Cable

(submitted by Ethel Gilliland and Sue McKay, with additions)

Henry (1801–1885) and Mary Ann (Lefever, –1872) Cable left Liverpool for Canada in 1831, first settling on Lot 21, Con. 3 NER, then purchasing another 150 acres nearby. The Cables were among the original pioneers of Warwick Twp.

Family lore recounts that for shopping, Henry travelled by foot to London or Sarnia, carrying supplies on his back. The family also remembers that there was no water on the 3rd Concession farm, so they drove the cattle to Warwick Village for water. Then they sold and moved to Birnam Line.

The Henry and Mary Ann Cable family included John, who died in Warwick Twp.; Martha, who resided in Saginaw, Michigan; Catherine, who married Alexander Donaldson and died in Michigan; Maria, who married Moses Atkinson of Warwick Twp.; William of Warwick; James who died in Detroit, Michigan; Benjamin, a member of the police force at Ingersoll, Ont.; Henry; and Charles.

Henry and Mary Ann's son William (1840–) was born on Lot 21, Con. 2 NER, Warwick Twp. In William's time there were very few educational chances for young people. He was 22 years old when he had his first opportunity to attend school, being taught by Murdo McLeay of Watford. Even then he could only go in the intervals when his farm services were not required. William married Catherine Alice Zavitz in 1871, at Port Huron, Michigan. They had five children: Henry, William, Ruby, Martha and John.

In his mid-twenties, William purchased 50 acres near the homestead. Here he built a small frame dwelling and set about clearing the farm. Two years later, he sold this property and bought 100 acres on Lot 18. Here he built a brick house. In another two years he purchased 140 acres on Con. 4 NER. Again he erected a brick dwelling and made other extensive improvements. In 1894, he bought 100 acres opposite his home on Lot 18, Con. 5 NER. He continued to farm here until 1906, by which point his son, Henry, was operating the 140-acre farm. William Cable added a 75 acre farm and by 1906, operated 175 acres, engaged in cattle raising, dealing and feeding. He was one of Warwick's most successful agriculturalists. In 1905 he was appointed a justice of the peace.

William and Catherine's son Henry (Harry) Cable (1871–1959) married Eliza Jane Turner in 1896. Their children were William, Albert, Fred, Mabel, Roy, Ruby, Leila and Howard.

Cable family. Courtesy C Cable.

William (1897–1961), second son of William and Catherine, married Estella Goodhand and continued to live in the Birnam area. They had six children. Clayton married Bernice Morris and moved to London, Ont. Lorna married Paul Fletcher and moved to Dundas, Ont. Harold married Estelle Dalton, then Dorthy McIntee and lived at Birnam. Verna married Ray Millar and moved to Brownsville, Ont. Floyd married Patricia Jay and moved to Toronto and eventually to Forest. Carmen married Betty Lou Smith and moved to Huron Park.

Clayton has reminisced about living in the Birnam area. One of his memories is about where ice was stored behind Ernie Campbell's old house. It was a hole dug into the ground, with steps down into it. The men would cut blocks of ice in the creek, then pile the blocks into this hole. Then they'd cover the blocks with saw dust from the saw mill and it would keep all summer for keeping things like milk, cream and butter cold. This was, of course, before electricity and refrigeration.

Albert Cable (1900–), son of Harry and Eliza Jane, married Winnie May Hagle and later moved to Forest with their daughter Marion.

Fred Cable (1902–), third son of Harry and Eliza Jane, married Annie Stewart, then Ruby Graham, and eventually moved to Strathroy. Of their four daughters, Ethel married Ernie Gilliland and stayed in the Birnam area until retiring to Forest. The other daughters were Elsie, Frieda and Jean.

Mabel Cable (1905–), oldest daughter of Harry and Eliza Jane, married Russell Smith and moved to Simcoe. Roy Cable (1908–), fourth son of Harry and Eliza Jane, married Mabel Hall and lived at Birnam. Ruby (1910–) married Bruce Robbins and moved to Belgrave,  Ont. Neither Roy nor Ruby had any family. Leila Cable (1913–) married Nicolas Presniak and moved to London, Ont. They adopted their daughter Sandra.

The youngest son of Henry (Harry) and Eliza Jane, Howard Cable (1919–), who was named for his uncle, John Howard Cable, married Norma Smith. He stayed at the homestead, Lot 18, Con. 4 NER, in Warwick. When he married, his parents moved to Forest.

The original farm, Lot  18, consisted of 140 acres on a creek bank. Howard's grandparents, William and Catherine, lived in the log house on the creek bank. Howard's father, Henry (Harry), moved two small buildings from behind a blacksmith shop to the road and lived in them until the brick house was built. Howard's brothers all lived close by — Roy to the east, Will to the west, Albert to the north and Fred to the south.

Howard and Norma raised seven children: Douglas, Kenneth, Dale, Cheryl, Janice, Carl and Brian. Doug, with his brother and his father, ran a gravel business from the farm.

Howard Cable remembers when the family bought their first radio and he listened to the Grand Ole Opry from Nashville, Tennessee with his father. Other memories include walking a mile to SS#4 every day, family Christmases when about 30 gathered after dinner to sing carols while his sisters played the piano, and playing baseball with his mother. His father used to tell him about lighting the candles at Bethel Church, before electricity. His sons would delight in following with a long pipe and blowing them out. Howard thinks the most important invention in his lifetime has been the automobile.

John Cable (1889–1948), son of William and Catherine and Harry's youngest brother, married Annie Gare. They had two sons: Clarence and Cecil.

Clarence of Warwick Twp. married Gertie Fragely. They had 5 children: Helen, Ron, Gary, Janet and Cheryl. Clarence served as building inspector for the township for many years.

Clarence's brother Cecil married Ivy Margaret Marrison from Michigan. They had two children.

Chapter 24 of 25 - Cable Family

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