Greet and Hughie’s Second 50th

Dave Ferguson — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 02:17:43 +0000

by Julene Coady

While living in Nova Scotia, I got to know family I had only heard about. One time when I was out visiting Aunt Billie, we were talking about weddings and Anniversaries, and the way things were done and the way things were celebrated. Aunt Greet & Uncle Hughie were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I could not go to Detroit [where they lived]; some of the other family was going.

I said to Billie, “You know, it would be great when Greet and Hughie come home this summer if we had a surprise for them. We could have a party and invite people they havenâ€™t seen for years. We could have it at my place.” We knew we probably could not outdo the Detroit gang but it would be fun nonetheless.

With the support of Billie and her family, and of course my family, I pitched the idea to our cousin Kay Stubbert who lives in Timberlea. We put our heads together. Kay was a great one for parties, and she got contacts for people she knew in the area who knew Greet and Hughie. I enlisted the help of Dannyâ€™s daughter Jane Webber (that is a whole other story) and Janice Ferguson to give me the names and addresses of the Ferguson relatives in the area. I started calling people and sounding much like a telemarketer explained who I was and how I fit in the Ferguson crew, and invited all kinds of people I never met before to my house on an August afternoon to celebrate Greet and Hughieâ€™s 50th anniversary.

Kay Stubbert enlisted the help of her sisters who were home visiting. Anna came from Vancouver, Evelyn Stubbert, myself, and Kay (MacKinnon – Stubbert married to Ambrose Stubbert). I donâ€™t think Edna was home this time; I know she was home for the August party the year before. We made lobster sandwiches, egg sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, we had vegetables and dip, cheese — tons of food. We had a cake, tea, coffee, the works, and the people came, and it was a tribute to Hughie and Greet like no other.

Cyril Sampson got a piano and Kevin and Theresa [Macdonald]â€™s daughter Marie played a few tunes for us. We had music, but it was difficult to hear the music over the talking.

Alan MacKenzie (piper with the 78th Highlanders Citadel Halifax â€“- My son Coady was instructed by and played with Alan), stopped by late in the afternoon on his way home from teaching at the Gaelic College in C.B. to play a few tunes and the guests were entertained by Anne Marie (my oldest daughter) and Kevin and Theresaâ€™s daughter Marie with a couple of dance numbers.

The funniest thing was when Aunt Greet came up the stairs and the place is blocked, she stops on the stairs and looks at the people.

She had that look that said, â€œI know all you people, but what are you doing in this house.â€? They had a marvelous time.

One of Uncle Hughieâ€™s nieces still owes me Rocky Road Squares; I have to find the paper to remember her name.

Aunt Billie: Billie Macdonald, sister of Julene’s mother Edith Macdonald
Aunt Greeet: Greet Macdonald, Billie’s sister
Uncle Hughie: Hughie Ferguson, Greet’s husband
Kevin and Theresa: Kevin Macdonald and his wife; Kevin is the son of Charlie Macdonald, brother of Billie, Edith, and Greet
Marie: Marie Macdonald, daughter of Kevin and Theresa
Kay Stubbert: wife of Cyril Sampson; cousin of Greet, Billie, and Edith
Evelyn Stubbert: Kay’s sister, married to Greg Mullins
Kay MacKinnon: wife of Ambrose Stubbert, Kay’s brother
Anna: another sister of Kay and Evelyn
Edna: another sister of Kay and Evelyn

Danny: Danny Ferguson, Hughie’s brother
Jane Webber: married name of Jane Ferguson, Danny’s daughter
Janice Ferguson: daughter of Hughie’s brother Johnny

Coady: Coady Summerfield, son of Julene Coady and Everett Summerfield
Anne Marie: Anne Marie Summerfield, daughter of Julene Coady and Everett Summerfield

Joanne Macdonald’s Search for Jack D

Dave Ferguson — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 16:55:14 +0000

by Joanne Macdonald

My Mom and Dad, Veronica “Eoin” and Charlie “Jack D.” always attended the concerts in the [Port Hawkesbury / Inverness] area. As everyone knows Mom and Dad brought a lunch…more like a supper to feed any and all of the relatives.

Once I moved home from Edmonton, I decided to keep up the tradition but not as much a supper as Mom and Dad did but a lunch.

Biscuits, homemade cheese, “real” turkey (as my Mother used to say), ham, potato salad, homemade strawberry jam, rolls, bread, and sweets, tea, water and pop and especially Pepsi for Frank was the lunch I brought and would feed anyone who was hungry from far and near.

This one Sunday before I left for the Broad Cove concert, my brother, Kevin, came over and asked if I would stop at the Strathlorne grave yard and get the dates from the headstone of Jack D. Of course, I said yes and I would have no problem stopping there and getting that information for him.

I got to the graveyard and proceeded to look for my grandfather’s headstone. I looked and I looked, up and down the rows and no sign of the stone. I knew that was the graveyard but could not imagive why I could not find the headstone. I left and thought I’ll got to Frankie’s and he would help me.

On to Inverness at to Frankie’s, explained my dilemma to him and he said that he would take me to the graveyard but first we had to have a cup of tea. I had the trunk full of food so of course, sweets go great with a cup of tea and we had both.

Frankie and I head to Strathlorne to go the the grave and get the dates. Frankie gets out of the car, goes directly to the headstone.

I had passed this one a couple of times. I looked down and saw John David Macdonald, my grandfather.

I had been looking for a headstone with the name of “Jack D.” on it as that was the name I had always heard him called.

Charlie Macdonald: son of Jack D Macdonald and Annie Belle Rankin
Veronica MacDonald: maiden name of Charlie Macdonald’s wife.
Joanne: daughter of Charlie and Veronica Macdonald.
As Joanne says, “I am a double Macdonald.”

February 27, 2006

Cousin Agam Fhèin » Macdonald, Charlie

Greet and Hughie’s Second 50th

Joanne Macdonald’s Search for Jack D