A View of Reston, Man

The postcard above was found in an online collection here belonging to the Heritage Place Museum in Lyn near Brockville, Ontario.  What an exciting find!  The treeless landscape made me think it was quite early picture and may have been sent back to Ontario by Benjamin or Ann Boulton.  They had left the New Dublin area in 1892 for Reston.    A kindly museum volunteer named John checked the back of the card and sent me a copy of it.

Reston Apr 7th 07

Friend Mort - Thought I would send you a B. eye view of Reston. By daylight.  Suppose you are in the sugar making now and we still have winter and sleighing yet.  I think the people who moved out here early this spring will wish themselves home.  Write.  Yours Hulls (?)

Rowsome and Boulton/Bolton families were both found around the New Dublin area according to the museum website.  I wonder who the people mentioned in the postcard who moved out there early that spring might have been.  Richard and Hester Kendrick arrived in Reston from New Dublin in 1900.  This family was instrumental in forming the school district south of Reston named Dublin  in honour of their old home.  If any readers know more about this or who "Hulls" may be, please contact me at ssimms@escape.ca or comment on this blog post. 

I went west down #2 Highway tonight to try to recapture the view on the postcard over 111 years later and this is the result below.  A grain elevator is barely visible just left of the center and the golf course covers the foreground. The town has grown in all directions and a brand new Spraypark just officially opened today.

  

 "Hulls" would never recognize Reston today!

Edwin Benjamin Boulton (1920-1988)

Edwin and Randy

Edwin Benjamin Boulton - was born on the family homestead south of Reston on April 25, 1920 to Thomas and Elsie.  After already becoming parents to 4 girls, Edna, Violet, Annie and Emily, I am sure they were pleased to have a boy this time!  

Edwin in front of the massive woodpile!

Brother-in-law Joe Sowtis, Frank and Edwin Boulton

On October 6, 1945, Edwin married the local Kinloss school teacher Merle Lyla Cassell .  Merle and Eddie lived in the farmhouse with his parents and Uncle Anthony as well as brother Frank and sisters Jean, Mary and Faye.  What a houseful that must have been!  The farm grew over the years with more land being acquired, raising mixed livestock and a big garden to feed the family.  

Three sons were born to Eddie and Merle, first Richard Edwin, then Russell James and finally Randall Thomas.  Merle unexpectedly passed away shortly after Randy's birth in 1959, making Edwin a single father. He and his family carried on with help from neighbours like Mary Stonehouse, Jenetta Curtis and his sisters. Edna Pearn and her husband Ewen kept Randy until he was of school age but he raised his boys together on the farm from 1964 onward.  He kept the boys in contact with their Cassell relatives in Elkhorn and beyond.  These cousins have told me how the boys were always dressed up in white shirts and bow ties for these family visits!  

       

His sons fondly remember their Dad's special meals - navy beans soaked overnight, boiled cabbage, chicken or duck dinners and "finnan haddie" .   I hope anyone with memories of Eddie will share them with me to add to this blog post.  

My sons missed out on knowing their Grandpa Boulton.   After a battle with emphysema, Edwin died on May 25, 1988 in Brandon.  Today I want to wish him a Happy Father's Day and let him know what a great men his boys turned out to be!