| Blencowe Families' Association Newsletter | Volume 9 Number 2 June 1994 |
Grandfather John Pheasant Blenko was born January 14, 1859 in Bethnal Green and in his early teens was apprenticed to a locksmith.
In 1881 he married Jane Strawson and they had two sons - Jack Strawson, b. 1882 d. 1942, Frederick Arthur, b. 1897 d. 1968.
John worked as a locksmith in later years traveling to England and Europe where he opened safes for estates etc. In 1905 he and his family emigrated to Canada where John and Jack applied for homesteads in north Saskatchewan. Homesteads were 160 acres each of raw land that had to be clear of bush and trees, then the sod had to be broken up to prepare the land for planting crops. Within the first three years they had to build a house, usually a log cabin with earth floor and sod roof. (I can remember Grandpa saying in the spring thaw the snow melted and dripped through the sod. They stacked their belongings up and opened their umbrellas in hope of keeping their clothing etc. dry.) They also had to build a barn, dig a well and buy a team (2) of horses, a cow and 2 pigs. The climate was extreme, 0 - 90 Fahrenheit in summer and winter with 4 to 6 ft. of snow and temperatures of at least minus 30 for weeks at a time. In the fall of 1905 the Canadian National Rail came through Maidstone, the nearest town which was 12 miles away with no roads. How did these people manage coming from civilized London to the wilds of Saskatchewan bush land?
In 1907 a school district was organized, a small one room school was built with classes held in the spring and fall for a few weeks when the pupils were not needed to help with farm work. There were no classes in the winter as it was too cold. Both Dad and Mom were among the first students to attend. It was hard work clearing the land preparing it for the crops. They grew large gardens, their only source of fresh vegetables, which they canned or put in storage in a root cellar for winter use. Gradually over the years they built up their animals to 30 work horses, 12 milk cows (they sent cream to the creamery in Maidstone where it was made into butter and cheese.) There were also around 40 range cattle and 100 - 150 pigs which were shipped to meat packing plants. In the 1930's we also raised 50 - 75 turkeys which were killed at home and I can remember working for days helping to pluck the feathers s o the bird would get a higher grade and bring a better price.
Grandmother died in 1922 and is buried in the cemetery in Maidstone. Over the years they added another 1-1/2 sections - 920 acres to the farm. In 1922 Dad married May Cross, b. 1900 d. 1984 whose parents had homesteaded on the land adjoining the family farm on the south. They built a new home hauling lumber with horses and sleigh from a sawmill over 60 miles away. Mom and Dad had three girls - June, Freda and myself. We all went to the little one room school where years before Mom and Dad had at tended.
During the early thirties life was very hard. For 5 or 6 years there was a severe drought. There were high winds blowing top soil around in clouds, stopping only when some obstacle such as a fence or tree was there to hold it. Some days the blowing soil blotted out the sun. There was no grain for sale. With such low prices for cattle and pigs that after paying freight charges to Winnipeg, the farmers often had to send extra money to cover the freight charges. We always had enough to eat but nothing extra for clothing or staples like sugar, tea etc. which we did not grow.
In 1937 we had a pvisit from Alf Browne, son of Frederick Brown and Mary Ann Blenko. Alf had received our address form Nora Blenko Millar, daughter of Thomas Richard Blenko. I had corresponded with Nora from the time I was very small but lost contact with her during the war when she moved to Essex to stay with her daughter. Alf Browne lived in Langley, in the Fraser Valley area of B.C. He had been in W.W.I and fought at Vimy Ridge. His mother lived with him until she died in 1927. In 1939 Alf and his sister Harriet Ship of Vancouver came again to visit.
Harriet had three children - Lillian Burns, b. 1900 is still living in a nursing home in Victoria, B.C. (1 son Conrad). Alf had no children and George had 2 children, both of the boys have passed away.
In 1942 Uncle John died at the height of the labour shortage due to the war. I left school and became the equivalent of the English land girl. Together Dad and I managed to keep the farm operating until the end of the war and the boys came home to work again as hired men.
In 1947 Dad sold the farm and moved to Maidstone where June and Freda finished high school.
In 1950 Mom, Dad and Grandfather moved to Jasper Park, Alberta, where Grandpa died in 1950 on his 90th birthday. He is also buried in Maidstone.
In 1952 Mom and Dad moved to Surrey, B.C. where Dad worked for the municipality until he retired in 1965. He passed away in 1968. Mom died in 1984.
My sisters and I live in different municipalities within 55 miles of Vancouver, B.C.
Estella Williams, Pitt Meadows, Canada
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