Coneybeare

(submitted by Ella Capes and Janet Firman)

Alfred Hamlyn (1897–1970) and Frances Elizabeth (Lizzie, 1898–1979) Coneybeare moved to the west ½ of Lot 20, Con. 2 NER, Warwick Twp. in 1924, buying 100 acres from Charles Smith. Alfred had a large dairy operation; he also raised Aberdeen Angus cattle and hogs. Alfred was on Warwick Council, operated a road grader and was a trustee of SS#5, along with farming, for several years.

Alfred Coneybeare was the son of James Coneybeare of England and Edith Atchison of Dawn Twp. He served in World War I. In 1923 he married Lizzie Clark, who was the daughter of William and Frances (Riggs) Clark. Lizzie's brother Cromwell Clark built the first post office in Watford.

The Coneybeares had two children: Nelson, born in 1925, and Ella, born in 1927.

As Nelson and Ella grew up on the farm, chores were part of their life. There was no hydro or telephone. They had a windmill that pumped the water to fill a water tank for the horses and cattle to drink out of in the summer. In the winter there was a tank in the barn for the livestock. Drinking water for household use was carried in by pails. A cistern near the house provided soft rain water for wash water, which was raised up by a pail on a rope. Food such as eggs, meat and butter were also lowered part way down into the cistern in pails, to be kept cold.

Back then, their father went to the bush to cut down trees for firewood. The trees were trimmed and hauled up near the barn, put in piles and eventually a buzz bee was held. Threshing and silo filling bees were also held in season. At these bees neighbour men exchanged help and the women served bountiful meals.

Ella (Coneybeare) Capes at Watford Wireworks. Courtesy Lambton Heritage Museum. 

In those days beef rings were popular. Whatever amount and cut of beef one ordered each week was left in a special box at the road. Later, Alfred Coneybeare killed his own beef and pork and rented a freezer box, first at Arkona Cold Storage and later at Watford Cold Storage. Lizzie Coneybeare also fried side pork, put it into crocks and covered it with the pork drippings and saltpetre, then stored it in the cellar.

Gordon Vance, who operated a grocery store and egg grading station at Birnam, had a grocery truck on the road that delivered groceries and picked up eggs every week. The eggs paid for the Coneybeare groceries.

Nelson and Ella Coneybeare both attended SS#5 Warwick, at the corner of 24 Sideroad and 2nd Line NER (now Arkona Rd. and Brickyard Line). They walked two miles to school. Ella later attended Watford High School. She rode her bike six miles in the fine weather; during the cold weather she rode with other students in a “school bus.” Wilson Butler, from near Arkona, drove a nine passenger car (which the students called the hearse). He had a route where he picked up eight students and delivered them to high school; he then went to work at Saunders Machine Shop during school hours. This was during Ella's second year at high school. Due to wartime gas and tire rationing Wilson was unable to carry on with driving the next year. Ella then boarded in Watford to continue her education.

Old time dances were held at SS#5 twice a month during the winter months. This is where the Coneybeare children learned to dance. As children they attended Bethel Sunday School and Church.

In the early forties, bicycles were the only way of getting around. Every Sunday afternoon in the summer a group of young people with bicycles rode for miles around the country. They would congregate at a certain location, then ride to Rock Glen or Hungry Hollow and end up in Arkona for a pop or ice cream cone. Pop was nine cents a bottle and a cone was a nickel. They had to be home by supper and chore time.

When Nelson bought a Model T coupe car (it only held two people) they travelled further, taking in the carnivals that were held every summer in all the local towns, and then the fall fairs.

In 1947, Ella married Ellwood Capes of Brooke Twp. They had five children: Sherie, Doug, Shirley, Deanna and Dwayne.

Nelson married Betty McNaughton of Adelaide Twp. in 1948. They had two children: Wendy and Jim. Nelson took over the farm when his parents retired to Watford. Later he sold the farm and worked at installing windows, until he retired.

Chapter 24 of 25 - Coneybeare Family

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