Atkinson's School Picnic and Reunion on 22 June 1929

91 years ago today, on 22 June 1929, a picnic and reunion was held for the alumni of S.S. No. 2 Biddulph (also known as Atkinson's School) and their families. "Old Boys" reunions were homecoming events intended to bring folks together.

S.S. No. 2 Biddulph aka Atkinson's School, a one-room schoolhouse near Lucan, Ontario.

Atkinson's School was located on the side road half way between Concession 2 (on which the Culbert homestead, Poplar Farm was situated), and the Sauble Line in Biddulph Township, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. Click here and here if you missed the previous posts about Atkinson's School.

A large crowd attended the reunion from all over Ontario and the United States. They enjoyed a "splendid lunch" and an afternoon spent in races, softball, football games, and horseshoes. 

The games were well represented by four of the six sons of Myron Manford Culbert and his wife, Effie Pearl Taylor. These sons were Clifford Culbert (born 1912), Kenneth Culbert (born 1916), Ivan Culbert (born 1918), and Milward "Mel" Culbert (born 1920). Myron and Effie's fifth son, Merton Culbert (born 1926) would have been too young to participate, and their youngest son, Earl Culbert was only one month old at the time.

Source: Exeter Times-Advocate, 4 July 1929, page 6.

The following is a breakdown of which Culberts participated in each event:

Races for Boys over Ten: Kenneth Culbert.
Races for Boys and Girls under Ten: Ivan Culbert, Milward Culbert.
3-Legged Race: Kenneth Culbert, Ivan Culbert. 
Book Race: Kenneth Culbert.  
Wheelbarrow Race: Kenneth Culbert, Milward Culbert, Ivan Culbert.
Running High Jump: Kenneth Culbert.
Obstacle Race: Kenneth Culbert.
Leap Frog Race: Ivan Culbert, Kenneth Culbert, Milward Culbert. 
Balloon Race: Clifford Culbert. 

Hammering Nails Race: Eva Culbert. 
Eva Pearl Culbert (1915-1974) was the 2nd cousin of the Culbert boys I mentioned in the events, above. She lived with her parents, Wilson Wesley Culbert (1868-1949) and Pearl Elizabeth Cuddy on Concession 4 in Biddulph Township, along with her brothers, Aljoe Culbert and Alfred Culbert, and her sister, Wilhelmina "Willa" Culbert.  Eva's paternal grandfather was William Edward Culbert (1842-1910) who was the son of John Culbert and Mary Ward. Oh, and that Hammering Nails Race? It involved seeing who could drive nails the fastest into a board.

Many of the other participants are connected to the descendants of John Culbert and Mary Ward either by blood or by marriage. One such example is Jack Lankin who participated in the Chocolate Race. Jack Lankin was the 3rd cousin of the sons of Myron and Effie Culbert. Jack was related to the Culbert boys through their mother, Effie (Taylor) Culbert's side of the family. Born Jack Edgar Lankin in 1913, he took over his father, Harry Lankin's business. Harry had opened Lucan's first gas station in 1927. If you grew up in Lucan, you might remember Jack Lankin as the proprietor of Lankin Shell Station/Lankin's Variety on Main Street at the corner of Water Street. 

I don't have any photos of the Culbert boys at the Atkinson's School reunion. However, I have photos of them at a Taylor Family Reunion that same summer of 1929 so you can get an idea of what they looked like at the time...

Cliff Culbert, age 16

Ken Culbert, age 13

Left to right: Milward "Mel" Culbert, age 9; Grant W. Taylor, age 8; and Ivan Culbert, age 11. Grant was the Culbert boys' 1st cousin on their Culbert side, and 2nd cousin on their Taylor side. Yes, Grant was both their first cousin and their second cousin. 

All in all, it appears that a good time was had by all at the picnic/reunion. Yet I can't help but wish that a Culbert or two had participated in the "Hog Call for Men" and the "Dinner Call for Women."

Clint Hodgins: Harness Racing Legend (1907-1979)

Today marks the 113th anniversary of the birth of harness racing legend, Clint Hodgins.

Clinton Theodore Hodgins was born 18 June 1907 near Clandeboye, Ontario, Canada, just northwest of Lucan. 

Clint inherited his love of harness racing from his father, Sidney Grant Hodgins (1873-1945), known as "Racer Sid." Sid was a well-known harness racer and horse trainer in Canada and the United States.

You can't talk about the Lucan-Biddulph area without mentioning harness racing; a sport that dates back in the area to around 1910 when Lucan's first racetrack was estabished. Lucan was known as the "Kentucky of the north" in harness racing circles. If you're a Culbert descendant, you had relatives who enjoyed the sport, and who certainly would have known Sid and his son, Clint.

Clint was lucky to have survived a serious bacterial infection in 1924 when he was 16 years old. He was wounded by a gunshot and developed tetanus (also known as lockjaw.) At St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario, Clint was treated with a new treatment for tetanus, and he recovered.

Source: Exeter Advocate, 28 Feb 1924, page 4.

He left home at age 21, and went on to make a name for himself in the world of harness racing. Winning race after race for many years, Clint Hodgins was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1973 in Goshen, New York, and the Canadian Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1977. The newspapers described him as "one of the greatest harness racing drivers who ever lived."

Clint Hodgins with the world-record smashing Proximity whom he described as "the best trotting mare I ever drove." When Proximity retired, she was the leading money-winning Standardbred.

Clint with Proxmity at the end of her career as she was about to be honoured at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York in 1951. She was known as the "Miracle Mare of the 20th century" and "the Queen of the Trotters," holding nine world records and ten track records.

Clint made his film debut as one of the harness racing drivers in the movie, "Home in Indiana." Released in 1944, the film starred Walter Brennan, and was based on the novel, The Phantom Filly by George Andrew Chamberlain.

Clint Hodgins' name appears in this advertisement for Home in Indiana, showing at Leavitt's Theatre in Exeter, Ontario. Source: Exeter Times-Advocate, 11 Jan 1945, page 8. Clint's father gets a mention, too.

Clint Hodgins isn't a descendant of John Culbert and Mary Ward but he is related to some of you who have Hodgins on your trees. A few of you have asked me how Clint is related to you. Since I'm no expert on the Hodgins family, I can't answer that. However, I can provide you with Clint's lineage, going back as far as his paternal great-great-grandfather, Robert Hodgins, Sr. (known as "Old Robert" Hodgins) of Clandeboye, Ontario.

Clint Hodgins' paternal line. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Clint Hodgins' Family Tree:
Robert Hodgins, Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Lewis (2xgreat-grandparents)
Thomas "Tom" Hodgins and Mary Casey (great-grandparents)
Thomas Casey Hodgins and Sarah Maria Grant (grandparents)
Sidney Grant Hodgins and Jessie Florence Wiggington (parents)

I hope this tree helps those of you with Hodgins blood to figure out how Clint is related to you.

There's a hidden Culbert connection here, albeit not a blood connection. Robert Hodgins, Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Lewis (Clint's 2xgreat-grandparents) had a son named Robert Hodgins, Jr. (also known as "Young Robert" Hodgins). "Young Robert" was the brother of Clint Hodgins' great-grandfather, Thomas "Tom" Hodgins. "Young Robert's" second wife was Margaret Emily Lewis. Margaret Emily Lewis's first husband was William Culbert of Birr, Ireland who is related to our ancestor, John Culbert but I haven't yet found out how they're connected. (Genealogy can make your head spin.)

As for another Culbert connection, Clint Hodgins was friends with Milward Taylor "Mel" Culbert (1920-1958) of Lucan, Ontario.

Clint Hodgins (left) with Terry Culbert, the son of Clint's good friend, Mel Culbert. Photo taken in 1957 at the home of Mel Culbert above Mel Culbert's Dry Goods Store on Main Street in Lucan, Ontario.

Speaking of Terry Culbert, Terry devoted a chapter of "Terry Culbert's Lucan: Home of the Donnellys" to harness racing. The chapter, Kentucky of the North is on pages 163-166 of the book, and it includes more information about Clint Hodgins and other harness racers of Lucan, Ontario. 

When asked where he learned so much about "the game" of horse racing, Clint replied...

Clint never married or had children. He was known for his philanthropy, giving generously to causes in his home area. He died 21 Oct 1979 in St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario, age 72. 

On the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame website it says, "Since the United States Trotting Association was established in 1939 through 1974, Hodgins won more than 1,750 races – and no one, including Clint, knows how many he had won in the U.S. and Canada prior to that date."

June 14 Weddings

Oh, they say when you marry in June,

You're a bride all your life.

And the bridegroom who marries in June

Gets a sweetheart for a wife.

-- June Bride

From "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"
(Music: Gene DePaul / Lyrics: Johnny Mercer)

For descendants of John Culbert and Mary Ward, June 14th appears to be a popular day to marry.

The following couples were married on June 14:

Myron Manford Culbert (1884-1961) and Effie Pearl Taylor (1886-1957). Myron and Effie married in Exeter, Ontario, Canada on June 14, 1911. You can read about their honeymoon here.
 

Myron and Effie's wedding day. Photo courtesy of Jane (Gras) Heigis.

Clifford Burton Culbert (1912-1991) and Gladys Lillian Beattie (1919-2018). Cliff and Gladys married in Lucan, Ontario on June 14, 1941 so Cliff shared a wedding anniversary with his parents, Myron and Effie.
 

Cliff & Gladys' wedding day. The best man (right) was Cliff's brother, Milward Taylor "Mel" Culbert.

  

Wendy Lyn Schloendorf (born 1965) and Ken Reid. Wendy and Ken married on June 14, 1986 in London, Ontario. Happy anniversary, Wendy and Ken!

Wendy and Ken's wedding day.

So, if you're a Culbert descendant planning a June wedding, why not choose June 14th and carry on the tradition?

Richard Culbert's Moustache Cup

Behold the marvelous moustache of Richard Culbert (1853-1932) the youngest son of John Culbert and Mary Ward, who lived at Poplar Farm on the Coursey Line (Lot 19, Concession 2) near Lucan, Ontario, Canada...

Hipster moustaches of today aren't anything new. Facial hair flourished during the second half of the Victorian era. That's why you see so many photos taken during that time of men with beards and moustaches. 

To maintain a moustache of this grandeur, various accoutrements were required. Richard Culbert would have used a moustache brush and/or moustache comb, and moustache wax to keep the hairs in place.

The downside of moustache wax is that it melted when it came into contact with a hot beverage. To remedy this problem, the moustache cup was invented by a British potter named Harvey Adams, around 1860.

Richard Culbert's porcelain moustache cup.

At first glance, the moustache cup looks like a regular tea cup. However, when you look more closely at the photo below, you'll see a ledge (the "moustache guard") attached to the inner rim of the cup. A small opening in that ridge allows a gentleman to drink his tea without wetting or damaging his moustache.

Porcelain "moustache guard" on the inner rim of Richard Culbert's moustache cup.

Richard Culbert's moustache cup is now in the possession of his great-grandson, Phillip Myron "Phil" Culbert of Vernon, British Columbia.

Phis says that this cup (along with a saucer which is now lost) had pride of place in the china cabinet of Phil's grandparents, Myron Manford Culbert and Effie Pearl Taylor of Lucan, Ontario. Myron was the son of Richard Culbert. 

Phil says, "since Myron Culbert never had a moustache, it is assumed that it belonged to his father, Richard Culbert as that is what my father, Ivan Culbert told me. I was given this cup after Grandpa (Myron Culbert) died in November, 1961." 

On the photo below, you can see the initials of the manufacturer, C.T. and the official emblem. C.T. stands for Carl Tielsch, a German merchant who founded a porcelain factory in 1845 in Altwasser. The company was known for its high quality products and artistic value. You can also see the number 187 on the bottom of the cup. We assume this means #187 in a limited series. 

If anyone knows anything more about the provenance of this cup, please contact me (Mary Jane) at this email address...

And if anyone else would like to submit a photo of an heirloom that's been passed down to them, please contact me at that same address.

Jane (Fairhall) Culbert & Richard Culbert at Poplar Farm on the Coursey Line near Lucan, Ontario.

Happy 70th Birthday, Paul Hodgson!

Paul Hodgson of Nairn, Ontario celebrates his 70^th birthday, today. Paul is the great-great-grandson of John Culbert and Mary Ward. 

Paul Robert Hodgson was born in London, Ontario, Canada on 7 June 1950. 

Paul was the second of three children born to John Wilmer “Jack” Hodgson (1920-2015) and Marion Annie Morley (1922-2008) of McGillivray Township, Middlesex County, Ontario.

 

Paul Hodgsons's father, John Wilmer "Jack" Hodgson (1920-2015).

Paul grew up on the family farm in McGillivray Township at Lot 11, Concession 4. Lot 11 had been the home of his paternal grandparents, Eldon Hodgson (1884-1966) and Mary Elsie Culbert (1888-1988).

The Hodgson residence on Lot 11, Concession 4, McGillivray Township.

Paul is a former employee of Ontario Hydro. Paul and his family spent two years in Nigeria from May 1977 to May 1979 on a teaching assignment for Ontario Hydro foreign projects. He then spent another six months in Belize providing safety training for linemen to rebuild the country's electrical system. 

Paul collects and restores antique tractors and gas engines.

Paul Hodgson at his workshop in Nairn, Ontario.

Paul competes in the annual International Plowing Match, the Middlesex County Plowing Match, and others. 

Paul Hodgson married Shirley Ens in 1972. They lived in London, Ontario for a year and a half, and then built a house in Ailsa Craig. In December, 1986 they moved to Nairn where they have lived ever since. 

Nairn is about a 15 minute drive southwest of Lucan, Ontario.

Paul and Shirley have two daughters, Shannon and Sherri. 

Shannon Hodgson married Greg Millman and they have a son, NHL draft pick Mason Millman (born 2001), and a daughter Carson Millman (born 2003).  

Sherri Hodgson married Rudy Van Hooydonk and they have two daughters, Riley Van Hooydonk (born 2005) and Taylor Van Hooydonk (born 2007).
 

Paul Robert Hodgson’s Family Tree:

Ancestors:

John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-great-grandparents)

Richard Culbert & Jane Eleanor Fairhall (great-grandparents)

Mary Elsie Culbert & Robert Eldon Hodgson (grandparents)

John Wilmer “Jack” Hodgson & Marion Annie Morley (parents)
Descendants (Children):
Shannon Marie Hodgson
Sherri Marie Hodgson 

Note: You read about Paul's brother, Wes Hodgson in a previous post, here.