Edward and Annie Donnelly

By Vera Carlson and Alva Smith

Edward Donnelly married Annie Meyer in 1927 at Clyde. They lived with Grandpa Roger Donnelly. The house was divided; Grandfather, my uncles and Frankie Brandl (their cook) lived on one side, Mom and Dad on the other. They had three children, Vera (myself) born at home, Donald born at the Westlock hospital and Alva born at home.

Ed and Annie Donnelly.

When I was approximately two years old, the Donnelly house was struck by lightning, coming down the chimney, ripping the linoleum across the kitchen floor and going out the window, killing a dog lying by the window. Frankie Brandl was knocked out. They laid him on my cot. I didn't like him lying on my bed, so I picked up a stick of wood from the wood box and struck him. Poor Frankie! He was not having a good day!

Dad sold his farm at Clyde and filed on a homestead in the Wandering River area, then known as Muskeg Prairie. They moved in 1931. His tractor and threshing machine were left at Clyde. Every fall he would come back to thresh grain, bringing the outfit closer to home. He worked at Clyde, Colinton, Boyle, Charron and finally Amesbury where we lived. Homesteading days, especially in the depression years were hard. How can one characterize a group of courageous men and women who came to a wilderness with a team of horses, the barest of tools and very strong backs to mold a wilderness into a farming community?

We lived in Amesbury for 16 years. In 1946

Donnelly family: Vera, Ed, Alva, Annie and Donald.

Mom and Dad purchased the Oswald Bohn farm at Freedom, but stayed in Amesbury that winter. In the spring of 1947 they purchased another farm from Harry Fink. We moved to Freedom in May. They continued farming even when they moved into Barrhead for a couple of years. Town life didn't suit them, so they moved back to the farm. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1977. Mom passed away November 4, 1978 with cancer. Dad stayed on the farm, renting out the land. He passed away with a massive heart attack on June 4, 1989.

In 1948 I, Vera Donnelly, married Aino Carlson who farmed in the Freedom district. We had a family of four. Mavis and Ewald Hartmann have two sons, Daniel and David, and live in Osoyoos, BC where they have an orchard. Darcy and Jim Rau have two children, Melanie and Ryan. They live in Clyde. Jim is a fireman with the Edmonton Fire Department. Robin and Jim Gourlay have two sons, Christopher and Jace. They live in Freedom. Jim is a registered engineer technologist and owns his own business called Gourlay Technical Services Ltd. Shannon and Carla Carlson have two sons, Tyler and Kurri. They live in Barrhead. Shannon is a building instructor and Carla is a registered nurse. We moved to Barrhead in 1990 where we now reside.

Our brother, Don Donnelly, helped Dad on the farm. In the winter he worked in lumber camps. In 1953 he joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He married Phyllis Watkins of Port Coquitlam in 1956. They were blessed with six children. Sheilagh and Tim Todd and family live in Texas. Patricia and

Aino and Vera Carlson family.

Kent Rednour and family live in Arizona. Kim and Dale Schaffrick and family farm in the Barrhead area. Colleen and family live in St. Albert. Donalda and Larry Rempel live on Vancouver Island. Michael and Teresa live in Saskatoon where Michael is a member of the RCMP like his dad.

Don's work took him to Port Coquitlam, BC, Fort Smith, NWT, Prince George, Valemount and McBride, BC. After being seriously injured while on duty and spending several months in a Kamloops hospital and recuperating at home, he was transferred to Westlock. He retired in 1968. For the next few years they lived at McBride, BC, Lamont, AB, Barrhead, AB, and Parksville, BC before returning to their farm in Barrhead.

Don and Phyllis and family were very musical and were instrumental in the organization of the Barrhead Country Opry. Phyllis was a teacher and taught music in the Barrhead school. She directed the Barrhead Farmer's Marching Band, which was formed in 1974. Besides entertaining at many local events, their tours took in parades at Fort Assiniboine, Westlock, St. Albert, Athabasca, Wainwright, Grande Cache, Edmonton and Kelowna. They also

Don and Phyllis Donnelly

went to Disneyland and performed in the musical march from Main St., USA to Tomorrowland and through the streets of Knotsberry Farm in California. Phyllis was a county councilor for the Thunder Lake area for one term. Don passed away on February 10, 1988. Phyllis sold the farm and is living in St. Albert.

I, Alva Donnelly, married Joe Smith, a farmer in the Freedom district where we still farm. The first six years of our married life we spent in lumber camps in the winter. Joe worked as a sawyer. I sometimes worked in the cookhouse.

In 1966 Joe was elected to Barrhead County Council and was a councilor for 24 years. He spent nine years on the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties as director, vice‑president, and president. We spend two to three months in Apache Junction, Arizona in the winter, where Joe plays senior slo‑pitch ball. Most of our weekends in the summer at home are spent travelling to other towns in Alberta playing ball. I am a ball fan so I enjoy watching them play.

We were blessed with four children and we also have two foster sons, Harold and Dale who came to live with us in 1965. Barry and Rose have two children, Nathan and Rebecca. They live in Freedom and both teach school in Barrhead. Bonnie and Dr. Lance Bredo live in Red Deer. They have four children, Kevin, Charles, Kalie and Graeme. Debra and Gil Gaudet and girls, Jessica and Alyssa live in Edmonton. Tammy and Albert live in Freedom. Harold, Tina and Matthew live in Toronto. Dale lives in Barrhead.