Tip and Marjory Pellow.

Written by: Christine Barker & Frank Pellow.

Date: 20 May, 2021 (revision 2).

Pellow Origins:

The Pellows originated in Cornwall and Devon in England. John Pellow and his family, including his son Christopher, settled near Goderich, Ontario, in the mid 1800s.

Christopher married Jane Drake in 1867. Jane Drake's parents emigrated from Devon England about 1840 and she was born in Quebec in 1850.

Jane and Christopher had three sons: Harry (John Henry), Edgar, and Edwin. Edgar Pellow was born in 1872.

The family moved to Nippissing Junction, near North Bay, Ontario and settled on land owned by Jane. Christopher and Jane died in the 1890s and are buried in a small cemetery on land that was part of their farm. Here is a photo of Jane's gravestone:

As author Vince Crichton quotes Edgar Pellow in his book, Pioneering in Northern Ontario:

"I opened for business with a stock of groceries, very little cash, less experience, and a lot to learn. By working hard and keeping expenses to a minimum, I pulled through; although, in the first year, I often wished that I had my money back and that someone else had the business."

The business was a success and he spread out from there, both in Chapleau and in other Northern Ontario communities, usually by being a partner in endeavours managed by others.

Little is known about Bertha Maude Turnbull before her marriage to Edgar Pellow. She was probably born about 1875 near Minden, Ontario and probably moved at some time to Nippissing Junction where she and Edgar met. There is a good chance that Maude's mother was either Cree or Ojibway.

Edgar and Maude were married in 1903 in Rochester, New York and after their marriage, she too, moved to Chapleau. They had seven children and, in order, these were:

Christopher James (in 1904)
Ernest Edwin
Gertrude Mary
Newton Wilbur
Mildred Ethel
Helen Jane
Elmer Edgar

Ernest, Gertrude, and Helen all died in infancy. Here are pictures of the young Pellow family. Elmer was not yet born.

Tip Pellow in Hearst:

Around 1912, Edgar and partners started a sawmill in Hazel, Ontario (later called Wyborn and now part of Hearst). In the early days of the mill, Edgar and his family divided their time between Chapleau, where he had several business interests, and Hearst, where he had a few more. We don't know how long the sawmill operated but it was still a going concern in 1929 and we know that it was sold (but no longer operating) in 1935.

Christopher Pellow was born in Chapleau. That's a long name for a youngster and Dad shortened it to 'Tipifer' which, in turn, evolved to his lifelong nickname, 'Tip'. He received most of his education in Chapleau but, starting about 1912, he also spent considerable time in Hearst. It is likely that Tip spent some time at the Union School on Prince Street — the very first school in town. Here is a brief recollection of those days in an extract from a 1944 letter that Tip wrote concerning 1914:

"31 years since World War I started unless I'm confused in my history. I was at the Y west of Hearst when the news came through, seems sorta long time ago eh?"

Appropriately, there is now a Pellow Road (probably the shortest street in Hearst) close to the spot that Tip refers to in that letter:

Exactly 100 years to the day when Tip heard of the declaration of World War 1, Frank was at the Algoma Central Railway (ACR) Y mentioned by Tip:

Frank is wearing Bruce's coat and he is holding a Swede saw and a grub hoe both owned by Tip and both still very much in use by Frank at Pellow's Island in Lake Pivabiska.

Hearst suffered two large fires during the summer of 1914 and the second one, just three weeks before the date mentioned by Tip, burned down the vast majority of the town. This fire was reported on the front page of the New York Times:

Here is a photo of the relief train:

Hazel, the site of the Pellow sawmill, escaped the fire, therefore Tip may or may not have been in that crowd on the evacuation train.

In 1919, Edgar and Harvey West entered into partnership in a grocery and dry goods store in Hearst. The business they formed was "West and Company". Edgar, and later Tip, were the silent "and Company" part of the business. At the same time, Tip was spending a great deal of time in Hearst. Here is an extract from another letter that Tip wrote in 1944 recalling 1919:

"And now a cement sidewalk on Front Street. Well that is nice – I helped build the first sidewalk along there in 1919."

Tip was active in sports and was a member of the Hearst volunteer fire department, where he was chief for a period of time.

Marjory Rosseter:

Marjory Isabel Blanche Rosseter was born in Cranbrook, British Columbia in 1908. She spent her high school years in Chapleau, Ontario, where her father worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway. After graduating from Grade 13 in 1926, Marjory trained as a nurse for three years at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, and then took a nursing administration course at the University of Toronto. She worked in Toronto for approximately ten years, both at the Hospital for Sick Children and as a private duty nurse.

Tip & Marjory:

Tip and Marjory met at high school in Chapleau. In the early 1930s, he asked her to marry him, but, because she wanted a career, she declined. Tip was patient and waited about 10 years until she finally consented. Marjory and Tip eloped and were married in a small ceremony in Cochrane on November 14, 1940, Mum having flown from Toronto to Kapuskasing shortly before that date.

They settled into an apartment above Pellow Hardware in Hearst but, right from the start of their marriage, Tip and Marjory's real home was Pellow's Camp on Lake Pivabiska, which they fondly called Isle of View (with the play on words "I Love You"). It was the a much cherished place, about which they frequently talked, wrote, planned, and dreamed. Most of our childhood family photos were taken at the island.

Frank came along in early 1942.

Upon learning of Frank's birth and becoming a grandfather for the first time, Grampa Edgar Pellow sent some good advice to Tip (Christie) and Marjory:

As Edgar, sadly, observed in the letter, Maude did not live to see the birth of her first grandchild. She died in mid 1941. Edgar lived a robust life for another 10 years and did get to enjoy time with many grandchildren.

World War II:

In late 1942, Tip joined the army and, subsequently, served in England, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany until late 1945. Bruce came along as a "furlough baby" in early 1944.

The area where Mum and Bruce are standing is a large fenced-in, flat, "play" verandah that Ed Larson, a skilled Hearst carpenter and cabinetmaker, built for the children in 1944, adjacent to the apartment and over the roof of the single-storey portion of the store.

From mid 1942 until early 1946, Mildred Pellow, Tip's sister, came to help in the hardware store in Dad's absence and to be a second mother to Frank and Bruce. Mildred was very active in the community. She helped with CGIT, spelled off Mrs. Fulton at the United Church organ, sang in the choir, took the occasional shift at the hospital (she was a registered nurse), and played the piano at weekly Lions Club meetings (for $2 a meeting). She also grew an extensive vegetable garden at Johnsons' farm outside of Hearst, played and danced at many of the dances held frequently during the war, and still seemed to find time to spend with the children.

We only got to the island a few times while Dad was overseas, but those times were treasured and the many letters Mum and Dad exchanged often contained memories of and plans for Pellow's Island.

When Dad returned in late 1945, Mum, Bruce, and Frank drove to Toronto to meet him. They gathered with families of other returning soldiers behind a rope barrier in a building at the CNE grounds. Bruce was then just under two and very active. While waiting for the troops to march into the hall, he ran under the rope several times, with Mum having to chase and retrieve him. Then the soldiers arrived, Mum spotted Dad and dashed under the rope again, leaving behind a surprised Frank holding Bruce's hand.

Post-war Family Life in Hearst:

With Dad home, real life could resume, and we recall very happy times for the next ten years. John arrived in 1947 and Christine was born in 1949.

In early December 1949, Olga Bies came to live with us. Olga was a teenager at the time, the eldest of seven children whose family lived in the farming community of Bradlo near Hearst. Living with us had mutual benefits – for Mum, because Olga helped take care of the boys, especially after Christine was born that December and Mum was busy with a newborn; – for Olga, because she didn't have to walk the two miles from her home every day to catch a bus to Hearst to attend high school, always arriving late for her first class. A lifelong friendship developed between Olga and Mum and between Olga, many of her siblings, and the Pellow children. Here is a photo of some of us dancing at Olga's wedding:

Hearst was a great place to be children and Lake Pivabiska made it even more so. Most years we stayed at the island cabin from mid-May to mid-October.

The rest of the time we lived in the apartment over Pellow Hardware.

While living on the island when school was in session, Dad took first Frank, then Bruce and Frank, to school each day by boat and then car. It was to our benefit that, with the store closed on Wednesday afternoons and Dad treasuring time at the camp, we got out of school Wednesday afternoons. The boys may have been enthusiastic students but they were even more enthusiastic campers!

Another memory of the lake in those days is the active logging. Thank goodness, that was before the days of clear-cutting. There were lots of log booms on the lake and it was great sport to tie our rowboat up to one of the scows or tugs, dive off the roof and see how far we could swim under the booms. That activity would, no doubt, be frowned upon today.

Dad and Mum encouraged their children to learn all possible practical skills. There was no such thing as female skills and male skills. For instance, Frank learned how to knit, and Christine is a skilled woodworker. We had to earn many of our toys. Even though we owned the hardware store that sold the red bike Frank craved, he had to earn half the price, and did not manage to save the $25 needed until his ninth birthday. He still has that bike. In the meantime, he had part-time use of the "big" store delivery bike and learned to ride it with his left leg under the crossbar. Once Frank had his own bike, each spring Dad made him take it apart, clean, then re-assemble it. Not much fun, but good training.

At Pellow's Camp, we utilized our newfound skills, building rafts, ramps, play forts, etcetera. We all grew up with a love of the outdoors and the north country instilled in us by Mum and Dad, a legacy we have passed along to many of our children.

Move to Beeton, Ontario:

In 1954, we moved to Beeton, Ontario and we purchased a house on Centre Street, very close to our Rosseter grandparents.

Dad started extracting himself from the store in Hearst and investigating opportunties in Southern Ontario. In early 1956, he completed the sale of the store to Ben Gagnon, who had worked at the store for about 10 years, and arranged a job for himself as the manager of a building supply enterprise in Paris, Ontario. Then, just after Dad made these arrangements, our idyllic family life ended abruptly when Dad died of a massive heart attack.

What with the three years away during the war, Mum and Dad had only twelve years of marriage together. Everyone who knew them can attest that they loved each other intensely, gave generously of their time, were devoted parents and set good examples. They deserved more time together.

London, Ontario:

Having Grandmother and Grand­father Rosseter living just down the street helped us all a little to cope with Dad's loss. We continued to live in Beeton until 1959, when we moved to London, where Mum had our new home built, one that she helped to design, on property close to her good friend Freda Woolsey, whom she had known since they were teenagers in Chapleau.

Shortly before moving to London, we acquired a puppy from Freda and her husband Gordon, who raised black Labradors. Jet grew into a beautiful, loving and loyal dog, who got along well with a succession of stray cats that found their way to us!

Our home on Clearview Avenue in London was a warm and welcoming place, the favoured gathering spot for our friends, many of whom grew to know Mum well and to share in her guidance and kindness. Our home was also open to cousins and family friends who lived with us for periods of time while going to various schools in London.

We children thrived in London, graduated from various high schools and universities, met future spouses, married, had our own children, had fulfilling careers, travelled and lived in many places and countries, and always had Mum's interest, support, guidance and love. Frank became a computer software developer, Bruce a commercial artist, John a dentist, and Christine a dietitian.

Marjory — Mum and Grandmum:

Mum was very proud of all her children and their accomplishments. She was an integral part of all our lives, no matter how far we lived from London. One or more of us was often away from Canada for extended periods and Mum was an avid correspondent and a welcome visitor to our homes in England and Australia.

Of course, Mum was, even more, a vital part of our lives in Canada and she was an involved and devoted grandmother:

Marjory Resumes Nursing:

Mum resumed her nursing career with children in 1960, as the nurse at Camp Waseosa, a summer camp, near Huntsville, Ontario.

Then, when Christine was sixteen, Mum deemed that was old enough to manage dinner preparation for herself and her brothers, plus other household chores, and she started work as the afternoon charge nurse at Mason Villa, a chronic care hospital not far from our home in London. She continued nursing there until she was seventy-eight, often joking that she was older than many of her patients. Mum was greatly admired by her colleagues, becoming a mentor to many of them.

Pellow's Island:

Despite living in southern Ontario, at least a full day's drive from Hearst, we continued to visit Pellow's Island each summer, often with cousins and friends.

Then, in 1961, the cabin burned to the ground. This reduced both the number and length of our visits. Most summers, however, a group of Pellows and friends continued to vist and camp out on the island.

In 1975 Frank, Bruce, and friends built a smaller cabin utilizing a portion of the original foundation.

Since then, Frank, Bruce, John, some of their children plus friends, have built three additional buildings. This is very much in the spirit of the way that the original cabin was raised.

By the time there was a new cabin on the island, Frank had a family of his own, and he and his family spent as much time there as they could manage, often accompanied by Mum. She also spent time there with other friends, managing a visit every year for the rest of her life.

Among Frank's most treasured memories is a long rowboat trip up through the Pivabiska Narrows he took with Mum on the occasion of her last birthday in July of 1990. Mum always enjoyed rowing, as well as the small outboard motor that Dad gave her for her birthday in 1946.

Remembrances:

Mum passed away in January, 1991 but her legacy of love, support, generosity and belief in the fundamental value of family and friends lived on in her children. We maintained close ties with each other in the ensuing years, often spending seasonal holidays and vacation time together, as well as countless social occasions and travels – and always remembering Mum and her strong, lasting impact on our lives.

Mum was also remembered and missed by many whose lives she had enriched as a second mother, a friend, colleague, advisor and mentor. After Mum's death, Olga Bies wrote about some of her memories of Mum and Dad from her time living with us in Hearst:

"Your parents were wonderful to me. I remember seeing your parents hold hands, this was such a new expression of affection for me. I knew that was something I would want in my life, and that, too, happened when I met Hugh.

I remember my Grade XII graduation. The girls were to wear long white dresses. I didn't have a penny to even think of one. One day, your Mum asked me what I was wearing. I had a long blue dress your Mum had given me to wear to a New Year's Eve party. I told your Mum I'd be wearing that. The next day, your Mum handed me a package and she told me to have my mother make a dress. In the package was a Swiss dot organdy, a pattern and material for the lining. I have never forgotten that. It was a gesture, one of many, your Mum was known for throughout her life. I have so many special memories."

Bruce died in 2007, John in 2014. Here is the last photo that was taken of the four of us together. The occasion was Bruce's daughter Melissa's wedding, August 5, 2006:

Frank and Christine remain close and, although living in Toronto and London respectively, they see each other as often as possible. Some of their favourite times together are those spent at either Pellow's Camp or at Christine's cottage in Muskoka. These two photos were taken thirteen years apart in front of the cabin on Pellow's Island:

Marjory and Tip are remembered with deep love and admiration by Frank and Christine, as they also were by Bruce and John. They were wonderful role models who shaped our futures with their strong ethics and their devotion to each other and to their family.

Partial Pellow Family Tree