Alma Folk

     Here are some photos from the Donna (Barbour) MacPhee collection of a few people around Alma and Laruetta.

 Above: Daisy (Rix) Barbour and Raigh Currie.

 Above: 25th Wedding Anniversary of Isaac and Edna (Herlihy) Dunbar.

    Above: Jean (Barbour) Oliver; Wanda (Barbour) Matthews; way in the back, Daisy (Rix) Barbour; Eva Jeffery; Geralda (Shields) Arsenault and Velda (Dunn) MacRae.  The date on the photos is 1962 - fifty years ago.

 Above: Mrs. Allan Clark; Blanche (Gordon) Clark and Scott Clark.

     Above:  Taking a break from planting potatoes - Leslie Mountain; Blanche (Mountain) Bowness; Sid Vincent: Lila Mountain; Geralda Shields; ? ; Preston Murphy.

Off to Malagash Salt Mine

     In 1939 Stephen Kinch, son of Martin & Theresa (Walsh) Kinch of Alma, and Harold Jeffery, son of Louis & Annie Jane (Cannon) Jeffery of Lauretta, left their homes on their bicycles, off to find work in the Malagash Salt Mine in Malagash, Nova Scotia - they traveled the whole distance on their bikes.  According to MapQuest, on today's roads, that's a distance of 262 miles from Alma to Malagash. 
     Harold was 18-years-old in June 1939 that year - he worked in the mines for 2-1/2 years.  Expecting to be called to serve in WWII, he left Malagash and came back to Lauretta to wait for the call.  He was in the army for 3-1/2 years - training in western Canada and did not serve overseas. 
     Martin also went on to fight in WWII.

Above: a bicycle similar to those sold in the 1930's

cf. Google Images.
http://www.autogallery.org.ru/adler.htm

     The Malagash Salt Mine was the first rock salt mine in Canada.  It opened in 1918 and closed in 1959.

Above: Malagash Salt Mine c.1930s

cf. http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?lg=English&ex=00000308&fl=0&id=exhibit_home

Kinch Homestead (later Wilfred & Edna Dunn's)

     I received these photos from Stephen Dunn last evening!  The homestead below belonged to his great-great-grandparents John & Elizabeth (O'Brien) Kinch.  Today residents of Alma would know this homestead as the home of Edna and her husband Wilfred Dunn.  All the old buildings are gone today - it's great to have these photos!

 

     Above: the John Kinch homestead, date unknown.  This homestead was located on the first big turn on the Centerline Road West in Alma, about half a mile in from the Western Road.

Above:  a zoomed in view of the homestead.

     Above: I changed the tone on this photo to sepia to see if other details would be more clear.

     Above: John Kinch (1853-1943) and his wife Elizabeth O'Brien (1875-1942) they married on April 6, 1875 at St. Simon St. Jude Church, Tignish.  They had nine children: Martin, Mary Ann, Lawrence, Mary Ann, George, John Herman, William Bennett, James Leo and Mary Hanora.  ( this information cf. The Island Registry www.islandregister.com/kinch.html, submitted by Lawrence W. Kinch - Larekin@aol.com )

 Above: This receipt was found in the walls of the old house.

     John and Elizabeth's oldest son, Martin was the next to own the Kinch homestead.  Stephen told me that he was a sailor on the HMS Empress of India - I found another reference that confirms this.  The HMS Empress of India was launched in 1891 - she served as the flagship of the second-in-command of the Channel Fleet and later used as a mail delivery ship.  She was sunk as a target ship on Nov. 4, 1913. ( information about the ship cf. http://en.wikipedia.org )  

Above: HMS Empress of India.

 Above: it reads,

IN MEMORY OF MY CRUISE IN CHINA AND JAPAN

     This belonged to Martin Kinch and possibly a commemoration of his time away at sea.

     Martin Kinch was born in Alma on July 24th, 1876 and died September 21, 1931.  He married Theresa Walsh in 1915.  She died in 1947.  They had the following children: Willie, Hilary, May, Edna and Stephen (cf. Cummins 1928 Atlas).

     Edna Dunn was born in 1921 and died this spring on May 17, 2012 (see obituary in this blog: http://almalauretta.blogspot.ca/2012/05/edna-t-dunn.html ).  Edna married Wilfred Dunn and raised their family here on the Kinch Homestead.

Edna T. Dunn

1921-2012

     At the Maplewood Manor, Alberton, on Thursday May 17, 2012, of Edna Theresa Dunn, beloved wife of the late Wilfred Dunn (predeceased 1997) formerly of Alma, age 90 years.

     Born at Alma on July 5, 1921, she was the daughter of the late Martin and Theresa (nee Walsh) Kinch. Loving mother to Florence Dunn of Alberton and Clarence (Carolyn) of Alma. Dear grandmother to Eric (Ashley) Allain and Donnie (Lacey) Allain, Jamie, Stephen and Christopher Dunn. Great grandmother to Keenan and Kenton Allain and Axel Starling. She is also survived by her sister, Mae Cameron of Nova Scotia, and by her sisters-in-law, Mary Kinch of New York and Deloris Dunn of Alberton, as well as her nieces and nephews. She was predeceased a daughter Velda (late Robert) MacRae, a twin son in infancy, and Cecil at age two, and by brothers Stephen, Willaim and Hilary Kinch.
     Resting at the Rooney Funeral Home Alberton. Visiting hours Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Funeral on Saturday afternoon from the Sacred Heart Church, Alberton, for funeral mass at 2:00 p.m., Rev. Michael Painchaud, Celebrant. Interment in the church cemetery. If so desired memorials to the Sacred Heart Cemetery Fund or to the Sacred Heart C.W.L would be gratefully appreciated. The Sacred Heart Council of the C.W.L will hold a prayer vigil at the funeral home Friday evening at 6;45 p.m.