Family rumor was that Alexander Cecil Pennell was gassed during the war and this was the cause of his death, so its with no surprize there’s no mention of “gassed” in his death certificate.. It says coma due to diabetes. Included in his military records is how they were treating him with insulin and watching his diet. He is buried in Mount Pleasant cemetery at Ogleston’s Corners in Rutherglen.
Lester was born March 13, 1897, Ewen, Michigan. He served in the 228th Regiment. Lester was the son of William Keech and Jane McNamara. Jane was the daughter of Elizabeth Pennell and John McNamara. Elizabeth was the sister of my grandmother, Alice Smith (nee Pennell).
George Jr. was born March 22, 1883. He was the son of George Mathew Pennell Sr. and Charlotte Edmunds of Rutherglen, Ontario. George Sr. was the brother of my grandmother, Alice Smith (nee Pennell).
Cecil was born February 1, 1898 in Rutherglen, Ontario, to Eliza (nee Pennell) and John “Jack” James. Cecil married Marie Tremblay and had two sons. From his will below, I can only make out the name of his 2nd son, Leonard. He fought in World War I in the 12th Reserve, 1st Corp., 75th Battalion CEF, D Co., #3035764 and held the rank of Private. He was discharged May 12, 1919 and returned home in June of 1919 on the R.M.S. Mauretania. In 1950, Cecil was living in Kapuskasing, and later in New Toronto. He died February 12, 1959.
James was born December 27, 1889 to Mary Ann Pennell and William James of Rutherglen, Ontario. He married Margaret I. McDonald and died October 12, 1976. James served in World War I. In 1953, he lived in Englehart and operated Tray Express Company.
John was born December 29, 1887 in Rutherglen, Ontario. He served in the 59th Battalion during World War I. He was a member of Branch 23 of the Royal Canadian Legion in North Bay where he received a 50-year pin. He was also a member of the Orange Lodge and a founding member of the Elk Lake Masonic Lodge No. 507. John also spent some time in jail and he worked for the ONR as an engineer. He married Annie Gertrude “Gerti” Smith, who was the daughter of Willard Smith and Mary Johnson on Rutherglen. Gerti was a widow, having… Read more: John Thomas Victor James
William was the son of Mary Ann Pennell and William James of Rutherglen, Ontario. William was born January 12, 1900 and served in World War I. He lived in Lac Vert, Sask, and died February 10, 1978 in Miracom, Sask.
St. Margaret’s, Rutherglen was built around 1855. In 1891, St. Margaret’s was entirely rebuilt after being blown down in a storm. The church was consecrated by Bishop Charles Hamilton on October 30, 1896. In 1951, construction of a new St. Margaret’s began and the church was consecrated by Bishop Robert Jefferson on July 6, 1952. The log frame of the old church was torn down and removed. St. Margaret’s is part of the parish of Mattawa. Source: http://archeion-aao.fis.utoronto.ca/ , March 9, 2009 St. Margaret’s Cemetery I tried to find out the full list of burials at St. Margaret’s Church. I… Read more: History of St. Margaret’s Anglican Church
Alexander Pennell, b. 1892, son of George Matthew Pennell (Gramma Smith’s brother) and Charlotte Edmunds. This Alex served 4 years in WW1 as a gunner. He was severely wounded twice and sent to England where he met his future wife, Dorothy Rhodes, a nurse. Alex worked as a Game Warden in Gravenhurst. He had one child, Gabriel Pennell. Alexander’s brother was Herb Pennell, who also served in WW1. Alexander Pennell’s brother, Richard William Pennell married Carrie Sullivan (Melvin’s sister). He was a Fireman. Their children were Walter Pennell and Austin Pennell. Then Richard married Mary Ellen Farmer (Aunt Hazel’s sister). … Read more: Alexander Escar Pennell
Squatters in Bonfield in the register of “Free Grants” under “The Free Grants + Homestead Act” Dated November 22, 1882 Richard Pennell (SR) (lot-26)(Conc 8&9) took claim 200 acres with 16 cleared, length of occupation 2 years, value at $400 Richard Pennell (JR) (lot-25)(Con-9) took claim 100 acres with 8 acres cleared, length occupation 2 years, valued at $200 The Railroad came through Rutherglen in fall 1879, Bonfield – January 1, 1879. First train to arrive in North Bay August 1882… I believe it would be safe to say the Pennells worked their way to Rutherglen by rail and took… Read more: History of Rutherglen
Throughout my childhood, I had no idea I was related to the Hones, much the same as I was totally naive to the fact I was related to Alice McLaren and her family. Yet I knew I was related to Alice’s sisters out west because I didn’t clue in that they were all siblings. Stupid. Alice and Kenny McLaren were always at all the family functions and I always wondered why. HOWEVER, the Hones were never at family functions. I guess once relatives get too many times removed, they stop being invited or an imaginary line is drawn. I seem… Read more: James Hone
Liza was born September 8, 1872, in Horton Twp., Ontario, the first child of Richard and Rachel Pennell to be born in Canada. She married John “Jack” James, the brother of William C. James who married her sister Mary Ann. Liza lived in a small house right across the road from our farm in Rutherglen. Even though I never knew her, “Aunt Liza” was very much a part of my life and I explored her abandoned home many times. Liza died March 6, 1955 in a sanatorium in Gravenhurst, Ontario from tuberculosis. She is buried at St. Margaret’s Anglican Church… Read more: Eliza “Liza” Jane Pennell (James)
Mary was born January 19, 1868 in Greenwich, England. She immigrated with her family on the S. S. Niger from Liverpool to Quebec City when she was only 3. She married William C. James of Rutherglen, who was the brother of John “Jack” James who married her sister Eliza. Mary died October 3, 1955 in North Bay, Ontario. The family gossip is that Mary and William “adopted” a daughter Mary. Mrs. McNeilly felt that Mary was overworking the adopted daughter, so took her from Mary and William to the United States. I have no idea is this is true or… Read more: Mary Ann Pennell (James)
Frances was born May 15, 1865 in Land’s End, England, and would have celebrated her 6th birthday of the S. S. Niger when they immigrated from Liverpool, England to Quebec City. She married Reuben James Smith (not related to my Smiths), on October 22, 1882 in Renfew, Ontario. Reuben was the son of William and Catherine Smith. Reuben and Frances lived in Rutherglen for a short time in the house across the Trunk Road from the maple tree hill once owned by Richard and Rachel Pennell. Some may remember it as Carl and Millie Sullivan’s house. Frances and Reuben eventually… Read more: Frances Ann Pennell (Smith)
Born April 27, 1858, Lewisham Place, Kent, England, George immigrated with his family on the S. S. Niger on May 11, 1871. George married Charlotte Edmunds and lived in Rutherglen, Ontario. He died August 31, 1930 and is buried at St. Margaret’s Anglican Cemetery in Rutherglen. When Richard Pennell, James Hone and the Crew sisters made their way to Rutherglen, they brought their “children”, but Richard Jr. and George would have been in their 20’s, ready to have their own farms. George Pennell’s descendants are many and integral to the fabric of Rutherglen, Ontario. George was a short stout man… Read more: George Matthew Pennell, Sr.
Rachel wanted to return to England after the Pennells and the Hones brickmaking business in Carlton Place failed. But, undeterred, Richard tried again by applying for a land grant in Bonfield Township at Rutherglen where they obtained crown land in approximately 1879. Richard loaded his family (now 6 children) into a sleigh and made his way in the middle of winter to his 200 acres. The original log house stood on the property until 1990, when it was dismantled by Jourgen Mohr who was planning to rebuild it in another location as a heritage house. To the best of my… Read more: Richard Pennell & Rachel Crew
As I posted in a Crew History, Tales and Truths, Bethnal Green was not a great place to live and everyone had a brickyard. Competition likely made eking out a living extremely difficult. Mortality rates were high and life expectancy rates were low. Rachel had lost a baby in 1863 and Eliza lost her last two babies in 1868 and 1870. Life expectancy was low. Of 1,632 deaths in 1839, 1,258 (77 per cent) were of ‘mechanics, servants, and labourers’, who had an expectancy of 16 years, 273 of tradesmen, with an expectancy of 26, and 101 of gentry and… Read more: Pennells, Crews & Hones – Canada
This picture is one that I had developed from a box of negatives that I found in the old Pennell home in Rutherglen. This clothesline stand is a big memory for me and was still there beside the porch door when we moved from house in 1968. Although I can’t make out her face well, I’m assuming this is my grandmother, Alice Pennell. This stand was Buster’s (our family dog) summer home. Off to the left, you can see someone on a ladder, likely picking apples from the small crab apple tree that was beside the house. It was to… Read more: The Clothes Line Stand
February 17, 2012 – Email to Bell Canada from me. Hello, On February 10, 1921, my grandfather A. W. Smith bought 22 shares at $5.00 each in the Rutherglen Rural Telephone Company, Limited (Ontario). This rural telephone company would have been bought by Bell Telephone. What happened to these shares? Are they still valid? Thank you for looking into this for me. Wendy Smith February 20, 2012 Email from investor.relations@bell.ca Good afternoon! Thank you for your email. No, those old certificates are no longer valid. Bell bought hundreds of rural companies 40-50 years ago. In most cases, shareholders received their… Read more: Rutherglen Rural Telephone Company
“Rutherglen – in front of the farm house before it was sheeted in. Taken in 1915.” Dad, born in 1917, isn’t in the picture of course. Aunt Edna said that was a big deal as every time he saw the picture, he’d get angry because he thought he was in the house and no one called him out for the picture. This house would be our farm house. The thin sapling behind Aunt Edna’s shoulder became a huge lovely tree that shaded and cooled the back yard on hot summer days. L-R: Chester, Georgina, Grampa, Elmo, Vera, Gramma, Emmett and… Read more: Nide and his Children
From Wayne: “Billy Hill got some money from Grandpa. He was famous at the dances in Rutherglen because he would [become intoxicated] and step dance like crazy up on the stage. Last time I saw him was at the Orange Lodge and he fell off the stage. He sure could step dance. He lived between Jackson’s gas station and Westley Rose’s grandma’s in a tiny house.”
My Dad had a lot of memorabilia from my Grandfather and I also was able to save some from my Uncle Emmett’s home as he inherited it from his parents. These are receipts from 1942 when my Grandfather sold cattle.
When I found these, I wondered how Grampa Smith got the gas he would have needed to run his tractor. But I then remembered that he likely used his team of horses. In my memory, Dad had a team of horses – Duke & Bess – and only later had a tractor. However, in my wondering thoughts, I did found this on the internet: “If you were employed in a factory that supported the war effort, you were issued a “B” card, while doctors, nurses, farm and construction workers, and mail employees were issued a “C” card, each of which… Read more: Gas Coupons
We moved from the farm in 1968. Its hard to believe I was close to being 12 years old – I seemed so much younger. This is my “childhood” memory of the layout of the farm. Aunt Liza’s (Eliza Pennell) house is no longer there and our house burnt to the ground some years after we moved. The “Pioneer Baby Graves” (“Indian Baby Graves”) were not graves – that’s just what Dad said they were. They were just different shaped mounds. Wayne built a fabulous tree house in the Forest (bottom right). The “Lamb Pasture Hill” (bottom centre) was the… Read more: Our Farm
Introductory Memory from Wayne of the fields in front of the house: I can close my eyes and visualize just about any part of the farm. Its all still there. Getting a little foggy but still in pretty good shape. So let’s take a look at the front fields… On the left I see hay which also called timothy. It blows in the wind like waves on the ocean. In the middle on the field there was a rock with a sharp edge on the top of it. Dad had Fielding McLaren dig it out one year. There is a… Read more: Living in Rutherglen
Lloyd was born June 17, 1917 to Adoniram Smith and Alice Pennell in Rutherglen, Ontario. He married my mother, Joan Gallson, on June 25, 1943 and they had 4 children. Dad died March 30, 1988. My Dad learned how to farm from his Dad. He went to a one-room school house, very close to our farm until grade 8. When Mom and Dad were first married, they lived with Dad’s parents until Mom was pregnant with my oldest sister Donna. Then Mom pushed Dad to look for a home of their own. My Grandparents actually considered building another house on… Read more: Lloyd George Smith
Vera was born April 14, 1910 and died October 11, 1951. Vera married Cyril Hughes in August 1950 and October 11 the following year, died of complications surrounding childbirth. Mom told me that they received news that a baby boy was born, and both mother and child were well. The story then says that Vera was left alone and hemorrhaged. I was told that Vera was a very warm and caring person. When her brother, Elmo, was killed March 1950, Vera made many trips to his widow and children, bringing clothes and food.
Chester was born July 16, 1908 and died October 17, 2001. He married Hazel Farmer. They had no children, the reason being (I was told) Chester had mumps as an older youth/man and was infertile. Hazel always called Uncle Chester, “Ches”, and she’s the only person that I remember calling him that. Their farm was right next (behind) to our farm. His farm was the original farm owned by Willard Smith, Grampa’s step-brother. Uncle Chester and Aunt Hazel treated farming like a business, not a hobby. They invested in machinery that would give them better returns on their sweat and… Read more: Chester Warner Smith
Born January 3, 1907, Elmo was the 2nd child of Adoniram and Alice Smith. He married Marie Transborg and had 6 surviving children. In 1950, when the youngest, Danny, was only 2 years old, Elmo died in a farming accident. His wake was held at Andy Green’s house.
Daughter of Adoniram “Nide” Warner Smith and Alice Maria Pennell. Born May 17, 1905 in Rutherglen, Nipissing, Ontario, Canada. Died Feb 14, 1994 in North Bay,Nipissing Dist., ON, Can (88 years, 8 months). Married Clifford Charles Ollivier Jan 10,1928 in Rutherglen, Nipissing, Ontario, Canada. Edna was baptized into St. Margaret’s Anglican Church by the Rev. Gordon Postlethwaite.She was the only child of Nide and Alice Smith to complete high school and continue toreceive her Teaching Certificate. One of her first positions was likely in Earlton, ON. Shecould also play piano. When Vera Hughes (Smith) died after giving birth, Edna and… Read more: Edna Eliza Smith (Ollivier)
It seems strange to say that I don’t have a lot of information about my Grandmother Smith. There were certainly lots of people in my life who knew her well. Most of what I know came from my mother who did not get along with her and didn’t have many good memories of her. Alice was born April 5, 1876 in Horton Twp., Ontario. She married Adoniram Warner Smith April 13, 1904 in Rutherglen. She became a large woman as her children were born, but developed diabetes in her later years and lost her excess weight. I was born in… Read more: Alice Maria Pennell
Emmett was born January 27, 1915, Rutherglen, Ontario and died March 24, 1990. He was the 2nd youngest son of Adoniram and Alice Smith. In the summer, Uncle Emmett helped Dad in running the farm as much as he could. He’d often drive over his tractor to pull the plow or the seeder or the rake. While using the bailor, Dad and Uncle Emmett would take turns either driving the tractor or pulling the bails off the bailor and stacking them on the wagon.