It all began innocently enough when the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum posted this.
We recently acquired a group of photographs of this unknown family, taken in 1935. Written on the back of many is “20 Frank Street”. Do you recognize anyone?
Listed at 20 Frank Street in the 1936 directory are Annie and Edwin Armstrong and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Aitkenhead.
Photo from Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum
Thank you to Craig Shouldice
This is now 18 Frank Street- there is no 20- notice the double lot- or were the numbers re-done?
Comments from the CPBHM facebook site
Dan Williams-Here’s my guess. 18 Frank st, where my grandparents lived in the 50’s was a double lot. There was by then no other house there. Maybe there was another house there in 1935 when these pictures were taken but it was destroyed sometime between then and the mid 50’s.
Rick Roberts– I lived at 28 Frank Street between 1959-1971. I’m pretty sure that the house in the background, with 2 chimneys, was the home of Clint and Tillie Drader during the 1960s-1970s (Clint died in the early 1960s). Notice the door on the addition to the left…. it led to their kitchen… later a window. The big question is the house beside the people. i strongly suspect that there was a house (probably 20 Frank Street) on what was an empty lot to the south of 28 Frank Street during the 1950s-1960s. In the early 1960s my parents bought a few feet from the north side of that lot to make our driveway wider. At that time the empty lot was owned by the people at 18 Frank Street. In the early 1970s, new 18 Frank street owners built a large addition on the north side of their house to accommodate their upholstery business.
One more recollection… in the mid or early 1900s, sidewalks in Carleton Place had a grid pattern embedded into them where a driveway crossed it. The grids were in about a 12 X 6″ pattern with the 12″side running parallel to the roadway. There was one of those grid patterns in the sidewalk in front of the empty lot where it is possible 20 Frank Street stood earlier.
Synopsis
So to try and get somewhere in this story I acquired the other half of the Aitkenhead pictures at an auction last week. Grand patriarch George Aitkenhead once owned the Aitkenhead Bakery in Ottawa in the late 1800’s- early 1900’s. It was situated on McLaren Street until the great fire of Ottawa/ Hull and then moved to Bank Street. After he moved to his new spot business was not great so he moved out west. More on that later with pictures. His son Robert moved to Carleton Place to 20 Frank Street and Robert Jr. moved to Almonte.
Photo-April 30th 1930- Marion and Mildred Aitkenhead holding young Robbie Aitkenhead at 20 Frank Street at the back of the house.
Remembering a former Carleton Place family- The Aikenheads
Young Robbie, the baby in the above photo worked in the Almonte Bakery and his daughter Millie worked at the Bank of Montreal in Almonte. (Hoping to get all the facts straight as this is what I figured out through pictures, so if anyone knows just dive in there)
Pictures of the family at 20 Frank Street are in another story today, and more pictures of Almonte and the family to come. So what did 20 Frank Street look like? I looked through the archives for fires but found only one. The house was probably torn down as the newspaper article mentions many frame homes on Frank Street. Stay tuned for more.
Update-Craig Shouldice– The Millie Aitkenhead that worked at the BofM in Almonte was Robert Jr’s sister, not his daughter. Robert Jr. has a daughter Millie as well, but she did not work there
PLEASE NOTE-
The photos from the Millie Aikenhead Collection as I call it will be split between the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum (Carleton Place Photos) and the North Lanark Regional Museum (Almonte Photos)
I try and save old photos after I share them with the world as I feel no one will appreciate them if they sit unseen. If you read My Family in a Box story those pictures are now in the save keeping of Archives Lanark.
Are These Memories Just for Ourselves? — The Family in a Box
Related reading:
What Happened to the House and Family on Frank Street –Part 1
The Aitkenhead Family at 20 Frank Street in Carleton Place
Before there was Baker Bob’s There was The Almonte Bakery
Hog’s Back Falls Ottawa –Aitkenhead Photo Collection
How to Make a Vintage Apron- Aitkenhead Photo Collection
No Banker Left Behind – Bank of Montreal Almonte Photos
Down by the Mississippi River- Almonte Falls Photos 50s
1901- Ottawa Journal- Before the 30s as an example of the quality of the homes in that area. They were frame homes and were either torn down or burned down.
Rick Roberts-–Just to keep things completely confusing… As mentioned in an earlier post, I lived at 28 Frank street 1958-1971. Speaking to my mother about this topic, she says that our house was numbered 6 Frank street when we moved there, and was changed to number 28 sometime in the very early 1960s. With that being the case, under the old numbering system “20 Frank Street’ would have been in the block that is north of John street (closer to the river) on the west side of the street. However, the caption “20 Frank Street” may have been added to the picture at the time the picture was taken, or at a date after the street numbers were changed. Oh, the mystery 🙂
Obituary-Robert S. Aitkenhead
(Past President, Branch 192), (Royal Canadian Legion) in hospital at Almonte, Ontario on Sunday, June 24, 1990, Robert S. Aitkenhead, of Carleton Place, in his 61st year, beloved husband of Elva Horton Southwell; dear father of Larry Aitkenhead of Scarborough, Millie and Robbie Aitkenhead and Candie (Mrs. Brent Hurdis), all of Carleton Place; stepfather of Kenneth Southwell and his wife Jerry of Carleton Place and Bill Southwell of Scarborough. Loving grandfather of 7 grandchildren. Loved son of Mrs. Pearl Aitkenhead of Almonte and the late Robert Aitkenhead. Dear brother of Marion Ardley of Ottawa and Mildred Bowes of Norway Bay. Resting at the Alan R. Barker Funeral Home, McArthur Avenue, Carleton Place, on Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Service in the chapel on Wednesday at 2 p.m., Reverend Grant Wilson officiating. Interment St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Elva Aitkenhead
How did a Hurdis get in there? According to Ted Hurdis-Brent is a cousin of Ted’s and Ab and Fran Hurdis’s second born son. He was married to Candy Aitkenhead. Thanks Ted!
lindaseccaspina 
Hello I just thought I would let you know that my mom Candace Aitkenheads name is actually spelt Candy
LikeLike
Thank Shyanna… I got that spelling from a genealogy board.. I will correct it.. Pleased to meet you..:)
LikeLike
The top picture is Pearl Aitkenhead with her children Marion (right), Mildred (left), and Robert (centre, whose obituary appears here). She was born Pearl Burnside and married Robert Aitkenhead. The bakery in Ottawa was likely owned by David Aitkenhead, the family patriarch who immigrated from Scotland. Millie was married to Roy Woodcock, and Melville Bowes. Marion married Keith Ardley and had six children.
LikeLike
Craig…. anytime anyone adds anything it is like finding gold. I will be posting two more one on the Ottawa Bakery and the other on the Almonte one. The North Lanark Museum has no info on anything so this is so great… honouring the families before us.:) THANK YOU
LikeLike
Craig– I have also added this to the story and will give the info to the museum also. They now proudly will have a file in two museums:)
LikeLike
The first Aitkenhead to come to Canada was David Aitkenhead, in 1886. He was married to Elizabeth McInnes and had 10 children, 4 of whom died young. Two of his sons were George as mentioned here and Robert, who opened the Aitkenhead bakery in Almonte. I think David was the original owner of the Ottawa bakery. I have a picture somewhere of him standing in front of his delivery van and store. George married Rhoda Donovan, his sister Margaret married Rhoda’s brother John Donovan.
LikeLike
Craig I have a few pictures of the Donovans in this box.. keep adding.. thank you.. Its nice to have the history right and intact so people will know in future generations
LikeLike
added the info thank you:)
LikeLike
Just a question Linda. This says Millie was married to Roy Woodcock. Hence Woodcock’s bakery? I have no doubt this has been noticed and flushed out somewhere else?
LikeLike
yup she married a woodcock… woodcock bakery..:)
LikeLike
Just to keep things completely confusing… As mentioned in an earlier post, I lived at 28 Frank street 1958-1971. Speaking to my mother about this topic, she says that our house was numbered 6 Frank street when we moved there, and was changed to number 28 sometime in the very early 1960s. With that being the case, under the old numbering system “20 Frank Street’ would have been in the block that is north of John street (closer to the river) on the west side of the street. However, the caption “20 Frank Street” may have been added to the picture at the time the picture was taken, or at a date after the street numbers were changed. Oh, the mystery 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks Rock I added it..:)
LikeLike
I love this story. Take a house and tell its story by who lived there! Now it makes it sad that there was no family to keep their photographs. But it’s lovely to see that have been presented with love!
LikeLike
Wanita… yes it is but I feel its my life’s mission to rescue these photos and give them a home
LikeLike
Linda the original # 20 frank St is now 68 frank St.
LikeLike
THANK YOU….:)
LikeLike
Just a couple of things. George Aitkenhead would have been a patriarch, not a matriarch. The Millie Aitkenhead that worked at the BofM in Almonte was Robert Jr’s sister, not his daughter. Robert Jr. has a daughter Millie as well, but she did not work there.
LikeLike
Thanks Craig I will add this..:)
LikeLike
18 Frank St was originally a double lot. The pictured addition to the right of the williams house was built onto the original house about 1970 by an owner who set up an upholstry shop. There was an earlier, smaller addition that it replaced. My family lived next door at 28 Frank Street from 1958-1986. Mr Williams sold my father (Ben Roberts) 6′ of his lot so my dad could built a garage and widen his driveway in the early to mid 1960s. Mr Williams had offerred to sell him more… dad regretted not buying more of the Williams lot when he had the opportunity.
LikeLike