Strange Clippings — Rattle Snakes in Canada…..

I found this clipping in the Perth Couier from1847. Of course I was intrigued..:) and had to find out the rest of the story.

The earliest reports of timber rattlesnakes in Canada occurred in 1669 in what is now known as Waterdown in Halton County (Logier 1939 in Smith 2001).  Read here click

Stone was quarried in Waterdown from sites around the village (“The View” condominiums, and behind Walmart)
and sent across the country. Some of the stone quarried from Waterdown was used to build King’s
College at the University of Toronto. Memorial Park was the site of a sand and gravel quarry
owned by the Anderson Family.

Massasauga Rattlesnakes from the eastern Georgian Bay area, one of four remaining habitats for the rattlesnakes. Massasaugas can also be found in small numbers in the Bruce and Niagara peninsulas as well as in the Windsor area.

Alison Louise Weyland

We see several every year – species is alive and well, thriving in fact, on Lost Channel! 100 years of legends of rattlesnakes on my family’s property. Relocating them will kill them apparently (and is really dangerous, best way to get bitten) so best to make noise and they’ll mind their own business.

First settled by non-Indigenous People in 1805—Waterdown was founded by Ebenezer Griffin in 1830 (the year he had the area surveyed into village lots). Waterdown was incorporated as its own municipality on June 5th 1878 (this would last until 1974).

“Snake Road – Sulpher Springs Road” is a scenic, twisty, easy motorcycle ride in Ontario, Canada.

ALSO: Beware of the rattle snakes! We came across one on the trail about 5 minutes from the Grotto. It was not happy and was rattling its tail like crazy at us. Stupidly, a bunch of kids were running at it and their parents clearly had NO idea of it’s venomous bite.

CLIPPED FROMThe Kingston Whig-StandardKingston, Ontario, Canada14 Jun 1899, Wed  •  Page 3

CLIPPED FROMThe Ottawa JournalOttawa, Ontario, Canada22 May 1909, Sat  •  Page 1

Strange Folklore from Ontario –BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

THE STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE 8 YEAR-OLD McGILTON BOY

In 1975 a Strange Bird Fell from the Sky in Almonte

The Strange Case of Etta Dorsilla Wright — How Far Should You Dig?

Strange Bird Shot Up at Shirley’s Bay Had 8 Feet Wing Spread

Mc Mullin McMullen McMullan – Strange Death in Mississippi Mills

Fire Caused Strange Scene Near Portland

Strange Stories from the Past

1. Strange Coincidences– The Duncan Fire
2. What’s the Strangest Thing You Have Found Outside?
3. Mrs Jarley and her Waxworks Hits Lanark– and they call me strange:)

Is This Story Just Up a Tree?

 

Almonte Gazette April 20, 1950

The Smiths Falls Record-News had a story in its issue last week about a man who visited his cottage at Bass Lake and was chased up a tree by a wolf. He described his plight in great detail stating that the “wolf” just wrinkled its nose and looked mean. The writer knows Bass Lake fairly well and must admit he never saw a wolf In that vicinity though he recalls being chased by a big, mean looking police dog. Could this have been the wolf?

 

Anyway, here is the Smiths Falls man’s account of his adventure: “The wolf wasn’t at the door, but it was close enough as far as Cliff. Wride, of 59 Abel Street, was concerned last week. Mr. Wride was strolling near his cottage at Bass Lake (midway between Lombardy and Rideau Ferry) when he spotted what looked like a dog loping across an open field towards him. He took a second look and decided it was a wolf.

 

Unarmed, Mr. Wride scrambled up a nearby ironwood tree. Foiled, the wolf circled the base of the tree for ten minutes. “He didn’t make a sound,” Mr. Wride said, “just crinkled his nose and looked nasty.” Apparently tired of waiting, the wolf ran off, but no sooner had Mr. Wride descended from his perch than he spotted the animal crawling stealthily back to the tree on its stomach.

In a trice Mr. Wride was back at one end of the ironwood, the wolf at the other. The wolf scurried off again but again circled back. The harried cottager shouted and the surprised animal scurried away. On his second descent, Mr. Wride armed himself with a fence rail, but even a later search with a shot-gun failed to uncover the beast.

 

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun andScreamin’ Mamas (USA)

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

 

Jack the Hugger–The Reign of Albert Haley in Smiths Falls

 

This Ram was Ten Yards Long Sir and His Horns Reached the Sky

John Shaw Spent a Quarter of a Million Dollars?

Robert Shaw “Cold as Ice” in a Cardboard Box?

 

 

Old Tyme Hot Tips– or– God Would Not Have Given Us Fingers if He had Wanted Us to Use Forks

 

Eyebrows that did not look fashionable were often masked by tiny pieces of skin from a mouse.

Ceruse was the foundation make-up of choice for both men and women, that gave the famous smooth, pale look. However, it contained lead that seeped into the body through the skin leading to poisoning. This make-up also tended to crack and had a strong odour.

Although the men wore linen drawers, the women wore no knickers at all.

The reason why so many marriages took place in June was that most people had their yearly bath in May so they were still fairly clean when June arrived. However, as a precaution brides carried bouquets of flowers to cover up any odious smells. June weddings and carrying bouquets are still traditional today but most wedding parties smell a lot nicer.

When people took their bath it was the man of the house who had the privilege of the tub filled with clean water. The sons of the house were allowed next, then the wife, the rest of the females and the babies were last.

Houses in the past did not have the protective roofing we have today. It was not unusual for bugs, pests and droppings to fall onto your clean bedding from the roof. So four poles and a canopy was invented to keep the bed clean and this is where the origin of the canopied and four poster beds come from.

 

 

Photo-Atlas Obscura

A 17th century publication by Peter Levens gives clear instructions to men on how to cure baldness and thinning hair by making the following mixture – a strong alkaline solution containing potassium salts and chicken droppings to be placed on the area to be treated. In addition if men wanted to remove unwanted hair from any area of the body they should make a paste that contains – eggs, strong vinegar and cat dung. Once beaten into a paste, this should be placed on the areas where the hair is to be removed. Why they didn’t just shave is not documented.

When Mary Queen of Scots returned to her native Scotland from France she was astounded and not a little put out that the men continued to wear their hats while sitting down to eat at her banquets. It was then pointed out to the young Queen that this was not a sign of disrespect to her but necessity. The men kept their hats on in order to prevent not only their long hair from touching the food but head lice from falling into their plates.

 

Period Paper—1925 Ad Wyeth’s Sage Tea Sulphur Gray Hair Dye Coloring Jealous Women Beauty DL2

In the 16th century some members of the church condemned using forks to eat as against the will of god. One put out minister remarked: “God would not have given us fingers if He had wanted us to use forks.”

The use of condoms goes back many thousands of years. They went out of favour after the decline of the Roman Empire but re-emerged in the form of linen condoms in the 16th century – perhaps due to the fear of the disease syphilis. The church condemned condoms as a way for the devil to encourage elicit sex. One incensed churchman raged that “the use of these foul things allows people to play filthy persons greater than ever.”

 

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and Screamin’ Mamas (USA)

 

 

Where Was the First Beauty Parlour in Carleton Place?

Men With Beards Don’t Have Bronchitis

To Die Dying Your Hair

Dead Ringers –To Live and Die in Morbid Times

Lois Lyman–A Hair of a Blunder!

Is Body Hair Something Women Should Be Ashamed Of?

Are You Giving Me a Perm or Making Egg Sandwiches?

I’m Every Woman?

The Missing Heir

June 17 1898

On Saturday evening last one of Huntley’s well-known residents passed out of life in the person of Mr. James White, who lived on the twelfth line. Deceased was 76 years of age, and was ill for a couple of years from a complication of ailments. He lived nearly all his life on the farm on which he died.

His funeral took place on Monday, and was largely attended. Deceased was a successful farmer, and amassed considerable of this world’s goods. By will he leaves to his only son, John, whose whereabouts have been unknown for twenty years, the homestead with its 100 acres and $2,000 in cash, provided he turns up within the next twenty years. Should the son not be found the above will revert to his daughter’s family.

To his daughter, Mrs. Dennis O’Brien, he leaves $1,200 in cash, 100 acres of land and all the stock and implements, etc. The estate is worth over $10,000. The father of the late Mr. White was one of the leaders of the famous Ballygiblin settlers who came to this section in 1822.

 

 

Clipped from The Ottawa Journal,  15 Jun 1898, Wed,  Page 2

Peter Robinson settlers in Huntley township, Carleton County, Ontario [Upper Canada], 1834. The names below can be found on the passenger lists for the Hebe and the Stakesby (from Cork to Quebec, 1823).

Transcribed from:

Return of a portion of the Irish Emigrants located in the Bathurst District in 1823 and 1825, by Peter Robinson Esqr, and who are now entitled to receive their Deeds, the lots having been inspected by Francis K. Jessup in 1834.¹.

Township of Huntley:

Name	Half	Lot	Con
Name	Half	Lot	Con
James FORREST	West	20	11
William WELCH	East	20	11
Timothy FORREST	West	21	11
Timothy KENNEDY	East	21	11
Charles SULLIVAN	West	23	11
Jeffery DONOGHUE	East	15	10
James WHITE	East	17	10
Michael CRONIN	West	18	10
James ALLAN	East	19	10
John KENNEDY	West	19	10
John KEEFE	West	19	10
William GREGG	West	16	9
William WHITE	West	20	9
James MANTLE		27	10
Thomas BOYLE	N.W. 4 [quarter]	24	10
	S.W. 4 [quarter]	25	10
Thomas BRISTNAHAN Senr.	West	21	9
Thomas BRISTNAHAN Jnr.	East	20	10

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and Screamin’ Mamas (USA)

 

 

 

The Writing on the Wall Disappeared but the Memories Don’t

Maybe We Should Film Oak Island in Carleton Place? The Day the Money Disappeared

The Carleton Place House That Disappeared

NO Questions Asked? The Ballygiblin Sign Update

The Ballygiblinets Want Their Sign Back!

Fenians OR Ballygiblins? Fighting Irish 101

Ballygiblin Riots in Carleton Place — Were We Bad to the Bone?

A Carleton Place Fenian Soldier’s Photo

The Hidden Hideaway On Glen Isle

A Few Odd Sisters….

 

 

More than 30 years since they were last seen in Alberta, two Lethbridge sisters have been located in the United States, said police.

Anna and Kym Hakze’s mother reported them missing in 2003, after she failed to see or hear from either of them in more than a decade.

Their mother has since passed but their brother is hoping for a reconciliation. What makes sister so close?  It was obvious these two had an exclusively mutual understanding of just how dysfunctional their family was.

 

IT SOUNDS LIKE AN EPISODE FROM THE Twilight Zone:  In 2012 two elderly spinster twin sisters who worked in the entertainment industry as youths have died and left officials scrambling to find their next of kin.

Joan and Patricia Miller, both 73, were discovered in their South Lake Tahoe home on Feb. 27, according to the sheriff’s department in El Dorado County.

Homeowners in South Lake Tahoe are close-knit and the reclusive sisters have long been the talk of the town. Neighbors often wondered why two beautiful women shut themselves up for 40 years in the same town and are now baffled how they both died of natural causes within hours of each other.

The sisters grew up in Portland, Ore. before moving to the San Francisco area, where Joan Miller attended college. The women briefly appeared on a 50’s television show called the The Hoffman Hayride and also entertained troops at military bases. Patricia and Joan Miller sang and danced for Bing Crosby as the family made their living in the entertainment business and their mother played piano. A photo found inside their home shows them sitting on Bing Crosby’s lap, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The identical twins also performed with singer Spade Cooley every weekend at the Santa Monica Pier and the performances were broadcast live on KTLA television in the 50s. As they grew older the twins never married, had children or pets and became anti-social and withdrawn, even coming up with excuses not to speak on the phone if someone called.

They both even stopped sending an annual birthday card to a beloved childhood friend a few years ago and when the friend called to inquire about the missing card, Joan and Patricia seem disinterested in continuing the relationship.

Talking to neighbors was out of the question. According to Huffington Post, Betty Mitchell, 89, who supervised Patricia Miller in the social services office, said the women were inseparable. Mitchell said they were friendly and told stories often about their singing adventures. They had had performed at Yosemite National Park and when their mother came to visit from Oregon, they all dined at Mitchell’s home.

Mitchell said the sisters were also guarded, and when she urged them to join a community choir, they declined and never discussed their social lives.

“They kept things to themselves,” Mitchell said. “I don’t even know if they had siblings.”

In the past year, some people thought something was amiss at the Miller home. A neighbor spotted an ambulance at the house a year ago and assumed one had fallen ill. But rumors surfaced of possible malnutrition and concerned citizens asked police to check on them regularly.

When someone arrived Feb. 25 for a routine check, the twins did not answer the door. The next day, police forced their way in and found the bodies of the twins; one was in a downstairs bedroom and the other was in the hallway just outside.

There was no blood, no signs of struggle and their home was not unkempt. Even though autopsy reports are pending it was as if the two sisters, long each others only companion, could not live without each other.

Huffington Post also reported that El Dorado County Sheriff’s Det. Matt Harwood said “they weren’t taking care of themselves as they should or could have,”

Police don’t usually release the names of the dead without first informing their relatives, but the sisters’ shrouded lives made that impossible, he added.

“My perception is one died and the other couldn’t handle it.” said Harwood. “It appears purely natural, but we are still trying to piece it all together.”

May they both rest in peace and may the Hakze sisters  now find some peace in their life too. There is no doubt that each other seemed to be a little but of childhood that they could never lose.

Weird Things People Collect — Carleton Place Museum Junk & Disorderly Sale Saturday

Remember the guy who bought a box of unpublished photos of Marilyn Monroe at a garage sale for $2? Or another who walked away with what looked like an early Andy Warhol painting at a yard sale for $5? Well, you have a chance to find some neat collectibles on Saturday and Sunday at the Junk & Disorderly Sale at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum.

Here are some things you won’t find, and why do people collect them? Well, I have no idea.

Celebrity Hair Locks 
John Reznikoff owns the bizarre, yet the most expansive collection of celebrity hair locks in the world. The collection includes the hair of famous celebrities and historical figures including Edgar Allan Poe, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Marilyn Monroe and Ludwig van Beethoven. 

How can anyone verify that the hair is authentic? I feel like any old barber with an eBay account could make a fortune off these guys.

Human Remains-skulls etc.

Just out of interest, how many women do you get back to your place if you collect this stuff? AND how many leave?

Belly Button Fluff
At 22.1 grams, Graham Barker has the largest collection of belly button fluff. It’s his own fluff, if you’re wondering. He started the collection in 1984. No, I am not wondering, trust me!

Cat Whiskers

A few years ago the media did a story on a woman who had a collection of cat whiskers. Yes, cat whiskers. She had them mounted and framed and plastered all over the walls of her house. I had nightmares for a month after seeing THAT story!

Love dolls
Wacky couple Bob and Lizzie Gibbons share their home with their rather unusual collection of 240 love dolls. According to the couple, they like dressing the dolls up and even take them on shopping trips. I can’t figure out where Lizzie Gibbons is in this photo. Where’s Waldo err Lizzie?

Souls of the Damned

I don’t know about you guys, but I have heard some collect the souls of the damned, trapped forever in their small, square, paper prisons. (Stamps) Excuse me—philately will get you nowhere!

Murder Memorabilia

Why? Just why? Nothing like cooking eggs in Jeffrey Dahmer’s frying pan. Yuck!

30,000 Toenail Clippings
Why would anybody want to collect that? Why? Well, okay, this weird collection of toenail clippings is actually intended for medical research.

It’s all fun believe me.  Or is it?

You know what they say: “One man’s TRASH is another man’s TREASURE”.

See you Saturday and Sunday at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum!

E ! A True Hollywood Story – A Beau for Monkey Sue! – Zoomer

 

E ! A True Hollywood Story – A Beau for Monkey Sue! – Zoomer.

Optical Illusion Dance – Zoomers

Optical Illusion Dance – Zoomers.