🌲Trip to Chesterville Part 1

It is an annual trip, prior to COVID, visiting the cemetery to see how JB's family stones are settling. First, through Smiths Falls, then Merrickville. It's a nice time of year for it. The leaves are wonderful to see. Then there is the decor! People in Smiths Falls really have stuff up.

I have never noticed this before. The solar panels dominate the wee house!

There is a huge vehicle auction house, several farm equipment stores, and large farms.

We made it to Chesterville!

This was an amazing sight. You'll have to enlarge it to see, but there are hundreds of geese in the sky, from one side of the photo to the other! This is through the front windshield.

Here he is, his uncle behind him, and his parents behind that stone. 

Two brothers and a sister (Chambers) married two sisters and a brother (Kelly).  They all had farms around his grandparents' farm.

We wandered around, JB reminded me of all his family, friends and neighbours buried here. 

The second photo is from a previous visit. I notices come cedars had been taken down.

We start with his grandparents. He and his mom lived with them on the farm after his father died, from when he was two.

This was the local doctor in Chesterville – after Dr. Justice (father & son) retired.

Jean (below) is JB's father's sister. Jean and Hubert were his aunt and uncle. They had a corner store in town.

Allan Clement was the guy who followed the famous bank robbers out of town (see below)! The bank robbers had guns, Allan did not. Allan had a feed store where JB's grandfather's brother worked. 

It was at his feed store that the horse took off on JB when he was a boy. His grandfather went in to talk to his brother, and the horse decided to leave. JB, as a kid, couldn't stop the horse. JB doesn't remember how he was rescued, but he didn't end up at home. He wasn't scared, just embarrassed, unable to stop the horse. It was rare to see a horse and cart in town in the 50s, so he would have been noticed.

Cedars blanket the stones.

I just liked this stone!

The Van Wylicks bought the farm across the road from JB's grandfather, then, later, they bought his grandfather's farm and the family moved into town. Dutch immigrants, all the family was born in Holland.

I thought this one lovely, too.

The Desormeaux spoke French at home, and lived next door to JB's family on Church St. Richard was in JB's class in grades 5 - 8. They flooded their yard and played hockey every night. 

JB was 'Brian' then, and couldn't remember whether he had skates or not. The priest insisted he have a saint's name for a first name (Joseph) while most people called him Brian, his second name. He has since gone to being known as 'Joe' these days. This is why I call him JB. Some of us call him Brian, some Joe!

I was quite happy to get back into the car, it was chilly at 13 C.!

The Chesterville Bank Robbery as told to us on Oct. 6th, 2009

JB and I took our late Aunt Betty [The end of an era] to Chesterville, where he regaled us with the story of the  Chesterville Bank Robbery. It must have been 1963 or so. Aunt Betty was in the car with us. Brian was a witness, he lived on the farm in the area at the time with his mom and grandparents. This is a trip down memory lane as we revisited his home town and toured the main streets.