Leonidas L'Heureux

Leonidas L'Heureux was born in Crows Nest Pass, in the Rocky Mountains in 1885. His father, Moise, was helping to build the railroad at that time. The family moved to Jackfish in 1887. In 1905, Leonidas took a homestead on Sec. 24-48-18-3rd. In June, 1906, he married Laetitia Gagne. They had four girls; Hilda, Alice and twins, Alma and Cecile. Hilda passed away during her first year of black diptheria. Laetitia passed away a few days after the twins were born. At that time, only midwives helped with the baby's births. Moise and Sophie, the grandparents, raised Alice and Alma, while Alphonse and Josephine Alain, Leonidas's sister, took the other twin Cecile. Leonidas was alone for a few years, until 1915, when he married Josephine, daughter of Joseph Dion and Marie Larochelle. She was born in 1899 at Notre Dame Buckland Co. Belle Chasse, P.Q. Josephine had come west in April, 1911 with her parents to make their home at Jackfish.

Leonidas and Josephine's family was a large one, consisting of twelve children. We had the misfortune of losing a brother, William, at 18 days old who had been born with a congenital heart.

We lived in a log shack, plastered with mud and covered with white wash. There were wood floors to scrub, having no linoleum back then, and no radio or telephone.

Dad bought a new Singer sewing machine for $66.00. With a family of our size, there was lots of sewing to be done and Mom would do it all. First, she would bleach the hundred pound flour bags and the ten pound sugar bags in a big boiler full of soapy water on top of a wood cook stove, until they were white. With the large bags, she would make underwear, sheets, pillow cases, tea towels, etc. The ten pound bags were dyed into different colors which were then cut into squares and made into colorful bedspreads. Mother also used to buy sheepwool, wash it, then Grandma Dion would help Mom by carding and spinning it into wool, ready to knit. Mom would knit all she could for the family - sweater, socks, mitts, touques, etc. after it had been dyed in the colors she wanted.

Our mattresses were made of gunny sacks sewed together. After threshing in the fall, we would fill them up with nice fresh straw.

In 1927, Dad bought Jim Colwell's homestead so that my brother, Julien and I could have a ride to Jackfish Creek School with our neighbors, Rene and Henriette Bru. Later, on 1927, Dad bought the old Jackfish Church Rectory and moved it onto our C.P.R., which was across the road from the now exising St. Leon Church. After that move, we were able to drive ourselves to Ness School. I quit school at 15 years old to stay home and help my parents.

I remember my father telling us that the mules he drove did not like to cross the bridge. The only way to get them across, was to put something over their head. My father was a horse lover and often broke in horses for others. I also remember him cuttng a load of poles to take to Meota, nine miles away. He sold the whole load for one dollar, which wouldn't buy much even then. However, it did buy enough P&G soap to do the washing.

During the Second World War, two of my brothers were called to serve their country. Julien was in Toronto, Ontario at the time, as he still is, and Edouard was at home on the farm in Jackfish. Edouard became ill after some time and was discharged early. However, Julien served for the length of the war. We were quite happy that he came back alive.

Times were very hard and both Mother and Father worked long, hard days. Dad found ways to bring joy to our lives by playing the fiddle and making Christmas special by playing at being Santa. We were and continue to be, a close, loving family.

Leonidas L'Heureux