Newcastle Village and District Historical Society Newsletter Spring 2017 - Issue # 127 PRESIDENT’S REPORT e are beyond the middle of May, so let’s hope we will be blessed with more pleasant weather and higher tem- peratures ! On an unhappy note, we just received word from the Federal Government that our application for a grant has, W for the second year in a row, been denied. This, despite encouraging words from Federal bureaucrats, after the denial last year, that we should apply once again. Reasons for the denial are not provided so the whole thing remains a mystery – this in the face of a lot of work in preparing our applications with great precision and exhausting detail in each of the two years. The grant would have enabled your Society, working with Durham College, to electronically capture our records ( histori- cal letters, agreements, wills, photos, and so on ), then to make our data more readily available to scholars, students and the general public. We will, of course, soldier on and explore other options to fund this worthwhile project, including the possibility of finding corporate sponsors. And, while other Government grant opportunities will be looked at, we will attempt, as far as possi- ble, to seek some assurance that any other applications have a reasonable chance of success and not simply serve as a “make work” projects for bureaucrats. Our plans are moving ahead for HERITAGE DAY, an event created and hosted by your Society. It will be held in the main hall of the Newcastle Community Hall from 10AM until 3PM on June 25, 2017. This is a free event and all members and families will be most welcome. Long established families in Newcastle and surrounding areas are encouraged to present family photos, documents, artifacts, etc. We will provide each family with a table and chairs for their display. The last time such an event was held by the Society was a great success, so we are looking for really active participation on that day. Work continues on the development of a comprehensive website. As well, as we raise our profile, the Board felt it ap- propriate to create a new logo style. We expect to choose a new logo at our Board of Directors meeting in June. After the success of our General Meeting held on April 11 where were treated to a journey thru the “science” of DNA tracking heritage by a very capable speaker, we plan on another General Meeting on October 3. Arrangements for our speaker on that date are now being finalized and I will advise you of the details in the next Newsletter. As President, the Board has requested that I seek to secure a professional to conduct our annual audit. If any one of our members is so qualified and is willing to undertake the job of Auditor on a pro bono basis, I would be very grateful to hear from you. My e-mail address is: [email protected]. The work is nowhere akin to a General Motors audit !! At our Board meeting on May 9, Myno Van Dyke was appointed Secretary. I was appointed President at the same meet- ing. Each of us will hold office for a term of two years. Both of us share an unwavering commitment to the Society and to its mission. Finally, last year, your Society played a leading role in what proved to be the most successful Doors Open event ever since its creation seven years ago. The event experienced well over 8,000 recorded visits to designated historic buildings, homes and sites in NEWCASTLE. This year’s event will be held in KENDAL starting at 10AM on June 10, 2017, and all are encouraged to attend this exciting and informative, free event. Your Society, as a member of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, is assisting with promotion of the event. Bro- chures with photos and descriptions of the fifteen properties included in this year’s Doors Open are available in your Historical Room in the Newcastle Community Hall or on the service counter of the Foodland Supermarket. Regards, Bob Malone, President Newcastle Village & District Historical Society Newsletter # 127 Page #1 Page 1 of this issue sports a new logo which has re- Musings and other interesting comments cently been approved in by Sher Leettoose principle by the Board of was going through some back issues of the Newsletter the other day Directors. Further embel- (trying to put some order in our collection of nuggets) and came across lishments may be made to some interesting titbits that I thought you might like to remember.... it in the future, but the de- sign has been approved. I In September of 1998 the Society was on hand from 1 pm to 4 pm at St. The logo was designed by George’s Cemetery to do cemetery tours. For those who haven’t been there, there are some “worthies of the past” buried there. Perhaps we ought to do a member Paddy Duncan. tour day again! Paddy is also working on In the November/December 1995 edition of the Newsletter, Director of the Soci- a new webpage for the ety, Mabel Goode was profiled. I remember spending good times with Mabel society. She has designed talking about the past and what her ancestors had done. In part of the profile it other webpages with said..... “All of us who travel highway 2 know Mabel’s first home... the house that much success, so we are had all the vines, the 2nd house west of where the Crago Market - now gone - sold looking forward to seeing strawberries, tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, apples and apple juice. The house was our new and improved built in 1828 and the Bemis family lived here at one time.” Who remembers the page, which will include a old house and the Market? link to all our past news- In the December 1994 edition was a short article about the forming of the Bond letters. Head community.... On page 3, this issue in- “NOTICE.... All persons who have applied for or are desirous of purchas- cludes the final portion of ing town lots in the plot lately laid out in the Township of Clarke on lot number 27 the article Newcastle- and lot number 28, are requested to meet at Clark’s Inn on Wednesday the 20th Netherland Immigrants inst. At 10 o’clock, when the proprietors will attend and be prepared to conclude carried over from the last sales to intended purchasers. newsletter. This portion One of the proprietors will attend at the same place the first and third was written in third per- Monday of each month to transact business connected with the interest of the son by Henry DeJong eld- contemplated Town of Bond Head and the harbour building there. est son of Jacob and Dor- othy. Cobourg Star, Nov. 6, 1839 While rummaging among the old newsletters I also found an old Newcastle Quiz. Page 5 sees Myno Van- Here’s one of the questions..... “The flag pole at the Community Hall was a gift Dyke putting “pen to pa- from whom?” per” again to explore the first settlers in Darlington Here’s an idea.... answer that quiz question and bring it to the Society’s 150th th and Clarke with some in- Heritage Day on June 25 , with the correct answer and we’ll put your name on teresting facts. the Newcastle List of Intelligent Citizens list and file the list away in the drawer for future generations to find in about 20 years and write about it in a newsletter! Page 7 Myno explores Wil- What goes around, comes around! mot Creek and area and Sher Leetooze, Director/Treasurer, Curator’s Committee comes up with some great stories. [email protected] Page 9 Another fire on King St Newcastle Page 10 Society infor- mation Newcastle Village & District Historical Society Newsletter # 127 Page #2 Our Immigration Experience We slept in the barn that night, in the hay. By Henry DeJong What a situation. After approximately 5 weeks, things start- ed to change and improve. All of our belongings arrived fter WWII many Netherlands immigrated to other from Calgary. What a relief that was. countries, such as Australia, South Africa, North America, New Zealand and Canada. My boss, who lived 30 km away, came to us twice a month and paid my wages of $45.00. My monthly income was A In 1952, the family of Jacob and Dorothy DeJong $90.00. set out to immigrate to Canada. Many Friesians chose Cana- da to make their new home. I was responsible for 64 cows and their calves, plus three horses. There was very old equipment and machinery on This is a short story of their experiences. Why did we decide the farm to do the haying and other tasks. to move to Canada? Then summer came and the boys found other jobs, some Not for myself mainly, but for our children and for a better with other farmers and some at a tomato canning factory. life for all of us. Finally, we could afford a car. We bought a 1949 Mercury I had a good job in Holland, then went into the military and which cost us $1,625.00. I then started monthly payments of ended up in a factory. Our eldest son Henry (Hendrik) was $100.00. working at a factory in our town of Ylst, at Nooitgedacht. John (Johannes) worked at the Bakery of Andela. It was a After some time the car salesman and I had a falling out and great undertaking and a challenge for our family but we de- my car was picked up again.