good

This photo is courtesy of Francine (Elder) Ormiston and Renae Grubb. Helen was my Grandmother Charlton.

In here email, Renae said, “I know I had seen this photo before however I had forgotten to write down who had the original, plus I think Lois had a copy in her collection. This photo was taken after Ira was born 24 Sept. 1893. So maybe in 1894 making Ethel 11 years old, Elbridge 7 years old, Helen 4 years old, Gertrude 2 years old & Ira 1 year old.”

My memory of the Good family is a bit limited as I do not remember Uncle Elbridge at all and very little of Aunt Ethel Deakin.

Aunt Gertrude Raney visited us in Saskatchewan a few times but I really got to know her when I stayed with her a few days while I was in Ontario. She was a lot like my mother Gretta and by that I mean she liked to talk. When the Good women got together I do not know how they knew what was being said as they all seemed to talk at once.

My mother Gretta was a remarkable woman having raised three kids during the dirty thirties. Somehow she could make a great meal out ingredients like dried salted haddock fish that was shipped in from the Maritimes. Most people did not know how to prepare it but of course mother was a Bluenose. She was always busy in her vegetable garden but especially her flower garden.

Uncle Ira Good was an easy going, soft spoken man who loved his farm. His wife Mabel was a wonderful cook who was really offended if you did not take seconds, consequently you learned to not take to much the first time. Uncle Ira was our family barber and was for several families in the district. I visited there whenever possible as they had two sons Ed and George.

Uncle Cliff Good was a slower, more deliberate man. He and his wife Mildred lived at Creelman so we did not see as much of them. I will never forget their weddingfor the following reasons. Firstly my uncle Milburn Elder had a 1929 Pontiac car that he took my Elder grandparents. My parents Howard and Gretta,my Aunt Jane Elder and myself—wasn’t crowded was it? Just south of Regina we hit a slippery spot and we ended upside down in the ditch. After getting the car upright we continued to the wedding—-some all bruised up, some with cuts and me with a bump in the middle of my forehead. The wedding went fine but when they left for their honeymoon Uncle Cliff took a suitcase out to the car and set it on the sidewalk while he went bak to the house to get the second one. It being Oct.31 there were lots of trick or treaters out so when he returned to the car the first suitcase was gone.

later…

I forgot to mention Grandpa James and Grandma Agnes Good. I spent one winter with them while attending high school in Fillmore. I remember grandpa spending a lot of time in his big rocking chair smoking his pipe and either listening to the radio or reading the paper. It always amused me that he would buy a half pound box of tobacco and write the date on it and even if he ran out he never bought another box until the month was up. They were very easy going people so I enjoyed staying with them as I came and went as I pleased.

Ernest Elder
August 29 & 30, 2008

See also Part 1 of this remembrance

Thanks to Allan Argue of Woodville, Ontario for providing this scan of Gertrude Raney’s obituary from the Cannington Gleaner dated Wednesday, January 15th, 1969. Gertrude was my Helen Lottie Good‘s sister.

Dear Renae:

When you ask me if I remember things about the Good family you must remember that I am old enough to be losing my memory, but I do remember most of them quite well.

When I attended high school in Fillmore I lived with Grandpa and Grandma the first year and was a real experience. You have to remember that this was right after the great depression so they were living on a meager pension. Grandpa smoked a pipe so he limited himself to a half pound of the worst smelling tobacco each month. Each morning the routine was that Grandpa would take the ashes out to the back yard and then when he came back Grandma would be ready to hand him the commode pail {there was no sewer or water} and he take it out to the outhouse. Well one morning while he was out with the ashes the telephone repairman came to the door and Grandma, not seeing to well, handed the pail to him. They were a great couple and I regretted not being able to stay with them in my last year but Grandpa took sick and passed away and Grandma moved to farm to live with Uncle Ira and Aunt Mable.

Uncle Ira was a very quiet man but Aunt Mable made up for him. We usual spent Chriistmas with them also Uncle Cliff and Aunt Mildred. Now when those two women got together with my mother Gretta nobody else had much chance. Uncle Ira was my barber for all my boyhood years and he was very good at it. I visited them on other occasions as they had two boys, Ed and George, who were a bit older. Ed is now deceased and George lives in Ontario.

Uncle Cliff was an easy going guy that took a lot to excite. His marriage to Aunt Mildred was a memorable occasion in more ways than one. To start off the car I was in going to Regina [where they were married] rolled south of the city. Nobody was seriously hurt but with a bunch of bumps and bruises we were not really an asset to the wedding. To top the day off when they were leaving on their honeymoon that evening they took their suitcase out and set it beside the car and went in to get another bag. Being that it was Halloween night somebody ran off with the suitcase.

I only met aunt Ethel once so I don’t really remember much about her. She was very kind to our family during the great depression as she always sent us a big Christmas parcel including nuts, candy and dulce. In case you don’t know what dulce is it is a sea weed, purple in color and rich in iodine. Mother of course had been brought up on it so we soon learned to eat it too.

Aunt Gertrude Rainey reminded me of my mother Gretta. I vaguely remember her visiting us in Sask. I was in Ontario one year to pick up a new truck at Oshawa so I stayed with Aunt Gert in Cannington for a few days.

All I remember about Elbridge is that he was killed by bull in Manitoba, and nothing about Helen.

- Uncle Ernest

See also Part 2 of this remembrance

Hi! this is Renae’s mother, Donnett Elder.
So nice to meet you and to hear from you on all this history.

I do remember my mother in law, Gretta Ruth (Good) Elder talking about her younger sister, Helen. She always spoke so fondly of her, her marriage and with sadness of her early death in England. I could tell she felt a very deep loss there. My brother in law, Ernest Elder will be able to tell you many more stories about these times with his Mother and Father. So I will have Renae forward some of this to him and he can relate some stories for you.

The Good family came to Saskatchewan in April, 1905 and Saskatchewan became a Province that year, September 1, 1905. Their arrival at that time made them pioneers and when Saskatchewan celebrated its 75th birthday, 1980, Gretta, her two brothers, Clifford and Ira all received plaques honoring them as pioneers in Saskatchewan. I thought that was the coolest thing that my mother in law was a pioneer. They were all still living then, of course, but Gretta died in 1981. Howard Elder died in May, 1976.

My Mother in law, Gretta Elder, was a great cook with many of her recipes coming from New Brunswick such as the one dish I particularly liked, fish chowder. Ymmm ! Another was brunt sugar chiffon cake but not sure if this was an eastern recipe. She made it with perfection. Her hospitality was always great with wonderful food, all of it home made. She canned everything and all was good.

There were four Good daughters, Ethel married a Deakin and lived down east in New Brunswick, Gertrude married a Rainey and lived in Ontario, Gretta married Howard Elder and lived in Saskatchewan, and Helen married to a Charlton.

Nice visiting with you,
- Donnett

Thanks Renae for sending me these.

On the left Leonard Good’s Family Bible and on the right James E. Good’s Family Bible. These bibles were passed onto Ira Good, then to Barry Good of Fillmore who has passed these bibles onto me, Renae (Elder) Grubb.

Here’s 2 pages from Leonard Good’s Bible. As you can see the bible is in rough shape.

Here are 2 pages from James E. Good’s bible. This bible is in a bit better shape.

Photo and text submitted by Renae (Elder) Grubb

In July 2005 Sandra Hall and I organized a “Good” family reunion in Fillmore. Here’s the photo of those who were able to attend. Click on photo to view it larger.

Back row: Renae (Elder) Grubb, Steve Scott, Bruce, James and Heather Horsman, Landon and Jeff Grubb, Jalisha and Janell Elder, Wanda and Darren Urban, Rylan Grubb

Sitting on chairs: Brian Scott, Carol (Good) Urban, Francine (Elder) Ormiston, Lorraine & Ernest Elder, Donnett (Morrow) Elder

Sitting on the ground: Grant Urban and son Zachary, Stuart & Wade Hall, Sandra Urban-Hall, April Hall, Jaedon Elder holding “Tootsie Roll” the dog, daughter of Janell Elder, Sydney Hall, Sandra’s other child.