What Happened to Earl Hyde France ?

The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
10 May 1913, Sat  •  Page 14

Little Earl France, son of Mr. James France, had an exceedingly narrow escape from- serious injury, or as easily, sudden death, on Monday. He was playing on the streets near Mr. J. B. Illingworth’s, and not noticing Mr. John Andrews’ milk wagon, he started to cross to the opposite side, and was knocked down by the horses, and when picked up by Mr. Illingworth he was unconscious. It was at first thought he was dead, but he revived, and an examination revealed a badly lacerated right hand, a sorely bruised arm, and face scratched and bruised. It took several stitches to close, the wound in the hand, and the lad is now recovering- Almonte Gazette- May 9, 1913

So what happened to the child Earl Hyde France?

Birth

Name:	Earl Hyde France
Gender:	Male
Birth Date:	17 Aug 1906
Birth Place:	Lanark, Ontario, Canada
Father:	James Hyde France
Mother:	Robb Margaret McTaggart

Farm Street- almonte.com

The lived on Farm Street in Almonte with their grandmother

Name:	Earl H France
Gender:	Male
Marital status:	Single
Race or Tribe:	English
Nationality:	Canadian
Age:	4
Birth Date:	Aug 1906
Birth Place:	Ontario
Census Year:	1911
Relation to Head of House:	Son
Province:	Ontario
District:	Lanark North
District Number:	89
Sub-District:	20 – Almonte
Sub-District Number:	20
Place of Habitation:	Farm St
Religion:	Presbyterian
Occupation:	None
Other Occupation:	NG
Can Read:	No
Can Write:	No
Language:	E
Family Number:	23
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	NameAgeJames H Franse32Margart J Franse29Earl H Franse4Margaret J Franse2Robert W Franse10/12Mary A Franse72

He married Mary Pearl Sterns in Carleton Place

FRANCE – STEARNS Earl Hyde France of Almonte and Mary Pearl Stearns of Carleton Place. ( Mar. 8, 1929, p. 2 )

Name:	Earl Hyde France
Gender:	Male
Age:	22
Birth Year:	abt 1907
Birth Place:	Almonte, Ontario, Canada
Marriage Date:	22 Feb 1929
Marriage Place:	Canada, Carleton Place, Lanark, Ontario[Canada Carleton Place Lanark Ontario]
Father:	James Hyde Frances
Mother:	Margaret Frances
Spouse:	Mary Pearl Sterns

Earl and Mary had a child who was born at 24 weeks old and died before term on November 1, 1943 in Paris, Ontario and it was buried the next day on November 2, 1943 and was unnamed.

Mary died in 1951 and in the obituary etc, her husband Earl was not named. She had moved back to her parents in Carleton Place. I could find no more mention of Earl Hyde France

Name:	Mary Pearl Stearns
Gender:	Female
Event Type:	Death
Death Date:	3 Aug 1951
Death Place:	Almonte, Ontario
Father:	Frank Stearns
Mother:	Stearns
Spouse:	France

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Travels With Trevor Barr — “Running with the Barrs” Through Spain — Part 3

Like a grape seed stuck in the gums of Europe, Andorra is sunk deep in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. Trevor said they walked block after block only to see endless shops selling nothing but watches, jewelry, perfume, and electronics. At its widest point, Andorra is only about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) long and you could walk the entire length of the country in less than seven hours. In reality, the entire country is only “2 and ½” times the size of Washington D.C

The Barrs traveled by bus from Ax-les-Thermes, as the closest airport to Andorra la Vella is three hours away. The town has 66,000 residents, but has millions of tourists every year. It is home to many ancient churches and picturesque views and ski slopes. In order to increase their tourist appeal, Andorra has somehow arranged a tax-free, shopping utopia. Even with all the high-end stores they found Andorra a welcoming country, with little crime, and you could walk out at night, without getting robbed,

The family chose to take their time when they came to their hand-picked chosen destinations. When they would arrive in each town and immediately make themselves comfortable while they researched hostels and hotels. The hostels in western Europe averaged about $ 75 dollars a night.

There are no train lines or stations in Andorra, and none close to the Spanish border, so it was off by bus to Lleida Spain. Lleida is quite small and you will easily be able to get to all parts of it on foot.  The church sits atop the highest point in  the city and there are Roman influences in the architecture and even Basque influences in the names of town.

Throughout all Western Europe the family continued to eat in the local delis and bakeries. Sometimes they would splurge at a local restaurant where the staff was wonderful and greet you personally at the door. The food merchants had pride of ownership, so why would you not eat local foods?  Fresh fruits,  vegetables, and whatever you desired were always available. Trevor said he can no longer tolerate processed food since his trip. In fact, even with all this abundance of good food he lost two pant sizes! Of course there had to be a candy store made out of candy somewhere!

Next on the list was The Running of the Bulls in  Pamplona. Unlike rural Carleton Place, when the cows get out onto the highway, the fiestas of San Fermin are celebrated every year from the 6th to the 14th of July. They have become internationally known because of the running of the bulls, where the bulls are lead through the streets of the old quarter as far as the bull ring by runners. Unfortunately Pamplona was too crowded, and they could not get into the town. Personally, I say thank god, or Trevor might have ended up like some of these chaps below.

A quick pit stop in Zaragoza which is in the valley of Ebro, Spain’s most water-bearing river, with an impressive landscape with picturesque villages and very old traditions and popular customs. Zaragoza is one of the great monumental towns in Spain. It was founded some 2000 years ago, and Old-Iberians, Romans, Goths and Arabians equally left their heritage. Zaragoza as well includes important buildings of Spanish baroque.

Zaragoza lies in the valley of Ebro, Spain’s most water-bearing river, in an impressive landscape with picturesque villages. It was founded some 2000 years ago, and Old-Iberians, Romans, Goths and Arabians equally left their heritage. Zaragoza as well includes important buildings of Spanish baroque.

Visitors to the Our Lady of Pilar Church church may notice a curious memorial that hangs to the side of the chapel.  Two bombs are displayed there, a symbol not of violence, but of miraculous intervention.  During the opening days of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the two bombs were dropped on the church by airplanes.  Miraculously, neither exploded.  They remain today as a reminder of how the power of love is stronger than any armament.

It was now on to Barcelona where there are 4.2 km of golden sandy beaches only 10 minutes from the city centre. You can view ten thousand photos of its sunny streets and towering spire– but until you are standing there Barcelona is all about the architecture. The beauty of the Modernista architecture and Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia church Familia church is incredible. By the looks of Trevor in his Motley Crue shirt the architecture was ‘kickstartin’ his heart’.

The Spanish poet Federico García Lorca once said, “Las Ramblas street is only street in the world, which I wish would never end.” Folklore says that if you drink from this famous fountain at the top of La Rambla you will always return to the city. Will the Barrs ever return to Barcelona like some that have drank from this fountain? Stay tuned!

Next stop? Viva Italia!

Part 1- Travels with Trevor Barr–The Overture

Part 2- Travels with Trevor Barr Sous La Ciel De France

Travels with Trevor Barr — Part 2 – Sous La Ciel De France

According to Trevor, France is everything that people make it out to be and then some. Imagine breakfasting on warm croissants from the boulangerie every single day, and enjoying art museums. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, culture, and great food.  As Frank Zappa once said, “there is no hell in France”. The country’s long history lends itself to beautiful ruins, castles, architecture, and culture, but each time the Barrs have visited France the experience has been different.

However, he warns, traveling in France is second to none in expense in Europe. But, there are things to do in France without spending a lot of money. The Barr’s solution was to enjoy the smaller towns and purchasing their own food from the local merchants. The food in Europe is nothing like here Trevor explained. It’s fresh, and because there were many bread, cheese, and meat shops around,  it was quite easy to enjoy delicious food on a budget. In fact, wine is cheaper than water.

The best way to get around France is via the high speed rail, and their first stop was Caen. If you haven’t studied your history books Caen is the capital of Lower Normandy and home to the Caen Memorial Museum. It is regarded as the best World War II museum in France and only 15 minutes away from the D-Day beaches. Trevor said the museum was amazing, and made the whole family proud to be Canadian. When they went to Juno Beach he said it gave him the chills just remembering the soldiers who valiantly fought on those very beaches on June 6, 1944.

The Egise St Pierre church on the south side of Caen was obliterated during the war and rebuilt. It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries, and there was an added addition in the early 16th century. The church is best known for its 245 foot tower whose spire was destroyed in 1944 during the war and then restored. It is across the road from the Caen Castle which mostly was destroyed in WW2, but the ruins were preserved. In a footnote –  at the end of the bombing in WW2, the civil population of Caen had fallen from 60,000 to 17,000. After an emotional journey to Caen, next on the list was the town of Foix.

Trevor described Foix, which is situated at the base of the Pyrenees mountains, as similar to a painting that Walt Disney might have created. It is a circular town built around the Foix castle that stands at the junction of the rivers Arget and Ariege. The Chateau de Foix was  built in the 10th century as a stronghold for the Counts that ruled the Bearn area. It is also home to 11th-century church and narrow streets lined with medieval, half-timbered houses. In Foix lies the  popular sub terrain river of Labouiche – the longest underground navigable river in Europe -and the Lombrive Caves which form an impressive limestone subterranean gallery. The Barrs spent 3-4 days there enjoying the locals (with very few tourists) and said it was 30-40% cheaper than visiting the larger towns. As his kids were in french immersion they played in soccer games with the local kids and made a lot of friends. One thing he kept mentioning during the interviews was that they never worried about their children during their travels. I found that so refreshing and wonderful.

On the way to Andorra la Vella, still in the Pyrenees, the next stop was what one would call the ‘Aspen of France’. Ax-les-Thermes is a ski resort/spa town well known for its sulfurous hot springs first developed in the 1300s by King Louis to treat soldiers returning from the crusades afflicted with leprosy. The  Bassin des Ladres (lepers’ pond) still sits in the center of town where you can soak your feet in the warm waters for free. It is approved for the treatment of rheumatism and sequelae of trauma and the treatment of respiratory tract. Would you believe there’s never any ground snow in the winter as the hot springs flows beneath the pavement of this ancient city.

If you journey by train the average journey time between Ax-les-Thermes and Barcelona is 6 hours and 42 minutes but the Barrs decided to take the bus and head to Andorra La Vella next. Andora La Vella is actually a luxury town retailing duty- free electronic and designer goods. Pretty odd for a town that Trevor called a pinprick between France and Spain. Each day was a new experience for them as they never had fixed plans. They were travelers not tourists. A traveler just reads a map and goes. Stay tuned next week for more of their “9 sets of luggage” journey.

Part 1- Travels with Trevor Barr–The Overture

Author’s Note– It is one thing to write about something and do research as you go along, but after I saw Trevor’s pictures I shook.  When I saw the pictures of Caen and Juno life became so real.

“June 6, 1944 the 3rd Canadian Division landed on Juno beach. It was time to payback the Germans for the slaughter at the Dieppe raid two years earlier. At the end of D-day the Canadian forces proved that they could fight along side the Americans and British and teach the Wehrmacht a lesson.

Bagpipes played their eerie sound as the Royal Highland Regiment left the harbour in England. They played the pipes on the transports as they rocked up the shore. They bagpipes howled as the Black Watch hit Juno Beach The bagpipes gave a simple message to the Germans defending Juno beach: we are crazy, we are coming, and you are going to die.”

D-Day on Juno Beach

When Cats Attack! Better Adopt Today!

And we thought the zombie apocalypse would involve humans…

Sometimes cats can amuse themselves without really trying. Often I have wondered what cats are thinking when they sit and stare at you or an object behind you. One pet owner in France learned as much, when a pack of at least six cats attacked the woman while she was walking her dog near a forested area in Belfort on a warm Sunday evening in late July.

Actually, I severely doubt the average person could handle a pack of cats attacking them. One, most likely. Two, probably. Three, maybe. Six, unlikely. The 31-year-old woman sustained several injuries on her legs and arms, including a nicked artery. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment, while her pet poodle, which was also wounded in the cat attack, was separately transported to a veterinarian clinic.

The local veterinarian called the savage encounter “abnormal behavior” and could not explain why the stray felines committed the act of apparent aggression, daily newspaper L’Est Républicain reports.

As Valérie Dramard, a veterinary behaviourist, writes in a contributing piece on Le Nouvel Observateur:

“Cats are not the new zombies of the apocalypse. They are (very) simply territorial and unfriendly with unknown species.”

 Imagine getting assaulted by a bunch of croissant-toting cats with little berets, and sporting a touch of reefer madness.

The revolution, it has begun!

Mon Dieu! La Résistance Des Chats!

The chaps below are not part of the “la resistance” and I saw them on our local BIA Facebook page. They need to be adopted. Please find them a forever home!

Lanark Animal Welfare Society 

It is hoped that the two brothers may be adopted together, however most important is that they each find a forever home. Please visit Smoke and Ace at Natural Pet Foods in Carleton Place.

Carleton Place- The Happiest Damn Town in Lanark County

For the Facebook Group:

• The Tales of Carleton Place and Just a Little Bit Farther Up the Line

Tilting the Kilt, Vintage Whispers from Carleton Place by Linda Seccaspina is available at Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street, the Carleton Place Beckwith Museum in Carleton Place, Ontario and The Mississippi Valley Textile Mill in Almonte.  available on all Amazon sites (Canada, US, Europe) and Barnes and Noble