George Spiers, Jr., c. 1903THE HUNTSVILLE FORESTER
July 9, 1931
Many friends were dumbfounded to learn of the sudden and wholly unexpected death of Geo. Spiers of Chaffey. Mr. Spiers, a very active man and apparently in good health, on Thursday evening, June 25th, went for the cows at about 4 P.M. taking the dog with him. At 5 P.M., Mr. Spiers was heard by his sons driving his cattle home. When the cattle came home and he did not return, Mrs. Spiers became alarmed and sent the boys to look for their father. They found him a quarter of a mile from the house with the dog standing guard over him, which bit the son when he reached to loosen his fathers shirt. Mr. Spiers still clutched the dog chain in his hand, but the dog was not attached to it. They summoned a doctor who announced death due to heart failure.
He was born at Ottawa on June 20, 1863, and came to Muskoka when he was seven years old, where he has lived ever since. In 1889 he married Miss Annie Peters of McKellar and the union was blessed with 11 children, nine of whom are living.
The funeral, which was at the home, was in charge of the Rev. Mr. Wellerman of Huntsville, and was very largely attended. Rev. Mr. Wellerman read the 23rd Psalm and had two of his favourite hymns, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and " Nearer My God to Thee". The pallbearers were all members of the Sons of England, of which order he was a member. They held a short service at the grave for their Brother.
Mr. Spiers leaves to mourn his loss his widow and 9 children: Cecil, of McKellar; Ida, of Toronto; Norman, Howard and Arnold of Detroit, Michigan; Mrs. Blake Hill, Hillside; Edgar, Gordon and Evelyn at home, also 2 brothers and seven sisters.
MEMORIES OF A THREE YEAR OLD BOY
by Leslie C. Spiers
Three days before the death of grandfather George Spiers, I was with my father by the bridge that went over the creek near the farmhouse. My father needed to do some work on the bridge railing and told me to go home. Instead of turning into the gate that led to the farmhouse, I went straight up the narrow road that came out near the Schoolhouse and joined with the gravel road that went to Huntsville. When I came to the gravel road, I turned to the right and headed for the small building that stood nearby. I pounded on the door, and when a lady let me in, I saw a frame with a quilt on it and several ladies busy sewing patches. I remember going to the door and seeing the quilting bee, the rest of the information was supplied by my mother.
Meanwhile, back at the farm, they finally missed me. Some of my family quickly started a search for me in the woods and my grandfather took his own car, a Whippet, and drove up the road looking for a sign of me. The fact that I was missing greatly disturbed my grandfather and may have contributed to his heart attack on June 25, 1931 - three days later.
There were, however, other factors that probably helped to induce the heart failure. The evening before he died, he and my father were playing catch and apparently grandfather was very active in running and catching the ball. On the day of his death he worked all day replacing shingles on the roof of the farmhouse. Around five o'clock, my grandfather got off the roof and , in the company of the dog "Ring", went for the cows which were pastured up the hill near the road on which I had become lost. My father thought it was strange for him to go for the cows since this was usually the responsilbity of my uncle Edgar. After some time had passed, and grandfather had not returned, my father went to look for him and found him lying on the ground with Ring standing protectively over him. The dog refused to let the body be touched, so father returned to the farm to get uncle Edgar. Grandfather was carried back to the house after uncle Edgar had managed to restrain the faithful dog.
I have some remembrance of the funeral at the Madill Church Cemetery, particularly of the digging of the grave and of being told to stop running over the other graves. Although I was very young at the time, I remember Ring, as well as two of grandfather's horses who were named King and Queen. It is really strange what a three year old remembers.
SUNNY VALLEY FARM - 1930'S
By Leslie C. Spiers
Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go! However, in the case of my parents, my brother Howard and myself, the journey was across the Detroit River on to Toronto and then north on Highway 11 to my grandparents house near Huntsville where all the wonders of life on a farm were waiting. Sunny Valley Farm had all kinds of terrific places for young boys to explore - the barn with its hay loft and stalls for cows and horses, the many acres of fields and woods and several hundred feet of shoreline on Lake Vernon. In addition to a large vegetable garden, the farm also had several varieties of wild berries. In fact, there was a large raspberry patch up the hill from the farmhouse which produced many a pail of fruit. Besides the domesticated animals on the farm there was also lots of wildlife. In particular there were deer, fox, raccoons, partridge, mink, rabbits, weasels and once a lynx that got in the henhouse.
After my Grandfather died in 1931, the farm slowly stopped functioning on a large scale. The horses, King and Queen, were sold and then, piece by piece, the farm equipment was removed. However, even up to the 1960's, there was always a couple of cows and lots of chickens; eggs, milk, cream and butter were always plentiful.
Living in the farmhouse itself was my Grandmother Annie, my Uncles Gordon and Edgar, and my Aunt Evelyn. Both Gordon and Evelyn married and left the farm in the early 1930's. My Uncle Gordon was cutting ice at the Lake of Bays when he met his wife, Elsie,who was working at the Bigwin Inn. While working at Camp Onaway on Lake Vernon, Aunt Evelyn met Art Johansen who also worked there taking care of the riding horses. My Aunt Ida then came home to keep her mother company.
My Grandmother was a wonderful woman who was respected and loved by everyone in the family, especially me. If she was ever depressed or not feeling well, she never let on but was always in good humour and cheerful. I think my Grandmother was the best cook I have ever seen; she could whip up a meal in nothing flat out of almost anything and have it taste like a million dollars. I remember that one of my favourite desserts was her wild raspberry steamed pudding. She also baked bread about once every two weeks and I have never tasted any bread that I liked better. As with most farms, the biggest meal of the day was at noon with a light supper at about 5 o'clock. Sometimes I think that the best cooking is done on the old cast iron wood-fired stoves. My Grandmother once said that the finest thing she ever got was a dumb-waiter my father built for her so that she wouldn't have to walk all the way around the house and down into the cellar to get milk and butter.
Entertainment at the farmhouse was provided by a RCA Victrola record player, some games, and an organ in the parlour. I remember my Aunt Evelyn playing "Little Brown Jug How I Love Thee" on that organ. There were no modern conveniences on the farm; no electricity, radio or telephone but we never missed them and there was a peacefulness that you cannot buy today.
