BORN: Nov. 17, 1905, Northfredericksburgh Township, Lennox and Addington County, Ontario, Canada DIED: January 9, 1975, Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada SPOUSE: Edith Berry, born Oct. 8, 1911, Swansea, Ontario Edwin James Barrett, second son and fourth child of Harry Ernest Barrett and Florence Arminell Barrett, was born on Nov. 17, 1905 in the township of North Fredericksburgh, Lennox and Addington County in the Province of Ontario. He was the first Canadian born of the Barrett family. Ed’s mother wished him to be named Edward after her brother, but when he was registered by his father, Edwin became his name. Perhaps he was named Edwin due to an oversight, however, Harry had an older brother Edwin and the name Edwin probably intentionally or unintentionally stuck in his mind more than Edward. Ed’s second name, James, is after Florence’s other brother, Walter James Pratt. The house where Ed was born was situated a few hundred yards east of the Chambers’ farm along Big Creek. It was a two storey house owned by Mr. Tom Close who owned the water-powered grist mill on Big Creek. The family occupied the house as Ed’s father operated the mill belonging to Mr. Close. 1907 - In 1907 when Ed was about 2 years old, the family moved to Marlbank in Hastings County. Ed’s father was employed at a nearby saw and grist mill owned by a Mr. Tom Hughes. The mill was powered by a mill race constructed to divert the water of a creek which ran through the village. 1907 - Edwin James Barrett was christened at Marlbank Methodist Church on August 11, 1907 by Soford F. Dixon. The christening certificate gives no indication of denomination of the church. 1908 - While the family lived in Marlbank, Ed’s younger sister, Elsie Florence Barrett, was born on May 12, 1908. The Barretts moved into a newly built house on the west side of Marlbank adjacent to the mill that Harry was operating. It was while the family lived at Marlbank that Eddy, as he was called, got new braces, (suspenders). He would pull them out from his chest and let them slap back against his body saying something to the effect “bought them at Joe Mellick's - cost 10 cents”. At this time in his life he had long curls which hung down to his shoulders. He also wore dresses which was common for boys and girls at the time. In his later life he often referred to that as the time when he “was a girl”. Eddy, when he was a small child, could not pronounce the letter “s”. At one time he was playing in the snow and was asked what he was doing. He replied that he was “building a tow (snow) house under the toop (stoop)”. 1910 - In April 1910 the Barrett family moved to Port Colborne and took up residence in a large brick house on King Street near the intersection of King and Killaly Streets. The house was on the east side of King Street, with the Welland canal about 300 yards behind the house. This would have been Eddy's first association with the canal which affected his life in many ways, as it did the other residents of the town. The canal, not only a place for ships to pass, it was a place for exploring, swimming, watching the ships and playing. 1910 - As Eddy would have been 5 years old in 1910, he started school attending a large two-storey wooden frame school house on Clarence Street, about a mile away from home. The school later became the town hall for Port Colborne and in recent years has been demolished. 1911 - The 1911 census for Humberstone lists the family as follows: Harry Ernest Barrett , age 40, male, married, born 1871c, in England, head Florence Barrett, age 38 Harriet Remnant, age 77 (Harry’s mother) Frieda Barrett, age 17 Samuel T. Barrett, age 15 Winifred Barrett, age 12 Edwin J. Barrett, age 5 Elsie Barrett, age 3 Automobiles were few and far between in those days. Eddy remembered the first automobile in Port Colborne. It was owned by a Mr. Neff. As the roads were not paved and the car made a lot of noise, it could be heard approaching for a great distance. In fact it could be heard bumping over the Grand Trunk railway crossing in downtown Port, about a half mile away. There was no mistake as to who or what was coming, as it was the only automobile in the town for some time. The Central Methodist Church stood only a few minutes away on the corner of King and Killaly Streets. Eddy related a Sunday School experience when a friend crawled under the class tables circling the room during prayer time calling out "P-I-G hog, H-0-G pig”. Eddy skipped Sunday School, at least once, when he fell into the Port Colborne bay off a raft he and his chums built. When the Maple Leaf Mill and Government elevators were built off-shore in Gravelly Bay (Port Colborne Harbour), the man-made isthmus leading out to the mills was filled in only under the railway tracks leaving a large pond of water between them. It was in this pond that the boys floated their raft acting like Tom Sawyers and Huck Finns. Eddy was wearing a relatively new suit of clothes when he fell into the water. Needless to say, the condition of his clothes gave him away when he arrived home as they were not only wrinkled, but they had shrunk considerably. It was while living on King Street that Eddy learned to respect dogs, perhaps in a fearful way. Mr. John Rawlins, who lived in the next house-but-one had a very large friendly collie type dog. When Eddy went by the house the big dog would bound out to see him and lick Eddy’s face to show his affection. It wasn’t an act of affection for little Eddy as he was terrified by the big dog. Eddy's fearful respect of dogs stayed with him throughout his life, but not enough to deter his love for his children's pets in later years. When Eddy was eight years of age, the family moved to a newly built frame house on Omer Avenue. His father, having been laid off from work, procured a loan and a lot on Omer Avenue and built his family a new home complete with electric wiring even though electricity could not be extended to the house for a year or so. The house was practically out in open country as there was only one other house on the street west of Elm Street. Eddy often remarked that there were no houses between their house and the Bender’s house. He would run bare foot all summer and would have paths worn through the open fields running the shortest distances to wherever he wanted to go, whether it was to school, to the canal bank where he and his friends played often, or whether it was to the Bender’s house. Once he told of his mother baking a loaf of bread so tough that they couldn’t eat it so it got thrown into the pig pen but it was even too tough for the pigs to eat. It remained untouched in the pig pen until it was thrown out with the litter. Eddy and his friends would collect wooden packing cases from behind the stores on Main Street and from them build huts and forts down by the canal bank and near home. Naturally the canal was his swimming hole. He spoke often of the great times at Omer Avenue when Freda and her family, Fred Truman and his family would come over from Buffalo for a family Sunday picnic. 1917 - On January 22nd, 1917, Eddy’s Grandma Remnant, nee Harriet Winton, died at the Omer Avenue home. After her death, Eddy could have her bedroom. It was the first time he had a bedroom of his own and he remembered that it was kept warm in the winter as the stovepipe from the kitchen below passed through it then through the roof to the outside. Eddy went to school in Humberstone and at first had to attend school at the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Parish Hall, referred to by him as the little German School, while an addition was being built on the town school on Elm Street. Charlie Croad, Freda’s husband helped with the construction of the school addition in 1917. Ed and Elsie both attended the school on Elm Street. 1919 - A school register with Mr. Norman Box as teacher shows Eddy attending Senior 4th from Sept. 1919 to June 1920 in Room 6. Through the years at Omer Avenue, Eddy worked in his father’s garden and helped with the chickens and the pigs. In almost a rural setting such as it was, Eddy would have many chores to help with. In the years when he was between 10 and 15 years of age, he was the only boy around the house as his brother, Sam, was overseas in the Canadian Army during World War I. Sam was Eddy’s idol, and naturally so. Sam was 9 years older than Eddy and there were times for the two of them to go fishing, to pick huckle berries in the Wainfleet marsh or to pick wild pears. When Eddy was in his late teens, he had a job with Wally Chambers who had an ice-cream factory north of the village on Elm Street. Eddy would work around the factory as well as deliver the ice-cream using a horse-drawn democrat wagon. His deliveries took him as far south as the lakeshore delivering ice-cream to Solid Comfort, a resort on what is now Tennessee Avenue, Port Colborne. The N.S.&T. streetcar ran along Elm Street and as a boy he would often race the streetcar with the delivery horse and the democrat wagon. One instance he was standing on the top of the seat of the democrat picking fruit when something scared the horse. The horse bolted and Eddy went flying onto the ground. 1919 - Eddy’s dad had a heart attack and had to quit his job at the Maple Leaf Mill. The family took up camping at Sugar Loaf Hill during the summer to give their father time to rest and recouperate. 1920 - The family sold the house on Omer Avenue and moved to Toronto to operate a fresh fruit store at 400 Yonge Street. 1921 - The 1921 census for Ward 3, Toronto shows Harry and the family living at 400 Yonge Street. Harry is listed as a merchant, year of immigration as 1901, racial origin: English, male, age 50, born abt 1871 and head of the house. The family was listed as follows: Harry Ernest Barrett, age 50 Florence Barrett, age 48 Samuel Thomas Barrett, age 25 Edwin James Barrett, age 15, a student Elsie Florence Barrett, age 13 Eddy continued his education as a student at Normal Model School in Toronto. After school and on Saturdays, Eddy delivered fruit on his bicycle for his father. Naturally, he soon learned his way around downtown Toronto, as daily he delivered baskets of fruit to homes, stores and hospitals. Ed worked in the store as well as packing fruit, making nut filled dates, folding candy boxes and many other chores around the store. Once Ed was cleaning out the basement of the store, which had a mud floor, and he unknowingly cornered a sewer rat. Fortunately, he saw it in time, and something told him to duck, because the rat flew at him and since he ducked the rat took off his hat rather than hitting him in the throat. Ed was very active in school sports including football and he was always a good student even though when he started at Normal Model School in the middle of a school year, he was way behind the other students. One summer the family bought a tent and went to Scarborough for the summer months even before school ended. Ed and Elsie rode their bicycles the six miles to and from school. It was here that Eddy learned to canoe. Eddy stayed in Toronto to help his brother Sam when the rest of the family went to Humberstone to visit Winnie and Oscar, as they recently sold the fruit store. Sam had started a business supplying nut-filled dates to fruit stores in Toronto. 1922 - It was while the family was visiting in Humberstone that Harry suffered a fatal heart attack. He died on July 9, 1922 at the home of his daughter Winnifred Bender and her husband Oscar Bender at 254 Main Street, Humberstone. Harry was buried on July 11, 1922 at Overholt Cemetery, Bethel, Humberstone Township, cemetery Lot 27, Row 11. Harry was 51 years, 1 month and 11 days old. After the funeral of his father, Eddy, his mother, and sister Elsie took up residence in an apartment on Dupont Street in Toronto. However, it wasn’t long before they moved back to Humberstone, as Eddy’s mother was in poor health. The family moved into one of Wally Chamber’s apartments on Elm Street at the foot of Omer Avenue. 1923 – The Union Sunday School, Killaly Street East, Port Colborne came into being and Ed became the leader of the congregation. He was appointed Superintendant and the work carried on under his leadership until 1950. Ed then became employed at the Maple Leaf Milling Company in Port Colborne as a laboratory assistant. His job was to test the flour samples as they came off the mill, ensuring that they measured up to the standards. He became a good bread baker, as one of the flour tests involved the baking of bread from each run of flour off the mill. He also was involved with the testing of “Tea-bisk”, a biscuit mix, when it was being developed for the retail market. “Tea-bisk” was one of the first packaged prepared mixes available to consumers through retail stores. For many years Ed often spoke fondly of his exploits at the mill as it would seem that he enjoyed the time he spent there. Being his first job it probably stuck in his mind more vividly than others, as, like most people, it was the first big change in his life after years at school. The mill and the Government Elevator seemed to always be a paramount place in Ed’s memory, perhaps because of his close affinity for the canal and boats. During his childhood the canal bank at Humberstone had been one of his playgrounds where he became very familiar with the sail and steamboats which passed by. Dreams of ecstasy upon the high seas no doubt dominated his mind as he played within the sound and sight of the waterway. The close association of ships with the mill and elevator again would have rekindled the romance and intrigue of ships and sailing in a young man’s heart. He often related his admiration of the skill of the lake captains in guiding the bulky grainboats into the dock without the aid of an intercom, or a loud speaker, using only the ship’s whistle to communicate with his crew. During a slack period at the mill, Ed took a trip on a canaller, the “Ben Maple”. The ship took him down the Welland Canal, which at that time had 27 locks between Port Colborne on Lake Erie and Port Weller on Lake Ontario. Perhaps when passing his boyhood canalbank playground at Humberstone, a lump grew in his throat as the memories of bygone days flashed into his mind. The fascination of locking 27 times, sailing the length of Lake Ontario and down the St. Lawrence River to Montreal remained keenly fixed in his mind throughout his life. The canal, the locks, and ships were a life-long fascination for Ed as confirmed by the fact that he kept every newspaper article printed about them. Later in life the itinerary for every visitor he conducted around his hometown included the canal, its locks and tunnels. Sorting through the things that a man keeps, be they ever so invaluable, perhaps tells of a man’s inner self. Ed’s love of the canal and all its appurtenances created within him one of those strong threads of joy and admiration that seem to form the warp of a man’s life as the weave of responsibility threads its way, forming the tapestry of a life. Ed’s sister Elsie attended Port Colborne High School from 1922 to 1924 and then she took on employment until 1926 when she entered the Ontario Hospital in London to train as a nurse. 1926 - It was during this time that Ed and his mother lived in a little house on Helen Street and Ed became involved with the Union Sunday School on Killaly Street East, the All Peoples Mission on Fraser Street as well as his own church, the Central Methodist Church at King and Killaly Street West. The Union Sunday School was a small, more or less undenominational Sunday School on the east side of the canal where there were no churches, other than the All Peoples Mission, to serve the community. Ed became the Superintendent of the Sunday School which was held on Sunday afternoons with a “Sunday Evening Hour” at night. Young people of all faiths, including Roman Catholic adherents, attended this meeting place as there were no churches of their own denomination at that part of the town. In fact, many of the young people were from families of European background who, at that time, spoke very little English and whose parents had immigrated to Canada to become employed at the International Nickel Company. The building used as Sunday School had been a change house used by employees of the Nickel Plant during its construction. The Nickel Plant gave the building, which was moved to its location on Killaly Street, for the use as a Sunday School. Ed was also involved with Sunday School teaching at the All People’s Mission, a mission of the then Methodist Church. As well, Ed conducted boys’ midweek meetings, known as Trail Rangers and Tuxis at the Union Sunday School and at the All People’s Mission. During this time, Edith Berry, who later became Mrs. Ed Barrett, conducted C.G.I.T. meetings for the girls at the All People’s Mission. A Sunday for Ed consisted of teaching a Sunday School class at the Central Methodist Church and one at the All People’s Mission during the morning, conducting Sunday School at the Union Sunday School in the afternoon and leading the “Evening Hour” service for children and adults in the evening. Walking and bicycling were his main modes of transportation between these activities each Sunday. On his two mile walk to and from the Union Sunday School he used the Clarence Street lift bridge to cross the canal. In the summer time he probably was somewhat happy when he had to wait for the bridge as it would give him a chance to see one of those big ships move majestically, almost effortlessly under the bridge. The thick black smoke billowing from the stack would be the only effort the ship would appear to make except for the flop and the slosh of the propeller blades as they thrashed the water at the stern if the ship was not loaded. The fresh lake air would follow the ship in through the harbour as did the large white seagulls. The scene was rather peaceful except for the squawking birds and the incessant ding, ding, of the bell on the red wig-wag as it oscillated from side to side warning pedestrians and motorists that the bridge was up. In the winter as the ships lay frozen to their berths by a floor of thick ice, the cold steel bridge stood ominously waiting for the next sailing season. The bridge crossing was now hurried, unromantic - a necessity rather than a pleasure as the icy lake wind pressed one to hurry to escape its chill cheek cutting sharpness. Although bundled up, as one scurried across the bridge, never a look went upward, lest the resulting space between one’s scarf and coat opened, exposing one’s neck to the chill of the wind. Especially at night the crunch of the snow mat underfoot, the slap and clap of the wind whipped steel cables against each other as they hung from the almost invisible cold black steel towers backgrounded by a black cloud-filled sky, and the whirr of the wind itself squeezing between the girders and beams of the bridge’s superstructure made one anxious to pass. The lea of the buildings bordering the canal created a relaxing, hushed, warming escape from the penetrating cold. 1927 - It was at this stage of his life and with the encouragement of his minister, Rev. Moyer, that Ed decided to return to school to complete his education, which had been interrupted by his father’s early death, and eventually to enter the ministry. He was under the impression, mainly from his minister, that the congregation of his church would assist him with his expenses. He entered Albert College, 160 Dundas Street West, Belleville, Ontario in 1927, a boys’ school operated by the Methodist and later the United Church, where he spent one year furthering his education. He is listed in the 1927-28 class list at Albert College. When at Albert College, he was chosen, by the students, to carry a wreath of Magnolias to place on the Honour Roll at the front of the chapel during the Remembrance Day Service. Edwin was also an Associate Editor for the school yearbook, “Alibi”. He wrote a story, entitled “The Riot” which was included in the same year in the “Alibi”. At Albert College, Ed was able to complete his high school education as well as earn some credits of university level. During his time at the college, as his funds were not plentiful, he took on extra duties to help pay for his keep. One such task was getting up every morning at 5 a.m. to stoke up and attend the coal fired boilers which heated the school. Even though he was a little older than most of the boys at the school, he joined in the many activities as well as maintaining a high degree of educational proficiency. Not being able to complete his education, due to financial reasons, Ed returned to Port Colborne, re-continued his church activities, lived with and supported his mother and became employed at the National Harbour’s Board Elevator. During the next few years, Ed bought a house at 28 Fielden Avenue, coached the first boys’ hockey team in Port Colborne sponsored by the Port Colborne Lions Club and courted and married Edith Berry. Edith was born on Oct. 8, 1911 at Swansea, Ontario. She was the eldest child of Dan and Hilda Berry. The Berry family originated in Lancashire, England and emigrated to Canada in the early nineteen hundreds. Edith’s father had been a plasterer in Lancashire and came to Canada in 1907 to seek employment. His wife, the former Hilda Chadwick, emigrated to Canada in 1909 for the purpose of becoming Dan’s life partner. They married, 2 days after Hilda’s arrival in Toronto and lived in Swansea where they were actively engaged in their church of which they were Charter members, and built a home on Windermere Avenue. Edith had a sister, Mattie (Martha Hilda Berry -born April 28, 1914), a brother Walt (Walter Earl Berry - born Feb. 14, 1918) and a second brother (Ernest Chadwick Berry - born June 18, 1921). With their parents, they moved to Port Colborne in 1926 where their father had gone to seek better employment opportunities. As they attended the same church as the Barretts, it was inevitable that Edith would become acquainted with Ed. 1929 - After their marriage, in 1929, they set up home in a modest little bungalow at 28 Fielden Avenue, Port Colborne. The house was situated in a well developed, residential area, about 5 houses from Lakeside Park, bordering Sugarloaf Street. The house was of frame construction covered with stucco. The living quarters consisted of a living room, a kitchen, dining room, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. The house had a full basement and a coal fired pipeless furnace. There was a verandah on the front of the house and a small stoop at the back. The house faced eastward and was situated on a small lot not wide enough for a driveway, even though one was not needed as there was no garage on the property. The house, from the outside, appears exactly the same today (1980) as it did 50 years ago, except the wooden handrail on the front steps has been replaced with iron. The house at 28 Fielden provided a very comfortable home for Ed & Edith. 1930 - In April of 1930, as their first child was about to be born, Edith moved temporarily into her parents’ home at 351 Clarence Street. On April 9th, at 1 a.m., Edith gave birth to a 7 lb., 6 oz. baby boy in her parents’ second floor bedroom in their home. Dr. Harold Workman, a well loved family doctor, assisted by Mrs. Wilfred (Alice) Johns, a neighbour and practical nurse, brought the child into the world. The baby was named Dan Ernest after his two grandfathers, Dan Berry and Harry Ernest Barrett. Soon after the birth, Ed, Edith and Dan moved back to their home on Fielden Avenue. The baby slept in a small wooden crib which had been made by Mr. Emanuel (Manny) Morton, a close friend of the Berry family in Swansea. The crib had been made for Edith when she was a baby and had been used previously for Edith, Martha, Walter and Ernest Berry. On May 18, 1930, Dan was christened by Rev. H.L. Merner at the Central United Church on Delhi Street. 1933 - While the family was living at this house, a second child was born. Lois Edith Barrett was born at the Welland County Hospital on Nov. 1, 1933. Lois was named after a small silver broach which Ed found only a few days before she was born, and after her mother, Edith. Lois also slept in the same wooden crib as tradition had to be maintained. In fact, that very crib has been used for Hilda and for 2 succeeding generations of Barrett descendants. During the depression years of the 1930’s family finances were rather strained. As a result, Ed and Edith rented out their little home and moved in with Edith’s parents to ease the financial circumstances. It was hoped that the rent from the Fielden Avenue home would cover its mortgage and eventually the family would return to it once again. However, they lost the home, as the family renting the house could not keep up the rent payments. Even though Ed had been laid off from his job as a machinist at the International Nickel Company, he was fortunate in acquiring a part-time job at the Maple Leaf Mill, where he had worked previously. When living with Edith’s parents, the house at 351 Clarence Street was occupied by Edith’s parents, her two brothers, Ed, Edith, and Dan. Edith’s father had no work as he was a painting and decorating contractor, and at that time no one could hire a decorator due to the depression. The two brothers, Walt and Ernest, attended High School and had paper routes which helped out financially. Ed was the only one employed, bringing in a regular pay cheque even though it was very little. The family would always have a garden and a few chickens in the back yard. Even though times were difficult financially, families stuck together and pulled through the depressed times. 1934 - Ed and Edith moved their small family to a house at 755 King Street, Humberstone in August l934. King Street was then, as it is now, one of the main north-south arteries of Port Colborne. At that time it linked the Main Street commercial area of the village of Humberstone on the north with the commercial section of Port Colborne at the south, then extending southward to the Maple Leaf Mill and the Government Elevators on the shore of Lake Erie. 755 King Street was a large two-storied frame house. It had a verandah across the front of the house which extended half-way back on both sides to entrances on the north and south sides of the house. The upper floor of the house was occupied by the owners, Mr. & Mrs. Ed Schisler, who had a small black and white dog. The Barretts rented the lower floor of the house which consisted of a large kitchen with a pantry off to the south which led to a basement, a large living room, three bedrooms, a bathroom and a back shed attached to the house. The house was on a corner lot, facing west onto King Street with George Street on the north. The large front and side lawn was bordered by a sidewalk and a row of large sugar maple trees extending across the front of the lot and along the north side. The Schislers, who lived upstairs, used the back lot as a vegetable garden. Behind the vegetable garden was a concrete building which had been a bakery. To the east beyond the bakery was open ground for about 300 feet before one came to the old Welland Canal which was used as a feeder canal, bypassing Lock #8, for a water supply for the lower canal. The canal behind the King Street home was the same canal that Ed had sailed through on the “Ben Maple”. The kitchen of the house was quite large and had at least five exits. One the east side of the kitchen a door led to the back shed through which one could proceed through another door to get to the backyard. On the south side were two doors, one leading to a pantry and the other to a bathroom. From the north side of the kitchen, a door opened to the outside onto an uncovered verandah which gave access to the side lawn. From the kitchen, a doorway on the west side led to the living room which had a large bay window looking out on the lawn and side yard on the north side of the house. Off of the living room were entrances to the three bedrooms, one of which (the one to the front of the house), was a large room which at one time was probably the front parlour of the home. It was while living at this house that Edith gave birth to her third child, Hilda Florence Barrett, who was born in the front bedroom of the house on Oct. 30, 1934. Dr. Workman, who had previously delivered Dan and Lois was called to the house, but time was not available to transport Edith to the Welland Hospital, as Hilda was well on her way. The doctor was assisted by Edith’s mother. Hilda was named after her two grandmothers, Hilda Berry and Florence Arminell Barrett. She weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. at birth. One Christmas Eve, Ed brought home his pay which amounted to $11.00, whereupon Edith went to the shopping district to purchase food and gifts for their Christmas. Fortunately, Ed was able to make some toys for their children, and along with gifts from Edith’s parents, the children always had a good Christmas. One such toy which Ed made was a miniature metal browning hoist crane which is still in existence today. 1935 - Soon after Dan started to school in 1935, the family moved to a stucco bungalow at 558 Steele Street. The location of this house was on the western outskirts of the town, providing much open space. Across the road was an open field which extended for almost a quarter of a mile eastward and about half mile to the north, except for a few houses on Helen Street and some to the northern extremity of the field on McCain Street. To the south and east was a woodlot which was known as Mrs. Kilmer’s bush. There were houses on both sides of 558 Steele Street with an empty lot between it and the closest house to the south. Behind the house, to the west, was undeveloped except for a few houses on Knoll Street. Immediately to the west was a scrub bush, then some semi-open land which had been farmed years previously, then on to more bush. The surroundings were very condusive for the growth of a young boy, as it afforded many outlets for creativity and wild imagination. The house was situated on a good sized lot, including a driveway, a garage, a garden and much grass which had to be mowed with a hand pushed lawnmower. As mentioned, the house was a bungalow and was divided in half from front to back by a long hallway which joined the front door to the back door. To the south of the hallway was the kitchen and living room - dining room. On the north of the hallway were three bedrooms and the bathroom. The front verandah was a closed in sun porch and the back verandah, which appeared like an uncovered ship’s bridge, extended right across the back of the house. 1937 – Ed began conducting evening services at the Union Sunday School. 1940 – A voters list showed Edwin Barrett, Nickel (employed at INCO), living at 555 Steel Street, Port Colborne and Mrs. Edith Barrett at the same address. Around 1940, Ira Barnhardt, a local contractor, assisted Ed and Edith in designing a house which was soon to be built. The design of the house started out as a New England Colonial type house, but deletion after deletion was made until the cost of the house was within their grasp. The contract was signed so that Ed could reduce the cost of the house by doing some of the secondary work on his own. Edith’s father, Dan Berry, was to do all the glazing of the windows and the painting of the house. The basement excavation was dug by pick and shovel by Ed, members of the family, and a few men and boys of the neighbourhood. The soil was red clay and the excavation went down exactly three feet to a smooth layer of solid rock. The rock was almost perfectly level with a slight slope to one side. The rock surface was rippled like the sand under the water of a shallow, calm beach. The windows of the house were painted and glazed by Edith’s father, Dan Berry, at 558 Steele Street. They were carried across the field one night, one or two at a time, to the new house by Ed & Edith. Edith’s brother, Ernest, had the job of dipping the cedar shingles in red shingle stain contained in a metal baby bathtub in the neighbour’s garage. On January 23, 1941, on Dan Berry’s birthday, the family moved into the new house, even though the outside stucco finish had not been applied. Edith’s father’s 1936 Ford, a half-ton truck, was used for the moving van, making several trips from 558 Steele Street to 85 McCain Street. The first occupant of the house was Edith’s mother, Hilda Berry, who was brought to the house to convalesce after having an operation at the hospital. This new house had a living room, dining room, kitchen, and one bedroom on the main floor. Upstairs were two more bedrooms and a bathroom. The house had a full basement with a coal burning furnace. The stucco exterior of the house was completed the following spring and the landscaping was done by the family. The foundations for the sidewalks and the driveway were dug to the solid rock, and then filled with large stone. The lawns were dressed with a load of topsoil and seeded. Evergreen trees and two hard maple trees were dug from the bush west of Steele Street and transplanted to the front yard of the house. The McCain Street house was close to Vimy School where the three children started to school. As Vimy School had only four rooms with six grades, the three children attended grades 7 and 8 at the Elm Street School where Ed had previously attended. Through these years, Ed maintained his active life with the Union Sunday School and his church, Central United on Delhi Street. Under his direction the Union Sunday School had grown in physical dimensions as well as in spiritual realms. A large kitchen and storage room was built on the back which assisted greatly with the activities. The Sunday School session in the afternoons and the “Evening Hour” at night were attended by an active group of neighbourhood people, filling the little hall to capacity Sunday after Sunday. Even on blustery Sunday nights, the hall was filled with people as they knew Ed would be there, even though he had to walk a sometimes wet or cold two miles to get there. Once getting inside, the warmth from two large wood burning stoves welcomed and encouraged one to shed boots, winter coats, and scarf. The sometimes smoky heat, with the aroma of fresh burned wood, the dull hollow sound of chairs and human feet on the bare, soft wood floor, and the low hanging ceiling created a warm welcome for all who attended. The people assembled sat on wooden chairs meticulously placed in straight rows by their leader. Others lined the walls on a single bench which circled the hall. The silence and prayer were only interrupted by the snap and crackle of the hardwood burning in the stoves and the quiet rush of the draft through the long, black stovepipes across the ceiling. At the front, on a raised platform, two short steps above the audience, sat an orchestra of assorted ages and sexes including Edith and Dan, assorted instruments and assorted levels of musical accomplishment. The orchestra took the place of an organ, playing for all the singing, providing musical selections, solos, duets and trios, etc. both vocal and instrumental. On the one side of the stage, an old wooden table with a table cloth to cover performed its function as a pulpit. From this secondhand, scarred table, almost unfinished, due to age and use, Ed would conduct the service and give his talk. Not being a minister of the cloth, he would not call it a sermon - just his talk. Visiting speakers including Rev. Wilbur Howard, who later became the Moderator of the United Church of Canada, as well as musicians and soloists were frequent at the little hall, and many of them, having felt the spiritual warmth, returned many, many, times to be a participant with the congregation. Ed conducted a boys’ group one night a week. Others, under his direction, conducted girls’ groups, and there were always special activities such as Christmas concerts, requiring nights of preparation, strawberry suppers every spring, and, oh yes, the annual Sunday School picnic. Car loads of people, with their overflowing picnic baskets, their children and other people’s children, would travel to Humberstone Community Park or some other picnic spot on the Saturday afternoon designated for the picnic. For those who could not get into the cars, Eddy, as he was called by all, at times would procure a truck, even one of the Wallace Transport trucks, and, if a driver was not available, he himself drove the truck load of people, picnic baskets, chairs for the elderly, and tables, if necessary. The meal, of course, was the highlight of the day, followed very closely by the many fun-filled races for all ages, including wheelbarrow, potato sack and three-legged races. Needless to say, after the heat and the dust generated by the races, free pop and ice cream cones were the order of the day, and everything was in order, as Eddy, with his little black book, organized all the committees and listed all the supplies needed, so that never was there a disappointment to his flock. All the while, with this burdensome load, which to him was never a burden, he attended church and Sunday School every Sunday morning, teaching a boys’ class, walking the whole distance through good weather and bad, pulling his own children and at often times children of his neighbour’s as well. Ed conducted the boys’ work in the church, and, many years when assistance was unavailable he would conduct the Explorer, Trail Ranger and Tuxis group, one after the other, in one evening. In summer the Trail Ranger group had him for a baseball team coach and in the winter as a hockey coach. Through his connection with the boys’ groups and the Boys Work Board of Ontario, Eddy was the leading force in establishing and maintaining boys’ camps for the Niagara District. Many a night in early summer, under his organization and with a borrowed truck, a crew of volunteers travelled to the campsite where they laboured and built a boys’ camp at such places as Cedar Bay, Mohawk Point and Morgan’s Point. Then in early September, with many of the same crew, the camp was dismantled and stored away for another season. In his own church, he, with his Sunday School class, participated in Christmas Concerts and assisted with Sunday School picnics, participated in Choir Pageants and Minstrel Shows, was a member of the Men’s Club and a member of the Church Board. Often after an event when most of the people had gone home, you could find him putting chairs away, turning out the lights, checking the furnace and cleaning up, making sure the church was clean and tidy. Besides being a wonderful wife and companion for Ed and a fine mother for her three children, Edith was an active member of the church choir. Every Thursday night she would be off to choir practice, leaving Ed with the children, which was quite often his only night home during the week. When mother was out he would tell stories to his children and sing songs with them, even many times after they should have been tucked in for the night. On occasion Edith’s footsteps could be heard on the front porch returning from choir practice before the sing song was terminated. Ed only had time to turn out the light and get out of the kids’ room, so the kids could get under the covers and pretend they were asleep before mother came in and found them still awake. Of course, little girlish giggles gave everything away. Edith sang in the church choir every Sunday as an alto and her father sang tenor in the same choir. Later her son, Dan was also a member of the same choir. Edith had always been an active participator and leader in all the churches she attended. Before she was married she was a youth leader at the All People’s Mission and the Union Sunday School. Later she was very active in Central United Church in Port Colborne, Morgan’s Point United Church and later Wesley United Church in Welland. She was a choir member, a C.G.I.T. Leader, a Sunday School Teacher, a U.C.W. member and Life Member of that organization. During the war, Edith was a member of the Humberstone War Charities. It was an organization of women who collected waste paper and metal to raise money to send parcels of socks, soap, candy and treats to the boys overseas who had enlisted from Humberstone. Edith was an active member of the Women’s Organizations of the church. She was also very active in the Parent Teacher’s Association at Vimy School where her children attended. After leaving the National Harbours Board Elevator, Ed became an employee of the International Nickel Co. on January 29, 1929. He became a well respected and talented machinist. His efficiency as a machinist and his integrity as a man were well respected by members of management and his fellow workers. He was an active member of the Employees Association at Inco which proceeded his participation in the formation of the first union at that company. The first bargaining agreement was achieved after many meetings of hot, bitter debate between the management and the employee representatives. Days of court proceedings were necessary before the management would give in and recognize the union as a bargaining unit on behalf of the employees. Much bitterness had surfaced on the part of the management against the union negotiating team. Even though Eddy had been one of their adversaries throughout the campaign, the management members, after the issue had been resolved, continued to show great admiration and respect for this man. A man of respect, integrity, honesty, sincerity, and one who, through his life, showed his love for his fellowman. In the mid 1940’s, Ed’s life took on new dimensions. At this time in his life two new avenues of endeavor opened up to his inexhaustible supply of energy. Within a period of two years he was appointed Lay Minister at the Morgan’s Point United Church and Probation Officer for the Juvenile and Family Court of Welland County. On September 5, 1943, Ed conducted his first church service at Morgan’s Point United Church. The church had not had a minister for some time and services were being conducted by various ministers and lay persons who would consent to do so. Ed conducted the majority of the services for the next few months, and on February 27., 1944, he was given full responsibility of the church by Rev. George Knighton of Port Colborne. From that time forward the church at Morgan’s Point grew and flourished under Ed’s leadership. In the early days at Morgan’s Point, while he was commuting to the church Port Colborne, he did not have a car of his own. Most of the time his father-in-law, Dan Berry, drove Ed up to the Point through fair weather and foul. In order for Ed to become familiar with the people of the congregation, Ed and his father-in-law were invited to a different home each week for Sunday dinner. During the early days, Edith and their three children continued to participate at Central United in Port Colborne. After the family moved to the new parsonage, Edith and the three children assisted and supported Ed in his ministry by actively participating in the many activities of the congregation. A full account of the growth and progress of the little church under Ed’s direction would fill a multitude of pages. It is insufficient to say that the church grew and flourished as Morgan’s Point United became an effervescent powerhouse of the spirit of Christ for its members and for the community of churches of various denominations in which it was located. Ed and his family moved into a newly constructed parsonage on Nov. 15, 1946, and through the next 15 years he guided his flock as no other man could. On June 25, 1961 Ed preached his last service at Morgan’s Point. Ed left Morgan’s Point in order that the church could call “a man of the cloth”, as Ed would say, as he felt the little church was now ready to fully support a full-time minister. Other details of Ed’s ministry are left to the pen of the late Reverend Sheridan Bole who penned an article entitled “Look At It Now” which was printed in the United Church “Observer”. 1945 – The voters list of Port Colborne, records Edwin Barrett, Inco, Welland County as well as Mrs. Edwin Barrett and Mrs F. A. Barrett, widow, living in the same dwelling. In 1945 Ed resigned from his job as machinist at the Nickel Plant and became the first probation officer for the Juvenile and Family Court for Welland County on Nov. 1, 1945. This change of employment necessitated the purchase of his first car, which was a 1931, 4 door Plymouth. Ed used this old car to travel to his office in Welland and around the county to perform his function as a Probation Officer. When the Plymouth, being an old car, started to burn more oil than gasoline, Ed was fortunate to receive priority to purchase the tenth new car available in Welland County following World War II. The car was a 1946 Chevrolet, and as no cars had been built since 1942, due to the war, the new cars produced were distributed around the province and were sold to people performing official functions. EDWIN JAMES BARRETT - FIRST JUVENILE COURT PROBATION OFFICER An article in the Nov. 1, 1945 “Evening Tribune” stated: “Announcement was made today of the appointment by County Judge H. E. Fuller of Edwin J. Barrett of Port Colborne as Juvenile Court Probation Office for the County of Welland. Mr. Barrett was selected from 32 applicants, who had been narrowed down to two by the county juvenile court committee. “Mr. Barrett will be the first Probation Officer ever appointed in the County, and will work in conjunction with the newly-established juvenile court here. He is to commence his duties a week from today.” By a proclamation of the Dominion Parliament on Sept. 1, 1945, the Juvenile Court of the County of Welland, including the cities of Niagara Falls and Welland was established. His Honour, Judge H. E. Fuller, Judge of the County Court of Welland, was appointed as Judge of the Juvenile Court. Upon hearing of Ed’s appointment as Probation Officer, his uncle, Captain Walter Spencer, advisory secretary of The Church Army, London, England wrote him a letter. In the letter he mentioned that he, himself, had been appointed as one of the first Probation Officers for the London Courts. He complimented Ed on his appointment as Probation Officer. He wrote “I was so glad to hear that you were taking up probation work as a full-time job and I felt I must send you a line of hearty good wishes for God’s blessing on all your work amongst the young pickles you will have committed to your care”. The first year on the job, Ed gave 70 addresses to Police Groups, Service church Organizations, Governing Bodies, as well as Home and School Associations for the purpose of explaining the purpose and functions of the Juvenile Court. His Honour, Judge H. E. Fuller, presided at all court hearings and as the attorney did not appear in order to prosecute the cases so the arranging of evidence was left mostly in the hands of the Probation Officer. Ed took the philosophy that it was in the best interest of the child that the truth of the case be known in the court so as to ensure intelligent handling of the case. In Ed’s words, “His Honour, Judge Fuller, was a tower of strength in demanding “meticulous evidence” be presented and then he “went all out for the benefit of the youth. His kindly manner, keen sense of justice and almost unerring good judge for the welfare of the child soon made itself felt in a decrease in delinquency”. Ed continues to write “The post war years were very onerous on the court and the probation officer, but they proved to be a remarkable opportunity to get the new court in motion, in the mechanisms and procedures that were best for the the cases. Those years of sincere endeavour, set the ideals of probation and have been carried out to very fine results and which have been used since”. For eight years, Ed performed the probation work for the Juvenile Court and did Court work unofficially as well as caring for adults who appeared in Magistrates Courts. Through the years the functions of the probations’ office grew under Ed’s leadership: for the benefit of juveniles and adults. 1952 - In 1952, Ed became the Vice-President of the Probation Officers Association for Province of Ontario in its formation year. The next year Ed was elected president. “The Evening Tribune” reported that “Probation Officer E. J. Barrett of the Welland County Juvenile and Family Court was yesterday elected president of the Ontario Association of Probation Officers at the group’s annual meeting in the Sheraton Hotel. In his closing remarks, incoming President Barrett said that the outgoing executive had shown great leadership and foresight: the future looked most promising. He cautioned, however, that the success of the association and its members depended almost entirely on complete co-operation.“May we never be discouraged with mankind”, he said. “God never has. Throughout the years as a Probation Officer, Ed never rested in his efforts for the honest and fair treatment of juveniles and adults in the courts of Welland. His efforts included hundreds of public addresses to various organizations in the county in order to familiarize the community with the activities of the courts and to encourage volunteer organizations to work for those less fortunate than themselves. Throughout his work, many individuals and organizations benefited from his assitance and guidance. Many have felt his warmth and kindness as a man interested their well being. Hardly would there be a person, who knew him, that would not count it a privilege to be one of his friends. In all sincerity he was the friend of everyone who knew him. Perhaps his success as a Probation Officer can best be summarized by the testimonials given by his co-workers and friends at the time of his retirement. Mr. Daniel C. F. Coughlan, Director of the Provincial Probation Services, addressing those assembled said, I am the father of probation then it follows, since Ed has been at it longer than I have, that he is the grandfather of probation. It was a privilege and honour for me to come here from Toronto to express best wishes, on behalf of the 300 Probation Officers in the Province. Ed’s influence has gone far beyond that of Welland County in these past 25 years. I know of no one with whom I have been associated during my life, that I admire, or for whom I have more respect as a man, than Ed Barrett”. Mr. Fitzrandolph, Ed’s immediate supervisor said, “I don’t believe I have know a more upright man in my life. He has given me his unfailing loyalty. Ray Haggerty, the M.P.P. for the Welland South Riding said, “Mr. Barrett is one of the few people in the world today who has little difficulty in bridging, the so called generation gap. His teachings: teaching right from wrong, teaching honour and truth, rubbed off onto me and God only knows how many other young men. He is a man of principle, a man who has set many guidelines through the entire Niagara Peninsula. Many parents and young people today are certainly thankful for a man like Ed. In reply, Ed, as was so typical of him, commended the many people he had worked with over the past years. He added, “No one person is an island unto himself and no-one person deserves all the platitudes that are given him. I love people a lot and have hope in them. The human being is the most precious, the most loved that God has given to this world”. After 25 years of service as a Probation Officer, Ed retired only to take another job as Community Counsellor for the Welland Office of the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario. 1962 – The voters list of Welland, Ontario shows Edwin Barrett and Edith Barrett living on Edgar Street in Welland. When Ed and Edith moved from Morgan’s Point they made their home at 56 Edgar Street, Welland. They became members of the Wesley United Church and soon actively engaged in that congregation. Edith participated in Sunday School the Women’s Organizations and the choir. Ed soon became a member of the Church Board and Sunday School Superintendent. 1962 – The Welland voters list shows Edwin James Barrett, Probation Officer and his wife Mrs. Edith Barrett living on Edgar Street. Ed continued his active life, until as a result of illness, he had to give up some of his duties. Even though he could not be actively participating in organizations in his community his help and guidance was sought by many. Having past his 69th birthday, Ed passed into eternal peace and rest on Jan. 9, 1975 at the Port Colborne General Hospital. Saluting Police Officers stood motionless at attention in honour of Ed, as the many, many cars of his funeral procession passed. They all knew him and respected him, particularly one who could remember him as his Trail Ranger Leader at the little Union Sunday School so many years before. The funeral procession made its way through the streets of Port Colborne where Ed spent so much of his energy and life. It then made the 7 mile trip to Morgan’s United Church where he was laid to rest in the burial ground of the church where he served through one of the chapters of his life. Throughout the years, Ed was capably assisted and supported by Edith, his loving partner. Even though Edith’s role was supportive to Ed she was loved and respected by all -who came to know her due to her friendly manner, patience, fairness and leadership qualities. Together Ed and Edith raised their three children in the best way knew how instilling in them the concepts of truth, honesty, fairness, turning the other cheek, helping others, accepting responsibility and through their example love of Jesus Christ. Christ was Ed’s and Edith’s guiding light and closest guide. Together they fulfilled Christ’s command to “love your neighbour as yourself”. It is probably true to say that Ed gave so much of himself in helping other people, through his work as a Probation Officer and through his church work, that he more than fulfilled Christ’s command as he showed a love for his neighbour greater than the love for himself. Through the years at Morgan’s Point Church, Edith and the three children took active roles of leadership in the church and community. All four of them were members of the church choir for many years and all were, at times, Sunday School teachers. In their teens the three younger Barretts participated in the youth groups at the church and by taking on leadership roles where required. Dan became Sunday School Superintendent and a member of the Board of Elders. The three attended Port Colborne High School after which Dan worked at the Robin Hood Flour Mill in Humberstone as a Labritory Assistant. He later was employed for nine years at Atlas Steels in Welland before entering the teaching profession. Lois studied nursing at the Hamilton General Hospital and subsequently nursed at Port Colborne General Hospital. Hilda completed her high school studies as well as a year of special commercial after which she persued employment as a secretary in the Probation Offices in Welland. All of the three children married into families at Morgan’s Point and remained as integral parts of the church and community. The number of organizations which benefited from Ed’s assistance and leadership too numerous to mention. To name a few would include, The Big Brothers and Big Sisters Associations in Welland, the Youth Home, a drop-in centre for wayward youths, the Wainfleet Lions Club of which he was a charter member. His valuable assistance to the Wainfleet—Moulton Township Sunday School Association, an interdenominational association of Sunday Schools and C.F.O. (Camp Farthest Out). Ed became connected to C. F.O. when the organization was at a low ebb. Like many other organizations which he touched, C.F.O. grew and flourished attracting renowned Christian speakers to its annual week long retreat and camp at Waterloo University each summer. About his service at the Union Sunday School, it was printed in a book, “The Story of our Central United Church”, written by Rev. L. T. C. Harbour, that Ed “carried on a splendid work on Sunday and during the week with various boys’ groups. – Tribute must be paid to Mr. Barrett for the tremendous impact he had on the lives of many young people during his years of service for Christ at the Mission. During his tenure of office, Sunday School and mid week activities touched the lives of children and adults some of whom are now active leaders in the church and community.” Dan E. Barrett