Reece Brummet was born near North Platte, Nebraska in 1891 and came to the Edmonton area in 1913. That would make him 19 years old at the time. What motivated him to make the move, or how he got there is unknown to me. I tried to ask him a few times but he was a tight lipped sort of man. I do know from his mouth that he left school after the third grade, and that he was paid a nickel a week to carry two buckets of water every day to the school. So he wasn't an educated man, but I remember him as a very intelligent and canny man. He was bluff and hard-nosed, believed in hard work and had no use for a loafer like me. I can vouch for the fact that he didn't believe in sparing the rod. Or, in my case, the dreaded electric cord.
Reece had a farm, but when I knew him he had a farm machinery shop in Edmonton. Chancery Hall now occupies the site where I used to pretend to drive the tractors and buggies that crowded his yard. Inside it was like a scene out of a western movie, with walls festooned with horse collars and other bric a brac. When he sold the property this stuff was worth nothing, and the property wasn't worth much, either. Nowadays it would rate a special visit from the Antiques Road Show.
He was one of four children of Ren Buchanan Brummet and Sarah Eliza Holbrook Brummet. Ren was from Bean Blossom, Indiana and I believe Sarah was from Clay County, Illinois. Their other three children were Lewis, Iva, and Clarence. Reece's whole family followed him to Canada, and except for Iva, they all died there.
He was one of four children of Ren Buchanan Brummet and Sarah Eliza Holbrook Brummet. Ren was from Bean Blossom, Indiana and I believe Sarah was from Clay County, Illinois. Their other three children were Lewis, Iva, and Clarence. Reece's whole family followed him to Canada, and except for Iva, they all died there.
Ren and Sarah were in their 90's when they died. I was very small at the time, and although I can't remember much about them, I remember visiting their house in Edmonton. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is that their house was full of knick knacks. I was very impressed by that. They died at pretty much the same time, which led me to theorize that all married couples died at the same time.
I have lots of memories of Uncle Clarence and Aunt Iva but I never met Uncle Lewis who settled in the Okanagan. When I knew Aunt Iva she lived in Puyallup. To confuse matters, her husband's name was Clarence, the same as her brother's. The Meeds' had an acreage on the South Hill which is now the site of a Target store. Their youngest son Gail was just a year or two older than me and I always looked forward to visiting them. She made the most wonderful cherry pies with the yellow cherries that grew at the side of their house.
Clarence and Alma Brummet farmed near Stony Plain. I tried to find where it was when I visited Edmonton in '09 but couldn't find it. What I remember most is that there was no plumbing, no electricity, and the taste of sulphur in the water. Their youngest son Keith was only a few years older than me and I loved visiting the farm. Chasing pigs, sliding down a rope from the hay loft were among the activities I found most notable. They had a big party line phone on the wall which Uncle Clarence would listen to even when it wasn't his ring. And boy, did Aunt Alma ever know how to feed a hungry family. They churned their own butter from their own cows, and picked saskatoons and choke cherries in season. It was a wonderful place... except for the smelly outhouse.
I've always had a hankering to see what kind of a place Reece was from, and in a few weeks I'm going to find out, God willing. I'll travel through South Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana and ultimately Virginia to retrace the family wanderings. I'll take lots of pictures and try to rummage through documents and historical records. I'm kind of lazy about that stuff, but I'm also intensely curious, so maybe the curious part will win out over the lazy part. I'm 67 and a little unsure about how I will like living in a little van for two months at this age, but as I don't think a cure for old age is in the offing, I think I'd better do it now before I'm really decrepit.
The top photo is Reece and Lewis. The next one is Reece as a young man with an unknown friend. (My guess is that it's Clarence Meeds) The middle photo is Blanche, Reece, Ren and Sarah. The fourth photo is most of the Brummets living near Stony Plain, including Clarence and Alma and family.
