Effie Culbert's Summer Kitchen

Remember the photo of Mel Culbert pretending to chop off the head of his little brother, Earl Culbert? (click here if you missed it.)

Here's another shot, probably from that same day at Poplar Farm near Lucan, Ontario. However, this time there's no threat of decapitation . . .

Earl Culbert (left) with his big brother Milward "Mel" Culbert and the family dog, standing at the back of the house at Poplar Farm located on Lot 19, Concession 2 (The Coursey Line) in Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario, Canada. Photo probably taken in the late 1930s. Click on photo to enlarge it.

I asked my siblings, Terry Culbert and Dana (Culbert) Garrett if they knew the purpose of that old wooden building attached to the back of the house. They told me it was Effie Culbert's summer kitchen. 

Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert, the wife of Myron Culbert, was the mother of the above-pictured Mel and Earl, along with four other sons: Cliff, Ken, Ivan, and Mert. 

Myron Culbert and Effie Taylor on their wedding day, 14 June 1911. Much cooking and cleaning and mending lay in store for our Effie.

It was here in her summer kitchen that Effie prepared the harvest from their abundance of fruits and vegetables. Effie canned, pickled and preserved their home-grown bounty. Not only was there enough produce to feed their large family, they also sold some of their produce at the Covent Garden Market in London, Ontario; a journey of over 20 miles (32 km) from their home.

See the pump on the right hand side of the summer kitchen photo? That pump was connected to an underground well, and it was the Culbert family's source of water for drinking, cooking and bathing. Like other farmers in the area, Myron and Effie didn't have indoor plumbing and running water so they had to go outdoors to the pump for all their water needs.

The water pump at Poplar Farm. Pumps, made of cast iron, drew the water up through an underground well. You had to push up and down on the long handle for the water to come out the spout.

Off that cement deck, Effie chopped the heads off the various fowl that she raised, such as chickens and turkeys. She plucked and prepared them for supper. This was many decades before anyone in our family became a vegan. Meat was the meal of choice for farm families at that time.

Effie's turkeys. You can see the summer kitchen in the background, attached to the house.

Effie would have spent many hours in her summer kitchen. Her work never ended. 

I've been reading Effie's diaries which include entries from 1931 through to her death in 1957. She made note of what she cooked, baked and/or canned, pickled or preserved on any given day, and listed her daily household chores. I've randomly chosen some entries from July 1939.

Effie's diary entry for July 11, 1939:

Earl and I went to the bush and got 3 quarts of blackberries. Merton picked cherries and I did 8 quarts.

The next day:

The boys and I picked 4 pails of peas. I canned some and done the ironing. 

A sampling of other July entries include:

I made pies and biscuits and cherry jam. 

I got up at 4:00 a.m. and churned butter and cleaned up the front part. I did 3 quarts of berries.

Merton and I did all the milking.

We went to church twice.

I ironed and made gooseberry and raspberry jam.

We threshed the wheat. I had 11 men for supper. I made the first apple pies.

I made chokecherry jam and jelly and mended a pair of pants for Cliff.

I cleaned up the upstairs and canned peas. 

I am trying to feed three little pigs. I washed and got some ironing done.

The above were just some of things she did during the course of any particular day that month.

Raising a family of six boys on a farm was a thankless and endless series of chores. Occasionally at the end of the day, Effie made time to listen to the radio. This seems to have been her only form of relaxation although I'm sure she had her hands busy mending at the same time as she was listening. 

Here's to Effie Culbert and her summer kitchen!

Portrait of the Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall Family of Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario

This photo of the Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family was taken about 1895 allthough there is no date on the back...

The Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family of Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario, Canada. Back row left to right: Myron Manford Culbert and Hulda May Culbert. Middle row left to right: G. Arthur Culbert, Jane (Fairhall) Culbert, Lela Susan Culbert, and Richard Culbert. Front row left to right: Ethel Gertrude Culbert and Mary Elsie Culbert. This photo was taken in a photographic studio in Exeter, Ontario. 

Previously, the only photo we'd seen of the members of this family all together was taken much later, as seen here in 1927 ...

The Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family, 1927. Back row, left to right: Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen, Myron Manford Culbert, Lela Susan (Culbert) Beadle, G. Arthur Culbert, and Mary Elsie (Culbert) Hodgson. Front row, left to right: Jane Eleanor (Fairhall) Culbert, Richard Culbert, and Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras. Photo by Samuel Askin of Stratford, Ontario.

If you read my earlier post about Richard Culbert, you know that he was the youngest son of John Culbert and Mary Ward of Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario, Canada. I also wrote about Richard's wife, Jane Eleanor Fairhall, here.

It was Richard Culbert who took over the family farm when his father, John Culbert died in 1887. At that point, Richard and Jane and their children had been living in a log house at Lot 19, Concession 2 (the Coursey Line) in Biddulph Township, along with other family members. I'm sure that Richard and Jane must have longed for a larger house. By 1900, Richard had built a new brick house, and christened the property "Poplar Farm." The photo below shows the new brick house ...

Poplar Farm at Lot 19, Concession 2 in Biddulph Township on the Coursey Line near Lucan, Ontario. Home of the Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family.

 

Richard Culbert and Jane Fairhall had seven children, six of whom lived to adulthood. Richard and Jane's children are listed as follows. You can click on the highlighted links for those children with biographies.

Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen (1881-1972)

George Arthur Culbert (1882-1978)

Myron Manford Culbert (1884-1961)

Ethel Gertrude (Culbert) Gras (1886-1986)

Mary Elsie (Culbert) Hodgson (1888-1988)

Lela Susan (Culbert) Beadle (1890-1992)

Richard Edwin Culbert (1896-1896. Infant death).

When Richard and Jane Culbert retired to a small house in Lucan, their son Myron took over Poplar Farm. Myron Culbert married Effie Pearl Taylor (1886-1957). Effie Taylor's family lived in Usborne Township near Exeter, Ontario.

The photo below shows Effie Taylor with her parents and siblings circa 1899 or earlier...

The William Taylor - Mary Elizabeth Bennett Family of Usborne Township. Back row, left to right: Addie Taylor, Martha Metta Taylor, Hector Taylor, and Mary Elizabeth Taylor. Front row, left to right: William Taylor, Effie Pearl Taylor (future wife of Myron Culbert), and Mary Elizabeth (Bennett) Taylor.

Acknowledgements: Two of the photos you see in this post are new to the blog; the first photo at the top showing the Richard Culbert - Jane Fairhall family c1895, and the last photo showing the William Taylor - Mary Elizabeth Bennett family. Thank you to my aunt Muriel (Hardy) Culbert for safekeeping these photos for many years. The photos are much larger than they appear here, and they are behind glass with frames. Thank you to my sister, Dana Elizabeth (Culbert) Garrett for suggesting that photos be taken of the large, framed photos in order to share them with you on the Culbert Family History blog. Thank you to my brother, Terrence Patrick "Terry" Culbert for taking photos of those big framed photographs. And thank you to Muriel's son, Tim Culbert for inviting Terry and Dana into his home to take the photos. A successful family project, all round.

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).

Molasses Mischief

Today's Poplar Farm story comes to us from Terrence Patrick "Terry" Culbert who grew up in Lucan, Ontario, Canada. Terry, son of Mel Culbert and Mary Patrick, is the great-great-grandson of John Culbert and Mary Ward.

Terry with his father, Mel Culbert at Poplar Farm, 1944.

This story concerns the six sons of Myron Manford Culbert and Effie Pearl Taylor at Poplar Farm on the Coursey Road near Lucan.

Five of the six sons of Myron Manford Culbert and Effie Pearl Taylor, circa 1927. Left to right: Mel, Ken, Cliff, Ivan, and baby Mert. Missing is their brother, Earl who wasn't born until 1929.

Take it away, Terry!...

It was told to me many years ago that our wee father [Mel] and his five brothers [Cliff, Ken, Ivan, Mert and Earl] would raid Effie Pearl's pantry just off the kitchen and steal soda biscuits whenever they were made aware that a new barrel of molasses had been delivered to Myron and Effie's barn.

The barn at Poplar Farm. Photo from the collection of Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen, courtesy of her granddaughter, Wendy (Gowland) Boole.

 

Now Myron and Effie, parents of those six naughty boys, had a herd of dairy cattle and a few pigs. The molasses was used primarily for the iron within, to be mixed with the cattle feed. The six brothers knew that the rich, fantastic taste from the new barrel was to be had as soon as the lid was removed. As days passed and scoops were inserted into the barrel, cow dung would get into that glorious liquid, and by all accounts would probably taste like shite and give them all the "green apple scoots."

My father introduced me to molasses as a very young child and as I
approach the ripe young age of 80, I still absolutely love it. In our
Prince Edward County pantry this very day, Barb and I have a 675g
container of Crosby's Fancy Molasses, no preservatives, gluten-free from St. John, New Brunswick.

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!

Effie Culbert's Buttermilk Jug

 In an earlier post, I asked readers of the Culbert Family History blog to submit photos of an item that has been passed down to them from a previous generation.

Phillip Myron “Phil” Culbert of Vernon, British Columbia sent these photos of his grandmother Culbert’s buttermilk jug.

Phil’s grandmother was Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert of Lucan, Ontario, Canada; the wife of Myron Manford Culbert, and mother of six boys including Phil’s father, Ivan Hector Culbert.

Phil's grandparents, Effie and Myron Culbert in their home on Alice Street (at the corner of the Saintsbury Line) in Lucan, Ontario. They moved there from Poplar Farm in their retirement years.

Here’s what Phil says about the jug:

Whenever we visited Grandpa and Grandma (Myron and Effie Culbert) in Lucan in the 1950’s, the first thing my Dad (Ivan) would do is open the refrigerator. Dad would pour a big glass of homemade buttermilk from Grandma’s special jug. 

When Grandpa Culbert passed away in 1961, this was the one item that my Dad wanted, as it was very special to him as a reminder of his mother. In later years, Dad gave the jug to me. I've had it for over 50 years now as I brought it with me when I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia from London, Ontario in 1971.

The jug looks like it was hand-painted as you can see the brush strokes. On the bottom, it has a stamp showing that it was made in Germany, and it shows the initials of the manufacturer.

There used to be a lid for it however it has since been lost to time.

Note from the blog author: If anyone else would like to submit a photo of an heirloom that's been passed down to them, please contact me at this email address:

Merry Christmas!

 100 years ago, Myron and Effie Culbert lived through the Spanish Flu pandemic...

May your Christmas and New Year be COVID-free.

Effie (Taylor) Culbert, Rebecca (Crawley) Brock, and Unidentified Woman

 Does anyone recognize the woman on the far right of this photo? 

The woman on the far left is Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert (1886-1957). Effie was the wife of Myron Manford Culbert (1884-1961) who was the son of Richard Culbert and Jane Eleanor Fairhall. Effie and Myron and their six sons lived at Poplar Farm in Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario, Canada.

The woman in the centre is Rebecca (Crawley) Brock (1860-1933). Rebecca, her husband, William Heber Brock and their four sons lived in Lobo Township, Ontario. Rebecca was the daughter of Susan Culbert and Philip Crawley of Biddulph Township.

Here's a closer look..

If you recognize the woman on the far right, please contact Mary Jane Culbert at this email address...

Thanks to Lorne Floyd Brock of Wallaceburg, Ontario for sending this photo to me. Lorne is the great-grandson of Rebecca (Crawley) Brock (the woman in the centre of the photo), and he is the 3xgreat-grandson of our ancestors, John Culbert and Mary Ward of Biddulph Township.

Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert's Grandparents

This blog post will be of interest only to the descendants of Myron Manford Culbert and his wife, Effie Pearl Taylor.

Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert (1886-1957)

If you're a descendant of Myron Manford Culbert and Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert, click here to read about Effie's grandparents, John Taylor and Margaret Jane Mason.
 

Effie (Taylor) Culbert's grandparents, John Taylor and Margaret Jane Mason.

If you are Effie's grandchild, then John Taylor & Margaret Jane Mason are your 2xgreat-grandparents.

If you are Effie's great-grandchild, then John Taylor & Margaret Jane Mason are your 3xgreat-grandparents. And so on.