FICTION · HISTORICAL
Clarence A. Boon
(Portrait from his 1985 book, ''It's Never too Late'') Clarence A. [Alton] Boon was born at Davidson, Saskatchewan. He lived through the thirties, knowing what a time it was to get an education. All members of the family had to work at an early age to keep food on the table. He started farming on his own in 1937. The worst year of the thirties. He had to move to southeastern Saskatchewan that year in order to feed his stock. Eleven years later he moved to Virden, Manitoba, where he still farms a two-section mixed farm, with the help of his family. As soon as his oldest son gets married, and takes over the farm, he and his wife are going to retire to a house beside the Assiniboine River, where he hopes to have more time to write.--(1975 'about author,' in ''I was a Step-child,'' by Clarence A. Boon)
Present - I look at the pile of dishes in the sink and reach a painful realization: I've got it bad.
— from Under One Roof
Most acclaimed
Love This Land
Ever since the beginning of time, it has been man's instinct to want to own land. Land on which to build a home for himself and his family. Land that he could make produce with the toil of his hands. Land that he could call his very own. This is the way it was with Catherine and Malcolm McDonald. There didn't seem any way for them to own land in their homeland of Scotland, so when they heard about free homestead land in Canada, they just had to emigrate and get a-hold of some of it.--Excerpt of Pg. 5 Foreword
Which Way To Turn Next
This is the story of a young boy in Ontario, who was fascinated by the tales that his brother told about the West, after having served in the North West Rebellion of 1885. Dick was discontented with his father's small eastern farm, and took the chance to go West to harvest in 1895. He found out how men take advantage of a kid, as he was called. He was one of those early pioneers who broke the sod with oxen and horses, as many others were doing in those early 1900's. He soon learned that the elements of nature had to be reckoned with year by year, such as prairie fires, blizzards, winds, drought, hail and floods. They broke his pocket book, but never his spirit. He and his wife raised a family through those hard times, living to see them all married. Then they enjoyed two generations of grandchildren as they lived in their country home overlooking the beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley.
The Way we lived
The complete life story of Edna (Mason) Thornby and Jack Thornby, who married in 1898. Edna lived to be more than 100 years of age, and being active and bright, told her incredible life stories to the author - some of which her family had never heard. A fascinating account of social history in late 19th century and early 20th century Canada. Author FOREWARD: There are always stories that old folk can tell about their lives, of the way they started farming around the turn of the century. This one is of special interest to me, because of this centenarian, well over her hundredth year, who was still active and her mind bright most of the time. Even some of her younger family members didn't know some of the things she told me, and yet they found out later that they were true, how remarkable. There are very few families that can claim a record like this family, in this country at least, and yet when some of the family trees are written up, there maybe lots more that no one knows about now. Many of our present generation are just now trying to find out where their ancestors came from. ''Jack Thornby married Edna Mason March 19th, 1898. Their family tree is printed on the back pages. Number represent the children as they were born.''