the south side of Belleisle Bay. He was a Loyalist from Ninety-Six, South Carolina and served under Col. Ferguson and eventually Hamilton. He died in Saint John in April of 1808. At the time of his death he was a tailor and I believe he had a tailor shop on the north side of Princess Street. I have not yet determined where Joseph Drew was buried. Neither do I know his date or place of birth. I am hoping that there might somewhere be a record of his grave. If I can determine his date and place of birth then we can start tracing our roots back through Scotland. I would appreciate any information that is available on Joseph Drew.
 -Phillip Drew. E-mail to pdrew1@home.com.

Query 98-671
Gordon - Campbell: I am seeking information on port and date of entry, first into Canada then into the United States for my great-grandfather, John Davidson Gordon (Sr). He was born on Jul.10, 1885 in Aberdeenshire, Sctoland and left for Australia with his older brother George as a stowaway. He was put off in Canada, where he eventually met and married Emily Lucy Campbell on Jun. 07, 1910 in Saint John, New Brunswick. They emigrated to Massachusetts and Rhode Island shortly after the marriage as my Grandfather was born in Cambridge,
Massachusetts in March of 1911.
 -D. Andrew Davis, 1306 Sycamore Drive, Rolla, Missouri,  65401. E-mail to dad812@rollanet.org.

Query 98-672
Blenkinsop - Gray - Crowhurst: When John Knox Blenkinsop died in Saint John on Aug. 24, 1940, he left a widow Sadie or Sarah Gray (his second wife), and a son Thomas Blenkinsop who had married a Beatrice May Crowhurst in 1916 and who was living in Moncton in 1940. Another son, Frederick Graham, had died before 1940. A brother Thomas William and family were living in Nova Scotia. Seeking any descendants.
 -Mrs M.Harland,  PO Box 205,  Palmyra,  Western Australia,  6157. E-mail to harbiz@iinet.net.au.

Query 98-673
O'dell: My grandmother Dorothy June O'dell was born in Saint John 1920, the daughter of Arthur O'dell of Pokiok Road. He may have owned a Cigar Store. They came to the United States in the 1930s. I am interested in finding out more information on her ancestors in Saint John. They may possibly have been connected to the ship building trade.
 -Frank Gattuso. E-mail to fgattuso@techcellence.com.

Query 98-674
Burns - Crump: My husband's great-great-grandfather was Major Lewis Burns who represented the City of Saint John in 1834 and defeated Street by one vote in 1842; was also the President of the old Commercial Bank; was on the Committee that put up the old Breeze's Corner at King Square. He was sent to New Brunswick from England with soldiers and stationed in the Barracks and remained when his time was up. Our family information states the he was born in the City of Cunard in Ireland. His daughter Julia married William Crump who had come from England and then returned to England, leaving her with 4 children. Where were the barracks?  Were the soldiers just for general defense?  Did they come in a battalion?  Where from?  We wonder if he came on the Cunard line as we cannot find a city of that name. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who has information on Lewis Burns.
 -Carol Crump, 32 Paultiel Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 3P3. E-mail to crump@sympatico.ca.
 

Ruby M. Cusack is a genealogy buff living in Saint John. Send your queries to her at rmcusack@nbnet.nb.ca. (Please put Yesteryear Families in the subject line.) Include your name and mailing address for the benefit of those who do not have access to E-mail.