“The day after Mother Coalter’s funeral, Ned sent his family back to Toronto. He stayed on to finalize things and try to sell the farm. Ma and Pa came and packed me and the children up, along with a few of our possessions, and took us back to their farm. They were horrified to think that Ned had taken total control of the farm with absolutely no consideration for me or the children. They knew that Royce and his folks would have been angry with him, but there was nothing to be done about it. There was no Will to designate ownership, and Ned was considered the only living heir.
Within a week’s time Ned had a buyer. I was surprised to find out that it was Jed’s father, Mr. Harmon. His farm was next to the Coalter’s and he said that he wanted to expand. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Ned was so anxious to sell the farm and hightail it back to Toronto that he sold it dirt cheap, lock, stock, and barrel. Way below market value for those times. The paperwork only took a few days to finalize, and Ned left. I never heard tell of him again.
Mr. Harmon came to Ma and Pa’s farm to fill me in on the details. As it turned out, the children and I were able to return to the house to live. The Harmons only wanted to make use of the land for the time being. They had no need for the house right away. Mr. Harmon was so upset with the way Ned had treated me and the children. He knew that I’d been given a really raw deal, so he took advantage of Ned’s eagerness to sell and haggled him down to rock bottom. He got the farm for less than half of what it was worth.
Mr. Harmon gave me the sum of two-hundred dollars to compensate me for my loss. He felt that the farm should have rightfully been mine. I couldn’t believe his generosity, but he said that we were still family. He had been looking out for my best interests when he offered Ned the deflated price. He knew that if he was able to get the farm real cheap that he would be able to give me what I was owed.
I knew that the Harmons had always loved Royce. They had been good friends and dear neighbours to the Coalters. It had been hard for them to see all the turmoil that we had endured the last sixteen months. They still held me in high regard. I had been Jed’s wife and was the mother of their grandchildren. They only wanted the best for all of us. They had always been ready to lend a hand, and they were continuing to do so. I was so grateful for all they had done to help. I had no idea how I’d ever begin to repay them for their kindness and generosity.
Pa took me and the children back to the Coalter farm the next day, and we settled back in. We still had a cow and our chickens to care for. Mr. Harmon felt we should keep them as they had been ours. The children were happy to be back at the house. It was home to them. They needed that familiarity with everything that had happened. It was nice to know that we had a place to live, but it no longer felt like home for me.
I needed to make plans for our future. Somehow, I had to find a way to raise my children. We wouldn’t be able to stay at the farm forever now that it didn’t belong to us, but we did have some time to figure it out, and I had enough money to get by on for a while. I just needed to keep my wits about me and my nose to the grindstone. I felt in my heart that I’d figure it all out. Somehow me and the children would make do. Somehow I’d find a way. I had to!
We weren’t the only family having difficulties back then. Lots of disasters occurred during those early times. Not many families were untouched by some sort of loss. Lots of youngsters died of disease. People died of infections or complications of broken bones or falls. Lots of women and babies died during childbirth. It was just a fact of life. God’s will, as some folk thought.
In the spring of 1926, a year after Mother Coalter’s passing, Martha Ashton died in childbirth. She was Logan Ashton’s wife. Martha had lost a baby in childbirth the previous year, and this time she and the baby both perished. What a terrible shame. They had three other little children that were now motherless. She had only been twenty-eight years old, a year my junior.
I knew Martha from shopping at their store. They owned Ashton’s General Store. It was set up in the small village that was half way between us and the bigger town to the west. They were such a nice couple, and they had been really good to me over the years. I would barter with eggs or vegetables for other supplies I had needed. They always gave me a fair price.
I went to Martha’s wake and funeral to pay my respects. It was my turn to give back to the community. So many wonderful people had been there for me during my time of need when I had been experiencing my deepest sorrows. After the funeral, they had a little luncheon in the church hall. That is where I was introduced to Martha’s sister. She was staying on for a while until Logan could find a suitable housekeeper and nanny for his children. There was no way he could run the store and look after three little ones, too.
I never thought very much about the conversation at that time. I was only thinking how bad I felt for those poor wee children with no Ma, and how cruel life was. My children had no Pa. Somehow that seemed like a lesser evil. Mothers are the nurturers, and small children need that care.
Three weeks later, I made a trip to Ashton’s General Store to sell some eggs and pick up a few supplies. There was no one else in the store at the time, and after I had made my purchases, Logan took me aside and asked if he could talk to me.
“Anna,” he said, “I want to talk to you about something. I’m not sure how to go about this, so I’ll just get right to it. Martha’s sister has stayed on to help out with the children since Martha’s passing. She has been such a blessing. I have no idea what I would have done without her, but she needs to be getting back home now. That leaves me without anyone to care for the children and look after our home. I’m in the need for a nanny and housekeeper. I’ve put the word out, but no one of any merit has shown any interest. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I do know about your circumstances. I heard about what happened after Mrs. Coalter’s passing, and was saddened to hear about your situation. Anna, I know that you are someone that I can trust. You’re a good mother and a hardworking woman. Your children are all well behaved and polite. They would get on well with my three. I was hoping that you might put some thought into the position. You and your children would have to move into my home, but I have plenty of room to accommodate you all. Please give it some thought. Perhaps we can come up with some sort of an arrangement.”
“Oh, my. You’ve kind of caught me off guard,” I said. “I do sympathize with your situation, but I don’t know what to say. There’s a lot to take into consideration. I’d certainly have to put a lot of thought into it before I could give you any sort of answer. I have my own children’s welfare to think about. I’m not sure how they would take it. They’ve all been through so much, especially the twins.”
“I know, Anna. You’ve certainly had your share of heartache, too,” he replied. “All I’m asking is if you would put some thought into it. Martha’s sister was hoping to leave by the end of next week.”
His proposition caught me off guard. I didn’t know what to think. I knew that eventually the children and I would have to leave the farm. The Harmons would probably give the house to one of their girls to live in when they got married. We had been getting by okay for the last year, and the idea of leaving Royce’s family home was such a big move. I certainly needed time to think. I couldn’t just give an answer to such a life-changing position on the spot. “I’ll do some thinking on it,” I told Logan, but I wasn’t convinced that the idea of becoming his nanny and housekeeper appealed to me.
I really needed to discuss the idea with Murray and Mary Beth. They were ten and it would be a big change to them. They had always lived in the country on a farm. To move to the village would be quite an adjustment for all of us. Logan said he understood my thinking and knew that he had just sprung the idea on me. He hoped that I would give it some consideration and get back to him. Then we could work out the details.
Well, for the next few days all I did was think about Logan’s proposal. I kept mulling it around in my head. Part of me felt that it was a good opportunity for the children and me. It certainly would be an easier lifestyle and provide a long-term solution for our situation.
Logan Ashton was a good man, and I knew that he would not expect more from me and the children than he had offered: room and board to all five of us in return for caring for his three children and house. I knew it would be a stable home with good food for the children to eat. I could put my savings aside for the time being.
I went to talk to Ma and Pa about the idea. They had known that Logan Ashton was looking for a housekeeper. They actually thought that it wasn’t such a bad idea for me to consider. They told me I should give the proposal a great deal of thought. They knew that our time living at the Coalter farm would someday come to an end. They were worried about my welfare and my children’s future with no Pa to take care of us. It was tough times for a woman to provide for her young ones alone.
I decided to let Murray and Mary Beth put some consideration into the idea. They were old enough to realize that the farm no longer belonged to us. They knew that sometime in the future we would have to move on. The last few years had been hard on both of them. They had had to take on extra responsibilities to help keep things going.
The twins knew the Ashtons. They had been to their store many times. They felt Martha and Logan were very kind people. When I approached them about the subject of moving into the Ashton’s home to care for the children and tend to the household, they were quite receptive to the idea. They both hated the idea of leaving the farm, but knew we eventually had to.
Murray said that he knew what it was like growing up without a Pa, and it was a real shame for those youngsters to have to grow up with no Ma to love them. Mary Beth said that I was a great Ma, and that if I had enough extra love to share with the Ashton children, we should give it a try. They both agreed that it would be a better life for all of us. In the end, it was their words of wisdom and encouragement that made the decision easy.
I went and talked to Logan and told him my decision. I agreed to take him up on his offer of housekeeper and nanny. He said he’d pay me a small salary each month and give us all room and board. He was delighted and said he’d get the house ready to accommodate us. A week later, we all moved to the house behind Ashton’s General Store and I became a housekeeper and nanny. It was my first paying job. I sure was hoping that it was all going to work out. My children didn’t need any more troubles in their young lives to have to deal with, and neither did I.”