52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 4 Prompt - Close To Home

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 4

Prompt – Close to Home

My oh my; I misspoke myself!

Last week's blog had some errors and I will try to correct them in this week's blog. My sister, Betty helped me figure out those things that weren't quite correct. Sometimes when I try to piece together the scant information I have; I don't get it right. Along with the corrections, Betty was able to go on and tell more stories which brought many more memories. 

In last week's blog I said;

“Initially Vivian and her daughters lived in a room at the back of a coal shed across from her mother's home in the 500 block of Avenue K in Saskatoon.”

It was not an actual coal shed. It was however in the coal yard's office which had two rooms at the back of this office. This was the place they lived. 

This is a google map reconstruction of the area in Saskatoon. Placements are approximate and those businesses did not exist in the 1940's, but you get the gist. Betty remembers running across the field of community planted gardens to get to Grandma's house. Vivian did work odd jobs at this time. However, Betty feels that they would have been financially stable because part of dad's war pay would be sent directly home to mom.

The next statement I made that was incorrect was the following:

“Eventually Vivian and her two daughters moved back into her mother's home until Jake came back from the War.”

Betty says they never ever lived with Grandma McLaughlin and her husband Benjamin. Grandma's home was tiny. I figure it was 600 square feet more or less. At this time there was Grandma, Grandpa McLaughlin, and her son Wallace. Grandma also had a border named Fred. He was the next door neighbor's son. That family went through some domestic problems and eventually went their separate ways leaving grandma to take on 12 year old Fred as a border. So two adolescent boys and two adults already made for tight quarters. 

Circa 1930's - Mary and Benjamin McLaughlin On The Porch of Their Home

Also Benjamin and Vivian did not get along and that might just be an understatement. Benjamin did not want “those brats” in his house. Besides this all out battle, Benjamin's health was deteriorating. Benjamin was about 32 years older than Mary. In his last few years he developed dementia and proved to be quite a handful for Mary to take care of. Benjamin died Feb 1, 1945.

The following statement that I made turned out to be not quite right.

“By late 1959, Jake and Vivian bought their first house on Witney Avenue. It was a dream come true for them and there family.”

Betty feels that Jake and Vivian's first owned home was the home they had after Jake returned from war. It was 1100 Ave K. South and was a wartime house. Betty remembers it had 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom. This house was within walking distance of Vivian's mother's home. 

Row of Wartime Houses in Saskatoon.

Wartime homes. They are quite distinctive and easily picked out of a lineup of homes. Typically they are small wooden homes that have no eaves and no basements. Between 1941 – 1947 a crown corporation was started to deal with Canada's housing crisis. It was called Wartime Housing Limited. The crisis came about because of the war. Canada was part of the war effort by manufacturing war armaments. Factories popped up to produce them. Many factory workers did not have adequate housing. The government came up with a plan to mass produce these modest prefabricated homes so that they could be quickly built usually within 3 days. There was about 5 to 6 basic house plans. They were rented out for 22 – 32 dollars a month.

It soon became obvious that the returning veterans were going to be in need of homes. Since this government corporation was already making, building and collecting the rent of the wartime houses it became an obvious choice to continue by placing them in the cities of returning veterans. They were built on properties that had water, sewage and power systems in place. Also they had to be built on land owned by the city. Thus the homes were spread throughout the city. These homes were meant to be temporary homes however they are still standing to this day.

They could also be bought out after several years at a significant price break.

Jake and Vivian had Robert while living in this first home. Soon Vivian became pregnant again and they moved to a bigger two story wartime house just a few blocks north of their first one. Betty remembers the house was 905 Avenue K South. It had 3 bedrooms. They had a coal and wood stove with a coal shed out back.

Betty has memories of this home as being only 4 or so blocks from Grandma McLaughlin home. Also Betty's school – King George – was halfway between the family home and grandma's home. 

Saskatoon King George Public School

So Jake and Vivian may have bought these wartime homes for their ever growing family. They were definitely a good deal to purchase for the war veterans.
It was interesting to me when I was placing these homes on the map to have a better visualization,  how close they were to Grandma McLaughlin's home. If I had to guess I would say that this was done on purpose.  Grandma was a big part of her daughter and grandchildren lives.

Circa 1953 - Diane, Dennis, Grandma M., Robert and Betty

I use to think that photographs were the best memory joggers for those family members that I interviewed. But I have discovered a new way to get information from family members.  That is write something that is not quite true and the corrections along with new stories and memories will flow.

Wendy