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- Clara Towley Lawrence was born at Uxbridge, Ontario & was 6 weeks old when her father took mother & I to the lumber camp at Green Bank, Reach Twp., where he had men working. Sometime later this bush property was destroyed by fire from sparks from a Hemlock stump on another man's property. We must have moved the to the East York, Toronto.
Clara T Kinney, summary
CTK of Brookdale is an active, interesting pioneer. 95 years of & nearly 90 of those years in Manitoba. She was born July 7, 1877 to Mr. & Mrs. D W Lawrence of Uxbridge, Ontario. When she was 6 weeks old her family went to live in a shanty at Greenbank. They were forced to move to Toronto where her father worked for Mr. Morton, of the Toronto street car service. He gave Mr. Lawrence $500 to go to Manitoba in 1882.
M. Lawrence crossed at the border at Emerson where he bought a oxen team, a red river cart, a tent, a walking plow. He power 9 acres, built a sod roof shanty & returned in the spring of '83 with his family & a brother. Clara was 6 years at this time.
They travelled by train to Owen Sound, crossed Lake Superior on the S S Magnet. Then took the train as far as the end of line at Brandon. Then travelled 28 miles with an ox team & borrowed wagon to cross the the river to Curries Landing, where the Souris & Assiniboine Rivers meet. They arrived on Aug. 12 1833 at the Sod Roof Shanty at Aweme.
The first 3 years were a rugged experience. oxen only livestock - no milk for 3 years. Family lived on a diet of bread, molasses & cracked wheat flour. They were plenty of rabbits on the prairie. Plenty of wild flirt during going season but no way of preserving it for winter. There were no calendars for keeping track of days.
The first Christmas treat was 2 apples among 3 children.
Mrs. Kinney recalls her mother telling the story of 2 Indians who arrived when she was baking bread. They proper their guns up against the shanty & made signs they wanted the bread. It was frightening as it was the time of the Riel Rebellion. They were really quite harmless & just hungry.
It was 4 years before a school was built. Clara warted school at 10 years old & sat on piles of lumber because the desks had not arrived.
Clara Lawrence marred another pioneer, William J Kinney at Chaterin 1898. They had a team of horses by then. The moved to Chater & had 5 children & girl who lived six weeks. In 1908 they moved to Brookdale where they remained until 1940 when the lefty the farm to take over the International Harvester agency at Brookdale which was a thriving kettle town where you could buy almost anything you need.
Mr. Kenney died in 1956 & Mrs. Kenny remains in the same house with her daughter. She is a member of the United Church. This year 1972 she celebrated her 9th birthday with a come & go tea. 25 guests. 12 grandchildren & 10 great grandchildren.
Ref: A newspaper article printed 1972, by Len Wehnham. - - -
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1877 - 1975 (98 years)