Every Life Has a Story

I asked my mother, after my dad passed away, to write down my dad's story.  This is dad's life, told in my mother's words. 

Bernard John Ingoldsby was born Oct 4 1915 on a farm in Centreville Ont. County of Lennox and Addington approximately 30 miles from Kingston Ont.

His parents Charles Ingoldsby and Bernadette Hinch were small farmers of approx 50 acres, on which they grew wheat and oats, a large garden and raised beef cattle, pigs and lots of chickens. A larger brick house was home to Bernie and 4 brothers and 3 sisters. His education was Grade XI  he attended school at Centreville Ontario and Newbury Ontario,  a small village approximately 3 miles from home. The farm was a place where everyone helped out in the various chores, haying , harvesting and caring for the animals. The Ingoldsby's had sugar maples close by.  It was a great event tapping the trees and boiling the sap in large vats which were placed on a large grate over a wood fire that needed to be fed day and night.  Two older brothers, Jim and Leo were the carriers of sap pails and cut wood to keep the whole operation going.  Bernie, of course took his turn as he grew older.  His first night that he was in charge to keep the fires burning he fell asleep and all of the vats were cold with the contents stuck to the bottom.  Maple syrup was used for everything that required sweetening, such as pancakes, pies and french toast. 

During summer holidays, everyone went berry picking so mother could put up fruit for the winter and bake pies all summer.  Wild berries, which were plentiful, plus an apple orchard out back were the main source of fruit for the family.  On one occasion of endless days of berry picking, Bernie arrived at home with a full pail before anyone else.  Mother discovered the bottom three quarters full of grass, with a few inches of berries on top.  He was promptly sent back to pick a proper pail full.

A berry picking story

One summer day Bernie and Alice were on their way to a berry patch farther afield. Across the field a billy goat with a fair set of horns came charging on them. Bernie took off his jacket and spread it across a large rock close by. The goat charged the jacket while the two took off running for safety. Some hours later they ventured back and found only a wee stub of the goat's tail remaining!!!

In his later teens, hunting became an obsession!  A near neighbour, who also enjoyed shooting asked him to join him. Wilfred Whalen also had fox hounds.  They spent many days trying to outfox the fox!  They would leave early in the morning and return at dark.  This is the time that Bernie developed ulcers and eventually had surgery for a perforated ulcer.

The two older brothers Jim and Leo married and were set up on farms a few miles from home.  Meanwhile, the sisters, Alice, Josephine and Rose were going through high school and eventually ended up with teaching careers.    Brother, Flavian was also a teacher.  Bernie was trying to eke out a living by doing jobs here and there.  During the 30's work was hard to find.  In 1936, he worked for a road construction company  north of Kingston in Barry's Bay.  One winter, he decided to earn extra money, so with help from a neighbour, they cut a big load of spruce trees and headed for Toronto, about 150 miles away.  Going from street to street they managed to sell very few trees, and returned with most of the load, a big disappointment.

Always one to tinker and fix things, Bernie would get a couple of old bicycles and try to get one into running order.  A big job was working on two worn out model T's cars with the same intentions.  He finally got one to move and found a short lived means of transportation. He found some freedom to get to fishing holes and ponds and marshes to shoot ducks.

In the summer of 1939, Bernie and a friend decided to go west. It was a big secret from Mother and Dad, whose only knowledge of Canada was the small confines of about 25 or 30 miles surrounding home and family.  Mr and Mrs Ingoldsby were born, raised and worked in the same area.  Most or all of their immediate family settled close by.  Born in the early 1880's, the Ingoldsby's, Hinches and many Irish family came to Canada from Ireland in the 1800's.  Bernie's dad always said, My father came from "county cork and the town of Trim".

Bernie and his friend, who's name escapes me, made their way to Toronto, and caught a freight train going west, which was the plans of many young men.  "Go west and go harvesting".  With very little money and many railway police on the alert to stop these free travelers, they would jump off the freight cars. When slowing down near towns walk on through to the other side and catch the train again. Bernie arrived in Winnipeg some days later with 10 cents in his pocket and a small bundle of clothes.

During the early 30's the western provinces were in very poor condition due to dry weather and poor prices, no one was able to raise a crop. Everyone was in a recession.  The latter part of the 30's saw a turn around and farmers needed help on farms. So it was that Bernie and hundreds of others were picked up at rail stations and taken to farms to help with harvest.  The area south of Brandon Manitoba was where B. J. was taken and worked until harvest was finished. With a few dollars in his jeans, Bernie & friend headed for Winnipeg to pursue other work.

The S.S. Kresge Co were advertising for help in the store window.  He applied and was hired, and his career in Kresges was launched.

While "away out west", Mrs. Ingoldsby, being the caring, worrying kind, wrote weekly letters to convince her son to return home.  The war had broken out and many boys were enlisting to serve their country.  Bernie applied in Winnipeg and was rejected due to flat feet and his perforated ulcer condition.  So it was, that he remained with Kresges.   He was transferred over the years to various locations in Ontario and Western Canada. In 1946, B.J.  moved to Saskatoon, where I met the man, who was later to become my husband and your father.