The Six Sons of Myron Manford Culbert and Effie Pearl Taylor

A new family photo has surfaced! Jane (Gras) Heigis found this gem while sorting through the photo collection of her late father, Alfred Edward Gras.

The six sons of Myron and Effie Culbert. Back row, left to right: Cliff and Ken; Centre row, left to right: Ivan and Mel; Front row, left to right: Mert and Earl. Photo taken at Poplar Farm near Lucan, Ontario, Canada c1932. Click photo to enlarge it.

This photo is a treasure because there are few photos of the six boys all together. Earl, the youngest, wasn't born until 1929 so photos of the boys from the 1920s are usually missing Earl. Photos from 1939-1945 often are missing the sons who served in World War Two, especially Ivan who served overseas during the entirety of the war. Photos taken after 1958 are missing Mel who died in July of that year. So to find a photo of the six boys all together is special, indeed. Thank you for sending this photo to us, Jane!

You've seen the following photo before but I'm including it because it shows the six boys as adults, together with their parents, Myron and Effie...

Myron & Effie Culbert with their six sons, c1950. Back row, left to right: Ken, Mel, Mert, and Earl. Front row, left to right: Cliff, Myron, Effie, Ivan.

The six sons of Myron Manford Culbert and Effie Pearl Taylor were raised on Poplar Farm, the Culbert homestead, at Lot 19, Concession 2 (the Coursey Line) near Lucan, Ontario.

The six Culbert brothers are the great-grandsons of John Culbert and Mary Ward who settled on the property in 1840 from Ireland.

To read biographies about four of the six boys, click on their names, as  follows:

Clifford Burton Culbert (1912-1991).

Kenneth Arthur Culbert (1916-2000).

Ivan Hector Culbert (1918-1979).

Milward Taylor "Mel" Culbert (1920-1958).

Merton Manford Culbert (1926-1998). No biography yet but a story about him is here.

William Earl Culbert (1929-1994). No biography yet.

FAMILY TREE FOR THE SIX SONS OF MYRON AND EFFIE CULBERT:

Ancestors:

John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-grandparents)

Richard Culbert & Jane Eleanor Fairhall (grandparents)

Myron Manford Culbert & Effie Pearl Taylor (parents).

Happy New Year from Poplar Farm

Let's travel back to New Year 1928 on Poplar Farm. Join the family of Myron and Effie Culbert at Poplar Farm, the Culbert homestead near Lucan, Ontario, Canada....

Left to right: Milward Taylor "Mel" Culbert; Ivan Hector Culbert; mother Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert holding Merton Manford Culbert; Kenneth Arthur Culbert; and Clifford Burton Culbert. Father Myron Manford Culbert is missing from the photo and is probably behind the camera. Their sixth and youngest son, William Earl Culbert was born the next year.

Same photo as above from a distance. Poplar Farm was located on Lot 19, Concession 2 (the Coursey Line) in Biddulph Township between McGillivray Drive & Mooresville Drive (closer to McGillivray Drive). Although the house is no longer in the Culbert family, it still stands today (minus the front veranda) and now uses the address 34851 Coursey Line, Lucan. This house was built by Richard Culbert, son of John Culbert and Mary Ward. The first house on the property was a log cabin built by John Culbert when he settled on the land in 1840 after leaving Ireland with his wife, Mary Ward and their children.

Happy New Year!

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."

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?