History of our Farm by Catherine MacCrimmon
The following article and essay were published in the local paper in 1950.
A brief history of a five-generation farm in Kenyon Township proved an interesting subject for an essay by Catherine MacCrimmon, 11, a Grade 7 pupil of Cotton Beaver School. Catherine is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James MacCrimmon now occupying the home farm.
Some of the better essays were read at last week’s meeting of Mc Crimmon W. M. S. and this one was thought worthy of publication.
My great, great grandfather, Malcolm MacCrimmon, bought the two hundred acres from Queen Victoria in the 27th year of her reign.
He started over from Scotland on October 2nd, 1824. He landed at Lancaster on the 4th day of December 1824. He travelled by land to Dalhousie. There he and family stayed all winter with his sister, Annie, and her family. They had come over in 1820.
In the spring he travelled up to his own farm in Lot 8, Concession 9, in the Township of Kenyon. He built a shelter under the trees, which they used until enough logs were cut for the house.
He built the house and planted crops. He cleared land and cut logs for the barn while the crops were growing.
In the year 1879, my great, great, grandfather died at the age of 79. He left the farm to my great grandfather, Farquhar MacCrimmon.
In these days, tools were scarce, and if you broke one, you would have to wait a long time for repairs. The corn, hay and grain were with cut with a sickle and a scythe. Some of the grain was very thin. It was cut and placed in bundles. Then some of the straws were tied around the rest.
The pioneer people had many hardships. Often, my grandfather had to put a bar on the wagon so the hay wouldn’t fall off.
All of the farms had sugar bushes and most of the people had tapped theirs. The lumps of maple sugar were used as sugar for the family.
My great grandfather gave the farm over to my grandfather in the year 1894. My grandfather’s name was Malcolm Farquhar MacCrimmon. We received our first tax bill in 1906. It was for $19.59. The High School tax was 59 cents.
We have the small spinning wheel that my great, great, grandfather used. It is the small kind that people put electric light bulbs on now and light it up.
Many parties were held at different houses, such as quilting bees, husking bees, and building bees. Many quilting bees were held in our hen house. When the ladies got tired quilting they put the quilts away and started to dance. Then no one was tired until the next morning anyway.
In 1950 we got the Hydro in the house, barn, and outer buildings. My father, mother, sisters, brothers and I now live on this farm. We are the fifth generation of MacCrimmons on this farm.
CATHERINE MacCRIMMON
Grade Seven
Cotton Beaver School
