Another most amazing piece of Boulton family history has been shared with me by cousin Ann Milliken Patmore and on this St. Patrick's Day I’d like to pass the story on to my blog readers.
Boulton family research indicates that 3rd great grandfather George Boulton and his wife Nancy Bickfort/Bickford immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from Ballinvally, Wexford, Ireland somewhere around 1765-70. He went on to become a Loyalist and head for Ontario due to the American Revolution. Perhaps it is the Irish roots of the family that has kept alive the subject of today's post - an almost 90 year old shamrock plant! Ann tells me:
I remember it was one of the days we were helping Mom and Dad move into Reston from the farm in July, 2008. A plant pot was sitting on top of the frig and the plant in it was not looking very healthy. I suggested we should throw it out, but mom said it was just taking a little rest and we packed it up to move it to Reston. She went on to tell me the story behind the plant.The story begins around 1930 when little Mary Boulton (later Milliken) is sick with a cold and her Aunt Susie Boulton Bigney comes to the Boulton farm to visit and brings a little shamrock plant to cheer her up. Susie's granddaughter Maxine White Morrow remembers a shamrock plant in the Bigney house so no doubt it was a piece of her own plant. Thanks to Maxine, that detail of the story is no longer lost to history.
Oxalis Regnelli, as the clover or shamrock plant is officially known, needs a dormancy period in which some owners mistakenly believe the plant has died. The Boulton women obviously have faith however!
The plant survives and thrives under the tender loving care of Mary’s mother Elsie Bushby Boulton for the next 30+ years. Mary then moves the plant to her home and continues the tradition of watching it die down in the winter only to come to life each spring. It would witness another generation of children grow up and marry and have children of their own. As Mary aged and the years went by, it must have remained an important link to the past. Ann continues:
When mom moved into the Willowview in 2011, I brought the plant to my house in Virden and then to the lake in 2017 when we moved here. It’s been a travelling plant! Originally in Reston to the Boulton farm to Mom & Dad’s farm, back to Reston, Virden and now Oak Lake Beach.In fact, the shamrock plant took a place of honour at Mary's funeral in September, 2013. Granddaughter Jennifer Milliken Bell made mention of it in the eulogy she gave that day:
Grandma also loved plants inside the house. There were always plants in the windows. A true testament of her gardening skills can be seen at the front table where there are two shamrock plants. They are pieces of an original plant given to Grandma’s mom when Grandma was just two years old. Grandma kept that plant or pieces of it alive for 83 years.The plant now sees its fourth generation of children growing up as Ann's daughter Kaitlyn Patmore Stoop was “plant sitting” it at her house while the Patmores were away this winter. The shamrock plant now happily lives with Ann and although other family members have tried to take cutting to start a new plant, they don’t have the success of the original plant. Perhaps the next cutting will be the lucky one! The last word goes to Ann along with my sincere thanks for sharing the story with me:
I’m so glad I did not convince her to throw the plant out that day way back in 2008!
